To Mitochondria in Primary Hyperoxaluria Patients Depends Upon Activation of a Cryptic Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence by a Point Mutation P
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Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 88, pp. 10900-10904, December 1991 Cell Biology Mistargeting of peroxisomal L-alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase to mitochondria in primary hyperoxaluria patients depends upon activation of a cryptic mitochondrial targeting sequence by a point mutation P. E. PURDUE*, J. ALLSOP*, G. ISAYAt, L. E. ROSENBERGt, AND C. J. DANPURE* *Biochemical Genetics Research Group, Clinical Research Centre, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom; and tYale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510 Contributed by L. E. Rosenberg, August 28, 1991 ABSTRACT In approximately one-third of primary hy- ifying an amino acid substitution, which were subsequently peroxaluria type 1 patients, disease is associated with a unique shown to be common to all PH1 patients with mAGT ana- protein sorting defect in which hepatic L-alanine:glyoxylate lyzed to date (6). One of these substitutions, a proline-to- aminotransferase (AGT; EC 2.6.1.44), which is normally per- leucine at residue 11 ofthe AGT protein (Pro-11-* Leu), was oxisomal, is mistargeted to mitochondria. In all such patients predicted to greatly enhance the likelihood of the N-terminal analyzed to date, the gene encoding the aberrantly targeted region of AGT folding as an amphiphilic a-helix (6). In view AGT carries three point mutations, each of which specifies an of the fact that the vast majority of characterized mitochon- amino acid substitution. In this paper we show that one of these drial targeting sequences (MTSs) are N-terminal domains substitutions, a proline-to-leucine at residue 11, is necessary with predicted ability to form amphiphilic a-helices, we have and sufficient for the generation of a mitochondrial targeting postulated that this substitution (Pro-11-- Leu) might be sequence in the AGT protein. AGT with this substitution responsible for generation of a MTS in the mutant mAGT (6). appears to interact specifically with the mitochondrial protein In this paper we have investigated the roles of the three import machinery, via a discrete N-terminal domain of the cosegregating mutations in PH1 patients with mAGT in the AGT protein. The N-terminal 19 amino acids of AGT with this generation ofan AGT MTS via the use of in vitro mutagenesis substitution are sufficient to direct mouse cytosolic dihydrofo- and an in vitro mitochondrial import system. Furthermore, late reductase to mitochondria, and a synthetic peptide corre- we have extended these studies to analyze the mitochondrial sponding to this same 19-amino acid region reversibly inhibits targeting activity associated with a second, distinct, region of mitochondrial protein import, not only of AGT but also of human AGT cDNA. This latter region shows high sequence ornithine transcarbamoylase, a genuine cytoplasmically syn- identity to the corresponding portion ofAGT cDNA from rat, thesized mitochondrial protein. We have extended these studies which is one of several species that target AGT to mitochon- to analyze a region of normal human AGT cDNA directly dria (7). However, whereas this region encodes the MTS of upstream of the coding region. This sequence appears to rat AGT (8), it is excluded from the open reading frame of the correspond to an ancestral mitochondrial targeting sequence human gene due to evolutionary loss of the translation deleted from the human coding region by point mutation at the initiation codon by a single base change (ATG in the rat, ATA initiation codon. We show that reestablishment ofthis initiation in the human) (5). We have investigated the consequences for codon produces an active mitochondrial targeting sequence mitochondrial targeting of AGT of reintroduction of the that is different to that found in the hyperoxaluria patients. rat-equivalent translation initiation codon to normal human These results are discussed with reference to the AGT targeting AGT cDNA. defect in primary hyperoxaluria and also in relation to the highly unusual species specificity of subcellular distribution of AGT among mammals. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plasmids. Plasmid SPOTC, which carries the cDNA en- Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PHi) is a lethal autosomal coding the precursor to human ornithine transcarbamoylase recessive disease caused by a deficiency of the liver-specific (pOTC) cloned 3' to the SP6 RNA polymerase promoter, has peroxisomal enzyme L-alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase been described (9). (AGT; EC 2.6.1.44) (1). Whereas the majority ofPHi patients The eight AGT cDNA expression plasmids covering all have a complete deficiency of AGT catalytic activity (2) and combinations of the three point mutations in PHi patients AGT immunoreactive protein (3), approximately one-third with mAGT, as well as the normal sequence (see Fig. la), possess significant levels of residual AGT activity and pro- were constructed as follows. Full-length AGT cDNA