Purification and characterization of aconitase isoforms from etiolated pumpkin cotyledons

Although aconitase (EC 4.2.1.3) is involved in the glyoxylate cycle, which is localized in glyoxysomes, we detected very low aconitase activity in glyoxysomal fractions after sucrose gradient centrifugation of extracts prepared from etiolated pumpkin ( Cucurbita sp.) colyledons. Two aconitase isoforms were purified to homogeneity, albeit in low yield, by hydrophobic interaction, hydroxylapatite and anion exchange chromatography. They were designated Aco I and Aco II; both were shown to be monomeric proteins of M₁ 100 000 or 98 000 by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE analysis, respectively; isoelectric points were 5.0 and 4.8, respectively. Kinetic studies revealed similarities between Aco I and Aco II. A third aconitase isoform (Aco III) was revealed but not purified to homogeneity.     

Suppression of metabolic defects of yeast isocitrate dehydrogenase and aconitase mutants by loss of citrate synthase

Yeast mutants lacking mitochondrial NAD⁺-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (idhΔ) or aconitase (aco1Δ) were found to share several growth phenotypes as well as patterns of specific protein expression that differed from the parental strain. These shared properties of idhΔ and aco1Δ strains were eliminated or moderated by co-disruption of the CIT1 gene encoding mitochondrial citrate synthase. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses indicated a particularly dramatic increase in cellular citrate levels in idhΔ and aco1Δ strains, whereas citrate levels were substantially lower in idhΔcit1Δ and aco1Δcit1Δ strains. Exogenous addition of citrate to parental strain cultures partially recapitulated effects of high endogenous levels of citrate in idhΔ and aco1Δ strains. Finally, effects of elevated cellular citrate in idhΔ and aco1Δ mutant strains were partially alleviated by addition of iron or by an increase in pH of the growth medium, suggesting that detrimental effects of citrate are due to elevated levels of the ionized form of this metabolite.     

Metallothionein transfers zinc to mitochondrial aconitase through a direct interaction in mouse hearts

Previous studies have shown that in a cell-free system, metallothionein (MT) releases zinc when the environment becomes oxidized and the released zinc is transferred to a zinc-binding protein if such a protein is present. However, it is unknown whether and how zinc transfers from MT to other proteins in vivo. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that if zinc transfer from MT to other proteins occurs in vivo, the transfer would proceed through a direct interaction between MT and a specific group of proteins. The heart extract obtained from MT-null mice was incubated with 65Zn-MT or 65ZnCl2 and the proteins receiving 65Zn were separated by blue-native PAGE (BN-PAGE) or sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE (SDS-PAGE), and detected by autoradiography. A unique 65Zn-binding band was observed from the 65Zn-MT-incubated, but not the 65ZnCl2-incubated preparation. The analysis using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry revealed that mitochondrial aconitase (m-aconitase) was among the proteins accepting Zn directly from Zn-MT. The m-aconitase, not the cytosolic aconitase (c-aconitase), was co-immunoprecipitated with MT. This study demonstrates that MT transfers zinc to m-aconitase through a direct interaction.     

Role of mitochondrial hOGG1 and aconitase in oxidant-induced lung epithelial cell apoptosis

8-Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (Ogg1) repairs 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroxyguanine (8-oxoG), one of the most abundant DNA adducts caused by oxidative stress. In the mitochondria, Ogg1 is thought to prevent activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in response to oxidative stress by augmenting DNA repair. However, the predominance of the β-Ogg1 isoform, which lacks 8-oxoG DNA glycosylase activity, suggests that mitochondrial Ogg1 functions in a role independent of DNA repair. We report here that overexpression of mitochondria-targeted human α-hOgg1 (mt-hOgg1) in human lung adenocarcinoma cells with some alveolar epithelial cell characteristics (A549 cells) prevents oxidant-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis by preserving mitochondrial aconitase. Importantly, mitochondrial α-hOgg1 mutants lacking 8-oxoG DNA repair activity were as effective as wild-type mt-hOgg1 in preventing oxidant-induced caspase-9 activation, reductions in mitochondrial aconitase, and apoptosis, suggesting that the protective effects of mt-hOgg1 occur independent of DNA repair. Notably, wild-type and mutant mt-hOgg1 coprecipitate with mitochondrial aconitase. Furthermore, overexpression of mitochondrial aconitase abolishes oxidant-induced apoptosis whereas hOgg1 silencing using shRNA reduces mitochondrial aconitase and augments apoptosis. These findings suggest a novel mechanism that mt-hOgg1 acts as a mitochondrial aconitase chaperone protein to prevent oxidant-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis that might be important in the molecular events underlying oxidant-induced toxicity.     

