Chemical genomic analysis reveals the interplay between iron chelation, zinc homeostasis, and retromer function in the bioactivity of an ethanol adduct of the feijoa fruit-derived ellagitannin vescalagin.

Nature has been a rich source of pharmaceutical compounds, producing 80% of our currently prescribed drugs. The feijoa plant, Acca sellowiana, is classified in the family Myrtaceae, native to South America, and currently grown worldwide to produce feijoa fruit. Feijoa is a rich source of bioactive compounds with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal activities; however, the mechanism of action of these compounds is largely not known. Here, we used chemical genetic analyses in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate the mechanism of action of a feijoa-derived ethanol adduct of vescalagin (EtOH-vescalagin). Genome-wide barcode sequencing analysis revealed yeast strains lacking genes in iron metabolism, zinc metabolism, retromer function, or mitochondrial function were hypersensitive to 0.3 µM EtOH-vescalagin. This treatment increased expression of iron uptake proteins at the plasma membrane, which was a compensatory response to reduced intracellular iron. Likewise, EtOH-vescalagin increased expression of the Cot1 protein in the vacuolar membrane that transports zinc into the vacuole to prevent cytoplasmic accumulation of zinc. Each individual subunit in the retromer complex was required for the iron homeostatic mechanism of EtOH-vescalagin, while only the cargo recognition component in the retromer complex was required for the zinc homeostatic mechanism. Overexpression of either retromer subunits or high-affinity iron transporters suppressed EtOH-vescalagin bioactivity in a zinc-replete condition, while overexpression of only retromer subunits increased EtOH-vescalagin bioactivity in a zinc-deficient condition. Together, these results indicate that EtOH-vescalagin bioactivity begins with extracellular iron chelation and proceeds with intracellular transport of zinc via the retromer complex. More broadly, this is the first report of a bioactive compound to further characterize the poorly understood interaction between zinc metabolism and retromer function.

Arrayed in vivo barcoding for multiplexed sequence verification of plasmid DNA and demultiplexing of pooled libraries.

Sequence verification of plasmid DNA is critical for many cloning and molecular biology workflows. To leverage high-throughput sequencing, several methods have been developed that add a unique DNA barcode to individual samples prior to pooling and sequencing. However, these methods require an individual plasmid extraction and/or in vitro barcoding reaction for each sample processed, limiting throughput and adding cost. Here, we develop an arrayed in vivo plasmid barcoding platform that enables pooled plasmid extraction and library preparation for Oxford Nanopore sequencing. This method has a high accuracy and recovery rate, and greatly increases throughput and reduces cost relative to other plasmid barcoding methods or Sanger sequencing. We use in vivo barcoding to sequence verify >45 000 plasmids and show that the method can be used to transform error-containing dispersed plasmid pools into sequence-perfect arrays or well-balanced pools. In vivo barcoding does not require any specialized equipment beyond a low-overhead Oxford Nanopore sequencer, enabling most labs to flexibly process hundreds to thousands of plasmids in parallel.

Genome-scale analysis of interactions between genetic perturbations and natural variation.

Interactions between genetic perturbations and segregating loci can cause perturbations to show different phenotypic effects across genetically distinct individuals. To study these interactions on a genome scale in many individuals, we used combinatorial DNA barcode sequencing to measure the fitness effects of 8046 CRISPRi perturbations targeting 1721 distinct genes in 169 yeast cross progeny (or segregants). We identified 460 genes whose perturbation has different effects across segregants. Several factors caused perturbations to show variable effects, including baseline segregant fitness, the mean effect of a perturbation across segregants, and interacting loci. We mapped 234 interacting loci and found four hub loci that interact with many different perturbations. Perturbations that interact with a given hub exhibit similar epistatic relationships with the hub and show enrichment for cellular processes that may mediate these interactions. These results suggest that an individual's response to perturbations is shaped by a network of perturbation-locus interactions that cannot be measured by approaches that examine perturbations or natural variation alone.

Genome-scale analysis of interactions between genetic perturbations and natural variation.

Interactions between genetic perturbations and segregating loci can cause perturbations to show different phenotypic effects across genetically distinct individuals. To study these interactions on a genome scale in many individuals, we used combinatorial DNA barcode sequencing to measure the fitness effects of 7,700 CRISPRi perturbations targeting 1,712 distinct genes in 169 yeast cross progeny (or segregants). We identified 460 genes whose perturbation has different effects across segregants. Several factors caused perturbations to show variable effects, including baseline segregant fitness, the mean effect of a perturbation across segregants, and interacting loci. We mapped 234 interacting loci and found four hub loci that interact with many different perturbations. Perturbations that interact with a given hub exhibit similar epistatic relationships with the hub and show enrichment for cellular processes that may mediate these interactions. These results suggest that an individual's response to perturbations is shaped by a network of perturbation-locus interactions that cannot be measured by approaches that examine perturbations or natural variation alone.

