New frontiers in flavin-dependent monooxygenases.

Flavin-dependent monooxygenases catalyze a wide variety of redox reactions in important biological processes and are responsible for the synthesis of highly complex natural products. Although much has been learned about FMO chemistry in the last ~80 years of research, several aspects of the reactions catalyzed by these enzymes remain unknown. In this review, we summarize recent advancements in the flavin-dependent monooxygenase field including aspects of flavin dynamics, formation and stabilization of reactive species, and the hydroxylation mechanism. Novel catalysis of flavin-dependent N-oxidases involving consecutive oxidations of amines to generate oximes or nitrones is presented and the biological relevance of the products is discussed. In addition, the activity of some FMOs have been shown to be essential for the virulence of several human pathogens. We also discuss the biomedical relevance of FMOs in antibiotic resistance and the efforts to identify inhibitors against some members of this important and growing family enzymes.

The dihydroorotate dehydrogenases: Past and present.

The flavoenzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase catalyzes the stereoselective oxidation of (S)-dihydroorotate to orotate in the fourth of the six conserved enzymatic reactions involved in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. Inhibition of pyrimidine metabolism by selectively targeting DHODHs has been exploited in the development of new therapies against cancer, immunological disorders, bacterial and viral infections, and parasitic diseases. Through a chronological narrative, this review summarizes the efforts of the scientific community to achieve our current understanding of structural and biochemical properties of DHODHs. It also attempts to describe the latest advances in medicinal chemistry for therapeutic development based on the selective inhibition of DHODH, including an overview of the experimental techniques used for ligand screening during the process of drug discovery.

Short-Term Pretreatment of Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations of Gentamycin Inhibits the Swarming Motility of Escherichia Coli by Down-Regulating the Succinate Dehydrogenase Gene.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Motility is a feature of many pathogens that contributes to the migration and dispersion of the infectious agent. Whether gentamycin has a post-antibiotic effect (PAE) on the swarming and swimming motility of Escherichia coli (E. coli) remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to examine whether short-term pretreatment of sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamycin alter motility of E. coli and the mechanisms involved therein. METHODS: After exposure to sub-inhibitory concentrations (0.8 µg/ml) of gentamicin, the swarming and swimming motility of E. coli was tested in semi-solid media. Real-time PCR was used to detect the gene expression of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). The production of SDH and fumarate by E. coli pretreated with or without gentamycin was measured. Fumarate was added to swarming agar to determine whether fumarate could restore the swarming motility of E. coli. RESULTS: After pretreatment of E. coli with sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamycin, swarming motility was repressed in the absence of growth inhibition. The expression of all four subunits of SDH was down-regulated, and the intracellular concentration of SDH and fumarate, produced by E. coli, were both decreased. Supplementary fumarate could restore the swarming motility inhibited by gentamycin. A selective inhibitor of SDH (propanedioic acid) could strongly repress the swarming motility. CONCLUSION: Sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamycin inhibits the swarming motility of E. coli. This effect is mediated by a reduction in cellular fumarate caused by down-regulation of SDH. Gentamycin may be advantageous for treatment of E. coli infections.

Highly Expressed Genes in Rapidly Proliferating Tumor Cells as New Targets for Colorectal Cancer Treatment.

PURPOSE: The clinical management of colorectal cancer patients has significantly improved because of the identification of novel therapeutic targets such as EGFR and VEGF. Because rapid tumor proliferation is associated with poor patient prognosis, here we characterized the transcriptional signature of rapidly proliferating colorectal cancer cells in an attempt to identify novel candidate therapeutic targets. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The doubling time of 52 colorectal cancer cell lines was determined and genome-wide expression profiling of a subset of these lines was assessed by microarray analysis. We then investigated the potential of genes highly expressed in cancer cells with faster growth as new therapeutic targets. RESULTS: Faster proliferation rates were associated with microsatellite instability and poorly differentiated histology. The expression of 1,290 genes was significantly correlated with the growth rates of colorectal cancer cells. These included genes involved in cell cycle, RNA processing/splicing, and protein transport. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPOX) were shown to have higher expression in faster growing cell lines and primary tumors. Pharmacologic or siRNA-based inhibition of GAPDH or PPOX reduced the growth of colon cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, using a mouse xenograft model, we show that treatment with the specific PPOX inhibitor acifluorfen significantly reduced the growth of three of the seven (42.8%) colon cancer lines investigated. CONCLUSIONS: We have characterized at the transcriptomic level the differences between colorectal cancer cells that vary in their growth rates, and identified novel candidate chemotherapeutic targets for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Characterization of activity-dependent changes in flavoprotein fluorescence in cerebellar slices from juvenile rats.

Flavoprotein autofluorescence signals attributed to neuronal metabolism have been used to assess synaptic function. Here, we characterized flavoprotein autofluorescence responses in the molecular layer of rat cerebellar slices. High frequency stimulation elicited a transient fluorescence increase (peak phase) that was followed by a longer-lasting fluorescence decrease (valley phase). The peak phase was restricted to the molecular layer, whereas the valley phase extended into the Purkinje cell layer and a portion of the granule cell layer. Responses were abolished by either the Na(+) channel antagonist, tetrodotoxin, or a combination of the AMPA receptor antagonists, NBQX and GIKI-53655, and were also reduced by a flavoprotein inhibitor (diphenyleneiodonium). These findings are consistent with responses being mediated by an increase in mitochondrial activity triggered by increased energy demands evoked by AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. The GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin did not significantly influence evoked responses. Likewise, exogenous application of ethanol, at concentrations known to increase GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission at Purkinje cells, did not modify peak responses. These observations indicate that flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging could be useful to assess the coupling between glutamatergic synaptic transmission and neuronal metabolism in cerebellar slices.

EpsinR, a target for pyrenocine B, role in endogenous MHC-II-restricted antigen presentation.

While the presentation mechanism of antigenic peptides derived from exogenous proteins by MHC class II molecules is well understood, relatively little is known about the presentation mechanism of endogenous MHC class II-restricted antigens. We therefore screened a chemical library of 200 compounds derived from natural products to identify inhibitors of the presentation of endogenous MHC class II-restricted antigens. We found that pyrenocine B, a compound derived from the fungus Pyrenochaeta terrestris, inhibits presentation of endogenous MHC class II-restricted minor histocompatibility antigen IL-4 inducible gene 1 (IL4I1) by primary dendritic cells (DCs). Phage display screening and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis were used to investigate the mechanism of suppressive action by pyrenocine B. EpsinR, a target molecule for pyrenocine B, mediates endosomal trafficking through binding of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs). Lentiviral-mediated short hairpin (sh) RNA downregulation of EpsinR expression in DCs resulted in a decrease in the responsiveness of CD4+ T cells. Our data thus suggest that EpsinR plays a role in antigen presentation, which provides insight into the mechanism of presentation pathway of endogenous MHC class II-restricted antigen.

Flavins and flavoproteins: applications in medicine.

The potential of flavoproteins as targets of pharmacological treatments is immense. In this review we present an overview of the current research progress on medical interventions based on flavoproteins with a special emphasis on cancer, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders.

Effects of iodonium-class flavin dehydrogenase inhibitors on growth, reactive oxygen production, cell cycle progression, NADPH oxidase 1 levels, and gene expression in human colon cancer cells and xenografts.

Iodonium-class flavoprotein dehydrogenase inhibitors have been demonstrated to possess antiproliferative potential and to inhibit reactive oxygen production in human tumor cells, although the mechanism(s) that explains the relationship between altered cell growth and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) remains an area of active investigation. Because of the ability of these compounds to inhibit the activity of flavoprotein-containing epithelial NADPH oxidases, we chose to examine the effects of several iodonium-class flavoprotein inhibitors on human colon cancer cell lines that express high, functional levels of a single such oxidase (NADPH oxidase 1, or Nox1). We found that diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), di-2-thienyliodonium (DTI), and iodonium diphenyl inhibited the growth of Caco2, HT-29, and LS-174T colon cancer cells at concentrations (10-250nM for DPI, 0.5-2.5µM for DTI, and 155nM to 10µM for iodonium diphenyl) substantially lower than needed for DU145 human prostate cancer cells, which do not possess functional NADPH oxidase activity. Drug treatment was associated with decreased H2O2 production and diminished intracellular ROS levels, lasting up to 24h, after short-term (1-h) exposure to the iodonium analogs. Decreased tumor cell proliferation was caused, in part, by a profound block in cell cycle progression at the G1/S interface in both LS-174T and HT-29 cells exposed to either DPI or DTI; and the G1 block was produced, for LS-174T cells, by upregulation of p27 and a drug concentration-related decrease in the expression of cyclins D1, A, and E that was partially prevented by exogenous H2O2. Not only did DPI and DTI decrease intracellular ROS, they both also significantly decreased the mRNA expression levels of Nox1, potentially contributing to the prolonged reduction in tumor cell reactive oxygen levels. We also found that DPI and DTI significantly decreased the growth of both HT-29 and LS-174T human tumor xenografts, at dose levels that produced peak plasma concentrations similar to those utilized for our in vitro experiments. These findings suggest that iodonium analogs have therapeutic potential for NADPH oxidase-containing human colon cancers in vivo and that at least part of their antineoplastic mechanism of action may be related to targeting Nox1.

