Yeast stress granules at a glance

The formation of stress granules (SGs), membrane-less organelles that are composed of mainly messenger ribonucleoprotein assemblies, is the result of a conserved evolutionary strategy to cellular stress. During their formation, which is triggered by robust environmental stress, SGs sequester translationally inactive mRNA molecules, which are either forwarded for further processing elsewhere or stored during a period of stress within SGs. Removal of mRNA molecules from active translation and their sequestration in SGs allows preferential translation of stress response transcripts. By affecting the specificity of mRNA translation, mRNA localization and stability, SGs are involved in the overall cellular reprogramming during periods of environmental stress and viral infection. Over the past two decades, we have learned which processes drive SGs assembly, how their composition varies under stress, and how they co-exist with other subcellular organelles. Yeast as a model has been instrumental in our understanding of SG biology. Despite the specific differences between the SGs of yeast and mammals, yeast have been shown to be a valuable tool to the study of SGs in translation-related stress response. This review summarizes the data surrounding SGs that are formed under different stress conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeast species. It offers a comprehensive and up-to-date view on these still somewhat mysterious entities.

Automated summary

Stress granules (SGs) are membrane-less organelles composed mainly of messenger ribonucleoproteins, formed as a result of cell's conserved evolutionary strategy to stress. They sequester translationally inactive mRNA molecules during periods of robust environmental stress, allowing preferential translation of stress response transcripts. SGs play a role in cellular reprogramming under stress conditions and viral infection, affecting mRNA translation specificity, localization, and stability. Studies in yeast have provided valuable insights into SG biology, despite specific differences between yeast and mammalian SGs. This review summarizes data on SGs formation under different stress conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeast species.