Cytochrome c heme lyase activity of yeast mitochondria

Mitochondrial cytochrome c biogenesis: no longer an enigma

Cytochromes c (cyt c) and c1 are heme proteins that are essential for aerobic respiration. Release of cyt c from mitochondria is an important signal in apoptosis initiation. Biogenesis of c-type cytochromes involves covalent attachment of heme to two cysteines (at a conserved CXXCH sequence) in the apocytochrome. Heme attachment is catalyzed in most mitochondria by holocytochrome c synthase (HCCS), which is also necessary for the import of apocytochrome c (apocyt c). Thus, HCCS affects cellular levels of cyt c, impacting mitochondrial physiology and cell death. Here, we review the mechanisms of HCCS function and the roles of heme and residues in the CXXCH motif. Additionally, we consider concepts emerging within the two prokaryotic cytochrome c biogenesis pathways.

Human mitochondrial holocytochrome c synthase's heme binding, maturation determinants, and complex formation with cytochrome c

Proper functioning of the mitochondrion requires the orchestrated assembly of respiratory complexes with their cofactors. Cytochrome c, an essential electron carrier in mitochondria and a critical component of the apoptotic pathway, contains a heme cofactor covalently attached to the protein at a conserved CXXCH motif. Although it has been known for more than two decades that heme attachment requires the mitochondrial protein holocytochrome c synthase (HCCS), the mechanism remained unknown. We purified membrane-bound human HCCS with endogenous heme and in complex with its cognate human apocytochrome c. Spectroscopic analyses of HCCS alone and complexes of HCCS with site-directed variants of cytochrome c revealed the fundamental steps of heme attachment and maturation. A conserved histidine in HCCS (His154) provided the key ligand to the heme iron. Formation of the HCCS:heme complex served as the platform for interaction with apocytochrome c. Heme was the central molecule mediating contact between HCCS and apocytochrome c. A conserved histidine in apocytochrome c (His19 of CXXCH) supplied the second axial ligand to heme in the trapped HCCS:heme:cytochrome c complex. We also examined the substrate specificity of human HCCS and converted a bacterial cytochrome c into a robust substrate for the HCCS. The results allow us to describe the molecular mechanisms underlying the HCCS reaction.

The flavoprotein Cyc2p, a mitochondrial cytochrome c assembly factor, is a NAD(P)H-dependent haem reductase

Cytochrome c assembly requires sulphydryls at the CXXCH haem binding site on the apoprotein and also chemical reduction of the haem co-factor. In yeast mitochondria, the cytochrome haem lyases (CCHL, CC(1) HL) and Cyc2p catalyse covalent haem attachment to apocytochromes c and c(1) . An in vivo indication that Cyc2p controls a reductive step in the haem attachment reaction is the finding that the requirement for its function can be bypassed by exogenous reductants. Although redox titrations of Cyc2p flavin (E(m) = -290 mV) indicate that reduction of a disulphide at the CXXCH site of apocytochrome c (E(m) = -265 mV) is a thermodynamically favourable reaction, Cyc2p does not act as an apocytochrome c or c(1) CXXCH disulphide reductase in vitro. In contrast, Cyc2p is able to catalyse the NAD(P)H-dependent reduction of hemin, an indication that the protein's role may be to control the redox state of the iron in the haem attachment reaction to apocytochromes c. Using two-hybrid analysis, we show that Cyc2p interacts with CCHL and also with apocytochromes c and c(1) . We postulate that Cyc2p, possibly in a complex with CCHL, reduces the haem iron prior to haem attachment to the apoforms of cytochrome c and c(1) .

Cytochrome c biogenesis in mitochondria--Systems III and V

In c-type cytochromes, heme becomes covalently attached to the polypeptide chain by a reaction between the vinyl groups of the heme and cysteine thiols from the protein. There are two such cytochromes in mitochondria: cytochrome c and cytochrome c(1). The heme attachment is a post-translational modification that is catalysed by different biogenesis proteins in different organisms. Three types of biogenesis system are found or predicted in mitochondria: System I (the cytochrome c maturation system); System III (termed holocytochrome c synthase (HCCS) or heme lyase); and System V. This review focuses primarily on cytochrome c maturation in mitochondria containing HCCS (System III). It describes what is known about the enzymology and substrate specificity of HCCS; the role of HCCS in human disease; import of HCCS into mitochondria; import of apocytochromes c and c(1) into mitochondria and the close relationships with HCCS-dependent heme attachment; and the role of the fungal cytochrome c biogenesis accessory protein Cyc2. System V is also discussed; this is the postulated mitochondrial cytochrome c biogenesis system of trypanosomes and related organisms. No cytochrome c biogenesis proteins have been identified in the genomes of these organisms whose c-type cytochromes also have a unique mode of heme attachment.

Mutations of the mitochondrial holocytochrome c-type synthase in X-linked dominant microphthalmia with linear skin defects syndrome

The microphthalmia with linear skin defects syndrome (MLS, or MIDAS) is an X-linked dominant male-lethal disorder almost invariably associated with segmental monosomy of the Xp22 region. In two female patients, from two families, with MLS and a normal karyotype, we identified heterozygous de novo point mutations--a missense mutation (p.R217C) and a nonsense mutation (p.R197X)--in the HCCS gene. HCCS encodes the mitochondrial holocytochrome c-type synthase that functions as heme lyase by covalently adding the prosthetic heme group to both apocytochrome c and c(1). We investigated a third family, displaying phenotypic variability, in which the mother and two of her daughters carry an 8.6-kb submicroscopic deletion encompassing part of the HCCS gene. Functional analysis demonstrates that both mutant proteins (R217C and Delta 197-268) were unable to complement a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant deficient for the HCCS orthologue Cyc3p, in contrast to wild-type HCCS. Moreover, ectopically expressed HCCS wild-type and the R217C mutant protein are targeted to mitochondria in CHO-K1 cells, whereas the C-terminal-truncated Delta 197-268 mutant failed to be sorted to mitochondria. Cytochrome c, the final product of holocytochrome c-type synthase activity, is implicated in both oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and apoptosis. We hypothesize that the inability of HCCS-deficient cells to undergo cytochrome c-mediated apoptosis may push cell death toward necrosis that gives rise to severe deterioration of the affected tissues. In summary, we suggest that disturbance of both OXPHOS and the balance between apoptosis and necrosis, as well as the X-inactivation pattern, may contribute to the variable phenotype observed in patients with MLS.

Cyc2p, a Membrane-bound Flavoprotein Involved in the Maturation of Mitochondrial c-Type Cytochromes

Mitochondrial apocytochrome c and c1 are converted to their holoforms in the intermembrane space by attachment of heme to the cysteines of the CXXCH motif through the activity of assembly factors cytochrome c heme lyase and cytochrome c1 heme lyase (CCHL and CC1HL). The maintenance of apocytochrome sulfhydryls and heme substrates in a reduced state is critical for the ligation of heme. Factors that control the redox chemistry of the heme attachment reaction to apocytochrome c are known in bacteria and plastids but not in mitochondria. We have explored the function of Cyc2p, a candidate redox cytochrome c assembly component in yeast mitochondria. We show that Cyc2p is required for the activity of CCHL toward apocytochrome c and c1 and becomes essential for the heme attachment to apocytochrome c1 carrying a CAPCH instead of CAACH heme binding site. A redox function for Cyc2p in the heme lyase reaction is suggested from 1) the presence of a noncovalently bound FAD molecule in the C-terminal domain of Cyc2p, 2) the localization of Cyc2p in the inner membrane with the FAD binding domain exposed to the intermembrane space, and 3) the ability of recombinant Cyc2p to carry the NADPH-dependent reduction of ferricyanide. We postulate that, in vivo, Cyc2p interacts with CCHL and is involved in the reduction of heme prior to its ligation to apocytochrome c by CCHL.

