The relative
simplicity of the yeast cell promises a deeply satisfying systems - level understanding of its inner workings within our life time.
A class of small molecules found in grapes, red wine, olive oil, and other foods extends the
life of yeast cells by approximately 70 % and activates genes known to extend life span in laboratory animals.
In August researchers announced that a compound called resveratrol, found in red wine, mimics calorie deprivation and prolongs the life span
of yeast cells by 70 percent.
The age - delaying action of caloric restriction may stunt the
growth of yeast cells so that the mother cells and daughter cells are easily flushed out of the chamber, Anderson speculates.
Using this screen, the MIT team identified one guide RNA strand that had a very powerful effect, keeping cells alive much more effectively than any of the individual genes that have been previously found to protect this
type of yeast cell.
Professor Gianni Liti, a senior author on the paper from the Institute for Research on Cancer and Ageing, Nice, said: «We were able to study the evolution in time by combining genome sequences of the cell populations and tracking the growth
characteristics of the yeast cells.
«We observed that the level of the Gcn4 protein was positively correlated with the
longevity of yeast cells,» says Mihaela Zavolan, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology.
Reducing the ribosomes, the protein factories of the cell, can also considerably extend the
lifespan of yeast cells.
«So, the
flexibility of yeast cells does not arise from the activity or inactivity of a single gene,» project head at ISB, Dr. Aimée Dudley, explains.
The results of this study provide a better insight into the
functioning of the yeast cell membrane in general, and more specifically the eisosome islands.
An interesting side note: If you take a
bunch of yeast cells and mistreat them (for example, place them in a blender) to release the enzymes, the resulting soup will still do the sorts of things that living yeast cells do (for example, produce carbon dioxide and alcohol from sugar) for some period of time.
For the study, Tiago Outeiro (o - TEE - ero), a graduate student in Lindquist's lab and lead author on the paper, assembled a
group of yeast cells, each containing varying levels of the aSyn protein.
The researchers compared aSyn with the protein that causes Huntington's disease, the huntingtin protein (not to be confused with name of the disease), taking
advantage of a yeast cell library composed of 4,850 strains in which each cell had a different gene disabled.
Once the membrane (the outer
edge of the yeast cell) becomes weakened, the cytoplasm (the inside of the cell) becomes exposed to your immune system that can then attack it more effectively.
When the immune system has been compromised, or when the normal lining of the gut becomes damaged, the yeast, instead of remaining within the intestinal tract where they belong, can metamorphose into its fungal form sending out rhizomes (roots) to penetrate the walls of the gut, opening it to the
absorption of yeast cells, particles of cells, and the toxins these micro organisms produce enter the interior of the body and pass into the bloodstream.
Beta - glucanase promotes complete digestion of cereals and grains as well as
lysis of yeast cell walls.
It produces toxins as it multiplies, and the major waste
product of yeast cell activity is acetaldehyde (the same compound that your liver must break down when you drink alcohol), a toxin that promotes free radical activity in the body.
Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel have now discovered that the protein Gcn4 decreases protein synthesis and extends the life
of yeast cells.