STATIONARY-PHASE IN SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE

Like other microorganisms, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to starvation by arresting growth and entering stationary phase, Beca use most microorganisms exist under conditions of nutrient limitation, the ability to tolerate starvation is critical for survival. Molecula r analyses have identified changes in transcription, translation, and protein modification in stationary-phase cells. At the level of transl ation, the pattern of newly synthesized proteins in stationary-phase c ells is surprisingly similar to the pattern of proteins synthesized du ring exponential growth, When limited for different nutrients, yeast s trains may not enter stationary phase but opt for pathways such as pse udohyphal growth. If nutrient limitation continues, the end-point is l ikely to be a stationary-phase cell, Based on the results of recent st udies, we propose a model for entry into stationary phase in which G(0 ) arrest is separable from acquisition of the ability to survive long periods of time without added nutrients.