Golgi-resident PAP-specific 3′-phosphatase-coupled sulfotransferase assays

Thyroid stimulating hormone suppresses the expression and activity of cytosolic sulfotransferase 1a1 in thyrocytes

Sulfonation is an important step in the metabolism of dopamine, estrogens, dehydroepiandrosterone, as well as thyroid hormones. However, the regulation of cytosolic sulfotransferases in the thyroid is not well understood. In a DNA microarray analysis of rat thyroid FRTL-5 cells, we found that the mRNA expression of 10 of 48 sulfotransferases was significantly altered by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), with that of sulfotransferase family 1A member 1 (SULT1A1) being the most significantly affected. Real-time PCR and Western blot analyses revealed that TSH, forskolin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP significantly suppressed SULT1A1 mRNA and protein levels in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, immunofluorescence staining of FRTL-5 cells showed that SULT1A1 is localized in the perinuclear area in the absence of TSH but is spread throughout the cytoplasm with reduced fluorescence intensity in the presence of TSH. Sulfotransferase activity in FRTL-5 cells, measured using 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate as a donner and p-nitrophenol as an acceptor substrate, was significantly reduced by TSH. These findings suggest that the expression and activity of SULT1A1 are modulated by TSH in thyrocytes.

Fluorometric coupled enzyme assay for N-sulfotransferase activity of N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase (NDST)

N-Deacetylase/N-sulfotransferases (NDST) are critical enzymes in heparan sulfate (HS) biosynthesis. Radioactive labeling assays are the preferred methods to determine the N-sulfotransferase activity of NDST. In this study, we developed a fluorometric coupled enzyme assay that is suitable for the study of enzyme kinetics and inhibitory properties of drug candidates derived from a large-scale in silico screening targeting the sulfotransferase moiety of NDST1. The assay measures recombinant mouse NDST1 (mNDST1) sulfotransferase activity by employing its natural substrate adenosine 3'-phophoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS), a bacterial analog of desulphated human HS, Escherichia coli K5 capsular polysaccharide (K5), the fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbelliferylsulfate, and a double mutant of rat phenol sulfotransferase SULT1A1 K56ER68G. Enzyme kinetic analysis of mNDST1 performed with the coupled assay under steady state conditions at pH 6.8 and 37 °C revealed Km (K5) 34.8 μM, Km (PAPS) 10.7 μM, Vmax (K5) 0.53 ± 0.13 nmol/min/μg enzyme, Vmax (PAPS) 0.69 ± 0.05 nmol/min/μg enzyme, and the specific enzyme activity of 394 pmol/min/μg enzyme. The pH optimum of mNDST1 is pH 8.2. Our data indicate that mNDST1 is specific for K5 substrate. Finally, we showed that the mNDST1 coupled assay can be utilized to assess potential enzyme inhibitors for drug development.

Insight into enzyme-catalyzed aziridine formation mechanism in ficellomycin biosynthesis

Ficellomycin is an aziridine-containing antibiotic, produced by Streptomyces ficellus. Based on the newly identified ficellomycin gene cluster and the assigned functions of its genes, a possible pathway for aziridine ring formation in ficellomycin was proposed, which is a complex process involving at least 3 enzymatic steps. To obtain support for the proposed mechanism, the targeted genes encoding sulfate adenylyltransferase, adenylsulfate kinase, and a putative sulfotransferase were respectively disrupted and the subsequent analysis of their fermentation products revealed that all the three genes were involved in aziridine formation. To further confirm the mechanism, the key gene encoding a putative sulfotransferase was over expressed in Escherichia coli Rosseta (DE3). Enzyme assays indicated that the expressed sulfotransferase could specifically transfer a sulfo group from 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) onto the hydroxyl group of (R)-(-)-2-pyrrolidinemethanol. This introduces a good leaving group in the form of the sulfated hydroxyl moiety, which is then converted into an aziridine ring through an intramolecular nucleophilic attack by the adjacent secondary amine. The sulfation/intramolecular cyclization reaction sequence maybe a general strategy for aziridine biosynthesis in microorganisms. Discovery of this mechanism revealed an enzyme-catalyzed route for the synthesis of aziridine-containing reagents and provided an important insight into the functional diversity of sulfotransferases.

