Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase 1 protects Saccharomyces cerevisiae against metal ion toxicity and glutathione depletion.

Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase 1 (Ahp1p) is a thioredoxin peroxidase of the peroxiredoxin family expressed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recently, disruption of the AHP1 gene has shown that the gene is not essential for yeast growth on glucose medium but revealed a high sensitivity of null mutants to organic peroxides, suggesting that Ahp1p is an important enzyme implicated in oxidative stress protection in S. cerevisiae. To gain insight into antioxidant enzymatic mechanisms involved in cell protection against metal toxicity and glutathione depletion, we investigated the resistance of S. cerevisiae, in which the AHP1 gene was disrupted, against several metals and diethyl maleate, a glutathione depleting agent. We report that Ahp1p protects yeast against toxicity induced by copper, cobalt, chromium, arsenite, arsenate, mercury, zinc and diethyl maleate, suggesting that Ahp1p plays an important role in S. cerevisiae in the protection against metals possibly by reducing peroxides generated in cells by these compounds.