03/01/2011

Monitoring Cell Size and Organelle Volumes in Yeasts

Summary

Cell size is a key factor in initiating cell division in yeasts, and the number and volume of organelles have a profound impact on the function and viability of a cell. Soft X-ray tomography at the Advanced Light Source was used to characterize these parameters in strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at each of the key stages in the cell cycle and to determine relationships between cellular and organelle volumes. Results showed that growth of the major organelles—with the notable exception of vacuoles—is strictly regulated in accordance with cell size. Similar ratios were found to be maintained in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Candida albicans. These experiments will undoubtedly improve our understanding of how cells control their size and that of their component organelles.

References

Uchida, M., et al. 2011. “Quantitative Analysis of Yeast Internal Architecture Using Soft X-Ray Tomography,” Yeast 28, 227–36.