title: Power(2): the power of yeast genetics applied to the powerhouse of the cell.
abstract: The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has served as a remarkable model organism for numerous seminal discoveries in biology. This paradigm extends to the mitochondria, a central hub for cellular metabolism, where studies in yeast have helped to reinvigorate the field and launch an exciting new era in mitochondrial biology. Here we discuss a few recent examples in which yeast research has laid a foundation for our understanding of evolutionarily conserved mitochondrial processes and functions, from key factors and pathways involved in the assembly of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes to metabolite transport, lipid metabolism, and interorganelle communication. We also highlight new areas of yeast mitochondrial biology that are likely to aid in our understanding of the mitochondrial etiology of disease in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. Electronic address: rutter@biochem.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Jared
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rutter
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. Electronic address: hughes@biochem.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Adam L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena / Q000235:genetics*; D005821:Genetic Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: interorganelle communication; lipid metabolism; mitochondria; oxidative phosphorylation; transporters; yeast