Pseudoenzymes are variants of enzymes that are catalytically-deficient (usually inactive), meaning that they perform little or no enzyme catalysis. [1] They are believed to be represented in all major enzyme families in the kingdoms of life, where they have important signaling and metabolic functions, many of which are only now coming to light.[2] Pseudoenzymes are becoming increasingly important to analyse, especially as the bioinformatic analysis of genomes reveals their ubiquity. Their important regulatory and sometimes disease-associated functions in metabolic and signalling pathways are also shedding new light on the non-catalytic functions of active enzymes, of moonlighting proteins,[3][4] the re-purposing of proteins in distinct cellular roles (Protein moonlighting). They are also suggesting new ways to target and interpret cellular signalling mechanisms using small molecules and drugs.[5] The most intensively analyzed, and certainly the best understood pseudoenzymes in terms of cellular signalling functions are probably the pseudokinases, the pseudoproteases and the pseudophosphatases. Recently, the pseudo-deubiquitylases have also begun to gain prominence.[6][7]
Structures and roles
The difference between enzymatically active and inactive homologues has been noted (and in some cases, understood when comparing catalytically active and inactive proteins residing in recognisable families) for some time at the sequence level,[8] owing to the absence of key catalytic residues. Some pseudoenzymes have also been referred to as 'prozymes' when they were analysed in protozoan parasites.[9] The best studied pseudoenzymes reside amongst various key signalling superfamilies of enzymes, such as the proteases,[10] the protein kinases,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] protein phosphatases[18][19] and ubiquitin modifying enzymes.[20][21] The role of pseudoenzymes as "pseudo scaffolds" has also been recognised [22] and pseudoenzymes are now beginning to be more thoroughly studied in terms of their biology and function, in large part because they are also interesting potential targets (or anti-targets) for drug design in the context of intracellular cellular signalling complexes.[23][24]
Allosteric regulation of conventional protein kinase
STRADα regulates activity of the conventional protein kinase, LKB1
JAK1-3 and TYK2 C-terminal tyrosine kinase domains are regulated by their adjacent pseudokinase domain
KSR1/2 regulates activation of the conventional protein kinase, Raf
Allosteric regulation of other enzymes
VRK3 regulates activity of the phosphatase, VHR
Pseudo-Histidine kinase
Protein interaction domain
Caulobacter DivL binds the phosphorylated response regulator, DivK, allowing DivL to negatively regulate the asymmetric cell division regulatory kinase, CckA
Pseudophosphatase
Occlusion of conventional phosphatase access to substrate
EGG-4/EGG-5 binds to the phosphorylated activation loop of the kinase, MBK-2
STYX competes with DUSP4 for binding to ERK1/2
Allosteric regulation of conventional phosphatases
MTMR13 binds and promotes lipid phosphatase activity of MTMR2
Regulation of protein localisation in a cell
STYX acts as a nuclear anchor for ERK1/2
Regulation of signalling complex assembly
STYX binds the F-box protein, FBXW7, to inhibit its recruitment to the SCF Ubiquitin ligase complex
cFLIP binds and inhibits the cysteine protease, Caspase-8, to block extrinsic apoptosis
Regulation of protein localisation in a cell
Mammalian iRhom proteins bind and regulate trafficking single pass transmembrane proteins to plasma membrane or ER-associated degradation pathway
Pseudodeubiquitinase (pseudoDUB)
Allosteric regulator of conventional DUB
KIAA0157 is crucial to assembly of a higher order heterotetramer with DUB, BRCC36, and DUB activity
Pseudoligase (pseudo-Ubiquitin E2)
Allosteric regulator of conventional E2 ligase
Mms2 is a ubiquitin E2 variant (UEV) that binds active E2, Ubc13, to direct K63 ubiquitin linkages
Regulation of protein localisation in a cell
Tsg101 is a component of the ESCRT-I trafficking complex, and plays a key role in HIV-1 Gag binding and HIV budding
Pseudoligase (pseudo-Ubiquitin E3)
Possible allosteric regulator of conventional RBR family E3 ligase
BRcat regulates interdomain architecture in RBR family E3 Ubiquitin ligases, such as Parkin and Ariadne-1/2
Pseudonuclease
Allosteric regulator of conventional nuclease
CPSF-100 is a component of the pre-mRNA 3´ end processing complex containing the active counterpart, CPSF-73
PseudoATPase
Allosteric regulator of conventional ATPase
EccC comprises two pseudoATPase domains that regulate the N-terminal conventional ATPase domain
PseudoGTPase
Allosteric regulator of conventional GTPase
GTP-bound Rnd1 or Rnd3/RhoE bind p190RhoGAP to regulate the catalytic activity of the conventional GTPase, RhoA
Scaffold for assembly of signalling complexes
MiD51, which is catalytically dead but binds GDP or ADP, is part of a complex that recruits Drp1 to mediate mitochondrial fission. CENP-M cannot bind GTP or switch conformations, but is essential for nucleating the CENP-I, CENP-H, CENP-K small GTPase complex to regulate kinetochore assembly
Regulation of protein localisation in a cell
Yeast light intermediate domain (LIC) is a pseudoGTPase, devoid of nucleotide binding, which binds the dynein motor to cargo. Human LIC binds GDP in preference to GTP, suggesting nucleotide binding could confer stability rather than underlying a switch mechanism.
