1
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Wang H, Wang C, Yuan W, Chen H, Lu W, Zhang H, Chen YQ, Zhao J, Chen W. The role of phenylalanine hydroxylase in lipogenesis in the oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2021; 167. [PMID: 34402775 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) catalyses the irreversible hydroxylation of phenylalanine to tyrosine, which is the rate-limiting reaction in phenylalanine metabolism in animals. A variety of polyunsaturated fatty acids can be synthesized by the lipid-producing fungus Mortierella alpina, which has a wide range of industrial applications in the production of arachidonic acid. In this study, RNA interference (RNAi) with the gene PAH was used to explore the role of phenylalanine hydroxylation in lipid biosynthesis in M. alpina. Our results indicated that PAH knockdown decreased the PAH transcript level by approximately 55% and attenuated cellular fatty acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, the level of NADPH, which is a critical reducing agent and the limiting factor in lipogenesis, was decreased in response to PAH RNAi, in addition to the downregulated transcription of other genes involved in NADPH production. Our study indicates that PAH is part of an overall enzymatic and regulatory mechanism supplying NADPH required for lipogenesis in M. alpina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongchao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China
| | - Chunmei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China
| | - Weiwei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China
| | - Haiqin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China
| | - Wenwei Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China
| | - Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, PR China.,Wuxi Translational Medicine Research Center and Jiangsu Translational Medicine Research Institute Wuxi Branch, PR China
| | - Yong Q Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, PR China.,Wuxi Translational Medicine Research Center and Jiangsu Translational Medicine Research Institute Wuxi Branch, PR China
| | - Jianxin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, PR China.,National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, PR China.,Beijing Innovation Centre of Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, PR China
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2
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Molecular characterization of Thai patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency and in vitro functional study of two novel PAH variants. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:2063-2070. [PMID: 33677757 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06163-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive amino acid metabolism disorder caused by variants in the gene encoding phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH; EC1.14.16.1). This study aimed to assess the specific heterogeneity of PAH variants found in Thai population as well as evaluate enzyme activity and expression of novel variants. PAH gene from 13 patients was analyzed by PCR amplification and direct Sanger-sequencing of 13 exons of the coding region. The novel variants were transiently transfected in COS-7 cells for functional verification. Eleven different PAH variants were identified: all pathogenic variants were missense variants, of which the most frequent variant was p.R169L, accounting for 24% (6/25) of all identified alleles. Two novel variants p.R169L and p.Y317N and previously reported variants with mutated residues at the same positions (p.R169H and p.Y317H) were expressed in COS-7 cells. These showed mildly impaired residual activity levels (42.3-63.1% of wild type), while the protein levels were well expressed (82.8-110%), except for p.R169L, which showed decreased protein expression of 55.7% compared to the wild type enzyme. All subjects with p.R169L identified in at least one of pathogenic alleles (one case is homozygous) had a metabolic phenotype of mild hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA). Our data has expanded the information on the genetic heterogeneity of Thai patients with PAH deficiency. This finding emphasizes the importance of genotyping in patients with HPA, and in vitro studies can provide additional information for prediction of phenotype.
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3
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Wang H, Zhang C, Chen H, Gu Z, Zhao J, Zhang H, Chen YQ, Chen W. Tetrahydrobiopterin Plays a Functionally Significant Role in Lipogenesis in the Oleaginous Fungus Mortierella alpina. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:250. [PMID: 32153536 PMCID: PMC7044132 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is well-known as a cofactor of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS), but its exact role in lipogenesis is unclear. In this study, the GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH) gene was overexpressed to investigate the role of BH4 in lipogenesis in oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina. Transcriptome data analysis reveal that GTPCH expression was upregulated when nitrogen was exhausted, resulting in lipid accumulation. Significant changes were also found in the fatty acid profile of M. alpina grown on medium that contained a GTPCH inhibitor relative to that of M. alpina grown on medium that lacked the inhibitor. GTPCH overexpression in M. alpina (the MA-GTPCH strain) led to a sevenfold increase in BH4 levels and enhanced cell fatty acid synthesis and poly-unsaturation. Increased levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and upregulated expression of NADPH-producing genes in response to enhanced BH4 levels were also observed, which indicate a novel aspect of the NADPH regulatory mechanism. Increased BH4 levels also enhanced phenylalanine hydroxylation and nitric oxide synthesis, and the addition of an NOS or a PAH inhibitor in the MA-GTPCH and control strain cultures decreased fatty acid accumulation, NADPH production, and the transcript levels of NADPH-producing genes. Our research suggests an important role of BH4 in lipogenesis and that the phenylalanine catabolism and arginine-nitric oxide pathways play an integrating role in translating the effects of BH4 on lipogenesis by regulating the cellular NADPH pool. Thus, our findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of efficient lipid biosynthesis regulation in oleaginous microorganisms and lay a foundation for the genetic engineering of these organisms to optimize their dietary fat yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongchao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Chen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Haiqin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Zhennan Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jianxin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yong Q Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
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4
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Tomé CS, Lopes RR, Sousa PMF, Amaro MP, Leandro J, Mertens HDT, Leandro P, Vicente JB. Structure of full-length wild-type human phenylalanine hydroxylase by small angle X-ray scattering reveals substrate-induced conformational stability. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13615. [PMID: 31541188 PMCID: PMC6754429 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49944-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Human phenylalanine hydroxylase (hPAH) hydroxylates L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) to L-tyrosine, a precursor for neurotransmitter biosynthesis. Phenylketonuria (PKU), caused by mutations in PAH that impair PAH function, leads to neurological impairment when untreated. Understanding the hPAH structural and regulatory properties is essential to outline PKU pathophysiological mechanisms. Each hPAH monomer comprises an N-terminal regulatory, a central catalytic and a C-terminal oligomerisation domain. To maintain physiological L-Phe levels, hPAH employs complex regulatory mechanisms. Resting PAH adopts an auto-inhibited conformation where regulatory domains block access to the active site. L-Phe-mediated allosteric activation induces a repositioning of the regulatory domains. Since a structure of activated wild-type hPAH is lacking, we addressed hPAH L-Phe-mediated conformational changes and report the first solution structure of the allosterically activated state. Our solution structures obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering support a tetramer with distorted P222 symmetry, where catalytic and oligomerisation domains form a core from which regulatory domains protrude, positioning themselves close to the active site entrance in the absence of L-Phe. Binding of L-Phe induces a large movement and dimerisation of regulatory domains, exposing the active site. Activated hPAH is more resistant to proteolytic cleavage and thermal denaturation, suggesting that the association of regulatory domains stabilises hPAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina S Tomé
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Raquel R Lopes
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa) and Department of Biochemistry and Human Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Pedro M F Sousa
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Mariana P Amaro
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa) and Department of Biochemistry and Human Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - João Leandro
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa) and Department of Biochemistry and Human Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Paula Leandro
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa) and Department of Biochemistry and Human Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - João B Vicente
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal.
