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Accumulation of inorganic polyphosphates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under nitrogen deprivation: Stimulation by magnesium ions and peculiarities of localization

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Abstract

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was shown to have a high potential as a phosphate-accumulating organism under growth suppression by nitrogen limitation. The cells took up over 40% of phosphate from the medium containing 30 mM glucose and 5 mM potassium phosphate and over 80% of phosphate on addition of 5 mM magnesium sulfate. The major part of accumulated Pi was reserved as polyphosphates. The content of polyphosphates was ∼57 and ∼75% of the phosphate accumulated by the cells in the absence and presence of magnesium ions, respectively. The content of long-chain polyphosphates increased in the presence of magnesium ions, 5-fold for polymers with the average length of ∼45 phosphate residues, 3.7-fold for polymers with the average chain length of ∼75 residues, and more than 10-fold for polymers with the average chain length of ∼200 residues. On the contrary, the content of polyphosphates with the average chain length of ∼15 phosphate residues decreased threefold. According to the data of electron and confocal microscopy and X-ray microanalysis, the accumulated polyphosphates were localized in the cytoplasm and vacuoles. The cytoplasm of the cells accumulating polyphosphates in the presence of magnesium ions had numerous small phosphorus-containing inclusions; some of them were associated with large electron-transparent inclusions and the cytoplasmic membrane.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Nauki 5, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290, Russia

    N. A. Breus, L. P. Ryazanova, N. E. Suzina, N. V. Kulakovskaya, A. Ya. Valiakhmetov & I. S. Kulaev

  2. Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 3, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290, Russia

    V. A. Yashin

  3. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7/2, Moscow, 117312, Russia

    V. V. Sorokin

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  1. N. A. Breus
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  2. L. P. Ryazanova
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  3. N. E. Suzina
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  4. N. V. Kulakovskaya
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  5. A. Ya. Valiakhmetov
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  6. V. A. Yashin
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  7. V. V. Sorokin
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  8. I. S. Kulaev
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Correspondence to N. V. Kulakovskaya.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © N.A. Breus, L.P. Ryazanova, N.E. Suzina, N.V. Kulakovskaya, A.Ya. Valiakhmetov, V.A. Yashin, V.V. Sorokin, I.S. Kulaev, 2011, published in Mikrobiologiya, 2011, Vol. 80, No. 5, pp. 612–618.

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Breus, N.A., Ryazanova, L.P., Suzina, N.E. et al. Accumulation of inorganic polyphosphates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under nitrogen deprivation: Stimulation by magnesium ions and peculiarities of localization. Microbiology 80, 624–630 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S002626171105002X

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S002626171105002X

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