Kevin Matthew McKay week 3: Difference between revisions
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[[BIOL398-03/S13:Week 3]] | [[BIOL398-03/S13:Week 3]] | ||
==Definitions== | |||
*(I could not find words that I did not know the definition of so I listed 10 words I thought most difficult) | |||
*Biosynthetic-relating to or produced by biosynthesis:The production of a complex chemical compound from simpler precursors in a living organism, usually involving enzymes (to catalyze the reaction) and energy source (such as ATP)-[[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Biosynthesis]] | |||
*Flux-The total amount of a quantity passing through a given surface per unit time. Typical quantities include (magnetic) field lines, particles, heat, energy, mass of fluid, etc. [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Flux]] | |||
*Oligonucleotides-polymers made up of a few (2-20) nucleotides. In molecular genetics, they refer to a short sequence synthesised to match a region where a mutation is known to occur, and then used as a probe (oligonucleotide probes). [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Oligonucleotides]] | |||
*arbitrary-Depending on will or discretion; not governed by any fixed rules; [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Arbitrary]] | |||
*gram-negative bacteria- bacteria which lose crystal violet stain but are stained pink when treated by grams method. [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Gram-negative_bacteria]] | |||
*glutamate- major fast excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Glutamate]] | |||
*dilution-In microbiologic techniques, a method for counting the number of viable cells in a suspension; a sample is diluted to the point where an aliquot, when plated, yields a countable number of separate colonies. [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Dilution]] | |||
*glutamine-A crystalline amino acid occurring in proteins; important in protein metabolism.One of the 20 amino acids that are commonly found in proteins.glutamine [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Glutamine]] | |||
*biomass-The total mass of all living material in a specific area, habitat, or region. [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Biomass]] | |||
*northern blot- An electroblotting method in which rNA is transferred to a filter and detected by hybridisation to (32)P labelled RNA or dNA. [[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Northern_blot]] | |||
==The Concentration of Ammonia Regulates Nitrogen Metabolism in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae== | |||
===Experiment=== | |||
*Saccharomyces Cerevisae (Yeast) was grown in culture with varying levels of nutrient ammonia. | |||
**This species of yeast prefers ammonia as its source of nitrogen | |||
*While the ammonia input rate was dynamic, the rate at which it was taken up and converted into usable form was constant (flux). | |||
**Flux was (dilution rate x (input ammonia concentration – residual concentration)/ biomass) | |||
*So this study was focused on level of concentration (it being the variable parameter). | |||
**Different concentrations influenced gene expression and enzyme activities differently | |||
*Increase in ammonia concentration resulted in an increase of biomass in culture | |||
**Figure 1(a) Showed as ammonia concentration increased (x axis), residual ammonia (left y axis) and Biomass increased (right y axis) | |||
**After an increase to 61mM of ammonia, glucose became the limiting nutrient (scarce resource of the yeast) | |||
**Above level of 44mM ammonia, ratio of CO2 produced to O2 consumed remained constant as shown in figure 1(b)-y axis is ratio while x axis is ammonia concentration | |||
**However when ammonia was limited (below 44mM), ratio differed, while no changes in residual glucose concentration was observed | |||
***This indicates that except at 29mM ammonia concentration, metabolism in yeast was unchanged when concentration was increased | |||
*Ammonia in the yeast is used in a pathway that leads to glutamine production (an amino acid used to build proteins), this process was analyzed by method of ter Shure et al. | |||
*Figure 1(c): as culture changed from ammonia limitation concentration to excess (x axis), alpha ketoglutarate concentration decreased (y axis) | |||
**Change from low to high concentration of ammonia caused increase in intracellular glutamate concentration (y axis) and increase in intracellular glutamine concentration (y axis) | |||
*All three graphs included constant ammonia flux while increasing concentration of ammonia | |||
===Gene Expression Level=== | |||