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5
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Flydal MI, Alcorlo-Pagés M, Johannessen FG, Martínez-Caballero S, Skjærven L, Fernandez-Leiro R, Martinez A, Hermoso JA. Structure of full-length human phenylalanine hydroxylase in complex with tetrahydrobiopterin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:11229-11234. [PMID: 31118288 PMCID: PMC6561269 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1902639116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a key enzyme in the catabolism of phenylalanine, and mutations in this enzyme cause phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder that leads to brain damage and mental retardation if untreated. Some patients benefit from supplementation with a synthetic formulation of the cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) that partly acts as a pharmacological chaperone. Here we present structures of full-length human PAH (hPAH) both unbound and complexed with BH4 in the precatalytic state. Crystal structures, solved at 3.18-Å resolution, show the interactions between the cofactor and PAH, explaining the negative regulation exerted by BH4 BH4 forms several H-bonds with the N-terminal autoregulatory tail but is far from the catalytic FeII Upon BH4 binding a polar and salt-bridge interaction network links the three PAH domains, explaining the stability conferred by BH4 Importantly, BH4 binding modulates the interaction between subunits, providing information about PAH allostery. Moreover, we also show that the cryo-EM structure of hPAH in absence of BH4 reveals a highly dynamic conformation for the tetramers. Structural analyses of the hPAH:BH4 subunits revealed that the substrate-induced movement of Tyr138 into the active site could be coupled to the displacement of BH4 from the precatalytic toward the active conformation, a molecular mechanism that was supported by site-directed mutagenesis and targeted molecular dynamics simulations. Finally, comparison of the rat and human PAH structures show that hPAH is more dynamic, which is related to amino acid substitutions that enhance the flexibility of hPAH and may increase the susceptibility to PKU-associated mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martín Alcorlo-Pagés
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Rocasolano," Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Lars Skjærven
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - Rafael Fernandez-Leiro
- Structural Biology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Aurora Martinez
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5009 Bergen, Norway;
| | - Juan A Hermoso
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Rocasolano," Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain;
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6
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Parthasarathy A, Cross PJ, Dobson RCJ, Adams LE, Savka MA, Hudson AO. A Three-Ring Circus: Metabolism of the Three Proteogenic Aromatic Amino Acids and Their Role in the Health of Plants and Animals. Front Mol Biosci 2018; 5:29. [PMID: 29682508 PMCID: PMC5897657 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan are the three aromatic amino acids (AAA) involved in protein synthesis. These amino acids and their metabolism are linked to the synthesis of a variety of secondary metabolites, a subset of which are involved in numerous anabolic pathways responsible for the synthesis of pigment compounds, plant hormones and biological polymers, to name a few. In addition, these metabolites derived from the AAA pathways mediate the transmission of nervous signals, quench reactive oxygen species in the brain, and are involved in the vast palette of animal coloration among others pathways. The AAA and metabolites derived from them also have integral roles in the health of both plants and animals. This review delineates the de novo biosynthesis of the AAA by microbes and plants, and the branching out of AAA metabolism into major secondary metabolic pathways in plants such as the phenylpropanoid pathway. Organisms that do not possess the enzymatic machinery for the de novo synthesis of AAA must obtain these primary metabolites from their diet. Therefore, the metabolism of AAA by the host animal and the resident microflora are important for the health of all animals. In addition, the AAA metabolite-mediated host-pathogen interactions in general, as well as potential beneficial and harmful AAA-derived compounds produced by gut bacteria are discussed. Apart from the AAA biosynthetic pathways in plants and microbes such as the shikimate pathway and the tryptophan pathway, this review also deals with AAA catabolism in plants, AAA degradation via the monoamine and kynurenine pathways in animals, and AAA catabolism via the 3-aryllactate and kynurenine pathways in animal-associated microbes. Emphasis will be placed on structural and functional aspects of several key AAA-related enzymes, such as shikimate synthase, chorismate mutase, anthranilate synthase, tryptophan synthase, tyrosine aminotransferase, dopachrome tautomerase, radical dehydratase, and type III CoA-transferase. The past development and current potential for interventions including the development of herbicides and antibiotics that target key enzymes in AAA-related pathways, as well as AAA-linked secondary metabolism leading to antimicrobials are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Penelope J. Cross
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lily E. Adams
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Michael A. Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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7
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Hayakawa D, Yamaotsu N, Nakagome I, Ozawa SI, Yoshida T, Hirono S. In silico analyses of the effects of a point mutation and a pharmacological chaperone on the thermal fluctuation of phenylalanine hydroxylase. Biophys Chem 2017; 228:47-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2017.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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8
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Jaffe EK. New protein structures provide an updated understanding of phenylketonuria. Mol Genet Metab 2017; 121:289-296. [PMID: 28645531 PMCID: PMC5549558 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) and less severe hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) constitute the most common inborn error of amino acid metabolism, and is most often caused by defects in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) function resulting in accumulation of Phe to neurotoxic levels. Despite the success of dietary intervention in preventing permanent neurological damage, individuals living with PKU clamor for additional non-dietary therapies. The bulk of disease-associated mutations are PAH missense variants, which occur throughout the entire 452 amino acid human PAH protein. While some disease-associated mutations affect protein structure (e.g. truncations) and others encode catalytically dead variants, most have been viewed as defective in protein folding/stability. Here we refine this view to address how PKU-associated missense variants can perturb the equilibrium among alternate native PAH structures (resting-state PAH and activated PAH), thus shifting the tipping point of this equilibrium to a neurotoxic Phe concentration. This refined view of PKU introduces opportunities for the design or discovery of therapeutic pharmacological chaperones that can help restore the tipping point to healthy Phe levels and how such a therapeutic might work with or without the inhibitory pharmacological chaperone BH4. Dysregulation of an equilibrium of architecturally distinct native PAH structures departs from the concept of "misfolding", provides an updated understanding of PKU, and presents an enhanced foundation for understanding genotype/phenotype relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen K Jaffe
- Fox Chase Cancer Center - Temple University Health System, 333 Cottman Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
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9
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Stable preparations of tyrosine hydroxylase provide the solution structure of the full-length enzyme. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30390. [PMID: 27462005 PMCID: PMC4961952 DOI: 10.1038/srep30390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of catecholamine neurotransmitters. TH is a highly complex enzyme at mechanistic, structural, and regulatory levels, and the preparation of kinetically and conformationally stable enzyme for structural characterization has been challenging. Here, we report on improved protocols for purification of recombinant human TH isoform 1 (TH1), which provide large amounts of pure, stable, active TH1 with an intact N-terminus. TH1 purified through fusion with a His-tagged maltose-binding protein on amylose resin was representative of the iron-bound functional enzyme, showing high activity and stabilization by the natural feedback inhibitor dopamine. TH1 purified through fusion with a His-tagged ZZ domain on TALON is remarkably stable, as it was partially inhibited by resin-derived cobalt. This more stable enzyme preparation provided high-quality small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data and reliable structural models of full-length tetrameric TH1. The SAXS-derived model reveals an elongated conformation (Dmax = 20 nm) for TH1, different arrangement of the catalytic domains compared with the crystal structure of truncated forms, and an N-terminal region with an unstructured tail that hosts the phosphorylation sites and a separated Ala-rich helical motif that may have a role in regulation of TH by interacting with binding partners.
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10
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Meisburger SP, Taylor AB, Khan CA, Zhang S, Fitzpatrick PF, Ando N. Domain Movements upon Activation of Phenylalanine Hydroxylase Characterized by Crystallography and Chromatography-Coupled Small-Angle X-ray Scattering. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:6506-16. [PMID: 27145334 PMCID: PMC4896396 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b01563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian phenylalanine hydroxylase (PheH) is an allosteric enzyme that catalyzes the first step in the catabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine. Following allosteric activation by high phenylalanine levels, the enzyme catalyzes the pterin-dependent conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine. Inability to control elevated phenylalanine levels in the blood leads to increased risk of mental disabilities commonly associated with the inherited metabolic disorder, phenylketonuria. Although extensively studied, structural changes associated with allosteric activation in mammalian PheH have been elusive. Here, we examine the complex allosteric mechanisms of rat PheH using X-ray crystallography, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). We describe crystal structures of the preactivated state of the PheH tetramer depicting the regulatory domains docked against the catalytic domains and preventing substrate binding. Using SAXS, we further describe the domain movements involved in allosteric activation of PheH in solution and present the first demonstration of chromatography-coupled SAXS with Evolving Factor Analysis (EFA), a powerful method for separating scattering components in a model-independent way. Together, these results support a model for allostery in PheH in which phenylalanine stabilizes the dimerization of the regulatory domains and exposes the active site for substrate binding and other structural changes needed for activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve P. Meisburger
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Alexander B. Taylor
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA
| | - Crystal A. Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA
| | - Shengnan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA
| | - Paul F. Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA
| | - Nozomi Ando
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
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11
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Patel D, Kopec J, Fitzpatrick F, McCorvie TJ, Yue WW. Structural basis for ligand-dependent dimerization of phenylalanine hydroxylase regulatory domain. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23748. [PMID: 27049649 PMCID: PMC4822156 DOI: 10.1038/srep23748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The multi-domain enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) catalyzes the hydroxylation of dietary I-phenylalanine (Phe) to I-tyrosine. Inherited mutations that result in PAH enzyme deficiency are the genetic cause of the autosomal recessive disorder phenylketonuria. Phe is the substrate for the PAH active site, but also an allosteric ligand that increases enzyme activity. Phe has been proposed to bind, in addition to the catalytic domain, a site at the PAH N-terminal regulatory domain (PAH-RD), to activate the enzyme via an unclear mechanism. Here we report the crystal structure of human PAH-RD bound with Phe at 1.8 Å resolution, revealing a homodimer of ACT folds with Phe bound at the dimer interface. This work delivers the structural evidence to support previous solution studies that a binding site exists in the RD for Phe, and that Phe binding results in dimerization of PAH-RD. Consistent with our structural observation, a disease-associated PAH mutant impaired in Phe binding disrupts the monomer:dimer equilibrium of PAH-RD. Our data therefore support an emerging model of PAH allosteric regulation, whereby Phe binds to PAH-RD and mediates the dimerization of regulatory modules that would bring about conformational changes to activate the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipali Patel
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK OX3 7DQ
| | - Jolanta Kopec
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK OX3 7DQ
| | - Fiona Fitzpatrick
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK OX3 7DQ
| | - Thomas J McCorvie
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK OX3 7DQ
| | - Wyatt W Yue
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK OX3 7DQ
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12
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First structure of full-length mammalian phenylalanine hydroxylase reveals the architecture of an autoinhibited tetramer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:2394-9. [PMID: 26884182 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1516967113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Improved understanding of the relationship among structure, dynamics, and function for the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) can lead to needed new therapies for phenylketonuria, the most common inborn error of amino acid metabolism. PAH is a multidomain homo-multimeric protein whose conformation and multimerization properties respond to allosteric activation by the substrate phenylalanine (Phe); the allosteric regulation is necessary to maintain Phe below neurotoxic levels. A recently introduced model for allosteric regulation of PAH involves major domain motions and architecturally distinct PAH tetramers [Jaffe EK, Stith L, Lawrence SH, Andrake M, Dunbrack RL, Jr (2013) Arch Biochem Biophys 530(2):73-82]. Herein, we present, to our knowledge, the first X-ray crystal structure for a full-length mammalian (rat) PAH in an autoinhibited conformation. Chromatographic isolation of a monodisperse tetrameric PAH, in the absence of Phe, facilitated determination of the 2.9 Å crystal structure. The structure of full-length PAH supersedes a composite homology model that had been used extensively to rationalize phenylketonuria genotype-phenotype relationships. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) confirms that this tetramer, which dominates in the absence of Phe, is different from a Phe-stabilized allosterically activated PAH tetramer. The lack of structural detail for activated PAH remains a barrier to complete understanding of phenylketonuria genotype-phenotype relationships. Nevertheless, the use of SAXS and X-ray crystallography together to inspect PAH structure provides, to our knowledge, the first complete view of the enzyme in a tetrameric form that was not possible with prior partial crystal structures, and facilitates interpretation of a wealth of biochemical and structural data that was hitherto impossible to evaluate.
