How Thioredoxin Dissociates Its Mixed Disulfide

The dissociation mechanism of the thioredoxin (Trx) mixed disulfide complexes is unknown and has been debated for more than twenty years. Specifically, opposing arguments for the activation of the nucleophilic cysteine as a thiolate during the dissociation of the complex have been put forward. As a key model, the complex between Trx and its endogenous substrate, arsenate reductase (ArsC), was used. In this structure, a Cys29^Trx-Cys89^ArsC intermediate disulfide is formed by the nucleophilic attack of Cys29^Trx on the exposed Cys82^ArsC-Cys89^ArsC in oxidized ArsC. With theoretical reactivity analysis, molecular dynamics simulations, and biochemical complex formation experiments with Cys-mutants, Trx mixed disulfide dissociation was studied. We observed that the conformational changes around the intermediate disulfide bring Cys32^Trx in contact with Cys29^Trx. Cys32^Trx is activated for its nucleophilic attack by hydrogen bonds, and Cys32^Trx is found to be more reactive than Cys82^ArsC. Additionally, Cys32^Trx directs its nucleophilic attack on the more susceptible Cys29^Trx and not on Cys89^ArsC. This multidisciplinary approach provides fresh insights into a universal thiol/disulfide exchange reaction mechanism that results in reduced substrate and oxidized Trx.     

Oxidation-reduction and activation properties of chloroplast fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase with mutated regulatory site.

The concentration of Mg(2+) required for optimal activity of chloroplast fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) decreases when a disulfide, located on a flexible loop containing three conserved cysteines, is reduced by the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system. Mutation of either one of two regulatory cysteines in this loop (Cys155 and Cys174 in spinach FBPase) produces an enzyme with a S(0.5) for Mg(2+) (0.6 mM) identical to that observed for the reduced WT enzyme and significantly lower than the S(0.5) of 12.2 mM of oxidized WT enzyme. E(m) for the regulatory disulfide in WT spinach FBPase is -305 mV at pH 7.0, with an E(m) vs pH dependence of -59 mV/pH unit, from pH 5.5 to 8.5. Aerobic storage of the C174S mutant produces a nonphysiological Cys155/Cys179 disulfide, rendering the enzyme partially dependent on activation by thioredoxin. Circular dichroism spectra and thiol titrations provide supporting evidence for the formation of nonphysiological disulfide bonds. Mutation of Cys179, the third conserved cysteine, produces FBPase that behaves very much like WT enzyme but which is more rapidly activated by thioredoxin f, perhaps because the E(m) of the regulatory disulfide in the mutant has been increased to -290 mV (isopotential with thioredoxin f). Structural changes in the regulatory loop lower S(0.5) for Mg(2+) to 3.2 mM for the oxidized C179S mutant. These results indicate that opening the regulatory disulfide bridge, either through reduction or mutation, produces structural changes that greatly decrease S(0.5) for Mg(2+) and that only two of the conserved cysteines play a physiological role in regulation of FBPase.     

Thioredoxin as a reducing agent for mammalian methionine sulfoxide reductases B lacking resolving cysteine

Previous reports described thioredoxin (Trx) as a very poor reductant for mammalian MsrB2 and MsrB3, which lack a resolving Cys residue. In contrast, we here report that Trx could reduce both MsrB2 and MsrB3 enzymes, similarly to the reduction of mammalian MsrA. We demonstrated that functional Trx is required for the reduction of these enzymes. We further identified MsrB2- or MsrB3-Trx complexes formed through intermolecular disulfide bonds involving catalytic residue of Trx. The present study provides evidence that the sulfenic acid intermediate of oxidized MsrBs lacking resolving Cys could interact with Trx and be directly reduced by this protein.     

Redox potential of human thioredoxin 1 and identification of a second dithiol/disulfide motif

Thioredoxin (Trx1) is a redox-active protein containing two active site cysteines (Cys-32 and Cys-35) that cycle between the dithiol and disulfide forms as Trx1 reduces target proteins. Examination of the redox characteristics of this active site dithiol/disulfide couple is complicated by the presence of three additional non-active site cysteines. Using the redox Western blot technique and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry mass spectrometry, we determined the midpoint potential (E0) of the Trx1 active site (-230 mV) and identified a second redox-active dithiol/disulfide (Cys-62 and Cys-69) in an alpha helix proximal to the active site, which formed under oxidizing conditions. This non-active site disulfide was not a substrate for reduction by thioredoxin reductase and delayed the reduction of the active site disulfide by thioredoxin reductase. Within actively growing THP1 cells, most of the active site of Trx1 was in the dithiol form, whereas the non-active site was totally in the dithiol form. The addition of increasing concentrations of diamide to these cells resulted in oxidation of the active site at fairly low concentrations and oxidation of the non-active site at higher concentrations. Taken together these results suggest that the Cys-62-Cys-69 disulfide could provide a means to transiently inhibit Trx1 activity under conditions of redox signaling or oxidative stress, allowing more time for the sensing and transmission of oxidative signals.     

