Acute iron intoxication: the efficacy of deferiprone and sodium biocarbonate in the prevention of iron absorption from the digestive tract.

To determine whether enteral deferiprone given after a loading dose of liquid iron interferes with iron absorption from the digestive tract, prospective randomized animal study was initiated using Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were given 20 mg elemental iron/kg as a ferrous sulfate solution + 1 mEq sodium bicarbonate/kg, and then dosed orally with 150 mg deferiprone/kg immediately or after 15 min. Serum iron levels were measured at 1, 3, 5 and 24 h; feces were collected for 24 h. The 20 mg elemental iron/kg caused a significant and rapid increase in serum iron levels to > 350 micrograms/dL within 20 min of oral dosing. Deferiprone, if given immediately after the iron, produced a significant decrease in serum iron levels and a 2-fold increase in iron excretion in feces. Effectiveness was delayed when the deferiprone was given 15 min after the iron dosing. Enteral deferiprone might be useful in preventing cases of acute iron intoxication.

The source of heterogeneity in the heme vicinity of ferricytochrome c.

Heterogeneity in the heme vicinity of ferricytochrome c was reported to be detectable by a split of the NMR signal of the heme methyl 3 group [P.D. Burns and G.N. La Mar, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 101 (1979) 5844]. Using cytochrome c mutants and computer simulations of the native and mutated cytochromes, the source of this heterogeneity is found to originate from the His-33 residue motions. The H33F mutation abolished the NMR split and computer simulations of the H33F mutant revealed a narrower distribution of fluctuations of the radius of gyration, suggesting a more rigid structure due to the mutation. The stabilization of the mutant was further demonstrated by a reduction in the H33F mutant of 4 Kcal/mol in the calculated interaction energy between residue 33 and the rest of the cytochrome, in keeping with known experimental results.

Direct voltammetric observation of redox driven changes in axial coordination and intramolecular rearrangement of the phenylalanine-82-histidine variant of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c.

Direct square-wave and cyclic voltammetric electrochemical examination of the yeast iso-1-cytochrome c Phe82His/Cys102Ser variant revealed the intricacies of redox driven changes in axial coordination, concomitant with intramolecular rearrangement. Electrochemical methods are ideally suited for such a redox study, since they provide a direct and quantitative visualization of specific dynamic events. For the iso-1-cytochrome c Phe82His/Cys102Ser variant, square-wave voltammetry showed that the primary species in the reduced state is the Met80-Fe2+-His18 coordination form, while in the oxidized state the His82-Fe3+-His18 form predominates. The addition or removal of an electron to the appropriate form of this variant serves as a switch to a new molecular form of the cytochrome. Using the 2 x 2 electrochemical mechanism, simulations were done for the cyclic voltammetry experiments at different scan rates. These, in turn, provided relative rate constants for the intramolecular rearrangement/ligand exchange and the equilibrium redox potentials of the participating coordination forms: kb,AC = 17 s-1 for Met80-Fe3+-His18 --> His82-Fe3+-His18 and kf,BD > 10 s-1 for His82-Fe2+-His18 --> Met80-Fe2+-His18; E0' = 247 mV for Met80-Fe3+/2+-His18 couple, E0' = 47 mV for His82-Fe3+/2+-His18 couple, and E0' = 176 mV for the cross-reaction couple, His82-Fe3+-His18 + e- --> Met80-Fe2+-His18. Thermodynamic parameters, including the entropy of reaction, DeltaS0'Rxn, were determined for the net reduction/rearrangement reaction, His82-Fe3+-His18 + e- --> Met80-Fe2+-His18, and compared to those for wild-type cytochrome, Met80-Fe3+-His18 + e- --> Met80-Fe2+-His18. For the Phe82His variant mixed redox couple, DeltaS0'Rxn = -80 J/mol.K compared to DeltaS0'Rxn = -52 J/mol.K for the wild-type cyt c couple without rearrangement. Comparison of these entropies indicates that the oxidized His82-Fe3+-His18 form is highly disordered. It is proposed that this high level of disorder facilitates rapid rearrangement to Met80-Fe2+-His18 upon reduction.

The nature of the thermal equilibrium affecting the iron coordination of ferric cytochrome c.

