Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026
High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae
Published on: August 8, 2017
Prion-based memory of heat stress in yeast
Tatiana A Chernova1, Yury O Chernoff2,3, Keith D Wilkinson1
1a Department of Biochemistry , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA.
Abstract:
Amyloids and amyloid-based prions are self-perpetuating protein aggregates which can spread by converting a normal protein of the same sequence into a prion form. They are associated with diseases in humans and mammals, and control heritable traits in yeast and other fungi. Some amyloids are implicated in biologically beneficial processes. As prion formation generates reproducible memory of a conformational change, prions can be considered as molecular memory devices. We have demonstrated that in yeast, stress-inducible cytoskeleton-associated protein Lsb2 forms a metastable prion in response to high temperature. This prion promotes conversion of other proteins into prions and can persist in a fraction of cells for a significant number of cell generations after stress, thus maintaining the memory of stress in a population of surviving cells. Acquisition of an amino acid substitution required for Lsb2 to form a prion coincides with acquisition of increased thermotolerance in the evolution of Saccharomyces yeast. Thus the ability to form an Lsb2 prion in response to stress coincides with yeast adaptation to growth at higher temperatures. These findings intimately connect prion formation to the cellular response to environmental stresses.
Insights
Yeast prions, like the Lsb2 protein, act as molecular memory devices. Stress can induce these prions, enabling yeast populations to remember and adapt to environmental changes like high temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Protein Aggregation
- Yeast Genetics
Background:
- Amyloids and prions are self-propagating protein aggregates.
- Prions are linked to diseases and heritable traits in various organisms.
- Prion formation serves as a form of molecular memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the stress-inducible protein Lsb2 in yeast prion formation.
- To understand how prion formation contributes to cellular memory and adaptation.
- To explore the evolutionary link between prion formation and thermotolerance in yeast.
Main Methods:
- Induction of Lsb2 prion formation in yeast under high-temperature stress.
- Monitoring prion propagation and persistence across cell generations.
- Analyzing the evolutionary acquisition of prion-forming ability and thermotolerance.
Main Results:
- The cytoskeleton-associated protein Lsb2 forms a metastable prion in response to heat stress.
- This Lsb2 prion can persist for multiple generations, maintaining stress memory.
- The evolution of Lsb2 prion formation capability correlates with increased thermotolerance in Saccharomyces yeast.
Conclusions:
- Prion formation in yeast, exemplified by Lsb2, acts as a molecular memory system for environmental stress.
- This prion-based memory mechanism contributes to yeast adaptation and survival under stress conditions.
- The findings highlight a direct connection between prion biology and cellular adaptation to environmental challenges.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Diversity of Archaea IV
01:27Diversity of Archaea III
01:30Other Stress Responses in Bacteria
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress