Faculty Collaboration Database

Mitochondrial aconitase is a source of hydroxyl radical. An electron spin resonance investigation. J Biol Chem 2000 May 12;275(19):14064-9

Date

05/09/2000

Pubmed ID

10799480

DOI

10.1074/jbc.275.19.14064

Abstract

Mitochondrial aconitase (m-aconitase) contains a [4Fe-4S](2+) cluster in its active site that catalyzes the stereospecific dehydration-rehydration of citrate to isocitrate in the Krebs cycle. It has been proposed that the [4Fe-4S](2+) aconitase is oxidized by superoxide, generating the inactive [3Fe-4S](1+) aconitase. In this reaction, the likely products are iron(II) and hydrogen peroxide. Consequently, the inactivation of m-aconitase by superoxide may increase the formation of hydroxyl radical ((*)OH) through the Fenton reaction in mitochondria. In this work, evidence for the generation of (*)OH from the reaction of m-aconitase with superoxide is provided using ESR spin trapping experiments with 5-diethoxyphosphoryl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide and alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone. Formation of free ( small middle dot)OH was verified with the (*)OH scavenger Me(2)SO, which forms methyl radical upon reacting with (*)OH. The addition of Me(2)SO to incubation mixtures containing m-aconitase and xanthine/xanthine oxidase yielded methyl radical, which was detected by ESR spin trapping. Methyl radical formation was further confirmed using [(13)C]Me(2)SO. Parallel low temperature ESR experiments demonstrated that the generation of the [3Fe-4S](1+) cluster increased with increasing additions of superoxide to m-aconitase. This reaction was reversible, as >90% of the initial aconitase activity was recovered upon treatment with glutathione and iron(II). This mechanism presents a scenario in which (*)OH may be continuously generated in the mitochondria.

Author List

Vasquez-Vivar J, Kalyanaraman B, Kennedy MC

Authors

Balaraman Kalyanaraman PhD Chair, Professor in the Biophysics department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Jeannette M. Vasquez-Vivar PhD Professor in the Biophysics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Aconitate Hydratase
Animals
Catalysis
Cattle
Cyclic N-Oxides
Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
Hydroxyl Radical
Iron-Sulfur Proteins
Mitochondria, Heart
Spin Labels
Superoxides