Influence of tropolone on Poria placenta wood degradation.

Fenton reactions are believed to play important roles in wood degradation by brown rot fungi. In this context, the effect of tropolone (2-hydroxycyclohepta-2,4,6-trienone), a metal chelator, on wood degradation by Poria placenta was investigated. Tropolone (50 micro M) strongly inhibits fungal growth on malt agar, but this inhibition could be relieved by adding iron salts. With an experimental system containing two separate parts, one supplemented with tropolone (100 micro M) and the other not, it was shown that the fungus is able to reallocate essential minerals from the area where they are available and also to grow in these conditions on malt-agar in the presence of tropolone. Nevertheless, even in the presence of an external source of metals, P. placenta is not able to attack pine blocks impregnated with tropolone (5 mM). This wood degradation inhibition is related to the presence of the tropolone hydroxyl group, as shown by the use of analogs (cyclohepta-2,4,6-trienone and 2-methoxycyclohepta-2,4,6-trienone). Furthermore, tropolone possesses both weak antioxidative and weak radical-scavenging properties and a strong affinity for ferric ion and is able to inhibit ferric iron reduction by catecholates, lowering the redox potential of the iron couple. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that tropolone inhibits wood degradation by P. placenta by chelating iron present in wood, thus avoiding initiation of the Fenton reaction. This study demonstrates that iron chelators such as tropolone could be also involved in novel and more environmentally benign preservative systems.

Oxidation-reduction and activation properties of chloroplast fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase with mutated regulatory site.

The concentration of Mg(2+) required for optimal activity of chloroplast fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) decreases when a disulfide, located on a flexible loop containing three conserved cysteines, is reduced by the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system. Mutation of either one of two regulatory cysteines in this loop (Cys155 and Cys174 in spinach FBPase) produces an enzyme with a S(0.5) for Mg(2+) (0.6 mM) identical to that observed for the reduced WT enzyme and significantly lower than the S(0.5) of 12.2 mM of oxidized WT enzyme. E(m) for the regulatory disulfide in WT spinach FBPase is -305 mV at pH 7.0, with an E(m) vs pH dependence of -59 mV/pH unit, from pH 5.5 to 8.5. Aerobic storage of the C174S mutant produces a nonphysiological Cys155/Cys179 disulfide, rendering the enzyme partially dependent on activation by thioredoxin. Circular dichroism spectra and thiol titrations provide supporting evidence for the formation of nonphysiological disulfide bonds. Mutation of Cys179, the third conserved cysteine, produces FBPase that behaves very much like WT enzyme but which is more rapidly activated by thioredoxin f, perhaps because the E(m) of the regulatory disulfide in the mutant has been increased to -290 mV (isopotential with thioredoxin f). Structural changes in the regulatory loop lower S(0.5) for Mg(2+) to 3.2 mM for the oxidized C179S mutant. These results indicate that opening the regulatory disulfide bridge, either through reduction or mutation, produces structural changes that greatly decrease S(0.5) for Mg(2+) and that only two of the conserved cysteines play a physiological role in regulation of FBPase.

Isolation and characterization of a new peroxiredoxin from poplar sieve tubes that uses either glutaredoxin or thioredoxin as a proton donor.

A sequence coding for a peroxiredoxin (Prx) was isolated from a xylem/phloem cDNA library from Populus trichocarpa and subsequently inserted into an expression plasmid yielding the construction pET-Prx. The recombinant protein was produced in Escherichia coli cells and purified to homogeneity with a high yield. The poplar Prx is composed of 162 residues, a property that makes it the shortest plant Prx sequence isolated so far. It was shown that the protein is monomeric and possesses two conserved cysteines (Cys). The Prx degrades hydrogen peroxide and alkyl hydroperoxides in the presence of an exogenous proton donor that can be either thioredoxin or glutaredoxin (Grx). Based on this finding, we propose that the poplar protein represents a new type of Prx that differs from the so-called 2-Cys and 1-Cys Prx, a suggestion supported by the existence of natural fusion sequences constituted of a Prx motif coupled to a Grx motif. The protein was shown to be highly expressed in sieve tubes where thioredoxin h and Grx are also major proteins.

Molecular cloning, characterization and regulation by cadmium of a superoxide dismutase from the ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus.

The gene encoding a superoxide dismutase (PiSOD) was cloned by suppressive subtractive hybridization from cDNA library of the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Paxillus involutus, grown under cadmium-stress conditions. The encoded protein was presumed to be localized in the peroxisomes because it contained a C-terminal peroxisomal localization peptide (SKL) and lacked an N-terminal mitochondrial transit peptide. Complementation of an Escherichia coli SOD null strain that is unable to grow in the presence of paraquat or cadmium indicated that cloned Pisod encoded a functional superoxide dismutase. Sensitivity of PiSOD activity to H2O2 but not KCN, and sequence homologies to other SODs strongly suggest that it is a manganese-containing superoxide dismutase. Monitoring PiSOD transcript, immunoreactive polypeptide and superoxide dismutase activity following cadmium stress suggests that the principal level of control is post-translational. This is, to our knowledge, the first insight in the characterization of molecular events that take place in an ectomycorrhizal fungus during exposure to heavy metals.

Conformational change of Arabidopsis thaliana thioredoxin reductase after binding of pyridine nucleotide and thioredoxin.

We have found that the binding of NADP+ (Kd = 0.86+/-0.11 microM) enhanced the FAD fluorescence of Arabidopsis thaliana NADPH:thioredoxin reductase (TR, EC 1.6.4.5) by 2 times, whereas the binding of 3-aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide phosphate (AADP+) (Kd < 0.1 microM) quenched the fluorescence by 20%. Thioredoxin (TRX) also enhanced the FAD fluorescence by 35%. The Kd of TR-NADP+ and TR-AADP+ complexes did not change in the presence of 45 microM TRX. Our findings imply that the binding of NADP+ and AADP+ at the NADP(H)-binding site of A. thaliana TR, and/or the binding of TRX in the vicinity of the catalytic disulfide increase the content of fluorescent FR conformer (NADP(H)-binding site adjacent to flavin). The different effects of NADP+ and AADP+ on FAD fluorescence intensity may be explained by the superposition of two opposite factors: i) increased content of fluorescent FR conformer upon binding of NADP+ or AADP+; ii) quenching of FAD fluorescence by electron-donating 3-aminopyridinium ring of AADP+.

NMR structures of thioredoxin m from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Chloroplast thioredoxin m from the green alga Chlamydomomas reinhardtii is very efficiently reduced in vitro and in vivo in the presence of photoreduced ferredoxin and a ferredoxin dependent ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase. Once reduced, thioredoxin m has the capability to quickly activate the NADP malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.82) a regulatory enzyme involved in an energy-dependent assimilation of carbon dioxide in C4 plants. This activation is the result of the reduction of two disulfide bridges by thioredoxin m, that are located at the N- and C-terminii of the NADP malate dehydrogenase. The molecular structure of thioredoxin m was solved using NMR and compared to other known thioredoxins. Thioredoxin m belongs to the prokaryotic type of thioredoxin, which is divergent from the eukaryotic-type thioredoxins also represented in plants by the h (cytosolic) and f (chloroplastic) types of thioredoxins. The dynamics of the molecule have been assessed using (15)N relaxation data and are found to correlate well with regions of disorder found in the calculated NMR ensemble. The results obtained provide a novel basis to interpret the thioredoxin dependence of the activation of chloroplast NADP-malate dehydrogenase. The specific catalytic mechanism that takes place in the active site of thioredoxins is also discussed on the basis of the recent new understanding and especially in the light of the dual general acid-base catalysis exerted on the two cysteines of the redox active site. It is proposed that the two cysteines of the redox active site may insulate each other from solvent attack by specific packing of invariable hydrophobic amino acids.

Primary structure determinants of the pH- and temperature-dependent aggregation of thioredoxin.

Thioredoxins are small proteins found in all living organisms. We have previously reported that Chlamydomonas reinhardtii thioredoxin h exhibited differences both in its absorption spectrum and its aggregation properties compared to thioredoxin m. In this paper, we demonstrate, by site-directed mutagenesis, that the particularity of the absorption spectrum is linked to the presence of an additional tryptophan residue in the h isoform. The pH and temperature dependence of the aggregation of both thioredoxins has been investigated. Our results indicate that the aggregation of TRX is highly dependent on pH and that the differences between the two TRX isoforms are linked to distinct pH dependencies. We have also analyzed the pH and temperature dependence of 12 distinct variants of TRX engineered by site-directed mutagenesis. The results obtained indicate that the differences in the hydrophobic core of the two TRX isoforms do not account for the differences of aggregation. On the other hand, we show the importance of His-109 as well as the second active site cysteine, Cys-39 in the aggregation mechanism.

Crystal structure of the W35A mutant thioredoxin h from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: the substitution of the conserved active site Trp leads to modifications in the environment of the two catalytic cysteines.

The conformational analysis of W35A thioredoxin h from the eukaryotic green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the solid state has been carried out by x-ray diffraction, with the aim to clarify the role of Trp in the catalysis. Comparative analysis of W35A mutant with wild-type (WT) thioredoxin shows that, even if the structural motif of thioredoxin is not perturbed, the substitution of Trp35 by an Ala leads to significant changes in protein conformation near the active site. This rearrangement increases its solvent exposure and explains the change of the pKa values of the catalytic cysteines. The substitution of the Trp residue also influences the crystal packing as well as the recognition ability of thioredoxin. The solid state analysis suggests that the Trp residue has a structural function both to force the active site in the bioactive conformation, and to mediate the protein-protein recognition.

Redox signalling in the chloroplast: structure of oxidized pea fructose-1,6-bisphosphate phosphatase.

Sunlight provides the energy source for the assimilation of carbon dioxide by photosynthesis, but it also provides regulatory signals that switch on specific sets of enzymes involved in the alternation of light and dark metabolisms in chloroplasts. Capture of photons by chlorophyll pigments triggers redox cascades that ultimately activate target enzymes via the reduction of regulatory disulfide bridges by thioredoxins. Here we report the structure of the oxidized, low-activity form of chloroplastic fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate phosphatase (FBPase), one of the four enzymes of the Calvin cycle whose activity is redox-regulated by light. The regulation is of allosteric nature, with a disulfide bridge promoting the disruption of the catalytic site across a distance of 20 A. Unexpectedly, regulation of plant FBPases by thiol-disulfide interchange differs in every respect from the regulation of mammalian gluconeogenic FBPases by AMP. We also report a second crystal form of oxidized FBPase whose tetrameric structure departs markedly from D(2) symmetry, a rare event in oligomeric structures, and the structure of a constitutively active mutant that is unable to form the regulatory disulfide bridge. Altogether, these structures provide a structural basis for redox regulation in the chloroplast.

Interaction of thioredoxins with target proteins: role of particular structural elements and electrostatic properties of thioredoxins in their interplay with 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complexes.

