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Mol Biol Cell

Title:		Characterization of alcohol-induced filamentous growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Author(s):		Lorenz MC; Cutler NS; Heitman J;
Address:		"Department of Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA"
Journal Title:		Mol Biol Cell
Year:		2000
Volume:		11
Issue:		1
Page Number:		183 - 199
DOI:		10.1091/mbc.11.1.183
ISSN/ISBN:		1059-1524 (Print) 1059-1524 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Diploid cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae starved for nitrogen differentiate into a filamentous growth form. Poor carbon sources such as starches can also stimulate filamentation, whereas haploid cells undergo a similar invasive growth response in rich medium. Previous work has demonstrated a role for various alcohols, by-products of amino acid metabolism, in altering cellular morphology. We found that several alcohols, notably isoamyl alcohol and 1-butanol, stimulate filamentous growth in haploid cells in which this differentiation is normally repressed. Butanol also induces cell elongation and changes in budding pattern, leading to a pseudohyphal morphology, even in liquid medium. The filamentous colony morphology and cell elongation require elements of the pheromone-responsive MAPK cascade and TEC1, whereas components of the nutrient-sensing machinery, such as MEP2, GPA2, and GPR1, do not affect this phenomenon. A screen for 1-butanol-insensitive mutants identified additional proteins that regulate polarized growth (BUD8, BEM1, BEM4, and FIG1), mitochondrial function (MSM1, MRP21, and HMI1), and a transcriptional regulator (CHD1). Furthermore, we have also found that ethanol stimulates hyperfilamentation in diploid cells, again in a MAPK-dependent manner. Together, these results suggest that yeast may sense a combination of nutrient limitation and metabolic by-products to regulate differentiation"
Keywords:		Alcohols/*pharmacology Butanols/pharmacology Culture Media Haploidy Phenotype Saccharomyces cerevisiae/*drug effects/genetics/growth & development;
Notes:		"MedlineLorenz, M C Cutler, N S Heitman, J eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2000/01/19 Mol Biol Cell. 2000 Jan; 11(1):183-99. doi: 10.1091/mbc.11.1.183"