3'-Phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate reductase in complex with thioredoxin: a structural snapshot in the catalytic cycle

The crystal structure of Escherichia coli 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) reductase in complex with E. coli thioredoxin 1 (Trx1) has been determined to 3.0 A resolution. The two proteins are covalently linked via a mixed disulfide that forms during nucleophilic attack of Trx's N-terminal cysteine on the Sgamma atom of the PAPS reductase S-sulfocysteine (E-Cys-Sgamma-SO3-), a central intermediate in the catalytic cycle. For the first time in a crystal structure, residues 235-244 in the PAPS reductase C-terminus are observed, depicting an array of interprotein salt bridges between Trx and the strictly conserved glutathione-like sequence, Glu238Cys239Gly240Leu241His242. The structure also reveals a Trx-binding surface adjacent to the active site cleft and regions of PAPS reductase associated with conformational change. Interaction at this site strategically positions Trx to bind the S-sulfated C-terminus and addresses the mechanism for requisite structural rearrangement of this domain. An apparent sulfite-binding pocket at the protein-protein interface explicitly orients the S-sulfocysteine Sgamma atom for nucleophilic attack in a subsequent step. Taken together, the structure of PAPS reductase in complex with Trx highlights the large structural rearrangement required to accomplish sulfonucleotide reduction and suggests a role for Trx in catalysis beyond the paradigm of disulfide reduction.     

Corynebacterium glutamicum Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase A Uses both Mycoredoxin and Thioredoxin for Regeneration and Oxidative Stress Resistance

Oxidation of methionine leads to the formation of the S and R diastereomers of methionine sulfoxide (MetO), which can be reversed by the actions of two structurally unrelated classes of methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr), MsrA and MsrB, respectively. Although MsrAs have long been demonstrated in numerous bacteria, their physiological and biochemical functions remain largely unknown in Actinomycetes. Here, we report that a Corynebacterium glutamicum methionine sulfoxide reductase A (CgMsrA) that belongs to the 3-Cys family of MsrAs plays important roles in oxidative stress resistance. Deletion of the msrA gene in C. glutamicum resulted in decrease of cell viability, increase of ROS production, and increase of protein carbonylation levels under various stress conditions. The physiological roles of CgMsrA in resistance to oxidative stresses were corroborated by its induced expression under various stresses, regulated directly by the stress-responsive extracytoplasmic-function (ECF) sigma factor SigH. Activity assays performed with various regeneration pathways showed that CgMsrA can reduce MetO via both the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase (Trx/TrxR) and mycoredoxin 1/mycothione reductase/mycothiol (Mrx1/Mtr/MSH) pathways. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that Cys56 is the peroxidatic cysteine that is oxidized to sulfenic acid, while Cys204 and Cys213 are the resolving Cys residues that form an intramolecular disulfide bond. Mrx1 reduces the sulfenic acid intermediate via the formation of an S-mycothiolated MsrA intermediate (MsrA-SSM) which is then recycled by mycoredoxin and the second molecule of mycothiol, similarly to the glutathione/glutaredoxin/glutathione reductase (GSH/Grx/GR) system. However, Trx reduces the Cys204-Cys213 disulfide bond in CgMsrA produced during MetO reduction via the formation of a transient intermolecular disulfide bond between Trx and CgMsrA. While both the Trx/TrxR and Mrx1/Mtr/MSH pathways are operative in reducing CgMsrA under stress conditions in vivo, the Trx/TrxR pathway alone is sufficient to reduce CgMsrA under normal conditions. Based on these results, a catalytic model for the reduction of CgMsrA by Mrx1 and Trx is proposed.     

Binding specificity and mechanistic insight into glutaredoxin-catalyzed protein disulfide reduction.

