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Acs-Szabo L, Papp LA, Miklos I. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of human diseases: the benefits of fission yeasts. MICROBIAL CELL (GRAZ, AUSTRIA) 2024; 11:288-311. [PMID: 39104724 PMCID: PMC11299203 DOI: 10.15698/mic2024.08.833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
The role of model organisms such as yeasts in life science research is crucial. Although the baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is the most popular model among yeasts, the contribution of the fission yeasts (Schizosaccharomyces) to life science is also indisputable. Since both types of yeasts share several thousands of common orthologous genes with humans, they provide a simple research platform to investigate many fundamental molecular mechanisms and functions, thereby contributing to the understanding of the background of human diseases. In this review, we would like to highlight the many advantages of fission yeasts over budding yeasts. The usefulness of fission yeasts in virus research is shown as an example, presenting the most important research results related to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Vpr protein. Besides, the potential role of fission yeasts in the study of prion biology is also discussed. Furthermore, we are keen to promote the uprising model yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, which is a dimorphic species in the fission yeast genus. We propose the hyphal growth of S. japonicus as an unusual opportunity as a model to study the invadopodia of human cancer cells since the two seemingly different cell types can be compared along fundamental features. Here we also collect the latest laboratory protocols and bioinformatics tools for the fission yeasts to highlight the many possibilities available to the research community. In addition, we present several limiting factors that everyone should be aware of when working with yeast models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lajos Acs-Szabo
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of DebrecenDebrecen, 4032Hungary
| | - Laszlo Attila Papp
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of DebrecenDebrecen, 4032Hungary
| | - Ida Miklos
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of DebrecenDebrecen, 4032Hungary
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Etherington GJ, Wu PS, Oliferenko S, Uhlmann F, Nieduszynski CA. Telomere-to-telomere Schizosaccharomyces japonicus genome assembly reveals hitherto unknown genome features. Yeast 2024; 41:73-86. [PMID: 38451028 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizosaccharomyces japonicus belongs to the single-genus class Schizosaccharomycetes, otherwise known as "fission yeasts." As part of a composite model system with its widely studied S. pombe sister species, S. japonicus has provided critical insights into the workings and the evolution of cell biological mechanisms. Furthermore, its divergent biology makes S. japonicus a valuable model organism in its own right. However, the currently available genome assembly contains gaps and has been unable to resolve centromeres and other repeat-rich chromosomal regions. Here we present a telomere-to-telomere long-read genome assembly of the S. japonicus genome. This includes the three megabase-length chromosomes, with centromeres hundreds of kilobases long, rich in 5S ribosomal RNA genes, transfer RNA genes, long terminal repeats, and short repeats. We identify a gene-sparse region on chromosome 2 that resembles a 331 kb centromeric duplication. We revise the genome size of S. japonicus to at least 16.6 Mb and possibly up to 18.12 Mb, at least 30% larger than previous estimates. Our whole genome assembly will support the growing S. japonicus research community and facilitate research in new directions, including centromere and DNA repeat evolution, and yeast comparative genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Snezhana Oliferenko
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Frank Uhlmann
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Cell Biology Centre, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Conrad A Nieduszynski
- The Earlham Institute, Norwich, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Etherington GJ, Gil EG, Haerty W, Oliferenko S, Nieduszynski CA. Schizosaccharomyces versatilis represents a distinct evolutionary lineage of fission yeast. Yeast 2024; 41:95-107. [PMID: 38146786 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The fission yeast species Schizosaccharomyces japonicus is currently divided into two varieties-S. japonicus var. japonicus and S. japonicus var. versatilis. Here we examine the var. versatilis isolate CBS5679. The CBS5679 genome shows 88% identity to the reference genome of S. japonicus var. japonicus at the coding sequence level, with phylogenetic analyses suggesting that it has split from the S. japonicus lineage 25 million years ago. The CBS5679 genome contains a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 1 and 2, together with several large inversions. The products of genes linked to the major translocation are associated with 'metabolism' and 'cellular assembly' ontology terms. We further show that CBS5679 does not generate viable progeny with the reference strain of S. japonicus. Although CBS5679 shares closer similarity to the 'type' strain of var. versatilis as compared to S. japonicus, it is not identical to the type strain, suggesting population structure within var. versatilis. We recommend that the taxonomic status of S. japonicus var. versatilis is raised, with it being treated as a separate species, Schizosaccharomyces versatilis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisa Gomez Gil
- Oliferenko Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Wilfried Haerty
- Research Faculty, The Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Snezhana Oliferenko
- Oliferenko Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Conrad A Nieduszynski
- Research Faculty, The Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Vicente-Soler J, Soto T, Franco A, Cansado J, Madrid M. The Multiple Functions of Rho GTPases in Fission Yeasts. Cells 2021; 10:1422. [PMID: 34200466 PMCID: PMC8228308 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The Rho family of GTPases represents highly conserved molecular switches involved in a plethora of physiological processes. Fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has become a fundamental model organism to study the functions of Rho GTPases over the past few decades. In recent years, another fission yeast species, Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, has come into focus offering insight into evolutionary changes within the genus. Both fission yeasts contain only six Rho-type GTPases that are spatiotemporally controlled by multiple guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), and whose intricate regulation in response to external cues is starting to be uncovered. In the present review, we will outline and discuss the current knowledge and recent advances on how the fission yeasts Rho family GTPases regulate essential physiological processes such as morphogenesis and polarity, cellular integrity, cytokinesis and cellular differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - José Cansado
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.V.-S.); (T.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Marisa Madrid
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.V.-S.); (T.S.); (A.F.)
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Negative control of cytokinesis by stress-activated MAPK signaling. Curr Genet 2021; 67:715-721. [PMID: 33791858 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-021-01155-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways regulate multiple cellular functions in eukaryotic organisms in response to environmental cues, including the dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. The fission yeast S. pombe is an optimal model to investigate the conserved regulatory mechanisms of cytokinesis, which relies in an actomyosin-based contractile ring (CAR) that prompts the physical separation of daughter cells during cellular division. Our group has recently shown that p38 MAPK ortholog Sty1, the core component of the stress-activated pathway (SAPK), negatively modulates CAR assembly and integrity in S. pombe during actin cytoskeletal damage induced with Latrunculin A and in response to environmental stress. This response involves downregulation of protein levels of the formin For3, which assembles actin filaments for cables and the CAR, likely through an ubiquitin-mediated degradation mechanism. Contrariwise, Sty1 function positively reinforces CAR assembly during stress in the close relative dimorphic fission yeast S. japonicus. The opposite effect of SAPK signaling on CAR integrity may represent an evolutionary refined adaptation to cope with the marked differences in cytokinesis onset in both fission yeast species.
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Gómez-Gil E, Franco A, Madrid M, Vázquez-Marín B, Gacto M, Fernández-Breis J, Vicente-Soler J, Soto T, Cansado J. Quorum sensing and stress-activated MAPK signaling repress yeast to hypha transition in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008192. [PMID: 31150379 PMCID: PMC6561576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS), a mechanism of microbial communication dependent on cell density, governs developmental decisions in many bacteria and in some pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi including yeasts. In these simple eukaryotes this response is mediated by the release into the growth medium of quorum-sensing molecules (QSMs) whose concentration increases proportionally to the population density. To date the occurrence of QS is restricted to a few yeast species. We show that a QS mediated by the aromatic alcohols phenylethanol and tryptophol represses the dimorphic yeast to hypha differentiation in the fission yeast S. japonicus in response to an increased population density. In addition, the stress activated MAPK pathway (SAPK), which controls cell cycle progression and adaptation to environmental changes in this organism, constitutively represses yeast to hypha differentiation both at transcriptional and post-translational levels. Moreover, deletion of its main effectors Sty1 MAPK and Atf1 transcription factor partially suppressed the QS-dependent block of hyphal development under inducing conditions. RNAseq analysis showed that the expression of nrg1+, which encodes a putative ortholog of the transcription factor Nrg1 that represses yeast to hypha dimorphism in C. albicans, is downregulated both by QS and the SAPK pathway. Remarkably, Nrg1 may act in S. japonicus as an activator of hyphal differentiation instead of being a repressor. S. japonicus emerges as an attractive and amenable model organism to explore the QS mechanisms that regulate cellular differentiation in fungi. Quorum sensing is a relevant mechanism of communication dependent on population density that controls cell development and pathogenesis in microorganisms including fungi. We describe a quorum sensing mediated by the release of aromatic alcohols in the growth medium that blocks hyphal development in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus. This is the first description of such a mechanism in the fission yeast lineage, and confirms its expansion along Ascomycota fungi. The stress-responsive pathway (SAPK), which regulates fungal growth and differentiation, limits hyphal growth in S. japonicus in a constitutive fashion, and nonfunctional SAPK mutants are partially insensitive to quorum sensing and able to form hyphae in high cell density cultures. Nrg1, an important factor that blocks hyphal development in the pathogen Candida albicans, activates hyphal growth in S. japonicus, and its expression is counteracted by both quorum sensing and the SAPK pathway. Nrg1 function may thus have diverged evolutionary in this organism from being a repressor to an activator of hyphal development. S. japonicus emerges as a suitable model organism to explore the intricate mechanisms regulating fungal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Gómez-Gil
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alejandro Franco
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Marisa Madrid
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Vázquez-Marín
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Mariano Gacto
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jesualdo Fernández-Breis
- Departamento de Informática y Sistemas, Facultad de Informática. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jero Vicente-Soler
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Teresa Soto
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- * E-mail: (TS); (JC)
| | - José Cansado
- Yeast Physiology Group, Departmento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- * E-mail: (TS); (JC)
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Nozaki S, Furuya K, Niki H. The Ras1-Cdc42 pathway is involved in hyphal development of Schizosaccharomyces japonicus. FEMS Yeast Res 2019; 18:4939477. [PMID: 29566183 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foy031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Dimorphic yeasts transform into filamentous cells or hyphae in response to environmental cues. The mechanisms for the hyphal transition of dimorphic yeasts have mainly been studied in Candida albicans, an opportunistic human fungal pathogen. The Ras1-MAPK pathway is a major signal transduction pathway for hyphal transition in C. albicans. Recently, the non-pathogenic dimorphic yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus has also been used for genetic analyses of hyphal induction. We confirmed that Ras1-MAPK and other MAPK pathways exist in Sz. japonicus. To examine how hyphal transition is induced by environmental stress-triggered signal transduction, we studied the hyphal transition of deletion mutants of MAPK pathways in Sz. japonicus. We found that the MAPK pathways are not involved in hyphal induction, although the mating response is dependent on these pathways. However, only Ras1 deletion caused a severe defect in hyphal development via both DNA damage and environmental stressors. In fact, genes on the Cdc42 branch of the Ras1 (Ras1-Cdc42) pathway, efc25Sj, scd1Sj and scd2Sj, are required for hyphal development. Cell morphology analysis indicated that the apical growth of hyphal cells was inhibited in Ras1-Cdc42-pathway deletion mutants. Thus, the control of cell polarity by the Ras1-Cdc42 pathway is crucial for hyphal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Nozaki
- Microbial Genetics Laboratory, Genetic Strains Research Center, National institute of Genetics, 1111, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Kanji Furuya
- Radiation Biology Center, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-Cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hironori Niki
- Microbial Genetics Laboratory, Genetic Strains Research Center, National institute of Genetics, 1111, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.,Department of Genetics, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 1111, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
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8
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Schizosaccharomyces japonicus: A Distinct Dimorphic Yeast among the Fission Yeasts. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2017; 2017:pdb.top082651. [PMID: 28733412 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top082651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genomic sequencing data and morphological properties demonstrate evolutionary relationships among groups of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces Phylogenetically, S. japonicus is the furthest removed from other species of fission yeast. The basic characteristics of cell proliferation are shared among all fission yeast, including the process of binary fission during vegetative growth, conjugation and karyogamy with horsetail movement, mating-type switching, and sporulation. However, S. japonicus also exhibits characteristics that are unique to filamentous fungi. S. japonicus is a nonpathogenic yeast that exhibits dimorphism. Depending on the environmental conditions, S. japonicus transforms from yeast cells into filamentous cells (hyphae), and blue light triggers synchronous septation of hyphal cells. A rough version of the whole-genome sequence is now available, facilitating genetic manipulation of S. japonicus. Furthermore, the extensive genetic knowledge available for S. pombe is aiding the development of genetic tools for analyzing S. japonicus. S. japonicus will help shed light on the evolutionary relationships among the fission yeast.
