Functional variability in adhesion and flocculation of yeast megasatellite genes.

Megasatellites are large tandem repeats found in all fungal genomes but especially abundant in the opportunistic pathogen Candida glabrata. They are encoded in genes involved in cell-cell interactions, either between yeasts or between yeast and human cells. In the present work, we have been using an iterative genetic system to delete several Candida glabrata megasatellite-containing genes and found that 2 of them were positively involved in adhesion to epithelial cells, whereas 3 genes negatively controlled adhesion.

Genome-wide replication landscape of Candida glabrata.

Background: The opportunistic pathogen Candida glabrata is a member of the Saccharomycetaceae yeasts. Like its close relative Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it underwent a whole-genome duplication followed by an extensive loss of genes. Its genome contains a large number of very long tandem repeats, called megasatellites.

Identification of proteins associated with RNA polymerase III using a modified tandem chromatin affinity purification.

To identify the proteins associated with the RNA polymerase III (Pol III) machinery in exponentially growing yeast cells, we developed our own tandem chromatin affinity purification procedure (TChAP) after in vivo cross-link, allowing a reproducible and good recovery of the protein bait and its associated partners. In contrast to TFIIIA that could only be purified as a free protein, this protocol allows us to capture free Pol III together with Pol III bound on its target genes. Transcription factors, elongation factors, RNA-associated proteins and proteins involved in Pol III biogenesis were identified by mass spectrometry.

Mutational analysis of the yeast RNA helicase Sub2p reveals conserved domains required for growth, mRNA export, and genomic stability.

Sub2p/UAP56 is a highly conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase involved in the packaging and nuclear export of mRNA/protein particles (mRNPs). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sub2p is recruited to active chromatin by the pentameric THO complex and incorporated into the larger transcription-export (TREX) complex. Sub2p also plays a role in the maintenance of genome integrity as its inactivation causes severe transcription-dependent recombination of DNA.

Rrp6p controls mRNA poly(A) tail length and its decoration with poly(A) binding proteins.

Poly(A) (pA) tail binding proteins (PABPs) control mRNA polyadenylation, stability, and translation. In a purified system, S. cerevisiae PABPs, Pab1p and Nab2p, are individually sufficient to provide normal pA tail length.