Glutathione metabolism and heavy metal detoxification in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Sixty glutathione-deficient mutants (gsh −) of Schizosaccharomyces pombe have been isolated by their resistance towards the mutagen N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and their sensitivity to the heavy metal Cadmium (Cd). fifty-three mutants show glutathione contents of less than 5% compared with the wild-type. The residual glutathione contents correlate with the resistance to MNNG, with the sensitivity to Cd and with the growth rate in minimal medium. The gsh −, Cd-sensitive (Cd s) mutants also show sensitivity to other heavy metals. Wild-type strains, but not the gsh − mutants, are able to excrete the heavy metal, very likely as a sulfide-containing compound. This inability of th…