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Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model
Published on: September 29, 2011
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Heat shock drives genomic instability and phenotypic variations in yeast
Li Shen1, Yu-Ting Wang1, Xing-Xing Tang1
1Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316021, Zhejiang, China.
AMB Express
|August 18, 2020
Summary
Heat shock significantly increases genomic instability in yeast, causing DNA breaks and chromosomal aberrations. This heat-induced genomic instability accelerates yeast evolution and adaptation to environmental stressors.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- High temperatures represent a common environmental stressor for microorganisms.
- The impact of heat shock on genome stability remains incompletely understood.
- Investigating heat shock's effects on genomic alterations is crucial for understanding microbial stress responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate heat-shock-induced genomic alterations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- To quantify the extent of heat shock's effect on genome stability.
- To explore the link between heat shock, genomic instability, and phenotypic evolution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genetic screening systems and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays.
- Applied heat shock (52°C) for short durations to yeast cultures.
- Analyzed mitotic recombination rates, DNA break occurrences, and chromosomal aberrations.
Main Results:
- Heat shock increased mitotic recombination by over tenfold.
- Over 50% of heat-shock-induced recombination events originated from DNA breaks in the S/G2 phase.
- Chromosomal aberrations, particularly trisomy, increased hundreds of times post-heat shock.
- Heat shock promoted rapid phenotypic evolution, enhancing tolerance to various stressors.
Conclusions:
- Heat shock is a potent inducer of genomic instability in yeast.
- Temperature fluctuations can drive rapid evolutionary adaptation in microbial populations.
- This study provides a method for generating aneuploid yeast mutants.
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