The reduction equivalents necessary for the ribonucleotide reductase (RNR)-catalyzed production of deoxyribonucleotides are provided by glutaredoxin (Grx) or thioredoxin (Trx). The initial location for transfer of reducing equivalents to RNR is located at the C terminus of the B1 subunit and involves the reduction of a disulfide between Cys754 and Cys759. We have used a 25-mer peptide corresponding to residues 737-761 of RNR B1 (C754-->S) to synthesize a stable mixed disulfide with Escherichia coli Grx-1 (C14-->S) resembling the structure of an intermediate in the reaction. The high-resolution solution structure of the mixed disulfide has been obtained by NMR with an RMSD of 0.56 A for all the backbone atoms of the protein and the well-defined portion of the peptide. The binding interactions responsible for specificity have been identified demonstrating the importance of electrostatic interactions in this system and providing a rationale for the specificity of the Grx-RNR interaction. The disulfide is buried in this complex, implying a solely intra-molecular mechanism of reduction in contrast to the previously determined structure of the glutathione complex where the disulfide was exposed; mutagenesis studies have shown the relevance of intermolecular reduction processes. Substantial conformational changes in the helices of the protein are associated with peptide binding which have significant mechanistic implications for protein disulfide reduction by glutaredoxins.     

Thioredoxin-dependent enzymatic activation of mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase. An intersubunit disulfide bond serves as a redox switch for activation

Rat 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MST) contains three exposed cysteines as follows: a catalytic site cysteine, Cys(247), in the active site and Cys(154) and Cys(263) on the surface of MST. The corresponding cysteine to Cys(263) is conserved in mammalian MSTs, and Cys(154) is a unique cysteine. MST has monomer-dimer equilibrium with the assistance of oxidants and reductants. The monomer to dimer ratio is maintained at approximately 92:8 in 0.2 m potassium phosphate buffer containing no reductants under air-saturated conditions; the dimer might be symmetrical via an intersubunit disulfide bond between Cys(154) and Cys(154) and between Cys(263) and Cys(263), or asymmetrical via an intersubunit disulfide bond between Cys(154) and Cys(263). Escherichia coli reduced thioredoxin (Trx) cleaved the intersubunit disulfide bond to activate MST to 2.3- and 4.9-fold the levels of activation of dithiothreitol (DTT)-treated and DTT-untreated MST, respectively. Rat Trx also activated MST. On the other hand, reduced glutathione did not affect MST activity. E. coli C35S Trx, in which Cys(35) was replaced with Ser, formed some adducts with MST and activated MST after treatment with DTT. Thus, Cys(32) of E. coli Trx reacted with the redox-active cysteines, Cys(154) and Cys(263), by forming an intersubunit disulfide bond and a sulfenyl Cys(247). A consecutively formed disulfide bond between Trx and MST must be cleaved for the activation. E. coli C32S Trx, however, did not activate MST. Reduced Trx turns on a redox switch for the enzymatic activation of MST, which contributes to the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis.     

Binding and activation of pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by homologous thioredoxins m and f

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase; EC 3.1.3.11) binds its putative physiological activator thioredoxin f (Trx f ) at pH 7.9, the pH in the stroma of the illuminated chloroplast. Since Trx m , described as specific in NADP⁺-malate dehydrogenase (NADPMDH) activation, appears in pea (Pisum sativum L.) also to be functional in FBPase modulation, we have here analyzed the effect of pH and the redox status of the chloroplast stroma in the pea FBPase binding of homologous Trx f and m . Both pea Trx were strongly bound by purified FBPase when they were preincubated at pH 7.9 with 2.5 m M dithiothreitol (DTT), but not when the reductant was omitted. As occurs with Trx f the Trx m /FBPase ratio of the complex was 4, but this was only observed with a Trx m /FBPase concentration ratio > 10 in the preincubation mixture. The FBPase-Trx m binding disappeared in the presence of 100 m M NaCl, even with 2.5 m M DTT at pH 7.9, with a concomitant appearance of different aggregation states of the FBPase subunit. A similar FBPase-Trx m complex was detected in the stromal solution when pea chloroplasts were lysed at pH 7.9 in the presence of DTT. No interaction was observed between NADP-MDH and Trx f or m , either in the presence or in the absence of DTT. Pea FBPase showed sigmoidal activation kinetics with pea Trx m , and an S_0.5 of 133 n M versus 6.6 n M with pea Trx f . About 10-fold higher concentration of the former than that of the latter was required for obtaining maximum activity; however, the V_max with Trx f was only 2-fold higher than that with Trx m . We conclude that pea FBPase binds and is activated by the homologous Trx m , even though to a lesser extent than with Trx f . We also deduce that in the light the conditions in the chloroplast stroma are optimal for forming an FBPase-Trx complex.     

