Browsing by Author "Ramos, Susana"
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- Actin as a potential target for decavanadatePublication . Ramos, Susana; Moura, José J. G.; Aureliano, M.ATP prevents G-actin cysteine oxidation and vanadyl formation specifically induced by decavanadate, suggesting that the oxometalate–protein interaction is affected by the nucleotide. The ATP exchange rate is increased by 2-fold due to the presence of decavanadate when compared with control actin (3.1×10−3 s−1), and an apparent dissociation constant (kdapp) of 227.4±25.7 μM and 112.3±8.7 μM was obtained in absence or presence of 20 μM V10, respectively. Moreover, concentrations as low as 50 μM of decameric vanadate species (V10) increases the relative G-actin intrinsic fluorescence intensity by approximately 80% whereas for a 10-fold concentration of monomeric vanadate (V1) no effects were observed. Upon decavanadate titration, it was observed a linear increase in G-actin hydrophobic surface (2.6-fold), while no changes were detected for V1 (0–200 μM). Taken together, three major ideas arise: i) ATP prevents decavanadate-induced G-actin cysteine oxidation and vanadate reduction; ii) decavanadate promotes actin conformational changes resulting on its inactivation, iii) decavanadate has an effect on actin ATP binding site. Once it is demonstrated that actin is a new potential target for decavanadate, being the ATP binding site a suitable site for decavanadate binding, it is proposed that some of the biological effects of vanadate can be, at least in part, explained by decavanadate interactions with actin.
- An EXAFS approach to the study of polyoxometalate–proteiniInteractions: the case of decavanadate–actinPublication . Marques, M. P. M.; Gianolio, Diego; Ramos, Susana; Carvalho, Luís E. A. B.; Aureliano, M.Decavanadate−actin interactions were studied by EXAFS and XANES, allowing us to simultaneously probe, for the first time, all vanadium species in the system. V10 interacts with G-actin (at its ATP binding site), a V−SCys coordination having been verified along with oxidovanadium formation. V10’s interplay with F-actin was found to be weak and occur via a different mechanism. These results are relevant for understanding V10’s biological roles, at a molecular level, aiming at potential pharmacological applications.
- Decavanadate interactions with actin: cysteine oxidation and vanadyl formationPublication . Ramos, Susana; Duarte, Rui O.; Moura, José J. G.; Aureliano, M.Incubation of actin with decavanadate induces cysteine oxidation and oxidovanadium(IV) formation. The studies were performed combining kinetic with spectroscopic (NMR and EPR) methodologies. Although decavanadate is converted to labile oxovanadates, the rate of deoligomerization can be very slow (half-life time of 5.4 h, at 25 ◦C, with a first order kinetics), which effectively allows decavanadate to exist for some time under experimental conditions. It was observed that decavanadate inhibits F-actin-stimulated myosin ATPase activity with an IC50 of 0.8 mMV10 species, whereas 50 mMof vanadate or oxidovanadium(IV) only inhibits enzyme activity up to 25%. Moreover, from these three vanadium forms, only decavanadate induces the oxidation of the so called “fast” cysteines (or exposed cysteine, Cys-374) when the enzyme is in the polymerized and active form, F-actin, with an IC50 of 1 mMV10 species. Decavanadate exposition to F- and G-actin (monomeric form) promotes vanadate reduction since a typical EPR oxidovanadium(IV) spectrum was observed. Upon observation that V10 reduces to oxidovanadium(IV), it is proposed that this cation interacts with G-actin (Kd of 7.48 ± 1.11 mM), and with F-actin (Kd = 43.05 ± 5.34 mM) with 1:1 and 4:1 stoichiometries, respectively, as observed by EPR upon protein titration with oxidovanadium(IV). The interaction of oxidovanadium(IV) with the protein may occur close to the ATP binding site of actin, eventually with lysine-336 and 3 water molecules.
- Decavanadate interactions with actin: inhibition of G-actin polymerization and stabilization of decameric vanadatePublication . Ramos, Susana; Manuel, Miguel; Tiago, Teresa; Duarte, Rui O.; Martins, Jorge; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Moura, José J. G.; Aureliano, M.Decameric vanadate species (V10) inhibit the rate and the extent of G-actin polymerization with an IC50 of 68 ± 22 lM and 17 ± 2 lM, respectively, whilst they induce F-actin depolymerization at a lower extent. On contrary, no effect on actin polymerization and depolymerization was detected for 2 mM concentration of ‘‘metavanadate’’ solution that contains ortho and metavanadate species, as observed by combining kinetic with 51V NMR spectroscopy studies. Although at 25 C, decameric vanadate (10 lM) is unstable in the assay medium, and decomposes following a first-order kinetic, in the presence of G-actin (up to 8 lM), the half-life increases 5-fold (from 5 to 27 h). However, the addition of ATP (0.2 mM) in the medium not only prevents the inhibition of G-actin polymerization by V10 but it also decreases the half-life of decomposition of decameric vanadate species from 27 to 10 h. Decameric vanadate is also stabilized by the sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, which raise the half-life time from 5 to 18 h whereas no effects were observed in the presence of phosphatidylcholine liposomes, myosin or G-actin alone. It is proposed that the ‘‘decavanadate’’ interaction with G-actin, favored by the G-actin polymerization, stabilizes decameric vanadate species and induces inhibition of G-actin polymerization. Decameric vanadate stabilization by cytoskeletal and transmembrane proteins can account, at least in part, for decavanadate toxicity reported in the evaluation of vanadium (V) effects in biological systems.
