A novel point mutation in the amino terminal domain of the human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) gene enhancing hGR-mediated gene expression

CONTEXT

Interindividual variations in glucocorticoid sensitivity have been associated with manifestations of cortisol excess or deficiency and may be partly explained by polymorphisms in the human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) gene. We studied a 43-yr-old female, who presented with manifestations consistent with tissue-selective glucocorticoid hypersensitivity. We detected a novel, single, heterozygous nucleotide (G --> C) substitution at position 1201 (exon 2) of the hGR gene, which resulted in aspartic acid to histidine substitution at amino acid position 401 in the amino-terminal domain of the hGRalpha. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of action of the natural mutant receptor hGRalphaD401H.

METHODS-RESULTS

Compared with the wild-type hGRalpha, the mutant receptor hGRalphaD401H demonstrated a 2.4-fold increase in its ability to transactivate the glucocorticoid-inducible mouse mammary tumor virus promoter in response to dexamethasone but had similar affinity for the ligand (dissociation constant = 6.2 +/- 0.6 vs. 6.1 +/- 0.6 nm) and time to nuclear translocation (14.75 +/- 0.25 vs. 14.25 +/- 1.13 min). The mutant receptor hGRalphaD401H did not exert a dominant positive or negative effect upon the wild-type receptor, it preserved its ability to bind to glucocorticoid response elements, and displayed a normal interaction with the glucocorticoid receptor-interacting protein 1 coactivator.

CONCLUSIONS

The mutant receptor hGRalphaD401H enhances the transcriptional activity of glucocorticoid-responsive genes. The presence of the D401H mutation may predispose subjects to obesity, hypertension, and other manifestations of the metabolic syndrome.

Identification, genomic organization and expression pattern of glutathione S-transferase in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a multifunctional supergene family and some play an important role in insecticide resistance. We have identified 23 putative cytosolic GSTs by searching the new assembly of the Bombyx mori genome sequence. Phylogenetic analyses on the amino acid sequences reveal that 21 of the B. mori GSTs fall into six classes represented in other insects, the other two being unclassified. The majority of the silkworm GSTs belong to the Delta, Epsilon, and Omega classes. Most members of each class are tandemly arranged in the genome, except for the Epsilon GSTs. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) corresponding to 19 of the 23 GSTs were found in available databases. Furthermore RT-PCR experiments detected expression of all the GSTs in multiple tissues on day 3 of fifth instar larvae. Surprisingly, we found little or no expression of most Delta and Epsilon GSTs in the fat body, which is thought to be the main detoxification organ. This may explain the sensitivity of the silkworm to certain insecticides. Our data provide some insights into the evolution of the B. mori GST family and the functions of individual GST enzymes.

Role of the Per/Arnt/Sim domains in ligand-dependent transformation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates the toxic and biological effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and related compounds. In a process termed transformation, ligand binding converts the AhR into its high affinity DNA binding form that represents a dimer of the AhR and Arnt, a closely related nuclear protein. During transformation, protein chaperone Hsp90 is thought to be replaced by Arnt in overlapping binding sites in the basic helix loop helix and PASB domains of the AhR. Here, analysis of AhR variants containing a modified PASB domain and AhR PASA-PASB fragments of various lengths revealed (i) an inhibitory effect on transformation concomitant with Hsp90 binding in the PASB domain, (ii) an ability of the PASA-PASB fragment of the AhR to reproduce key steps in the transformation process, and (iii) a ligand-dependent conformational change in the PASA domain consistent with increased PASA exposure during AhR transformation. Based on these results, we propose a new mechanism of AhR transformation through initiation of Arnt dimerization and Hsp90 displacement in AhR PASA/B domains. This study provides insights into mechanisms of AhR transformation, dimerization of PAS domain proteins, and Hsp90 dissociation in activation of its client proteins.

Mutated glutathione-S-transferase reduced airway inflammation by limiting oxidative stress and Th2 response

Oxidative stress is an important factor in the pathogenesis of asthma. Furthermore, antioxidants like GST are reduced in asthma patients. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of exogenous GST and mGST were evaluated in a mice model. GST mutated at residues 21/27 has reduced IgE binding with similar enzyme activity as that of GST. To evaluate the therapeutic effects of GST, BALB/c mice were immunized and challenged with ovalbumin. Mice were given GST, mGST, and alpha-lipoic acid by inhalation and sacrificed on Day 31 to evaluate inflammation and oxidative stress. Mice treated with mGST showed significantly reduced total cell count (P<0.01) and eosinophils (P<0.01) in BALF compared to GST- or PBS-treated groups. The lung inflammation score was lowest for the mGST-treated group along with reduced IL-4 (P<0.01) and OVA-specific IgE than other groups. Oxidative stress as per the lipid peroxidation level in BALF of mGST-treated mice was reduced significantly in comparison to PBS- or GST-treated mice. In conclusion, inhalation of mGST reduced airway inflammation in mice. Mutated GST with reduced allergenicity has better therapeutic potential and can be explored as an adjunct therapy in asthma.

Relationship between two tandemly arranged and light-induced glutathione S-transferase genes from the ciliated protozoa Blepharisma japonicum

Recently we reported a light-induced cDNA encoding glutathione S-transferase (GST) from the ciliated protozoa Blepharisma japonicum, which possessed photosensitive pigments. In this study, a novel cDNA encoding GST was further isolated, and the two GSTs (BjGST1 and BjGST2) showed high sequence identity of 86%. Phylogenetic trees indicated that the BjGSTs were distantly related to known classes of GSTs, and they could form a protozoa-specific class. The recombinant proteins also existed as homo- or heterodimers that exhibited different enzyme activities, appreciating the functional differentiation. Furthermore, the transcription levels of BjGST genes were coordinately regulated in response to light stimulation. In addition, the genomic structure analysis revealed that the two genes were tandemly arranged through an approximately 500-bp spacer region of unusual DNA structure containing cis-acting elements related to oxidative stress response. These results demonstrate that the two BjGSTs are expressed simultaneously and act cooperatively against photooxidative stress.

New members of the glutathione transferase family discovered in red and brown algae

The GSTs (glutathione transferases) are involved in the detoxification of a wide variety of hydrophobic substrates. These enzymes have been found in virtually all types of organisms, including plants, animals, nematodes and bacteria. In the present study, we report the molecular and biochemical characterization of algal GSTs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most of them were distinct from previously described GST classes, but were most closely related to the Sigma class. Profiling of GST genes from the red alga Chondrus crispus and brown alga Laminaria digitata was undertaken after different chemical treatments and showed that they displayed contrasting patterns of transcription. Recombinant algal GST from both species showed transferase activities against the common substrates aryl halides, but also on the alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl 4-hydroxynonenal. Also, they exhibit significant peroxidation towards organic hydroperoxides, including oxygenated derivatives of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among a range of compounds tested, Cibacron Blue was the most efficient inhibitor of algal GSTs identified.