In cytochrome c, ligation of the heme iron by the methionine-80 sulfur plays a major role in determining the structure and the thermodynamic stability of the protein. In the ferric state, this bond is reversibly broken by moderately acid or alkaline pH's (pK's 2.5 and 9.4, respectively) and by exogenous ligands. NMR studies of horse ferricytochrome c in which the Met-65 and Met-80 methyl groups were chemically enriched with 13C demonstrate that, at 59 degrees C, a temperature at which the protein is still folded, the sulfur-iron bond is already partially broken. This structural change corresponds to the reversible disappearance upon moderate heating of the 695 nm band, characteristic of the sulfur-iron coordination of this protein. The thermal effect results from a shift in the alkaline pK from 9.4 at 25 degrees C to 8.2 at 59 degrees C. The exchange rate from iron-bound to free methionine-80 at 59 degrees C is 1.8 s-1, as measured by saturation transfer experiments. The free and bound methionine-80 epsilon-methyl groups in the 1H spectrum are assigned as (1.87, 2.25) and -21.43, respectively; in the 13C spectrum they are assigned as 15.6 and 12.8, respectively (all these values are in ppm from 3-(trimethylsilyl)propionic-2,2,3,3-d4 acid, sodium salt).

A chemical modification of cytochrome-c lysines leading to changes in heme iron ligation.

Although 13 lysines of horse cytochrome c are invariant, and three more are extremely conserved, the modification of their side-chain epsilon-amino groups by beta-thiopropionylation caused important changes in protein properties for only three of them; lysines 72,73 and 79. Optical spectroscopy, electron and nuclear paramagnetic resonance, electron spin echo envelope modulation, and molecular weight studies, as well as the unique features of their reaction with cytochrome-c oxidase, indicate that in the oxidized state the modification of these lysines resulted in equilibria between two different states of iron ligation: the native state, in which the metal is coordinated by the methionine-80 sulfur, and a new state in which this ligand is displaced by the sulfhydryl groups of the elongated side chains. The reduction potentials of the TP Lys-72 and the TP Lys-79 derivatives were 201 and 196 millivolt, respectively, indicating that the equilibria favored the sulfhydryl ligated state by 1.5 and 1.7 kcal/mol, respectively. In the ferric state, the protein modified at lysine 72 remained stable as a monomer, but that modified at lysine 73 dimerized rapidly through disulfide bond formation, while the TP Lys-79 cytochrome c dimerized with a half-time of approx. 3 h, both recovering the native-like iron ligation. By contrast, in the ferrous state the monomeric state and the native ligation were preserved in all cases, indicating that the affinity of the cytochrome-c ferrous iron for the methionine-80 sulfur is particularly strong. The dimerized derivatives lost most, but not all, of the capability of the native protein for electron transfer from ascorbate-TMPD to cytochrome-c oxidase.

The role of histidines 26 and 33 in the structural stabilization of cytochrome c.

Comparative studies of the importance of the two histidines of rat cytochrome c that are not ligands of the heme iron, for the stability of the protein, were carried out by site-directed mutagenesis. Histidine 26 was substituted by valine and the resulting effects on the stability of the Met-80-sulfur to heme iron bond to changes in pH and temperature, and of the global stability of the protein to unfolding in urea solutions, were measured. It is suggested that the loss of the hydrogen bond between the His-26 imidazole and the backbone amide of Asn-31 caused the observed decreases in local stability; and that, in addition, the elimination of the hydrogen bond between this imidazole and the carbonyl of Pro-44 resulted in an increase of the mobility of the lower loop (residues 41-47) on the right side of the protein and of its distance from the middle loop (residues 26-31), probably leading to greater hydration of the interior right side of the molecule. These changes resulted in a decrease in the global stability of the protein. Further mutation of Asn-52 to Ile led to a total recovery of the wild-type stability of the sulfur-iron bond, and a partial restoration of the global stability of the protein. Substitution of Phe for His-33 did not alter the sulfur-iron bond but caused a pronounced increase in the global stability of the protein. It is suggested that this effect results from hydrophobic interaction of the Phe-33 side chain with the lower loop on the right side of the protein. Such an interaction also explains the observation that the same mutation reversed the loss of global stability caused by substitution of Val to His-26, but did not restore the strength of the sulfur-iron bond that this mutation had brought about.

