Abstract
In an attempt to clone genes involved in resistance to formaldehyde we have screened a genomic library based on the episomal plasmid YEp24 for the ability to increase resistance to formaldehyde in a wild-type strain. In addition toSFA, the gene encoding the formaldehyde dehydrogenase Adh5, an enzyme most potent in formaldehyde de-toxification, we isolated a second plasmid that conferred a less pronounced but significant hyper-resistance to formaldehyde. Its passenger DNA contained the geneADH1, encoding alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (EC 1.1.1.1), which could be shown to be responsible for the observed hyper-resistance phenotype. Construction of anadh1-0 mutant revealed that yeast lacking a functionalADH1 gene is sensitive to formaldehyde. While glutathione is essential for Adh5-mediated formaldehyde de-toxification, Adh1 reduced formaldehyde best in the absence of this thiol compound. Evidence is presented that formaldehyde is a substrate for Adh1 in vivo and in vitro and that its cellular de-toxification employs a reductive step that may yield methanol.
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Communicated by K. Wolf
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Grey, M., Schmidt, M. & Brendel, M. Overexpression ofADH1 confers hyper-resistance to formaldehyde inSaccharomyces cerevisiae . Curr Genet 29, 437–440 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02221511
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02221511