Human Delta(3),Delta(2)-enoyl-CoA isomerase, type 2: a structural enzymology study on the catalytic role of its ACBP domain and helix-10
FEBS JOURNAL
Authors: Onwukwe, Goodluck U.; Kursula, Petri; Koski, M. Kristian; Schmitz, Werner; Wierenga, Rik K.
Abstract
The catalytic domain of the trimeric human (3),(2)-enoyl-CoA isomerase, type 2 (HsECI2), has the typical crotonase fold. In the active site of this fold two main chain NH groups form an oxyanion hole for binding the thioester oxygen of the 3E- or 3Z-enoyl-CoA substrate molecules. A catalytic glutamate is essential for the proton transfer between the substrate C2 and C4 atoms for forming the product 2E-enoyl-CoA, which is a key intermediate in the -oxidation pathway. The active site is covered by the C-terminal helix-10. In HsECI2, the isomerase domain is extended at its N terminus by an acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) domain. Small angle X-ray scattering analysis of HsECI2 shows that the ACBP domain protrudes out of the central isomerase trimer. X-ray crystallography of the isomerase domain trimer identifies the active site geometry. A tunnel, shaped by loop-2 and extending from the catalytic site to bulk solvent, suggests a likely mode of binding of the fatty acyl chains. Calorimetry data show that the separately expressed ACBP and isomerase domains bind tightly to fatty acyl-CoA molecules. The truncated isomerase variant (without ACBP domain) has significant enoyl-CoA isomerase activity; however, the full-length isomerase is more efficient. Structural enzymological studies of helix-10 variants show the importance of this helix for efficient catalysis. Its hydrophobic side chains, together with residues from loop-2 and loop-4, complete a hydrophobic cluster that covers the active site, thereby fixing the thioester moiety in a mode of binding competent for efficient catalysis. DatabaseStructural data are available in the PDB database under the accession numbers (ISO-ECI2), (ISOA-ECI2), (ISOB-ECI2)
Lipid degradation promotes prostate cancer cell survival
ONCOTARGET
Authors: Itkonen, Harri M.; Brown, Michael; Urbanucci, Alfonso; Tredwell, Gregory; Lau, Chung Ho; Barfeld, Stefan; Hart, Claire; Guldvik, Ingrid J.; Takhar, Mandeep; Heemers, Hannelore V.; Erho, Nicholas; Bloch, Katarzyna; Davicioni, Elai; Derua, Rita; Waelkens, Etienne; Mohler, James L.; Clarke, Noel; Swinnen, Johan V.; Keun, Hector C.; Rekvig, Ole P.; Mills, Ian G.
Abstract
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer and androgen receptor (AR) is the major driver of the disease. Here we show that Enoyl-CoA delta isomerase 2 (ECI2) is a novel AR-target that promotes prostate cancer cell survival. Increased ECI2 expression predicts mortality in prostate cancer patients (p = 0.0086). ECI2 encodes for an enzyme involved in lipid metabolism, and we use multiple metabolite profiling platforms and RNA-seq to show that inhibition of ECI2 expression leads to decreased glucose utilization, accumulation of fatty acids and down-regulation of cell cycle related genes. In normal cells, decrease in fatty acid degradation is compensated by increased consumption of glucose, and here we demonstrate that prostate cancer cells are not able to respond to decreased fatty acid degradation. Instead, prostate cancer cells activate incomplete autophagy, which is followed by activation of the cell death response. Finally, we identified a clinically approved compound, perhexiline, which inhibits fatty acid degradation, and replicates the major findings for ECI2 knockdown. This work shows that prostate cancer cells require lipid degradation for survival and identifies a small molecule inhibitor with therapeutic potential.