Crystal structure of decameric peroxiredoxin (AhpC) from Amphibacillus xylanus

Structural determinants of multimerization and dissociation in 2-Cys peroxiredoxin chaperone function

Peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) are abundant peroxidases present in all kingdoms of life. Recently, they have been shown to also carry out additional roles as molecular chaperones. To address this emerging supplementary function, this review focuses on structural studies of 2-Cys PRDX systems exhibiting chaperone activity. We provide a detailed understanding of the current knowledge of structural determinants underlying the chaperone function of PRDXs. Specifically, we describe the mechanisms which may modulate their quaternary structure to facilitate interactions with client proteins and how they are coordinated with the functions of other molecular chaperones. Following an overview of PRDX molecular architecture, we outline structural details of the presently best-characterized peroxiredoxins exhibiting chaperone function and highlight common denominators. Finally, we discuss the remarkable structural similarities between 2-Cys PRDXs, small HSPs, and J-domain-independent Hsp40 holdases in terms of their functions and dynamic equilibria between low- and high-molecular-weight oligomers.

Peroxiredoxins wear many hats: Factors that fashion their peroxide sensing personalities

Peroxiredoxins (Prdxs) sense and assess peroxide levels, and signal through protein interactions. Understanding the role of the multiple structural and post-translational modification (PTM) layers that tunes the peroxiredoxin specificities is still a challenge. In this review, we give a tabulated overview on what is known about human and bacterial peroxiredoxins with a focus on structure, PTMs, and protein-protein interactions. Armed with numerous cellular and atomic level experimental techniques, we look at the future and ask ourselves what is still needed to give us a clearer view on the cellular operating power of Prdxs in both stress and non-stress conditions.

Peroxiredoxin Catalysis at Atomic Resolution

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitous cysteine-based peroxidases that guard cells against oxidative damage, are virulence factors for pathogens, and are involved in eukaryotic redox regulatory pathways. We have analyzed catalytically active crystals to capture atomic resolution snapshots of a PrxQ subfamily enzyme (from Xanthomonas campestris) proceeding through thiolate, sulfenate, and sulfinate species. These analyses provide structures of unprecedented accuracy for seeding theoretical studies, and reveal conformational intermediates giving insight into the reaction pathway. Based on a highly non-standard geometry seen for the sulfenate intermediate, we infer that the sulfenate formation itself can strongly promote local unfolding of the active site to enhance productive catalysis. Further, these structures reveal that preventing local unfolding, in this case via crystal contacts, results in facile hyperoxidative inactivation even for Prxs normally resistant to such inactivation. This supports previous proposals that conformation-specific inhibitors may be useful for achieving selective inhibition of Prxs that are drug targets.

Structure of TSA2 reveals novel features of the active-site loop of peroxiredoxins

Saccharomyces cerevisiaeTSA2 belongs to the family of typical 2-Cys peroxiredoxins, a ubiquitously expressed family of redox-active enzymes that utilize a conserved peroxidatic cysteine to reduce peroxides. Typical 2-Cys peroxiredoxins have been shown to be involved in protection against oxidative stress and in hydrogen peroxide signalling. Furthermore, several 2-Cys peroxiredoxins, includingS. cerevisiaeTSA1 and TSA2, are able to switch to chaperone activity upon hyperoxidation of their peroxidatic cysteine. This makes the sensitivity to hyperoxidation of the peroxidatic cysteine a very important determinant for the cellular function of a peroxiredoxin under different cellular conditions. Typical 2-Cys peroxiredoxins exist as dimers, and in the course of the reaction the peroxidatic cysteine forms a disulfide with a resolving cysteine located in the C-terminus of its dimeric partner. This requires a local unfolding of the active site and the C-terminus. The balance between the fully folded and locally unfolded conformations is of key importance for the reactivity and sensitivity to hyperoxidation of the different peroxiredoxins. Here, the structure of a C48S mutant of TSA2 fromS. cerevisiaethat mimics the reduced state of the peroxidatic cysteine has been determined. The structure reveals a novel conformation for the strictly conserved Pro41, which is likely to affect the delicate balance between the fully folded and locally unfolded conformations of the active site, and therefore the reactivity and the sensitivity to hyperoxidation. Furthermore, the structure also explains the observed difference in the pKavalues of the peroxidatic cysteines ofS. cerevisiaeTSA1 and TSA2 despite their very high sequence identity.

