Temperature-sensitive cytoophidium assembly in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biochemistry
• Genetics

Background:

• Cytosolic CTP synthase (CTPS) forms filaments called cytoophidia in diverse organisms.
• Previous studies in budding yeast indicated CTPS filamentation is temperature-insensitive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the temperature sensitivity of CTPS filamentation in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
• To elucidate the role of heat-shock proteins in cytoophidium assembly.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model organism.
• Observed changes in cytoophidia length and occurrence under cold and heat shock conditions.
• Employed yeast genetics to identify required factors for filament assembly.

Main Results:

• CTPS cytoophidia length and occurrence significantly decrease upon cold or heat shock in S. pombe.
• These temperature-dependent changes are rapid and reversible.
• Heat-shock proteins are demonstrated to be necessary for cytoophidium assembly in S. pombe.

Conclusions:

• CTPS filamentation in S. pombe is sensitive to temperature fluctuations, unlike in budding yeast.
• The temperature sensitivity of cytoophidia in S. pombe offers a valuable model for studying this novel membraneless organelle.
• Heat-shock proteins play a crucial role in the dynamic assembly of CTPS cytoophidia.