Production of the aroma chemicals 3-(methylthio)-1-propanol and 3-(methylthio)-propylacetate with yeasts.

Yeasts can convert amino acids to flavor alcohols following the Ehrlich pathway, a reaction sequence comprising transamination, decarboxylation, and reduction. The alcohols can be further derivatized to the acetate esters by alcohol acetyl transferase. Using L: -methionine as sole nitrogen source and at high concentration, 3-(methylthio)-1-propanol (methionol) and 3-(methylthio)-propylacetate (3-MTPA) were produced with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methionol and 3-MTPA acted growth inhibiting at concentrations of >5 and >2 g L(-1), respectively. With the wild type strain S. cerevisiae CEN.PK113-7D, 3.5 g L(-1) methionol and trace amounts of 3-MTPA were achieved in a bioreactor. Overexpression of the alcohol acetyl transferase gene ATF1 under the control of a TDH3 (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) promoter together with an optimization of the glucose feeding regime led to product concentrations of 2.2 g L(-1) 3-MTPA plus 2.5 g L(-1) methionol. These are the highest concentrations reported up to now for the biocatalytic synthesis of these flavor compounds which are applied in the production of savory aroma compositions such as meat, potato, and cheese flavorings.

Multiple transcripts regulate glucose-triggered mRNA decay of the lactate transporter JEN1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae JEN1 gene encoding the lactate transporter undergoes strong catabolic repression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. JEN1 mRNA decay is greatly accelerated upon the addition of a pulse of glucose, fructose or mannose to induced cell cultures. Mapping of the 5'UTRs and 3'UTRs of JEN1 transcripts revealed multiple transcription start-sites located at position -51, +391 or +972, depending on the cell culture conditions. The presence of the JEN1(+391) transcript correlated with rapid glucose-triggered mRNA degradation of the JEN1(-51) transcript, whereas when the small transcript started at position +972, the JEN1(-51) mRNA turnover rate was unaffected. Overexpressed JEN1(+391) transcript accelerated JEN1(-51) mRNA decay in all conditions tested but was not translated. We propose that the JEN1(+391) transcript may have a "sensor-like" function, regulating glucose-triggered degradation of JEN1(-51) protein-coding mRNA.

Investigation of the yvgW Bacillus subtilis chromosomal gene involved in Cd(2+) ion resistance.

Analysis of the complete genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis has identified the gene yvgW encoding a protein of 703 amino acids with sequence similarity to the cadmium resistance determinant CadA from the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258. Deletion of yvgW (designated cadA) resulted in increased sensitivity of the strain to cadmium. The cadA gene is expressed from its own promoter, and its expression is induced by cadmium. Northern hybridization analysis showed that cadmium induces the synthesis of a 2.2-kb cadA transcript. These results indicate that cadA is the chromosomal determinant to cadmium resistance in B. subtilis.

Characterization of null mutants of the glyoxylate cycle and gluconeogenic enzymes in S. cerevisiae through metabolic network modeling verified by chemostat cultivation.

Biomass yields for several null mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were successfully predicted with a metabolic network model. Energetic parameters of the model were obtained from growth data in C-limited aerobic chemostat cultures of the corresponding wild-type strain, which exhibited a P/O ratio of 1.46, a non-growth-related maintenance of 56 mmol ATP/C-mol biomass/h, and a growth-related requirement of 655 mmol ATP/C-mol biomass. Biomass yields and carbon uptake rates were modeled for different mutants incapacitated in their glyoxylate cycle and their gluconeogenesis. Biomass yields were calculated for different feed ratios of glucose to ethanol, and decreases for higher ethanol fractions were correctly predicted for mutants with deletions of the malate synthase, the isocitrate lyase, or the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. The growth of the fructose- 1,6-bisphosphatase deletion mutant was anticipated less accurate, but the tendency was modeled correctly.

Gluconeogenesis in Candida albicans.

