Regulatory Role of Monoamine Neurotransmitters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells

Proliferation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae EPF cells on solid maltose-peptone-yeast extract (MPY) medium was stimulated by the addition of monoamine neurotransmitters. Dopamine turned out to be the most efficient among them: it caused similar to 8-fold growth stimulation at 1 mu M concentration. The dopamine effect was partly mimicked by apomorphine, a dopamine receptor agonist. Serotonin and histamine produced less significant (1.5-2-fold) effects, and norepinephrine virtually failed to stimulate yeast culture growth. These data point to a specific, apparently receptor-dependent mode of action of the tested neurotransmitters on S. cerevisiae cells. Using high performance liquid chromatography, serotonin, catecholamines (dopamine and norepinephrine), catecholamine precursor dioxyphenylamine, and oxidized amine products (homovanilic acid, dihydrophenylacetic acid, and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid) were established to be accumulated in yeast cells up to (sub) micromolar concentrations without their release into the culture fluid supernatant (CFS). The results obtained suggest that the tested amine neurotransmitters and related compounds do not serve as autoregulators in the yeast population. Nevertheless, they may be involved in the regulation of yeast population development by other ecosystem components.