A new arylating agent, 2-carboxy-4,6-dinitrochlorobenzene. Reaction with model compounds and bovine pancreatic ribonuclease.

The reagent 2-carboxy-4,6-dinitrochlorobenzene (CDNCB) reacts with the imino, amino and sulfhydryl groups of model compounds. At pH 8.2, sulfhydryl groups react much faster than do amines. N alpha-Acetylhistidine, N alpha-acetyltyrosine and N alpha-acetyltryptophan do not react. Poly(L-Lysine) and poly(DL-lysine) react about 50 times as fast as does N alpha-acetyllysine. A dichloroanalog, 6-carboxy-2,4-dinitro-1,3-dichlorobenzene, shows stepwise reactivity with amines. With bovine pancreatic ribonuclease, which contains no sulfhydryl, CDNCB reacts preferentially with the epsilon-amino of Lys-41 at 450 times the rate with the epsilon-amino of N alpha-acetyllysine. The preferential reactivity at Lys-41 is discussed in relation to the pK of Ly-41, the cationic character of the active site cleft, and the mechanism of RNAase action on substrates.     

Sulfhydryls of platelet tubulin: their role in polymerization and colchicine binding

Sulfhydryls and disulfides of platelet tubulin have been quantified, their accessibility and reactivity measured, and their role in polymerization and colchicine binding evaluated. Platelet tubulin isolated by two cycles of temperature-dependent polymerization--depolymerization was found to contain 12 free sulfhydryl groups per tubulin monomer all of which reacted rapidly with p-chloromercuribenzoate. One sulfhydryl was inaccessible to dithiobis(nitrobenzoic acid). Under anaerobic conditions of tubulin extraction, one intrachain disulfide bridge was found per tubulin monomer. Polymerization of tubulin reduced the number of sulfhydryls by one which were able to react with p-chloromercuribenzoate or dithiobis(nicotinic acid) but did not affect the disulfide bridge. Polymerizability of platelet tubulin was very sensitive to blocking of free sulfhydryl groups. Complete inhibition of microtubule assembly was obtained when the number of free sulfhydryls per tubulin was reduced by 3 but could be reversed by the addition of dithiothreitol. Colchicine binding, on the other hand, was only minimally influenced by blocking of sulfhydryls.     

Cytotoxicity of quinolones toward eukaryotic cells. Identification of topoisomerase II as the primary cellular target for the quinolone CP-115,953 in yeast.

The quinolone CP-115,953 (6,8-difluoro-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-cyclopropyl-4- quinolone-3-carboxylic acid) represents a novel mechanistic class of drugs with potent activity against eukaryotic topoisomerase II in vitro (Robinson, M. J., Martin, B. A., Gootz, T. D., McGuirk, P. R., Moynihan, M., Sutcliffe, J. A., and Osheroff, N. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 14585-14592). Although the quinolone is highly toxic to mammalian cells in culture, its mechanism of cytotoxic action is not known. Therefore, yeast was used as a model system to determine whether topoisomerase II is the primary target responsible for the in vivo effects of CP-115,953. The quinolone was equipotent to etoposide at enhancing DNA breakage mediated by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae type II enzyme. Moreover, at concentrations as low as 5 microM, CP-115,953 was cytotoxic to yeast cells that carried wild type topoisomerase II (TOP2+). By utilizing a yeast strain that expressed the top2-1 temperature-sensitive mutant, the effect of topoisomerase II activity on quinolone cytotoxicity was determined. At the permissive temperature of 25 degrees C, cells were highly sensitive to CP-115,953. However, at the semipermissive temperature of 30 degrees C (where in vivo enzyme activity is present but is greatly diminished), cells displayed only marginal sensitivity to the quinolone at concentrations as high as 50 microM. These results strongly suggest that topoisomerase II is the primary physiological target responsible for quinolone cytotoxicity and that CP-115,953 kills cells by converting the type II enzyme into a cellular poison.     