*Northern Blots were used to see whether altering levels of ammonia concentration affected nitrogen regulated genes (RNA levels) | |||
**RNA levels were detected by P32 labeled oligonucleotides | |||
**Expression levels of genes that utilize ammonia (GDH1, GDH2, GLN1 RNA levels) were studied with different concentrations of ammonia | |||
*Figure 2 | |||
**left panel shows that as ammonia concentration increased to 78mM (x axis), RNA remained constant (GDH1), but after that, RNA level decreased (y axis) | |||
**max expression of GLN1 occurred at 61mM (right panel). | |||
**At levels of 29 and 44 mM, no RNA (GDH2) could even be detected. But increase in GHD2 could be detected at 61mM ammonia | |||
**Increased ammonia repressed expression in GDH1 and increased expression in GDH2. | |||
**Change in ammonia concentration or flux regulates levels of GAP1 and PUT4 gene | |||
***They were analyzed however, under constant ammonia flux | |||
**From 29-44mM ammonia (central panel) , expression was constant, but after 44, expression or RNA levels decreased. | |||
**At 118 mM ammonia, PUT4 RNA was still present but GAP 1 was absent | |||
**When ammonia was limited, GAP1 expression did not change with increasing ammonia flux, so it and PUT4 are not regulated by flux | |||
**Amino acid starvation caused increased level of Gen4P transcription regulator | |||
**Gene expression of genes ILV5 and HIS4 increase with increasing extracellular ammonia concentration topping out at 66mM and decreasing subsequently (right panel) | |||
===Enzyme activities=== | |||
*Levels of NADPH-glutamate dehydrogenase, NAD-GDH, and GS activity were determined against different concentrations of ammonia. Figure 3 | |||
**As ammonia increased from 29 to 118 mM, activity of NADPH-GDH decreased from 4.1 to 1.8 micromoles/min*mg (as shown in figure 3 top panel x axis ammonia concentration y axis enzyme) | |||
**This was accompanied by decrease in level of GDH1 expression so NADPH-GDH decrease could have been partly transcriptional. | |||
**NAD-GDH activity increased drastically between 29 and 61 mM ammonia, but further ammonia increase yielded no change overall (middle panel, ammonia concentration x axis) | |||
***GDH2 RNA expression suggests that this enzyme is regulated at the level of transcription | |||
**Slight decrease in level of GS activity were seen as ammonia concentrations increased to 61mM but activity level was stagnant beyond that point (bottom panel, ammonia concentration x axis) | |||
***This activity was not regulated by transcription | |||
*Experiment shows that concentration of nitrogen (not flux) regulates metabolism of S. cerevisiae | |||
*This could mean S. cerevisiae has an ammonia sensor like those found in gram- negative bacteria |
Latest revision as of 23:49, 29 January 2013
Definitions
- (I could not find words that I did not know the definition of so I listed 10 words I thought most difficult)
- Biosynthetic-relating to or produced by biosynthesis:The production of a complex chemical compound from simpler precursors in a living organism, usually involving enzymes (to catalyze the reaction) and energy source (such as ATP)-[[1]]
- Flux-The total amount of a quantity passing through a given surface per unit time. Typical quantities include (magnetic) field lines, particles, heat, energy, mass of fluid, etc. [[2]]
- Oligonucleotides-polymers made up of a few (2-20) nucleotides. In molecular genetics, they refer to a short sequence synthesised to match a region where a mutation is known to occur, and then used as a probe (oligonucleotide probes). [[3]]
- arbitrary-Depending on will or discretion; not governed by any fixed rules; [[4]]
- gram-negative bacteria- bacteria which lose crystal violet stain but are stained pink when treated by grams method. [[5]]
- glutamate- major fast excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. [[6]]
- dilution-In microbiologic techniques, a method for counting the number of viable cells in a suspension; a sample is diluted to the point where an aliquot, when plated, yields a countable number of separate colonies. [[7]]
- glutamine-A crystalline amino acid occurring in proteins; important in protein metabolism.One of the 20 amino acids that are commonly found in proteins.glutamine [[8]]
- biomass-The total mass of all living material in a specific area, habitat, or region. [[9]]
- northern blot- An electroblotting method in which rNA is transferred to a filter and detected by hybridisation to (32)P labelled RNA or dNA. [[10]]
The Concentration of Ammonia Regulates Nitrogen Metabolism in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Experiment
- Saccharomyces Cerevisae (Yeast) was grown in culture with varying levels of nutrient ammonia.
