Pyrithiamine as a substrate for thiamine pyrophosphokinase

Thiamine pyrophosphokinase transfers a pyrophosphate group from a nucleoside triphosphate, such as ATP, to the hydroxyl group of thiamine to produce thiamine pyrophosphate. Deficiencies in thiamine can result in the development of the neurological disorder Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome as well as the potentially fatal cardiovascular disease wet beriberi. Pyrithiamine is an inhibitor of thiamine metabolism that induces neurological symptoms similar to that of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in animals. However, the mechanism by which pyrithiamine interferes with cellular thiamine phosphoester homeostasis is not entirely clear. We used kinetic assays coupled with mass spectrometry of the reaction products and x-ray crystallography of an equilibrium reaction mixture of thiamine pyrophosphokinase, pyrithiamine, and Mg2+/ATP to elucidate the mechanism by which pyrithiamine inhibits the enzymatic production of thiamine pyrophosphate. Three lines of evidence support the ability of thiamine pyrophosphokinase to form pyrithiamine pyrophosphate. First, a coupled enzyme assay clearly demonstrated the ability of thiamine pyrophosphokinase to produce AMP when pyrithiamine was used as substrate. Second, an analysis of the reaction mixture by mass spectrometry directly identified pyrithiamine pyrophosphate in the reaction mixture. Last, the structure of thiamine pyrophosphokinase crystallized from an equilibrium substrate/product mixture shows clear electron density for pyrithiamine pyrophosphate bound in the enzyme active site. This structure also provides the first clear picture of the binding pocket for the nucleoside triphosphate and permits the first detailed understanding of the catalytic requirements for catalysis in this enzyme.     

Biosynthesis of thiamine triphosphate and identification of thiamine diphosphate-binding proteins in the rat liver hyaloplasm

The nature of the thiamine diphosphate binding proteins from rat liver hyaloplasm was studied. When [14C]thiamine was used as a marker, a [14C]thiamine diphosphate-containing electrophoretically homogeneous protein preparation was isolated from the liver soluble fraction and classified as transketolase. No other non-enzymatic proteins which bind thiamine diphosphate and can serve as substrates in the reaction of thiamine diphosphate synthesis in the hyaloplasm were found. It was shown that the phosphate group is transferred by rat liver thiamine diphosphate kinase to the free (but not to the protein-bound) thiamine diphosphate as it was believed earlier.     

Synthesis of [gamma-32P]thiamine triphosphate

We developed a novel chemical synthesis of thiamine triphosphate which allows us to incorporate 32P in the gamma position. The reaction is based on the condensation of [32P]orthophosphoric acid and thiamine diphosphate in the presence of ethyl chloroformate. After purification by two ion-exchange purification steps, the thiamine derivative has a specific radioactivity of 10 Ci/mmol. The average final yield synthesis is about 10%.     

A general method for the chemical synthesis of gamma-32P-labeled or unlabeled nucleoside 5(')-triphosphates and thiamine triphosphate

Several methods for the chemical synthesis of gamma-32P-labeled and unlabeled nucleoside 5(')-triphosphates and thiamine triphosphate (ThTP) have been described. They often proved unsatisfactory because of low yield, requirement for anhydrous solvents, procedures involving several steps or insufficient specific radioactivity of the labeled triphosphate. In the method described here, all these drawbacks are avoided. The synthesis of [gamma-32P]ThTP was carried out in one step, using 1,3-dicyclohexyl carbodiimide as condensing agent for thiamine diphosphate and phosphoric acid in a dimethyl sulfoxide/pyridine solvent mixture. Anhydrous solvents were not required and the yield reached 90%. After purification, [gamma-32P]ThTP had a specific radioactivity of 11Ci/mmol and was suitable for protein phosphorylation. The method can also be used for the synthesis of [gamma-32P]ATP of the desired specific radioactivity. It can easily be applied to the synthesis of unlabeled ThTP or ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside 5(')-triphosphates. In the latter case, inexpensive 5(')-monophosphate precursors can be used as reactants in a 20-fold excess of phosphoric acid. Deoxyribonucleoside 5(')-triphosphates were obtained in 6h with a yield of at least 70%. After purification, the nucleotides were found to be suitable substrates for Taq polymerase during polymerase chain reaction cycling. Our method can easily be scaled up for industrial synthesis of a variety of labeled and unlabeled triphosphoric derivatives from their mono- or diphosphate precursors.     

Origin and fixation of pyrophosphates in the parietal bones of young rats]

Calvaria from 6 to 13-day-old rats mineralize and bind pyrophosphates which are transferred from nucleotides, as shown by : 1 -- the increase of pyrophosphates in young rat calvaria incubated with nucleoside triphosphate, especially ATP ; 2 -- the more important increase of pyrophosphate content when ATP is renewed in the incubation medium ; and 3 -- binding of [32P] pyrophosphate [beta 32P] ATP. The effect of preheating of calvaria on 32P binding from [beta32P]ATP led us to assume that two systems might be involved in pyrophosphate fixation : a heat-labile, non-specific, phosphatase system, and a heat-stable pyrophosphotransferase system. cAMP increases the pyrophosphate content of calvaria incubated with ATP : that effect may result from either an inhibition of the phosphatase system, or an activation of the pyrophosphotransferase system.     

Synthesis of thiamine triphosphate in rat brain in vivo

Thiamine metabolism in vivo was studied by intracerebroventricular injection of labeled thiamine in rat brain. Labeled thiamine was found to be rapidly converted to the phosphorylated thiamine esters. The distribution of the radioactive thiamine compounds was reached to steady state at 3 hr after injection: thiamine, thiamine monophosphate, thiamine pyrophosphate, and thiamine triphosphate were 8–12%, 12–14%, 72–74%, and 2–3%, respectively, in cerebral cortex. The presence of labeled thiamine triphosphate in the brain was further confirmed by the treatment with thiamine triphosphatase which had an absolute substrate specificity for thiamine triphosphate. These results suggest that thiamine triphosphate is synthesized in vivo in rat brain.     

Existence in animal tissues of adenosine triphosphate thiamin diphosphate phosphotransferase [EC 2.7.4.15]

An enzyme which catalyzes the synthesis of thiamin triphosphate from thiamin diphosphate (TDP), thiamindiphosphate kinase (ATP:thiamin diphosphate phosphotransferase) [EC 2.7.4.15], was detected in animal tissues. The enzyme was partially purified (150-fold) from the cytosol fraction of guinea pig brain. The enzyme reaction required free (not protein-bound) TDP, ATP, Mg2+, and a cofactor, which is a low molecular weight and heat-stable compound. The enzyme activity was optimal at pH 11 and at 25 degrees C. A stoichiometric transfer of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP to TDP was demonstrated. Km values for TDP and ATP were calculated to be 1.1 mM and 10 microM, respectively, and Vmax was 868 nmol/mg of protein/hr. The enzyme was found solely in the cytosol fraction of guinea pig brain and was also detectable in the skeletal muscle and heart. These results provide strong evidence for the existence of TDP kinase in animal tissues.     

Pathway of thiamine pyrophosphate synthesis in Micrococcus denitrificans.

The pathway of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) biosynthesis, which is formed either from exogeneously added thiamine or from the pyrimidine and thiazole moieties of thiamine, in Micrococcus denitrificans was investigated. The following indirect evidence shows that thiamine pyrophosphokinase (EC 2.7.6.2) catalyzes the synthesis of TPP from thiamine: (i) [35S]thiamine incubated with cells of this microorganism was detected in the form of [35S]thiamine; (ii) thiamine gave a much faster rate of TPP synthesis than thiamine monophosphate (TMP) when determined with the extracts; and (iii) a partially purified preparation of the extracts can use thiamine, but not TMP, as the substrate. The activities of the four enzymes involved in TMP synthesis from pyrimidine and thiazole moieties of thiamine were detected in the extracts of M. denitrificans. The extracts contained a high activity of the phosphatase, probably specific for TMP. After M. denitrificans cells were grown on a minimal medium containing 3 mM adenosine, which causes derepression of de novo thiamine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, the activities of the four enzymes involved with TMP synthesis, the TMP phosphatase, and the thiamine pyrophosphokinase were enhanced two- to threefold. These results indicate that TPP is synthesized directly from thiamine without forming TMP as an intermediate and that de novo synthesis of TPP from the pyrimidine and thiazole moieties involves the formation of TMP, followed by hydrolysis to thiamine, which is then converted to TPP directly. Thus, the pathway of TPP synthesis from TMP synthesized de novo in M. denitrificans is different from that found in E. coli, in which TMP synthesized de novo is converted directly to TPP without producing thiamine.     

Significant quantities of endogenous GDP and ADP are present on catalytic sites of the F1-ATPase isolated from M. lysodeikticus in the absence of added nucleotides.

