Opossum alcohol dehydrogenases: Sequences, structures, phylogeny and evolution: evidence for the tandem location of ADH genes on opossum chromosome 5

BLAT (BLAST-Like Alignment Tool) analyses and interrogations of the recently published opossum genome were undertaken using previously reported rat ADH amino acid sequences. Evidence is presented for six opossum ADH genes localized on chromosome 5 and organized in a comparable ADH gene cluster to that reported for human and rat ADH genes. The predicted amino acid sequences and secondary structures for the opossum ADH subunits and the intron-exon boundaries for opossum ADH genes showed a high degree of similarity with other mammalian ADHs, and four opossum ADH classes were identified, namely ADH1, ADH3, ADH6 and ADH4 (for which three genes were observed: ADH4A, ADH4B and ADH4C). Previous biochemical analyses of opossum ADHs have reported the tissue distribution and properties for these enzymes: ADH1, the major liver enzyme; ADH3, widely distributed in opossum tissues with similar kinetic properties to mammalian class 3 ADHs; and ADH4, for which several forms were localized in extrahepatic tissues, especially in the digestive system and in the eye. These ADHs are likely to perform similar functions to those reported for other mammalian ADHs in the metabolism of ingested and endogenous alcohols and aldehydes. Phylogenetic analyses examined opossum, human, rat, chicken and cod ADHs, and supported the proposed designation of opossum ADHs as class I (ADH1), class III (ADH3), class IV (ADH4A, ADH4B and ADH4C) and class VI (ADH6). Percentage substitution rates were examined for ADHs during vertebrate evolution which indicated that ADH3 is evolving at a much slower rate to that of the other ADH classes.     

Distribution of class I, III and IV alcohol dehydrogenase mRNAs in the adult rat, mouse and human brain.

The localization of different classes of alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) in the brain is of great interest because of their role in both ethanol and retinoic acid metabolism. Conflicting data have been reported in the literature. By Northern blot and enzyme activity analyses only class III ADH has been detected in adult brain specimens, while results from riboprobe in situ hybridization indicate class I as well as class IV ADH expression in different regions of the rat brain. Here we have studied the expression patterns of three ADH classes in adult rat, mouse and human tissues using radioactive oligonucleotide in situ hybridization. Specificity of probes was tested on liver and stomach control tissue, as well as tissue from class IV ADH knock-out mice. Only class III ADH mRNA was found to be expressed in brain tissue of all three investigated species. Particularly high expression levels were found in neurons of the red nucleus in human tissue, while cortical neurons, pyramidal and granule cells of the hippocampus and dopamine neurons of substantia nigra showed moderate expression levels. Purkinje cells of cerebellum were positive for class III ADH mRNA in all species investigated, whereas granular layer neurons were positive only in rodents. The choroid plexus was highly positive for class III ADH, while no specific signal for class I or class IV ADH was detected. Our results thus support the notion that the only ADH expressed in adult mouse, rat and human brain is class III ADH.     

Interconversion of putrescine,spermidine and spermine in goldfish and rat retina

Labelled putrescine is converted to spermidine and spermine in the retina of both the goldfish and of the rat, but the bulk remains as putrescine and spermidine in the goldfish retina whereas the bulk is present as spermine in the rat retina. Labelled spermidine is converted to spermine and to putrescine in the retina of both species, most remaining as spermidine in the goldfish retina whereas most is converted to spermine in the rat retina. Labelled spermine is converted to both spermidine and putrescine in the retina of both species with a greater conversion in the goldfish retina than in the rat retina. These results provide direct evidence of the interconversion of putrescine, spermidine and spermine in neural tissue from both fish and mammals and suggest that spermine should not be regarded solely as an end-product of putrescine metabolism but also as a source of spermidine and putrescine.The pattern of distribution of putrescine and the polyamines, spermidine and spermine, in goldfish retina is the reverse of that in rat retina: Putrescine is the most abundant in goldfish retina whereas spermine is most abundant in rat retina suggesting that the individual polyamines are of different importance in the two species.     

Expression, localization and potential physiological significance of alcohol dehydrogenase in the gastrointestinal tract.

ADH1 and ADH4 are the major alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) in ethanol and retinol oxidation. ADH activity and protein expression were investigated in rat gastrointestinal tissue homogenates by enzymatic and Western blot analyses. In addition, sections of adult rat gastrointestinal tract were examined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. ADH1 and ADH4 were detected along the whole tract, changing their localization and relative content as a function of the area studied. While ADH4 was more abundant in the upper (esophagus and stomach) and lower (colorectal) regions, ADH1 was predominant in the intestine but also present in stomach. Both enzymes were detected in mucosa but, in general, ADH4 was found in outer cell layers, lining the lumen, while ADH1 was detected in the inner cell layers. Of interest were the sharp discontinuities in the expression found in the pyloric region (ADH1) and the gastroduodenal junction (ADH4), reflecting functional changes. The precise localization of ADH in the gut reveals the cell types where active alcohol oxidation occurs during ethanol ingestion, providing a molecular basis for the gastrointestinal alcohol pathology. Localization of ADH, acting as retinol dehydrogenase/retinal reductase, also indicates sites of active retinoid metabolism in the gut, essential for mucosa function and vitamin A absorption.     

Two zebrafish alcohol dehydrogenases share common ancestry with mammalian class I, II, IV, and V alcohol dehydrogenase genes but have distinct functional characteristics

Ethanol is teratogenic to many vertebrates. We are utilizing zebrafish as a model system to determine whether there is an association between ethanol metabolism and ethanol-mediated developmental toxicity. Here we report the isolation and characterization of two cDNAs encoding zebrafish alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs). Phylogenetic analysis of these zebrafish ADHs indicates that they share a common ancestor with mammalian class I, II, IV, and V ADHs. The genes encoding these zebrafish ADHs have been named Adh8a and Adh8b by the nomenclature committee. Both genes were genetically mapped to chromosome 13. The 1450-bp Adh8a is 82, 73, 72, and 72% similar at the amino acid level to the Baltic cod ADH8 (previously named ADH1), the human ADH1B2, the mouse ADH1, and the rat ADH1, respectively. Also, the 1484-bp Adh8b is 77, 68, 67, and 66% similar at the amino acid level to the Baltic cod ADH8, the human ADH1B2, the mouse ADH1, and the rat ADH1, respectively. ADH8A and ADH8B share 86% amino acid similarity. To characterize the functional properties of ADH8A and ADH8B, recombinant proteins were purified from SF-9 insect cells. Kinetic studies demonstrate that ADH8A metabolizes ethanol, with a V(max) of 13.4 nmol/min/mg protein, whereas ADH8B does not metabolize ethanol. The ADH8A K(m) for ethanol as a substrate is 0.7 mm. 4-Methyl pyrazole, a classical competitive inhibitor of class I ADH, failed to inhibit ADH8A. ADH8B has the capacity to efficiently biotransform longer chain primary alcohols (>/=5 carbons) and S-hydroxymethlyglutathione, whereas ADH8A does not efficiently metabolize these substrates. Finally, mRNA expression studies indicate that both ADH8A and ADH8B mRNA are expressed during early development and in the adult brain, fin, gill, heart, kidney, muscle, and liver. Together these results indicate that class I-like ADH is conserved in zebrafish, albeit with mixed functional properties.     

The specificity of alcohol dehydrogenase with cis-retinoids. Activity with 11-cis-retinol and localization in retina.

Studies in knockout mice support the involvement of alcohol dehydrogenases ADH1 and ADH4 in retinoid metabolism, although kinetics with retinoids are not known for the mouse enzymes. Moreover, a role of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the eye retinoid interconversions cannot be ascertained due to the lack of information on the kinetics with 11-cis-retinoids. We report here the kinetics of human ADH1B1, ADH1B2, ADH4, and mouse ADH1 and ADH4 with all-trans-, 7-cis-, 9-cis-, 11-cis- and 13-cis-isomers of retinol and retinal. These retinoids are substrates for all enzymes tested, except the 13-cis isomers which are not used by ADH1. In general, human and mouse ADH4 exhibit similar activity, higher than that of ADH1, while mouse ADH1 is more efficient than the homologous human enzymes. All tested ADHs use 11-cis-retinoids efficiently. ADH4 shows much higher k(cat)/K(m) values for 11-cis-retinol oxidation than for 11-cis-retinal reduction, a unique property among mammalian ADHs for any alcohol/aldehyde substrate pair. Docking simulations and the kinetic properties of the human ADH4 M141L mutant demonstrated that residue 141, in the middle region of the active site, is essential for such ADH4 specificity. The distinct kinetics of ADH4 with 11-cis-retinol, its wide specificity with retinol isomers and its immunolocalization in several retinal cell layers, including pigment epithelium, support a role of this enzyme in the various retinol oxidations that occur in the retina. Cytosolic ADH4 activity may complement the isomer-specific microsomal enzymes involved in photopigment regeneration and retinoic acid synthesis.     

