Expression of the Laccase Gene from a White Rot Fungus in Pichia pastoris Can Enhance the Resistance of This Yeast to H2O2-Mediated Oxidative Stress by Stimulating the Glutathione-Based Antioxidative System

Abstract

ABSTRACTLaccase is a copper-containing polyphenol oxidase that has great potential in industrial and biotechnological applications. Previous research has suggested that fungal laccase may be involved in the defense against oxidative stress, but there is little direct evidence supporting this hypothesis, and the mechanism by which laccase protects cells from oxidative stress also remains unclear. Here, we report that the expression of the laccase gene from white rot fungus inPichia pastoriscan significantly enhance the resistance of yeast to H2O2-mediated oxidative stress. The expression of laccase in yeast was found to confer a strong ability to scavenge intracellular H2O2and to protect cells from lipid oxidative damage. The mechanism by which laccase gene expression increases resistance to oxidative stress was then investigated further. We found that laccase gene expression inPichia pastoriscould increase the level of glutathione-based antioxidative activity, including the intracellular glutathione levels and the enzymatic activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase. The transcription of the laccase gene inPichia pastoriswas found to be enhanced by the oxidative stress caused by exogenous H2O2. The stimulation of laccase gene expression in response to exogenous H2O2stress further contributed to the transcriptional induction of the genes involved in the glutathione-dependent antioxidative system, includingPpYAP1,PpGPX1,PpPMP20,PpGLR1, andPpGSH1. Taken together, these results suggest that the expression of the laccase gene inPichia pastoriscan enhance the resistance of yeast to H2O2-mediated oxidative stress by stimulating the glutathione-based antioxidative system to protect the cell from oxidative damage.