Increasing antibiotic resistance makes the identification of new antibacterial principles an urgent task. The thioredoxin system including thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), thioredoxin (Trx), and NADPH plays critical roles in cellular DNA synthesis and defense against oxidative stress. Notably, TrxR is very different in structure and mechanism in mammals and bacteria. Ebselen [2‐phenyl‐1,2 benzisoselenazol‐3(2 H )‐one], a well‐known antioxidant and a substrate for mammalian TrxR and Trx, is rapidly bacteriocidal for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus by an unknown mechanism. We have discovered that ebselen is a competitive inhibitor of Escherichia coli TrxR with a K _i of 0.52 ± 0.13 μM, through reaction with the active site dithiol of the enzyme. Bacteria lacking glutathione (GSH) and glutaredoxin, in which TrxR and Trx are essential for DNA synthesis, were particularly sensitive to ebselen. In growth‐inhibited E. coli strains, Trx1 and Trx2 were oxidized, demonstrating that electron transfer via thioredoxin was blocked. Ebselen and its sulfur analog ebsulfur were bactericidal for GSH‐negative pathogens. Ebsulfur inhibited a clinically isolated Helicobacter pylori strain with a minimum inhibitory concentration value as low as 0.39 μg/ml. These results demonstrate that bacterial Trx and TrxR are viable antibacterial drug targets using benzisoselenazol and benzisothiazol derivates.—Lu, J., Vlamis‐Gardikas, A., Kandasamy, K., Zhao, R., Gustafsson, T. N., Engstrand, L., Hoffner, S., Engman, L., Holmgren, A. Inhibition of bacterial thioredoxin reductase: an antibiotic mechanism targeting bacteria lacking glutathione. FASEB J. 27, 1394–1403 (2013). www.fasebj.org

Reduction of inorganic sulfate to sulfite in prototrophic bacteria occurs with 3′-phosphoadenylylsulfate (PAPS) as substrate for PAPS reductase and is the first step leading to reduced sulfur for cellular biosynthetic reactions. The relative efficiency as reductants of homogeneous highly active PAPS reductase of the newly identified second thioredoxin (Trx2) and glutaredoxins (Grx1, Grx2, Grx3, and a mutant Grx1C14S) was compared with the well known thioredoxin (Trx1) from Escherichia coli. Trx1, Trx2, and Grx1 supported virtually identical rates of sulfite formation with aV _max ranging from 6.6 units mg⁻¹(Trx1) to 5.1 units mg⁻¹ (Grx1), whereas Grx1C14S was only marginally active, and Grx2 and Grx3 had no activity. The structural difference between active reductants had no effect uponK _{m PAPS} (22.5 μm). Grx1 effectively replaced Trx1 with essentially identicalK _m-values: K _{m trx1}(13.7 μm), K _{m grx1} (14.9 μm), whereas the K _{m trx2}was considerably higher (34.2 μm). The results agree with previous in vivo data suggesting that Trx1 or Grx1 is essential for sulfate reduction but not for ribonucleotide reduction inE. coli.

Glutaredoxins are ubiquitous proteins that catalyze the reduction of disulfides via reduced glutathione (GSH). Escherichia coli has three glutaredoxins (Grx1, Grx2, and Grx3), all containing the classic dithiol active site CPYC. We report the cloning, expression, and characterization of a novel monothiol E. coli glutaredoxin, which we name glutaredoxin 4 (Grx4). The protein consists of 115 amino acids (12.7 kDa), has a monothiol (CGFS) potential active site and shows high sequence homology to the other monothiol glutaredoxins and especially to yeast Grx5. Experiments with gene knock-out techniques showed that the reading frame encoding Grx4 was essential. Grx4 was inactive as a GSH-disulfide oxidoreductase in a standard glutaredoxin assay with GSH and hydroxyethyl disulfide in a complete system with NADPH and glutathione reductase. An engineered CGFC active site mutant did not gain activity either. Grx4 in reduced form contained three thiols, and treatment with oxidized GSH resulted in glutathionylation and formation of a disulfide. Remarkably, this disulfide of Grx4 was a direct substrate for NADPH and E. coli thioredoxin reductase, whereas the mixed disulfide was reduced by Grx1. Reduced Grx4 showed the potential to transfer electrons to oxidized E. coli Grx1 and Grx3. Grx4 is highly abundant (750-2000 ng/mg of total soluble protein), as determined by a specific enzyme-link immunosorbent assay, and most likely regulated by guanosine 3',5'-tetraphosphate upon entry to stationary phase. Grx4 was highly elevated upon iron depletion, suggesting an iron-related function for the protein.

In Escherichia coli ArsC catalyzes the reduction of arsenate to arsenite using GSH with glutaredoxin as electron donors. E. coli has three glutaredoxins: 1, 2, and 3, each with a classical -Cys-Pro-Tyr-Cys- active site. Glutaredoxin 2 is the major glutathione disulfide oxidoreductase in E. coli, but its function remains unknown. In this report glutaredoxin 2 is shown to be the most effective hydrogen donor for the reduction of arsenate by ArsC. Analysis of single or double cysteine-to-serine substitutions in the active site of the three glutaredoxins indicated that only the N-terminal cysteine residue is essential for activity. This suggests that, during the catalytic cycle, ArsC forms a mixed disulfide with GSH before being reduced by glutaredoxin to regenerate the active ArsC reductase.

The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) induces apoptosis via its oxidative metabolites. This study shows that glutaredoxin 2 (Grx2) from Escherichia coli and human glutaredoxin could protect cerebellar granule neurons from DA-induced apoptosis. E. coli Grx2, which catalyzes glutathione-disulfide oxidoreduction via its -Cys-Pro-Tyr-Cys- active site, penetrates into cerebellar granule neurons and exerts its activity via NF-κB activation. Analysis of single and double cysteine to serine substitutions in the active site of Grx2 showed that both cysteine residues were essential for activity. Although DA significantly reduced NF-κB binding activity, Grx2 could stimulate the binding of NF-κB to DNA by: (i) translocating NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus after promoting the phosphorylation and degradation of I-κBα, and (ii) activating the binding of pre existing nuclear NF-κB. The DNA binding activity of NF-κB itself was essential for neuronal survival. Overexpression of I-κB dominant negative gene (I-κB-ΔN) in granule neurons significantly reduced their viability, irrespective of the presence of Grx2. Ref-1 expression was down-regulated by DA but up-regulated by Grx2, while treatment of neurons with Ref-1 antisense oligonucleotide reduced the ability of Grx2 to activate NF-κB binding activity. These results show that Grx2 exerts its anti apoptotic activity through the activation of Ref-1, which then activates NF-κB.