Isolation and characterization of dihydropteridine reductase from Pseudomonas species

Molecular and enzymatic characterization of two enzymes BmPCD and BmDHPR involving in the regeneration pathway of tetrahydrobiopterin from the silkworm Bombyx mori

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthase so that BH4 plays a key role in many biological processes. BH4 deficiency is associated with numerous metabolic syndromes and neuropsychological disorders. BH4 concentration in mammals is maintained through a de novo synthesis pathway and a regeneration pathway. Previous studies showed that the de novo pathway of BH4 is similar between insects and mammals. However, knowledge about the regeneration pathway of BH4 (RPB) is very limited in insects. Several mutants in the silkworm Bombyx mori have been approved to be associated with BH4 deficiency, which are good models to research on the RPB in insects. In this study, homologous genes encoding two enzymes, pterin-4a-carbinolamine dehydratase (PCD) and dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) involving in RPB have been cloned and identified from B. mori. Enzymatic activity of DHPR was found in the fat body of wild type silkworm larvae. Together with the transcription profiles, it was indicated that BmPcd and BmDhpr might normally act in the RPB of B. mori and the expression of BmDhpr was activated in the brain and sexual glands while BmPcd was expressed in a wider special pattern when the de novo pathway of BH4 was lacked in lemon. Biochemical analyses showed that the recombinant BmDHPR exhibited high enzymatic activity and more suitable parameters to the coenzyme of NADH in vitro. The results in this report give new information about the RPB in B. mori and help in better understanding insect BH4 biosynthetic networks.

Structural insights into the dual substrate specificities of mammalian and Dictyostelium dihydropteridine reductases toward two stereoisomers of quinonoid dihydrobiopterin

Up to now, d-threo-tetrahydrobiopterin (DH(4), dictyopterin) was detected only in Dictyostelium discoideum, while the isomer L-erythro-tetrahydrobioterin (BH(4)) is common in mammals. To elucidate the mechanism of DH(4) regeneration by D. discoideum dihydropteridine reductase (DicDHPR), we have determined the crystal structure of DicDHPR complexed with NAD(+) at 2.16 Å resolution. Significant structural differences from mammalian DHPRs are found around the coenzyme binding site, resulting in a higher K(m) value for NADH (K(m)=46.51±0.4 μM) than mammals. In addition, we have found that rat DHPR as well as DicDHPR could bind to both substrates quinonoid-BH(2) and quinonoid-DH(2) by docking calculations and have confirmed their catalytic activity by in vitro assay.

The NprA nitroreductase required for 2,4-dinitrophenol reduction in Rhodobacter capsulatus is a dihydropteridine reductase

The Rhodobacter capsulatus nprA gene codes for a putative nitroreductase. A recombinant His(6)-NprA protein was overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography. This protein contained FMN and showed nitroreductase activity with a wide range of nitroaromatic compounds, such as 2-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2,6-dinitrophenol, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid), 2,4-dinitrobenzoate and 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and with the nitrofuran derivatives nitrofurazone and furazolidone. NADPH was the main electron donor and the ortho nitro group was preferably reduced to the corresponding amino derivative. The apparent K(m) values of NprA for NADPH, 2,4-dinitrophenol, picric acid and furazolidone were 40 microM, 78 microM, 72 microM and 83 microM, respectively, at pH and temperature optima (pH 6.5, 30 degrees C). Escherichia coli cells overproducing the NprA protein were much more sensitive to the prodrug 5-(aziridin-1-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide (CB1954) used in cancer therapy than non-transformed cells. NprA showed the highest activity with the quinonoid form of 6,7-dimethyl-7,8-dihydropterine as substrate, so that NprA may be involved in the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin in R. capsulatus. Expression of a transcriptional nprA-lacZ gene fusion was induced by phenylalanine or tyrosine, but not by other amino acids like glutamate or alanine. Furthermore, both nitroreductase activity and phenylalanine assimilation were inhibited in vivo by ammonium. A mutant defective in the nprA gene showed better growth rate with Phe or Tyr as nitrogen source than the wild-type strain, although both strains showed similar growth in media with Glu or without added nitrogen. These results suggest that the NprA nitroreductase may act in vivo as a dihydropteridine reductase involved in aromatic amino acids metabolism.

Physarum polycephalum expresses a dihydropteridine reductase with selectivity for pterin substrates with a 6-(1', 2'-dihydroxypropyl) substitution

Physarum polycephalum is one of few non-animal organisms capable of synthesizing tetrahydrobiopterin from GTP. Here we demonstrate developmentally regulated expression of quinoid dihydropteridine reductase (EC 1.6.99.7), an enzyme required for recycling 6,7-[8H]-dihydrobiopterin. Physarum also expresses phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase activity, an enzyme that depends on dihydropteridine reductase. The 24.4 kDa Physarum dihydropteridine reductase shares 43% amino acid identity with the human protein. A number of residues important for function of the mammalian enzyme are also conserved in the Physarum sequence. In comparison to sheep liver dihydropteridine reductase, purified recombinant Physarum dihydropteridine reductase prefers pterin substrates with a 6-(1', 2'-dihydroxypropyl) group. Our results demonstrate that Physarum synthesizes, utilizes and metabolizes tetrahydrobiopterin in a way hitherto thought to be restricted to the animal kingdom.

