Binding of 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl alcohol to rat alpha class glutathione S-transferases; evidence for binding at tryptophan 21

Chemical modification at subunit 1 of rat kidney Alpha class glutathione transferase with 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone: Close structural connectivity between glutathione conjugation activity and non-substrate ligand binding

2, 3, 5, 6-Tetrachloro-1, 4-benzoquinone (TCBQ) is a metabolite of pentachlorophenol known to react with cysteines of glutathione transferases (GSTs). TCBQ treatment of rat kidney rGSTA1-2 and rGSTA1-1 abolishes 70-80% conjugation of glutathione (GSH) to 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene and results in strongly correlated quenching of intrinsic fluorescence of Trp-20 (R>0.96). rGSTA2-2 is only inhibited by 25%. Approximately 70% (rGSTA1-1) and 60% (rGSTA1-2) conjugation activity is abolished at TCBQ: GST stoichiometries near 1:1. The inactivation follows a Kitz/Wilson model with K(D) of 4.77+/-2.5microM for TCBQ and k(3) for inactivation of 0.036+/-0.01min(-1). A single tryptic peptide labelled with TCBQ was isolated from kidney rGSTA1-2 containing Cys-17 which we identify as the site of modification. Treatment with more than stoichiometric amounts of TCBQ modified other residues but resulted in only modest further inhibition of catalysis. We interpret these findings in terms of localised steric effects on the relatively rigid alpha-helix 1 adjacent to the catalytic site of subunit 1 possibly affecting the Alpha class-specific alpha-helix 9 which acts as a "lid" on the hydrophobic part of the active site. Homology modelling of rGSTA1-1 modified at Cys-17 of one subunit revealed only modest structural perturbations in the second subunit and tends to exclude global structural effects.

Characterization of bromosulphophthalein binding to human glutathione S-transferase A1-1: thermodynamics and inhibition kinetics

In addition to their catalytic functions, GSTs (glutathione S-transferases) bind a wide variety of structurally diverse non-substrate ligands. This ligandin function is known to result in the inhibition of catalytic function. The interaction between hGSTA1-1 (human class Alpha GST with two type 1 subunits) and a non-substrate anionic ligand, BSP (bromosulphophthalein), was studied by isothermal titration calorimetry and inhibition kinetics. The binding isotherm is biphasic, best described by a set of two independent sites: a high-affinity site and a low-affinity site(s). The binding stoichiometries for these sites are 1 and 3 molecules of BSP respectively. BSP binds to the high-affinity site 80 times more tightly (K(d)=0.12 microM) than it does to the low-affinity site(s) (K(d)=9.1 microM). Binding at these sites is enthalpically and entropically favourable, with no linkage to protonation events. Temperature- and salt-dependent studies indicate the significance of hydrophobic interactions in the binding of BSP, and that the low-affinity site(s) displays low specificity towards the anion. Binding of BSP results in the release of ordered water molecules at these hydrophobic sites, which more than offsets unfavourable entropic changes during binding. BSP inhibition studies show that the binding of BSP to its high-affinity site does not inhibit hGSTA1-1. This site, located near Trp-20, may be related to the buffer-binding site observed in GSTP1-1. The low-affinity-binding site(s) for BSP is most probably located at or near the active site of hGSTA1-1. Binding to this site(s) results in non-competitive inhibition with respect to CDNB (1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene) (K(i)(BSP)=16.8+/-1.9 microM). Given the properties of the H site and the relatively small size of the electrophilic substrate CDNB, it is plausible that the active site of the enzyme can simultaneously accommodate both BSP and CDNB. This would explain the non-competitive behaviour of certain inhibitors that bind the active site (e.g. BSP).

Thermodynamics of the ligandin function of human class Alpha glutathione transferase A1-1: energetics of organic anion ligand binding

In addition to their catalytic functions, cytosolic glutathioneS-transferases (GSTs) are a major reserve of high-capacity binding proteins for a large variety of physiological and exogenous non-substrate compounds. This ligandin function has implicated GSTs in numerous ligand-uptake, -transport and -storage processes. The binding of non-substrate ligands to GSTs can inhibit catalysis. In the present study, the energetics of the binding of the non-substrate ligand 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulphonate (ANS) to wild-type human class Alpha GST with two type-1 subunits (hGSTA1-1) and its DeltaPhe-222 deletion mutant were studied by isothermal titration calorimetry. The stoichiometry of binding to both proteins is one ANS molecule per GST subunit with a greater affinity for the wild-type (K(d)=65 microM) than for the DeltaPhe-222 mutant (K(d)=105 microM). ANS binding to the wild-type protein is enthalpically driven and it is characterized by a large negative heat-capacity change, DeltaC(p). The negative DeltaC(p) value for ANS binding indicates a specific interface with a significant hydrophobic component in the protein-ligand complex. The negatively charged sulphonate group of the anionic ligand is apparently not a major determinant of its binding. Phe-222 contributes to the binding affinity for ANS and the hydrophobicity of the binding site.