Immunological analysis of aconitase in pumpkin cotyledons: the absence of aconitase in glyoxysomes

Aconitase (EC 4.2.1.3) was purified by column chromatography and SDS-PAGE. Specific antibodies for aconitase were prepared after affinity purification of the antiserum with purified aconitase. The antibodies reacted with purified pumpkin aconitase, and with the 98 kDa protein band after electrophoretic fractionation of extracts of pumpkin cotyledons. Immunoblot analysis revealed a protein with similar molecular mass in extracts of several plants. The intensity of the 98 kDa band increased as pumpkin cotyledons developed in darkness, and decreased thereafter upon illumination. Aconitase activity showed a similar pattern. Anion exchange chromatography of a homogenate of pumpkin cotyledons, followed by western blotting, displayed the presence of immunoreactive protein bands only in fractions showing aconitase activity. The results indicate that the antibodies were specific for aconitase. When we investigated the presence of immunoreactive bands after sucrose gradient fractionation, aconitase was detected in the supernatant fractions and in mitochondria, while a very low amount was found in glyoxysomes. These data provide additional proof that aconitase is not localized in glyoxysomes.     

The role of mitochondrial dehydrogenases in the generation of oxidative stress

In addition to complexes in the respiratory chain, few dehydrogenases playing key roles in the physiological metabolism in neurons, are able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria. One of them is the Krebs cycle enzyme, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (α-KGDH), which is capable of producing superoxide and hydrogen peroxide by the E3 subunit of the enzyme regulated by changes in the NADH/NAD⁺ ratio. Mutations in the E3 subunit known to be related to diseases in humans were shown to have increased ROS-forming ability. α-Glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (α-GPDH) located on the outer surface of the inner membrane can also generate ROS, which is stimulated by Ca²⁺. ROS production by α-GPDH is unique as it does not require Ca²⁺ uptake and it is observed in respiring as well as damaged, bioenergetically incompetent mitochondria. The possible role of ROS generation by these dehydrogenases in brain pathology is discussed in this review.     

Effect of brief vascular perfusion on the ultrastructure and activity of mitochondria isolated from the rat heart

Summary Mitochondria isolated from heart tissue after a 1-min perfusion with Hanks medium were found to have significantly lower rates of State-3 respiration and respiratory control ratios compared to mitochondria isolated from non-perfused hearts. Examination of the mitochondrial preparations by electron microscopy revealed that a large proportion of the mitochondria isolated from perfused heart tissue were swollen and broken compared to mitochondria from non-perfused hearts.     

Aconitase and ATP synthase are targets of malondialdehyde modification and undergo an age-related decrease in activity in mouse heart mitochondria

The main purpose of this study was to identify mitochondrial proteins that exhibit post-translational oxidative modifications during the aging process and to determine the resulting functional alterations. Proteins forming adducts with malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation, were identified by immunodetection in mitochondria isolated from heart and hind leg skeletal muscle of 6-, 16-, and 24-month-old mice. Aconitase, very long chain acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase, ATP synthase, and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase were detected as putative targets of oxidative modification by MDA. Aconitase and ATP synthase from heart exhibited significant decreases in activity with age. Very long chain acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activities were unaffected during aging in both heart and skeletal muscle. This suggests that the presence of a post-translational oxidative modification in a protein does not a priori reflect an alteration in activity. The biological consequences of an age-related decrease in aconitase and ATP synthase activities may contribute to the decline in mitochondrial bioenergetics evident during aging.     

