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Protein aggregation caused by aminoglycoside action is prevented by a hydrogen peroxide scavenger

Jiqiang Ling1, Chris Cho, Li-Tao Guo

  • 1Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.

Molecular Cell
|November 6, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Streptomycin causes protein aggregation by increasing mistranslation in E. coli. Enhancing cellular defense against hydrogen peroxide reduces this toxicity, offering a new therapeutic strategy for mistranslation-related diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Protein mistranslation is linked to cellular dysfunction, including bacterial growth arrest, yeast mitochondrial issues, and mammalian neurodegeneration.
  • The precise mechanisms by which mistranslated proteins induce cellular defects are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of streptomycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic that promotes ribosomal mistranslation, on protein aggregation in Escherichia coli.
  • To identify cellular components or pathways that mitigate the toxicity associated with protein mistranslation.

Main Methods:

  • Induced protein aggregation using streptomycin in wild-type E. coli.
  • Characterized the aggregated proteome via label-free quantitative mass spectrometry.
  • Screened an overexpression library to identify genes conferring resistance to streptomycin and kanamycin.

Main Results:

  • Streptomycin treatment induced transient protein aggregation in E. coli.
  • Proteins involved in oxidation-reduction pathways were significantly enriched among those conferring resistance.
  • Overexpression of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit F (AhpF) suppressed protein aggregation and increased aminoglycoside resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Cellular defense mechanisms against hydrogen peroxide can reduce the toxicity of protein mistranslation.
  • Targeting oxidative stress pathways may offer a therapeutic approach for conditions associated with protein mistranslation.

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