Exposure to the Methylselenol Precursor Dimethyldiselenide Induces a Reductive Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>

• Main Authors: Marc Dauplais, Pierre Mahou, Pierre Plateau, Myriam Lazard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: selenium; methylselenol; dimethyldiselenide; ER stress; reductive stress; unfolded protein response
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/11/5467
• ISSN: 1661-6596; 1422-0067

Methylselenol (MeSeH) is a major cytotoxic metabolite of selenium, causing apoptosis in cancer cells through mechanisms that remain to be fully established. Previously, we demonstrated that, in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, MeSeH toxicity was mediated by its metabolization into selenomethionine by O-acetylhomoserine (OAH)-sulfhydrylase, an enzyme that is absent in higher eukaryotes. In this report, we used a mutant <i>met17</i> yeast strain, devoid of OAH- sulfhydrylase activity, to identify alternative targets of MeSeH. Exposure to dimethyldiselenide (DMDSe), a direct precursor of MeSeH, caused an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, as evidenced by increased expression of the ER chaperone Kar2p. Mutant strains (∆<i>ire1</i> and ∆<i>hac1</i>) unable to activate the unfolded protein response were hypersensitive to MeSeH precursors but not to selenomethionine. In contrast, deletion of <i>YAP1</i> or <i>SKN7</i>, required to activate the oxidative stress response, did not affect cell growth in the presence of DMDSe. ER maturation of newly synthesized carboxypeptidase Y was impaired, indicating that MeSeH/DMDSe caused protein misfolding in the ER. Exposure to DMDSe resulted in induction of the expression of the ER oxidoreductase Ero1p with concomitant reduction of its regulatory disulfide bonds. These results suggest that MeSeH disturbs protein folding in the ER by generating a reductive stress in this compartment.