Search

Previously we showed that xenobiotic-inducible cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins are bimodally targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of delivery of chimeric signal-containing CYP proteins to the peripheral and channel-forming mitochondrial outer membrane translocases (TOMs). CYP+33/1A1 and CYP2B1 did not require peripheral TOM70, TOM20, or TOM22 for translocation through the channel-forming TOM40 protein. In contrast, CYP+5/1A1 and CYP2E1 were able to bypass TOM20 and TOM22 but required TOM70. CYP27, which contains a canonical cleavable mitochondrial signal, required all of the peripheral TOMs for its mitochondrial translocation. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of bypass of peripheral TOMs by CYPs with chimeric signals. The results suggested that interaction of CYPs with Hsp70, a cytosolic chaperone involved in the mitochondrial import, alone was sufficient for the recognition of chimeric signals by peripheral TOMs. However, sequential interaction of chimeric signal-containing CYPs with Hsp70 and Hsp90 resulted in the bypass of peripheral TOMs, whereas CYP27 interacted only with Hsp70 and was not able to bypass peripheral TOMs. Our results also show that delivery of chimeric signal-containing client proteins by Hsp90 required the cytosol-exposed N-terminal 143 amino acids of TOM40. TOM40 devoid of this domain was unable to bind CYP proteins. These results suggest that, compared with the unimodal mitochondria-targeting signals, the chimeric mitochondria-targeting signals are highly evolved and dynamic in nature. more...

The NFkappaBs regulate an array of physiological and pathological processes, including propagation of mitochondrial respiratory stress signaling in mammalian cells. We showed previously that mitochondrial stress activates NFkappaB using a novel calcineurin-requiring pathway that is different from canonical or non-canonical pathways. This study shows that IkappaBbeta is essential for the propagation of mitochondrial stress signaling. Knock down of IkappaBbeta, but not IkappaBalpha, mRNA reduced the mitochondrial stress-mediated activation and nuclear translocation of cRel:p50, inhibiting expression of nuclear target genes RyR1 and cathepsin L. IkappaBbeta mRNA knock down also reduced resistance to staurosporine-induced apoptosis and decreased in vitro invasiveness. Induced receptor switching to insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and increased glucose uptake are hallmarks of mitochondrial stress. IkappaBbeta mRNA knock down selectively abrogated the receptor switch and altered tubulin cytoskeletal organization. These results show that mitochondrial stress signaling uses an IkappaBbeta-initiated NFkappaB pathway that is distinct from the other known NFkappaB pathways. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the distinctive physiological roles of the two inhibitory proteins IkappaBbeta and IkappaBalpha. more...

We have previously shown that disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential by depletion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or treatment with a mitochondrial ionophore, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, initiates a stress signaling, which causes resistance to apoptosis, and induces invasive behavior in C2C12 myocytes and A549 cells. In the present study we show that calcineurin (Cn), activated as part of this stress signaling, plays an important role in increased glucose uptake and glycolysis. Here we report that, although both insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor levels (IR and IGF1R, respectively) are increased in response to mitochondrial stress, autophosphorylation of IGF1R was selectively increased suggesting a shift in receptor pathways. Using an approach with FK506, an inhibitor of Cn, and mRNA silencing by small interference RNA we show that mitochondrial stress-activated Cn is critical for increased GLUT 4 and IGF1R expression and activation. The importance of the IGF1R pathway in cell survival under mitochondrial stress is demonstrated by increased apoptosis either by IGF1R mRNA silencing or by treatment with IGF1R inhibitors (AG1024 and picropodophyllin). This study describes a novel mechanism of mitochondrial stress-induced metabolic shift involving Cn with implications in resistance to apoptosis and tumor proliferation. more...

A large number of mitochondrial proteins lack canonical mitochondrial-targeting signals. The bimodal transport of cytochromes P450 (CYPs) to endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria (MT), reported previously by us, likely represents one mode of non-canonical protein targeting to MT. Herein, we have studied the mechanism of mouse MT-CYP1A1 targeting to gain insight into the regulatory features and evolutionary conservation of bimodal targeting mechanism. Mouse MT-CYP1A1 consists of two NH2-terminal-truncated molecular species, +91A1 and +331A1. Mutations Pro-2 --> Leu and Tyr-5 --> Leu, which increase the signal recognition particle (SRP) binding, diminished MT targeting of the protein in intact cells. By contrast, mutations Leu-7 --> Asn and Leu-17 --> Asn, which decreased SRP-binding affinity, enhanced MT targeting, thus suggesting that SRP binding is an important regulatory step that modulates bimodal targeting. Protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated phosphorylation of nascent chains at Thr-35 vastly decreased affinity for SRP binding suggesting an important regulatory step. In support of these results, COS cell transfection experiments show that phosphomimetic mutation Thr-35 --> Asp or induced cellular PKC caused increased CYP1A1 targeting to MT and correspondingly lower levels to the endoplasmic reticulum. Results suggest evolutionary conservation of chimeric signals and bimodal targeting of CYP1A1 in different species. The mouse MT-CYP1A1 is an extrinsic membrane protein, which exhibited high FDX1 plus FDXR-mediated N-demethylation of a number of tricyclic antidepressants, pain killers, anti-psychotics, and narcotics that are poor substrates for microsomal CYP1A1. more...

Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) plays an important role in alcohol-induced toxicity and oxidative stress. Recently, we showed that this predominantly microsomal protein is also localized in rat hepatic mitochondria. In this report, we show that the N-terminal 30 amino acids of CYP2E1 contain a chimeric signal for bimodal targeting of the apoprotein to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. We demonstrate that the cryptic mitochondrial targeting signal at sequence 21-31 of the protein is activated by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation at Ser-129. S129A mutation resulted in lower affinity for binding to cytoplasmic Hsp70, mitochondrial translocases (TOM40 and TIM44) and reduced mitochondrial import. S129A mutation, however, did not affect the extent of binding to the signal recognition particle and association with ER membrane translocator protein Sec61. Addition of saturating levels of signal recognition particle caused only a partial inhibition of CYP2E1 translation under in vitro conditions, and saturating levels of ER resulted only in partial membrane integration. cAMP enhanced the mitochondrial CYP2E1 (referred to as P450MT5) level but did not affect its level in the ER. Our results provide new insights on the mechanism of cAMP-mediated activation of a cryptic mitochondrial targeting signal and regulation of P450MT5 targeting to mitochondria. more...

Despite important roles in myocardial hypertrophy and benign prostatic hyperplasia, little is known about acute effects of agonist stimulation on alpha(1a)-adrenergic receptor (alpha(1a)AR) signaling and function. Regulatory mechanisms are likely complex since 12 distinct human alpha(1a)AR carboxyl-terminal splice variants have been isolated. After determining the predominance of the alpha(1a-1)AR isoform in human heart and prostate, we stably expressed an epitope-tagged alpha(1a-1)AR cDNA in rat-1 fibroblasts and subsequently examined regulation of signaling, phosphorylation, and internalization of the receptor. Human alpha(1a)AR-mediated inositol phosphate signaling is acutely desensitized in response to both agonist and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) exposure. Concurrent with desensitization, alpha(1a)ARs in (32)P(i)-labeled cells are rapidly phosphorylated in response to both NE and PMA stimulation. Despite the ability of PKC to desensitize alpha(1a)ARs when directly activated with PMA, inhibitors of PKC have no effect on agonist-mediated desensitization. In contrast, involvement of GRK kinases is suggested by the ability of GRK2 to desensitize alpha(1a)ARs. Internalization of cell surface alpha(1a)ARs also occurs in response to agonist stimulation (but not PKC activation), but is initiated more slowly than receptor desensitization. Significantly, deletion of the alpha(1a)AR carboxyl terminus has no effect on receptor internalization or either agonist-induced or GRK-mediated receptor desensitization. Because mechanisms underlying acute agonist-mediated regulation of human alpha(1a)ARs are primarily independent of the carboxyl terminus, they may be common to all functional alpha(1a)AR isoforms. more...

We demonstrate that dexamethasone-mediated transcription activation of the cytochrome P-450c27 promoter involves a physical interaction and functional synergy between glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and Ets2 factor. Ets2 protein binding to a "weak" Ets-like site of the promoter is dependent on GR bound to the adjacent cryptic glucocorticoid response element. Coimmunoprecipitation and chemical cross-linking experiments show physical interaction between GR and Ets2 proteins. Mutational analyses show synergistic effects of Ets2 and GR in dexamethasone-mediated activation of the cytochrome P-450c27 promoter. The DNA-binding domain of GR, lacking the transcription activation and ligand-binding domains, was fully active in synergistic activation of the promoter with intact Ets2. The DNA-binding domain of Ets2 lacking the transcription activation domain showed a dominant negative effect on the transcription activity. Finally, a fusion protein consisting of the GR DNA-binding domain and the transcription activation domain of Ets2 fully supported the transcription activity, suggesting a novel synergy between the two proteins, which does not require the transactivation domain of GR. Our results also provide new insights on the role of putative weak consensus Ets sites in transcription activation, possibly through synergistic interaction with other gene-specific transcription activators. more...

The biochemical and molecular characteristics of cytochrome P4501A1 targeted to rat brain mitochondria was studied to determine the generality of the targeting mechanism previously described for mitochondrial cytochrome P450MT2 (P450MT2) from rat liver. In rat brain and C6 glioma cells chronically exposed to beta-naphoflavone (BNF), P450MT2 content reached 50 and 95% of the total cellular pool, respectively. P450MT2 from 10 days of BNF-treated rat brain was purified to over 85% purity using hydrophobic chromatography followed by adrenodoxin affinity binding. Purified brain P450MT2 consisted of two distinct molecular species with NH(2) termini identical to liver mitochondrial forms. These results confirm the specificity of endoprotease-processing sites. The purified P450MT2 showed a preference for adrenodoxin + adrenodoxin reductase electron donor system and exhibited high erythromycin N-demethylation activity. Brain mitoplasts from 10-day BNF-treated rats and also purified P450MT2 exhibited high N-demethylation activities for a number of neuroactive drugs, including trycyclic anti-depressants, anti-convulsants, and opiates. At 10 days of BNF treatment, the mitochondrial metabolism of these neuroactive drugs represented about 85% of the total tissue activity. These results provide new insights on the role of P450MT2 in modulating the pharmacological potencies of different neuroactive drugs in chronically exposed individuals. more...

Recent studies from our laboratory showed that the beta-naphthoflavone-inducible cytochrome P4501A1 is targeted to both the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. In the present study, we have further investigated the ability of the N-terminal signal sequence (residues 1-44) of P4501A1 to target heterologous proteins, dihydrofolate reductase, and the mature portion of the rat P450c27 to the two subcellular compartments. In vitro transport and in vivo expression experiments show that N-terminally fused 1-44 signal sequence of P4501A1 targets heterologous proteins to both the ER and mitochondria, whereas the 33-44 sequence strictly functions as a mitochondrial targeting signal. Site-specific mutations show that positively charged residues at the 34th and 39th positions are critical for mitochondrial targeting. Cholesterol 27-hydroxylase activity of the ER-associated 1-44/1A1-CYP27 fusion protein can be reconstituted with cytochrome P450 reductase, but the mitochondrial associated fusion protein is functional with adrenodoxin + adrenodoxin reductase. Consistent with these differences, the fusion protein in the two organelle compartments exhibited distinctly different membrane topology. The results on the chimeric nature of the N-terminal signal of P4501A1 coupled with interaction with different electron transport proteins suggest a co-evolutionary nature of some of the xenobiotic inducible microsomal and mitochondrial P450s. more...

Recently, we showed that the major species of beta-naphthoflavone-inducible rat liver mitochondrial P450MT2 consists of N-terminal truncated microsomal P4501A1 (+33/1A1) and that the truncated enzyme exhibits different substrate specificity as compared with intact P4501A1. The results of the present study show that P450MT2 targeted to COS cell mitochondria by transient transfection of P4501A1 cDNA is localized inside the mitochondrial inner membrane in a membrane-extrinsic orientation. Co-expression with wild type P4501A1 and adrenodoxin (Adx) cDNAs resulted in 5-7-fold higher erythromycin N-demethylation (ERND) in the mitochondrial fraction but minimal changes in the microsomal fraction of transfected cells. Erythromycin, a potent inhibitor of bacterial and mitochondrial protein synthesis, caused 8-12-fold higher accumulation of CYP1A1 mRNA, preferential accumulation of P450MT2, and 5-6-fold higher ERND activity in the mitochondrial compartment of rat C6 glioma cells. Consistent with the increased mitochondrial ERND activity, co-expression with P4501A1 and Adx in COS cells rendered complete protection against erythromycin-mediated mitochondrial translation inhibition. Mutations that specifically affect the mitochondrial targeting of P4501A1 also abolished protection against mitochondrial translation inhibition. These results for the first time suggest a physiological function for the xenobiotic inducible cytochrome P4501A1 against drug-mediated mitochondrial toxicity. more...