Introduction to Yeast|zoonbio

Expression of proteins in yeast is a common alternative to prokaryotic and higher eukaryotic expression.What is yeast，This article will introduce yeast.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) are often considered to be model eukaryotic organisms, in a manner analogous to Escherichia coli as a model prokaryotic organism. Both yeasts have been extensively characterized and their genomes completely sequenced. They are as easy to grow as other microorganisms, and they have a haploid nuclear DNA content only 3.5 times that of E. coli. However, despite the small genomes sizes, these yeasts display most of the features of higher eukaryotes. The fact that many cellular processes are conserved among different eukaryotic species- combined with the powerful genetic and molecular tools that are available- has made these yeasts important experimental organisms for a variety of basic problems in eukaryotic molecular biology.

Primarily for historical reasons, most studies on yeast have involved Saccharomyces cerevisiae (hereafter termed yeast). Culturing yeast is simple, economical, and rapid, characterized by a doubling time of ∼90 min on rich medium. In addition, yeast has been well adapted to both aerobic and anaerobic large-scale culture. Cells divide mitotically by forming a bud, which pinches off to form a daughter cell. The progression through the cell cycle can be monitored by the size of the bud; this has been used to isolate a large collection of mutants (called cdc mutants) that are blocked at various stages of the cell cycle. Since yeast can be grown on a completely defined medium, many nutritional auxotrophs have been isolated. This has not only permitted the analysis of complex metabolic pathways but has also provided a large number of mutations useful for genetic analysis.

Yeast can exist stably in either haploid or diploid states. A haploid cell can be either of two mating types, called a and α. Diploid a/α cells—formed by fusion of an α cell and an a cell ——can grow mitotically indefinitely, but under conditions of carbon and nitrogen starvation will undergo meiosis. The meiotic products, called spores, are contained in a structure called an ascus. After gentle enzymatic digestion of the thick cell wall of the ascus, the haploid spore products can be individually isolated and analyzed . This ability to recover all four products of meiosis has allowed detailed genetic studies of recombination and gene conversion that are not possible in most other eukaryotic organisms. The existence of stable haploid and diploid states also facilitates classical mutational analysis, such as complementation tests and identification of both dominant and recessive mutations.

The haploid yeast cell has a genome size of about 15 megabases and contains 16 linear chromosomes, ranging in size from 200 to 2200 kb. Thus, the largest yeast chromosome is still 100 times smaller than the average mammalian chromosome. This small chromosome size, combined with the advent of techniques for cloning yeast genes as well as manipulating yeast chromosomes, has allowed detailed studies of chromosome structure. Three types of structural elements required for yeast chromosome function have been identified and cloned: origins of replication, centromeres, and telomeres. The cloning of these elements has led to the construction of artificial chromosomes that can be used to study various aspects of chromosome behavior, such as how chromosomes pair and segregate from each other during mitosis and meiosis. In addition, systems using artificial chromosomes have been designed that allow cloning of larger contiguous segments of DNA (up to 400 kb) than are obtainable in other cloning systems. These structural elements, as well as cloned selectable yeast genes, have permitted the construction of yeast/E. coli shuttle vectors that can be maintained in yeast as well as in E. coli.

Procedures for high-efficiency transformation of yeast have been available for nearly two decades, allowing cloning of genes by genetic complementation. Because yeast has a highly efficient recombination system, DNAs with alterations in cloned genes can be reintroduced into the chromosome at the corresponding homologous sites. This has permitted the rapid identification of the phenotypic consequences of a mutation in any cloned gene, a technique generally unavailable in higher eukaryotes. In addition, homologous recombination permits a wide variety of genetic techniques that have greatly facilitated the analysis of biological processes.

Despite its small genome size, yeast is a characteristic eukaryote, containing all the major membrane-bound subcellular organelles found in higher eukaryotes, as well as a cytoskeleton. Yeast DNA is found within a nucleus and nucleosome organization of chromosomal DNA is similar to that of higher eukaryotes, although no histone H1 is present. Three different RNA polymerases transcribe yeast DNA, and yeast mRNAs (transcribed by polymerase II) show characteristic modifications of eukaryotic mRNAs [such as a 5′ methyl-G cap and a 3′ poly(A) tail], although only a few S. cerevisiae genes contain introns. Transcriptional regulation has been extensively studied and at least one yeast transcriptional activator has been shown to function in higher eukaryotes as well. High-molecular-weight yeast DNA and RNA can be prepared fairly quickly. Another characteristic of eukaryotes is the proteolytic processing of precursor proteins to yield functional products, which is often coupled to secretion. Yeast has several well-studied examples of secreted proteins and pheromones, and the large number of genes that have been identified as involved in protease processing and secretion suggests a highly complex pathway. Yeast protein extracts can be prepared using three different protocols; the best choice will depend on the particular application. The ease and power of genetic manipulation in yeast facilitate the use of this organism to detect novel interacting proteins using the two-hybrid system or interaction trap.

Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most commonly studied yeast, S. pombe is also an important experimental organism. Although both yeasts are unicellular microorganisms that grow in similar medium, they are evolutionarily quite distant. It has become increasingly clear that, in terms of molecular mechanisms, S. pombe is more similar to higher eukaryotic organisms than S. cerevisiae. Experimental manipulations in S. pombe are broadly similar to those in S. cerevisiae, although the technical details often differ. The chapter includes units on S. pombe relating to strain maintenance and media , growth and genetic manipulation, and introduction of DNA into cells.