RESUMO
Oxygen is essential for animals, but high concentrations of oxygen are toxic to them probably because of an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many genes are involved in the reactions from which ROS are generated, but not much attention has been focused on them. To identify these genes, we screened for mutants with an altered sensitivity to oxidative stress in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and isolated a mutant, oxy-5(qa5002). oxy-5 showed an increased sensitivity to oxygen and decreased longevity. The decreased life span in oxy-5 was probably due to increased oxidative stress because it was recovered to a normal level when oxy-5 was cultured under hypoxic conditions. Our genetic analysis has revealed that the responsible gene for oxy-5 encodes a protein similar to mitochondrial ribosomal protein S36. The OXY-5 protein was highly expressed in the neurons, pharynx, and intestine, and expression of oxy-5 from the pan-neuronal H20 promoter efficiently suppressed the increased sensitivity to oxygen in oxy-5. These findings suggested that oxy-5 played an important role in the regulation of the sensitivity to oxygen in neuronal cells in C. elegans.
Assuntos
Caenorhabditis elegans , Longevidade/genética , Proteínas Mitocondriais/genética , Mutação/genética , Oxigênio/metabolismo , Proteínas Ribossômicas/genética , Animais , Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Caenorhabditis elegans/fisiologia , Genes de Helmintos , Proteínas de Fluorescência Verde/metabolismo , Proteínas de Helminto/genética , Proteínas de Helminto/metabolismo , Proteínas Mitocondriais/metabolismo , Nematoides/genética , Nematoides/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Estresse Oxidativo/genética , Estresse Oxidativo/fisiologia , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Proteínas Ribossômicas/metabolismoRESUMO
Oxygen is essential for the life of aerobic organisms, but reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from oxygen can be a threat for it. Many genes are involved in generation of ROS, but not much attention has been focused on the reactions from which ROS are generated. We therefore screened for mutants that showed an increased sensitivity to oxidative stress in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and isolated a novel mutant, oxy-4(qa5001). This mutant showed an increased sensitivity to a high concentration of oxygen, and decreased longevity at 20 degrees C but not at 26 degrees C. The genetic analysis has revealed that oxy-4 had a causative mutation in an [FeFe]-hydrogenase-like gene (Y54H5A.4). In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a deletion of NAR1, a possible homologue of oxy-4, also caused a similar increased sensitivity to oxygen. [FeFe]-hydrogenases are enzymes that catalyze both the formation and the splitting of molecular hydrogen, and function in anaerobic respiration in anaerobes. In contrast, [FeFe]-hydrogenase-like genes identified in aerobic eukaryotes do not generate hydrogen, and its functional roles are less understood. Our results suggested that [FeFe]-hydrogenase-like genes were involved in the regulation of sensitivity to oxygen in S. cerevisiae and C. elegans.