Influence of oxygen, dehydroluciferin, luciferin and 6′-ethyl-luciferin on the synthesis of adenosine (5′) tetraphospho (5′) adenosine (Ap4A) by firefly luciferase

Enzymatic synthesis of mono and dinucleoside polyphosphates

BACKGROUND

Mono and dinucleoside polyphosphates (p(n)Ns and Np(n)Ns) exist in living organisms and induce diverse biological effects through interaction with intracellular and cytoplasmic membrane proteins. The source of these compounds is associated with secondary activities of a diverse group of enzymes.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

Here we discuss the mechanisms that can promote their synthesis at a molecular level. Although all the enzymes described in this review are able to catalyse the in vitro synthesis of Np(n)Ns (and/or p(n)N), it is not clear which ones are responsible for their in vivo accumulation.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

Despite the large amount of knowledge already available, important questions remain to be answered and a more complete understanding of p(n)Ns and Np(n)Ns synthesis mechanisms is required. With the possible exception of (GTP:GTP guanylyltransferase of Artemia), all enzymes able to catalyse the synthesis of p(n)Ns and Np(n)Ns are unspecific and the factors that can promote their synthesis relative to the canonical enzyme activities are unclear.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

The fact that p(n)Ns and Np(n)Ns syntheses are promiscuous activities of housekeeping enzymes does not reduce its physiological or pathological importance. Here we resume the current knowledge regarding their enzymatic synthesis and point the open questions on the field.

Firefly luciferase produces hydrogen peroxide as a coproduct in dehydroluciferyl adenylate formation

Firefly luciferase catalyzes the synthesis of H2O2 from the same substrates as the bioluminescence reaction: ATP and luciferin (D-LH2). About 80% of the enzyme-bound intermediate D-luciferyl adenylate (D-LH2-AMP) is oxidized into oxyluciferin, and a photon is emitted during this reaction. The enzyme pathway responsible for the generation of H2O2 is a side reaction in which D-LH2-AMP is oxidized into dehydroluciferyl adenylate (L-AMP). Like the bioluminescence reaction, the luciferase-catalyzed synthesis of H2O2 and L-AMP is a stereospecific process, involving only the natural D enantiomer. However, the intramolecular electron transfer postulated as essential to the light emission process is not involved in this side reaction.

Characterization of the interaction of P1,P4-diadenosine 5'-tetraphosphate with luciferase

Adenylated dinucleotides (Ap(n)A) are regulatory molecules that control various cellular processes. A very likely intracellular target for Ap(4)A are enzymes that require ATP as either substrate or modulator. We report the results of new biochemical studies aimed at characterizing the Ap(4)A interaction with firefly luciferase, by using the luminometric and thin layer chromatography techniques. The data presented herein demonstrate that Ap(4)A is a noncompetitive inhibitor for the ATP-induced luminescence. These results together with our previous findings that Ap(4)A is a luciferase substrate [Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 23 (2004) in press.] support the notion that, similar to its interaction with P(2) receptors, Ap(4)A also has a dual interaction with luciferase. Other Ap(n)As (n = 2, 5, and 6) also inhibited the ATP-luciferase interaction. Since Ap(n)As may have similar interactions with other intracellular ATP-requiring enzymes, the study presented herein validates ulterior investigations of the Ap(n)A interaction with such enzymes, and opens the way to a better understanding of their intracellular roles.