The F1-ATPase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus is isolated in the absence of exogenous nucleotides. After removing loosely bound nucleotides from the isolated enzyme by gel permeation chromatography, analysis for tightly bound nucleotides revealed in 14 experiments 0.4 +/- 0.1 mol ADP, 0.5 +/- 0.2 mol GDP, and 0.8 +/- 0.2 mol ATP per mol of F1. Incubation of the isolated enzyme with Mg2+ or Ca2+ did not alter the endogenous nucleotide composition of the enzyme, indicating that endogenous ATP is not bound to a catalytic site. Incubation of the enzyme with P(i) decreased the amount of tightly bound ADP and GDP but did not effect the ATP content. Hydrolysis of MgATP in the presence of sulfite raised the tightly bound ADP and lowered tightly bound GDP on the enzyme. In the reciprocal experiment, hydrolysis of MgGTP in the presence of sulfite raised tightly bound GDP and lowered tightly bound ADP. Turnover did not affect the content of tightly bound ATP on the enzyme. These results suggest that endogenous ADP and GDP are bound to exchangeable catalytic sites, whereas endogenous ATP is bound to noncatalytic sites which do not exchange. The presence of endogenous GDP on catalytic sites of isolated F1 suggests that the F0F1-ATP synthase of M. lysodeikticus might synthesize both GTP and ATP under physiological conditions. In support of this hypothesis, we have found that plasma membrane vesicles derived from M. lysodeikticus synthesize [32P]GTP from [32P]P(i) using malate as electron donor for oxidative phosphorylation.     

Thiamine, thiamine phosphates and thiamine metabolizing enzymes in synaptosomes of rat brain

Thiamine and thiamine mono-, pyro- and triphosphate were found at detectable levels in synaptosomes isolated from whole rat brain. Synaptosomes prepared from whole brain, cerebellum and medulla were also found to contain uridine and inosine mono- and diphosphatases as well as the thiamine pyrophosphate synthetizing and hydrolyzing enzymes, but no thiamine monophosphatase. By isoelectric focusing on thin layer polyacrylamide gel of Triton X-100 homogenates of synaptosomes, thiamine pyrophosphatase activity could be separated into 10 bands with different isoelectric points. The contents of thiamine compounds and enzymes in synaptosomes were generally lower than those found in neuronal cell bodies.     

Studies on ATP

The experiments described in this paper serve as a contribution to the solution of the discrepancies which exist in the assay of ATP:thiamine diphosphate phosphotransferase activity (EC 2.7.4.15), presently in use as a tool for the diagnosis of Leigh's disease (SNE, subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy). The results obtained with this phosphotransferase assay can, in part, be explained by the presence of thiamine triphosphate (ThTP) in the preparation of thiamine diphosphate (ThDP) used as a substrate, by the inhibition by ATP of the ThTP phosphohydrolase activity, present in fractions of rat brain homogenates, and by the stimulation by ThDP of the ATPase activity. When [2-¹⁴C-thiazole]thiamine was used for the synthesis of [¹⁴C]ThTP in fractions of rat brain, it was found that after chromatographic separation of thiamine and its phosphates,¹⁴C radio-activity could be demonstrated in the ThTP fractions, even in the absence of an enzyme source. Probably a complex is formed between [¹⁴C]thiamine and a phosphate ester which behaves chromatographically as ThTP. It is concluded that the assay system for the measurement of ThTP synthesis in its present form is, in our hands, not suitable for diagnostic purposes.     

Specific phosphorylation of Torpedo 43K rapsyn by endogenous kinase(s) with thiamine triphosphate as the phosphate donor.

43K rapsyn is a peripheral protein specifically associated with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) present in the postsynaptic membrane of the neuromuscular junction and of the electrocyte, and is essential for its clustering. Here, we demonstrate a novel specific phosphorylation of 43K rapsyn by endogenous protein kinase(s) present in Torpedo electrocyte nAChR-rich membranes and identify thiamine triphosphate (TTP) as the phosphate donor. In the presence of Mg(2+) and [gamma-(32)P]-TTP, 43K rapsyn is specifically phosphorylated with a (32)P-half-maximal incorporation at approximately 5-25 microM TTP. The presence of TTP in the cytosol and of 43K rapsyn at the cytoplasmic face of the postsynaptic membrane, together with TTP-dependent phosphorylation of 43K rapsyn without added exokinases, suggests that TTP-dependent-43K-rapsyn phosphorylation may occur in vivo. In addition, phosphoamino acid and chemical stability analysis suggests that the residues phosphorylated are predominantly histidines. Inhibition of phosphorylation by Zn(2+) suggests a possible control of 43K rapsyn phosphorylation state by its zinc finger domain. Endogenous kinase(s) present in rodent brain membranes can also use [gamma-(32)P]-TTP as a phosphodonor. The use of a phosphodonor (TTP) belonging to the thiamine family but not to the classical (ATP, GTP) purine triphosphate family represents a novel phosphorylation pathway possibly important for synaptic proteins.     

