QUEEN-based Spatiotemporal ATP Imaging in Budding and Fission Yeast.

Yeasts have provided an exceptional model for studying metabolism and bioenergetics in eukaryotic cells. Among numerous metabolites, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a major metabolite that is essential for all living organisms. Therefore, a clearer understanding of ATP dynamics in living yeast cells is important for deciphering cellular energy metabolism. However, none of the methods currently available to measure ATP, including biochemical analyses and ATP indicators, have been suitable for close examinations of ATP concentrations in yeast cells at the single cell level. Using the recently developed ATP biosensor QUEEN, which is suitable for yeasts and bacteria, a protocol was described herein to visualize ATP concentrations in living budding and fission yeast cells. This simple method enables the easy and reliable examination of ATP dynamics in various yeast mutants, thereby providing novel molecular insights into cellular energy metabolism.