The internal Cys-207 of sorghum leaf NADP-malate dehydrogenase can form mixed disulphides with thioredoxin

The role of the internal Cys-207 of sorghum NADP-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH) in the activation of the enzyme has been investigated through the examination of the ability of this residue to form mixed disulphides with thioredoxin mutated at either of its two active-site cysteines. The h-type Chlamydomonas thioredoxin was used, because it has no additional cysteines in the primary sequence besides the active-site cysteines. Both thioredoxin mutants proved equally efficient in forming mixed disulphides with an NADP-MDH devoid of its N-terminal bridge either by truncation, or by mutation of its N-terminal cysteines. They were poorly efficient with the more compact WT oxidised NADP-MDH. Upon mutation of Cys-207, no mixed disulphide could be formed, showing that this cysteine is the only one, among the four internal cysteines, which can form mixed disulphides with thioredoxin. These experiments confirm that the opening of the N-terminal disulphide loosens the interaction between subunits, making Cys-207, located at the dimer contact area, more accessible.     

Exchange reactions between disulphides and myocrisin: An in vitro model for a mechanism in chrysotherapy

Disodium aurothiomalate or Myocrisin has been found to react with the disulphides, 5,5′-dithio-bis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) - commonly known as Ellmans reagent - and lipoic acid. A new polymeric species (ESAu)_x is identified in solution. Two specific reactions are discussed which result in the formation of mixed disulphide with Ellmans reagent and the formation of dithiomalate with lipoic acid. The gold nuclei are transferred to the incoming moiety with the result that the disulphide linkage is opened. The importance of this reaction for cellular function is discussed.     

The formation of mixed disulphides in rat lung following paraquat administration Correlation with changes in intermediary metabolism

We have investigated the hypothesis that the formation of mixed disulphides between protein sulphydryl and glutathione may be responsible for controlling the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway and fatty acid synthesis in rat lung. Using lung slices, taken from rats 2 h after dosing with a range of concentrations (5–80 mg/kg) of the pulmonary toxin paraquat, the pentose phosphate pathway was found to be stimulated in direct proportion to a reduction in fatty acid synthesis. These effects were also linearly related to an increase in mixed (total) disulphide levels in the lung. This was quantitatively similar to an increase in mixed (glutathione) disulphides, although non-protein sulphydryl and oxidised levels remained normal. Thus, an early biochemical event in the mechanism of paraquat toxicity in the lung involves an increased formation of mixed (glutathione) disulphides and simulatneous regulation of pentose phosphate pathway activity and fatty acid synthesis. These data support the concept that the formation of mixed disulphides of protein and glutathione is a mechanism for maintaining NADPH levels despite the ‘redox’ stress caused by the cyclical and NADPH dependent reduction and reoxidation of paraquat.     

The disulphide isomerase DsbC cooperates with the oxidase DsbA in a DsbD-independent manner

In Escherichia coli, DsbA introduces disulphide bonds into secreted proteins. DsbA is recycled by DsbB, which generates disulphides from quinone reduction. DsbA is not known to have any proofreading activity and can form incorrect disulphides in proteins with multiple cysteines. These incorrect disulphides are thought to be corrected by a protein disulphide isomerase, DsbC, which is kept in the reduced and active configuration by DsbD. The DsbC/DsbD isomerization pathway is considered to be isolated from the DsbA/DsbB pathway. We show that the DsbC and DsbA pathways are more intimately connected than previously thought. dsbA(-)dsbC(-) mutants have a number of phenotypes not exhibited by either dsbA(-), dsbC(-) or dsbA(-)dsbD(-) mutations: they exhibit an increased permeability of the outer membrane, are resistant to the lambdoid phage Phi80, and are unable to assemble the maltoporin LamB. Using differential two-dimensional liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis, we estimated the abundance of about 130 secreted proteins in various dsb(-) strains. dsbA(-)dsbC(-) mutants exhibit unique changes at the protein level that are not exhibited by dsbA(-)dsbD(-) mutants. Our data indicate that DsbC can assist DsbA in a DsbD-independent manner to oxidatively fold envelope proteins. The view that DsbC's function is limited to the disulphide isomerization pathway should therefore be reinterpreted.     

Bacterial conjugation: a two-step mechanism for DNA transport

Ten years ago it was thought that disulphide bond formation in prokaryotes occurred spontaneously. Now two pathways involved in disulphide bond formation have been well characterized, the oxidative pathway, which is responsible for the formation of disulphides, and the isomerization pathway, which shuffles incorrectly formed disulphides. Disulphide bonds are donated directly to unfolded polypeptides by the DsbA protein; DsbA is reoxidized by DsbB. DsbB generates disulphides de novo from oxidized quinones. These quinones are reoxidized by the electron transport chain, showing that disulphide bond formation is actually driven by electron transport. Disulphide isomerization requires that incorrect disulphides be attacked using a reduced catalyst, followed by the redonation of the disulphide, allowing alternative disulphide pairing. Two isomerases exist in Escherichia coli, DsbC and DsbG. The membrane protein DsbD maintains these disulphide isomerases in their reduced and thereby active form. DsbD is kept reduced by cytosolic thioredoxin in an NADPH-dependent reaction.     

The reaction of glutathione with the eye-lens protein gamma-crystallin.

Lens cells contain high concentrations of thiol-rich proteins, gamma-crystallins and reduced glutathione. Solutions of bovine gamma-crystallin react avidly with either reduced or oxidized glutathione to form protein-glutathione mixed disulphides. A method of purification of a gamma-II crystallin-glutathione adduct containing two mixed disulphide groups is described.     

Antivitamin activity of O-acyloxythiamine disulfides

B1-antivitamin activity of symmetrical oxythiamine disulphide esters with succinic and o-phthalic acids has been studied in experiments on albino mice. It is shown that O-acyloxythiamine disulphides exert more profound and prolonged inhibitory effect on the transketolase activity in the animal body in comparison with the known antagonist of vitamin B1, oxythiamine, and the initial oxythiamine disulphide.     

Intramolecular disulphide bond arrangements in nonhomologous proteins

The presence and location of intramolecular disulphide bonds are a key determinant of the structure and function of proteins. Intramolecular disulphide bonds in proteins have previously been analyzed under the assumption that there is no clear relationship between disulphide arrangement and disulphide concentration. To investigate this, a set of sequence nonhomologous protein chains containing one or more intramolecular disulphide bonds was extracted from the Protein Data Bank, and the arrangements of the bonds, Protein Data Bank header, and Structural Characterization of Proteins fold were analyzed as a function of intramolecular disulphide bond concentration. Two populations of intramolecular disulphide bond-containing proteins were identified, with a naturally occurring partition at 25 residues per bond. These populations were named intramolecular disulphide bond-rich and -poor. Benefits of partitioning were illustrated by three results: (1) rich chains most frequently contained three disulphides, explaining the plateaux in extant disulphide frequency distributions; (2) a positive relationship between median chain length and the number of disulphides, only seen when the data were partitioned; and (3) the most common bonding pattern for chains with three disulphide bonds was based on the most common for two, only when the data were partitioned. The two populations had different headers, folds, bond arrangements, and chain lengths. Associations between IDSB concentration, IDSB bonding pattern, loop sizes, SCOP fold, and PDB header were also found. From this, we found that intramolecular disulphide bond-rich and -poor proteins follow different bonding rules, and must be considered separately to generate meaningful models of bond formation.     

Kinetics of inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase isoenzymes of rat liver by fluorine-containing disulfides

New disulphides synthesized on the basis of dithiocarboxylic acid derivatives and heterocyclic thiols containing the fluorine atoms were studied as applied to inhibit aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) isozymes of the rat liver mitochondria. The most effective rat liver inhibitors of ALDH isozymes were revealed. Inhibition of the rat liver isozymes by disulphides I, II, IV, VI-VIII and fluorinated pyridine disulphide was found to be irreversible. The values of isozyme inactivation rate constants are reported. The ALDH inhibition by disulphides I, IV, VI-VIII was competitive both for the cofactor and for the substrate of the reaction. The protective effect of the NAD+ against ALDH I and II inactivation by disulfiram and disulphides I, IV, VI-VIII and X is shown. NADP+ protects isozyme II against inactivation by disulfiram and also disulphides I, VI-VIII.     

Renaturation of recombinant proteins produced as inclusion bodies

Expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli often results in the formation of insoluble inclusion bodies. Within the last few years specific methods and strategies have been developed to prepare active proteins from these inclusion bodies. These methods include (i) isolation of inclusion bodies after disintegration of cells by mechanical forces and purification by washing with detergent solutions or low concentrations of denaturant, (ii) solubilization of inclusion bodies with high concentrations of urea or guanidine-hydrochloride in combination with reducing reagents, and (iii) renaturation of the proteins including formation of native disulphide bonds. Renatured and native disulphide bond formation are accomplished by (a) either air oxidation, (b) glutathione reoxidation starting from reduced material, or (c) disulphide interchange starting from mixed disulphides containing peptides. The final yield of renatured proteins can be increased by adding low concentrations of denaturant during renaturation.     

Low reduction potential of Ero1alpha regulatory disulphides ensures tight control of substrate oxidation

Formation of disulphide bonds within the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER) requires the combined activities of Ero1α and protein disulphide isomerase (PDI). As Ero1α produces hydrogen peroxide during oxidation, regulation of its activity is critical in preventing ER-generated oxidative stress. Here, we have expressed and purified recombinant human Ero1α and shown that it has activity towards thioredoxin and PDI. The activity towards PDI required the inclusion of glutathione to ensure sustained oxidation. By carrying out site-directed mutagenesis of cysteine residues, we show that Ero1α is regulated by non-catalytic disulphides. The midpoint reduction potential (E°′) of the regulatory disulphides was calculated to be approximately −275 mV making them stable in the redox conditions prevalent in the ER. The stable regulatory disulphides were only partially reduced by PDI (E°′~−180 mV), suggesting either that this is a mechanism for preventing excessive Ero1α activity and oxidation of PDI or that additional factors are required for Ero1α activation within the mammalian ER.     

Overexpression of the rhodanese PspE, a single cysteine-containing protein, restores disulphide bond formation to an Escherichia coli strain lacking DsbA

Escherichia coli uses the DsbA/DsbB system for introducing disulphide bonds into proteins in the cell envelope. Deleting either dsbA or dsbB or both reduces disulphide bond formation but does not entirely eliminate it. Whether such background disulphide bond forming activity is enzyme-catalysed is not known. To identify possible cellular factors that might contribute to the background activity, we studied the effects of overexpressing endogenous proteins on disulphide bond formation in the periplasm. We find that overexpressing PspE, a periplasmic rhodanese, partially restores substantial disulphide bond formation to a dsbA strain. This activity depends on DsbC, the bacterial disulphide bond isomerase, but not on DsbB. We show that overexpressed PspE is oxidized to the sulphenic acid form and reacts with substrate proteins to form mixed disulphide adducts. DsbC either prevents the formation of these mixed disulphides or resolves these adducts subsequently. In the process, DsbC itself gets oxidized and proceeds to catalyse disulphide bond formation. Although this PspE/DsbC system is not responsible for the background disulphide bond forming activity, we suggest that it might be utilized in other organisms lacking the DsbA/DsbB system.     

Role of cytoplasmic thioltransferase in cellular regulation by thiol-disulphide interchange.

Cytoplasmic thioltransferase purified from rat liver [Axelsson, Eriksson & Mannervik (1978) Biochemistry 17, 2978--2984] catalyses the formation and decomposition of mixed disulphides of proteins and glutathione. The enzyme was found to catalyse the reversible thiol-disulphide interchange between glutathione disulphide and a crude thiol-containing protein fraction from rat liver. This finding indicates a role of the thioltransferase in the regulation of the 'glutathione status' of the cell. Specifically, it was found that thioltransferase catalyses the reactivation of pyruvate kinase from rat liver that had previously been inactivated by glutathione disulphide. It is suggested that thioltransferase may have a general role in regulatory processes involving thiol-disulphide interchange.     

