C-terminal tripeptide Ser-Asn-Leu (SNL) of human D-aspartate oxidase is a functional peroxisome-targeting signal

Abstract

The functionality of the C-terminus (Ser-Asn-Leu; SNL) of human d-aspartate oxidase, an enzyme proposed to have a role in the inactivation of synaptically released d-aspartate, as a peroxisome-targeting signal (PTS1) was investigated in vivoand in vitro. Bacterially expressed human d-aspartate oxidase was shown to interact with the human PTS1-binding protein, peroxin protein 5 (PEX5p). Binding was gradually abolished by carboxypeptidase treatment of the oxidase and competitively inhibited by a Ser-Lys-Leu (SKL)-containing peptide. After transfection of mouse fibroblasts with a plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) extended by PKSNL (the C-terminal pentapeptide of the oxidase), a punctate fluorescent pattern was evident. The modified GFP co-localized with peroxisomal thiolase as shown by indirect immunofluorescence. On transfection in fibroblasts lacking PEX5p receptor, GFP–PKSNL staining was cytosolic. Peroxisomal import of GFP extended by PGSNL (replacement of the positively charged fourth-last amino acid by glycine) seemed to be slower than that of GFP–PKSNL, whereas extension by PKSNG abolished the import of the modified GFP. Taken together, these results indicate that SNL, a tripeptide not fitting the PTS1 consensus currently defined in mammalian systems, acts as a functional PTS1 in mammalian systems, and that the consensus sequence, based on this work and that of other groups, has to be broadened to (S/A/C/K/N)-(K/R/H/Q/N/S)-L.