Increased activity of wall hydrolytic enzymes may explain the phenotype of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fragile mutants

Fragile mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae require osmotic stabilizers and lyse in hypotonic solutions. A single recessive mutation, srb1, is responsible for their phenotype, but the cause of cell lysis remains uncertain. We have analyzed three possible mechanisms for this behavior: comparative amo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current microbiology 1998-12, Vol.37 (6), p.365-367
Main Authors: Ruiz-Herrera, J. (Unidad Irapuato, Mexico.), Leon-Ramirez, C, Alvarez, P.E, Venkov, P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Wall - enzymology
CELL WALLS
Chitin
Chitin - analysis
CYTOLYSIS
Enzymes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genotype & phenotype
HIDROLISIS
HYDROLYSE
HYDROLYSIS
Microbiology
MUTANT
MUTANTES
MUTANTS
Mutation
Mycology
Osmotic Pressure
PARED CELULAR
PAROI CELLULAIRE
Pathogenicity, host-agent relations, miscellaneous strains, epidemiology
Phenotype
Polysaccharides - metabolism
Saccharides
SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
Saccharomyces cerevisiae - enzymology
Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics
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Summary:Fragile mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae require osmotic stabilizers and lyse in hypotonic solutions. A single recessive mutation, srb1, is responsible for their phenotype, but the cause of cell lysis remains uncertain. We have analyzed three possible mechanisms for this behavior: comparative amounts of wall per cell; their chitin content; and the relative activity of wall hydrolytic enzymes activated by osmotic shock. We found normal amounts of wall and higher amounts of chitin in the fragile mutants. Determination of lytic enzymes by radiolabel of the reducing ends of wall polysaccharides gave results suggesting that fragile mutants produce increased amounts of stretch-activated wall hydrolytic enzymes, which may be responsible for their lysis in hypotonic media. These enzymes normally may play a role in cell wall growth and shaping
ISSN:0343-8651
1432-0991
DOI:10.1007/s002849900394