Syllabus
Please note, the lectures are given in czech language only.
1. Introduction. Yeast definition, importance and exploitation of yeasts. Growth conditions: water, temperature, oxygen. Yeast cultures in liquid and on solid medium. Cell morphology, modes of propagation, cell types.
2. Cytology. Capsule, cell wall, scars, flocculation, plasma membrane, secretion pathways, nucleus, vacuole, mitochondria, peroxisomes, cytoskeleton.
3. Cell cycle. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Phases of the cell cycle, Start - selection of developmental possibilities, gene regulation, cyclins, signal pathways, polarised growth of the bud, pseudohyphal growth.4. Senescence and apoptosis.
5. Sexual reproduction of the yeasts. S. cerevisiae, Sch. pombe, other yeasts. Life cycle of basidiomycetous yeasts. Genetic determination of mating type, homothallism, heterothallism, conjugation, pheromones, receptors, agglutinins, pheromone signal pathway. Sporulation - morphological, biochemical processes, genetic determination, spores.
6. Nuclear genome. Methods of its study, sequencing of the genome, variability, characteristics of the genome of various yeasts, transcriptome, proteome, artificial yeast chromosomes, transposons, prions. 2micron plasmid.
7. Mitochondrial genome. Sizes and organization of mtDNA, genetic map, mitochondrial mutants, respiratory deficient mutants, transfer of mtDNA.
8. Killer phenomenon. Killer strains with dsRNA, cytoplasmatic DNA, nuclear "killer genes", characteristics of various killer systems, modes of action, exploitation of killer phenomenon. Predacious yeasts.
9. Metabolism. Import of the chemicals into the cell, sources of carbon and energy, sources of nitrogen, carbohydrate reserves. Metabolic regulations - catabolic repression, Pasteur effect, Custers effect, Kluyver effect. Pathways of the sensoring of nutrients. Yeast ATPases.
10.Pathogenic yeasts. Types, identification, genetic determinants of virulence, antimycotic medication
11.Industrially important yeasts.
12.Taxonomy of the yeasts.
Annotation
The lecture covers the wide area of the yeast biology: yeast cytology, regulation of the cell cycle,aging, apoptosis, mating, meiosis and sporulation, killer phenomenon, nuclear and mitochondrial genome, prions, transposons, yeast metabolism , taxonomy, yeast as pathogens, yeasts in industry, ecology of yeasts. The emphasis is laid on recent progress in understanding of the yeast genetics and molecular biology.
It is recommended to enroll on a practical course (Practical course in molecular and cell biology of the yeasts - MB140C29).
It is recommend previous completion of the lecture Essentials in molecular biology and Microbiology.