A new phenotypic manifestation of deletion of the BGL2 gene encoding the cell-wall glucanotransferase Bgl2p in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Deletion of the gene encoding the cell-wall glucanotransferase Bgl2p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae decreases the number of dead cells in the yeast culture incubated in a liquid nutrient medium for more than two days. After storage for three months, only 32% of the wild-type cells were found to be able to produce colonies, whereas all cells with the inactivated BGL2 gene retained this ability. It is suggested that the glucanotransferase Bgl2p plays an important role in the limitation of the reproductive life span of aging yeast cells.