Role of glutathione metabolism status in the definition of some cellular parameters and oxidative stress tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells growing as biofilms

Abstract

The resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to oxidative stress (H 2O2 and Cd2+) was compared in biofilms and planktonic cells, with the help of yeast mutants deleted of genes related to glutathione metabolism and oxidative stress. Biofilm-forming cells were found predominantly in the G1 stage of the cell cycle. This might explain their higher tolerance to oxidative stress and the young replicative age of these cells in an old culture. The reduced glutathione status of S. cerevisiae was affected by the growth phase and apparently plays an important role in oxidative stress tolerance in cells growing as a biofilm. © 2008 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.