Taurine protected myocardial mitochondria injury induced by hyperhomocysteinemia in rats

Summary. Taurine can protect against cardiovascular diseases, whereas elevated levels of plasma homocysteine are associated with atherosclerotic and thromboembolic cardiovascular diseases. To illustrate the effects of taurine on hyperhomocysteinemia, we observed the myocardial mitochondria dysfunction in the rats with hyperhomocysteinemia induced by diet methionine loading, and the therapeutic effect of taurine. A methionine diet increased plasma homocysteine concentration (133.51±27.91mol/L vs 12.31±2.58mol/L in control, P<0.01), stimulated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the myocardial mitochondria, and inhibited the activities of mitochondrial Mn-superoxide dismutase and catalase. The ⁴⁵Ca uptake and Ca²⁺-ATPase activity in the myocardial mitochondria were significantly lowered in rats with hyperhomocysteinemia. Taurine supplements effectively attenuated the hyperhomocysteinemia-induced ROS production and inhibition of Mn-superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in the myocardial mitochondria, and increased its ⁴⁵Ca uptake and Ca²⁺-ATPase activity. Thus, taurine antagonizes the oxidative stress injury in the myocardial mitochondria induced by the hyperhomocysteinemia.     

Identification of a specific protein in the mitochondrial fraction of the rat heart whose phosphorylation is inhibited by taurine

Summary It was previously reported that the mitochondrial fraction of the rat heart contained a specific protein with a molecular weight of approximately 44kDa whose phosphorylation was inhibited by taurine (Lombardini,1994a). Isolation of the 44kDa phosphoprotein on a 1-dimensional polyacrylamide gel using traditional glycine buffers followed by re-electrophoresing the cut out proportion of the gel which corresponds to the 44kDa protein on a tricine-buffered gel resulted in sufficient pure protein for sequence analysis. The results indicate that the 44kDa phosphoprotein is pyruvate dehydrogenase.     

Brain α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrotenase Complex Activity in Alzheimer's Disease

We measured the activity of the a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (α-KGDHC), a rate-limiting Krebs cycle enzyme, in postmortem brain samples from 38 controls and 30 neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases, in both the presence and absence of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), the enzyme's cofactor. Statistically significant correlations between brain pH and lactate levels and α-KGDHC activity in the controls were observed, suggesting an influence of agonal status on the activity of α-KGDHC. As compared with the controls, mean α-KGDHC activity, with added TPP, was significantly (p < 0.005) reduced in AD brain in frontal (-56%), temporal (-60%), and parietal (-68%) cortices, with the reductions (-25 to -53%) in the occipital cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and caudate failing to reach statistical significance. In the absence of exogenously administered TPP, mean a-KGDHC activity was reduced to a slightly greater extent in all seven AD brain areas (-39 to -83%), with the reductions now reaching statistical significance in the four cerebral cortical areas and hippocampus. A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between α-KGDHC activity and neurofibrillary tangle count in AD parietal cortex, the brain area exhibiting the most marked reduction in enzyme activity; this suggests that the enzyme activity reduction in AD brain may be related to the disease process and severity. In each brain area examined, TPP produced a greater stimulatory effect on α-KGDHC activity in the AD group (23–280% mean stimulation) as compared with the controls (-4 to ±50%); this TPP effect could be explained by reduced endogenous TPP levels in AD brain. Reduced brain α-KGDHC activity could be consequent to loss of neurons preferentially enriched in α-KGDHC, a premortem reduction in TPP levels (which may have affected enzyme stability), elevated brain levels of the α-KGDHC inhibitor ammonia, or an actual failure in the expression of the gene encoding the enzyme. We suggest that a defect in this key Krebs cycle enzyme could contribute to an impairment of cerebral energy metabolism and the brain dysfunction in AD.     

Changes in enzyme activity during differentiation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The patterns of alanine dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase activity were studied during the normal vegetative cell cycle and during the process of gametic differentiation and dedifferentiation in synchronized cultures of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. During all three phases of growth and differentiation the synthesis of DNA was also measured. During gametic differentiation all three enzyme levels were suppressed compared to vegetative cells although DNA and cell number were comparable. During gametic dedifferentiation no DNA synthesis occurred during the first 24 h cycle and only a doubling during the second. It was not until the third cycle that a normal 4-fold increase in DNA was observed. Cell number followed a similar pattern. Athough the levels of alanine dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase were uniformly low during the first cycle when glutamate dehydrogenase increased 4-fold, during the second cycle the patterns of these enzymes changed markedly. The enzymes did not attain levels characteristic of vegetative cells until the third cycle.     

