Mass spectrometric kinetic analysis of human tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-1 and -2

Pharmacogenetic studies of long-acting beta agonist and inhaled corticosteroid responsiveness in randomised controlled trials of individuals of African descent with asthma

BACKGROUND

Pharmacogenetic studies in asthma cohorts, primarily made up of White people of European descent, have identified loci associated with response to inhaled beta agonists and corticosteroids (ICSs). Differences exist in how individuals from different ancestral backgrounds respond to long-acting beta agonist (LABA) and ICSs. Therefore, we sought to understand the pharmacogenetic mechanisms regulating therapeutic responsiveness in individuals of African descent.

METHODS

We did ancestry-based pharmacogenetic studies of children (aged 5-11 years) and adolescents and adults (aged 12-69 years) from the Best African Response to Drug (BARD) trials, in which participants with asthma uncontrolled with low-dose ICS (fluticasone propionate 50 μg in children, 100 μg in adolescents and adults) received different step-up combination therapies. The hierarchal composite outcome of pairwise superior responsiveness in BARD was based on asthma exacerbations, a 31-day difference in annualised asthma-control days, or a 5% difference in percentage predicted FEV1. We did whole-genome admixture mapping of 15 159 ancestral segments within 312 independent regions, stratified by the two age groups. The two co-primary outcome comparisons were the step up from low-dose ICS to the quintuple dose of ICS (5 × ICS: 250 μg twice daily in children and 500 μg twice daily in adolescents and adults) versus double dose (2-2·5 × ICS: 100 μg twice daily in children, 250 μg twice daily in adolescents and adults), and 5 × ICS versus 100 μg fluticasone plus a LABA (salmeterol 50 μg twice daily). We used a genome-wide significance threshold of p<1·6 × 10-4, and tested for replication using independent cohorts of individuals of African descent with asthma.

FINDINGS

We included 249 unrelated children and 267 unrelated adolescents and adults in the BARD pharmacogenetic analysis. In children, we identified a significant admixture mapping peak for superior responsiveness to 5 × ICS versus 100 μg fluticasone plus salmeterol on chromosome 12 (odds ratio [ORlocal African] 3·95, 95% CI 2·02-7·72, p=6·1 × 10-5) fine mapped to a locus adjacent to RNFT2 and NOS1 (rs73399224, ORallele dose 0·17, 95% CI 0·07-0·42, p=8·4 × 10-5). In adolescents and adults, we identified a peak for superior responsiveness to 5 × ICS versus 2·5 × ICS on chromosome 22 (ORlocal African 3·35, 1·98-5·67, p=6·8 × 10-6) containing a locus adjacent to TPST2 (rs5752429, ORallele dose 0·21, 0·09-0·52, p=5·7 × 10-4). We replicated rs5752429 and nominally replicated rs73399224 in independent African American cohorts.

INTERPRETATION

BARD is the first genome-wide pharmacogenetic study of LABA and ICS response in clinical trials of individuals of African descent to detect and replicate genome-wide significant loci. Admixture mapping of the composite BARD trial outcome enabled the identification of novel pharmacogenetic variation accounting for differential therapeutic responses in people of African descent with asthma.

FUNDING

National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The catalytic reaction mechanism of tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-1

Tyrosine sulfation alters the biological activity of many proteins involved in different physiological and pathophysiological conditions, such as non-specific immune reaction, response to inflammation and ischemia, targeting of leukocytes and stem cells, or the formation of cancer metastases. Tyrosine sulfation is catalyzed by the enzymes tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPST). In this study, we used QM/MM Car-Parrinello metadynamics simulations together with QM/MM potential energy calculations to investigate the catalytic mechanism of isoform TPST-1. The structural changes along the reaction coordinate are analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, both the methods supported the S_N2 type of catalytic mechanism. The reaction barrier obtained from CPMD metadynamics was 12.8 kcal mol^-1, and the potential energy scan led to reaction barriers of 11.6 kcal mol^-1 and 13.7 kcal mol^-1 with the B3LYP and OPBE functional, respectively. The comparison of the two methods (metadynamics and potential energy scan) may be helpful for future mechanistic studies. The insight into the reaction mechanism of TPST-1 might help with the rational design of transition-state TPST inhibitors.