NADH oxidase and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit C (peroxiredoxin) from Amphibacillus xylanus form an oligomeric assembly

The NADH oxidase-peroxiredoxin (Prx) system of Amphibacillus xylanus reduces hydroperoxides with the highest turnover rate among the known hydroperoxide-scavenging enzymes. The high electron transfer rate suggests that there exists close interaction between NADH oxidase and Prx. Variant enzyme experiments indicated that the electrons from β-NADH passed through the secondary disulfide, Cys128-Cys131, of NADH oxidase to finally reduce Prx. We previously reported that ionic strength is essential for a system to reduce hydroperoxides. In this study, we analyzed the effects of ammonium sulfate (AS) on the interaction between NADH oxidase and Prx by surface plasmon resonance analysis. The interaction between NADH oxidase and Prx was observed in the presence of AS. Dynamic light scattering assays were conducted while altering the concentration of AS and the ratio of NADH oxidase to Prx in the solutions. The results revealed that the two proteins formed a large oligomeric assembly, the size of which depended on the ionic strength of AS. The molecular mass of the assembly converged at approximately 300 kDa above 240 mM AS. The observed reduction rate of hydrogen peroxide also converged at the same concentration of AS, indicating that a complex formation is required for activation of the enzyme system. That the complex generation is dependent on ionic strength was confirmed by ultracentrifugal analysis, which resulted in a signal peak derived from a complex of NADH oxidase and Prx (300 mM AS, NADH oxidase: Prx = 1:10). The complex formation under this condition was also confirmed structurally by small-angle X-ray scattering.

Structure-based insights into the catalytic power and conformational dexterity of peroxiredoxins

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs), some of nature's dominant peroxidases, use a conserved Cys residue to reduce peroxides. They are highly expressed in organisms from all kingdoms, and in eukaryotes they participate in hydrogen peroxide signaling. Seventy-two Prx structures have been determined that cover much of the diversity of the family. We review here the current knowledge and show that Prxs can be effectively classified by a structural/evolutionary organization into six subfamilies followed by specification of a 1-Cys or 2-Cys mechanism, and for 2-Cys Prxs, the structural location of the resolving Cys. We visualize the varied catalytic structural transitions and highlight how they differ depending on the location of the resolving Cys. We also review new insights into the question of how Prxs are such effective catalysts: the enzyme activates not only the conserved Cys thiolate but also the peroxide substrate. Moreover, the hydrogen-bonding network created by the four residues conserved in all Prx active sites stabilizes the transition state of the peroxidatic S(N)2 displacement reaction. Strict conservation of the peroxidatic active site along with the variation in structural transitions provides a fascinating picture of how the diverse Prxs function to break down peroxide substrates rapidly.

A comparison of thiol peroxidase mechanisms

Thiol peroxidases comprise glutathione peroxidases (GPx) and peroxiredoxins (Prx). The enzymes of both families reduce hydroperoxides with thiols by enzyme-substitution mechanisms. H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxides are reduced by all thiol peroxidases, most efficiently by SecGPxs, whereas fast peroxynitrite reduction is more common in Prxs. Reduction of lipid hydroperoxides is the domain of monomeric GPx4-type enzymes and of some Prxs. The catalysis starts with oxidation of an active-site selenocysteine (U(P)) or cysteine (C(P)). Activation of Cys (Sec) for hydroperoxide reduction in the GPx family is achieved by a typical tetrad composed of Cys (Sec), Asn, Gln, and Trp, whereas a triad of Cys Thr (or Ser) and Arg is the signature of Prx. In many of the CysGPxs and Prxs, a second Cys (C(R)) is required. In these 2-CysGPxs and 2-CysPrxs, the C(P) oxidized to a sulfenic acid forms an intra- or intermolecular disulfide (typical 2-CysPrx) with C(R), before a stepwise regeneration of ground-state enzyme by redoxin-type proteins can proceed. In SecGPxs and sporadically in Prxs, GSH is used as the reductant. Diversity combined with structural variability predestines thiol peroxidases for redox regulation via ROOH sensing and direct or indirect transduction of oxidant signals to specific protein targets.