A mutagenesis study of the putative luciferin binding site residues of firefly luciferase

Firefly luciferase catalyzes the highly efficient emission of yellow-green light from substrate firefly luciferin by a sequence of reactions that require Mg-ATP and molecular oxygen. We had previously developed [Branchini, B. R., Magyar, R. A., Murtiashaw, M. H., Anderson, S. M., and Zimmer, M. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 15311-15319] a molecular graphics-based working model of the luciferase active site starting with the first X-ray structure [Conti, E., Franks, N. P., and Brick, P. (1996) Structure 4, 287-298] of the enzyme without bound substrates. In our model, the luciferin binding site contains 15 residues that are within 5 A of the substrate. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we made changes at all of these residues and report here the characterization of the corresponding expressed and purified proteins. Of the 15 residues studied, 12 had a significantly (>or=4-fold K(m) difference) altered binding affinity for luciferin and seven residues, spanning the primary sequence region Arg218-Ala348, had substantially (>or=30 nm) red-shifted bioluminescence emission maxima when mutated. We report here an interpretation of the roles of the mutated residues in substrate binding and bioluminescence color determination. The results of this study generally substantiate the accuracy of our model and provide the foundation for future experiments designed to alter the substrate specificity of firefly luciferase.

Synthesis of dinucleoside polyphosphates catalyzed by firefly luciferase and several ligases

The findings presented here originally arose from the suggestion that the synthesis of dinucleoside polyphosphates (Np(n)N) may be a general process involving enzyme ligases catalyzing the transfer of a nucleotidyl moiety via nucleotidyl-containing intermediates, with release of pyrophosphate. Within this context, the characteristics of the following enzymes are presented. Firefly luciferase (EC 1.12. 13.7), an oxidoreductase with characteristics of a ligase, synthesizes a variety of (di)nucleoside polyphosphates with four or more inner phosphates. The discrepancy between the kinetics of light production and that of Np(n)N synthesis led to the finding that E*L-AMP (L = dehydroluciferin), formed from the E*LH(2)-AMP complex (LH(2) = luciferin) shortly after the onset of the reaction, was the main intermediate in the synthesis of (di)nucleoside polyphosphates. Acetyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.1) and acyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1. 8) are ligases that synthesize p(4)A from ATP and P(3) and, to a lesser extent, Np(n)N. T4 DNA ligase (EC 6.5.1.1) and T4 RNA ligase (EC 6.5.1.3) catalyze the synthesis of Np(n)N through the formation of an E-AMP complex with liberation of pyrophosphate. DNA is an inhibitor of the synthesis of Np(n)N and conversely, P(3) or nucleoside triphosphates inhibit the ligation of a single-strand break in duplex DNA catalyzed by T4 DNA ligase, which could have therapeutic implications. The synthesis of Np(n)N catalyzed by T4 RNA ligase is inhibited by nucleoside 3'(2'),5'-bisphosphates. Reverse transcriptase (EC 2.7.7.49), although not a ligase, catalyzes, as reported by others, the synthesis of Np(n)ddN in the process of removing a chain termination residue at the 3'-OH end of a growing DNA chain.

Dehydroluciferyl-AMP is the main intermediate in the luciferin dependent synthesis of Ap4A catalyzed by firefly luciferase

It was previously assumed that E x LH2-AMP was the intermediate complex in the synthesis of Ap4A catalyzed by firefly luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7), when luciferin (LH2) was used as cofactor. However, here we show that LH2 is partly transformed, shortly after the onset of the luciferase reaction, to dehydroluciferin (L) with formation of an E x L-AMP complex which is the main intermediate for the synthesis of Ap4A. Formation of three more derivatives of LH2 were also observed, related to the production of light by the enzyme. CoA, a known stimulator of light production, inhibits the synthesis of Ap4A by reacting with the E x L-AMP complex and yielding L-CoA.