Immobilization of phenol-containing molecules on self-assembled monolayers on gold via surface chemistry

Various phenol-containing molecules such as flavonoids have a wide range of biological effects including anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, and, therefore, they have become subjects of active research for various medicinal and biological applications. To construct applicable materials incorporated with phenol-containing molecules, strategies for immobilization of phenol-containing molecules on solid substrates are required. Although several immobilization methods have been devised and reported, mostly harnessing phenol functionality, however, development of a general immobilization method has been hampered due to its complicated chemical reactions and low reaction yields on surfaces. Furthermore, the use of phenol as a reaction center may compromise the biological activity of phenol-containing molecules. Here, we describe a simple, fast, and reliable method for the surface immobilization of phenol-containing molecules by introducing chemical functional groups, carboxylic acid, thiol, and azide, while maintaining phenol functionality by way of the Mannich-type condensation reaction. We examined the chemical functionalization of naphthol, tyrosine, and flavanone and their immobilization to the self-assembled monolayers on gold via various surface chemistries: the carbodiimide coupling reaction, Michael addition, and the 'click' reaction. We strongly believe our method can be a general and practical platform for immobilization of various phenol-containing molecules on surfaces of various materials.

Utility of Adenosine Monophosphate Detection System for Monitoring the Activities of Diverse Enzyme Reactions

Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) is a key cellular metabolite regulating energy homeostasis and signal transduction. AMP is also a product of various enzymatic reactions, many of which are dysregulated during disease conditions. Thus, monitoring the activities of these enzymes is a primary goal for developing modulators for these enzymes. In this study, we demonstrate the versatility of an enzyme-coupled assay that quantifies the amount of AMP produced by any enzymatic reaction regardless of its substrates. We successfully implemented it to enzyme reactions that use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a substrate (aminoacyl tRNA synthetase and DNA ligase) by an elaborate strategy of removing residual ATP and converting AMP produced into ATP; so it can be detected using luciferase/luciferin and generating light. We also tested this assay to measure the activities of AMP-generating enzymes that do not require ATP as substrate, including phosphodiesterases (cyclic adenosine monophosphate) and Escherichia coli DNA ligases (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide [NAD⁺]). In a further elaboration of the AMP-Glo platform, we coupled it to E. coli DNA ligase, enabling measurement of NAD⁺ and enzymes that use NAD⁺ like monoadenosine and polyadenosine diphosphate-ribosyltransferases. Sulfotransferases use 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate as the universal sulfo-group donor and phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphate (PAP) is the universal product. PAP can be quantified by converting PAP to AMP by a Golgi-resident PAP-specific phosphatase, IMPAD1. By coupling IMPAD1 to the AMP-Glo system, we can measure the activities of sulfotransferases. Thus, by utilizing the combinations of biochemical enzymatic conversion of various cellular metabolites to AMP, we were able to demonstrate the versatility of the AMP-Glo assay.

Celecoxib affects estrogen sulfonation catalyzed by several human hepatic sulfotransferases, but does not stimulate 17-sulfonation in rat liver

Celecoxib is known to alter the preferred position of SULT2A1-catalyzed sulfonation of 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) and other estrogens from the 3- to the 17-position. Understanding the effects of celecoxib on estrogen sulfonation is of interest in the context of the investigational use of celecoxib to treat breast cancer. This study examined the effects on celecoxib on cytosolic sulfotransferases in human and rat liver and on SULT enzymes known to be expressed in liver. Celecoxib's effects on the sulfonation of several steroids catalyzed by human liver cytosol were similar but not identical to those observed previously for SULT2A1. Celecoxib was shown to inhibit recombinant SULT1A1-catalyzed sulfonation of 10nM estrone and 4μM p-nitrophenol with IC₅₀ values of 2.6 and 2.1μM, respectively, but did not inhibit SULT1E1-catalyzed estrone sulfonation. In human liver cytosol, the combined effect of celecoxib and known SULT1A1 and 1E1 inhibitors, quercetin and triclosan, resulted in inhibition of 17β-E2-3-sulfonation such that the 17-sulfate became the major metabolite: this is of interest because the 17-sulfate is not readily hydrolyzed by steroid sulfatase to 17β-E2. Investigation of hepatic cytosolic steroid sulfonation in rat revealed that celecoxib did not stimulate 17β-E2 17-sulfonation in male or female rat liver as it does with human SULT2A1 and human liver cytosol, demonstrating that rat is not a useful model of this effect. In silico studies suggested that the presence of the bulky tryptophan residue in the substrate-binding site of the rat SULT2A homolog instead of glycine as in human SULT2A1 may explain this species difference.

