Characteristics of mammalian class III alcohol dehydrogenases, an enzyme less variable than the traditional liver enzyme of class I

A new view of alcohol metabolism and alcoholism--role of the high-Km Class III alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH3)

The conventional view is that alcohol metabolism is carried out by ADH1 (Class I) in the liver. However, it has been suggested that another pathway plays an important role in alcohol metabolism, especially when the level of blood ethanol is high or when drinking is chronic. Over the past three decades, vigorous attempts to identify the enzyme responsible for the non-ADH1 pathway have focused on the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS) and catalase, but have failed to clarify their roles in systemic alcohol metabolism. Recently, using ADH3-null mutant mice, we demonstrated that ADH3 (Class III), which has a high K(m) and is a ubiquitous enzyme of ancient origin, contributes to systemic alcohol metabolism in a dose-dependent manner, thereby diminishing acute alcohol intoxication. Although the activity of ADH3 toward ethanol is usually low in vitro due to its very high K(m), the catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) is markedly enhanced when the solution hydrophobicity of the reaction medium increases. Activation of ADH3 by increasing hydrophobicity should also occur in liver cells; a cytoplasmic solution of mouse liver cells was shown to be much more hydrophobic than a buffer solution when using Nile red as a hydrophobicity probe. When various doses of ethanol are administered to mice, liver ADH3 activity is dynamically regulated through induction or kinetic activation, while ADH1 activity is markedly lower at high doses (3-5 g/kg). These data suggest that ADH3 plays a dynamic role in alcohol metabolism, either collaborating with ADH1 or compensating for the reduced role of ADH1. A complex two-ADH model that ascribes total liver ADH activity to both ADH1 and ADH3 explains the dose-dependent changes in the pharmacokinetic parameters (beta, CL(T), AUC) of blood ethanol very well, suggesting that alcohol metabolism in mice is primarily governed by these two ADHs. In patients with alcoholic liver disease, liver ADH3 activity increases, while ADH1 activity decreases, as alcohol intake increases. Furthermore, ADH3 is induced in damaged cells that have greater hydrophobicity, whereas ADH1 activity is lower when there is severe liver disease. These data suggest that chronic binge drinking and the resulting liver disease shifts the key enzyme in alcohol metabolism from low-K(m) ADH1 to high-K(m) ADH3, thereby reducing the rate of alcohol metabolism. The interdependent increase in the ADH3/ADH1 activity ratio and AUC may be a factor in the development of alcoholic liver disease. However, the adaptive increase in ADH3 sustains alcohol metabolism, even in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, which makes it possible for them to drink themselves to death. Thus, the regulation of ADH3 activity may be important in preventing alcoholism development.

Glutathione traps formaldehyde by formation of a bicyclo[4.4.1]undecane adduct

Glutathione forms complex reaction products with formaldehyde, which can be further modified through enzymatic modification. We studied the non-enzymatic reaction between glutathione and formaldehyde and identified a bicyclic complex containing two equivalents of formaldehyde and one glutathione molecule by protein X-ray crystallography (PDB accession number 2PFG). We have also used (1)H, (13)C and 2D NMR spectroscopy to confirm the structure of this unusual adduct. The key feature of this adduct is the involvement of the gamma-glutamyl alpha-amine and the Cys thiol in the formation of the bicyclic ring structure. These findings suggest that the structure of GSH allows for bi-dentate masking of the reactivity of formaldehyde. As this species predominates at near physiological pH values, we suggest this adduct may have biological significance.

[Structural and functional analysis of enzymes and their application to clinical analysis--study on Pseudomonas putida formaldehyde dehydrogenase]

Formaldehyde dehydrogenase (PFDH) was isolated from the creatinine-decomposing bacterium Pseudomonas putida, and its gene has been cloned. PFDH is unique because it was the only enzyme that catalyzed the dehydrogenation of formaldehyde without glutathione. PFDH belongs to a zinc-containing alcohol dehydrogenase family. Quantitative analysis of the reaction products using NMR revealed that the enzyme is not simply a dehydrogenase but is an aldehyde dismutase catalyzing a simultaneous conversion of both aldehyde to carboxylate and aldehyde to alcohol. The enzyme contains a tightly bound cofactor of NAD+/NADH per subunit and is classified as a nicotinoprotein. The enzyme reaction can proceed without external addition of the nucleotide cofactor. The formaldehyde was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapor diffusion method with ammonium sulfate as a precipitant. The crystal structure was determined using the multiwavelength anomalous diffraction method with intrinsic zinc ions. The overall structure of PFDH is similar to that of a classic horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase. However, a comparison of these structures indicated that the insertion loop specifically found in PFDH may be responsible for the tight binding of the cofactor, thereby making PFDH a dismutase.

Structure of human chi chi alcohol dehydrogenase: a glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase

The crystal structure of the human class III chi chi alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in a binary complex with NAD+(gamma) was solved to 2.7 A resolution by molecular replacement with human class I beta1 beta1 ADH. chi chi ADH catalyzes the oxidation of long-chain alcohols such as omega-hydroxy fatty acids as well as S-hydroxymethyl-glutathione, a spontaneous adduct between formaldehyde and glutathione. There are two subunits per asymmetric unit in the chi chi ADH structure. Both subunits display a semi-open conformation of the catalytic domain. This conformation is half-way between the open and closed conformations described for the horse EE ADH enzyme. The semi-open conformation and key changes in elements of secondary structure provide a structural basis for the ability of chi chi ADH to bind S-hydroxymethyl-glutathione and 10-hydroxydecanoate. Direct coordination of the catalytic zinc ion by Glu68 creates a novel environment for the catalytic zinc ion in chi chi ADH. This new configuration of the catalytic zinc is similar to an intermediate for horse EE ADH proposed through theoretical computations and is consistent with the spectroscopic data of the Co(II)-substituted chi chi enzyme. The position for residue His47 in the chi chi ADH structure suggests His47 may function both as a catalytic base for proton transfer and in the binding of the adenosine phosphate of NAD(H). Modeling of substrate binding to this enzyme structure is consistent with prior mutagenesis data which showed that both Asp57 and Arg115 contribute to glutathione binding and that Arg115 contributes to the binding of omega-hydroxy fatty acids and identifies additional residues which may contribute to substrate binding.

Plasmid-mediated formaldehyde resistance in Escherichia coli: characterization of resistance gene

The formaldehyde resistance mechanisms in the formaldehyde-resistant strain Escherichia coli VU3695 were investigated. A large (4.6-kb) plasmid DNA fragment encompassing the formaldehyde resistance gene was sequenced. A single 1,107-bp open reading frame encoding a glutathione- and NAD-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase was identified and sequenced, and the enzyme was expressed in an in vitro assay and purified. Amino acid sequence homology studies showed 62.4 to 63.2% identity with class III alcohol dehydrogenases isolated from horse, human, and rat livers. We demonstrated that the resistance mechanism in the formaldehyde-resistant strain E. coli VU3695 and in other formaldehyde-resistant members of the family Enterobacteriaceae is based on the enzymatic degradation of formaldehyde by a formaldehyde dehydrogenase.

Characterization of a glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenases (GSH-FDH) represent a ubiquitous class of enzymes, found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. During the course of studying energy-generating pathways in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, a gene (adhI) encoding a GSH-FDH homolog has been identified as part of an operon (adhI-cycI) that also encodes an isoform of the cytochrome c2 family of electron transport proteins (isocytochrome c2). Enzyme assays with crude Escherichia coli extracts expressing AdhI show that this protein has the characteristic substrate preference of a GSH-FDH. Ferguson plot analysis with zymograms suggests that the functional form of AdhI is a homodimer of approximately40-kDa subunits, analogous to other GSH-FDH enzymes. These properties of AdhI were used to show that mutations which increase or decrease adhI expression change the specific activity of GSH-FDH in R. sphaeroides extracts. In addition, expression of the presumed adhI-cycI operon appears to be transcriptionally regulated, since the abundance of the major adhI-specific primer extension product is increased by the trans-acting spd-7 mutation, which increases the level of both isocytochrome c2 and AdhI activity. While transcriptional linkage of adhI and cycI could suggest a function in a common metabolic pathway, isocytochrome c2 (periplasm) and AdhI (cytoplasm) are localized in separate compartments of R. sphaeroides. Potential roles for AdhI in carbon and energy generation and the possible relationship of GSH-FDH activity to isocytochrome c2 will be discussed based on the commonly accepted physiological functions of GSH-FDH enzymes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Isolation, sequencing, and mutagenesis of the gene encoding NAD- and glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase (GD-FALDH) from Paracoccus denitrificans, in which GD-FALDH is essential for methylotrophic growth

NAD- and glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase (GD-FALDH) of Paracoccus denitrificans has been purified as a tetramer with a relative molecular mass of 150 kDa. The gene encoding GD-FALDH (flhA) has been isolated, sequenced, and mutated by insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene. The mutant strain is not able to grow on methanol, methylamine, or choline, while heterotrophic growth is not influenced by the mutation. This finding indicates that GD-FALDH of P. denitrificans is essential for the oxidation of formaldehyde produced during methylotrophic growth.

