Sensitivity of Hyperactivated Ras Mutant in Response to Hydrogen Perixide, Menadione and Paraquat

摘要

We have explored the impact of altering the Ras-cAMP pathway on cell survival upon oxidative exposures. A hyperactivated Ras mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, intrinsically more sensitive to heat shock than the wild type, was investigated with regard to oxidative stress. In this paper we report that the response of iral, ira2-deleted mutant (IR2.53) to an oxidant, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or menadione is more sensitive than that of the wild type. IR2.53 showed a dramatic decrease in survival rate when challenged with 0.1 mM H2O2 for 30 min. The greater sensitivity of IR2.53 was also noticed with treatment of 0.01 mM menadione. Prior to oxidative stresses by these oxidants, both the wild type and the mutant were preconditioned with a mild heat shock (37 ∩, 30 min), resulting in improved survivals against oxidative stresses. Rescue of IR2.53 from menadione stress by heat pretreatment was more clearly demonstrated than that from H2O2 treatment. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed between the wild type and the IR2.53 mutant in their survival rates upon paraquat treatments. These findings imply that the mechanism by which H2O2 and menadione put forth their oxidative effects may be closely associated with the cAMP-Ras pathway whereas that of paraquat is independent of the Ras pathway. Finally, the level of glutathione (GSH) was measured enzymatically as an indicator of antioxidation and compared with the survival rate. Taken all these together, this study provides an insight into a mechanism of the Ras pathway regulated by several oxidants and suggests that the Ras pathway plays a crucial role in protection of cell damage following oxidative stress.