Overlapping specificities of the mitochondrial cytochrome c and c1 heme lyases

Heme attachment to the apoforms of fungal mitochondrial cytochrome c and c1 requires the activity of cytochrome c and c1 heme lyases (CCHL and CC1HL), which are enzymes with distinct substrate specificity. However, the presence of a single heme lyase in higher eukaryotes is suggestive of broader substrate specificity. Here, we demonstrate that yeast CCHL is active toward the non-cognate substrate apocytochrome c1, i.e. CCHL promotes low levels of apocytochrome c1 conversion to its holoform in the absence of CC1HL. Moreover, that the single human heme lyase also displays a broader cytochrome specificity is evident from its ability to substitute for both yeast CCHL and CC1HL. Multicopy and genetic suppressors of the absence of CC1HL were isolated and their analysis revealed that the activity of CCHL toward cytochrome c1 can be enhanced by: 1) reducing the abundance of the cognate substrate apocytochrome c, 2) increasing the accumulation of CCHL, 3) modifying the substrate-enzyme interaction through point mutations in CCHL or cytochrome c1, or 4) overexpressing Cyc2p, a protein known previously only as a mitochondrial biogenesis factor. Based on the functional interaction of Cyc2p with CCHL and the presence of a putative FAD-binding site in the protein, we hypothesize that Cyc2p controls the redox chemistry of the heme lyase reaction.

Cytochrome c maturation. The in vitro reactions of horse heart apocytochrome c and Paracoccus dentrificans apocytochrome c550 with heme

C-type cytochromes are characterized by having the heme moiety covalently attached via thioether bonds between the heme vinyl groups and the thiols of conserved cysteine residues of the polypeptide chain. Previously, we have shown the in vitro formation of Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c(552) (Daltrop, O., Allen, J. W. A., Willis, A. C., and Ferguson, S. J. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99, 7872-7876). In this work we report that thioether bonds can form spontaneously in vitro between heme and the apocytochromes c from horse heart and Paracoccus denitrificans via b-type cytochrome intermediates. Both apocytochromes, but not the holo forms, bind 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate, indicating that the apoproteins each have an affinity for a hydrophobic ligand. Furthermore, for both apocytochromes c an intramolecular disulfide can form between the cysteines of the CXXCH motif that is characteristic of c-type cytochromes. In vitro reaction of these apocytochromes c with heme to yield holocytochromes c, and the tendency to form a disulfide, have implications for the different systems responsible for cytochrome c maturation in vivo in various organisms.

Peptide 68-88 of apocytochrome c plays a crucial role in its insertion into membrane and binding to mitochondria

Apocytochrome c (Apocyt. c) is the precursor of cytochrome c. It is synthesized in the cytosol and posttranslationally imported into mitochondria. In order to determine the crucial sequence in apocyt. c translocation, deleted mutant and chemically synthesized peptides with different length were used. Obtained results showed that sequence 68-88 of apocyt. c plays a critical role in its insertion into membrane and binding to mitochondria.

C-type cytochromes: diverse structures and biogenesis systems pose evolutionary problems

C-type cytochromes are a structurally diverse group of haemoproteins, which are related by the occurrence of haem covalently attached to a polypeptide via two thioether bonds formed by the vinyl groups of haem and cysteine side chains in a CXXCH peptide motif. Remarkably, three different post-translational systems for forming these cytochromes have been identified. The evolution of both the proteins themselves and the biogenesis systems poses many questions to which answers are currently being sought. In this article we review the progress that has been made in understanding the need for covalent attachment of haem to proteins in cytochromes c and the complex systems involved in their formation.

