Thiols screened by the neocarzinostatin protein for preserving or detoxifying its bound enediyne antibiotic.

Neocarzinostatin is an antibiotic chromoprotein produced by Streptomyces carzinostaticus. Its enediyne-containing chromophore exhibits high DNA cleavage activity and belongs to one of the most potent categories of antitumor agents. The labile chromophore is readily inactivated by environmental thiols including the most abundant glutathione. How the microorganism preserves the secreted antibiotic and at the same time is immune to its toxicity are of interest. Site-directed mutagenesis studies of the neocarzinostatin protein have shown that residues D33 and D99 play primary and secondary roles, respectively, in preserving neocarzinostatin from acidic glutathione whereas D79 and other residues around the opening of the binding cleft have an insignificant effect. Biothiol analyses revealed that cells of S. carzinostaticus produced no glutathione, but instead neutral mycothiol, which is known to serve functions analogous to glutathione. Mycothiol was the only neutral-charged thiol produced by the organism; all other identified biothiols carried at least partial negative charges. When the bacteria were cultured under conditions that stimulated the biosynthesis of neocarzinostatin, the yield of mycothiol increased significantly, which suggests mycothiol-dependent cellular detoxification. Treating neocarzinostatin samples with the cell extract that retained active sulfhydryls led to efficient drug inactivation, which indicates that mycothiol is allowed to approach the protein-bound chromophore. The anionic side-chains of D33 and D99 in the neocarzinostatin protein played two critical roles in a single thiol-screening operation: Preserving the antibiotic for defense and survival by rejecting the ubiquitous glutathione through charge-charge repulsion in the outer-cell environment and detoxifying the toxin in the inner-cell body for self-resistance by accepting the cell-produced neutral mycothiol.

Neocarzinostatin as a probe for DNA protection activity--molecular interaction with caffeine.

Neocarzinostatin (NCS), a potent mutagen and carcinogen, consists of an enediyne prodrug and a protein carrier. It has a unique double role in that it intercalates into DNA and imposes radical-mediated damage after thiol activation. Here we employed NCS as a probe to examine the DNA-protection capability of caffeine, one of common dietary phytochemicals with potential cancer-chemopreventive activity. NCS at the nanomolar concentration range could induce significant single- and double-strand lesions in DNA, but up to 75 ± 5% of such lesions were found to be efficiently inhibited by caffeine. The percentage of inhibition was caffeine-concentration dependent, but was not sensitive to the DNA-lesion types. The well-characterized activation reactions of NCS allowed us to explore the effect of caffeine on the enediyne-generated radicals. Postactivation analyses by chromatographic and mass spectroscopic methods identified a caffeine-quenched enediyne-radical adduct, but the yield was too small to fully account for the large inhibition effect on DNA lesions. The affinity between NCS chromophore and DNA was characterized by a fluorescence-based kinetic method. The drug-DNA intercalation was hampered by caffeine, and the caffeine-induced increases in DNA-drug dissociation constant was caffeine-concentration dependent, suggesting importance of binding affinity in the protection mechanism. Caffeine has been shown to be both an effective free radical scavenger and an intercalation inhibitor. Our results demonstrated that caffeine ingeniously protected DNA against the enediyne-induced damages mainly by inhibiting DNA intercalation beforehand. The direct scavenging of the DNA-bound NCS free radicals by caffeine played only a minor role.

Role of steric effects in protein-directed enediyne cycloaromatization of neocarzinostatin.

The antibiotic neocarzinostatin comprises a carrier protein with a well-defined cavity for accommodating an active enediyne chromophore. The protein has two disulfides, one (Cys(37)-Cys(47)) lies on the cavity bottom and the other (Cys(88)-Cys(93)) in a constrained short loop. When the chromophore is not bound to the protein, a thiol-induced cycloaromatization of the enediyne into a tetrahydroindacene derivative is responsible for the potent antitumor activity. When it is protein-bound, the protein diverts the cycloaromatization pathway to form a distinct hydroxyisochromene-type product. How the protein directs the enediyne chemistry is an interesting puzzle, and various suggestions have been proposed in the past. We screened more than fifty thiols and manipulated conditions to locate reaction features and search for factors that could influence the protein directing strength. Thiol- and oxygen-concentration-dependence studies suggested that disulfides, which maintain the steric rigidity of the protein, could play a key role in diverting the cycloaromatization pathway. For direct proofs, we made mutations at each of the two disulfides by replacing sulfur atoms with oxygen. Circular dichroism and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy studies suggested that the mutations changed neither the protein conformation nor the ligand interactions. Analyses of the thiol-induced cycloaromatization revealed that rupture of Cys(37)-Cys(47) made the protein almost completely lose its chemical directing ability, whereas rupture of Cys(88)-Cys(93) had only a minor influence. The results demonstrated that the steric rigidity of the binding cavity, but not necessary the whole protein, played an important role in the protein-directed mechanism.