[Effect of different tags on pulldown assays implemented by LMO2 fusion protein]

Pulldown assay is an in vitro method for studies of protein-protein interactions, in which tagged proteins are usually expressed as the bait to enrich other proteins that could bind to them. In this technology, the GST tag is broadest used for its modest size and hydrophilic property. In most cases, the GST tag could increase the hydrophility of the fusion protein and help to avoid the formation of inclusion bodies. However, in the other few cases, the target protein may be strongly hydrophobic or have complicated structures that were hard to fold and assemble in correct conformations without champerons, and even the existence of GST tag could not make them soluble. These proteins were always expressed as inclusion bodies and had no functions. LMO2 was a small molecular weight and insoluble protein, in this study, GST system and MBP system were used to express GST-LMO2 and MBP-LMO2 fusion proteins, respectively. We found that GST-LMO2 fusion protein was expressed as inclusion bodies whereas MBP-LMO2 fusion protein was expressed in soluble form. Moreover, the production rate of MBP-LMO2 was also much higher than GST-LMO2. Then MBP-LMO2 fusion proteins and renatured GST-LMO2 fusion proteins were used as bait in pulldown assay to study the interaction between LMO2 and endogenous GATA1 in K562 cells. Western blot analyses showed that both of these proteins could bind to endogenous GATA1 in K562 cells, but recovered GATA1 protein by MBP-LMO2 fusion protein was much more than GST-LMO2 fusion protein. These results suggest that using of MBP system is a helpful attempt in the case of studying small molecular weight, strong hydrophobic proteins.

Characterization of a fucoidan from Lessonia vadosa (Phaeophyta) and its anticoagulant and elicitor properties

Blades of Lessonia vadosa (Phaeophyta) were extracted with 2% CaCl(2) solution, affording in 4.4% yield a polysaccharide which contained fucose and sulfate groups in the molar ratio 1.0:1.12. The high negative optical activity value ([alpha](D)(22)=-134.0 degrees ), FT-IR and NMR analysis suggest the presence of a fucoidan. (13)C NMR spectrum of the polysaccharide obtained by solvolytic desulfation of native fucoidan indicated the major presence of 1-->3 linked alpha-l-fucan. Depolymerization of the native fucoidan with H(2)O(2) in the presence of copper(II) acetate gave in 54.8% yield a fraction with 33.7% of sulfate content. The native fucoidan (MW 320,000) showed good anticoagulant activity whereas the radical depolymerized fraction (MW 32,000) presented a weak anticoagulant activity. These polysaccharides showed significant activation of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (PAL), lipooxygenase (LOX) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) defence enzyme activities in tobacco plants.

Transcriptional responses of alpha- and rho-class glutathione S-transferase genes in the liver of three freshwater fishes intraperitoneally injected with microcystin-LR: relationship of inducible expression and tolerance

Rho-class glutathione S-transferase (GST) is found only in teleost fish with no homologues in mammals. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis nilotica) are three warm freshwater fishes with differential tolerance to microcystin-LR (MC-LR): Nile tilapia has a little higher tolerance than silver carp, but both have much higher tolerance than grass carp. Full-length cDNAs encoding the rho-class GST were cloned and sequenced from the livers of the three fishes. The silver carp, grass carp, and Nile tilapia rho-class GST cDNAs were 1078, 1104, and 904 bp in length, respectively, and all contained an open-reading frame (ORF) of 681 bp (encoding a polypeptide of 226 amino acids). Using beta-actin as an external control, semiquantitative RT-PCR was conducted to determine the constitutive and inducible expression level of alpha- and rho-class GST genes among the three fishes (6-12 g) intraperitoneally injected with MC-LR (50 mug kg(-1) body weight). Liver mRNA expression levels of alpha-class GST gene were found to be higher than those of rho-class GST gene in both exposed and control fish of silver carp and grass carp, whereas liver mRNA expression levels of rho-class GST gene were higher than those of alpha -class GST gene in both exposed and control fish of Nile tilapia. Increased liver transcription of GST isoforms was detected at 8-h postinjection of MC-LR in silver carp (alpha- and rho-class GST) and Nile tilapia (rho-class GST), and at 24-h postinjection in silver carp (alpha-class GST) and Nile tilapia (alpha-class GST), but an increase in liver transcription neither of alpha-class GST nor of rho-class GST was detected in grass carp at either 8-h or 24-h postinjection. The inducible expression of the liver GST gene showed a close relationship with their tolerance to MC-LR: high-resistant fish (phytoplanktivorous silver carp and Nile tilapia) had inducible liver expression of either alpha- or rho-class GST, and the high-sensitive fish (herbivorous grass carp) had no inducible liver expression of either one. We suggest that inducible expression (instead of constitutive expression) of the liver GST gene should play an important role in the tolerance to microcystin exposure, and that in addition to alpha-class GST, high-liver expression of rho-class GST gene might have facilitated the evolutionary radiation of teleost fish.

Proteomic analysis of rice defense response induced by probenazole

Here, we report the first proteomic analysis of rice defense response induced by probenazole (PBZ), an agricultural chemical that has been widely used to protect rice plants from rice blast and the bacterial blight pathogen. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was utilized to identify a total of 40 protein spots including 9 protein spots that are up-regulated by PBZ and 31 abundant protein spots. A total of 11 unique proteins from these 9 spots were identified by LC-MS/MS, and the majority of them were classified and/or possessed orthologs in defense-related functions. Five protein spots with only one protein species identified in each spot appear to be PBZ-regulated proteins. They are a putative glutathione S-transferase GSTU17, a putative phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, XP_466843), a putative caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT), a putative NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase, and a putative glucose-1-phosphate adenyltransferase. However, the other six protein species identified from the remaining four protein spots could not be conclusively described as PBZ-regulated proteins due to either the co-migration of two protein species in one spot or the presence of one protein species in two spots. Through real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), it was determined that PAL (XP_466843) is likely regulated at the protein level, whereas GSTU17 and COMT were regulated at the mRNA level after PBZ application. Interestingly, the mRNA transcripts of two PAL paralogs were found to be up-regulated by PBZ. We propose that PAL, COMT, and GSTU17 are likely to confer PBZ-induced disease resistance via such functions as biosynthesis and transport of flavonoid-type phytoalexin and/or lignin biogenesis.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a glutathione S-transferase from Xylella fastidiosa

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) form a group of multifunctional isoenzymes that catalyze the glutathione-dependent conjugation and reduction reactions involved in the cellular detoxification of xenobiotic and endobiotic compounds. GST from Xylella fastidiosa (xfGST) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by conventional affinity chromatography. In this study, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of xfGST is described. The purified protein was crystallized by the vapour-diffusion method, producing crystals that belonged to the triclinic space group P1. The unit-cell parameters were a = 47.73, b = 87.73, c = 90.74 A, alpha = 63.45, beta = 80.66, gamma = 94.55 degrees. xfGST crystals diffracted to 2.23 A resolution on a rotating-anode X-ray source.

Glutathione transferases from parasites: a biochemical view

The glutathione transferase (GST) system of parasites represents the main detoxification mechanism of hydrophobic and electrophilic compounds. Parasites lack the CYP450 activity, hence part of its function has been taken over by other enzymes including GSTs. Cytosolic GSTs (cGSTs) are found in this system and constitute a versatile and numerous group that in parasites display many peculiarities in contrast to mammalian cGSTs. This review summarizes aspects of the biochemistry of parasite cGSTs such as substrate specificities, inhibitor sensitivities, classification, kinetics and catalysis, as well as some aspects of their protective role.