CUPRA-ZYME: An Assay for Measuring Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme Activities, Pathways, and Substrate Specificities

Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes) are involved in the synthesis, degradation, and modification of carbohydrates. They play critical roles in diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes, have important industrial and biotechnological applications, are important drug targets, and represent promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of a variety of diseases. Measurements of their activities, catalytic pathway, and substrate specificities are essential to a comprehensive understanding of the biological functions of CAZymes and exploiting these enzymes for industrial and biomedical applications. For glycosyl hydrolases a variety of sensitive and quantitative spectrophotometric techniques are available. However, measuring the activity of glycosyltransferases is considerably more challenging. Here, we introduce CUPRA-ZYME, a versatile and quantitative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) assay for measuring the kinetic parameters of CAZymes, monitoring reaction pathways, and profiling substrate specificities. The method employs the recently developed competitive universal proxy receptor assay (CUPRA), implemented in a time-resolved manner. Measurements of the hydrolysis kinetics of CUPRA substrates containing ganglioside oligosaccharides by the glycosyl hydrolase human neuraminidase 3 served to validate the reliability of kinetic parameters measured by CUPRA-ZYME and highlight its use in establishing catalytic pathways. Applications to libraries of substrates demonstrate the potential of the assay for quantitative profiling of the substrate specificities glycosidases and glycosyltransferases. Finally, we show how the comparison of the reactivity of CUPRA substrates and glycan substrates present on glycoproteins, measured simultaneously, affords a unique opportunity to quantitatively study how the structure and protein environment of natural glycoconjugate substrates influences CAZyme activity.

Generation and Comparative Kinetic Analysis of New Glycosynthase Mutants from Streptococcus pyogenes Endoglycosidases for Antibody Glycoengineering

Chemoenzymatic glycan remodeling by endoglycosidase-catalyzed deglycosylation and reglycosylation is emerging as an attractive approach for producing homogeneous glycoforms of antibodies, and the success of this approach depends on the discovery of efficient endoglycosidases and their glycosynthase mutants. We report in this paper a systematic site-directed mutagenesis of an endoglycosidase from Streptococcus pyogenes (Endo-S) at the critical Asp-233 (D233) site and evaluation of the hydrolysis and transglycosylation activities of the resulting mutants. We found that in addition to the previously identified D233A and D233Q mutants of Endo-S, most of the Asp-233 mutants discovered here were also glycosynthases that demonstrated glycosylation activity using glycan oxazoline as the donor substrate with diminished hydrolytic activity. The glycosynthase activity of the resultant mutants varied significantly depending on the nature of the amino acid substituents. Among them, the D233M mutant was identified as the most efficient glycosynthase variant with the highest transglycosylation/hydrolysis ratio, which is similar to the recently reported D184M mutant of Endo-S2, another S. pyogenes endoglycosidase. Kinetic studies of the D233M and D233A mutants of Endo-S, as well as glycosynthase mutants D184M and D184A of Endo-S2, indicated that the enhanced catalytic efficacy of the Asp-to-Met mutants of both enzymes was mainly due to an increased turnover number (increased kcat) for the glycan oxazoline substrate and the significantly enhanced substrate affinity (as judged by the reduced KM value) for the antibody acceptor.

New tools for evaluating protein tyrosine sulfation: tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPSTs) are novel targets for RAF protein kinase inhibitors

Protein tyrosine sulfation is a post-translational modification best known for regulating extracellular protein–protein interactions. Tyrosine sulfation is catalysed by two Golgi-resident enzymes termed tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPSTs) 1 and 2, which transfer sulfate from the cofactor PAPS (3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate) to a context-dependent tyrosine in a protein substrate. A lack of quantitative tyrosine sulfation assays has hampered the development of chemical biology approaches for the identification of small-molecule inhibitors of tyrosine sulfation. In the present paper, we describe the development of a non-radioactive mobility-based enzymatic assay for TPST1 and TPST2, through which the tyrosine sulfation of synthetic fluorescent peptides can be rapidly quantified. We exploit ligand binding and inhibitor screens to uncover a susceptibility of TPST1 and TPST2 to different classes of small molecules, including the anti-angiogenic compound suramin and the kinase inhibitor rottlerin. By screening the Published Kinase Inhibitor Set, we identified oxindole-based inhibitors of the Ser/Thr kinase RAF (rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma) as low-micromolar inhibitors of TPST1 and TPST2. Interestingly, unrelated RAF inhibitors, exemplified by the dual BRAF/VEGFR2 inhibitor RAF265, were also TPST inhibitors in vitro. We propose that target-validated protein kinase inhibitors could be repurposed, or redesigned, as more-specific TPST inhibitors to help evaluate the sulfotyrosyl proteome. Finally, we speculate that mechanistic inhibition of cellular tyrosine sulfation might be relevant to some of the phenotypes observed in cells exposed to anionic TPST ligands and RAF protein kinase inhibitors.