A kinetic method for the study of solvent environments of thiol groups in proteins involving the use of a pair of isomeric reactivity probes and a differential solvent effect. Investigation of the active centre of ficin by using 2,2''- and 4,4''- dipyridyl disulphides as reactivity probes.

1. Whereas the second-order rate constants for the reaction of the thiolate ion of 2-mercaptoethanol with 4,4'-dipyridyl disulphide (k4PDS) and with 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoate dianion increase with decreasing dielectric constant of the solvent, or remain unchanged, the rate constant for the analogous reaction with 2,2'-dipyridyl disulphide (k2PDS) decreases. This anomalous solvent effect and other unusual physicochemical properties of 2,2'-dipyridyl disulphide are discussed. 2. The differential effect of solvent on the reactions of thiolate ion with the 2,2'- and 4,4'-dipyridyl disulphides is shown to provide a method of characterizing solvent environments of thiol groups in proteins by a reactivity-probe method that should not suffer from the usual drawback associated with the existence of steric or binding effects of unknown magnitude. Application of the method to ficin (EC 3.4.22.3) suggests that its active-centre thiol group resides in a relatively hydrophobic environment. 3. The pH-k profile for the reaction of ficin with 4,4'-dipyridyl disulphide is reported.     

Disulphide production by Ero1���CPDI relay is rapid and effectively regulated

The molecular networks that control endoplasmic reticulum (ER) redox conditions in mammalian cells are incompletely understood. Here, we show that after reductive challenge the ER steady‐state disulphide content is restored on a time scale of seconds. Both the oxidase Ero1α and the oxidoreductase protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) strongly contribute to the rapid recovery kinetics, but experiments in ERO1‐deficient cells indicate the existence of parallel pathways for disulphide generation. We find PDI to be the main substrate of Ero1α, and mixed‐disulphide complexes of Ero1 primarily form with PDI, to a lesser extent with the PDI‐family members ERp57 and ERp72, but are not detectable with another homologue TMX3. We also show for the first time that the oxidation level of PDIs and glutathione is precisely regulated. Apparently, this is achieved neither through ER import of thiols nor by transport of disulphides to the Golgi apparatus. Instead, our data suggest that a dynamic equilibrium between Ero1‐ and glutathione disulphide‐mediated oxidation of PDIs constitutes an important element of ER redox homeostasis.     

Identification of thioredoxin h-reducible disulphides in proteomes by differential labelling of cysteines: insight into recognition and regulation of proteins in barley seeds by thioredoxin h

Using thiol-specific fluorescence labelling, over 30 putative target proteins of thioredoxin h with diverse structures and functions have been identified in seeds of barley and other plants. To gain insight at the structural level into the specificity of target protein reduction by thioredoxin h, thioredoxin h-reducible disulphide bonds in individual target proteins are identified using a novel strategy based on differential alkylation of cysteine thiol groups by iodoacetamide and 4-vinylpyridine. This method enables the accessible cysteine side chains in the thiol form (carbamidomethylated) to be distinguished from those inaccessible or disulphide bound form (pyridylethylated) according to the mass difference in the peptide mass maps obtained by matrix-assistend laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry. Using this approach, in vitro reduction of disulphides in recombinant barley alpha-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor (BASI) by barley thioredoxin h isoform 1 was analysed. Furthermore, the method was coupled with two-dimensional electrophoresis for convenient thioredoxin h-reducible disulphide identification in barley seed extracts without the need for protein purification or production of recombinant proteins. Mass shifts of 15 peptides, induced by treatment with thioredoxin h and differential alkylation, identified specific reduction of nine disulphides in BASI, four alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors and a protein of unknown function. Two specific disulphides, located structurally close to the alpha-amylase binding surfaces of BASI and alpha-amylase inhibitor BMAI-1 were demonstrated to be reduced to a particularly high extent. For the first time, specificity of thioredoxin h for particular disulphide bonds is demonstrated, providing a basis to study structural aspects of the recognition mechanism and regulation of target proteins.     

