Regulation of glutamate dehydrogenase by reversible ADP-ribosylation in mitochondria

Mitochondrial ADP-ribosylation leads to modification of two proteins of approximately 26 and 53 kDA: The nature of these proteins and, hence, the physiological consequences of their modification have remained unknown. Here, a 55 kDa protein, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), was established as a specific acceptor for enzymatic, cysteine-specific ADP-ribosylation in mitochondria. The modified protein was isolated from the mitochondrial preparation and identified as GDH by N-terminal sequencing and mass spectrometric analyses of tryptic digests. Incubation of human hepatoma cells with [14C]adenine demonstrated the occurrence of the modification in vivo. Purified GDH was ADP-ribosylated in a cysteine residue in the presence of the mitochondrial activity that transferred the ADP-ribose from NAD+ onto the acceptor site. ADP- ribosylation of GDH led to substantial inhibition of its catalytic activity. The stoichiometry between incorporated ADP-ribose and GDH subunits suggests that modification of one subunit per catalytically active homohexamer causes the inactivation of the enzyme. Isolated, ADP-ribosylated GDH was reactivated by an Mg2+-dependent mitochondrial ADP-ribosylcysteine hydrolase. GDH, a highly regulated enzyme, is the first mitochondrial protein identified whose activity may be modulated by ADP-ribosylation.