[Expression of glutathione S-transferase-aquaporin 1 carboxyl terminal domain fusion protein in Escherchia coli]

We constructed a recombinant plasmid of water channel protein Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) carboxyl terminal domain (DNA sequence from 700bp-801bp) in pGEX-4T-1 vector and express the carboxyl terminal hydrophilic peptide AQP1 in E. coli. In this study, the DNA sequence of AQP1 hydrophilic peptide was amplified by PCR and was cloned into pGEX-4T-1 expression vector. After identified by restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing, the recombinant clone was transformed into the competent expression cells of E. coli BL21. The GST-AQP1 fusion protein was induced by IPTG and further purified by Glutathione Sepharose 4B to obtain a fusion protein with molecular weight of 30KD. So the fusion protein of AQP1 C-terminal hydrophilic peptide combined with GST was successfully expressed and purified. We set up important bases for the further research in AQP1 gene function.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus orf25 encodes a 30kDa late protein in the infection cycle

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf25 gene was characterized for the first time. The coding sequence of Bm25 was amplified and subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-2 to produce glutathione S-transferase-tagged fusion protein in the BL21 (DE3) cells. The GST-Bm25 fusion protein was expressed efficiently after induction with IPTG. The purified fusion protein was used to immunize New Zealand white rabbits to prepare polyclonal antibody. Temporal expression analysis revealed a 30-kDa protein, which was detected beginning 24 hours post-infection using a polyclonal antibody against GST-Bm25 fusion protein. The transcript of Bm25 was detected by RT-PCR at 18-72 h p.i. In conclusion, the available data suggest that Bm25 encodes a 30kDa protein expressed in the late stage of infection cycle.

High mobility group proteins stimulate DNA cleavage by apoptotic endonuclease DFF40/CAD due to HMG-box interactions with DNA

The DFF40/CAD endonuclease is primarily responsible for internucleosomal DNA cleavage during the terminal stages of apoptosis. It has been previously demonstrated that the major HMG-box-containing chromatin proteins HMGB1 and HMGB2 stimulate naked DNA cleavage by DFF40/CAD. Here we investigate the mechanism of this stimulation and show that HMGB1 neither binds to DFF40/CAD nor enhances its ability for stable binding to DNA. Comparison of the stimulatory activities of different truncated forms of HMGB1 protein indicates that a structural array of two HMG-boxes is required for such stimulation. HMG-boxes are known to confer specific local distortions of DNA structure upon binding. Interestingly, the presence of DNA strand cross-links formed by cisplatin or transplatin, which may somehow mimic distortions induced by HMG-boxes, also affects DNA cleavage by the nuclease. The data presented suggest that changes induced in DNA conformation upon HMG-box binding makes the substrate more accessible to cleavage by DFF40/CAD nuclease and thus may contribute to preferential linker DNA cleavage during apoptosis.

Characterization of cytosolic glutathione S-transferases in striped bass (Morone saxitilis)

Electrophilic compounds are ubiquitous in the environment and aquatic life is inevitably affected. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a class of enzymes that facilitate the detoxification of these electrophiles in phase II metabolism. In this study, cytosolic GSTs were isolated and characterized from striped bass liver (Morone saxitilis). Nanospray liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to elucidate peptide sequences, and the proteins were found to have homology to rho and alpha by searching against the NCBI non-redundant database (nrDB). Catalytic activities of the cytosolic GSTs towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) were determined to be 141+/-34 and 155+/-65nmol/min/mg for males and females, respectively (both n=3). However, sex differences in classes expressed and activity toward CDNB were not statistically significant (p>0.05).

Preparation, analysis and use of an affinity adsorbent for the purification of GST fusion protein

Methods are presented for the preparation, ligand density analysis and use of an affinity adsorbent for the purification of a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein in packed and expanded bed chromatographic processes. The protein is composed of GST fused to a zinc finger transcription factor (ZnF). Glutathione, the affinity ligand for GST purification, is covalently immobilized to a solid-phase adsorbent (Streamline). The GST-ZnF fusion protein displays a dissociation constant of 0.6 x 10(-6) M to glutathione immobilized to Streamline. Ligand density optimization, fusion protein elution conditions (pH and glutathione concentration) and ligand orientation are briefly discussed.

Plasmid DNA purification via the use of a dual affinity protein

Methods are presented for the production, affinity purification and analysis of plasmid DNA (pDNA). Batch fermentation is used for the production of the pDNA, and expanded bed chromatography, via the use of a dual affinity glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein, is used for the capture and purification of the pDNA. The protein is composed of GST, which displays affinity for glutathione immobilized to a solid-phase adsorbent, fused to a zinc finger transcription factor, which displays affinity for a target 9-base pair sequence contained within the target pDNA. A Picogreen fluorescence assay and/or an ethidium bromide agarose gel electrophoresis assay can be used to analyze the eluted pDNA.

Purification and partial characterization of glutathione transferase from the teleost Monopterus albus

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) catalyze the transfer of glutathione to a variety of xenobiotic and toxic endogenous compounds. GSTs are phase II biotransformation enzymes and are proposed as biomarkers of environmental pollution. In this study, a cytosolic glutathione transferase (maGST) was purified from liver of the freshwater fish Monopterus albus by affinity chromatography. The maGST appeared to be a homodimer composed of two subunits each with a molecular weight of 26 kDa. This maGST showed high activity towards the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl). Kinetic analysis with CDNB as substrate revealed a K(m) of 0.28 mM and V(max) of 15.68 micromol/min per mg of protein. It had maximum activity in the pH range 7.0-7.5, a broad optimum T(m) range of 30 degrees C-55 degrees C, and a high thermal stability with 77% of its initial activity at 45 degrees C. This high thermal stability of maGST could be related to the physiological adaptation of M. albus to high temperatures in tropical and subtropical environments.

Purification, molecular cloning, and characterization of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) from pigmented Vitis vinifera L. cell suspension cultures as putative anthocyanin transport proteins

The ligandin activity of specific glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) is necessary for the transport of anthocyanins from the cytosol to the plant vacuole. Five GSTs were purified from Vitis vinifera L. cv. Gamay Fréaux cell suspension cultures by glutathione affinity chromatography. These proteins underwent Edman sequencing and mass spectrometry fingerprinting, with the resultant fragments aligned with predicted GSTs within public databases. The corresponding coding sequences were cloned, with heterologous expression in Escherichia coli used to confirm GST activity. Transcriptional profiling of these candidate GST genes and key anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway genes (PAL, CHS, DFR, and UFGT) in cell suspensions and grape berries against anthocyanin accumulation demonstrated strong positive correlation with two sequences, VvGST1 and VvGST4, respectively. The ability of VvGST1 and VvGST4 to transport anthocyanins was confirmed in the heterologous maize bronze-2 complementation model, providing further evidence for their function as anthocyanin transport proteins in grape cells. Furthermore, the differential induction of VvGST1 and VvGST4 in suspension cells and grape berries suggests functional differences between these two proteins. Further investigation of these candidate ligandins may identify a mechanism for manipulating anthocyanin accumulation in planta and in vitro suspension cells.

Expression, purification and functional analysis of hexahistidine-tagged human glutathione S-transferase P1-1 and its cysteinyl mutants

The bacterial expression and purification of human glutathione S-transferase P1-1(hGST P1-1), as a hexahistidine-tagged polypeptide was performed. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to construct mutants in which alanine replaced two (C47A/C101A), three (C14A/C47A/C101A) or all four (C14A/C47A/ C101A/C169A) cysteine residues using the plasmid for the wild type enzyme. Analysis of their catalytic activities and kinetic parameters suggested that cysteins are not essential for the catalytic activity but may contribute to some extent to the catalytic efficiency. Moreover, on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under nonreducing conditions, hexahistidine-tagged hGST P1-1 (His(6)-hGST P1-1) treated with 1 mM H(2)O(2) showed at least three extra bands, in addition to the native His(6)-hGST P1-1 subunit band. These extra bands were not detected in the cysteinyl mutants. Thus, it indicated that disulfide bonds were formed mainly within subunits between cysteine residues, causing an apparent reduction in molecular weight, only small amounts of binding between subunits being observed.

