Biomaterial Database

Bicarbonate-mediated social communication stimulates meiosis and sporulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 1998

K Ohkuni, and M Hayashi, and I Yamashita

Center for Gene Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.

Meiosis and sporulation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires social communication, mediated by an extracellular factor which is secreted from cells during sporulation and accumulates in a cell density-dependent manner. We show here genetic and biochemical analyses supporting our conclusion that the extracellular factor is bicarbonate acting as an alkali to elevate extracellular pH. Sporulation defects of mdh1 (mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase) mutants and of wild-type cells at low density were rescued extracellularly by addition of bicarbonate or other alkaline solutions to raise medium pH. Addition of bicarbonate (or alkalization of medium) raised steady-state levels of mRNA in respiration-deficient mdh1 mutants and inhibited proliferation of wild-type cells at low density. These results indicate that the two conditions (respiration competency and high cell density), required for meiosis and sporulation, are essential for extracellular accumulation of bicarbonate and resulting alkalization of medium.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008291	Malate Dehydrogenase	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of (S)-malate and NAD+ to oxaloacetate and NADH. EC 1.1.1.37.	Malic Dehydrogenase,NAD-Malate Dehydrogenase,Dehydrogenase, Malate,Dehydrogenase, Malic,Dehydrogenase, NAD-Malate,NAD Malate Dehydrogenase
D008540	Meiosis	A type of CELL NUCLEUS division, occurring during maturation of the GERM CELLS. Two successive cell nucleus divisions following a single chromosome duplication (S PHASE) result in daughter cells with half the number of CHROMOSOMES as the parent cells.	M Phase, Meiotic,Meiotic M Phase,M Phases, Meiotic,Meioses,Meiotic M Phases,Phase, Meiotic M,Phases, Meiotic M
D008928	Mitochondria	Semiautonomous, self-reproducing organelles that occur in the cytoplasm of all cells of most, but not all, eukaryotes. Each mitochondrion is surrounded by a double limiting membrane. The inner membrane is highly invaginated, and its projections are called cristae. Mitochondria are the sites of the reactions of oxidative phosphorylation, which result in the formation of ATP. They contain distinctive RIBOSOMES, transfer RNAs (RNA, TRANSFER); AMINO ACYL T RNA SYNTHETASES; and elongation and termination factors. Mitochondria depend upon genes within the nucleus of the cells in which they reside for many essential messenger RNAs (RNA, MESSENGER). Mitochondria are believed to have arisen from aerobic bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with primitive protoeukaryotes. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Mitochondrial Contraction,Mitochondrion,Contraction, Mitochondrial,Contractions, Mitochondrial,Mitochondrial Contractions
D009154	Mutation	Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations.	Mutations
D010101	Oxygen Consumption	The rate at which oxygen is used by a tissue; microliters of oxygen STPD used per milligram of tissue per hour; the rate at which oxygen enters the blood from alveolar gas, equal in the steady state to the consumption of oxygen by tissue metabolism throughout the body. (Stedman, 25th ed, p346)	Consumption, Oxygen,Consumptions, Oxygen,Oxygen Consumptions
D010957	Plasmids	Extrachromosomal, usually CIRCULAR DNA molecules that are self-replicating and transferable from one organism to another. They are found in a variety of bacterial, archaeal, fungal, algal, and plant species. They are used in GENETIC ENGINEERING as CLONING VECTORS.	Episomes,Episome,Plasmid
D002455	Cell Division	The fission of a CELL. It includes CYTOKINESIS, when the CYTOPLASM of a cell is divided, and CELL NUCLEUS DIVISION.	M Phase,Cell Division Phase,Cell Divisions,Division Phase, Cell,Division, Cell,Divisions, Cell,M Phases,Phase, Cell Division,Phase, M,Phases, M
D006863	Hydrogen-Ion Concentration	The normality of a solution with respect to HYDROGEN ions; H+. It is related to acidity measurements in most cases by pH	pH,Concentration, Hydrogen-Ion,Concentrations, Hydrogen-Ion,Hydrogen Ion Concentration,Hydrogen-Ion Concentrations
D001639	Bicarbonates	Inorganic salts that contain the -HCO3 radical. They are an important factor in determining the pH of the blood and the concentration of bicarbonate ions is regulated by the kidney. Levels in the blood are an index of the alkali reserve or buffering capacity.	Bicarbonate,Bicarbonate Ions,Hydrogen Carbonates,Bicarbonate Ion,Carbonic Acid Ions,Hydrogen Carbonate,Carbonate, Hydrogen,Carbonates, Hydrogen,Ion, Bicarbonate,Ions, Bicarbonate,Ions, Carbonic Acid
D012331	RNA, Fungal	Ribonucleic acid in fungi having regulatory and catalytic roles as well as involvement in protein synthesis.	Fungal RNA