Whi7/Srl3 polymorphisms reveal its role in cell size and quiescence.

Whi5 and Srl3/Whi7 are related proteins that resulted from the whole genome duplication of S. cerevisiae (Wolfe and Shields 1997). Whi5 plays an Rb-like function in binding and inhibiting the late G1 transcription that promotes progression from G1 to S (Costanzo et al. 2004; de Bruin et al. 2004). Whi7 can also associate with G1 transcription complexes and promotes G1 arrest when overproduced (Gomar-Alba et al. 2017), but its transcription is primarily induced by stress (Ragni et al. 2011; Mendez et al. 2020). We have used polymorphisms in two laboratory yeast strains to uncover novel functions of Whi7 in log and quiescent cells. These include small cell size during log phase and defects in entry, maintenance and recovery from quiescence.

Quiescence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Most cells live in environments that are permissive for proliferation only a small fraction of the time. Entering quiescence enables cells to survive long periods of nondivision and reenter the cell cycle when signaled to do so. Here, we describe what is known about the molecular basis for quiescence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with emphasis on the progress made in the last decade. Quiescence is triggered by depletion of an essential nutrient. It begins well before nutrient exhaustion, and there is extensive crosstalk between signaling pathways to ensure that all proliferation-specific activities are stopped when any one essential nutrient is limiting. Every aspect of gene expression is modified to redirect and conserve resources. Chromatin structure and composition change on a global scale, from histone modifications to three-dimensional chromatin structure. Thousands of proteins and RNAs aggregate, forming unique structures with unique fates, and the cytoplasm transitions to a glass-like state.

The budding yeast transition to quiescence.

A subset of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in a stationary phase culture achieve a unique quiescent state characterized by increased cell density, stress tolerance, and longevity. Trehalose accumulation is necessary but not sufficient for conferring this state, and it is not recapitulated by abrupt starvation. The fraction of cells that achieve this state varies widely in haploids and diploids and can approach 100%, indicating that both mother and daughter cells can enter quiescence. The transition begins when about half the glucose has been taken up from the medium. The high affinity glucose transporters are turned on, glycogen storage begins, the Rim15 kinase enters the nucleus and the accumulation of cells in G1 is initiated. After the diauxic shift (DS), when glucose is exhausted from the medium, growth promoting genes are repressed by the recruitment of the histone deacetylase Rpd3 by quiescence-specific repressors. The final division that takes place post-DS is highly asymmetrical and G1 arrest is complete after 48 h. The timing of these events can vary considerably, but they are tightly correlated with total biomass of the culture, suggesting that the transition to quiescence is tightly linked to changes in external glucose levels. After 7 days in culture, there are massive morphological changes at the protein and organelle level. There are global changes in histone modification. An extensive array of condensin-dependent, long-range chromatin interactions lead to genome-wide chromatin compaction that is conserved in yeast and human cells. These interactions are required for the global transcriptional repression that occurs in quiescent yeast.

Ssd1 and the cell wall integrity pathway promote entry, maintenance, and recovery from quiescence in budding yeast.

Wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains are typically diploid. When faced with glucose and nitrogen limitation they can undergo meiosis and sporulate. Diploids can also enter a protective, nondividing cellular state or quiescence. The ability to enter quiescence is highly reproducible but shows broad natural variation. Some wild diploids can only enter cellular quiescence, which indicates that there are conditions in which sporulation is lost or selected against. Others only sporulate, but if sporulation is disabled by heterozygosity at the IME1 locus, those diploids can enter quiescence. W303 haploids can enter quiescence, but their diploid counterparts cannot. This is the result of diploidy, not mating type regulation. Introduction of SSD1 to W303 diploids switches fate, in that it rescues cellular quiescence and disrupts the ability to sporulate. Ssd1 and another RNA-binding protein, Mpt5 (Puf5), have parallel roles in quiescence in haploids. The ability of these mutants to enter quiescence, and their long-term survival in the quiescent state, can be rescued by exogenously added trehalose. The cell wall integrity pathway also promotes entry, maintenance, and recovery from quiescence through the Rlm1 transcription factor.

Msa1 and Msa2 Modulate G1-Specific Transcription to Promote G1 Arrest and the Transition to Quiescence in Budding Yeast.