Pseudochitinase
Substrate recruitment or sequestration
YKL-39 binds, but does not process, chitooligosaccharides via 5 binding subsites
Pseudosialidase
Scaffold for assembly of signalling complexes
CyRPA nucleates assembly of the P. falciparum PfRh5/PfRipr complex that binds the erythrocyte receptor, basigin, and mediates host cell invasion
Pseudolyase
Allosteric activation of conventional enzyme counterpart
Prozyme heterodimerisation with S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) activates catalytic activity 1000-fold
Pseudotransferase
Allosteric activation of cellular enzyme counterpart
Viral GAT recruits cellular PFAS to deaminate RIG-I and counter host antiviral defence. T. brucei deoxyhypusine synthase (TbDHS) dead paralog, DHSp, binds to and activates DHSc >1000-fold.
Pseudo-histone acetyl transferase (pseudoHAT)
Possible scaffold for assembly of signalling complexes
Human O-GlcNAcase (OGA) lacks catalytic residues and acetyl CoA binding, unlike bacterial counterpart
Pseudo-phospholipase
Possible scaffold for assembly of signalling complexes
FAM83 family proteins presumed to have acquired new functions in preference to ancestral phospholipase D catalytic activity
Allosteric inactivation of conventional enzyme counterpart
Viper phospholipase A2 inhibitor structurally resembles the human cellular protein it targets, phospholipase A2.
Pseudo-oxidoreductase
Allosteric inactivation of conventional enzyme counterpart
ALDH2*2 thwarts assembly of the active counterpart, ALDH2*1, into a tetramer.
Pseudo-dismutase
Allosteric activation of conventional enzyme counterpart
Copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase (CCS) binds and activates catalysis by its enzyme counterpart, SOD1
Pseudo-dihydroorotase
Regulating folding or complex assembly of conventional enzyme
Pseudomonas pDHO is required for either folding of the aspartate transcarbamoylase catalytic subunit, or its assembly into an active oligomer
Pseudo-RNase
Facilitating complex assembly/stability and promoting association of catalytic paralog
KREPB4 may act as a pseudoenzyme to form the noncatalytic half of an RNase III heterodimer with the editing endonuclease(s)[26]
^Jeffery CJ (Dec 2019). "Multitalented actors inside and outside the cell: recent discoveries add to the number of moonlighting proteins". Biochemical Society Transactions. 47 (6): 1941–1948. doi:10.1042/BST20190798. PMID31803903. S2CID208643133.
^Adrain C, Freeman M (July 2012). "New lives for old: evolution of pseudoenzyme function illustrated by iRhoms". Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology. 13 (8): 489–98. doi:10.1038/nrm3392. PMID22781900. S2CID806199.
^Reiterer V, Eyers PA, Farhan H (September 2014). "Day of the dead: pseudokinases and pseudophosphatases in physiology and disease". Trends in Cell Biology. 24 (9): 489–505. doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2014.03.008. PMID24818526.
^Wishart MJ, Dixon JE (August 1998). "Gathering STYX: phosphatase-like form predicts functions for unique protein-interaction domains". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 23 (8): 301–6. doi:10.1016/s0968-0004(98)01241-9. PMID9757831.
^Reiterer V, Eyers PA, Farhan H (September 2014). "Day of the dead: pseudokinases and pseudophosphatases in physiology and disease". Trends in Cell Biology. 24 (9): 489–505. doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2014.03.008. PMID24818526.
^Foulkes DM, Byrne DP, Bailey FP, Eyers PA (October 2015). "Tribbles pseudokinases: novel targets for chemical biology and drug discovery?". Biochemical Society Transactions. 43 (5): 1095–103. doi:10.1042/bst20150109. PMID26517930.
^Murphy JM, Farhan H, Eyers PA (April 2017). "Bio-Zombie: the rise of pseudoenzymes in biology". Biochemical Society Transactions. 45 (2): 537–544. doi:10.1042/bst20160400. PMID28408493.