- Implications of oxidovanadium(IV) binding to actinPublication . Ramos, Susana; Almeida, Rui M.; Moura, José J. G.; Aureliano, M.Oxidovanadium(IV), a cationic species (VO2+) of vanadium(IV), binds to several proteins, including actin. Upon titration with oxidovanadium(IV), approximately 100% quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of monomeric actin purified from rabbit skeletal muscle (G-actin) was observed, with a V50 of 131 μM, whereas for the polymerized form of actin (F-actin) 75% of quenching was obtained and a V50 value of 320 μM. Stern– Volmer plots were used to estimate an oxidovanadium(IV)-actin dissociation constant, with Kd of 8.2 μM and 64.1 μM VOSO4, for G-actin and F-actin, respectively. These studies reveal the presence of a high affinity binding site for oxidovanadium(IV) in actin, producing local conformational changes near the tryptophans most accessible to water in the three-dimensional structure of actin. The actin conformational changes, also confirmed by 1H NMR, are accompanied by changes in G-actin hydrophobic surface, but not in F-actin. The 1H NMR spectra of G-actin treated with oxidovanadium(IV) clearly indicates changes in the resonances ascribed to methyl group and aliphatic regions as well as to aromatics and peptide-bond amide region. In parallel, it was verified that oxidovanadium(IV) prevents the G-actin polymerization into F-actin. In the 0–200 μMrange, VOSO4 inhibits 40% of the extent of polymerization with an IC50 of 15.1 μM, whereas 500 μM VOSO4 totally suppresses actin polymerization. The data strongly suggest that oxidovanadium(IV) binds to actin at specific binding sites preventing actin polymerization. By affecting actin structure and function, oxidovanadium(IV) might be responsible for many cellular effects described for vanadium.
- Peroxynitrite induces F-actin depolymerization and blockade of myosin ATPase stimulationPublication . Tiago, Teresa; Ramos, Susana; Aureliano, M.; Gutiérrez-Merino, CarlosTreatment of F-actin with the peroxynitrite-releasing agent 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) produced a dose-dependent F-actin depolymerization. This is due to released peroxynitrite because it is not produced by ‘decomposed SIN-1’, and it is prevented by superoxide dismutase concentrations efficiently preventing peroxynitrite formation. F-actin depolymerization has been found to be very sensitive to peroxynitrite, as exposure to fluxes as low as 50–100 nM peroxynitrite leads to nearly 50% depolymerization in about 1 h. G-actin polymerization is also impaired by peroxynitrite although with nearly 2-fold lower sensitivity. Exposure of F-actin to submicromolar fluxes of peroxynitrite produced cysteine oxidation and also a blockade of the ability of actin to stimulate myosin ATPase activity. Our results suggest that an imbalance of the F-actin/G-actin equilibrium can account for the observed structural and functional impairment of myofibrils under the peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative stress reported for some pathophysiological conditions.
- Recent advances into vanadyl, vanadate and decavanadate interactions with actinPublication . Ramos, Susana; Moura, José J. G.; Aureliano, M.Although the number of papers about ‘‘vanadium’’ has doubled in the last decade, the studies about ‘‘vanadium and actin’’ are scarce. In the present review, the effects of vanadyl, vanadate and decavanadate on actin structure and function are compared. Decavanadate 51V NMR signals, at 516 ppm, broadened and decreased in intensity upon actin titration, whereas no effects were observed for vanadate monomers, at 560 ppm. Decavanadate is the only species inducing actin cysteine oxidation and vanadyl formation, both processes being prevented by the natural ligand of the protein, ATP. Vanadyl titration with monomeric actin (G-actin), analysed by EPR spectroscopy, reveals a 1 : 1 binding stoichiometry and a Kd of 7.5 mM 1. Both decavanadate and vanadyl inhibited G-actin polymerization into actin filaments (F-actin), with a IC50 of 68 and 300 mM, respectively, as analysed by light scattering assays, whereas no effects were detected for vanadate up to 2 mM. However, only vanadyl (up to 200 mM) induces 100% of G-actin intrinsic fluorescence quenching, whereas decavanadate shows an opposite effect, which suggests the presence of vanadyl high affinity actin binding sites. Decavanadate increases (2.6-fold) the actin hydrophobic surface, evaluated using the ANSA probe, whereas vanadyl decreases it (15%). Both vanadium species increased the e-ATP exchange rate (k = 6.5 10 3 s 1 and 4.47 10 3 s 1 for decavanadate and vanadyl, respectively). Finally, 1H NMR spectra of G-actin treated with 0.1 mM decavanadate clearly indicate that major alterations occur in protein structure, which are much less visible in the presence of ATP, confirming the preventive effect of the nucleotide on the decavanadate interaction with the protein. Putting it all together, it is suggested that actin, which is involved in many cellular processes, might be a potential target not only for decavanadate but above all for vanadyl. By affecting actin structure and function, vanadium can regulate many cellular processes of great physiological significance.