On the Beneficial Role of Silicon to Organisms: A Case Study on the Importance of Silicon Chemistry to Metal Accumulation in Yeast

Silicon is involved in numerous important structural and functional roles in a wide range of organisms, including diatoms, plants, and humans, but clear mechanisms have been discovered only in diatoms and sponges. Silicate availability influences metal concentrations within various cell- and tissue-types, but a mechanism has not been discovered so far. In an earlier study on Baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae it was proposed that a chemical mechanism, rather than a biological one, is important. In the present study, the interaction of silicon with Baker’s yeast is further investigated by studying the influence of zinc and magnesium on Si accumulation both at a low and a high silicate concentration in the medium. Si accumulation fitted well with Freundlich adsorption and Si release followed depolymerization kinetics, indicating that silicate adsorbs to the surface of the cell rather than being transported over the cell membrane. Subsequently, adsorbed silicate interacts with metal ions and, therefore, alters the cell’s affinity for these ions. Since several metals are nutritional, these Si interactions can significantly change the growth and viability of organisms. In conclusion, the results show that chemistry is important in Si and metal accumulation in Baker’s yeast, and suggest that similar mechanisms should be studied in detail in other organisms to unravel essential roles of Si.