Citral and geraniol induce necrotic and apoptotic cell death on Saccharomyces cerevisiae

AbstractEssential oils and their main components, monoterpenes, have been proven to be important alternatives for the control of pathogenic and spoiling microorganisms, but the mode of action of these compounds is poorly understood. This work aimed to determine the mode of action of citral and geraniol on the model yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae using a flow cytometry approach. Exponentially growing yeast cells were treated with different concentrations of citral and geraniol for 3  h, and evaluated for cell wall susceptibility to glucanase, membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and metacaspase activity. Results provide strong evidence that citral and geraniol acute fungicidal activity againstSaccharomyces cells involves the loss of membrane and cell wall integrity resulting in a dose-dependent apoptotic/necrotic cell death. However, yeast cells that escape this first cell membrane disruption, particularly evident on sub-lethal concentration, die by metacaspase-mediated apoptosis induced by the accumulation of intracellular ROS. The deleted mutant on the yca1 gene showed high tolerance to citral and geraniol.Graphic abstract
Source: World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research