Home › Analytical Chem › Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model
Analytical Chem JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model

DOI: 10.3791/3030-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Set up yeast chronological lifespan (CLS) experiments in liquid culture
  • ✓ Perform in situ viability assays to measure yeast cell survival
  • ✓ Apply DNA damage and mutation assays to detect genomic instability
  • ✓ Analyze age-dependent changes in mutation rates during aging
Protocol

Here we describe a set of DNA mutation assays that can be combined with the yeast chronological life span model to study the genes/pathways that regulate or contribute to genomic DNA instability during aging.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~7–14 days (CLS model duration varies; assays performed at timepoints)
Model organism
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Establish yeast chronological lifespan culture

Prepare S. cerevisiae cells in liquid culture under stationary phase conditions to model aging. Monitor population dynamics and viability over extended culture periods.

▶ 00:57
2
Perform in situ viability assay

Assess cell survival and metabolic activity at defined timepoints using viability staining or colony-forming assays to establish lifespan curves.

▶ 02:16
3
Execute DNA damage and mutation assays

Apply molecular assays (e.g., forward mutation assays, DNA damage markers) to quantify genomic instability and mutation accumulation in aging yeast populations.

▶ 03:32
4
Analyze lifespan and genomic instability results

Correlate mutation frequency and DNA damage data with age-dependent viability curves to identify pathways regulating aging-associated genomic instability.

▶ 06:27
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