The glutathione-deficient, cadmium-sensitive mutant, cad2–1 , of Arabidopsis thaliana is deficient in γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase

This paper reports that the glutathione (GSH)-deficient mutant, cad2–1 , of Arabidopsis is deficient in the first enzyme in the pathway of GSH biosynthesis, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS). The mutant accumulates a substrate of GCS, cysteine, and is deficient in the product, γ-glutamylcysteine. In vitro enzyme assays showed that the cad2–1 mutant has 40% of wild-type levels of GCS activity but is unchanged in the activity of the second enzyme in the pathway, GSH synthetase. The CAD2 locus maps to chromosome 4 and is tightly linked to a gene, GSHA , identified by a previously isolated cDNA. A genomic clone of GSHA complements both the phenotypic and biochemical deficiencies of the cad2–1 mutant. The nucleotide sequence of the gene has been determined and, in the mutant, this gene contains a 6 bp deletion within an exon. These data demonstrate that the CAD2 gene encodes GCS. The cad2–1 mutation is close to the conserved cysteine which is believed to bind the substrate glutamate and the specific inhibitor L-buthionine-[S,R] sulfoximine (BSO). Both root growth and GCS activity of the cad2–1 mutant was less sensitive than the wild-type to inhibition by BSO, indicating that the mutation may alter the affinity of the inhibitor binding site.     

Glutathione as an endogenous sulphur source in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Glutathione-deficient mutants (gshA) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, impaired in the first step of glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis were studied with respect to the regulation of enzymes involved in GSH catabolism and cysteine biosynthesis. Striking differences were observed in the content of the sulphur amino acids when gshA mutants were compared to wild-type strains growing on the same minimal medium. Furthermore, all mutants examined showed a derepression of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamm-GT), the enzyme initiating GSH degradation. However, gamma-cystathionase and cysteine synthase were unaffected by the GSH deficiency as long as the nutrient sulphate source was not exhausted. The results suggest that the mutants are probably not impaired in the sulphate assimilation pathway, but that the gamma-glutamyl cycle could play a leading role in the regulation of the sulphur fluxes. Studies of enzyme regulation showed that the derepression of gamma-GT observed in the gshA strains was most probably due to an alteration of the thiol status. The effectors governing the biosynthesis of cysteine synthase and gamma-cystathionase seemed different from those playing a role in gamma-GT regulation and it was only under conditions of total sulphate deprivation that all these enzymes were derepressed. As a consequence the endogenous pool of GSH was used in the synthesis of cysteine. GSH might, therefore, fulfil the role of a storage compound.     

Age-associated decline in gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase gene expression in rats

Although glutathione (GSH) concentration has been reported to diminish with age, the mechanism underlying such age-associated decline in the GSH content is not well understood. In this study, we compared the gene expression of both subunits of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS), the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo GSH synthesis, in young, adult, and old Fisher 344 rats. It was found that GCS activity was significantly decreased with increased age in liver, kidney, lung, and red blood cells (RBC). Parallel with the decreased enzyme activity, the protein and mRNA contents of both GCS subunits also changed inversely with age in liver, kidney, and lung, implying a decreased GCS gene expression during aging. Such a reduced GCS gene expression was accompanied by a decline in total GSH content without any change in cysteine concentration. Furthermore, the decreased GCS gene expression in old rats was not associated with a decline in the plasma insulin or cortisol level. This study showed, for the first time, that the expression of both GCS subunit genes was decreased in some organs of old rats, which would result in a reduced rate of GSH biosynthesis. Such decline in GSH synthetic capacity may underlie the observed decrease in GSH content during aging.     

Glutathione synthetase is dispensable for growth under both normal and oxidative stress conditions in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to an accumulation of the dipeptide gamma-glutamylcysteine.

