Clostridial ADP-ribosyltransferases--modification of low molecular weight GTP-binding proteins and of actin by clostridial toxins

Mechanistic overview of ADP-ribosylation reactions

ADP-ribosylation reactions consist of mono-ADP-ribosylation, poly-ADP-ribosylation and cyclic ADP-ribosylation. These reactions play essential roles in many important physiological and pathophysiological events. The types of chemical linkages, the evolutionarily conserved motif within the enzymes to determine the target specificity, stereochemistry of the ADP-ribosylated products, and the chemical reactions taking place among the enzymes and substrates are discussed.

ADP-Ribosylargininyl reaction of cholix toxin is mediated through diffusible intermediates

Background

Cholix toxin is an ADP-ribosyltransferase found in non-O1/non-O139 strains of Vibrio cholera. The catalytic fragment of cholix toxin was characterized as a diphthamide dependent ADP-ribosyltransferase.

Results

Our studies on the enzymatic activity of cholix toxin catalytic fragment show that the transfer of ADP-ribose to toxin takes place by a predominantly intramolecular mechanism and results in the preferential alkylation of arginine residues proximal to the NAD⁺ binding pocket. Multiple arginine residues, located near the catalytic site and at distal sites, can be the ADP-ribose acceptor in the auto-reaction. Kinetic studies of a model enzyme, M8, showed that a diffusible intermediate preferentially reacted with arginine residues in proximity to the NAD⁺ binding pocket. ADP-ribosylarginine activity of cholix toxin catalytic fragment could also modify exogenous substrates. Auto-ADP-ribosylation of cholix toxin appears to have negatively regulatory effect on ADP-ribosylation of exogenous substrate. However, at the presence of both endogenous and exogenous substrates, ADP-ribosylation of exogenous substrates occurred more efficiently than that of endogenous substrates.

Conclusions

We discovered an ADP-ribosylargininyl activity of cholix toxin catalytic fragment from our studies in auto-ADP-ribosylation, which is mediated through diffusible intermediates. The lifetime of the hypothetical intermediate exceeds recorded and predicted lifetimes for the cognate oxocarbenium ion. Therefore, a diffusible strained form of NAD⁺ intermediate was proposed to react with arginine residues in a proximity dependent manner.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12858-014-0026-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A family of killer toxins. Exploring the mechanism of ADP-ribosylating toxins

The ADP-ribosylating toxins (ADPRTs) are a family of toxins that catalyse the hydrolysis of NAD and the transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety onto a target. This family includes many notorious killers, responsible for thousands of deaths annually including: cholera, enterotoxic Escherichia coli, whooping cough, diphtheria and a plethora of Clostridial binary toxins. Despite their notoriety as pathogens, the ADPRTs have been extensively used as cellular tools to study and elucidate the functions of the small GTPases that they target. There are four classes of ADPRTs and at least one structure representative of each of these classes has been determined. They all share a common fold and several motifs around the active site that collectively facilitate the binding and transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD to their protein targets. In this review, we present an overview of the physiology and cellular qualities of the bacterial ADPRTs and take an in-depth look at the structural motifs that differentiate the different classes of bacterial ADPRTs in relation to their function.

Characterization of the enzymatic component of Clostridium perfringens iota-toxin

The iota(a) component (i(a)) of Clostridium perfringens ADP ribosylates nonmuscle beta/gamma actin and skeletal muscle alpha-actin. Replacement of Arg-295 in i(a) with alanine led to a complete loss of NAD(+)-glycohydrolase (NADase) and ADP-ribosyltransferase (ARTase); that of the residue with lysine caused a drastic reduction in NADase and ARTase activities (<0.1% of the wild-type activities) but did not completely diminish them. Substitution of alanine for Glu-378 and Glu-380 caused a complete loss of NADase and ARTase. However, exchange of Glu-378 to aspartic acid or glutamine resulted in little effect on NADase activity but a drastic reduction in ARTase activity (<0.1% of the wild-type activity). Exchange of Glu-380 to aspartic acid caused a drastic reduction in NADase and ARTase activities (<0.1% of the wild-type activities) but did not completely diminish them; that of the residue to glutamine caused a complete loss of ARTase activity. Replacement of Ser-338 with alanine resulted in 0.7 to 2.3% wild-type activities, and that of Ser-340 and Thr-339 caused a reduction in these activities of 5 to 30% wild-type activities. The kinetic analysis showed that Arg-295 and Ser-338 also play an important role in the binding of NAD(+) to i(a), that Arg-295, Glu-380, and Ser-338 play a crucial role in the catalytic rate of NADase activity, and that these three amino acid residues and Glu-378 are essential for ARTase activity. The effect of amino acid replacement in i(a) on ARTase activity was similar to that on lethal and cytotoxic activities, suggesting that lethal and cytotoxic activities in i(a) are dependent on ARTase activity.

