Effects of a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Levucell® SC), a microbial additive for ruminants, on lactate metabolism in vitro

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 927-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédérique Chaucheyras ◽  
Gérard Fonty ◽  
Philippe Gouet ◽  
Gérard Bertin ◽  
Jean-Michel Salmon

The effect of Levucell® SC, a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae marked as a feed additive for ruminants, was investigated in vitro on lactate metabolism by the ruminal bacteria Streptococcus bovis and Megasphaera elsdenii. The coculture between 107 live cells∙mL−1 of SC and a Streptococcus bovis strain in the presence of glucose reduced lactate production by the bacterial strain. Live yeast cells were able to compete with Streptococcus bovis for glucose utilization in strictly anaerobic conditions, so less glucose was available for the bacterium. SC also stimulated L-lactate utilization by a strain of M. elsdenii. The effect depended on the concentration of yeast cells added. Bacterial growth and fermentation end-product concentrations were also increased in the presence of SC. Some amino acids and vitamins, but not dicarboxylic acids, stimulated the bacterial specific activity of L-lactate uptake. SC was able to provide amino acids to M. elsdenii. In a coculture of Streptococcus bovis and M. elsdenii on glucose, the reduction of lactate concentration was improved by SC, the same trend being observed when maltose or soluble starch were used as carbon and energy source. These results indicate that SC can be a very useful tool to reduce lactate accumulation in vitro during fermentation of soluble sugars.Key words: rumen, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, lactate metabolism, Streptococcus bovis, Megasphaera elsdenii.

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 5010-5019 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Heitman ◽  
A Koller ◽  
J Kunz ◽  
R Henriquez ◽  
A Schmidt ◽  
...  

The immunosuppressants cyclosporin A, FK506, and rapamycin inhibit growth of unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms and also block activation of T lymphocytes from multicellular eukaryotes. In vitro, these compounds bind and inhibit two different types of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases. Cyclosporin A binds cyclophilins, whereas FK506 and rapamycin bind FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs). Cyclophilins and FKBPs are ubiquitous, abundant, and targeted to multiple cellular compartments, and they may fold proteins in vivo. Previously, a 12-kDa cytoplasmic FKBP was shown to be only one of at least two FK506-sensitive targets in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We find that a second FK506-sensitive target is required for amino acid import. Amino acid-auxotrophic yeast strains (trp1 his4 leu2) are FK506 sensitive, whereas prototrophic strains (TRP1 his4 leu2, trp1 HIS4 leu2, and trp1 his4 LEU2) are FK506 resistant. Amino acids added exogenously to the growth medium mitigate FK506 toxicity. FK506 induces GCN4 expression, which is normally induced by amino acid starvation. FK506 inhibits transport of tryptophan, histidine, and leucine into yeast cells. Lastly, several genes encoding proteins involved in amino acid import or biosynthesis confer FK506 resistance. These findings demonstrate that FK506 inhibits amino acid import in yeast cells, most likely by inhibiting amino acid transporters. Amino acid transporters are integral membrane proteins which import extracellular amino acids and constitute a protein family sharing 30 to 35% identity, including eight invariant prolines. Thus, the second FK506-sensitive target in yeast cells may be a proline isomerase that plays a role in folding amino acid transporters during transit through the secretory pathway.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 5010-5019 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Heitman ◽  
A Koller ◽  
J Kunz ◽  
R Henriquez ◽  
A Schmidt ◽  
...  

The immunosuppressants cyclosporin A, FK506, and rapamycin inhibit growth of unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms and also block activation of T lymphocytes from multicellular eukaryotes. In vitro, these compounds bind and inhibit two different types of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases. Cyclosporin A binds cyclophilins, whereas FK506 and rapamycin bind FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs). Cyclophilins and FKBPs are ubiquitous, abundant, and targeted to multiple cellular compartments, and they may fold proteins in vivo. Previously, a 12-kDa cytoplasmic FKBP was shown to be only one of at least two FK506-sensitive targets in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We find that a second FK506-sensitive target is required for amino acid import. Amino acid-auxotrophic yeast strains (trp1 his4 leu2) are FK506 sensitive, whereas prototrophic strains (TRP1 his4 leu2, trp1 HIS4 leu2, and trp1 his4 LEU2) are FK506 resistant. Amino acids added exogenously to the growth medium mitigate FK506 toxicity. FK506 induces GCN4 expression, which is normally induced by amino acid starvation. FK506 inhibits transport of tryptophan, histidine, and leucine into yeast cells. Lastly, several genes encoding proteins involved in amino acid import or biosynthesis confer FK506 resistance. These findings demonstrate that FK506 inhibits amino acid import in yeast cells, most likely by inhibiting amino acid transporters. Amino acid transporters are integral membrane proteins which import extracellular amino acids and constitute a protein family sharing 30 to 35% identity, including eight invariant prolines. Thus, the second FK506-sensitive target in yeast cells may be a proline isomerase that plays a role in folding amino acid transporters during transit through the secretory pathway.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
X Mao ◽  
B Schwer ◽  
S Shuman

