Woojin Jeong

2-Cys peroxiredoxin function in intracellular signal transduction: therapeutic implications

H2O2 is a reactive oxygen species that has drawn much interest because of its role as a second messenger in receptor-mediated signaling. Mammalian 2-Cys peroxiredoxins have been shown to eliminate efficiently the H2O2 generated in response to receptor stimulation. 2-Cys peroxiredoxins are members of a novel peroxidase family that catalyze the H2O2 reduction reaction in the presence of thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and NADPH. Several lines of evidence suggest that 2-Cys peroxiredoxins have dual roles as regulators of the H2O2 signal and as defenders of oxidative stress. In particular, 2-Cys peroxiredoxin appears to provide selective, specific and localized control of receptor-mediated signal transduction. Thus, the therapeutic potential of 2-Cys peroxiredoxins is clear for diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, that involve reactive oxygen species.

Methods for detection and measurement of hydrogen peroxide inside and outside of cells

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an incompletely reduced metabolite of oxygen that has a diverse array of physiological and pathological effects within living cells depending on the extent, timing, and location of its production. Characterization of the cellular functions of H2O2 requires measurement of its concentration selectively in the presence of other oxygen metabolites and with spatial and temporal fidelity in live cells. For the measurement of H2O2 in biological fluids, several sensitive methods based on horseradish peroxidase and artificial substrates (such as Amplex Red and 3,5,3’5’-tetramethylbenzidine) or on ferrous oxidation in the presence of xylenol orange (FOX) have been developed. For measurement of intracellular H2O2, methods based on dihydro compounds such as 2’,7’-dichlorodihydrofluorescein that fluoresce on oxidation are used widely because of their sensitivity and simplicity. However, such probes react with a variety of cellular oxidants including nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, and hypochloride in addition to H2O2. Deprotection reaction-based probes (PG1 and PC1) that fluoresce on H2O2-specific removal of a boronate group rather than on nonspecific oxidation have recently been developed for selective measurement of H2O2 in cells. Furthermore, a new class of organelle-targetable fluorescent probes has been devised by joining PG1 to a substrate of SNAP-tag. Given that SNAP-tag can be genetically targeted to various subcellular organelles, localized accumulation of H2O2 can be monitored with the use of SNAP-tag bioconjugation chemistry. However, given that both dihydro- and deprotection-based probes react irreversibly with H2O2, they cannot be used to monitor transient changes in H2O2 concentration. This drawback has been overcome with the development of redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP) probes, which are prepared by the introduction of two redox-sensitive cysteine residues into green fluorescent protein; the oxidation of these residues to form a disulfide results in a conformational change of the protein and altered fluorogenic properties. Such genetically encoded probes react reversibly with H2O2 and can be targeted to various compartments of the cell, but they are not selective for H2O2 because disulfide formation in roGFP is promoted by various cellular oxidants. A new type of H2O2-selective, genetically encoded, and reversible fluorescent probe, named HyPer, was recently prepared by insertion of a circularly permuted yellow fluorescent protein (cpYFP) into the bacterial peroxide sensor protein OxyR.

Molecular Mechanism of the Reduction of Cysteine Sulfinic Acid of Peroxiredoxin to Cysteine by Mammalian Sulfiredoxin

Among many proteins with cysteine sulfinic acid (Cys-SO2H) residues, the sulfinic forms of certain peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are selectively reduced by sulfiredoxin (Srx) in the presence of ATP. All Srx enzymes contain a conserved cysteine residue. To elucidate the mechanism of the Srx-catalyzed reaction, we generated various mutants of Srx and examined their interaction with PrxI, their ATPase activity, and their ability to reduce sulfinic PrxI. Our results suggest that three surface-exposed amino acid residues, corresponding to Arg50, Asp57, and Asp79 of rat Srx, are critical for substrate recognition. The presence of the sulfinic form (but not the reduced form) of PrxI induces the conserved cysteine of Srx to take the γ-phosphate of ATP and then immediately transfers the phosphate to the sulfinic moiety of PrxI to generate a sulfinic acid phosphoryl ester (Prx-Cys-S(=O)\batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{OPO}_{3}^{2-}\) \end{document}). This ester is reductively cleaved by a thiol molecule (RSH) such as GSH, thioredoxin, and dithiothreitol to produce a disulfide-S-monoxide (Prx-Cys-S(=O)-S-R). The disulfide-S-monoxide is further reduced through the oxidation of three thiol equivalents to complete the catalytic cycle and regenerate Prx-Cys-SH.

Sulfiredoxin Translocation into Mitochondria Plays a Crucial Role in Reducing Hyperoxidized Peroxiredoxin III

The mitochondria are the major intracellular source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are generated during cellular respiration. The role of peroxiredoxin (Prx) III, a 2-Cys Prx family member, in the scavenging of mitochondrial H2O2 has recently been emphasized. While eliminating H2O2, Prx can become overoxidized and inactivated by modifying the active cysteine into cysteine sulfinic acid (Cys-SO2H). When 2-Cys Prxs are inactivated in vitro, sulfiredoxin (Srx) reduces the cysteine sulfinic acid to cysteines. However, whereas Srx is localized in the cytoplasm, Prx III is present exclusively in the mitochondria. Although Srx reduces sulfinic Prx III in vitro, it remains unclear whether the reduction of Prx III in cells is actually mediated by Srx. Our gain- and loss-of-function experiments show that Srx is responsible for reducing not only sulfinic cytosolic Prxs (I and II) but also sulfinic mitochondrial Prx III. We further demonstrate that Srx translocates from the cytosol to mitochondria in response to oxidative stress. Overexpression of mitochondrion-targeted Srx promotes the regeneration of sulfinic Prx III and results in cellular resistance to apoptosis, with enhanced elimination of mitochondrial H2O2 and decreased rates of mitochondrial membrane potential collapse. These results indicate that Srx plays a crucial role in the reactivation of sulfinic mitochondrial Prx III and that its mitochondrial translocation is critical in maintaining the balance between mitochondrial H2O2 production and elimination.

Dynein Light Chain LC8 Negatively Regulates NF-κB through the Redox-dependent Interaction with IκBα

Redox regulation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) has been described, but the molecular mechanism underlying such regulation has remained unclear. We recently showed that a novel disulfide reductase, TRP14, inhibits tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-induced NF-κB activation, and we identified the dynein light chain LC8, which interacts with the NF-κB inhibitor IκBα, as a potential substrate of TRP14. We now show the molecular mechanism by which NF-κB activation is redox-dependently regulated through LC8. LC8 inhibited TNFα-induced NF-κB activation in HeLa cells by interacting with IκBα and thereby preventing its phosphorylation by IκB kinase (IKK), without affecting the activity of IKK itself. TNFα induced the production of reactive oxygen species, which oxidized LC8 to a homodimer linked by the reversible formation of a disulfide bond between the Cys2 residues of each subunit and thereby resulted in its dissociation from IκBα. Butylated hydroxyanisol, an antioxidant, and diphenyleneiodonium, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase, attenuated the phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα by TNFα stimulation. In addition LC8 inhibited NF-κB activation by other stimuli including interleukin-1β and lipopolysaccharide, both of which generated reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, TRP14 catalyzed reduction of oxidized LC8. Together, our results indicate that LC8 binds IκBα in a redox-dependent manner and thereby prevents its phosphorylation by IKK. TRP14 contributes to this inhibitory activity by maintaining LC8 in a reduced state.

Hydrogen peroxide induces hyphal differentiation in Candida albicans.

ABSTRACT In this study, we demonstrate that hyphal differentiation is induced by the subtoxic concentration of exogenous H2O2 in Candida albicans. This finding is confirmed by the changing intracellular concentration of H2O2. In order to induce the same level of differentiation, low concentrations of exogenous H2O2 are required for the null mutants of the thiol-specific antioxidant and catalase, while higher concentrations are needed for cells treated with ascorbic acid, an antioxidant chemical.

Redox Regulation of Lipopolysaccharide-mediated Sulfiredoxin Induction, Which Depends on Both AP-1 and Nrf2

Sulfiredoxin (Srx) is an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of cysteine sulfinic acid of hyperoxidized peroxiredoxins and exerts a protective antioxidant role. Here we investigated the regulatory mechanism of Srx induction by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mouse macrophages. LPS up-regulated Srx expression on the transcriptional level. The promoter region of the Srx gene contained putative NF-κB and AP-1 (activator protein-1) sites, and the proximal site of three AP-1 sites was embedded within the antioxidant response element (ARE), a cis-acting element for Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor). Mutational analysis of the Srx promoter revealed that Srx induction is dependent on AP-1 sites and ARE but not on NF-κB sites. Consistently, both transcription factors, AP-1 and Nrf2, were required for LPS-mediated Srx induction, as revealed by chromatin immunoprecipitation using antibodies specific for c-Jun and c-Fos and little Srx induction in Nrf2-null bone marrow-derived macrophages. Among mitogen-activated protein kinases that mediate the signal transduction by LPS, JNK played a major role in Srx induction. Moreover, chemical antioxidants, such as N-acetylcysteine and butylated hydroxyanisole, and the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium inhibited Srx induction as well as generation of reactive oxygen species, both of which were also suppressed in Nox2 (NADPH oxidase 2)-deficient bone marrow-derived macrophages. These results suggest that LPS-mediated Srx induction is dependent on both AP-1 and Nrf2, which is regulated by Nox2-derived reactive oxygen species.

ERp16, an Endoplasmic Reticulum-resident Thiol-disulfide Oxidoreductase: BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND ROLE IN APOPTOSIS INDUCED BY ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS*

We have characterized the properties and putative role of a mammalian thioredoxin-like protein, ERp16 (previously designated ERp18, ERp19, or hTLP19). The predicted amino acid sequence of the 172-residue human protein contains an NH2-terminal signal peptide, a thioredoxin-like domain with an active site motif (CGAC), and a COOH-terminal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention sequence (EDEL). Analyses indicated that the mature protein (comprising 146 residues) is generated by cleavage of the 26-residue signal peptide and is localized in the lumen of the ER. Biochemical experiments with the recombinant mature protein revealed it to be a thioldisulfide oxidoreductase. Its redox potential was about -165 mV; its active site cysteine residue Cys66 was nucleophilic with a pKa value of ∼6.6; it catalyzed the formation, reduction, and isomerization of disulfide bonds, with the unusual CGAC active site motif being responsible for these activities; and it existed as a dimer and underwent a redox-dependent conformational change. The observations that the redox potential of ERp16 (-165 mV) was within the range of that of the ER (-135 to -185 mV) and that ERp16 catalyzed disulfide isomerization of scrambled ribonuclease A suggest a role for ERp16 in protein disulfide isomerization in the ER. Expression of ERp16 in HeLa cells inhibited the induction of apoptosis by agents that elicit ER stress, including brefeldin A, tunicamycin, and dithiothreitol. In contrast, expression of a catalytically inactive mutant of ERp16 potentiated such apoptosis, as did depletion of ERp16 by RNA interference. Our results suggest that ERp16 mediates disulfide bond formation in the ER and plays an important role in cellular defense against prolonged ER stress.

Characterization of a Putative Thioredoxin Peroxidase Prx1 of Candida albicans

In this study, we characterized a putative peroxidase Prx1 of Candida albicans by: 1) demonstrating the thioredoxin-linked peroxidase activity with purified proteins, 2) examining the sensitivity to several oxidants and the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species with a null mutant (prx1Δ), a mutant (C69S) with a point mutation at Cys69, and a revertant, and 3) subcelluar localization. Enzymatic assays showed that Prx1 is a thioredoxin-linked peroxidase which reduces both hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH). Compared with two other strong H2O2 scavenger mutants for TSA1 and CAT1, prx1Δ and C69S were less sensitive to H2O2, menadione and diamide at all concentrations tested, but were more sensitive to low concentration of t-BOOH. Intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulated in prx1Δ and C69S cells treated with t-BOOH but not H2O2. These results suggest that peroxidase activity of Prx1 is specified to t-BOOH in cells. In both biochemical and physiological cases, the evolutionarily conserved Cys69 was found to be essential for the function. Immunocytochemical staining revealed Prx1 is localized in the cytosol of yeast cells, but is translocated to the nucleus during the hyphal transition, though the significances of this observation are unclear. Our data suggest that PRX1 has a thioredoxin peroxidase activity reducing both t-BOOH and H2O2, but its cellular function is specified to t-BOOH.

Sulfiredoxin inhibitor induces preferential death of cancer cells through reactive oxygen species-mediated mitochondrial damage.

Recent studies have shown that many types of cancer cells have increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhance antioxidant capacity as an adaptation to intrinsic oxidative stress, suggesting that cancer cells are more vulnerable to oxidative insults and are more dependent on antioxidant systems compared with normal cells. Thus, disruption of redox homeostasis caused by a decline in antioxidant capacity may provide a method for the selective death of cancer cells. Here we show that ROS-mediated selective death of tumor cells can be caused by inhibiting sulfiredoxin (Srx), which reduces hyperoxidized peroxiredoxins, leading to their reactivation. Srx inhibitor increased the accumulation of sulfinic peroxiredoxins and ROS, which led to oxidative mitochondrial damage and caspase activation, resulting in the death of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Srx depletion also inhibited the growth of A549 cells like Srx inhibition, and the cytotoxic effects of Srx inhibitor were considerably reversed by Srx overexpression or antioxidants such as N-acetyl cysteine and butylated hydroxyanisol. Moreover, Srx inhibitor rendered tumorigenic ovarian cells more susceptible to ROS-mediated death compared with nontumorigenic cells and significantly suppressed the growth of A549 xenografts without acute toxicity. Our results suggest that Srx might serve as a novel therapeutic target for cancer treatment based on ROS-mediated cell death.