Aconitase specificity

Step 2 of Figure 29.12 Isomerization Citrate, a prochiral tertiary alcohol, is next converted into its isomer, (2, 35)-isocitrate, a chiral secondary alcohol. The isomerization occurs in two steps, both of which are catalyzed by the same aconitase enzyme. The initial step is an ElcB dehydration of a /3-hydroxy acid to give cfs-aconitate, the same sort of reaction that occurs in step 9 of glycolysis (Figure 29.7). The second step is a conjugate nucleophilic addition of water to the C=C bond (Section 19.13). The dehydration of citrate takes place specifically on the pro-R arm—the one derived from oxaloacetate—rather than on the pro-S arm derived from acetyl CoA. 

A further way in which metabolic control may be exercised is the artificial deprivation of required ions and cofactors, for example aconitase must have ferrous ions for activity. Conversely, addition of toxic ions is possible, for example aconitase is inhibited by cupric ions. Finally the use of metabolic analogues is possible. If monofluoroacetate is added to cells then monofluorocitrate is produced by titrate synthase and this compound inhibits the activity of aconitase. Great care has to be taken when using metabolic analogues, however, they are often less than 100% specific and may have unexpected and unwanted serious side effects. 

Figure 7.8 Regulation of IRP-1 and IRP-2. The two IRPs are shown as homologous four domain proteins that bind to IREs (left) In iron-replete cells, IRP-1 assembles a cubane Fe-S cluster that is liganded via cys-437, -503 and -506. Similar cysteines are conserved in IRP-2 (Cys-512, -578 and -581), but it is unresolved as to whether they also coordinate an Fe-S cluster, (right) In iron-replete cells, IRP-2 is targeted for destruction via a specific region (shaded in black), whereas IRP-1, with a 4Fe-4S cluster, is stable and active as a cytoplasmic aconitase. Multiple signals induce IRE-binding by IRP-1 with distinct kinetics. Whether or not NO and H2O2 induce IRP-1 by apoprotein formation remains to be addressed directly. From Hentze and Kuhn, 1996. Copyright (1996) National Academy of Sciences, USA.

Gardner and Fridovich [85] proposed that the inactivation of aconitase might be used as an assay of superoxide formation in cells. The mechanism of the interaction of superoxide with aconitases has been considered in Chapter 21. As follows from data presented in that chapter, peroxynitrite is also able to inactivate aconitases rapidly therefore, this method cannot be a specific assay of superoxide detection. 

Additional ISC proteins are required later in the process for the insertion of ISC into mitochondrial Fe-S proteins. Isal and Isa2 are required specifically and in addition for the maturation of aconitase-type Fe-S proteins. 

The X-ray structures of other aconitases have appeared in the literature. Recently, the crystal structure of human iron regulatory protein, IRPl, in its aconitase form, has been published. Iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) control the translation of proteins involved in iron uptake, storage, and utilization by binding to specific noncoding sequences of the corresponding mRNAs known... 

Figure 9.2 Summary of reactions of the Krebs cycle. The names of the enzymes are dtrate synthase, aconitase, isodtrate dehydrogenase (there are two enzymes, one ubTizes NAD as the cofactor, the other NADPT it is assumed that the NAD -specific enzyme is that involved in the cycle), oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, sucdnyl CoA synthetase, succinate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase, malate dehydrogenase.

Proteins containing iron-sulfur clusters are ubiquitous in nature, due primarily to their involvement in biological electron transfer reactions. In addition to functioning as simple reagents for electron transfer, protein-bound iron-sulfur clusters also function in catalysis of numerous redox reactions (e.g., H2 oxidation, N2 reduction) and, in some cases, of reactions that involve the addition or elimination of water to or from specific substrates (e.g., aconitase in the tricarboxylic acid cycle) (1). 

Aconitase was first described 50 years ago by Martius (1,2) and soon there after named by Breusch (3). The enzyme demonstrated the then surprizing ability to distinguish between the chemicadly identical acetyl arms of citrate (4). The stereo-specificity of enzyme catalyzed reactions was not fully understood until the late 1940 s when Ogston point out that as long as a substrate attaches to an asymmetric enzyme at three points, the enzyme can differentiate between two identical amis of a symmetrical molecule (5). 

A representative sampling of non-heme iron proteins is presented in Fig. 3. Evident from this atlas is the diversity of structural folds exhibited by non-heme iron proteins it may be safely concluded that there is no unique structural motif associated with non-heme iron proteins in general, or even for specific types of non-heme iron centers. Protein folds may be generally classified into several categories (i.e., all a, parallel a/)3, or antiparallel /8) on the basis of the types and interactions of secondary structures (a helix and sheet) present (Richardson, 1981). Non-heme iron proteins are found in all three classes (all a myohemerythrin, ribonucleotide reductase, and photosynthetic reaction center parallel a/)8 iron superoxide dismutase, lactoferrin, and aconitase antiparallel )3 protocatechuate dioxygenase, rubredoxins, and ferredoxins). This structural diversity is another reflection of the wide variety of functional roles exhibited by non-heme iron centers. 

Notwithstanding these studies, the role of the iron cluster in the catalysis remains an enigma. Clearly, the substrate binds to the Fca site by the Mdssbauer spectra. Also, the ENDOR spectra of aconitase with specifically 0-labeled substrates and inhibitors imply that the )3-carboxyl... 

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, see also specific compounds aconitase, 47 479 APS reductase, 47 384 CODH/ACS, 47 314, 317 Fe hydrogenase, 47 389 FeMoco, 47 200... 

A few natural organofluorine compounds exist, most notably in plants (Fig. 1c). These are generally noted for their toxicity most importantly, fluoroacetate enters the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and as fluorocitrate inhibits c/s-aconitase [4,106,107]. Of course, toxicity provides an opportunity to generate specific poisons and fluoroacetate is widely used as a rodenticide providing opportunities for NMR [108]. F NMR has been used for extensive studies of body fluids such as milk and urine with respect to xenobiotica [109-115]. 

It is noteworthy that except for the Rieske center in Complex III, Complexes I and 11 are home to all the iron-sulfur clusters in the mitochondrial electron transfer chain and consequently most of the iron-containing carriers in the entire sequence. Hibbs subsequently showed that CAM-injured cells lose a substantial portion of their total intracellular iron (Hibbs et al., 1984) [later studies specifically identified loss of mitochondrial iron (Wharton et al., 1988)] and Drapier and Hibbs (1986) showed that the activity of another iron-sulfur-containing enzyme, aconitase, is also lost. In early 1987 Hibbs reported that the cytostatic actions of CAMs requires the presence of only one component in culture medium, L-arginine (Hibbs et al., 1987b). Thus, the stage was set for the discovery of a unique reactive species that targets intracellular iron, produced by CAMs. 

Zn+2, Mn+2, Fe+2, Cd+2, Co+2, and Ni+2, although diminished activity results (35, 53). Fundamentally the enolase and aconitase reactions are closely related, since the net result of both is the addition or subtraction of a molecule of water. In spite of this similarity, the metal ions associated with these two reactions are very different. It is one of the puzzling aspects of metalloenzyme chemistry that every enzyme has a different metal ion specificity. Each of these enzymes is associated in its natural state with a specific metal ion, which differs from enzyme to enzyme. It is possible to remove the naturally occurring metal from many of these enzymes and to reactivate them by the addition of other metals, as has been shown in the case of carboxypeptidase. The order in which the various metal ions fall in their ability to activate the different enzymes again varies from enzyme to enzyme. 

In contrast, selective inhibition of enzyme activity involves highly specific interactions between the protein and chemical groups on the xenobiotic. An excellent example of this type of inhibition is seen in the toxic effect of fluoroacetate, which is used as a rodenticide. Although fluoroacetate is not directly toxic, it is metabolized to fluoroacetyl-CoA, which enters the citric acid cycle due to its structural similarity to acetyl-CoA (Scheme 3.5). Within the cycle, fluoroacetyl-CoA combines with oxalo-acetate to form fluorocitrate, which inhibits the next enzyme, aconitase, in the cycle [42]. The enzyme is unable to catalyze the dehydration to cis-aconitate, as a consequence of the stronger C-F bond compared with the C-H bond. Therefore, fluorocitrate acts as a pseudosubstrate, which blocks the citric acid cycle and, subsequently, impairs ATP synthesis. 

Scheme 3.5 Metabolism of fluoroacetate to fluorocitrate, a specific inhibitor of aconitase. Modified from [42].

Aconitase exists as both mitochondrial and cytosolic isoenzyme forms of similar structure. However, the cytosolic isoenzyme has a second function. In its apoenzyme form, which lacks the iron-sulfur cluster, it acts as the much-studied iron regulatory factor, or iron-responsive element binding protein (IRE-BP). This protein binds to a specific stem-loop structure in the messenger RNA for proteins involved in iron transport and storage (Chapter 28).86/9°... 

Marked interference with mitochondrial function is a feature of HD brain (Browne and Beal, 2004 Browne et al., 1997 Browne, 2008 Nicholls, 2009 Reddy et al., 2009 Quintanilla and Johnson, 2009 Su et al., 2010). For example, Browne et al. (1997) showed that citrate synthase-corrected complex II-III activity is markedly reduced in both HD caudate (-29%) and putamen (-67%), and complex IV specific activity is reduced in HD putamen (-62%). Tabrizi et al. (1999) reported that aconi-tase specific activity is reduced to 8,27, and 52% of control activities in HD caudate, putamen, and cerebral cortex, respectively. Tabrizi et al. (2000) also reported that aconitase and complex IV activities are decreased in the striatum of 12-wk HD transgenic (R6/2) mice, and complex IV activity is decreased in cerebral cortex. As noted previously for human HD, oxidative stress indicators (increased inducible NO... 

Aconitase has been a particularly fertile protein for investigating and establishing cluster transformations. Aerobic isolation of aconitase or air-exposure of the active [4Fe-4S] + + form results in an inactive enzyme containing a [3Fe-4S]+ cluster. However, under reducing conditions the [3Fe-4S]° cluster avidly takes up Fe to reform the catalytically active [4Fe-4S] + + cluster. The [4Fe-4S] clusters in (de)hydratases such as aconitase and ferredoxins which have noncysteinyl ligation at a specific Fe atom are particularly susceptible to this type of reversible cluster... 

Iron response elements consist of short stretches of ribonucleic acid, and they occur in the mRNA coding for ferritin, transferrin receptor, and 8-aminolevulinic acid s)mthase. Each IRE can be bound by an IRP. Several different IRPs exist. Surprisingly, one of the IREs is quite similar to aconitase, the Krebs cycle enzyme (Kim et ah, 1996 Toth and Bridges, 1995 Henderson et ah, 1996). All IRPs contain an iron binding site. This site consists of several residues of cysteine. To be more specific, the sulfhydryl groups of cysteine residues function to bind iron atoms. 

---