Lipid bilayer-assisted release of an enediyne antibiotic from neocarzinostatin chromoprotein.

The nine-membered enediyne class has drawn extensive interest because of extremely high antitumor potency and intricate interactions with its carrier protein. While the drug-induced DNA cleavage reactions have been mostly elucidated, the critical release-transport process of the labile enediyne molecule in cellular environment remained obscure. Using neocarzinostatin chromoprotein as a model, we demonstrated a lipid bilayer-assisted release mechanism. The in vitro enediyne release rate under aqueous conditions was found to be too slow to account for its efficient DNA cleavage action. Via the presence of lipid bilayers, chaotropic agents, or organic solvents, we found the release was substantially enhanced. The increased rate was linearly dependent on the lipid bilayer concentration and the dielectric value of the binary organic solvent mixtures. While lipid bilayers provided a low surrounding dielectricity to assist in drug release, there were no major conformational changes in the apo and holo forms of the carrier protein. In addition, the lifespan of the released enediyne chromophore was markedly extended through partitioning of the chromophore in the hydrophobic bilayer phase, and the lipid bilayer-stabilized enediyne chromophore significantly enhanced DNA cleavage in vitro. Collectively, we depicted how a lipid bilayer membrane efficiently enhanced dissociation of the enediyne chromophore through a hydrophobic sensing release mechanism and then acted as a protector of the released enediyne molecule until its delivery to the target DNA. The proposed membrane-assisted antibiotic release-transport model might signify a new dimension to our understanding of the modus operandi of the antitumor enediyne drugs.

Insight into the strong inhibitory action of salt on activity of neocarzinostatin.

Enediyne anticancer drugs belong to one of the most potent category in inducing DNA damage. We report 85+/-5% inhibition on activity of neocarzinostatin by salt. As high sodium ion concentration is a known tumor cell feature, we explored the dynamic mechanism of inhibition. Using various analytical tools, we examined parameters involved in the four consecutive steps of the drug action, namely, drug releasing from carrier protein, drug-DNA binding, drug activating, and DNA damaging. Neither protein stability, nor drug release rate, was altered by salt. The salt inhibition level was similar in between the protein-bound and unbound enediyne chromophore. Salt did not quench the thiol-induced drug activation. The inhibition was independent of DNA lesion types and irrelevant with thiol structures. Collectively, no salt interaction was found in the releasing, activating, and DNA damaging step of the drug action. However, binding with DNA decreased linearly with salt and corresponded well with the salt-induced inhibition on the drug activity. Salt interference on the affinity of DNA binding was the main and sole cause of the severe salt inhibition. The inhibition factor should be carefully considered for all agents with similar DNA binding mode.

A superior drug carrier--aponeocarzinostatin in partially unfolded state fully protects the labile antitumor enediyne.

BACKGROUND: Neocarzinostatin is a potent antitumor drug consisting of an enediyne chromophore and a protein carrier. METHODS: We characterized an intermediate in the equilibrium unfolding pathway of aponeocarzinostatin, using a variety of biophysical techniques including 1-anilino-8-napthalene sulfonate binding studies, size-exclusion fast protein liquid chromatography, intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, circular dichroism, and 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy. RESULTS: The partially unfolded protein is in molten globule-like state, in which approximately 60% and approximately 20% tertiary and secondary structure is disrupted respectively. Despite lacking a fully coordinated tertiary structure for assembling a functional binding cleft, the protein in molten globule-like state is still able to fully protect the labile chromophore. Titration of chromophore leads the partially denatured apoprotein to fold into its native state. CONCLUSION: These findings bring insight into conserving mechanism of neocarzinostatin under harsh environment, where even the partially denatured apoprotein exhibits protective effect, confirming the superiority of the drug carrier.

A new model for ligand release. Role of side chain in gating the enediyne antibiotic.

Antitumor antibiotic chromoproteins such as neocarzinostatin involve a labile toxin that is tightly bound by a protective protein with very high affinity but must also be freed to exert its function. Contrary to the prevalent concept of ligand release, we established that toxin release from neocarzinostatin requires no major backbone conformational changes. We report, herein, that subtle changes in the side chains of specific amino acid residues are adequate to gate the release of chromophore. A recombinant wild type aponeocarzinostatin and its variants mutated around the opening of the chromophore binding cleft are employed to identify specific side chains likely to affect chromophore release. Preliminary, biophysical characterization of mutant apoproteins by circular dichroism and thermal denaturation indicate that the fundamental structural characteristics of wild type protein are conserved in these mutants. The chromophore reconstitution studies further show that all mutants are able to bind chromophore efficiently with similar complex structures. NMR studies on 15N-labeled mutants also suggest the intactness of binding pocket structure. Kinetic studies of chromophore release monitored by time course fluorescence and quantitative high pressure liquid chromatography analyses show that the ligand release rate is significantly enhanced only in Phe78 mutants. The extent of DNA cleavage in vitro corresponds well to the rate of chromophore release. The results provide the first clear-cut indication of how toxin release can be controlled by a specific side chain of a carrier protein.

