Search

A heterobimetallic Mn/Fe cofactor is present in the R2 subunit of class Ic ribonucleotide reductases (R2c) and in R2-like ligand-binding oxidases (R2lox). Although the protein-derived metal ligands are the same in both groups of proteins, the connectivity of the two metal ions and the chemistry each cofactor performs are different: in R2c, a one-electron oxidant, the Mn/Fe dimer is linked by two oxygen bridges (μ-oxo/μ-hydroxo), whereas in R2lox, a two-electron oxidant, it is linked by a single oxygen bridge (μ-hydroxo) and a fatty acid ligand. Here, we identified a second coordination sphere residue that directs the divergent reactivity of the protein scaffold. We found that the residue that directly precedes the N-terminal carboxylate metal ligand is conserved as a glycine within the R2lox group but not in R2c. Substitution of the glycine with leucine converted the resting-state R2lox cofactor to an R2c-like cofactor, a μ-oxo/μ-hydroxo-bridged Mn III /Fe III dimer. This species has recently been observed as an intermediate of the oxygen activation reaction in WT R2lox, indicating that it is physiologically relevant. Cofactor maturation in R2c and R2lox therefore follows the same pathway, with structural and functional divergence of the two cofactor forms following oxygen activation. We also show that the leucine-substituted variant no longer functions as a two-electron oxidant. Our results reveal that the residue preceding the N-terminal metal ligand directs the cofactor's reactivity toward one- or two-electron redox chemistry, presumably by setting the protonation state of the bridging oxygens and thereby perturbing the redox potential of the Mn ion., (© 2019 Kutin et al.)

Copper is reported to promote and prevent aggregation of prion protein. Conformational and functional consequences of Cu(2+)-binding to prion protein (PrP) are not well understood largely because most of the Cu(2+)-binding studies have been performed on fragments and truncated variants of the prion protein. In this context, we set out to investigate the conformational consequences of Cu(2+)-binding to full-length prion protein (PrP) by isothermal calorimetry, NMR, and small angle x-ray scattering. In this study, we report altered aggregation behavior of full-length PrP upon binding to Cu(2+). At physiological temperature, Cu(2+) did not promote aggregation suggesting that Cu(2+) may not play a role in the aggregation of PrP at physiological temperature (37 °C). However, Cu(2+)-bound PrP aggregated at lower temperatures. This temperature-dependent process is reversible. Our results show two novel intra-protein interactions upon Cu(2+)-binding. The N-terminal region (residues 90-120 that contain the site His-96/His-111) becomes proximal to helix-1 (residues 144-147) and its nearby loop region (residues 139-143), which may be important in preventing amyloid fibril formation in the presence of Cu(2+). In addition, we observed another novel interaction between the N-terminal region comprising the octapeptide repeats (residues 60-91) and helix-2 (residues 174-185) of PrP. Small angle x-ray scattering studies of full-length PrP show significant compactness upon Cu(2+)-binding. Our results demonstrate novel long range inter-domain interactions of the N- and C-terminal regions of PrP upon Cu(2+)-binding, which might have physiological significance.

Hsp33, an Escherichia coli cytosolic chaperone, is inactive under normal conditions but becomes active upon oxidative stress. It was previously shown to dimerize upon activation in a concentration- and temperature-dependent manner. This dimer was thought to bind to aggregation-prone target proteins, preventing their aggregation. In the present study, we report small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), steady state and time-resolved fluorescence, gel filtration, and glutaraldehyde cross-linking analysis of full-length Hsp33. Our circular dichroism and fluorescence results show that there are significant structural changes in oxidized Hsp33 at different temperatures. SAXS, gel filtration, and glutaraldehyde cross-linking results indicate, in addition to the dimers, the presence of oligomeric species. Oxidation in the presence of physiological salt concentration leads to significant increases in the oligomer population. Our results further show that under conditions that mimic the crowded milieu of the cytosol, oxidized Hsp33 exists predominantly as an oligomeric species. Interestingly, chaperone activity studies show that the oligomeric species is much more efficient compared with the dimers in preventing aggregation of target proteins. Taken together, these results indicate that in the cell, Hsp33 undergoes conformational and quaternary structural changes leading to the formation of oligomeric species in response to oxidative stress. Oligomeric Hsp33 thus might be physiologically relevant under oxidative stress.

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) are a family of heterodimeric transcriptional regulators that play pivotal roles in the regulation of cellular utilization of oxygen and glucose and are essential transcriptional regulators of angiogenesis in solid tumor and ischemic disorders. The transactivation activity of HIF complexes requires the recruitment of p300/CREB-binding protein (CBP) by HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha that undergo oxygen-dependent degradation. HIF activation in tumors is caused by several factors including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Here we investigated the molecular basis for HIF activation by MAPK. We show that MAPK is required for the transactivation activity of HIF-1 alpha. Furthermore, inhibition of MAPK disrupts the HIF-p300 interaction and suppresses the transactivation activity of p300. Overexpression of MEK1, an upstream MAPK activator, stimulates the transactivation of both p300 and HIF-1 alpha. Interestingly, the C-terminal transactivation domain of HIF-1 alpha is not a direct substrate of MAPK, and HIF-1 alpha phosphorylation is not required for HIF-CAD/p300 interaction. Taken together, our data suggest that MAPK signaling facilitates HIF activation through p300/CBP.

