The quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (hQSOX1b) tunes the expression of resistin-like molecule alpha (RELM-α or mFIZZ1) in a wheat germ cell-free extract.

BACKGROUND: Although disulfide bond formation in proteins is one of the most common types of post-translational modifications, the production of recombinant disulfide-rich proteins remains a challenge. The most popular host for recombinant protein production is Escherichia coli, but disulfide-rich proteins are here often misfolded, degraded, or found in inclusion bodies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We optimize an in vitro wheat germ translation system for the expression of an immunological important eukaryotic protein that has to form five disulfide bonds, resistin-like alpha (mFIZZ1). Expression in combination with human quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (hQSOX1b), the disulfide bond-forming enzyme of the endoplasmic reticulum, results in soluble, intramolecular disulfide bonded, monomeric, and biological active protein. The mFIZZ1 protein clearly suppresses the production of the cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 in mouse splenocytes cultured under Th2 permissive conditions. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase hQSOX1b seems to function as a chaperone and oxidase during the oxidative folding. This example for mFIZZ1 should encourage the design of an appropriate thiol/disulfide oxidoreductase-tuned cell free expression system for other challenging disulfide rich proteins.

Mycoredoxin-1 is one of the missing links in the oxidative stress defence mechanism of Mycobacteria.

To survive hostile conditions, the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces millimolar concentrations of mycothiol as a redox buffer against oxidative stress. The reductases that couple the reducing power of mycothiol to redox active proteins in the cell are not known. We report a novel mycothiol-dependent reductase (mycoredoxin-1) with a CGYC catalytic motif. With mycoredoxin-1 and mycothiol deletion strains of Mycobacterium smegmatis, we show that mycoredoxin-1 and mycothiol are involved in the protection against oxidative stress. Mycoredoxin-1 acts as an oxidoreductase exclusively linked to the mycothiol electron transfer pathway and it can reduce S-mycothiolated mixed disulphides. Moreover, we solved the solution structures of oxidized and reduced mycoredoxin-1, revealing a thioredoxin fold with a putative mycothiol-binding site. With HSQC snapshots during electron transport, we visualize the reduction of oxidized mycoredoxin-1 as a function of time and find that mycoredoxin-1 gets S-mycothiolated on its N-terminal nucleophilic cysteine. Mycoredoxin-1 has a redox potential of -218 mV and hydrogen bonding with neighbouring residues lowers the pKa of its N-terminal nucleophilic cysteine. Determination of the oxidized and reduced structures of mycoredoxin-1, better understanding of mycothiol-dependent reactions in general, will likely give new insights in how M. tuberculosis survives oxidative stress in human macrophages.

Corynebacterium glutamicum survives arsenic stress with arsenate reductases coupled to two distinct redox mechanisms.

Arsenate reductases (ArsCs) evolved independently as a defence mechanism against toxic arsenate. In the genome of Corynebacterium glutamicum, there are two arsenic resistance operons (ars1 and ars2) and four potential genes coding for arsenate reductases (Cg_ArsC1, Cg_ArsC2, Cg_ArsC1' and Cg_ArsC4). Using knockout mutants, in vitro reconstitution of redox pathways, arsenic measurements and enzyme kinetics, we show that a single organism has two different classes of arsenate reductases. Cg_ArsC1 and Cg_ArsC2 are single-cysteine monomeric enzymes coupled to the mycothiol/mycoredoxin redox pathway using a mycothiol transferase mechanism. In contrast, Cg_ArsC1' is a three-cysteine containing homodimer that uses a reduction mechanism linked to the thioredoxin pathway with a k(cat)/K(M) value which is 10(3) times higher than the one of Cg_ArsC1 or Cg_ArsC2. Cg_ArsC1' is constitutively expressed at low levels using its own promoter site. It reduces arsenate to arsenite that can then induce the expression of Cg_ArsC1 and Cg_ArsC2. We also solved the X-ray structures of Cg_ArsC1' and Cg_ArsC2. Both enzymes have a typical low-molecular-weight protein tyrosine phosphatases-I fold with a conserved oxyanion binding site. Moreover, Cg_ArsC1' is unique in bearing an N-terminal three-helical bundle that interacts with the active site of the other chain in the dimeric interface.

Arsenate reductase, mycothiol, and mycoredoxin concert thiol/disulfide exchange.

