Yeast viral killer toxins: lethality and self-protection
Abstract
Since the discovery of toxin-secreting killer yeasts more than 40 years ago, research into this phenomenon has provided insights into eukaryotic cell biology and virus-host-cell interactions. This review focuses on the most recent advances in our understanding of the basic biology of virus-carrying killer yeasts, in particular the toxin-encoding killer viruses, and the intracellular processing, maturation and toxicity of the viral protein toxins. The strategy of using eukaryotic viral toxins to effectively penetrate and eventually kill a eukaryotic target cell will be discussed, and the cellular mechanisms of self-defence and protective immunity will also be addressed.
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Yeast killer toxins were originally identified in S. cerevisiae and seem to mainly kill competing yeast species.
“These proteins were originally identified in S. cerevisiae and seem to mainly kill competing yeast species (Luksa et al. 2015; Schmitt and Breinig 2006).”
From Biocontrol yeasts: mechanisms and applications (2019) · cites this paper as Schmitt and Breinig 2006
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Antimicrobial peptides of multicellular organisms
Zasloff, M. (2002) · Nature · doi:10.1038/415389a · Cited by 8,457 · see citing works
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Biocontrol yeasts: mechanisms and applications
Freimoser, F. M., Rueda-Mejia, M. P., Tilocca, B., & Migheli, Q. (2019) · World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s11274-019-2728-4 · Cited by 462 · see citing works
Biotechnology of non-Saccharomyces yeasts—the ascomycetes
Johnson, E. A. (2013) · Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s00253-012-4497-y · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Yeast killer toxins, molecular mechanisms of their action and their applications
Liu, G.-L., Chi, Z., Wang, G.-Y., Wang, Z.-P., Li, Y., & Chi, Z.-M. (2015) · Critical Reviews in Biotechnology · doi:10.3109/07388551.2013.833582 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Schmitt, M. J., & Breinig, F.
- Affiliations
- Saarland University (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Schmitt, Manfred J.
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Microbiology
- Published
- 2006-03-01
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 212-221
- ISSN
- 1740-1526 (ISSN-L)
- 1740-1534
- OpenAlex
- W2027411299
- Cited by
- 314
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 0.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Reviews Microbiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Endocrinology › Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Fungal and yeast genetics research
- Keywords
- killer yeast, killer toxin, toxin secretion, intracellular processing, antifungal activity, host defense, self-protection, host-virus interaction, cell death
- MeSH terms
- Biological Transport, Cytosol, Fungal Proteins, Ion Channels, Mycotoxins, RNA Viruses, RNA, Double-Stranded, RNA, Viral, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Virus Replication, Yeasts, Apoptosis, Killer Factors, Yeast
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