Topoisomerase II poisoning and antineoplastic action by DNA-nonbinding diacetyl and dicarboxaldoxime derivatives of ferrocene

Topoisomerase II is a major molecular target for a number of DNA-binding anticancer drugs. In the present study, we report topoisomerase II inhibition and anticancer activity by four substituted ferrocene derivatives which do not bind to DNA. The first derivative, acetyl-substituted ferrocene (monoacetylferrocene), showed a minor inhibition of topoisomerase II activity along with a consequent inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. The second derivative (diacetylferrocene) showed a higher potency of action compared to the monosubstituted derivative. The third and fourth derivatives, with mono- and disubstituted carboxaldoxime groups (ferrocenecarboxaldoxime and ferrocenedicarboxaldoxime), showed a higher anticancer action and stronger topoisomerase II inhibition. To understand their molecular mechanism of action, cleavage assays were carried out to monitor the drug-induced, topoisomerase II mediated DNA cleavage. The results show that diacetylferrocene and ferrocenedicarboxaldoxime could form an enzyme-drug-DNA ternary complex, called a "cleavage complex," resulting in DNA cleavage. These results along with those of an immunoprecipitation assay indicate that the two compounds interact with topoisomerase II alone and poison its activity by trapping the enzyme and enzyme-cleaved DNA in the covalently closed cleavage complex. The formation of such a complex has numerous genetic implications, which ultimately results in neoplastic cell death.     

Sulfhydryl reactivity demonstrates different conformational states for arrestin, arrestin activated by a synthetic phosphopeptide, and constitutively active arrestin.

The sulfhydryl groups of the three cysteines in bovine arrestin react with DTNB very slowly (over a period of several hours). In the presence of the synthetic phosphopeptide comprising the fully phosphorylated carboxyl-terminal 19 amino acids of bovine rhodopsin, the reactivity of one of the sulfhydryls was enhanced while that of another was greatly reduced. Since this synthetic peptide was shown to activate arrestin with respect to its binding to unphosphorylated, light-activated rhodopsin, the reactivity of the sulfhydryl groups of a constitutively active R175Q arrestin mutant was examined. All three of the sulfhydryl groups of the mutant arrestin R175Q reacted rapidly with DTNB, but not as rapidly as with SDS-denatured arrestin. The arrestin mutant R175Q bound to light-activated, unphosphorylated rhodopsin in ROS disk membranes. The arrestin mutant R175Q also inhibited the light-activated PDE activity with an IC50 of 1.3 microM under the experimental conditions that were used. These data indicate that each of these forms of arrestin is a different conformation. The activated conformation of arrestin that binds to phosphorylated rhodopsin in vivo may be yet another conformation. We conclude that arrestin is a flexible molecule that is able to attain several different conformations, all of which are able to attain the activated functional state of arrestin.     

The role of sulfhydryl groups in sulfobromophthalein transport in rat liver plasma membrane vesicles

Sulfobromophthalein (BSP) electrogenic transport activity in a plasma membrane vesicle preparation from rat liver is shown to depend on free sulfhydryl groups. These are organized in two classes, one of which does not react with the sulfhydryl group reagent 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate). The two classes appear to be involved in BSP transport independently. However, reactivity of one class can be shown to be affected by alkylation of the other. Hence, it is concluded that both classes are located on the same carrier system, which previous research has established to be the integral sinusoidal membrane protein bilitranslocase.     

A comparative study of sulfhydryl groups required for the catalytic activity of gramicidin S synthetase and isoleucyl tRNA synthetase

The sulfhydryl groups required for the catalytic activity of gramicidin S synthetase of Bacillus brevis and Escherichia coli isoleucyl tRNA synthetase were compared. In gramicidin S synthetase 2(GS 2), about four sulfhydryl groups react rapidly with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) or N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), and are essential for gramicidin S formation in the presence of gramicidin S synthetase 1 (GS 1). These sulfhydryl groups are protected against DTNB and NEM reactions by the preincubation of GS 2 with amino acid substrates in the presence of ATP and MgCl2, like the sulfhydryl groups that react rapidly with DTNB or NEM and are required for the catalytic activity of GS 1 and isoleucyl tRNA synthetase. In GS 2, GS 1, and isoleucyl tRNA synthetase, the sulfhydryl group that reacts rapidly with NEM and is required for the catalytic activity is involved in the amino acid binding as a thioester. In isoleucyl tRNA synthetase, it is suggested that isoleucine may be transferred from the isoleucine thioester enzyme complex to tRNA by a mechanism similar to that proposed for gramicidin S synthetase.     