Yeast that naturally exhaust their glucose source can enter a quiescent state that is characterized by reduced cell size, and high cell density, stress tolerance and longevity. The transition to quiescence involves highly asymmetric cell divisions, dramatic reprogramming of transcription and global changes in chromatin structure and chromosome topology. Cells enter quiescence from G1 and we find that there is a positive correlation between the length of G1 and the yield of quiescent cells. The Swi4 and Swi6 transcription factors, which form the SBF transcription complex and promote the G1 to S transition in cycling cells, are also critical for the transition to quiescence. Swi6 forms a second complex with Mbp1 (MBF), which is not required for quiescence. These are the functional analogues of the E2F complexes of higher eukaryotes. Loss of the RB analogue, Whi5, and the related protein Srl3/Whi7, delays G1 arrest, but it also delays recovery from quiescence. Two MBF- and SBF-Associated proteins have been identified that have little effect on SBF or MBF activity in cycling cells. We show that these two related proteins, Msa1 and Msa2, are specifically required for the transition to quiescence. Like the E2F complexes that are quiescence-specific, Msa1 and Msa2 are required to repress the transcription of many SBF target genes, including SWI4, the CLN2 cyclin and histones, specifically after glucose is exhausted from the media. They also activate transcription of many MBF target genes. msa1msa2 cells fail to G1 arrest and rapidly lose viability upon glucose exhaustion. msa1msa2 mutants that survive this transition are very large, but they attain the same thermo-tolerance and longevity of wild type quiescent cells. This indicates that Msa1 and Msa2 are required for successful transition to quiescence, but not for the maintenance of that state.

Global Promoter Targeting of a Conserved Lysine Deacetylase for Transcriptional Shutoff during Quiescence Entry.

Quiescence is a conserved cell-cycle state characterized by cell-cycle arrest, increased stress resistance, enhanced longevity, and decreased transcriptional, translational, and metabolic output. Although quiescence plays essential roles in cell survival and normal differentiation, the molecular mechanisms leading to this state are not well understood. Here, we determined changes in the transcriptome and chromatin structure of S. cerevisiae upon quiescence entry. Our analyses revealed transcriptional shutoff that is far more robust than previously believed and an unprecedented global chromatin transition, which are tightly correlated. These changes require Rpd3 lysine deacetylase targeting to at least half of gene promoters via quiescence-specific transcription factors including Xbp1 and Stb3. Deletion of RPD3 prevents cells from establishing transcriptional quiescence, leading to defects in quiescence entry and shortening of chronological lifespan. Our results define a molecular mechanism for global reprogramming of transcriptome and chromatin structure for quiescence driven by a highly conserved chromatin regulator.

A Genetic Screen for Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mutants That Fail to Enter Quiescence.

Budding yeast begin the transition to quiescence by prolonging G1 and accumulating limited nutrients. They undergo asymmetric cell divisions, slow cellular expansion, acquire significant stress tolerance and construct elaborate cell walls. These morphologic changes give rise to quiescent (Q) cells, which can be distinguished from three other cell types in a stationary phase culture by flow cytometry. We have used flow cytometry to screen for genes that are required to obtain the quiescent cell fraction. We find that cell wall integrity is critical and these genes may help define quiescence-specific features of the cell wall. Genes required to evade the host innate immune response are common. These may be new targets for antifungal drugs. Acquired thermotolerance is also a common property, and we show that the stress-response transcription factors Msn2 and Msn4 promote quiescence. Many other pathways also contribute, including a subset of genes involved in autophagy, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, DNA replication, bud site selection, and cytokinesis.

Xbp1 directs global repression of budding yeast transcription during the transition to quiescence and is important for the longevity and reversibility of the quiescent state.

Pure populations of quiescent yeast can be obtained from stationary phase cultures that have ceased proliferation after exhausting glucose and other carbon sources from their environment. They are uniformly arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and display very high thermo-tolerance and longevity. We find that G1 arrest is initiated before all the glucose has been scavenged from the media. Maintaining G1 arrest requires transcriptional repression of the G1 cyclin, CLN3, by Xbp1. Xbp1 is induced as glucose is depleted and it is among the most abundant transcripts in quiescent cells. Xbp1 binds and represses CLN3 transcription and in the absence of Xbp1, or with extra copies of CLN3, cells undergo ectopic divisions and produce very small cells. The Rad53-mediated replication stress checkpoint reinforces the arrest and becomes essential when Cln3 is overproduced. The XBP1 transcript also undergoes metabolic oscillations under glucose limitation and we identified many additional transcripts that oscillate out of phase with XBP1 and have Xbp1 binding sites in their promoters. Further global analysis revealed that Xbp1 represses 15% of all yeast genes as they enter the quiescent state and over 500 of these transcripts contain Xbp1 binding sites in their promoters. Xbp1-repressed transcripts are highly enriched for genes involved in the regulation of cell growth, cell division and metabolism. Failure to repress some or all of these targets leads xbp1 cells to enter a permanent arrest or senescence with a shortened lifespan.

