title: Tellurite-induced carbonylation of the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex.
abstract: The soluble tellurium oxyanion, tellurite, is toxic for most organisms. At least in part, tellurite toxicity involves the generation of oxygen-reactive species which induce an oxidative stress status that damages different macromolecules with DNA, lipids and proteins as oxidation targets. The objective of this work was to determine the effects of tellurite exposure upon the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex. The complex displays two distinct enzymatic activities: pyruvate dehydrogenase that oxidatively decarboxylates pyruvate to acetylCoA and tellurite reductase, which reduces tellurite (Te(4+)) to elemental tellurium (Te(o)). PDH complex components (AceE, AceF and Lpd) become oxidized upon tellurite exposure as a consequence of increased carbonyl group formation. When the individual enzymatic activities from each component were analyzed, AceE and Lpd did not show significant changes after tellurite treatment. AceF activity (dihydrolipoil acetyltransferase) decreased ~30% when cells were exposed to the toxicant. Finally, pyruvate dehydrogenase activity decreased >80%, while no evident changes were observed in complex's tellurite reductase activity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Casilla 40, Correo 33, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Nataly del P
authors.initials: Ndel P
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.forename: Claudio C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Vásquez
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D050050:Protein Carbonylation; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D013691:Tellurium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C056378:tellurite reductase; C026660:tellurous acid; D013691:Tellurium