- This species of yeast prefers ammonia as its source of nitrogen
- While the ammonia input rate was dynamic, the rate at which it was taken up and converted into usable form was constant (flux).
- Flux was (dilution rate x (input ammonia concentration – residual concentration)/ biomass)
- So this study was focused on level of concentration (it being the variable parameter).
- Different concentrations influenced gene expression and enzyme activities differently
- Increase in ammonia concentration resulted in an increase of biomass in culture
- Figure 1(a) Showed as ammonia concentration increased (x axis), residual ammonia (left y axis) and Biomass increased (right y axis)
- After an increase to 61mM of ammonia, glucose became the limiting nutrient (scarce resource of the yeast)
- Above level of 44mM ammonia, ratio of CO2 produced to O2 consumed remained constant as shown in figure 1(b)-y axis is ratio while x axis is ammonia concentration
- However when ammonia was limited (below 44mM), ratio differed, while no changes in residual glucose concentration was observed
- This indicates that except at 29mM ammonia concentration, metabolism in yeast was unchanged when concentration was increased
- Ammonia in the yeast is used in a pathway that leads to glutamine production (an amino acid used to build proteins), this process was analyzed by method of ter Shure et al.
- Figure 1(c): as culture changed from ammonia limitation concentration to excess (x axis), alpha ketoglutarate concentration decreased (y axis)
- Change from low to high concentration of ammonia caused increase in intracellular glutamate concentration (y axis) and increase in intracellular glutamine concentration (y axis)
- All three graphs included constant ammonia flux while increasing concentration of ammonia
Gene Expression Level
- Northern Blots were used to see whether altering levels of ammonia concentration affected nitrogen regulated genes (RNA levels)
- RNA levels were detected by P32 labeled oligonucleotides
- Expression levels of genes that utilize ammonia (GDH1, GDH2, GLN1 RNA levels) were studied with different concentrations of ammonia
- Figure 2
- left panel shows that as ammonia concentration increased to 78mM (x axis), RNA remained constant (GDH1), but after that, RNA level decreased (y axis)
- max expression of GLN1 occurred at 61mM (right panel).
- At levels of 29 and 44 mM, no RNA (GDH2) could even be detected. But increase in GHD2 could be detected at 61mM ammonia
- Increased ammonia repressed expression in GDH1 and increased expression in GDH2.
- Change in ammonia concentration or flux regulates levels of GAP1 and PUT4 gene
- They were analyzed however, under constant ammonia flux
- From 29-44mM ammonia (central panel) , expression was constant, but after 44, expression or RNA levels decreased.
- At 118 mM ammonia, PUT4 RNA was still present but GAP 1 was absent
- When ammonia was limited, GAP1 expression did not change with increasing ammonia flux, so it and PUT4 are not regulated by flux
- Amino acid starvation caused increased level of Gen4P transcription regulator
- Gene expression of genes ILV5 and HIS4 increase with increasing extracellular ammonia concentration topping out at 66mM and decreasing subsequently (right panel)
Enzyme activities
- Levels of NADPH-glutamate dehydrogenase, NAD-GDH, and GS activity were determined against different concentrations of ammonia. Figure 3
- As ammonia increased from 29 to 118 mM, activity of NADPH-GDH decreased from 4.1 to 1.8 micromoles/min*mg (as shown in figure 3 top panel x axis ammonia concentration y axis enzyme)
- This was accompanied by decrease in level of GDH1 expression so NADPH-GDH decrease could have been partly transcriptional.
- NAD-GDH activity increased drastically between 29 and 61 mM ammonia, but further ammonia increase yielded no change overall (middle panel, ammonia concentration x axis)
- GDH2 RNA expression suggests that this enzyme is regulated at the level of transcription
- Slight decrease in level of GS activity were seen as ammonia concentrations increased to 61mM but activity level was stagnant beyond that point (bottom panel, ammonia concentration x axis)
- This activity was not regulated by transcription
- Experiment shows that concentration of nitrogen (not flux) regulates metabolism of S. cerevisiae
- This could mean S. cerevisiae has an ammonia sensor like those found in gram- negative bacteria