Key events during the transition from rapid growth to quiescence in budding yeast require posttranscriptional regulators.

Yeast that naturally exhaust the glucose from their environment differentiate into three distinct cell types distinguishable by flow cytometry. Among these is a quiescent (Q) population, which is so named because of its uniform but readily reversed G1 arrest, its fortified cell walls, heat tolerance, and longevity. Daughter cells predominate in Q-cell populations and are the longest lived. The events that differentiate Q cells from nonquiescent (nonQ) cells are initiated within hours of the diauxic shift, when cells have scavenged all the glucose from the media. These include highly asymmetric cell divisions, which give rise to very small daughter cells. These daughters modify their cell walls by Sed1- and Ecm33-dependent and dithiothreitol-sensitive mechanisms that enhance Q-cell thermotolerance. Ssd1 speeds Q-cell wall assembly and enables mother cells to enter this state. Ssd1 and the related mRNA-binding protein Mpt5 play critical overlapping roles in Q-cell formation and longevity. These proteins deliver mRNAs to P-bodies, and at least one P-body component, Lsm1, also plays a unique role in Q-cell longevity. Cells lacking Lsm1 and Ssd1 or Mpt5 lose viability under these conditions and fail to enter the quiescent state. We conclude that posttranscriptional regulation of mRNAs plays a crucial role in the transition in and out of quiescence.

Budding yeast SSD1-V regulates transcript levels of many longevity genes and extends chronological life span in purified quiescent cells.

Ssd1 is an RNA-binding protein that affects literally hundreds of different processes and is polymorphic in both wild and lab yeast strains. We have used transcript microarrays to compare mRNA levels in an isogenic pair of mutant (ssd1-d) and wild-type (SSD1-V) cells across the cell cycle. We find that 15% of transcripts are differentially expressed, but there is no correlation with those mRNAs bound by Ssd1. About 20% of cell cycle regulated transcripts are affected, and most show sharper amplitudes of oscillation in SSD1-V cells. Many transcripts whose gene products influence longevity are also affected, the largest class of which is involved in translation. Ribosomal protein mRNAs are globally down-regulated by SSD1-V. SSD1-V has been shown to increase replicative life span currency and we show that SSD1-V also dramatically increases chronological life span (CLS). Using a new assay of CLS in pure populations of quiescent prototrophs, we find that the CLS for SSD1-V cells is twice that of ssd1-d cells.

Combined analysis reveals a core set of cycling genes.

BACKGROUND: Global transcript levels throughout the cell cycle have been characterized using microarrays in several species. Early analysis of these experiments focused on individual species. More recently, a number of studies have concluded that a surprisingly small number of genes conserved in two or more species are periodically transcribed in these species. Combining and comparing data from multiple species is challenging because of noise in expression data, the different synchronization and scoring methods used, and the need to determine an accurate set of homologs. RESULTS: To solve these problems, we developed and applied a new algorithm to analyze expression data from multiple species simultaneously. Unlike previous studies, we find that more than 20% of cycling genes in budding yeast have cycling homologs in fission yeast and 5% to 7% of cycling genes in each of four species have cycling homologs in all other species. These conserved cycling genes display much stronger cell cycle characteristics in several complementary high throughput datasets. Essentiality analysis for yeast and human genes confirms these findings. Motif analysis indicates conservation in the corresponding regulatory mechanisms. Gene Ontology analysis and analysis of the genes in the conserved sets sheds light on the evolution of specific subfunctions within the cell cycle. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the conservation in cyclic expression patterns is much greater than was previously thought. These genes are highly enriched for most cell cycle categories, and a large percentage of them are essential, supporting our claim that cross-species analysis can identify the core set of cycling genes.

Nascent transcription of MCM2-7 is important for nuclear localization of the minichromosome maintenance complex in G1.

