SLX5 deletion confers tolerance to oxidative stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Slx5, a subunit of a SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase (STUbL) in yeast, has been implicated in maintenance of genomic stability. SUMOylation is an important post-translational modification involved in the regulation of several important cellular processes and cellular response to various environmental stressors. Oxidative stress occurs when production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exceeds the antioxidant defense capacity of the cell. Elevated ROS levels cause oxidative damage to important cellular macromolecules such as DNA, lipids and proteins, which is associated with several diseases. Herein, we investigated the role of Slx5 in oxidative stress tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that deletion of SLX5 increases survival of yeast cells in response to H2O2-induced oxidative stress in a cell cycle independent manner. Accumulation of intracellular ROS as well as DNA and lipid damages were reduced; expressions of antioxidant defense mechanism related genes were increased in slx5Δ cells compared to wild type (WT) under oxidative stress. We also show that slx5Δ cells have increased intracellular ROS levels and oxidative damage to DNA and lipids compared to WT in the absence of oxidative stress. Thus, our data together suggest that an adaptive stress induced by SLX5 deletion increases tolerance to oxidative stress in slx5∆ cells.

Promotion effect suggested by hexadecanoic acid on the oxidative tolerance of S. cerevisiae during its co-culture with E. coli

“…In the fermentation performed by S. cerevisiae, oxidative tolerance is also an important stress factor (Berterame et al, 2018), and understanding the oxidative tolerance of S. cerevisiae in the presence of other microorganisms is very important to improve the fermentation yield and survival rate of S. cerevisiae. H 2 O 2 , which is a non-radical ROS and formed by oxidative folding (Koren et al, 2023), is the primary ROS in growing yeast cells and can be produced as a byproduct of many metabolic processes including respiratory chain reaction (Thomas et al, 2022). In the fermentation process, accumulated H 2 O 2 and other ROS molecules can stress microbial cells (Auesukaree et al, 2017); and if the oxidative tolerance of microorganisms can be improved, the fermentation behavior of microbial cells would be promoted.…”