Glutathione S-transferases in Festuca arundinacea: identification, characterization and inducibility by safener benoxacor

Over recent years it has emerged how certain no crop-species can be employed in phytoremediating contaminated soils or preventing herbicide pollution; in this contest Festuca arundinacea was investigated. Shoots of Festuca were submitted to fast protein liquid chromatography in order to identify their glutathione S-transferases (GST; EC 2.5.1.18), by a combination of anionic, affinity and RP-HPLC chromatography. The chromatographic procedure revealed satisfactory yield and four GSTs were identified: they were named FaGST I, FaGST II, FaGST III and FaGST IV. Among these, significant differences were observed in the chromatographic behaviours, structure, activity toward a "model" substrate, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, and responsiveness to the herbicide safener benoxacor. FaGST I showed the highest activity toward the above substrate, and this activity was up-regulated by the herbicide safener. Therefore, FaGST I was purified till homogeneity and was determined to be an heterodimer consisting of two subunits of 28.0 and 27.2kDa. Each subunit of FaGST I was further characterized by means of LC-ESI-MS/MS and immunoblotting analysis, which revealed that both the subunits belong to the tau subclass.

Support vector machine based prediction of glutathione S-transferase proteins

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) proteins play vital role in living organism that includes detoxification of exogenous and endogenous chemicals, survivability during stress condition. This paper describes a method developed for predicting GST proteins. We have used a dataset of 107 GST and 107 non-GST proteins for training and the performance of the method was evaluated with five-fold cross-validation technique. First a SVM based method has been developed using amino acid and dipeptide composition and achieved the maximum accuracy of 91.59% and 95.79% respectively. In addition we developed a SVM based method using tripeptide composition and achieved maximum accuracy 97.66% which is better than accuracy achieved by HMM based searching (96.26%). Based on above study a web-server GSTPred has been developed (http://www.imtech.res.in/raghava/gstpred/).

Sequence, biochemical characteristics and expression of a novel Sigma-class of glutathione S-transferase from the intertidal copepod, Tigriopus japonicus with a possible role in antioxidant defense

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play a major role in detoxification of xenobiotics and antioxidant defense. Here we report full-length cDNA sequence of a novel Sigma-class of GST (GST-S) from the intertidal copepod Tigriopus japonicus. The full sequence was of 1,136 bp in length containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 651 bp that encoded 217 amino acid residues. The recombinant Tigriopus GST-S was highly expressed in transformed Escherichia coli. Kinetic properties and effects of pH, temperature and chemical inhibitors on Tigriopus GST-S were also studied. The expression of GST-S was studied using real-time RT-PCR in response to exposure to two oxidative stresses-inducing agents, viz., hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and heavy metals (copper, manganese). It was observed that H(2)O(2) (2mM) exposure down-regulated its expression at the initial stage but there was recovery and up-regulation shortly afterwards. In case of heavy metal exposure there was concentration-dependent increase in Tigriopus GST-S gene expression up to 24h. These results suggest that Tigriopus GST-S expression is modulated by prooxidant chemicals and it may play a role against oxidative stress. A majority of other GST isoforms is known to play an important role in antioxidant defense. This study provides a preliminary insight into the possible antioxidant role for Sigma-class of GST in T. japonicus.

The Aedes aegypti glutathione transferase family

In this report, we describe the glutathione transferase (GST) gene family in the dengue vector Aedes aegypti and suggest a novel role for a new class of mosquito GSTs. Twenty-six GST genes are present in Ae. aegypti, two of which are alternatively spliced to give a total of 29 transcripts for cytosolic GSTs. The six classes identified in other insect species are all represented and, as in Anopheles gambiae, the majority of the mosquito GSTs belong to the insect-specific Delta and Epsilon classes with eight members each. Sixteen secure 1:1 orthologs were identified between GSTs in Ae. aegypti and An. gambiae, but only four of these have recognisable orthologs in Drosophila melanogaster. Three mosquito-specific GSTs were identified which did not belong to any previously recognised GST classes. One of these, GSTx2, has been previously implicated in conferring 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) resistance in Ae. aegypti from South America. However, we found no evidence for increased levels of this GST protein in DDT/pyrethroid-resistant populations from Thailand. Furthermore, we show that the recombinant GSTX2-2 protein is unable to metabolise DDT. Interestingly, GSTX2-2 showed an affinity for hematin, and this, together with the restricted distribution of this class to haematophagous insects, may indicate a role for these enzymes in protecting mosquitoes against heme toxicity during blood feeding.

Oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans: protective effects of the Omega class glutathione transferase (GSTO-1)

To elucidate the function of Omega class glutathione transferases (GSTs) (EC 2.5.1.18) in multicellular organisms, the GSTO-1 from Caenorhabditis elegans (GSTO-1; C29E4.7) was investigated. Disc diffusion assays using Escherichia coli overexpressing GSTO-1 provided a test of resistance to long-term exposure under oxidative stress. After affinity purification, the recombinant GSTO-1 had minimal catalytic activity toward classic GST substrates but displayed significant thiol oxidoreductase and dehydroascorbate reductase activity. Microinjection of the GSTO-1-promoter green fluorescent protein construct and immunolocalization by electron microscopy localized the protein exclusively in the intestine of all postembryonic stages of C. elegans. Deletion analysis identified an approximately 300-nucleotide sequence upstream of the ATG start site necessary for GSTO-1 expression. Site-specific mutagenesis of a GATA transcription factor binding motif in the minimal promoter led to the loss of reporter expression. Similarly, RNA interference (RNAi) of Elt-2 indicated the involvement of this gut-specific transcription factor in GSTO-1 expression. Transcriptional up-regulation under stress conditions of GSTO-1 was confirmed by analyzing promoter-reporter constructs in transgenic C. elegans strains. To investigate the function of GSTO-1 in vivo, transgenic animals overexpressing GSTO-1 were generated exhibiting an increased resistance to juglone-, paraquat-, and cumene hydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress. Specific silencing of the GSTO-1 by RNAi created worms with an increased sensitivity to several prooxidants, arsenite, and heat shock. We conclude that the stress-responsive GSTO-1 plays a key role in counteracting environmental stress.

A phi class glutathione S-transferase from Oryza sativa (OsGSTF5): molecular cloning, expression and biochemical characteristics

A glutathione S-transferase (GST) related to the phi (F) class of enzymes only found in plants has been cloned from the Oryza sativa. The GST cDNA was cloned by PCR using oligonucleotide primers based on the OsGSTF5 (GenBank Accession No. AF309382) sequences. The cDNA was composed of a 669-bp open reading frame encoding for 223 amino acids. The deduced peptide of this gene shared on overall identity of 75% with other known phi class GST sequences. On the other hands, the OsGSTF5 sequence showed only 34% identity with the sequence of the OsGSTF3 cloned by our previous study (Cho et al., 2005). This gene was expressed in Escherichia coli with the pET vector system and the gene product was purified to homogeneity by GSH-Sepharose affinity column chromatography. The expressed OsGSTF5 formed a homo-dimer composed of 28 kDa subunit and its pI value was approximately 7.8. The expressed OsGSTF5 displayed glutathione conjugation activity toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane and glutathione peroxidase activity toward cumene hydroperoxide. The OsGSTF5 also had high activities towards the herbicides alachlor, atrazine and metolachlor. The OsGSTF5 was highly sensitive to inhibition by ShexylGSH, benastatin A and hematin. We propose from these results that the expressed OsGSTF5 is a phi class GST and appears to play a role in the conjugation of herbicide and GPOX activity.

