Disruption of YCP4 Enhances Freeze-Thaw Tolerance in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to identify genes related to a freeze-thaw tolerance and to elucidate the tolerance mechanism in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an appropriate eukaryote model. Results In this study, one tolerant strain under exposure to freeze-thaw stress was isolated by screening a transposon-mediated mutant library and the disrupted gene was identified to be YCP4. In addition, this phenotype related to freeze-thaw tolerance was comfirmed by deletion and overexpressing of this corresponding gene. This mutant strain showed a freeze-thaw tolerance by the reduction in the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activation of the MSN2/4 and STRE-mediated genes such as CTT1 and HSP12. Conclusions Disruption of YCP4 in S. cerevisiae results in increased tolerance to freeze-thaw stress.