Activation of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase by limited proteolysis.

The activity of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase is increased by limited tryptic proteolysis; the membrane-bound and purified forms of the enzyme are activated about 5- and 10-fold respectively. The cleavage sites that correlate with this activation were determined by amino acid sequence analysis to be located after Lys-4 and Lys-41. Differences in the relative extent of cleavage at these two sites did not consistently affect the degree of activation. Thus the data support the conclusion that cleavage at either site results in activation. The trypsin-activated enzyme was compared with the form activated with N-ethylmaleimide, which modifies Cys-49. These two differently activated forms were found to have similar kinetic parameters, which differ from those of the unactivated enzyme. The relatedness of the two types of activation is also demonstrated by the observation that microsomal glutathione transferase fully activated by N-ethylmaleimide is virtually resistant to further activation by trypsin. This is the case despite the fact that the N-ethylmaleimide-activated enzyme is much more susceptible to trypsin cleavage at Lys-41 than is the untreated enzyme. The latter observation indicates that activation with N-ethylmaleimide is accompanied by a conformational change involving Lys-41.     

Functional and structural membrane topology of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase

The membrane topology of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase was investigated by comparing the tryptic cleavage products from intact and permeabilized microsomes. It was shown that lysine-4 of microsomal glutathione transferase is accessible at the luminal surface of the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas lysine-41 faces the cytosol. These positions are separated by a hydrophobic stretch of 25 amino acids (positions 11–35) which comprises the likely membrane-spanning region. Reaction of cysteine-49 of the microsomal glutathione transferase with the charged sulfhydryl reagent DTNB (2,2′-dithiobis(5-nitrobenzoic acid))) in intact microsomes further supports the cytosolic localization of this portion of the polypeptide chain. The role of two other potential membrane-spanning/associated segments in the C-terminal half of the polypeptide chain was examined by investigating the association of the protein to the membrane after trypsin cleavage at lysine-41. Activity measurements and Western blot analysis after washing with high concentrations of salt, as well as after phase separation in Triton X-114, indicate that this portion of the protein also binds to the membrane. It is also shown that cleavage of the purified protein at Lys-41 and subsequent separation of the fragments obtained yields a functional C-terminal polypeptide with the expected length for the product encompassing positions 42–154. The location of the active site of microsomal glutathione transferase was investigated using radiolabelled glutathione together with a second substrate. Since isolated rat liver microsomes do not take up glutathione or release the glutathione conjugate into the lumen, it can be concluded that the active site of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase faces the cytosolic side of the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Studies on the activity and activation of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase with a series of glutathione analogues

The substrate specificity of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase toward glutathione has been examined in a systematic manner. Out of a glycyl-modified and eight gamma-glutamyl-modified glutathione analogues, it was found that four (glutaryl-L-Cys-Gly, alpha-L-Glu-L-Cys-Gly, alpha-D-Glu-L-Cys-Gly, and gamma-L-Glu-L-Cys-beta-Ala) function as substrates. The kinetic parameters for three of these substrates (the alpha-D-Glu-L-Cys-Gly analogue gave very low activity) were compared with those of GSH with both unactivated and the N-ethylmaleimide-activated microsomal glutathione transferase. The alpha-L-Glu-L-Cys-Gly analogue is similar to GSH in that it has a higher kcat (6.9 versus 0.6 s-1) value with the activated enzyme compared with the unactivated enzyme but displays a high Km (6 versus 11 mM) with both forms. Glutaryl-L-Cys-Gly, in contrast, exhibited a similar kcat (8.9 versus 6.7 s-1) with the N-ethylmaleimide-treated enzyme but retains a higher Km value (50 versus 15 mM). Thus, the alpha-amino group of the glutamyl residue in GSH is important for the activity of the activated microsomal glutathione transferase. These observations were quantitated by analyzing the changes in the Gibbs free energy of binding calculated from the changes in kcat/Km values, comparing the analogues to GSH and each other. It is estimated that the binding energy of the alpha-amino group of the glutamyl residue in GSH contributes 9.7 kJ/mol to catalysis by the activated enzyme, whereas the corresponding value for the unactivated enzyme is 3.2 kJ/mol. The importance of the acidic functions in glutathione is also evident as shown by the lack of activity with 4-aminobutyric acid-L-Cys-Gly and the low kcat/Km values with gamma-L-Glu-L-Cys-beta-Ala (0.03 and 0.01 mM-1s-1 for unactivated and activated enzyme, respectively). Utilization of binding energy from a correctly positioned carboxyl group in the glycine residue (10 and 17 kJ/mol for unactivated and activated enzyme, respectively) therefore also appears to be required for optimal activity and activation. A conformational change in the microsomal glutathione transferase upon treatment with N-ethylmaleimide or trypsin, which allows utilization of binding energy from the alpha-amino group of GSH as well as the glycine carboxyl in catalysis, is suggested to account for at least part of the activation of the enzyme.     

