Porcine leukocyte 5- and 12-lipoxygenases are iron enzymes

EPR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry reveal distinctive features of the iron site in leukocyte 12-lipoxygenase

The procedure for the expression and purification of recombinant porcine leukocyte 12-lipoxygenase using Escherichia coli [K.M. Richards, L.J. Marnett, Biochemistry 36 (1997) 6692-6699] was updated to make it possible to produce enough protein for physical measurements. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry confirmed the amino acid sequence. The redox properties of the cofactor iron site were examined by EPR spectroscopy at 25K following treatment with a variety of fatty acid hydroperoxides. Combination of the enzyme in a stoichiometric ratio with the hydroperoxides led to a g4.3 signal in EPR spectra instead of the g6 signal characteristic of similarly treated soybean lipoxygenase-1. Native 12-lipoxygenase was also subjected to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. There was evidence for loss of the mass of an iron atom from the protein as the pH was lowered from 5 to 4. Native ions in these samples indicated that iron was lost without the protein completely unfolding.

Induction of arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (Alox15) in intestine of iron-deficient rats correlates with the production of biologically active lipid mediators

To identify novel genes associated with iron metabolism, we performed gene chip studies in two models of iron deficiency: iron-deprived rats and rats deficient in the principal intestinal iron transporter, divalent metal transporter 1 (i.e., Belgrade rats). Affymetrix rat genome gene chips were utilized (RAE230) with cRNA samples derived from duodenum and jejunum of experimental and control animals. Computational analysis and statistical data reduction identified 29 candidate genes, which were induced in both models of iron deficiency. Gene ontology analysis showed enrichment for genes related to lipid homeostasis, and one gene related to this physiological process, a leukocyte type, arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (Alox15), was selected for further examination. TaqMan real-time PCR studies demonstrated strong induction of Alox15 throughout the small and large intestine, and in the liver of iron-deficient rats. Polyclonal antibodies were developed and utilized to demonstrate that proteins levels are significantly increased in the intestinal epithelium of iron-deprived rats. HPLC analysis revealed altered intestinal lipid metabolism indicative of Alox15 activity, which resulted in the production of biologically active lipid molecules (12-HETE, 13-HODE, and 13-HOTE). The overall effect is a perturbation of intestinal lipid homeostasis, which results in the production of lipids essentially absent in the intestine of control rats. We have thus provided mechanistic insight into the alteration in lipid metabolism that occurs during iron deficiency, in that induction of Alox15 mRNA expression may be the primary event. The resulting lipid mediators may be related to documented alterations in villus structure and cell proliferation rates in iron deficiency, or to structural alterations in membrane lipid composition.

Regulation of 5-lipoxygenase enzyme activity

In this article, regulation of human 5-lipoxygenase enzyme activity is reviewed. First, structural properties and enzyme activities are described. This is followed by the activating factors: Ca2+, membranes, ATP, and lipid hydroperoxide. Also, studies on phosphorylation of 5-lipoxygenase and nuclear localization sequences are reviewed.

Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase

In this article, it has been attempted to review data primarily on the activation of human 5-lipoxygenase, in vitro and in the cell. First, structural properties and enzyme activities are described. This is followed by the activating factors: Ca2+, membranes, ATP, and lipid hydroperoxide. Also, studies on phosphorylation of 5-lipoxygenase, interaction with other proteins, and the intracellullar mobility of 5-lipoxygenase, are reviewed.

Oxidation of linoleyl alcohol by potato tuber lipoxygenase: kinetics and positional, stereo, and geometrical (cis, trans) specificity of the reaction