The topoisomerase II poison clerocidin alkylates non-paired guanines of DNA: implications for irreversible stimulation of DNA cleavage

Clerocidin, a diterpenoid with antibacterial and antitumor activity, stimulates in vitro DNA cleavage mediated by mammalian and bacterial topoisomerase (topo) II. Different from the classical topoisomerase poisons, clerocidin-stimulated breaks at guanines immediately preceding the sites of DNA cleavage are not resealed upon heat or salt treatment. To understand the mechanism of irreversible trapping of the topo II-cleavable complex, we have investigated the reactivity of clerocidin per se towards DNA. We show here that the drug is able to nick negatively supercoiled plasmids. DNA cleavage by clerocidin in enzyme-free medium is due to the ability of the drug to form covalent adducts with guanines. Indeed, clerocidin was able to specifically react with short oligonucleotides when the guanines were unpaired and exposed as in bulges or in the single-strand form. The clerocidin epoxy group attacks the nitrogen at position 7 of guanines, leading to strand scission at the modified site. Our findings also demonstrate that trapping of topoisomerases by clerocidin is specific for type II enzymes. The guanine-alkylating ability of clerocidin suggests an unprecedented mechanism of topo II poisoning, according to which the enzyme renders the drug reactive toward DNA by distorting the double-helical structure of the nucleic acid at the cleavage site.     

Separation of bisdioxopiperazine- and vanadate resistance in topoisomerase II

Bisdioxopiperazines are inhibitors of topoisomerase II trapping this protein as a closed clamp on DNA with concomitant inhibition of its ATPase activity. Here, we analyse the effects of N-terminal mutations identified in bisdioxopiperazine-resistant cells on ATP hydrolysis by this enzyme. We present data consistent with bisdioxopiperazine resistance arising by two different mechanisms; one involving reduced stability of the N-terminal clamp (the N-gate) and one involving reduced affinity for bisdioxopiperazines. Vanadate is a general inhibitor of type P ATPases and has recently been demonstrated to lock topoisomerase II as a salt-stable closed clamp on DNA analogous to the bisdioxopiperazines. We show that a R162K mutation in human topoisomerase II alpha renders this enzyme highly resistant towards vanadate while having little effect on bisdioxopiperazine sensitivity. The implications of these findings for the mechanism of action of bisdioxopiperazines versus vanadate with topoisomerase II are discussed.     

Specific reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds such as 6-shogaol with sulfhydryl groups in tubulin leading to microtubule damage

6-Shogaol and 6-gingerol are ginger components with similar chemical structures. However, while 6-shogaol damages microtubules, 6-gingerol does not. We have investigated the molecular mechanism of 6-shogaol-induced microtubule damage and found that the action of 6-shogaol results from the structure of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. alpha,beta-Unsaturated carbonyl compounds such as 6-shogaol react with sulfhydryl groups of cysteine residues in tubulin, and impair tubulin polymerization. The reaction with sulfhydryl groups depends on the chain length of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. In addition, alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds are more reactive with sulfhydryl groups in tubulin than in 2-mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, glutathione and papain, a cysteine protease.     

The reaction of sulfhydryl groups with carbonyl compounds

The sulfhydryl groups of L-cysteine and reduced glutathione (GSH) react nonenzymatically with formaldehyde (F), acrolein (Al), acetaldehyde (AA), malondialdehyde (DAM), pyruvate (P), oxoglutarate (oxo-G) and glucose (G) to form thiazolidine derivatives. These reactions show different velocities and the adducts formed show different stabilities. The equilibrium constants K, as well as the rate constants kr for the reverse reaction, show considerable variation. The carbonyls reveal higher reactivity with sulfhydryl group of L-Cys than with those of GSH, and the stability of the adducts is higher than that of GSH. Al, F and AA react more rapidly with both thiol compounds than the other carbonyls, but the adducts are less stable. The sulfhydryl groups level of bovine serum albumin as well as those of high- and low-molecular thiols of human plasma is reduced in the presence of Al, F or DAM.     

Inactivation of human pancreatic lipase by 5-dodecyldithio-2-nitrobenzoic acid.

Both thiol groups of native human pancreatic lipase can react with the new hydrophobic sulfhydryl reagent 5-dodecyldithio-2-nitrobenzoic acid (Dod-S-NbS) in the absence of a denaturing agent. Here we describe for the first time the covalent and stoichiometric modification of the inaccessible SHII group of native pancreatic lipase, using a 16-fold molar excess of this hydrophobic sulfhydryl reagent. A direct correlation was found to exist between the covalent modification of this SHII group and the loss of lipase activity. The question has not yet been answered, however, as to how Dod-S-NbS reaches the SHII-containing residue, whereas classical hydrophilic sulfhydryl reagents are unable to do so. This difference in reactivity may be attributable to the hydrophobic character of Dod-S-NbS and its potential capacity to form aggregates inducing a conformational change in the lipase molecule.     