Interaction of 1,4-benzoquinone and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid with microsomal glutathione transferase from rat liver

Glutathione transferase (GST) was purified from the microsomes of rat liver by glutathione affinity chromatography. The interaction of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1,4-benzoquinone with microsomal GST was investigated and compared with cytosolic GST. The kinetic inhibition pattern of 1,4-benzoquinone towards microsomal GST was found to be different from that towards cytosolic GST. Microsomal GST purified by affinity chromatography was inhibited by 2,4-D in a non dose-dependent manner, while the crude microsomal GST was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. This difference was shown to be induced by a reaction on the affinity column, and not by Triton X-100 (also shown to be a GST inhibitor), glutathione, or the elution buffer 0.2% Triton X-100 and 5 mM glutathione in 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 9.6. The binding of microsomal GST to the affinity matrix caused a partial inactivation of the active site for 2,4-D interaction. The results show that the properties of soluble GST enzymes may not be extrapolated to the microsomal ones.     

Activation and inhibition of microsomal glutathione transferase from mouse liver.

Mouse liver microsomal glutathione transferase was purified in an N-ethylmaleimide-activated as well as an unactivated form. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 17 kDa and a pI of 8.8. It showed cross-reactivity with antibodies raised against rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase, but not with any of the available antisera raised against cytosolic glutathione transferases. The fully N-ethylmaleimide-activated enzyme could be further activated 1.5-fold by inclusion of 1 microM-bromosulphophthalein in the assay system. The latter effect was reversible, which was not the case for the N-ethylmaleimide activation. At 20 microM-bromosulphophthalein the activated microsomal glutathione transferase was strongly inhibited, while the unactivated form was activated 2.5-fold. Inhibitors of the microsomal glutathione transferase from mouse liver showed either about the same I50 values for the activated and the unactivated form of the enzyme, or significantly lower I50 values for the activated form compared with the unactivated form. The low I50 values and the steep slope of the activity-versus-inhibitor-concentration curves for the latter group of inhibitors tested on the activated enzyme indicate a co-operative effect involving conversion of activated enzyme into the unactivated form, as well as conventional inhibition of the enzyme.     

Chemical modification of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase defines residues of importance for catalytic function.

Amino acid residues that are essential for the activity of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase have been identified using chemical modification with various group-selective reagents. The enzyme reconstituted into phosphatidylcholine liposomes does not require stabilization with glutathione for activity (in contrast with the purified enzyme in detergent) and can thus be used for modification of active-site residues. Protection by the product analogue and inhibitor S-hexylglutathione was used as a criterion for specificity. It was shown that the histidine-selective reagent diethylpyrocarbonate inactivated the enzyme and that S-hexylglutathione partially protected against this inactivation. All three histidine residues in microsomal glutathione transferase could be modified, albeit at different rates. Inactivation of 90% of enzyme activity was achieved within the time period required for modification of the most reactive histidine, indicating the functional importance of this residue in catalysis. The arginine-selective reagents phenylglyoxal and 2,3-butanedione inhibited the enzyme, but the latter with very low efficiency; therefore no definitive assignment of arginine as essential for the activity of microsomal glutathione transferase can be made. The amino-group-selective reagents 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonate and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate inactivated the enzyme. Thus histidine residues and amino groups are suggested to be present in the active site of the microsomal glutathione transferase.     