A systematic tandem mass spectrometric study of anion attachment for improved detection and acidity evaluation of nitrogen-rich energetic compounds

The development of rapid, efficient, and reliable detection methods for the characterization of energetic compounds is of high importance to security forces concerned with terrorist threats. With a mass spectrometric approach, characteristic ions can be produced by attaching anions to analyte molecules in the negative ion mode of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Under optimized conditions, formed anionic adducts can be detected with higher sensitivities as compared with the deprotonated molecules. Fundamental aspects pertaining to the formation of anionic adducts of 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX), 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), nitroglycerin (NG), and 1,3,5-trinitroso-1,3,5-triazinane energetic (R-salt) compounds using various anions have been systematically studied by ESI-MS and ESI tandem mass spectrometry (collision-induced dissociation) experiments. Bracketing method results show that the gas-phase acidities of PETN, RDX, and HMX fall between those of HF and acetic acid. Moreover, PETN and RDX are each less acidic than HMX in the gas phase. Nitroglycerin was found to be the most acidic among the nitrogen-rich explosives studied. The ensemble of bracketing results allows the construction of the following ranking of gas-phase acidities: PETN (1530-1458 kJ/mol) > RDX (approximately 1458 kJ/mol) > HMX (approximately 1433 kJ/mol) > nitroglycerin (1427-1327.8 kJ/mol).

Structural basis for the broad substrate specificity of the human tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-1

Tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPSTs) are enzymes that catalyze post-translational tyrosine sulfation of proteins. In humans, there are only two TPST isoforms, designated TPST1 and TPST2. In a previous study, we reported the crystal structure of TPST2, which revealed the catalytic mechanism of the tyrosine sulfation reaction. However, detailed molecular mechanisms underlying how TPSTs catalyse a variety of substrate proteins with different efficiencies and how TPSTs catalyze the sulfation of multiple tyrosine residues in a substrate protein remain unresolved. Here, we report two crystal structures of the human TPST1 complexed with two substrate peptides that are catalysed by human TPST1 with significantly different efficiencies. The distinct binding modes found in the two complexes provide insight into the sulfation mechanism for these substrates. The present study provides valuable information describing the molecular mechanism of post-translational protein modifications catalysed by TPSTs.

Preparation and Analysis of N-Terminal Chemokine Receptor Sulfopeptides Using Tyrosylprotein Sulfotransferase Enzymes

In most chemokine receptors, one or multiple tyrosine residues have been identified within the receptor N-terminal domain that are, at least partially, modified by posttranslational tyrosine sulfation. For example, tyrosine sulfation has been demonstrated for Tyr-3, -10, -14, and -15 of CCR5, for Tyr-3, -14, and -15 of CCR8, and for Tyr-7, -12, and -21 of CXCR4. While there is evidence for several chemokine receptors that tyrosine sulfation is required for optimal interaction with the chemokine ligands, the precise role of tyrosine sulfation for chemokine receptor function remains unclear. Furthermore, the function of the chemokine receptor N-terminal domain in chemokine binding and receptor activation is also not well understood. Sulfotyrosine peptides corresponding to the chemokine receptor N-termini are valuable tools to address these important questions both in structural and functional studies. However, due to the lability of the sulfotyrosine modification, these peptides are difficult to obtain using standard peptide chemistry methods. In this chapter, we provide methods to prepare sulfotyrosine peptides by enzymatic in vitro sulfation of peptides using purified recombinant tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST) enzymes. In addition, we also discuss alternative approaches for the generation of sulfotyrosine peptides and methods for sulfopeptide analysis.

