Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a fundamental model for research on mitochondrial gene expression: Progress,
1Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France.
Abstract:
Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) is an attractive model for mitochondrial research. The organism resembles human cells in terms of mitochondrial inheritance, mitochondrial transport, sugar metabolism, mitogenome structure and dependence of viability on the mitogenome (the petite-negative phenotype). Transcriptions of these genomes produce only a few polycistronic transcripts, which then undergo processing as per the tRNA punctuation model. In general, the machinery for mitochondrial gene expression is structurally and functionally conserved between fission yeast and humans. Furthermore, molecular research on S. pombe is supported by a considerable number of experimental techniques and database resources. Owing to these advantages, fission yeast has significantly contributed to biomedical and fundamental research. Here, we review the current state of knowledge regarding S. pombe mitochondrial gene expression, and emphasise the pertinence of fission yeast as both a model and tool, especially for studies on mitochondrial translation.
Insights
Schizosaccharomyces pombe, or fission yeast, is a valuable model for studying mitochondrial gene expression due to its similarities with human cells. This review highlights fission yeast
Area of Science:
- Mitochondrial Biology
- Molecular Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) shares key characteristics with human cells relevant to mitochondrial research.
- These include mitochondrial inheritance, transport, metabolism, and genome structure, making it a powerful model organism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of mitochondrial gene expression in fission yeast.
- To emphasize the utility of S. pombe as a model and tool for biomedical research, particularly in mitochondrial translation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on S. pombe mitochondrial gene expression.
- Analysis of conserved mechanisms between fission yeast and human mitochondrial gene expression machinery.
Main Results:
- Fission yeast exhibits conserved mitochondrial gene expression machinery and processing pathways (tRNA punctuation model).
- The organism's viability depends on its mitochondrial genome (petite-negative phenotype).
Conclusions:
- S. pombe offers significant advantages for mitochondrial research due to conserved features and available resources.
- It is particularly pertinent for studies on mitochondrial translation and fundamental biomedical research.
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