Regulation of the catalytic activity and structure of human thioredoxin 1 via oxidation and S-nitrosylation of cysteine residues

The mammalian cytosolic/nuclear thioredoxin system, comprising thioredoxin (Trx), selenoenzyme thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), and NADPH, is the major protein-disulfide reductase of the cell and has numerous functions. The active site of reduced Trx comprises Cys(32)-Gly-Pro-Cys(35) thiols that catalyze target disulfide reduction, generating a disulfide. Human Trx1 has also three structural Cys residues in positions 62, 69, and 73 that upon diamide oxidation induce a second Cys(62)-Cys(69) disulfide as well as dimers and multimers. We have discovered that after incubation with H(2)O(2) only monomeric two-disulfide molecules are generated, and they are inactive but able to regain full activity in an autocatalytic process in the presence of NADPH and TrxR. There are conflicting results regarding the effects of S-nitrosylation on Trx antioxidant functions and which residues are involved. We found that S-nitrosoglutathione-mediated S-nitrosylation at physiological pH is critically dependent on the redox state of Trx. Starting from fully reduced human Trx, both Cys(69) and Cys(73) were nitrosylated, and the active site formed a disulfide; the nitrosylated Trx was not a substrate for TrxR but regained activity after a lag phase consistent with autoactivation. Treatment of a two-disulfide form of Trx1 with S-nitrosoglutathione resulted in nitrosylation of Cys(73), which can act as a trans-nitrosylating agent as observed by others to control caspase 3 activity (Mitchell, D. A., and Marletta, M. A. (2005) Nat. Chem. Biol. 1, 154-158). The reversible inhibition of human Trx1 activity by H(2)O(2) and NO donors is suggested to act in cell signaling via temporal control of reduction for the transmission of oxidative and/or nitrosative signals in thiol redox control.     

The Corynebacterium glutamicum mycothiol peroxidase is a reactive oxygen species‐scavenging enzyme that shows promiscuity in thiol redox control

Cysteine glutathione peroxidases (CysGPxs) control oxidative stress levels by reducing hydroperoxides at the expense of cysteine thiol (‐SH) oxidation, and the recovery of their peroxidatic activity is generally accomplished by thioredoxin (Trx). Corynebacterium glutamicum mycothiol peroxidase (Mpx) is a member of the CysGPx family. We discovered that its recycling is controlled by both the Trx and the mycothiol (MSH) pathway. After H₂O₂ reduction, a sulfenic acid (‐SOH) is formed on the peroxidatic cysteine (Cys36), which then reacts with the resolving cysteine (Cys79), forming an intramolecular disulfide (S‐S), which is reduced by Trx. Alternatively, the sulfenic acid reacts with MSH and forms a mixed disulfide. Mycoredoxin 1 (Mrx1) reduces the mixed disulfide, in which Mrx1 acts in combination with MSH and mycothiol disulfide reductase as a biological relevant monothiol reducing system. Remarkably, Trx can also take over the role of Mrx1 and reduce the Mpx‐MSH mixed disulfide using a dithiol mechanism. Furthermore, Mpx is important for cellular survival under H₂O₂ stress, and its gene expression is clearly induced upon H₂O₂ challenge. These findings add a new dimension to the redox control and the functioning of CysGPxs in general.     

Activity assays of mammalian thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase: Fluorescent disulfide substrates,mechanisms, and use with tissue samples

Thioredoxin (Trx) is a protein disulfide reductase that, together with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), controls oxidative stress or redox signaling via thiol redox control. Human cytosolic Trx1 has Cys32 and Cys35 as the active site and three additional cysteine residues (Cys62, Cys69, and Cys73), which by oxidation generates inactive Cys62 to Cys69 two-disulfide Trx. This, combined with TrxR with a broad substrate specificity, complicates assays of mammalian Trx and TrxR. We sought to understand the autoregulation of Trx and TrxR and to generate new methods for quantification of Trx and TrxR. We optimized the synthesis of two fluorescent substrates, di-eosin–glutathione disulfide (Di-E–GSSG) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled insulin (FiTC–insulin), which displayed higher fluorescence on disulfide reduction. Di-E–GSSG showed a very large increase in fluorescence quantum yield but had a relatively low affinity for Trx and was also a weak direct substrate for TrxR, in contrast to GSSG. FiTC–insulin was used to develop highly sensitive assays for TrxR and Trx. Reproducible conditions were developed for reactivation of modified Trx, commonly present in frozen or oxidized samples. Trx in cell extracts and tissue samples, including plasma and serum, were subsequently analyzed, showing highly reproducible results and allowing measurement of trace amounts of Trx.     