Tyrosine sulfation as a protein post-translational modification

Integration of inorganic sulfate into biological molecules plays an important role in biological systems and is directly involved in the instigation of diseases. Protein tyrosine sulfation (PTS) is a common post-translational modification that was first reported in the literature fifty years ago. However, the significance of PTS under physiological conditions and its link to diseases have just begun to be appreciated in recent years. PTS is catalyzed by tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST) through transfer of an activated sulfate from 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate to tyrosine in a variety of proteins and peptides. Currently, only a small fraction of sulfated proteins is known and the understanding of the biological sulfation mechanisms is still in progress. In this review, we give an introductory and selective brief review of PTS and then summarize the basic biochemical information including the activity and the preparation of TPST, methods for the determination of PTS, and kinetics and reaction mechanism of TPST. This information is fundamental for the further exploration of the function of PTS that induces protein-protein interactions and the subsequent biochemical and physiological reactions.

The structural role of receptor tyrosine sulfation in chemokine recognition

Tyrosine sulfation is a post-translational modification of secreted and transmembrane proteins, including many GPCRs such as chemokine receptors. Most chemokine receptors contain several potentially sulfated tyrosine residues in their extracellular N-terminal regions, the initial binding site for chemokine ligands. Sulfation of these receptors increases chemokine binding affinity and potency. Although receptor sulfation is heterogeneous, insights into the molecular basis of sulfotyrosine (sTyr) recognition have been obtained using purified, homogeneous sulfopeptides corresponding to the N-termini of chemokine receptors. Receptor sTyr residues bind to a shallow cleft defined by the N-loop and β3-strand elements of cognate chemokines. Tyrosine sulfation enhances the affinity of receptor peptides for cognate chemokines in a manner dependent on the position of sulfation. Moreover, tyrosine sulfation can alter the selectivity of receptor peptides among several cognate chemokines for the same receptor. Finally, binding to receptor sulfopeptides can modulate the oligomerization state of chemokines, thereby influencing the ability of a chemokine to activate its receptor. These results increase the motivation to investigate the structural basis by which tyrosine sulfation modulates chemokine receptor activity and the biological consequences of this functional modulation.

Direct identification of tyrosine sulfation by using ultraviolet photodissociation mass spectrometry

Sulfation is a common post-translational modification of tyrosine residues in eukaryotes; however, detection using traditional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods is challenging based on poor ionization efficiency in the positive ion mode and facile neutral loss upon collisional activation. In the present study, 193 nm ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) is applied to sulfopeptide anions to generate diagnostic sequence ions, which do not undergo appreciable neutral loss of sulfate even using higher energy photoirradiation parameters. At the same time, neutral loss of SO₃ is observed from the precursor and charge-reduced precursor ions, a spectral feature that is useful for differentiating tyrosine sulfation from the nominally isobaric tyrosine phosphorylation. LC-MS detection limits for UVPD analysis in the negative mode were determined to be around 100 fmol for three sulfated peptides, caerulein, cionin, and leu-enkephalin. The LC-UVPD-MS method was applied for analysis of bovine fibrinogen, and its key sulfated peptide was confidently identified.

Fluorescent peptide sensors for tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase activity

Tyrosine sulfurylation is a post-translational modification important for protein-protein interactions in the extracellular space that are instrumental in cell adhesion, cell signaling, immune responses, and pathogen recognition of host cells. Tyrosine sulfurylation is catalyzed by the tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPSTs), and in humans there are two isoforms: hTPST1 and hTPST2. The study of hTPST function and the development of small molecule probes to examine the role of hTPSTs in cell biology have been delayed by the absence of a continuous direct assay for hTPST activity. We have developed a fluorescent peptide-based assay to directly monitor tyrosine sulfurylation in real time. TPST-mediated tyrosine sulfurylation of the peptides disrupts fluorophore quenching and results in increased fluorescence emission. The assay can be used to study TPST enzymatic activity, and we show that recombinant hTPSTs are active in the absence of divalent metal ions and that optimal activity is at pH 6.0. We further show that the assay can also be used to identify inhibitors of tyrosine sulfurylation. A clear understanding of hTPST function in normal cell biology and in disease states will require the identification of small molecule inhibitors or probes to modulate enzymatic activity, and our results will facilitate that process.