Phosphorylation of some thiamine analogs by yeast thiamine pyrophosphokinase]

A rapid efficient method of separation of the thiamine pyrophosphokinase reaction products (ATP: thiamine pyrophosphotransferase) on the column packed with DEAE-Sephadex A-25 and their subsequent identification by direct spectrophotometry is suggested. Phosphorylation of some thiamine analogs substituted at the second position of the pyrimidine ring was studied. It was shown that in addition to thiamine, the enzyme transfers the pyrophosphate group to some of its derivatives. The vitamin analogs devoid of quaternary nitrogen in the thiazole cycle, do not form pyrophosphate ethers (thus being unable to act as substrates), whereas 2'-phenoxythiamine, 2'-methoxythiamine and especially 2'-phenylthiamine are phosphorylated at a greater rate than does the "true" substrate, thiamine, under similar conditions.     

The enzymatic conversion of 3'-phosphate terminated RNA chains to 2',3'-cyclic phosphate derivatives

The enzyme, RNA cyclase, has been purified from cell-free extracts of HeLa cells approximately 6000-fold. The enzyme catalyzes the conversion of 3'-phosphate ends of RNA chains to the 2',3'-cyclic phosphate derivative in the presence of ATP or adenosine 5'-(gamma-thio)triphosphate (ATP gamma S) and Mg2+. The formation of 1 mol of 2',3'-cyclic phosphate ends is associated with the disappearance of 1 mol of 3'-phosphate termini and the hydrolysis of 1 mol of ATP gamma S to AMP and thiopyrophosphate. No other nucleotides could substitute for ATP or ATP gamma S in the reaction. The reaction catalyzed by RNA cyclase was not reversible and exchange reactions between [32P]pyrophosphate and ATP were not detected. However, an enzyme-AMP intermediate could be identified that was hydrolyzed by the addition of inorganic pyrophosphate or 3'-phosphate terminated RNA chains but not by 3'-OH terminated chains or inorganic phosphate. 3'-[32P](Up)10Gp* could be converted to a form that yielded, (Formula: see text) after degradation with nuclease P1, by the addition of wheat germ RNA ligase, 5'-hydroxylpolynucleotide kinase, RNA cyclase, and ATP. This indicates that the RNA cyclase had catalyzed the formation of the 2',3'-cyclic phosphate derivative, the kinase had phosphorylated the 5'-hydroxyl end of the RNA, and the wheat germ RNA ligase had catalyzed the formation of a 3',5'-phosphodiester linkage concomitant with the conversion of the 2',3'-cyclic end to a 2'-phosphate terminated residue.     

Phosphorylation of glucokinase from rat liver in vitro by protein kinase A with a concomitant decrease of its activity

Glucokinase, purified from rat liver, was phosphorylated to an extent of 1 mol [32P]-phosphate/mol of enzyme when incubated with [32P]ATP and protein kinase A from pig or rabbit muscle. The phosphate was bound to serine residues. K0.5 increased and Vmax decreased upon phosphorylation. The phosphate group was removed during incubation of the phosphorylated glucokinase with alkaline phosphatase. Enzymatically inactive glucokinase was not phosphorylated by the protein kinase.     

Thiamine phosphate metabolism and possible coenzyme-independent functions of thiamine in brain.

The effect of depolarization of rat brain cortex slices on the relative distribution of thiamine among its various phosphate esters and on the efflux of thiamine was studied as a probe of possible coenzyme-independent neurophysiological functions of thiamine. Electrical pulses for 30 min increased lactate production but did not affect the levels of thiamine esters. Depolarization with 41 mM-potassium decreased thiamine diphosphate by only 3 percent (P= 0.05). Thiamine triphosphate levels (TTP) were unaffected by depolarization but doubled during incubation for 1 h in which time efflux of 40 percent of the total thiamine from the slices as unesterified thiamine occurred. Depolarization by potassium released a small but highly variable portion of the thiamine content of superfused cortex slices above the basal rate of efflux. The basal efflux was partially sodium dependent. Thiamine efflux was unaffected by acetylcholine, ouabain, or tetrodotoxin, compounds previously reported to increase thiamine efflux. The incorporation of ³²P₁ into the endogenous thiamine phosphates of cortex slices was studied. Incorporation into thiamine diphosphate reached only 20 percent of the specific activity of its precursor, ATP, after 2h of incubation while the incorporation into TTP approached equilibrium with ATP in 15-30 min indicating that the TTP pool was the most rapidly turning over of the thiamine phosphates. The data suggest that only a small portion of the TDP pool undergoes rapid turnover and serves as a precursor for TTP. The rapid turnover of TTP phosphoryl groups is consistent with specific functions for this compound related to its potential for phosphorylation reactions. An analog of TTP with the β, γ oxygen bridge replaced by a methylene group decreased TDP levels and increased thiamine when incubated with cortex slices, but did not effect thiamine monophosphate or triphosphate levels indicating inhibition of thiamine pyrophosphokinase.     

