Quantitative analysis of glycerol accumulation, glycolysis and growth under hyper osmotic stress.

We provide an integrated dynamic view on a eukaryotic osmolyte system, linking signaling with regulation of gene expression, metabolic control and growth. Adaptation to osmotic changes enables cells to adjust cellular activity and turgor pressure to an altered environment. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae adapts to hyperosmotic stress by activating the HOG signaling cascade, which controls glycerol accumulation.

Initiation of the transcriptional response to hyperosmotic shock correlates with the potential for volume recovery.

The control of activity and localization of transcription factors is critical for appropriate transcriptional responses. In eukaryotes, signal transduction components such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) shuttle into the nucleus to activate transcription. It is not known in detail how different amounts of nuclear MAPK over time affect the transcriptional response.

Network modeling of the transcriptional effects of copy number aberrations in glioblastoma.

DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs) are a hallmark of cancer genomes. However, little is known about how such changes affect global gene expression. We develop a modeling framework, EPoC (Endogenous Perturbation analysis of Cancer), to (1) detect disease-driving CNAs and their effect on target mRNA expression, and to (2) stratify cancer patients into long- and short-term survivors.

Robustness and fragility in the yeast high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signal-transduction pathway.

Cellular signalling networks integrate environmental stimuli with the information on cellular status. These networks must be robust against stochastic fluctuations in stimuli as well as in the amounts of signalling components. Here, we challenge the yeast HOG signal-transduction pathway with systematic perturbations in components' expression levels under various external conditions in search for nodes of fragility.

Exploring the impact of osmoadaptation on glycolysis using time-varying response-coefficients.

We present a model of osmoadaptation in S. cerevisiae based on existing experimental and theoretical work. In order to investigate the impact of osmoadaptation on glycolysis, this model focuses on the interactions between glycolysis and osmoadaptation, namely the production of glycerol and its influence on flux towards pyruvate.

Yeast osmoregulation.

Osmoregulation is the active control of the cellular water balance and encompasses homeostatic mechanisms crucial for life. The osmoregulatory system in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is particularly well understood. Key to yeast osmoregulation is the production and accumulation of the compatible solute glycerol, which is partly controlled by the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling system.

A microfluidic system in combination with optical tweezers for analyzing rapid and reversible cytological alterations in single cells upon environmental changes.

We report on the development of an experimental platform where epi-fluorescence microscopy and optical tweezers are combined with a microfluidic system to enable the analysis of rapid cytological responses in single cells. The microfluidic system allows two different media to be merged in a Y-shaped channel. Microscale channel dimensions ensure purely laminar flow and, as a result, an environmental gradient can be created between the two media.

A simple mathematical model of adaptation to high osmolarity in yeast.

We present a simple ordinary differential equation (ODE) model of the adaptive response to an osmotic shock in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The model consists of two main components. First, a biophysical model describing how the cell volume and the turgor pressure are affected by varying extra-cellular osmolarity.

Integrative model of the response of yeast to osmotic shock.

Integration of experimental studies with mathematical modeling allows insight into systems properties, prediction of perturbation effects and generation of hypotheses for further research. We present a comprehensive mathematical description of the cellular response of yeast to hyperosmotic shock. The model integrates a biochemical reaction network comprising receptor stimulation, mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade dynamics, activation of gene expression and adaptation of cellular metabolism with a thermodynamic description of volume regulation and osmotic pressure.

Conditional osmotic stress in yeast: a system to study transport through aquaglyceroporins and osmostress signaling.

The accumulation and transport of solutes are hallmarks of osmoadaptation. In this study we have employed the inability of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpd1Delta gpd2Delta mutant both to produce glycerol and to adapt to high osmolarity to study solute transport through aquaglyceroporins and the control of osmostress-induced signaling. High levels of different polyols, including glycerol, inhibited growth of the gpd1Delta gpd2Delta mutant.

Anaerobicity prepares Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells for faster adaptation to osmotic shock.

Yeast cells adapt to hyperosmotic shock by accumulating glycerol and altering expression of hundreds of genes. This transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to osmotic shock encompasses genes whose products are implicated in protection from oxidative damage. We addressed the question of whether osmotic shock caused oxidative stress.