Glutathione (GSH) synthetase (Gsh2) catalyzes the ATP-dependent synthesis of GSH from gamma-glutamylcysteine (gamma-Glu-Cys) and glycine. GSH2, encoding the Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme, was isolated and used to construct strains that either lack or overproduce Gsh2. The identity of GSH2 was confirmed by the following criteria: 1) the predicted Gsh2 protein shared 37-39% identity and 58-60% similarity with GSH synthetases from other eukaryotes, 2) increased gene dosage of GSH2 resulted in elevated Gsh2 enzyme activity, 3) a strain deleted for GSH2 was dependent on exogenous GSH for wild-type growth rates, and 4) the gsh2 mutant lacked GSH and accumulated the dipeptide gamma-Glu-Cys intermediate in GSH biosynthesis. Overexpression of GSH2 had no effect on cellular GSH levels, whereas overexpression of GSH1, encoding the enzyme for the first step in GSH biosynthesis, lead to an approximately twofold increase in GSH levels, consistent with Gsh1 catalyzing the rate-limiting step in GSH biosynthesis. In contrast to a strain deleted for GSH1, which lacks both GSH and gamma-Glu-Cys, the strain deleted for GSH2 was found to be unaffected in mitochondrial function as well as resistance to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and the superoxide anion. Furthermore, gamma-Glu-Cys was at least as good as GSH in protecting yeast cells against an oxidant challenge, providing the first evidence that gamma-Glu-Cys can act as an antioxidant and substitute for GSH in a eukaryotic cell. However, the dipeptide could not fully substitute for the essential function of GSH in the cell as shown by the poor growth of the gsh2 mutant on minimal medium. We suggest that this function may be the detoxification of harmful intermediates that are generated during normal cellular metabolism.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caenorhabditis elegans gcs-1</Emphasis> Confers Resistance to Arsenic-Induced Oxidative Stress

Gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) catalyzes the first, rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of glutathione (GSH). To evaluate the protective role of cellular GSH against arsenic-induced oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), we examined the effect of the C. elegans ortholog of GCS(h), gcs-1, in response to inorganic arsenic exposure. We have evaluated the responses of wild-type and gcs-1 mutant nematodes to both inorganic arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) ions and found that gcs-1 mutant nematodes are more sensitive to arsenic toxicity than that of wild-type animals. The amount of metal ion required to kill half of the population of worms falls in the order of wild-type/As(V)>gcs-1/As(V)> wild-type/As(III)>gcs-1/As(III). gcs-1 mutant nematodes also showed an earlier response to the exposure of As(III) and As(V) than that of wild-type animals. Pretreatment with GSH significantly raised the survival rate of gcs-1 mutant worms compared to As(III)- or As(V)-treated worms alone. These results indicate that GCS-1 is essential for the synthesis of intracellular GSH in C. elegans and consequently that the intracellular GSH status plays a critical role in protection of C. elegans from arsenic-induced oxidative stress.     

Reduced glutathione is a novel regulator of vernalization-induced bolting in the rosette plant Eustoma grandiflorum

The transition from the vegetative rosette stage to the reproductive growth stage (bolting) in the rosette plant Eustoma grandiflorum has a strict requirement for vernalization, a treatment that causes oxidative stress. Since we have shown that reduced glutathione (GSH) and its biosynthesis are associated with bolting in another rosette plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we here investigated whether a similar mechanism governs the vernalization-induced bolting of E. grandiflorum. Addition of GSH or its precursor cysteine, instead of vernalization, induced bolting but other thiols, dithiothreitol and 2-mercaptoethanol, did not. The inductive effect of vernalization on bolting was nullified by addition of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, without decreasing the plant growth rate. BSO-mediated inhibition of bolting was reversed by addition of GSH but not by cysteine. These indicate that vernalization-induced bolting involves GSH biosynthesis and is specifically regulated by GSH. Plant GSH increased during the early vernalization period along with the activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase that catalyzes the first step of GSH biosynthesis, although there was little change in amounts of GSH precursor thiols, cysteine and gamma-glutamylcysteine. These findings strongly suggest that vernalization stimulates GSH synthesis and synthesized GSH specifically determines the bolting time of E. grandiflorum.     

Association of glutathione with flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana

In order to study the relationship between GSH and flowering, wild-type and late-flowering mutant, fca-1, of Arabidopsis thaliana were treated with L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis, under long-day conditions. BSO treatment of the fca-1 mutant starting at 17 d after imbibition promoted flowering. However, when the treatment was started at 12 d after imbibition, BSO treatment at 10(-4) M resulted in an inhibition of flowering. This inhibitory effect of BSO on flowering was abolished by GSH treatment at 10(-4) M, although GSH treatment at an increased concentration of 10(-3) M clearly delayed flowering. In contrast, BSO treatment of wild-type plants starting at 12 d after imbibition promoted flowering, whose effect was abolished by GSH application. In the fca-1 mutant, whose endogenous GSH levels were high, chilling treatment lowered the GSH levels and promoted flowering, as was the case in the BSO treatment. An A. thaliana mutant, cad2-1, which has a defect in GSH biosynthesis also exhibited late flowering. The late-flowering phenotype of this mutant tended to be strengthened by BSO and abolished by GSH treatment. These results suggest that flowering is associated with the rate of GSH biosynthesis and/or the levels of GSH in A. thaliana.     

Biochemical genetic analysis of pyrimidine biosynthesis in mammalian cells. II. Isolation and characterization of a mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells with defective dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.3.3.1) activity.

A mutant (A204) of Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1), which is deficient in dihydroorotate (DHO) dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.3,3.1) activity, has been isolated by a replica plating procedure. The mutant does not show a requirement for exogenously added pyrimidines. Examination of intact cells shows that the mutant accumulates a large amount of carbamyl aspartate and is markedly but not totally deficient in biosynthesis of orotate from earlier precursors of pyrimidine biosynthesis, including aspartate and dihydroorotic acid, when compared to wild-type cells. Analysis of cell-free extracts of mutant and wild-type cells shows that the mutant is deficient in DHO dehydrogenase activity, possessing ca. 5% of the wild-type activity. this evidence leads to the conclusion that this mutant, A204, is in fact partially deficient in DHO dehydrogenase, and that in these cells it is this enzyme which carries out the fourth step of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis.     

Alcoholic fermentation by wild-type <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hansenula polymorpha</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> versus recombinant strains with an elevated level of intracellular glutathione

The ability of baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and of the thermotolerant methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha to produce ethanol during alcoholic fermentation of glucose was compared between wild-type strains and recombinant strains possessing an elevated level of intracellular glutathione (GSH) due to overexpression of the first gene of GSH biosynthesis, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, or of the central regulatory gene of sulfur metabolism, MET4. The analyzed strains of H. polymorpha with an elevated pool of intracellular GSH were found to accumulate almost twice as much ethanol as the wild-type strain during glucose fermentation, in contrast to GSH1-overexpressing S. cerevisiae strains, which also possessed an elevated pool of GSH. The ethanol tolerance of the GSH-overproducing strains was also determined. For this, the wild-type strain and transformants with an elevated GSH pool were compared for their viability upon exposure to exogenous ethanol. Unexpectedly, both S. cerevisiae and H. polymorpha transformants with a high GSH pool proved more sensitive to exogenous ethanol than the corresponding wild-type strains.     

Structural basis for the redox control of plant glutamate cysteine ligase

Glutathione (GSH) plays a crucial role in plant metabolism and stress response. The rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of GSH is catalyzed by glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) the activity of which is tightly regulated. The regulation of plant GCLs is poorly understood. The crystal structure of substrate-bound GCL from Brassica juncea at 2.1-A resolution reveals a plant-unique regulatory mechanism based on two intramolecular redox-sensitive disulfide bonds. Reduction of one disulfide bond allows a beta-hairpin motif to shield the active site of B. juncea GCL, thereby preventing the access of substrates. Reduction of the second disulfide bond reversibly controls dimer to monomer transition of B. juncea GCL that is associated with a significant inactivation of the enzyme. These regulatory events provide a molecular link between high GSH levels in the plant cell and associated down-regulation of its biosynthesis. Furthermore, known mutations in the Arabidopsis GCL gene affect residues in the close proximity of the active site and thus explain the decreased GSH levels in mutant plants. In particular, the mutation in rax1-1 plants causes impaired binding of cysteine.     

Dissecting the role of glutathione biosynthesis in Plasmodium falciparum

Glutathione (γ-glutamylcysteinyl-glycine, GSH) has vital functions as thiol redox buffer and cofactor of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes. Plasmodium falciparum possesses a functional GSH biosynthesis pathway and contains mM concentrations of the tripeptide. It was impossible to delete in P. falciparum the genes encoding γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γGCS) or glutathione synthetase (GS), the two enzymes synthesizing GSH, although both gene loci were not refractory to recombination. Our data show that the parasites cannot compensate for the loss of GSH biosynthesis via GSH uptake. This suggests an important if not essential function of GSH biosynthesis pathway for the parasites. Treatment with the irreversible inhibitor of γGCS L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) reduced intracellular GSH levels in P. falciparum and was lethal for their intra-erythrocytic development, corroborating the suggestion that GSH biosynthesis is important for parasite survival. Episomal expression of γgcs in P. falciparum increased tolerance to BSO attributable to increased levels of γGCS. Concomitantly expression of glutathione reductase was reduced leading to an increased GSH efflux. Together these data indicate that GSH levels are tightly regulated by a functional GSH biosynthesis and the reduction of GSSG.     

