title: Zinc starvation induces a stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is mediated by the Msn2p and Msn4p transcriptional activators.
abstract: During the production of wine and beer, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can encounter an environment that is deficient in zinc, resulting in a 'sluggish' or a 'stuck' ferment. It has been shown that the Zap1p-transcription factor induces the expression of a regulon in response to zinc deficiency; however, it was evident that a separate regulon was also activated during zinc deficiency in a Zap1p-independent manner. This study discovered the Msn2p and Msn4p (Msn2/4p) transcriptional activator proteins to be an additional control mechanism inducing the stress response during zinc deficiency. Promoter sequence analysis identified the stress-response element (STRE) motif, recognized by Msn2/4p, and was significantly enriched in the promoters of genes induced by zinc deficiency. An investigation using genome-wide analyses revealed a distinct regulon consisting of STRE-containing genes whose zinc-responsive expression was abolished in an msn2 msn4 double mutant. An STRE-driven lacZ reporter construct confirmed that expression of the genes within this regulon was perturbed by the deletion of MSN2 and MSN4 and also implicated Hog1p as a contributing factor. This research provides a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the yeast response to zinc deficiency during fermentation.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, College of Health and Science, University of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Victoria J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Gauci
authors.forename: Anthony G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Beckhouse
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Beh
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Ian W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Dawes
authors.forename: Vincent J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D018085:Regulon; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C081935:MSN2 protein, S cerevisiae; C081937:MSN4 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D015032:Zinc