LC-MS and LC-MS/MS studies of incorporation of 34SO3 into glycosaminoglycan chains by sulfotransferases

The specificities of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) modification enzymes, particularly sulfotransferases, and the locations and concentrations of these enzymes in the Golgi apparatus give rise to the mature GAG polysaccharides that bind protein ligands. We studied the substrate specificities of sulfotransferases with a stable isotopically labeled donor substrate, 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate. The sulfate incorporated by in vitro sulfation using recombinant sulfotransferases was easily distinguished from those previously present on the GAG chains using mass spectrometry. The enrichment of the [M + 2] isotopic peak caused by (34)S incorporation, and the [M + 2]/[M + 1] ratio, provided reliable and sensitive measures of the degree of in vitro sulfation. It was found that both CHST3 and CHST15 have higher activities at the non-reducing end (NRE) units of chondroitin sulfate, particularly those terminating with a GalNAc monosaccharide. In contrast, both NDST1 and HS6ST1 showed lower activities at the NRE of heparan sulfate (HS) chains than at the interior of the chain. Contrary to the traditional view of HS biosynthesis processes, NDST1 also showed activity on O-sulfated GlcNAc residues.

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.

Fluorescence assay for protein post-translational tyrosine sulfation

We developed a fluorescent assay to conveniently determine the kinetics of protein sulfation, which is essential for understanding interface between protein sulfation and protein-protein interactions. Tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST) catalyzes protein sulfation using 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) as sulfuryl group donor. In this report, PAPS was regenerated following sulfuryl group transfer between adenosine 3',5'-diphosphate and 4-methylumbelliferyl sulfate catalyzed by phenol sulfotransferase (PST). The TPST and PST coupled enzyme platform continuously generated fluorescent 4-methylumbelliferone (MU) that was used to real-time monitor protein sulfation. Using a recombinant N utilization substance protein A fused Drosophila melanogaster tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase, we demonstrated that the activity of TPST determined through MU fluorescence directly correlated with protein sulfation. Kinetic constants obtained with small P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 peptide (PSGL-1 peptide, MW 1541) or its large glutathione S-transferase fusion protein (GST-PSGL-1, MW 27833) exhibited significant variation. This assay can be further developed to a high-throughput method for the characterization of TPSTs and for the identification and screening of their protein substrates.

Function, diversity and therapeutic potential of the N-terminal domain of human chemokine receptors

Chemokines and their receptors play fundamental roles in many physiological and pathological processes such as leukocyte trafficking, inflammation, cancer and HIV-1 infection. Chemokine-receptor interactions are particularly intricate and therefore require precise orchestration. The flexible N-terminal domain of human chemokine receptors has regularly been demonstrated to hold a crucial role in the initial recognition and selective binding of the receptor ligands. The length and the amino acid sequences of the N-termini vary considerably among different receptors but they all show a high content of negatively charged residues and are subject to post-translational modifications such as O-sulfation and N- or O-glycosylation. In addition, a conserved cysteine that is most likely engaged in a receptor-stabilizing disulfide bond delimits two functionally distinct parts in the N-terminus, characterized by specific molecular signatures. Structural analyses have shown that the N-terminus of chemokine receptors recognizes a groove on the chemokine surface and that this interaction is stabilized by high-affinity binding to a conserved sulfotyrosine-binding pocket. Altogether, these data provide new insights on the chemokine-receptor molecular interplay and identify the receptor N-terminus-binding site as a new target for the development of therapeutic molecules. This review presents and discusses the diversity and function of human chemokine receptor N-terminal domains and provides a comprehensive annotated inventory of their sequences, laying special emphasis on the presence of post-translational modifications and functional features. Finally, it identifies new molecular signatures and proposes a computational model for the positioning and the conformation of the CXCR4 N-terminus grafted on the first chemokine receptor X-ray structure.

Differential developmental deficits in retinal function in the absence of either protein tyrosine sulfotransferase-1 or -2

To investigate the role(s) of protein-tyrosine sulfation in the retina and to determine the differential role(s) of tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPST) 1 and 2 in vision, retinal function and structure were examined in mice lacking TPST-1 or TPST-2. Despite the normal histologic retinal appearance in both Tpst1(-/-) and Tpst2(-/-) mice, retinal function was compromised during early development. However, Tpst1(-/-) retinas became electrophysiologically normal by postnatal day 90 while Tpst2(-/-) mice did not functionally normalize with age. Ultrastructurally, the absence of TPST-1 or TPST-2 caused minor reductions in neuronal plexus. These results demonstrate the functional importance of protein-tyrosine sulfation for proper development of the retina and suggest that the different phenotypes resulting from elimination of either TPST-1 or -2 may reflect differential expression patterns or levels of the enzymes. Furthermore, single knock-out mice of either TPST-1 or -2 did not phenocopy mice with double-knockout of both TPSTs, suggesting that the functions of the TPSTs are at least partially redundant, which points to the functional importance of these enzymes in the retina.