Broad specificity AhpC-like peroxiredoxin and its thioredoxin reductant in the sparse antioxidant defense system of Treponema pallidum

Little is known about the mechanisms by which Treponema pallidum (Tp), the causative agent of syphilis, copes with oxidative stress as it establishes persistent infection within its obligate human host. The Tp genomic sequence indicates that the bacterium's antioxidant defenses do not include glutathione and are limited to just a few proteins, with only one, TP0509, offering direct defense against peroxides. Although this Tp peroxiredoxin (Prx) closely resembles AhpC-like Prxs, Tp lacks AhpF, the typical reductant for such enzymes. Functionally, TpAhpC resembles largely eukaryotic, nonAhpC typical 2-Cys Prx proteins in using thioredoxin (Trx, TP0919) as an efficient electron donor and exhibiting broad specificity toward hydroperoxide substrates. Unlike many of the eukaryotic Prxs, however, TpAhpC is relatively resistant to inactivation during turnover with hydroperoxide substrates. As is often observed in typical 2-Cys Prxs, TpAhpC undergoes redox-sensitive oligomer formation. Quantitative immunoblotting revealed that TpTrx and TpAhpC are present at very high levels (over 100 and 300 microM, respectively) in treponemes infecting rabbit testes; their redox potentials, at -242 +/- 1 and -192 +/- 2 mV, respectively, are consistent with the role of TpTrx as the cellular reductant of TpAhpC. Transcriptional analysis of select antioxidant genes confirmed the presence of high mRNA levels for ahpC and trx which diminish greatly when spirochetes replicate under in vitro growth conditions. Thus, T. pallidum has evolved an extraordinarily robust, broad-spectrum AhpC as its sole mechanism for peroxide defense to combat this significant threat to treponemal growth and survival during infection.

The crystal structure of the C45S mutant of annelid Arenicola marina peroxiredoxin 6 supports its assignment to the mechanistically typical 2-Cys subfamily without any formation of toroid-shaped decamers

The peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) define a superfamily of thiol-dependent peroxidases able to reduce hydrogen peroxide, alkyl hydroperoxides, and peroxynitrite. Besides their cytoprotective antioxidant function, PRDXs have been implicated in redox signaling and chaperone activity, the latter depending on the formation of decameric high-molecular-weight structures. PRDXs have been mechanistically divided into three major subfamilies, namely typical 2-Cys, atypical 2-Cys, and 1-Cys PRDXs, based on the number and position of cysteines involved in the catalysis. We report the structure of the C45S mutant of annelid worm Arenicola marina PRDX6 in three different crystal forms determined at 1.6, 2.0, and 2.4 A resolution. Although A. marina PRDX6 was cloned during the search of annelid homologs of mammalian 1-Cys PRDX6s, the crystal structures support its assignment to the mechanistically typical 2-Cys PRDX subfamily. The protein is composed of two distinct domains: a C-terminal domain and an N-terminal domain exhibiting a thioredoxin fold. The subunits are associated in dimers compatible with the formation of intersubunit disulfide bonds between the peroxidatic and the resolving cysteine residues in the wild-type enzyme. The packing of two crystal forms is very similar, with pairs of dimers associated as tetramers. The toroid-shaped decamers formed by dimer association and observed in most typical 2-Cys PRDXs is not present. Thus, A. marina PRDX6 presents structural features of typical 2-Cys PRDXs without any formation of toroid-shaped decamers, suggesting that it should function more like a cytoprotective antioxidant enzyme or a modulator of peroxide-dependent cell signaling rather than a molecular chaperone.