Myopathy, lactic acidosis, and sideroblastic anemia: a new syndrome.

We describe 2 sibs (brother and sister) with myopathy, sideroblastic anemia, lactic acidosis, mental retardation, microcephaly, high palate, high philtrum, distichiasis, and micrognathia. Very low levels of cytochromes a, b, and c were detected in the patients' muscle mitochondria. Deposition of iron within the mitochondria of bone marrow erythroblasts was observed on electron microscopy. Irregular and enlarged mitochondria with paracrystalline inclusions were also seen on electron microscopy of the patients' muscle specimen. Examination of DNA from the affected sibs showed no deletions in the mitochondrial DNA nor the mutations identified in the syndromes of mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes (MELAS) or myoclonus, and epilepsy associated with rugged-red fibers (MERRF). Since the parents were first cousins and 2 of 6 sibs (male and female) were affected, we suggest that the syndrome expressed by our patients represents a previously unknown autosomal recessive disorder that includes mitochondrial myopathy, lactic acidosis, and sideroblastic anemia.

Effects of mutating Asn-52 to isoleucine on the haem-linked properties of cytochrome c.

Asn-52 of rat cytochrome c and baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c was changed to isoleucine by site-directed mutagenesis and the mutated proteins expressed in and purified from cultures of transformed yeast. This mutation affected the affinity of the haem iron for the Met-80 sulphur in the ferric state and the reduction potential of the molecule. The yeast protein, in which the sulphur-iron bond is distinctly weaker than in vertebrate cytochromes c, became very similar to the latter: the pKa of the alkaline ionization rose from 8.3 to 9.4 and that of the acidic ionization decreased from 3.4 to 2.8. The rates of binding and dissociation of cyanide became markedly lower, and the affinity was lowered by half an order of magnitude. In the ferrous state the dissociation of cyanide from the variant yeast cytochrome c was three times slower than in the wild-type. The same mutation had analogous but less pronounced effects on rat cytochrome c: it did not alter the alkaline ionization pKa nor its affinity for cyanide, but it lowered its acidic ionization pKa from 2.8 to 2.2. These results indicate that the mutation of Asn-52 to isoleucine increases the stability of the cytochrome c closed-haem crevice as observed earlier for the mutation of Tyr-67 to phenylalanine [Luntz, Schejter, Garber and Margoliash (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 3524-3528], because of either its effects on the hydrogen-bonding of an interior water molecule or a general increase in the hydrophobicity of the protein in the domain occupied by the mutated residues. The reduction potentials were affected in different ways; the Eo of rat cytochrome c rose by 14 mV whereas that of the yeast iso-1 cychrome c was 30 mV lower as a result of the change of Asn-52 to isoleucine.

The significance of denaturant titrations of protein stability: a comparison of rat and baker's yeast cytochrome c and their site-directed asparagine-52-to-isoleucine mutants.

The residue asparagine-52 of rat cytochrome c and baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c was mutated to isoleucine by site-directed mutagenesis, and the unfolding of the wild-type and mutant proteins in urea or guanidinium chloride solutions was studied. Whereas the yeast mutant cytochrome unfolded in 4-7 M urea with a rate constant (k) of 1.7 x 10(-2) s-1, the rat mutant protein unfolded with k = 5.0 x 10(-2) s-1, followed by a slow partial refolding with k = 5.0 x 10(-4) s-1. Denaturant titrations indicated that the mutation increased the stability of the yeast cytochrome by 6.3 kJ (1.5 kcal)/mol, while it decreased that of the rat protein by 11.7 kJ (2.8 kcal)/mol. These results probably reflect structural differences between yeast iso-1 and vertebrate cytochromes c in the vicinity of the Asn-52 side chain.

Relationship between local and global stabilities of proteins: site-directed mutants and chemically-modified derivatives of cytochrome c.