Recent advances in sulfotransferase enzyme activity assays

Sulfotransferases are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of sulfo groups from a donor, for example 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate, to an acceptor, for example the amino or hydroxyl groups of a small molecule, xenobiotic, carbohydrate, or peptide. These enzymes are important targets in the design of novel therapeutics for treatment of a variety of diseases. This review examines assays used for this important class of enzyme, paying particular attention to sulfotransferases acting on carbohydrates and peptides and the major challenges associated with their analysis.

An improved HPLC method for the quantitation of 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate (PAP) to assay sulfotransferase enzyme activity in HepG2 cells

Sulfotransferase-catalyzed (SULT-catalyzed) sulfation is responsible for hormone regulation and xenobiotic detoxification. In the current study, a sensitive and widely applicable method of reversed-phase HPLC-UV was developed for the determination of 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate (PAP), a common product of different subtypes of sulfation reactions, in HepG2 cells. The analyte was separated on a ZORBAX Extend-C18 column with the mobile phase of methanol and water containing 75 mM KH(2)PO(4), 100mM NH(4)Cl, and 1mM 1-octylamine (pH 4.55), at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The assay exhibited linearity over the range of 0.1-20 μM for PAP with a correlation coefficient of 0.9995. The total time per run was under 10 min. The intra- and inter-day precision was less than 7.2%, with accuracy in the range 82.6-102.0%. The method was applied to the determination of kinetic parameters K(m), V(m), and K(cat), of three different SULTs (SULT1A1, SULT2A1, and SULT1E1) in HepG2. This universal HPLC-UV method was easy to perform, economically feasible, and suitably efficient for the investigation of the enzyme kinetics of the SULT family using multiplex substrates.

Simultaneous identification of tyrosine phosphorylation and sulfation sites utilizing tyrosine-specific bromination

Tyrosine phosphorylation and sulfation play many key roles in the cell. Isobaric phosphotyrosine and sulfotyrosine residues in peptides were determined by mass spectrometry using phosphatase or sulfatase to remove the phosphate or the sulfate group. Unique Br signature was introduced to the resulting tyrosine residues by incubation with 32% HBr at -20 °C for 20 min. MS/MS analysis of the brominated peptide enabled unambiguous determination of the phosphotyrosine and the sulfotyrosine sites. When phosphotyrosine and sulfotyrosine as well as free tyrosine were present in the same peptide, they could be determined simultaneously using either phosphatase or sulfatase following acetylation of the free tyrosine.

Catalytic mechanism of Golgi-resident human tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-2: a mass spectrometry approach

Human tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases catalyze the transfer of a sulfuryl moiety from the universal sulfate donor PAPS to the hydroxyl substituent of tyrosine residues in proteins and peptides to yield tyrosine sulfated products and PAP. Tyrosine sulfation occurs in the trans-Golgi network, affecting an estimated 1% of the tyrosine residues in all secreted and membrane-bound proteins in higher order eukaryotes. In this study, an effective LC-MS-based TPST kinetics assay was developed and utilized to measure the kinetic properties of human TPST-2 and investigate its catalytic mechanism when G protein-coupled CC-chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) peptides were used as acceptor substrates. Through initial rate kinetics, product inhibition studies, and radioactive-labeling experiments, our data strongly suggest a two-site ping-pong model for TPST-2 action. In this mechanistic model, the enzyme allows independent binding of substrates to two distinct sites, and involves the formation of a sulfated enzyme covalent intermediate. Some insights on the important amino acid residues at the catalytic site of TPST-2 and its covalent intermediate are also presented. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed study of the reaction kinetics and mechanism reported for human TPST-2 or any other Golgi-resident sulfotransferase.

A versatile polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis based sulfotransferase assay

Background

Sulfotransferases are a large group of enzymes that regulate the biological activity or availability of a wide spectrum of substrates through sulfation with the sulfur donor 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS). These enzymes are known to be difficult to assay. A convenient assay is needed in order to better understand these enzymes.

