Increased Expression of Hsp70 for Resistance to Deuterium Oxide in a Yeast Mutant Cell Line

Abstract

Labeling with stable isotopes, typically deuterium (D), is powerful tool for studying the functional structure of biomolecules by NMR. Biosynthesis of certain deuterated proteins in microorganisms cultured in deuterium oxide (D₂O) is an attractive strategy. However, the growth of almost all microorganisms is inhibited at high concentrations of D₂O. We isolated a mutant of yeast that grows well in D₂O. The expression of Hsp70 was enhanced in the mutant. The increased expression also endowed the yeast with cold-resistance. The mutant might be useful for biosynthesis of D-labeled biomolecules.