VDAC1-interacting molecules promote cell death in cancer organoids through mitochondrial-dependent metabolic interference.

The voltage-dependent anion-selective channel isoform 1 (VDAC1) is a pivotal component in cellular metabolism and apoptosis with a prominent role in many cancer types, offering a unique therapeutic intervention point. Through an in-silico-to-in-vitro approach we identified a set of VA molecules (VDAC Antagonists) that selectively bind to VDAC1 and display specificity toward cancer cells. Biochemical characterization showed that VA molecules can directly interact with VDAC1 with micromolar affinity by competing with the endogenous ligand NADH for a partially shared binding site. NADH displacement results in mitochondrial distress and reduced cell proliferation, especially when compared to non-cancerous cells. Experiments performed on organoids derived from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability upon treatment with VA molecules with lower impact on healthy cells than conventional treatments like gemcitabine. VA molecules are chemical entities representing promising candidates for further optimization and development as cancer therapy strategies through precise metabolic interventions.

AAV-mediated upregulation of VDAC1 rescues the mitochondrial respiration and sirtuins expression in a SOD1 mouse model of inherited ALS.

Mitochondrial dysfunction represents one of the most common molecular hallmarks of both sporadic and familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the selective degeneration and death of motor neurons. The accumulation of misfolded proteins on and within mitochondria, as observed for SOD1 G93A mutant, correlates with a drastic reduction of mitochondrial respiration and the inhibition of metabolites exchanges, including ADP/ATP and NAD+/NADH, across the Voltage-Dependent Anion-selective Channel 1 (VDAC1), the most abundant channel protein of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Here, we show that the AAV-mediated upregulation of VDAC1 in the spinal cord of transgenic mice expressing SOD1 G93A completely rescues the mitochondrial respiratory profile. This correlates with the increased activity and levels of key regulators of mitochondrial functions and maintenance, namely the respiratory chain Complex I and the sirtuins (Sirt), especially Sirt3. Furthermore, the selective increase of these mitochondrial proteins is associated with an increase in Tom20 levels, the receptor subunit of the TOM complex. Overall, our results indicate that the overexpression of VDAC1 has beneficial effects on ALS-affected tissue by stabilizing the Complex I-Sirt3 axis.

Electrophysiological properties and structural prediction of the SARS-CoV-2 viroprotein E.

COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus SARS- CoV-2, has caused millions of sick people and thousands of deaths all over the world. The viral positive-sense single-stranded RNA encodes 31 proteins among which the spike (S) is undoubtedly the best known. Recently, protein E has been reputed as a potential pharmacological target as well. It is essential for the assembly and release of the virions in the cell. Literature describes protein E as a voltage-dependent channel with preference towards monovalent cations whose intracellular expression, though, alters Ca2+ homeostasis and promotes the activation of the proinflammatory cascades. Due to the extremely high sequence identity of SARS-CoV-2 protein E (E-2) with the previously characterized E-1 (i.e., protein E from SARS-CoV) many data obtained for E-1 were simply adapted to the other. Recent solid state NMR structure revealed that the transmembrane domain (TMD) of E-2 self-assembles into a homo-pentamer, albeit the oligomeric status has not been validated with the full-length protein. Prompted by the lack of a common agreement on the proper structural and functional features of E-2, we investigated the specific mechanism/s of pore-gating and the detailed molecular structure of the most cryptic protein of SARS-CoV-2 by means of MD simulations of the E-2 structure and by expressing, refolding and analyzing the electrophysiological activity of the transmembrane moiety of the protein E-2, in its full length. Our results show a clear agreement between experimental and predictive studies and foresee a mechanism of activity based on Ca2+ affinity.

Human VDAC pseudogenes: an emerging role for VDAC1P8 pseudogene in acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Voltage-dependent anion selective channels (VDACs) are the most abundant mitochondrial outer membrane proteins, encoded in mammals by three genes, VDAC1, 2 and 3, mostly ubiquitously expressed. As 'mitochondrial gatekeepers', VDACs control organelle and cell metabolism and are involved in many diseases. Despite the presence of numerous VDAC pseudogenes in the human genome, their significance and possible role in VDAC protein expression has not yet been considered. RESULTS: We investigated the relevance of processed pseudogenes of human VDAC genes, both in physiological and in pathological contexts. Using high-throughput tools and querying many genomic and transcriptomic databases, we show that some VDAC pseudogenes are transcribed in specific tissues and pathological contexts. The obtained experimental data confirm an association of the VDAC1P8 pseudogene with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). CONCLUSIONS: Our in-silico comparative analysis between the VDAC1 gene and its VDAC1P8 pseudogene, together with experimental data produced in AML cellular models, indicate a specific over-expression of the VDAC1P8 pseudogene in AML, correlated with a downregulation of the parental VDAC1 gene.

