Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in Trypanosomatids Is Independent of Tryparedoxin Activity
TL;DR: The separation of trypanosomatid TXN sequences into two classes is proposed and supported by phylogenetic analysis: i) class I, encoding active TXNs, and ii) class II, coding for TA proteins unlikely to function as TXNs.
Abstract: Tryparedoxins (TXNs) are oxidoreductases unique to trypanosomatids (including Leishmania and Trypanosoma parasites) that transfer reducing equivalents from trypanothione, the major thiol in these organisms, to sulfur-dependent peroxidases and other dithiol proteins. The existence of a TXN within the mitochondrion of trypanosomatids, capable of driving crucial redox pathways, is considered a requisite for normal parasite metabolism. Here this concept is shown not to apply to Leishmania. First, removal of the Leishmania infantum mitochondrial TXN (LiTXN2) by gene-targeting, had no significant effect on parasite survival, even in the context of an animal infection. Second, evidence is presented that no other TXN is capable of replacing LiTXN2. In fact, although a candidate substitute for LiTXN2 (LiTXN3) was found in the genome of L. infantum, this was shown in biochemical assays to be poorly reduced by trypanothione and to be unable to reduce sulfur-containing peroxidases. Definitive conclusion that LiTXN3 cannot directly reduce proteins located within inner mitochondrial compartments was provided by analysis of its subcellular localization and membrane topology, which revealed that LiTXN3 is a tail-anchored (TA) mitochondrial outer membrane protein presenting, as characteristic of TA proteins, its N-terminal end (containing the redox-active domain) exposed to the cytosol. This manuscript further proposes the separation of trypanosomatid TXN sequences into two classes and this is supported by phylogenetic analysis: i) class I, encoding active TXNs, and ii) class II, coding for TA proteins unlikely to function as TXNs. Trypanosoma possess only two TXNs, one belonging to class I (which is cytosolic) and the other to class II. Thus, as demonstrated for Leishmania, the mitochondrial redox metabolism in Trypanosoma may also be independent of TXN activity. The major implication of these findings is that mitochondrial functions previously thought to depend on the provision of electrons by a TXN enzyme must proceed differently.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: It is proposed that the set of interactions is better described as a means of stabilizing the anionic transition state of the reaction, and the enhanced acidity of the critical cysteine is concurrent but not the cause of catalytic efficiency.
Abstract: Protein thiol reactivity generally involves the nucleophilic attack of the thiolate on an electrophile. A low pKa means higher availability of the thiolate at neutral pH but often a lower nucleophilicity. Protein structural factors contribute to increasing the reactivity of the thiol in very specific reactions, but these factors do not provide an indiscriminate augmentation in general reactivity. Notably, reduction of hydroperoxides by the catalytic cysteine of peroxiredoxins can achieve extraordinary reaction rates relative to free cysteine. The discussion of this catalytic efficiency has centered in the stabilization of the thiolate as a way to increase nucleophilicity. Such stabilization originates from electrostatic and polar interactions of the catalytic cysteine with the protein environment. We propose that the set of interactions is better described as a means of stabilizing the anionic transition state of the reaction. The enhanced acidity of the critical cysteine is concurrent but not the cause o...
246 citations
TL;DR: The current organism-wide RNA-interference and proteome analyses are supposed to reveal many more interesting candidates for future drug development approaches directed against the parasite antioxidant defense systems.
Abstract: Significance: Parasitic infections continue to be a major problem for global human health. Vaccines are practically not available and chemotherapy is highly unsatisfactory. One approach toward a novel antiparasitic drug development is to unravel pathways that may be suited as future targets. Parasitic organisms show a remarkable diversity with respect to the nature and functions of their main low-molecular-mass antioxidants and many of them developed pathways that do not have a counterpart in their mammalian hosts. Recent Advances: Work of the last years disclosed the individual antioxidants employed by parasites and their distinct pathways. Entamoeba, Trichomonas, and Giardia directly use cysteine as main low-molecular-mass thiol but have divergent cysteine metabolisms. Malarial parasites rely exclusively on cysteine uptake and generate glutathione (GSH) as main free thiol as do metazoan parasites. Trypanosomes and Leishmania have a unique trypanothione-based thiol metabolism but employ individu...
98 citations
Cites background from "Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..."
...The class II Tpxs are unlikely to function as normal Tpxs owing to a number of amino acid substitutions (41)....
[...]
...infantum (214), but the mTpx homozygous knockout promastigotes do not show any growth retardation or morphological alterations when compared to wild-type parasites (41)....
[...]
TL;DR: The minimalist thiol-redox system, developed by trypanosomatids, is an example of metabolic fitness driven by the remarkable physicochemical properties of a glutathione derivative, and a feature unique to the order Kinetoplastida.
95 citations
TL;DR: It is shown, for the first time, that these 2-Cys peroxiredoxins can be determinant for pathogenicity independently of their peroxidase activity, and the findings reported here change the paradigm which regards all trypanosomatid 2-cysteine peroxires as peroxide-eliminating devices.
Abstract: Two-cysteine peroxiredoxins are ubiquitous peroxidases that play various functions in cells. In Leishmania and related trypanosomatids, which lack catalase and selenium-glutathione peroxidases, the discovery of this family of enzymes provided the molecular basis for peroxide removal in these organisms. In this report the functional relevance of one of such enzymes, the mitochondrial 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (mTXNPx), was investigated along the Leishmania infantum life cycle. mTXNPx null mutants (mtxnpx(-)) produced by a gene replacement strategy, while indistinguishable from wild type promastigotes, were found unable to thrive in a murine model of infection. Unexpectedly, however, the avirulent phenotype of mtxnpx(-) was not due to lack of the peroxidase activity of mTXNPx as these behaved like controls when exposed to oxidants added exogenously or generated by macrophages during phagocytosis ex vivo. In line with this, mtxnpx(-) were also avirulent when inoculated into murine hosts unable to mount an effective oxidative phagocyte response (B6.p47(phox-/-) and B6.RAG2(-/-) IFN-γ(-/-) mice). Definitive conclusion that the peroxidase activity of mTXNPx is not required for parasite survival in mice was obtained by showing that a peroxidase-inactive version of this protein was competent in rescuing the non-infective phenotype of mtxnpx(-). A novel function is thus proposed for mTXNPx, that of a molecular chaperone, which may explain the impaired infectivity of the null mutants. This premise is based on the observation that the enzyme is able to suppress the thermal aggregation of citrate synthase in vitro. Also, mtxnpx(-) were more sensitive than controls to a temperature shift from 25°C to 37°C, a phenotype reminiscent of organisms lacking specific chaperone genes. Collectively, the findings reported here change the paradigm which regards all trypanosomatid 2-Cys peroxiredoxins as peroxide-eliminating devices. Moreover, they demonstrate, for the first time, that these 2-Cys peroxiredoxins can be determinant for pathogenicity independently of their peroxidase activity.
77 citations
Cites background from "Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..."
...Moreover, the proposed model for kDNA replication established a fundamental role for a mitochondrial TXN as reductant of UMSBP and it was shown previously that such enzyme is not essential in Leishmania and does not exist in trypanosomes [36]....
[...]
...This hypothesis requires that the substrate specificities of nsGPX and mTXNPx overlap [33–35], and implies the existence of an efficient nsGPX reductant in the mitochondrion, which is still to be found [36]....
[...]
TL;DR: Emerging data on DNA repair pathways and other antioxidant defences from this parasite have revealed potential new targets for a much needed boost in drug development efforts towards a better treatment for Chagas disease.
Abstract: Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, is an obligatory intracellular parasite with a digenetic life cycle. Due to the variety of host environments, it faces several sources of oxidative stress. In addition to reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by its own metabolism, T. cruzi must deal with high ROS levels generated as part of the host's immune responses. Hence, the conclusion that T. cruzi has limited ability to deal with ROS (based on the lack of a few enzymes involved with oxidative stress responses) seems somewhat paradoxical. Actually, to withstand such variable sources of oxidative stress, T. cruzi has developed complex defence mechanisms. This includes ROS detoxification pathways that are distinct from the ones in the mammalian host, DNA repair pathways and specialized polymerases, which not only protect its genome from the resulting oxidative damage but also contribute to the generation of genetic diversity within the parasite population. Recent studies on T. cruzi's DNA repair pathways as mismatch repair (MMR) and GO system suggested that, besides a role associated with DNA repair, some proteins of these pathways may also be involved in signalling oxidative damage. Recent data also suggested that an oxidative environment might be beneficial for parasite survival within the host cell as it contributes to iron mobilization from the host's intracellular storages. Besides contributing to the understanding of basic aspects of T. cruzi biology, these studies are highly relevant since oxidative stress pathways are part of the poorly understood mechanisms behind the mode of action of drugs currently used against this parasite. By unveiling new peculiar aspects of T. cruzi biology, emerging data on DNA repair pathways and other antioxidant defences from this parasite have revealed potential new targets for a much needed boost in drug development efforts towards a better treatment for Chagas disease.
64 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: Version 4 of MEGA software expands on the existing facilities for editing DNA sequence data from autosequencers, mining Web-databases, performing automatic and manual sequence alignment, analyzing sequence alignments to estimate evolutionary distances, inferring phylogenetic trees, and testing evolutionary hypotheses.
Abstract: We announce the release of the fourth version of MEGA software, which expands on the existing facilities for editing DNA sequence data from autosequencers, mining Web-databases, performing automatic and manual sequence alignment, analyzing sequence alignments to estimate evolutionary distances, inferring phylogenetic trees, and testing evolutionary hypotheses. Version 4 includes a unique facility to generate captions, written in figure legend format, in order to provide natural language descriptions of the models and methods used in the analyses. This facility aims to promote a better understanding of the underlying assumptions used in analyses, and of the results generated. Another new feature is the Maximum Composite Likelihood (MCL) method for estimating evolutionary distances between all pairs of sequences simultaneously, with and without incorporating rate variation among sites and substitution pattern heterogeneities among lineages. This MCL method also can be used to estimate transition/transversion bias and nucleotide substitution pattern without knowledge of the phylogenetic tree. This new version is a native 32-bit Windows application with multi-threading and multi-user supports, and it is also available to run in a Linux desktop environment (via the Wine compatibility layer) and on Intel-based Macintosh computers under the Parallels program. The current version of MEGA is available free of charge at (http://www.megasoftware.net).
29,021 citations
"Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..." refers methods in this paper
...Phylogenetic trees were constructed by the MEGA4 program [29]....
[...]
...the MEGA4 software [29], several methods were employed to...
[...]
TL;DR: All mammalian thioredoxin reduct enzyme isozymes are homologous to glutathione reductase and contain a conserved C-terminal elongation with a cysteine-selenocysteine sequence forming a redox-active selenenylsulfide/selenolthiol active site and are inhibited by goldthioglucose and other clinically used drugs.
Abstract: Thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and NADPH, the thioredoxin system, is ubiquitous from Archea to man. Thioredoxins, with a dithiol/disulfide active site (CGPC) are the major cellular protein disulfide reductases; they therefore also serve as electron donors for enzymes such as ribonucleotide reductases, thioredoxin peroxidases (peroxiredoxins) and methionine sulfoxide reductases. Glutaredoxins catalyze glutathione-disulfide oxidoreductions overlapping the functions of thioredoxins and using electrons from NADPH via glutathione reductase. Thioredoxin isoforms are present in most organisms and mitochondria have a separate thioredoxin system. Plants have chloroplast thioredoxins, which via ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase regulates photosynthetic enzymes by light. Thioredoxins are critical for redox regulation of protein function and signaling via thiol redox control. A growing number of transcription factors including NF-kappaB or the Ref-1-dependent AP1 require thioredoxin reduction for DNA binding. The cytosolic mammalian thioredoxin, lack of which is embryonically lethal, has numerous functions in defense against oxidative stress, control of growth and apoptosis, but is also secreted and has co-cytokine and chemokine activities. Thioredoxin reductase is a specific dimeric 70-kDa flavoprotein in bacteria, fungi and plants with a redox active site disulfide/dithiol. In contrast, thioredoxin reductases of higher eukaryotes are larger (112-130 kDa), selenium-dependent dimeric flavoproteins with a broad substrate specificity that also reduce nondisulfide substrates such as hydroperoxides, vitamin C or selenite. All mammalian thioredoxin reductase isozymes are homologous to glutathione reductase and contain a conserved C-terminal elongation with a cysteine-selenocysteine sequence forming a redox-active selenenylsulfide/selenolthiol active site and are inhibited by goldthioglucose (aurothioglucose) and other clinically used drugs.
2,383 citations
"Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..." refers background in this paper
...By analogy with thioredoxins, such redox processes could include protein folding assistance, protease activation and intracellular signaling [42,43]....
[...]
TL;DR: The fast spontaneous reaction between dihydrolipoamide and thioredoxin-S2 provides a mechanism for NADH or pyruvate-dependent disulfides reduction and the implication of the dithiol-disulfide oxidoreductase activity of thiOREDoxin for the regulation of enzyme activities by thiol oxidation-reduction control is discussed.
864 citations
"Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..." refers methods in this paper
...In the classical Holmgren assay [24], 6HisLiDTXN3 proved to...
[...]
TL;DR: Two inherited neuropathies, Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2A and autosomal dominant optic atrophy, are caused by mutations in mitofusin 2 and OPA1, suggesting that proper regulation of mitochondrial dynamics is particularly vital to neurons.
Abstract: Mitochondria provide a myriad of services to the cell, including energy production, calcium buffering and regulation of apoptosis. How these diverse functions are coordinated among the hundreds of mitochondria in a given cell is largely unknown, but is probably dependent on the dynamic nature of mitochondria. In this review, we explore the latest developments in mitochondrial dynamics in mammals. These studies indicate that mitofusins and OPA1 are essential for mitochondrial fusion, whereas Fis1 and Drp1 are essential for mitochondrial fission. The overall morphology of the mitochondrial population depends on the relative activities of these two sets of proteins. In addition to the regulation of mitochondrial shape, these molecules also play important roles in cell and tissue physiology. Perturbation of mitochondrial fusion results in defects in mitochondrial membrane potential and respiration, poor cell growth and increased susceptibility to cell death. These cellular observations may explain why mitochondrial fusion is essential for embryonic development. Two inherited neuropathies, Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2A and autosomal dominant optic atrophy, are caused by mutations in mitofusin 2 and OPA1, suggesting that proper regulation of mitochondrial dynamics is particularly vital to neurons. Mitochondrial fission accompanies several types of apoptotic cell death and appears important for progression of the apoptotic pathway. These studies provide insight into how mitochondria communicate with one another to coordinate mitochondrial function and morphology.
538 citations
"Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..." refers background in this paper
...Some of these proteins include components of the translocation machinery of the mitochondria [39], as well as mitochondrial outer membrane proteins that regulate apoptosis [40] and mitochondrial morphology [41]....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that the reaction catalyzed by trypanothione reductase represents the only connection between the NADPH- and the thiol-based redox metabolisms.
339 citations
"Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism in T..." refers background in this paper
...It is generally accepted that Trypanosoma TXN2 genes encode the mitochondrial TXN of these organisms [1,16,17]....
[...]
...The Ser at this position is present in all enzymes with known TXN activity and is in the vicinity of an acidic area proposed to be important for TXN interaction with 2-Cys PRXs [1]....
[...]
...to a variety of thiol-containing molecules [1]....
[...]
...Rather it results from the accumulation of several other substitutions, which are also present in the TXN2 sequences of Trypanosoma....
[...]
...Accordingly, it is reasonable to assume that the trypanosome enzymes also display deficient TXN activity....
[...]