RNA (guanine-7-)-methyltransferase is the enzyme responsible for methylating the 5' cap structure of eukaryotic mRNA. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme is a 436-amino-acid protein encoded by the essential ABD1 gene. In this study, deletion and point mutations in ABD1 were tested for the ability to support growth of an abd1 null strain. Elimination of 109 amino acids from the N terminus had no effect on cell viability, whereas a more extensive N-terminal deletion of 155 residues was lethal, as was a C-terminal deletion of 55 amino acids. Alanine substitution mutations were introduced at eight conserved residues within a 206-amino-acid region of similarity between ABD1 and the methyltransferase domain of the vaccinia virus capping enzyme. ABD1 alleles H253A (encoding a substitution of alanine for histidine at position 253), T282A, E287A, E361A, and Y362A were viable, whereas G174A, D178A, and Y254A were either lethal or severely defective for growth. Alanine-substituted and amino-truncated ABD1 proteins were expressed in bacteria, purified, and tested for cap methyltransferase activity in vitro. Mutations that were viable in yeast cells had either no effect or only a moderate effect on the specific methyltransferase activity of the mutated ABD1 protein, whereas mutations that were deleterious in vivo yielded proteins that were catalytically defective in vitro. These findings substantiate for the first time the long-held presumption that cap methylation is an essential function in eukaryotic cells.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kariona A. Grabińska ◽  
Paula Magnelli ◽  
Phillips W. Robbins

ABSTRACT Chs4p (Cal2/Csd4/Skt5) was identified as a protein factor physically interacting with Chs3p, the catalytic subunit of chitin synthase III (CSIII), and is indispensable for its enzymatic activity in vivo. Chs4p contains a putative farnesyl attachment site at the C-terminal end (CVIM motif) conserved in Chs4p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other fungi. Several previous reports questioned the role of Chs4p prenylation in chitin biosynthesis. In this study we reinvestigated the function of Chs4p prenylation. We provide evidence that Chs4p is farnesylated by showing that purified Chs4p is recognized by anti-farnesyl antibody and is a substrate for farnesyl transferase (FTase) in vitro and that inactivation of FTase increases the amount of unmodified Chs4p in yeast cells. We demonstrate that abolition of Chs4p prenylation causes a ∼60% decrease in CSIII activity, which is correlated with a ∼30% decrease in chitin content and with increased resistance to the chitin binding compound calcofluor white. Furthermore, we show that lack of Chs4p prenylation decreases the average chain length of the chitin polymer. Prenylation of Chs4p, however, is not a factor that mediates plasma membrane association of the protein. Our results provide evidence that the prenyl moiety attached to Chs4p is a factor modulating the activity of CSIII both in vivo and in vitro.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2382-2391
Author(s):  
C A Kaiser ◽  
D Botstein

Nine mutations in the signal sequence region of the gene specifying the secreted Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme invertase were constructed in vitro. The consequences of these mutations were studied after returning the mutated genes to yeast cells. Short deletions and two extensive substitution mutations allowed normal expression and secretion of invertase. Other substitution mutations and longer deletions blocked the formation of extracellular invertase. Yeast cells carrying this second class of mutant gene expressed novel active internal forms of invertase that exhibited the following properties. The new internal proteins had the mobilities in denaturing gels expected of invertase polypeptides that had retained a defective signal sequence and were otherwise unmodified. The large increase in molecular weight characteristic of glycosylation was not seen. On nondenaturing gels the mutant enzymes were found as heterodimers with a normal form of invertase that is known to be cytoplasmic, showing that the mutant forms of the enzyme are assembled in the same compartment as the cytoplasmic enzyme. All of the mutant enzymes were soluble and not associated with the membrane components after fractionation of crude cell extracts on sucrose gradients. Therefore, these signal sequence mutations result in the production of active internal invertase that has lost the ability to enter the secretory pathway. This demonstrates that the signal sequence is required for the earliest steps in membrane translocation.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 4084-4092
Author(s):  
P C McCabe ◽  
H Haubruck ◽  
P Polakis ◽  
F McCormick ◽  
M A Innis

