Kimberly J. Nelson

Discovering mechanisms of signaling-mediated cysteine oxidation

Accumulating evidence reveals hydrogen peroxide as a key player both as a damaging agent and, from emerging evidence over the past decade, as a second messenger in intracellular signaling. This rather mild oxidant acts upon downstream targets within signaling cascades to modulate the activity of a host of enzymes (e.g. phosphatases and kinases) and transcriptional regulators through chemoselective oxidation of cysteine residues. With the recent development of specific detection reagents for hydrogen peroxide and new chemical tools to detect the generation of the initial oxidation product, sulfenic acid, on reactive cysteines within target proteins, the scene is set to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms through which hydrogen peroxide acts as a second messenger in cell signaling.

Structure-based Insights into the Catalytic Power and Conformational Dexterity of Peroxiredoxins

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs), some of natures dominant peroxidases, use a conserved Cys residue to reduce peroxides. They are highly expressed in organisms from all kingdoms, and in eukaryotes they participate in hydrogen peroxide signaling. Seventy-two Prx structures have been determined that cover much of the diversity of the family. We review here the current knowledge and show that Prxs can be effectively classified by a structural/evolutionary organization into six subfamilies followed by specification of a 1-Cys or 2-Cys mechanism, and for 2-Cys Prxs, the structural location of the resolving Cys. We visualize the varied catalytic structural transitions and highlight how they differ depending on the location of the resolving Cys. We also review new insights into the question of how Prxs are such effective catalysts: the enzyme activates not only the conserved Cys thiolate but also the peroxide substrate. Moreover, the hydrogen-bonding network created by the four residues conserved in all Prx active sites stabilizes the transition state of the peroxidatic S(N)2 displacement reaction. Strict conservation of the peroxidatic active site along with the variation in structural transitions provides a fascinating picture of how the diverse Prxs function to break down peroxide substrates rapidly.

Peroxiredoxins: guardians against oxidative stress and modulators of peroxide signaling

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are a ubiquitous family of cysteine-dependent peroxidase enzymes that play dominant roles in regulating peroxide levels within cells. These enzymes, often present at high levels and capable of rapidly clearing peroxides, display a remarkable array of variations in their oligomeric states and susceptibility to regulation by hyperoxidative inactivation and other post-translational modifications. Key conserved residues within the active site promote catalysis by stabilizing the transition state required for transferring the terminal oxygen of hydroperoxides to the active site (peroxidatic) cysteine residue. Extensive investigations continue to expand our understanding of the scope of their importance as well as the structures and forces at play within these critical defense and regulatory enzymes.

Analysis of the peroxiredoxin family: using active site structure and sequence information for global classification and residue analysis

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are a widespread and highly expressed family of cysteine‐based peroxidases that react very rapidly with H2O2, organic peroxides, and peroxynitrite. Correct subfamily classification has been problematic because Prx subfamilies are frequently not correlated with phylogenetic distribution and diverge in their preferred reductant, oligomerization state, and tendency toward overoxidation. We have developed a method that uses the Deacon Active Site Profiler (DASP) tool to extract functional‐site profiles from structurally characterized proteins to computationally define subfamilies and to identify new Prx subfamily members from GenBank(nr). For the 58 literature‐defined Prx test proteins, 57 were correctly assigned, and none were assigned to the incorrect subfamily. The >3500 putative Prx sequences identified were then used to analyze residue conservation in the active site of each Prx subfamily. Our results indicate that the existence and location of the resolving cysteine vary in some subfamilies (e.g., Prx5) to a greater degree than previously appreciated and that interactions at the A interface (common to Prx5, Tpx, and higher order AhpC/Prx1 structures) are important for stabilization of the correct active‐site geometry. Interestingly, this method also allows us to further divide the AhpC/Prx1 into four groups that are correlated with functional characteristics. The DASP method provides more accurate subfamily classification than PSI‐BLAST for members of the Prx family and can now readily be applied to other large protein families. Proteins 2011.

The requirement of reversible cysteine sulfenic acid formation for T cell activation and function

Reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) generated in response to receptor stimulation play an important role in mediating cellular responses. We have examined the importance of reversible cysteine sulfenic acid formation in naive CD8+ T cell activation and proliferation. We observed that, within minutes of T cell activation, naive CD8+ T cells increased ROI levels in a manner dependent upon Ag concentration. Increased ROI resulted in elevated levels of cysteine sulfenic acid in the total proteome. Analysis of specific proteins revealed that the protein tyrosine phosphatases SHP-1 and SHP-2, as well as actin, underwent increased sulfenic acid modification following stimulation. To examine the contribution of reversible cysteine sulfenic acid formation to T cell activation, increasing concentrations of 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione (dimedone), which covalently binds to cysteine sulfenic acid, were added to cultures. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that the reversible formation of cysteine sulfenic acid was critical for ERK1/2 phosphorylation, calcium flux, cell growth, and proliferation of naive CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. We also found that TNF-α production by effector and memory CD8+ T cells was more sensitive to the inhibition of reversible cysteine sulfenic acid formation than IFN-γ. Together, these results demonstrate that reversible cysteine sulfenic acid formation is an important regulatory mechanism by which CD8+ T cells are able to modulate signaling, proliferation, and function.

Use of Dimedone-Based Chemical Probes for Sulfenic Acid Detection: Methods to Visualize and Identify Labeled Proteins

Reversible thiol modification is a major component of the modulation of cell-signaling pathways by reactive oxygen species. Hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, or lipid hydroperoxides are all able to oxidize cysteines to form cysteine sulfenic acids; this reactive intermediate can be directly reduced to thiol by cellular reductants such as thioredoxin or further participate in disulfide bond formation with glutathione or cysteine residues in the same or another protein. To identify the direct protein targets of cysteine modification and the conditions under which they are oxidized, a series of dimedone-based reagents linked to affinity or fluorescent tags have been developed that specifically alkylate and trap cysteine sulfenic acids. In this chapter, we provide detailed methods using one of our biotin-tagged reagents, DCP-Bio1, to identify and monitor proteins that are oxidized in vitro and in vivo. Using streptavidin-linked agarose beads, this biotin-linked reagent can be used to affinity capture labeled proteins. Stringent washing of the beads prior to elution minimizes the contamination of the enriched material with unlabeled proteins through coimmunoprecipitation or nonspecific binding. In particular, we suggest including DTT in one of the washes to remove proteins covalently linked to biotinylated proteins through a disulfide bond, except in cases where these linked proteins are of interest. We also provide methods for targeted approaches monitoring cysteine oxidation in individual proteins, global approaches to follow total cysteine oxidation in the cell, and guidelines for proteomic analyses to identify novel proteins with redox sensitive cysteines.

Use of dimedone-based chemical probes for sulfenic acid detection evaluation of conditions affecting probe incorporation into redox-sensitive proteins.

Sulfenic acids, formed as transient intermediates during the reaction of cysteine residues with peroxides, play significant roles in enzyme catalysis and regulation, and are also involved in the redox regulation of transcription factors and other signaling proteins. Therefore, interest in the identification of protein sulfenic acids has grown substantially in the past few years. Dimedone, which specifically traps sulfenic acids, has provided the basis for the synthesis of a novel group of compounds that derivatize 1,3-cyclohexadione, a dimedone analogue, with reporter tags such as biotin for affinity capture and fluorescent labels for visual detection. These reagents allow identification of the cysteine sites and proteins that are sensitive to oxidation and permit identification of the cellular conditions under which such oxidations occur. We have shown that these compounds are reactive and specific toward sulfenic acids and that the labeled proteins can be detected at high sensitivity using gel analysis or mass spectrometry. Here, we further characterize these reagents, showing that the DCP-Bio1 incorporation rates into three sulfenic acid containing proteins, papaya papain, Escherichia coli fRMsr, and the Salmonella typhimurium peroxiredoxin AhpC, are significantly different and, in the case of fRMsr, are unaffected by changes in buffer pH from 5.5 and 8.0. We also provide protocols to label protein sulfenic acids in cellular proteins, either by in situ labeling of intact cells or by labeling at the time of lysis. We show that the addition of alkylating reagents and catalase to the lysis buffer is critical in preventing the formation of sulfenic acid subsequent to cell lysis. Data presented herein also indicate that the need to standardize, as much as possible, the protein and reagent concentrations during labeling. Finally, we introduce several new test or control proteins that can be used to evaluate labeling procedures and efficiencies.

Cysteine pKa values for the bacterial peroxiredoxin AhpC

Salmonella typhimurium AhpC is a founding member of the peroxiredoxin family, a ubiquitous group of cysteine-based peroxidases with high reactivity toward hydrogen peroxide, organic hydroperoxides, and peroxynitrite. For all of the peroxiredoxins, the catalytic cysteine, referred to as the peroxidatic cysteine (C(P)), acts as a nucleophile in attacking the peroxide substrate, forming a cysteine sulfenic acid at the active site. Because thiolates are far stronger nucleophiles than thiol groups, it is generally accepted that cysteine-based peroxidases should exhibit pK(a) values lower than an unperturbed value of 8.3-8.5. In this investigation, several independent approaches were used to assess the pK(a) of the two cysteinyl residues of AhpC. Methods using two different iodoacetamide derivatives yielded unperturbed pK(a) values (7.9-8.7) for both cysteines, apparently due to reactivity with the wrong conformation of C(P) (i.e., locally unfolded and flipped out of the active site), as supported by X-ray crystallographic analyses. A functional pK(a) of 5.94 +/- 0.10 presumably reflecting the titration of C(P) within the fully folded active site was obtained by measuring AhpC competition with horseradish peroxidase for hydrogen peroxide; this value is quite similar to that obtained by analyzing the pH dependence of the epsilon(240) of wild-type AhpC (5.84 +/- 0.02) and similar to those obtained for two typical 2-cysteine peroxiredoxins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (5.4 and 6.0). Thus, the pK(a) value of AhpC balances the need for a deprotonated thiol (at pH 7, approximately 90% of the C(P) would be deprotonated) with the fact that thiolates with higher pK(a) values are stronger nucleophiles.

PREX: PeroxiRedoxin classification indEX, a database of subfamily assignments across the diverse peroxiredoxin family

PREX (http://www.csb.wfu.edu/prex/) is a database of currently 3516 peroxiredoxin (Prx or PRDX) protein sequences unambiguously classified into one of six distinct subfamilies. Peroxiredoxins are a diverse and ubiquitous family of highly expressed, cysteine-dependent peroxidases that are important for antioxidant defense and for the regulation of cell signaling pathways in eukaryotes. Subfamily members were identified using the Deacon Active Site Profiler (DASP) bioinformatics tool to focus in on functionally relevant sequence fragments surrounding key residues required for protein activity. Searches of this database can be conducted by protein annotation, accession number, PDB ID, organism name or protein sequence. Output includes the subfamily to which each classified Prx belongs, accession and GI numbers, genus and species and the functional site signature used for classification. The query sequence is also presented aligned with a select group of Prxs for manual evaluation and interpretation by the user. A synopsis of the characteristics of members of each subfamily is also provided along with pertinent references.

Overview of Peroxiredoxins in Oxidant Defense and Redox Regulation

Peroxiredoxins are important hydroperoxide detoxification enzymes, yet have only come to the fore in recent years relative to the other major players in peroxide detoxification, heme-containing catalases and peroxidases and glutathione peroxidases. These cysteine-dependent peroxidases exhibit high reactivity with hydrogen peroxide, organic hydroperoxides, and peroxynitrite and play major roles not only in peroxide defense, but also in regulating peroxide-mediated cell signaling. This overview focuses on important peroxiredoxin features that have emerged over the past several decades with an emphasis on catalytic mechanism, regulation, and biological function.