The relation of the soluble thiamine triphosphatase activity of various rat tissues to nonspecific phosphatases

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to investigate the relation of the soluble thiamine triphosphatase activity of various rat tissues to other phosphatases. This technique separated the thiamine triphosphatase of rat brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle and spleen from alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1), acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) and other nonspecific phosphatase activities. In contrast, the hydrolytic activity for thiamine triphosphate in rat intestine moved identically with alkaline phosphatase in gel electrophoresis. Thiamine triphosphatase from rat liver and brain was also separated from alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-100. This gave an apparent molecular weight of about 30,000 and a Stokes radius of 2.5 nanometers for brain and liver thiamine triphosphatase. The intestinal thiamine triphosphatase activity of the rat was eluted from the Sephadex G-100 column as two separate peaks (with apparent molecular weights of over 200,000 and 123,000) which exactly corresponded to the peaks of alkaline phosphatase. The isoelectric point (pI) of the brain thiamine triphosphatase was 4.6 (4 degrees C). The partially purified thiamine triphosphatase from brain and liver was highly specific for thiamine triphosphate. The results suggest that, apart from the intestine, the rat tissues studied contain a specific enzyme, thiamine triphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.28). The specific enzyme is responsible for most of the thiamine triphosphatase activity in these tissues. Rat intestine contains a high thiamine triphosphatase activity but all of it appears to be due to alkaline phosphatase.     

Difference in thiamine metabolism between extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles

1. Thiamine diphosphate level was higher in soleus muscle than in extensor digitorum longus muscle in various animals, whereas thiamine triphosphate level was less in the former muscle than in the latter except for mouse. 2. 2-Oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, transketolase and thiamine pyrophosphokinase activities were higher in soleus muscle than in extensor digitorum longus in rat and guinea pig. 3. The differences between rat two muscle phenotypes in thiamine diphosphate, but not thiamine triphosphate, level and the thiamine-related enzyme activities disappeared after denervation. 4. Tenotomy had little effect on thiamine phosphate levels and the thiamine-related enzyme activities in rat skeletal muscles.     

A rapid and sensitive radiometric assay procedure for thiamine pyrophosphokinase activity using anion-exchange paper discs

A radiochemical method for the direct measurement of thiamine pyrophosphokinase (ATP: thiamine pyrophosphotransferase, EC 2.7.6.2) activity was described earlier (1,2). It avoided the difficulties associated with assay systems based on the coenzyme nature of thiamine pyrophosphate in TPP-dependent¹ enzyme reactions using apopyruvate decarboxylase (3) (2-oxoacid carboxylase, EC 4.1.1.1) or apotransketolase (4) (sedoheptulose-7-phosphate: d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate glycolaldehydetransferase, EC 2.2.1.1). Since the chromatographic isolation of TPP is time-consuming, a procedure for the rapid determination of thiamine pyrophosphokinase activity was desirable.The simplified method described here takes advantage of the anionic character of TPP. The assay is carried out with [¹⁴C]thiamine as substrate. After incubation with the enzyme in the presence of Mg²⁺-ATP, the reaction mixture is applied to a DEAE-cellulose paper disc. The disc is extensively washed with sodium acetate resulting in the quantitative elution of [¹⁴C]thiamine and partial retention of [¹⁴C]TPP. This is quantitatively measured using the liquid scintillation counting technique.A similar procedure has been described for the determination of glycerol kinase (ATP: glycerol phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.30) and hexokinase (ATP: d-hexose 6-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.1) activities (5).     

Nucleotide specificity of rat liver thiamine pyrophosphokinase]

The nucleotide specificity of thiamine pyrophosphokinase from rat liver was studied. The enzyme was found to possess a sufficiently wide substrate specificity. Any of the nucleotides can be a donor of the pyrophosphate groups for TDP biosynthesis at two pH optima of the enzyme in the T-kinase reaction under the Mg2++/NTP optimal ratio. The minimal requirement for the substrate structure allowing to predict the position of the split nucleotide phosphoester bond was postulated.