Essential histidine and tryptophan residues in CcsA, a system II polytopic cytochrome c biogenesis protein

Three distinct systems (I, II, and III) for catalysis of heme attachment to c-type apocytochromes are known. The CcsA and Ccs1 proteins are required in system II for the assembly of bacterial and plastid cytochromes c. A tryptophan-rich signature motif (WWD), also occurring in CcmC and CcmF found in system I, and three histidinyl residues, all strictly conserved in CcsA suggest a function in heme handling. Topological analysis of plastid CcsA in bacteria using the PhoA and LacZalpha reporters placed the WWD motif, the conserved residues His(212) and His(347) on the lumen side of the membrane, whereas His(309) was assigned a location on the stromal side. Functional analysis of CcsA through site-directed mutagenesis enabled the designation of the initiation codon of the ccsA gene and established the functional importance of the WWD signature motif and the absolute requirement of all three histidines for the assembly of plastid c-type cytochromes. In a ccsA mutant, a 200-kDa Ccs1-containing complex is absent from solubilized thylakoid membranes, suggesting that CcsA operates together with Ccs1. We propose a model where the WWD motif and histidine residues function in relaying heme from stroma to lumen and we postulate the existence of a cytochrome c assembly machinery containing CcsA, Ccs1 and additional components.

The CcmE protein of the c-type cytochrome biogenesis system: unusual in vitro heme incorporation into apo-CcmE and transfer from holo-CcmE to apocytochrome

Three key steps of cytochrome c biogenesis in many Gram-negative bacteria, the uptake of heme by the heme chaperone CcmE, the covalent attachment of heme to CcmE, and its subsequent release from CcmE to an apocytochrome c, have been achieved in vitro. apo-CcmE from Escherichia coli preferentially bound to ferric, with high affinity (K(d), 200 nM), rather than ferrous heme. The preference for ferric heme was confirmed by competition with 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate, which bound to a hydrophobic pocket in apo-CcmE. Reduction under certain conditions of the ferric heme-CcmE complex, which has characteristics of a b-type cytochrome, resulted in covalent attachment of heme to the protein. The resulting in vitro-produced holo-CcmE was identical to the in vivo-produced holo-CcmE, proving that unmodified Fe-protoporphyrin IX is incorporated into CcmE. Only noncovalent binding of mesoheme to CcmE was observed, thus implicating at least one vinyl group in covalent binding of heme to CcmE. Heme transferred in vitro from holo-CcmE to apocytochrome c, provided the heme was reduced. The necessity for reduced holo-CcmE might explain the role of the heme chaperone, i.e., prevention of reaction of ferric heme with apocytochrome and thus avoidance of incorrect side products. In addition, an AXXAH mutant of the CXXCH binding motif in the apocytochrome c was unable to accept heme from holo-CcmE. These in vitro results mimic, and thus have implications for, the molecular pathway of heme transfer during c-type cytochrome maturation in many species of bacteria in vivo.

In vitro formation of a c-type cytochrome

C-type cytochromes are essential for almost all organisms; they are characterized by the covalent attachment of heme to protein through two thioether bonds to a Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-His peptide motif. Here we show, contrary to opinion of 30 years standing, that a c-type cytochrome can form from heme and apoprotein in vitro under mild conditions and in the absence of any biosynthesis apparatus. This reaction occurs provided formation of a disulfide bond within the Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-His motif is avoided. There are important implications for understanding in vivo cytochrome c assembly.

Complementation of a yeast CYC3 deficiency identifies an X-linked mammalian activator of apocytochrome c

We have shown by indirect immunofluorescence and enhanced green fluorescent protein fusions that a mammalian sequence exhibiting similar levels of homology to the two yeast heme lyases Cyc3p (holocytochrome c synthase; HCCS) and Cyt2p (holocytochrome c1 synthase; HCC1S) is also targeted to mitochondria. The human protein was able to complement the yeast Cyc3p (but not Cyt2p) deficiency, which indicates that it specifically activates apocytochrome c. Consistent with a respiratory role, expression of the mammalian gene was detected in all tissues, with the highest levels found in heart. Notably, the human gene HCCS is the only known gene located within the critical region for the deletion-defined disorder microphthalmia with linear skin defects (MLS). We believe the spectrum of clinical features seen in females with MLS and the paucity of male patients are consistent with significant involvement of HCCS. Toward clarification of a role for HCCS in disease, we have extensively characterized the X-linked mouse Hccs genomic locus, showing conservation in gene size and arrangement despite its location in a region that has undergone significant evolutionary rearrangement.