Cited by 289Hemoglobin structure and functionHeme Oxygenase-1 and Carbon MonoxideMetal-Catalyzed Oxygenation Mechanisms

Human neuroglobin functions as a redox-regulated nitrite reductase

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Tiso, Mauro, Tejero, Jesús, Basu, Swati, Azarov, Ivan, Wang, Xunde, Simplaceanu, Virgil, Frizzell, Sheila, Jayaraman, Thottala +6 more·2011·Journal of Biological Chemistry

Abstract

Neuroglobin is a highly conserved hemoprotein of uncertain physiological function that evolved from a common ancestor to hemoglobin and myoglobin. It possesses a six-coordinate heme geometry with proximal and distal histidines directly bound to the heme iron, although coordination of the sixth ligand is reversible. We show that deoxygenated human neuroglobin reacts with nitrite to form nitric oxide (NO). This reaction is regulated by redox-sensitive surface thiols, cysteine 55 and 46, which regulate the fraction of the five-coordinated heme, nitrite binding, and NO formation. Replacement of the distal histidine by leucine or glutamine leads to a stable five-coordinated geometry; these neuroglobin mutants reduce nitrite to NO ∼2000 times faster than the wild type, whereas mutation of either Cys-55 or Cys-46 to alanine stabilizes the six-coordinate structure and slows the reaction. Using lentivirus expression systems, we show that the nitrite reductase activity of neuroglobin inhibits cellular respiration via NO binding to cytochrome c oxidase and confirm that the six-to-five-coordinate status of neuroglobin regulates intracellular hypoxic NO-signaling pathways. These studies suggest that neuroglobin may function as a physiological oxidative stress sensor and a post-translationally redox-regulated nitrite reductase that generates NO under six-to-five-coordinate heme pocket control. We hypothesize that the six-coordinate heme globin superfamily may subserve a function as primordial hypoxic and redox-regulated NO-signaling proteins. Neuroglobin is a highly conserved hemoprotein of uncertain physiological function that evolved from a common ancestor to hemoglobin and myoglobin. It possesses a six-coordinate heme geometry with proximal and distal histidines directly bound to the heme iron, although coordination of the sixth ligand is reversible. We show that deoxygenated human neuroglobin reacts with nitrite to form nitric oxide (NO). This reaction is regulated by redox-sensitive surface thiols, cysteine 55 and 46, which regulate the fraction of the five-coordinated heme, nitrite binding, and NO formation. Replacement of the distal histidine by leucine or glutamine leads to a stable five-coordinated geometry; these neuroglobin mutants reduce nitrite to NO ∼2000 times faster than the wild type, whereas mutation of either Cys-55 or Cys-46 to alanine stabilizes the six-coordinate structure and slows the reaction. Using lentivirus expression systems, we show that the nitrite reductase activity of neuroglobin inhibits cellular respiration via NO binding to cytochrome c oxidase and confirm that the six-to-five-coordinate status of neuroglobin regulates intracellular hypoxic NO-signaling pathways. These studies suggest that neuroglobin may function as a physiological oxidative stress sensor and a post-translationally redox-regulated nitrite reductase that generates NO under six-to-five-coordinate heme pocket control. We hypothesize that the six-coordinate heme globin superfamily may subserve a function as primordial hypoxic and redox-regulated NO-signaling proteins.

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Crossref · 10.1074/jbc.m110.159541

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  • With reported values of KHis being about 3000, the binding of the iron plays a major role in limiting the rate of nitrite reduction by Ngb, giving an overall bimolecular rate constant of about 0.1 M−1s−1 at neutral pH.

    “With reported values of being about 3000 for KHis [59], the binding of the iron plays a major role in limiting the rate of nitrite reduction by Ngb, giving an overall bimolecular rate constant of about 0.1 M−1s−1 at neutral pH [58].”

    From Mechanisms of nitrite bioactivation (2014) · cites this paper as [58]

  • The basic mechanism of reduction of nitrite to NO by Neuroglobin is similar to that of Mb and Hb, except that it is complicated by the heme iron of Ngb being predominately hexacoordinate.

    “The basic mechanism of reduction of nitrite to NO by Neuroglobin (Ngb) is also similar to that of Mb and Hb (Equation 1), except that it is complicated by the fact that the heme iron of Ngb is predominately hexacoordinate [58].”

    From Mechanisms of nitrite bioactivation (2014) · cites this paper as [58]

  • The affinity of the heme iron for the distal histidine can be increased through protein modification, thereby increasing the rate of nitrite reduction.

    “Interestingly, the affinity of the heme iron for the distal histidine can be increased through protein modification, thereby increasing the rate of nitrite reduction [58, 60].”

    From Mechanisms of nitrite bioactivation (2014) · cites this paper as [58]

  • Formation of a disulfide bond between cysteines 46 and 55 favors the pentacoordinate Ngb form.

    “Formation of a disulfide bond between cysteines 46 and 55 the pentacoordinate Ngb form [58].”

    From Mechanisms of nitrite bioactivation (2014) · cites this paper as [58]

  • The nitrite reductase activity of neuroglobin or cytochrome c is negligible when the heme is hexacoordinated.

    “the nitrite reductase activity of neuroglobin [63, 64, 70, 76] or cytochrome c [47] is negligible when the heme is hexacoordinated.”

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  1. Kriegl, J. M., Bhattacharyya, A. J., Nienhaus, K., Deng, P., Minkow, O., and Nienhaus, G. U. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 7992-7997
  2. Khan, A. A., Wang, Y., Sun, Y., Mao, X. O., Xie, L., Miles, E., Graboski, J., Chen, S., Ellerby, L. M., Jin, K., and Greenberg, D. A. (2006) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103, 17944 -17948
  3. Sun, Y., Jin, K., Mao, X. O., Zhu, Y., and Greenberg, D. A. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98, 15306 -15311
  4. Hendgen-Cotta, U. B., Merx, M. W., Shiva, S., Schmitz, J., Becher, S., Klare, J. P., Steinhoff, H. J., Goedecke, A., Schrader, J., Gladwin, M. T., Kelm, M., and Rassaf, T. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 10256 -10261
  5. Mason, M. G., Nicholls, P., Wilson, M. T., and Cooper, C. E. (2006) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103, 708 -713

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Authors
Tiso, M., Tejero, J., Basu, S., Azarov, I., Wang, X., Simplaceanu, V., Frizzell, S., Jayaraman, T., Geary, L., Shapiro, C., Ho, C., Shiva, S., Kim-Shapiro, D. B., & Gladwin, M. T.
Affiliations
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
  • Wake Forest University (US)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • Carnegie Mellon University (US)
Corresponding author
Gladwin, Mark T.
Venue
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-05
Volume
286
Issue
20
Pages
18277-18289
ISSN
0021-9258 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2086187832
Cited by
287
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 31
FWCI
15.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • American Heart Association
  • Rice University
  • National Institutes of Health (HL058091, HL098032)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R29HL058091, HL058091, HL098032, R37HL058091, R01HL058091, R01HL098032)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM084614, GM-084614)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Hemoglobin structure and function
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heme Oxygenase-1 and Carbon Monoxide
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Inorganic Chemistry › Metal-Catalyzed Oxygenation Mechanisms
Keywords
neuroglobin, nitrite reductase, nitric oxide production, heme coordination, five-coordinate heme, distal histidine, redox regulation, hypoxia signaling, oxidative stress sensing, cytochrome c oxidase inhibition, cellular respiration
MeSH terms
Neuroglobin, Animals, Globins, Humans, Male, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Nitric Oxide, Nitrite Reductases, Nitrites, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxygen Consumption, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Oxidative Stress, Amino Acid Substitution, Mutation, Missense, Rats

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