Effects of calorie restriction on life span of microorganisms

Abstract

Calorie restriction (CR) in microorganisms such as budding and fission yeasts has a robust and well-documented impact on longevity. In order to efficiently utilize the limited energy during CR, these organisms shift from primarily fermentative metabolism to mitochondrial respiration. Respiration activates certain conserved longevity factors such as sirtuins and is associated with widespread physiological changes that contribute to increased survival. However, the importance of respiration during CR-mediated longevity has remained controversial. The emergence of several novel metabolically distinct microbial models for longevity has enabled CR to be studied from new perspectives. The majority of CR and life span studies have been conducted in the primarily fermentative Crabtree-positive yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, but studies in primarily respiratory Crabtree-negative yeast and obligate aerobes can offer complementary insight into the more complex mammalian response to CR. Not only are microorganisms helping characterize a conserved cellular mechanism for CR-mediated longevity, but they can also directly impact mammalian metabolism as part of the natural gut flora. Here, we discuss the contributions of microorganisms to our knowledge of CR and longevity at the level of both the cell and the organism.

Pseudomonas 2.0: genetic upgrading of P. putida KT2440 as an enhanced host for heterologous gene expression

“…In all, these figures indicate that the multiple deletions introduced do not significantly affect the growth performance of strain EM383. However, it is to notice that faster growth also means more oxidative stress [68,69], which needs to be counteracted to the detriment of the NAD(P)H pool [70], thereby resulting in a reduced biomass yield. This prediction was confirmed when the final optical density at 600 nm (OD 600 ) was assessed in shaken-flask cultures following 24 h of vigorous shaking ( Figure 2B and C).…”

Artemisinin mimics calorie restriction to extend yeast lifespan via a dual-phase mode: a conclusion drawn from global transcriptome profiling

“…CR is convinced in delaying aging and prolonging lifespan among examined eukaryotes, either in the microbial yeast [6] or mammalian mice [7]. How can CR exert the beneficial effects on life expectancy remains debating, and some conclusions about CR-driven longevity are apparently controversial [24].…”

“…CLS measures the length of time yeast cells remain viable at a non-dividing state (postmitotic survival), whereas RLS counts the number of cell divisions an individual yeast cell undergoes before senescence (division potential). While CLS is more relevant to the postmitotic cell aging, RLS is closely related to the replicative aging such as in stem cells [6].…”

Yeast: World’s Finest Chef

“…Obligate aerobe yeasts, on the other hand, cannot ferment and only respire aerobically, providing another category of metabolic diversity. Moreover, Crabtree effect is not specific to yeasts: many mammalian tumour cells display a Crabtree effect as well [18][19][20].…”