Inorganic Polyphosphate in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a Mutation Disturbing the Function of Vacuolar ATPase

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A. A. Tomaschevsky, L. P. Ryasanova, T. V. Kulakovskaya^*, and I. S. Kulaev

Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Nauki 5, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia; fax: (495) 956-3370; E-mail: alla@ibpm.pushchino.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received March 16, 2010; Revision received March 29, 2010

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A mutation in the vma2 gene disturbing V-ATPase function in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in a five- and threefold decrease in inorganic polyphosphate content in the stationary and active phases of growth on glucose, respectively. The average polyphosphate chain length in the mutant cells is decreased. The mutation does not prevent polyphosphate utilization during cultivation in a phosphate-deficient medium and recovery of its level on reinoculation in complete medium after phosphate deficiency. The content of short chain acid-soluble polyphosphates is recovered first. It is supposed that these polyphosphates are less dependent on the electrochemical gradient on the vacuolar membrane.

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KEY WORDS: inorganic polyphosphates, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutant, vma2 gene, ATPase, vacuole

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297910080158

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