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Réblová K, Kulhánek P, Fajkusová L. Computational study of missense mutations in phenylalanine hydroxylase. J Mol Model 2015; 21:70. [PMID: 25750018 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-015-2620-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/15/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) is one of the most common metabolic disorders. HPA, which is transmitted by an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, is caused by mutations of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. Most mutations are missense and lead to reduced protein stability and/or impaired catalytic function. The impact of such mutations varies, ranging from classical phenylketonuria (PKU), mild PKU, to non-PKU HPA phenotypes. Despite the fact that HPA is a monogenic disease, clinical data show that one PKU genotype can be associated with more in vivo phenotypes, which indicates the role of other (still unknown) factors. To better understand the phenotype-genotype relationships, we analyzed computationally the impact of missense mutations in homozygotes stored in the BIOPKU database. A total of 34 selected homozygous genotypes was divided into two main groups according to their phenotypes: (A) genotypes leading to non-PKU HPA or combined phenotype non-PKU HPA/mild PKU and (B) genotypes leading to classical PKU, mild PKU or combined phenotype mild PKU/classical PKU. Combining in silico analysis and molecular dynamics simulations (in total 3 μs) we described the structural impact of the mutations, which allowed us to separate 32 out of 34 mutations between groups A and B. Testing the simulation conditions revealed that the outcome of mutant simulations can be modulated by the ionic strength. We also employed programs SNPs3D, Polyphen-2, and SIFT but based on the predictions performed we were not able to discriminate mutations with mild and severe PKU phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Réblová
- Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic,
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14
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Ronau J, Paul LN, Fuchs JE, Liedl K, Abu-Omar MM, Das C. A conserved acidic residue in phenylalanine hydroxylase contributes to cofactor affinity and catalysis. Biochemistry 2014; 53:6834-48. [PMID: 25295853 PMCID: PMC4222540 DOI: 10.1021/bi500734h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The catalytic domains of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases (AAAHs) contain a non-heme iron coordinated to a 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad and two water molecules. Asp139 from Chromobacterium violaceum PAH (cPAH) resides within the second coordination sphere and contributes key hydrogen bonds with three active site waters that mediate its interaction with an oxidized form of the cofactor, 7,8-dihydro-l-biopterin, in crystal structures. To determine the catalytic role of this residue, various point mutants were prepared and characterized. Our isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analysis of iron binding implies that polarity at position 139 is not the sole criterion for metal affinity, as binding studies with D139E suggest that the size of the amino acid side chain also appears to be important. High-resolution crystal structures of the mutants reveal that Asp139 may not be essential for holding the bridging water molecules together, because many of these waters are retained even in the Ala mutant. However, interactions via the bridging waters contribute to cofactor binding at the active site, interactions for which charge of the residue is important, as the D139N mutant shows a 5-fold decrease in its affinity for pterin as revealed by ITC (compared to a 16-fold loss of affinity in the case of the Ala mutant). The Asn and Ala mutants show a much more pronounced defect in their kcat values, with nearly 16- and 100-fold changes relative to that of the wild type, respectively, indicating a substantial role of this residue in stabilization of the transition state by aligning the cofactor in a productive orientation, most likely through direct binding with the cofactor, supported by data from molecular dynamics simulations of the complexes. Our results indicate that the intervening water structure between the cofactor and the acidic residue masks direct interaction between the two, possibly to prevent uncoupled hydroxylation of the cofactor before the arrival of phenylalanine. It thus appears that the second-coordination sphere Asp residue in cPAH, and, by extrapolation, the equivalent residue in other AAAHs, plays a role in fine-tuning pterin affinity in the ground state via deformable interactions with bridging waters and assumes a more significant role in the transition state by aligning the cofactor through direct hydrogen bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith
A. Ronau
- Department
of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 266
Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
| | - Lake N. Paul
- Bindley
Biosciences Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Julian E. Fuchs
- Institute
of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry and Center for Molecular
Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University
of Innsbruck, Innrain
80/82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Centre
for Molecular Informatics, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Klaus
R. Liedl
- Institute
of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry and Center for Molecular
Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University
of Innsbruck, Innrain
80/82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mahdi M. Abu-Omar
- Department
of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Chittaranjan Das
- Department
of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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15
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Yu F, Cangelosi VM, Zastrow ML, Tegoni M, Plegaria JS, Tebo AG, Mocny CS, Ruckthong L, Qayyum H, Pecoraro VL. Protein design: toward functional metalloenzymes. Chem Rev 2014; 114:3495-578. [PMID: 24661096 PMCID: PMC4300145 DOI: 10.1021/cr400458x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 340] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fangting Yu
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Alison G. Tebo
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | | | - Leela Ruckthong
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Hira Qayyum
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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16
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Zhang S, Huang T, Ilangovan U, Hinck AP, Fitzpatrick PF. The solution structure of the regulatory domain of tyrosine hydroxylase. J Mol Biol 2013; 426:1483-97. [PMID: 24361276 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2013] [Revised: 11/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Tyrosine hydroxylase (TyrH) catalyzes the hydroxylation of tyrosine to form 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine in the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters. The activity of the enzyme is regulated by phosphorylation of serine residues in a regulatory domain and by binding of catecholamines to the active site. Available structures of TyrH lack the regulatory domain, limiting the understanding of the effect of regulation on structure. We report the use of NMR spectroscopy to analyze the solution structure of the isolated regulatory domain of rat TyrH. The protein is composed of a largely unstructured N-terminal region (residues 1-71) and a well-folded C-terminal portion (residues 72-159). The structure of a truncated version of the regulatory domain containing residues 65-159 has been determined and establishes that it is an ACT domain. The isolated domain is a homodimer in solution, with the structure of each monomer very similar to that of the core of the regulatory domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase. Two TyrH regulatory domain monomers form an ACT domain dimer composed of a sheet of eight strands with four α-helices on one side of the sheet. Backbone dynamic analyses were carried out to characterize the conformational flexibility of TyrH65-159. The results provide molecular details critical for understanding the regulatory mechanism of TyrH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengnan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Tao Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Udayar Ilangovan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Andrew P Hinck
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Paul F Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
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17
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Bashyam MD, Chaudhary AK, Kiran M, Nagarajaram HA, Devi RR, Ranganath P, Dalal A, Bashyam L, Gupta N, Kabra M, Muranjan M, Puri RD, Verma IC, Nampoothiri S, Kadandale JS. Splice, insertion-deletion and nonsense mutations that perturb the phenylalanine hydroxylase transcript cause phenylketonuria in India. J Cell Biochem 2013; 115:566-74. [PMID: 24130151 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.24692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by mutational inactivation of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene. Missense mutations are the most common PAH mutation type detected in PKU patients worldwide. We performed PAH mutation analysis in 27 suspected Indian PKU families (including 7 from our previous study) followed by structure and function analysis of specific missense and splice/insertion-deletion/nonsense mutations, respectively. Of the 27 families, disease-causing mutations were detected in 25. A total of 20 different mutations were identified of which 7 "unique" mutations accounted for 13 of 25 mutation positive families. The unique mutations detected exclusively in Indian PKU patients included three recurrent mutations detected in three families each. The 20 mutations included only 5 missense mutations in addition to 5 splice, 4 each nonsense and insertion-deletion mutations, a silent variant in coding region and a 3'UTR mutation. One deletion and two nonsense mutations were characterized to confirm significant reduction in mutant transcript levels possibly through activation of nonsense mediated decay. All missense mutations affected conserved amino acid residues and sequence and structure analysis suggested significant perturbations in the enzyme activity of respective mutant proteins. This is probably the first report of identification of a significantly low proportion of missense PAH mutations from PKU families and together with the presence of a high proportion of splice, insertion-deletion, and nonsense mutations, points to a unique PAH mutation profile in Indian PKU patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murali D Bashyam
