title: Dynamics of yeast prion aggregates in single living cells.
abstract: Prions are propagating proteins that are ordered protein aggregates, in which the phenotypic trait is retained in the altered protein conformers. To understand the dynamics of the prion aggregates in living cells, we directly monitored the fate of the aggregates using an on-chip single-cell cultivation system as well as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). Single-cell imaging revealed that the visible foci of yeast prion Sup35 fused with GFP are dispersed throughout the cytoplasm during cell growth, but retain the prion phenotype. FCS showed that [PSI+] cells, irrespective of the presence of foci, contain diffuse oligomers, which are transmitted to their daughter cells. Single-cell observations of the oligomer-based transmission provide a link between previous in vivo and in vitro analyses of the prion and shed light on the relationship between the protein conformation and the phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genome Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, FSB401, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawai-Noma
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ayano
authors.forename: Chan-Gi
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Pack
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: Masasuke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taguchi
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D019295:Computational Biology; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D010641:Phenotype; D011328:Prions / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011328:Prions; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C068068:SUP35 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins