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Teaching microbial physiology using glucose repression phenomenon in baker's yeast as an example
Author(s) -
Raghevendran Vijayendran,
Nielsen Jens,
Olsson Lisbeth
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
biochemistry and molecular biology education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1539-3429
pISSN - 1470-8175
DOI - 10.1002/bmb.2005.49403306404
Subject(s) - yeast , phenomenon , physiology , psychological repression , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , philosophy , epistemology , gene expression , gene
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used by human beings since ancient times for its ability to convert sugar to alcohol. Continual exposure to glucose in the natural environment for innumerable generations has probably enabled S. cerevisiae to grow in fermentative mode on sugars by switching off the genes responsible for respiration even under aerobic conditions. This phenomenon is referred to as the Crabtree effect. The present review focuses on glucose repression in S . cerevisiae from a physiological perspective. Physiological studies presented involve batch and chemostat experiments of the wild type and a mutant that lacks a trait partially responsible for the fermentative behavior. Various undergraduate student exercises have been (and can be) formulated to illustrate the concept of glucose repression.