The methionine 80 sulfur-heme iron bond of rat cytochrome c, whose stability is decreased by mutating the phylogenetically invariant residue proline 30 to alanine and increased when tyrosine 67 is changed to phenylalanine, recovers its wild-type characteristics when both substitutions are performed on the same molecule. Titrations with urea, analyzed according to the heteropolymer theory [Alonso, D. O. V., & Dill, K. A. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 5974-5985], indicate that both single mutations increase the solvent exposure of hydrophobic groups in the unfolded state, while in the double mutant this conformational perturbation disappears. Similar increases in solvent exposure of hydrophobic groups are observed when the sulfur-iron bond of the wild-type protein is broken by alkylation of the methionine sulfur, by high pH, or by binding the heme iron with cyanide. The compensatory effects of the two single mutations do not extend to the overall stability of the protein. The added loss of conformational stability due to the single mutations amounts to 7.3 kcal/mol out of the 9 kcal/mol representing the overall free energy of stabilization of the native conformation of the wild-type protein. The folded conformation of the doubly mutated protein is only 2 kcal/mol less stable than that of the wild type. These results indicate that the double mutant protein is able to retain the essential folding pattern of cytochrome c and the thermodynamic stability of the methionine sulfur-heme iron bond, in spite of structural differences that weaken the overall stability of the molecule.

Degradation of native human hemoglobin following hemolysis by Prevotella loescheii.

Prevotella loescheii PK1295 can grow on native hemoglobin as a source of heme. Supernatants of P. loescheii cultures hemolysed human erythrocytes and degraded native hemoglobin. These combined activities may provide heme (or iron) for the growth of P. loescheii and other dental plaque bacteria.

Mastoparan induces hypothermia in mice.

The polypeptide mastoparan, isolated from the venom of the Oriental Hornet, Vespa orientalis, induces hypothermia in white mice 15 minutes after its intraperitoneal injection. The hypothermic effect is induced by mastoparan obtained from different hornet and wasp venoms. The normal murine core temperature is lowered by mastoparan from 38 degrees C to as far as 33 degrees C. This lowering lasts for one hour and is reversible.

The reactivity of cytochrome c with soft ligands.

The spectral changes caused by binding soft ligands to the cytochrome c iron and their correlation to ligand affinities support the hypothesis that the iron-methionine sulfur bond of this heme protein is enhanced by delocalization of the metal t2g electrons into the empty 3d orbitals of the ligand atom. These findings also explain the unique spectrum of cytochrome c in the far red.

Changing the invariant proline-30 of rat and Drosophila melanogaster cytochromes c to alanine or valine destabilizes the heme crevice more than the overall conformation.

Drosophila melanogaster and rat cytochromes c in which proline-30 was converted to alanine or valine were expressed in a strain of baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where they sustained aerobic growth. The mutations had no significant effect on the spectra or redox potentials but altered drastically the stability of the bond between the methionine-80 sulfur and the heme iron, as judged by four criteria: (i) the alkaline pKa values of the 695-nm band of the ferric form of the mutant proteins decreased by almost 1 pH unit as compared to the wild types; (ii) the acid pKa values increased by 0.5 to 1.2 pH units; (iii) the 695-nm band half-disappeared at temperatures 10-20 degrees C lower in the mutant proteins than in the wild types; and (iv) the 695-nm band of the mutant proteins was susceptible to concentrations of urea that had little influence on their overall structure. The valine-substituted rat cytochrome c had properties intermediate between those of the wild type and the alanine mutant. The destabilized coordinative bond is located in space a long distance from the mutation site. It is suggested that the mutations weaken the hydrogen bond between the carbonyl of residue 30 and the imino group of the imidazole of histidine-18, modifying the bonding of the heme iron by that imidazole, which, in turn, through a trans effect, weakens the bond between the heme iron and the other axial ligand, the sulfur of methionine-80. Alternatively, the effect of the mutations may be propagated allosterically along the peptide chain.

Isolation and properties of a soluble fraction of Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin eggs responsible for the calcium-induced oxidative burst.

