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Preparation and partial characterization of old yeast cells
N K Egilmez1, J B Chen, S M Jazwinski
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans.
Journal of Gerontology
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Researchers developed a method to synchronize yeast cell populations for aging studies. This technique yields pure cell samples, revealing cell size and generation time as key aging biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Microbiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Understanding cellular aging is crucial for various biological and medical fields.
- Model organisms like yeast offer simplified systems to study fundamental aging processes.
- Previous methods for synchronizing yeast cell populations had limitations in scale and purity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a robust method for preparing highly synchronized populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- To enable bulk preparation of yeast cells across a wide age range for aging research.
- To validate the physiological integrity of synchronized cells and identify aging biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a combination of growth-synchronization techniques.
- Employed rate-zonal sedimentation in density gradients for cell separation.
- Assessed cell purity, viability, and resistance to sonication post-preparation.
Main Results:
- Successfully prepared age-synchronized Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations with >90% purity.
- Achieved yields of at least 10^8 cells, applicable up to 20 generations.
- Observed no detrimental effects on cell viability or sonication resistance.
- Identified increased cell size and generation time as reliable aging biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- The developed procedure is effective for bulk preparation of synchronized yeast cells.
- This method provides a reliable tool for studying molecular aspects of cellular aging.
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae is further established as a valuable model for aging research.