Fundamental molecular differences between alcohol dehydrogenase classes

Two types of alcohol dehydrogenase in separate protein families are the "medium-chain" zinc enzymes (including the classical liver and yeast forms) and the "short-chain" enzymes (including the insect form). Although the medium-chain family has been characterized in prokaryotes and many eukaryotes (fungi, plants, cephalopods, and vertebrates), insects have seemed to possess only the short-chain enzyme. We have now also characterized a medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase in Drosophila. The enzyme is identical to insect octanol dehydrogenase. It is a typical class III alcohol dehydrogenase, similar to the corresponding human form (70% residue identity), with mostly the same residues involved in substrate and coenzyme interactions. Changes that do occur are conservative, but Phe-51 is of functional interest in relation to decreased coenzyme binding and increased overall activity. Extra residues versus the human enzyme near position 250 affect the coenzyme-binding domain. Enzymatic properties are similar--i.e., very low activity toward ethanol (Km beyond measurement) and high selectivity for formaldehyde/glutathione (S-hydroxymethylglutathione; kcat/Km = 160,000 min-1.mM-1). Between the present class III and the ethanol-active class I enzymes, however, patterns of variability differ greatly, highlighting fundamentally separate molecular properties of these two alcohol dehydrogenases, with class III resembling enzymes in general and class I showing high variation. The gene coding for the Drosophila class III enzyme produces an mRNA of about 1.36 kb that is present at all developmental stages of the fly, compatible with the constitutive nature of the vertebrate enzyme. Taken together, the results bridge a previously apparent gap in the distribution of medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenases and establish a strictly conserved class III enzyme, consistent with an important role for this enzyme in cellular metabolism.

Cloning and high-level expression of the glutathione-independent formaldehyde dehydrogenase gene from Pseudomonas putida

A DNA fragment of 485 bp was specifically amplified by PCR with primers based on the N-terminal sequence of the purified formaldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.46) from Pseudomonas putida and on that of a cyanogen bromide-derived peptide. With this product as a probe, a gene coding for formaldehyde dehydrogenase (fdhA) in P. putida chromosomal DNA was cloned in Escherichia coli DH5 alpha. Sequencing analysis revealed that the fdhA gene contained 1,197-bp open reading frame, encoding a protein composed of 399 amino acid residues whose calculated molecular weight was 42,082. The transformant of E. coli DH5 alpha harboring the hybrid plasmid, pFDHK3DN71, showed about 50-fold-higher formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity than P. putida. The predicted amino acid sequence contained several features characteristic of the zinc-containing medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) family. Most of the glycine residues strictly conserved within the family, including a Gly-Xaa-Gly-Xaa-Xaa-Gly pattern in the coenzyme binding domain, were well conserved in this enzyme. Regions around both the catalytic and the structural zinc atoms were also conserved. Analyses of structural and enzymatic characteristics indicated that P. putida FDH belongs to the medium-chain ADH family, with mixed properties of mammalian class I and III ADHs.

Site-directed mutagenesis and enzyme properties of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenases correlated with their tissue distribution

Site-directed mutagenesis of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenases has helped to explain functional differences between enzymes within the protein family and traced these characteristics to specific amino acid residues. A threonine/serine exchange at position 48 in the human beta/gamma subunits can explain sensitivity to testosterone inhibition, as well as steroid dehydrogenase activity. It is possible to correlate the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity of class III alcohol dehydrogenase with an arginine at position 115. Tissue distribution analysis of the three initially established classes of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase show pronouncedly different patterns. Class I alcohol dehydrogenase is widespread but varies between the tissues, and exists in small amounts in the brain. The occurrence of class II is limited in contrast to the class III enzyme which is abundant in all tissues examined. The latter probably reflects the need for scavenging of formaldehyde in cytoprotection. Additional enzyme forms of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase have been detected and have to be investigated further, together with the enzymes characterized earlier, regarding their physiological role in alcohol metabolism.

Origin of the human alcohol dehydrogenase system: implications from the structure and properties of the octopus protein

In contrast to the multiplicity of alcohol dehydrogenase in vertebrates, a class III type of the enzyme [i.e., a glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase; formaldehyde; NAD+ oxidoreductase (glutathione-formylating), EC 1.2.1.1.] is the only form detectable in appreciable yield in octopus. It is enzymatically and structurally highly similar to the human class III enzyme, with limited overall residue differences (26%) and only a few conservative residue exchanges at the substrate and coenzyme pockets, reflecting "constant" characteristics of this class over wide time periods. It is distinct from the ethanol-active "variable" class I type of the enzyme (i.e., classical liver alcohol dehydrogenase; alcohol:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1). The residue conservation of class III is also spaced differently from that of class I but is typical of that of proteins in general, emphasizing that class I, with divergence at three functional segments, is the form with deviating properties. In spite of the conservation in class III, surface charges differ considerably. The apparent absence of a class I enzyme in octopus and the constant nature of the class III enzyme support the concept of a duplicative origin of the class I line from the ancient class III form. Still more distant relationships define further enzyme lines that have subunits with other properties.