The role of sulfhydryl groups in the bleaching and synthesis of rhodopsin

The condensation of retinene₁ with opsin to form rhodopsin is optimal at pH about 6, a pH which favors the condensation of retinene₁ with sulfhydryl rather than with amino groups. The synthesis of rhodopsin, though unaffected by the less powerful sulfhydryl reagents, monoiodoacetic acid and its amide, is inhibited completely by p-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB). This inhibition is reversed in part by the addition of glutathione. PCMB does not attack rhodopsin itself, nor does it react with retinene₁. Its action in this system is confined to the —SH groups of opsin. Under some conditions the synthesis of rhodopsin is aided by the presence of such a sulfhydryl compound as glutathione, which helps to keep the —SH groups of opsin free and reduced. By means of the amperometric silver titration of Kolthoff and Harris, it is shown that sulfhydryl groups are liberated in the bleaching of rhodopsin, two such groups for each retinene₁ molecule that appears. This is true equally of rhodopsin from the retinas of cattle, frogs) and squid. The exposure of new sulfhydryl groups adds an important element to the growing evidence that relates the bleaching of rhodopsin to protein denaturation. The place of sulfhydryl groups in the structure of rhodopsin is still uncertain. They may be concerned directly in binding the chromophore to opsin; or alternatively they may furnish hydrogen atoms for some reductive change by which the chromophore is formed from retinene₁. In the amperometric silver titration, the bleaching of rhodopsin yields directly an electrical variation. This phenomenon may have some fundamental connection with the role of rhodopsin in visual excitation, and may provide a model of the excitation process in general.     

STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF HYDROGEN TRANSPORT IN ANIMAL TISSUES : VI. INHIBITOR STUDIES WITH SUCCINIC DEHYDROGENASE

1. The mechanism of succinic dehydrogenase action was studied by means of inhibitors. 2. The enzyme is inhibited by a large number of diverse compounds whose only common denominator appears to be their ability to react with SH groups. These compounds include quinonoid structures, sulfhydryl reagents, sulfhydryl compounds, copper, zinc, selenite, and arsenite. 3. In contrast to the above inhibitors, the action of malonate does not appear to involve sulfhydryl groups and is explained on the basis of its affinity for the enzyme groups which react with the carboxyl groups of succinate. 4. The action of malonate and the sulfhydryl reactants is mutually exclusive, and this fact suggests the conclusion that the sulfhydryl group of the enzyme is located between the carboxyl affinity points. 5. On the basis of the deduced structure of the succinate-activating center of the enzyme, it is suggested that the enzyme may function by oscillating between the EnSH and EnS· forms, rather than by a thiol-disulfide equilibrium.     

Functional dissection of the C-terminal domain of type II DNA topoisomerase from the kinetoplastid hemoflagellate Leishmania donovani

The amino acid sequences of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the type II DNA topoisomerases are divergent and species specific as compared with the highly conserved N-terminal and central domains. A set of C-terminal deletion mutants of Leishmania donovani topoisomerase II was constructed. Removal of more than 178 amino acids out of 1236 amino acid residues from the C-terminus inactivates the enzyme, whereas removal of 118 amino acids or less has no apparent effect on the ability of the parasite enzyme to complement a temperature-sensitive mutation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae topoisomerase II gene. Deletion analysis revealed a potent nuclear localization signal (NLS) within the amino acid residues 998–1058. Immunomicroscopy results suggest that the removal of an NLS in the CTD is likely to contribute to the physiological dysfunction of these proteins. Modeling of the LdTOP2 based on the crystal structure of the yeast type II DNA topoisomerase showed that the parasite protein assumes a structure similar to its yeast counterpart harboring all the conserved residues in a structurally similar position. However, a marked difference in electrostatic potential was found in a span of 60 amino acid residues (998–1058), which also do not have any homology with topoisomerase II sequences. Such significant differences can be exploited by the structure-based design of selective inhibitors using the structure of the Leishmania enzyme as a template.     

Omeprazole, a specific inhibitor of gastric (H+-K+)-ATPase, is a H+-activated oxidizing agent of sulfhydryl groups

