Cloning, characterization, and expression of the CIP2 gene induced under cadmium stress in Candida sp.

We isolated, sequenced, and expressed a cadmium-induced gene, CIP2, that specifically hybridizes to a mRNA of approximately 950 nucleotides. The CIP2 mRNA was barely present in normal Candida cells, but accumulated at higher levels in cadmium-treated cells. Other heavy metals such as copper, mercury, lead, and manganese had no effect on the expression of the CIP2 gene. CIP2 contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 203 amino acids. This gene was also activated by an oxidant, diamide. Our results suggest that CIP2 may play a crucial role in the specific cellular response to oxidative stress evolved by the cadmium treatment. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.