Cells lacking pfh1, a fission yeast homolog of mammalian frataxin protein, display constitutive activation of the iron starvation response

Friedreich ataxia is a genetic disease caused by deficiencies in frataxin. This protein has homologs not only in higher eukaryotes but also in bacteria, fungi, and plants. The function of this protein is still controversial. We have identified a frataxin homolog in fission yeast, and we have analyze...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Gabrielli, Natalia, 1978-, Ayté del Olmo, José, Hidalgo Hernando, Elena
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:España
Recursos:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10230/25570
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/25570
http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M112.421735
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Schizosaccharomyces pombe -- Metabolisme
Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- Metabolisme
Descrição
Resumo:Friedreich ataxia is a genetic disease caused by deficiencies in frataxin. This protein has homologs not only in higher eukaryotes but also in bacteria, fungi, and plants. The function of this protein is still controversial. We have identified a frataxin homolog in fission yeast, and we have analyzed whether its depletion leads to any of the phenotypes observed in other organisms. Cells deleted in pfh1 are sensitive to growth under aerobic conditions, display increased levels of total iron, hallmarks of oxidative stress such as protein carbonylation, decreased aconitase activity, and lower levels of oxygen consumption compared with wild-type cells. This mitochondrial protein seems to be important for iron and/or reactive oxygen species homeostasis. We have analyzed the proteome of cells devoid of Pfh1, and we determined that gene products up- and down-regulated upon iron depletion in wild-type cells are constitutively misregulated in this mutant. Because of the particular signaling pathway components governing the iron starvation response in fission yeast, our experiments suggest that cells lacking Pfh1 display a decrease of cytosolic available iron that triggers activation of Grx4, the common regulator of the iron starvation gene expression program. Our Schizosaccharomyces pombe Δpfh1 strain constitutes a new and useful model system to study Friedreich ataxia.