Further evidence that rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase 1 is not a cellular protein target for S-nitrosylation

By adopting biotin switch method, we recently reported that liver microsomal glutathione transferase 1 (MGST1) might not be a protein target for S-nitrosylation in rat microsomes or in vivo. However, alternative analytic methods are needed to confirm this observation, as a single biotin switch method in judging specific protein S-nitrosylation in biological samples is increasingly recognized as insufficient, or even unreliable. Besides, only MGST1 localized on endoplasmic reticulum (ER), but not mitochondria which favors protein S-nitrosylation was examined in the previous report. Present study was therefore carried out to address these issues. Primary cultured hepatocytes were used. A physiological existing nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) was adopted to trigger protein S-nitrosylation. MGST1 was immunoprecipitated and its S-nitrosothiol content was measured by the NO probe 2,3-diaminonaphthalene. In parallel, S-nitrosylated proteins were immunoprecipitated by a monoclonal anti-S-nitrosocysteine antibody and probed with an anti-MGST1 antibody. In hepatocytes, neither ER nor mitochondria were found to contain S-nitrosylated MGST1 after GSNO treatment, showing that differently distributed MGST1 was consistently un-nitrosylable in the cellular environment. But under broken cell conditions, when samples were incubated directly with GSNO, MGST1 S-nitrosylation was indeed detectable in both the microsomal and mitochondrial proteins, indicating that previous failure in detecting MGST1 S-nitrosylation in microsomes is due to the limitations of biotin switch method. These results clearly, if not definitely, demonstrate that MGST1 is not a ready candidate for S-nitrosylation in the cellular content, despite its susceptibility to S-nitrosylation under broken cell conditions.     

Activity of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase toward products of lipid peroxidation and studies of the effect of inhibitors on glutathione-dependent protection against lipid peroxidation

Rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase displays glutathione peroxidase activity with linoleic acid hydroperoxide, linoleic acid ethyl ester hydroperoxide, and dilinoleoyl phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide, with rates of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.3 mumol/min/mg, respectively. The activities are increased between three- and fourfold when the enzyme is activated with N-ethylmaleimide. Microsomal glutathione transferase can also conjugate 4-hydroxynon-2-enal with a specific activity of 0.5 mumol/min/mg. These findings show that the enzyme can remove harmful products of lipid peroxidation and thereby possibly protect intracellular membranes against oxidative stress. A set of glutathione transferase inhibitors (rose bengal, tributyltin acetate, S-hexylglutathione, indomethacin, cibacron blue, and bromosulfophtalein) which abolish the glutathione-dependent protection against lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes have been characterized. These inhibitors were found to be effective in the micromolar range and could prove valuable in studying the factor responsible for glutathione-dependent protection against lipid peroxidation.     

Metabolism of melphalan by rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase

One of the major problems in the treatment of human cancer is the phenomenon of drug resistance. Increased glutathione (gamma-glutamylcysteinylglycine, GSH) conjugation (inactivation) due to elevated level of cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) is believed to be an important mechanism in tumor cell resistance. However, the potential involvement of microsomal GST in the establishment of acquired drug resistance (ADR) remains uncertain. In our experiments, a combination of liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS) was employed for structural characterization of the resulting conjugates between GSH and melphalan, one of the alkylating agents. The spontaneous reaction of 1mM melphalan with 5mM GSH at 37 degrees C in aqueous phosphate buffer for 1h gave primarily the monoglutathionyl and diglutathionyl melphalan derivatives, with small amounts of mono- and dihydroxy melphalan derivatives. We demonstrated that rat liver microsomal GST presented a strong catalytic effect on the reaction as determined by the increase of monoglutathionyl and diglutathionyl melphalan derivatives and the decrease of melphalan. We showed that microsomal GST was activated by melphalan in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Microsomal GST which was stimulated approximately 1.5-fold with melphalan had a stronger catalytic effect. Thus microsomal GST may play a potential role in the metabolism of melphalan in biological membranes, and in the development of ADR.     

Metabolism of chlorambucil by rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase

Clinical efficacy of alkylating anticancer drugs, such as chlorambucil (4-[p-[bis [2-chloroethyl] amino] phenyl]-butanoic acid; CHB), is often limited by the emergence of drug resistant tumor cells. Increased glutathione (gamma-glutamylcysteinylglycine; GSH) conjugation (inactivation) of alkylating anticancer drugs due to overexpression of cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) is believed to be an important mechanism in tumor cell resistance to alkylating agents. However, the potential involvement of microsomal GST in the establishment of acquired drug resistance (ADR) to CHB remains uncertain. In our experiments, a combination of lipid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS) was employed for structural characterization of the resulting conjugates between CHB and GSH. The spontaneous reaction of 1mM CHB with 5 mM GSH at 37 degrees C in aqueous phosphate buffer for 1 h gave primarily the monoglutathionyl derivative, 4-[p-[N-2-chloroethyl, N-2-S-glutathionylethyl] amino]phenyl]-butanoic acid (CHBSG) and the diglutathionyl derivative, 4-[p-[2-S-glutathionylethyl] amino]phenyl]-butanoic acid (CHBSG2) with small amounts of the hydroxy-derivative, 4-[p-[N-2-S-glutathionylethyl, N-2-hydroxyethyl] amino]phenyl]-butanoic acid (CHBSGOH), 4-[p-[bis[2-hydroxyethyl] amino]phenyl]-butanoic acid (CHBOH2), 4-[p-[N-2-chloroethyl, N-2-S-hydroxyethyl]amino]phenyl]-butanoic acid (CHBOH). We demonstrated that rat liver microsomal GST presented a strong catalytic effect on these reactions as determined by the increase of CHBSG2, CHBSGOH and CHBSG and the decrease of CHB. We showed that microsomal GST was activated by CHB in a concentration and time dependent manner. Microsomal GST which was stimulated approximately two-fold with CHB had a stronger catalytic effect. Thus, microsomal GST may play a potential role in the metabolism of CHB in biological membranes, and in the development of ADR.     

Preferential transport of glutathione versus glutathione disulfide in rat liver microsomal vesicles

A bi-directional, saturable transport of glutathione (GSH) was found in rat liver microsomal vesicles. GSH transport could be inhibited by the anion transport blockers flufenamic acid and 4, 4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. A part of GSH taken up by the vesicles was metabolized to glutathione disulfide (GSSG) in the lumen. Microsomal membrane was virtually nonpermeable toward GSSG; accordingly, GSSG generated in the microsomal lumen could hardly exit. Therefore, GSH transport, contrary to previous assumptions, is preferred in the endoplasmic reticulum, and GSSG entrapped and accumulated in the lumen creates the oxidized state of its redox buffer.     

The projection structure of microsomal glutathione transferase.

Through the use of electron crystallography, it has been possible to obtain high resolution structural information regarding a mammalian protein that spans the lipid bilayer. Two-dimensional crystals of the detoxification enzyme microsomal glutathione transferase were induced by slow detergent removal from a mixture containing low amounts of phospholipid. Images of specimens stabilized in tannin were collected using electron cryomicroscopy. The projection structure at 4 A shows tightly packed trimers of the protein. Each of them contains an inner core of six parallel alpha-helices delineating a central low density region. The helical bundle is partly surrounded by elongated domains.     

Estrogen metabolism in rat liver microsomal and isolated hepatocyte preparations--II. Inhibition studies

The abilities of various inhibitors and metabolism modifiers to alter the metabolism of estradiol and the irreversible binding of estradiol to proteins were examined in subcellular microsomal incubations and in intact hepatocyte preparations. In studies with rat liver microsomal preparations containing estradiol and an NADPH-generating system, the irreversible binding of radiolabeled steroid metabolite(s) to the microsomal proteins was 77.59 pmol/mg/min (SD 6.1; 7.6% of total steroid). 2-Bromoestradiol and 4-bromoestradiol, inhibitors of estrogen 2-hydroxylase, effectively decreased this irreversible binding of radiolabeled estradiol metabolite(s) to microsomal proteins to 17 pmol mg-1 min-1 (2.1% of total estradiol). These haloestrogens were also effective inhibitors in the intact hepatocyte cells, decreasing the amounts of organic metabolites, aqueous-soluble conjugates, and protein-bound materials. The HPLC radiochromatograms of the organic-extracted fractions from the 2 h hepatocyte incubations demonstrate that the catechol estrogen products, i.e. 2-hydroxyestrogens and 2-methoxyestrogens, were present in lower amounts in the incubations containing the bromoestrogens than in control incubations containing no inhibitor. Ascorbic acid and cysteine, general modifiers of oxidative pathways of metabolism, also affected estradiol metabolism in microsomal and hepatocyte preparations. Both these agents were able to decrease the irreversible binding of estradiol to proteins in the microsomal assays. Ascorbic acid decreased the general metabolism of estradiol in the hepatocyte incubations but did not decrease irreversible binding to proteins. The addition of cysteine to the hepatocyte incubation resulted in an increased metabolism of estradiol and the production of more aqueous-soluble radiolabeled metabolites than the control incubations; however, cysteine did not decrease the amounts of estradiol metabolite(s) irreversibly bound to proteins. Investigations of steroid metabolism in the isolated hepatocytes thus provide an effective in vitro technique for examining the overall oxidative, reductive, and conjugative pathways that are functional in the liver and enables one to investigate the abilities of inhibitors, regulators, and modifiers to affect the metabolic processes. Also, these hepatocyte studies demonstrate that the inhibitors of estrogen 2-hydroxylase, 2-bromoestradiol and 4-bromoestradiol, can enter and act in the intact cells. Consequently, these agents may be useful pharmacological probes for examining the functions of catechol estrogens in other tissues.     

