Publications

• Identification of 9,17-dioxo-1,2,3,4,10,19-hexanorandrostan-5-oic acid, 4-hydroxy-2-oxohexanoic acid, and 2-hydroxyhexa-2,4-dienoic acid and related enzymes involved in testosterone degradation in Comamonas testosteroni TA441.

  Horinouchi M., Hayashi T., Koshino H., Kurita T., Kudo T.

  Comamonas testosteroni TA441 utilizes testosterone via aromatization of the A ring followed by meta-cleavage of the ring. The product of the meta-cleavage reaction, 4,5-9,10-diseco-3-hydroxy-5,9,17-trioxoandrosta-1(10),2-dien-4-oic acid, is degraded by a hydrolase, TesD. We directly isolated and i ... >> More

  Comamonas testosteroni TA441 utilizes testosterone via aromatization of the A ring followed by meta-cleavage of the ring. The product of the meta-cleavage reaction, 4,5-9,10-diseco-3-hydroxy-5,9,17-trioxoandrosta-1(10),2-dien-4-oic acid, is degraded by a hydrolase, TesD. We directly isolated and identified two products of TesD as 9,17-dioxo-1,2,3,4,10,19-hexanorandrostan-5-oic acid and (2Z,4Z)-2-hydroxyhexa-2,4-dienoic acid. The latter was a pure 4Z isomer. 2-Hydroxyhexa-2,4-dienoic acid was converted by a hydratase, TesE, and the product isolated from the reaction solution was identified as 2-hydroxy-4-hex-2-enolactone, indicating the direct product of TesE to be 4-hydroxy-2-oxohexanoic acid. << Less

  Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:5275-5281(2005) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Characterization of a carbon-carbon hydrolase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis involved in cholesterol metabolism.

  Lack N.A., Yam K.C., Lowe E.D., Horsman G.P., Owen R.L., Sim E., Eltis L.D.

  In the recently identified cholesterol catabolic pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoate hydrolase (HsaD) is proposed to catalyze the hydrolysis of a carbon-carbon bond in 4,5-9,10-diseco-3-hydroxy-5,9,17-tri-oxoandrosta-1(10),2-diene-4-oic acid (DSHA), the ... >> More

  In the recently identified cholesterol catabolic pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoate hydrolase (HsaD) is proposed to catalyze the hydrolysis of a carbon-carbon bond in 4,5-9,10-diseco-3-hydroxy-5,9,17-tri-oxoandrosta-1(10),2-diene-4-oic acid (DSHA), the cholesterol meta-cleavage product (MCP) and has been implicated in the intracellular survival of the pathogen. Herein, purified HsaD demonstrated 4-33 times higher specificity for DSHA (k(cat)/K(m) = 3.3 +/-0.3 x 10(4) m(-1) s(-1)) than for the biphenyl MCP 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoic acid (HOPDA) and the synthetic analogue 8-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-hydroxy-5-methyl-6-oxoocta-2,4-dienoic acid (HOPODA), respectively. The S114A variant of HsaD, in which the active site serine was substituted with alanine, was catalytically impaired and bound DSHA with a K(d) of 51 +/-2 mum. The S114A.DSHA species absorbed maximally at 456 nm, 60 nm red-shifted versus the DSHA enolate. Crystal structures of the variant in complex with HOPDA, HOPODA, or DSHA to 1.8-1.9 Aindicate that this shift is due to the enzyme-induced strain of the enolate. These data indicate that the catalytic serine catalyzes tautomerization. A second role for this residue is suggested by a solvent molecule whose position in all structures is consistent with its activation by the serine for the nucleophilic attack of the substrate. Finally, the alpha-helical lid covering the active site displayed a ligand-dependent conformational change involving differences in side chain carbon positions of up to 6.7 A, supporting a two-conformation enzymatic mechanism. Overall, these results provide novel insights into the determinants of specificity in a mycobacterial cholesterol-degrading enzyme as well as into the mechanism of MCP hydrolases. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 285:434-443(2010) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• A gene cluster encoding cholesterol catabolism in a soil actinomycete provides insight into Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival in macrophages.

  Van der Geize R., Yam K., Heuser T., Wilbrink M.H., Hara H., Anderton M.C., Sim E., Dijkhuizen L., Davies J.E., Mohn W.W., Eltis L.D.

  Rhodococcus sp. strain RHA1, a soil bacterium related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, degrades an exceptionally broad range of organic compounds. Transcriptomic analysis of cholesterol-grown RHA1 revealed a catabolic pathway predicted to proceed via 4-androstene-3,17-dione and 3,4-dihydroxy-9,10-se ... >> More

  Rhodococcus sp. strain RHA1, a soil bacterium related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, degrades an exceptionally broad range of organic compounds. Transcriptomic analysis of cholesterol-grown RHA1 revealed a catabolic pathway predicted to proceed via 4-androstene-3,17-dione and 3,4-dihydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione (3,4-DHSA). Inactivation of each of the hsaC, supAB, and mce4 genes in RHA1 substantiated their roles in cholesterol catabolism. Moreover, the hsaC(-) mutant accumulated 3,4-DHSA, indicating that HsaC(RHA1), formerly annotated as a biphenyl-degrading dioxygenase, catalyzes the oxygenolytic cleavage of steroid ring A. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that 51 rhodococcal genes specifically expressed during growth on cholesterol, including all predicted to specify the catabolism of rings A and B, are conserved within an 82-gene cluster in M. tuberculosis H37Rv and Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin. M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin grew on cholesterol, and hsaC and kshA were up-regulated under these conditions. Heterologously produced HsaC(H37Rv) and HsaD(H37Rv) transformed 3,4-DHSA and its ring-cleaved product, respectively, with apparent specificities approximately 40-fold higher than for the corresponding biphenyl metabolites. Overall, we annotated 28 RHA1 genes and proposed physiological roles for a similar number of mycobacterial genes. During survival of M. tuberculosis in the macrophage, these genes are specifically expressed, and many appear to be essential. We have delineated a complete suite of genes necessary for microbial steroid degradation, and pathogenic mycobacteria have been shown to catabolize cholesterol. The results suggest that cholesterol metabolism is central to M. tuberculosis's unusual ability to survive in macrophages and provide insights into potential targets for novel therapeutics. << Less

  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104:1947-1952(2007) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Structure of HsaD, a steroid-degrading hydrolase, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

  Lack N., Lowe E.D., Liu J., Eltis L.D., Noble M.E., Sim E., Westwood I.M.

  Tuberculosis is a major cause of death worldwide. Understanding of the pathogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been advanced by gene analysis and has led to the identification of genes that are important for intracellular survival in macrophages. One of these genes encodes HsaD, a meta-cle ... >> More

  Tuberculosis is a major cause of death worldwide. Understanding of the pathogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been advanced by gene analysis and has led to the identification of genes that are important for intracellular survival in macrophages. One of these genes encodes HsaD, a meta-cleavage product (MCP) hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of a carbon-carbon bond in cholesterol metabolism. This paper describes the production of HsaD as a recombinant protein and, following crystallization, the determination of its three-dimensional structure to 2.35 A resolution by X-ray crystallography at the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, England. To the authors' knowledge, this study constitutes the first report of a structure determined at the new synchrotron facility. The volume of the active-site cleft of the HsaD enzyme is more than double the corresponding active-site volumes of related MCP hydrolases involved in the catabolism of aromatic compounds, consistent with the specificity of HsaD for steroids such as cholesterol. Knowledge of the structure of the enzyme facilitates the design of inhibitors. << Less

  Acta Crystallogr. F 64:2-7(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]