Role of arginine 115 in fatty acid activation and formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity of human class III alcohol dehydrogenase

Modification of class III alcohol dehydrogenase (chi chi-ADH) with phenylglyoxal eliminates fatty acid activation by pentanoate and octanoate and concomitantly increases specific activity toward ethanol and 3-methylcrotyl alcohol 2-3-fold. In contrast, chemical modification decreases activity toward S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione (FDH activity) and 12-hydroxydodecanoic acid by increasing Km, pointing to a role for arginine in binding anionic substrates. Modification with [7-14C]phenylglyoxal indicates that only one arginine residue per subunit is modified. Sequence analysis of tryptic peptides indicates that Arg-115 is modified. Site-directed mutation of this residue to alanine eliminates both fatty acid activation and FDH activity, thus confirming the identity of the modified residue and its function. These results account in part for the unique specificity of chi chi-ADH relative to other human ADH isozymes.

Mutation of Arg-115 of human class III alcohol dehydrogenase: a binding site required for formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity and fatty acid activation

The origin of the fatty acid activation and formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity that distinguishes human class III alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1) from all other alcohol dehydrogenases has been examined by site-directed mutagenesis of its Arg-115 residue. The Ala- and Asp-115 mutant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography and ion-exchange HPLC. The activities of the recombinant native and mutant enzymes toward ethanol are essentially identical, but mutagenesis greatly decreases the kcat/Km values for glutathione-dependent formaldehyde oxidation. The catalytic efficiency for the Asp variant is < 0.1% that of the unmutated enzyme, due to both a higher Km and a lower kcat value. As with the native enzyme, neither mutant can oxidize methanol, be saturated by ethanol, or be inhibited by 4-methylpyrazole; i.e., they retain these class III characteristics. In contrast, however, their activation by fatty acids, another characteristic unique to class III alcohol dehydrogenase, is markedly attenuated. The Ala mutant is activated only slightly, but the Asp mutant is not activated at all. The results strongly indicate that Arg-115 in class III alcohol dehydrogenase is a component of the binding site for activating fatty acids and is critical for the binding of S-hydroxymethylglutathione in glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity.

Cloning and characterization of the ADH5 gene encoding human alcohol dehydrogenase 5, formaldehyde dehydrogenase

Human chi-alcohol dehydrogenase (chi-ADH) is a zinc-containing dimeric enzyme responsible for the oxidation of long-chain alcohols and omega-hydroxyfatty acids. Class-III ADHs, of which chi-ADH is the prototype, are widely produced and well conserved during evolution. This suggests that they fulfill important housekeeping roles in cellular metabolism. Recent evidence suggests that class-III ADH and formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FDH) are the same enzyme. We have isolated and characterized two overlapping genomic clones that cover the entire ADH5 (FDH) gene. ADH5 is composed of nine exons and eight introns. Two major transcription start points were identified by primer extension. The 5' nontranslated region is unusual in that it contains two additional upstream ATG codons, which would encode peptides of 20 and 10 amino acids. Neither of the upstream ATGs is in a good context for translation initiation, whereas the ATG initiating &khgr;-ADH is in a favorable context. The 5' region of ADH5 is a CpG island; it is extremely G+C rich and has many CpG doublets. It does not contain either a TATA box or a CAAT box. This is consistent with ubiquitous expression, and contrasts with the promoters of all previously cloned ADH genes, which are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. The 5' region of ADH5 contains consensus binding sites for the transcriptional regulatory proteins, Sp1, AP2, LF-A1, NF-1, NF-A2, and NF-E1. A 1.5-kb upstream fragment from ADH5 was able to drive the transcription of a cat reporter gene at high levels in monkey kidney cells (CV-1). Several processed pseudogenes were also isolated.