The minichromosome maintenance genes (MCM2-7) are transcribed at M/G1 just as the Mcm complex is imported into the nucleus to be assembled into prereplication complexes, during a period of low cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity. The CDKs trigger DNA replication and prevent rereplication in part by exporting Mcm2-7 from the nucleus during S phase. We have found that repression of MCM2-7 transcription in a single cell cycle interferes with the nuclear import of Mcms in the subsequent M/G1 phase. This suggests that nascent Mcm proteins are preferentially imported into the nucleus. Consistent with this, we find that loss of CDK activity in G2/M is not sufficient for nuclear import, there is also a requirement for new protein synthesis. This requirement is not met by constitutive production of Cdc6 and does not involve synthesis of new transport machinery. The Mcm proteins generated in the previous cell cycle, which are unable to reaccumulate in the nucleus, are predominantly turned over by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in late mitosis/early G1. Therefore, the nuclear localization of Mcm2-7 is dependent on nascent transcription and translation of Mcm2-7 and the elimination of CDK activity which occurs simultaneously as cells enter G1.

The Forkhead transcription factor Hcm1 regulates chromosome segregation genes and fills the S-phase gap in the transcriptional circuitry of the cell cycle.

Transcription patterns shift dramatically as cells transit from one phase of the cell cycle to another. To better define this transcriptional circuitry, we collected new microarray data across the cell cycle of budding yeast. The combined analysis of these data with three other cell cycle data sets identifies hundreds of new highly periodic transcripts and provides a weighted average peak time for each transcript. Using these data and phylogenetic comparisons of promoter sequences, we have identified a late S-phase-specific promoter element. This element is the binding site for the forkhead protein Hcm1, which is required for its cell cycle-specific activity. Among the cell cycle-regulated genes that contain conserved Hcm1-binding sites, there is a significant enrichment of genes involved in chromosome segregation, spindle dynamics, and budding. This may explain why Hcm1 mutants show 10-fold elevated rates of chromosome loss and require the spindle checkpoint for viability. Hcm1 also induces the M-phase-specific transcription factors FKH1, FKH2, and NDD1, and two cell cycle-specific transcriptional repressors, WHI5 and YHP1. As such, Hcm1 fills a significant gap in our understanding of the transcriptional circuitry that underlies the cell cycle.

Analysis of cellular responses to aflatoxin B(1) in yeast expressing human cytochrome P450 1A2 using cDNA microarrays.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB(1)) is a potent human hepatotoxin and hepatocarcinogen produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus. In human, AFB(1) is bioactivated by cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes, primarily CYP1A2, to the genotoxic epoxide that forms N(7)-guanine DNA adducts. To characterize the transcriptional responses to genotoxic insults from AFB(1), a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered to express human CYP1A2 was exposed to doses of AFB(1) that resulted in minimal lethality, but substantial genotoxicity. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated a dose and time dependent S phase delay under the same treatment conditions, indicating a checkpoint response to DNA damage. Replicate cDNA microarray analyses of AFB(1) treated cells showed that about 200 genes were significantly affected by the exposure. The genes activated by AFB(1)-treatment included RAD51, DUN1 and other members of the DNA damage response signature reported in a previous study with methylmethane sulfonate and ionizing radiation [A.P. Gasch, M. Huang, S. Metzner, D. Botstein, S.J. Elledge, P.O. Brown, Genomic expression responses to DNA-damaging agents and the regulatory role of the yeast ATR homolog Mec1p, Mol. Biol. Cell 12 (2001) 2987-3003]. However, unlike previous studies using highly cytotoxic doses, environmental stress response genes [A.P. Gasch, P.T. Spellman, C.M. Kao, O. Carmel-Harel, M.B. Eisen, G. Storz, D. Botstein, P.O. Brown, Genomic expression programs in the response of yeast cells to environmental changes, Mol. Biol. Cell 11 (2000) 4241-4257] were largely unaffected by our dosing regimen. About half of the transcripts affected are also known to be cell cycle regulated. The most strongly repressed transcripts were those encoding the histone genes and a group of genes that are cell cycle regulated and peak in M phase and early G1. These include most of the known daughter-specific genes. The rapid and coordinated repression of histones and M/G1-specific transcripts cannot be explained by cell cycle arrest, and suggested that there are additional signaling pathways that directly repress these genes in cells under genotoxic stress.

Identification of target genes of a yeast transcriptional repressor.

