title: Immunosuppressive drug rapamycin restores sporulation competence in industrial yeasts.
abstract: Industrial yeasts, including a sake yeast strain Kyokai no. 7 (K7), are generally unable to sporulate. Previously, we have reported that in K7 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells, deletion of the G1 cyclin gene CLN3, a key activator of the cell cycle, allows the cells to induce IME1 transcription and sporulate under sporulation conditions. Here we show that treatment with the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin also restores sporulation competence in K7 cells. Moreover, sporulation was observed after rapamycin treatment in other industrial yeasts, namely bottom fermenting yeast strains and a wine yeast strain, which are not able to sporulate under normal sporulation conditions. These findings suggest that activation of TORC1 under sporulation conditions leads to sporulation incompetence in these yeasts. Thus, rapamycin treatment will be useful to restore sporulation competence in industrial yeasts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioresource Science, Akita Prefectural University, 241-438 Kaidoubata-Nishi, Shimoshinjyo-Nakano, Akita-shi, Akita 010-0195, Japan. nnakazawa@akita-pu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Nobushige
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niijima
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D005285:Fermentation; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008540:Meiosis / Q000187:drug effects; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C561842:TORC1 protein complex, S cerevisiae; D014157:Transcription Factors; D020123:Sirolimus