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Russell JJ, Theriot JA, Sood P, Marshall WF, Landweber LF, Fritz-Laylin L, Polka JK, Oliferenko S, Gerbich T, Gladfelter A, Umen J, Bezanilla M, Lancaster MA, He S, Gibson MC, Goldstein B, Tanaka EM, Hu CK, Brunet A. Non-model model organisms. BMC Biol 2017; 15:55. [PMID: 28662661 PMCID: PMC5492503 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-017-0391-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Model organisms are widely used in research as accessible and convenient systems to study a particular area or question in biology. Traditionally only a handful of organisms have been widely studied, but modern research tools are enabling researchers to extend the set of model organisms to include less-studied and more unusual systems. This Forum highlights a range of 'non-model model organisms' as emerging systems for tackling questions across the whole spectrum of biology (and beyond), the opportunities and challenges, and the outlook for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Russell
- Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Departments of Biochemistry and of Microbiology & Immunology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Pranidhi Sood
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, 600 16th St, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Wallace F Marshall
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, 600 16th St, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
| | - Laura F Landweber
- Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics and Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | | | - Jessica K Polka
- Visiting Scholar, Whitehead Institute, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Snezhana Oliferenko
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Therese Gerbich
- 516 Fordham Hall, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - Amy Gladfelter
- 516 Fordham Hall, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - James Umen
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N. Warson Rd, St. Louis, MO, 63132, USA
| | | | - Madeline A Lancaster
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Francis Crick Avenue, CB2 0QH, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shuonan He
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Matthew C Gibson
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Biology Department, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Elly M Tanaka
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus Vienna Biocenter 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Anne Brunet
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging at Stanford, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Niki H. Schizosaccharomyces japonicus
: the fission yeast is a fusion of yeast and hyphae. Yeast 2014; 31:83-90. [DOI: 10.1002/yea.2996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hironori Niki
- Microbial Genetics Laboratory, Genetic Strains Research Centre National Institute of Genetics 1111 Yata Mishima Shizuoka 411‐8540 Japan
- Department of Genetics Graduate University for Advanced Studies Sokendai, 1111 Yata Mishima Shizuoka 411‐8540 Japan
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Klar AJS. Schizosaccharomyces japonicus yeast poised to become a favorite experimental organism for eukaryotic research. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2013; 3:1869-73. [PMID: 23934997 PMCID: PMC3789812 DOI: 10.1534/g3.113.007187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Both budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and fission yeast Schizosaccahromyces pombe have been very popular organisms used for biological research with eukaryotes for many decades. Judging from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus DNA sequence determined 2 years ago, this species is evolutionarily very much unrelated to the commonly used yeasts for research. Indicating evolutionary divergence, the S. japonicus makes 8-spored asci and mitosis occurs with a partial breakdown of nuclear membrane whereas the other yeasts make 4-spored asci and cells divide without nuclear breakdown. The commonly used yeast species exhibit a generation time between 1.5 and 2.0 hr, and their genetic cross takes a period of more than 7 working d. As described here, a generation time of only 63 min and meiotic analysis completed in just 2.5 d, the S. japonicus fission yeast is predicted to become a choice organism for future research on the biology of eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar J. S. Klar
- Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201
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