The thioredoxin action upon the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complexes is investigated by using different thioredoxins, both wild-type and mutated. The attacking cysteine residue of thioredoxin is established to be essential for the thioredoxin-dependent activation of the complexes. Mutation of the buried cysteine residue to serine is not crucial for the activation, but prevents inhibition of the complexes, exhibited by the Clamydomonas reinhardtii thioredoxin m disulfide. Site-directed mutagenesis of D26, W31, F/W12, and Y/A70 (the Escherichia coli thioredoxin numbering is employed for all the thioredoxins studied) indicates that both the active site and remote residues of thioredoxin are involved in its interplay with the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complexes. Sequences of 11 thioredoxin species tested biochemically are aligned. The thioredoxin residues at the contact between the alpha3/3(10) and alpha1 helices, the length of the alpha1 helix and the charges in the alpha2-beta3 and beta4-beta5 linkers are found to correlate with the protein influence on the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complexes (the secondary structural elements of thioredoxin are defined according to Eklund H et al., 1991, Proteins 11:13-28). The distribution of the charges on the surface of the thioredoxin molecules is analyzed. The analysis reveals the species specific polarization of the thioredoxin active site surroundings, which corresponds to the efficiency of the thioredoxin interplay with the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase systems. The most effective mitochondrial thioredoxin is characterized by the strongest polarization of this area and the highest value of the electrostatic dipole vector of the molecule. Not only the magnitude, but also the orientation of the dipole vector show correlation with the thioredoxin action. The dipole direction is found to be significantly influenced by the charges of the residues 13/14, 51, and 83/85, which distinguish the activating and inhibiting thioredoxin disulfides.

Oxidation-reduction properties of chloroplast thioredoxins, ferredoxin:thioredoxin reductase, and thioredoxin f-regulated enzymes.

Oxidation-reduction midpoint potentials were determined, as a function of pH, for the disulfide/dithiol couples of spinach and pea thioredoxins f, for spinach and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii thioredoxins m, for spinach ferredoxin:thioredoxin reductase (FTR), and for two enzymes regulated by thioredoxin f, spinach phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and the fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases (FBPase) from pea and spinach. Midpoint oxidation-reduction potential (Em) values at pH 7.0 of -290 mV for both spinach and pea thioredoxin f, -300 mV for both C. reinhardtii and spinach thioredoxin m, -320 mV for spinach FTR, -290 mV for spinach PRK, -315 mV for pea FBPase, and -330 mV for spinach FBPase were obtained. With the exception of spinach FBPase, titrations showed a single two-electron component at all pH values tested. Spinach FBPase exhibited a more complicated behavior, with a single two-electron component being observed at pH values >/= 7.0, but with two components being present at pH values <7.0. The slopes of plots of Em versus pH were close to the -60 mV/pH unit value expected for a process that involves the uptake of two protons per two electrons (i. e., the reduction of a disulfide to two fully protonated thiols) for thioredoxins f and m, for FTR, and for pea FBPase. The slope of the Em versus pH profile for PRK shows three regions, consistent with the presence of pKa values for the two regulatory cysteines in the region between pH 7.5 and 9.0.

The internal Cys-207 of sorghum leaf NADP-malate dehydrogenase can form mixed disulphides with thioredoxin.

The role of the internal Cys-207 of sorghum NADP-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH) in the activation of the enzyme has been investigated through the examination of the ability of this residue to form mixed disulphides with thioredoxin mutated at either of its two active-site cysteines. The h-type Chlamydomonas thioredoxin was used, because it has no additional cysteines in the primary sequence besides the active-site cysteines. Both thioredoxin mutants proved equally efficient in forming mixed disulphides with an NADP-MDH devoid of its N-terminal bridge either by truncation, or by mutation of its N-terminal cysteines. They were poorly efficient with the more compact WT oxidised NADP-MDH. Upon mutation of Cys-207, no mixed disulphide could be formed, showing that this cysteine is the only one, among the four internal cysteines, which can form mixed disulphides with thioredoxin. These experiments confirm that the opening of the N-terminal disulphide loosens the interaction between subunits, making Cys-207, located at the dimer contact area, more accessible.

Solitary plasmacytoma of the lung with light chain extracellular deposits: a case report and review of the literature.

AIMS: We present the clinical and histopathological findings of an unusual pulmonary plasmacytoma associated with light chain deposits. METHODS AND RESULTS: The tumour was located in the main left stem bronchus 40 mm from the carina. Histologically, it was composed of sheets of well differentiated plasma cells. Large extracellular deposits of amorphous material were observed in the tumour. These deposits were Congo red negative and contained kappa light chains. They were electron dense granular and non-filamentous. No plasmacytosis was identified by bone marrow biopsy and no monoclonal spike was shown by serum and urine electrophoresis. CONCLUSIONS: Our case is unusual in being endobronchial and showing light chain deposition.

