scholarly journals Zinc(II) binding on human wild-type ISCU and Met140 variants modulates Fe-S complex activity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas G. Fox ◽  
Alain Martelli ◽  
Joseph F. Nabhan ◽  
Jay Janz ◽  
Oktawia Borkowska ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe human de novo iron-sulfur (Fe-S) assembly complex consists of the cysteine desulfurase NFS1, accessory protein ISD11, scaffold protein ISCU, and allosteric activator frataxin (FXN). FXN has been shown to bind the NFS1-ISD11-ISCU complex (SDU), to activate the desulfurase activity and thus Fe-S cluster biosynthesis. Conversely, in the absence of FXN, the NFS1-ISD11 (SD) complex was reported to be inhibited by the binding of recombinant ISCU. Here, we show that recombinant ISCU binds zinc(II) ion, and that the presence of zinc in as-isolated ISCU has impacts on the SDU desulfurase activity as measured by sulfide production. Indeed, the removal of this zinc(II) ion from ISCU causes a moderate but significant increase in activity compared to SD alone, and FXN can activate both zinc-depleted and zinc-bound forms of ISCU complexed to SD. Recent yeast studies have reported a substitution on the yeast ISCU orthologue Isu, at position Met141 (Met140 in human numbering of precursor protein) to Ile, Leu, Val, or Cys that could bypass the requirement of FXN for Fe-S cluster assembly and cell viability. Using recombinant human proteins, we report no significant differences in the biochemical and biophysical properties observed between wild-type and variants M140I, M140 L, and M140 V of ISCU. Importantly, in the absence of FXN, ISCU variants behaved like wild-type and did not stimulate the desulfurase activity of the SD complex. This study therefore identifies an important regulatory role for ISCU-bound zinc in modulation of the human Fe-S assembly system in vitro but no ‘FXN bypass’ effect on mutations at position Met140 in human ISCU.ABBREVIATIONSACPacyl carrier transfer proteinBLIbiolayer interferometryBSAbovine serum albuminCDcircular dichroismDMPDNN-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamineDSFdifferential scanning fluorimetryDTTdithiothreitol; EDTA, ethylenediaminetetracetic acidFe-Siron sulfurFRDAFriedreich’s ataxiaFXNfrataxinHEPES4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acidIPTGisopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranosidePLPpyridoxal 5′-phosphateSDprotein complex composed of NFS 1 and ISD11SDUprotein complex composed of NFS 1, ISD11ISCUSDUF, protein complex composed of NFS 1, ISD11, ISCU, and frataxinTCAtrichloroacetic acidTCEPtris(2-carboxyethyl) phosphineTristris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1112-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibali Bandyopadhyay ◽  
Kala Chandramouli ◽  
Michael K. Johnson

Iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters are present in more than 200 different types of enzymes or proteins and constitute one of the most ancient, ubiquitous and structurally diverse classes of biological prosthetic groups. Hence the process of Fe–S cluster biosynthesis is essential to almost all forms of life and is remarkably conserved in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Three distinct types of Fe–S cluster assembly machinery have been established in bacteria, termed the NIF, ISC and SUF systems, and, in each case, the overall mechanism involves cysteine desulfurase-mediated assembly of transient clusters on scaffold proteins and subsequent transfer of pre-formed clusters to apo proteins. A molecular level understanding of the complex processes of Fe–S cluster assembly and transfer is now beginning to emerge from the combination of in vivo and in vitro approaches. The present review highlights recent developments in understanding the mechanism of Fe–S cluster assembly and transfer involving the ubiquitous U-type scaffold proteins and the potential roles of accessory proteins such as Nfu proteins and monothiol glutaredoxins in the assembly, storage or transfer of Fe–S clusters.


2013 ◽  
Vol 825 ◽  
pp. 198-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian She Liu ◽  
Lin Qian ◽  
Chun Li Zheng

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) proteins are ubiquitous and participate in multiple essential functions of life. However, little is currently known about the mechanisms of iron-sulfur biosynthesis and transfer in acidophilic microorganisms. In this study, the IscS, IscU and IscA proteins from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography. The IscS was a cysteine desulfurase which catalyzes desulfurization of L-cysteine and transfer sulfur for iron-sulfur cluster assembly. Purified IscU did not have an iron-sulfur cluster but could act as a scaffold protein to assemble the [2Fe-2S] cluster in vitro. The IscA was a [4Fe-4S] cluster binding protein, but it also acted as an iron binding protein. Further studies indicated that the iron sulfur clusters could be transferred from pre-assembled scaffold proteins to apo-form iron sulfur proteins, the reconstituted iron sulfur proteins could restore their physiological activities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven-A. Freibert ◽  
Michal T. Boniecki ◽  
Claudia Stümpfig ◽  
Vinzent Schulz ◽  
Nils Krapoth ◽  
...  

AbstractSynthesis of iron-sulfur (Fe/S) clusters in living cells requires scaffold proteins for both facile synthesis and subsequent transfer of clusters to target apoproteins. The human mitochondrial ISCU2 scaffold protein is part of the core ISC (iron-sulfur cluster assembly) complex that synthesizes a bridging [2Fe-2S] cluster on dimeric ISCU2. Initial iron and sulfur loading onto monomeric ISCU2 have been elucidated biochemically, yet subsequent [2Fe-2S] cluster formation and dimerization of ISCU2 is mechanistically ill-defined. Our structural, biochemical and cell biological experiments now identify a crucial function of the universally conserved N-terminal Tyr35 of ISCU2 for these late reactions. Mixing two, per se non-functional ISCU2 mutant proteins with oppositely charged Asp35 and Lys35 residues, both bound to different cysteine desulfurase complexes NFS1-ISD11-ACP, restores wild-type ISCU2 maturation demonstrating that ionic forces can replace native Tyr-Tyr interactions during dimerization-induced [2Fe-2S] cluster formation. Our studies define the essential mechanistic role of Tyr35 in the reaction cycle of de novo mitochondrial [2Fe-2S] cluster synthesis.


Inorganics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Batoul Srour ◽  
Sylvain Gervason ◽  
Beata Monfort ◽  
Benoit D’Autréaux

Iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters are protein cofactors of a multitude of enzymes performing essential biological functions. Specialized multi-protein machineries present in all types of organisms support their biosynthesis. These machineries encompass a scaffold protein on which Fe–S clusters are assembled and a cysteine desulfurase that provides sulfur in the form of a persulfide. The sulfide ions are produced by reductive cleavage of the persulfide, which involves specific reductase systems. Several other components are required for Fe–S biosynthesis, including frataxin, a key protein of controversial function and accessory components for insertion of Fe–S clusters in client proteins. Fe–S cluster biosynthesis is thought to rely on concerted and carefully orchestrated processes. However, the elucidation of the mechanisms of their assembly has remained a challenging task due to the biochemical versatility of iron and sulfur and the relative instability of Fe–S clusters. Nonetheless, significant progresses have been achieved in the past years, using biochemical, spectroscopic and structural approaches with reconstituted system in vitro. In this paper, we review the most recent advances on the mechanism of assembly for the founding member of the Fe–S cluster family, the [2Fe2S] cluster that is the building block of all other Fe–S clusters. The aim is to provide a survey of the mechanisms of iron and sulfur insertion in the scaffold proteins by examining how these processes are coordinated, how sulfide is produced and how the dinuclear [2Fe2S] cluster is formed, keeping in mind the question of the physiological relevance of the reconstituted systems. We also cover the latest outcomes on the functional role of the controversial frataxin protein in Fe–S cluster biosynthesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Walker ◽  
Gary C. Port ◽  
Michael G. Caparon ◽  
Blythe E. Janowiak

ABSTRACT Streptococcus agalactiae, a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in neonates, utilizes multiple virulence factors to survive and thrive within the human host during an infection. Unique among the pathogenic streptococci, S. agalactiae uses a bifunctional enzyme encoded by a single gene (gshAB) to synthesize glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant in most aerobic organisms. Since S. agalactiae can also import GSH, similar to all other pathogenic streptococcal species, the contribution of GSH synthesis to the pathogenesis of S. agalactiae disease is not known. In the present study, gshAB deletion mutants were generated in strains representing three of the most prevalent clinical serotypes of S. agalactiae and were compared against isogenic wild-type and gshAB knock-in strains. When cultured in vitro in a chemically defined medium under nonstress conditions, each mutant and its corresponding wild type had comparable growth rates, generation times, and growth yields. However, gshAB deletion mutants were found to be more sensitive than wild-type or gshAB knock-in strains to killing and growth inhibition by several different reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, deletion of gshAB in S. agalactiae strain COH1 significantly attenuated virulence compared to the wild-type or gshAB knock-in strains in a mouse model of sepsis. Taken together, these data establish that GSH is a virulence factor important for resistance to oxidative stress and that de novo GSH synthesis plays a crucial role in S. agalactiae pathogenesis and further suggest that the inhibition of GSH synthesis may provide an opportunity for the development of novel therapies targeting S. agalactiae disease. IMPORTANCE Approximately 10 to 30% of women are naturally and asymptomatically colonized by Streptococcus agalactiae. However, transmission of S. agalactiae from mother to newborn during vaginal birth is a leading cause of neonatal meningitis. Although colonized mothers who are at risk for transmission to the newborn are treated with antibiotics prior to delivery, S. agalactiae is becoming increasingly resistant to current antibiotic therapies, and new treatments are needed. This research reveals a critical stress resistance pathway, glutathione synthesis, that is utilized by S. agalactiae and contributes to its pathogenesis. Understanding the role of this unique bifunctional glutathione synthesis enzyme in S. agalactiae during sepsis may help elucidate why S. agalactiae produces such an abundance of glutathione compared to other bacteria.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzu Anazawa ◽  
Tomoki Kita ◽  
Kumiko Hayashi ◽  
Shinsuke Niwa

KIF1A is a kinesin superfamily molecular motor that transports synaptic vesicle precursors in axons. Mutations in Kif1a lead to a group of neuronal diseases called KIF1A-associated neuronal disorder (KAND). KIF1A forms a homodimer and KAND mutations are mostly de novo and autosomal dominant; however, it is not known whether the function of wild-type KIF1A is inhibited by disease-associated KIF1A. No reliable in vivo model systems to analyze the molecular and cellular biology of KAND have been developed; therefore, here, we established Caenorhabditis elegans models for KAND using CRISPR/cas9 technology and analyzed defects in axonal transport. In the C. elegans models, heterozygotes and homozygotes exhibited reduced axonal transport phenotypes. In addition, we developed in vitro assays to analyze the motility of single heterodimers composed of wild-type KIF1A and disease-associated KIF1A. Disease-associated KIF1A significantly inhibited the motility of wild-type KIF1A when heterodimers were formed. These data indicate the molecular mechanism underlying the dominant nature of de novo KAND mutations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 471-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Lill ◽  
Sven-A. Freibert

Mitochondria are essential in most eukaryotes and are involved in numerous biological functions including ATP production, cofactor biosyntheses, apoptosis, lipid synthesis, and steroid metabolism. Work over the past two decades has uncovered the biogenesis of cellular iron-sulfur (Fe/S) proteins as the essential and minimal function of mitochondria. This process is catalyzed by the bacteria-derived iron-sulfur cluster assembly (ISC) machinery and has been dissected into three major steps: de novo synthesis of a [2Fe-2S] cluster on a scaffold protein; Hsp70 chaperone–mediated trafficking of the cluster and insertion into [2Fe-2S] target apoproteins; and catalytic conversion of the [2Fe-2S] into a [4Fe-4S] cluster and subsequent insertion into recipient apoproteins. ISC components of the first two steps are also required for biogenesis of numerous essential cytosolic and nuclear Fe/S proteins, explaining the essentiality of mitochondria. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms underlying the ISC protein–mediated maturation of mitochondrial Fe/S proteins and the importance for human disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason C Crack ◽  
Melissa Y Y Stewart ◽  
Nick E Le Brun

Abstract The ability to specifically label the sulphide ions of protein-bound iron–sulphur (FeS) clusters with 34S isotope greatly facilitates structure–function studies. In particular, it provides insight when using either spectroscopic techniques that probe cluster-associated vibrations, or non-denaturing mass spectrometry, where the ∼+2 Da average increase per sulphide enables unambiguous assignment of the FeS cluster and, where relevant, its conversion/degradation products. Here, we employ a thermostable homologue of the O-acetyl-l-serine sulfhydrylase CysK to generate 34S-substituted l-cysteine and subsequently use it as a substrate for the l-cysteine desulfurase NifS to gradually supply 34S2− for in vitro FeS cluster assembly in an otherwise standard cluster reconstitution protocol.


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