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Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas
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Plasma membrane compartmentalization in yeast by messenger RNA transport and a septin diffusion barrier

P A Takizawa1, J L DeRisi, J E Wilhelm

  • 1Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 13, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Yeast cells create distinct plasma membrane compartments. This is achieved by transporting specific mRNA to the bud tip and forming a diffusion barrier at the neck, ensuring protein asymmetry.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Asymmetric protein localization is crucial for cellular functions like polarity and fate determination.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of mRNA and protein transport is key to deciphering cellular organization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize mRNAs involved in asymmetric protein localization in yeast.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms underlying mRNA transport and protein asymmetry at the mother-bud neck.

Main Methods:

  • DNA microarray analysis to identify candidate mRNAs.
  • Microscopy techniques to visualize mRNA and protein localization.
  • Genetic manipulation to study the roles of actomyosin and septins.

Main Results:

  • Identified IST2 mRNA, encoding a plasma membrane protein, is localized to the bud tip via an actomyosin-based mechanism.
  • Observed higher IST2 protein concentration in the bud compared to the mother cell.
  • Demonstrated that a septin-mediated diffusion barrier at the mother-bud neck maintains this protein asymmetry.

Conclusions:

  • Yeast cells establish distinct plasma membrane compartments, similar to those found in neurons and epithelial cells.
  • mRNA localization and diffusion barriers are key mechanisms for generating cellular asymmetry.

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