Pressure response in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: from cellular to molecular approaches

Yeasts are unicellular organisms that are exposed to a highly variable environment, concerning the availability of nutrients, temperature, pH, radiation, access to oxygen and, specially, water activity. Evolution has selected yeasts to tolerate, to a certain extent, these environmental stresses. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) exerts a broad effect upon yeast cells, interfering with the cell membranes, cellular architecture and in processes ofpolymerisation and denaturation of proteins. Gene expression patterns in response to HHP revealed a stress response profile. The majority of the upregulated genes were involved in stress defence and carbohydrate metabolism while most of the repressed ones were in cell cycle progression and protein synthesis categories. In addition, in the present work it was seen that mild pressure induced cell cycle arrest and protection against severe stresses, such as high temperature, high pressure and ultra cold shock. Nevertheless, this protection was only significant if the cells were incubated at atmospheric pressure after the HHP treatment. Expression of genes that were upregulated by HHP and are related to resistance to this stresses were also analyzed, and, for the majority of them, higher induction was attained after 15 min post-pressurization. Taken together, the results imply an interconnection among stresses.