The relationship between enzyme activity, cell geometry, and fitness in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The relationship between enzyme activity, cell geometry, and the ploidy levels has been investigated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Diploid cells have 1.57 times the volume of haploid cells under nonlimiting growth conditions (minimal medium). However, when diploid cells are grown under conditions of carbon limitation, they have the same volume as haploid cells. Thus, by altering the environmental conditions, cell size can be varied independently of the degree of ploidy. The results indicate that the basic biochemical parameters of the cell are primarily determined by cell geometry rather than ploidy level. RNA content, protein content, and ornithine transcarbamylase (carbamoylphosphate: L-ornithine carbamoyltransferase, EC 2.1.3.3), tryptophan synthetase [L-serine hydro-lyase (adding indole), EC 4.2.1.20], and invertase (alpha-D-glucoside glucohydrolase, Ec 3.2.1.20) activity are related to cell volume, whereas acid phosphatase (orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.2) activity, a cell surface enzyme, is related to the surface area of the cells. Fitness is determined by the activity of certain cell surface enzymes, such as acid phosphatase, diploids would be expected to have a lower fitness than haploids because of the lower surface area/volume ratio. However, when fitness is determined by the activity of an internal enzyme, diploids would be expected to have the same fitness as haploids. Results from competition experiments between haploids and diploids are consistent with these predictions. The significance of these results to the evolution of diploidy as the predominant phase of the life cycle of higher plants and animals is discussed.