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10 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 10

Abstract (Expand)

Cell volume is an important parameter for modelling cellular processes. Temperature-induced variability of cellular size, volume, intracellular granularity, a fraction of budding cells of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK 113–7D (in anaerobic glucose unlimited batch cultures) were measured by flow cytometry and matched with the performance of the biomass growth (maximal specific growth rate (μmax), specific rate of glucose consumption, the rate of maintenance, biomass yield on glucose). The critical diameter of single cells was 7.94 μm and it is invariant at growth temperatures above 18.5°C. Below 18.5°C, it exponentially increases up to 10.2 μm. The size of the bud linearly depends on μmax, and it is between 50% at 5°C and 90% at 31°C of the averaged single cell. The intracellular granularity (side scatter channel (SSC)-index) negatively depends on μmax. There are two temperature regions (5–31°C vs. 33–40°C) where the relationship between SSC-index and various cellular parameters differ significantly. In supraoptimal temperature range (33–40°C), cells are less granulated perhaps due to a higher rate of the maintenance. There is temperature dependent passage through the checkpoints in the cell cycle which influences the μmax. The results point to the existence of two different morphological states of yeasts in these different temperature regions.

Authors: Maksim Zakhartsev, Matthias Reuss

Date Published: 26th Apr 2018

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The intra- and extracellular concentrations of 16 metabolites were measured in chemostat (D = 0.1 h−1) anaerobic cultures of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK-113-7D growing on minimal medium. Two independent sampling workflows were employed: (i) conventional cold methanol quenching and (ii) a differential approach. Metabolites were quantified in different sample fractions (total, extracellular, quenching supernatant, methanol/water extract and pellet) in order to derive their mass balance. The differential method in combination with absolute metabolite quantification by gas-chromatography with isotope dilution mass spectrometry (GC–IDMS) was used as a benchmark to assess quality of the cold methanol quenching procedure. Quantitative comparison of metabolite concentrations in all fractions collected by different quenching techniques indicates asystematic loss of the total mass of various metabolites in course of the cold methanol quenching. Pellet resulting from the cold methanol quenching besides biomass contains considerable amounts of precipitated inorganic salts from the fermentation media. Quantitative analysis has revealed significant co-precipitation of polar extracellular metabolites together with these salts. This phenomenon is especially significant for metabolites with large extracellular mass-fraction. We report that the co-precipitation is a hitherto neglected phenomenon and concluded that its degree strongly linked to culturing conditions (i.e. media composition) and chemical properties of the particular metabolite. Thus, intracellular metabolite levels measured from samples collected by cold methanol quenching might be uncertain and variably biased due to corruption by described phenomena.

Authors: Maksim Zakhartsev, Oliver Vielhauer, Thomas Horn, Xuelian Yang, Matthias Reuss

Date Published: 1st Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway in yeast serves as a prototype signalling system for eukaryotes. We used an unprecedented amount of data to parameterise 192 models capturing different hypotheses about molecular mechanisms underlying osmo-adaptation and selected a best approximating model. This model implied novel mechanisms regulating osmo-adaptation in yeast. The model suggested that (i) the main mechanism for osmo-adaptation is a fast and transient non-transcriptional Hog1-mediated activation of glycerol production, (ii) the transcriptional response serves to maintain an increased steady-state glycerol production with low steady-state Hog1 activity, and (iii) fast negative feedbacks of activated Hog1 on upstream signalling branches serves to stabilise adaptation response. The best approximating model also indicated that homoeostatic adaptive systems with two parallel redundant signalling branches show a more robust and faster response than single-branch systems. We corroborated this notion to a large extent by dedicated measurements of volume recovery in single cells. Our study also demonstrates that systematically testing a model ensemble against data has the potential to achieve a better and unbiased understanding of molecular mechanisms.

Authors: J. Schaber, R. Baltanas, A. Bush, E. Klipp, A. Colman-Lerner

Date Published: 15th Nov 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

We develop a strategic ‘domino’ approach that starts with one key feature of cell function and the main process providing for it, and then adds additional processes and components only as necessary to explain provoked experimental observations. The approach is here applied to the energy metabolism of yeast in a glucose limited chemostat, subjected to a sudden increase in glucose. The puzzles addressed include (i) the lack of increase in ATP upon glucose addition, (ii) the lack of increase in ADP when ATP is hydrolyzed, and (iii) the rapid disappearance of the ‘A’ (adenine) moiety of ATP. Neither the incorporation of nucleotides into new biomass, nor steady de novo synthesis of AMP explains. Cycling of the ‘A’ moiety accelerates when the cell's energy state is endangered, another essential domino among the seven required for understanding of the experimental observations. This new domino analysis shows how strategic experimental design and observations in tandem with theory and modeling may identify and resolve important paradoxes. It also highlights the hitherto unexpected role of the ‘A’ component of ATP.

Editor:

Date Published: 1st Sep 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

An existing detailed kinetic model for the steady-state behavior of yeast glycolysis was tested for its ability to simulate dynamic behavior. Using a small subset of experimental data, the original model was adapted by adjusting its parameter values in three optimization steps. Only small adaptations to the original model were required for realistic simulation of experimental data for limit-cycle oscillations. The greatest changes were required for parameter values for the phosphofructokinase reaction. The importance of ATP for the oscillatory mechanism and NAD(H) for inter-and intra-cellular communications and synchronization was evident in the optimization steps and simulation experiments. In an accompanying paper [du Preez F et al. (2012) FEBS J doi:10.1111/j.1742-4658.2012.08658.x], we validate the model for a wide variety of experiments on oscillatory yeast cells. The results are important for re-use of detailed kinetic models in modular modeling approaches and for approaches such as that used in the Silicon Cell initiative. Database The mathematical models described here have been submitted to the JWS Online Cellular Systems Modelling Database and can be accessed at http://jjj.biochem.sun.ac.za/database/dupreez/index.html.

