Identification of human ferritin, heavy polypeptide 1 (FTH1) and yeast RGI1 (YER067W) as pro-survival sequences that counteract the effects of Bax and copper in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Ferritin is a sub-family of iron binding proteins that form multi-subunit nanotype iron storage structures and prevent oxidative stress induced apoptosis. Here we describe the identification and characterization of human ferritin, heavy polypeptide 1 (FTH1) as a suppressor of the pro-apoptotic murine Bax sequence in yeast. In addition we demonstrate that FTH1 is a general pro-survival sequence since it also prevents the cell death inducing effects of copper when heterologously expressed in yeast. Although ferritins are phylogenetically widely distributed and are present in most species of Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya, ferritin is conspicuously absent in most fungal species including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An in silico analysis of the yeast proteome lead to the identification of the 161 residue RGI1 (YER067W) encoded protein as a candidate for being a yeast ferritin. In addition to sharing 20% sequence identity with the 183 residue FTH1, RGI1 also has similar pro-survival properties as ferritin when overexpressed in yeast. Analysis of recombinant protein by SDS-PAGE and by electron microscopy revealed the expected formation of higher-order structures for FTH1 that was not observed with Rgi1p. Further analysis revealed that cells overexpressing RGI1 do not show increased resistance to iron toxicity and do not have enhanced capacity to store iron. In contrast, cells lacking RGI1 were found to be hypersensitive to the toxic effects of iron. Overall, our results suggest that Rgi1p is a novel pro-survival protein whose function is not related to ferritin but nevertheless it may have a role in regulating yeast sensitivity to iron stress.

Inhibition of stress mediated cell death by human lactate dehydrogenase B in yeast.

We report the identification of human L- lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB) as a novel Bax suppressor. Yeast heterologously expressing LDHB is also resistant to the lethal effects of copper indicating that it is a general suppressor of stress mediated cell death. To identify potential LDHB targets, LDHB was expressed in yeast mutants defective in apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy. The absence of functional PCD regulators including MCA1, YBH3, cyclophilin (CPR3) and VMA3, as well as the absence of the pro-survival autophagic pathway (ATG1,7) did not interfere with the LDHB mediated protection against copper indicating that LDHB functions independently of known PCD regulators or by simply blocking or stimulating a common PCD promoting or inhibitory pathway. Measurements of lactate levels revealed that short-term copper stress (1.6 mM, 4 h), does not increase intracellular levels of lactate, instead a three-fold increase in extracellular lactate was observed. Thus, yeast cells resemble mammalian cells where different stresses are known to lead to increased lactate production leading to lactic acidosis. In agreement with this, we found that the addition of exogenous lactic acid to growth media was sufficient to induce cell death that could be inhibited by the expression of LDHB. Taken together our results suggest that lactate dehydrogenase is a general suppressor of PCD in yeast.

The human septin7 and the yeast CDC10 septin prevent Bax and copper mediated cell death in yeast.

The mechanisms of programmed cell death activate genetically encoded intracellular programs in a controlled manner, the most common form being apoptosis. Apoptosis is carried out through a cascade of caspase mediated proteolytic cleavages initiated by the oligomerization of Bax, a cardinal regulator of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Heterologous expression of Bax in yeast causes cell death that shares a number of similarities to processes that occur in mammalian apoptosis. A screen of a cardiac cDNA library for suppressors of Bax-mediated apoptosis identified human septin7, a protein that belongs to the septin superfamily of conserved GTP-binding proteins that share a conserved cdc/septin domain. Analysis of the amino acid sequence deduced from the septin7 clone as well as the corresponding human septin7 gene revealed that a novel alternatively spliced transcript called septin7 variant4 (v4) was uncovered. Yeast cells overexpressing the human septin7 v4 cDNA were also capable of resisting copper-mediated cell death suggesting that it is not only a Bax suppressor but also an anti-apoptotic sequence. Analysis of septin7 function in a MCA1Δ yeast strain suggests that septin7 inhibits apoptosis in a caspase independent pathway. Overexpression of the yeast septin7 ortholog CDC10 also conferred resistance to the negative effects of copper as well as protecting cells from the overexpression of Bax. In contrast, septin7 was unable to prevent the increase in cell size associated with mutants lacking the endogenous yeast CDC10 gene. Taken together, our analysis suggests that anti-apoptosis is a novel yet evolutionarily conserved property of the septin7 sub-family of septins.

Human ribosomal protein L9 is a Bax suppressor that promotes cell survival in yeast.

The identification of a human ribosomal protein L9 (hRPL9) cDNA as a sequence capable of suppressing the lethal effects of heterologously expressed murine Bax in yeast led us to investigate its antiapoptotic potential. Using growth and viability assays, we show that yeast cells heterologously expressing hRPL9 are resistant to the growth inhibitory and lethal effects of exogenously supplied copper, indicating that it has pro-survival properties. To explore potential mechanisms, we used yeast mutants defective in all three types of programmed cell death (apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy). The ability to retain pro-survival function in all the mutants suggests that hRPL9 may regulate a common pro-death process. In contrast, the yeast RPL9 orthologues, RPL9A and RPL9B, have opposite effects when overexpressed in yeast. In effect, instead of showing resistance to stress, RPL9A and RPL9B overexpressing cells show reduced cell growth. Further analysis indicates that the effects of overexpressed RPL9A and RPL9B are not in themselves lethal, instead, they serve to increase cell doubling time. Thus, yeast RPL9s are more representative of RPs whose extra-ribosomal function is similar to that of tumor suppressors. Taken together, our results demonstrate that RPL9 represents a species- and sequence-specific regulator of cell growth and survival.

Human Thyroid Cancer-1 (TC-1) is a vertebrate specific oncogenic protein that protects against copper and pro-apoptotic genes in yeast.

The human Thyroid Cancer-1 (hTC-1) protein, also known as C8orf4 was initially identified as a gene that was up-regulated in human thyroid cancer. Here we show that hTC-1 is a peptide that prevents the effects of over-expressing Bax in yeast. Analysis of the 106 residues of hTC-1 in available protein databases revealed direct orthologues in jawed-vertebrates, including mammals, frogs, fish and sharks. No TC-1 orthologue was detected in lower organisms, including yeast. Here we show that TC-1 is a general pro-survival peptide since it prevents the growth- and cell death-inducing effects of copper in yeast. Human TC-1 also prevented the deleterious effects that occur due to the over-expression of a number of key pro-apoptotic peptides, including YCA1, YBH3, NUC1, and AIF1. Even though the protective effects were more pronounced with the over-expression of YBH3 and YCA1, hTC-1 could still protect yeast mutants lacking YBH3 and YCA1 from the effects of copper sulfate. This suggests that the protective effects of TC-1 are not limited to specific pathways or processes. Taken together, our results indicate that hTC-1 is a pro-survival protein that retains its function when heterologously expressed in yeast. Thus yeast is a useful model to characterize the potential roles in cell death and survival of cancer related genes.