"Enzymogenesis": classical liver alcohol dehydrogenase origin from the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase line

Analysis of the activity and structure of lower vertebrate alcohol dehydrogenases reveals that relationships between the classical liver and yeast enzymes need not be continuous. Both the ethanol activity of class I-type alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1) and the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde activity of the class III-type enzyme [formaldehyde:NAD+ oxidoreductase (glutathione-formylating), EC 1.2.1.1] are present in liver down to at least the stage of bony fishes (cod liver: ethanol activity, 3.4 units/mg of protein in one enzyme; formaldehyde activity, 4.5 units/mg in the major form of another enzyme). Structural analysis of the latter protein reveals it to be a typical class III enzyme, with limited variation from the mammalian form and therefore with stable activity and structure throughout much of the vertebrate lineage. In contrast, the classical alcohol dehydrogenase (the class I enzyme) appears to be the emerging form, first in activity and later also in structure. The class I activity is present already in the piscine line, whereas the overall structural-type enzyme is not observed until amphibians and still more recent vertebrates. Consequently, the class I/III duplicatory origin appears to have arisen from a functional class III form, not a class I form. Therefore, ethanol dehydrogenases from organisms existing before this duplication have origins separate from those leading to the "classical" liver alcohol dehydrogenases. The latter now often occur in isozyme forms from further gene duplications and have a high rate of evolutionary change. The pattern is, however, not simple and we presently find in cod the first evidence for isozymes also within a class III alcohol dehydrogenase. Overall, the results indicate that both of these classes of vertebrate alcohol dehydrogenase are important and suggest a protective metabolic function for the whole enzyme system.

Progressive sequence alignment and molecular evolution of the Zn-containing alcohol dehydrogenase family

Sequences of 47 members of the Zn-containing alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) family were aligned progressively, and an evolutionary tree with detailed branch order and branch lengths was produced. The alignment shows that only 9 amino acid residues (of 374 in the horse liver ADH sequence) are conserved in this family; these include eight Gly and one Val with structural roles. Three residues that bind the catalytic Zn and modulate its electrostatic environment are conserved in 45 members. Asp 223, which determines specificity for NAD, is found in all but the two NADP-dependent enzymes, which have Gly or Ala. Ser or Thr 48, which makes a hydrogen bond to the substrate, is present in 46 members. The four Cys ligands for the structural zinc are conserved except in zeta-crystallin, the sorbitol dehydrogenases, and two bacterial enzymes. Analysis of the evolutionary tree gives estimates of the times of divergence for different animal ADHs. The human class II (pi) and class III (chi) ADHs probably diverged about 630 million years ago, and the newly identified human ADH6 appeared about 520 million years ago, implying that these classes of enzymes may exist or have existed in all vertebrates. The human class I ADH isoenzymes (alpha, beta, and gamma) diverged about 80 million years ago, suggesting that these isoenzymes may exist or have existed in all primates. Analysis of branch lengths shows that these plant ADHs are more conserved than the animal ones and that class III ADHs are more conserved than class I ADHs. The rate of acceptance of point mutations (PAM units) shows that selection pressure has existed for ADHs, implying that these enzymes play definite metabolic roles.

Molecular cloning of mouse alcohol dehydrogenase-B2 cDNA: nucleotide sequences of the class III ADH genes evolve slowly even for silent substitutions

We have cloned and sequenced a cDNA encoding the mouse class III alcohol dehydrogenase, Adh-B2. Adh-B2 mRNA is detectable in all the mouse tissues tested. Class III ADHs are highly conserved: the deduced amino acid sequence of the mouse Adh-B2 is 91 to 97% identical to the human, horse and rat liver enzymes. The mouse Adh-B2 cDNA is 87% identical in nucleotide sequence to the human chi-ADH cDNA. Previously, a slower rate of evolutionary divergence of the amino acid sequences of class III ADH proteins was detected and ascribed to functional constraints upon the protein. Our analysis of the nucleotide sequences demonstrates that this cannot be the entire explanation, since the rate of silent (synonymous) nucleotide substitutions is also lower in the class III ADHs than in the class I ADHs.

Characteristics of short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases and related enzymes

Different short-chain dehydrogenases are distantly related, constituting a protein family now known from at least 20 separate enzymes characterized, but with extensive differences, especially in the C-terminal third of their sequences. Many of the first known members were prokaryotic, but recent additions include mammalian enzymes from placenta, liver and other tissues, including 15-hydroxyprostaglandin, 17 beta-hydroxysteroid and 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases. In addition, species variants, isozyme-like multiplicities and mutants have been reported for several of the structures. Alignments of the different enzymes reveal large homologous parts, with clustered similarities indicating regions of special functional/structural importance. Several of these derive from relationships within a common type of coenzyme-binding domain, but central-chain patterns of similarity go beyond this domain. Total residue identities between enzyme pairs are typically around 25%, but single forms deviate more or less (14-58%). Only six of the 250-odd residues are strictly conserved and seven more are conserved in all but single cases. Over one third of the conserved residues are glycine, showing the importance of conformational and spatial restrictions. Secondary structure predictions, residue distributions and hydrophilicity profiles outline a common, N-terminal coenzyme-binding domain similar to that of other dehydrogenases, and a C-terminal domain with unique segments and presumably individual functions in each case. Strictly conserved residues of possible functional interest are limited, essentially only three polar residues. Asp64, Tyr152 and Lys156 (in the numbering of Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase), but no histidine or cysteine residue like in the completely different, classical medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase family. Asp64 is in the suggested coenzyme-binding domain, whereas Tyr152 and Lys156 are close to the center of the protein chain, at a putative inter-domain, active-site segment. Consequently, the overall comparisons suggest the possibility of related mechanisms and domain properties for different members of the short-chain family.

