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Method Article
Here is a protocol to identify genetic interactions through an increased copy number suppressor screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This method allows researchers to identify, clone, and test suppressors in short-lived yeast mutants. We test the effect of the copy number increase of SIR2 on lifespan in an autophagy null mutant.
Aging is the time dependent deterioration of an organism’s normal biological processes that increases the probability of death. Many genetic factors contribute to alterations in the normal aging process. These factors intersect in complex ways, as evidenced by the wealth of documented links identified and conserved in many organisms. Most of these studies focus on loss-of-function, null mutants that allow for rapid screening of many genes simultaneously. There is much less work that focuses on characterizing the role that overexpression of a gene in this process. In the present work, we present a straightforward methodology to identify and clone genes in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for study in suppression of the short-lived chronological lifespan phenotype seen in many genetic backgrounds. This protocol is designed to be accessible to researchers from a wide variety of backgrounds and at various academic stages. The SIR2 gene, which codes for a histone deacetylase, was selected for cloning in the pRS315 vector, as there have been conflicting reports on its effect on the chronological lifespan. SIR2 also plays a role in autophagy, which results when disrupted via the deletion of several genes, including the transcription factor ATG1. As a proof of principle, we clone the SIR2 gene to perform a suppressor screen on the shortened lifespan phenotype characteristic of the autophagy deficient atg1Δ mutant and compare it to an otherwise isogenic, wild type genetic background.
Aging is the time-dependent loss of integrity in myriad biological processes that ultimately increases the probability of organismal death. Aging is nearly inevitable for all species. On a cellular level there are several well characterized hallmarks that are associated with aging, including: genomic instability, epigenetic alterations, loss-of-proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, deregulated nutrient sensing, cellular senescence, and telomere attrition1,2. In single celled organisms, such as yeasts, this leads to a reduction in replicative potential and chronological life span3,4. These cellular changes manifest in more complex organisms, like humans, as pathologies that include cancers, heart failure, neurodegeneration, diabetes, and osteoporosis5,6,7. Despite the many complexities that characterize the process of aging, there is conservation of these molecular hallmarks underlying this process across widely divergent organisms8,9,10. Identification of alterations to these pathways during aging led to the realization that they can be manipulated via lifestyle changes – dietary restriction is shown to substantially extend lifespan in many organisms11. These pathways converge and intersect with each other and many other pathways, in complex ways. Elucidation and characterization of these interactions offers potential for therapeutic interventions to prolong lifespan and healthspan12,13,14.
The conservation of the molecular underpinnings of aging allows for functional dissection of genetic interactions underlying the process through the use of simpler model organisms – including in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae15,16. There are two established types of aging modeled by budding yeast: chronological aging (the chronological lifespan, CLS) and replicative aging (the replicative lifespan, RLS)17. Chronological aging measures the amount of time that a cell can survive in a non-dividing state. This is analogous to the aging that is seen in cells that spend the majority of their life in G0, such as neurons4. Alternatively, replicative lifespan is the number of times that a cell can divide before exhaustion and is a model for mitotically active cell types (e.g., the number of daughter cells that a cell can have)18.
The overall goal of this method is to present a protocol that allows for the functional dissection of the genetics of aging using S. cerevisiae. While there have been many excellent studies performed by many researchers that have led to our current understanding, there remain many opportunities available for budding researchers to contribute to the aging field from early in their academic career. We present a clear methodology that will allow researchers to further advance the field of aging. This protocol is designed to be accessible for all researchers regardless of the stage in their academic career by providing the tools necessary to formulate and test their own novel hypotheses. The advantage of our approach is that this is a cost effective method readily accessible to all researchers regardless of institution – and does not require expensive, specialized equipment necessary for some protocols19. There are several different ways to design this type of screen, the approach outlined in this work is particularly amenable to screening null mutants of non-essential genes that exhibit a severe reduction in the chronological lifespan compared to an isogenic wild-type strain of yeast.
