Cytoplasmic glutathione redox status determines survival upon exposure to the thiol-oxidant 4,4'-dipyridyl disulfide

Redox perturbations in yeast cells lacking glutathione reductase

Cellular redox homeostasis has a major effect on cell functions and its maintenance is supported by glutathione and protein thiols which serve as redox buffers in cells. The regulation of the glutathione biosynthetic pathway is a focus of a lot of scientific research. However, still little is known about how complex cellular networks influence glutathione homeostasis. In this work was used an experimental system based on an S. cerevisiae yeast mutant with a lack of the glutathione reductase enzyme and allyl alcohol as a precursor of acrolein inside the cell to determine the cellular processes influencing glutathione homeostasis. The absence of Glr1p slows down the growth rate of the cell population, especially in the presence of allyl alcohol, but does not lead to complete inhibition of the cell's reproductive capacity. It also amends the GSH/GSSG ratio and the share of NADPH and NADP+ in the total NADP(H) pool. The obtained results show that potential pathways involved in the maintenance of redox homeostasis are based from one side on de novo synthesis of GSH as indicated by increased activity of γ-GCS and increased expression of GSH1 gene in the Δglr1 mutant, from the other hand, on increased the level of NADPH. This is because the lower ratio of GSH/GSSG can be counterbalanced with the NADPH/NADP+ alternative system. The higher level of NADPH can be used by the thioredoxin system and other enzymes requiring NADPH to reduce cytosolic GSSG and maintain glutathione redox potential.

Changes in a Protein Profile Can Account for the Altered Phenotype of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mutant Lacking the Copper-Zinc Superoxide Dismutase

Copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is an antioxidant enzyme that catalyzes the disproportionation of superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen (dioxygen). The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking SOD1 (Δsod1) is hypersensitive to the superoxide anion and displays a number of oxidative stress-related alterations in its phenotype. We compared proteomes of the wild-type strain and the Δsod1 mutant employing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and detected eighteen spots representing differentially expressed proteins, of which fourteen were downregulated and four upregulated. Mass spectrometry-based identification enabled the division of these proteins into functional classes related to carbon metabolism, amino acid and protein biosynthesis, nucleotide biosynthesis, and metabolism, as well as antioxidant processes. Detailed analysis of the proteomic data made it possible to account for several important morphological, biochemical, and physiological changes earlier observed for the SOD1 mutation. An example may be the proposed additional explanation for methionine auxotrophy. It is concluded that protein comparative profiling of the Δsod1 yeast may serve as an efficient tool in the elucidation of the mutation-based systemic alterations in the resultant S. cerevisiae phenotype.

In Vivo Imaging with Genetically Encoded Redox Biosensors

Redox reactions are of high fundamental and practical interest since they are involved in both normal physiology and the pathogenesis of various diseases. However, this area of research has always been a relatively problematic field in the context of analytical approaches, mostly because of the unstable nature of the compounds that are measured. Genetically encoded sensors allow for the registration of highly reactive molecules in real-time mode and, therefore, they began a new era in redox biology. Their strongest points manifest most brightly in in vivo experiments and pave the way for the non-invasive investigation of biochemical pathways that proceed in organisms from different systematic groups. In the first part of the review, we briefly describe the redox sensors that were used in vivo as well as summarize the model systems to which they were applied. Next, we thoroughly discuss the biological results obtained in these studies in regard to animals, plants, as well as unicellular eukaryotes and prokaryotes. We hope that this work reflects the amazing power of this technology and can serve as a useful guide for biologists and chemists who work in the field of redox processes.

2,2′-Dipyridyl diselenide (Py2Se2) induces G1 arrest and apoptosis in human lung carcinoma (A549) cells through ROS scavenging and reductive stress

This study demonstrates the cytotoxic activity and the underlying mechanisms of a synthetic organoselenium compound containing pyridine and diselenide moieties.

Oxidative Stress Response of Aspergillus oryzae Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide and Menadione Sodium Bisulfite

Oxidative stress response protects organisms from deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage cellular components and cause disturbance of the cellular homeostasis. Although the defensive biochemical mechanisms have been extensively studied in yeast and other filamentous fungi, little information is available about Aspergillus oryzae. We investigated the effect of two oxidant agents (menadione sodium bisulfite, MSB, and hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂) on cellular growth and antioxidant enzyme induction in A. oryzae. Results indicated severe inhibition of biomass and conidia production when high concentration of oxidants was used. Transcriptomic analysis showed an up-regulated expression of genes involved in oxidoreduction, such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. In addition, it was observed that oxidative stress stimuli enhanced the expression of Yap1 and Skn7 transcription factors. Further, metabolomic analysis showed that glutathione content was increased in the oxidative treatments when compared with the control. Moreover, the content of unsaturated fatty acid decreased with oxidative treatment accompanying with the down-regulated expression of genes involved in linoleic acid biosynthesis. This study provided a global transcriptome characterization of oxidative stress response in A. oryzae, and can offer multiple target genes for oxidative tolerance improvement via genetic engineering.

