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Cell cycle

A yeast vacuolar pH ‘heartbeat’ coordinates amino acid metabolism and the cell cycle

Nature Metabolism volume 5, pages 1652–1653 (2023)Cite this article

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Okreglak et al. explore the molecular mechanisms that link organellar pH dynamics with the cell cycle, and find that vacuolar pH oscillates during cell cycle phases to ensure an adequate supply of amino acids during cell division. This study offers metabolic insight into the fundamental mechanisms that couple amino acid availability to the cell cycle through pH fluctuations.

The effects of pH homeostasis on overall growth rate are well-established. Alkalinization of the cytosol is a hallmark of cancer cells that promotes proliferation, even with the challenge of the acid-producing Warburg metabolism1. In yeast, the rate of cell division is controlled by cytosolic pH2. The relationship between pH homeostasis and growth is not surprising, given the strong pH dependence of enzyme activity, protein folding, stress responses and many other processes.

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Fig. 1: Vacuolar pH oscillations during the cell cycle to ensure adequate amino acid supply.

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  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Patricia M. Kane

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  1. Patricia M. Kane
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Correspondence to Patricia M. Kane.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Kane, P.M. A yeast vacuolar pH ‘heartbeat’ coordinates amino acid metabolism and the cell cycle. Nat Metab 5, 1652–1653 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00875-y

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