Further Studies on the 3-Ketosteroid 9α-Hydroxylase of Rhodococcus ruber Chol-4, a Rieske Oxygenase of the Steroid Degradation Pathway

The biochemistry and genetics of the bacterial steroid catabolism have been extensively studied during the last years and their findings have been essential to the development of biotechnological applications. For instance, metabolic engineering of the steroid-eater strains has allowed to obtain intermediaries of industrial value. However, there are still some drawbacks that must be overcome, such as the redundancy of the steroid catabolism genes in the genome and a better knowledge of its genetic regulation. KshABs and KstDs are key enzymes involved in the aerobic breakage of the steroid nucleus. Rhodococcus ruber Chol-4 contains three kshAs genes, a single kshB gene and three kstDs genes within its genome. In the present work, the growth of R. ruber ΔkshA strains was evaluated on different steroids substrates; the promoter regions of these genes were analyzed; and their expression was followed by qRT-PCR in both wild type and ksh mutants. Additionally, the transcription level of the kstDs genes was studied in the ksh mutants. The results show that KshA2B and KshA1B are involved in AD metabolism, while KshA3B and KshA1B contribute to the cholesterol metabolism in R. ruber. In the kshA single mutants, expression of the remaining kshA and kstD genes is re-organized to survive on the steroid substrate. These data give insight into the fine regulation of steroid genes when several isoforms are present.

Enzymatic β-Oxidation of the Cholesterol Side Chain in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Bifurcates Stereospecifically at Hydration of 3-Oxo-Cholest-4,22- Dien-24-Oyl-CoA

<p>The unique ability of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </i>(Mtb) to utilize host lipids such as cholesterol for survival, persistence, and virulence has made the metabolic pathway of cholesterol an area of great interest for therapeutics development, and bioproduction of valuable sterol intermediates. Herein, we identify and characterize two genes from the <a></a><a>Cho-region of the Mtb genome</a>, <i>chsH3 </i>(Rv3538) and <i>chsB1</i> (Rv3502c). Their protein products catalyze <a></a><a>two sequential stereospecific</a>hydration and dehydrogenation steps in the b-oxidation of the cholesterol side chain. ChsH3 favors the <i>22S</i> hydration of 3-oxo-cholest-4,22-dien-24-oyl-CoA in contrast to the previously reported EchA19 (Rv3516) which catalyzes formation of the (<i>22R</i>)-hydroxy-3-oxo-cholest-4-en-24-oyl-CoA from the same enoyl-CoA substrate. ChsB1 is stereospecific and catalyzes dehydrogenation of the ChsH3 product, but not the EchA19 product. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the ChsB1 apo-protein was determined at a resolution of 2.03 Å and the holo-enzyme with bound NAD⁺ cofactor at 2.21 Å.The homodimeric structure is representative of a classical NAD⁺ utilizing short-chain type alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase, including a Rossmann-fold motif, but exhibits a unique substrate binding site architecture that is of greater length and width than its homologous counterparts, likely to accommodate the bulky steroid substrate. Intriguingly, Mtb utilizes MaoC-like hydratases in sterol side-chain catabolism in contrast to fatty acid b-oxidation in other species that utilize the evolutionarily distinct crotonase family of hydratases. </p>

Enzymatic β-Oxidation of the Cholesterol Side Chain in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Bifurcates Stereospecifically at Hydration of 3-Oxo-Cholest-4,22- Dien-24-Oyl-CoA

<p>The unique ability of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </i>(Mtb) to utilize host lipids such as cholesterol for survival, persistence, and virulence has made the metabolic pathway of cholesterol an area of great interest for therapeutics development, and bioproduction of valuable sterol intermediates. Herein, we identify and characterize two genes from the <a></a><a>Cho-region of the Mtb genome</a>, <i>chsH3 </i>(Rv3538) and <i>chsB1</i> (Rv3502c). Their protein products catalyze <a></a><a>two sequential stereospecific</a>hydration and dehydrogenation steps in the b-oxidation of the cholesterol side chain. ChsH3 favors the <i>22S</i> hydration of 3-oxo-cholest-4,22-dien-24-oyl-CoA in contrast to the previously reported EchA19 (Rv3516) which catalyzes formation of the (<i>22R</i>)-hydroxy-3-oxo-cholest-4-en-24-oyl-CoA from the same enoyl-CoA substrate. ChsB1 is stereospecific and catalyzes dehydrogenation of the ChsH3 product, but not the EchA19 product. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the ChsB1 apo-protein was determined at a resolution of 2.03 Å and the holo-enzyme with bound NAD⁺ cofactor at 2.21 Å.The homodimeric structure is representative of a classical NAD⁺ utilizing short-chain type alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase, including a Rossmann-fold motif, but exhibits a unique substrate binding site architecture that is of greater length and width than its homologous counterparts, likely to accommodate the bulky steroid substrate. Intriguingly, Mtb utilizes MaoC-like hydratases in sterol side-chain catabolism in contrast to fatty acid b-oxidation in other species that utilize the evolutionarily distinct crotonase family of hydratases. </p>

Zearalenone Inhibits Rat and Human 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2

Zearalenone is a mycotoxin produced byFusariumspp. 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases, isoforms 1 (HSD11B1) and 2 (HSD11B2), have been demonstrated to be the regulators of the local level of active glucocorticoid, which has a broad range of physiological actions. In the present study, the potency of zearalenone was tested for the inhibition of HSD11B1 and HSD11B2 in rat and human tissues. Zearalenone showed potent inhibition of HSD11B2 with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) calculated at 49.63 and 32.22 μM for the rat and human, respectively. Results showed that zearalenone competitively inhibited HSD11B2 when a steroid substrate was used. However, it served as an uncompetitive inhibitory factor when the cofactor NAD+was used. In contrast, the potency of zearalenone to inhibit both rat and human HSD11B1 was diminished, with the concentration of 100 μM causing almost no inhibitory effect on the isoform. In conclusion, we observed that zearalenone is a selective inhibitor of HSD11B2, implying that this agent may cause excessive glucocorticoid action in local tissues such as kidney and placentas.

High-Throughput Functional Screening of Steroid Substrates with Wild-Type and Chimeric P450 Enzymes

The promiscuity of a collection of enzymes consisting of 31 wild-type and synthetic variants of CYP1A enzymes was evaluated using a series of 14 steroids and 2 steroid-like chemicals, namely, nootkatone, a terpenoid, and mifepristone, a drug. For each enzyme-substrate couple, the initial steady-state velocity of metabolite formation was determined at a substrate saturating concentration. For that, a high-throughput approach was designed involving automatized incubations in 96-well microplate with sixteen 6-point kinetics per microplate and data acquisition using LC/MS system accepting 96-well microplate for injections. The resulting dataset was used for multivariate statistics aimed at sorting out the correlations existing between tested enzyme variants and ability to metabolize steroid substrates. Functional classifications of both CYP1A enzyme variants and steroid substrate structures were obtained allowing the delineation of global structural features for both substrate recognition and regioselectivity of oxidation.

Design and synthesis of substrate mimetics based on an indole scaffold: potential inhibitors of 17β-HSD type 1

Human 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (17β-HSD1) acts at a pre-receptor level. It catalyzes NADPH-dependent reduction of the weak estrogen estrone into the most potent estrogen estradiol, which exerts its proliferative effects via estrogen receptors. Overexpression of 17β-HSD1 in estrogen-responsive tissues is related to the development of hormone-dependent diseases, such as breast cancer and endometriosis. 17β-HSD1 thus represents an attractive target for development of new drugs.We designed and synthesized a series of 3-, 5- and 6-phenyl indole derivatives as mimetics of the steroid substrate estrone. All of these compounds were evaluated for inhibition of recombinant human 17β-HSD1 fromAmong 14 indole derivatives, compound 9 was an initial hit inhibitor of 17β-HSD1, with moderate inhibition (64% at 6 μM). Molecular docking into the crystal structure of 17β-HSD1 (1A27) revealed that this 5-phenyl indole derivative binds to 17β-HSD1 similarly to co-crystalized E2. Compound 9 forms two H-bonds with 17β-HSD1: one between the indole nitrogen and His222, and the second between the phenolic OH group and catalytic Tyr155.The indole scaffold is one of the possible starting points for the design of substrate mimetics of the steroid substrate estrone. Our study shows that these 6- and, especially, 5-phenol indole derivatives can act as moderate inhibitors of 17β-HSD1. Based on inhibition assays and docking simulations, we can infer further improvements of the 5-phenol indole derivatives that might result in better inhibition profiles.

Rhodococcus rhodochrous DSM 43269 3-Ketosteroid 9α-Hydroxylase, a Two-Component Iron-Sulfur-Containing Monooxygenase with Subtle Steroid Substrate Specificity

ABSTRACT This paper reports the biochemical characterization of a purified and reconstituted two-component 3-ketosteroid 9α-hydroxylase (KSH). KSH of Rhodococcus rhodochrous DSM 43269, consisting of a ferredoxin reductase (KshB) and a terminal oxygenase (KshA), was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. E. coli cell cultures, expressing both KshA and KshB, converted 4-androstene-3,17-dione (AD) into 9α-hydroxy-4-AD (9OHAD) with a >60% molar yield over 48 h of incubation. Coexpression and copurification were critical to successfully obtain pure and active KSH. Biochemical analysis revealed that the flavoprotein KshB is an NADH-dependent reductase using flavin adenine dinucleotide as a cofactor. Reconstitution experiments confirmed that KshA, KshB, and NADH are essential for KSH activity with steroid substrates. KSH hydroxylation activity was inhibited by several divalent metal ions, especially by zinc. The reconstituted KSH displayed subtle steroid substrate specificity; a range of 3-ketosteroids, i.e., 5α-Η, 5β-Η, Δ1, and Δ4 steroids, could act as KSH substrates, provided that they had a short side chain. The formation of 9OHAD from AD by KSH was confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and by the specific enzymatic conversion of 9OHAD into 3-hydroxy-9,10-secoandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione using 3-ketosteroid Δ1-dehydrogenase. Only a single KSH is encoded in the genome of the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, shown to be important for survival in macrophages. Since no human KSH homolog exists, the M. tuberculosis enzyme may provide a novel target for treatment of tuberculosis. Detailed knowledge about the biochemical properties of KSH thus is highly relevant in the research fields of biotechnology and medicine.

Characterization of a Second Rhodococcus erythropolis SQ1 3-Ketosteroid 9α-Hydroxylase Activity Comprising a Terminal Oxygenase Homologue, KshA2, Active with Oxygenase-Reductase Component KshB

ABSTRACT Previously we have characterized 3-ketosteroid 9α-hydroxylase (KSH), a key enzyme in microbial steroid degradation in Rhodococcus erythropolis strain SQ1, as a two-component iron-sulfur monooxygenase, comprised of the terminal oxygenase component KshA1 and the oxygenase-reductase component KshB. Deletion of the kshA1 gene resulted in the loss of the ability of mutant strain RG2 to grow on the steroid substrate 4-androstene-3,17-dione (AD). Here we report characteristics of a close KshA1 homologue, KshA2 of strain SQ1, sharing 60% identity at the amino acid level. Expression of the kshA2 gene in mutant strain RG2 restored growth on AD and ADD, indicating that kshA2 also encodes KSH activity. The functional complementation was shown to be dependent on the presence of kshB. Transcriptional analysis showed that expression of kshA2 is induced in parent strain R. erythropolis SQ1 in the presence of AD. However, promoter activity studies, using β-lactamase of Escherichia coli as a convenient transcription reporter protein for Rhodococcus, revealed that the kshA2 promoter in fact is highly induced in the presence of 9α-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione (9OHAD) or a metabolite thereof. Inactivation of kshA2 in parent strain SQ1 by unmarked gene deletion did not affect growth on 9OHAD, cholesterol, or cholic acid. We speculate that KshA2 plays a role in preventing accumulation of toxic intracellular concentrations of ADD during steroid catabolism. A third kshA homologue was additionally identified in a kshA1 kshA2 double gene deletion mutant strain of R. erythropolis SQ1. The developed degenerate PCR primers for kshA may be useful for isolation of kshA homologues from other (actino) bacteria.

Cytochrome b5 modulation of 17α hydroxylase and 17–20 lyase (CYP17) activities in steroidogenesis

CYP17 is a steroidogenic enzyme located in the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex and gonad tissues and which has dual functions – hydroxylation and as a lyase. The first activity gives hydroxylation of pregnenolone and progesterone at the C17 position to generate 17α-hydroxypregnenolone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, while the second enzymic activity cleaves the C17–C20 bond of 17α-hydroxypregnenolone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone to form dehydroepiandro-sterone and androstenedione respectively. The modulation of these two activities occurs through cytochrome b5. Association of cytochrome b5 and CYP17 is thought to be based primarily on electrostatic interactions in which the negatively charged residues pair up with positively charged residues on the proximal surface of the CYP17 molecule. Non-specific interactions of the hydrophobic membrane regions of cytochrome b5 and CYP17 are also thought to play a crucial role in the association of these two haemoproteins. Although cytochrome b5 is known to stimulate CYP activity by contributing the second electron in the catalytic cycle, in the case of CYP17, the mechanism of cleavage stimulation proceeds via an allosteric mode. It is hypothesised that cytochrome b5 promotes the cleavage by aligning the iron–oxygen complex attack onto the C20 rather than the C17 atom of the steroid substrate molecule. Thus, further understanding of the mechanism of modulation by cytochrome b5 of the hydroxylase and lyase activities should shed new insights on developing therapeutic targets in CYP17-linked biochemical processes such as adrenarche, polycystic ovary syndrome and prostate cancer.