Inactivation of chosen dehydrogenases by the products of water radiolysis and secondary albumin and haemoglobin radicals

PURPOSE

Inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) by products of water radiolysis and by secondary radicals localized on haemoglobin (Hb) and human albumin (HSA) was studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Aqueous solutions of ADH, GAPDH and LDH were irradiated under air and under nitrous oxide (N2O) in the absence and in the presence of Hb or HSA. In order to determine the effectiveness of inactivation of the enzymes by radicals localized on Hb and HSA, the inactivation efficiency determined experimentally was compared with that calculated under assumption that only hydroxyl radicals are responsible for the enzyme inactivation.

RESULTS

In the absence of other proteins, under air, GAPDH showed the highest radiation sensitivity, followed by ADH and LDH. The sequence was reverse under anaerobic atmosphere. Oxygen increased considerably the inactivation of GAPDH and ADH. Secondary albumin and haemoglobin radicals brought about considerable inactivation of GAPGH and ADH. Albumin radicals (HSA) generated under N2O inactivated GAPDH and ADH more effectively than haemoglobin radicals (Hb). Under air, however, inactivation of GAPDH and ADH by haemoglobin peroxyl radicals was higher than by albumin peroxyl radicals. LDH was resistant to inactivation by haemoglobin and albumin radicals, and peroxides of these proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

In the light of these results and literature data, the observed differences in the effectiveness of inactivation of the dehydrogenases studied by secondary protein radicals depend on the amino acid residues present at the active site and in its close neighborhood and on the number of amino acid residues available on the protein surface.

Irradiation of GAPDH: a model for environmentally induced protein damage

Environmental factors, including sunlight, are able to induce severe oxidative protein damage. The modified proteins are either repaired, degraded or escape from degradation and aggregate. In the present study we tested the effect of different sunlight components such as UV-A, UV-B, and infrared radiation on protein oxidation in vitro. We chose glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a model enzyme and analyzed the irradiation-induced enzyme activity loss, fragmentation and aggregation, and quantified various oxidative amino acid modifications. Since gamma-irradiation was used in numerous studies before, we used it for comparative purposes. Infrared radiation was unable to damage GAPDH in the dose range tested (0-1000 J/cm(2)). UV-A led to a decrease in free thiol content, which was connected with a loss in enzyme activity, while only at very high doses could moderate protein aggregation and fragmentation be observed. UV-B (0-2 J/cm(2)) and gamma-irradiation (0-500 Gy) led to a dose-dependent increase in protein modification. Interestingly, UV-B acted on specific amino acids, such as arginine, proline, and tyrosine, whereas gamma-irradiation acted more randomly. The possibility of using the amino acid oxidation pattern as a biomarker of the source of damage is discussed.

Molecular mass and volume in radiation target theory

Radiation target analysis is based on the action of ionizing radiation directly on macromolecules. Interactions of this radiation with the molecules leads to considerable structural damage and consequent loss of biological activity. The radiation sensitivity is dependent on the size of the macromolecules. There has been confusion and discrepancy as to whether the molecular mass or the molecular volume was the determinant factor in the sensitivity. Some proteins are known to change their hydrodynamic volume at low pH, and this characteristic can be utilized to compare the radiation sensitivities of these proteins in the two states. The results show that the radiation sensitivity of proteins depends on the mass of the molecule and is independent of the molecular volume/shape.

Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on C-myc transcript levels in nonsynchronized and synchronized human cells

The effects of 50 Hz electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on the expression of the c-myc oncogene, known to be involved in normal cell proliferation and possibly also in tumor processes, were investigated in nonsynchronized human lymphoid cells immortalized by Epstein-Barr virus. Viral injury to such cells makes them a good model for exploring the possible cancer-promoting effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields. Parallel experiments were conducted on human HL60 leukemic cells. Cells were exposed to sinusoidal 50 Hz EMFs at 10 microT or 1 mT for 20 min, 1 h, 24 h, or 72 h. Exposure was performed either immediately after refeeding or 1.5 h after refeeding. C-myc transcript values were assessed by Northern blot analysis and normalized to those of the noninducible gene GaPDH. No statistically significant difference between the c-myc transcript levels of control and exposed cells was found in lymphoid or leukemic cells under our experimental conditions, either after short exposures of 20 min and 1 h or after longer exposures of 24 and 72 h. Other experiments were carried out with pseudosynchronized cells in an attempt to establish whether cells were especially sensitive to 50 Hz magnetic field exposure in any particular phase of the cell cycle. Accordingly, cells were pseudosynchronized in G0/G1 by serum deprivation and exposed for 20 min to a 50 Hz magnetic field, at 10 microT for lymphoid cells and 1 mT for HL60 cells. No significant difference was observed between the c-myc transcript levels of control and exposed cells for either of the synchronized cell types. These results for synchronized cells correlated with those for nonsynchronized cells.