Xbp1 is a transcriptional repressor with homology to the DNA binding domains of two cell-cycle regulatory transcription factors, Swi4 and Mbp1. Target genes bound and regulated by Xbp1, have been identified using differential display (DD). Because little was known about the regulation or function of Xbp1, we identified genes that were underrepresented in RNAs purified from cells in which Xbp1 was ectopically expressed. Four target genes, including three cyclin genes, were identified by DD and then confirmed by binding studies and Northern analysis. The binding site for Xbp1, previously identified by site selection, was present in these target genes and is conserved phylogenetically.

Expression of a human cytochrome p450 in yeast permits analysis of pathways for response to and repair of aflatoxin-induced DNA damage.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a human hepatotoxin and hepatocarcinogen produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus. In humans, AFB1 is primarily bioactivated by cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) and 3A4 to a genotoxic epoxide that forms N7-guanine DNA adducts. A series of yeast haploid mutants defective in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoints were transformed with human CYP1A2 to investigate how these DNA adducts are repaired. Cell survival and mutagenesis following aflatoxin B1 treatment was assayed in strains defective in nucleotide excision repair (NER) (rad14), postreplication repair (PRR) (rad6, rad18, mms2, and rad5), homologous recombinational repair (HRR) (rad51 and rad54), base excision repair (BER) (apn1 apn2), nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) (yku70), mismatch repair (MMR) (pms1), translesion synthesis (TLS) (rev3), and checkpoints (mec1-1, mec1-1 rad53, rad9, and rad17). Together our data suggest the involvement of homologous recombination and nucleotide excision repair, postreplication repair, and checkpoints in the repair and/or tolerance of AFB1-induced DNA damage in the yeast model. Rev3 appears to mediate AFB1-induced mutagenesis when error-free pathways are compromised. The results further suggest unique roles for Rad5 and abasic endonuclease-dependent DNA intermediates in regulating AFB1-induced mutagenicity.

Genetic interactions between mediator and the late G1-specific transcription factor Swi6 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Swi6 associates with Swi4 to activate HO and many other late G(1)-specific transcripts in budding yeast. Genetic screens for suppressors of SWI6 mutants have been carried out. A total of 112 of these mutants have been identified and most fall into seven complementation groups. Six of these genes have been cloned and identified and they all encode subunits of the mediator complex. These mutants restore transcription to the HO-lacZ reporter in the absence of Swi6 and have variable effects on other Swi6 target genes. Deletions of other nonessential mediator components have been tested directly for suppression of, or genetic interaction with, swi6. Mutations in half of the known subunits of mediator show suppression and/or growth defects in combination with swi6. These phenotypes are highly variable and do not correlate with a specific module of the mediator. Mutations in tail module components sin4 and pgd1 showed both growth defects and suppression when combined with swi6, but a third tail component, gal11, showed neither. A truncated form of the essential Srb7 mediator subunit also suppresses swi6 mutations and shows a defect in recruitment of the tail module components Sin4, Pgd1, and Gal11 to the mediator complex.

RB from a bud's eye view.

RB and related proteins block transcriptional activation of genes critical to initiation of the cell cycle and suppress unwanted cell division. The circuitry controlling this response is generally conserved from humans to yeast, but no negative regulator like RB has been found in yeast. In this issue of Cell, two studies reveal that Whi5 appears to play the role of RB in preventing precocious cell cycle entry in budding yeast.

Precocious G1/S transitions and genomic instability: the origin connection.

Both in yeast and in higher eukaryotes, genomic instability often ensues when the G1/S transition machinery is deregulated and cells are forced to enter S phase prematurely. This case of acquired mutability is particularly important, since a majority of genes mutated in human cancers encode factors that influence the G1/S transition. The precocious G1/S transition often results in a sub-optimal S phase. Moreover, the problems generated in such an S phase can escape detection by the cellular surveillance systems, allowing undeterred mitosis. This review focuses primarily on budding yeast data, where progress has been made in the past couple of years towards a mechanistic understanding of the underlying processes. A dual surveillance system is discussed, which relies on the presence of licensed but unfired origins and stalled replication forks to deter mitosis until replication is complete. Normally, this dual surveillance system allows S phase to be flexible in duration in a variety of growth conditions, when the fork density and/or fork progression rates can vary widely. However, precocious exit from G1 can have a disabling effect on this surveillance system. Premature exit from G1 can cut short the licensing of origins and the accumulation of resources for the upcoming replication, while giving a cell a false indication that it is metabolically ready to conduct S phase.