Butyric acid retention in gingival tissue induces oxidative stress in jugular blood mitochondria

Butyric acid (BA) is a major extracellular metabolite produced by anaerobic periodontopathic bacteria and is commonly deposited in the gingival tissue. BA induces mitochondrial oxidative stress in vitro; however, its effects in vivo were never elucidated. Here, we determined the effects of butyric acid retention in the gingival tissues on oxidative stress induction in the jugular blood mitochondria. We established that BA injected in the rat gingival tissue has prolonged retention in gingival tissues. Blood taken at 0, 60, and 180 min after BA injection was used for further analysis. We isolated blood mitochondria, verified its purity, and measured hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), heme, superoxide (SOD), and catalase (CAT) to determine BA effects. We found that H₂O₂, heme, SOD, and CAT levels all increased after BA injection. This would insinuate that mitochondrial oxidative stress was induced ascribable to BA.     

Antioxidant properties of Krebs cycle intermediates against malonate pro-oxidant activity in vitro: a comparative study using the colorimetric method and HPLC analysis to determine malondialdehyde in rat brain homogenates

A variety of Krebs cycle intermediaries has been shown to possess antioxidant properties in different in vivo and in vitro systems. Here we examined whether citrate, succinate, malate, oxaloacetate, fumarate and alpha-ketoglutarate could modulate malonate-induced thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) production in rat brain homogenate. The mechanisms involved in their antioxidant activity were also determined using two analytical methods: 1) a popular spectrophotometric method (Ohkawa, H., Ohishi, N., Yagi, K., 1979. Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction. Analytical Biochemistry 95, 351-358.) and a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure (Grotto, D., Santa Maria, L. D., Boeira, S., Valentini, J., Char?o, M. F., Moro, A. M., Nascimento, P. C., Pomblum, V. J., Garcia, S. C., 2006. Rapid quantification of malondialdehyde in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography-visible detection. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 43, 619-624.). Citrate, malate, and oxaloacetate reduced both basal and malonate-induced TBARS production. Their effects were not changed by pre-treatment of rat brain homogenates at 100 degrees C for 10 min. alpha-Ketoglutarate increased basal TBARS without changing malonate-induced TBARS production in fresh and heat-treated homogenates. Succinate reduced basal--without altering malonate-induced TBARS production. Its antioxidant activity was abolished by KCN or heat treatment. Fumarate reduced malonate-induced TBARS production in fresh homogenates; however, its effect was completely abolished by heat treatment. There were minimal differences among the studied methods. Citrate, oxaloacetate, malate, alpha-ketoglutarate and malonate showed iron-chelating activity. We suggest that antioxidant properties of citrate, malate and oxaloacetate were due to their ability to cancel iron redox activity by forming inactive complexes, whereas alpha-ketoglutarate and malonate pro-oxidant activity can be due to formation of active complexes with iron. In contrast, succinate and fumarate antioxidant activity was probably due to some enzymatic system.     

Alcohol dehydrogenase activity in rat kidney cortex stimulated by oestradiol

Sex differences in alcohol dehydrogenase activity, determined by the influence of oestrogen hormones, were found to exist in the rat kidney. Oestradiol, but neither testosterone nor progesterone, was shown to be a powerful stimulator of kidney alcohol dehydrogenase activity in rats, maximally 6- to 8-times over control values. The Michaelis-Menten constant for acetaldehyde of both non-stimulated and oestradiol-stimulated kidney alcohol dehydrogenases was found to be similar, 6.7 · 10^?5 M and 7.8 · 10^?5 M, respectively. Actinomycin D was shown to have an additive effect (superinduction) on the oestradiol-induced increase in kidney enzyme activity. The findings suggest the possibility of the higher contribution of kidneys in ethanol metabolism in states with an elevated level of oestradiol, such as chronic ethanol intake and ethanol hepatic disease.     

Age-related compensatory activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in rat heart

Mitochondrial uptake and beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids are markedly impaired in the aging rat heart. While these alterations would be expected to adversely affect overall pyridine nucleotides, NADH levels do not change significantly with age. This conundrum suggests that specific compensatory mechanisms occur in the aging heart. The comparison of cardiac pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) kinetics in 4- and 24- to 28-month-old F344 rats revealed a 60% significant increase in V(max) with no change in PDC expression, and a 1.6-fold decrease in the Michaelis constant (K(m)) in old compared to young rats. The observed kinetic adjustments were selective to PDC, as neither the V(max) nor K(m) of citrate synthase changed with age. PDC kinase-4 mRNA levels decreased by 57% in old vs young rat hearts and correlated with a 45% decrease in PDC phosphorylation. We conclude that PDC from old rat hearts catabolizes pyruvate more efficiently due to an adaptive change in phosphorylation.     

