Morphological Effects of Natural Products on Schizosaccharomyces pombe Measured by Imaging Flow Cytometry

Gaining a full understanding of the mechanisms of action of natural products as therapeutic agents includes observing the effects of natural products on cellular morphology,because abnormal cellular morphology is an important aspect of cellular transformations that occur as part of disease states.In this study a set of natural products was examined in search of small molecules that influence the cylindrical morphology of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.Imaging flow cytometry of large populations of S.pombe exposed to natural products captured cell images and revealed changes in mean length and aspect ratio of cells.Several natural products were found to alter S.pombe’s morphology relative to control,in terms of elongating cells,shrinking them,or making them more round.These results may facilitate future investigations into methods by which cells establish and maintain specific shapes.

HIV-1 Vpr-induced cell death in Schizosaccharomyces pombe is reminiscent of apoptosis

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 （HIV-1） Vpr induces cell death in mammalian and fssion yeast cells, suggesting that Vpr may affect a conserved cellular process. It is unclear, however, whether Vpr-induced yeast cell death mimics Vpr-mediated apoptosis in mammalian cells. We have recently identified a number of Vpr suppressors that not only suppress Vpr-induced cell death in fission yeast, but also block Vpr-induced apoptosis in mammalian cells. These findings suggest that Vpr-induced cell death in yeast may resemble some of the apoptotic processes of mammalian cells. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a fission yeast model system for future studies of apoptosis. Similar to Vpr-induced apoptosis in mammalian cells, we show here that Vpr in fission yeast promotes phosphatidylserine externalization and induces hyperpolarization of mitochondria, leading to changes of mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, Vpr triggers production of reactive oxygen species （ROS）, indicating that the apoptotic-like cell death might be mediated by ROS. Interestingly, Vpr induces unique morphologic changes in mitochondria that may provide a simple marker for measuring the apoptotic-like process in fission yeast. To verify this possibility, we tested two Vpr suppressors （EF2 and Hspl6） that suppress Vpr-induced apoptosis in mammalian cells in addition to a newly identified Vpr suppressor （Skpl）. All three proteins abolished cell death mediated by Vpr and restored normal mitochondrial morphology in the yeast cells. In conclusion, Vpr-induced cell death in fission yeast resembles the mammalian apoptotic process. Fission yeast may thus potentially be used as a simple model organism for the future study of the apoptotic-like process induced by Vpr and other proapoptotic agents.

Bacillus sp. SAB E-41-derived extract shows antiaging properties via ctt1-mediated oxidative stress tolerance response in yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Objective: To analyze potential activation of oxidative stress tolerance systems by SAB E-41 bacterial extract in promoting the life span of yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Methods: In vitro analysis was done to assess antioxidant activity of SAB E-41 bacterial extract. Antiaging property of the particular extract was then assayed through spot test and chronological life span assays. Furthermore, sty1 mitogen-activated protein kinase, pap1 transcriptional factor of oxidative stress response and its downstream genes, ctt1 were evaluated via real time PCR. The protein level of ctt1 was then observed via Western Blot analysis. In addition, accumulation of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial activity were conducted to understand the effect of SAB E-41 upon oxidative stress response systems in vivo. Results: The IC50 values of corresponding extract for antioxidant(DPPH; ABTS) and antiglycation were 402.40, 358.13 and 683.55 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, SAB E-41 extract(750 μg/mL) exhibited antiaging properties, which could be attributed to significant up-regulation of oxidative stress response genes, sty1, pap1 and ctt1. Interestingly, SAB E-41 extract could enhance stress tolerance phenotype of Schizosaccharomyces pombe against H2 O2-induced oxidative stress. These results were supported by increasing mitochondrial activity and reactive oxygen species intracellular levels. Conclusions: SAB E-41 extract could promote yeast life span likely via up-regulation of oxidative stress responses in yeast. Our results suggest that adaptive response via up-regulation of oxidative stress transcriptional factors, and its downstream gene, ctt1, as well as mitochondrial activity contributes in combating oxidative stress thus promoting yeast life span.

Effect in Cell Cycle Caused by Overexpression of SpTrz2p in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

[ Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effect in cell cycle caused by overexpression of SpTrz2p in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. [ Method] The trz2 ~ gene from S. pombe was cloned into pREPgx plasmid to construct an overexpression vector of SpTrz2p, which was then transformed into wild-type S. pombe ceils. The cell cycle was determined with flow cytometry. [ Result ] Overexpression of SpTrz2p in yeast caused changes in cell morphology and cell cycle. The majority of the cells were arrested at G1 phase, indicating that overexpression of SpTrz2p indeed affected the cell cycle. [ Conclusion] This study suggested that overexpression of SpTrz2p is lethal to the cells by affecting the cell cycle.

