Activation of the H+-ATPase in the plasma membrane of cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown under mild copper stress

Abstract

Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae exibited a more active plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase during growth in media supplemented with CuSO₄ concentrations equal to or below 1 mM than did cells cultivated in the absence of copper stress. Maximal specific activities were found with 0.5 mM CuSO₄. ATPase activity declined when cells were grown with higher concentrations up to 1.5 mM (the maximal concentration that allowed growth), probably due to severe disorganization of plasma membrane. Cu²⁺-induced maximal activation was reflected in an increase of V _max (approximately threefold) and in the slight decrease of the K _m for MgATP (from 0.93 ± 0.13 to 0.65 ± 0.16 mM). The expression of the gene encoding the essential plasma membrane ATPase (PMA1) was reduced with a dose-dependent pattern in cells grown with inhibitory concentrations of copper, while the weakly expressed PMA2 gene promoter was moderately more efficient in cells cultivated under mild copper stress (1.5-fold maximal activation). ATPase was activated by copper despite the slightly lower content of ATPase protein in the plasma membrane of Cu²⁺-grown cells and the powerful inhibitory effect of Cu²⁺ in vitro.