Thiocyanate, a plausible physiological electron donor of gastric peroxidase

Gastric peroxidase (GPO) was purified to apparent homogeneity to characterize its major physiological electron donor. The enzyme (RZ = 0.7), with a subunit molecular mass of 50 kDa, is a glycoprotein, with a relative abundance of aspartic and glutamic acid over arginine and lysine. It has a Soret maximum at 412 nm, which is shifted to 426 nm by H2O2 due to formation of compound II. Although the physiological electron donors I-, Br- and SCN-, but not Cl-, are oxidized by GPO optimally at acid pH, only I- and SCN- are oxidized appreciably at physiological pH. Considering that the I- concentration in stomach is less than 1 microM, whereas the SCN- concentration is about 250 microM, SCN- may act as a major electron donor for GPO. Moreover, SCN- oxidation remains unaltered in the presence of physiological concentrations of other halides. The second-order rate constant for the reaction of GPO with H2O2 (k1) and compound I with SCN- (k2) at pH 7 was found to be 8 x 10(7) M-1.s-1 and 2 x 10(5) M-1.s-1 respectively. GPO has significant pseudocatalase activity also in the presence of I- or Br-, but it is blocked by SCN-. The SCN- oxidation product OSCN- may be reduced back to SCN- by cellular GSH, and GSSG may be reduced back to GSH by glutathione reductase and NADPH. In a system reconstituted with pure glutathione reductase, NADPH, GSH, SCN- and H2O2. GPO-catalysed SCN- oxidation could be coupled to NADPH oxidation. This system where GPO utilizes SCN- as the major physiological electron donor may operate efficiently to scavenge intracellular H2O2.

Mechanism-based inactivation of gastric peroxidase by mercaptomethylimidazole

The mechanism of inhibition of gastric peroxidase (GPO) activity by mercaptomethylimidazole (MMI), an inducer of gastric acid secretion, has been investigated. Incubation of purified GPO with MMI in the presence of H2O2 results in irreversible inactivation of the enzyme. No significant inactivation occurs in the absence of H2O2 or MMI, suggesting the involvement of peroxidase-catalysed oxidized MMI (MMIOX.) in the inactivation process. The inactivation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics consistent with a mechanism-based (suicide) mode. The pseudo-first-order kinetic constants at pH 8 are ki = 111 microM, k(inact.) = 0.55 min-1 and t1/2 = 1.25 min, and the second-order rate constant is 0.53 x 10(4) M-1 x min-1. Propylthiouracil also inactivates GPO activity in the same manner but its efficiency (k(inact./ki = 0.46 mM-1 x min-1) is about 10 times lower than that of MMI (k(inact./ki = 5 mM-1 x min-1). The rate of inactivation with MMI shows pH-dependence with an inflection point at 7.3, indicating the involvement in the inactivation process of an ionizable group on the enzyme with a pKa of 7.3. The enzyme is remarkably protected against inactivation by micromolar concentrations of electron donors such as iodide and bromide but not by chloride. Although GPO oxidizes MMI slowly, iodide stimulates it through enzymic generation of I+ which is reduced back to I- by MMI. Although MMIOX. is formed at a much higher rate in the presence of I-, a constant concentration of I- maintained via the reduction of I+ by MMI, protects the active site of the enzyme against inactivation. We suggest that MMI inactivates catalytically active GPO by acting as a suicidal substrate.

Endocrine control of extrathyroidal peroxidases and iodide metabolism

The role of the thyroid and adrenal glands on iodide transport and peroxidase-catalyzed formation of iodotyrosines in extrathyroidal tissues such as stomach and submaxillary glands has been investigated. Thyroidectomy stimulates iodide concentration and iodotyrosine formation in stomach, sensitive to the administration of thyroxine but having no effect on the peroxidase activity. In contrast, although thyroidectomy stimulates the submaxillary peroxidase which is reversed on treatment with thyroxine, it has no effect on iodide concentration and organification in the submaxillary gland. Gastric peroxidase activity is specifically stimulated by adrenalectomy and is inhibited by glucocorticoids which also inhibit iodotyrosine formation in stomach.