The impact of CUP1 gene copy-number and XVI-VIII/XV-XVI translocations on copper and sulfite tolerance in vineyard Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain populations

ABSTRACT In wine production, sulfites are widely used as antimicrobials and antioxidants, whereas copper is associated with fungicides and wine fining treatments. Therefore, wine yeasts are constantly exposed to these agents. Copper tolerance is related to the copy number of the CUP1 gene, encoding for a metallothionein involved in copper detoxification. In wine yeasts, sulfite resistance mainly depends on the presence of the translocation t(XVI;VIII) in the promoter region of the SSU1 gene. This gene encodes for a plasma membrane sulfite pump involved in sulfite metabolism and detoxification. Recently, a new translocation, t(XVI;VIII), was identified. In this work, 253 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, representing three vineyard populations from two different continents, were analyzed, along with 20 industrial starters. Copper and sulfites tolerance as well as distribution of CUP1 gene copy-number, t(XVI;VIII)and t(XVI;XV) of SSU1 gene were studied to evaluate the impact of these genomic variations on population phenotypes. The CUP1 gene copy-number was found to be highly variable, ranging from zero to 79 per strain. Moreover it differently impacted the copper tolerance in the populations of the two continents. The diffusion of t(XVI;VIII) and, for the first time, t(XVI;XV) was determined in the three vineyard populations. The correlation between the presence of the translocation and strain sulfite tolerance levels was significant only for the t(XVI;VIII).

The evaluation of cadmium, zinc and nickel accumulation ability of transgenic tobacco bearing different transgenes

Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L., var. Wisconsin 38 as the control (WSC), and four genetically modified lines of the same variety, were tested for Cd, Zn and Ni accumulation. Genetically modified lines of the same variety, bearing the transgene CUP1 (gene coding a yeast metallothionein), GUS (reporter gene for ß-glucuronidase), HisCUP (CUP combined with a polyhistidine tail), and HisGUS (reporter gene for ß-glucuronidase, combined with a polyhistidine tail) under a constitutive promoter, enabling it to follow the heavy metal tolerance and uptake changes as a function of the transgene present. Control and transgenic lines were tested for accumulation of risk elements on sand nutrient medium with the addition of cadmium, zinc and nickel. The results showed high Cd accumulation ability of HisCUP line. The Cd content in aboveground biomass was increased by 90% compared to the non-transformed control and Cd content in roots was decreased by 49%. Determination of Zn content in aboveground biomass did not confirm higher uptake by transgenic plants significant for phytoremediation. The Ni content was significantly increased in aboveground biomass of HisGUS construct. GUS construct introduced the ability to accumulate all investigated metals; the others accumulated only one in extended amount.

Glycogen Synthase Phosphatase Interacts with Heat Shock Factor To Activate CUP1 Gene Transcription inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT Upon heat shock, transcription of many stress-inducible genes is rapidly and dramatically stimulated by heat shock factor (HSF). A central region of the yeast HSF (designated HSFrr for “repression region”) was previously identified and proposed to be involved in repressing the activation domain under non-heat-shock conditions. Here, we used the phage display system to isolate proteins that interact with HSFrr. This should identify factors that modulate HSF activity or directly participate in HSF-mediated transcriptional activation. We constructed a randomly sheared yeast genomic library to express yeast proteins on the surface of λ phage. HSFrr binding phages were selected by cycles of affinity chromatography. DNA sequencing identified an HSFrr-interacting phage that contains theGAC1 gene. The GAC1 gene encodes the regulatory subunit for a type 1 serine/threonine phosphoprotein phosphatase, Glc7. Both gac1 and glc7 mutations had little effect on HSF activation of gene transcription of two heat shock genes,SSA4 and HSP82. In contrast, heat shock induction of CUP1 gene expression was completely abolished in a glc7 mutant and reduced in a gac1 mutant. The results demonstrate that the Glc7 phosphatase and its Gac1 regulatory subunit play positive roles in HSF activation ofCUP1 transcription.

Identification and analysis of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae copper homeostasis gene encoding a homeodomain protein.

Yeast metallothionein, encoded by the CUP1 gene, and its copper-dependent transcriptional activator ACE1 play a key role in mediating copper resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using an ethyl methanesulfonate mutant of a yeast strain in which CUP1 and ACE1 were deleted, we isolated a gene, designated CUP9, which permits yeast cells to grow at high concentrations of environmental copper, most notably when lactate is the sole carbon source. Disruption of CUP9, which is located on chromosome XVI, caused a loss of copper resistance in strains which possessed CUP1 and ACE1, as well as in the cup1 ace1 deletion strain. Measurement of intracellular copper levels of the wild-type and cup9-1 mutant demonstrated that total intracellular copper concentrations were unaffected by CUP9. CUP9 mRNA levels were, however, down regulated by copper when yeast cells were grown with glucose but not with lactate or glycerol-ethanol as the sole carbon source. This down regulation was independent of the copper metalloregulatory transcription factor ACE1. The DNA sequence of CUP9 predicts an open reading frame of 306 amino acids in which a 55-amino-acid sequence showed 47% identity with the homeobox domain of the human proto-oncogene PBX1, suggesting that CUP9 is a DNA-binding protein which regulates the expression of important copper homeostatic genes.