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India
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18
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Ronau JA, Paul LN, Fuchs JE, Corn IR, Wagner KT, Liedl KR, Abu-Omar MM, Das C. An additional substrate binding site in a bacterial phenylalanine hydroxylase. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2013; 42:691-708. [PMID: 23860686 PMCID: PMC3972754 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-013-0919-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Revised: 06/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a non-heme iron enzyme that catalyzes oxidation of phenylalanine to tyrosine, a reaction that must be kept under tight regulatory control. Mammalian PAH has a regulatory domain in which binding of the substrate leads to allosteric activation of the enzyme. However, the existence of PAH regulation in evolutionarily distant organisms, for example some bacteria in which it occurs, has so far been underappreciated. In an attempt to crystallographically characterize substrate binding by PAH from Chromobacterium violaceum, a single-domain monomeric enzyme, electron density for phenylalanine was observed at a distal site 15.7 Å from the active site. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments revealed a dissociation constant of 24 ± 1.1 μM for phenylalanine. Under the same conditions, ITC revealed no detectable binding for alanine, tyrosine, or isoleucine, indicating the distal site may be selective for phenylalanine. Point mutations of amino acid residues in the distal site that contact phenylalanine (F258A, Y155A, T254A) led to impaired binding, consistent with the presence of distal site binding in solution. Although kinetic analysis revealed that the distal site mutants suffer discernible loss of their catalytic activity, X-ray crystallographic analysis of Y155A and F258A, the two mutants with the most noticeable decrease in activity, revealed no discernible change in the structure of their active sites, suggesting that the effect of distal binding may result from protein dynamics in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A. Ronau
- Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN-47907, USA
| | - Lake N. Paul
- Bindley Biosciences Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Julian E. Fuchs
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Isaac R. Corn
- Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN-47907, USA
| | - Kyle T. Wagner
- Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN-47907, USA
| | - Klaus R. Liedl
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mahdi M. Abu-Omar
- Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN-47907, USA
| | - Chittaranjan Das
- Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN-47907, USA,To whom correspondence should be addressed: Chittaranjan Das, Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, (765)-494-5478, Fax: (765)-494-0239,
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Heintz C, Cotton RGH, Blau N. Tetrahydrobiopterin, its mode of action on phenylalanine hydroxylase, and importance of genotypes for pharmacological therapy of phenylketonuria. Hum Mutat 2013; 34:927-36. [PMID: 23559577 DOI: 10.1002/humu.22320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Revised: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In about 20%-30% of phenylketonuria (PKU) patients (all phenotypes of PAH deficiency), Phe levels may be controlled through phenylalanine hydroxylase cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin therapy. These patients can be diagnosed by an oral tetrahydrobiopterin challenge and are characterized by mutations coding for proteins with substantial residual PAH activity. They can be treated with a commercially available synthetic form of tetrahydrobiopterin, either as a monotherapy or as adjunct to the diet. This review article summarizes molecular and metabolic bases of PKU and the importance of the tetrahydrobiopterin loading test used for PKU patients. On the basis of in vitro residual PAH activity, more than 1,200 genotypes from patients challenged with tetrahydrobiopterin were categorized as predictive for tetrahydrobiopterin responsiveness or non-responsiveness and correlated with the loading test, phenotype, and residual in vitro PAH activity. The coexpression of two distinct PAH mutant alleles revealed possible dominance effects (positive or negative) by one of the mutations on residual activity as result of interallelic complementation. The treatment of the transfected cells with tetrahydrobiopterin showed an increase in residual PAH activity with several mutations coexpressed.
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20
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Autoantibodies against aromatic amino acid hydroxylases in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 target multiple antigenic determinants and reveal regulatory regions crucial for enzymatic activity. Immunobiology 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2012.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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21
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Wang H, Chen H, Hao G, Yang B, Feng Y, Wang Y, Feng L, Zhao J, Song Y, Zhang H, Chen YQ, Wang L, Chen W. Role of the phenylalanine-hydroxylating system in aromatic substance degradation and lipid metabolism in the oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:3225-33. [PMID: 23503309 PMCID: PMC3685260 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00238-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortierella alpina is a filamentous fungus commonly found in soil that is able to produce lipids in the form of triacylglycerols that account for up to 50% of its dry weight. Analysis of the M. alpina genome suggests that there is a phenylalanine-hydroxylating system for the catabolism of phenylalanine, which has never been found in fungi before. We characterized the phenylalanine-hydroxylating system in M. alpina to explore its role in phenylalanine metabolism and its relationship to lipid biosynthesis. Significant changes were found in the profile of fatty acids in M. alpina grown on medium containing an inhibitor of the phenylalanine-hydroxylating system compared to M. alpina grown on medium without inhibitor. Genes encoding enzymes involved in the phenylalanine-hydroxylating system (phenylalanine hydroxylase [PAH], pterin-4α-carbinolamine dehydratase, and dihydropteridine reductase) were expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli, and the resulting proteins were purified to homogeneity. Their enzymatic activity was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or visible (Vis)-UV spectroscopy. Two functional PAH enzymes were observed, encoded by distinct gene copies. A novel role for tetrahydrobiopterin in fungi as a cofactor for PAH, which is similar to its function in higher life forms, is suggested. This study establishes a novel scheme for the fungal degradation of an aromatic substance (phenylalanine) and suggests that the phenylalanine-hydroxylating system is functionally significant in lipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongchao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiqin Chen
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangfei Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yun Feng
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Feng
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianxin Zhao
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanda Song
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Zhang
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong Q. Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Wang
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
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22
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Flydal MI, Martinez A. Phenylalanine hydroxylase: function, structure, and regulation. IUBMB Life 2013; 65:341-9. [PMID: 23457044 DOI: 10.1002/iub.1150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the phenylalanine catabolism, consuming about 75% of the phenylalanine input from the diet and protein catabolism under physiological conditions. In humans, mutations in the PAH gene lead to phenylketonuria (PKU), and most mutations are mainly associated with PAH misfolding and instability. The established treatment for PKU is a phenylalanine-restricted diet and, recently, supplementation with preparations of the natural tetrahydrobiopterin cofactor also shows effectiveness for some patients. Since 1997 there has been a significant increase in the understanding of the structure, catalytic mechanism, and regulation of PAH by its substrate and cofactor, in addition to improved correlations between genotype and phenotype in PKU. Importantly, there has also been an increased number of studies on the structure and function of PAH from bacteria and lower eukaryote organisms, revealing an additional anabolic role of the enzyme in the synthesis of melanin-like pigments. In this review, we discuss these recent studies, which contribute to define the evolutionary adaptation of the PAH structure and function leading to sophisticated regulation for effective catabolic processing of phenylalanine in mammalian organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marte I Flydal
- Department of Biomedicine and K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009-Bergen, Norway
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23
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Réblová K, Hrubá Z, Procházková D, Pazdírková R, Pouchlá S, Zeman J, Fajkusová L. Hyperphenylalaninemia in the Czech Republic: genotype-phenotype correlations and in silico analysis of novel missense mutations. Clin Chim Acta 2013; 419:1-10. [PMID: 23357515 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2013.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2012] [Revised: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) is one of the most common inherited metabolic disorders caused by deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). HPA is associated with mutations in the PAH gene, which leads to reduced protein stability and/or impaired catalytic function. Currently, almost 700 different disease-causing mutations have been described. The impact of mutations on enzyme activity varies ranging from classical PKU, mild PKU, to non-PKU HPA phenotype. METHODS We provide results of molecular genetic diagnostics of 665 Czech unrelated HPA patients, structural analysis of missense mutations associated with classical PKU and non-PKU HPA phenotype, and prediction of effects of 6 newly discovered HPA missense mutations using bioinformatic approaches and Molecular Dynamics simulations. RESULTS Ninety-eight different types of mutations were indentified. Thirteen of these were novel (6 missense, 2 nonsense, 1 splicing, and 4 small gene rearrangements). Structural analysis revealed that classical PKU mutations are more non-conservative compared to non-PKU HPA mutations and that specific sequence and structural characteristics of a mutation might be critical when distinguishing between non-PKU HPA and classical PKU mutations. The greatest impact was predicted for the p.(Phe263Ser) mutation while other novel mutations p.(Asn167Tyr), p.(Thr200Asn), p.(Asp229Gly), p.(Leu358Phe), and p.(Ile406Met) were found to be less deleterious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Réblová
