Molecular Biology and Genetics / Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/9
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Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 3Boron Stress Signal Is Transmitted Through the Tor Pathway(Elsevier, 2023) Uluışık, İrem; Koç, AhmetAlthough boron is an essential element for many organisms, an excess amount of it can cause toxicity, and the mechanism behind this toxicity is not yet fully understood. The Gcn4 transcription factor plays a crucial role in the boron stress response by directly activating the expression of the boron efflux pump Atr1. More than a dozen transcription factors and multiple cell signaling pathways have roles in regulating the Gcn4 transcription factor under various circumstances. However, it is unknown which pathways or factors mediate boron signaling to Gcn4. Using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, we analyzed the factors that converge on the Gcn4 transcription factor to assess their possible roles in boron stress signaling. Our findings show that the GCN system is activated by uncharged tRNA stress in response to boron treatment and that GCN1, which plays a role in transferring uncharged tRNAs to Gcn2, is necessary for the kinase activity of Gcn2. The SNF and PKA pathways were not involved in mediating boron stress, even though they interact with Gcn4. Mutations in TOR pathway genes, such as GLN3 and TOR1, abolished Gcn4 and ATR1 activation in response to boric acid treatment. Therefore, our study suggests that the TOR pathway must be functional to form a proper response against boric acid stress.Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Identification of Novel Arsenic Resistance Genes in Yeast(Wiley, 2022) Işık, Esin; Balkan, Çiğdem; Karl, Vivien; Karakaya, Hüseyin Çağlar; Hua, Sansan; Rauch, Sebastien; Tamás, Markus J; Koç, AhmetArsenic is a toxic metalloid that affects human health by causing numerous diseases and by being used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) has been extensively utilized to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying arsenic toxicity and resistance in eukaryotes. In this study, we applied a genomic DNA overexpression strategy to identify yeast genes that provide arsenic resistance in wild-type and arsenic-sensitive S. cerevisiae cells. In addition to known arsenic-related genes, our genetic screen revealed novel genes, including PHO86, VBA3, UGP1, and TUL1, whose overexpression conferred resistance. To gain insights into possible resistance mechanisms, we addressed the contribution of these genes to cell growth, intracellular arsenic, and protein aggregation during arsenate exposure. Overexpression of PHO86 resulted in higher cellular arsenic levels but no additional effect on protein aggregation, indicating that these cells efficiently protect their intracellular environment. VBA3 overexpression caused resistance despite higher intracellular arsenic and protein aggregation levels. Overexpression of UGP1 led to lower intracellular arsenic and protein aggregation levels while TUL1 overexpression had no impact on intracellular arsenic or protein aggregation levels. Thus, the identified genes appear to confer arsenic resistance through distinct mechanisms but the molecular details remain to be elucidated.Article Citation - WoS: 9Citation - Scopus: 10Characterization of Long Living Yeast Deletion Mutants That Lack Mitochondrial Metabolism Genes Dss1, Ppa2 and Afg3(Elsevier, 2019) Muid, Khandaker Ashfaqul; Kimyon, Önder; Reza, Shahadat Hasan; Karakaya, Hüseyin Çağlar; Koç, AhmetMolecular mechanisms of aging and longevity are still mostly unknown. Mitochondria play central roles in cellular metabolism and aging. In this study, we identified three deletion mutants of mitochondrial metabolism genes (ppa2 Delta, dss1 Delta, and afg3 Delta) that live longer than wild-type cells. These long-lived cells harbored significantly decreased amount of mitochondria] DNA (mtDNA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Compared to the serpentine nature of wild-type mitochondria, a different dynamics and distribution pattern of mitochondria were observed in the mutants. Both young and old long-lived cells produced relatively low but adequate levels of ATP for cellular activities. The status of the retrograde signaling was checked by expression of CIT2 gene and found activated in long-lived mutants. The