The resistance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the biocide polyhexamethylene biguanide: involvement of cell wall integrity pathway and emerging role for YAP1
2011
How Yeast Fights Off a Cleaning Chemical
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Elsztein Carolina, Lucena Rodrigo M, Morais Marcos A Jr
Primary Institution: Federal University of Pernambuco
Hypothesis
What are the mechanisms that allow Saccharomyces cerevisiae to resist polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB)?
Conclusion
The study found that PHMB activates the cell wall integrity pathway in yeast, suggesting that certain genes play a role in resistance to this biocide.
Supporting Evidence
- PHMB treatment induced the expression of cell wall integrity genes in the resistant JP1 strain.
- The sensitive PE-2 strain did not show the same gene expression response to PHMB.
- Mutant strains lacking certain genes were more sensitive to PHMB, indicating their role in resistance.
Takeaway
Yeast can fight off a cleaning chemical by using special genes to protect its cell wall.
Methodology
The study used RT-qPCR to analyze gene expression and tested mutant strains to evaluate their sensitivity to PHMB.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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