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
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24
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Fuchs JE, Huber RG, von Grafenstein S, Wallnoefer HG, Spitzer GM, Fuchs D, Liedl KR. Dynamic regulation of phenylalanine hydroxylase by simulated redox manipulation. PLoS One 2012; 7:e53005. [PMID: 23300845 PMCID: PMC3534100 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/26/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent clinical studies revealed increased phenylalanine levels and phenylalanine to tyrosine ratios in patients suffering from infection, inflammation and general immune activity. These data implicated down-regulation of activity of phenylalanine hydroxylase by oxidative stress upon in vivo immune activation. Though the structural damage of oxidative stress is expected to be comparably small, a structural rationale for this experimental finding was lacking. Hence, we investigated the impact of side chain oxidation at two vicinal cysteine residues on local conformational flexibility in the protein by comparative molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of backbone dynamics revealed a highly flexible loop region (Tyr138-loop) in proximity to the active center of phenylalanine hydroxylase. We observed elevated loop dynamics in connection with a loop movement towards the active site in the oxidized state, thereby partially blocking access for the substrate phenylalanine. These findings were confirmed by extensive replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations and serve as a first structural explanation for decreased enzyme turnover in situations of oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian E. Fuchs
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Roland G. Huber
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Susanne von Grafenstein
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Hannes G. Wallnoefer
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gudrun M. Spitzer
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Dietmar Fuchs
- Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Klaus R. Liedl
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- * E-mail:
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Clinical and molecular analysis of isovaleric acidemia patients in the United Arab Emirates reveals remarkable phenotypes and four novel mutations in the IVD gene. Eur J Med Genet 2012; 55:671-6. [PMID: 22960500 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2012.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Isovaleric acidemia (IVA) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of leucine metabolism caused by deficiency of mitochondrial isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase (IVD). Accumulation of isovaleryl-CoA derivatives to toxic levels results in clinical symptoms of the disease. Here, we investigate the clinical and molecular features of Arab patients with IVA. Patients from five unrelated families were evaluated clinically and for defects in the IVD gene. Four novel mutations (p.F382fs, p.R392H, p.R395Q and p.E408K) have been identified with p.R395Q occurring in two families. In addition, molecular modeling of the identified missense mutations predicted their damaging effects on the protein and computational analysis of the p.F382fs mutation predicted the disruption of a 3' splicing site resulting in inactive or unstable gene product. Furthermore, we found an unusual case of a 17 years old female homozygous for the p.R392H mutation with no clinical symptoms. Our results illustrate a heterogeneous mutation spectrum and clinical presentation in the relatively small UAE population.
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Fitzpatrick PF. Allosteric regulation of phenylalanine hydroxylase. Arch Biochem Biophys 2012; 519:194-201. [PMID: 22005392 PMCID: PMC3271142 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2011.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2011] [Revised: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
The liver enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase is responsible for conversion of excess phenylalanine in the diet to tyrosine. Phenylalanine hydroxylase is activated by phenylalanine; this activation is inhibited by the physiological reducing substrate tetrahydrobiopterin. Phosphorylation of Ser16 lowers the concentration of phenylalanine for activation. This review discusses the present understanding of the molecular details of the allosteric regulation of the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul F Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biochemistry and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA.
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27
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Selwood T, Jaffe EK. Dynamic dissociating homo-oligomers and the control of protein function. Arch Biochem Biophys 2012; 519:131-43. [PMID: 22182754 PMCID: PMC3298769 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2011.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2011] [Revised: 11/16/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Homo-oligomeric protein assemblies are known to participate in dynamic association/disassociation equilibria under native conditions, thus creating an equilibrium of assembly states. Such quaternary structure equilibria may be influenced in a physiologically significant manner either by covalent modification or by the non-covalent binding of ligands. This review follows the evolution of ideas about homo-oligomeric equilibria through the 20th and into the 21st centuries and the relationship of these equilibria to allosteric regulation by the non-covalent binding of ligands. A dynamic quaternary structure equilibria is described where the dissociated state can have alternate conformations that cannot reassociate to the original multimer; the alternate conformations dictate assembly to functionally distinct alternate multimers of finite stoichiometry. The functional distinction between different assemblies provides a mechanism for allostery. The requirement for dissociation distinguishes this morpheein model of allosteric regulation from the classical MWC concerted and KNF sequential models. These models are described alongside earlier dissociating allosteric models. The identification of proteins that exist as an equilibrium of diverse native quaternary structure assemblies has the potential to define new targets for allosteric modulation with significant consequences for further understanding and/or controlling protein structure and function. Thus, a rationale for identifying proteins that may use the morpheein model of allostery is presented and a selection of proteins for which published data suggests this mechanism may be operative are listed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor Selwood
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19111
| | - Eileen K. Jaffe
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19111
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28
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Utz JRJ, Lorentz CP, Markowitz D, Rudser KD, Diethelm-Okita B, Erickson D, Whitley CB. START, a double blind, placebo-controlled pharmacogenetic test of responsiveness to sapropterin dihydrochloride in phenylketonuria patients. Mol Genet Metab 2012; 105:193-7. [PMID: 22112818 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2011.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Revised: 10/23/2011] [Accepted: 10/23/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Sapropterin dihydrochloride, a synthetic tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), works as a chaperone of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) in phenylketonuria (PKU) to facilitate and stabilize folding of PAH into its most active conformation. No standard pharmacogenetic tests exist to identify responsive genotypes. Previous studies have failed to identify genotypes that consistently predict response; they are weakened by varied: 1) doses; 2) response definitions; 3) duration; 4) phenylalanine (PHE) test times during different protein catabolic states; 5) control of dietary PHE. START (sapropterin therapy actual response test) protocol is a double blind, placebo-controlled, 4-week clinical test that obviates the confounders aforementioned. START results were evaluated for response-genotype correlates and trends in molecular characteristics. RESULTS Seventy-four patients completed START. Thirty-six patients (48.6%) responded, 55 patients' genotypes are known, 38 unique genotypes are present. Alleles consistently associated with response include Y414C (8/8 patients, 6 genotypes) and I65T (9/9 patients, 6 genotypes). The p.R408W mutation, in which substitution of straight chain arginine with bulky aromatic amine, tryptophan, at the crux of a strategic hinge site activating folding of PAH, amino acid sequence 408, was strongly associated with non-response (21/29 patients non-responsive, 12/17 genotypes non-responsive). Genotypes containing at least one allele with ≥25% residual activity compared to wild type, were strongly associated with response. CONCLUSIONS The START protocol provides a rigorous pharmacogenetic test to identify sapropterin responsiveness and genotypes associated with responsiveness and non-responsiveness. Some genotypes were found to be predictive of responsiveness or non-responsiveness, and responsiveness was associated with specific alleles. The START protocol provides a reliable test for sapropterin responsiveness and will continue to improve understanding of how PKU mutations impact PAH protein-folding dynamics and enhance understanding of PKU disease and its management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanine R Jarnes Utz
- University of Minnesota, Fairview, Department of Pediatrics, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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29
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Underhaug J, Aubi O, Martinez A. Phenylalanine hydroxylase misfolding and pharmacological chaperones. Curr Top Med Chem 2012; 12:2534-45. [PMID: 23339306 PMCID: PMC3664513 DOI: 10.2174/1568026611212220008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Revised: 08/28/2012] [Accepted: 08/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a loss-of-function inborn error of metabolism. As many other inherited diseases the main pathologic mechanism in PKU is an enhanced tendency of the mutant phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) to misfold and undergo ubiquitin-dependent degradation. Recent alternative approaches with therapeutic potential for PKU aim at correcting the PAH misfolding, and in this respect pharmacological chaperones are the focus of increasing interest. These compounds, which often resemble the natural ligands and show mild competitive inhibition, can rescue the misfolded proteins by stimulating their renaturation in vivo. For PKU, a few studies have proven the stabilization of PKU-mutants in vitro, in cells, and in mice by pharmacological chaperones, which have been found either by using the tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)) cofactor as query structure for shape-focused virtual screening or by high-throughput screening of small compound libraries. Both approaches have revealed a number of compounds, most of which bind at the iron-binding site, competitively with respect to BH(4). Furthermore, PAH shares a number of ligands, such as BH(4), amino acid substrates and inhibitors, with the other aromatic amino acid hydroxylases: the neuronal/neuroendocrine enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and the tryptophan hydroxylases (TPHs). Recent results indicate that the PAH-targeted pharmacological chaperones should also be tested on TH and the TPHs, and eventually be derivatized to avoid unwanted interactions with these other enzymes. After derivatization and validation in animal models, the PAH-chaperoning compounds represent novel possibilities in the treatment of PKU.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aurora Martinez
- Department of Biomedicine, and K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway
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Cerreto M, Cavaliere P, Carluccio C, Amato F, Zagari A, Daniele A, Salvatore F. Natural phenylalanine hydroxylase variants that confer a mild phenotype affect the enzyme's conformational stability and oligomerization equilibrium. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2011; 1812:1435-45. [PMID: 21820508 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2011] [Revised: 07/19/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Hyperphenylalaninemias are genetic diseases prevalently caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene. The wild-type PAH enzyme is a homotetramer regulated by its substrate, cofactor and phosphorylation. We reproduced a full-length wild-type protein and seven natural full-length PAH variants, p.I65M, p.N223Y, p.R297L, p.F382L, p.K398N, p.A403V, and p.Q419R, and analyzed their biochemical and biophysical behavior. All mutants exhibited reduced enzymatic activity, namely from 38% to 69% of wild-type activity. Biophysical characterization was performed by size-exclusion chromatography, light scattering and circular dichroism. In the purified wild-type PAH, we identified the monomer in equilibrium with the dimer and tetramer. In most mutants, the equilibrium shifted toward the dimer and most tended to form aggregates. All PAH variants displayed different biophysical behaviors due to loss of secondary structure and thermal destabilization. Specifically, p.F382L was highly unstable at physiological temperature. Moreover, using confocal microscopy with the number and brightness technique, we studied the effect of BH4 addition directly in living human cells expressing wild-type PAH or p.A403V, a mild mutant associated with BH4 responsiveness in vivo. Our results demonstrate that BH4 addition promotes re-establishment of the oligomerization equilibrium, thus indicating that the dimer-to-tetramer shift in pA403V plays a key role in BH4 responsiveness. In conclusion, we show that the oligomerization process and conformational stability are altered by mutations that could affect the physiological behavior of the enzyme. This endorses the hypothesis that oligomerization and folding defects of PAH variants are the most common causes of HPAs, particularly as regards mild human phenotypes.
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31
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Shi Z, Sellers J, Moult J. Protein stability and in vivo concentration of missense mutations in phenylalanine hydroxylase. Proteins 2011; 80:61-70. [PMID: 21953985 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2011] [Revised: 07/21/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A previous computational analysis of missense mutations linked to monogenic disease found a high proportion of missense mutations affect protein stability, rather than other aspects of protein structure and function. The purpose of this study is to relate the presence of such stability damaging missense mutations to the levels of a particular protein present under "in vivo" like conditions, and to test the reliability of the computational methods. Experimental data on a set of missense mutations of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) associated with the monogenic disease phenylketonuria (PKU) have been compared with the expected in vivo impact on protein function, obtained using SNPs3D, an in silico analysis package. A high proportion of the PAH mutations are predicted to be destabilizing. The overall agreement between predicted stability impact and experimental evidence for lower protein levels is in accordance with the estimated error rates of the methods. For these mutations, destabilization of protein three-dimensional structure is the major molecular mechanism leading to PKU, and results in a substantial reduction of in vivo PAH protein concentration. Although of limited scale, the results support the view that destabilization is the most common mechanism by which missense mutations cause monogenic disease. In turn, this conclusion suggests the general therapeutic strategy of developing drugs targeted at restoring wild type stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Shi
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA
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32
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Loaiza A, Ronau JA, Ribbe A, Stanciu L, Burgner JW, Paul LN, Abu-Omar MM. Folding dynamics of phenylalanine hydroxylase depends on the enzyme’s metallation state: the native metal, iron, protects against aggregate intermediates. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL: EBJ 2011; 40:959-68. [DOI: 10.1007/s00249-011-0711-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2011] [Revised: 04/07/2011] [Accepted: 04/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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33
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Zhang W, Ames BD, Walsh CT. Identification of phenylalanine 3-hydroxylase for meta-tyrosine biosynthesis. Biochemistry 2011; 50:5401-3. [PMID: 21615132 DOI: 10.1021/bi200733c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PheH) is an iron(II)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of aromatic amino acid l-phenylalanine (L-Phe) to l-tyrosine (L-Tyr). The enzymatic modification has been demonstrated to be highly regiospecific, forming proteinogenic para-Tyr (p-Tyr) exclusively. Here we biochemically characterized the first example of a phenylalanine 3-hydroxylase (Phe3H) that catalyzes the synthesis of meta-Tyr (m-Tyr) from Phe. Subsequent mutagenesis studies revealed that two residues in the active site of Phe3H (Cys187 and Thr202) contribute to C-3 rather than C-4 hydroxylation of the phenyl ring. This work sets the stage for the mechanistic and structural study of regiospecific control of the substrate hydroxylation by PheH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Zhang
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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34
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Leandro J, Leandro P, Flatmark T. Heterotetrameric forms of human phenylalanine hydroxylase: Co-expression of wild-type and mutant forms in a bicistronic system. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2011; 1812:602-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2010] [Revised: 01/19/2011] [Accepted: 02/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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35
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Leandro J, Saraste J, Leandro P, Flatmark T. The G46S-hPAH mutant protein: a model to study the rescue of aggregation-prone PKU mutations by chaperones. Mol Genet Metab 2011; 104 Suppl:S40-4. [PMID: 21871828 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2011.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU), the most common inborn error of metabolism, is caused by dysfunction of the liver enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), with more than 550 PAH gene mutations identified to date. A large number of these mutations result in mutant forms of the enzyme displaying reduced stability, increased propensity to aggregate, and accelerated in cellulo degradation. Loss or reduction of human PAH activity results in hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) which, if untreated, results in severe mental retardation and impaired cognitive development. Until now, strict low phenylalanine diet has been the most effective therapy, but as a protein misfolding disease PKU is a good candidate for treatment by natural/chemical/pharmacological chaperones. The natural cofactor of human PAH, (6R)-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)), has already been approved for oral treatment of HPA, giving a positive response in mild forms of the disease showing considerable residual enzymatic activity. In the case of the most severe forms of PKU, ongoing studies with chemical and pharmacological chaperones to rescue misfolded mutant proteins from aggregation and degradation are providing promising results. The PKU mutation G46S is associated with a severe form of the disease, resulting in an aggregation-prone protein. The human PAH mutant G46S is rapidly degraded in the cellular environment and, in vitro (upon removal of its stabilizing fusion partner maltose binding protein (MBP)) self-associates to form higher-order oligomers/fibrils. Here, we present an in vitro experimental model system to study the modulation of G46S aggregation by chemical/pharmacological chaperones, which may represent a useful approach to study the rescue of other severe PKU mutations by chemical/pharmacological chaperones.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Leandro
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, N-5009 Bergen, Norway.