Human liver class III alcohol and glutathione dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase are the same enzyme

Human liver class III alcohol dehydrogenase (chi chi-ADH) and glutathione dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase are the same enzyme. The enzyme, chi chi-ADH, exhibits a kcat of 200 min-1 and a km of 4 microM for the oxidation of formaldehyde, but only in the presence of GSH. In the absence of GSH the enzyme is essentially inactive toward formaldehyde but very active toward long chain alcohols. Thus, as in the rat (Koivusalo, M., Baumann, M., and Uotila, L. (1989) FEBS Letters 257, 105-109), the class III alcohol dehydrogenase and the GSH dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase are identical enzymes. S-Hydroxymethyl derivatives of 8-thiooctanoate and lipoate are also very active substrates. The activity is specific for class III alcohol dehydrogenase; neither the class I and II nor the horse EE, ES, and SS isozymes oxidize hemithiolacetals. o-Phenanthroline competitively inhibits both activities and the two substrate types compete with each other.

Cloning and characterization of the human ADH4 gene

Human alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) constitutes a set of isozymes and enzymes with different tissue and substrate specificities. The subunits are coded for by at least five gene loci, ADH1-ADH5. We now report the cloning and analysis of the human ADH4 gene coding for the class-II ADH with pi-subunits. The gene spans a region of 21 kb and is divided into nine exons and eight introns. The arrangement is the same as for all analyzed mammalian class-I genes, but the region covered is 50% larger than that in the human class-I genes. The nucleotide (nt) sequences of the exons, exon/intron boundaries and 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions were determined. The transcription start point (tsp) of the ADH4 gene was defined by primer extension and localized to a position 61 nt upstream from the ATG start codon. A TATA box and a CAAT element were identified by homology to consensus sequences for tsp. No DNA structures homologous to the glucocorticoid-responsive elements (GRE) present in the ADH2 gene were found in the upstream region of the ADH4 gene, but two structures with a 70% identity to the GRE consensus sequence were found at nonhomologous locations. The difference and the overall low degree of identity, 41%, of the upstream regions suggest different regulatory mechanisms for the class-I and class-II genes.

Sorbitol dehydrogenase: cDNA coding for the rat enzyme. Variations within the alcohol dehydrogenase family independent of quaternary structure and metal content

Two separate cDNA-clones, together coding for rat sorbitol dehydrogenase, have been isolated from a liver cDNA library in lambda gt11 by screening with oligonucleotide probes. One clone contained a 1020-bp fragment starting at the codon for amino acid residue 104 and ending with a 261-bp 3' non-coding region, the second encompassed the entire 5' region and ended with a 3' truncation corresponding to amino acid residue 315. The coding region consists of 356 amino acid residues, one more than in the human and sheep enzymes. The presence of the extra residue at position 3, a proline, can be explained by a shifted splice point in the mRNA. The primary structure of rat sorbitol dehydrogenase allows triplet comparisons of three distinct rat-ungulate-human enzymes differing in quaternary structure and metal content within the zinc-containing alcohol dehydrogenase family. The variability of sorbitol dehydrogenase (tetramer with one zinc atom/subunit; no activity towards ethanol) is large (18%), exactly like that for the class I alcohol dehydrogenase (dimer with two zinc atoms/subunit; no activity towards sorbitol), differing threefold from that of the class III alcohol dehydrogenase/glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase (dimer with two zinc atoms/subunit; 6% variability) suggesting that the distinct extents of variability within this protein family are independent of substrate specificity, metal content and quaternary structure.