Cysteine-153 is required for redox regulation of pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.

Chloroplastic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases are redox regulatory enzymes which are activated by the ferredoxin thioredoxin system via the reduction/isomerization of a critical disulfide bridge. All chloroplastic sequences contain seven cysteine residues, four of which are located in, or close to, an amino acid insertion region of approximately 17 amino acids. In order to gain more information on the nature of the regulatory site, five cysteine residues (Cys49, Cys153, Cys173, Cys178 and Cys190) have been modified individually into serine residues by site-directed mutagenesis. While mutations C173S and C178S strongly affected the redox regulatory properties of the enzyme, the most striking effect was observed with the C153S mutant which became permanently active and redox independent. On the other hand, the C190S mutant retained most of the properties of the wild-type enzyme (except that it could now also be partially activated by the NADPH/NTR/thioredoxin h system). Finally, the C49S mutant is essentially identical to the wild-type enzyme. These results are discussed in the light of recent crystallographic data obtained on spinach FBPase [Villeret et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 4299-4306].

Direct evidence for the different roles of the N- and C-terminal regulatory disulfides of sorghum leaf NADP-malate dehydrogenase in its activation by reduced thioredoxin.

Plant NADP-dependent malate dehydrogenase is activated through thiol/disulfide interchange with reduced thioredoxin. Previous studies showed that this process involves the reduction of two different disulfides per subunit: one N-terminal, the other C-terminal. Substitution of regulatory cysteines at each end by site-directed mutagenesis and comparison of activation kinetics of the mutants led us to propose a model for the activation mechanism where the C-terminal end shielded the access to the catalytic residues, whereas the N- terminal end was involved in the slow conformational change of the active site. In the present study, we took advantage of the previous identification of the catalytic histidine residue which can be specifically derivatized by diethyl pyrocarbonate to test the accessibility of the active site. The results clearly show that in the mutants where the C-terminal bridge is open the active site histidine is freely accessible to the reagent, whereas in the mutants where the N-terminal bridge is open, the active site cannot be reached without activation, thus demonstrating the validity of the model.

NMR structures of a mitochondrial transit peptide from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

The 26-amino-acid pre-sequence of the ATP synthase beta subunit that directs the protein from the cytosol to mitochondria in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been synthesised and analysed using NMR spectroscopy/circular dichroism and compared to a chloroplast transit peptide from the same organism. The results demonstrate that the peptide, though mainly unstructured in water, undergoes a strong conformational change in a 36% water/64% 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol mixture. In this solvent condition, an alpha-helix was characterised by NMR from residue 2 to 26. Structure calculations under NMR restraints lead to a population of models of which 60% are kinked at position 9-10. Structural analysis indicates two hydrophobic sectors on the models with a discontinuity at the 9-10 kink level. The structures suggest a different interaction mode with the mitochondrial membrane compared to the chloroplast transit peptide.

High-level expression of recombinant pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and mutagenesis of its regulatory site.

The cDNA fragment coding for mature chloroplast pea fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase [Fru(1,6)P2ase] was introduced by PCR into the expression vector pET-3d resulting in the construction pET-FBP. After transformation of BL21 (DE3) Escherichia coli cells by the pET-FBP plasmid and induction with isopropyl thio-beta-D-galactoside, high-level expression of the recombinant enzyme was achieved. The protein could be purified in three days by a simple procedure which includes heat treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE Sephacel and ACA 44 chromatographies with a yield of 20 mg/l culture. In every respect, the recombinant enzyme was similar to plant chloroplast Fru(1,6)P2ase and, in particular, its reactivity with Mg2+ and redox regulatory properties were conserved. In a second series of experiments based on three-dimensional modeling of the chloroplast protein and sequence alignments, two cysteine residues of the recombinant enzyme (Cys173 and Cys178) were mutated into serine residues. An active enzyme, which did not respond to thiol reagents and to light activation, was obtained, confirming the putative regulatory role of the insertional sequence characteristic of the chloroplast enzyme.