The dioxygenation of linoleyl alcohol (LAL) by potato tuber lipoxygenase leads to formation of two positional isomeric products--9- and 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadien-1-ols (Butovich, I. A., Luk'yanova, S. M., and Reddy, C. C. (1998) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 249, 344-349). In the present study, we examined the stereospecificity and double-bond conformation of primary dioxygenation products of LAL catalyzed by potato lipoxygenase. In contrast to the product profiles of linoleic acid oxidation by potato lipoxygenase, oxidation of LAL led to all possible positional (9- and 13-), stereo, and geometrical (cis,trans and all-trans) isomers in equimolar mixtures at 25 degrees C. The reaction appears to proceed through an enzyme-catalyzed formation of a pentadiene carbon-centered radical followed by resonance stabilization of the radical and molecular oxygen insertion in an enzyme-dependent as well as an enzyme-independent pathway. A strict positional, stereo, and geometrical specificity of the dioxygenation products of LAL oxidation appears to be maintained when the reaction occurs at the active site of the enzyme. However, when the pentadiene carbon-centered radical of LAL is dissociated from the active site of the enzyme, it appears to be nonenzymatically transformed into a mixture of all possible positional and geometrical stereoisomers of primary dioxygenation products. The latter pathway was effectively blocked by the free radical scavenger 4-hydroxy-TEMPO, which substantially reduced the production of all-trans hydroperoxyoctadecadienols. In the presence of the scavenger, 9(S)-hydroperoxy-10E,12Z-octadecadien-1-ol was the predominant LAL oxidation product, representing approximately 80% of the total conjugated dienes, with 13(S)-hydroxy-9Z,11E-octadecadien-1-ol the expected product of reverse orientation of the substrate at the active site, accounting for approximately 10%. A similar pattern in oxidation of LAL was observed when the reactions were carried out at 0 degrees C.

Effects of reactive oxygen species on the biosynthesis of 12 (S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in mouse epidermal homogenate

Arachidonic acid is converted to 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) in a homogenate of mouse epidermal cells. When the epidermal homogenate was preincubated with scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS), catalase or superoxide dismutase, significantly larger amounts of 12-HETE were produced as compared to untreated controls, suggesting that 12-lipoxygenase is quite prone to inactivation by ROS and peroxides. Mouse epidermal homogenate was then exposed to nine different ROS-generating systems to study the effects of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, hypochlorite, peroxyl radicals, and alkyl hydroperoxides on the enzyme activity. Analysis by chiral phase high performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that the 12-HETE biosynthesized from arachidonic acid by mouse epidermal homogenate was the 12 (S)-enantiomer and excludes oxidation of arachidonic acid by ROS in a nonspecific free radical mechanism which leads to racemic 12-HETE. ROS generated by the interaction of xanthine with xanthine oxidase strongly inhibited epidermal 12 (S)-HETE biosynthesis. A flux of 0.7 nmol of superoxide/min/ml of reaction medium resulted in more than 50% inhibition of epidermal 12-lipoxygenase activity. The decrease in 12 (S)-HETE biosynthesis appeared to involve both superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. The efficacy of the latter species was also documented by exposure of mouse epidermal 12-lipoxygenase to glucose and glucose oxidase, which resulted in similar inhibitory effects on 12 (S)-HETE biosynthesis. The presence of the iron chelator diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid during incubation of epidermal 12-lipoxygenase with both the xanthine/xanthine oxidase or the glucose/glucose oxidase systems partially protected the enzyme against inhibition, indicating that hydroxyl radical contributes to the overall inhibitory effect. Also, organic hydroperoxides inhibited epidermal 12-lipoxygenase, whereas singlet oxygen, hypochlorite, and peroxyl radicals were not effective. The results of this study lead to the proposal that 12-lipoxygenase activity may be regulated by ROS such as hydrogen peroxides, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals.

Inactivation of mouse epidermal 12-lipoxygenase by anthralin--implications for the role of oxygen radicals

In activation of 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) in mouse epidermal homogenate by the antipsoriatic drug anthralin has been studied in detail. In view of the chemical instability of anthralin in a physiological buffer, the biological effects ascribed to the molecule itself may be related to some of its breakdown products. However, the inhibitory activity could not be attributed to the known stable oxidation product of anthralin, danthron, which did not decrease (12-LO activity. Addition of the antioxidants 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) or beta-carotene, or the hydroxyl radical scavenger sodium benzoate, protected against anthralin-mediated 12-LO inactivation, suggesting that pro-oxidant species derived from anthralin play a key role in the inhibitory action. Even though inhibitory effects of anthralin against catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) have been observed under the conditions applied in this study, these antioxidant enzymes also partially prevented the inhibition of 12-LO by anthralin when added to the incubation mixtures. Control experiments without anthralin revealed that the oxygen radical scavengers and antioxidant enzymes, themselves, did not appreciably influence epidermal 12-LO activity. A mechanism underlying the inactivation of epidermal 12-LO by anthralin is proposed, which involves active oxygen species formed during the auto-oxidation of the drug.