The NADH oxidase-Prx system in Amphibacillus xylanus

Amphibacillus NADH oxidase belongs to a growing new family of peroxiredoxin-linked oxidoreductases including alkyl hydroperoxide reductase F (AhpF). Like AhpF it displays extremely high hydroperoxide reductase activity in the presence of a Prx, thus making up the NADH oxidase-Prx system. The NADH oxidase primarily catalyzes the reduction of oxygen by NADH to form H2O2, while the Prx immediately reduces H2O2 (or ROOH) to water (or ROH). Consequently, the NADH oxidase-Prx system catalyzes the reduction of both oxygen and hydrogen peroxide to water with NADH as the preferred electron donor. The NADH oxidase-Prx system is widely distributed in aerobically growing bacteria lacking a respiratory chain and catalase, and plays an important role not only in scavenging hydroperoxides but also in regenerating NAD in these bacteria.

Dimer-oligomer interconversion of wild-type and mutant rat 2-Cys peroxiredoxin: disulfide formation at dimer-dimer interfaces is not essential for decamerization

Rat heme-binding protein 23 (HBP23)/peroxiredoxin (Prx I) belongs to the 2-Cys peroxiredoxin type I family and exhibits peroxidase activity coupled with reduced thioredoxin (Trx) as an electron donor. We analyzed the dimer-oligomer interconversion of wild-type and mutant HBP23/Prx I by gel filtration and found that the C52S and C173S mutants existed mostly as decamers, whereas the wild type was a mixture of various forms, favoring the decamer at higher protein concentration and lower ionic salt concentration and in the presence of dithiothreitol. The C83S mutant was predominantly dimeric, in agreement with a previous crystallographic analysis (Hirotsu, S., Abe, Y., Okada, K., Nagahara, N., Hori, H., Nishino, T., and Hakoshima, T. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 96, 12333-12338). X-ray diffraction analysis of the decameric C52S mutant revealed a toroidal structure (diameter, approximately 130A; inside diameter, approximately 55A; thickness, approximately 45A). In contrast to human Prx I, which was recently reported to exist predominantly as the decamer with Cys(83)-Cys(83) disulfide bonds at all dimer-dimer interfaces, rat HBP23/Prx I has a Cys(83)-Cys(83) disulfide bond at only one dimer-dimer interface (S-S separation of approximately 2.1A), whereas the interactions at the other interfaces (mean S-S separation of 3.6A) appear to involve hydrophobic and van der Waals forces. This finding is consistent with gel filtration analyses showing that the protein readily interconverts between dimer and oligomeric forms. The C83S mutant exhibited similar peroxidase activity to the wild type, which is exclusively dimeric, in the Trx/Trx reductase system. At higher concentrations, where the protein was mostly decameric, less efficient attack of reduced Trx was observed in a [(14)C]iodoacetamide incorporation experiment. We suggest that the dimerdecamer interconversion may have a regulatory role.

Protein-protein interactions within peroxiredoxin systems

Peroxiredoxin systems in plants were demonstrated involved in crucial roles related to reactive oxygenated species (ROS) metabolism and the linked cell signalling to ROS. Peroxiredoxins function as peroxidasic systems that combine at least a reactivating reductant agent like thioredoxins, and sometimes glutaredoxins and glutathion. In the past three years a number of peroxiredoxin structures were solved by crystallography in different experimental crystallisation conditions. The structures have revealed a significant propensity of peroxiredoxins for oligomerism that was confirmed by biophysical studies in solution using NMR and other methods as analytical ultra-centrifugation. These studies showed that quaternary structures of peroxiredoxins involve specific protein-protein interaction interfaces that rely upon the peroxiredoxin types and/or their redox conditions. The protein-protein interactions with the reactivating redoxins essentially lead to transient unstable complexes. We review herein the different protein-protein interactions characterized or deduced from those reports.

