The Multiple Roles of Glutathione-Dependent Enzymes: A Themed Issue in Honor of Prof. Bengt Mannervik

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Enzymology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 325

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Interests: molecular genetics; enzymes that metabolise drugs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Biomolecules on the "The multiple roles of glutathione-dependent enzymes" is to honor the vast contribution of Professor Bengt Mannervik to this field. Bengt has had an extraordinarily productive and influential career, publishing in excess of 500 peer-reviewed research papers that have been cited more than 45,000 times. Bengt’s main area of interest has been in the glutathione transferase enzymes, where he was the first to recognize the class structure of the cytosolic glutathione transferase family of proteins and he has been a major contributor to our knowledge of their structure and function. In addition, Bengt has made many valuable contributions to our understanding of other glutathione-dependent enzymes such as thiol transferase, glyoxalase, and glutathione reductase. In recent years, Bengt has used GSTs as exemplars to provide novel insights into protein engineering and directed evolution. Having supervised more than 60 PhD scholars from around the world and having hosted several International “glutathione transferase” conferences, Bengt is widely recognized as the world’s most prominent authority in this field.

Before his “retirement”, Bengt held the Karin and Herbert Jacobsson Professorship of Biochemistry at Uppsala University, originally held by Nobel Prize Laureate Arne Tiselius, arguably the most prestigious chair in Sweden.  Bengt is currently a Senior Professor at Stockholm University and an Adjunct Professor at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Glutathione is a unique molecule which is utilized by a range of glutathione-dependent enzymes. These enzymes have been shown to contribute to an extraordinary array of metabolic and cellular processes including redox regulation, detoxification of xenobiotics and endogenous toxicants, intermediary metabolism of amino acids, steroid hormone production, gene regulation, inflammation, and the modulation of ion channels. This series of papers explores the diverse roles that glutathione-dependent enzymes play in living cells and represents a fitting tribute to Bengt’s past and continuing contributions to the field.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute an original research article or a review to this Special Issue that explores the diverse roles that glutathione-dependent enzymes play in living cells and how they can be manipulated in biotechnological and therapeutic settings.

The scope of this Special Issue includes investigations of the function, structure, and regulation of enzymes that bind and utilize glutathione, including but not limited to glutathione transferases; glutathione peroxidases; glutathione reductase; the glyoxalases, glutaredoxins, and enzymes that synthesize and breakdown glutathione; and CLIC proteins and glutathione conjugate transporters.

Prof. Dr. Philip G. Board
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • glutathione transferase
  • glutathione peroxidase
  • glutathione reductase
  • glyoxalases
  • glutaredoxins
  • glutamate-cysteine ligase
  • glutathione synthetase
  • CHAC1 and g-glutamyl cyclotransferases
  • CLIC proteins
  • glutathione conjugate transporters

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

11 pages, 558 KiB  
Review
Kinetic Behavior of Glutathione Transferases: Understanding Cellular Protection from Reactive Intermediates
by Ralf Morgenstern
Biomolecules 2024, 14(6), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14060641 - 30 May 2024
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Abstract
Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are the primary catalysts protecting from reactive electrophile attack. In this review, the quantitative levels and distribution of glutathione transferases in relation to physiological function are discussed. The catalytic properties (random sequential) tell us that these enzymes have evolved to [...] Read more.
Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are the primary catalysts protecting from reactive electrophile attack. In this review, the quantitative levels and distribution of glutathione transferases in relation to physiological function are discussed. The catalytic properties (random sequential) tell us that these enzymes have evolved to intercept reactive intermediates. High concentrations of enzymes (up to several hundred micromolar) ensure efficient protection. Individual enzyme molecules, however, turn over only rarely (estimated as low as once daily). The protection of intracellular protein and DNA targets is linearly proportional to enzyme levels. Any lowering of enzyme concentration, or inhibition, would thus result in diminished protection. It is well established that GSTs also function as binding proteins, potentially resulting in enzyme inhibition. Here the relevance of ligand inhibition and catalytic mechanisms, such as negative co-operativity, is discussed. There is a lack of knowledge pertaining to relevant ligand levels in vivo, be they exogenous or endogenous (e.g., bile acids and bilirubin). The stoichiometry of active sites in GSTs is well established, cytosolic enzyme dimers have two sites. It is puzzling that a third of the site’s reactivity is observed in trimeric microsomal glutathione transferases (MGSTs). From a physiological point of view, such sub-stoichiometric behavior would appear to be wasteful. Over the years, a substantial amount of detailed knowledge on the structure, distribution, and mechanism of purified GSTs has been gathered. We still lack knowledge on exact cell type distribution and levels in vivo however, especially in relation to ligand levels, which need to be determined. Such knowledge must be gathered in order to allow mathematical modeling to be employed in the future, to generate a holistic understanding of reactive intermediate protection. Full article
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