Omeprazole (5-methoxy-2-[[(4-methoxy-3,5- dimethylpyridinyl)methyl]sulfinyl]-1H-benzimidazole) appeared to inhibit gastric (H+-K+)-ATPase by oxidizing its essential sulfhydryl groups, since the gastric ATPase inactivated by the drug in vivo or in vitro recovered its K+-dependent ATP hydrolyzing activity upon incubation with mercaptoethanol. Biological reducing agents like cysteine or glutathione, however, were unable to reverse the inhibitory effect of omeprazole. Moreover, acidic environments enhanced the potency of omeprazole. For example, in vivo pretreatment of rats with carbachol, a secretagogue, enhanced the activity of omeprazole to inhibit gastric (H+-K+)-ATPase, while pretreatment with cimetidine, an antisecretory agent, reduced its potency. In vitro, lowering pH of incubation media from 7.4 to 5.0 improved the ability of omeprazole to inhibit hog gastric (H+-K+)-ATPase almost 60-fold. The inhibitory effect of the drug was accompanied by a dose-dependently decreased amount of free sulfhydryl groups in the isolated hog gastric membranes. The chemical reactivity of omeprazole with mercaptans is also consistent with the biological action of omeprazole. The drug, only under acidic conditions, reacted with a stoichiometric amount of ethyl mercaptan (or beta-mercaptoethanol) to produce regio-isomers of N-sulfenylated omeprazole sulfide (5-methoxy-2[[(4-methoxy-3,5- dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)methyl]thio]-1- or 3-(ethylthio)benzimidazole). The N-sulfenylated compound reacted at neutral pH with another stoichiometric amount of ethyl mercaptan to produce omeprazole sulfide quantitatively. The gastric polypeptides of 100 kilodaltons representing (H+-K+)-ATPase in the rat gastric mucosa or isolated hog gastric membranes were covalently labeled with [14C]omeprazole. The radioactive label bound to the ATPase, however, could not be displaced by mercaptoethanol under the identical conditions where the ATPase activity was fully restored. These observations suggest that the essential sulfhydryl groups which reacted with omeprazole did not form a stable covalent bond with the drug, but rather that they further reacted with adjacent sulfhydryl groups to form disulfides which could be reduced by mercaptoethanol.     

Penicillamine deprotonations and interactions with copper ions

In aqueous solutions about five times as many penicillamine molecules possess ionized sulfhydryl groups as deprotonated amino groups. That the corresponding ratio for cysteine is two is reaffirmed. N-Acetyl-dl-penicillamine and d-penicillamine react with Cu(II), even in acid solutions, to yield the corresponding disulfide and Cu(I). Cu(I) binds on the average only one sulfhydryl molecule, and a polymeric structure is suggested. A mixed valence state purple species absorbing at 520 nm and stable even in air is formed when approximately equivalent amounts of Cu(I), Cu(II), and d-penicillamine are present in neutral solutions. In the absence of oxygen and in the presence of 0.1 n base d-penicillamine forms a 2:1 complex with Cu(II) that is stable for hours. Absorption and circular dichroism are reported for the above species and the Cu(II) complexes of l-cystinediamide and l-cystinylbisglycine.     

Effect of nitric oxide production on the redox modulatory site of the NMDA receptor-channel complex.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important messenger both systemically and in the CNS. In digital Ca2+ imaging and patch-clamp experiments, clinically available nitroso compounds that generate NO are shown to inhibit responses mediated by the NMDA subtype of the glutamate receptor on rat cortical neurons in vitro. A mechanism of action for this effect was investigated by using the specific NO-generating agent S-nitrosocysteine. We propose that free sulfhydryl groups on the NMDA receptor-channel complex react to form one or more S-nitrosothiols in the presence of NO. If vicinal thiol groups react in this manner, they can form a disulfide bond(s), which is thought to constitute the redox modulatory site of the receptor, resulting in a relatively persistent blockade of NMDA responses. These reactions with NO can afford protection from NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. Our results demonstrate a new pathway for NO regulation of physiological function that is not via cGMP, but instead involves reactions with membrane-bound thiol groups on the NMDA receptor-channel complex.     

On the mechanism of the chemical modification of the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase by coenzyme A

The liver mitochondrial acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase (acetyl-CoA:acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.9), is involved in ketone body synthesis. The enzyme can be chemically modified and inactivated by CoASH and also by CoASH-disulfides provided glutathione is present. The unmodified enzyme shows in its denatured state 7.95 +/- 0.44 sulfhydryl groups per enzyme and in its native state 3.92 +/- 0.34 sulfhydryl groups which react with Ellmann's reagent. The modified enzyme reveals in its native state also 4.07 +/- 0.25 sulfhydryl groups per enzyme, but in its denatured state 9.10 +/- 0.51 sulfhydryl groups could be detected. Approximately four sulfhydryl groups per enzyme, unmodified or modified, can be alkylated by iodoacetamide. These results prove for each subunit the existence of two sulfhydryl groups and suggest the existence of two disulfide bridges. The CoASH modification, which should proceed at one of these disulfide groups, prevents subsequent acetylation of the enzyme and is drastically reduced in the iodoacetamide-alkylated enzyme. In the demodification of the modified enzyme, the CoASH is set free as a mixed disulfide with glutathione.