Mechanism-based inhibition of quinone reductase 2 (NQO2): selectivity for NQO2 over NQO1 and structural basis for flavoprotein inhibition.

A role for the flavoprotein NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2 (NQO2, QR2) in human diseases such as malaria, leukemia and neurodegeneration has been proposed. In order to explore the potential of NQO2 as a therapeutic target, we have developed potent and selective mechanism-based inhibitors centered on the indolequinone pharmacophore. The compounds show remarkable selectivity for NQO2 over the closely related flavoprotein NQO1, with small structural changes defining selectivity. Biochemical studies confirmed the mechanism-based inhibition, whereas X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry revealed the nature of the inhibitor interaction with the protein. These indolequinones represent the first mechanism-based inhibitors of NQO2, and their novel mode of action involving alkylation of the flavin cofactor, provides significant advantages over existing competitive inhibitors in terms of potency and irreversibility, and will open new opportunities to define the role of NQO2 in disease.

Classical inhibitors of NOX NAD(P)H oxidases are not specific.

NAD(P)H oxidases (NOXs) are a family of enzymes catalyzing the univalent reduction of oxygen to produce the superoxide anion radical, which in turn can be converted in other reactive oxygen species (ROS) and may participate to the formation of reactive nitrogen derivatives, such as peroxynitrite. By virtue of their activity, NOXs may represent a double-edged sword for the organism's homeostasis. On one hand ROS participate in host defence by killing invading microbes and may regulate several important physiological functions, such as cell signalling, regulation of cell growth and differentiation, oxygen sensing, angiogenesis, fertilization and control of vascular tone. On the other hand ROS may play an important role in pathological processes such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, ischemia/reperfusion injury, neurodegenerative diseases. Many roles suggested for NOXs in various tissues and physiopathological situations have been inferred by the in vitro and in vivo effects of several NOX inhibitors. In particular, most studies are based on the use of two compounds, diphenyleneiodonium and apocynin. Aim of this review is to describe the main features of these two compounds, to show that they cannot be used as specific NOX inhibitors and to solicit researchers to find other tools for investigating the role of NOXs.

The signaling pathway involved in neutrophil elastase stimulated MUC1 transcription.

We previously reported that neutrophil elastase (NE) stimulated MUC1 gene expression in A549 lung epithelial cells through binding of Sp1 to the MUC1 promoter element. The current study was undertaken to elucidate the complete signaling pathway leading to Sp1 activation. Using a combination of pharmacologic inhibitors, dominant-negative mutant, RNA interference, and soluble receptor blocking techniques, we identified a protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta) --> dual oxidase 1 (Duox1) --> reactive oxygen species (ROS) --> TNF-alpha-converting enzyme (TACE) --> TNF-alpha --> TNF receptor (TNFR)1 --> extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 --> Sp1 pathway as responsible for NE-activated MUC1 transcription. This cascade was identical up to the point of TACE with the signaling pathway previously reported for NE-stimulated MUC5AC production. However, unlike the MUC5AC pathway, TNF-alpha, TNFR1, ERK1/2, and Sp1 were unique components of the MUC1 pathway. Given the anti-inflammatory role of MUC1 during airway bacterial infection, up-regulation of MUC1 by inflammatory mediators such as NE and TNF-alpha suggests a crucial role for MUC1 in the control of excessive inflammation during airway bacterial infection.

