Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2012; 120(04): 179-181
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1304585
Mini-Review Series on Diabetes and its Complications
© J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Yeast as a Model to Understand Mechanisms and Consequences of Protein Modifications by Metabolism Derived Toxic Products

J. Tyedmers
1   Center for Molecular Biology of the University of Heidelberg (ZMBH), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), DKFZ-ZMBH-Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 20 January 2012
first decision 20 January 2012

accepted 30 January 2012

Publication Date:
08 March 2012 (online)

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Abstract

An inevitable consequence of metabolism in cells across all kingdoms of life is the non-enzymatic formation of toxic metabolites such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reducing sugars, whose reaction products are associated with several diseases such as clinical complications of diabetes, cataracts, cancer and age-related late-onset diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease, amongst others. Yeast has been used successfully to study the reaction of these toxic metabolites with proteins in vivo, which I will summarize with exemplified studies on 2 crucial reactions, protein carbonylation and protein glycation.