Guidelines and Recommendations on Yeast Cell Death Nomenclature

Elucidating the biology of yeast in its full complexity has major implications for science, medicine and industry. One of the most critical processes determining yeast life and physiology is cellular demise. However, the investigation of yeast cell death is a relatively young field, and a widely accepted set of concepts and terms is still missing. Here, we propose unified criteria for the definition of accidental, regulated, and programmed forms of cell death in yeast based on a series of morphological and biochemical criteria. Specifically, we provide consensus guidelines on the differential definition of terms including apoptosis, regulated necrosis, and autophagic cell death, as we refer to additional cell death routines that are relevant for the biology of (at least some species of) yeast. As this area of investigation advances rapidly, changes and extensions to this set of recommendations will be implemented in the years to come. Nonetheless, we strongly encourage the authors, reviewers and editors of scientific articles to adopt these collective standards in order to establish an accurate framework for yeast cell death research and, ultimately, to accelerate the progress of this vibrant field of research

Guidelines and recommendations on yeast cell death nomenclature

Elucidating the biology of yeast in its full complexity has major implications for science, medicine and industry. One of the most critical processes determining yeast life and physiology is cel-lular demise. However, the investigation of yeast cell death is a relatively young field, and a widely accepted set of concepts and terms is still missing. Here, we propose unified criteria for the defi-nition of accidental, regulated, and programmed forms of cell death in yeast based on a series of morphological and biochemical criteria. Specifically, we provide consensus guidelines on the differ-ential definition of terms including apoptosis, regulated necrosis, and autophagic cell death, as we refer to additional cell death rou-tines that are relevant for the biology of (at least some species of) yeast. As this area of investigation advances rapidly, changes and extensions to this set of recommendations will be implemented in the years to come. Nonetheless, we strongly encourage the au-thors, reviewers and editors of scientific articles to adopt these collective standards in order to establish an accurate framework for yeast cell death research and, ultimately, to accelerate the pro-gress of this vibrant field of research

HIGH RESOLUTION ELECTRONIC SPECTROSCOPY OF ArOH AND ArOD VAN DER WAALS COMPLEXES

$^{1}$ K. M. Beck, M. T. Berry. M. R. Brustein and M. I. Lester, Chem. Phys. Lett. 162, 203 (1989) and references therein. $^{2}$ W. M. Fawzy and M. C. Heaven, J. Chem. Phys. 92, 909 (1990) and references therein.Author Institution: Laser Spectroscopy Facility, Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State UniversityArOH and ArOD van der Waals complexes are of interest because they are prototypical molecules for studying the interactions between an open-shell radical and an inert gas atom. Recently, several groups have reported spectroscopic investigations of these $complexes.^{1,2}$ In particular, Fawzy and Heaven found that there are two distinct band types in ArOH. Much work has been done on the spectra, but questions remain. In collaboration with Fawzy and Heaven, we have observed LIF spectra of ArOH with higher resolution with the aim of getting more detailed information about the complex. The experiments on ArOD are also in progress. Implications of the high resolution spectra of these open-shell van der Waals complexes will be discusse

Maf1p, a Negative Effector of RNA Polymerase III in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Although yeast RNA polymerase III (Pol III) and the auxiliary factors TFIIIC and TFIIIB are well characterized, the mechanisms of class III gene regulation are poorly understood. Previous studies identified MAF1, a gene that affects tRNA suppressor efficiency and interacts genetically with Pol III. We show here that tRNA levels are elevated in maf1 mutant cells. In keeping with the higher levels of tRNA observed in vivo, the in vitro rate of Pol III RNA synthesis is significantly increased in maf1 cell extracts. Mutations in the RPC160 gene encoding the largest subunit of Pol III which reduce tRNA levels were identified as suppressors of the maf1 growth defect. Interestingly, Maf1p is located in the nucleus and coimmunopurifies with epitope-tagged RNA Pol III. These results indicate that Maf1p acts as a negative effector of Pol III synthesis. This potential regulator of Pol III transcription is likely conserved since orthologs of Maf1p are present in other eukaryotes, including humans