Stress responses of the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae under high hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

Effects of high hydrostatic pressure on biological systems have been mainly investigated from three perspectives: (1) structural understanding of macromolecules such as proteins and lipids and kinetic analysis of biochemical reactions, (2) adaptation of microbes such as mesophiles and piezophiles to high pressure, and (3) inactivation of food-spoiling microbes and application of nonthermal food processing. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been an invaluable organism in establishing the molecular basis of cellular responses to high pressure as well as in applying a basic knowledge of the effects of pressure on industrial processes involving various microbes. In this chapter, the general effects of high pressure on biological systems and recent advances in research on the response of S. cerevisiae to high pressure with respect to intracellular pH homeostasis, significance of tryptophan uptake, ubiquitin-dependent degradation of tryptophan permeases, global analyses on transcription and gene functions, and attempts toward industrial applications are reviewed.