Cryptochrome photoreceptors cry1 and cry2 antagonistically regulate primary root elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cryptochromes are blue-light receptors controlling multiple aspects of plant growth and development. They are flavoproteins with significant homology to photolyases, but instead of repairing DNA they function by transducing blue light energy into a signal that can be recognized by the cellular signaling machinery. Here we report the effect of cry1 and cry2 blue light receptors on primary root growth in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, through analysis of both cryptochrome-mutant and cryptochrome-overexpressing lines. Cry1 mutant seedlings show reduced root elongation in blue light while overexpressing seedlings show significantly increased elongation as compared to wild type controls. By contrast, the cry2 mutation has the opposite effect on root elongation growth as does cry1, demonstrating that cry1 and cry2 act antagonistically in this response pathway. The site of cryptochrome signal perception is within the shoot, and the inhibitor of auxin transport, 1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid, abolishes the differential effect of cryptochromes on root growth, suggesting the blue-light signal is transmitted from the shoot to the root by a mechanism that involves auxin. Primary root elongation in blue light may thereby involve interaction between cryptochrome and auxin signaling pathways.

Reactive oxygen species and Udx1 during early sea urchin development.

Sea urchin fertilization is marked by a massive conversion of molecular oxygen to hydrogen peroxide by a sea urchin dual oxidase, Udx1. This enzyme is essential for completing the physical block to polyspermy. Yet, its expression is maintained during development, as indicated by the presence of both Udx1 mRNA and Udx1 protein enriched at the surface of all non-mesenchymal blastomeres. When hydrogen peroxide synthesis by Udx1 is inhibited, either pharmacologically or by specific antibody injection, cleavage is delayed. Application of exogenous hydrogen peroxide, however, partially rescues a fraction of these defective embryos. We also report an unequal distribution of reactive oxygen species between sister blastomeres during early cleavage stages, suggesting a functional role for Udx1 in intracellular signaling.

Human colon cancer cells lacking Bax resist curcumin-induced apoptosis and Bax requirement is dispensable with ectopic expression of Smac or downregulation of Bcl-XL.

Multiple apoptotic stimuli induce conformational changes in Bax, a proapoptotic protein from the Bcl-2 family and its deficiency is a frequent cause of chemoresistance in colon adenocarcinomas. Curcumin, a dietary compound from turmeric, is known to induce apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. To understand the role of Bax in curcumin-induced apoptosis we used HCT116 human colon cancer cells with one allele of Bax gene (Bax+/-) and Bax knockout HCT116 (Bax-/-) cells in which Bax gene is inactivated by homologous recombination. Cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner in Bax+/- cells treated with curcumin (0-50 microM) whereas only minimal changes in viability were observed in Bax-/- cells upon curcumin treatment. In Bax-/- cells curcumin-induced activation of caspases 9 and 3 was blocked and that of caspase 8 remained unaltered. Curcumin-induced release of cytochrome c, Second mitochondria derived activator of caspase (Smac) and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) was also blocked in Bax-/- cells and reintroduction of Bax, downregulation of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-XL by antisense DNA as well as the overexpression of Smac, highly sensitized the Bax-/- cells toward curcumin-induced apoptosis. There was no considerable difference in the percentage of apoptotic cells in Bak RNAi transfected Bax+/- or Bax-/- cells treated with curcumin when compared with their corresponding vector transfected cells treated with curcumin. The present study demonstrates the role of Bax but not Bak as a critical regulator of curcumin-induced apoptosis and implies the potential of targeting antiapoptotic proteins like Bcl-XL or overexpression of proapoptotic proteins like Smac as interventional approaches to deal with Bax-deficient chemo-resistant cancers for curcumin-based therapy.

Regulated hydrogen peroxide production by Duox in human airway epithelial cells.

Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is found in exhaled breath and is produced by airway epithelia. In addition, H(2)O(2) is a necessary substrate for the airway lactoperoxidase (LPO) anti-infection system. To investigate the source of H(2)O(2) produced by airway epithelia, PCR was used to screen nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase expression in human airway epithelia redifferentiated at the air-liquid interface (ALI) and demonstrated the presence of Duox1 and 2. Western blots of culture extracts indicated strong expression of Duox, and immunohistochemistry of human tracheal sections localized the protein to the apical portion of epithelial cells. Apical H(2)O(2) production was stimulated by 100 microM ATP or 1 microM thapsigargin, but not 100 microM ADP. Diphenyleneiodonium, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, and dimethylthiourea, a reactive oxygen species scavenger, both inhibited this stimulation. ATP did not stimulate the basolateral H(2)O(2) production by ALI cultures. ATP and thapsigargin increased intracellular Ca(2+) with kinetics similar to increasing H(2)O(2) production, and thus consistent with the expected Ca(2+) sensitivity of Duox. These data suggest that Duox is the major NADPH oxidase expressed in airway epithelia and therefore a contributor of H(2)O(2) production in the airway lumen. In addition, the data suggest that extracellular H(2)O(2) production may be regulated by stimuli that raise intracellular Ca(2+).