Characterization of quinonoid-dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR) from the lower eukaryote Leishmania major

Biopterin is required for growth of the protozoan parasite Leishmania and is salvaged from the host through the activities of a novel biopterin transporter (BT1) and broad-spectrum pteridine reductase (PTR1). Here we characterize Leishmania major quinonoid-dihydropteridine reductase (LmQDPR), the key enzyme required for regeneration and maintenance of H(4)biopterin pools. LmQDPR shows good homology to metazoan quinonoid-dihydropteridine reductase and conservation of domains implicated in catalysis and regulation. Unlike other organisms, LmQDPR is encoded by a tandemly repeated array of 8-9 copies containing LmQDPR plus two other genes. QDPR mRNA and enzymatic activity were expressed at similar levels throughout the infectious cycle. The pH optima, kinetic properties, and substrate specificity of purified LmQDPR were found to be similar to that of other qDPRs, although it lacked significant activity for non-quinonoid pteridines. These and other data suggest that LmQDPR is unlikely to encode the dihydrobiopterin reductase activity (PTR2) described previously. Similarly LmQDPR is not inhibited by a series of antifolates showing anti-leishmanial activity beyond that attributable to dihydrofolate reductase or PTR1 inhibition. qDPR activity was found in crude lysates of Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi, further emphasizing the importance of H(4)biopterin throughout this family of human parasites.

Dihydropteridine reductase from Escherichia coli

A dihydropteridine reductase from Escherichia coli was purified to apparent homogeneity. It is a dimeric enzyme with identical subunits (Mr 27000) and a free N-terminal group. It can use NADH (Vmax./Km 3.36 s-1) and NADPH (Vmax./Km 1.07 s-1) when 6-methyldihydro-(6H)-pterin is the second substrate, as well as quinonoid dihydro-(6H)-biopterin (Vmax./Km 0.69 s-1), dihydro-(6H)-neopterin (Vmax./Km 0.58 s-1), dihydro-(6H)-monapterin 0.66 s-1), 6-methyldihydro-(6H)-pterin and cis-6,7-dimethyldihydro-(6H)-pterin (Vmax./Km 0.66 s-1) when NADH is the second substrate. The pure reductase has a yellow colour and contains bound FAD. The enzyme also has pterin-independent NADH and NADPH oxidoreductase activities when potassium ferricyanide is the electron acceptor.

Isolation and characterization of dihydropteridine reductase from human liver

Dihydropteridine reductase (EC 1.6.99.7) was purified from human liver obtained at autopsy by a three-step chromatographic procedure with the use of (1) a naphthoquinone affinity adsorbent, (2) DEAE-Sephadex and (3) CM-Sephadex. The enzyme was typically purified 1000-fold with a yield of 25%. It gave a single band on non-denaturing and sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and showed one spot on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to be 50000 by sedimentation-equilibrium analysis and 47500 by gel filtration. On sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, a single subunit with mol.wt. 26000 was observed. A complex of dihydropteridine reductase with NADH was observed on gel electrophoresis. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was estimated to be pH 7.0. Amino acid analysis showed a residue composition similar to that seen for the sheep and bovine liver enzymes. The enzyme showed anomalous migration in polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. A Ferguson plot indicated that this behaviour is due to a low net charge/size ratio of the enzyme under the electrophoretic conditions used. The kinetic properties of the enzyme with tetrahydrobiopterin, 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropteridine, NADH and NADPH are compared, and the effects of pH, temperature and a number of different compounds on catalytic activity are presented.

Bovine dihydropteridine reductase: purification by affinity chromatography and comparison of enzymes from liver and adrenal medulla

Dihydropteridine reductase has been purified to homogeneity from bovine liver and bovine adrenal medulla by precipitation with polyethylene glycol, ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and affinity chromatography on 5'-AMP-Sepharose 4B. The enzymes from the two tissues seem identical by the criteria of gel filtration chromatography, affinity chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of dodecyl sulfate, isoelectric focusing, amino acid analysis, and binding of NADH. Fluorescence studies show two independent binding sites for NADH and a dissociation constant of 10 nM at pH 6.8. Isoelectric focusing of the enzyme as purified in the presence of NADH revealed three different bands, which by removal of this coenzyme were converted into a single band, corresponding to pI 5.7. The enzyme contains no carbohydrate or zinc.

A naphthoquinone adsorbent for affinity chromatography of human dihydropteridine reductase

1. A 1,2-naphthoquinone adsorbent is described which allows simple purification of dihydropteridine reductase directly from crude extract. 2. The native molecular weight indicates that a tetramer structure of the species is isolated by this method; this is unusual and possibly reflects the capacity of the procedure to preserve the native state of the enzyme.