Rapid HPLC method reveals dynamic shifts in coenzyme Q redox state.

Ubiquinol or coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a lipid-soluble electron carrier in the respiratory chain and an electron acceptor for various enzymes in metabolic pathways that intersect at this cofactor hub in the mitochondrial inner membrane. The reduced form of CoQ is an antioxidant, which protects against lipid peroxidation. In this study, we have optimized a UV-detected HPLC method for CoQ analysis from biological materials, which involves a rapid single-step extraction into n-propanol followed by direct sample injection onto a column. Using this method, we have measured the oxidized, reduced and total CoQ pools, and monitored shifts in the CoQ redox status in response to cell culture conditions and bioenergetic perturbations. We find that hypoxia or sulfide exposure induces a reductive shift in the intracellular CoQ pool. The effect of hypoxia is however, rapidly reversed by exposure to ambient air. Interventions at different loci in the electron transport chain can induce sizeable redox shifts in the oxidative or reductive direction, depending on whether they are up- or downstream of complex III. We have also used this method to confirm that CoQ levels are higher and more reduced in murine heart versus brain. In summary, the availability of a convenient HPLC-based method described herein, will facilitate studies on CoQ redox dynamics in response to environmental, nutritional and endogenous alterations.

H2S preconditioning induces long-lived perturbations in O2 metabolism.

Hydrogen sulfide exposure in moderate doses can induce profound but reversible hypometabolism in mammals. At a cellular level, H2S inhibits the electron transport chain (ETC), augments aerobic glycolysis, and glutamine-dependent carbon utilization via reductive carboxylation; however, the durability of these changes is unknown. We report that despite its volatility, H2S preconditioning increases P50(O2), the O2 pressure for half-maximal cellular respiration, and has pleiotropic effects on oxidative metabolism that persist up to 24 to 48 h later. Notably, cyanide, another complex IV inhibitor, does not induce this type of metabolic memory. Sulfide-mediated prolonged fractional inhibition of complex IV by H2S is modulated by sulfide quinone oxidoreductase, which commits sulfide to oxidative catabolism. Since induced hypometabolism can be beneficial in disease settings that involve insufficient or interrupted blood flow, our study has important implications for attenuating reperfusion-induced ischemic injury and/or prolonging the shelf life of biologics like platelets.

BRD4-mediated epigenetic regulation of endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact sites is governed by the mitochondrial complex III.

Inter-organellar communication is critical for cellular metabolic homeostasis. One of the most abundant inter-organellar interactions are those at the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria contact sites (ERMCS). However, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms governing ERMCS regulation and their roles in cellular metabolism are limited by a lack of tools that permit temporal induction and reversal. Through unbiased screening approaches, we identified fedratinib, an FDA-approved drug, that dramatically increases ERMCS abundance by inhibiting the epigenetic modifier BRD4. Fedratinib rapidly and reversibly modulates mitochondrial and ER morphology and alters metabolic homeostasis. Moreover, ERMCS modulation depends on mitochondria electron transport chain complex III function. Comparison of fedratinib activity to other reported inducers of ERMCS revealed common mechanisms of induction and function, providing clarity and union to a growing body of experimental observations. In total, our results uncovered a novel epigenetic signaling pathway and an endogenous metabolic regulator that connects ERMCS and cellular metabolism.

H 2 S preconditioning induces long-lived perturbations in O 2 metabolism.

Hydrogen sulfide exposure in moderate doses can induce profound but reversible hypometabolism in mammals. At a cellular level, H 2 S inhibits the electron transport chain (ETC), augments aerobic glycolysis, and glutamine-dependent carbon utilization via reductive carboxylation; however, the durability of these changes is unknown. We report that despite its volatility, H 2 S preconditioning increases P 50(O2) , the O 2 pressure for half maximal cellular respiration, and has pleiotropic effects on oxidative metabolism that persist up to 24-48 h later. Notably, cyanide, another complex IV inhibitor, does not induce this type of metabolic memory. Sulfide-mediated prolonged fractional inhibition of complex IV by H 2 S is modulated by sulfide quinone oxidoreductase, which commits sulfide to oxidative catabolism. Since induced hypometabolism can be beneficial in disease settings that involve insufficient or interrupted blood flow, our study has important implications for attenuating reperfusion-induced ischemic injury, and/or prolonging shelf life of biologics like platelets.

A growth chamber for chronic exposure of mammalian cells to H2S.

H2S is a redox-active signaling molecule that exerts an array of cellular and physiological effects. While intracellular H2S concentrations are estimated to be in the low nanomolar range, intestinal luminal concentrations can be significantly higher due to microbial metabolism. Studies assessing H2S effects are typically conducted with a bolus treatment with sulfide salts or slow releasing sulfide donors, which are limited by the volatility of H2S, and by potential off-target effects of the donor molecules. To address these limitations, we describe the design and performance of a mammalian cell culture incubator for sustained exposure to 20-500 ppm H2S (corresponding to a dissolved sulfide concentrations of ∼4-120 µM in the cell culture medium). We report that colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29 cells tolerate prolonged exposure to H2S with no effect on cell viability after 24 h although ≥50 ppm H2S (∼10 µM) restricts cell proliferation. Even the lowest concentration of H2S used in this study (i.e. ∼4 µM) significantly enhanced glucose consumption and lactate production, revealing a much lower threshold for impacting cellular energy metabolism and activating aerobic glycolysis than has been previously appreciated from studies with bolus H2S treatment regimens.

Depletion assisted hemin affinity (DAsHA) proteomics reveals an expanded landscape of heme-binding proteins in the human proteome.

Heme b (iron protoporphyrin IX) plays important roles in biology as a metallocofactor and signaling molecule. However, the targets of heme signaling and the network of proteins that mediate the exchange of heme from sites of synthesis or uptake to heme dependent or regulated proteins are poorly understood. Herein, we describe a quantitative mass spectrometry (MS)-based chemoproteomics strategy to identify exchange labile hemoproteins in human embryonic kidney HEK293 cells that may be relevant to heme signaling and trafficking. The strategy involves depleting endogenous heme with the heme biosynthetic inhibitor succinylacetone (SA), leaving putative heme-binding proteins in their apo-state, followed by the capture of those proteins using hemin-agarose resin, and finally elution and identification by MS. By identifying only those proteins that interact with high specificity to hemin-agarose relative to control beaded agarose in an SA-dependent manner, we have expanded the number of proteins and ontologies that may be involved in binding and buffering labile heme or are targets of heme signaling. Notably, these include proteins involved in chromatin remodeling, DNA damage response, RNA splicing, cytoskeletal organization, and vesicular trafficking, many of which have been associated with heme through complementary studies published recently. Taken together, these results provide support for the emerging role of heme in an expanded set of cellular processes from genome integrity to protein trafficking and beyond.

Heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) binds and buffers labile ferric heme in human embryonic kidney cells.

Heme oxygenases (HOs) detoxify heme by oxidatively degrading it into carbon monoxide, iron, and biliverdin, which is reduced to bilirubin and excreted. Humans express two isoforms of HO: the inducible HO-1, which is upregulated in response to excess heme and other stressors, and the constitutive HO-2. Much is known about the regulation and physiological function of HO-1, whereas comparatively little is known about the role of HO-2 in regulating heme homeostasis. The biochemical necessity for expressing constitutive HO-2 is dependent on whether heme is sufficiently abundant and accessible as a substrate under conditions in which HO-1 is not induced. By measuring labile heme, total heme, and bilirubin in human embryonic kidney HEK293 cells with silenced or overexpressed HO-2, as well as various HO-2 mutant alleles, we found that endogenous heme is too limiting a substrate to observe HO-2-dependent heme degradation. Rather, we discovered a novel role for HO-2 in the binding and buffering of heme. Taken together, in the absence of excess heme, we propose that HO-2 regulates heme homeostasis by acting as a heme buffering factor that controls heme bioavailability. When heme is in excess, HO-1 is induced, and both HO-2 and HO-1 can provide protection from heme toxicity via enzymatic degradation. Our results explain why catalytically inactive mutants of HO-2 are cytoprotective against oxidative stress. Moreover, the change in bioavailable heme due to HO-2 overexpression, which selectively binds ferric over ferrous heme, is consistent with labile heme being oxidized, thereby providing new insights into heme trafficking and signaling.

Hydrogen sulfide stimulates lipid biogenesis from glutamine that is dependent on the mitochondrial NAD(P)H pool.

Mammalian cells synthesize H2S from sulfur-containing amino acids and are also exposed to exogenous sources of this signaling molecule, notably from gut microbes. As an inhibitor of complex IV in the electron transport chain, H2S can have a profound impact on metabolism, suggesting the hypothesis that metabolic reprogramming is a primary mechanism by which H2S signals. In this study, we report that H2S increases lipogenesis in many cell types, using carbon derived from glutamine rather than from glucose. H2S-stimulated lipid synthesis is sensitive to the mitochondrial NAD(P)H pools and is enabled by reductive carboxylation of α-ketoglutarate. Lipidomics analysis revealed that H2S elicits time-dependent changes across several lipid classes, e.g., upregulating triglycerides while downregulating phosphatidylcholine. Direct analysis of triglyceride concentration revealed that H2S induces a net increase in the size of this lipid pool. These results provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the effects of H2S on increasing lipid droplets in adipocytes and population studies that have pointed to a positive correlation between cysteine (a substrate for H2S synthesis) and fat mass.

Handling heme: The mechanisms underlying the movement of heme within and between cells.

Heme is an essential cofactor and signaling molecule required for virtually all aerobic life. However, excess heme is cytotoxic. Therefore, heme must be safely transported and trafficked from the site of synthesis in the mitochondria or uptake at the cell surface, to hemoproteins in most subcellular compartments. While heme synthesis and degradation are relatively well characterized, little is known about how heme is trafficked and transported throughout the cell. Herein, we review eukaryotic heme transport, trafficking, and mobilization, with a focus on factors that regulate bioavailable heme. We also highlight the role of gasotransmitters and small molecules in heme mobilization and bioavailability, and heme trafficking at the host-pathogen interface.

Heme bioavailability and signaling in response to stress in yeast cells.

Protoheme (hereafter referred to as heme) is an essential cellular cofactor and signaling molecule that is also potentially cytotoxic. To mitigate heme toxicity, heme synthesis and degradation are tightly coupled to heme utilization in order to limit the intracellular concentration of "free" heme. Such a model, however, would suggest that a readily accessible steady-state, bioavailable labile heme (LH) pool is not required for supporting heme-dependent processes. Using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model and fluorescent heme sensors, site-specific heme chelators, and molecular genetic approaches, we found here that 1) yeast cells preferentially use LH in heme-depleted conditions; 2) sequestration of cytosolic LH suppresses heme signaling; and 3) lead (Pb2+) stress contributes to a decrease in total heme, but an increase in LH, which correlates with increased heme signaling. We also observed that the proteasome is involved in the regulation of the LH pool and that loss of proteasomal activity sensitizes cells to Pb2+ effects on heme homeostasis. Overall, these findings suggest an important role for LH in supporting heme-dependent functions in yeast physiology.

Heme Gazing: Illuminating Eukaryotic Heme Trafficking, Dynamics, and Signaling with Fluorescent Heme Sensors.

Heme (iron protoporphyrin IX) is an essential protein prosthetic group and signaling molecule required for most life on Earth. All heme-dependent processes require the dynamic and rapid mobilization of heme from sites of synthesis or uptake to hemoproteins present in virtually every subcellular compartment. The cytotoxicity and hydrophobicity of heme necessitate that heme mobilization be carefully controlled to mitigate the deleterious effects of this essential toxin. Indeed, a number of disorders, including certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases, are tied to defects in heme homeostasis. However, the molecules and mechanisms that mediate heme transport and trafficking, and the dynamics of these processes, are poorly understood. This is in large part due to the lack of physical tools for probing cellular heme. Herein, we discuss the recent development of fluorescent probes that can monitor and image kinetically labile heme with respect to its mobilization and role in signaling. In particular, we will highlight how heme gazing with these tools can uncover new heme trafficking factors upon being integrated with genetic screens and illuminate the concentration, subcellular distribution, and dynamics of labile heme in various physiological contexts. Altogether, the monitoring of labile heme, along with recent biochemical and cell biological studies demonstrating the reversible regulation of certain cellular processes by heme, is challenging us to reconceptualize heme from being a static cofactor buried in protein active sites to a dynamic and mobile signaling molecule.

Regulation of intracellular heme trafficking revealed by subcellular reporters.

Heme is an essential prosthetic group in proteins that reside in virtually every subcellular compartment performing diverse biological functions. Irrespective of whether heme is synthesized in the mitochondria or imported from the environment, this hydrophobic and potentially toxic metalloporphyrin has to be trafficked across membrane barriers, a concept heretofore poorly understood. Here we show, using subcellular-targeted, genetically encoded hemoprotein peroxidase reporters, that both extracellular and endogenous heme contribute to cellular labile heme and that extracellular heme can be transported and used in toto by hemoproteins in all six subcellular compartments examined. The reporters are robust, show large signal-to-background ratio, and provide sufficient range to detect changes in intracellular labile heme. Restoration of reporter activity by heme is organelle-specific, with the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum being important sites for both exogenous and endogenous heme trafficking. Expression of peroxidase reporters in Caenorhabditis elegans shows that environmental heme influences labile heme in a tissue-dependent manner; reporter activity in the intestine shows a linear increase compared with muscle or hypodermis, with the lowest heme threshold in neurons. Our results demonstrate that the trafficking pathways for exogenous and endogenous heme are distinct, with intrinsic preference for specific subcellular compartments. We anticipate our results will serve as a heuristic paradigm for more sophisticated studies on heme trafficking in cellular and whole-animal models.

Heme dynamics and trafficking factors revealed by genetically encoded fluorescent heme sensors.

Heme is an essential cofactor and signaling molecule. Heme acquisition by proteins and heme signaling are ultimately reliant on the ability to mobilize labile heme (LH). However, the properties of LH pools, including concentration, oxidation state, distribution, speciation, and dynamics, are poorly understood. Herein, we elucidate the nature and dynamics of LH using genetically encoded ratiometric fluorescent heme sensors in the unicellular eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae We find that the subcellular distribution of LH is heterogeneous; the cytosol maintains LH at ∼20-40 nM, whereas the mitochondria and nucleus maintain it at concentrations below 2.5 nM. Further, we find that the signaling molecule nitric oxide can initiate the rapid mobilization of heme in the cytosol and nucleus from certain thiol-containing factors. We also find that the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase constitutes a major cellular heme buffer, and is responsible for maintaining the activity of the heme-dependent nuclear transcription factor heme activator protein (Hap1p). Altogether, we demonstrate that the heme sensors can be used to reveal fundamental aspects of heme trafficking and dynamics and can be used across multiple organisms, including Escherichia coli, yeast, and human cell lines.