Discovery of glutathione S-transferase inhibitors using dynamic combinatorial chemistry

Protein-directed dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) relies on reversible chemical reactions that can function under the near-physiological conditions required by the biological target. Few classes of reaction have so far proven effective at generating dynamic combinatorial libraries (DCLs) under such constraints. In this study, we establish the conjugate addition of thiols to enones as a reaction well-suited for the synthesis of dynamic combinatorial libraries (DCLs) directed by the active site of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST). The reaction is fast, freely reversible at basic pH, and easily interfaced with the protein, which is a target for the design of inhibitors in cancer therapy and the treatment of parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis. We have synthesized DCLs based on glutathione (GSH, 1) and the enone ethacrynic acid, 2a. By varying either set of components, we can choose to probe either the GSH binding region ("G site") or the adjacent hydrophobic acceptor binding region ("H site") of the GST active site. In both cases the strongest binding DCL components are identified due to molecular amplification by GST which, in the latter system, leads to the identification of two new inhibitors for the GST enzyme.

A functionally conserved basic residue in glutathione transferases interacts with the glycine moiety of glutathione and is pivotal for enzyme catalysis

The present study characterized conserved residues in a GST (glutathione transferase) in the active-site region that interacts with glutathione. This region of the active site is near the glycine moiety of glutathione and consists of a hydrogen bond network. In the GSTD (Delta class GST) studied, adGSTD4-4, the network consisted of His(38), Met(39), Asn(47), Gln(49), His(50) and Cys(51). In addition to contributing to glutathione binding, this region also had major effects on enzyme catalysis, as shown by changes in kinetic parameters and substrate-specific activity. The results also suggest that the electron distribution of this network plays a role in stabilization of the ionized thiol of glutathione as well as impacting on the catalytic rate-limiting step. This area constitutes a second glutathione active-site network involved in glutathione ionization distinct from a network previously observed interacting with the glutamyl end of glutathione. This second network also appears to be functionally conserved in GSTs. In the present study, His(50) is the key basic residue stabilized by this network, as shown by up to a 300-fold decrease in k(cat) and 5200-fold decrease in k(cat)/K(m) for glutathione. Although these network residues have a minor role in structural integrity, the replaced residues induced changes in active-site topography as well as generating positive co-operativity towards glutathione. Moreover, this network at the glycine moiety of GSH (glutathione) also contributed to the 'base-assisted deprotonation model' for GSH ionization. Taken together, the results indicate a critical role for the functionally conserved basic residue His(50) and this hydrogen bond network in the active site.

Characterization of Taenia solium cysticerci microsomal glutathione S-transferase activity

Glutathione S-transferase activity has been shown to be associated with the microsomal fraction of Taenia solium. Electron microscopy and subcellular enzyme markers indicate the purity of the microsomal fraction that contains the glutathione S-transferase activity. T. solium microsomes were solubilized under conditions used to solubilize integral microsomal proteins. This procedure proved necessary to obtain enzymatic activity. To characterize this parasite enzyme activity, several substrates and inhibitors were used. The optimum activity for microsomal glutathione S-transferase was found to be pH 6.6, with a specific enzyme activity of 0.9, 0.1, 0.067, 0.03, and 0.05 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) with the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene, 4-hydroxynonenal, 2,4-hexadienal, and trans-2-nonenal, respectively. No activity of glutathione peroxidase was observed. T. solium microsomes had an appKm (GSH)=0.161 microM, appKm (CDNB)=14.5 microM, and appVmax of 0.15 and 27.9 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) for GSH and CDNB, respectively. T. solium microsomes were inhibited by several glutathione S-transferase enzyme inhibitors, and it was possible to establish a simple inhibition system as well as corresponding Ki's for each inhibitor. These results indicate that the T. solium microsomal glutathione S-transferase is different from the parasite cytoplasmic enzymes that catalyze similar reactions.

An NMR-based antagonist induced dissociation assay for targeting the ligand-protein and protein-protein interactions in competition binding experiments

We present an NMR-based antagonist induced dissociation assay (AIDA) for validation of inhibitor action on protein-protein interactions. As opposed to many standard NMR methods, AIDA directly validates the inhibitor potency in an in vitro NMR competition binding experiment. AIDA requires a large protein fragment (larger than 30 kDa) to bind to a small reporter protein (less than 20 kDa). We show here that a small fragment of a protein fused to glutathione S-transferase (GST) can effectively substitute the large protein component. We successfully used a GST-tagged N-terminal 73-residue p53 domain for binding studies with the human MDM2 protein. Other interactions we studied involved complexes of CDK2, cyclin A, p27, and the retinoblastoma protein. All these proteins play a key role in the cell division cycle, are associated with tumorigenesis, and are thus the subject of anticancer therapy strategies.

Novel class of glutathione transferases from cyanobacteria exhibit high catalytic activities towards naturally occurring isothiocyanates

In the present paper, we report a novel class of GSTs (glutathione transferases), called the Chi class, originating from cyanobacteria and with properties not observed previously in prokaryotic enzymes. GSTs constitute a widespread multifunctional group of proteins, of which mammalian enzymes are the best characterized. Although GSTs have their origin in prokaryotes, few bacterial representatives have been characterized in detail, and the catalytic activities and substrate specificities observed have generally been very modest. The few well-studied bacterial GSTs have largely unknown physiological functions. Genome databases reveal that cyanobacteria have an extensive arsenal of glutathione-associated proteins. We have studied two cyanobacterial GSTs which are the first examples of bacterial enzymes that are as catalytically efficient as the best mammalian enzymes. GSTs from the thermophile Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1 and from Synechococcus elongatus PCC 6301 were found to catalyse the conjugation of naturally occurring plant-derived isothiocyanates to glutathione at high rates. The cyanobacterial GSTs studied are smaller than previously described members of this enzyme family, but display many of the typical structural features that are characteristics of GSTs. They are also active towards several classical substrates, but at the same moderate rates that have been observed for other GSTs derived from prokaryotes. The cloning, expression and characterization of two cyanobacterial GSTs are described. The possible significance of the observed catalytic properties is discussed in the context of physiological relevance and GST evolution.

Novel site-specific immobilization of a functional protein using a preferred substrate sequence for transglutaminase 2

Transglutaminase (TGase) catalyzes the formation of a covalent cross-link between a peptide-bound glutamine residue and a lysine residue or primary amine. We have recently identified specific preferred sequences as glutamine-donor substrates in TGase 2 and Factor XIII reactions. By taking advantage of preference of the 12-amino acid sequence for the enzymatic reaction, an efficient immobilization method was established using two different model proteins, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and single-chain fragment antibody (scFv). Both proteins were genetically attached with the preferred substrate sequence to produce a fusion protein. Attachment of the sequence enables the recombinant proteins to act as prominent TGase-substrates and enables them to be immobilized onto chemically amine-terminated gels. Investigation of the biological activities of the two proteins demonstrated their effective immobilization in comparison with that by using a chemically immobilizing method. This established system, which we designated as Transglutaminase-mediated site-specific immobilization method (TRANSIM), would provide site-specific and biologically active conjugation between proteins and several non-protein materials.

The structure of membrane associated proteins in eicosanoid and glutathione metabolism as determined by electron crystallography

Membrane associated proteins in eicosanoid and glutathione metabolism (MAPEG) are involved in biosynthesis of arachidonic-derived mediators of pain, fever, and inflammation as well as in biotransformation and detoxification of electrophilic substances. Structure determination of microsomal glutathione transferase 1 using electron crystallography has provided the first atomic model of an MAPEG member. The homotrimer consists of three repeats of a four-helix transmembrane bundle with the largest extramembranous domain connecting the first and second helix and with a short proline rich loop on the same side between helices three and four. Residues of importance for intramolecular or intermolecular contacts as well as for stabilizing the active site have been identified and the results can be applied for interpreting structure-function relationship for similar MAPEG members.

Functional Promiscuity Correlates with Conformational Heterogeneity in A-class Glutathione S-Transferases

The structurally related glutathione S-transferase isoforms GSTA1-1 and GSTA4-4 differ greatly in their relative catalytic promiscuity. GSTA1-1 is a highly promiscuous detoxification enzyme. In contrast, GSTA4-4 exhibits selectivity for congeners of the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal. The contribution of protein dynamics to promiscuity has not been studied. Therefore, hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (H/DX) and fluorescence lifetime distribution analysis were performed with glutathione S-transferases A1-1 and A4-4. Differences in local dynamics of the C-terminal helix were evident as expected on the basis of previous studies. However, H/DX demonstrated significantly greater solvent accessibility throughout most of the GSTA1-1 sequence compared with GSTA4-4. A Phe-111/Tyr-217 aromatic-aromatic interaction in A4-4, which is not present in A1-1, was hypothesized to increase core packing. "Swap" mutants that eliminate this interaction from A4-4 or incorporate it into A1-1 yield H/DX behavior that is intermediate between the wild type templates. In addition, the single Trp-21 residue of each isoform was exploited to probe the conformational heterogeneity at the intrasubunit domain-domain interface. Excited state fluorescence lifetime distribution analysis indicates that this core residue is more conformationally heterogeneous in GSTA1-1 than in GSTA4-4, and this correlates with greater stability toward urea denaturation for GSTA4-4. The fluorescence distribution and urea sensitivity of the mutant proteins were intermediate between the wild type templates. The results suggest that the differences in protein dynamics of these homologs are global. The results suggest also the possible importance of extensive conformational plasticity to achieve high levels of functional promiscuity, possibly at the cost of stability.

Colorimetric endpoint assay for enzyme-catalyzed iodide ion release for high-throughput screening in microtiter plates

Efforts are being made to engineer enzymes with enhanced activities against haloalkanes, a toxicologically important class of compounds widely used and frequently occurring in the environment. Here we describe a facile, inexpensive, and robust method for the screening of libraries of mutated enzymes with iodoalkane substrates. Iodide formed in the enzymatic reaction is oxidized to iodine, which in the presence of starch gives blue color that can be measured at 610nm or scored with the human eye. The assay can be performed with enzymes in crude cell lysates in 96-wells microtiter plates. Expression clones of several glutathione transferases showed diverse activities with different iodoalkanes, and a mutant library of human glutathione transferase A1-1 expressed variants with enhanced substrate selectivities.

Plasmodium vivax: Molecular cloning, expression and characterization of glutathione S-transferase

Malaria parasite glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are postulated to be essential for parasite survival by protecting the parasite against oxidative stress and buffering the detoxification of heme-binding compounds; therefore, GSTs are considered potential targets for drug development. In this study, we identified a Plasmodium vivax gene encoding GST (PvGST) and characterized the biochemical properties of the recombinant enzyme. The PvGST contained 618 bp that encoded 205 amino acids and shared a significant degree of sequence identity with GSTs from other Plasmodium species. The recombinant homodimeric enzyme had an approximate molecular mass of 50kDa and exhibited GSH-conjugating and GSH-peroxidase activities towards various model substrates. The optimal pH for recombinant PvGST (rPvGST) activity was pH 8.0, and the enzyme was moderately unstable at 37 degrees C. The K(m) values of rPvGST with respect to GSH and CDNB were 0.17+/-0.09 and 2.1+/-0.4mM, respectively. The significant sequence homology and similar biochemical properties of PvGST and Plasmodium falciparum GST (PfGST) indicate that they may have similar molecular structures. This information may be useful for the design of specific inhibitors for plasmodial GSTs as potential antimalarial drugs.

Glutathione S-transferase conjugation of organophosphorus pesticides yields S-phospho-, S-aryl-, and S-alkylglutathione derivatives

Pesticide detoxification is a central feature of selective toxicity and safety evaluation. Two of the principal enzymes involved are GSH S-transferases (GSTs) and cytochrome P450s acting alone and together. More than 100 pesticides are organophosphorus (OP) compounds, but with few exceptions, their GSH conjugates have not been directly observed in vitro or in vivo. The major insecticides chlorpyrifos (CP) and diazinon are of particular interest as multifunctional substrates with diverse metabolites, while ClP(S)(OEt) 2 and the cotton defoliant tribufos are possible precursors of phosphorylated GSH conjugates. Formation of GSH conjugates by GST with GSH was studied in vitro with and without metabolic activation by human liver microsomes or P450 3A4 with NADPH. Metabolites were analyzed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). Five GSH conjugates were identified from CP and chlorpyrifos oxon (CPO), i.e., GSCP and GSCPO in which the 6-chloro substituent of CP and CPO, respectively, is displaced by GSH; S-(3,5,6-trichloropyridin-2-yl)glutathione; S-(3,5-dichloro-6-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)glutathione; and S-ethylglutathione. GST of a human liver microsomal preparation but not P450 3A4 with GSH metabolized CP to GSCP. With GST and GSH, diazinon and diazoxon gave S-(2-isopropyl-4-methylpyrimidin-6-yl)glutathione and ClP(S)(OEt) 2 yielded GSP(S)(OEt) 2. With microsomes, NADPH, GST, and GSH tribufos gave GSP(O)(SBu) 2. The liver of intraperitoneally treated mice contained GSCP from CP, GSP(S)(OEt) 2 from ClP(S)(OEt) 2, and GSP(O)(SBu) 2 from tribufos. GSP(S)(OEt) 2 and GSP(O)(SBu) 2 are the first S-phosphoglutathione metabolites observed in vitro and in vivo directly by LC-ESI-MS. Nine other OP pesticides gave only O-dealkylation in the GST/GSH system. GST-catalyzed metabolism joins P450s and hydrolases as important contributors to OP detoxification.

Molecular cloning and enzymatic characterization of a class mu glutathione S-transferase of Paragonimus westermani

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a component of a second line of defense against bioreactive radicals derived from host immune attack. Paragonimus westermani causes acute or chronic lung diseases in mammals. A cDNA clone, PwGST#11, of adult P. westermani produced in the present study was 748 bp long and encoded an open reading frame of 217 amino acids with a starting methionine. The molecular mass of this putative polypeptide, Pw26GST, was estimated to be 25.1 kDa with an isoelectric point of 5.7. Pw26GST was homologous with the 26-kDa GSTs of trematodes and vertebrates. Nine of the ten amino acid residues lining the glutathione-binding pocket were conserved. Putative Pw26GST polypeptide was clustered with 26-kDa GSTs of trematodes belonging to the class mu. Recombinant Pw26GST protein generated bacterially, revealed GST enzyme activity toward an universal and class mu-specific substrates. Mouse antisera to recombinant Pw26GST protein recognized native 26-kDa GST of P. westermani but not the GSTs of any other trematodes. Collectively, Pw26GST was found to be a member of class mu GSTs of P. westermani.