The system responsible for the oxidative burst (OB) activity in Paracentrotus lividus eggs is different from those described earlier for other sea urchin species. The OB in P. lividus is associated with a soluble fraction resulting from centrifugation at 150,000 g. A low-molecular-weight, -SH-containing molecule present in this supernatant is required for the OB activity. The sulfhydryl reagent N-ethylmaleimide completely inhibits the calcium stimulated OB activity of intact eggs in the presence of the calcium ionophore A23187, suggesting that this requirement of low-molecular-weight -SH-containing molecules for OB exists also in vivo.

Structural significance of an internal water molecule studied by site-directed mutagenesis of tyrosine-67 in rat cytochrome c.

The tyrosine-67 to phenylalanine mutated rat cytochrome c is similar to the unmutated protein in its spectral, reduction potential, and enzymic electron-transfer properties. However, the loss of the 695-nm band, characteristic of the ferric form of the normal low-spin physiologically active configuration, occurs 1.2 pH units higher on the alkaline side and 0.7 pH unit lower on the acid side. Similarly, the heme iron-methionine-80 sulfur bond is more stable to temperature, with the midpoint of the transition being 30 degrees C higher, corresponding to an increase in delta H of 5 kcal/mol (1 cal = 4.184 J), partially mitigated by an increase of 11 entropy units in delta S. Urea has only slightly different effects on the two proteins. These phenomena are best explained by considering that the loss of one of the three hydrogen-bonding side chains, tyrosine-67, asparagine-52, and threonine-78, which hold an internal water molecule on the "left, lower front" side of the protein [Takano, T. & Dickerson, R. E. (1981) J. Mol. Biol. 153, 95-115], is sufficient to prevent its inclusion in the mutant protein, leading to a more stable structure, and, as indicated by preliminary proton NMR two-dimensional phase-sensitive nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy analyses, a reorganization of this area. This hypothesis predicts that elimination of the hydrogen-bonding ability of residue 52 or 78 would also result in cytochromes c having similar properties. It is not obvious why the space-filling structure involving the internalized water molecule that leads to a destabilization energy of about 3 kcal/mol should be subject to extreme evolutionary conservation, when a more stable and apparently fully functional structure is readily available.

The binding characteristics of the cytochrome c iron.

A comparison of the binding properties of myoglobin and cytochrome c shows that the latter, in the reduced state, has an unusually large affinity for ligands, including thioethers. This explains the outstanding stability of the methionine-iron bond of ferrous cytochrome c, and results from the intrinsic ability of the cytochrome c iron to delocalize its electrons into orbitals of the sixth axial ligand.

Isolation and properties of the soluble c-type cytochromes of the dinoflagellate Peridinium cinctum.

Four soluble cytochromes of the c type were isolated from the freshwater dinoflagellate Peridinium cinctum collected from Lake Kinneret, Israel. Cytochrome c with alpha-band maximum at 550 nm in the reduced state had a molecular mass of 10,200 Da, pI 7.4, and Em of 278 m V. This cytochrome was active in the respiratory chain of beef heart Keilin-Hartree particles. Cytochrome c-553 had a molecular mass of 13,200 Da, pI 4.9, and Em of 384 m V, and was active in light induced electron transport of Euglena gracilis chloroplast fragments. Cytochrome c-554 had a molecular mass of 13,500 Da, pI 4.4, and Em of 326 m V. This cytochrome was inactive in light induced electron transport but competed with cytochrome c-552 of Euglena in the assay. The acidic cytochrome c-557 was present in very small quantities. The properties of the soluble c-type cytochromes of P. cinctum are compatible with the classification of dinoflagellates as primitive eucaryotes.

Stepwise modification of the electrostatic charge of cytochrome c. Effects on protein conformation and oxidation-reduction properties.

Horse heart cytochrome c was progressively maleylated, and fractions containing increasing numbers of modified lysines were obtained. The 695 nm band was present in derivatives containing up to 14 maleylated residues. Circular dichroic spectra showed minor changes beginning with 8 substituted lysines; in derivatives with 14 or more maleylated lysines, circular dichroism indicated total disruption of the native conformation. The ionic strength dependence of the measured oxidation reduction potentials and second order rate constants of reduction with ascorbate varied as expected from application of Debye-Huckel theory to the differently charged derivatives. The thermodynamic oxidation-reduction potentials decreased with the increase in the number of negatively charged groups, in a manner similar to that observed for simple iron complexes.