Structural features of stomach aldehyde dehydrogenase distinguish dimeric aldehyde dehydrogenase as a 'variable' enzyme. 'Variable' and 'constant' enzymes within the alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase families

Stomach aldehyde dehydrogenase was structurally evaluated by analysis of peptide fragments of the human enzyme and comparisons with corresponding parts from other characterized aldehyde dehydrogenases. The results establish a large part of the structure, confirming that the stomach enzyme is identical to the inducible or tumor-derived dimeric aldehyde dehydrogenase. In addition, species variations between identical sets of different aldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenases reveal that stomach aldehyde dehydrogenase exhibits a fairly rapid rate of evolutionary changes, similar to that for the likewise 'variable' classical alcohol dehydrogenase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, and cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase but in contrast to the 'constant' class III alcohol dehydrogenase and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase. This establishes that rates of divergence in the aldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenases are unrelated to subunit size or quaternary structure, highlights the unique nature of class III alcohol dehydrogenase, and positions the stomach aldehyde dehydrogenase in a group with more ordinary features.

Amphibian alcohol dehydrogenase, the major frog liver enzyme. Relationships to other forms and assessment of an early gene duplication separating vertebrate class I and class III alcohol dehydrogenases

Submammalian alcohol dehydrogenase structures can be used to evaluate the origins and functions of the different types of the mammalian enzyme. Two avian forms were recently reported, and we now define the major amphibian alcohol dehydrogenase. The enzyme from the liver of the Green frog Rana perezi was purified, carboxymethylated, and submitted to amino acid sequence determination by peptide analysis of six different digests. The protein has a 375-residue subunit and is a class I alcohol dehydrogenase, bridging the gap toward the original separation of the classes that are observable in the human alcohol dehydrogenase system. In relation to the human class I enzyme, the amphibian protein has residue identities exactly halfway (68%) between those for the corresponding avian enzyme (74%) and the human class III enzyme (62%), suggesting an origin of the alcohol dehydrogenase classes very early in or close to the evolution of the vertebrate line. This conclusion suggests that these enzyme classes are more universal among animals than previously realized and constitutes the first real assessment of the origin of the duplications leading to the alcohol dehydrogenase classes. Functionally, the amphibian enzyme exhibits properties typical for class I but has an unusually low Km for ethanol (0.09 mM) and Ki for pyrazole (0.15 microM) at pH 10.0. This correlates with a strictly hydrophobic substrate pocket and one amino acid difference toward the human class I enzyme at the inner part of the pocket. Coenzyme binding is highly similar, while subunit-interacting residues, as in other alcohol dehydrogenases, exhibit several differences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Human class III alcohol dehydrogenase/glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase

The class III human liver alcohol dehydrogenase, identical to glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, separates electrophoretically into a major anodic form (chi 1) of known structure, and at least one minor, also anodic but a slightly faster migrating form (chi 2). The primary structure of the minor form isolated by ion-exchange chromatography has now been determined. Results reveal an amino acid sequence identical to that of the major form, suggesting that the two derive from the same translation product, with the minor form modified chemically in a manner not detectable by sequence analysis. This pattern resembles that for the classical alcohol dehydrogenase (class I). Hence, the chi 1/chi 2 multiplicity does not add further primary forms to the complex alcohol dehydrogenase system but shows the presence of modified forms also in class III.

Avian alcohol dehydrogenase: the chicken liver enzyme. Primary structure, cDNA-cloning, and relationships to other alcohol dehydrogenases

The major ethanol-active form of chicken liver alcohol dehydrogenase was characterized. The primary structure was determined by peptide analysis and, to a large part, was also deduced by cDNA analysis of a near full-length cDNA clone. The latter was detected by screening of a chicken liver cDNA library with antibodies raised against the purified dehydrogenase. The structure shows that the avian enzyme exhibits characteristics of the complex mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase system, tracing its origin and divergence, and allowing functional correlations. The chicken protein analyzed proves to be a class I alcohol dehydrogenase, with 74% residue identity to gamma chains of the human enzyme, a Km for ethanol of 0.5 mM and a Ki for 4-methyl pyrazole of 2.5 microM. Relationships to the other two classes are non-identical; residue exchanges towards the human classes increase in the order I less than III less than II, and human/chicken differences are less than inter-class differences. Consequently, the origins of the classes are more distant than the avian/mammalian separation. They reflect duplicatory events separated in time, and the lines that lead to present-day classes I and II deviate early. Integrated with the data for the quail enzyme, the structure of the chicken protein shows that within the avian enzymes the degree of variation is comparable to that within the mammalian class I enzymes, which are more variable than the class III forms. The coenzyme-binding and substrate-binding residues of this chicken alcohol dehydrogenase are largely identical to those in the mammalian class I counterparts. However, the subunit-interacting areas are more variable and suggest some relationships of the avian enzyme with both class I and III mammalian forms. One of the residues, Gly260 (mammalian class I numbering system), previously considered characteristic of all alcohol dehydrogenases, is replaced by Gln.