Celecoxib influences steroid sulfonation catalyzed by human recombinant sulfotransferase 2A1

Celecoxib has been reported to switch the human SULT2A1-catalyzed sulfonation of 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) from the 3- to the 17-position. The effects of celecoxib on the sulfonation of selected steroids catalyzed by human SULT2A1 were assessed through in vitro and in silico studies. Celecoxib inhibited SULT2A1-catalyzed sulfonation of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androst-5-ene-3β, 17β-diol (AD), testosterone (T) and epitestosterone (Epi-T) in a concentration-dependent manner. Low μM concentrations of celecoxib strikingly enhanced the formation of the 17-sulfates of 6-dehydroestradiol (6D-E2), 17β-dihydroequilenin (17β-Eqn), 17β-dihydroequilin (17β-Eq), and 9-dehydroestradiol (9D-E2) as well as the overall rate of sulfonation. For 6D-E2, 9D-E2 and 17β-Eqn, celecoxib inhibited 3-sulfonation, however 3-sulfonation of 17β-Eq was stimulated at celecoxib concentrations below 40 μM. Ligand docking studies in silico suggest that celecoxib binds in the substrate-binding site of SULT2A1 in a manner that prohibits the usual binding of substrates but facilitates, for appropriately shaped substrates, a binding mode that favors 17-sulfonation.

Nonradioactive glycosyltransferase and sulfotransferase assay to study glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear polysaccharides with repeating disaccharide units. GAGs include heparin, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, keratan sulfate, and hyaluronan. All GAGs, except for hyaluronan, are usually sulfated. GAGs are polymerized by mono- or dual-specific glycosyltransferases and sulfated by various sulfotransferases. To further our understanding of GAG chain length regulation and synthesis of specific sulfation motifs on GAG chains, it is imperative to understand the kinetics of GAG synthetic enzymes. Here, nonradioactive colorimetric enzymatic assays are described for these glycosyltransferases and sulfotransferases. In both cases, the leaving nucleotides or nucleosides are hydrolyzed using specific phosphatases, and the released phosphate is subsequently detected using malachite reagents.

Detecting O-GlcNAc using in vitro sulfation

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation, the covalent attachment of N-acetylglucosamine to serine and threonine residues of proteins, is a post-translational modification that shares many features with protein phosphorylation. O-GlcNAc is essential for cell survival and plays important role in many biological processes (e.g. transcription, translation, cell division) and human diseases (e.g. diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer). However, detection of O-GlcNAc is challenging. Here, a method for O-GlcNAc detection using in vitro sulfation with two N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-specific sulfotransferases, carbohydrate sulfotransferase 2 and carbohydrate sulfotransferase 4, and the radioisotope (35)S is described. Sulfation on free GlcNAc is first demonstrated, and then on O-GlcNAc residues of peptides as well as nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. It is also demonstrated that the sulfation on O-GlcNAc is sensitive to OGT and O-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase treatment. The labeled samples are separated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and visualized by autoradiography. Overall, the method is sensitive, specific and convenient.

New targets and inhibitors of mycobacterial sulfur metabolism

The identification of new antibacterial targets is urgently needed to address multidrug resistant and latent tuberculosis infection. Sulfur metabolic pathways are essential for survival and the expression of virulence in many pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition, microbial sulfur metabolic pathways are largely absent in humans and therefore, represent unique targets for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the enzymes associated with the production of sulfated and reduced sulfur-containing metabolites in Mycobacteria. Small molecule inhibitors of these catalysts represent valuable chemical tools that can be used to investigate the role of sulfur metabolism throughout the Mycobacterial lifecycle and may also represent new leads for drug development. In this light, we also summarize recent progress made in the development of inhibitors of sulfur metabolism enzymes.