Relationship between endoplasmic reticulum- and Golgi-associated calcium homeostasis and 4-NQO-induced DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Calcium (Ca2+) is an important ion that is necessary for the activation of different DNA repair mechanisms. However, the mechanism by which DNA repair and Ca2+ homeostasis cooperate remains unclear. We undertook a systems biology approach to verify the relationship between proteins associated with Ca2+ homeostasis and DNA repair for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our data indicate that Pmr1p, a Ca2+ transporter of Golgi complex, interacts with Cod1p, which regulates Ca2+ levels in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and with Rad4p, which is a nucleotide excision repair (NER) protein. This information was used to construct single and double mutants defective for Pmr1p, Cod1p, and Rad4p followed by cytotoxic, cytostatic, and cell cycle arrest analyses after cell exposure to different concentrations of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO). The results indicated that cod1 Delta, cod1 Delta rad4 Delta, and cod1 Delta pmr1 Delta strains have an elevated sensitivity to 4-NQO when compared to its wild-type (WT) strain. Moreover, both cod1 Delta pmr1 Delta and cod1 Delta rad4 Delta strains have a strong arrest at G(2)/M phases of cell cycle after 4-NQO treatment, while pmr1 Delta rad4 Delta have a similar sensitivity and cell cycle arrest profile when compared to rad4 Delta after 4-NQO exposure. Taken together, our results indicate that deletion in Golgi- and ER-associated Ca2+ transporters affect the repair of 4-NQO-induced DNA damage.