Analyzing the Effects of Copper Treated S. cerevisiae Using Fluorescent Techniques to Observe Mitochondrial Changes and Relative Effects on Lifespan

Abstract Aging is the progressive deterioration of an organism’s physiological functions and structure as a consequence accumulated cellular damage, leading to increased susceptibility to disease and death. Acting as a powerful, highly informative model eukaryotic organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been integral in identifying the conserved molecular mechanisms of aging and in the mechanism of lifespan extension. Copper is an essential cofactor for two important enzymes in yeast and plays a key role in the cell’s response to oxidative stress. Current studies demonstrate that copper plays a critical role in yeast cell growth and mitochondrial activity. Treating yeast will low to moderate levels of copper can extend yeast lifespan, while high concentrations are toxic and can shorten lifespan. To further investigate the mechanism for lifespan extension, we have utilized fluorescent assays to quantitatively assess changes in mitochondrial activity and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells grown in the presence or absence of copper.