Fluorescent Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Applied to Chronological Lifespan

During the course of normal aerobic metabolism, cells are exposed to a wide range of reactive oxygen species such as the superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and the hydroxyl radical. These reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive metabolites of oxygen and can damage a wide range of macromolecules in the cell, including nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids, and can even, in some severe cases, lead to cell death. Normally, molecular oxygen is relatively unreactive and harmless in its ground state; however, it can undergo partial reduction via electrons that are leaked from the electron transport chain to form both the superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide, both of which can react further to form the dangerously reactive hydroxyl radical. In order to combat the toxic and potentially deadly effects of ROS, cells are equipped with various antioxidant defense mechanisms, which include enzymes like superoxide dismutase 1 (Sod1p). Our objective is to observe these various reactive oxygen species using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as a model organism and explore different biochemical staining assays such as Amplex Red (AR) and Dihydroethidium (DHE). These stains can both be used to track live cells and quantify ROS levels. This will allow us to study how ROS changes during chronological yeast lifespan. Although there are many types of reactive oxygen species that exist in various parts of the cell, our work thus far has aimed to track extracellular hydrogen peroxide via AR and superoxide generation in the mitochondria via DHE. Our initial results indicate that we are able to track superoxide production using DHE in wild type cell and sod1∆ yeast strains spectroscopically. Ultimately, we will use both fluorescence spectroscopy and live cell imaging via fluorescence microscopy to assess superoxide levels in multiple yeast strains. Our results will provide insight into the role of ROS in aging as we quantify levels during yeast lifespan