Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase mutants associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis show enhanced formation of aggregates in vitro.

Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) are associated with the fatal neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There is considerable evidence that mutant SOD has a gain of toxic function; however, the mechanism of this toxicity is not known. We report here that purified SOD forms aggregates in vitro under destabilizing solution conditions by a process involving a transition from small amorphous species to fibrils. The assembly process and the tinctorial and structural properties of the in vitro aggregates resemble those for aggregates observed in vivo. Furthermore, the familial ALS SOD mutations A4V, G93A, G93R, and E100G decrease protein stability, which correlates with an increase in the propensity of the mutants to form aggregates. These mutations also increase the rate of protein unfolding. Our results suggest three possible mechanisms for the increase in aggregation: (i) an increase in the equilibrium population of unfolded or of partially unfolded states, (ii) an increase in the rate of unfolding, and (iii) a decrease in the rate of folding. Our data support the hypothesis that the gain of toxic function for many different familial ALS-associated mutant SODs is a consequence of protein destabilization, which leads to an increase in the formation of cytotoxic protein aggregates.

Protective effect of supplemental superoxide dismutase on survival of neuronal cells during starvation. Requirement for cytosolic distribution.

There is evidence that raising cellular levels of Cu2+/Zn2+ superoxide dismutase (SOD1) can protect neurons from oxidative injury. We compared a novel method of elevating neuronal SOD activity using a recombinant hybrid protein composed of the atoxic neuronal binding domain of tetanus toxin (C fragment or TTC) and human SOD1 (hSOD1) with increasing cellular SOD levels through overexpression. Fetal murine cortical neurons or N18-RE-105 cells were incubated with the TTC-hSOD1 hybrid protein and compared to cells constitutively expressing hSOD1 for level of SOD activity, cellular localization of hSOD1, and capacity to survive glucose and pyruvate starvation. Cells incubated with TTC-hSOD1 showed a threefold increase in cellular SOD activity over control cells. This level of increase was comparable to fetal cortical neurons from transgenic mice constitutively expressing hSOD1 and transfected N18-RE-105 cells expressing a green fluorescent protein-hSOD1 fusion protein (GFP-hSOD1). Human SOD1 was distributed diffusely throughout the cytoplasm of the transgenic murine neurons and transfected N18-RE-105 cells. In contrast, cells incubated with TTC-hSOD1 showed hSOD1 localized to the cell surface and intra-cytoplasmic vesicles. The cells expressing hSOD1 showed enhanced survival in glucose- and pyruvate-free medium. Neither cortical neurons nor N18-RE-105 cells incubated in TTC-hSOD1 showed increased survival during starvation. Access to the site where toxic superoxides are generated or their targets may be necessary for the protective function of SOD1.

The familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated amino acid substitutions E100G, G93A, and G93R do not influence the rate of inactivation of copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase by H2O2.

Inactivation of copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (Cu,ZnSOD) by H2O2 is the consequence of several sequential reactions: reduction of the active site Cu(II) to Cu(I) by H2O2; oxidation of the Cu(I) by a second H2O2, thus generating a powerful oxidant, which may be Cu(I)O or Cu(II)OH or Cu(III); and finally oxidation of one of the histidines in the ligand field, causing loss of SOD activity. Three familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS)-associated mutant Cu,ZnSODs, i.e., E100G, G93A, and G93R, did not differ from the control enzyme in susceptibility to inactivation by H2O2. It thus appears that an increased peroxidase activity of the FALS-associated Cu,ZnSOD variants might not be a factor in the development of this disease. This leaves the loss of Zn, and the consequent increase in peroxidase activity, or in nitration activity, as a viable explanation (J. P. Crow et al., 1997, J. Neurochem. 69, 1936-1944), among other possibilities.

Crystal structure of Y34F mutant human mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase and the functional role of tyrosine 34.

Tyrosine 34 is a prominent and conserved residue in the active site of the manganese superoxide dismutases in organisms from bacteria to man. We have prepared the mutant containing the replacement Tyr 34 --> Phe (Y34F) in human manganese superoxide dismutase (hMnSOD) and crystallized it in two different crystal forms, orthorhombic and hexagonal. Crystal structures of hMnSOD Y34F have been solved to 1.9 A resolution in a hexagonal crystal form, denoted as Y34Fhex, and to 2.2 A resolution in an orthorhombic crystal form, denoted as Y34Fortho. Both crystal forms give structures that are closely superimposable with that of wild-type hMnSOD, with the phenyl rings of Tyr 34 in the wild type and Phe 34 in the mutant very similar in orientation. Therefore, in Y34F, a hydrogen-bonded relay that links the metal-bound hydroxyl to ordered solvent (Mn-OH to Gln 143 to Tyr 34 to H2O to His 30) is broken. Surprisingly, the loss of the Tyr 34 hydrogen bonds resulted in large increases in stability (measured by Tm), suggesting that the Tyr 34 hydroxyl does not play a role in stabilizing active-site architecture. The functional role of the side chain hydroxyl of Tyr 34 can be evaluated by comparison of the Y34F mutant with the wild-type hMnSOD. Both wild-type and Y34F had kcat/Km near 10(9) M-1 s-1, close to diffusion-controlled; however, Y34F showed kcat for maximal catalysis smaller by 10-fold than the wild type. In addition, the mutant Y34F was more susceptible to product inhibition by peroxide than the wild-type enzyme. This activity profile and the breaking of the hydrogen-bonding chain at the active site caused by the replacement Tyr 34 --> Phe suggest that Tyr 34 is a proton donor for O2* - reduction to H2O2 or is involved indirectly by orienting solvent or other residues for proton transfer. Up to 100 mM buffers in solution failed to enhance catalysis by either Y34F or the wild-type hMnSOD, suggesting that protonation from solution cannot enhance the release of the inhibiting bound peroxide ion, likely reflecting the enclosure of the active site by conserved residues as shown by the X-ray structures. The increased thermostability of the mutant Y34F and equal diffusion-controlled activity of Y34F and wild-type enzymes with normal superoxide levels suggest that evolutionary conservation of active-site residues in metalloenzymes reflects constraints from extreme rather than average cellular conditions. This new hypothesis that extreme rather than normal substrate concentrations are a powerful constraint on residue conservation may apply most strongly to enzyme defenses where the ability to meet extreme conditions directly affects cell survival.

Superoxide-dependent peroxidase activity of H48Q: a superoxide dismutase variant associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Approximately 20% of cases of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are caused by dominant mutations in the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase. One such mutant, in which histidine #48 has been replaced by glutamine (H48Q), exhibits a novel activity. It can react sequentially with O2- and H2O2 to generate a potent oxidant at its active site, possibly Cu(II)-OH, which then can oxidize urate to the corresponding radical. This O2- -dependent peroxidase activity exerted on a substrate peculiar to motor neurons may be the toxic gain of function which leads to the deleterious consequences of this mutation. G93A, G93R, and E100G were also examined and found not to exert this O2- -dependent peroxidase activity.

Computational, pulse-radiolytic, and structural investigations of lysine-136 and its role in the electrostatic triad of human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase.