VDAC as a Cellular Hub: Docking Molecules and Interactions.

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is the primary regulating pathway of water-soluble metabolites and ions across the mitochondrial outer membrane [...].

VDAC1 Knockout Affects Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption Triggering a Rearrangement of ETC by Impacting on Complex I Activity.

Voltage-Dependent Anion-selective Channel isoform 1 (VDAC1) is the most abundant isoform of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) porins and the principal gate for ions and metabolites to and from the organelle. VDAC1 is also involved in a number of additional functions, such as the regulation of apoptosis. Although the protein is not directly involved in mitochondrial respiration, its deletion in yeast triggers a complete rewiring of the whole cell metabolism, with the inactivation of the main mitochondrial functions. In this work, we analyzed in detail the impact of VDAC1 knockout on mitochondrial respiration in the near-haploid human cell line HAP1. Results indicate that, despite the presence of other VDAC isoforms in the cell, the inactivation of VDAC1 correlates with a dramatic impairment in oxygen consumption and a re-organization of the relative contributions of the electron transport chain (ETC) enzymes. Precisely, in VDAC1 knockout HAP1 cells, the complex I-linked respiration (N-pathway) is increased by drawing resources from respiratory reserves. Overall, the data reported here strengthen the key role of VDAC1 as a general regulator of mitochondrial metabolism.

Protective Effect of Treated Olive Mill Wastewater on Target Bacteria and Mitochondrial Voltage-Dependent Anion-Selective Channel 1.

Olive mill wastewater, a by-product of the olive oil industry, represents an important resource, rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity. In this study, two strategies to concentrate the bioactive components were used: the tangential membrane filtration (ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis) and the selective resin extraction. The concentrates were evaluated for physico-chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity and the effect on the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion selective channel 1 were evaluated. The chemical results highlighted that the highest concentration of hydroxytyrosol (as 7204 mg/L) was revealed in the sample obtained by inverse osmosis while the highest concentration of oleuropein (10005 mg/L) was detected in the sample obtained by resin extraction. The latter sample exhibited the highest antimicrobial effects against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both samples exhibited a high impact on the electrophysiological parameters of VDAC1 activity. These results showed that both valorization techniques, which can be reproduced at industrial scale, provided phenolic concentrates with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity useful for different future perspectives.

Specific Post-Translational Modifications of VDAC3 in ALS-SOD1 Model Cells Identified by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Damage induced by oxidative stress is a key driver of the selective motor neuron death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mitochondria are among the main producers of ROS, but they also suffer particularly from their harmful effects. Voltage-dependent anion-selective channels (VDACs) are the most represented proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane where they form pores controlling the permeation of metabolites responsible for mitochondrial functions. For these reasons, VDACs contribute to mitochondrial quality control and the entire energy metabolism of the cell. In this work we assessed in an ALS cell model whether disease-related oxidative stress induces post-translational modifications (PTMs) in VDAC3, a member of the VDAC family of outer mitochondrial membrane channel proteins, known for its role in redox signaling. At this end, protein samples enriched in VDACs were prepared from mitochondria of an ALS model cell line, NSC34 expressing human SOD1G93A, and analyzed by nUHPLC/High-Resolution nESI-MS/MS. Specific over-oxidation, deamidation, succination events were found in VDAC3 from ALS-related NSC34-SOD1G93A but not in non-ALS cell lines. Additionally, we report evidence that some PTMs may affect VDAC3 functionality. In particular, deamidation of Asn215 alone alters single channel behavior in artificial membranes. Overall, our results suggest modifications of VDAC3 that can impact its protective role against ROS, which is particularly important in the ALS context. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD036728.

α-Synuclein A53T Promotes Mitochondrial Proton Gradient Dissipation and Depletion of the Organelle Respiratory Reserve in a Neuroblastoma Cell Line.