Arrayed in vivo barcoding for multiplexed sequence verification of plasmid DNA and demultiplexing of pooled libraries.

Sequence verification of plasmid DNA is critical for many cloning and molecular biology workflows. To leverage high-throughput sequencing, several methods have been developed that add a unique DNA barcode to individual samples prior to pooling and sequencing. However, these methods require an individual plasmid extraction and/or in vitro barcoding reaction for each sample processed, limiting throughput and adding cost. Here, we develop an arrayed in vivo plasmid barcoding platform that enables pooled plasmid extraction and library preparation for Oxford Nanopore sequencing. This method has a high accuracy and recovery rate, and greatly increases throughput and reduces cost relative to other plasmid barcoding methods or Sanger sequencing. We use in vivo barcoding to sequence verify >45,000 plasmids and show that the method can be used to transform error-containing dispersed plasmid pools into sequence-perfect arrays or well-balanced pools. In vivo barcoding does not require any specialized equipment beyond a low-overhead Oxford Nanopore sequencer, enabling most labs to flexibly process hundreds to thousands of plasmids in parallel.

YPK9 and WHI2 Negatively Interact during Oxidative Stress.

Yeast PARK9 (YPK9) shares homology with human ATP13A2, which encodes a polyamine transporter implicated in juvenile forms of Parkinson's disease. We used YPK9 to gain insight into how ATP13A2 affects cell growth and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Surprisingly, the YPK9 deletion strain from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion collection (YKO) in wildtype BY4741 (mating type a) grew faster and was more resistant to hydrogen peroxide than a commercial, putative parental BY4741 wildtype strain (BY4741COM). In contrast, deleting YPK9 from BY4741COM rendered it very sensitive to hydrogen peroxide, suggesting its background is different from that of the deletion collection. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that BY4741COM and BY4741COMypk9∆ contain a novel premature stop codon near the 3' end of WHI2 (WHI2G1324T), whereas the collection's YPK9 deletion strain contains WHI2, which encodes a 486 amino acid protein, Whi2p. Replacing full-length WHI2 with the sequence coding for the predicted truncation (Whi2pE442*) rendered strains more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide, whereas the converse replacement rendered them more resistant. The sequences of WHI2 in 20 randomly chosen strains from the collection encode the full-length protein, indicating that the putative parental BY4741 WHI2G1324T strain's genetic background differs from that of the deletion collection. Examination of WHI2 sequences in several commonly used wildtype S. cerevisiae strains and isolates revealed other Whi2p truncations that might yield altered phenotypes. Together, these results demonstrate a novel premature stop codon in WHI2 that renders yeast sensitive to hydrogen peroxide; they also reveal a negative genetic interaction between WHI2 and YPK9 in the presence of hydrogen peroxide in the BY4741 background.

Functional genomics and metabolomics advance the ethnobotany of the Samoan traditional medicine "matalafi".

The leaf homogenate of Psychotria insularum is widely used in Samoan traditional medicine to treat inflammation associated with fever, body aches, swellings, wounds, elephantiasis, incontinence, skin infections, vomiting, respiratory infections, and abdominal distress. However, the bioactive components and underlying mechanisms of action are unknown. We used chemical genomic analyses in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) to identify and characterize an iron homeostasis mechanism of action in the traditional medicine as an unfractionated entity to emulate its traditional use. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the homogenate identified two flavonol glycosides, rutin and nicotiflorin, each binding iron in an ion-dependent molecular networking metabolomics analysis. Translating results to mammalian immune cells and traditional application, the iron chelator activity of the P. insularum homogenate or rutin decreased proinflammatory and enhanced anti-inflammatory cytokine responses in immune cells. Together, the synergistic power of combining traditional knowledge with chemical genomics, metabolomics, and bioassay-guided fractionation provided molecular insight into a relatively understudied Samoan traditional medicine and developed methodology to advance ethnobotany.

A large accessory protein interactome is rewired across environments.

