Mechanisms of copper toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae determined by microarray analysis

The effect of the heavy metal copper on the expression of a wide spectrum of genes was analyzed by using a DNA microarray. The gene expression profile of baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in a medium containing a sublethal concentration of cupric sulfate was compared with that of yeast grown in a normal medium. Among ∼6000 yeast ORFs, 143 ORFs were induced more than twofold to resist copper toxicity after exposure to copper. Copper metallothionein CUP1‐1 and CUP1‐2 were induced more than 20‐fold. Some genes related to sulfur metabolism and oxidative stress response were also up‐regulated. This DNA microarray analysis identified several molecular targets of copper toxicity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2008.