Structural basis for synthesis of inflammatory mediators by human leukotriene C4 synthase

Cysteinyl leukotrienes are key mediators in inflammation and have an important role in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, in particular bronchial asthma. In the biosynthesis of cysteinyl leukotrienes, conversion of arachidonic acid forms the unstable epoxide leukotriene A4 (LTA4). This intermediate is conjugated with glutathione (GSH) to produce leukotriene C4 (LTC4) in a reaction catalysed by LTC4 synthase: this reaction is the key step in cysteinyl leukotriene formation. Here we present the crystal structure of the human LTC4 synthase in its apo and GSH-complexed forms to 2.00 and 2.15 A resolution, respectively. The structure reveals a homotrimer, where each monomer is composed of four transmembrane segments. The structure of the enzyme in complex with substrate reveals that the active site enforces a horseshoe-shaped conformation on GSH, and effectively positions the thiol group for activation by a nearby arginine at the membrane-enzyme interface. In addition, the structure provides a model for how the omega-end of the lipophilic co-substrate is pinned at one end of a hydrophobic cleft, providing a molecular 'ruler' to align the reactive epoxide at the thiol of glutathione. This provides new structural insights into the mechanism of LTC4 formation, and also suggests that the observed binding and activation of GSH might be common for a family of homologous proteins important for inflammatory and detoxification responses.

Crystal structure of a human membrane protein involved in cysteinyl leukotriene biosynthesis

The cysteinyl leukotrienes, namely leukotriene (LT)C4 and its metabolites LTD4 and LTE4, the components of slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis, are lipid mediators of smooth muscle constriction and inflammation, particularly implicated in bronchial asthma. LTC4 synthase (LTC4S), the pivotal enzyme for the biosynthesis of LTC4 (ref. 10), is an 18-kDa integral nuclear membrane protein that belongs to a superfamily of membrane-associated proteins in eicosanoid and glutathione metabolism that includes 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein, microsomal glutathione S-transferases (MGSTs), and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 (ref. 13). LTC4S conjugates glutathione to LTA4, the endogenous substrate derived from arachidonic acid through the 5-lipoxygenase pathway. In contrast with MGST2 and MGST3 (refs 15, 16), LTC4S does not conjugate glutathione to xenobiotics. Here we show the atomic structure of human LTC4S in a complex with glutathione at 3.3 A resolution by X-ray crystallography and provide insights into the high substrate specificity for glutathione and LTA4 that distinguishes LTC4S from other MGSTs. The LTC4S monomer has four transmembrane alpha-helices and forms a threefold symmetric trimer as a unit with functional domains across each interface. Glutathione resides in a U-shaped conformation within an interface between adjacent monomers, and this binding is stabilized by a loop structure at the top of the interface. LTA4 would fit into the interface so that Arg 104 of one monomer activates glutathione to provide the thiolate anion that attacks C6 of LTA4 to form a thioether bond, and Arg 31 in the neighbouring monomer donates a proton to form a hydroxyl group at C5, resulting in 5(S)-hydroxy-6(R)-S-glutathionyl-7,9-trans-11,14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid (LTC4). These findings provide a structural basis for the development of LTC4S inhibitors for a proinflammatory pathway mediated by three cysteinyl leukotriene ligands whose stability and potency are different and by multiple cysteinyl leukotriene receptors whose functions may be non-redundant.

X-ray structures of Na-GST-1 and Na-GST-2 two glutathione S-transferase from the human hookworm Necator americanus

BACKGROUND

Human hookworm infection is a major cause of anemia and malnutrition of adults and children in the developing world. As part of on-going efforts to control hookworm infection, The Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative has identified candidate vaccine antigens from the infective L3 larval stages and adult stages of the parasite. Adult stage antigens include the cytosolic glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs). Nematode GSTs facilitate the inactivation and degradation of a variety of electrophilic substrates (drugs) via the nucleophilic addition of reduced glutathione. Parasite GSTs also play significant roles in multi-drug resistance and the modulation of host-immune defense mechanisms.

RESULTS

The crystal structures of Na-GST-1 and Na-GST-2, two major GSTs from Necator americanus the main human hookworm parasite, have been solved at the resolution limits of 2.4 A and 1.9 A respectively. The structure of Na-GST-1 was refined to R-factor 18.9% (R-free 28.3%) while that of Na-GST-2 was refined to R-factor 17.1% (R-free 21.7%). Glutathione usurped during the fermentation process in bound in the glutathione binding site (G-site) of each monomer of Na-GST-2. Na-GST-1 is uncomplexed and its G-site is abrogated by Gln 50. These first structures of human hookworm parasite GSTs could aid the design of novel hookworm drugs.

CONCLUSION

The 3-dimensional structures of Na-GST-1 and Na-GST-2 show two views of human hookworm GSTs. While the GST-complex structure of Na-GST-2 reveals a typical GST G-site that of Na-GST-1 suggests that there is some conformational flexibility required in order to bind the substrate GST. In addition, the overall binding cavities for both are larger, more open, as well as more accessible to diverse ligands than those of GSTs from organisms that have other major detoxifying mechanisms. The results from this study could aid in the design of novel drugs and vaccine antigens.

2-Hydroxychromene-2-carboxylic acid isomerase: a kappa class glutathione transferase from Pseudomonas putida

The enzyme 2-hydroxychromene-2-carboxylic acid (HCCA) isomerase catalyzes the glutathione (GSH)-dependent interconversion (Keq = 1.5) of HCCA and trans-o-hydroxybenzylidene pyruvic acid (tHBPA) in the naphthalene catabolic pathway of Pseudomonas putida. The dimeric protein binds one molecule of GSH very tightly (Kd approximately 5 nM) and a second molecule of GSH with much lower affinity (Kd approximately 2 to 11 microM). The enzyme is unstable in the absence of GSH. The turnover number in the forward direction (47 s(-1) at 25 degrees C) greatly exceeds off rates for GSH (koff approximately 10(-3) to 10(-2) s(-1) at 10 degrees C), suggesting that GSH acts as a tightly bound cofactor in the reaction. The crystal structure of the enzyme at 1.7 A resolution reveals that the isomerase is closely related to class kappa GSH transferases. Diffraction quality crystals could only be obtained in the presence of GSH and HCCA/tHBPA. Clear electron density is seen for GSH. Electron density for the organic substrates is located near the GSH and is best modeled to include both HCCA and tHBPA at occupancies of 0.5 for each. Although there is no electron density connecting the sulfur of GSH to the organic substrates, the sulfur is located very close (2.78 A) to C7 of HCCA. Taken together, the results suggest that the isomerization reaction involves a short-lived covalent adduct between the sulfur of GSH and C7 of the substrate.

Protein targets of reactive electrophiles in human liver microsomes

Liver microsomes are widely used to study xenobiotic metabolism in vitro, and covalent binding to microsomal proteins serves as a surrogate marker for toxicity mediated by reactive metabolites. We have applied liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) to identify protein targets of the biotin-tagged model electrophiles 1-biotinamido-4-(4'-[maleimidoethylcyclohexane]-carboxamido)butane (BMCC) and N-iodoacetyl-N-biotinylhexylenediamine (IAB) in human liver microsomes. The biotin-tagged peptides resulting from in-gel tryptic digestion were enriched by biotin-avidin chromatography and LC-MS-MS was used to identify 376 microsomal cysteine thiol targets of BMCC and IAB in 263 proteins. Protein adduction was selective and reproducible, and only 90 specific cysteine sites in 70 proteins (approximately 25% of the total) were adducted by both electrophiles. Differences in adduction selectivity correlated with different biological effects of the compounds, as IAB- but not BMCC-induced ER stress in HEK293 cells. Targeted LC-MS-MS analysis of microsomal glutathione-S-transferase cysteine 50, a target of both IAB and BMCC, detected time-dependent adduction by the reactive acetaminophen metabolite N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine during microsomal incubations. The results indicate that electrophiles selectively adduct microsomal proteins, but display differing target selectivities that correlate with differences in toxicity. Analysis of selected microsomal protein adduction reactions thus could provide a more specific indication of potential toxicity than bulk covalent binding of radiolabeled compounds.

