Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Yeast Monothiol Glutaredoxin Grx6

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are a ubiquitous family of proteins that reduce disulfide bonds in substrate proteins using electrons from reduced glutathione (GSH). The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Grx6 is a monothiol Grx that is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi compartments. Grx6 consists of three segments, a putative signal peptide (M1-I36), an N-terminal domain (K37-T110), and a C-terminal Grx domain (K111-N231, designated Grx6C). Compared to the classic dithiol glutaredoxin Grx1, Grx6 has a lower glutathione disulfide reductase activity but a higher glutathione S-transferase activity. In addition, similar to human Grx2, Grx6 binds GSH via an iron-sulfur cluster in vitro. The N-terminal domain is essential for noncovalent dimerization, but not required for either of the above activities. The crystal structure of Grx6C at 1.5 Å resolution revealed a novel two-strand antiparallel β-sheet opposite the GSH binding groove. This extra β-sheet might also exist in yeast Grx7 and in a group of putative Grxs in lower organisms, suggesting that Grx6 might represent the first member of a novel Grx subfamily.