This proposal is for the second competitive renewal of grant HL62969, focusing on the biophysics of nitrosyl heme chemistry and its role in nitric oxide (NO) signaling. NO is a reactive molecule with a short half-life in biological solutions and many of the reaction products are toxic. Yet, NO is produced in all mammalian tissues and is central to a wide-ranging array of physiological processes, including vasodilation, blood coagulation, memory formation, inflammation, angiogenesis, cell growth and cell death. The reactive nature of NO and its pervasive physiological nature have made NO signaling pathways attractive targets for intervention in many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and asthma. In past funding period, we uncovered the means by which the nitrophorins, NO transport proteins from blood-sucking insects, are able to overcome the reactive nature of NO and successfully transport and release the molecule while obtaining a blood meal. We also developed expression systems for full-length and functional fragments of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), which plays a key role in transducing the NO signal, and developed a model cell system in which to examine sGC activity under the influence of the cellular environment. For the next funding period, we have three specific aims.
Specific Aim 1 is to obtain atomic models of sGC and other NO-sensitive heme proteins, including the nitrophorins. Experiments involving X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and mutagenesis are proposed.
Specific Aim 2 is to understand mechanism in the allosteric regulation of sGC. Experiments involving ligand binding, kinetics, femtosecond photolysis and 2D-IR are proposed.
Specific Aim 3 is to understand regulation of sGC in the cell, using a human fibrosarcoma cell line that we have engineered to have NO synthase under Tet regulation, and sGC with purification tags. These cells respond to external factors that regulate sGC activity and cell motility, factors of importance in blood pressure regulation, angiogenesis and metastasis. We will use proteomic, molecular biology and cellular imaging approaches to uncover regulatory modifications, protein-protein interactions and cellular distribution.

Public Health Relevance

We are conducting molecular studies on nitric oxide signaling pathways that control blood pressure, cell migration and many other physiological processes. Our results are expected to uncover new approaches for drug discovery targeted to cardiovascular disease, cancer metastasis and related failures in human health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL062969-10
Application #
7583968
Study Section
Macromolecular Structure and Function A Study Section (MSFA)
Program Officer
Goldsmith, Jonathan C
Project Start
2000-05-01
Project End
2013-04-30
Budget Start
2009-05-01
Budget End
2010-04-30
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$298,708
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Arizona
Department
Biochemistry
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
806345617
City
Tucson
State
AZ
Country
United States
Zip Code
85721
Berry, Robert E; Yang, Fei; Shokhireva, Tatiana K et al. (2015) Dimerization of nitrophorin 4 at low pH and comparison to the K1A mutant of nitrophorin 1. Biochemistry 54:208-20
Sarkar, Anindya; Dai, Yue; Haque, Mohammad Mahfuzul et al. (2015) Heat Shock Protein 90 Associates with the Per-Arnt-Sim Domain of Heme-free Soluble Guanylate Cyclase: IMplications for Enzyme Maturation. J Biol Chem 290:21615-28
Purohit, Rahul; Fritz, Bradley G; The, Juliana et al. (2014) YC-1 binding to the ? subunit of soluble guanylyl cyclase overcomes allosteric inhibition by the ? subunit. Biochemistry 53:101-14
Purohit, Rahul; Weichsel, Andrzej; Montfort, William R (2013) Crystal structure of the Alpha subunit PAS domain from soluble guanylyl cyclase. Protein Sci 22:1439-44
Cheng, Mark; Brookes, Jennifer F; Montfort, William R et al. (2013) pH-dependent picosecond structural dynamics in the distal pocket of nitrophorin 4 investigated by 2D IR spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 117:15804-11
Xu, Yuquan; Zhou, Tong; Zhou, Zhengfu et al. (2013) Rational reprogramming of fungal polyketide first-ring cyclization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110:5398-403
Fritz, Bradley G; Roberts, Sue A; Ahmed, Aqeel et al. (2013) Molecular model of a soluble guanylyl cyclase fragment determined by small-angle X-ray scattering and chemical cross-linking. Biochemistry 52:1568-82
Price, Jason B; Divjan, Adnan; Montfort, William R et al. (2012) IgE against bed bug (Cimex lectularius) allergens is common among adults bitten by bed bugs. J Allergy Clin Immunol 129:863-865.e2
Fritz, Bradley G; Hu, Xiaohui; Brailey, Jacqueline L et al. (2011) Oxidation and loss of heme in soluble guanylyl cyclase from Manduca sexta. Biochemistry 50:5813-5
Singh, Satish K; Roberts, Sue A; McDevitt, Sylvia F et al. (2011) Crystal structures of multicopper oxidase CueO bound to copper(I) and silver(I): functional role of a methionine-rich sequence. J Biol Chem 286:37849-57

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