According to different metabolic situations in various stages of Candida albicans pathogenesis the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism was investigated. We report the genetic characterization of all major C. albicans gluconeogenic and glyoxylate cycle genes (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, PEP carboxykinase, malate synthase and isocitrate lyase) which were isolated after functional complementation of the corresponding Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutants. Remarkably, the regulation of the heterologously expressed C. albicans gluconeogenic and glyoxylate cycle genes was similar to that of the homologous S. cerevisiae genes. A C. albicans DeltaCafbp1 deletion strain failed to utilize non-fermentable carbon sources but hyphal growth was not affected. Our results show that regulation of gluconeogenesis in C. albicans is similar to that of S. cerevisiae and that the current knowledge on how gluconeogenesis is regulated will facilitate the physiological understanding of C. albicans.

Comparative genomics of Listeria species.

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen with a high mortality rate that has also emerged as a paradigm for intracellular parasitism. We present and compare the genome sequences of L. monocytogenes (2,944,528 base pairs) and a nonpathogenic species, L. innocua (3,011,209 base pairs). We found a large number of predicted genes encoding surface and secreted proteins, transporters, and transcriptional regulators, consistent with the ability of both species to adapt to diverse environments. The presence of 270 L. monocytogenes and 149 L. innocua strain-specific genes (clustered in 100 and 63 islets, respectively) suggests that virulence in Listeria results from multiple gene acquisition and deletion events.

Conservation of microstructure between a sequenced region of the genome of rice and multiple segments of the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana.

The nucleotide sequence was determined for a 340-kb segment of rice chromosome 2, revealing 56 putative protein-coding genes. This represents a density of one gene per 6.1 kb, which is higher than was reported for a previously sequenced segment of the rice genome. Sixteen of the putative genes were supported by matches to ESTs. The predicted products of 29 of the putative genes showed similarity to known proteins, and a further 17 genes showed similarity only to predicted or hypothetical proteins identified in genome sequence data. The region contains a few transposable elements: one retrotransposon, and one transposon. The segment of the rice genome studied had previously been identified as representing a part of rice chromosome 2 that may be homologous to a segment of Arabidopsis chromosome 4. We confirmed the conservation of gene content and order between the two genome segments. In addition, we identified a further four segments of the Arabidopsis genome that contain conserved gene content and order. In total, 22 of the 56 genes identified in the rice genome segment were represented in this set of Arabidopsis genome segments, with at least five genes present, in conserved order, in each segment. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the Arabidopsis genome has undergone multiple duplication events. Our results demonstrate that conservation of the genome microstructure can be identified even between monocot and dicot species. However, the frequent occurrence of duplication, and subsequent microstructure divergence, within plant genomes may necessitate the integration of subsets of genes present in multiple redundant segments to deduce evolutionary relationships and identify orthologous genes.

Structure of the Bacillus subtilis peptide antibiotic subtilosin A determined by 1H-NMR and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Subtilosin A produced by Bacillus subtilis is a macrocyclic peptide antibiotic which comprises 35 amino acids. Its molecular mass (3399.7 Da), determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and chemical properties gave experimental support for unusual intramolecular linkages. The three-dimensional fold of native subtilosin in dimethylsulfoxide was determined from two-dimensional 1H-NMR spectra recorded at 600 MHz. Based on the backbone conformation, a structure for subtilosin A is presented which is characterized by three inter-residue bridges where two cysteines are linked with two phenylalanine residues, respectively, and a third cysteine is bound to a threonine residue.

Ubc8p functions in catabolite degradation of fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase in yeast.

The key gluconeogenic enzyme fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) is synthesized when cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are grown on a non-fermentable carbon source. After shifting the cells to glucose-containing medium, in a process called catabolite degradation, FBPase is selectively and rapidly broken down. We have isolated gid mutants, which are defective in this glucose-induced degradation process. When complementing the defect in catabolite degradation of FBPase in gid3-1 mutant cells with a yeast genomic library, we identified the GID3 gene and found it to be identical to UBC8 encoding the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc8p. The in vivo function of Ubc8p (Gid3p) has remained a mystery so far. Here we demonstrate the involvement of Ubc8p in the glucose-induced ubiquitylation of FBPase as a prerequisite for catabolite degradation of the enzyme via the proteasome. Like FBPase, Ubc8p is found in the cytoplasmic fraction of the cell. We demonstrate cytoplasmic degradation of FBPase.

Progress in Arabidopsis genome sequencing and functional genomics.

