Metallothionein-protein interactions

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sílvia Atrian ◽  
Mercè Capdevila

AbstractMetallothioneins (MTs) are a family of universal, small proteins, sharing a high cysteine content and an optimal capacity for metal ion coordination. They take part in a plethora of metal ion-related events (from detoxification to homeostasis, storage, and delivery), in a wide range of stress responses, and in different pathological processes (tumorigenesis, neurodegeneration, and inflammation). The information on both intracellular and extracellular interactions of MTs with other proteins is here comprehensively reviewed. In mammalian kidney, MT1/MT2 interact with megalin and related receptors, and with the transporter transthyretin. Most of the mammalian MT partners identified concern interactions with central nervous system (mainly brain) proteins, both through physical contact or metal exchange reactions. Physical interactions mainly involve neuronal secretion multimers. Regarding metal swap events, brain MT3 appears to control the metal ion load in peptides whose aggregation leads to neurodegenerative disorders, such as Aβ peptide, α-synuclein, and prion proteins (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and spongiform encephalopathies, respectively). Interaction with ferritin and bovine serum albumin are also documented. The intercourse of MTs with zinc-dependent enzymes and transcription factors is capable to activate/deactivate them, thus conferring MTs the role of metabolic and gene expression regulators. As some of these proteins are involved in cell cycle and proliferation control (p53, nuclear factor κB, and PKCμ), they are considered in the context of oncogenesis and tumor progression. Only one non-mammalian MT interaction, involving Drosophila MtnA and MtnB major isoforms and peroxiredoxins, has been reported. The prospective use for biomedical applications of the MT-interaction information is finally discussed.

1986 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
RS Paredes ◽  
NS Valera ◽  
LF Lindoy

Five macrocyclic ligands incorporating O2N2 or O2N3 donor sets have been appended to 2% crosslinked polystyrene, and the metal-ion-binding properties of the resulting functionalized polymers towards CoII , NiII, CuII and ZnII have been investigated. Loading studies were undertaken in ethyl acetate/methanol (9 : 1), and, under similar conditions, the degree of loading was found to be metal-dependent. In addition, in some cases metal uptake was found to exceed that required for 1:1 complexation of metal to cyclic ligand . In the above solvent mixture, metal-exchange reactions were found to be relatively facile. However, attempts to leach metal ions from the loaded polymers with either acid or ammonia in aqueous media were less successful due to poor swelling of the polymer beads in such media. Matrix effects associated with the polystyrene backbone appear to be the cause of the significant modification in metal-ion-binding properties of the immobilized macrocycles relative to those of their detached analogues.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1524
Author(s):  
Ferenc K. Kálmán ◽  
Viktória Nagy ◽  
Rocío Uzal-Varela ◽  
Paulo Pérez-Lourido ◽  
David Esteban-Gómez ◽  
...  

We report two macrocyclic ligands based on a 1,7-diaza-12-crown-4 platform functionalized with acetate (tO2DO2A2−) or piperidineacetamide (tO2DO2AMPip) pendant arms and a detailed characterization of the corresponding Mn(II) complexes. The X−ray structure of [Mn(tO2DO2A)(H2O)]·2H2O shows that the metal ion is coordinated by six donor atoms of the macrocyclic ligand and one water molecule, to result in seven-coordination. The Cu(II) analogue presents a distorted octahedral coordination environment. The protonation constants of the ligands and the stability constants of the complexes formed with Mn(II) and other biologically relevant metal ions (Mg(II), Ca(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II)) were determined using potentiometric titrations (I = 0.15 M NaCl, T = 25 °C). The conditional stabilities of Mn(II) complexes at pH 7.4 are comparable to those reported for the cyclen-based tDO2A2− ligand. The dissociation of the Mn(II) chelates were investigated by evaluating the rate constants of metal exchange reactions with Cu(II) under acidic conditions (I = 0.15 M NaCl, T = 25 °C). Dissociation of the [Mn(tO2DO2A)(H2O)] complex occurs through both proton− and metal−assisted pathways, while the [Mn(tO2DO2AMPip)(H2O)] analogue dissociates through spontaneous and proton-assisted mechanisms. The Mn(II) complex of tO2DO2A2− is remarkably inert with respect to its dissociation, while the amide analogue is significantly more labile. The presence of a water molecule coordinated to Mn(II) imparts relatively high relaxivities to the complexes. The parameters determining this key property were investigated using 17O NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) transverse relaxation rates and 1H nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) profiles.


1981 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 2195 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Sachinidis ◽  
MW Grant

The kinetics and mechanism of metal exchange between NiII, CuII, ZnII, CdII, PbII and HgII and their dithiocarbamate complexes have been studied in dimethyl sulfoxide. Two pathways for ligand transfer are observed. The first involves dissociation of dithiocarbamate from the metal complex followed by substitution at the metal ion, while the second involves direct electrophilic attack by the metal ion on the dithiocarbamate complex. The relative importance of the pathways depends on the stability of the complex and the substitution lability and electrophilic character of the metal ion. The stability of the dithiocarbamate complexes in dimethyl sulfoxide is in the order Hg > Cu > Ni > Pb ≈ Cd > Zn.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulius Kantakevičius ◽  
Calvin Mathiah ◽  
Linus Johannissen ◽  
Sam Hay

Metal ions are associated with a variety of proteins and play critical roles in a wide range of biochemical processes. There are multiple ways to study and quantify protein-metal ion interactions, including by molecular dynamics simulations. Recently, the Amber molecular mechanics forcefield was modified to include a 12-6-4LJ potential, which allows better description of non-bonded terms through the additional pairwise Cij coefficients. Here, we demonstrate a method of generating Cij parameters that allows parametrization of specific metal ion-ligating groups in order to tune binding energies computed by thermodynamic integration. The new Cij coefficients were tested on a series of chelators: EDTA, NTA, EGTA and the EF1 loop peptides from the proteins lanmodulin and calmodulin. The new parameters show significant improvements in computed binding energies relative to existing force fields and produce coordination numbers and ion-oxygen distances that are in good agreement with experimental values. This parametrization method should be extensible to a range of other systems and could be readily adapted to tune properties other than binding energies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 942-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsolt Radak ◽  
Shuzo Kumagai ◽  
Albert W. Taylor ◽  
Hisashi Naito ◽  
Sataro Goto

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are continuously generated during aerobic metabolism. Certain levels of ROS, which could be dependent on the type of cell, cell age, history of ROS exposure, etc., could facilitate specific cell functions. Indeed, ROS stimulate a number of stress responses and activate gene expression for a wide range of proteins. It is well known that increased levels of ROS are involved in the aging process and the pathogenesis of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Because of the enhanced sensitivity of the central nervous system to ROS, it is especially important to maintain the normal redox state in different types of neuro cells. In the last decade it became clear that regular exercise beneficially affects brain function as well, and can play an important preventive and therapeutic role in stroke and in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The effects of exercise appear to be very complex and could include neurogenesis via neurotrophic factors, increased capillarization, decreased oxidative damage, and increased proteolytic degradation by proteasome and neprilysin. Data from our and other laboratories indicate that exercise-induced modulation of ROS levels plays a role in the protein content and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine recepetor kinase B, and cAMP response element binding protein, resulting in better function and increased neurogenesis. The enhanced activities of proteasome and neprilysin result in decreased accumulation of carbonyls and amyloid beta-proteins, as well as improved memory. It appears that exercise-induced modulation of the redox state is an important means by which exercise benefits brain function, increases the resistance against oxidative stress, and facilitates recovery from oxidative stress.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie K. Garcia ◽  
Galahad Deperalta ◽  
Aaron T. Wecksler

Background: Biotherapeutics, particularly monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), are a maturing class of drugs capable of treating a wide range of diseases. Therapeutic function and solutionstability are linked to the proper three-dimensional organization of the primary sequence into Higher Order Structure (HOS) as well as the timescales of protein motions (dynamics). Methods that directly monitor protein HOS and dynamics are important for mapping therapeutically relevant protein-protein interactions and assessing properly folded structures. Irreversible covalent protein footprinting Mass Spectrometry (MS) tools, such as site-specific amino acid labeling and hydroxyl radical footprinting are analytical techniques capable of monitoring the side chain solvent accessibility influenced by tertiary and quaternary structure. Here we discuss the methodology, examples of biotherapeutic applications, and the future directions of irreversible covalent protein footprinting MS in biotherapeutic research and development. Conclusion: Bottom-up mass spectrometry using irreversible labeling techniques provide valuable information for characterizing solution-phase protein structure. Examples range from epitope mapping and protein-ligand interactions, to probing challenging structures of membrane proteins. By paring these techniques with hydrogen-deuterium exchange, spectroscopic analysis, or static-phase structural data such as crystallography or electron microscopy, a comprehensive understanding of protein structure can be obtained.


Author(s):  
Shangfei Wei ◽  
Tianming Zhao ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
Xin Zhai

: Allostery is an efficient and particular regulatory mechanism to regulate protein functions. Different from conserved orthosteric sites, allosteric sites have distinctive functional mechanism to form the complex regulatory network. In drug discovery, kinase inhibitors targeting the allosteric pockets have received extensive attention for the advantages of high selectivity and low toxicity. The approval of trametinib as the first allosteric inhibitor validated that allosteric inhibitors could be used as effective therapeutic drugs for treatment of diseases. To date, a wide range of allosteric inhibitors have been identified. In this perspective, we outline different binding modes and potential advantages of allosteric inhibitors. In the meantime, the research processes of typical and novel allosteric inhibitors are described briefly in terms of structureactivity relationships, ligand-protein interactions and in vitro and in vivo activity. Additionally, challenges as well as opportunities are presented.


Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Petruschke ◽  
Christian Schori ◽  
Sebastian Canzler ◽  
Sarah Riesbeck ◽  
Anja Poehlein ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in protecting the host from pathogenic microbes, modulating immunity and regulating metabolic processes. We studied the simplified human intestinal microbiota (SIHUMIx) consisting of eight bacterial species with a particular focus on the discovery of novel small proteins with less than 100 amino acids (= sProteins), some of which may contribute to shape the simplified human intestinal microbiota. Although sProteins carry out a wide range of important functions, they are still often missed in genome annotations, and little is known about their structure and function in individual microbes and especially in microbial communities. Results We created a multi-species integrated proteogenomics search database (iPtgxDB) to enable a comprehensive identification of novel sProteins. Six of the eight SIHUMIx species, for which no complete genomes were available, were sequenced and de novo assembled. Several proteomics approaches including two earlier optimized sProtein enrichment strategies were applied to specifically increase the chances for novel sProtein discovery. The search of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data against the multi-species iPtgxDB enabled the identification of 31 novel sProteins, of which the expression of 30 was supported by metatranscriptomics data. Using synthetic peptides, we were able to validate the expression of 25 novel sProteins. The comparison of sProtein expression in each single strain versus a multi-species community cultivation showed that six of these sProteins were only identified in the SIHUMIx community indicating a potentially important role of sProteins in the organization of microbial communities. Two of these novel sProteins have a potential antimicrobial function. Metabolic modelling revealed that a third sProtein is located in a genomic region encoding several enzymes relevant for the community metabolism within SIHUMIx. Conclusions We outline an integrated experimental and bioinformatics workflow for the discovery of novel sProteins in a simplified intestinal model system that can be generically applied to other microbial communities. The further analysis of novel sProteins uniquely expressed in the SIHUMIx multi-species community is expected to enable new insights into the role of sProteins on the functionality of bacterial communities such as those of the human intestinal tract.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1786
Author(s):  
Carla Queirós ◽  
Chen Sun ◽  
Ana M. G. Silva ◽  
Baltazar de Castro ◽  
Juan Cabanillas-Gonzalez ◽  
...  

The development of straightforward reproducible methods for the preparation of new photoluminescent coordination polymers (CPs) is an important goal in luminescence and chemical sensing fields. Isophthalic acid derivatives have been reported for a wide range of applications, and in addition to their relatively low cost, have encouraged its use in the preparation of novel lanthanide-based coordination polymers (LnCPs). Considering that the photoluminescent properties of these CPs are highly dependent on the existence of water molecules in the crystal structure, our research efforts are now focused on the preparation of CP with the lowest water content possible, while considering a green chemistry approach. One- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) LnCPs were prepared from 5-aminoisophthalic acid and Sm3+/Tb3+ using hydrothermal and/or microwave-assisted synthesis. The unprecedented LnCPs were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCRXD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their photoluminescence (PL) properties were studied in the solid state, at room temperature, using the CPs as powders and encapsulated in poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA) films, envisaging the potential preparation of devices for sensing. The materials revealed interesting PL properties that depend on the dimensionality, metal ion, co-ligand used and water content.


Synthesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Desaintjean ◽  
Fanny Danton ◽  
Paul Knochel

A wide range of polyfunctionalized di(hetero)aryl- and dialkenyl-magnesium reagents were prepared in toluene within 10 to 120 min between −78 °C and 25 °C via an I/Mg- or Br/Mg-exchange reaction using reagents of the general formula R2Mg (R = sBu, Mes). Highly sensitive functional groups, such as a triazene or a nitro group, were tolerated in these exchange reactions, enabling the synthesis of various functionalized (hetero)arenes and alkenes derivatives after quenching with several electrophiles including allyl bromides, acyl chlorides, aldehydes, ketones, and aryl iodides.


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