Authors: , David D van Niekerk, Bob Kooi, Johann M Rohwer,

Date Published: 21st Jun 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

In an accompanying paper [du Preez et al., (2012) FEBS J doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2012.08665.x], we adapt an existing kinetic model for steady-state yeast glycolysis to simulate limit-cycle oscillations. Here we validate the model by testing its capacity to simulate a wide range of experiments on dynamics of yeast glycolysis. In addition to its description of the oscillations of glycolytic intermediates in intact cells and the rapid synchronization observed when mixing out-of-phase oscillatory cell populations (see accompanying paper), the model was able to predict the Hopf bifurcation diagram with glucose as the bifurcation parameter (and one of the bifurcation points with cyanide as the bifurcation parameter), the glucose- and acetaldehyde-driven forced oscillations, glucose and acetaldehyde quenching, and cell-free extract oscillations (including complex oscillations and mixed-mode oscillations). Thus, the model was compliant, at least qualitatively, with the majority of available experimental data for glycolytic oscillations in yeast. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a model for yeast glycolysis has been tested against such a wide variety of independent data sets. Database The mathematical models described here have been submitted to the JWS Online Cellular Systems Modelling Database and can be accessed at http://jjj.biochem.sun.ac.za/database/dupreez/index.html.

Authors: , David D van Niekerk,

Date Published: 13th Jun 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Yeast glycolytic oscillations have been studied since the 1950s in cell-free extracts and intact cells. For intact cells, sustained oscillations have so far only been observed at the population level, i.e. for synchronized cultures at high biomass concentrations. Using optical tweezers to position yeast cells in a microfluidic chamber, we were able to observe sustained oscillations in individual isolated cells. Using a detailed kinetic model for the cellular reactions, we simulated the heterogeneity in the response of the individual cells, assuming small differences in a single internal parameter. This is the first time that sustained limit-cycle oscillations have been demonstrated in isolated yeast cells. Database The mathematical model described here has been submitted to the JWS Online Cellular Systems Modelling Database and can be accessed at http://jjj.biochem.sun.ac.za/database/gustavsson/index.html free of charge.

Authors: Anna-Karin Gustavsson, David D van Niekerk, Caroline B Adiels, , Mattias Goksör,

Date Published: 23rd May 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

In the field of metabolomics, GC–MS has rather established itself as a tool for semi-quantitative strategies like metabolic fingerprinting or metabolic profiling. Absolute quantification of intra- or extracellular metabolites is nowadays mostly accomplished by application of diverse LC–MS techniques. Only few groups have so far adopted GC–MS technology for this exceptionally challenging task. Besides numerous and deeply investigated problems related to sample generation, the pronounced matrix effects in biological samples have led to the almost mandatory application of isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) for the accurate determination of absolute metabolite concentrations. Nevertheless, access to stable isotope labeled internal standards (ILIS), which are in many cases commercially unavailable, is quite laborious and very expensive. Here we present an improved and simplified gas chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry (GC–IDMS) protocol for the absolute determination of intra- and extracellular metabolite levels. Commercially available 13C-labeled algal cells were used as a convenient source for the preparation of internal standards. Advantages as well as limitations of the described method are discussed.

Authors: Oliver Vielhauer, , Thomas Horn, Ralf Takors,

Date Published: 1st Dec 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The proteins cdc2 and cyclin form a heterodimer (maturation promoting factor) that controls the major events of the cell cycle. A mathematical model for the interactions of cdc2 and cyclin is constructed. Simulation and analysis of the model show that the control system can operate in three modes: as a steady state with high maturation promoting factor activity, as a spontaneous oscillator, or as an excitable switch. We associate the steady state with metaphase arrest in unfertilized eggs, the spontaneous oscillations with rapid division cycles in early embryos, and the excitable switch with growth-controlled division cycles typical of nonembryonic cells.

Author: J. J. Tyson

Date Published: 15th Aug 1991

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Negative feedback control is a ubiquitous feature of biochemical systems, as is time delay between a signal and its response. Negative feedback in conjunction with time delay can lead to oscillations. In a cellular context, it might be beneficial to mitigate oscillatory behaviour to avoid recurring stress situations. This can be achieved by increasing the distance between the parameters of the system and certain thresholds, beyond which oscillations occur. This distance has been termed resistance. Here, we prove that in a generic three-dimensional negative feedback system the resistance of the system is modified by nested autoinhibitory feedbacks. Our system features negative feedbacks through both input-inhibition as well as output-activation, a signalling component with mass conservation and perfect adaptation. We show that these features render the system applicable to biological data, exemplified by the high osmolarity glycerol system in yeast and the mammalian p53 system. Output-activation is better supported by data than input-inhibition and also shows distinguished properties with respect to the system's stimulus. Our general approach might be useful in designing synthetic systems in which oscillations can be tuned by synthetic autoinhibitory feedbacks.

Authors: J. Schaber, A. Lapytsko, D. Flockerzi

Date Published: No date defined

Publication Type: Not specified

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