Piezophysiology of yeast: occurrence and significance.

Hydrostatic pressure is a thermodynamic parameter that has recently received further consideration in various experimental fields. Although the physicochemical basis of pressure effects is well established, the effects of high pressure on in vivo biological processes have not been systematically investigated due to its presumed complexity. The word "piezophysiology" was proposed to describe the unique cellular responses to high pressure in living cells. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the best-characterized organisms in many fields in bioscience. Here I review the accumulated literature on cellular responses to increasing hydrostatic pressure in yeast, focusing on survival, growth, gene expression and metabolism.