Functional and structural characterization of a thiol peroxidase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A thiol peroxidase (Tpx) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was functionally analyzed. The enzyme shows NADPH-linked peroxidase activity using a thioredoxin-thioredoxin reductase system as electron donor, and anti-oxidant activity in a thiol-dependent metal-catalyzed oxidation system. It reduces H2O2, t-butyl hydroperoxide, and cumene hydroperoxide, and is inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents. Mutational studies revealed that the peroxidatic (Cys60) and resolving (Cys93) cysteine residues are critical amino acids for catalytic activity. The X-ray structure determined to a resolution of 1.75 A shows a thioredoxin fold similar to that of other peroxiredoxin family members. Superposition with structural homologues in oxidized and reduced forms indicates that the M. tuberculosis Tpx is a member of the atypical two-Cys peroxiredoxin family. In addition, the short distance that separates the Calpha atoms of Cys60 and Cys93 and the location of these cysteine residues in unstructured regions may indicate that the M. tuberculosis enzyme is oxidized, though the side-chain of Cys60 is poorly visible. It is solely in the reduced Streptococcus pneumoniae Tpx structure that both residues are part of two distinct helical segments. The M. tuberculosis Tpx is dimeric both in solution and in the crystal structure. Amino acid residues from both monomers delineate the active site pocket.

Crystal structure of an archaeal peroxiredoxin from the aerobic hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are thiol-dependent peroxidases that catalyze the detoxification of various peroxide substrates such as H2O2, peroxinitrite, and hydroperoxides, and control some signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. Prxs are found in all cellular organisms and represent an enormous superfamily. Recent genome sequencing projects and biochemical studies have identified a novel subfamily, the archaeal Prxs. Their primary sequences are similar to those of the 1-Cys Prxs, which use only one cysteine residue in catalysis, while their catalytic properties resemble those of the typical 2-Cys Prxs, which utilize two cysteine residues from adjacent monomers within a dimer in catalysis. We present here the X-ray crystal structure of an archaeal Prx from the aerobic hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon, Aeropyrum pernix K1, determined at 2.3 A resolution (Rwork of 17.8% and Rfree of 23.0%). The overall subunit arrangement of the A.pernix archaeal Prx is a toroid-shaped pentamer of homodimers, or an (alpha2)5 decamer, as observed in the previously reported crystal structures of decameric Prxs. The basic folding topology and the peroxidatic active site structure are essentially the same as those of the 1-Cys Prx, hORF6, except that the C-terminal extension of the A.pernix archaeal Prx forms a unique helix with its flanking loops. The thiol group of the peroxidatic cysteine C50 is overoxidized to sulfonic acid. Notably, the resolving cysteine C213 forms the intra-monomer disulfide bond with the third cysteine, C207, which should be a unique structural characteristic in the many archaeal Prxs that retain two conserved cysteine residues in the C-terminal region. The conformational flexibility near the intra-monomer disulfide linkage might be necessary for the dramatic structural rearrangements that occur in the catalytic cycle.

Crystal structure of alkyl hydroperoxide-reductase (AhpC) from Helicobacter pylori

The AhpC protein from H. pylori, a thioredoxin (Trx)-dependent alkyl hydroperoxide-reductase, is a member of the ubiquitous 2-Cys peroxiredoxins family (2-Cys Prxs), a group of thiol-specific antioxidant enzymes. Prxs exert the protective antioxidant role in cells through their peroxidase activity, whereby hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite and a wide range of organic hydroperoxides (ROOH) are reduced and detoxified (ROOH + 2e(-)-->ROH + H2O). In this study AhpC has been cloned and overexpressed in E. coli. After purification to homogeneity, crystals of the recombinant protein were grown. They diffract to 2.95 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. The crystal structure of AhpC has been determined using the molecular replacement method (R = 23.6%, R(free) = 25.9%). The model, similar in the overall to other members of the 2-Cys Prx family crystallized as toroide-shaped complexes, consists of a pentameric arrangement of homodimers [(alpha2)5 decamer]. The model of AhpC from H. pylori presents significant differences with respect to other members of the family: apart from some loop regions, alpha5-helix and the C-terminus is shifted, preventing the C-terminal tail of the second subunit from extending toward this region of the molecule. Oligomerization properties of AhpC have been also characterized by gel filtration chromatography.