The rap1A gene encodes a 21-kDa, ras-related GTP-binding protein (p21rap1A) of unknown function. A close structural homolog of p21rap1A (65% identity in the amino-terminal two-thirds) is the RSR1 gene product (Rsr1p) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although Rsr1p is not essential for growth, its presence is required for nonrandom selection of bud sites. To assess the similarity of these proteins at the functional level, wild-type and mutant forms of p21rap1A were tested for complementation of activities known to be fulfilled by Rsr1p. Expression of p21rap1A, like multicopy expression of RSR1, suppressed the conditional lethality of a temperature-sensitive cdc24 mutation. Point mutations predicted to affect the localization of p21rap1A or its ability to cycle between GDP and GTP-bound states disrupted suppression of cdc24ts, while other mutations in the 61-65 loop region improved suppression. Expression of p21rap1A could not, however, suppress the random budding phenotype of rsr1 cells. p21rap1A also apparently interfered with the normal activity of Rsrlp, causing random budding in diploid wild-type cells, suggesting an inability of p21rap1A to interact appropriately with Rsr1p regulatory proteins. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found an Rsr1p-specific GTPase-activating protein (GAP) activity in yeast membranes which was not active toward p21rap1A, indicating that p21rap1A may be predominantly GTP bound in yeast cells. Coexpression of human Rap1-specific GAP suppressed the random budding due to expression of p21rap1A or its derivatives, including Rap1AVal-12. Although Rap1-specific GAP stimulated the GTPase of Rsr1p in vitro, it did not dominantly interfere with Rsr1p function in vivo. A chimera consisting of Rap1A1-165::Rsr1p166-272 did not exhibit normal Rsr1p function in the budding pathway. These results indicated that p21rap1A and Rsr1p share at least partial functional homology, which may have implications for p21rap1A function in mammalian cells.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 5679-5687
Author(s):  
C K Barlowe ◽  
D R Appling

In eucaryotes, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate (formyl-THF) synthetase, 5,10-methenyl-THF cyclohydrolase, and NADP(+)-dependent 5,10-methylene-THF dehydrogenase activities are present on a single polypeptide termed C1-THF synthase. This trifunctional enzyme, encoded by the ADE3 gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is thought to be responsible for the synthesis of the one-carbon donor 10-formyl-THF for de novo purine synthesis. Deletion of the ADE3 gene causes adenine auxotrophy, presumably as a result of the lack of cytoplasmic 10-formyl-THF. In this report, defined point mutations that affected one or more of the catalytic activities of yeast C1-THF synthase were generated in vitro and transferred to the chromosomal ADE3 locus by gene replacement. In contrast to ADE3 deletions, point mutations that inactivated all three activities of C1-THF synthase did not result in an adenine requirement. Heterologous expression of the Clostridium acidiurici gene encoding a monofunctional 10-formyl-THF synthetase in an ade3 deletion strain did not restore growth in the absence of adenine, even though the monofunctional synthetase was catalytically competent in vivo. These results indicate that adequate cytoplasmic 10-formyl-THF can be produced by an enzyme(s) other than C1-THF synthase, but efficient utilization of that 10-formyl-THF for purine synthesis requires a nonenzymatic function of C1-THF synthase. A monofunctional 5,10-methylene-THF dehydrogenase, dependent on NAD+ for catalysis, has been identified and purified from yeast cells (C. K. Barlowe and D. R. Appling, Biochemistry 29:7089-7094, 1990). We propose that the characteristics of strains expressing full-length but catalytically inactive C1-THF synthase could result from the formation of a purine-synthesizing multienzyme complex involving the structurally unchanged C1-THF synthase and that production of the necessary one-carbon units in these strains is accomplished by an NAD+ -dependent 5,10-methylene-THF dehydrogenase.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 4215-4229
Author(s):  
S Heidmann ◽  
B Obermaier ◽  
K Vogel ◽  
H Domdey

In contrast to higher eukaryotes, little is known about the nature of the sequences which direct 3'-end formation of pre-mRNAs in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The hexanucleotide AAUAAA, which is highly conserved and crucial in mammals, does not seem to have any functional importance for 3'-end formation in yeast cells. Instead, other elements have been proposed to serve as signal sequences. We performed a detailed investigation of the yeast ACT1, ADH1, CYC1, and YPT1 cDNAs, which showed that the polyadenylation sites used in vivo can be scattered over a region spanning up to 200 nucleotides. It therefore seems very unlikely that a single signal sequence is responsible for the selection of all these polyadenylation sites. Our study also showed that in the large majority of mRNAs, polyadenylation starts directly before or after an adenosine residue and that 3'-end formation of ADH1 transcripts occurs preferentially at the sequence PyAAA. Site-directed mutagenesis of these sites in the ADH1 gene suggested that this PyAAA sequence is essential for polyadenylation site selection both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the 3'-terminal regions of the yeast genes investigated here are characterized by their capacity to act as signals for 3'-end formation in vivo in either orientation.


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