Activation of Aro80 transcription factor by heat-induced aromatic amino acid influx in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, transcription of ARO9 and ARO10 genes, involved in the catabolism of aromatic amino acids, is activated by Aro80 transcription factor in response to aromatic amino acids. Here we show that the transcription of ARO9 and ARO10 is also induced by heat shock in an Aro80-dependent manner. However, heat shock-related signaling pathways including PKA, PKC, and HOG pathways are not involved in the heat shock activation of Aro80. We elucidate that heat-induced increase in aromatic amino acid influx can lead to the inducer-dependent activation of Aro80 upon heat shock. Known aromatic amino acid permeases play an insignificant role in the heat-induced expression of ARO9 and ARO10, suggesting that an increase in plasma membrane fluidity might be responsible for the influx of aromatic amino acids during heat shock stress.