Possible Role for Allelic Variation in Yeast in Ecological Adaptation.

The propensity for yeast to ferment sugars into ethanol and CO has long been useful in the production of a wide range of food and drink. In the production of alcoholic beverages, the yeast strain selected for fermentation is crucial because not all strains are equally proficient in tolerating fermentation stresses. One potential mechanism by which domesticated yeast may have adapted to fermentation stresses is through changes in the expression of stress response genes.

Protein Aggregation and Disaggregation in Cells and Development.

Protein aggregation is a feature of numerous neurodegenerative diseases. However, regulated, often reversible, formation of protein aggregates, also known as condensates, helps control a wide range of cellular activities including stress response, gene expression, memory, cell development and differentiation. This review presents examples of aggregates found in biological systems, how they are used, and cellular strategies that control aggregation and disaggregation.

The ABCF gene family facilitates disaggregation during animal development.

Protein aggregation, once believed to be a harbinger and/or consequence of stress, age, and pathological conditions, is emerging as a novel concept in cellular regulation. Normal versus pathological aggregation may be distinguished by the capacity of cells to regulate the formation, modification, and dissolution of aggregates. We find that aggregates are observed in large cells/blastomeres (oocytes, embryos) and in smaller, further differentiated cells (primordial germ cells), and their analysis using cell biological and genetic tools is straightforward.