Site-directed mutagenesis of histidine 245 in firefly luciferase: a proposed model of the active site

Firefly luciferase catalyzes the highly efficient emission of yellow-green light from substrate luciferin by a sequence of reactions that require Mg-ATP and molecular oxygen. We previously reported [Branchini, B. R., Magyar, R. A., Marcantonio, K. M., Newberry, K. J., Stroh, J. G., Hinz, L. K., and Murtiashaw, M. H. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 19359-19364] that 2-(4-benzoylphenyl)thiazole-4-carboxylic acid (BPTC), a firefly luciferin analogue, was a potent photoinactivation reagent for luciferase. We identified a luciferase peptide 244HHGF247, the degradation of which was directly correlated to the photooxidation process. We report here the construction and purification of wild-type and mutant luciferases H244F, H245F, H245A, and H245D. The results of photoinactivation and kinetic and bioluminescence studies with these proteins are consistent with His245 being the primary functional target of BPTC-catalyzed enzyme inactivation. The possibility that His245 is oxidized to aspartate during the photooxidation reaction was supported by the extremely low specific activity ( approximately 300-fold lower than WT) of the H245D mutant. Using the crystal structures of luciferase without substrates [Conti, E., Franks, N. P., and Brick, P. (1996) Structure 4, 287-298] and the functionally related phenylalanine-activating subunit of gramicidin synthetase 1 [Conti, E., Stachelhaus, T., Marahiel, M. A., and Brick, P. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 4174-4183] as a starting point, we have performed molecular-modeling studies and propose here a model for the luciferase active site with substrates luciferin and Mg-ATP bound. We have used this model to provide a structure-based interpretation of the role of 244HHGF247 in firefly bioluminescence.

Synthesis of dehydroluciferin by firefly luciferase: effect of dehydroluciferin, coenzyme A and nucleoside triphosphates on the luminescent reaction

The formation of dehydroluciferin (L) from luciferin (LH2) in the reaction catalyzed by firefly luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7) has been studied. The E.LH2-AMP complex may follow two different pathways: towards production of light and towards the synthesis of the E.L-AMP complex. This last step has an inhibitory effect on light emission as molecules of the enzyme are trapped in a light unproductive complex. The effects of CoA and nucleoside 5'-triphosphates (NTPs) on light emission are quantitatively different. CoA combines with the L moiety of the E.L-AMP complex, yielding L-CoA, promoting liberation of free luciferase, and increasing light yield. NTP reacts with the AMP moiety of the same complex, generating adenosine(5')tetraphospho(5')nucleoside (Ap4N) and, probably, the E. L complex and scarcely increasing light production. The results are discussed in relation to previous reports, by others, on luciferase.

Mutation of a protease-sensitive region in firefly luciferase alters light emission properties

Luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7) from the North American firefly, Photinus pyralis, is widely used as a reporter enzyme in cell biology. One of its distinctive properties is a pronounced susceptibility to proteolytic degradation that causes luciferase to have a very short intracellular half-life. To define the structural basis for this behavior and possibly facilitate the design of more stable forms of luciferase, limited proteolysis studies were undertaken using trypsin and chymotrypsin to identify regions of the protein whose accessible and flexible character rendered them especially sensitive to cleavage. Regions of amino acid sequence 206-220 and 329-341 were found to be sensitive, and because the region around 206-220 had high homology with other luciferases, CoA ligases, and peptidyl synthetases, this region was selected for mutagenesis experiments intended to determine which of its amino acids were essential for activity. Surprisingly, many highly conserved residues including Ser198, Ser201, Thr202, and Gly203 could be mutated with little effect on the luminescent activity of P. pyralis luciferase. One mutation, however, S198T, caused several alterations in enzymatic properties including shifting the pH optimum from 8.1 to 8.7, lowering the Km for Mg-ATP by a factor of 4 and increasing the half-time for light emission decay by a factor of up to 150. While the S198T luciferase was less active than wild type, activity could be restored by the introduction of the additional L194F and N197Y mutations. In addition to indicating the involvement of this region in ATP binding, these results provide a new form of the enzyme that affords a more versatile reporter system.

Time course of luciferyl adenylate synthesis in the firefly luciferase reaction

The time course of luciferyl adenylate formation in the reaction catalyzed by firefly luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7) has been followed. The properties of luciferyl adenylate, enzymatically or chemically synthesized, as substrate of luciferase, have been compared. The potential use of luciferyl adenylate for luciferase detection is here proposed.