The synthetic triterpenoid 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic acid induces caspase-dependent and -independent apoptosis in acute myelogenous leukemia.

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), resistance to chemotherapy is associated with defects in both the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. Novel agents that activate endogenous apoptosis-inducing mechanisms directly may be potentially useful to overcome chemoresistance in AML. We examined the mechanisms of apoptosis induction by the novel synthetic triterpenoid 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO) in AML cells. CDDO-induced apoptosis was associated with the loss of mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential, caspases activation, the translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor to the nucleus, and DNA fragmentation in AML cells. Apoptosis was equally evident in cells deficient in caspase-9 or caspase-8 after exposure to CDDO, suggesting caspase-independent cell death. The use of small interfering RNA to reduce the expression of apoptosis-inducing factor partially inhibited CDDO-induced apoptosis in AML cells. Cells overexpressing Bcl-2 were markedly resistant to CDDO-induced apoptosis. Moreover, CDDO promoted the release of cytochrome c from isolated mitochondria, suggesting that CDDO targets the mitochondria directly to trigger the intrinsic pathway of cell death in intact cells. Together, these results suggest that CDDO functions by activating the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and initiates caspase-dependent and independent cell death. The direct modulation of mitochondrial-mediated, caspase-independent apoptosis by CDDO may be advantageous for overcoming chemoresistance in AML.

G2 cell cycle arrest, down-regulation of cyclin B, and induction of mitotic catastrophe by the flavoprotein inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium.

Because proliferation of eukaryotic cells requires cell cycle-regulated chromatid separation by the mitotic spindle, it is subject to regulation by mitotic checkpoints. To determine the mechanism of the antiproliferative activity of the flavoprotein-specific inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), I have examined its effect on the cell cycle and mitosis. Similar to paclitaxel, exposure to DPI causes an accumulation of cells with a 4N DNA content. However, unlike the paclitaxel-mediated mitotic block, DPI-treated cells are arrested in the cell cycle prior to mitosis. Although DPI-treated cells can arrest with fully separated centrosomes at opposite sides of the nucleus, these centrosomes fail to assemble mitotic spindle microtubules and they do not accumulate the Thr(288) phosphorylated Aurora-A kinase marker of centrosome maturation. In contrast with paclitaxel-arrested cells, DPI impairs cyclin B1 accumulation. Release from DPI permits an accumulation of cyclin B1 and progression of the cells into mitosis. Conversely, exposure of paclitaxel-arrested mitotic cells to DPI causes a precipitous drop in cyclin B and Thr(288) phosphorylated Aurora-A levels and leads to mitotic catastrophe in a range of cancerous and noncancerous cells. Hence, the antiproliferative activity of DPI reflects a novel inhibitory mechanism of cell cycle progression that can reverse spindle checkpoint-mediated cell cycle arrest.

Synthesis of novel ammonium and selenonium ions and their evaluation as inhibitors of UDP-galactopyranose mutase.

The syntheses of two ammonium salts of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-galactitol containing erythritol sulfate side chains are described. The parent compound is a known inhibitor of the enzyme UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UDP-galactopyranose furanomutase, E.C. 5.4.99.9), which is responsible for the conversion of UDP-galactopyranose into UDP-galactofuranose and is presumably protonated in its active form. The side chain was chosen because it is present in a known sulfonium ion alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, salacinol. The syntheses of the selenonium analogues derived from 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-seleno-d-galactitol are also described. The synthetic strategy in the syntheses of all four salts involved the nucleophilic attack of a protected derivative of the alditol at the least hindered carbon of 2,4-O-benzylidene d- or l-erythritol-1,3-cyclic sulfate to give adducts that were subsequently deprotected. The importance of different protecting groups used in the various syntheses is also highlighted. Enzyme inhibition assays carried out on these compounds, and the corresponding sulfonium ions synthesized previously, show that they are poor inhibitors of UDP-galactopyranose mutase.