mutant cells were also profiled for their gene expression patterns, and genes that were differentially regulated were determined. All long-lived cells comprised similar pleiotropic phenotype regarding mitochondrial dynamics and functions. Thus, this study suggests that DSS1, PPA2, and AFG3 genes modulate the lifespan by altering the mitochondrial morphology and functions.Article Citation - WoS: 7Citation - Scopus: 9Genomewide Elucidation of Drug Resistance Mechanisms for Systemically Used Antifungal Drugs Amphotericin B, Caspofungin, and Voriconazole in the Budding Yeast(American Society for Microbiology, 2019) Balkan, Çiğdem; Ercan, İlkcan; Işık, Esin; Akdeniz, Esra Şahin; Balcıoğlu, Orhan; Kodedova, Marie; Koç, AhmetThere are only a few antifungal drugs used systemically in treatment, and invasive fungal infections that are resistant to these drugs are an emerging problem in health care. In this study, we performed a high-copy-number genomic DNA (gDNA) library screening to find and characterize genes that reduce susceptibility to amphotericin B, caspofungin, and voriconazole in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We identified the PDR16 and PMP3 genes for amphotericin B, the RMD9 and SWH1 genes for caspofungin, and the MRS3 and TRI1 genes for voriconazole. The deletion mutants for PDR16 and PMP3 were drug susceptible, but the other mutants had no apparent susceptibility. Quantitative-PCR analyses suggested that the corresponding drugs upregulated expression of the PDR16, PMP3, SWH1, and MRS3 genes. To further characterize these genes, we also profiled the global expression patterns of the cells after treatment with the antifungals and determined the genes and paths that were up-or downregulated. We also cloned Candida albicans homologs of the PDR16, PMP3, MRS3, and TRI1 genes and expressed them in S. cerevisiae. Heterologous expression of Candida homologs also provided reduced drug susceptibility to the budding yeast cells. Our analyses suggest the involvement of new genes in antifungal drug resistance.Correction Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 2Corrigendum To “the Importance of Boron in Biological Systems” [j. Trace Elem. Med. Biol. 45 (2018) 156–162](Elsevier, 2019) Uluışık, İrem; Karakaya, Hüseyin Çağlar; Koç, Ahmet[No abstract available]Article Citation - WoS: 219Citation - Scopus: 242The Importance of Boron in Biological Systems(Urban und Fischer Verlag GmbH und Co. KG, 2018) Uluışık, İrem; Karakaya, Hüseyin Çağlar; Koç, AhmetBoron is an essential element for plants and probably essential for human and animal health. Boron has a broad range of physiological effects on biological systems at low concentrations, whereas it is toxic to at high concentrations. Eventhough there are many studies on boron's biological effects and toxicity, more information is needed to understand the mechanisms of its action. The aim of the current work is to review boron's function, transport and toxicity in different biological systems.Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Characterization of the Beta1 Gene, Which Might Play a Role in Beta Vulgaris Subsp. Maritima Salt Tolerance(Türkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2017) Uysal, Özge; Çakıroğlu, Çiğdem; Koç, Ahmet; Karakaya, Hüseyin ÇağlarSalinity stress has a negative impact on plant growth, which affects homeostasis and productivity. The uptake of nonessential salt ions changes the osmotic balance of the cell and causes dehydration. Higher plants develop salt tolerance mechanisms to avoid dehydration. Sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima) is a halophytic ancestor of cultivated sugar beet that displays salt stress tolerance. In this study, we screened a B. vulgaris subsp. maritima cDNA library in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Ab11c (ena1Δ, nha1/4Δ, nhx1Δ), which is deficient in sodium transport, to find sodium-detoxifying genes. We identified a cDNA construct, named BETA1, providing salt tolerance to yeast cells. This gene had no previously described function. Intracellular sodium measurements demonstrated no significant differences between yeast cells expressing BETA1 or a sham vector, suggesting that sodium was not effluxed in BETA1-expressing cells. Transcriptionally, BETA1 mRNA levels were induced immediately in leaves and later in the root system in response to the salt stress. Our results suggest that