NADPH dependent activation of microsomal glutathione transferase 1

Microsomal glutathione transferase 1 (MGST1) can become activated up to 30-fold by several mechanisms in vitro (e.g. covalent modification by reactive electrophiles such as N-ethylmaleimide (NEM)). Activation has also been observed in vivo during oxidative stress. It has been noted that an NADPH generating system (g.s.) can activate MGST1 (up to 2-fold) in microsomal incubations, but the mechanism was unclear. We show here that NADPH g.s treatment impaired N-ethylmaleimide activation, indicating a shared target (identified as cysteine-49 in the latter case). Furthermore, NADPH activation was prevented by sulfhydryl compounds (glutathione and dithiothreitol). A well established candidate for activation would be oxidative stress, however we could exclude that oxidation mediated by cytochrome P450 2E1 (or flavine monooxygenase) was responsible for activation under a defined set of experimental conditions since superoxide or hydrogen peroxide alone did not activate the enzyme (in microsomes prepared by our routine procedure). Actually, the ability of MGST1 to become activated by hydrogen peroxide is critically dependent on the microsome preparation method (which influences hydrogen peroxide decomposition rate as shown here), explaining variable results in the literature. NADPH g.s. dependent activation of MGST1 could instead be explained, at least partly, by a direct effect observed also with purified enzyme (up to 1.4-fold activation). This activation was inhibited by sulfhydryl compounds and thus displays the same characteristics as that of the microsomal system. Whereas NADPH, and also ATP, activated purified MGST1, several nucleotide analogues did not, demonstrating specificity. It is thus an intriguing possibility that MGST1 function could be modulated by ligands (as well as reactive oxygen species) during oxidative stress when sulfhydryls are depleted.     

Studies on the activity and activation of rat liver microsomal glutathione transferase, in particular with a substrate analogue series

A number of potential substrates for the microsomal glutathione transferase have been investigated. Out of 11 epoxides tested, only two, i.e. androstenoxide and benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-oxide, were found to be substrates. Upon treatment of the enzyme with N-ethylmaleimide, its activity toward only certain substrates is increased. It appeared upon inspection of the bimolecular rate constants from the corresponding nonenzymatic reactions that the substrates for which the activity is increased are the more reactive ones. This hypothesis was investigated further using a series of para-substituted 1-chloro-2-nitrobenzene derivatives as substrates. Activation was seen only with the more reactive nitro-, aldehyde-, and acetaldehyde-substituted compounds and not with the amide and chloroanalogues, thus demonstrating the predicted effect with a related series of compounds. Interestingly, kcat values are increased 7-20-fold by N-ethylmaleimide treatment, whereas the corresponding kcat/Km value is increased only for the p-nitro derivative. Effective molarity and rate enhancement values were found to increase with decreasing reactivity of the substrate, attaining maximal values of 10(5) M and 10(8), respectively. It is concluded that the glutathione transferases are quite effective catalysts with their less reactive substrates. Hammett rho values for the kcat values of unactivated and activated enzyme were 0.49 and 2.0, respectively. The latter value is close to those found for cytosolic glutathione transferases, indicating that activation changes the catalytic mechanism so that it more closely resembles that of the soluble enzymes. The rho values for kcat/Km values were 3 and 3.5 for the unactivated and activated enzyme, respectively, values close to those observed for the nonenzymatic bimolecular rate constants and thereby demonstrating that these reactions have similar properties. The high coefficients of correlation between resonance sigma- values and all of these parameters demonstrate a strong dependence on substrate electrophilicity, as expected for nucleophilic aromatic substitution.     

