The degradation of cytochrome c by hydrogen peroxide

Cytochrome c-catalyzed membrane lipid peroxidation by hydrogen peroxide

Cytochrome c(3+)-catalyzed peroxidation of phosphatidylcholine liposomes by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was indicated by the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, oxygen consumption, and emission of spontaneous chemiluminescence. The iron chelator diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) only partially inhibited peroxidation when H2O2 concentrations were 200 microM or greater. In contrast, iron compounds such as ferric chloride, potassium ferricyanide, and hemin induced H2O2-dependent lipid peroxidation which was totally inhibitable by DTPA. Cyanide and urate, which react at or near the cytochrome-heme, completely prevented lipid peroxidation, while hydroxyl radical scavengers and superoxide dismutase had very little or no inhibitory effect. Changes in liposome surface charge did not influence cytochrome c3+ plus H2O2-dependent peroxidation, but a net negative charge was critical in favoring cytochrome c(3+)-dependent, H2O2-independent lipid auto-oxidative processes. These results show that reaction of cytochrome c with H2O2 promotes membrane oxidation by more than one chemical mechanism, including formation of high oxidation states of iron at the cytochrome-heme and also by heme iron release at higher H2O2 concentrations. Cytochrome c3+ could react with mitochondrial H2O2 to yield "site-specific" mitochondrial membrane lipid peroxidation during tissue oxidant stress.

Cytochrome c-catalyzed oxidation of organic molecules by hydrogen peroxide

Cytochrome c catalyzed the oxidation of various electron donors in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), including 2-2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AP), and luminol. With ferrocytochrome c, oxidation reactions were preceded by a lag phase corresponding to the H2O2-mediated oxidation of cytochrome c to the ferric state; no lag phase was observed with ferricytochrome c. However, brief preincubation of ferricytochrome c with H2O2 increased its catalytic activity prior to progressive inactivation and degradation. Superoxide (O2-) and hydroxyl radical (.OH) were not involved in this catalytic activity, since it was not sensitive to superoxide dismutase (SOD) or mannitol. Free iron released from the heme did not play a role in the oxidative reactions as concluded from the lack of effect of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid. Uric acid and tryptophan inhibited the oxidation of ABTS, stimulation of luminol chemiluminescence, and inactivation of cytochrome c. Our results are consistent with an initial activation of cytochrome c by H2O2 to a catalytically more active species in which a high oxidation state of an oxo-heme complex mediates the oxidative reactions. The lack of SOD effect on cytochrome c-catalyzed, H2O2-dependent luminol chemiluminescence supports a mechanism of chemiexcitation whereby a luminol endoperoxide is formed by direct reaction of H2O2 with an oxidized luminol molecule, either luminol radical or luminol diazoquinone.

Iron release from metmyoglobin, methaemoglobin and cytochrome c by a system generating hydrogen peroxide

The reaction of H2O2 with resting metmyoglobin (MetMb), methaemoglobin (MetHb) and cytochrome-c (Cyt-c) was studied in the Soret and visible regions. The differences between the original and the final peak heights of the native haemproteins at 408 nm was found to be directly proportional to the loss of iron from the molecule. The release of iron from haemproteins was studied in a system generating H2O2 continuously at a low rate by an enzymic system, or by addition of large amounts of H2O2. Cytochrome-c, methaemoglobin and metmyoglobin during interaction with H2O2 at a concentration of 200 microM release 40%, 20% and 3%, respectively, of molecular iron after 10 min. The inhibition of haem degradation and iron release by enzymatically-generated H2O2 was determined using several hydroxyl radical scavengers, reducing agents and antioxienzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and caeruloplasmin.

The generation of ferryl or hydroxyl radicals during interaction of haemproteins with hydrogen peroxide