Oxidative inactivation of human 5-lipoxygenase in phosphatidylcholine vesicles

Human 5-lipoxygenase is a non-heme iron protein which possesses 5-oxygenase, leukotriene A4 synthase and pseudoperoxidase activities and which undergoes a rapid irreversible inactivation during these reactions. The inactivation of the enzyme was dependent on the structural characteristics of the substrate for the reaction, on O2 concentration and on exposure to phospholipids and calcium. The apparent first-order rate constant for enzyme inactivation (k(in)) was 0.6 min(-1) during the oxygenation of arachidonic acid in air-saturated buffer containing phosphatidylcholine vesicles and Ca2+. The rate of enzyme inactivation was dependent on the substrate for the reaction and was about threefold slower during the oxygenation of 5,8-icosadienoic acid and 12(S)-hydroxyicosatetraenoic acid compared with arachidonic acid. Lowering the 02 concentration to 60 microM during the oxygenation of arachidonic acid also caused a 2.5-fold decrease in k(in) without affecting the initial rate of the reaction resulting in an increase in both 5-hydroperoxyicosatetraenoic acid (5-HPETE) and leukotriene A4 accumulation. The concentration of 02 for half-maximal activity (initial rate and product accumulation) was approximately 10 microM. In contrast, the activity and the rate of inactivation during the leukotriene A4 synthase reaction with exogenous 5-HPETE (k(in)=2.0 min(-1) were independent of 02 concentration. A rapid inactivation of the enzyme was also observed during aerobic incubation with phosphatidylcholine vesicles and Ca2+ in the absence of substrate, with a sequential loss of the oxygenase (t1/2 = 0.5 min) and pseudoperoxidase (t1/2 = 7 min) activities. Protection against this turnover-independent inactivation was observed in the presence of the selective reversible 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor L-739,010 ([1S, 5R] 3-cyano-1-(3-furyl)-6-(6-[3-(3 alpha-hydroxy-6,8-dioxyabicyclo [3.2.11 octanyl)] pyridin-2-ylmethoxy) naphthalene) and by prior treatment of vesicles with sodium borohydride and, to a lesser extent, by glutathione peroxidase. The results show that the inactivation of 5-lipoxygenase in phospholipid vesicles is dependent on the structure of the unsaturated fatty acid substrate for the reaction, on the concentration of oxygen and on a turnover-independent oxidation at the active-site leading to the sequential loss of the oxygenase and pseudoperoxidase activities of the enzyme.

Novel 10-substituted antipsoriatic anthrones as inhibitors of epidermal 12-lipoxygenase and lipid peroxidation in membranes

The ability of novel 10-substituted anthrones to inhibit 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) in mouse epidermal homogenate and lipid peroxidation in both bovine brain phospholipid liposomes and erythrocyte ghosts was investigated, and compared with their ability to inhibit 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) in bovine leukocytes. The compounds were fairly potent inhibitors of epidermal 12-LO, in addition to their strong inhibitory effects against leukocyte 5-LO. Although the antipsoriatic drug, anthralin, predominantly inhibited epidermal 12-LO, the novel derivatives were more selective 5-LO inhibitors. Compounds with free phenolic groups in the attached aromatic ring were also potent inhibitors of nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation in both sources of lipid substrate. This property was not correlated with their ability to inhibit the 5- and 12-LO pathways, suggesting that their mechanism of 5-/12-LO inhibition is not simply due to scavenging of peroxyl radicals generated at the active site of the enzymes. The compounds are dual-purpose inhibitors and may play a protective role against oxidative damage to psoriatic skin, in addition to their antiinflammatory 5-LO and 12-LO inhibitory properties.