Results

A universal sulfotransferase assay method based on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is described. This assay has been successfully applied to substrates as small as α-naphthol and as big as proteoglycans. As examples, we present the assays for recombinant human CHST4, TPST1, CHST3 and HS6ST1. In order to assess whether a small molecule can be applicable to this type of assay, a method to estimate the relative mobility of a molecule to PAPS is also presented. The estimated relative mobilities of various sulfated small molecules generated by SULT1A1, SULT1E1, SULT2A1 and CHST4 are in the range of ± 0.2 of the actual relative mobilities.

Conclusion

The versatility of the current method comes from the ability that SDS-PAGE can separate proteins and small molecules according to different parameters. While mobilities of proteins during SDS-PAGE are inversely related to their sizes, mobilities of small molecules are positively related to their charge/mass ratios. The predicted relative mobility of a product to PAPS is a good indicator of whether a sulfotransferase can be assayed with SDS-PAGE. Because phosphorylation is most similar to sulfation in chemistry, the method is likely to be applicable to kinases as well.

Incorporating support vector machine for identifying protein tyrosine sulfation sites

Tyrosine sulfation is a post-translational modification of many secreted and membrane-bound proteins. It governs protein-protein interactions that are involved in leukocyte adhesion, hemostasis, and chemokine signaling. However, the intrinsic feature of sulfated protein remains elusive and remains to be delineated. This investigation presents SulfoSite, which is a computational method based on a support vector machine (SVM) for predicting protein sulfotyrosine sites. The approach was developed to consider structural information such as concerning the secondary structure and solvent accessibility of amino acids that surround the sulfotyrosine sites. One hundred sixty-two experimentally verified tyrosine sulfation sites were identified using UniProtKB/SwissProt release 53.0. The results of a five-fold cross-validation evaluation suggest that the accessibility of the solvent around the sulfotyrosine sites contributes substantially to predictive accuracy. The SVM classifier can achieve an accuracy of 94.2% in five-fold cross validation when sequence positional weighted matrix (PWM) is coupled with values of the accessible surface area (ASA). The proposed method significantly outperforms previous methods for accurately predicting the location of tyrosine sulfation sites.

Improved detection of intact tyrosine sulfate-containing peptides by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in linear negative ion mode

Sulfation of tyrosine residues is a common post-translational modification, but detecting and quantitating this modification poses challenges due to lability of the sulfate group. The goal of our studies was to determine how best to detect and to assess the stoichiometry of this modification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS). Sulfated and nonsulfated forms of peptides-hirudin(55-65), caerulein, and cholecystokinin octapeptide and phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated pp60-c-src (521-533)-were analyzed using several matrices: sinapinic acid (SA), 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DBA), and cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA). Intact sulfated peptides were difficult to detect using positive ion mode; peptides were observed as desulfated ions. Phosphorylated peptide was stable and was detected in positive and negative ion modes. Detection of sulfated peptides improved with: (1) Analysis in negative ion mode, (2) Decreased laser power, (3) Matrix selection: DBA>/=SA>CHCA. In negative ion mode, desorption/ionization of sulfated peptide was equivalent or more efficient than nonsulfated peptide, depending on conditions of analysis. Examination of a tryptic digest of alpha(2)-antiplasmin detected the single site of sulfation in negative ion mode but not in positive ion mode. We conclude that improved detection of sulfated peptides can be achieved in negative ion mode. Dual analysis in positive and negative ion modes serves as a potential means of identifying peptides with labile modifications such as sulfation and distinguishing them from phosphorylation.

Pattern and temporal sequence of sulfation of CCR5 N-terminal peptides by tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-2: an assessment of the effects of N-terminal residues

CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is the receptor for several inflammatory chemokines and is a coreceptor for HIV-1. Posttranslational sulfation of tyrosines in the N-terminal regions of chemokine receptors has been shown to be important in the binding affinity for chemokine ligands. In addition, sulfation of CCR5 is crucial for mediating interactions with HIV-1 envelope protein gp120. The major sulfation pathway for peptides derived from the N-terminal domains of CCR5 and CCR8 and variations of the peptides were determined by in vitro enzymatic sulfation by tyrosylprotein sulfotranferase-2 (TPST-2), subsequent separation of products by RP-HPLC, and mass spectrometry analysis. It was found that the patterns of sulfation and the rates of sulfation for CCR5 and CCR8 depend on the number of amino acids N-terminal of Tyr-3. Results herein address previous seemingly contradictory studies and delineate the temporal sulfation of N-terminal chemokine receptor peptides.