Key charged residues in Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD) promote electrostatic steering of the superoxide substrate to the active site Cu ion, resulting in dismutation of superoxide to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, Lys-136, along with the adjacent residues Glu-132 and Glu-133, forms a proposed electrostatic triad contributing to substrate recognition. Human Cu,Zn SODs with single-site replacements of Lys-136 by Arg,Ala, Gln, or Glu or with a triple-site substitution (Glu-132 and Glu-133 to Gln and Lys-136 to Ala) were made to test hypotheses regarding contributions of these residues to Cu,Zn SOD activity. The structural effects of these mutations were modeled computationally and validated by the X-ray crystallographic structure determination of Cu,Zn SOD having the Lys-136-to-Glu replacement. Brownian dynamics simulations and multiple-site titration calculations predicted mutant reaction rates as well as ionic strength and pH effects measured by pulse-radiolytic experiments. Lys-136-to-Glu charge reversal decreased dismutation activity 50% from 2.2 x 10(9) to 1.2 x 10(9) M-1 s-1 due to repulsion of negatively charged superoxide, whereas charge-neutralizing substitutions (Lys-136 to Gln or Ala) had a less dramatic influence. In contrast, the triple-mutant Cu,Zn SOD (all three charges in the electrostatic triad neutralized) surprisingly doubled the reaction rate compared with wild-type enzyme but introduced phosphate inhibition. Computational and experimental reaction rates decreased with increasing ionic strength in all of the Lys-136 mutants, with charge reversal having a more pronounced effect than charge neutralization, implying that local electrostatic effects still govern the dismutation rates. Multiple-site titration analysis showed that deprotonation events throughout the enzyme are likely responsible for the gradual decrease in SOD activity above pH 9.5 and predicted a pKa value of 11.7 for Lys-136. Overall, Lys-136 and Glu-132 make comparable contributions to substrate recognition but are less critical to enzyme function than Arg-143, which is both mechanistically and electrostatically essential. Thus, the sequence-conserved residues of this electrostatic triad are evidently important solely for their electrostatic properties, which maintain the high catalytic rate and turnover of Cu,Zn SOD while simultaneously providing specificity by selecting against binding by other anions.

Delivery of recombinant tetanus-superoxide dismutase proteins to central nervous system neurons by retrograde axonal transport.

The nontoxic C fragment of tetanus toxin (TC) can transport other proteins from the circulation to central nervous system (CNS) motor neurons. Increased levels of CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD) are protective in experimental models of stroke and Parkinson's disease, whereas mutations in SOD can cause motor neuron disease. We have linked TC to SOD and purified the active recombinant proteins in both the TC-SOD and SOD-TC orientations. Light microscopic immunohistochemistry and quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) of mouse brainstem, after intramuscular injection, demonstrate that the fusion proteins undergo retrograde axonal transport and transsynaptic transfer as efficiently as TC alone.

Function of the Greek key connection analysed using circular permutants of superoxide dismutase.

Human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a single domain all beta-sheet protein with its eight beta-strands arranged as a Greek key beta-barrel or immunoglobulin fold. Three circularly permuted variants of SOD were made by joining the native amino- and carboxy-termini, and introducing new termini at sites originally within connections between beta-strands. The locations of the new termini were chosen to interrupt beta-turns between the two N-terminal beta-hairpins and the short cross-barrel Greek key connection. Expression levels in the Escherichia coli periplasm were indistinguishable from that of native SOD. Reaction rates for the purified proteins were similar to those of the native enzyme, indicating that the permutants are correctly folded. Interrupting the covalent cross-bracing provided by the Greek key connection reduced the stability of the protein by approximately 1.0 kcal/mol, indicating only a slight contribution to conformational stability. The experiments test and eliminate two hypotheses for folding pathways for Greek key beta-barrels that require N-terminal beta-hairpins or covalent attachment across the short Greek key connection.

Clinical and functional investigation of 10 missense mutations and a novel frameshift insertion mutation of the gene for copper-zinc superoxide dismutase in UK families with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Mutations of the gene SOD-1, which encodes the enzyme copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, occur in patients with a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We investigated 71 families with more than one individual affected by ALS for clinical features and SOD-1 mutations. Mutations were identified in 14 families, indicating the presence of SOD-1 mutations in around 20% of this population. There were 10 different heterozygote missense point mutations in eight different codons, and a novel two-base frameshift insertion (132insTT), which leads to substitution of aspartic acid for glutamic acid at codon 132, and a premature stop codon at 133, with predicted truncation of the protein. SOD enzyme activity was reduced to around 50% of normal in individuals with SOD-1 mutations, and may be a useful predictor for the presence of these mutations. A predilection for disease onset in the lower limbs appears to be a distinguishing feature of familial ALS with SOD-1 mutations, and accords with findings in transgenic mouse models. In general, the finding of an SOD-1 mutation does not accurately predict a prognosis or disease severity.