Heat shock transcription factor activates yeast metallothionein gene expression in response to heat and glucose starvation via distinct signalling pathways

Metallothioneins constitute a class of low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich metal-binding stress proteins which are biosynthetically regulated at the level of gene transcription in response to metals, hormones, cytokines, and other physiological and environmental stresses. In this report, we demonstrate that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metallothionein gene, designated CUP1, is transcriptionally activated in response to heat shock and glucose starvation through the action of heat shock transcription factor (HSF) and a heat shock element located within the CUP1 promoter upstream regulatory region. CUP1 gene activation in response to both stresses occurs rapidly; however, heat shock activates CUP1 gene expression transiently, whereas glucose starvation activates CUP1 gene expression in a sustained manner for at least 2.5 h. Although a carboxyl-terminal HSF transcriptional activation domain is critical for the activation of CUP1 transcription in response to both heat shock stress and glucose starvation, this region is dispensable for transient heat shock activation of at least two genes encoding members of the S. cerevisiae hsp70 family. Furthermore, inactivation of the chromosomal SNF1 gene, encoding a serine-threonine protein kinase, or the SNF4 gene, encoding a SNF1 cofactor, abolishes CUP1 transcriptional activation in response to glucose starvation without altering heat shock-induced transcription. These studies demonstrate that the S. cerevisiae HSF responds to multiple, distinct stimuli to activate yeast metallothionein gene transcription and that these stimuli elicit responses through nonidentical, genetically separable signalling pathways.

Identification and analysis of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae copper homeostasis gene encoding a homeodomain protein

Yeast metallothionein, encoded by the CUP1 gene, and its copper-dependent transcriptional activator ACE1 play a key role in mediating copper resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using an ethyl methanesulfonate mutant of a yeast strain in which CUP1 and ACE1 were deleted, we isolated a gene, designated CUP9, which permits yeast cells to grow at high concentrations of environmental copper, most notably when lactate is the sole carbon source. Disruption of CUP9, which is located on chromosome XVI, caused a loss of copper resistance in strains which possessed CUP1 and ACE1, as well as in the cup1 ace1 deletion strain. Measurement of intracellular copper levels of the wild-type and cup9-1 mutant demonstrated that total intracellular copper concentrations were unaffected by CUP9. CUP9 mRNA levels were, however, down regulated by copper when yeast cells were grown with glucose but not with lactate or glycerol-ethanol as the sole carbon source. This down regulation was independent of the copper metalloregulatory transcription factor ACE1. The DNA sequence of CUP9 predicts an open reading frame of 306 amino acids in which a 55-amino-acid sequence showed 47% identity with the homeobox domain of the human proto-oncogene PBX1, suggesting that CUP9 is a DNA-binding protein which regulates the expression of important copper homeostatic genes.

Heat shock transcription factor activates yeast metallothionein gene expression in response to heat and glucose starvation via distinct signalling pathways.

Metallothioneins constitute a class of low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich metal-binding stress proteins which are biosynthetically regulated at the level of gene transcription in response to metals, hormones, cytokines, and other physiological and environmental stresses. In this report, we demonstrate that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metallothionein gene, designated CUP1, is transcriptionally activated in response to heat shock and glucose starvation through the action of heat shock transcription factor (HSF) and a heat shock element located within the CUP1 promoter upstream regulatory region. CUP1 gene activation in response to both stresses occurs rapidly; however, heat shock activates CUP1 gene expression transiently, whereas glucose starvation activates CUP1 gene expression in a sustained manner for at least 2.5 h. Although a carboxyl-terminal HSF transcriptional activation domain is critical for the activation of CUP1 transcription in response to both heat shock stress and glucose starvation, this region is dispensable for transient heat shock activation of at least two genes encoding members of the S. cerevisiae hsp70 family. Furthermore, inactivation of the chromosomal SNF1 gene, encoding a serine-threonine protein kinase, or the SNF4 gene, encoding a SNF1 cofactor, abolishes CUP1 transcriptional activation in response to glucose starvation without altering heat shock-induced transcription. These studies demonstrate that the S. cerevisiae HSF responds to multiple, distinct stimuli to activate yeast metallothionein gene transcription and that these stimuli elicit responses through nonidentical, genetically separable signalling pathways.