A Comparison of the Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Thiosulfinate Analogues of Allicin

Allicin (diallylthiosulfinate) is a defence molecule from garlic (Allium sativum L.) with broad antimicrobial activities in the low µM range against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, including antibiotic resistant strains, and fungi. Allicin reacts with thiol groups and can inactivate essential enzymes. However, allicin is unstable at room temperature and antimicrobial activity is lost within minutes upon heating to >80 °C. Allicin's antimicrobial activity is due to the thiosulfinate group, so we synthesized a series of allicin analogues and tested their antimicrobial properties and thermal stability. Dimethyl-, diethyl-, diallyl-, dipropyl- and dibenzyl-thiosulfinates were synthesized and tested in vitro against bacteria and the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae, human and plant cells in culture and Arabidopsis root growth. The more volatile compounds showed significant antimicrobial properties via the gas phase. A chemogenetic screen with selected yeast mutants showed that the mode of action of the analogues was similar to that of allicin and that the glutathione pool and glutathione metabolism were of central importance for resistance against them. Thiosulfinates differed in their effectivity against specific organisms and some were thermally more stable than allicin. These analogues could be suitable for applications in medicine and agriculture either singly or in combination with other antimicrobials.

Yap1p, the central regulator of the S. cerevisiae oxidative stress response, is activated by allicin, a natural oxidant and defence substance of garlic

Allicin is a thiol-reactive sulfur-containing natural product from garlic with a broad range of antimicrobial effects against prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Previous work showed that the S. cerevisiae OSI1 gene is highly induced by allicin and other thiol-reactive compounds, and in silico analysis revealed multiple Yap1p binding motifs in the OSI1 promoter sequence. An OSI1-promoter::luciferase reporter construct expressed in Wt and Δyap1 cells showed absolute Yap1p-dependence for allicin-induced OSI1-expression.

A GFP

Yap1p fusion protein accumulated in the nucleus within 10min of allicin treatment and a Δyap1 mutant was highly sensitive to allicin. Yap1p regulates glutathione (GSH) metabolism genes, and Δgsh1, Δgsh2 and Δglr1 mutants showed increased sensitivity to allicin. Allicin activated the OSI1-promoter::luciferase reporter construct in Δgpx3 and Δybp1 cells, indicating that allicin activates Yap1p directly rather than via H₂O₂ production. A systematic series of C-to-A Yap1p exchange mutants showed that the C-term C598 and C620 residues were necessary for allicin activation. These data suggest that Yap1p is an important transcriptional regulator for the resistance of yeast cells to allicin, and that activation occurs by direct modification of C-term cysteines as shown for other electrophiles.

Multiple glutathione disulfide removal pathways mediate cytosolic redox homeostasis

Glutathione is central to cellular redox chemistry. The majority of glutathione redox research has been based on the chemical analysis of whole-cell extracts, which unavoidably destroy subcellular compartment-specific information. Compartment-specific real-time measurements based on genetically encoded fluorescent probes now suggest that the cytosolic glutathione redox potential is about 100 mV more reducing than previously thought. Using these probes in yeast, we show that even during severe oxidative stress, the cytosolic glutathione disulfide (GSSG) concentration is much more tightly regulated than expected and provides a mechanistic explanation for the discrepancy with conventional measurements. GSSG that is not immediately reduced in the cytosol is rapidly transported into the vacuole by the ABC-C transporter Ycf1. The amount of whole-cell GSSG is entirely dependent on Ycf1 and uninformative about the cytosolic glutathione pool. Applying these insights, we identify Trx2 and Grx2 as efficient backup systems to glutathione reductase for cytosolic GSSG reduction.

Glutathione redox potential in the mitochondrial intermembrane space is linked to the cytosol and impacts the Mia40 redox state

Glutathione is an important mediator and regulator of cellular redox processes. Detailed knowledge of local glutathione redox potential (E(GSH)) dynamics is critical to understand the network of redox processes and their influence on cellular function. Using dynamic oxidant recovery assays together with E(GSH)-specific fluorescent reporters, we investigate the glutathione pools of the cytosol, mitochondrial matrix and intermembrane space (IMS). We demonstrate that the glutathione pools of IMS and cytosol are dynamically interconnected via porins. In contrast, no appreciable communication was observed between the glutathione pools of the IMS and matrix. By modulating redox pathways in the cytosol and IMS, we find that the cytosolic glutathione reductase system is the major determinant of E(GSH) in the IMS, thus explaining a steady-state E(GSH) in the IMS which is similar to the cytosol. Moreover, we show that the local E(GSH) contributes to the partially reduced redox state of the IMS oxidoreductase Mia40 in vivo. Taken together, we provide a comprehensive mechanistic picture of the IMS redox milieu and define the redox influences on Mia40 in living cells.

