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: 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: 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.Conference Object Functional Characterization of Clinically Relevant Novel Mutations in Atp7b Gene Using the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Model(Wiley, 2016) Şimşek Papur, Özlenen; Terzioğlu, Orhan; Koç, AhmetWilson disease is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism characterized as neurodegeneration and liver abnormalities. It is caused by defects in the ATP7B gene. ATP7B is responsible for the sequestration of Cu into secretory vesicles, and this function is exhibited by the orthologous Ccc2p in the yeast. We aimed to characterize clinically-relevant novel mutations of p.T788I, p.V1036I and p.R1038G-fsX8 in yeast lacking the CCC2 gene.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: 33Citation - Scopus: 40Characterization of Two Genes Encoding Metal Tolerance Proteins From Beta Vulgaris Subspecies Maritima That Confers Manganese Tolerance in Yeast(Springer Verlag, 2013) Erbaşol, Işıl; Bozdağ, Gönensin Ozan; Koç, Ahmet; Pedas, Pia; Karakaya, Hüseyin ÇağlarManganese (Mn2+) is an essential micronutrient in plants. However increased Mn2+ levels are toxic to plant cells. Metal tolerance proteins (MTPs), member of cation diffusion facilitator protein (CDF) family, have important roles in metal homeostatis in different plant species and catalyse efflux of excess metal ions. In this study, we identified and characterized two MTP genes from Beta vulgaris spp. maritima (B. v. ssp. maritima). Overexpression of these two genes provided Mn tolerance in yeast cells. Sequence analyses displayed BmMTP10 and BmMTP11as members of the Mn-CDF family. Functional analyses of these proteins indicated that they are specific to Mn2+ with a role in reducing excess cellular Mn2+ levels when expressed in yeast. GFP-fusion constructs of both proteins localized to the Golgi apparatus as a punctuated pattern. Finally, Q-RT-PCR results showed that BmMTP10 expression was induced threefold in response to the excess Mn2+ treatment. On the other hand BmMTP11 expression was not affected in response to excess Mn2+ levels. Thus, our results suggest that the BmMTP10 and BmMTP11 proteins from B. v. ssp. maritima have non-redundant functions in terms of Mn2+ detoxification with a similar in planta localization and function as the Arabidopsis Mn-CDF homolog AtMTP11 and this conservation shows the evolutionary importance of these vesicular proteins in heavy metal homeostatis among plant species.Article Citation - WoS: 48Citation - Scopus: 52Boron Stress Activates the General Amino Acid Control Mechanism and Inhibits Protein Synthesis(Public Library of Science, 2011) Uluışık, İrem; Kaya, Alaattin; Fomenko, Dmitri E.; Karakaya, Hüseyin Çağlar; Carlson, Bradley A.; Gladyshev, Vadim N.; Koç, AhmetBoron is an essential micronutrient for plants, and it is beneficial for animals. However, at high concentrations boron is toxic to cells although the mechanism of this toxicity is not known. Atr1 has recently been identified as a boron efflux pump whose expression is upregulated in response to boron treatment. Here, we found that the expression of ATR1 is associated with expression of genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis. These mechanisms are strictly controlled by the transcription factor Gcn4 in response to boron treatment. Further analyses have shown that boron impaired protein synthesis by promoting phosphorylation of eIF2α in a Gcn2 kinase dependent manner. The uncharged tRNA binding domain (HisRS) of Gcn2 is necessary for the phosphorylation of eIF2α in the presence of boron. We postulate that boron exerts its toxic effect through activation of the general amino acid control system and inhibition of protein synthesis. Since the general amino acid control pathway is conserved among eukaryotes, this mechanism of boron toxicity may be of general importance.Article Citation - WoS: 20Citation - Scopus: 20Genome-Wide Identification of Genes That Play a Role in Boron Stress Response in Yeast(Elsevier Ltd., 2011) Uluışık, İrem; Kaya, Alaattin; Ünlü, Ercan Selçuk; Avşar, Kadir; Karakaya, Hüseyin Çağlar; Yalçın, Talat; Koç, AhmetBoron is an essential micronutrient for plants and it is either necessary or beneficial for animals. Studies identified only few genes related to boron metabolism thus far and details of how boron is imported into cells and used in cell metabolism are largely unknown. In order to identify genes that play roles in boron metabolism, we screened the entire set of yeast haploid deletion mutants and identified 6 mutants that were resistant to toxic levels of boron, and 21 mutants that were highly sensitive to boron treatment. Furthermore, we performed a proteomic approach to identify additional proteins that are significantly up-regulated by boron treatment. Our results revealed many genes and pathways related to boron stress response and suggest a possible link between boron toxicity and translational control.Article Citation - WoS: 7Citation - Scopus: 7The Roles of Thiol Oxidoreductases in Yeast Replicative Aging(Elsevier Ltd., 2010) Hacıoğlu, Elise; Esmer, Işıl; Fomenko, Dmitri E.; Gladyshev, Vadim N.; Koç, AhmetThiol-based redox reactions are involved in the regulation of a variety of biological functions, such as protection against oxidative stress, signal transduction and protein folding. Some proteins involved in redox regulation have been shown to modulate life span in organisms from yeast to mammals. To assess the role of thiol oxidoreductases in aging on a genome-wide scale, we analyzed the replicative life span of yeast cells lacking known and candidate thiol oxidoreductases. The data suggest the role of several pathways in controlling yeast replicative life span, including thioredoxin reduction, protein folding and degradation, peroxide reduction, PIP3 signaling, and ATP synthesis. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.Article Citation - WoS: 29Citation - Scopus: 29Methionine Sulfoxide Reduction and the Aging Process(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2007) Koç, Ahmet; Gladyshev, Vadim N.Aging has been described for multicellular and asymmetrically dividing organisms, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Oxidation of proteins is considered to be one of the major factors that leads to aging. Oxidative damage to proteins results in the oxidation of certain amino acid residues, among which oxidation of sulfur-containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine, is notable because of the susceptibility of these residues to damage, and occurrence of repair mechanisms. Methionine sulfoxide reductases, MsrA and MsrB, are thioredoxin-dependent oxidoreductases that reduce oxidized forms of methionine, methionine sulfoxides, in a stereospecific manner. These enzymes are present in all cell types and have shown to be regulating life spans in mammals, insects, and yeast. Here, their roles in modulating yeast life span are discussed.Article Citation - WoS: 59Citation - Scopus: 60Effects of Deleting Mitochondrial Antioxidant Genes on Life Span(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2007) Ünlü, Ercan Selçuk; Koç, AhmetReactive oxygen species (ROS) damage biomolecules, accelerate aging, and shorten life span, whereas antioxidant enzymes mitigate these effects. Because mitochondria are a primary site of ROS generation and also a primary target of ROS attack, they have become a major focus area of aging studies. Here, we employed yeast genetics to identify mitochondrial antioxidant genes that are important for replicative life span. In our studies, it was found that among the known mitochondrial antioxidant genes (TTR1, CCD1, SOD1, GLO4, TRR2, TRX3, CCS1, SOD2, GRX5, PRX1), deletion of only three genes, SOD1 (Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase), SOD2 (Manganese-containing superoxide dismutase), and CCS1 (Copper chaperone), shortened the life span enormously. The life span decreased 40% for Δsod1 mutant, 72% for Δsod2 mutant, and 50% for Δccs1 mutant. Deletion of the other genes had little or no effect on life span.