α-synuclein (αSyn) is a small neuronal protein whose accumulation correlates with Parkinson's disease. αSyn A53T mutant impairs mitochondrial functions by affecting substrate import within the organelle, activity of complex I and the maximal respiratory capacity. However, the precise mechanism initiating the bioenergetic dysfunction is not clearly understood yet. By overexpressing αSyn A53T in SH-SY5Y cells, we investigated the specific changes in the mitochondrial respiratory profile using High-Resolution Respirometry. We found that αSyn A53T increases dissipative fluxes across the intermembrane mitochondrial space: this does not compromise the oxygen flows devoted to ATP production while it reduces the bioenergetic excess capacity of mitochondria, providing a possible explanation of the increased cell susceptibility observed in the presence of further stress stimuli.

Voltage Dependent Anion Channel 3 (VDAC3) protects mitochondria from oxidative stress.

Unraveling the role of VDAC3 within living cells is challenging and still requires a definitive answer. Unlike VDAC1 and VDAC2, the outer mitochondrial membrane porin 3 exhibits unique biophysical features that suggest unknown cellular functions. Electrophysiological studies on VDAC3 carrying selective cysteine mutations and mass spectrometry data about the redox state of such sulfur containing amino acids are consistent with a putative involvement of isoform 3 in mitochondrial ROS homeostasis. Here, we thoroughly examined this issue and provided for the first time direct evidence of the role of VDAC3 in cellular response to oxidative stress. Depletion of isoform 3 but not isoform 1 significantly exacerbated the cytotoxicity of redox cyclers such as menadione and paraquat, and respiratory complex I inhibitors like rotenone, promoting uncontrolled accumulation of mitochondrial free radicals. High-resolution respirometry of transiently transfected HAP1-ΔVDAC3 cells expressing the wild type or the cysteine-null mutant VDAC3 protein, unequivocally confirmed that VDAC3 cysteines are indispensable for protein ability to counteract ROS-induced oxidative stress.

VDACs Post-Translational Modifications Discovery by Mass Spectrometry: Impact on Their Hub Function.

VDAC (voltage-dependent anion selective channel) proteins, also known as mitochondrial porins, are the most abundant proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), where they play a vital role in various cellular processes, in the regulation of metabolism, and in survival pathways. There is increasing consensus about their function as a cellular hub, connecting bioenergetics functions to the rest of the cell. The structural characterization of VDACs presents challenging issues due to their very high hydrophobicity, low solubility, the difficulty to separate them from other mitochondrial proteins of similar hydrophobicity and the practical impossibility to isolate each single isoform. Consequently, it is necessary to analyze them as components of a relatively complex mixture. Due to the experimental difficulties in their structural characterization, post-translational modifications (PTMs) of VDAC proteins represent a little explored field. Only in recent years, the increasing number of tools aimed at identifying and quantifying PTMs has allowed to increase our knowledge in this field and in the mechanisms that regulate functions and interactions of mitochondrial porins. In particular, the development of nano-reversed phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (nanoRP-UHPLC) and ultra-sensitive high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) methods has played a key role in this field. The findings obtained on VDAC PTMs using such methodologies, which permitted an in-depth characterization of these very hydrophobic trans-membrane pore proteins, are summarized in this review.

Cell-free electrophysiology of human VDACs incorporated into nanodiscs: An improved method.

Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) is one of the main proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane of all eukaryotes, where it forms aqueous, voltage-sensitive, and ion-selective channels. Its electrophysiological properties have been thoroughly analyzed with the planar lipid bilayer technique. To date, however, available results are based on isolations of VDACs from tissue or from recombinant VDACs produced in bacterial systems. It is well known that the cytosolic overexpression of highly hydrophobic membrane proteins often results in the formation of inclusion bodies containing insoluble aggregates. Purification of properly folded proteins and restoration of their full biological activity requires several procedures that considerably lengthen experimental times. To overcome these restraints, we propose a one-step reaction that combines in vitro cell-free protein expression with nanodisc technology to obtain human VDAC isoforms directly integrated in a native-like lipid bilayer. Reconstitution assays into artificial membranes confirm the reliability of this new methodological approach and provide results comparable to those of VDACs prepared with traditional protein isolation and reconstitution protocols. The use of membrane-mimicking nanodisc systems represents a breakthrough in VDAC electrophysiology and may be adopted to further structural studies.

VDAC Genes Expression and Regulation in Mammals.

