Application of Metabolomics in the Study of Starvation-Induced Autophagy in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>: A Scoping Review

This scoping review is aimed at the application of the metabolomics platform to dissect key metabolites and their intermediates to observe the regulatory mechanisms of starvation-induced autophagy in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. Four research papers were shortlisted in this review fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Muhammad Luqman Nasaruddin, Khaizurin Tajul Arifin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/11/987
Description
Summary:This scoping review is aimed at the application of the metabolomics platform to dissect key metabolites and their intermediates to observe the regulatory mechanisms of starvation-induced autophagy in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. Four research papers were shortlisted in this review following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We observed a commonly shared pathway undertaken by <i>S. cerevisiae</i> under nutritional stress. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics was applied in either of these studies using varying platforms resulting in the annotation of several different observable metabolites. We saw a commonly shared pathway undertaken by <i>S. cerevisiae</i> under nutritional stress. Following nitrogen starvation, the concentration of cellular nucleosides was altered as a result of autophagic RNA degradation. Additionally, it is also found that autophagy replenishes amino acid pools to sustain macromolecule synthesis. Furthermore, in glucose starvation, nucleosides were broken down into carbonaceous metabolites that are being funneled into the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. The ribose salvage allows for the survival of starved yeast. Moreover, acute glucose starvation showed autophagy to be involved in maintaining ATP/energy levels. We highlighted the practicality of metabolomics as a tool to better understand the underlying mechanisms involved to maintain homeostasis by recycling degradative products to ensure the survival of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> under starvation. The application of metabolomics has extended the scope of autophagy and provided newer intervention targets against cancer as well as neurodegenerative diseases in which autophagy is implicated.
ISSN:2309-608X