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Hill KS, Schuler EE, Ellingson SR, Kolesar JM. Artesunate acts through cytochrome c to inhibit growth of pediatric AML cells. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22383. [PMID: 38104159 PMCID: PMC10725448 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49928-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Artesunate is a derivative of artemisinin, an active compound isolated from Artemisia annua which has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and to treat malaria worldwide. Artemisinin derivatives have exhibited anti-cancer activity against both solid tumors and leukemia. The direct target(s) of artesunate are controversial; although, heme-bound proteins in the mitochondria have been implicated. We utilized computational modeling to calculate the predicted binding score of artesunate with heme-bound mitochondrial proteins and identified cytochrome c as potential artesunate target. UV-visible spectroscopy showed changes in the absorbance spectrum, and thus protein structure, when cytochrome c was incubated with artesunate. Artesunate induces apoptosis, disrupts mitochondrial membrane potential, and is antagonized by methazolamide in pediatric AML cells indicating a probable mechanism of action involving cytochrome c. We utilized a multi-disciplinary approach to show that artesunate can interact with and is dependent on cytochrome c release to induce cell death in pediatric AML cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen S Hill
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Erin E Schuler
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Sally R Ellingson
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, UK College of Medicine, Cancer Research Informatics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jill M Kolesar
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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2
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Chikunova A, Manley MP, Ud Din Ahmad M, Bilman T, Perrakis A, Ubbink M. Conserved residues Glu37 and Trp229 play an essential role in protein folding of β‐lactamase. FEBS J 2021; 288:5708-5722. [PMID: 33792206 PMCID: PMC8518976 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary robustness requires that the number of highly conserved amino acid residues in proteins is minimized. In enzymes, such conservation is observed for catalytic residues but also for some residues in the second shell or even further from the active site. β‐Lactamases evolve in response to changing antibiotic selection pressures and are thus expected to be evolutionarily robust, with a limited number of highly conserved amino acid residues. As part of the effort to understand the roles of conserved residues in class A β‐lactamases, we investigate the reasons leading to the conservation of two amino acid residues in the β‐lactamase BlaC, Glu37, and Trp229. Using site‐directed mutagenesis, we have generated point mutations of these residues and observed a drastic decrease in the levels of soluble protein produced in Escherichia coli, thus abolishing completely the resistance of bacteria against β‐lactam antibiotics. However, the purified proteins are structurally and kinetically very similar to the wild‐type enzyme, only differing by exhibiting a slightly lower melting temperature. We conclude that conservation of Glu37 and Trp229 is solely caused by an essential role in the folding process, and we propose that during folding Glu37 primes the formation of the central β‐sheet and Trp229 contributes to the hydrophobic collapse into a molten globule.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Max P. Manley
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry Leiden University the Netherlands
| | - Misbha Ud Din Ahmad
- Oncode Institute and Division of Biochemistry the Netherlands Cancer Institute Amsterdam the Netherlands
| | - Tuğçe Bilman
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry Leiden University the Netherlands
| | - Anastassis Perrakis
- Oncode Institute and Division of Biochemistry the Netherlands Cancer Institute Amsterdam the Netherlands
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3
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Alvarez-Paggi D, Hannibal L, Castro MA, Oviedo-Rouco S, Demicheli V, Tórtora V, Tomasina F, Radi R, Murgida DH. Multifunctional Cytochrome c: Learning New Tricks from an Old Dog. Chem Rev 2017; 117:13382-13460. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Damián Alvarez-Paggi
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Luciana Hannibal
- Department
of Pediatrics, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Mathildenstrasse 1, Freiburg 79106, Germany
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - María A. Castro
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Santiago Oviedo-Rouco
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Veronica Demicheli
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Veronica Tórtora
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Florencia Tomasina
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Rafael Radi
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Daniel H. Murgida
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
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4
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Zaidi S, Hassan MI, Islam A, Ahmad F. The role of key residues in structure, function, and stability of cytochrome-c. Cell Mol Life Sci 2014; 71:229-55. [PMID: 23615770 PMCID: PMC11113841 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1341-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome-c (cyt-c), a multi-functional protein, plays a significant role in the electron transport chain, and thus is indispensable in the energy-production process. Besides being an important component in apoptosis, it detoxifies reactive oxygen species. Two hundred and eighty-five complete amino acid sequences of cyt-c from different species are known. Sequence analysis suggests that the number of amino acid residues in most mitochondrial cyts-c is in the range 104 ± 10, and amino acid residues at only few positions are highly conserved throughout evolution. These highly conserved residues are Cys14, Cys17, His18, Gly29, Pro30, Gly41, Asn52, Trp59, Tyr67, Leu68, Pro71, Pro76, Thr78, Met80, and Phe82. These are also known as "key residues", which contribute significantly to the structure, function, folding, and stability of cyt-c. The