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Review
. 2023 Sep;114(1):e22027.
doi: 10.1002/arch.22027. Epub 2023 Jun 7.

Characterization of glutathione-specific gamma glutamyl cyclotransferase (ChaC) in Bombyx mori

Wazifa Afrin  1 , Naotaka Yamada  1 , Shigeki Furuya  1 , Kohji Yamamoto  1
Affiliations
Review

Characterization of glutathione-specific gamma glutamyl cyclotransferase (ChaC) in Bombyx mori

Wazifa Afrin et al. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Glutathione (GSH) contributes to redox maintenance and detoxification of various xenobiotic and endogenous substances. γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase (ChaC) is involved in GSH degradation. However, the molecular mechanism underlying GSH degradation in silkworms (Bombyx mori) remains unknown. Silkworms are lepidopteran insects that are considered to be an agricultural pest model. We aimed to examine the metabolic mechanism underlying GSH degradation mediated by B. mori ChaC and successfully identified a novel ChaC gene in silkworms (herein, bmChaC). The amino acid sequence and phylogenetic tree revealed that bmChaC was closely related to mammalian ChaC2. We overexpressed recombinant bmChaC in Escherichia coli, and the purified bmChaC showed specific activity toward GSH. Additionally, we examined the degradation of GSH to 5-oxoproline and cysteinyl glycine via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that bmChaC mRNA expression was observed in various tissues. Our results suggest that bmChaC participates in tissue protection via GSH homeostasis. This study provides new insights into the activities of ChaC and the underlying molecular mechanisms that can aid the development of insecticides to control agricultural pests.

Keywords: 5-oxoproline; Bombyx mori; glutathione; reactive oxygen species; γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase.

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