Arabidopsis thaliana has a relatively small genome of approximately 130 Mb containing about 10% repetitive DNA. Genome sequencing studies reveal a gene-rich genome, predicted to contain approximately 25000 genes spaced on average every 4.5 kb. Between 10 to 20% of the predicted genes occur as clusters of related genes, indicating that local sequence duplication and subsequent divergence generates a significant proportion of gene families. In addition to gene families, repetitive sequences comprise individual and small clusters of two to three retroelements and other classes of smaller repeats. The clustering of highly repetitive elements is a striking feature of the A. thaliana genome emerging from sequence and other analyses.

The essential protein fap7 is involved in the oxidative stress response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Pos9 (Skn7) is an important transcription factor that, together with Yap1, induces the expression of oxidative stress target genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The activation of Pos9 upon an oxidative stress signal occurs post-translationally. In a mutant screen for factors involved in the activation of a Pos9-dependent reporter gene upon oxidative stress, we identified the mutant fap7-1 (for factor activating Pos9). This point mutant failed to activate a Gal4-Pos9 hybrid transcription factor, assayed by hydrogen peroxide-induced GAL1-lacZ reporter gene activities. Additionally, the fap7-1 mutant strain was sensitive to oxidative stress and revealed slow growth on glucose compared with the wild type. The fap7-1 mutation also affected the induction of the Pos9 target gene TPX1 and of a synthetic promoter previously identified to be regulated in a Yap1- and Pos9-dependent manner. This lack of induction was specific as the fap7-1 mutant response to other stresses such as sodium chloride or co-application of both hydrogen peroxide and sodium chloride was not affected, as tested with the Pos9-independent expression pattern of a TPS2-lacZ reporter system. We identified the gene YDL166c to be allelic to the FAP7 gene and to be essential. Fluorescence microscopy of Fap7-GFP fusion proteins indicated a nuclear localization of the Fap7 protein. Our data suggest that Fap7 is a nuclear factor important for Pos9-dependent target gene transcription upon oxidative stress.

The mitochondrial cytochrome c peroxidase Ccp1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is involved in conveying an oxidative stress signal to the transcription factor Pos9 (Skn7).

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae two transcription factors, Pos9 (Skn7) and Yap1, are involved in the response to oxidative stress. Fusion of the Pos9 response-regulator domain to the Gal4 DNA-binding domain results in a transcription factor which renders the expression of a GAL1-lacZ reporter gene dependent on oxidative stress. To identify genes which are involved in the oxygen-dependent activation of the Gal4-Pos9 hybrid protein we screened for mutants that failed to induce the heterologous test system upon oxidative stress (fap mutants for factors activating Pos9). We isolated several respiration-deficient and some respiration-competent mutants by this means. We selected for further characterization only those mutants which also displayed an oxidative-stress-sensitive phenotype. One of the respiration-deficient mutants (complementation groupfap6) could be complemented by the ISM1 gene, which encodes mitochondrial isoleucyl tRNA synthetase, suggesting that respiration competence was important for signalling of oxidative stress. In accordance with this notion a rho0 strain and a wild-type strain in which respiration had been blocked (by treatment with antimycin A or with cyanide) also failed to activate Gal4-Pos9 upon imposition of oxidative stress. Another mutant, fap24, which was respiration-competent, could be complemented by CCP1, which encodes the mitochondrial cytochrome c peroxidase. Mitochondrial cytochrome c peroxidase degrades reactive oxygen species within the mitochondria. This suggested a possible sensor function for the enzyme in the oxidative stress response. To test this we used the previously described point mutant ccp1 W191F, which is characterized by a 10(4)-fold decrease in electron flux between cytochrome c and cytochrome c peroxidase. The Ccp1W191F mutant was still capable of activating the Pos9 transcriptional activation domain, suggesting that the signalling function of Ccp1 is independent of electron flux rates.

