Interaction between lanthanide ions and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Lanthanides are a group of non-essential elements with important imaging and therapeutic applications. Although trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln³⁺) are used as potent blockers of Ca²⁺ channels, the systematic studies correlating Ln³⁺ accumulation and toxicity to Ca²⁺ channel blocking activity are scarce. In this study, we made use of the eukaryotic model Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate the correlation between Ln³⁺ accumulation, their toxicity and their capacity to block the exogenous stress-induced Ca²⁺ influx into the cytosol. It was found that the Ln³⁺ blocked the Ca²⁺ entry into the yeast cells only when present at concentration high enough to allow rapid binding to cell surface. At lower concentrations, Ln³⁺ were taken up by the cell, but Ca²⁺ blockage was no longer achieved. At 1 mM concentration, all ions from the Ln³⁺ series could block Ca²⁺ entry into cytosol with the exception of La³⁺, and to a lesser extent, Pr³⁺ and Nd³⁺. The plasma membrane Ca²⁺-channel Cch1/Mid1 contributed to La³⁺ and Gd³⁺ entry into the cells, with a significant preference for La³⁺. The results open the possibility to obtain cells loaded with controlled amounts and ratios of Ln³⁺.