Saccharomyces cerevisiae commits to a programmed cell death process in response to acetic acid.
Recent evidence has revealed the occurrence of an apoptotic phenotype in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is inducible with oxidative stress. Here, exposure of S. cerevisiae to 20-200 mM acetic acid for 200 min at pH 3.0 resulted in cell death. Yeast mortality induced by 120-200 mM acid was not inhibited by cycloheximide and was accompanied by ultrastructural alterations typical of necrosis. In contrast, alterations associated with cell death induced by 20-80 mM acetic acid included: (i) cycloheximide-inhibitable chromatin condensation along the nuclear envelope; (ii) exposure of phosphatidylserine on the surface of the cytoplasmic membrane, revealed by the FITC-annexin V reaction; and (iii) the occurrence of DNA strand breaks, demonstrated by the TUNEL assay. These results show that a programmed cell death process sharing common features with an apoptotic phenotype can be induced by acetic acid in S. cerevisiae. This observation raises the possibility of this mode of cell death being more generalized in yeasts than previously considered and extended to cell death induced by other stress agents.
Ludovico
Paula
P
Imunologia Comparada, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), 4150-171 Porto, Portugal2.|Centro de Ciências do Ambiente-Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4719-057 Braga, Portugal1.
Sousa
Maria João
MJ
Centro de Ciências do Ambiente-Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4719-057 Braga, Portugal1.
Silva
Manuel T
MT
Imunologia Comparada, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), 4150-171 Porto, Portugal2.
Leão
Cecı Lia
CL
Centro de Ciências do Ambiente-Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4719-057 Braga, Portugal1.
Côrte-Real
Manuela
M
Centro de Ciências do Ambiente-Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4719-057 Braga, Portugal1.
D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000187:drug effects; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010641:Phenotype; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*
D002843:Chromatin; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D003513:Cycloheximide; D019342:Acetic Acid