Published 6 June 2005. doi:10.1083/jcb.200410064
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $8.00
JCB, Volume 169, Number 5, 711-717
Physiological regulation of yeast cell death in multicellular colonies is triggered by ammonia
Libu
e Váchová1 and
Zdena Palková2
1 Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 142 20 Prague-4, Czech Republic
2 Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Charles University in Prague, 116 36 Prague-1, Czech Republic
Correspondence to Zdena Palková: zdenap{at}natur.cuni.cz; or to Libu
e Váchová: vachova{at}biomed.cas.cz
Abstract
The existence of programmed cell death (PCD) in yeast and its significance to simple unicellular organisms is still questioned. However, such doubts usually do not reflect the fact that microorganisms in nature exist predominantly within structured, multicellular communities capable of differentiation, in which a profit of individual cells is subordinated to a profit of populations. In this study, we show that some PCD features naturally appear during the development of multicellular Saccharomyces cerevisiae colonies. An ammonia signal emitted by aging colonies triggers metabolic changes that localize yeast death only in the colony center. The remaining population can exploit the released nutrients and survives. In colonies defective in Sok2p transcription factor that are unable to produce ammonia (Váchová, L., F. Devaux, H. Kucerova, M. Ricicova, C. Jacq, and Z. Palková. 2004. J. Biol. Chem. 279:3797337981), death is spread throughout the whole population, thus decreasing the lifetime of the colony. The absence of Mca1p metacaspase or Aif1p orthologue of mammalian apoptosis-inducing factor does not prevent regulated death in yeast colonies.
Libu
e Váchová and Zdena Palková contributed equally to this work.
Abbreviations used in this paper: ASPase, protease cleaving after aspartate residue; BKP, bromcresol purple; DHE, dihydroethidium; GMA, glycerol medium agar; PCD, programmed cell death; PS, phosphatidylserine; ROS, reactive oxygen species; YCD, yeast cell death.

CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati What's this?
Related Article
-
Regulated yeast deathin colonies
- Rabiya S. Tuma
J. Cell Biol. 2005 169: 700.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Hauptmann, P., Lehle, L.
(2008). Kex1 Protease Is Involved in Yeast Cell Death Induced by Defective N-Glycosylation, Acetic Acid, and Chronological Aging. J. Biol. Chem.
283: 19151-19163
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Mroczek, S., Kufel, J.
(2008). Apoptotic signals induce specific degradation of ribosomal RNA in yeast. Nucleic Acids Res
36: 2874-2888
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Bonneau, L., Ge, Y., Drury, G. E., Gallois, P.
(2008). What happened to plant caspases?. J Exp Bot
0: erm352v1-erm352
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
He, R., Drury, G. E., Rotari, V. I., Gordon, A., Willer, M., Farzaneh, T., Woltering, E. J., Gallois, P.
(2008). Metacaspase-8 Modulates Programmed Cell Death Induced by Ultraviolet Light and H2O2 in Arabidopsis. J. Biol. Chem.
283: 774-783
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Odat, O., Matta, S., Khalil, H., Kampranis, S. C., Pfau, R., Tsichlis, P. N., Makris, A. M.
(2007). Old Yellow Enzymes, Highly Homologous FMN Oxidoreductases with Modulating Roles in Oxidative Stress and Programmed Cell Death in Yeast. J. Biol. Chem.
282: 36010-36023
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Vercammen, D., Declercq, W., Vandenabeele, P., Van Breusegem, F.
(2007). Are metacaspases caspases?. J. Cell Biol.
179: 375-380
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Osorio, N. S., Carvalho, A., Almeida, A. J., Padilla-Lopez, S., Leao, C., Laranjinha, J., Ludovico, P., Pearce, D. A., Rodrigues, F.
(2007). Nitric Oxide Signaling Is Disrupted in the Yeast Model for Batten Disease. Mol. Biol. Cell
18: 2755-2767
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Fernando, P., Megeney, L. A.
(2007). Is caspase-dependent apoptosis only cell differentiation taken to the extreme?. FASEB J.
21: 8-17
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Buttner, S., Eisenberg, T., Herker, E., Carmona-Gutierrez, D., Kroemer, G., Madeo, F.
(2006). Why yeast cells can undergo apoptosis: death in times of peace, love, and war. J. Cell Biol.
175: 521-525
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Ribeiro, G. F., Corte-Real, M., Johansson, B.
(2006). Characterization of DNA Damage in Yeast Apoptosis Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide, Acetic Acid, and Hyperosmotic Shock. Mol. Biol. Cell
17: 4584-4591
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Krasley, E., Cooper, K. F., Mallory, M. J., Dunbrack, R., Strich, R.
(2006). Regulation of the Oxidative Stress Response Through Slt2p-Dependent Destruction of Cyclin C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics
172: 1477-1486
[Abstract]
[Full Text]