Comparison of three classes of human liver alcohol dehydrogenase. Emphasis on different substrate binding pockets

Conformational models of the three characterized classes of mammalian liver alcohol dehydrogenase were constructed using computer graphics based on the known three-dimensional structure of the E subunit of the horse enzyme (class I) and the primary structures of the three human enzyme classes. This correlates the substrate-binding pockets of the class I subunits (alpha, beta and gamma in the human enzyme) with those of the class II and III subunits (pi and chi, respectively) for three enzymes that differ in substrate specificity, inhibition pattern and many other properties. The substrate-binding sites exhibit pronounced differences in both shape and properties. Comparing human class I subunits with those of class II and III subunits there are no less than 8 and 10 replacements, respectively, out of 11 residues in the substrate pocket, while in the human class I isozyme variants, only 1-3 of these 11 positions differ. A single residue, Val294, is conserved throughout. The liver alcohol dehydrogenases, with different substrate-specificity pockets, resemble the patterns of other enzyme families such as the pancreatic serine proteases. The inner part of the substrate cleft in the class II and III enzymes is smaller than in the horse class I enzyme, because both Ser48 and Phe93 are replaced by larger residues, Thr and Tyr, respectively. In class II, the residues in the substrate pocket are larger in about half of the positions. It is rich in aromatic residues, four Phe and one Tyr, making the substrate site distinctly smaller than in the class I subunits. In class III, the inner part of the substrate cleft is narrow but the outer part considerably wider and more polar than in the class I and II enzymes. In addition, Ser (or Thr) and Tyr in class II and III instead of His51 may influence proton abstraction/donation at the active site.

Avian alcohol dehydrogenase. Characterization of the quail enzyme, functional interpretations, and relationships to the different classes of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase

The primary structure of the major quail liver alcohol dehydrogenase was determined. It is a long-chain, zinc-containing alcohol dehydrogenase of the type occurring also in mammals and hence allows judgement of the gene duplications giving rise to the classes of the human alcohol dehydrogenase system. The avian form is most closely related to the class I mammalian enzyme (72-75% residue identity), least related to class II (60% identity), and intermediately related to class III (64-65% identity). This pattern distinguishes the mammalian enzyme classes and separates classes I and II in particular. In addition to the generally larger similarities with class I, the avian enzyme exhibits certain residue patterns otherwise typical of the other classes, including an extra Trp residue, present in both class II and III but not in class I, with a corresponding increase in the UV absorbance. The avian enzyme further shows that a Gly residue at position 260 previously considered strictly conserved in alcohol dehydrogenases can be exchanged with Lys. However, zinc-binding residues, coenzyme-binding residues, and to a large extent substrate-binding residues are unchanged in the avian enzyme, suggesting its functional properties to be related to those of the class I mammalian alcohol dehydrogenases. In contrast, the areas of subunit interactions in the dimers differ substantially. These results show that (a) the vertebrate enzyme classes are of distant origin, (b) the submammalian enzyme exhibits partly mixed properties in relation to the classes, and (c) the three mammalian enzyme classes are not as equidistantly related as initially apparent but suggest origins from two sublevels.

Variability within mammalian sorbitol dehydrogenases. The primary structure of the human liver enzyme

The primary structure of sorbitol dehydrogenase from human liver has been determined by peptide analysis in order to relate the variability of this enzyme to that of the others within the alcohol dehydrogenase family. The structure obtained reveals 355 residues with an acyl-blocked N-terminus and an unexpected microheterogeneity at position 237 (Gln/Leu). The residue identity between sheep and human liver sorbitol dehydrogenase is 89%. This variability is similar to that of class I alcohol dehydrogenases, but distinctly different from that of class III alcohol dehydrogenases, the structures of which are much more conserved. Consequently, class III alcohol dehydrogenase is thus far unique within this family of dehydrogenases, suggesting a particularly strict requirement for that structure. The variability within sorbitol dehydrogenase involves all segments of the molecule but is largely at surface positions and clusters in one such region, covering positions 214-240, corresponding to a segment of the coenzyme-binding domain. Ligands to the active-site zinc and most residues lining the coenzyme-binding and substrate-binding pockets are conserved. However, provided conformational models are reliable, a charge difference may affect the interactions at the inner part of the substrate pocket, another charge difference may affect the interdomain region, and a size difference the adenine pocket. The primary structure of human liver sorbitol dehydrogenase further shows that the absence of three of the four ligands to a second zinc atom present in alcohol dehydrogenases is a general property of sorbitol dehydrogenase.