Jana Narasimhan

Precursor processing of pro-ISG15/UCRP, an interferon-beta-induced ubiquitin-like protein.

Induction of the 17-kDa ubiquitin-like protein ISG15/UCRP and its subsequent conjugation to cellular targets is the earliest response to type I interferons. The polypeptide is synthesized as a precursor containing a carboxyl-terminal extension whose correct processing is required for subsequent ligation of the exposed mature carboxyl terminus. Recombinant pro-ISG15 is processed in extracts of human lung fibroblasts by a constitutive 100-kDa enzyme whose activity is unaffected by type I interferon stimulation. The processing enzyme has been purified to apparent homogeneity by a combination of ion exchange and hydrophobic chromatography and found to be stimulated 12-fold by micromolar concentrations of ubiquitin. Analysis of the products of pro-ISG15 processing enzyme demonstrates specific cleavage exclusively at the Gly157-Gly158 peptide bond to generate a mature ISG15 carboxyl terminus. Irreversible inhibition of pro-ISG15 processing activity by thiol-specific alkylating agents and a pH rate dependence conforming to titration of a single group of pK a 8.1 indicate the 100-kDa enzyme is a thiol protease. Partial sequencing of a trypsin-derived peptide indicates the enzyme is either the human ortholog of yeast Ubp1 or a Ubp1-related protein. As yeast do not contain ISG15, these results suggest that a ubiquitin-specific enzyme was recruited for pro-ISG15/UCRP processing by adaptive divergence.

Effect of gallium on the tyrosyl radical of the iron-dependent M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase

Gallium, a pharmacologically important metal which resembles iron, was shown in previous studies to inhibit ribonucleotide reductase. To better understand its mechanism of action, we have examined the interaction of gallium with the iron-dependent M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase. In its active form, M2 contains an iron center and a tyrosyl free radical which is detectable by ESR spectroscopy. In the present study, cytoplasmic extracts prepared from murine leukemic L1210 cells after an 18-hr incubation with 960 microM gallium nitrate displayed a > 60% inhibition in their M2 tyrosyl radical ESR signal. However, this signal was restored within 15 min to levels greater than that of controls by the addition of increasing concentrations of ferrous ammonium sulfate. Gallium citrate added directly to cytoplasmic extracts from control cells also decreased the tyrosyl radical signal, an effect which could be reversed by iron. Immunoblot analysis revealed that incubation with gallium did not diminish the amount of M2 protein in cells, thus indicating that the decrease in the tyrosyl radical signal was not due to a decrease in cellular M2 content. In immunoprecipitation studies of 59Fe-labeled M2, gallium displaced 55-60% of the 59Fe incorporated into M2. Our studies suggest that gallium displaces iron from the M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, resulting in a loss of the tyrosyl radical and an accumulation of inactive M2 within the cell.

Targeting Iron-Dependent DNA Synthesis with Gallium and Transferrin-Gallium

While iron is essential for numerous intracellular processes, its critical role in DNA synthesis relates to the activity of the iron-containing M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides. Gallium, a metal which resembles iron with respect to transferrin (Tf) binding, cellular uptake by the Tf receptor and incorporation into ferritin, blocks the cellular uptake of iron and inhibits cell growth. Exposure of HL60 cells to Tf-gallium (Ga) results in decreased deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and a diminution in the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy signal of ribonucleotide reductase, findings consistent with inhibition of this enzyme. In the present study, Ga nitrate blocked the uptake of 59Fe by L1210 cells and inhibited their proliferation. The ribonucleotide reductase M2 subunit ESR signal in cell cytoplasmic extracts was markedly inhibited in Ga-treated cells; however, the signal was restored to normal within 10 min of exposure of these cytoplasmic extracts to ferrous ammonium sulfate. These results confirm that Ga inhibits DNA synthesis by specifically limiting the amount of intracellular iron needed for the activity of the M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase. Further studies utilizing HL60 cells made resistant to Ga showed that these cells were also more resistant to growth inhibition by an anti-Tf receptor monoclonal antibody and deferoxamine. Ga blocks cell growth through inhibition of iron-dependent DNA synthesis. Cells appear to overcome the effects of Ga through compensatory mechanisms involving cellular iron metabolism.

Inhibition of iron uptake in HL60 cells by 2-formylpyridine monothiosemicarbazonato Cu(II)

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal of the tyrosyl radical attributed to ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase decreases after treatment of promyelocytic leukemic HL60 cells with 2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazonato copper(II) (CuL). According to EPR studies, CuL forms adducts with both histidine and cysteine-like Lewis bases associated with isolated membranes from HL60 cells. After the addition of CuL, the EPR signal for the cysteine-like adduct decreases substantially over a 15-min period. The reduction of signal is consistent with oxidation of thiols as shown by an analysis of sulfhydryl content. It is hypothesized that receptor-mediated transferrin internalization is inhibited by oxidation of critical thiols. Since the uptake of 59Fe-transferrin is greatly inhibited by the treatment of HL60 cells with CuL, the reduced uptake of iron by cells, in the presence of CuL, may lead to decreased iron availability for the activity of the M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase and a subsequent decrease in the tyrosyl radical signal of the enzyme. Moreover, the intact subunit M2 is no longer detected by EPR, even after the addition of excess iron.

The effects of interferon-α and acyclovir on herpes simplex virus type-1 ribonucleotide reductase

Herpes simplex virus-type 1 (HSV-1) encodes both the small (UL40) and large (UL39) subunits of the enzyme, ribonucleotide reductase. Treatment of HSV-1-infected cells with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) reduced the levels of both enzyme subunits. Reduced steady state levels of the large subunit were demonstrated by immunoblot using polyclonal antibody specific for the viral enzyme. Reduction in the amount of small subunit was shown by a reduction in the electron spin resonance signal derived from the iron-containing tyrosyl free-radical present in this subunit. Treatment of cells with 100 IU/ml of IFN-alpha decreased levels of both subunits resulting in a reduction in enzyme activity as measured by conversion of CDP to dCDP. The decrease in the amount of the large subunit was not due to a reduction in the level of its mRNA. The combination of IFN-alpha and ACV treatment of human cornea stromal cells did not result in a further reduction in amounts of ribonucleotide reductase relative to that detected with IFN-alpha alone. The IFN-alpha-induced reduction in ribonucleotide reductase activity is the likely cause of decreased levels of dGTP which we have previously demonstrated in IFN-alpha-treated, infected cells.