We identified the first enzymes that use mycothiol and mycoredoxin in a thiol/disulfide redox cascade. The enzymes are two arsenate reductases from Corynebacterium glutamicum (Cg_ArsC1 and Cg_ArsC2), which play a key role in the defense against arsenate. In vivo knockouts showed that the genes for Cg_ArsC1 and Cg_ArsC2 and those of the enzymes of the mycothiol biosynthesis pathway confer arsenate resistance. With steady-state kinetics, arsenite analysis, and theoretical reactivity analysis, we unraveled the catalytic mechanism for the reduction of arsenate to arsenite in C. glutamicum. The active site thiolate in Cg_ArsCs facilitates adduct formation between arsenate and mycothiol. Mycoredoxin, a redox enzyme for which the function was never shown before, reduces the thiol-arseno bond and forms arsenite and a mycothiol-mycoredoxin mixed disulfide. A second molecule of mycothiol recycles mycoredoxin and forms mycothione that, in its turn, is reduced by the NADPH-dependent mycothione reductase. Cg_ArsCs show a low specificity constant of approximately 5 m(-1) s(-1), typically for a thiol/disulfide cascade with nucleophiles on three different molecules. With the in vitro reconstitution of this novel electron transfer pathway, we have paved the way for the study of redox mechanisms in actinobacteria.

Nonspecific base recognition mediated by water bridges and hydrophobic stacking in ribonuclease I from Escherichia coli.

The crystal structure of Escherichia coli ribonuclease I (EcRNase I) reveals an RNase T2-type fold consisting of a conserved core of six beta-strands and three alpha-helices. The overall architecture of the catalytic residues is very similar to the plant and fungal RNase T2 family members, but the perimeter surrounding the active site is characterized by structural elements specific for E. coli. In the structure of EcRNase I in complex with a substrate-mimicking decadeoxynucleotide d(CGCGATCGCG), we observe a cytosine bound in the B2 base binding site and mixed binding of thymine and guanine in the B1 base binding site. The active site residues His55, His133, and Glu129 interact with the phosphodiester linkage only through a set of water molecules. Residues forming the B2 base recognition site are well conserved among bacterial homologs and may generate limited base specificity. On the other hand, the B1 binding cleft acquires true base aspecificity by combining hydrophobic van der Waals contacts at its sides with a water-mediated hydrogen-bonding network at the bottom. This B1 base recognition site is highly variable among bacterial sequences and the observed interactions are unique to EcRNaseI and a few close relatives.

The oxidase DsbA folds a protein with a nonconsecutive disulfide.

One of the last unsolved problems of molecular biology is how the sequential amino acid information leads to a functional protein. Correct disulfide formation within a protein is hereby essential. We present periplasmic ribonuclease I (RNase I) from Escherichia coli as a new endogenous substrate for the study of oxidative protein folding. One of its four disulfides is between nonconsecutive cysteines. In general view, the folding of proteins with nonconsecutive disulfides requires the protein disulfide isomerase DsbC. In contrast, our study with RNase I shows that DsbA is a sufficient catalyst for correct disulfide formation in vivo and in vitro. DsbA is therefore more specific than generally assumed. Further, we show that the redox potential of the periplasm depends on the presence of glutathione and the Dsb proteins to maintain it at-165 mV. We determined the influence of this redox potential on the folding of RNase I. Under the more oxidizing conditions of dsb(-) strains, DsbC becomes necessary to correct non-native disulfides, but it cannot substitute for DsbA. Altogether, DsbA folds a protein with a nonconsecutive disulfide as long as no incorrect disulfides are formed.

The conserved active site proline determines the reducing power of Staphylococcus aureus thioredoxin.

Nature uses thioredoxin-like folds in several disulfide bond oxidoreductases. Each of them has a typical active site Cys-X-X-Cys sequence motif, the hallmark of thioredoxin being Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys. The intriguing role of the highly conserved proline in the ubiquitous reducing agent thioredoxin was studied by site-specific mutagenesis of Staphylococcus aureus thioredoxin (Sa_Trx). We present X-ray structures, redox potential, pK(a), steady-state kinetic parameters, and thermodynamic stabilities. By replacing the central proline to a threonine/serine, no extra hydrogen bonds with the sulphur of the nucleophilic cysteine are introduced. The only structural difference is that the immediate chemical surrounding of the nucleophilic cysteine becomes more hydrophilic. The pK(a) value of the nucleophilic cysteine decreases with approximately one pH unit and its redox potential increases with 30 mV. Thioredoxin becomes more oxidizing and the efficiency to catalyse substrate reduction (k(cat)/K(M)) decreases sevenfold relative to wild-type Sa_Trx. The oxidized form of wild-type Sa_Trx is far more stable than the reduced form over the whole temperature range. The driving force to reduce substrate proteins is the relative stability of the oxidized versus the reduced form Delta(T(1/2))(ox/red). This driving force is decreased in the Sa_Trx P31T mutant. Delta(T(1/2))(ox/red) drops from 15.5 degrees C (wild-type) to 5.8 degrees C (P31T mutant). In conclusion, the active site proline in thioredoxin determines the driving potential for substrate reduction.

