Open AccessYeast cells actively tune their membranes to phase separate at temperatures that scale with growth temperatures
Author(s) -
Chantelle L. Leveille,
Caitlin E. Cornell,
Alexey J. Merz,
Sarah L. Keller
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2116007119
Subject(s) - membrane , yeast , vacuole , saccharomyces cerevisiae , ergosterol , organelle , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , budding yeast , biophysics , cell , biochemistry , cytoplasm
Significance Phase separation in membranes creates domains enriched in specific components. To date, the best example of micrometer-scale phase separation in the membrane of an unperturbed, living cell occurs in a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) organelle called the vacuole. Recent studies indicate that the phases are functionally important, enabling yeast survival during periods of stress. We discovered that yeast regulate this phase transition; the temperature at which membrane components mix into a single phase is ∼15 °C above the growth temperature. To maintain this offset, yeast may tune the level of ergosterol (a molecule that is structurally similar to cholesterol) in their membranes. Surprisingly, depleting sterols in vacuole membranes causes them to phase separate, in contrast to previous assumptions.