The oxidative stress response mediated via Pos9/Skn7 is negatively regulated by the Ras/PKA pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Exposure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to elevated concentrations of hydrogen peroxide induces transcription of several genes involved in the oxidative stress response. Two major transcription factors are involved in this induction, Pos9/Skn7 and Yap1. Fusions of either Yap1 or Pos9/Skn7 with the Gal4 DNA binding domain are active as transcription factors. Gal4-Yap1-dependent reporter gene activity is only weakly regulated by oxidative stress. In contrast, fusion of the Gal4 DNA binding domain to the Pos9/Skn7 protein results in a transcription factor that is independent of the YAP1 gene and is strictly regulated by oxidative stress, indicating that a signaling cascade impinges on the Pos9/Skn7 protein. We have observed that the Ras/PKA (cAMP-dependent protein kinase A) pathway affects this signaling. When PKA activity was low (in the presence of multicopy PDE2 or a cyr1(D822-->A) mutation) maximum reporter gene activity was observed even in the absence of oxidative stress. In contrast, high PKA activity (in strains mutant for either pde2 or bcy1, or expressing the dominant active Ras2Val19) resulted in a complete loss of activation following oxidative stress. The transcription of Pos9/Skn7 target genes was also affected in Ras/PKA pathway mutants. Furthermore, we demonstrated that activated Pos9/Skn7 is necessary for Yap1-dependent reporter gene induction.

Functional analysis of 150 deletion mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a systematic approach.

In a systematic approach to the study of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes of unknown function, 150 deletion mutants were constructed (1 double, 149 single mutants) and phenotypically analysed. Twenty percent of all genes examined were essential. The viable deletion mutants were subjected to 20 different test systems, ranging from high throughput to highly specific test systems. Phenotypes were obtained for two-thirds of the mutants tested. During the course of this investigation, mutants for 26 of the genes were described by others. For 18 of these the reported data were in accordance with our results. Surprisingly, for seven genes, additional, unexpected phenotypes were found in our tests. This suggests that the type of analysis presented here provides a more complete description of gene function.

Cat8p, the activator of gluconeogenic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regulates carbon source-dependent expression of NADP-dependent cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase (Idp2p) and lactate permease (Jen1p).

The yeast transcriptional activator Cat8p has been identified as a factor that is essential for the derepression of genes involved in gluconeogenesis (like FBP1, PCK1, ACR1, ICL1 and MLS1) when only nonfermentable carbon sources are provided. Cat8p-dependent expression is mediated by cis-acting elements in the respective promoters, which are named UAS/CSREs (upstream activating sequence/carbon source responsive element). To establish whether the function of Cat8p is restricted to the activation of gluconeogenesis or is also involved in the regulation of a greater variety of genes, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of two genes, IDP2 and JEN1, which exhibit a similar expression pattern to gluconeogenic genes, although IDP2 at least is not linked directly to the gluconeogenic pathway. We identified functional UAS/CSRE elements in the promoters of both genes. Expression studies revealed that JEN1 is regulated negatively by the repressors Mig1p and Mig2p, and that Cat8p is needed for full derepression of the gene under non-fermentative growth conditions. Furthermore, we showed that Mig2p is also involved in the repression of CAT8 itself. The results presented in this study support a model in which Cat8p-dependent gene activation is not restricted to gluconeogenesis, but targets a wide variety of genes which are strongly derepressed under non-fermentative growth conditions.

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 4 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

The higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) is an important model for identifying plant genes and determining their function. To assist biological investigations and to define chromosome structure, a coordinated effort to sequence the Arabidopsis genome was initiated in late 1996. Here we report one of the first milestones of this project, the sequence of chromosome 4. Analysis of 17.38 megabases of unique sequence, representing about 17% of the genome, reveals 3,744 protein coding genes, 81 transfer RNAs and numerous repeat elements. Heterochromatic regions surrounding the putative centromere, which has not yet been completely sequenced, are characterized by an increased frequency of a variety of repeats, new repeats, reduced recombination, lowered gene density and lowered gene expression. Roughly 60% of the predicted protein-coding genes have been functionally characterized on the basis of their homology to known genes. Many genes encode predicted proteins that are homologous to human and Caenorhabditis elegans proteins.

Transcriptional profiling on all open reading frames of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Open reading frames (6116) of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were PCR-amplified from genomic DNA using 12,232 primers specific to the ends of the coding sequences; the success rate of amplification was 97%. PCR-products were made accessible to hybridization by being arrayed at very high density on solid support media using various robotic devices. Probes made from total RNA preparations were hybridized for the analysis of the transcriptional activity of yeast under various growth conditions and of different strains. Experimental factors that proved critical to the performance, such as different RNA isolation procedures and the assessment of hybridization results, for example, were investigated in detail. Various software tools were developed that permit convenient handling and sound analysis of the large data quantities obtained from transcriptional profiling studies. Comprehensive arrays are being distributed within the European Yeast Functional Analysis Network (EUROFAN) and beyond.