The oxidation of 2-keto-4-thiomethyl butyric acid (KTBA) and methionine to ethylene has been used to evaluate generation of ferryl species or hydroxyl radicals by H2O2-activated haemproteins or free ferric ions. Hydrogen peroxide was generated by a glucose oxidase-glucose system at a rate of 1 microM/min. Free ferric in the presence of H2O2 oxidizes KTBA, and this was highly inhibited by hydroxyl radical scavengers, caeruloplasmin, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and EDTA. However, when metmyoglobin, methaemoglobin (MtHb) or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were tested in the same model system, hydroxyl radical scavengers suppressed partially KTBA oxidation and caeruloplasmin, SOD and EDTA failed to inhibit the reaction. Cytochrome-c was found to be a weak promoter of KTBA oxidation in the presence of H2O2. Methionine was oxidized to ethylene by an active system which generates hydroxyl radicals, but not by H2O2-activated metmyoglobin. Ferric ions chelated to membranes or ADP in the presence of H2O2 generated enzymatically, initiated membranal lipid peroxidation only in the presence of ascorbic acid, and this was inhibited by EDTA. In contrast, metmyoglobin and methaemoglobin activated by H2O2 generated by the same system, initiated membranal lipid peroxidation and this was not inhibited by EDTA. It is concluded that ferryl and not HO. is the main oxidant in systems containing myoglobin and haemoglobin activated by low concentrations of H2O2.

Degradation of rat hepatic cytochrome P-450 heme by 3,5-dicarbethoxy-2,6-dimethyl-4-ethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine to irreversibly bound protein adducts

Administration of 3,5-dicarbethoxy-2,6-dimethyl-4-ethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine (DDEP) (a structural analog of the dihydropyridine Ca2+ antagonists) to untreated, phenobarbital-, or dexamethasone-pretreated rats results in time-dependent losses of hepatic cytochrome P-450 content. Functional markers for various cytochrome P-450 isozymes have permitted the identification of P-450h, P-450 PB-1/k, and P-450p as the isozymes inactivated preferentially by the drug. DDEP-mediated cytochrome P-450 destruction may be reproduced in vitro, is most prominent after pretreatment of rats with dexamethasone, pregnenolone 16 alpha-carbonitrile or phenobarbital, and is blocked by triacetyloleandomycin. These findings together with the observation that DDEP markedly inactivates hepatic 2 beta- and 6 beta-testosterone hydroxylase and erythromycin N-demethylase tend to indict the steroid-inducible P-450p isozyme as a key protagonist in this event. The precise mechanism of such DDEP-mediated P-450p heme destruction is unclear, but involves prosthetic heme alkylation of the apocytochrome at its active site in what appears to be a novel mechanism-based "suicide" inactivation. Such inactivation appears to involve fragmentation of the heme to reactive metabolites that irreversibly bind to the protein, but the chemical structure of the heme-protein adducts is yet to be established. Intriguingly, such DDEP-mediated P-450p destruction in vivo also results in accelerated loss of immunochemically detectable apocytochrome P-450p. It remains to be determined whether or not this loss is due to enhanced proteolysis triggered by the structural modification of the apocytochrome.

Hydroperoxide-dependent folic acid degradation by cytochrome c

Folic acid is degraded by cytochrome c in the presence of hydrogen peroxide/tert-butyl hydroperoxide at the C9-N10 bond. The degradation is increased with increasing temperature. When guanidine HCl or benzoate are included in the reaction medium, the amount of folic acid degradation is enhanced. Catalase, formate, and thiourea inhibited hydrogen peroxide-dependent folic acid degradation only, and not tert-butyl hydroperoxide dependent degradation. Cyanide and azide markedly inhibited both the hydroperoxide-dependent degradations. Superoxide dismutase, EDTA, ethanol, mannitol, and dimethyl sulfoxide did not inhibit the degradation. The mechanism of cytochrome c-catalyzed folic acid degradation is discussed.

Free radicals in iron-containing systems

All oxidative damage in biological systems arises ultimately from molecular oxygen. Molecular oxygen can scavenge carbon-centered free radicals to form organic peroxyl radicals and hence organic hydroperoxides. Molecular oxygen can also be reduced in two one-electron steps to hydrogen peroxide in which case superoxide anion is an intermediate; or it can be reduced enzymatically so that no superoxide is released. Organic hydroperoxides or hydrogen peroxide can diffuse through membranes whereas hydroxyl radicals or superoxide anion cannot. Chain reactions, initiated by chelated iron and peroxides, can cause tremendous damage. Chain carriers are chelated ferrous ion; hydroxyl radical .OH, or alkoxyl radical .OR, and superoxide anion O2-. or organic peroxyl radical RO2.. Of these free radicals .OH and RO2. appear to be most harmful. All of the biological molecules containing iron are potential donors of iron as a chain initiator and propagator. An attacking role for superoxide dismutase is proposed in the phagocytic process in which it may serve as an intermediate enzyme between NADPH oxidase and myeloperoxidase. The sequence of reactants is O2----O2-.----H2O2----HOCl.