Utilizing Optogenetics to Elucidate Inheritance Associated Vacuole Patterns in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
By: Ryan Joseph Acbay
Department: Cellular & Molecular Biology
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mark Chan
Organelles house groups of biochemical pathways that contribute to key to cellular functions. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains vacuoles, a homologous structure to the mammalian lysosome. Responsible for processing and holding cellular waste, balancing pH, and degrading proteins, both lysosome and vacuoles regulate copy number and to maintain homeostasis. In yeast, there are two major pathways for vacuole growth: inheritance and biogenesis. In this study we identify how cells regulate the size and scale of vacuoles. Using DeLight system optogenetics to temporally alter budding increased the size of both vacuole and cell significantly. To further test how the timing of inheritance plays a role in vacuole accumulation, I am constructing strains that allow me to reversibly block vacuole inheritance. I have gathered preliminary evidence to suggest that inheritance perturbations reduce vacuole accumulation in the bud. I expect that both perturbations to cell size and vacuole inheritance timing will show a lack of regulatory feedback to coordinate vacuole distribution in the bud. These findings of both the time and space related nature of vacuole accumulation are expected to demonstrate a passive growth regulation between cell and vacuole size.