Investigating the Role of ILV1 on Stress Response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a model organism within molecular genetics, is also known for its broad role within baking, brewing, biofuel, and pharmaceutical industries. An unpublished study at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga observed decreased cell viability in an ILV1 Knockout strain of S. cerevisiae when exposed to environmental stressors. A subsequent study at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found expression levels of the candidate genes to be significantly altered within the ILV1 Knockout strain relative to the BY4743 Wildtype strain, demonstrating the reality of a pleiotropic role within ILV1. Now, this study aims to further investigate this peculiar characteristic of ILV1 and role on stress response in S. cerevisiae by analyzing eight candidate genes involved in various metabolic processes. Two strains of S. cerevisiae, a BY4743 Wildtype and ILV1 Knockout, were subjected to identical stress conditions (salinity, osmotic, oxidative, and heat) and RNA was individually extracted from each trial of yeast cells, converted into cDNA, and analyzed through quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of this study demonstrate minimal significant variation in candidate gene expression levels between the ILV1 Knockout and the BY4743 Wildtype strains. These results do not entirely support the pleiotropic nature of ILV1 and instead challenge the pleiotropic hypothesis of ILV1, warranting further investigation into the nature of ILV1.