Cell Communication Lab

Purpose

The purpose of this experiment was to observe cell communication between two strains of yeast (A-type and Alpha-type), both of the two being opposite sexes.

Introduction

Cell Communication is essential for organisms in order for signals to turn into responses within the cell. In this lab we will be studying methods by which yeast cells partake in cell communication. It is our job to determine what type of cell signaling  these yeast cells use and how these cells send signals to each other. We will complete this lab with the use of yeast, Petri dishes, and microscopes. 

Methods

We began this lab by separating samples of the a-type, the alpha-type, and a mixture of the two in order to determine the reproduction rate and how the yeasts go about it asexually as well as sexually. We placed each of the wet yeasts in its own Petri dishes and let them sit over night. Before we wrapped up the lab on the first day we measured the yeasts under a microscope. We put broth in the test tubes and placed them into an incubator overnight,. The next day we scraped the dried yeast off the petri dishes and mixed if with water and put each yeast on a glass slide and put it under a microscope. We then measured our data to find the change in yeast cells over time. 

Mixed Yeast (Day 1)

A Type Yeast (Day 1)

Alpha Type Yeast (Day 1)

Alpha-Type Dry (Day 2)

Mixed Dry (Day 2)

A-type (Day 2)

Mixed Wet (Day 2)

Data

Mixed Yeast Culture Data

Alpha-Type Yeast Culture Data

A-Type Yeast Culture Data Table

Graphs and Charts

Graph of the percent change of yeast cells over time (haploid and diploid)

Discussion

In the Cell Communication Lab we measured the difference between the different yeasts (alpha type, A-type, and mixed) to see their sexual/asexual production. We observed that there was not much difference between the a-type and the alpha-type strains of yeast because they are both able to reproduce asexually, there was not much difference in budding of the cells. But, when the alpha-type and A-type were mixed together it is observed that right away there is already diploid zygotes and diploids zygote budding from the cells beginning to grow towards each other because they are opposite sexes. This goes to prove that though yeasts are able to reproduce asexually, bringing the two opposite sexes together causes cellular communication to occur by the sending and receiving of signals to reproduce at a more rapid rate. One thing that could be done differently in this experiment was counting of the different haploid and budding haploid cells. More test trials would have been more efficient but we spent a majority of time trying to get pictures to accurately represent our data. Another thing would be to use different settings on the microscope to get a closer look at the cells and be able to examine the mixture culture closer. 

Conclusion

In this experiment we see that the most favorable condition for yeast reproduction is when yeasts are mixed with a-type strains and alpha-type strains. This is because of the cell's ability to to communicate through signaling between different sexes and as long as the environment is favorable, diploid zygotes are formed and divide.

References