Latrunculin A-Induced Perturbation of the Actin Cytoskeleton Mediates Pap1p-Dependent Induction of the Caf5p Efflux Pump in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

As part of an earlier study aimed at uncovering gene products with roles in defending against latrunculin A (LatA)-induced cytoskeletal perturbations, we identified three members of the oxidative stress response pathway: the Pap1p AP-1-like transcription factor, the Imp1p α-importin, and the Caf5p efflux pump. In this report, we characterize the pathway further and show that Pap1p translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in an Imp1p-dependent manner upon LatA treatment. Moreover, preventing this translocation, through the addition of a nuclear export signal (NES), confers the same characteristic LatA-sensitive phenotype exhibited by pap1 Δ cells. Lastly, we show that the caf5 gene is induced upon exposure to LatA and that Pap1p is required for this transcriptional upregulation. Importantly, the expression of trr1 , a Pap1p target specifically induced in response to oxidative stress, is not significantly altered by LatA treatment. Taken together, these results suggest a model in which LatA-mediated cytoskeletal perturbations are sensed, triggering the Imp1p-dependent translocation of Pap1p to the nucleus and the induction of the caf5 gene (independently of oxidative stress).