Short peptide tags increase the yield of C-terminally labeled protein

C-Terminal protein labeling allows non-radioactive detection of proteins by using fluorescent puromycin derivatives and cell-free translation systems. However, yields of some labeled proteins are low. Here, we report that the yield of labeled protein mainly depends on the C-terminal amino acid sequence. The short peptide tag sequence, RGAA, at the C-terminus increased not only the labeling efficiency (more than 80%) but also the synthesis yield of labeled proteins. To examine the relationship between the C-terminal amino acid sequence and the yield of labeled proteins, we synthesized C-terminally labeled glutathione S-transferase (GST) containing four identical amino acid residues at the C-terminus. The results demonstrated that 4 x Ala, 4 x His, 4 x Gln, and 4 x Cys produced over 200% of the yield of wild-type GST. In addition, the two Ala residues produced almost the same synthesis activity as 4 x Ala and RGAA. Similar results were obtained with various proteins and cell-free translation systems.

MALDI mass sequencing and characterization of filarialglutathione-S-transferase

Glutathione-S-transferase has been detected in the somatic extract and excretory-secretory products of different life stages of Setaria cervi, a bovine filarial parasite. The enzyme was subjected to MALDI-TOF followed by mass spectrometry and the nearest match found was Pleuronectes platessa GST. Molecular mass of the purified enzyme was approximately 26 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF. Setaria cervi GST exhibited high activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and ethacrynic acid. Kinetic analysis with respect to 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and glutathione as substrate revealed a K(m) of 2.22 mM and 0.61 mM, respectively. The activity was inhibited significantly by Cibacron blue and alpha-tocopherol.

Expression, Purification, and Antibody Binding Activity of Human Papillomavirus 16 L1 Protein Fused to Maltose Binding Protein

Genetic human papillomavirus type 16 L1 (HPV16 L1) has been widely studied for cervical cancer vaccine development. For the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening of these vaccines, HPV16 L1 protein, which is required as a coating protein, has previously been expressed from costly and laborious recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells. For a novel HPV16 L1 expression system characterized by a high yield of soluble form with simple purification steps, we have cloned and expressed two different types of HPV16 L1, both fused to maltose binding protein (MBP) or glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in Escherichia coli. The yield of soluble HPV16 L1 was influenced by the cultivation temperature. The yield of soluble form in the total MBP-fused HPV16 L1 protein (MBP-HPV16 L1) was 35% at 37 degrees C, but increased to 85% at 22 degrees C. Among the fusion partners, MBP provided higher yields of total and soluble HPV16 L1 than did GST. MBP-HPV16 L1 showed a 4.9-fold higher yield of the soluble form over insoluble inclusion bodies under optimized culture conditions. The soluble form of MBP-HPV16 L1 was purified via MBP affinity chromatography in a recovery yield of 9.7%. After fusion with MBP, HPV16 L1 showed binding activity to HPV16 L1-specific monoclonal antibody comparable to HPV16 L1 from the insect cells in ELISA tests. These results demonstrate that the use of MBP as a fusion partner may generate a high yield of soluble HPV16 L1 under optimized temperature conditions, and that MBP-fused HPV16 L1 might be applied further in evaluations of the immune responses of HPV16 L1-based cervical cancer vaccines.

Multivariate-activity mining for molecular quasi-species in a glutathione transferase mutant library

A library of recombinant glutathione transferases (GSTs) generated by shuffling of DNA encoding human GST M1-1 and GST M2-2 was screened with eight alternative substrates, and the activities were subjected to multivariate analysis. Assays were made in lysates of bacteria in which the GST variants had been expressed. The primary data showed clustering of the activities in eight-dimensional substrate-activity space. For an incisive analysis, the rows of the data matrix, corresponding to the different enzyme variants, were individually scaled to unit length, thus accounting for different expression levels of the enzymes. The columns representing the activities with alternative substrates were subsequently individually normalized to unit variance and a zero mean. By this standardization, the data were adjusted to comparable orders of magnitude. Three molecular quasi-species were recognized by multivariate K-means and principal component analyses. Two of them encompassed the parental GST M1-1 and GST M2-2. A third one diverged functionally by displaying enhanced activities with some substrates and suppressed activities with signature substrates for GST M1-1 and GST M2-2. A fourth cluster contained mutants with impaired functions and was not regarded as a quasi-species. Sequence analysis of representatives of the mutant clusters demonstrated that the majority of the variants in the diverging novel quasi-species were structurally similar to the M1-like GSTs, but distinguished themselves from GST M1-1 by a Ser to Thr substitution in the active site. The data show that multivariate analysis of functional profiles can identify small structural changes influencing the evolution of enzymes with novel substrate-activity profiles.

A combined approach to improving large-scale production of tobacco etch virus protease

Tobacco etch virus NIa proteinase (TEV protease) is an important tool for the removal of fusion tags from recombinant proteins. Production of TEV protease in Escherichia coli has been hampered by insolubility and addressed by many different strategies. However, the best previous results and newer approaches for protein expression have not been combined to test whether further improvements are possible. Here, we use a quantitative, high-throughput assay for TEV protease activity in cell lysates to evaluate the efficacy of combining several previous modifications with new expression hosts and induction methods. Small-scale screening, purification and mass spectral analysis showed that TEV protease with a C-terminal poly-Arg tag was proteolysed in the cell to remove four of the five arginine residues. The truncated form was active and soluble but in contrast, the tagged version was also active but considerably less soluble. An engineered TEV protease lacking the C-terminal residues 238-242 was then used for further expression optimization. From this work, expression of TEV protease at high levels and with high solubility was obtained by using auto-induction medium at 37 degrees C. In combination with the expression work, an automated two-step purification protocol was developed that yielded His-tagged TEV protease with >99% purity, high catalytic activity and purified yields of approximately 400 mg/L of expression culture (approximately 15 mg pure TEV protease per gram of E. coli cell paste). Methods for producing glutathione-S-transferase-tagged TEV with similar yields (approximately 12 mg pure protease fusion per gram of E. coli cell paste) are also reported.

Role of Ser11 in the stabilization of the structure of Ochrobactrum anthropi glutathione transferase

GSTs (glutathione transferases) are a multifunctional group of enzymes, widely distributed and involved in cellular detoxification processes. In the xenobiotic-degrading bacterium Ochrobactrum anthropi, GST is overexpressed in the presence of toxic concentrations of aromatic compounds such as 4-chlorophenol and atrazine. We have determined the crystal structure of the GST from O. anthropi (OaGST) in complex with GSH. Like other bacterial GSTs, OaGST belongs to the Beta class and shows a similar binding pocket for GSH. However, in contrast with the structure of Proteus mirabilis GST, GSH is not covalently bound to Cys10, but is present in the thiolate form. In our investigation of the structural basis for GSH stabilization, we have identified a conserved network of hydrogen-bond interactions, mediated by the presence of a structural water molecule that links Ser11 to Glu198. Partial disruption of this network, by mutagenesis of Ser11 to alanine, increases the K(m) for GSH 15-fold and decreases the catalytic efficiency 4-fold, even though Ser11 is not involved in GSH binding. Thermal- and chemical-induced unfolding studies point to a global effect of the mutation on the stability of the protein and to a central role of these residues in zippering the terminal helix of the C-terminal domain to the starting helix of the N-terminal domain.