Regulation of cooperative properties of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase by means of thiol-disulfide metabolism

The redox state of two SH-groups per enzyme subunit has been shown to control the cooperative properties of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. These thiols oxidized, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase does not exhibit any cooperative properties. The enzyme reduction leads to subunit interactions. It has been found that the most effective agent reducing the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase thiols essential for the cooperativity is dihydrolipoate, one of the intermediates of the overall alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase reaction. The possibility of changing the properties of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase in the multienzyme complex under the conditions when the lipoic acid integrated into the complex is reduced, has been investigated. Thus, incubation of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex with NADH has been found to induce the conversion from the non-cooperative form to the cooperative one, presumably through the reduction of lipoic acid bound to the complex in the reaction catalyzed by lipoyl dehydrogenase, the third component of the complex.     

The form of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase showing no cooperative properties during substrate binding

A form of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase was detected, which is characterized by the non-equivalency of active centers for substrate binding normally revealed by chemical modification techniques and typical for other enzyme forms. The properties of various forms of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (both soluble and immobilized on Sepharose) were compared. It was shown that despite its dimeric structure the newly detected enzyme form binds alpha-ketoglutarate in a way similar to the monomer; in this case no substrate-induced non-equivalency of the subunits due to intersubunit interactions is observed. It was found that the independent functioning of the active centers of the enzyme is due to the loosening of intersubunit contacts.     

Change in alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase cooperative properties due to dihydrolipoate and NADH

Reducing 2 SH-groups of KGD by dihydrolipoate leads to cooperativity in substrate binding. Cooperative properties of KGD in the KGD complex are modulated by NADH. Physiological significance of these observations is discussed.     

Regulation of the butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase by substrate and product binding

Until now, workers in the field of fatty acid metabolism have suggested that the substrates are isopotential with the enzymes and that the reactions are forced to completion by the formation of charge-transfer complexes [Gustafson, W. G., Feinberg, B. A., & McFarland, J. T. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 7733-7741]. To date, no experimental evidence for this hypothesis exists. The work presented here shows that the butyryl-CoA/crotonyl-CoA couple is not isopotential with the enzymes with which it interacts. The potential of the butyryl-CoA/crotonyl-CoA couple (E ' = -0.013 V) is significantly more positive than the potential of either of the enzymes with which it interacts, bacterial butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (E ' = -0.079 V) and mammalian general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (E ' = 0.133 V). These data imply that the regulation of enzyme potential is essential for any electron transfer from substrate to enzyme to occur in mammalian or bacterial systems. In support of this assertion, a significant shift in potential for bacterial butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (an analogue of the mammalian enzyme) in the presence of butyryl-CoA and crotonyl-CoA is reported. The potential is shifted positive by 60 mV. Larger potential shifts will undoubtedly be observed with the mammalian enzyme, which would be consistent with the catalytic direction of electron transfer.     

Regulation of the redox potential of general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase by substrate binding

Significant thermodynamic changes have been observed for general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (GAD) upon substrate binding. Spectroelectrochemical studies of GAD and several of its substrates have revealed that these substrates are essentially isopotential for chain lengths of C-4 to C-16 (E 0' =-0.038 to -0.045 V vs SHE). When GAD is bound by these substrates, a dramatic shift in the midpoint potential of the enzyme is observed (E 0' = -0.136 V for ligand-free GAD and -0.026 V for acyl-CoA-bound GAD), thus allowing a thermodynamically favorable transfer of electrons from substrate to enzyme. This contrasts with values reported elsewhere. From these data an isopotential scheme of electron delivery into the electron-transport chain is proposed.     

Effect of alpha-ketoglutarate and its structural analogues on hysteretic properties of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase

The burst of product accumulation during the KGD reaction was investigated. It has been shown not to be the obligatory feature of catalysis, but appears when increasing the enzyme saturation by KG. Structural analogues of KG and the SH-group modification suppress the initial burst without preventing catalysis. The results obtained are in favour of the existence of the regulatory site for binding KG and its structural analogues essential for hysteretic properties of KGD.     

Regulation of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from pigeon breast muscle]

The activity of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from pigeon breast muscle is controlled by ADP and the reaction products, i. e. succinyl-CoA and NADH. ADP activates the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase component of the complex, whereas NADH inhibits alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and lipoyl dehydrogenase. In the presence of NADH the kinetic curve of the complex with respect to alpha-ketoglutarate and NAD and the dependence of upsilon versus [NAD] and upsilon versus [Lip (SH)2] in the lipoyl dehydrogenase reaction are S-shaped. In the absence of inhibitor ADP had no activating effect on lipoyl dehydrogenase; however, in the presence of NADH ADP decreases the cooperativity for NAD. The cooperative kinetics of the constituent enzymes of the complex are indicative of its allosteric properties. Isolation of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and its lipoyl dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase components in a desensitized state confirms their allosteric nature. It is assumed that NADH effects of isolated alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase is due to a shift in the equilibrium between different oligomeric forms of the enzyme.     

Inactivation of ribonuclease inhibitor by thiol-disulfide exchange.

Porcine ribonuclease inhibitor (RI) contains 30 1/2-cystinyl residues, all of which occur in the reduced form. Reaction of the native protein with 5,5'-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) resulted in the release of 30 mol of the product 5-mercapto-2-nitrobenzoate, and the loss of the RNase inhibitory activity. A linear relationship between the degree of modification and inactivation was observed. The rate of modification was greatly increased in the presence of 6 M guanidinium HCl. Reaction with substoichiometric amounts of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) was found to yield a mixture of fully reduced active molecules, and fully oxidized inactive ones, but no partially oxidized forms were detected. This suggests that an "all-or-none" type of modification and inactivation took place. All 1/2-cystinyl residues in the inactive, monomeric inhibitor had formed disulfide bridges, judged by the absence of either free thiol groups or mixed disulfides with 5-mercapto-2-nitrobenzoate. This fully disulfide-cross-linked molecule had an open conformation compared to the native one, as shown by gel filtration and limited proteolysis. Reaction of phenylarsinoxide with vicinal dithiols yields products that are much more stable than those with monothiols. Titration of RI with this reagent yielded complete inactivation at a reagent/thiol ratio of 0.5. Taken together, these observations suggest that the thiol groups in RI have a diminished reactivity due to three-dimensional constraints. After the initial modification of a small number of thiol groups, a conformational change occurs which causes an increase in reactivity of the remaining thiols. The thiol groups are situated close enough together to permit the formation of 15 disulfide bridges in the inactive molecule.     

Specific conjugation of DNA binding proteins to DNA templates through thiol-disulfide exchange

The double-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotides with single internucleotide disulfide linkages were successfully used for covalent trapping of cysteine containing protein. In particular, an efficient conjugation of DNA methyltransferase SsoII to sequence-specific decoys was demonstrated. The obtained results assume that synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides bearing a new trapping site can be used as new tools to study and manipulate biological systems.     

Inhibition of pigeon breast muscle alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase by phosphonate analogues of alpha-ketoglutarate.

Succinylphosphonate (SP) is a powerful inhibitor of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGD). Methylation of the phosphonate reduces its inhibitory effect. The complex of KGD with SP undergoes a kinetically slow transition similar to the process observed during catalysis. alpha-Ketoglutarate binds to the enzyme-inhibitor complex, preventing its isomerisation.     

Regulation of malate dehydrogenase activity by glutamate, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and multienzyme interaction

Binding experiments indicate that mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase can associate with the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and that mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase can associate with this binary complex to form a ternary complex. Formation of this ternary complex enables low levels of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, in the presence of the aminotransferase, to reverse inhibition of malate oxidation by glutamate. Thus, glutamate can react with the aminotransferase in this complex without glutamate inhibiting production of oxalacetate by the malate dehydrogenase in the complex. The conversion of glutamate to alpha-ketoglutarate could also be facilitated because in the trienzyme complex, oxalacetate might be directly transferred from malate dehydrogenase to the aminotransferase. In addition, association of malate dehydrogenase with these other two enzymes enhances malate dehydrogenase activity due to a marked decrease in the Km of malate. The potential ability of the aminotransferase to transfer directly alpha-ketoglutarate to the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in this multienzyme system plus the ability of succinyl-CoA, a product of this transfer, to inhibit citrate synthase could play a role in preventing alpha-ketoglutarate and citrate from accumulating in high levels. This would maintain the catalytic activity of the multienzyme system because alpha-ketoglutarate and citrate allosterically inhibit malate dehydrogenase and dissociate this enzyme from the multienzyme system. In addition, citrate also competitively inhibits fumarase. Consequently, when the levels of alpha-ketoglutarate and citrate are high and the multienzyme system is not required to convert glutamate to alpha-ketoglutarate, it is inactive. However, control by citrate would be expected to be absent in rapidly dividing tumors which characteristically have low mitochondrial levels of citrate.     

Regulation of 2-oxoglutarate (alpha-ketoglutarate) dehydrogenase stability by the RING finger ubiquitin ligase Siah

The 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGHDC) (also known as the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the mitochondrial Krebs cycle. Here we report that the RING finger ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase Siah2 binds to and targets OGDHC-E2 for ubiquitination-dependent degradation. OGDHC-E2 expression and activity are elevated in Siah2(-/-) cells compared with Siah2(+)(/)(+) cells. Deletion of the mitochondrial targeting sequence of OGDHC-E2 results in its cytoplasmic localization and rapid proteasome-dependent degradation in Siah2(+)(/)(+) but not in Siah2(-/-) cells. Significantly, because of its overexpression or disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential, the release of OGDHC-E2 from mitochondria to the cytoplasm also results in its concomitant degradation. The role of the Siah family of ligases in the regulation of OGDHC-E2 stability is expected to take place under pathological conditions in which the levels of OGDHC-E2 are altered.     

The alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in neurodegeneration

Altered energy metabolism is characteristic of many neurodegenerative disorders. Reductions in the key mitochondrial enzyme complex, the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), occur in a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The reductions in KGDHC activity may be responsible for the decreases in brain metabolism, which occur in these disorders. KGDHC can be inactivated by several mechanisms, including the actions of free radicals (Reactive Oxygen Species, ROS). Other studies have associated specific forms of one of the genes encoding KGDHC (namely the DLST gene) with AD, Parkinson's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. Reductions in KGDHC activity can be plausibly linked to several aspects of brain dysfunction and neuropathology in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies are needed to assess mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of KGDHC to oxidative stress and the relation of KGDHC deficiency to selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases.     

Thermodynamic regulation of human short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase by substrate and product binding

Human short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (hSCAD) catalyzes the first matrix step in the mitochondrial beta-oxidation cycle for substrates with four and six carbons. Previous studies have shown that the act of substrate/product binding induces a large enzyme potential shift in acyl-CoA dehydrogenases. The objective of this work was to examine the thermodynamic regulation of this process through direct characterization of the electrochemical properties of hSCAD using spectroelectrochemical methodology. A large amount of substrate activation was observed in the enzymatic reaction of hSCAD (+33 mV), the greatest magnitude measured in any acyl-CoA dehydrogenase to date. To examine the role of the substrate as well as the product in electron transfer by hSCAD, a catalytic base mutation (E368Q) was constructed. The E368Q mutation inactivates the reductive and oxidative pathways such that the individual effects of substrate and product binding on the redox potential can be investigated. Optimal substrate (butyryl-CoA) was seen to shift the flavin redox potential slightly more positive (+38 mV) than did optimal product (crotonyl-CoA) (+31 mV), a finding opposite of that observed in another short-chain enzyme, bacterial SCAD. These results indicate that substrate redox activation occurs in hSCAD leading to a large enzyme midpoint potential shift. Substrate binding in hSCAD appears to make a larger contribution than does product to thermodynamic modulation.