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Hyperosmotic Stress Response Memory is Modulated by Gene Positioning in Yeast
Zacchari Ben Meriem1,2, Yasmine Khalil3, Pascal Hersen4
1Université de Paris, Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, CNRS UMR 7057, F-75013 Paris, France. zack_ben@hotmail.fr.
Cells
|June 16, 2019
Summary
Yeast cells exhibit cellular memory, remembering past stresses for future adaptation. Chromatin structure influences this stress memory, impacting cellular responses to environmental changes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cellular memory is crucial for microorganisms to adapt to environmental changes.
- In yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), cellular memory manifests as population-level variations in response to repeated stresses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate single-cell responses to repeated hyperosmotic stresses in yeast.
- To analyze the dynamic behavior of the stress-responsive STL1 promoter (pSTL1) and its memory effect.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microfluidics and fluorescence time-lapse microscopy for single-cell analysis.
- Studied the dynamic behavior of the STL1 promoter (pSTL1) fused to a fluorescent reporter.
Main Results:
- Observed variable successive activation patterns of pSTL1 following repeated short stresses.
- Demonstrated that most cells retain a memory of the first stress, showing decreased pSTL1 activity upon re-exposure.
- Found that relocating the promoter to pericentromeric chromatin diminishes transcriptional strength and erases the memory effect.
Conclusions:
- Cellular memory in yeast exhibits single-cell variability.
- Chromatin structure plays a significant role in establishing and maintaining stress memory at the transcriptional level.
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