VDACs are pore-forming proteins, coating the mitochondrial outer membrane, and playing the role of main regulators for metabolites exchange between cytosol and mitochondria. In mammals, three isoforms have evolutionary originated, VDAC1, VDAC2, and VDAC3. Despite similarity in sequence and structure, evidence suggests different biological roles in normal and pathological conditions for each isoform. We compared Homo sapiens and Mus musculus VDAC genes and their regulatory elements. RNA-seq transcriptome analysis shows that VDAC isoforms are expressed in human and mouse tissues at different levels with a predominance of VDAC1 and VDAC2 over VDAC3, with the exception of reproductive system. Numerous transcript variants for each isoform suggest specific context-dependent regulatory mechanisms. Analysis of VDAC core promoters has highlighted that, both in a human and a mouse, VDAC genes show features of TATA-less ones. The level of CG methylation of the human VDAC genes revealed that VDAC1 promoter is less methylated than other two isoforms. We found that expression of VDAC genes is mainly regulated by transcription factors involved in controlling cell growth, proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis, and bioenergetic metabolism. A non-canonical initiation site termed "the TCT/TOP motif," the target for translation regulation by the mTOR pathway, was identified in human VDAC2 and VDAC3 and in every murine VDACs promoter. In addition, specific TFBSs have been identified in each VDAC promoter, supporting the hypothesis that there is a partial functional divergence. These data corroborate our experimental results and reinforce the idea that gene regulation could be the key to understanding the evolutionary specialization of VDAC isoforms.

Voltage-Dependent Anion Selective Channel Isoforms in Yeast: Expression, Structure, and Functions.

Mitochondrial porins, also known as voltage-dependent anion selective channels (VDACs), are pore-forming molecules of the outer mitochondrial membranes, involved in the regulation of metabolic flux between cytosol and mitochondria. Playing such an essential role, VDAC proteins are evolutionary conserved and isoforms are present in numerous species. The quest for specific function(s) related to the raise of multiple isoforms is an intriguing theme. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome is endowed with two different VDAC genes encoding for two distinct porin isoforms, definitely less characterized in comparison to mammalian counterpart. While yVDAC1 has been extensively studied, the second isoform, yVDAC2, is much less expressed, and has a still misunderstood function. This review will recapitulate the known and poorly known information in the literature, in the light of the growing interest about the features of VDAC isoforms in the cell.

Renaissance of VDAC: New Insights on a Protein Family at the Interface between Mitochondria and Cytosol.

It has become impossible to review all the existing literature on Voltage-Dependent Anion selective Channel (VDAC) in a single article. A real Renaissance of studies brings this protein to the center of decisive knowledge both for cell physiology and therapeutic application. This review, after highlighting the similarities between the cellular context and the study methods of the solute carriers present in the inner membrane and VDAC in the outer membrane of the mitochondria, will focus on the isoforms of VDAC and their biochemical characteristics. In particular, the possible reasons for their evolutionary onset will be discussed. The variations in their post-translational modifications and the differences between the regulatory regions of their genes, probably the key to understanding the current presence of these genes, will be described. Finally, the situation in the higher eukaryotes will be compared to that of yeast, a unicellular eukaryote, where there is only one active isoform and the role of VDAC in energy metabolism is better understood.

Is the secret of VDAC Isoforms in their gene regulation? Characterization of human VDAC genes expression profile, promoter activity, and transcriptional regulators.

VDACs (voltage-dependent anion-selective channels) are pore-forming proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane, whose permeability is primarily due to VDACs' presence. In higher eukaryotes, three isoforms are raised during the evolution: they have the same exon-intron organization, and the proteins show the same channel-forming activity. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the three human VDAC genes (VDAC1-3), their expression profiles, promoter activity, and potential transcriptional regulators. VDAC isoforms are broadly but also specifically expressed in various human tissues at different levels, with a predominance of VDAC1 and VDAC2 over VDAC3. However, an RNA-seq cap analysis gene expression (CAGE) approach revealed a higher level of transcription activation of VDAC3 gene. We experimentally confirmed this information by reporter assay of VDACs promoter activity. Transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) distribution in the promoters were investigated. The main regulators common to the three VDAC genes were identified as E2F-myc activator/cell cycle (E2FF), Nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), Krueppel-like transcription factors (KLFS), E-box binding factors (EBOX) transcription factor family members. All of them are involved in cell cycle and growth, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metabolism. More transcription factors specific for each VDAC gene isoform were identified, supporting the results in the literature, indicating a general role of VDAC1, as an actor of apoptosis for VDAC2, and the involvement in sex determination and development of VDAC3. For the first time, we propose a comparative analysis of human VDAC promoters to investigate their specific biological functions. Bioinformatics and experimental results confirm the essential role of the VDAC protein family in mitochondrial functionality. Moreover, insights about a specialized function and different regulation mechanisms arise for the three isoform gene.

