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S Lutsenko

Publications and source records attributed to S Lutsenko.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Function and regulation of the mammalian copper-transporting ATPases: insights from biochemical and cell biological approaches.

Copper is an essential trace element that plays a very important role in cell physiology. In humans, disruption of normal copper homeostasis leads to severe disorders, such as Menkes disease and Wilson's disease. Recent genetic, cell biological, and biochemical studies have begun to dissect the molecular mechanisms involved in transmembrane transport and intracellular distribution of copper in mammalian cells. In this review, we summarize the advances that have been made in understanding of structure, function, and regulation of the key human copper transporters, the Menkes disease and Wilson's disease proteins.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The Wilson's disease protein expressed in Sf9 cells is phosphorylated.

The Wilson's disease protein (WNDP), a copper transporter, is a crucial mediator of copper homoeostasis in mammalian cells. We recently found that changes in copper concentration regulate the phosphorylation level of WNDP. WNDP phosphorylation was observed in several mammalian cell lines, suggesting that a common phosphorylation pathway exists in these cells. Here we demonstrate that WNDP expressed in Sf9 insect cells is also phosphorylated, as evidenced by metabolic labelling of these cells with [(32)P]P(i). Because the baculovirus system allows us to generate large amounts of protein, we are using this expression method to isolate WNDP and map the sites of WNDP phosphorylation. The identification of phosphorylation sites is the first step towards understanding the physiological role of WNDP phosphorylation.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Copper specifically regulates intracellular phosphorylation of the Wilson's disease protein, a human copper-transporting ATPase.

Copper is a trace element essential for normal cell homeostasis. The major physiological role of copper is to serve as a cofactor to a number of key metabolic enzymes. In humans, genetic defects of copper distribution, such as Wilson's disease, lead to severe pathologies, including neurodegeneration, liver lesions, and behavior abnormalities. Here, we demonstrate that, in addition to its role as a cofactor, copper can regulate important post-translational events such as protein phosphorylation. Specifically, in human cells copper modulates phosphorylation of a key copper transporter, the Wilson's disease protein (WNDP). Copper-induced phosphorylation of WNDP is rapid, specific, and reversible and correlates with the intracellular location of this copper transporter. WNDP is found to have at least two phosphorylation sites, a basal phosphorylation site and a site modified in response to increased copper concentration. Comparative analysis of WNDP, the WNDP pineal isoform, and WNDP C-terminal truncation mutants revealed that the basal phosphorylation site is located in the C-terminal Ser(796)-Tyr(1384) region of WNDP. The copper-induced phosphorylation appears to require the presence of the functional N-terminal domain of this protein. The novel physiological role of copper as a modulator of protein phosphorylation could be central to understanding how copper transport is regulated in mammalian cells.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The Lys1010-Lys1325 fragment of the Wilson's disease protein binds nucleotides and interacts with the N-terminal domain of this protein in a copper-dependent manner.

Wilson's disease, an autosomal disorder associated with vast accumulation of copper in tissues, is caused by mutations in a gene encoding a copper-transporting ATPase (Wilson's disease protein, WNDP). Numerous mutations have been identified throughout the WNDP sequence, particularly in the Lys(1010)-Lys(1325) segment; however, the biochemical properties and molecular mechanism of WNDP remain poorly characterized. Here, the Lys(1010)-Lys(1325) fragment of WNDP was overexpressed, purified, and shown to form an independently folded ATP-binding domain (ATP-BD). ATP-BD binds the fluorescent ATP analogue trinitrophenyl-ATP with high affinity, and ATP competes with trinitrophenyl-ATP for the binding site; ADP and AMP appear to bind to ATP-BD at the site separate from ATP. Purified ATP-BD hydrolyzes ATP and interacts specifically with the N-terminal copper-binding domain of WNDP (N-WNDP). Strikingly, copper binding to N-WNDP diminishes these interactions, suggesting that the copper-dependent change in domain-domain contact may represent the mechanism of WNDP regulation. In agreement with this hypothesis, N-WNDP induces conformational changes in ATP-BD as evidenced by the altered nucleotide binding properties of ATP-BD in the presence of N-WNDP. Significantly, the effects of copper-free and copper-bound N-WNDP on ATP-BD are not identical. The implications of these results for the WNDP function are discussed.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Expression of ZntA, a zinc-transporting P1-type ATPase, is specifically regulated by zinc and cadmium.

All cells have developed various mechanisms to regulate precisely the availability of important micronutrients such as zinc and copper; in many cells, this regulation is mediated by P1-type ATPases. Most of the P1-ATPases have been described very recently, and little is known about their molecular mechanism and regulation. Here, we demonstrate that the expression of ZntA, a Zn,Cd-transporting P-type ATPase of Escherichia coli, is specifically regulated by the transported cations, cadmium and zinc. Nickel, cobalt, and copper did not induce the expression of ZntA, even when present at concentrations as high as 0.6-1 mM. The effect of zinc and cadmium on the ZntA expression is concentration dependent, the apparent Km for Cd (19 microM) being markedly lower than that for Zn (100 microM). This metal selectivity is opposite to the known metal selectivity of transport by ZntA. Thus, we speculate that, to maintain zinc concentrations in the cell in the presence of cadmium, ZntA probably interacts with other proteins that modulate the ZntA selectivity towards transported cations.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Stabilization of the H,K-ATPase M5M6 membrane hairpin by K+ ions. Mechanistic significance for p2-type atpases.

The integral membrane protein, the gastric H,K-ATPase, is an alpha-beta heterodimer, with 10 putative transmembrane segments in the alpha-subunit and one such segment in the beta-subunit. All transmembrane segments remain within the membrane domain following trypsinization of the intact gastric H,K-ATPase in the presence of K+ ions, identified as M1M2, M3M4, M5M6, and M7, M8, M9, and M10. Removal of K+ ions from this digested preparation results in the selective loss of the M5M6 hairpin from the membrane. The release of the M5M6 fragment is directed to the extracellular phase as evidenced by the accumulation of the released M5M6 hairpin inside the sealed inside out vesicles. The stabilization of the M5M6 hairpin in the membrane phase by the transported cation as well as loss to the aqueous phase in the absence of the transported cation has been previously observed for another P2-type ATPase, the Na, K-ATPase (Lutsenko, S., Anderko, R., and Kaplan, J. H. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92, 7936-7940). Thus, the effects of the counter-transported cation on retention of the M5M6 segment in the membrane as compared with the other membrane pairs may be a general feature of P2-ATPase ion pumps, reflecting a flexibility of this region that relates to the mechanism of transport.

Animals↗

Null mutation of the murine ATP7B (Wilson disease) gene results in intracellular copper accumulation and late-onset hepatic nodular transformation.

The Atp7b protein is a copper-transporting ATPase expressed predominantly in the liver and to a lesser extent in most other tissues. Mutations in the ATP7B gene lead to Wilson disease, a copper toxicity disorder characterized by dramatic build-up of intracellular hepatic copper with subsequent hepatic and neuro-logical abnormalities. Using homologous recombination to disrupt the normal translation of ATP7B, we have generated a strain of mice that are homozygous mutants (null) for the Wilson disease gene. The ATP7B null mice display a gradual accumulation of hepatic copper that increases to a level 60-fold greater than normal by 5 months of age. An increase in copper concentration was also observed in the kidney, brain, placenta and lactating mammary glands of homo-zygous mutants, although milk from the mutant glands was copper deficient. Morphological abnormalities resembling cirrhosis developed in the majority of the livers from homozygous mutants older than 7 months of age. Progeny of the homozygous mutant females demonstrated neurological abnormalities and growth retardation characteristic of copper deficiency. Copper concentration in the livers of the newborn homozygous null mutants was decreased dramatically. In summary, inactivation of the murine ATP7B gene produces a form of cirrhotic liver disease that resembles Wilson disease in humans and the 'toxic milk' phenotype in the mouse.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Mechanism of calcium gating in small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels.

The slow afterhyperpolarization that follows an action potential is generated by the activation of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels). The slow afterhyperpolarization limits the firing frequency of repetitive action potentials (spike-frequency adaptation) and is essential for normal neurotransmission. SK channels are voltage-independent and activated by submicromolar concentrations of intracellular calcium. They are high-affinity calcium sensors that transduce fluctuations in intracellular calcium concentrations into changes in membrane potential. Here we study the mechanism of calcium gating and find that SK channels are not gated by calcium binding directly to the channel alpha-subunits. Instead, the functional SK channels are heteromeric complexes with calmodulin, which is constitutively associated with the alpha-subunits in a calcium-independent manner. Our data support a model in which calcium gating of SK channels is mediated by binding of calcium to calmodulin and subsequent conformational alterations in the channel protein.

Animals↗

Identification of a novel transcription regulator from Proteus mirabilis, PMTR, revealed a possible role of YJAI protein in balancing zinc in Escherichia coli.

Zinc is an essential trace element required for structural integrity and functional activity of numerous proteins, yet mechanisms by which cells regulate zinc concentration are poorly understood. Here, we identified a gene from Proteus mirabilis that encodes a 135-amino acid residue protein, PMTR (P. mirabilis transcription regulator), a new member of the MerR family of transcription activators. Transformation of Escherichia coli with PMTR-carrying vectors specifically increases cell tolerance to zinc, suggesting the role of PMTR in zinc homeostasis. In response to zinc, PMTR-containing cells robustly accumulate a 12-kDa protein, the amount of which correlates with the cells' ability to grow at high zinc concentrations. The 12-kDa protein is not induced in the presence of Ni2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Mn2+, or Fe2+, indicating that the PMTR-dependent expression of the 12-kDa protein is specifically regulated by zinc. The 12-kDa protein was identified as the C-terminal fragment of E. coli protein YJAI, and was shown to contain two zinc-binding motifs. Metal-affinity chromatography and 65Zn blotting assay confirmed the ability of the 12-kDa protein to bind zinc specifically (zinc > cobalt >> cadmium). We propose that YJAI is an important component of the zinc-balancing mechanism in E. coli, the up-regulation of which with PMTR results in an increased tolerance to zinc.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Localization of the Wilson's disease protein product to mitochondria.

Wilson's disease (WND) is an inherited disorder of copper homeostasis characterized by abnormal accumulation of copper in several tissues, particularly in the liver, brain, and kidney. The disease-associated gene encodes a copper-transporting P-type ATPase, the WND protein, the subcellular location of which could be regulated by copper. We demonstrate that the WND protein is present in cells in two forms, the 160-kDa and the 140-kDa products. The 160-kDa product was earlier shown to be targeted to trans-Golgi network. The 140-kDa product identified herein is located in mitochondria as evidenced by the immunofluorescent staining of HepG2 cells with specific mitochondria markers and polyclonal antibody directed against the C terminus of the WND molecule. The mitochondrial location for the 140-kDa WND product was confirmed by membrane fractionation and by analysis of purified human mitochondria. The antibody raised against a repetitive sequence in the N-terminal portion of the WND molecule detects an additional 16-kDa protein, suggesting that the 140-kDa product was formed after proteolytic cleavage of the full-length WND protein at the N terminus. Thus, the WND protein is a P-type ATPase with an unusual subcellular localization. The mitochondria targeting of the WND protein suggests its important role for copper-dependent processes taking place in this organelle.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

N-terminal domains of human copper-transporting adenosine triphosphatases (the Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins) bind copper selectively in vivo and in vitro with stoichiometry of one copper per metal-binding repeat.

N-terminal domains of the Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins (N-WND and N-MNK) were overexpressed in a soluble form in Escherichia coli as fusions with maltose-binding protein, purified, and their metal-binding properties were characterized. Both N-MNK and N-WND bind copper specifically as indicated by the results of metal-chelate chromatography, direct copper-binding measurements, and chemical modification of Cys residues in the presence of different heavy metals. When E. coli cells are grown in the presence of copper, N-MNK and N-WND bind copper in vivo with stoichiometry of 5-6 nmol of copper/nmol of protein. Copper released from the copper-N-MNK and copper-N-WND complexes reacts with the Cu(I)-selective chelator bicinchoninic acid in the absence of reducing agents. This suggests that in proteins, it is bound in reduced Cu(I) form, in agreement with the spectroscopic properties of the copper-bound domains. Copper bound to the domains in vivo or in vitro specifically protects the N-MNK and N-WND against labeling with the cysteine-directed probe; this indicates that Cys residues in the repetitive motifs GMTCXXCXXXIE are involved in coordination of copper. Direct involvement of the N-terminal domains in the binding of copper suggests their important role in copper-dependent functions of human copper-transporting adenosine triphosphatases (Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins).

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Chemical modification with dihydro-4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate reveals the distance between K480 and K501 in the ATP-binding domain of the Na,K-ATPase.

Dihydro-4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (H2DIDS) inactivates the renal Na,K-ATPase in an ATP- and K-preventable fashion; inactivation results in the covalent incorporation of a single [3H2]DIDS molecule into the Na pump alpha-subunit. K+ protection is observed at low concentrations (< 2 mM) and reversed at higher concentrations. The biphasic effect is also seen with Rb+, to a lesser extent by Cs+, and not at all by Na+ or choline. After extensive tryptic digestion of 3H2DIDS-inactivated enzyme, a single radiolabeled peptide is seen in 16.5% Tricine gels. N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed two sequences 470IVEIPFNSTNxYQLS and 495HLLVMxGAPER, the unidentified residues were K480 and K501, respectively. These data provide suggestive evidence of cross-linking by H2DIDS between the two lysines. CNBr digestion of 3H2DIDS-labeled alpha-subunit produced a single radioactive band of the predicted 15-kDa mass for cross-linking between K480 an K501 produced by cleavage at known methione residues. The 15-kDa band combined two N-terminal sequences 464RDRYAKIVEI and 501xGAPERILDR which include K480 and K501. Thus K480 and K501 are within approximately 14 A of each other in the Na-bound form of the enzyme and information about the occupancy of the cation binding domain is transmitted to the ATP binding loop of the Na,K-ATPase.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Identification of two conformationally sensitive cysteine residues at the extracellular surface of the Na,K-ATPase alpha-subunit.

Na,K-ATPase in right-side-out oriented vesicles was stabilized in different conformations, and the location of intramembrane Cys residues of the alpha-subunit was assessed with membrane-permeable and membrane-impermeable Cys-directed reagents. In the presence of Mg2+ and Pi, Cys964 was the most accessible for both membrane-impermeable 4-acetamido-4'-maleimidylstilbene-2, 2'disulfonic acid (or stilbene disulfonate maleimide, SDSM) and membrane-permeable 7-diethylamino-3-(4'-maleimidyl)-4-methylcoumarin (CPM). In the presence of K+, Cys964 was modified only by hydrophobic CPM, indicating that the environment around Cys964 was different in these two conformations. Cys964 seems to mark the extracellular border of transmembrane segment M9. Cys911 in transmembrane segment M8 showed similar behavior; however, it was not so readily modified. Complete modification of Cys964 and Cys911 causes only partial (about 50%) inactivation of both ATPase activity and Rb+ (or K+) occlusion, indicating that the effect on cation occlusion is indirect and not within the occlusion cavity. The ATP binding capacity remains unaltered by the modifications. Treatment of the K+-stabilized post-tryptic preparation of purified Na, K-ATPase revealed labeling of several cysteines by CPM, none of which were labeled with SDSM. Removal of K+ ions from the preparation, which we have previously shown is accompanied by release of the M5M6 hairpin to the supernatant (), causes changes in the organization of the C-terminal 21-kDa fragment. In particular Cys983 in M10 became labeled by both CPM and SDSM, pointing to a tight association between the C terminus and the M5M6 hairpin of the alpha-subunit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification and analysis of mutations in the Wilson disease gene (ATP7B): population frequencies, genotype-phenotype correlation, and functional analyses.

Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by toxic accumulation of copper in the liver and subsequently in the brain and other organs. On the basis of sequence homology to known genes, the WD gene (ATP7B) appears to be a copper-transporting P-type ATPase. A search for ATP7B mutations in WD patients from five population samples, including 109 North American patients, revealed 27 distinct mutations, 18 of which are novel. A composite of published findings shows missense mutations in all exons-except in exons 1-5, which encode the six copper-binding motifs, and in exon 21, which spans the carboxy-terminus and the poly(A) tail. Over one-half of all WD mutations occur only rarely in any population sample. A splice-site mutation in exon 12 accounts for 3% of the WD mutations in our sample and produces an in-frame, 39-bp insertion in mRNA of patients homozygous, but not heterozygous, for the mutation. The most common WD mutation (His1069Glu) was represented in approximately 38% of all the WD chromosomes from the North American, Russian, and Swedish samples. In several population cohorts, this mutation deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with an overrepresentation of homozygotes. We did not find a significant correlation between His1069Glu homozygosity and several clinical indices, including age of onset, clinical manifestation, ceruloplasmin activity, hepatic copper levels, and the presence of Kayser-Fleischer rings. Finally, lymphoblast cell lines from individuals homozygous for His1069Glu and 4 other mutations all demonstrated significantly decreased copper-stimulated ATPase activity.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

P-type ATPases.

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Adenosine Triphosphatases↗