Level of glutathione is regulated by ATP-dependent ligation of glutamate and cysteine through photosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana: mechanism of strong interaction of light intensity with flowering

Glutathione (GSH) is associated with flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana, but how GSH biosynthesis is regulated to control the transition to flowering remains to be elucidated. Since the key reaction of GSH synthesis is catalyzed by gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-ECS) and all the gamma-ECS cDNAs examined contained extra sequences for plastid targeting, we investigated the relationships among GSH levels, photosynthesis and flowering. The GSH level in Arabidopsis increased with the light intensity. The ch1 mutants defective in a light-harvesting antenna in photosystem II showed reduced GSH levels with accumulation of the GSH precursor cysteine, and introduction of the gamma-ECS gene GSH1 under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S-GSH1) into the ch1 mutant altered the GSH level in response to the gamma-ECS mRNA level. These indicate that photosynthesis limits the gamma-ECS reaction to regulate GSH biosynthesis. Like the glutathione-biosynthesis-defective cad2-1 mutant, the ch1 mutants flowered late under weak-light conditions, and this late-flowering phenotype was rescued by supplementation of GSH. Introduction of the 35S-GSH1 construct into the ch1 mutant altered flowering in response to the gamma-ECS mRNA and GSH levels. These findings indicate that flowering in A. thaliana is regulated by the gamma-ECS reaction of GSH synthesis that is coupled with photosynthesis.     

Enhanced glutathione production by using low-pH stress coupled with cysteine addition in the treatment of high cell density culture of Candida utilis

Aims: To investigate the effects of pH stress coupled with cysteine addition on glutathione (GSH) production in the treatment of high cell density culture of Candida utilis. Methods and Results: We have previously observed that most Candida utilis cells remained viable after being subjected to pH at 1·2 for 3 h and that some intracellular GSH leaked into the medium. A cysteine addition strategy was applied in fed‐batch production of GSH. A single cysteine addition resulted in higher GSH yield than two separate additions without pH stress. An increase in intracellular GSH content triggered inhibition of γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ‐GCS). A strategy that combines cysteine addition with low‐pH stress was developed to relieve the inhibition of γ‐GCS. Conclusion: Without pH stress, single shot and double shot cysteine addition yielded a total GSH of 1423 and 1325 mg l^?1. In comparison, a low‐pH stress counterpart resulted in a total GSH of 1542 and 1730 mg l^?1, respectively. With low‐pH stress, we observed GSH secretion into the medium at 673 and 558 mg l^?1 and an increase in the γ‐GCS activity by 1·2‐ and 1·5‐fold, respectively. The specific GSH production yield increased from 1·76% to 1·91% (w/w) for single shot, and 1·64% to 2·14% for double shots. Significance and Impact of the Study: Low‐pH shift was applied to alleviate the feedback inhibition of intracellular GSH on γ‐GCS activity by secreting GSH into the medium. This strategy is coupled with cysteine addition to enhance GSH production in Candida utilis.     

Translation of preprochymosin in vitro. Evidence for folding of prochymosin to the native conformation.

The uptake and metabolism of 35S-labelled sulphur amino acids were compared in periportal (PP) and perivenous (PV) rat hepatocytes, isolated by digitonin/collagenase perfusion, to identify the factors underlying the previously observed [Kera, Penttilä & Lindros, Biochem. J. (1988) 254, 411-417] higher rate of GSH replenishment in PP cells. The buthionine sulphoximine-inhibitable synthesis of GSH was faster in PP than in PV hepatocytes with both cysteine (6.1 versus 5.0 mumol/h per g of cells) and methionine (4.5 versus 3.3 mumol/h per g) as well as with endogenous precursors and L-2-oxo-4-thiazolidinecarboxylate as substrates. However, the uptake of cysteine by PP cells was slower than by PV cells (8.6 versus 10.3 mumol/h per g of cells), whereas methionine was taken up at similar rates. The activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS) was slightly higher in digitonin lysates from the PP than from the PV zone. Production of sulphate, the major catabolite of [35S]cysteine sulphur, as well as incorporation of the label into protein occurred at similar rates in PP and PV cells. Taurine, on the other hand, was produced from [35S]cysteine much faster by PV than by PP cells (0.7 versus 0.1 mumol/h per g of cells). Accordingly, the taurine content of PV hepatocytes tended to be higher and to increase faster during incubation with methionine. These results imply that metabolism of taurine is highly zonated within the acinus. They also suggest that both the slightly lower GCS activity and the fast metabolism of cysteine to taurine limit the capacity of PV hepatocytes to synthesize GSH.     