One of the key mediators of the hypoxic response in animal cells is the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1 (HIF-1) complex, in which the alpha-subunit is highly susceptible to oxygen-dependent degradation. The hypoxic response is manifested in many pathophysiological processes such as tumor growth and metastasis. During hypoxia, cells shift to a primarily glycolytic metabolic mode for their energetic needs. This is also manifested in the HIF-1-dependent up-regulation of many glycolytic genes. Paradoxically, tumor cells growing under conditions of normal oxygen tension also show elevated glycolytic rates that correlate with the increased expression of glycolytic enzymes and glucose transporters (the Warburg effect). A key regulator of glycolytic flux is the relatively recently discovered fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F-2,6-P2), an allosteric activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK-1). Steady state levels of F-2,6-P2 are maintained by the bifunctional enzyme PFK-2/F2,6-Bpase, which has both kinase and phosphatase activities. Herein, we show that one isozyme, PFKFB3, is highly induced by hypoxia and the hypoxia mimics cobalt and desferrioxamine. This induction could be replicated by the use of an inhibitor of the prolyl hydroxylase enzymes responsible for the von Hippel Lindau (VHL)-dependent destabilization and tagging of HIF-1 alpha. The absolute dependence of the PFKFB3 gene on HIF-1 was confirmed by its overexpression in VHL-deficient cells and by the lack of hypoxic induction in mouse embryonic fibroblasts conditionally nullizygous for HIF-1 alpha.

Hypoxia induces the stabilization and transcriptional activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) protein, the regulatory member of the HIF-1 complex. The molecular mechanisms that are responsible for oxygen sensing and the downstream pathways utilized by the hypoxic signal are still poorly understood. One hypothesis for oxygen sensing has postulated that reactive oxygen species generated at mitochondrial complex III are the initiators of the hypoxic signal. Here we find that mitochondrial DNA-less (rho(o)) cells have a normal response to hypoxia, measured at the level of HIF-1alpha protein stabilization, nuclear translocation, and its transcriptional activation activity. Furthermore, overexpression of catalase, either in the mitochondria or in the cytosol, fails to modify the hypoxia response indicating that hydrogen peroxide is not a signaling molecule in the hypoxic signaling cascade that culminates with HIF-1 activation.

The hypoxia-inducible factor 1 complex (HIF-1) is involved in the transcriptional activation of several genes, like erythropoietin and vascular endothelial growth factor, that are responsive to the lack of oxygen. The HIF-1 complex is composed of two b-HLH proteins: HIF-1beta that is constitutively expressed, and HIF-1alpha, that is present only in hypoxic cells. The HIF-1alpha subunit is continuously synthesized and degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome under oxic conditions. Hypoxia, transition metals, iron chelators, and several antioxidants stabilize the HIF-1alpha protein, allowing the formation of the transcriptionally active HIF-1 complex. The mechanisms of oxygen sensing and the pathways leading to HIF-1alpha stabilization are unclear. Because the involvement of a heme protein oxygen sensor has been postulated, we tested the heme sensor hypothesis by using a luciferase-expressing cell line (B-1), that is highly responsive to hypoxia. Exposure of B-1 cells to carbon monoxide and heme synthesis inhibitors failed to show any effect on the hypoxia responsiveness of these cells, suggesting that heme proteins are not involved in hypoxia sensing. Measurement of iron in recombinantly expressed HIF-1alpha protein revealed that this protein binds iron in vivo. Iron binding was localized to a 129-amino acid peptide between sequences 529 and 658 of the HIF-1alpha protein. Although the exact structure of the iron center has not been yet defined, a 2:1 metal/protein molar ratio suggests a di-iron center, probably similar to the one found in hemerythrin. This finding is compatible with a model where redox reaction may occur directly in the iron center of the HIF-1alpha subunit, affecting its survival in oxic conditions.

In view of the tumor suppressor role of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) type II receptor (RII), the identification and characterization of agents that can induce the expression of this receptor are of potential importance to the development of chemoprevention approaches as well as treatment of cancer. To date, the identification of exogenous agents that control RII expression has been rare. We demonstrated that proliferation of MCF-7 early passage cells (MCF-7 E), which express RII and are sensitive to TGFbeta growth inhibition activity, was significantly inhibited by vitamin D3 and its analogue EB1089. In contrast, proliferation of MCF-7 late passage cells (MCF-7 L), which have lost cell surface RII and are resistant to TGFbeta, was not affected by these two compounds. TGFbeta-neutralizing antibody was able to block the inhibitory effect on MCF-7 E cells by these compounds, indicating that treatment induced autocrine-negative TGFbeta activity. An RNase protection assay showed approximately a 3-fold induction of the RII mRNA, while a receptor cross-linking assay revealed a 3-4-fold induction of the RII protein. In contrast, there was no change in either RII mRNA or protein in the MCF-7 L cells.