Correction of MS data for naturally occurring isotopes in isotope labelling experiments

Mass spectrometry (MS) in combination with isotope labelling experiments is widely used for investigations of metabolism and other biological processes. Quantitative applications-e.g., (13)C metabolic flux analysis-require correction of raw MS data (isotopic clusters) for the contribution of all naturally abundant isotopes. This chapter describes how to perform such correction using the software IsoCor. This flexible, user-friendly software can be used to exploit any isotopic tracer, from well-known ((13)C, (15)N, (18)O, etc.) to unusual ((57)Fe, (77)Se, etc.) isotopes. It also provides options-e.g., correction for the isotopic purity of the tracer-to improve the accuracy of quantitative isotopic studies, and allows automated correction of large datasets that can be collected with modern MS methods

The final cut:cell polarity meets cytokinesis at the bud neck in S. cerevisiae

Cell division is a fundamental but complex process that gives rise to two daughter cells. It includes an ordered set of events, altogether called “the cell cycle”, that culminate with cytokinesis, the final stage of mitosis leading to the physical separation of the two daughter cells. Symmetric cell division equally partitions cellular components between the two daughter cells, which are therefore identical to one another and often share the same fate. In many cases, however, cell division is asymmetrical and generates two daughter cells that differ in specific protein inheritance, cell size, or developmental potential. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven to be an excellent system to investigate the molecular mechanisms governing asymmetric cell division and cytokinesis. Budding yeast is highly polarized during the cell cycle and divides asymmetrically, producing two cells with distinct sizes and fates. Many components of the machinery establishing cell polarization during budding are relocalized to the division site (i.e., the bud neck) for cytokinesis. In this review we recapitulate how budding yeast cells undergo polarized processes at the bud neck for cell division