Large parts of the endoplasmic reticulum of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are located close to intracellular organelles, i.e. mitochondria and the plasma membrane, as shown by fluorescence and electron microscopy. Here we report the isolation and characterization of the subfraction of the endoplasmic reticulum that is closely associated with the plasma membrane. This plasma membrane associated membrane (PAM) is characterized by its high capacity to synthesize phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. As such, PAM is reminiscent of MAM, a mitochondria associated membrane fraction of the yeast [Gaigg, B., Simbeni, R., Hrastnik, C., Paltauf, F. & Daum, G. (1995) Biochim.Biophys. Acta 1234, 214±220], although the specific activity of phosphatidylserine synthase and phosphatidylinositol synthase in PAM exceeds several-fold the activity in MAM and also in the bulk endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, several enzymes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis, namely squalene synthase (Erg9p), squalene epoxidase (Erg1p) and sterolD 24 -methyltransferase (Erg6p), are highly enriched in PAM. A possible role of PAM in the supply of lipids to the plasma membrane is discussed.

Membrane association between mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is probably a prerequisite for phospholipid translocation between these two organelles. This association was visualized by fluorescence microscopy and computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction of electron micrographs from serial ultrathin sections of yeast cells. A mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM), which is a subfraction of the endoplasmic reticulum, was isolated and re-associated with mitochondria in vitro. In the reconstituted system, phosphatidylserine synthesized in MAM was imported into mitochondria independently of cytosolic factors, bivalent cations, ATP, and ongoing synthesis of phosphatidylserine. Proteolysis of mitochondrial surface proteins by treatment with proteinase K reduced the capacity to import phosphatidylserine. Phosphatidylethanolamine formed in mitochondria by decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine is exported to the endoplasmic reticulum where part of it is converted into phosphatidylcholine. In contrast with previous observations with permeabilized yeast cells [Achleitner, G., Zweytick, D., Trotter, P., Voelker, D. & Daum, G. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 29836±29842], export of phosphatidylethanolamine from mitochondria to the endoplasmic reticulum was shown to be energy-independent in the reconstituted yeast system.

The unassigned open reading frame YDL142c was identified to code for cardiolipin synthase, Cls1p. A cls1 deletion strain is viable on glucose, galactose, ethanol, glycerol and lactate containing media, although the growth rate on nonfermentable carbon sources is decreased. Mitochondria of the cls1 mutant are devoid of cardiolipin but accumulate the cardiolipin precursor phosphatidylglycerol when grown on nonfermentable carbon sources. Specific activity of phosphatidylglycerolphosphate synthase in cls1 is reduced to 30^75% of the wildtype level. Amounts of mitochondrial cytochromes and activity of cytochrome c oxidase, however, are not affected in the cls1 deletion strain. Collectively, these data indicate that cardiolipin is not essential for aerobic growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.z 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Space weather events can cause geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in power transmission networks. Over the past years, these currents have been measured in multiple substations in Austria, and the measurements have been tested against a model of local GIC with the aim of producing an optimized model, which can be developed through evaluation of various input parameters. We show the impact the choice of the local resistivity, in particular the surface conductivity in thin-sheet modeling, and the source of geomagnetic variations has on GIC modeling. In addition, the sensitivity of the model to the accuracy of the network configuration is also investigated. This encompasses the inclusion of power grids outside of Austria in the model as well as the consequences of removal of a substation either through transformer failure or active disconnection. Results show that a detailed surface conductivity model brings benefits to areas with large lateral conductivity variations and that there are certain substations that lead to increases and decreases of GIC in the rest of the network when removed. The importance of regionally representative geomagnetic field measurements is also highlighted and shown to impact model accuracy. This study concentrates on regional effects, but the results are also valid for large-scale studies elsewhere. node and adding four more stations in 2016 and 2017. The purpose of this paper is to expand on the former study using the same model and particularly to utilize measurements collected at multiple different stations to evaluate the importance and required accuracy of model input parameters for the best results.

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