Iron-Coordinating Tyrosine Is a Key Determinant of NEAT Domain Heme Transfer

AbstractIn humans, heme iron is the most abundant iron source, and bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus acquire it for growth. IsdB of S. aureus acquires Fe(III)–protoporphyrin IX (heme) from hemoglobin for transfer to IsdC via IsdA. These three cell-wall-anchored Isd (iron-regulated surface determinant) proteins contain conserved NEAT (near iron transport) domains. The purpose of this work was to delineate the mechanism of heme binding and transfer between the NEAT domains of IsdA, IsdB, and IsdC using a combination of structural and spectroscopic studies. X-ray crystal structures of IsdA NEAT domain (IsdA-N1) variants reveal that removing the native heme-iron ligand Tyr166 is compensated for by iron coordination by His83 on the distal side and that no single mutation of distal loop residues is sufficient to perturb the IsdA–heme complex. Also, alternate heme-iron coordination was observed in structures of IsdA-N1 bound to reduced Fe(II)–protoporphyrin IX and Co(III)–protoporphyrin IX. The IsdA-N1 structural data were correlated with heme transfer kinetics from the NEAT domains of IsdB and IsdC. We demonstrated that the NEAT domains transfer heme at rates comparable to full-length proteins. The second-order rate constant for heme transfer from IsdA-N1 was modestly affected (<2-fold) by the IsdA variants, excluding those at Tyr166. Substituting Tyr166 with Ala or Phe changed the reaction mechanism to one with two observable steps and decreased observed rates >15-fold (to 100-fold excess IsdC). We propose a heme transfer model wherein NEAT domain complexes pass heme iron directly from an iron-coordinating Tyr of the donor protein to the homologous Tyr residues of the acceptor protein

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors for febrile neutropenia prophylaxis following chemotherapy: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) occurs following myelosuppressive chemotherapy and is associated with morbidity, mortality, costs, and chemotherapy reductions and delays. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) stimulate neutrophil production and may reduce FN incidence when given prophylactically following chemotherapy. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of G-CSFs (pegfilgrastim, filgrastim or lenograstim) in reducing FN incidence in adults undergoing chemotherapy for solid tumours or lymphoma. G-CSFs were compared with no primary G-CSF prophylaxis and with one another. Nine databases were searched in December 2009. Meta-analysis used a random effects model due to heterogeneity. Results: Twenty studies compared primary G-CSF prophylaxis with no primary G-CSF prophylaxis: five studies of pegfilgrastim; ten of filgrastim; and five of lenograstim. All three G-CSFs significantly reduced FN incidence, with relative risks of 0.30 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.65) for pegfilgrastim, 0.57 (95% CI: 0.48 to 0.69) for filgrastim, and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.44 to 0.88) for lenograstim. Overall, the relative risk of FN for any primary G-CSF prophylaxis versus no primary G-CSF prophylaxis was 0.51 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.62). In terms of comparisons between different G-CSFs, five studies compared pegfilgrastim with filgrastim. FN incidence was significantly lower for pegfilgrastim than filgrastim, with a relative risk of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.44 to 0.98). Conclusions: Primary prophylaxis with G-CSFs significantly reduces FN incidence in adults undergoing chemotherapy for solid tumours or lymphoma. Pegfilgrastim reduces FN incidence to a significantly greater extent than filgrastim

Sequencing three crocodilian genomes to illuminate the evolution of archosaurs and amniotes

The International Crocodilian Genomes Working Group (ICGWG) will sequence and assemble the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and Indian gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) genomes. The status of these projects and our planned analyses are described

G-Quadruplex Structures Formed by Expanded Hexanucleotide Repeat RNA and DNA from the Neurodegenerative Disease-Linked C9orf72 Gene Efficiently Sequester and Activate Heme

The expansion of a (G4C2)n repeat within the human C9orf72 gene has been causally linked to a number of neurodegenerative diseases, most notably familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Recent studies have shown that the repeat expansion alters gene function in four ways, disrupting the gene\u27s normal cellular roles and introducing toxic gain of function at the level of both DNA and RNA. (G4C2)n DNA, as well as the RNA transcribed from it, are found to fold into four-stranded G-quadruplex structures. It has been shown that the toxicity of the RNA G-quadruplexes, often localized in intracellular RNA foci, lies in their ability to sequester many important RNA binding proteins. Herein we propose that a distinct toxic property of such RNA and DNA G-quadruplexes from the C9orf72 gene may arise from their ability to bind and oxidatively activate cellular heme. We show that G-quadruplexes formed by both (G4C2)4 RNA and DNA not only complex tightly with heme but also enhance its intrinsic peroxidase and oxidase propensities. By contrast, the antisense (C4G2)4 RNA and DNA neither bind heme nor influence its oxidative activity. Curiously, the ability of C9orf72 DNA and transcripts to bind and activate heme mirror similar properties that have been reported for the Aβ peptide and its oligomers in Alzheimer\u27s disease neurons. It is therefore conceivable that C9orf72 RNA G-quadruplex tangles play roles in sequestering intracellular heme and promoting oxidative damage in ALS and FTD analogous to those proposed for Aβ peptide and its tangles in Alzheimer\u27s Disease. Given that neurodegenerative diseases in general are characterized by mitochondrial and respiratory malfunctions, the role of C9orf72 DNA and RNA in heme sequestration as well as its inappropriate activation in ALS and FTD neurons may warrant examination

G-repeat expansion RNA and DNA bind heme.

<p>UV-visible spectroscopy of fixed concentrations of heme (0.5 µM) titrated and equilibrated with progressively increasing concentrations of DNA/RNA. (<b>A</b>) d(G₄C₂)₄, (<b>B</b>) r(G₄C₂)₄, (<b>C</b>) d(C₄G₂)₄, (<b>D</b>) r(C₄G₂)₄, (<b>E</b>) CatG4. Panel <b>F</b> shows plots of A_404nm from each of the plots shown in <b>(A)–(E)</b>, as functions of the DNA/RNA concentration.</p

Oligonucleotide sequences used in this study.^a

a<p>RNA sequences have an “r” prefix and DNA samples have a “d” prefix.</p><p>Oligonucleotide sequences used in this study.^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0106449#nt101" target="_blank">a</a>}</p

<i>c9orf72</i> repeat DNA and RNA catalyze oxidase reactions with NADH and ascorbate.

<p>(<b>A</b>) A photographic record of the oxidase activity of different DNA/RNA solutions in the presence of heme. Amplex Red oxidation to resorufin produces an intense red color. Each solution containing DNA/RNA (10 µM) and heme (1 µM) was incubated with 1 mM Amplex Red in the presence of NADH or Ascorbate (1 mM), the absence of a reductant or hydrogen peroxide (0.1 mM). (<b>B</b>) UV/Vis spectra for samples from panel <b>A</b> at ∼24 hrs, showing characteristic spectra for resorufin (l_max ∼570 nm).</p