Complete amino acid sequence of rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase deduced from the cDNA sequence

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzes the rate-determining reaction in the metabolism of ethanol. We report here the complete nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding rat liver ADH, and the deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of the protein. The rat enzyme contains a cluster of aa substitutions and an aa insertion in the region between aa residues 111 and 118, which is near the intron-exon junction reported for the human ADH gene. It also contains an additional cysteine in the highly variable region from aa residues 108-125 which may account for the unusual lability of rat ADH compared with ADH from other species.     

Enhancer-site downstream binding protein activity is enriched in rat tissues that express the class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene.

The activity of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is enriched in certain tissues including the liver, intestine and testis. The tissue-specific expression of the gene encoding ADH in the rat was studied and found to closely correlate with tissue isozymic activity. A factor designated enhancer-site downstream binding protein (EDBP) was recently identified in the rat liver and found to interact with the proximal promoter of the class I ADH gene. The distribution of EDBP in nuclear extracts obtained from various tissues was examined based on its sequence-specific DNA binding property and found to correlate with tissue ADH expression. These findings suggest that EDBP is potentially a positive regulatory factor which is involved in controlling the tissue-specific expression of the ADH gene.     

Characterization of three isoenzymes of rat alcohol dehydrogenase. Tissue distribution and physical and enzymatic properties

Rat tissues contain three different isoenzymes of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) that we have named ADH-1, ADH-2 and ADH-3, ADH-1 is an anodic isoenzyme present in high amounts in the ocular tissues, stomach and lung. ADH-2 is also anodic and has been found in all the rat organs examined. ADH-3 is the group of cathodic ADH forms, mainly present in liver, that has been the subject of the majority of the previous studies on rat ADH. The three isoenzymes have been purified to homogeneity and characterized. All of them have similar physical characteristics: Mr 80,000, with two subunits of Mr 40,000; they contain four atoms of Zn per molecule, and prefer NAD+ as cofactor. Isoelectric points are, however, different: 5.1 for ADH-1, 5.95-6.3 for ADH-2 and 8.25-8.4 for ADH-3. ADH-3 exhibits a Km for ethanol of 1.4 mM, a broad substrate specificity and is strongly inhibited by pyrazole (Ki = 0.4 microM). ADH-2 shows substrate specificity toward long-chain alcohols and aldehydes, cannot be saturated by ethanol and is practically insensitive to pyrazole (Ki = 78.4 mM). ADH-1 has intermediate properties, with a Km for ethanol of 340 mM, a broad substrate specificity and Ki for pyrazole of 0.56 mM. Rat ADH-1, ADH-2 and ADH-3 exhibit many analogies with human ADH classes II, III and I respectively. The specific localization and kinetic properties of rat ADH isoenzymes suggest that ADH-1 and ADH-3 may act as metabolic barriers to external alcohols and aldehydes whereas ADH-2 may have a function in the metabolism of the endogenous long-chain alcohols and aldehydes.     

Mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase of higher classes: analyses of human ADH5 and rat ADH6

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) of classes V and VI, ADH5 and ADH6, have been defined in man and rodents, respectively. Sequence data have been obtained at cDNA and genomic levels, but limited data are available for functionality and substrate repertoire. The low positional identity (65%) between the two ADHs, place them into separate classes. We have shown that the ADH5 gene yields two differently processed mRNAs and harbors a gene organization identical to other mammalian ADHs. This is probably due to an alternative splicing in the eighth intron that results in a shorter message missing the ninth exon or a normal message with the expected number of codons. The isolated rat ADH6 cDNA was found to be fused to ADH2 at the 5′-end. The resulting main open reading frame translates into an N-terminally extended polypeptide. In vitro translation results in a polypeptide of about 42 kDa and further, protein was possible to express in COS cells as a fusion product with Green Fluorescent Protein. Both ADH5 and ADH6 show genes and gene products that are processed comparably to other mammalian ADHs and the deduced amino acid sequences indicate a lack of ethanol dehydrogenase activity that probably explains why no corresponding proteins have been isolated. The functionality of these ADHs is therefore still an enigma.     

Retinoic acid activation and thyroid hormone repression of the human alcohol dehydrogenase gene ADH3.

Mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzes the oxidation of retinol to retinaldehyde, the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of retinoic acid. There exists a family of ADH isozymes encoded by unique genes, and it is unclear which isozymes are most important for regulation of retinoic acid synthesis during differentiation or development. A region in the human ADH3 promoter from -328 to -272 base pairs was shown previously to function as a retinoic acid response element (RARE), prompting an hypothesis for a positive feedback mechanism controlling retinoic acid synthesis (Duester, G., Shean, M. L., McBride, M. S., and Stewart, M. J. (1991) Mol. Cell. Biol. 11, 1638-1646). The ADH3 RARE contains three direct AGGTCA repeats which constitute the critical nucleotides of RAREs present in other genes. We dissected the ADH3 RARE and determined that receptor binding as well as transactivation are dependent upon only the two downstream AGGTCA motifs separated by 5 base pairs, a structure noticed previously for a RARE in the promoter for the retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR beta) gene. ADH3 and RAR beta RAREs functioned similarly in transfection assays, suggesting that the feedback mechanisms controlling ADH3 and RAR beta utilize a common RARE. We also found that the normal functioning of the ADH3 RARE was abrogated by thyroid hormone receptor in the presence of thyroid hormone. A negative thyroid hormone response element in the human ADH3 promoter was found to colocalize with the RARE. Since ADH production in rat liver is known to be repressed by thyroid hormone, these findings suggest that human ADH production may also be subject to thyroid hormone repression and that the mechanism involves an interference with retinoic acid induction.     

Hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity in chick hepatocytes towards the major alcohols present in commercial alcoholic beverages: comparison with activities in rat and human liver

We have compared hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activities in chick, rat and human liver with the major alcohols in commercial alcoholic beverages. 1. Chick and rat hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase was greater when assayed at a physiological pH in buffer containing chloride ions, as compared with the activity in pyrophosphate buffer at alkaline pH. 2. In contrast to reports of instability of ADH to freezing, we found the enzyme from all three species stable to freezing in 0.25 M sucrose. 3. Rat liver enzymatic activity was unstable in the presence of substrate, where as that of chick and human was not. 4. For all three species, the Km of hepatic ADH for substrate decreased with increasing chain length of alcohols. In both chick and human samples, the Vmax values for the higher chain alcohols were similar to that with ethanol, while in rat samples, ADH activity was dramatically lower with the higher chain alcohols compared to ethanol.     

Mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase of higher classes: analyses of human ADH5 and rat ADH6

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) of classes V and VI, ADH5 and ADH6, have been defined in man and rodents, respectively. Sequence data have been obtained at cDNA and genomic levels, but limited data are available for functionality and substrate repertoire. The low positional identity (65%) between the two ADHs, place them into separate classes. We have shown that the ADH5 gene yields two differently processed mRNAs and harbors a gene organization identical to other mammalian ADHs. This is probably due to an alternative splicing in the eighth intron that results in a shorter message missing the ninth exon or a normal message with the expected number of codons. The isolated rat ADH6 cDNA was found to be fused to ADH2 at the 5'-end. The resulting main open reading frame translates into an N-terminally extended polypeptide. In vitro translation results in a polypeptide of about 42 kDa and further, protein was possible to express in COS cells as a fusion product with Green Fluorescent Protein. Both ADH5 and ADH6 show genes and gene products that are processed comparably to other mammalian ADHs and the deduced amino acid sequences indicate a lack of ethanol dehydrogenase activity that probably explains why no corresponding proteins have been isolated. The functionality of these ADHs is therefore still an enigma.     

Rat pineal gland phosducin: cDNA isolation, nucleotide sequence, and chromosomal assignment in the mouse

