Simple detection method for distinguishing dead and living yeast colonies

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Assessing yeast cell viability is crucial in various scientific and industrial applications.
• Existing methods for determining cell death in yeast colonies can be time-consuming or lack precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid and straightforward assay for detecting yeast colonies containing dying or dead cells.
• To evaluate the efficacy of specific vital stains in differentiating viable from non-viable yeast cells within colonies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a staining assay using methylene blue, phloxin B, rose bengal, and trypan blue.
• Testing the assay on colonies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Candida albicans, and Filobasidium capsuligenum.
• Evaluating the staining specificity for non-viable cells and the impact on viable cells at concentrations of 5-10 micromol/L.

Main Results:

• The selected stains effectively stained non-viable yeast cells within colonies.
• Living yeast cells within the colonies remained unstained and viable after the assay.
• The assay demonstrated effectiveness across multiple common yeast species.

Conclusions:

• A rapid and simple staining assay was successfully developed for detecting dead yeast cells in colonies.
• The assay provides a reliable method for distinguishing between viable and non-viable yeast cells without compromising colony integrity.
• This technique offers a valuable tool for yeast viability assessment in research and industry.