NRF-1 and HIF-1α contribute to modulation of human VDAC1 gene promoter during starvation and hypoxia in HeLa cells.

VDAC (Voltage Dependent Anion Channel) is a family of pore forming protein located in the outer mitochondrial membrane. Its channel property ensures metabolites exchange between mitochondria and the rest of the cell resulting in metabolism and bioenergetics regulation, and in cell death and life switch. VDAC1 is the best characterized and most abundant isoform, and is involved in many pathologies, as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. However, little information is available about its gene expression regulation in normal and/or pathological conditions. In this work, we explored VDAC1 gene expression regulation in normal conditions and in the contest of some metabolic and energetic mitochondrial dysfunction and cell stress as example. The core of the putative promoter region was characterized in terms of transcription factors responsive elements both by bioinformatic studies and promoter activity experiments. In particular, we found an abundant presence of NRF-1 sites, together with other transcription factors binding sites involved in cell growth, proliferation, development, and we studied their prevalence in gene activity. Furthermore, upon depletion of nutrients or controlled hypoxia, as detected in various pathologies, we found that VDAC1 transcripts levels were significantly increased in a time related manner. VDAC1 promoter activity was also validated by gene reporter assays. According to PCR real-time experiments, it was confirmed that VDAC1 promoter activity is further stimulated when cells are exposed to stress. A bioinformatic survey suggested HIF-1α, besides NRF-1, as a most active TFBS. Their validation was obtained by TFBS mutagenesis and TF overexpression experiments. In conclusion, we experimentally demonstrated the involvement of both NRF-1 and HIF-1α in the regulation of VDAC1 promoter activation at basal level and in some peculiar cell stress conditions.

Cysteine Oxidations in Mitochondrial Membrane Proteins: The Case of VDAC Isoforms in Mammals.

Cysteine residues are reactive amino acids that can undergo several modifications driven by redox reagents. Mitochondria are the source of an abundant production of radical species, and it is surprising that such a large availability of highly reactive chemicals is compatible with viable and active organelles, needed for the cell functions. In this work, we review the results highlighting the modifications of cysteines in the most abundant proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), that is, the voltage-dependent anion selective channel (VDAC) isoforms. This interesting protein family carries several cysteines exposed to the oxidative intermembrane space (IMS). Through mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, cysteine posttranslational modifications (PTMs) were precisely determined, and it was discovered that such cysteines can be subject to several oxidization degrees, ranging from the disulfide bridge to the most oxidized, the sulfonic acid, one. The large spectra of VDAC cysteine oxidations, which is unique for OMM proteins, indicate that they have both a regulative function and a buffering capacity able to counteract excess of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) load. The consequence of these peculiar cysteine PTMs is discussed.

A High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Study Reveals the Potential of Disulfide Formation in Human Mitochondrial Voltage-Dependent Anion Selective Channel Isoforms (hVDACs).

The voltage-dependent anion-selective channels (VDACs), which are also known as eukaryotic porins, are pore-forming proteins, which allow for the passage of ions and small molecules across the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM). They are involved in complex interactions that regulate organelle and cellular metabolism. We have recently reported the post-translational modifications (PTMs) of the three VDAC isoforms purified from rat liver mitochondria (rVDACs), showing, for the first time, the over-oxidation of the cysteine residues as an exclusive feature of VDACs. Noteworthy, this peculiar PTM is not detectable in other integral membrane mitochondrial proteins, as defined by their elution at low salt concentration by a hydroxyapatite column. In this study, the association of tryptic and chymotryptic proteolysis with UHPLC/High Resolution nESI-MS/MS, allowed for us to extend the investigation to the human VDACs. The over-oxidation of the cysteine residues, essentially irreversible in cell conditions, was as also certained in VDAC isoforms from human cells. In human VDAC2 and 3 isoforms the permanently reduced state of a cluster of close cysteines indicates the possibility that disulfide bridges are formed in the proteins. Importantly, the detailed oxidative PTMs that are found in human VDACs confirm and sustain our previous findings in rat tissues, claiming for a predictable characterization that has to be conveyed in the functional role of VDAC proteins within the cell. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD017482.