2-micron circle plasmids do not reduce yeast life span

Extrachromosomal rDNA circles (ERCs) and recombinant origin-containing plasmids (ARS-plasmids) are thought to reduce replicative life span in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to their accumulation in yeast cells by an asymmetric inheritance process known as mother cell bias. Most commo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology letters 2005-09, Vol.250 (2), p.245-251
Main Authors: Falcon, Alaric A., Rios, Natalie, Aris, John P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accumulation
Aging
Asymmetric inheritance
Asymmetry
Baking yeast
Biological and medical sciences
Copy number
DNA episome
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Heredity
Laboratories
Life span
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Particle Size
Plasmids
Plasmids - chemistry
Plasmids - genetics
Plasmids - physiology
Questions
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics
Saccharomyces cerevisiae - physiology
Senescence
Yeast
Yeasts
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Summary:Extrachromosomal rDNA circles (ERCs) and recombinant origin-containing plasmids (ARS-plasmids) are thought to reduce replicative life span in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to their accumulation in yeast cells by an asymmetric inheritance process known as mother cell bias. Most commonly used laboratory yeast strains contain the naturally occurring, high copy number 2-micron circle plasmid. 2-micron plasmids are known to exhibit stable mitotic inheritance, unlike ARS-plasmids and ERCs, but the fidelity of inheritance during replicative aging and cell senescence has not been studied. This raises the question: do 2-micron circles reduce replicative life span? To address this question we have used a convenient method to cure laboratory yeast strains of the 2-micron plasmid. We find no difference in the replicative life spans of otherwise isogenic cir + and cir 0 strains, with and without the 2-micron plasmid. Consistent with this, we find that 2-micron circles do not accumulate in old yeast cells. These findings indicate that naturally occurring levels of 2-micron plasmids do not adversely affect life span, and that accumulation due to asymmetric inheritance is required for reduction of replicative life span by DNA episomes.
ISSN:0378-1097
1574-6968
DOI:10.1016/j.femsle.2005.07.018