Interplay between ion binding and catalysis in the thioredoxin-coupled arsenate reductase family.

In the thioredoxin (Trx)-coupled arsenate reductase family, arsenate reductase from Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 (Sa_ArsC) and from Bacillus subtilis (Bs_ArsC) are structurally related detoxification enzymes. Catalysis of the reduction of arsenate to arsenite involves a P-loop (Cys10Thr11Gly12Asn13Ser14Cys15Arg16) structural motif and a disulphide cascade between three conserved cysteine residues (Cys10, Cys82 and Cys89). For its activity, Sa_ArsC benefits from the binding of tetrahedral oxyanions in the P-loop active site and from the binding of potassium in a specific cation-binding site. In contrast, the steady-state kinetic parameters of Bs_ArsC are not affected by sulphate or potassium. The commonly occurring mutation of a histidine (H62), located about 6 A from the potassium-binding site in Sa_ArsC, to a glutamine uncouples the kinetic dependency on potassium. In addition, the binding affinity for potassium is affected by the presence of a lysine (K33) or an aspartic acid (D33) in combination with two negative charges (D30 and E31) on the surface of Trx-coupled arsenate reductases. In the P-loop of the Trx-coupled arsenate reductase family, the peptide bond between Gly12 and Asn13 can adopt two distinct conformations. The unique geometry of the P-loop with Asn13 in beta conformation, which is not observed in structurally related LMW PTPases, is stabilized by tetrahedral oxyanions and decreases the pK(a) value of Cys10 and Cys82. Tetrahedral oxyanions stabilize the P-loop in its catalytically most active form, which might explain the observed increase in k(cat) value for Sa_ArsC. Therefore, a subtle interplay of potassium and sulphate dictates the kinetics of Trx-coupled arsenate reductases.

The activation of electrophile, nucleophile and leaving group during the reaction catalysed by pI258 arsenate reductase.

The reduction of arsenate to arsenite by pI258 arsenate reductase (ArsC) combines a nucleophilic displacement reaction with a unique intramolecular disulfide cascade. Within this reaction mechanism, the oxidative equivalents are translocated from the active site to the surface of ArsC. The first reaction step in the reduction of arsenate by pI258 ArsC consists of a nucleophilic displacement reaction carried out by Cys10 on dianionic arsenate. The second step involves the nucleophilic attack of Cys82 on the Cys10-arseno intermediate formed during the first reaction step. The onset of the second step is studied here by using quantum chemical calculations in a density functional theory context. The optimised geometry of the Cys10-arseno adduct in the ArsC catalytic site (sequence motif: Cys10-Thr11-Gly12-Asn13-Ser14-Cys15-Arg16-Ser17) forms the starting point for all subsequent calculations. Thermodynamic data and a hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) reactivity analysis show a preferential nucleophilic attack on a monoanionic Cys10-arseno adduct, which is stabilised by Ser17. The P-loop active site of pI258 ArsC activates first a hydroxy group and subsequently arsenite as the leaving group, as is clear from an increase in the calculated nucleofugality of these groups upon going from the gas phase to the solvent phase to the enzymatic environment. Furthermore, the enzymatic environment stabilises the thiolate form of the nucleophile Cys82 by 3.3 pH units through the presence of the eight-residue alpha helix flanked by Cys82 and Cys89 (redox helix) and through a hydrogen bond with Thr11. The importance of Thr11 in the pKa regulation of Cys82 was confirmed by the observed decrease in the kcat value of the Thr11Ala mutant as compared to that of wild-type ArsC. During the final reaction step, Cys89 is activated as a nucleophile by structural alterations of the redox helix that functions as a pKa control switch for Cys89; this final step is necessary to expose a Cys82-Cys89 disulfide.

How thioredoxin can reduce a buried disulphide bond.

We present a study of the interaction between thioredoxin and the model enzyme pI258 arsenate reductase (ArsC) from Staphylococcus aureus. ArsC catalyses the reduction of arsenate to arsenite. Three redox active cysteine residues (Cys10, Cys82 and Cys89) are involved. After a single catalytic arsenate reduction event, oxidized ArsC exposes a disulphide bridge between Cys82 and Cys89 on a looped-out redox helix. Thioredoxin converts oxidized ArsC back towards its initial reduced state. In the absence of a reducing environment, the active-site P-loop of ArsC is blocked by the formation of a second disulphide bridge (Cys10-Cys15). While fully reduced ArsC can be recovered by exposing this double oxidized ArsC to thioredoxin, the P-loop disulphide bridge is itself inaccessible to thioredoxin. To reduce this buried Cys10-Cys15 disulphide-bridge in double oxidized ArsC, an intra-molecular Cys10-Cys82 disulphide switch connects the thioredoxin mediated inter-protein thiol-disulphide transfer to the buried disulphide. In the initial step of the reduction mechanism, thioredoxin appears to be selective for oxidized ArsC that requires the redox helix to be looped out for its interaction. The formation of a buried disulphide bridge in the active-site might function as protection against irreversible oxidation of the nucleophilic cysteine, a characteristic that has also been observed in the structurally similar low molecular weight tyrosine phosphatase.

