Despite the widespread presence of hydrocarbons, including alkanes, in the environment, there is a lack of understanding of interactions between hydrocarbons and biological systems. In this study, we aimed to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying toxicity, transport, and accumulation of alkanes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Our results show that medium chain alkanes significantly decreased the viability of S. cerevisiae without causing apparent damage to the cell surface. Interestingly, upon exposure to alkanes, intracellular medium chain alkanes were detected in S. cerevisiae, implying that some alkanes may be diffused and/or transported into S. cerevisiae. From microarray-based transcriptome analysis, we identified cellular mechanisms potentially associated with alkane toxicity and transport in S. cerevisiae. Further, we show that the expression of exogenous efflux transporters decreased the toxicity of hydrocarbons over 5-fold. Overall, this study provides new insights into molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the toxicity, transport, and accumulation of alkanes in S. cerevisiae.

Cellular mechanisms underlying toxicity and transport of hydrocarbons in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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Cellular mechanisms underlying toxicity and transport of hydrocarbons in Saccharomyces cerevisiae