Inactivation of YAP1 enhances sensitivity of the yeast RNR3-lacZ genotoxicity testing system to a broad range of DNA-damaging agents

Despite the great advances by using microorganism-based genotoxicity testing systems to assess environmental genotoxic compounds, most of them respond poorly, particularly to oxidative agents. In this study, we systematically examined the RNR3-lacZ reporter gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strains defective in the protection against reactive oxygen species and found that only YAP1 deletion resulted in a significant enhancement in the detection of oxidative damage. To our surprise, YAP1 deletion also caused an increased cellular sensitivity to a variety of DNA damage. This altered sensitivity appears to be independent of oxidative damage because under conditions in which vitamin C treatment rescued oxidative damage, it failed to reverse the phenotypes caused by other types of DNA damage. Furthermore, although inactivation of cell permeability genes enhanced the RNR3-lacZ detection sensitivity particularly to large molecular weight compounds, their effects on small molecular oxidative agents are minimal. Taken together, this study helps to create a hypersensitive genotoxicity testing system to a broad range of DNA-damaging agents by deleting a single yeast gene.

Efficacy of antioxidants in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae correlates with their effects on protein thiols

We have found previously that only a limited number of antioxidants are able to protect yeast cells against endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress. In search of factors determining this selectivity of antioxidant action we compared the ability of a set of antioxidants to: (i) protect a thiol-dependent enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) against inactivation by superoxide, peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide; (ii) prevent H(2)O(2)-induced activation of Yap1 p; and (iii) decrease extracellular redox potential of the medium. The results obtained provide demonstration with respect to yeast that the ability to lower redox potential and to maintain critical thiol groups in the reduced state is an important facet of the action of antioxidants.

Mutations in the RAM network confer resistance to the thiol oxidant 4,4'-dipyridyl disulfide

Thiol oxidants are expected to have multiple effects in living cells. Hence, mutations giving resistance to such agents are likely to reveal important targets and/or mechanisms influencing the cellular capacity to withstand thiol oxidation. A screen for mutants resistant to the thiol-specific oxidant dipyridyl disulfide (DPS) yielded tao3-516, which is impaired in the function of the RAM signaling network protein Tao3/Pag1p. We suggest that the DPS-resistance of the tao3-516 mutant might be due to deficient cell-cycle-regulated production of the chitinase Cts1p, which functions in post-mitotic cell separation and depends on Tao3p and the RAM network for regulated expression. Consistent with this, deletion of other RAM genes or CTS1 also resulted in increased resistance to DPS. Exposure to DPS caused extensive depolarization of the actin cytoskeleton. We found that tao3-516 is resistant to latrunculin, a specific inhibitor of actin polymerization, and that ram, Deltaace2, and Deltacts1 mutants are resistant to benomyl, a microtubule-destabilizing drug. Since septum build-up depends on the organization of cytoskeletal proteins, the resistance to cytoskeletal stress of Cts1p-deficient mutants might relate to bypass for abnormal septum-associated protein sorting. The broad resistance toward oxidants (DPS, diamide and H(2)O(2)) of the Deltacts1 strain links cell wall function to the resistance to oxidative stress and suggests the existence of targets that are common for these oxidants.

Oxidant resistance in a yeast mutant deficient in the Sit4 phosphatase

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).

The thiol oxidant dipyridyl disulfide can supply the PDI-Ero1p pathway with additional oxidative equivalents

Membrane-permeant oxidants have become a standard tool for studying eukaryotic organisms because they affect the redox state and the redox regulation of different compartments. The ero1-1 mutant is temperature sensitive (37 degrees C) and cannot grow under anaerobic conditions. Low micromolar concentrations of the specific thiol-oxidant dipyridyl disulfide (DPS) rescue both these growth defects. Furthermore, the unfolded protein response (UPR) is slightly induced by a DPS treatment. We infer that DPS may change the redox state of important ER-proteins by GSH-oxidation in the ER or, more likely, by directly oxidizing these targets. Therefore, DPS may be useful in genetic studies dealing with unknown factors of the Ero1p-driven pathway. The ero1-1 mutation and the overproduction of Ero1p confer DPS-sensitivity that could be partially related to a more oxidized cytosolic GSH redox potential and the presence of reactive oxidative species (ROS) in the cell.