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36
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Leandro J, Simonsen N, Saraste J, Leandro P, Flatmark T. Phenylketonuria as a protein misfolding disease: The mutation pG46S in phenylalanine hydroxylase promotes self-association and fibril formation. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2010; 1812:106-20. [PMID: 20937381 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2010.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2010] [Revised: 09/02/2010] [Accepted: 09/21/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The missense mutation pG46S in the regulatory (R) domain of human phenylalanine hydroxylase (hPAH), associated with a severe form of phenylketonuria, generates a misfolded protein which is rapidly degraded on expression in HEK293 cells. When overexpressed as a MBP-G46S fusion protein, soluble and fully active tetrameric/dimeric forms are assembled and recovered in a metastable conformational state. When MBP is cleaved off, G46S undergoes a conformational change and self-associates with a lag phase and an autocatalytic growth phase (tetramers≫dimers), as determined by light scattering. The self-association is controlled by pH, ionic strength, temperature, protein concentration and the phosphorylation state of Ser16; the net charge of the protein being a main modulator of the process. A superstoichiometric amount of WT dimers revealed a 2-fold enhancement of the rate of G46S dimer self-association. Electron microscopy demonstrates the formation of higher-order oligomers and linear polymers of variable length, partly as a branching network, and partly as individual long and twisted fibrils (diameter ~145-300Å). The heat-shock proteins Hsp70/Hsp40, Hsp90 and a proposed pharmacological PAH chaperone (3-amino-2-benzyl-7-nitro-4-(2-quinolyl)-1,2-dihydroisoquinolin-1-one) partly inhibit the self-association process. Our data indicate that the G46S mutation results in a N-terminal extension of α-helix 1 which perturbs the wild-type α-β sandwich motif in the R-domain and promotes new intermolecular contacts, self-association and non-amyloid fibril formation. The metastable conformational state of G46S as a MBP fusion protein, and its self-association propensity when released from MBP, may represent a model system for the study of other hPAH missense mutations characterized by misfolded proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Leandro
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
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37
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Li J, Ilangovan U, Daubner SC, Hinck AP, Fitzpatrick PF. Direct evidence for a phenylalanine site in the regulatory domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase. Arch Biochem Biophys 2010; 505:250-5. [PMID: 20951114 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2010.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2010] [Revised: 10/05/2010] [Accepted: 10/11/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The hydroxylation of phenylalanine to tyrosine by the liver enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase is regulated by the level of phenylalanine. Whether there is a distinct allosteric binding site for phenylalanine outside of the active site has been unclear. The enzyme contains an N-terminal regulatory domain that extends through Thr117. The regulatory domain of rat phenylalanine hydroxylase was expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified protein behaves as a dimer on a gel filtration column. In the presence of phenylalanine, the protein elutes earlier from the column, consistent with a conformational change in the presence of the amino acid. No change in elution is seen in the presence of the non-activating amino acid proline. ¹H-¹⁵N HSQC NMR spectra were obtained of the ¹⁵N-labeled protein alone and in the presence of phenylalanine or proline. A subset of the peaks in the spectrum exhibits chemical shift perturbation in the presence of phenylalanine, consistent with binding of phenylalanine at a specific site. No change in the NMR spectrum is seen in the presence of proline. These results establish that the regulatory domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase can bind phenylalanine, consistent with the presence of an allosteric site for the amino acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843-2128, United States
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38
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Li J, Dangott LJ, Fitzpatrick PF. Regulation of phenylalanine hydroxylase: conformational changes upon phenylalanine binding detected by hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass spectrometry. Biochemistry 2010; 49:3327-35. [PMID: 20307070 DOI: 10.1021/bi1001294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Phenylalanine acts as an allosteric activator of the tetrahydropterin-dependent enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange monitored by mass spectrometry has been used to gain insight into local conformational changes accompanying activation of rat phenylalanine hydroxylase by phenylalanine. Peptides in the regulatory and catalytic domains that lie in the interface between these two domains show large increases in the extent of deuterium incorporation from solvent in the presence of phenylalanine. In contrast, the effects of phenylalanine on the exchange kinetics of a mutant enzyme lacking the regulatory domain are limited to peptides surrounding the binding site for the amino acid substrate. These results support a model in which the N-terminus of the protein acts as an inhibitory peptide, with phenylalanine binding causing a conformational change in the regulatory domain that alters the interaction between the catalytic and regulatory domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station,Texas 77843-2128, USA
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39
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Zhuang N, Seo KH, Chen C, Kim HL, Park YS, Lee KH. Purification, crystallization and crystallographic analysis of Dictyostelium discoideum phenylalanine hydroxylase in complex with dihydrobiopterin and FeIII. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2010; 66:463-6. [PMID: 20383023 PMCID: PMC2852345 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309110007220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2010] [Accepted: 02/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Dictyostelium discoideum phenylalanine hydroxylase (DicPAH; residues 1-415) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified for structural analysis. Apo DicPAH and DicPAH complexed with dihydrobiopterin (BH(2)) and Fe(III) were crystallized using 0.06 M PIPES pH 7.0, 26%(w/v) PEG 2000 by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Crystals of apo DicPAH and the DicPAH-BH(2)-Fe(III) complex diffracted to 2.6 and 2.07 A resolution, respectively, and belonged to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 70.02, b = 85.43, c = 74.86 A, beta = 110.12 degrees and a = 70.97, b = 85.33, c = 74.89 A, beta = 110.23 degrees , respectively. There were two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The structure of DicPAH has been solved by molecular replacement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningning Zhuang
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Program), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Environmental Biotechnology National Core Research Center (EB-NCRC), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Hey Seo
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Program), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Environmental Biotechnology National Core Research Center (EB-NCRC), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Cong Chen
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Program), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Environmental Biotechnology National Core Research Center (EB-NCRC), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Lim Kim
- FIRST Rearch Group, School of Biological Sciences, Inje University, Kimhae 621-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Shik Park
- FIRST Rearch Group, School of Biological Sciences, Inje University, Kimhae 621-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Kon Ho Lee
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Environmental Biotechnology National Core Research Center (EB-NCRC), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-751, Republic of Korea
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40
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Kang TS, Stevens RC. Structural aspects of therapeutic enzymes to treat metabolic disorders. Hum Mutat 2010; 30:1591-610. [PMID: 19790257 DOI: 10.1002/humu.21111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Protein therapeutics represents a niche subset of pharmacological agents that is rapidly gaining importance in medicine. In addition to the exceptional specificity that is characteristic of protein therapeutics, several classes of proteins have also been effectively utilized for treatment of conditions that would otherwise lack effective pharmacotherapeutic options. A particularly striking class of protein therapeutics is exogenous enzymes administered for replacement therapy in patients afflicted with metabolic disorders. To date, at least 11 enzymes have either been approved for use, or are in clinical trials for the treatment of selected inherited metabolic disorders. With the recent advancement in structural biology, a significantly larger amount of structural information for several of these enzymes is now available. This article is an overview of the correlation between structural perturbations of these enzymes with the clinical presentation of the respective metabolic conditions, as well as a discussion of the relevant structural modification strategies engaged in improving these enzymes for replacement therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tse Siang Kang
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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41
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The Aromatic Amino Acid Hydroxylase Mechanism: A Perspective From Computational Chemistry. ADVANCES IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/s0898-8838(10)62011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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42
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Molecular Diagnosis of Phenylketonuria: From Defective Protein to Disease-Causing Gene Mutation. J Med Biochem 2009. [DOI: 10.2478/v10011-009-0021-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular Diagnosis of Phenylketonuria: From Defective Protein to Disease-Causing Gene MutationPhenylketonuria (PKU) is the most common inborn error of amino acid metabolism, with an average incidence of 1/10000 in Caucasians. PKU is caused by more than 500 mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene (PAH) which result in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) enzyme deficiency. Two approaches, in vitro expression analysis of mutant PAH and genotype-phenotype correlation study, are used for the assessment of severity ofPAHmutations. It has been shown that there is a significant correlation between mutantPAHgenotypes and PKU phenotypes. As a result, the molecular diagnosis is completely shifted toward the detection of mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. The study of the molecular basis of PKU in Serbia included identification of the spectrum and frequency ofPAHmutations in Serbian PKU patients and genotype-phenotype correlation analysis. By using both PCR-RFLP and »broad range« DGGE/DNA sequencing analysis, the mutation detection rate reached 97%. Thus, the base for molecular diagnosis, genetic counseling and selection of BH4-responsive PKU patients in Serbia was created.