The pineal gland contains a soluble phosphoprotein, phosducin, which is homologous to that of retinal photoreceptors. Phosducin has been shown to bind the beta, gamma subunits of the retinal G-protein transducin. Retinal phosducin has been cloned and now we report a rat pineal cDNA encoding phosducin. A 1217-nucleotide cDNA was isolated from a rat pineal library by DNA-DNA hybridization with a polymerase chain reaction-amplified cDNA of bovine retina mRNA for phosducin. Northern blot analysis demonstrates that the mRNA for phosducin is approximately 1.3 kb in both rat pineal and rat retina. The translated mRNA from rat pineal encodes a protein with 246 amino acids, compared to the 245 amino acids of bovine retina phosducin. The predicted molecular weight of rat pineal phosducin is 28,201. Immunoblot analysis with affinity-purified antibodies against bovine retina phosducin identify a single immunoreactive protein of approximately 33 kDa in both rat retina and rat pineal. The amino acid sequence of rat pineal phosducin is homologous to that of bovine retina phosducin, revealing 89% identity and another 5.7% similarity. Both rat pineal and bovine retina phosducins are acidic proteins with pIs of 4.3 and 4.5, respectively. The translated protein lacks hydrophobic domains that would suggest an integral membrane protein. Rat pineal phosducin has a single consensus phosphorylation domain for protein kinase A that is nearly identical to that of retinal phosducin, which is phosphorylated by protein kinase A in situ. Rat phosducin also contains three potential phosphorylation domains for protein kinase C and nine for casein kinase II as well as a predicted site for N-glycosylation. The cDNA encoding phosducin was used to localize the gene within a linkage group to a large segment of mouse chromosome 1 in a conserved region with the long arm of human chromosome 1 with a panel of DNA samples from an interspecific cross. In keeping with a proposed role of retinal phosducin in down-regulation of the photo-transduction cascade, a modulatory role in signal transduction is proposed for pineal phosducin.     

Analysis of the human, bovine and rat 33-kDa proteins and cDNA in retina and pineal gland

A monoclonal antibody (mAb) was produced against a bovine retinal 33-kDa protein. Several clones of 33-kDa protein were isolated from each library of cDNA from human, bovine and rat retinas and rat pineal gland by mAb screening and by hybridization with cDNA probes. Each of the four cDNA sequences was determined and amino acid (aa) sequences were deduced from the nucleotide sequences. The latter were nearly identical in rat retina and rat pineal gland (99.6%) and were similar in human, bovine and rat retina (more than 87%). Each of these cDNAs had one long ORF and encoded 245 or 246 aa. The deduced aa sequences in rat retina and rat pineal gland were virtually identical and the sequences in human, bovine and rat retina were highly homologous (more than 88%). The predicted Mr for each of these proteins was 28,246 in the human, 28,176 in bovine, 28,143 in rat retina, and 28,129 in rat pineal gland. Each of the sequences has a putative site for phosphorylation by A kinase; we have confirmed that the putative site is Ser73. These results show that the 33-kDa proteins in the retina and pineal gland have the same sequences and the same phosphorylation site and suggest that the functional role of this protein is the same in the retina and pineal gland.     

Liver alcohol dehydrogenase is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) decreases rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) due principally to an increased rate of degradation of the enzyme. The pathway of degradation of ADH was investigated. Exposure of hepatocytes in culture to lactacystin or to MG132, which are inhibitors of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway of protein degradation, resulted in higher ADH. Furthermore, both lactacystin and MG132 prevented the decrease in ADH caused by DHT. By contrast, the lysosomal proteolytic inhibitors 3-methyladenine and leupeptin as well as inhibitors of the calcium-activated neutral protease calpain system had no effect on ADH in the absence or presence of DHT. ADH isolated by immunoprecipitation from hepatocytes exposed to DHT reacted specifically with anti-ubiquitin antibody. Ubiquitinated ADH was also demonstrated in hepatocytes exposed to MG132. The combination of DHT and MG132 resulted in more ubiquitinated ADH than exposure to either compound alone. These results suggest that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays a role in the degradation of ADH and in the enhanced degradation of this enzyme by DHT.     

Presence of α-neo-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland

α-neo-endorphin-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated in the nerve fibers and Herring's bodies in the posterior lobe of rat pituitary glands by an indirect immunoperoxidase method using α-neo-endorphin-antiserum. The number of α-neo-endorphin positive fibers and Herring's bodies did not decrease in the sections in which α-neo-endorphin-antisera pretreated with oxytocin, ADH and leu-enkephalin were used as primary antisera. In view of the reports that met-enkephalin, leu-enkephalin and dynorphin were present in the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, this finding suggested that there were four kinds of opiate-like peptides in the posterior lobes of the pituitary gland. Furthermore, by staining alternately 3he serial sections of the rat pituitary glands with ADH and α-neo-endorphin-antisera, it was revealed that α-neo-endorphin-positive Herring's bodies were identical to a large number of ADH positive Herring's bodies. This finding, together with the observation that morphine injection caused ADH release, suggested that α-neo-endorphin may play an important role in the regulation of ADH release.