three-dimensional structure of cyt-c from ten eukaryotic species have been determined using X-ray diffraction studies. Structure analysis suggests that the tertiary structure of cyt-c is almost preserved along the evolutionary scale. Furthermore, residues of N/C-terminal helices Gly6, Phe10, Leu94, and Tyr97 interact with each other in a specific manner, forming an evolutionary conserved interface. To understand the role of evolutionary conserved residues on structure, stability, and function, numerous studies have been performed in which these residues were substituted with different amino acids. In these studies, structure deals with the effect of mutation on secondary and tertiary structure measured by spectroscopic techniques; stability deals with the effect of mutation on T m (midpoint of heat denaturation), ∆G D (Gibbs free energy change on denaturation) and folding; and function deals with the effect of mutation on electron transport, apoptosis, cell growth, and protein expression. In this review, we have compiled all these studies at one place. This compilation will be useful to biochemists and biophysicists interested in understanding the importance of conservation of certain residues throughout the evolution in preserving the structure, function, and stability in proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sobia Zaidi
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Md. Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Asimul Islam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Faizan Ahmad
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India
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Torres-García C, Díaz M, Blasi D, Farràs I, Fernández I, Ariza X, Farràs J, Lloyd-Williams P, Royo M, Nicolás E. Side Chain Anchoring of Tryptophan to Solid Supports Using a Dihydropyranyl Handle: Synthesis of Brevianamide F. Int J Pept Res Ther 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-011-9274-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Synthesis of (S)-5,6-dibromo-tryptophan derivatives as building blocks for peptide chemistry. Tetrahedron Lett 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2011.03.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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7
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Go A, Kim S, Baum J, Hecht MH. Structure and dynamics of de novo proteins from a designed superfamily of 4-helix bundles. Protein Sci 2008; 17:821-32. [PMID: 18436954 DOI: 10.1110/ps.073377908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Libraries of de novo proteins provide an opportunity to explore the structural and functional potential of biological molecules that have not been biased by billions of years of evolutionary selection. Given the enormity of sequence space, a rational approach to library design is likely to yield a higher fraction of folded and functional proteins than a stochastic sampling of random sequences. We previously investigated the potential of library design by binary patterning of hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids. The structure of the most stable protein from a binary patterned library of de novo 4-helix bundles was solved previously and shown to be consistent with the design. One structure, however, cannot fully assess the potential of the design strategy, nor can it account for differences in the stabilities of individual proteins. To more fully probe the quality of the library, we now report the NMR structure of a second protein, S-836. Protein S-836 proved to be a 4-helix bundle, consistent with design. The similarity between the two solved structures reinforces previous evidence that binary patterning can encode stable, 4-helix bundles. Despite their global similarities, the two proteins have cores that are packed at different degrees of tightness. The relationship between packing and dynamics was probed using the Modelfree approach, which showed that regions containing a high frequency of chemical exchange coincide with less well-packed side chains. These studies show (1) that binary patterning can drive folding into a particular topology without the explicit design of residue-by-residue packing, and (2) that within a superfamily of binary patterned proteins, the structures and dynamics of individual proteins are modulated by the identity and packing of residues in the hydrophobic core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Go
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
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Growth and pigment production on D-tryptophan medium by Cryptococcus gattii, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Candida albicans. J Clin Microbiol 2007; 46:255-64. [PMID: 17989195 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01721-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the increasing prevalence of cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii (serotypes B and C) strains, there is a need for rapid and reliable tests that discriminate C. gattii from Cryptococcus neoformans (serotypes A, D, and AD). Seventy-two C. neoformans strains, sixty-seven C. gattii strains, and five Candida albicans strains were analyzed for their ability to grow and produce pigment on minimal D-tryptophan D-proline (m-DTDP) medium, on yeast carbon base D-tryptophan D-proline (YCB-DTDP) medium, and on fructose D-tryptophan glycine (m-FDTG) medium. Of the C. gattii and C. neoformans isolates, 94% and 0% grew on m-DTDP agar, respectively, and 98% and 0% grew in YCB-DTDP medium, respectively. C. gattii produced large amounts of brown intracellular pigment(s) on m-DTDP agar and smaller amounts of yellow-brown (amber) extracellular pigment(s). C. albicans grew on both media and produced a pink photoactivated pigment on m-DTDP agar. C. gattii produced large amounts of brown intracellular pigments on the differential medium m-FDTG, whereas C. neoformans produced smaller amounts of the brown pigments and C. albicans produced a pink pigment. The pigments produced by C. gattii from D-tryptophan were distinct and were not related to melanin formation from 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. Thin-layer chromatography of the methanol-extracted C. gattii cells detected four different pigments, including brown (two types), yellow, and pink-purple compounds. We conclude that tryptophan-derived pigments are not melanins and that growth on m-DTDP or YCB-DTDP agar can be used to rapidly differentiate C. gattii from C. neoformans.