羟胺对粟酒裂殖酵母(Schizosaccharomyces pombe)的诱变效应

羟胺(HA)引起S.pombe的失活作用因菌株而异,实验用两株突变体的失活曲线皆非指数曲线。钠离子对HA所处理的细胞不仅沒有保护作用,反而会引起细胞损伤。HA的两种独立的效应——失活与诱变效应在以S.pombe为材料的实验里沒有观察到。相反,低浓度HA(0.01M)既能引起S.pombe细胞失活,又有诱变作用。 HA对4类19株NA-生化突变体的回复诱变材料证明:有些NA-生化突变体的突变位点之碱基对为GC,另外一些突变体目前则尚难确定,有待进一步确证。HA同样诱发S.pombe野生型菌株产生大量正向突变体。因而它可供作选育生产菌株的诱变剂。

HIV-1 Vif Protein Mediates the Degradation of APOBEC3G in Fission Yeast When Over-expressed Using Codon Optimization

Interaction between the HIV-1 Vif protein and the cellular host APOBEC3G protein is a promising target for inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Considering that human cells are a very complicated environment for the study of protein interactions, the goal of this study was to check whether fission yeast could be used as a model cell for studying the Vif-APOBEC3G interaction. Vif and APOBEC3G were expressed in fusion with GFP protein in the S. pombe SP223 strain. Subcellular localizations of Vif and APOBEC3G were observed with fluorescent microscopy. Codon optimization was used to over express the Vif protein in S. pombe cells. The degradation of APOBEC3G mediated by Vif was tested through expressing Vif and GFP-APOBEC3G proteins in the same cell. Western Blot analysis was used to measure the corresponding protein levels under different experimental conditions. The results showed that the Vif protein was predominantly localized in the nucleus of S. pombe cells, APOBEC3G was localized in the cytoplasm and concentrated at punctate bodies that were often in close proximity to the nucleus but were not necessarily restricted from other regions in the cytoplasm. Vif protein expression levels were increased significantly by using codon optimization and APOBEC3G was degraded when Vif was over-expressed in the same S. pombe cells. These results indicate that fission yeast is a good model for studying the interaction between the Vif and APOBEC3G proteins.

Viral infections and cell cycle G2/M regulation

Progression of cells from G2 phase of the cell cycle to mitosis is a tightly regulated cellular process that requires activation of the Cdc2 kinase, which determines onset of mitosis in all eukaryotic cells. In both human and fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) cells, the activity of Cdc2 is regulated in part by the phosphorylation status of tyrosine 15 (Tyr15) on Cdc2, which is phosphorylated by Wee1 kinase during late G2 and is rapidly dephosphorylated by the Cdc25 tyrosine phosphatase to trigger entry into mitosis. These Cdc2 regulators are the downstream targets of two well- characterized G2/M checkpoint pathways which prevent cells from entering mitosis when cellular DNA is damaged or when DNA replication is inhibited. Increasing evidence suggests that Cdc2 is also commonly targeted by viral proteins, which modulate host cell cycle machinery to benefit viral survival or replication. In this review, we describe the effect of viral protein R (Vpr) encoded by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) on cell cycle G2/M regulation. Based on our current knowledge about this viral effect, we hypothesize that Vpr induces cell cycle G2 arrest through a mechanism that is to some extent different from the classic G2/M checkpoints. One the unique features distinguishing Vpr-induced G2 arrest from the classic checkpoints is the role of phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in Vpr-induced G2 arrest. Interestingly, PP2A is targeted by a number of other viral proteins including SV40 small T antigen, polyomavirus T antigen, HTLV Tax and adenovirus E4orf4. Thus an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying Vpr-induced G2 arrest will provide additional insights into the basic biology of cell cycle G2/M regulation and into the biological significance of this effect during host-pathogen interactions.

Screening and Purification of Natural Products from Actinomycetes that Induce a“Rounded”Morphological Phenotype in Fission Yeast

This study was designed to identify and investigate bioactive natural product compounds that alter the cellular shape of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and induce a“rounded”or“small”cellular morphological phenotype.Bioassays using a range of antifungal agents against a multidrug-sensitive fission yeast strain,SAK950 showed that many induced a“rounded”phenotype.We then investigated whether 46 of the actinomycete strains identified in our previous study as inducing a similar phenotype produced antifungal agents of similar classes.We show that five of the strains produced streptothricin and that 26 strains produced polyenes,including fungichromin,filipin and candicidin,the last of which was produced by 24 strains.A taxonomic study of the strains indicated that the majority of the candicidin only producers were Streptomyces hydrogenans and S.albidoflavus whilst those that additionally produced streptothricin were related to S.enissocaesilis.A follow-up study to investigate the natural products made by related strains indicated that they followed a similar pattern.The identification of several compounds from the actinomycete strains similar to the antifungal agents initially tested confirm the validity of an approach using the S.pombe morphological phenotype and actinomycete taxonomy as a predictive tool for natural product identification.