The family of bacterial ADP-ribosylating exotoxins

Pathogenic bacteria utilize a variety of virulence factors that contribute to the clinical manifestation of their pathogenesis. Bacterial ADP-ribosylating exotoxins (bAREs) represent one family of virulence factors that exert their toxic effects by transferring the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD onto specific eucaryotic target proteins. The observations that some bAREs ADP-ribosylate eucaryotic proteins that regulate signal transduction, like the heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins and the low-molecular-weight GTP-binding proteins, has extended interest in bAREs beyond the bacteriology laboratory. Molecular studies have shown that bAREs possess little primary amino acid homology and have diverse quaternary structure-function organization. Underlying this apparent diversity, biochemical and crystallographic studies have shown that several bAREs have conserved active-site structures and possess a conserved glutamic acid within their active sites.

Clostridial ADP-ribosylating toxins: effects on ATP and GTP-binding proteins

The actin cytoskeleton appears to be as the cellular target of various clostridial ADP-ribosyltransferases which have been described during recent years. Clostridium botulinum C2 toxin, Clostridium perfringens iota toxin and Clostridium spiroforme toxin ADP-ribosylate actin monomers and inhibit actin polymerization. Clostridium botulinum exoenzyme C3 and Clostridium limosum exoenzyme ADP-ribosylate the low-molecular-mass GTP-binding proteins of the Rho family, which participate in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. ADP-ribosylation inactivates the regulatory Rho proteins and disturbs the organization of the actin cytoskeleton.

Production of monoclonal antibodies that inhibit ADP-ribosylation of small GTP-binding proteins catalyzed by Clostridium botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase C3

Four monoclonal antibodies that inhibited ADP-ribosylation of 23 kDa protein(s) of ascidian eggs catalyzed by Clostridium botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase C3 were produced. They also inhibited C3-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of the 24 kDa protein of rat liver cytosol. By the immunoprecipitation technique, it was found that they recognized small GTP-binding proteins of ascidian eggs and mammalian brains, but did not interact with the rat brain activator of the ADP-ribosyltransferase reaction. The antibody can also immunoprecipitate recombinant Rho A irrespective as to whether the Rho A is the GDP-bound form or the GTPrS-bound form. Thus the antibodies are novel and useful tools in analyzing the physiological roles of the Rho family of GTP-binding proteins.

ADP-ribosylation of actins by arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase purified from chicken heterophils

We reported the purification and characterization of an arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase and acceptor protein p33 in granules of chicken peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes (heterophils) [Mishima, K., Terashima, M., Obara, S., Yamada, K., Imai, K. & Shimoyama, M. (1991) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 110, 388-394]. In the present study, we obtained evidence that chicken non-muscle beta/gamma-actin, skeletal muscle alpha-actin and smooth-muscle gamma-actin were ADP ribosylated by the heterophil ADP-ribosyltransferase. The stoichiometry of ADP-ribose incorporation into these actins was 1.2 mol, 1.0 mol and 2.0 mol ADP-ribose/mol of beta/gamma-actin, alpha-actin and gamma-actin, respectively. The optimal pH for the ADP ribosylation was at pH 8.5, with the respective actin. Km values for NAD were calculated to be 30 microM with beta/gamma-actin, 35 microM with alpha-actin and 20 microM with gamma-actin. The Km values for the actin isoforms were 15 microM for beta/gamma-actin, 2.5 microM for alpha-actin and 10 microM for gamma-actin. ADP ribosylation of actin inhibited its capacity to polymerize, as determined by the increase in fluorescence intensity with N-(1-pyrenyl)iodoacetamide-labelled actin. Filamentous actin (F-actin) polymerized with the respective actin isoform was also ADP ribosylated, although the extent of the modification of F-actin was lower than that of globular actin (G-actin). In situ ADP ribosylation of beta/gamma-actin was evidenced with chicken peripheral heterophils permeabilized with saponin. Thus, the endogenous ADP ribosylation of actin in the heterophils may be involved in the cellular processes such as phagocytosis, secretion and migration.

The 65-kDa protein from pig heart. A new substrate for Clostridium botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase (exoenzyme C3)

In the pig heart sarcolemma, a 65 kDa protein is found to be ADP-ribosylated by Clostridium botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase (exoenzyme C3). ADP-ribosylation of this protein is regulated by guanyl nucleotides and cytosol factor in a fashion similar to that for other C3 substrates. The new exoenzyme C3 substrate was partially purified. This protein is supposed to be a GTP-binding one.