Open AccessSchizosaccharomyces pombe Homologs of Human DJ-1 Are Stationary Phase-Associated Proteins That Are Involved in Autophagy and Oxidative Stress Resistance
Author(s) -
Yang Su,
Caiping Chen,
Linting Huang,
Jianhua Yan,
Ying Huang
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0143888
Subject(s) - schizosaccharomyces pombe , schizosaccharomyces , autophagy , biology , transcription factor , microbiology and biotechnology , oxidative stress , homologous chromosome , gene , stationary phase , genetics , biochemistry , chemistry , saccharomyces cerevisiae , apoptosis , chromatography
The Parkinson′s disease protein DJ-1 is involved in various cellular functions including detoxification of dicarbonyl compounds, autophagy and oxidative stress response. DJ-1 homologs are widely found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, constituting a superfamily of proteins that appear to be involved in stress response. Schizosaccharomyces pombe contains six DJ-1 homologs, designated Hsp3101-Hsp3105 and Sdj1 (previously named SpDJ-1). Here we show that deletion of any one of these six genes somehow affects autophagy during prolonged stationary phase. Furthermore, deletions of each of these DJ-1 homologs result in reduced stationary phase survival. Deletion of sdj1 also increases the sensitivity of stationary-phase cells to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) whereas overexpression of sdj1 has the opposite effect. Consistent with their role in stationary phase, expression of hsp3101 , hsp3102 , hsp3105 and sdj1 , and to a lesser extent hsp3103 and hsp3104 , is increased in stationary phase. The induction of hsp3101 , hsp3102 , hsp3105 and sdj1 involves the Sty1-regulated transcription factor Atf1 but not the transcription factor Pap1. Our results firmly establish that S . pombe homologs of DJ-1 are stationary-phase associated proteins and are likely involved in autophagy and antioxidant defense in stationary phase of S . pombe cells.