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misfolded proteins accelerate yeast evolution

Misfolded proteins accelerate yeast evolution

 

Image: Culture of normal yeastImage: Culture of yeast lacking the general stress response protein Msn2Image: Courtesy PLoS Biology

In these yeast colonies, each white dot shows a cell that has switched to the prion [PSI+] state. On the left, the culture is maintained normally. On the right, with cells that lack the “general stress response” protein Msn2 and thus are likely to be more sensitive to stress, prion formation climbs dramatically.
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