Activation of rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase by gallic acid

The effect of phenolic antioxidants on the rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase (MGST1) was investigated in vitro. When microsomes were incubated with various polyphenolic antioxidants, gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) markedly increased MGST1 activity and the increase was prevented in the presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD) or catalase. The MGST1 activity increased by gallic acid was decreased by further incubation with sodium arsenite, a sulfenic acid reducing agent, but was not with dithiothreitol, a disulfide bond reducing agent. The incubation of microsomes with gallic acid in the presence of the NADPH generating system which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) through cytochrome P-450 system increased the MGST1activity in spite of scavenging the ROS and the increase was also depressed by SOD/catalase. The increase of MGST1 activity by gallic acid was prevented by co-incubation with a stable radical, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl or ferric chloride. These results suggest that the gallic acid acts as a pro-oxidant and activates MGST1 through oxidative modification of the enzyme.     

Topological studies on rat liver microsomal cholesterol ester hydrolase

Lateral and transversal distribution of cholesterol ester hydrolase activity in rat liver microsomal membranes has been studied. Total cholesterol ester hydrolase activity was found predominantly (75%) in rough microsomes though specific esterase activities were similar in rough and smooth microsomal fractions. The transversal asymmetry of the enzyme was examined using the criteria of protease sensitivity and latency of mannose-6-phosphate phosphatase. Cholesterol ester hydrolase resulted drastically inhibited by proteolysis with trypsin when microsomal integrity had been previously disrupted with sodium deoxycholate or sodium taurocholate. Under these conditions, most lumenal mannose-6-phosphate phosphatase activity was destroyed. However, cholesterol esterase was unaffected by preincubating microsomes with the detergent alone, which led to the complete expression of latent mannose-6-phosphate phosphatase or by preincubating them with trypsin, where less than a 15% of the lumenal mannose-6-phosphate phosphatase was lost. These findings suggest that cholesterol ester hydrolase activity is located on the lumenal surface of the hepatic microsomal vesicles.     

Interaction of the rat liver glutathione transferase system with 1-phthalimidoazimines

The interaction of rat liver glutathione and glutathione transferase with several 1-phthalimidoazimines is studied. Differences between spontaneous and enzymatic reactions of azimines and reduced glutathione are shown. It is pointed out that the formation of glutathione-azimine complexes takes place in the reaction mixture.     

Characterization of toad liver glutathione transferase

The major form of glutathione transferase from the toad liver previously designed as Bufo bufo liver GST-7.6 (A. Aceto, B. Dragani, T. Bucciarelli, P. Sacchetta, F. Martini, S. Angelucci, F. Amicarelli, M. Miranda and C. Di Ilio, Biochem. J. 289 (1993) 417-422) has been characterized. According to its partial amino acid sequence, the toad enzyme may be included in the pi class GST and named bbGST P2-2. However, bbGST P2-2 appears to be immunologically, structurally and kinetically distinct from any other members of pi family, including bbGST P1-1, suggesting that it may constitute a subset of pi class GST. The data support the hypothesis that the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life causes a switch of the GST amphibian pattern promoting the expression of a GST form (bbGST P2-2) able to counteract, with higher efficiency, the toxic effects of reactive metabolites of oxidative metabolism and those of hydrophobic xenobiotics.     

Reactive nitrogen species derived activation of rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase

The effect of reactive nitrogen species on rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase (MGST1) was investigated using microsomes and purified MGST1. When microsomes or the purified enzyme were incubated with peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), the GST activity was increased to 2.5-6.5 fold in concentration-dependent manner and a small amount of the MGST1 dimer was detected. MGST1 activity was increased by ONOO(-) in the presence of high amounts of reducing agents including glutathione (GSH) and the activities increased by ONOO(-) or ONOO(-) plus GSH treatment were decreased by 30-40% by further incubation with dithiothreitol (DTT, reducing disulfide) or by sodium arsenite (reducing sulfenic acid). Furthermore, GSH was detected by HPLC from the MGST1 which was incubated with ONOO(-) plus GSH or S-nitrosoglutathione followed by DTT treatment. In addition, the MGST1 activity increased by nitric oxide (NO) donors such as S-nitrosoglutathione, S-nitrosocysteine or the non-thiol NO donor 1-hydroxy-2-oxo-3 (3-aminopropyl)-3-isopropyl was restored by the DTT treatment. Since DTT can reduce S-nitrosothiol and disulfide bond to thiol, S-nitrosylation and a mixed disulfide bond formation of MGST1 were suggested. Thus, it was demonstrated that MGST1 is activated by reactive nitrogen species through a forming dimeric protein, mixed disulfide bond, nitrosylation and sulfenic acid.