Aponeocarzinostatin--a superior drug carrier exhibiting unusually high endurance against denaturants.

The enediyne antitumor antibiotic chromoproteins are very potent in causing DNA damages. During the drug delivery time course, the stability of the carrier protein becomes an important concern. To simulate conceivably offensive environment in biological contexts, such as cell membrane, we studied structural endurance of aponeocarzinostatin against several denaturants by circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. For comparison, we also examined proteins known to be stable and similar in size to aponeocarzinostatin. The results highlight the unusual structural stability of aponeocarzinostatin against chemical denaturants, suggesting the potential of aponeocarzinostatin as an inherently superior carrier in drug delivery systems.

Circular dichroism spectra of short, fixed-nucleus alanine helices.

Very short alanine peptide helices can be studied in a fixed-nucleus, helix-forming system [Siedlicka, M., Goch, G., Ejchart, A., Sticht, H. & Bierzynski, A. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 903-908]. In a 12-residue sequence taken from an EF-hand protein, the four C-terminal peptide units become helical when the peptide binds La(3+), and somewhat longer helices may be made by adding alanine residues at the C terminus. The helices studied here contain 4, 8, or 11 peptide units. Surprisingly, these short fixed-nucleus helices remain almost fully helical from 4 to 65 degrees C, according to circular dichroism results reported here, and in agreement with titration calorimetry results reported recently. These peptides are used here to define the circular dichroism properties of short helices, which are needed for accurate measurement of helix propensities. Two striking properties are: (i) the temperature coefficient of mean peptide ellipticity depends strongly on helix length; and (ii) the intensity of the signal decreases much less rapidly with helix length, for very short helices, than supposed in the past. The circular dichroism spectra of the short helices are compared with new theoretical calculations, based on the experimentally determined direction of the NV(1) transition moment.

Delocalized electronic structure of the thiol sulfur substantially prevents nucleic acid damage induced by neocarzinostatin.

Neocarzinostatin is a potent antitumor antibiotic and is a prodrug, which induces genome damage after activation by a thiol. The prodrug is stored as a protein-bound chromophore that contains an enediyne nucleus. A thiolate attack on the chromophore cyclizes the nucleus and produces radicals that abstract hydrogen from DNA. Because thiol is the only cofactor in the vital activation process, the structure of the thiol plays an important role in the activity of the drug. Here we systematically examine the effect of the electronic structure of some thiols on the efficiency of the drug, and compare particularly aromatic with aliphatic thiols. The values of drug-induced base release from DNA are remarkably different between thiophenol (3.6%) and benzyl mercaptan (12.5%), the activity of which is comparable with those of aliphatic thiols. Cleavage results determined by DNA electrophoresis are consistent with the results of base release; they show that the total number of DNA lesions is more than 3-fold lower for thiophenol than for aliphatic thiols or benzyl mercaptan. We conclude that among aromatic thiols, only those that have delocalized thiol sulfur electrons can substantially reduce the DNA cleavage activity. This result suggests that the effect of an aromatic ring arises from an inductive effect imposed on the thiol sulfur electron through pi-resonance rather than through effects such as aromatic stacking, steric hindrance, or hydrophobic interaction. Replacing thiophenol with substituted derivatives with electron-releasing or -withdrawing groups changes the drug activity and supports the important role of the electronic structure of the thiol sulfur in determining the drug activity.

The enthalpy of the alanine peptide helix measured by isothermal titration calorimetry using metal-binding to induce helix formation.

The goal of this study is to use the model system described earlier to make direct measurements of the enthalpy of helix formation at different temperatures. For this we studied model alanine peptides in which helix formation can be triggered by metal (La(3+)) binding. The heat of La(3+) interaction with the peptides at different temperatures is measured by isothermal titration calorimetry. Circular dichroism spectroscopy is used to follow helix formation. Peptides of increasing length (12-, 16-, and 19-aa residues) that contain a La(3+)-binding loop followed by helices of increasing length, are used to separate the heat of metal binding from the enthalpy of helix formation. We demonstrate that (i) the enthalpy of helix formation is -0.9 +/- 0.1 kcal/mol; (ii) the enthalpy of helix formation is independent of the peptide length; (iii) the enthalpy of helix formation does not depend significantly on temperature in the range from 5 to 45 degrees C, suggesting that the heat capacity change on helix formation is very small. Thus, the use of metal binding to induce helix formation has an enormous potential for measuring various thermodynamic properties of alpha-helices.