A group of novel glutathione S-transferase isozymes showing high activity towards 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal are present in bovine ocular tissues.

Recently, a mouse glutathione S-transferase (GST) isozyme, mGSTA4-4, which belongs to a distinct group of GSTs has been characterized in our laboratory. During the present studies, Western blot analyses of bovine ocular tissues using the antibodies raised against the recombinant mGSTA4-4 obtained by expression in Escherichia coli revealed that the orthologs of mGSTA4-4 were present in cornea, retina, iris-ciliary body and sclera, but absent in lens. These novel GST isozymes of bovine ocular tissues were purified by immunoaffinity chromatography using the antibodies against rec-mGSTA4-4 and were designated as bGST 5.8 (their pI value being 5.8). Amino acid sequences of CNBr fragments of bGST 5.8 from cornea, sclera, retina and iris-ciliary body showed high degree of primary structure homologies with the corresponding regions of mGSTA4-4 indicating these bovine GST isozymes were distinct from the alpha. mu and pi group GSTs and were the newest members of the group of GSTs to which mGSTA4-4 belongs. There were significant differences among the amino acid sequences of bGST 5.8 of cornea and iris-ciliary body and retina suggesting presence of at least two closely related genes at bGST 5.8 locus. bGST 5.8 isozymes showed high activity toward 4-HNE (four-to-five-fold higher than that towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene), expressed GSH-peroxidase activity towards fatty acid hydroperoxides and phospholipid hydroperoxides, and showed GSH-conjugating activity towards fatty acid epoxides suggesting that these isozymes may play an important role in protection mechanism against the endogenous toxicants formed during lipid peroxidation.

Adenosine triphosphate-dependent transport of doxorubicin, daunomycin, and vinblastine in human tissues by a mechanism distinct from the P-glycoprotein.

Previous studies have demonstrated that a human glutathione conjugate transporter, designated as dinitrophenyl-S-glutathione ATPase (DNP-SG ATPase), catalyzed ATP hydrolysis in the presence of several amphiphilic compounds other than glutathione conjugates (Singhal, S. S., R. Sharma, S. Gupta, H. Ahmad, P. Zimniak, A. Radominska, R. Lester, and Y. C. Awasthi. 1991. FEBS [Fed. Eur. Biochem. Soc.] Lett. 281:255-257). We now demonstrate that DNP-SG ATPase purified from human lung and erythrocyte membranes catalyzed the hydrolysis of ATP in the presence of doxorubicin and its metabolites. Doxorubicin-stimulated ATP hydrolysis by DNP-SG ATPase was saturable with respect to doxorubicin (Km 1.2 and 2.8 microM for the lung and erythrocyte enzymes, respectively). Antibodies against DNP-SG ATPase immunoprecipitated the ATP hydrolyzing activity stimulated by doxorubicin, its metabolites, and glutathione conjugates. Inside our vesicles prepared from erythrocyte membranes took up doxorubicin, daunomycin, and vinblastine in an ATP-dependent manner. The uptake was linear with respect to time and vesicle protein, was dependent on ATP and magnesium, was inhibited by heavy metal salts or by heating the vesicles, and was sensitive to both osmolarity and orientation of the vesicles. The transport had an activation energy of 13 kcal/mol, was saturable with respect to both doxorubicin and ATP (Km values of 1.8 microM and 1.9 mM, respectively), and was competitively inhibited by glutathione conjugates as well as by a number of amphiphiles such as daunomycin or vinblastine. Transport was diminished upon coating the vesicles with antibodies against DNP-SG ATPase. Incorporation of increasing amounts of purified DNP-SG ATPase into the vesicles resulted in a linear increase in transport of doxorubicin. These studies demonstrated for the first time that a membrane protein that catalyzed the transport of anionic amphiphilic molecules such as glutathione conjugates could also mediate the transport of weakly cationic antitumor antibiotic, doxorubicin. Notably, the Km of transport was in the range of doxorubicin concentration achievable in human serum after intravenous dosing of doxorubicin.

Glutathione and glutathione linked enzymes in human small cell lung cancer cell lines.

Glutathione levels and several glutathione-linked enzyme activities have been variably correlated with cisplatin chemosensitivity in cultured neoplastic cells. In order to determine the relative contribution of the glutathione-linked enzymes towards mediating inherent cisplatin resistance in cancer cells, we have measured the chemosensitivity to cisplatin, glutathione levels and activities of glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in 8 cultured human small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines with widely differing cisplatin sensitivities. Of these parameters, only glutathione S-transferase activity correlated with degree of cisplatin resistance in a linear fashion.