BACKGROUND Chronological aging of yeast cells is commonly used as a model for aging of human post-mitotic cells. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on glucose in the presence of ammonium sulphate is mainly used in yeast aging research. We have analyzed chronological aging of the yeast Hansenula polymorpha grown at conditions that require primary peroxisome metabolism for growth. METHODO...

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is a well-established invasive model organism. Although extensively used in environmental sciences, virtually nothing is known of the molecular process of its shell calcification. By describing the microstructure, geochemistry and biochemistry/proteomics of the shell, the present study aims at promoting this species as a model organism in biomineralization ...

The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha L. is one of the key model plants in evo-devo studies, and an increasing number of transgenic and mutant lines have been established. For reliable long-term preservation of M. polymorpha plants, spores have been used, but crossing is indispensable to obtain them. Gemmae, however, are vegetative clones and readily available in large numbers without crossing, t...

The enzyme acetyl-CoA:isopenicillin N acyltransferase (IAT) is a peroxisomal enzyme that mediates the final step of penicillin biosynthesis in the filamentous fungi Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus nidulans. However, the precise role of peroxisomes in penicillin biosynthesis is still not clear. To be able to use the power of yeast genetics to solve the function of peroxisomes in penicill...

0[ Freshwater mussels "Order Unionoida# are the most imperiled faunal group in North America^ 59) of described species are considered endangered or threatened\ and 01) are presumed extinct[ Widespread habitat degradation "including pollution\ siltation\ river channelization and impoundment# has been the primary cause of extinction during this century\ but a new stress was added in the last deca...

Nodules are unique organs formed on roots of legumes by soil-borne bacteria, collectively known as rhizobium. Recently, we have shown that orthologs of the AINTEGUMENTA-like (AIL) AP2 transcription factors PLETHORA (PLT) 1 to 4, that redundantly regulate Arabidopsis thaliana root development are involved in root and nodule growth in Medicago truncatula. Hence, it is conceivable that rhizobium h...

The genomewide gene expression profiling of the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha exposed to cadmium (Cd) allowed us to identify novel genes responsive to Cd treatment. To select genes whose promoters can be useful for construction of a cellular Cd biosensor, we further analyzed a set of H. polymorpha genes that exhibited >6-fold induction upon treatment with 300 muM Cd for 2 h. The put...

While angiosperm clocks can be described as an intricate network of interlocked transcriptional feedback loops, clocks of green algae have been modelled as a loop of only two genes. To investigate the transition from a simple clock in algae to a complex one in angiosperms, we performed an inventory of circadian clock genes in bryophytes and charophytes. Additionally, we performed functional cha...

A range of industrial H. polymorpha-based processes exist, most of them for the production of pharmaceuticals. The established industrial processes lean on the use of promoters derived from MOX and FMD, genes of the methanol metabolism pathway. In Hansenula polymorpha these promoters are de-repressed upon depletion of a range of carbon sources like glucose and glycerol instead of being induced ...