the BETA1 gene is part of the salt tolerance network in B. vulgaris subsp. maritima.Article Citation - WoS: 10Citation - Scopus: 10High-Copy Overexpression Screening Reveals Pdr5 as the Main Doxorubicin Resistance Gene in Yeast(Public Library of Science, 2015) Demir, Ayşe Banu; Koç, AhmetDoxorubicin is one of the most potent anticancer drugs used in the treatment of various cancer types. The efficacy of doxorubicin is influenced by the drug resistance mechanisms and its cytotoxicity. In this study, we performed a high-copy screening analysis to find genes that play a role in doxorubicin resistance and found several genes (CUE5, AKL1, CAN1, YHR177W and PDR5) that provide resistance. Among these genes, overexpression of PDR5 provided a remarkable resistance, and deletion of it significantly rendered the tolerance level for the drug. Q-PCR analyses suggested that transcriptional regulation of these genes was not dependent on doxorubicin treatment. Additionally, we profiled the global expression pattern of cells in response to doxorubicin treatment and highlighted the genes and pathways that are important in doxorubicin tolerance/toxicity. Our results suggest that many efflux pumps and DNA metabolism genes are upregulated by the drug and required for doxorubicin tolerance.Article Citation - WoS: 9Citation - Scopus: 10Thiol Peroxidase Deficiency Leads To Increased Mutational Load and Decreased Fitness in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae(Genetics Society of America, 2014) Kaya, Alaattin; Lobanov, Alexey V.; Gerashchenko, Maxim V.; Koren, Amnon; Fomenko, Dmitri E.; Koç, Ahmet; Gladyshev, Vadim N.Thiol peroxidases are critical enzymes in the redox control of cellular processes that function by reducing low levels of hydroperoxides and regulating redox signaling. These proteins were also shown to regulate genome stability, but how their dysfunction affects the actual mutations in the genome is not known. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has eight thiol peroxidases of glutathione peroxidase and peroxiredoxin families, and the mutant lacking all these genes (Δ8) is viable. In this study, we employed two independent Δ8 isolates to analyze the genome-wide mutation spectrum that results from deficiency in these enzymes. Deletion of these genes was accompanied by a dramatic increase in point mutations, many of which clustered in close proximity and scattered throughout the genome, suggesting strong mutational bias. We further subjected multiple lines of wild-type and Δ8 cells to long-term mutation accumulation, followed by genome sequencing and phenotypic characterization. Δ8 lines showed a significant increase in nonrecurrent point mutations and indels. The original Δ8 cells exhibited reduced growth rate and decreased life span, which were further reduced in all Δ8 mutation accumulation lines. Although the mutation spectrum of the two independent isolates was different, similar patterns of gene expression were observed, suggesting the direct contribution of thiol peroxidases to the observed phenotypes. Expression of a single thiol peroxidase could partially restore the growth phenotype of Δ8 cells. This study shows how deficiency in nonessential, yet critical and conserved oxidoreductase function, leads to increased mutational load and decreased fitness.Article Citation - WoS: 8Citation - Scopus: 10Functional Characterization of New Mutations in Wilson Disease Gene (atp7b) Using the Yeast Model(Urban und Fischer Verlag GmbH und Co. KG, 2015) Şimşek Papur, Özlenen; Terzioğlu, Orhan; Koç, AhmetThe Wilson disease gene, a copper transporting ATPase (Atp7b), is responsible for the sequestration of Cu into secretory vesicles, and this function is exhibited by the orthologous Ccc2p in the yeast. In this study, we aimed to characterize clinically relevant new mutations of human ATP7B (p.T788I, p.V1036I and p.R1038G-fsX83) in yeast lacking the CCC2 gene. Expression of human wild type ATP7B gene in ccc2δ mutant yeast restored the growth deficiency and copper transport activity; however, expression of the mutant forms did not restore the copper transport functions and only partially supported the cell growth. Our data support that p.T788I, p.V1036I and p.R1038G-fsX83 mutations cause functional deficiency in ATP7B functions and suggest that these residues are important for normal ATP7B function.
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