12-lipoxygenases and 12(S)-HETE: role in cancer metastasis

Arachidonic acid metabolites have been implicated in multiple steps of carcinogenesis. Their role in tumor cell metastasis, the ultimate challenge for the treatment of cancer patients, are however not well-documented. Arachidonic acid is primarily metabolized through three pathways, i.e., cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and P450-dependent monooxygenase. In this review we focus our attention on one specific lipoxygenase, i.e., 12-lipoxygenase, and its potential role in modulating the metastatic process. In mammalian cells there exist three types of 12-lipoxygenases which differ in tissue distribution, preferential substrates, and profile of their metabolites. Most of these 12-lipoxygenases have been cloned and sequenced, and the molecular and biochemical determinants responsible for catalysis of specific substrates characterized. Solid tumor cells express 12-lipoxygenase mRNA, possess 12-lipoxygenase protein, and biosynthesize 12(S)-HETE [12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid], as revealed by numerous experimental approaches. The ability of tumor cells to generate 12(S)-HETE is positively correlated to their metastatic potential. A large collection of experimental data suggest that 12(S)-HETE is a crucial intracellular signaling molecule that activates protein kinase C and mediates the biological functions of many growth factors and cytokines such as bFGF, PDGF, EGF, and AMF. 12(S)-HETE plays a pivotal role in multiple steps of the metastatic 'cascade' encompassing tumor cell-vasculature interactions, tumor cell motility, proteolysis, invasion, and angiogenesis. The fact that 12-lipoxygenase is expressed in a wide diversity of tumor cell lines and 12(S)-HETE is a key modulatory molecule in metastasis provides the rationale for targeting these molecules in anti-cancer and anti-metastasis therapeutic protocols.

Characterization of the non-heme iron center of human 5-lipoxygenase by electron paramagnetic resonance, fluorescence, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy: redox cycling between ferrous and ferric states

Purified human 5-lipoxygenase, a non-heme iron containing enzyme, has been characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance, (EPR), ultraviolet (UV)-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. As isolated, the enzyme is largely in the ferrous state and shows a weak X-band EPR signal extending from 0 to 700 G at 15 K, tentatively ascribed to integer spin Fe(II). Titration of the protein with 13-HPOD (13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid) generates a strong multicomponent EPR signal in the g' approximately 6 region, a yellow color associated with an increased absorption between 310 and 450 nm (epsilon 330nm = 2400 M-1 cm-1), and a 17% decrease in the intrinsic protein fluorescence. The multiple component nature of the g' approximately 6 signal indicates that the metal center in its oxidized state exists in more than one but related forms. The g' approximately 6 EPR signal and the yellow color reach a maximum when approximately 1 mol of 13-HPOD is added/mol of iron; the resultant EPR spectrum accounts quantitatively for all of the iron in the protein with a signal at g' = 4.3 representing less than 3% of the total iron in the majority of samples. Addition of a hydroxyurea reducing agent abolished the g' approximately 6 signal and yellow color of the protein and also reversed the decrease in fluorescence caused by the oxidant 13-HPOD. The results indicate that the g' approximately 6 EPR signal, the yellow color, and the decreased fluorescence are associated with the formation of the Fe(III) form of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Rapid purification of rabbit reticulocyte lipoxygenase for electron paramagnetic spectroscopy characterization of the non-heme iron

An efficient three-step purification technique has been developed for the reticulocyte 15-lipoxygenase from rabbit. Ammonium sulfate fractionated reticulocyte lysate was purified by size exclusion chromatography and preparative scale isoelectric focusing. The entire procedure was complete in less than eight hours and was carried out in batches which typically yielded 10 mg of purified enzyme. The identity and purity of the enzyme were evaluated by N-terminal sequencing, sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and specific activity determinations. The enzyme contained approximately one g-atom iron per mole of protein. The iron was present in an electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPR) silent, presumably high spin iron(II), form in the isolated enzyme. Treatment with one equivalent of 13-hydroperoxy-9(Z),11(E)-octadecadienoic acid resulted in the appearance of an EPR signal around g6.