Impaired mitochondrial function results in increased tissue transglutaminase activity in situ

Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) is a transamidating enzyme that is elevated in Huntington's disease (HD) brain and may be involved in the etiology of the disease. Further, there is evidence of impaired mitochondrial function in HD. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of mitochondrial dysfunction on the transamidating activity of tTG. Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells stably overexpressing human tTG or mutated inactive tTG were treated with 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), an irreversible inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase. 3-NP treatment of tTG-expressing cells resulted in a significant increase of TG activity in situ. In vitro measurements demonstrated that 3-NP had no direct effect on tTG activity. However, 3-NP treatment resulted in a significant decrease of the levels of GTP and ATP, two potent inhibitors of the transamidating activity of tTG. No significant changes in the intracellular levels of calcium were observed in 3-NP-treated cells. Treatment with 3-NP in combination with antioxidants significantly reduced the 3-NP-induced increase in in situ TG activity, demonstrating that oxidative stress is a contributing factor to the increase of TG activity. This study demonstrates for the first time that impairment of mitochondrial function significantly increases TG activity in situ, a finding that may have important relevance to the etiology of HD.     

Neuronal apoptosis by prolyl hydroxylation: implication in nervous system tumours and the Warburg conundrum

Oxygen-sensing mechanisms are often dysfunctional in tumours. Oxygen sensing is mediated partly via prolyl hydroxylation. The EglN prolyl hydroxylases are well characterized in regulating the hypoxia inducible factor α (HIF-α) hypoxic response, but also are implicated in HIF-independent processes. EglN3 executes apoptosis in neural precursors during development and failure of EglN3 developmental apoptosis can lead to certain forms of sympathetic nervous system tumours. Mutations in metabolic/mitochondrial enzymes (SDH, FH, IDH) impair EglN activity and predisposes to certain cancers. This is because the EglNs not only require molecular oxygen to execute hydroxylation, but also equally require the electron donor α-ketoglutarate, a metabolite from the Krebs cycle. Therefore EglN enzymes are considered oxygen, and also, metabolic sensors. α-Ketoglutarate is crucial for EglN hydroxylation activity, whereas the metabolites succinate and fumarate are inhibitors of the EglN enzymes. Since EglN activity is dependent upon metabolites that take part in the Krebs cycle, these enzymes are directly tied into the cellular metabolic network. Cancer cells tend to convert most glucose to lactate regardless of whether oxygen is present (aerobic glycolysis), an observation that was first made by Otto Warburg in 1924. Despite the striking difference in ATP production, cancer cells might favour aerobic glycolysis to escape from EglN hydroxylation, resulting in the accumulation of oncogenic HIFα and/or resistance to EglN3-mediated apoptosis.     

The relationship between the activity of various iron-containing and iron-free enzymes and the presence of nicotianamine in tomato seedlings

The influence of nicotianamine (NA) and iron on the activities of 4 iron-containing and two iron-free enzymes in leaves and roots of the NA-free tomato mutant chloronerva and its NA-containing wild-type ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Bonner Beste) was investigated. Aconitase (EC 4.2.1.3) activity in both leaves and roots was much higher in the mutant under normal iron supply (10 μ M FeEDTA) and in wild-type under iron deficiency than in wild-type supplied with 10 μ M FeEDTA. Application of NA to chloronerva leaves led to a decrease of aconitase activity in leaves and roots. NA had no effect on the enzyme activity when added to the assay medium.
Similar results were obtained for the iron-containing enzymes catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate-dependent peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11) and guaiacol-dependent peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) in roots. NA treatment of the mutant leaves decreased enzyme activities in roots down to wild-type values. In vivo NA application had no effect on enzyme activities in leaf extracts.
The activities of the iron-free enzymes NAD⁺-malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) and phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11) in root and leaf extracts were not influenced by the iron supply to the plants.