Msn2/4 play a minor role in mediating the anaerobic response of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae .
Liang-Chuan Lai, Jason R.
Hickok, Patricia V. Burke, Kim R. Schutterle, Kurt E. Kwast
Mol.
& Integr. Physiology, University of Illinois, 407 S. Goodwin Ave.,
Urbana, IL 61801, USA
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a large
fraction of anaerobically induced genes are functionally associated with
cell stress. The transcription factor(s) responsible for mediating the
oxygen-dependent expression of this class of genes is currently not
known. Given the prominent role Msn2 and Msn4 play in the induction of
other environmental stress response genes, we examined their role in
facilitating the genomic response to oxygen deprivation by cDNA array.
Transcript levels of 16% of the anaerobically induced genes were
significantly (p<0.05) lower in an msn2/4- strain as
compared to its wild-type parent grown under anaerobiosis. Of these 43
genes, 23 contained one or more STRE sites in their promoter suggesting
they are regulated directly by Msn2 and/or Msn4. Functional
classification of these genes revealed a substantial fraction is
involved in energy metabolism and cell wall maintenance; the others are
involved in a diverse array of cellular pathways. Taken together, these
data suggest Msn2/4 play a minor role in the induction of anaerobic
genes and, thus, the regulatory networks involved in mediating the
response to oxygen deprivation are largely independent of those
controlling the response to a number of other environmental
stresses.
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