Glucose regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle genes

Nutrient-limited Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells rapidly resume proliferative growth when transferred into glucose medium. This is preceded by a rapid increase in CLN3, BCK2, and CDC28 mRNAs encoding cell cycle regulatory proteins that promote progress through Start. We have tested the ability of mutations in known glucose signaling pathways to block glucose induction of CLN3, BCK2, and CDC28. We find that loss of the Snf3 and Rgt2 glucose sensors does not block glucose induction, nor does deletion of HXK2, encoding the hexokinase isoenzyme involved in glucose repression signaling. Rapamycin blockade of the Tor nutrient sensing pathway does not block the glucose response. Addition of 2-deoxy glucose to the medium will not substitute for glucose. These results indicate that glucose metabolism generates the signal required for induction of CLN3, BCK2, and CDC28. In support of this conclusion, we find that addition of iodoacetate, an inhibitor of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase step in yeast glycolysis, strongly downregulates the levels CLN3, BCK2, and CDC28 mRNAs. Furthermore, mutations in PFK1 and PFK2, which encode phosphofructokinase isoforms, inhibit glucose induction of CLN3, BCK2, and CDC28. These results indicate a link between the rate of glycolysis and the expression of genes that are critical for passage through G₁.     

Deletion of host histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases strongly affects Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen that genetically transforms plant cells by transferring a part of its Ti-plasmid, the T-strand, to the host cell. Under laboratory conditions, it can also transform cells from many different nonplant organisms, including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Collections of S. cerevisiae strains have been developed with systematic deletion of all coding sequences. Here, we used these collections to identify genes involved in the Agrobacterium -mediated transformation (AMT) of S. cerevisiae . We found that deletion of genes ( GCN5 , NGG1 , YAF9 and EAF7 ) encoding subunits of the SAGA, SLIK, ADA and NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complexes highly increased the efficiency of AMT, while deletion of genes ( HDA2 , HDA3 and HST4 ) encoding subunits of histone deacetylase complexes decreased AMT. These effects are specific for AMT as the efficiency of chemical (lithium acetate) transformation was not or only slightly affected by these deletions. Our data are consistent with a positive role of host histone deacetylation in AMT.     

Mutations in RAD27 define a potential link between G1 cyclins and DNA replication.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has three G1 cyclin (CLN) genes with overlapping functions. To analyze the functions of the various CLN genes, we examined mutations that result in lethality in conjunction with loss of cln1 and cln2. We have isolated alleles of RAD27/ERC11/YKL510, the yeast homolog of the gene encoding flap endonuclease 1, FEN-1.cln1 cln2 rad27/erc11 cells arrest in S phase; this cell cycle arrest is suppressed by the expression of CLN1 or CLN2 but not by that of CLN3 or the hyperactive CLN3-2. rad27/erc11 mutants are also defective in DNA damage repair, as determined by their increased sensitivity to a DNA-damaging agent, increased mitotic recombination rates, and increased spontaneous mutation rates. Unlike the block in cell cycle progression, these phenotypes are not suppressed by CLN1 or CLN2. CLN1 and CLN2 may activate an RAD27/ERC11-independent pathway specific for DNA synthesis that CLN3 is incapable of activating. Alternatively, CLN1 and CLN2 may be capable of overriding a checkpoint response which otherwise causes cln1 cln2 rad27/erc11 cells to arrest. These results imply that CLN1 and CLN2 have a role in the regulation of DNA replication. Consistent with this, GAL-CLN1 expression in checkpoint-deficient, mec1-1 mutant cells results in both cell death and increased chromosome loss among survivors, suggesting that CLN1 overexpression either activates defective DNA replication or leads to insensitivity to DNA damage.