467: Prion Pivots Productive Pathways

This episode: Prions in yeast can allow better adaptation to
changing conditions!


Download Episode (9.5 MB, 13.9 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Hepatovirus F


 


News item

 



Takeaways




Prions can be deadly. They're misshapen proteins that
cause a cascade of misfolding of similar proteins if they
get into the nervous system, resulting in
neurodegeneration in mammals. But in other organisms,
they are not always so scary; some fungi use prions to
regulate their behavior in varying conditions.


 


In this study, a prion allows yeast to switch between a
fast-growing lifestyle with shorter reproductive lifespan
that can be beneficial in conditions where nutrients are
often plentiful, and a slower-growing but more enduring
lifestyle that helps in more scarce conditions.



 
Journal Paper:
Garcia DM, Campbell EA, Jakobson CM, Tsuchiya M, Shaw EA,
DiNardo AL, Kaeberlein M, Jarosz DF. 2021. A prion
accelerates proliferation at the expense of lifespan. eLife
10:e60917.




Other interesting stories:



Modified yeast probiotic could tune its effects as needed
by sensing bowel inflammation




 


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com. Thanks for listening!


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