Analysis of the role of the ubiquitin system in the regulation of yeast carbohydrate metabolism: the necessity of a bench top centrifuge

每一种有机体，无论是人类还是单个细胞，都有能力在盛宴或饥荒期间调整自己的新陈代谢。丰富的营养物质使能量储备得以建立，并在经济不景气时释放出来。细胞和生物体通过快速和可逆地激活关键酶来改变其代谢途径的运行，从而有效地响应营养丰富。我们的研究重点是进化上保守的酵母酶SNF1激酶，它可以关闭能量消耗的代谢途径，在需要的时候保持恒定的能量水平。这个简单的酵母系统将被用来探索细胞如何对有限的营养做出反应的分子调控。为了研究酵母中的营养反应和代谢，有必要在专门的液体培养基中大量培养细胞。然后必须使用离心机从培养液中提纯细胞。离心机对这项工作至关重要，因为它能够从大量培养物中提纯和浓缩微生物进行分析。没有这种设备，研究实验室，特别是受训人员，就无法在研究中前进。随着我的实验室有了离心机，我们希望能够培养足够的酵母细胞来研究特定的调控机制，使SNF1能够在营养限制时保护细胞。了解酵母中SNF1激酶活性是如何控制的，可能有助于理解人类新陈代谢的调节。有趣的是，人类SNF1激酶，AMPK激酶，在包括2型糖尿病和肥胖症的代谢综合征中并不是最理想的。了解AMPK家族如何被激活可能会导致纠正代谢综合征中代谢功能障碍的方法。

Every organism, whether a human or a single cell, has the ability to adapt its metabolism between times of feast or famine. Abundant nutrients enable energy stores to be laid down and later released when times are lean. Cells and organisms efficiently respond to nutrient abundance by altering the operation of their metabolic pathways through the rapid and reversible activation of key enzymes that are turned on or off in response to nutrient signals. Our studies focus on the evolutionarily conserved yeast enzyme, SNF1 kinase, which turns energy consuming metabolic pathways off to preserve a constant energy level in times of need. This simple yeast system will be used to explore the molecular regulation of how a cell responds to limiting nutrients. To study nutrient response and metabolism in yeast, it is necessary to grow large batches of cells in specialized liquid growth media. The cells must then be purified from the media using a centrifuge. A centrifuge is vital to the work as it enables microorganisms to be purified and concentrated from large cultures for analysis. Without this equipment, research laboratories, especially the trainees, will not be able to move forward in their studies. With the availability of a centrifuge in my laboratory, we expect to be able to grow enough yeast cells to study the specific regulatory mechanisms that enable SNF1 to protect the cell when nutrients are limiting. Understanding how SNF1 kinase activity is controlled in yeast may lead to understanding regulation of human metabolism. Interestingly, the human SNF1 kinase, the AMPK kinase, is suboptimal in metabolic syndrome, which encompasses type 2 diabetes and obesity. Knowing how the AMPK family can be activated may lead to ways of correcting the metabolic dysfunction in metabolic syndrome.