Identification and characterization of the second regulatory disulfide bridge of recombinant sorghum leaf NADP-malate dehydrogenase.

Unique among malate dehydrogenases, the NADP-dependent chloroplastic form undergoes a reductive activation in the light. This process is thioredoxin-mediated and involves at least two disulfides. Only one of them, situated near the N terminus, has been localized. The enzyme also bears 2 cysteines at the C terminus. The possible role of these cysteines was investigated by replacing them separately, or together, by alanines, by site-directed mutagenesis. The proteins altered at the C terminus were still dithiol-dependent for full activation, with activation kinetics similar to those of the wild type enzyme. However, they exhibited a weak activity in the oxidized form with a dramatically increased Km for oxalacetate. Their activation was not inhibited by NADP. When C-terminal Cys mutations were combined with N-terminal Cys mutations, permanently active, thioredoxin-independent enzymes were obtained. They exhibited the biochemical properties of the activated wild type protein. Clearly, the 2 C-terminal cysteines constitute the second thioredoxin-dependent regulatory disulfide of NADP-malate dehydrogenase. Integrating our data about the characteristics of each of the regulatory disulfides and information from three-dimensional structure modeling, we propose a model for the redox control of NADP-malate dehydrogenase.

Arabidopsis thaliana NAPHP thioredoxin reductase. cDNA characterization and expression of the recombinant protein in Escherichia coli.

Using a clone characterized in the course of a random sequencing programme of Arabidopsis thaliana, two cDNAs encoding plant type cytosolic NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase (NTR) have been isolated. Their sequence homology with Escherichia coli NRT (the only thioredoxin reductase of known primary structure) is about 45%. In addition, analysis of the sequence of the encoded polypeptide (333 amino acids) reveals that several motifs are conserved in the FAD, central and NADPH binding domains, suggesting a similar folding of the protein. Definitive proof that the clone ATTHIREDB indeed encodes NTR was obtained by expressing the recombinant protein in E. coli cells. It was observed that plant type NTR was strongly overproduced (about 10 mg homogeneous protein could be purified per liter of culture). The recombinant enzyme is homodimeric, each subunit containing an FAD prosthetic group. Recombinant plant type NTR is as effective as E. coli NTR in the DTNB (5,5'-dithiobis nitrobenzoic acid) reduction reaction, but its affinity for thioredoxin substrates was strikingly different. These results are discussed in relation to the primary structures of NADPH thioredoxin reductases.

Secondary structure and protein folding of recombinant chloroplastic thioredoxin Ch2 from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as determined by 1H NMR.

The recombinant form of the chloroplastic thioredoxin Ch2 from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii [Jacquot et al. (1992) Nucleic Acids Res. 20, 617] that preferentially activates the NADP dependent malate dehydrogenase [EC 1.1.1.82] (m-type thioredoxin) through a light promoted reductive system, has been subjected to an extensive two-dimensional 1H NMR analysis. A complete 1H NMR assignment of the resonance lines in both the oxidized and the reduced states at pH 5.8 has been obtained allowing the recognition of the secondary structure patterns and the global protein folding. The single polypeptide chain, made of 106 residues plus one additional Met located at the N-terminal position (11.6 kDa) due to the protein expression system, folds into a pattern characteristic of the open twisted alpha/beta structures already found for Escherichia coli and human thioredoxins for which the protein shares 46 and 20% of sequence identity, respectively. The open alpha/beta structure is made of 5 beta-sheets associated in a parallel (beta 1 to beta 3) and anti parallel manner (beta 3 to beta 5) and surrounded by 4 helices. This represents the first structural exploratory study of the ubiquitous oxido-reductase thioredoxins in a photosynthetic living system.