Disulfide between Cys392 and Cys438 of human serum albumin is redox-active, which is responsible for the thioredoxin-supported lipid peroxidase activity

Human serum albumin (HSA) is an abundant protein found in blood plasma and extracellular fluids. Previously, we found that HSA has a distinct thioredoxin (Trx)-dependent lipid peroxidase activity in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA. In this paper, we identified the redox-active disulfide, which can be specifically reduced by Trx, responsible for the Trx-dependent lipid peroxidase activity. The IIB-III fragment of HSA (Pro299-Leu585) sustained the Trx-dependent lipid peroxidase activity. Chemical modification of the Trx-reduced IIB-III with a thiol-specific modification agent resulted in a complete loss of the peroxidase activity. The analysis of tryptic-peptides derived from the inactivated HSA and IIB-III revealed that Cys392 and Cys438, which exist as an intramolecular disulfide bond in HSA, were preferentially modified in both HSA and IIB-III. Taken together, these results suggested that HSA has a capability to reduce lipid hydroperoxide with the use of Trx as an in vivo electron donor, and that the redox-active disulfide between Cys392 and Cys438 acts as a primary site of the catalysis for the Trx-linked lipid peroxidase activity.     

Thioredoxin 1 Is Inactivated Due to Oxidation Induced by Peroxiredoxin under Oxidative Stress and Reactivated by the Glutaredoxin System

The mammalian cytosolic thioredoxin system, comprising thioredoxin (Trx), Trx reductase, and NADPH, is the major protein-disulfide reductase of the cell and has numerous functions. Besides the active site thiols, human Trx1 contains three non-active site cysteine residues at positions 62, 69, and 73. A two-disulfide form of Trx1, containing an active site disulfide between Cys-32 and Cys-35 and a non-active site disulfide between Cys-62 and Cys-69, is inactive either as a disulfide reductase or as a substrate for Trx reductase. This could possibly provide a structural switch affecting Trx1 function during oxidative stress and redox signaling. We found that two-disulfide Trx1 was generated in A549 cells under oxidative stress. In vitro data showed that two-disulfide Trx1 was generated from oxidation of Trx1 catalyzed by peroxiredoxin 1 in the presence of H₂O₂. The redox Western blot data indicated that the glutaredoxin system protected Trx1 in HeLa cells from oxidation caused by ebselen, a superfast oxidant for Trx1. Our results also showed that physiological concentrations of glutathione, NADPH, and glutathione reductase reduced the non-active site disulfide in vitro. This reaction was stimulated by glutaredoxin 1 via the so-called monothiol mechanism. In conclusion, reversible oxidation of the non-active site disulfide of Trx1 is suggested to play an important role in redox regulation and cell signaling via temporal inhibition of its protein-disulfide reductase activity for the transmission of oxidative signals under oxidative stress.     

High-yield expression of pea thioredoxin m and assessment of its efficiency in chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activation.

A cDNA clone encoding pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplast thioredoxin (Trx) m and its transit peptide were isolated from a pea cDNA library. Its deduced amino acid sequence showed 70% homology with spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Trx m and 25% homology with Trx f from pea and spinach. After subcloning in the Ndel-BamHI sites of pET-12a, the recombinant supplied 20 mg Trx m/L. Escherichia coli culture. This protein had 108 amino acids and was 12,000 D, which is identical to the pea leaf native protein. Unlike pea Trx f, pea Trx m showed a hyperbolic saturation of pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), with a Trx m/ FBPase molar saturation ratio of about 60, compared with 4 for the Trx f/FBPase quotient. Cross-experiments have shown the ability of pea Trx m to activate the spinach chloroplast FBPase, results that are in contrast with those in spinach found by P. Schürmann, K. Maeda, and A. Tsugita ([1981] Eur J Biochem 116: 37-45), who did not find Trx m efficiency in FBPase activation. This higher efficiency of pea Trx m could be related to the presence of four basic residues (arginine-37, lysine-70, arginine-74, and lysine-97) flanking the regulatory cluster; spinach Trx m lacks the positive charge corresponding to lysine-70 of pea Trx m. This has been confirmed by K70E mutagenesis of pea Trx m, which leads to a 50% decrease in FBPase activation.     