Regulation of Glutathione Synthesis in Suspension Cultures of Parsley and Tobacco*

Experiments in vitro have shown that γ-EC synthesis, the first step in GSH formation, is subject to feedback inhibition by physiological GSH concentrations. In order to evaluate the role of this feedback inhibition on γ-EC synthetase in vivo GSH synthesis was modulated in suspension cultures of P. crispum and N. tabacum by administration of cadmium. The alterations in the thiol contents were measured and in addition the effect of Cd exposure on γ-EC synthetase (E.C. 6.3.2.2) and GSH synthetase (E.C. 6.3.2.3) was studied. Decreasing cellular GSH concentrations by cadmium induced PC synthesis caused 7–10 fold increase in the rate of glutathione synthesis as measured by the accumulation of (γ-EC)_nG. This increase was not linked to an increase in extractable activities of γ-EC- or GSH synthetase in parsley. In tobacco the activities of γ-EC- and GSH synthetase increased by a factor of 1.6 and 1.8, respectively, after 3 d of Cd exposure. In both species the exposure to Cd resulted in an increased cellular γ-EC content that reached a plateau within 24 h, and in a doubling of the cysteine content. In vitro experiments showed that GSH synthetase activity is inhibited by cadmium concentrations that have no effect on γ-EC synthetase activity. This may explain the accumulation of γ-EC in Cd exposed cells. Incubation with 0.25 mM cysteine did not effect the γ-EC- and GSH content in tobacco cells. In parsley the cellular GSH content increased threefold and the y-EC content twofold and stayed constant thereafter at the elevated levels. Taken together the results show that GSH synthesis in vivo is controlled by feedback inhibition as well as by the supply with cysteine. In the latter case the feedback inhibition may act as a kind of safety valve and prevent the accumulation of unphysiological GSH concentrations if the supply of cysteine is too large.     

Restricting glutathione biosynthesis to the cytosol is sufficient for normal plant development

Glutathione (GSH) homeostasis in plants is essential for cellular redox control and efficient responses to abiotic and biotic stress. Compartmentation of the GSH biosynthetic pathway is a unique feature of plants. The first enzyme, γ-glutamate cysteine ligase (GSH1), responsible for synthesis of γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-EC), is, in Arabidopsis, exclusively located in the plastids, whereas the second enzyme, glutathione synthetase (GSH2), is located in both plastids and cytosol. In Arabidopsis, gsh2 insertion mutants have a seedling lethal phenotype in contrast to the embryo lethal phenotype of gsh1 null mutants. This difference in phenotype may be due to partial replacement of GSH functions by γ-EC, which in gsh2 mutants hyperaccumulates to levels 5000-fold that in the wild type and 200-fold wild-type levels of GSH. In situ labelling of thiols with bimane and confocal imaging in combination with HPLC analysis showed high concentrations of γ-EC in the cytosol. Feedback inhibition of Brassica juncea plastidic GSH1 by γ-EC in vitro strongly suggests export of γ-EC as functional explanation for hyperaccumulation. Complementation of gsh2 mutants with the cytosol-specific GSH2 gave rise to phenotypically wild-type transgenic plants. These results support the conclusion that cytosolic synthesis of GSH is sufficient for plant growth. The transgenic lines further show that, consistent with the exclusive plastidic localization of GSH1, γ-EC is exported from the plastids to supply the cytosol with the immediate precursor for GSH biosynthesis, and that there can be efficient re-import of GSH into the plastids to allow effective control of GSH biosynthesis through feedback inhibition of GSH1.     

Characterization of two methanopterin biosynthesis mutants of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 by use of a tetrahydromethanopterin bioassay

An enzymatic assay was developed to measure tetrahydromethanopterin (H(4)MPT) levels in wild-type and mutant cells of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. H(4)MPT was detectable in wild-type cells but not in strains with a mutation of either the orf4 or the dmrA gene, suggesting a role for these two genes in H(4)MPT biosynthesis. The protein encoded by orf4 catalyzed the reaction of ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate synthase, the first committed step of H(4)MPT biosynthesis. These results provide the first biochemical evidence for H(4)MPT biosynthesis genes in bacteria.