The levels of yeast gluconeogenic mRNAs respond to environmental factors

The FBP1 and PCK1 genes encode the gluconeogenic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, respectively. In the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the corresponding mRNAs are present at low levels during growth on glucose, but are present at elevated levels during growth on gluconeogenic carbon sources. We demonstrate that the levels of the FBP1 and PCK1 mRNAs are acutely sensitive to the addition of glucose to the medium and that the levels of these mRNAs decrease rapidly when glucose is added to the medium at a concentration of only 0.005%. At this concentration, glucose blocks FBP1 and PCK1 transcription, but has no effect on iso-1 cytochrome c (CYC1) mRNA levels. Glucose also increases the rate of degradation of the PCK1 mRNA approximately twofold, but only has a slight effect upon FBP1 mRNA turnover. We show that the levels of the FBP1 and PCK1 mRNAs are also sensitive to other environmental factors. The levels of these mRNAs decrease transiently in response to a decrease of the pH from pH 7.5 to pH 6.5 in the medium, or to a mild temperature shock (from 24 degrees C to 36 degrees C). The latter response appears to be mediated by accelerated mRNA decay.