Structural investigation of radiation-induced aggregates of ribonuclease

Following irradiation of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease in aqueous solution with 60Co gamma-rays protein aggregates are formed. The nature of the bonds linking these radiation-induced aggregates together has been investigated by chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. Thin-layer gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, both in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, demonstrated the existence of covalent crosslinks between the aggregates. However, non-covalent crosslinking also plays a role in the radiolysis of ribonuclease. Thin-layer gel filtration with and without 6 M urea and 2 per cent beta-mercaptoethanol added to the gel, revealed that only part of the covalent bonds between the aggregates consisted of disulphide linkages. By separation of the reduced aggregates by thin-layer gel filtration and electrophoresis, both with SDS, this finding was substantiated. Densitometric measurements indicated for example that the percentage of covalently linked dimers held together by disulphide bridges amounted to about 40-45 per cent, whereas the remaining 55-60 per cent of the dimers must be linked by other covalent bonds. The existence of covalent crosslinks other than disulphide bonds was also confirmed by isoelectric focusing. By this method definite differences were established between the proteolytic hydrolysates of the reduced aggregates and the reduced monomer of gamma-irradiated ribonuclease.     

Editing disulphide bonds: error correction using redox currencies

The disulphide bond-introducing enzyme of bacteria, DsbA, sometimes oxidizes non-native cysteine pairs. DsbC should rearrange the resulting incorrect disulphide bonds into those with correct connectivity. DsbA and DsbC receive oxidizing and reducing equivalents, respectively, from respective redox components (quinones and NADPH) of the cell. Two mechanisms of disulphide bond rearrangement have been proposed. In the redox-neutral 'shuffling' mechanism, the nucleophilic cysteine in the DsbC active site forms a mixed disulphide with a substrate and induces disulphide shuffling within the substrate part of the enzyme–substrate complex, followed by resolution into a reduced enzyme and a disulphide-rearranged substrate. In the 'reduction–oxidation' mechanism, DsbC reduces those substrates with wrong disulphides so that DsbA can oxidize them again. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology , Berkmen and his collaborators show that a disulphide reductase, TrxP, from an anaerobic bacterium can substitute for DsbC in Escherichia coli . They propose that the reduction–oxidation mechanism of disulphide rearrangement can indeed operate in vivo . An implication of this work is that correcting errors in disulphide bonds can be coupled to cellular metabolism and is conceptually similar to the proofreading processes observed with numerous synthesis and maturation reactions of biological macromolecules.     

Reaction between sheep liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase and various thiol-modifying reagents.

Sheep liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase reacts with 2,2'-dithiodipyridine and 4,4'-dithiodipyridine in a two-step process: an initial rapid labelling reaction is followed by slow displacement of the thiopyridone moiety. With the 4,4'-isomer the first step results in an activated form of the enzyme, which then loses activity simultaneously with loss of the label (as has been shown to occur with the cytoplasmic enzyme). With 2,2'-dithiodipyridine, however, neither of the two steps of the reaction has any effect on the enzymic activity, showing that the mitochondrial enzyme possesses two cysteine residues that must be more accessible or reactive (to this reagent at least) than the postulated catalytically essential residue. The symmetrical reagent 5,5'-dithiobis-(1-methyltetrazole) activates mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase approximately 4-fold, whereas the smaller related compound methyl l-methyltetrazol-5-yl disulphide is a potent inactivator. These results support the involvement of mixed methyl disulphides in causing unpleasant physiological responses to ethanol after the ingestion of certain antibiotics.     

Thiols attached to rat liver non-histone nuclear proteins.

Up to 88% of the total thiol present in isolated rat liver nuclei can be extracted with 8 M urea 50 mM phosphate pH 7.6. There is approx. 5–10% disulphide material present in this extract. When the thiols were labelled with ¹⁴C-N-ethyl maleimide (¹⁴C-NEM) the thiol material co-electrophoresed with the protein material. If a mixed disulphide was formed with ³⁵S-labelled 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid (Ellman's reagent) the thiol compounds could be removed from the protein by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel. The mixed disulphides obtained could be resolved into at least 10 components on DEAE cellulose. One of the major components had an estimated molecular weight of 3 000 and did not contain peptide material.