Mechanism of light modulation: identification of potential redox-sensitive cysteines distal to catalytic site in light-activated chloroplast enzymes

Light-dependent reduction of target disulfides on certain chloroplast enzymes results in a change in activity. We have modeled the tertiary structure of four of these enzymes, namely NADP-linked glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, NADP-linked malate dehydrogenase, sedoheptulose bisphosphatase, and fructose bisphosphatase. Models are based on x-ray crystal structures from non-plant species. Each of these enzymes consists of two domains connected by a hinge. Modeling suggests that oxidation of two crucial cysteines to cystine would restrict motion around the hinge in the two dehydrogenases and influence the conformation of the active site. The cysteine residues in the two phosphatases are located in a region known to be sensitive to allosteric modifiers and to be involved in mediating structural changes in mammalian and microbial fructose bisphosphatases. Apparently, the same region is involved in covalent modification of phosphatase activity in the chloroplast.

Potentiation of oxidative damage to proteins by ultraviolet-A and protection by antioxidants

We have studied the damage of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPD) induced by Fe++/EDTA + H2O2 in combination with UV-A (main output at 365 nm). Enzyme inactivation, formation of hydroxyl radicals (measured in the absence of enzymes), increase in protein carbonyls, oxidation of sulfhydryl (SH) groups, loss of native protein fluorescence, and enhanced protease degradation were used to determine protein damage. Hydroxyl radical production was greatly enhanced by the combination of UV-A with Fe++/EDTA + H2O2. The combined treatment increased protein carbonyls but decreased native protein fluorescence and SH groups. The combined treatment caused turbidity in GAPD but not in ADH, whereas trypsin susceptibility was increased more in ADH than in GAPD. These measurements of protein oxidation correlated well with enzyme activities. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and dithiothreitol were most protective against such damage, while hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen scavengers were partially effective. Superoxide dismutase had no effect. Thus, UV-A potentiation of protein damage induced by FE++/EDTA + H2O2 appeared to involve hydroxyl radicals and perhaps singlet oxygen but not superoxide radicals. The damage to proteins induced by combination of UV-A with physiological oxidants, iron ions and H2O2 may be relevant to UV-A-induced skin and tissue damage.

Photo-oxidative damage to lenticular GAPDH and its relationship to aldehyde metabolism

These studies show that GAPDH from the calf lens and human lens epithelium undergoes size and charge modifications in the presence of active oxygen species generated from methylene blue and light. The histidine content of the enzyme was reduced by one third. No evidence of increased proteolysis was observed suggesting a nonenzymatic cleavage of enzyme by the photo-oxidants.

The cooperative behavior of yeast D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. Dehydrogenase as studied by the formation of the fluorescent NAD derivative

The ultraviolet irradiation of the yeast D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase carboxymethylated at the active site Cys residues, as with the rabbit muscle enzyme, led to the formation of a fluorescent NAD derivative with an emission maximum at 410 nm. Similar results were obtained with the enzyme selectively carboxymethylated at only 2 of its 4 active site Cys residues. The binding of NAD+ to both the carboxymethylated enzymes is non-cooperative or only weakly negatively cooperative when determined by NAD+ quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence. However, determinations of the amount of fluorescent NAD derivative formed under different NAD+ concentrations show that both the carboxymethylated enzymes appeared to bind NAD+ with positive cooperativity as in the case of the binding of NAD+ to the native apoenzyme. This seems to suggest that the spatial positioning of the nicotinamide moiety at the active site of the irradiated enzyme resembles more closely that of the nicotinamide ring in the native holoenzyme as compared to the carboxymethylated enzymes.

Actions of gamma-radiation on resealed erythrocyte ghosts. A comparison with intact erythrocytes and a study of the effects of oxygen

With respect to both permeability and inactivation of membranous GAPDH, ghosts were more susceptible than erythrocytes to free radicals produced in the gamma-irradiation of aqueous solutions. The rate of increase in the permeability of irradiated ghosts was immeasurably greater than that of irradiated erythrocytes, while the rate of inactivation of GAPDH was 21-fold greater. The sensitivity of ghosts to radiation damage was affected strongly by the presence of oxygen during irradiation. In the presence of air, the rates of increase of permeability and inactivation of GAPDH were 2.8- and 1.5-fold of those in the presence of N2. The use of buffer saturated with oxygen accelerated the aerobic rates of increase of permeability and inactivation of GAPDH by 60- and 2.7-fold. These results indicate that inactivation of GAPDH is somewhat sensitive to oxygen, particularly at high concentration of oxygen. Nevertheless, in air or under nitrogen, the rate of enzymic inactivation was almost an order of magnitude greater than that of increase of permeability, indicating that the former is much more sensitive to irradiation. The major mechanism of the oxygen effect observed is the ability of oxygen to increase the branching of the free radical chain reactions which propagate damage after initiation within the membrane.

Formation and energy transfer of a fluorescent derivative of B. stearothermophilus glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The active site carboxymethylated glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from B. stearothermophilus when irradiated with ultraviolet light in the presence of NAD gives rise to a fluorescent derivative closely similar to that obtained from the muscle enzyme in fluorescence properties. A radiationless energy transfer also occurs between the tryptophan residues of the enzyme protein and the new fluorophore, as for the muscle enzyme. Quantitative determinations of the quantum yields and calculations according to the Förster equation five a distance of 26.36 A between the tryptophan residues and the new fluorophore. In contrast to the muscle enzyme, the irradiated thermophilic enzyme contains four fluorescent NAD derivatives per enzyme tetramer as shown by phosphorus analysis.

Crystallization of a fluorescent derivative of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

By phosphorus analysis of the fluorescent derivative produced by ultraviolet irradiation of carboxymethylated glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the presence of NAD at saturation levels, it has been shown that the photochemical reaction leading to the formation of the new fluorophore is also a 'half-of-the-sites' reaction. Both the carboxymethylated enzyme and the irradiated enzyme carrying the new fluorophore have been crystallized.

The radiolysis of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The yields in molecules per 100 eV for active-site and sulphydryl loss from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase have been determined in nitrous-oxide-saturated, aerated and argon-saturated solutions. Molecular hydrogen peroxide produces a sulphenic acid product, which can be repaired by post-irradiation treatment with dithiothreitol. Comparison of the yields under various conditions showed that in aerated solutions both .OH and .O2-radicals inactivated the enzyme with an efficiency of about 26 per cent. However, the efficiency of .OH in air-free solutions was less, and inactivation by .H and eaq- did not appear to be appreciable. There is a correlation between SH loss and loss of active sites.

P-Azidophenacyl bromide, a versatile photolabile bifunctional reagent. Reaction with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The synthesis of the photochemically labile bifunctional reagent p-azidophenacyl bromide (1) is described. This compound may be covalently attached to a known site of an enzyme or other macromolecule by nucleophilic displacement at the alpha-bromo ketone moiety. Subsequent irradiation of the bound reagent gives a nitrene which may insert into a second portion of the enzyme forming a cross-link. Regeant 1 proved to be an excellent inhibitor of rabbit muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

[Diurnal progress of NADP-linked glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase in synchronous culture of unicellular green alga Ankistrodesmus braunii and its susceptibility to X-irradiation and inhibitiors of protein synthesis]

1. The daily progress of NADP-linked GPD-activity rise in synchronous culture of Ankistrodesmus braunii was investigated in respect to short time increase of activity by light. After various exposure times cells were temporarily deprived of light and subsequently the so-called dark value as well as the light value (dark value plus light-induced part) of the enzyme activity was determined. 2. The increase of dark and light values per cell number is greater in the first half of the day than in the second. The minor activity rise in the second half seems to be caused by culture conditions since the activity of the light and dark values-after reduction of cell density to half in the early afternoon-shows a greater increase again. With regard to chlorophyll, around noon the enzymes activity reaches a maximum which corresponds to numerous other physiological maxima in synchronous algae cultures. 3. The absolute value of the light-induced part of NADP-linked GPD-activity per cell number also increases with increasing exposure time in the first half of the day more than in the second. 4. X-irradiation retards the rise of the dark value of the NADP-GPD. This is particularly evident if the cells are exposed to light for 4 hrs after X-irradiation: 10-25 krad is enough to completely arrest the rise of the dark value. 5. The light-induced part of GDP-activity is hardly affected by high X-ray doses (424 krad), either immediately following the X-irradiation altered the effect of the irradiation: the rise of the dark value was not as great as the control; the light-induced part of enzyme activity was obviously retarded more than it had been after only 4 hrs exposure time. Thus it can be assumed that with regard to the dark value of GPD-activity there is a recovery from the irradiation damage, whereas the radiation effect on the light-induced part of GDP-activity is possibly increased. 8. The D37 of chlorophyll synthesis of synchronous Ankistrodesmus cultures is approximately 85 krad and is thus, like the rise of the light-induced increase of NADP-linked GPD-activity, substantially more radiation resistent than the rise of the dark value which for a plant organism is extremely sensitive. 9. The high radiation sensitivity of the dark value rise of the GPD-activity in Ankistrodesmus braunii is compared with the relatively radiation resistent rise of this enzyme activity in resting greening Euglena gracilis, which contrary to Ankistrodesmus is not retarded by actinomycine, but only by chloramphenicol. One of the hypotheses under discussion regarding the X-ray effect is that the transcription processes which probably occur additionally for the rise in activity of the dark value of NADP-linked GPD may be the particularly radiation sensitive processes in Ankistrodesmus braunii.