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Bertini I, Grassi E, Luchinat C, Quattrone A, Saccenti E. Monomorphism of human cytochrome c. Genomics 2006; 88:669-72. [PMID: 16934433 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2006.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2006] [Revised: 07/07/2006] [Accepted: 07/19/2006] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome c (Cyt c) has key roles in both mitochondrial electron transfer and apoptosis onset and is therefore likely undergoing a strong selective pressure against amino acid variation. Nevertheless, a phylogenetically fast amino acid replacement rate in the Cyt c of species of the anthropoid primate lineage was recently reported. We therefore looked for the presence of nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) in the human Cyt c (HGNC approved gene symbol: CYCS), which, given its cellular constraints, could have important functional consequences, and found a large number of putative nsSNPs reported in the dbSNP database. We then subjected these putative SNPs to experimental validation by sequencing the Cyt c gene in a panel of 95 individuals assumed as a standard reference of the human population diversity. Surprisingly, none of the putative SNPs survived experimental validation. We conclude that non-rare allelic variants of the Cyt c protein are absent in the human populations analyzed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivano Bertini
- Magnetic Resonance Center, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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Valderrama B, García-Arellano H, Giansanti S, Baratto MC, Pogni R, Vazquez-Duhalt R. Oxidative stabilization of iso‐1‐cytochromecby redox‐inspired protein engineering. FASEB J 2006; 20:1233-5. [PMID: 16720736 DOI: 10.1096/fj.05-4173fje] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Iso-1-cytochrome c, as any other hemeprotein, is able to react with hydrogen peroxide and to engage in the peroxidase cycle. However, peroxidases are irreversibly inactivated by their substrate, hydrogen peroxide. The oxidative inactivation of hemeproteins is mechanism based and arises as the consequence of unproductive electron abstraction reactions. Protein elements, such as the porphyrin ring or the protein backbone, act as simultaneous and competing electron sources even in the presence of exogenous reducing substrates, leading to a decline in activity. It is hypothetically possible to alter the intramolecular electron transfer pathways by direct replacement of low redox potential residues around the active site; as a consequence, the inactivation process would be delayed or even suppressed. To demonstrate this hypothesis, a redox-inspired strategy was implemented until an iso-1-cytochrome c variant fully stable at catalytic concentrations of hydrogen peroxide was obtained. This variant, harboring the N52I,W59F,Y67F,K79A,F82G substitutions, preserved the catalytic performance of the parental protein but achieved a 15-fold higher total-turnover number. The phenotype of this variant was reflected in the stability of its electronic components, allowing identification of a protein-based radical intermediate mechanistically similar to Compound I of classical peroxidases. The results presented here clearly demonstrate that redox-inspired protein engineering is a useful tool for the rational modulation of intramolecular electron transfer networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Valderrama
- Department of Cellular Engineering and Biocatalysis, Biotechnology Institute, National University of Mexico, AP 510-3, Cuernavaca, México.
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Alejandre-Durán E, Roldán-Arjona T, Ariza RR, Ruiz-Rubio M. The photolyase gene from the plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici is induced by visible light and alpha-tomatine from tomato plant. Fungal Genet Biol 2004; 40:159-65. [PMID: 14516768 DOI: 10.1016/s1087-1845(03)00089-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Survival of irradiated spores from Fusarium oxysporum with ultraviolet radiation (UV) was increased following exposition to visible light, indicating that this phytopathogenic fungus has a mechanism of photoreactivation able to counteract the lethal effects of UV. A genomic sequence containing the complete photolyase gene (phr1) from F. oxysporum was isolated by heterologous hybridisation with the Neurospora crassa photolyase gene. The F. oxysporum phr1 cDNA was isolated and expressed in a photolyase deficient Escherichia coli strain. The complementation of the photoreactivation deficiency of this E. coli mutant by phr1 cDNA demonstrated that the photolyase gene from F. oxysporum encodes a functional protein. The F. oxysporum PHR1 protein has a domain characteristic of photolyases from fungi (Trichoderma harziaium, N. crassa, Magnaporthe grisea, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to bacteria (E. coli), and clusters in the photolyases phylogenetic tree with fungal photolyases. The F. oxysporum phr1 gene was inducible by visible light. The phr1 expression was also detected in presence of alpha-tomatine, a glycoalkaloid from tomato damaging cell membranes, suggesting that phr1 is induced by this cellular stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Encarna Alejandre-Durán
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Campus Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
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