Proteins of newly isolated mutants and the amino-terminal proline are essential for ubiquitin-proteasome-catalyzed catabolite degradation of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Addition of glucose to cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae growing on a non-fermentable carbon source leads to selective and rapid degradation of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. This so called catabolite inactivation of the enzyme is brought about by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. To identify additional components of the catabolite inactivation machinery, we isolated three mutant strains, gid1, gid2, and gid3, defective in glucose-induced degradation of fructose-1,6-bisphospha-tase. All mutant strains show in addition a defect in catabolite inactivation of three other gluconeogenic enzymes: cytosolic malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate lyase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. These findings indicate a common mechanism for the inactivation of all four enzymes. The mutants were also impaired in degradation of short-lived N-end rule substrates, which are degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Site-directed mutagenesis of the amino-terminal proline residue yielded fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase forms that were no longer degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. All amino termini other than proline made fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase inaccessible to degradation. However, the exchange of the amino-terminal proline had no effect on the phosphorylation of the mutated enzyme. Our findings suggest an essential function of the amino-terminal proline residue for the degradation process of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. Phosphorylation of the enzyme was not necessary for degradation to occur.

PcrA is an essential DNA helicase of Bacillus subtilis fulfilling functions both in repair and rolling-circle replication.

The only DNA helicase essential for Escherichia coli viability is DnaB, the chromosome replication for helicase. In contrast, in Bacillus subtilis, in addition to the DnaB counterpart called DnaC, we have found a second essential DNA helicase, called PcrA. It is 40% identical to the Rep and UvrD DNA helicases of E. coli and 61% identical to the PcrA helicase of Staphylococcus aureus. This gene is located at 55 degree on the chromosome and belongs to a putative operon together with a ligase gene (lig) and two unknown genes named pcrB and yerH. As PcrA was essential for cell viability, conditional mutants were constructed. In such mutants, chromosomal DNA synthesis was slightly decreased upon PcrA depletion, and rolling-circle replication of the plasmid pT181 was inhibited. Analysis of the replication intermediates showed that leading-strand synthesis of pT181 was prevented upon PcrA depletion. To compare PcrA with Rep and UvrD directly, the protein was produced in rep and uvrD mutants of E. coli. PcrA suppressed the UV sensitivity defect at a uvrD mutant but not its mutator phenotype. Furthermore, it conferred a Rep-phenotype on E. coli. Altogether, these results show that PcrA is an helicase used for plasmid rolling-circle replication and suggest that it is also involved in UV repair.

Physiological and genetic characterisation of osmosensitive mutants of Saccharomyes cerevisiae.

The screening of 20,000 Saccharomyces cerevisiae random mutants to identify genes involved in the osmotic stress response yielded 14 mutants whose growth was poor in the presence of elevated concentrations of NaCl and glucose. Most of the mutant strains were more sensitive to NaCl than to glucose at the equivalent water activity (aw) and were classified as salt-sensitive rather than osmosensitive. These mutants fell into 11 genetic complementation groups and were designated osr1-osr11 (osmotic stress response). All mutations were recessive and showed a clear 2(+) : 2(-) segregation of the salt-stress phenotype upon tetrad analysis when crossed to a wild-type strain. The complementation groups osr1, osr5 and osr11 were allelic to the genes PBS2, GPD1 and KAR3, respectively. Whereas intracellular and extracellular levels of glycerol increased in the wild-type strains when exposed to NaCl, all mutants demonstrated some increase in extracellular glycerol production upon salt stress, but a number of the mutants showed little or no increase in intracellular glycerol concentrations. The mutants had levels of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme induced by osmotic stress, either lower than or similar to those of the parent wild-type strain in the absence of osmotic stress. In the presence of NaCl, the increase in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the mutants did not match that of the parent wild-type strain. None of the mutants had defective ATPases or were sensitive to heat stress. It is evident from this study and from others that a wide spectrum of genes is involved in the osmotic stress response in S. cerevisiae.