The structure of a triple mutant of pI258 arsenate reductase from Staphylococcus aureus and its 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid adduct.

Structural insights into formation of the complex between the ubiquitous thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase thioredoxin and its oxidized substrate are under-documented owing to its entropical instability. In vitro, it is possible via a reaction with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) to make a stable mixed-disulfide complex between thioredoxin from Staphylococcus aureus and one of its substrates, oxidized pI258 arsenate reductase (ArsC) from S. aureus. In the absence of the crystal structure of an ArsC-thioredoxin complex, the structures of two precursors of the complex, the ArsC triple mutant ArsC C10SC15AC82S and its 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid (TNB) adduct, were determined. The ArsC triple mutant has a structure very similar to that of the reduced form of wild-type ArsC, with a folded redox helix and a buried catalytic Cys89. In the adduct form, the TNB molecule is buried in a hydrophobic pocket and the disulfide bridge between TNB and Cys89 is sterically inaccessible to thioredoxin. In order to form a mixed disulfide between ArsC and thioredoxin, a change in the orientation of the TNB-Cys89 disulfide in the structure is necessary.

Purification of an oxidation-sensitive enzyme, pI258 arsenate reductase from Staphylococcus aureus.

Arsenate reductase (ArsC) from Staphylococcus aureus pI258 is extremely sensitive to oxidative inactivation. The presence of oxidized ArsC forms was not that critical for NMR, but kinetics and crystallization required an extra reversed-phase purification to increase sample homogeneity. The salt ions observed in the X-ray electron density of ArsC were investigated. Carbonate was found to have the lowest dissociation constant for activation (K(a)=1.1 mM) and potassium was stabilizing ArsC (DeltaT(m)=+6.2 degrees C). Also due to the use of these salt ions, the final yield of the purification had improved with a factor of four, i.e. 73 mg/l culture.

All intermediates of the arsenate reductase mechanism, including an intramolecular dynamic disulfide cascade.

The mechanism of pI258 arsenate reductase (ArsC) catalyzed arsenate reduction, involving its P-loop structural motif and three redox active cysteines, has been unraveled. All essential intermediates are visualized with x-ray crystallography, and NMR is used to map dynamic regions in a key disulfide intermediate. Steady-state kinetics of ArsC mutants gives a view of the crucial residues for catalysis. ArsC combines a phosphatase-like nucleophilic displacement reaction with a unique intramolecular disulfide bond cascade. Within this cascade, the formation of a disulfide bond triggers a reversible "conformational switch" that transfers the oxidative equivalents to the surface of the protein, while releasing the reduced substrate.

Kinetics and active site dynamics of Staphylococcus aureus arsenate reductase.

Arsenate reductase (ArsC) encoded by Staphylococcus aureus arsenic-resistance plasmid pI258 reduces intracellular arsenate(V) to the more toxic arsenite(III), which is subsequently extruded from the cell. It couples to thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and NADPH to be enzymatically active. ArsC is extremely sensitive to oxidative inactivation, has a very dynamic character hampering resonance assignments in NMR and produces peculiar biphasic Michaelis-Menten curves with two V(max) plateaus. In this study, methods to control ArsC oxidation during purification have been optimized. Next, application of Selwyn's test of enzyme inactivation was applied to progress curves and reveals that the addition of tetrahedral oxyanions (50 mM sulfate, phosphate or perchlorate) allows the control of ArsC stability and essentially eliminates the biphasic character of the Michaelis-Menten curves. Finally, 1H-15N HSQC NMR spectroscopy was used to establish that these oxyanions, including the arsenate substrate, exert their stabilizing effect on ArsC through binding with residues located within a C-X5-R sequence motif, characteristic for phosphotyrosine phosphatases. In view of this need for a tetrahedral oxyanion to structure its substrate binding site in its active conformation, a reappraisal of basic kinetic parameters of ArsC was necessary. Under these new conditions and in contrast to previous observations, ArsC has a high substrate specificity, as only arsenate could be reduced ( Km=68 microM, k(cat)/ Km =5.2 x 10(4 )M-1s-1), while its product, arsenite, was identified as a mixed inhibitor ( K*iu=534 microM, K*ic=377 microM).