The effect of superoxide dismutase deficiency on cadmium stress.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strains deficient in superoxide dismutase (Sod), an antioxidant enzyme, were used to analyze cadmium absorption and the oxidation produced by it. Cells lacking the cytosolic Sod1 removed twice as much cadmium as the control strain, while those deficient in the mitochondrial Sod2 exhibited poor metal absorption. Interestingly, the sod1 mutant did not become more oxidized after exposure to cadmium, as opposed to the control strain. We observed that the deficiency of Sod1 increases the expression of both Cup1 (a metallothionein) and Ycf1 (a vacuolar glutathione S-conjugate pump), proteins involved with protection against cadmium. Furthermore, when sod1 cells were exposed to cadmium, the ratio glutathione oxidized/glutathione reduced did not increase as expected. We propose that a high level of metallothionein expression would relieve glutathione under cadmium stress, while an increased level of Ycf1 expression would favor compartmentalization of this metal into the vacuole. Both conditions would reduce the level of glutathione-cadmium complex in cytosol, contributing to the high capacity of absorbing cadmium by the sod1 strain. Previous results showed that the glutathione-cadmium complex regulates cadmium uptake. These results indicate that, even indirectly, metallothionein also regulates cadmium transport.
Deptartamento de Bioquímica-I.Q.-UFRJ - Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Paula D B
PD
Adamis
Débora Silva
DS
Gomes
Marcos Dias
MD
Pereira
Joelma
J
Freire de Mesquita
Maria Lucia Couto C
ML
Pinto
Anita D
AD
Panek
Elis C A
EC
Eleutherio
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism*; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000172:deficiency*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; C500769:CUP1-1 protein, S cerevisiae; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C089179:YCF1 protein, S cerevisiae; C007121:copper thionein; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005978:Glutathione; D015032:Zinc