Human mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase polymorphic variant Ile58Thr reduces activity by destabilizing the tetrameric interface.

Human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a homotetrameric enzyme which protects mitochondria against oxygen-mediated free radical damage. Within each subunit, both the N-terminal helical hairpin and C-terminal alpha/beta domains contribute ligands to the catalytic manganese site. Two identical four-helix bundles, symmetrically assembled from the N-terminal helical hairpins, form a novel tetrameric interface that stabilizes the active sites. The 2.5 A crystallographic structure of the naturally occurring polymorphic variant Ile58Thr MnSOD reveals that the helical hairpin mutation Thr58 causes two packing defects in each of the two four-helix bundles of the tetrameric interface. Similar mutations, expected to cause packing defects in the Cu,ZnSOD dimer interface, are associated with the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ile58Thr MnSOD is primarily dimeric in solution and is significantly less thermostable than the normal enzyme, with decreases of 15 degrees C in the main melting temperature and 20 degrees C in the heat-inactivation temperature. Consequently, this mutant MnSOD is compromised at normal body temperatures: thermal inactivation, predicted from the decrease in thermal stability, occurs with a theoretical half-life of only 3.2 h at 37 degrees C (1.4 h at 41 degrees C), compared with 3.1 years for native MnSOD. This prediction is supported by direct measurements: incubation at 41.7 degrees C for 3 h has no effect on the activity of native MnSOD but completely inactivates mutant MnSOD. Rapid inactivation of Ile58Thr MnSOD at the elevated temperatures associated with fever and inflammation could provide an early advantage by killing infected cells, but also would increase superoxide-mediated oxidative damage and perhaps contribute to late-onset diseases.

Mutation of the metal-bridging proton-donor His63 residue in human Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase. Biochemical and biophysical analysis of the His63-->Cys mutant.

The bridging His63 residue in human Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase, which binds both metals, has been replaced by a Cys residue. The mutant protein has been purified from Escherichia coli and appears to be a normal dimer. Spectroscopic techniques (electronic spectroscopies, EPR, nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion) show that Cys63 binds the zinc ion, but not the copper ion, and that the latter is probably five co-ordinated with three histidine ligands and two water molecules. The reduction potential of the copper ion in the Cu2+/Cu+ pair decreases from 0.41 V to 0.27 V at neutral pH but still remains intermediate between those of the O2/O2- and O2-/H2O2 pairs so that copper can both oxidize and reduce the O2- substrate, a requirement for dismutase activity. The enzyme binds the substrate-analogue azide (N3-), which displaces one water molecule, with near normal affinity, whereas the enzyme activity with the O2- substrate is reduced to less than 1% of wild-type levels at pH 7.8. The properties of the mutant enzyme are discussed in relation to the superoxide-copper electron transfer process and to the catalytic mechanism.

Motor neuron-astrocyte interactions and levels of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is involved in neutralizing free radicals within cells, and mutant forms of the enzyme have recently been shown to occur in about 20% of familial cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To explore the mechanism of SOD1 involvement in ALS, we have analyzed SOD1 in sporadic ALS using activity assays and immunocyto-chemistry. Analyses of SOD1 activity in washed erythrocytes revealed no difference between 13 ALS cases and 4 controls. Spinal cord sections from 6 ALS cases, 1 primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) case, and 1 control case were stained using three different antibodies to SOD1. Since astrocytes are closely associated with motor neurons, antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin were used as independent monitors of astrocytes. The principal findings from localizations are: (1) normal motor neurons do not have higher levels of SOD1 than other neurons, (2) there was no detectable difference in SOD1 levels in motor neurons of ALS cases and controls, (3) ALS spinal cord displayed a reduction or absence of SOD1-reactive astrocytes compared to the control and PLS cases, and (4) examination of GFAP-stained sections and morphometry showed that the normal close association between astrocytic processes and motor neuron somata was decreased in the ALS and PLS cases. These results indicate the disease mechanism in sporadic ALS may involve alterations in spinal cord astrocytes.

The role of arginine 143 in the electrostatics and mechanism of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase: computational and experimental evaluation by mutational analysis.

Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase protects cells from oxidative damage by removing superoxide radicals in one of the fastest enzyme reactions known. The redox reaction at the active-site Cu ion is rate-limited by diffusion and enhanced by electrostatic guidance. To quantitatively define the electrostatic and mechanistic contributions of sequence-invariant Arg-143 in human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase, single-site mutants at this position were investigated experimentally and computationally. Rate constants for several Arg-143 mutants were determined at different pH and ionic strength conditions using pulse radiolytic methods and compared to results from Brownian dynamics simulations. At physiological pH, substitution of Arg-143 by Lys caused a 2-fold drop in rate, neutral substitutions (Ile, Ala) reduced the rate about 10-fold, while charge-reversing substitutions (Asp, Glu) caused a 100-fold decrease. Position 143 mutants showed pH dependencies not seen in other mutants. At low pH, the acidic residue mutations exhibited protonation/deprotonation effects. At high pH, all enzymes showed typical decreases in rate except the Lys mutant in which the rate dropped off at an unusually low pH. Increasing ionic strength at acidic pH decreased the rates of the wild-type enzyme and Lys mutant, while the rate of the Glu mutant was unaffected. Increasing ionic strength at higher pH (> 10) increased the rates of the Lys and Glu mutants while the rate of the wild-type enzyme was unaffected. Reaction simulations with Brownian dynamics incorporating electrostatic effects tested computational predictability of ionic strength dependencies of the wild-type enzyme and the Lys, Ile, and Glu mutants. The calculated and experimental ionic strength profiles gave similar slopes in all but the Glu mutant, indicating that the electrostatic attraction of the substrate is accurately modeled. Differences between the calculated and experimental rates for the Glu and Lys mutants reflect the mechanistic contribution of Arg-143. Results from this joint analysis establish that, aside from the Cu ligands, Arg-143 is the single most important residue in Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase both electrostatically and mechanistically, and provide an explanation for the evolutionary selection of arginine at position 143.

An essential role for the conserved Glu-133 in the anion interaction with superoxide dismutase.

Negatively charged glutamic acid residues at positions 132 and 133 in human Cu2Zn2SOD are located at the entrance to the active site cavity and affect electrostatic interactions with the negatively charged substrate. The mutants in which these residues have been neutralized separately and together by conversion to glutamine residues or changed to a positive group on position 133 have been characterized through a variety of biophysical techniques. The structure around the metal ions, as monitored by spectroscopic measurements, is the same in the mutants and native enzyme. The mutants have been characterized with respect to the affinity for the anion N3-. The mutants have larger affinity for azide than the WT, as a result of the removal of one or two negative charges or of the introduction of a positive group. The pattern of the azide affinity constants parallels that of the rate of O2- dismutation. The substitution of the negative Glu-133 with a positive group does not induce a larger increase in the affinity as well as in the catalytic rates with respect to its neutralization. These patterns cannot, therefore, be rationalized only in terms of electrostatic interactions. The behavior of the mutants towards the substrate (O2-) and substrate analogue (N3-) is discussed on the basis of theoretical predictions available in the literature.

Investigation of a new Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase mutant: the Thr-->Arg 137 derivative.

The preparation and biophysical characterization of a mutant of superoxide dismutase in which the native Thr 137 has been substituted with a positive Arg residue are reported. Thr 137 forms, together with Arg 143, a bottleneck at the entrance to the active-site Cu ion. The geometry of the Cu ligands shows only minor changes after the above substitution. However, the enzymatic activity of the Arg 137 mutant is smaller than that of the wild type at physiological ionic strength and approaches that of wild type in the limit of zero ionic strength. The binding constant of the anion N3-, which had previously been shown to be a good probe of the O2- substrate, is increased about 20-fold in the mutant with respect to the value found in the wild type. These results are discussed on the bases of the whole charge of the cavity and the possible change in the conformation of the active-site channel.

Rational design and expression of a heparin-targeted human superoxide dismutase.

In order to improve the therapeutic effectiveness of human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (HSOD) by targeting it to cell surfaces and increasing its circulatory half-life, we have designed and expressed a heparin-binding derivative of HSOD. This design was based on the idea that structurally independent protein units, HSOD and the heparin-binding A+ helix from protein C inhibitor, could be combined with a carefully chosen linker, GlyProGly, to form a stable, bifunctional protein. The chimeric HSOD-GlyProGly-A+ protein was expressed and secreted to the periplasm of E. coli and had normal SOD activity. HSOD-GlyProGly-A+ had a significantly increased retention time relative to wild-type HSOD on a heparin affinity column, indicating that it was successfully targeted to heparin, and this binding was maintained at physiological ionic strength. When administered to mice, HSOD-GlyProGly-A+ had a half-life of approximately 15 minutes, twice that of wild-type HSOD. Our rational design approach should be generally applicable to the creation of bifunctional chimeric molecules.

The structure of human mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase reveals a novel tetrameric interface of two 4-helix bundles.

The 2.2 A resolution crystal structure of recombinant human manganese superoxide dismutase, a homotetrameric enzyme that protects mitochondria against oxygen-mediated free radical damage, has been determined. Within each subunit, both the N-terminal helical hairpin and C-terminal alpha/beta domains contribute ligands to the catalytic manganese site. Two identical 4-helix bundles, symmetrically assembled from the N-terminal helical hairpins, form novel tetrameric interfaces that stabilize the active sites. Structurally altered polymorphic variants with reduced activity, such as tetrameric interface mutant Ile-58 to Thr, may produce not only an early selective advantage, through enhanced cytotoxicity of tumor necrosis factor for virus-infected cells, but also detrimental effects from increased mitochondrial oxidative damage, contributing to degenerative conditions, including diabetes, aging, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Atomic structures of wild-type and thermostable mutant recombinant human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase.

Superoxide dismutase enzymes protect aerobic organisms from oxygen-mediated free-radical damage. Crystallographic structures of recombinant human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase have been determined, refined, and analyzed at 2.5 A resolution for wild-type and a designed thermostable double-mutant enzyme (Cys-6----Ala, Cys-111----Ser). The 10 subunits (five dimers) in the crystallographic asymmetric unit form an unusual stable open lattice with 80-A-diameter channels. The 10 independently fit and refined subunits provide high accuracy, error analysis, and insights on loop conformations. There is a helix dipole interaction with the Zn site, and 14 residues form two or more structurally conserved side-chain to main-chain hydrogen bonds that appear critical to active-site architecture, loop conformation, and the increased stability resulting from the Cys-111----Ser mutation.

Faster superoxide dismutase mutants designed by enhancing electrostatic guidance.

The enzyme Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) protects against oxidative damage by dismuting the superoxide radical O2-. to molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide at the active-site Cu ion in a reaction that is rate-limited by diffusion and enhanced by electrostatic guidance. SOD has evolved to be one of the fastest enzymes known (V(max) approximately 2 x 10(9) M-1 s-1). The new crystal structures of human SOD show that amino-acid site chains that are implicated in electrostatic guidance (Glu 132, Glu 133 and Lys 136) form a hydrogen-bonding network. Here we show that site-specific mutants that increase local positive charge while maintaining this orienting network (Glu----Gln) have faster reaction rates and increased ionic-strength dependence, matching brownian dynamics simulations incorporating electrostatic terms. Increased positive charge alone is insufficient: one charge reversal (Glu----Lys) mutant is slower than the equivalent charge neutralization (Glu----Gln) mutant, showing that the newly introduced positive charge disrupts the orienting network. Thus, electrostatically facilitated diffusion rates can be increased by design, provided the detailed structural integrity of the active-site electrostatic network is maintained.