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Daniele A, Scala I, Cardillo G, Pennino C, Ungaro C, Sibilio M, Parenti G, Esposito L, Zagari A, Andria G, Salvatore F. Functional and structural characterization of novel mutations and genotype-phenotype correlation in 51 phenylalanine hydroxylase deficient families from Southern Italy. FEBS J 2009; 276:2048-59. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2009.06940.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Siltberg-Liberles J, Steen IH, Svebak RM, Martinez A. The phylogeny of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases revisited by characterizing phenylalanine hydroxylase from Dictyostelium discoideum. Gene 2008; 427:86-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2008.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2008] [Revised: 08/28/2008] [Accepted: 09/01/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Windahl MS, Petersen CR, Christensen HEM, Harris P. Crystal structure of tryptophan hydroxylase with bound amino acid substrate. Biochemistry 2008; 47:12087-94. [PMID: 18937498 DOI: 10.1021/bi8015263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is a mononuclear non-heme iron enzyme, which catalyzes the reaction between tryptophan, O 2, and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH 4) to produce 5-hydroxytryptophan and 4a-hydroxytetrahydrobiopterin. This is the first and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter and hormone serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). We have determined the 1.9 A resolution crystal structure of the catalytic domain (Delta1-100/Delta415-445) of chicken TPH isoform 1 (TPH1) in complex with the tryptophan substrate and an iron-bound imidazole. This is the first structure of any aromatic amino acid hydroxylase with bound natural amino acid substrate. The iron coordination can be described as distorted trigonal bipyramidal coordination with His273, His278, and Glu318 (partially bidentate) and one imidazole as ligands. The tryptophan stacks against Pro269 with a distance of 3.9 A between the iron and the tryptophan Czeta3 atom that is hydroxylated. The binding of tryptophan and maybe the imidazole has caused the structural changes in the catalytic domain compared to the structure of the human TPH1 without tryptophan. The structure of chicken TPH1 is more compact, and the loops of residues Leu124-Asp139 and Ile367-Thr369 close around the active site. Similar structural changes are seen in the catalytic domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) upon binding of substrate analogues norleucine and thienylalanine to the PAH.BH 4 complex. In fact, the chicken TPH1.Trp.imidazole structure resembles the PAH.BH 4.thienylalanine structure more (root-mean-square deviation for Calpha atoms of 0.90 A) than the human TPH1 structure (root-mean-square deviation of 1.47 A).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Windahl
- Department of Basic Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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Song G, Li Y, Cheng C, Zhao Y, Gao A, Zhang R, Joachimiak A, Shaw N, Liu ZJ. Structural insight into acute intermittent porphyria. FASEB J 2008; 23:396-404. [PMID: 18936296 DOI: 10.1096/fj.08-115469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), an inherited disease of heme biosynthesis, is one of the most common types of porphyria. Reduced activity of the enzyme porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD), which catalyzes the sequential condensation of 4 molecules of porphobilinogen to yield preuroporphyrinogen, has been linked to the symptoms of AIP. We have determined the 3-dimensional structure of human PBGD at 2.2 A resolution. Analysis of the structure revealed a dipyrromethane cofactor molecule covalently linked to C261, sitting in a positively charged cleft region. In addition to the critical catalytic D99, a number of other residues are seen hydrogen bonded to the cofactor and play a role in catalysis. Sequential entry of 4 pyrrole molecules into the active site is accomplished by movement of the domains around the hinges. H120P mutation resulted in an inactive enzyme, supporting the role of H120 as a hinge residue. Interestingly, some of the mutations of the human PBGD documented in patients suffering from AIP are located far away from the active site. The structure provides insights into the mechanism of action of PBGD at the molecular level and could aid the development of potential drugs for the up-regulation of PBGD activity in AIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaojie Song
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, 15 Datun Lu, Beijing 100101, China
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Gersting SW, Kemter KF, Staudigl M, Messing DD, Danecka MK, Lagler FB, Sommerhoff CP, Roscher AA, Muntau AC. Loss of function in phenylketonuria is caused by impaired molecular motions and conformational instability. Am J Hum Genet 2008; 83:5-17. [PMID: 18538294 PMCID: PMC2443833 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2008.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2008] [Revised: 05/09/2008] [Accepted: 05/17/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A significant share of patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency benefits from pharmacological doses of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)), the natural PAH cofactor. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is hypothesized to be a conformational disease, with loss of function due to protein destabilization, and the restoration of enzyme function that is observed in BH(4) treatment might be transmitted by correction of protein misfolding. To elucidate the molecular basis of functional impairment in PAH deficiency, we investigated the impact of ten PAH gene mutations identified in patients with BH(4)-responsiveness on enzyme kinetics, stability, and conformation of the protein (F55L, I65S, H170Q, P275L, A300S, S310Y, P314S, R408W, Y414C, Y417H). Residual enzyme activity was generally high, but allostery was disturbed in almost all cases and pointed to altered protein conformation. This was confirmed by reduced proteolytic stability, impaired tetramer assembly or aggregation, increased hydrophobicity, and accelerated thermal unfolding--with particular impact on the regulatory domain--observed in most variants. Three-dimensional modeling revealed the involvement of functionally relevant amino acid networks that may communicate misfolding throughout the protein. Our results substantiate the view that PAH deficiency is a protein-misfolding disease in which global conformational changes hinder molecular motions essential for physiological enzyme function. Thus, PKU has evolved from a model of a genetic disease that leads to severe neurological impairment to a model of a treatable protein-folding disease with loss of function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Søren W. Gersting
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Kristina F. Kemter
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Staudigl
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Dunja D. Messing
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Marta K. Danecka
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Florian B. Lagler
- Department of Medical Genetics, Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, Innsbruck Medical University, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christian P. Sommerhoff
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Surgical Clinic, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Adelbert A. Roscher
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Ania C. Muntau
- Department of Molecular Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany
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Ho PY, Huang MZ, Fwu VT, Lin SC, Hsiao KJ, Su TS. Simultaneous assessment of the effects of exonic mutations on RNA splicing and protein functions. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2008; 373:515-20. [PMID: 18590700 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.06.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2008] [Accepted: 06/14/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
To simultaneously assess the effects of exonic mutations on RNA splicing and protein functions, we report here an intron-inclusive cDNA (Intinc) expression system. As a test model, twenty-four mutations in exon 9 of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene were examined in an Intinc expression plasmid composed of the PAH cDNA with the exon 9 flanked by its authentic introns. When the PAH enzyme activities from the Intinc plasmid-transfected cells were compared to those of a standard cDNA expression system, five mutations resulted in significant relative differences in PAH activities attributed to altered exon 9-inclusive mRNA levels. Two of the mutations affected exon recognition probably through splice site modifications and the remaining three affected experimentally verified exon splicing enhancer (ESE) motifs. The Intinc expression system allows not only a better link between mutation genotype to disease phenotype but also contributes to further understanding of molecular mechanisms of deleterious effects of mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-yi Ho
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Martinez A, Calvo AC, Teigen K, Pey AL. Rescuing Proteins of Low Kinetic Stability by Chaperones and Natural Ligands: Phenylketonuria, a Case Study. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2008; 83:89-134. [DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)00603-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Pey AL, Stricher F, Serrano L, Martinez A. Predicted effects of missense mutations on native-state stability account for phenotypic outcome in phenylketonuria, a paradigm of misfolding diseases. Am J Hum Genet 2007; 81:1006-24. [PMID: 17924342 PMCID: PMC2265664 DOI: 10.1086/521879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2007] [Accepted: 07/25/2007] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in human phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). Most missense mutations result in misfolding of PAH, increased protein turnover, and a loss of enzymatic function. We studied the prediction of the energetic impact on PAH native-state stability of 318 PKU-associated missense mutations, using the protein-design algorithm FoldX. For the 80 mutations for which expression analyses have been performed in eukaryote systems, in most cases we found substantial overall correlations between the mutational energetic impact and both in vitro residual activities and patient metabolic phenotype. This finding confirmed that the decrease in protein stability is the main molecular pathogenic mechanism in PKU and the determinant for phenotypic outcome. Metabolic phenotypes have been shown to be better predicted than in vitro residual activities, probably because of greater stringency in the phenotyping process. Finally, all the remaining 238 PKU missense mutations compiled at the PAH locus knowledgebase (PAHdb) were analyzed, and their phenotypic outcomes were predicted on the basis of the energetic impact provided by FoldX. Residues in exons 7-9 and in interdomain regions within the subunit appear to play an important structural role and constitute hotspots for destabilization. FoldX analysis will be useful for predicting the phenotype associated with rare or new mutations detected in patients with PKU. However, additional factors must be considered that may contribute to the patient phenotype, such as possible effects on catalysis and interindividual differences in physiological and metabolic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel L Pey
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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