As our proof of principle, we clone SIR2, a lysine deacetylase reported as exhibiting both an extended and a shortened CLS when overexpressed. SIR2 overexpression was recently found to increase CLS in winemaking yeasts; however, several groups have reported no link between SIR2 and CLS extension, leaving its role under characterized20,21,22. Due to these conflicting reports in the literature, we selected this gene to add independent research to help clarify the role of SIR2 in chronological aging, if any. Additionally, increasing the copy number of a SIR2 homologue extends lifespan in a nematode worm model system23.
Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system to deliver cytosolic products, such as proteins and organelles, to the lysosome24. Autophagy is intimately linked to longevity through its role in degrading damaged proteins and organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis25. Induction of autophagy depends on orchestrating the expression of many genes, and the deletion of the ATG1 gene results in an abnormally short CLS in budding yeast26. ATG1 codes for a protein serine/threonine kinase that is required for vesicle formation in autophagy and the cytoplasm-to-vacuole (the fungal lysosomal equivalent) pathway27,28. Here, we present our method for an increased copy number screen, testing the effect of increased SIR2 copy on the CLS in a wild type and an atg1-null background. This method is particularly amenable to junior researchers and research groups at primarily undergraduate institutions, many of which serve communities underrepresented in the sciences and have limited resources.
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1. Identify potential genetic interactions for screening
2. Prepare reagents
NOTE: Unless otherwise specified autoclave each solution at 121 ˚C for 20 min to sterilize prior to use.
3. Design the cloning strategy to clone SIR2 into the pRS315 vector
4. Transform the vector into atg1Δ and wild type yeast strains
NOTE: This is performed using a modified lithium acetate transformation protocol36.
5. Determine the chronological life span to test for shortened CLS phenotype suppression
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As there are conflicting reports on the role of SIR2 during aging, we chose this gene for study as a potential suppressor of the atg1Δ mutant’s shorten CLS phenotype26. The role of SIR2 is somewhat controversial, with conflicting reports on its role in extending CLS, however it has been clearly linked to increased CLS in at least one yeast background, with a role in both autophagy and mitophagy22,31
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Unravelling the genetics of aging is a difficult challenge, with many opportunities for further study that can potentially yield significant insights into the complex interactions that exist. There are many methods that allow for the rapid generation of loss-of-function mutants for the study of null strains of yeast45,46. This method presents a straightforward approach to identify and clone genes onto the pRS315 vector for overexpression suppressor studies. One a...
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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
James T. Arnone would like to acknowledge the support of the students in the Recombinant DNA Technologies course in 2017 and 2018 at William Paterson University who were involved in this project from its inception, but whose efforts did not cross the threshold for authorship: Christopher Andino, Juan Botero, Josephine Bozan, Brenda Calalpa, Brenda Cubas, Headtlove Essel Dadzie, Irvin Gamarra, Preciousgift Isibor, Wayne Ko, Nelson Mejia, Hector Mottola, Rabya Naz, Abdullah Odeh, Pearl Paguntalan, Daniel Raza’e, Gabriella Rector, Aida Shono, and Matthew So. You are great scientists and I miss you all!
The authors would like to acknowledge the invaluable support of Instruction and Research Technology at William Paterson University for their help: Greg Mattison, Peter Cannarozzi, Rob Meyer, Dante Portella, and Henry Heinitsh. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Office of the Provost for ART support, the Office of the Dean and the Center for Research in the College of Science and Health their support of this work, and the Department of Biology for supporting this project.
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Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
Fungal/Bacterial DNA kit | Zymo Research | D6005 | |
HindIIIHF enzyme | New England Biolabs | R3104S | |
Phusion High-Fidelity DNA Polymerase | New England Biolabs | M0530S | |
Plasmid miniprep kit | Qiagen | 12123 | |
SacII enzyme | New England Biolabs | R0157S | |
Salmon sperm DNA | Thermofisher | AM9680 | |
T4 DNA ligase | New England Biolabs | M0202S |
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