H2O2 induces a specific protein oxidation in yeast cells, and the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenase (Tdh) is a major target. Using a 2D-gel system to study protein carbonylation, it is shown in this work that both Tdh2p and Tdh3p isozymes were oxidized during exposure to H2O2. In addition, we identified two other proteins carbonylated and inactivated: Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase and phosphoglycerate mutase. The oxidative inactivation of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase decreases the antioxidant capacity of yeast cells and probably contributes to H2O2-induced cell death. Cyclophilin I was also carbonylated, but CPH1 gene disruption did not affect peroxide stress sensitivity. The correlation between H2O2 sensitivity and the accumulation of oxidized proteins was evaluated by assaying protein carbonyls in mutants deficient in the stress response regulators Yap1p and Skn7p. The results show that the high sensitivity of yap]A and skn7Delta mutants to H2O2 was correlated with an increased induction of protein carbonylation. In wild-type cells, the acquisition of stress resistance by pre-exposure to a sublethal H2O2 stress was associated with a lower accumulation of oxidized proteins. However, pre-exposure of yap]A and skn7Delta cells to 0.4 mM H2O2, decreased protein carbonylation induced by 1.5 mM H2O2, indicating that the adaptive mechanism involved in the protection of proteins from carbortylation is Yap1p- and Skn7p-independent. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc.