Oxidant resistance in a yeast mutant deficient in the Sit4 phosphatase

Curr Genet. 2008 May;53(5):275-86. doi: 10.1007/s00294-008-0184-z. Epub 2008 Mar 21.

Abstract

Resistance to thiol oxidation can arise from mutations altering redox homeostasis. A Saccharomyces cerevisiae sit4-110 mutant is here described, which was isolated as resistant to the thiol-specific oxidant dipyridyl disulfide (DPS) and which contains a single-residue substitution in the SIT4 gene. Sit4p is a protein phosphatase with multiple roles in signal transduction through the target-of-rapamycin (TOR) pathway. We found that sit4-110 elevates the levels of glutathione. However, this cannot be the (only) cause for the DPS-resistance, since sit4-110 also conferred DPS/H2O2-resistance in a glutathione-deficient strain. Of the known Sit4p substrates, only Tip41p is involved in DPS-resistance; both Delta tip41 deletion and overexpression of the Tip41p target Tap42p resulted in increased DPS-resistance. Thus, the role of Sit4p in DPS-tolerance differs from its role during TOR-inactivation and salt stress. In view of Tap42p's known involvement in actin homeostasis, sit4-110 could compensate for putative actin-related defects caused by DPS. However, sit4-110 has pronounced actin polarization defects under both absence and presence of DPS. A relation between actin homeostasis and DPS resistance of sit4-110 cannot be ruled out, but our results suggest that unknown pathways might be involved in DPS resistance through mechanisms involving the Sit4p and/or Tap42p function(s).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actins / metabolism
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Dehydration / genetics
  • Disulfides / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Fungal / genetics*
  • Glutathione / metabolism
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / physiology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Nitrogen / metabolism
  • Oxidants* / pharmacology
  • Oxidative Stress / genetics
  • Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / genetics
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / genetics*
  • Pyridines / pharmacology
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / physiology
  • Salts / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Substances

  • Actins
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Disulfides
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Oxidants
  • Pyridines
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Salts
  • TAP42 protein, S cerevisiae
  • TIP41 protein, S cerevisiae
  • 4,4'-dipyridyl disulfide
  • Protein Phosphatase 2
  • SIT4 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases
  • Glutathione
  • Nitrogen