Metabolic Stress Tolerance: Vacuole Remodeling During Recovery from Starvation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Nathalie Vinluan Aquino
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Yee-Hung Mark Chan
Cells under nutrient stress, such as those found in tumors, must reprioritize their internal functions to conserve energy and maintain survival. A key part of this adaptation involves remodeling of organelles like lysosomes, which regulate nutrient recycling, autophagy, and cellular metabolism. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast), vacuoles serve a similar role. Using yeast as a model for carbon starvation, a condition that tumor cells often endure, we investigated how organelle structure and cellular behavior respond to nutrient deprivation and recovery. We used live-cell fluorescence microscopy to examine how vacuole morphology and budding activity change during and after carbon starvation. Under starvation, cells exhibited enlarged vacuoles and reduced budding, consistent with a transition into a stress-resistant state. Upon reintroduction of nutrient-rich media, vacuoles fragmented and budding resumed, though neither returned fully to control levels. This preliminary data suggests vacuolar remodeling to be an early and partially reversible step in recovery, while full cell cycle reentry may be delayed. By studying how cells prioritize internal changes before resuming growth, this work offers insights into metabolic stress tolerance. Understanding how eukaryotic cells recover from nutrient stress helps us understand how cancer cells can survive harsh environments, supporting the development of targeted therapies.