Glutathione reductase/glutathione is responsible for cytotoxic elemental sulfur tolerance via polysulfide shuttle in fungi.

ABSTRACT: Fungi that can reduce elemental sulfur to sulfide are widely distributed, but the mechanism and physiological significance of the reaction have been poorly characterized. Here, we purified elemental sulfur-reductase (SR) and cloned its gene from the elemental sulfur-reducing fungus Fusarium oxysporum. We found that NADPH-glutathione reductase (GR) reduces elemental sulfur via glutathione as an intermediate. A loss-of-function mutant of the SR/GR gene generated less sulfide from elemental sulfur than the wild-type strain. Its growth was hypersensitive to elemental sulfur, and it accumulated higher levels of oxidized glutathione, indicating that the GR/glutathione system confers tolerance to cytotoxic elemental sulfur by reducing it to less harmful sulfide. The SR/GR reduced polysulfide as e

SUBMITTER: Sato I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3121490 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature