title: Potassium deprivation is sufficient to induce a cell death program in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: Cell culture in low potassium (K(+)) media has been associated to programmed cell death (PCD) in metazoans. In this study, deprivation of K(+) led Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to a death process that involved phosphatidylserine externalization, changes in chromatin condensation, DNA and vacuole fragmentation as well as enhanced accumulation of reactive oxygen species. During the course of K(+) starvation, plasma membrane hyperpolarization and increased accumulation of calcium (Ca(2+)) took place. The presence of rubidium (Rb(+)), a K(+)-analogue element, in the K(+)-deprived medium was accompanied by Rb(+) accumulation but did not fully prevent the appearance of PCD markers. This argues for a specific effect of K(+) on the course of cell death. While the absence of the YCA1 metacaspase did not have a major effect, the absence of TRK (transport of K(+)) K(+)-transporters led to changes in the pattern of annexin V/propidium iodide labeling. This change paralleled a fast accumulation of Ca(2+). Addition of ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid improved growth and reduced cell death in trk1Deltatrk2Delta cells. These findings reveal that K(+) deprivation is sufficient to induce PCD in a cell-walled eukaryotic organism and suggest that the phenotype attributed to the lack of TRK genes is partially due to the effect of the encoded transporters on Ca(2+) homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Tecnológico Chascomús (INTECH), Chascomús, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Diana Beatríz
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Lauff
authors.forename: Guillermo E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Santa-María
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D017353:Gene Deletion; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000032:analysis; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012413:Rubidium / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D010718:Phosphatidylserines; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C085258:TRK2 protein, S cerevisiae; C068664:TRK1 protein, S cerevisiae; D012413:Rubidium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium