Analysis of the expressed sequence tag (EST) database by sequence alignment allows a rapid screen for polymorphisms in proteins of physiological interest. The human zeta class glutathione transferase GSTZ1 has recently been characterized and analysis of expressed sequence tag clones suggested that this gene may be polymorphic. This report identifies three GSTZ1 alleles resulting from A to G transitions at nucleotides 94 and 124 of the coding region, GSTZ1*A-A94A124; GSTZ1*B-A94G124; GSTZ1*C-G94G124. Polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a control Caucasian population (n = 141) showed that all three alleles were present, with frequencies of 0.09, 0.28 and 0.63 for Z1*A, Z1*B and Z1*C, respectively. These nucleotide substitutions are non-synonymous, with A to G at positions 94 and 124 encoding Lys32 to Glu and Arg42 to Gly substitutions, respectively. The variant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli as 6X His-tagged proteins and purified by Ni-agarose column chromatography. Examination of the activities of recombinant proteins revealed that GSTZ1a-1a displayed differences in activity towards several substrates compared with GSTZ1b-1b and GSTZ1c-1c, including 3.6-fold higher activity towards dichloroacetate. This report demonstrates the discovery of a functional polymorphism by analysis of the EST database.

Glutathione transferase zeta catalyzes the glutathione-dependent oxidation or conjugation of a range of alpha-haloacids. Repeated administration of dichloroacetate to human subjects increases its plasma elimination half-life, and the activity of glutathione transferase zeta is decreased in rats given dichloroacetate. The objective of the studies presented here was to investigate the kinetics and mechanism of the dichloroacetate-induced decrease in glutathione transferase zeta activity. The rate constants (k(inact)) for the dichloroacetate-dependent inactivation of glutathione transferase zeta in liver cytosol are in the following order: rat > mouse > human; the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (K(inact)) of DCA did not differ among the species that were studied. In contrast to dichloroacetate, chlorofluoroacetate produced much less inactivation of mouse liver glutathione transferase zeta activity. Moreover, the addition of N-acetyl-L-cysteine or potassium cyanide did not fully block the dichloroacetate-induced inactivation of glutathione transferase zeta. The k(inact) values for the dichloroacetate-induced inactivation of four polymorphic variants of recombinant human glutathione transferase zeta (hGSTZ1-1) were in the following order: variant 1a-1a < 1b-1b approximately 1c-1c approximately 1d-1d. The dichloroacetate-induced inactivation of hGSTZ1-1 was irreversible. The binding of radioactivity from [1-(14)C]dichloroacetate and from [(35)S]glutathione to recombinant hGSTZ1c-1c was demonstrated, indicating covalent modification of the protein. These results show that dichloroacetate is a mechanism-based inactivator of glutathione transferase zeta and is biotransformed to electrophilic metabolites that covalently modify and, thereby, inactivate the enzyme.

No abstract

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (MEH) catalyzes the addition of water to epoxides in a two-step reaction involving initial attack of an active site carboxylate on the oxirane to give an ester intermediate followed by hydrolysis of the ester. An efficient bacterial expression system for the enzyme from rat that facilitates the production of native and mutant enzymes for mechanistic analysis is described. Pre-steady-state kinetics of the native enzyme toward glycidyl-4-nitrobenzoates, 1, indicate the rate-limiting step in the reaction is hydrolysis of the alkyl-enzyme intermediate. The enzyme is enantioselective, turning over (2R)-1 about 10-fold more efficiently than (2S)-1, and regiospecific toward both substrates with exclusive attack at the least hindered oxirane carbon. Facile isomerization of the monoglyceride product is observed and complicates the regiochemical analysis. The D226E and D226N mutants of the protein are catalytically inactive, behavior that is consistent with the role of D226 as the active-site nucleophile as suggested by sequence alignments with other alpha/beta-hydrolase fold enzymes. The D226N mutant undergoes hydrolytic autoactivation with a half-life of 9.3 days at 37 degreesC, suggesting that the mutant is still capable of catalyzing the hydrolytic half-reaction (in this instance an amidase reaction) and confirming that D226 is in the active site. The indoylyl side chain of W227, which is in or near the active site, is not required for efficient alkylation of the enzyme or for hydrolysis of the intermediate. However, the W227F mutant does exhibit altered stereoselectivity toward (2R)-1, (2S)-1, and phenanthrene-9,10-oxide, suggesting that modifications at this position might be used to manipulate the stereo- and regioselectivity of the enzyme.