from a tein. In all of these latter patients so far examined it appears PHi patient with mAGT, which contains the three point that the disease is due, at least in part, to a unique protein mutations, and full-length normal AGT cDNA were cloned sorting defect in which AGT is erroneously targeted to the into pBluescript (Stratagene) to produce clones pLRM and mitochondrion instead ofits normal intracellular location, the pPGI, respectively. These clones differed only at the sites of peroxisome (4). In an attempt to explain the molecular basis the three point mutations. By exchanging appropriate restric- of this protein mistargeting phenomenon, we recently cloned tion fragments between these two plasmids, further pBlue- and sequenced AGT cDNA from the liver of a PH1 patient script constructs containing each mutation in isolation with mitochondrial AGT (mAGT) and compared this with the (pLGI, pPRI, pPGM) and each pairwise combination (pLRI, sequence of normal human liver AGT cDNA (5, 6). This pLGM, pPRM) were synthesized. identified the presence of three point mutations, each spec- Abbreviations: AGT, L-alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase; The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge DHFR, dihydrofolate reductase; DNP, dinitrophenol; mAGT, mito- payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" chondrial AGT; MTS, mitochondrial targeting sequence; PH1, pri- in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. mary hyperoxaluria type 1. 10900 Cell Biology: Purdue et al. Proc. NatL. Acad. Sci. USA 88 (1991) 10901 Plasmid pAB105, a pGEM-1 (Promega) derivative contain- or presence of various concentrations of peptide prior to ing the entire mouse dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) open import. For the reimport assays, mitochondria were reiso- reading frame, was a gift of Alison Baker (University of lated by centrifugation (12,000 x g, 5 min) following import, Cambridge, U.K.). To construct the AGT-DHFR fusions, washed, resuspended in 4 Al of HMS buffer plus 6 1.l of regions of pPGI and pLGI covering the cDNA sequence up translation product in lysate, and reincubated as for normal to amino acid 19 and the polylinker 5' to the cDNA were PCR import. amplified. The downstream primer (5'-TTGGGGCTC- GAGAGGGGCTT-3', complementary to cDNA nucleotides RESULTS 187-168) contained mismatches to introduce an Xho I site. The PCR product was digested with EcoRl (cuts within the Mitochondrial Import of Mutant AGT. AGT cDNA from amplified region ofthe pBluescript polylinker) and Xho I and PH1 patients with mAGT contains three point mutations cloned into EcoRIlXho I-digested pAB105. The sequence at (C-154 -- T, G-630-+ A, and A-1142 -+ G) that specify amino the junction of the fusions was . CTCTCGQAGATCC- acid substitutions [Pro-11 -* Leu, Gly-170 -- Arg, and Ile-340 GGCATC .... The TCG codon within the Xho I site Met, respectively (where Gly-170 -+ Arg indicates a (underlined) corresponds to amino acid 19 of AGT, and the glycine-to-arginine substitution at residue 170 of the AGT ATG codon (double underlined) specifies the first amino acid protein and Ile-340 -- Met indicates an isoleucine-to- of DHFR. The intervening 12 base pairs encodes a 4-amino methionine substitution at residue 340 of the AGT protein)] acid linker. (Fig. la). In vitro transcription/translation of each of the To construct the plasmid encoding AGT-22, the region 5' a to the Bal I site of pPGI (underlined in Fig. 4a) was replaced Mutation C154T G630 A Al 142G by the corresponding region of marmoset AGT cDNA (P.E.P., unpublished observations). This introduces the rat- aa substitution Pro 1 1Leu Gly 170 Arg Ile340Met equivalent translation initiation site to the human cDNA but leaves otherwise unaltered the amino acid sequence poten- tially encoded by this (normally untranslated) region of the Plasmid productTrans human cDNA. All constructs were checked by plasmid sequencing with pPGI AGTPGI modified T7 DNA polymerase (Sequenase, United States pLGI AGTLGI + Biochemical) in accordance with the manufacturer's instruc- tions. pPRI AGTPRI In Vitro Transcription/Translation. Linearized plasmids pPGM AGTPGM were transcribed (370C, 60 min) with T3, T7, or SP6 RNA + + pLRI AGTLRI polymerase (GIBCO/BRL) as appropriate, and the resultant + + transcripts were translated (30TC, 60 min) in a rabbit reticu- pLGM AGTLGM ++ + locyte lysate (Amersham) in accordance with the manufac- pPRM AGTPRM turers' instructions. + + + In Vitro Mitochondrial Protein Import. Mitochondria were pLRM AGTLRM prepared from rat liver as described (10) and immediately used in import reactions. Four microliters of mitochondrial 1 89101 in HMS mM b 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2 131415 1617 suspension [40 mg/ml of protein buffer (220 _ _d D-mannitol/70 mM sucrose/2 mM Hepes/KOH, pH 7.4)] AGT -_ _ _ _ Am _w _w _M was mixed with 6 ,l of translation product in lysate and Trans AGT AGT AGT IAGT AGT AGT AGCT AGT incubated at 28°C for 20 min. Where appropriate, mitochon- product PGI LGI PRI PGM LRI LGM PRM LRM MIT + + + + + + ± dria were preincubated with 200 ,uM dinitrophenol (DNP) in Fraction SPS P Si P Si P P S PIS P P HMS buffer at 4°C for 10 min.