To characterize how protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks change, we quantified the relative PPI abundance of 1.6 million protein pairs in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae across nine growth conditions, with replication, for a total of 44 million measurements. Our multi-condition screen identified 13,764 pairwise PPIs, a threefold increase over PPIs identified in one condition. A few 'immutable' PPIs are present across all conditions, while most 'mutable' PPIs are rarely observed. Immutable PPIs aggregate into highly connected 'core' network modules, with most network remodeling occurring within a loosely connected 'accessory' module. Mutable PPIs are less likely to co-express, co-localize, and be explained by simple mass action kinetics, and more likely to contain proteins with intrinsically disordered regions, implying that environment-dependent association and binding is critical to cellular adaptation. Our results show that protein interactomes are larger than previously thought and contain highly dynamic regions that reorganize to drive or respond to cellular changes.

iSeq 2.0: A Modular and Interchangeable Toolkit for Interaction Screening in Yeast.

We developed a flexible toolkit for combinatorial screening in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which generates large libraries of cells, each uniquely barcoded to mark a combination of DNA elements. This interaction sequencing platform (iSeq 2.0) includes genomic landing pads that assemble combinations through sequential integration of plasmids or yeast mating, 15 barcoded plasmid libraries containing split selectable markers (URA3AI, KanMXAI, HphMXAI, and NatMXAI), and an array of ∼24,000 "double-barcoder" strains that can make existing yeast libraries iSeq compatible. Various DNA elements are compatible with iSeq: DNA introduced on integrating plasmids, engineered genomic modifications, or entire genetic backgrounds. DNA element libraries are modular and interchangeable, and any two libraries can be combined, making iSeq capable of performing many new combinatorial screens by short-read sequencing.

Systematic identification of factors mediating accelerated mRNA degradation in response to changes in environmental nitrogen.

Cellular responses to changing environments frequently involve rapid reprogramming of the transcriptome. Regulated changes in mRNA degradation rates can accelerate reprogramming by clearing or stabilizing extant transcripts. Here, we measured mRNA stability using 4-thiouracil labeling in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during a nitrogen upshift and found that 78 mRNAs are subject to destabilization. These transcripts include Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR) and carbon metabolism mRNAs, suggesting that mRNA destabilization is a mechanism for targeted reprogramming of the transcriptome. To explore the molecular basis of destabilization we implemented a SortSeq approach to screen the pooled deletion collection library for trans factors that mediate rapid GAP1 mRNA repression. We combined low-input multiplexed Barcode sequencing with branched-DNA single-molecule mRNA FISH and Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (BFF) to identify the Lsm1-7p/Pat1p complex and general mRNA decay machinery as important for GAP1 mRNA clearance. We also find that the decapping modulators EDC3 and SCD6, translation factor eIF4G2, and the 5' UTR of GAP1 are factors that mediate rapid repression of GAP1 mRNA, suggesting that translational control may impact the post-transcriptional fate of mRNAs in response to environmental changes.

Steady-state and dynamic gene expression programs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in response to variation in environmental nitrogen.

Cell growth rate is regulated in response to the abundance and molecular form of essential nutrients. InSaccharomyces cerevisiae(budding yeast), the molecular form of environmental nitrogen is a major determinant of cell growth rate, supporting growth rates that vary at least threefold. Transcriptional control of nitrogen use is mediated in large part by nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR), which results in the repression of specific transcripts in the presence of a preferred nitrogen source that supports a fast growth rate, such as glutamine, that are otherwise expressed in the presence of a nonpreferred nitrogen source, such as proline, which supports a slower growth rate. Differential expression of the NCR regulon and additional nitrogen-responsive genes results in >500 transcripts that are differentially expressed in cells growing in the presence of different nitrogen sources in batch cultures. Here we find that in growth rate-controlled cultures using nitrogen-limited chemostats, gene expression programs are strikingly similar regardless of nitrogen source. NCR expression is derepressed in all nitrogen-limiting chemostat conditions regardless of nitrogen source, and in these conditions, only 34 transcripts exhibit nitrogen source-specific differential gene expression. Addition of either the preferred nitrogen source, glutamine, or the nonpreferred nitrogen source, proline, to cells growing in nitrogen-limited chemostats results in rapid, dose-dependent repression of the NCR regulon. Using a novel means of computational normalization to compare global gene expression programs in steady-state and dynamic conditions, we find evidence that the addition of nitrogen to nitrogen-limited cells results in the transient overproduction of transcripts required for protein translation. Simultaneously, we find that that accelerated mRNA degradation underlies the rapid clearing of a subset of transcripts, which is most pronounced for the highly expressed NCR-regulated permease genesGAP1,MEP2,DAL5,PUT4, andDIP5 Our results reveal novel aspects of nitrogen-regulated gene expression and highlight the need for a quantitative approach to study how the cell coordinates protein translation and nitrogen assimilation to optimize cell growth in different environments.