Chloroplast fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase with changed redox modulation: comparison of the Galdieria enzyme with cysteine mutants from spinach

Spinach fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase, EC 3.1.3.11), a redox-modulated chloroplast enzyme and part of the Calvin cycle, and three different Cys mutants were expressed in E. coli. The properties of the purified proteins were compared to those of native and recombinant chloroplast FBPase from the red alga Galdieria sulphuraria. In spinach chloroplast FBPase, Cys(155) and Cys(174) are engaged in the formation of the disulfide bridge. The corresponding mutants are active when expressed in E. coli, while C179S is inactive and can be reductively activated as can the wild-type enzyme. The active C174S mutant, however, could be inactivated by oxidation, and reactivated, but only by reduction, not alternatively with high pH and high Mg(2+) as is the case for the wild-type enzyme. In the sequence of Galdieria FBPase, the Cys that corresponds to Cys(179) in the spinach enzyme is lacking. However, the Galdieria FBPase, in contrast to the spinach Cys(179) mutant, does not show any indication for a comparable redox modulation of its activity. Instead, oxidation only leads to partial inactivation without any qualitative changes in enzyme properties. Upon reduction, the lost activity can be recovered.     

Binding features of chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase-thioredoxin interaction

It has been proposed that a hydrophobic groove surrounded by positively charged amino acids on thioredoxin (Trx) serves as the recognition and docking site for the interaction of Trx with target proteins. This model for Trx-protein interactions fits well with the Trx-mediated fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) activation, where a protruding negatively charged loop of FBPase would bind to this Trx groove, in a process involving both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. This model facilitates the prediction of Trx amino acid residues likely to be involved in enzyme binding. Site-directed mutagenesis of some of these amino acids, in conjunction with measurements of the FBPase activation capacity of the wild type and mutated Trxs, was used to check the model and provided evidence that lysine-70 and arginine-74 of pea Trx m play an essential role in FBPase binding. The binding parameters for the interaction between chloroplast FBPase and the wild type pea Trxs f and m, as well as mutated pea Trx m, determined by equilibrium dialysis in accordance with the Koshland-Nemethy-Filmer model of saturation kinetics, provided additional support for the role of these basic Trx residues in the interaction with FBPase. These data, in conjunction with the midpoint redox potential (E(m)) determinations of Trxs, support the hydrophobic groove model for the interaction between chloroplast FBPase and Trx. This model predicts that differences in the FBPase activation capacity of Trxs arise from their different binding abilities.     

A sulfenic acid enzyme intermediate is involved in the catalytic mechanism of peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase from Escherichia coli

Methionine oxidation into methionine sulfoxide is known to be involved in many pathologies and to exert regulatory effects on proteins. This oxidation can be reversed by a ubiquitous monomeric enzyme, the peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase (MsrA), whose activity in vivo requires the thioredoxin-regenerating system. The proposed chemical mechanism of Escherichia coli MsrA involves three Cys residues (positions 51, 198, and 206). A fourth Cys (position 86) is not important for catalysis. In the absence of a reducing system, 2 mol of methionine are formed per mole of enzyme for wild type and Cys-86 --> Ser mutant MsrA, whereas only 1 mol is formed for mutants in which either Cys-198 or Cys-206 is mutated. Reduction of methionine sulfoxide is shown to proceed through the formation of a sulfenic acid intermediate. This intermediate has been characterized by chemical probes and mass spectrometry analyses. Together, the results support a three-step chemical mechanism in vivo: 1) Cys-51 attacks the sulfur atom of the sulfoxide substrate leading, via a rearrangement, to the formation of a sulfenic acid intermediate on Cys-51 and release of 1 mol of methionine/mol of enzyme; 2) the sulfenic acid is then reduced via a double displacement mechanism involving formation of a disulfide bond between Cys-51 and Cys-198, followed by formation of a disulfide bond between Cys-198 and Cys-206, which liberates Cys-51, and 3) the disulfide bond between Cys-198 and Cys-206 is reduced by thioredoxin-dependent recycling system process.