The abnormality of glucose transporter in the erythrocyte membrane of Chinese type 2 diabetic patients

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by impaired glucose uptake. With a photometric method of recording the erythrocyte suspension absorption during the course of glucose transport across the membranes, we observed that the initial rate of glucose zero-trans entry was decreased significantly in 30 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients as compared to 25 healthy controls. The rate of glucose infinite-cis efflux exhibited no difference between the patients and controls. The measurement of temperature dependence of glucose transport showed that the activation energy for glucose entry was increased in diabetic patients. The inhibitory constant of glucose entry by cytochalasin B (CB) in patients was similar to that of the controls. However, we found that the inhibitory constant was increased significantly in the patient erythrocytes after phloretin treatment. After the erythrocytes were made into stripped white ghosts, the fluorescence quenching experiment was performed. Glucose, CB and phloretin can quench the fluorescence of tryptophan residues in the glucose transporter 1, GLUT1. The abnormality of fluorescence quenching in the erythrocyte membranes of patients was observed. The transfer tendency of tryptophan residues from the hydrophilic environment to the hydrophobic environment was decreased in patient ghosts as binding with glucose, and the opposite tendency appeared as CB and phloretin instead of glucose. We conclude that the decreased in glucose entry in the erythrocyte membranes of diabetic patients was due to the GLUT1 change in structure - mostly the outer domain of the glucose transporter.

Role of the C-terminal helix 9 in the stability and ligandin function of class alpha glutathione transferase A1-1

Helix 9 at the C-terminus of class alpha glutathione transferase (GST) polypeptides is a unique structural feature in the GST superfamily. It plays an important structural role in the catalytic cycle. Its contribution toward protein stability/folding as well as the binding of nonsubstrate ligands was investigated by protein engineering, conformational stability, enzyme activity, and ligand-binding methods. The helix9 sequence displays an unfavorable propensity toward helix formation, but tertiary interactions between the amphipathic helix and the GST seem to contribute sufficient stability to populate the helix on the surface of the protein. The helix's stability is enhanced further by the binding of ligands at the active site. The order of ligand-induced stabilization increases from H-site occupation, to G-site occupation, to the simultaneous occupation of H- and G-sites. Ligand-induced stabilization of helix9 reduces solvent accessible hydrophobic surface by facilitating firmer packing at the hydrophobic interface between helix and GST. This stabilized form exhibits enhanced affinity for the binding of nonsubstrate ligands to ligandin sites (i.e., noncatalytic binding sites). Although helix9 contributes very little toward the global stability of hGSTA1-1, its conformational dynamics have significant implications for the protein's equilibrium unfolding/refolding pathway and unfolding kinetics. Considering the high concentration of reduced glutathione in human cells (about 10 mM), the physiological form of hGSTA1-1 is most likely the thiol-complexed protein with a stabilized helix9. The C-terminus region (including helix9) of the class alpha polypeptide appears not to have been optimized for stability but rather for catalytic and ligandin function.

Glutathione S-transferases of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica have unusually large molecular mass

Two similar glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), which do not bind to glutathione- or S-hexylglutathione-agarose affinity resins, have been purified from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. An approx. 400-fold purification was obtained by a combination of DEAE-Sephadex, phenyl-Sepharose, hydroxyapatite and Mono-Q anion-exchange chromatography. The native molecular mass of both proteins was estimated as approx. 110 kDa by both Superose-12 gel-filtration chromatography and non-denaturing electrophoresis. SDS/PAGE indicated a subunit mass of 50 kDa. Reverse-phase HPLC of purified proteins gave a single, well-resolved, peak, suggesting that the proteins are homodimers. Identical behaviour on HPLC, native electrophoresis and SDS/PAGE, N-terminal sequencing, sensitivity to a panel of inhibitors and identical specific activities with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as substrate suggest that the two isoenzymes are very similar. The enzymes do not immunoblot with antisera to any of the main GST classes, and N-terminal sequencing suggests no clear relationship with previously characterized enzymes, such as that of the fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium [Dowd, Buckley and Sheehan (1997) Biochem. J. 324, 243-248]. It is possible that the two isoenzymes arise as a result of post-translational modification of a single GST isoenzyme.

Glutathione S-transferases from the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium

A glutathione S-transferase (GST) was purified to homogeneity from the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, by affinity chromatography on glutathione-agarose followed by Mono-Q ion-exchange FPLC. This protein immunoblotted with antisera to rat Theta class GST 5-5 and also showed N-terminal sequence similarity to the Theta class, including the presence of a conserved serine residue that has been specifically implicated in catalysis in this class [Wilce, Board, Feil and Parker (1995) EMBO J. 14, 2133-2143] and other residues conserved in plant sequences. Catalytic activity was found to be highly labile in the purified protein, although preliminary evidence for activity (approx. 120 m-units/mg) with 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane was obtained in some preparations. The enzyme seems to be a dimer with a subunit molecular mass of 25 kDa by SDS/PAGE. The native molecular masses estimated by non-denaturing electrophoresis and by Superose-12 gel filtration were 58 and 45 kDa respectively. A second protein purified in this study also gave low level of activity with 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane and had a subunit molecular mass of 28 kDa (native size 62-63 kDa), but did not immunoblot with any GST class and seemed to be N-terminally blocked.