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Papers by Philip Hill

Research paper thumbnail of Disruption of the interaction between the Rieske iron-sulfur protein and cytochrome b in the yeast bc1 complex owing to a human disease-associated mutation within cytochrome b

European journal of biochemistry / FEBS, 2004

The mitochondrial cytochrome b missense mutation, G167E, has been reported in a patient with card... more The mitochondrial cytochrome b missense mutation, G167E, has been reported in a patient with cardiomyopathy. The residue G167 is located in an extramembranous helix close to the hinge region of the iron-sulfur protein. In order to characterize the effects of the mutation on the structure and function of the bc(1) complex, we introduced G167E into the highly similar yeast cytochrome b. The mutation had a severe effect on the respiratory function, with the activity of the bc(1) complex decreased to a few per cent of the wild type. Analysis of the enzyme activity indicated that the mutation affected its stability, which could be the result of an altered binding of the iron-sulfur protein on the complex. G167E had no major effect on the interaction between the iron-sulfur protein headgroup and the quinol oxidation site, as judged by the electron paramagnetic resonance signal, and only a minor effect on the rate of cytochrome b reduction, but it severely reduced the rate of cytochrome c(...

Research paper thumbnail of Molecular Basis for Atovaquone Binding to the Cytochrome bc 1 Complex

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Cytochrome b Mutations That Modify the Ubiquinol-binding Pocket of the Cytochrome bc1 Complex and Confer Anti-malarial Drug Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Recapitulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of Cytochrome b Mutations Conferring Resistance to Atovaquone in Pneumocystis jiroveci

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2003

Pneumocystis jiroveci (human-derived P. carinii ) is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus which cau... more Pneumocystis jiroveci (human-derived P. carinii ) is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus which causes pneumonia and is life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals. Spontaneously acquired resistance to atovaquone, a hydroxynaphthoquinone that is used to treat P. jiroveci infections, was linked to mutations in the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b gene. Because P. jiroveci cannot be easily cultivated, we have developed Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an alternative system to study atovaquone resistance mutations. In this work, we introduced seven mutations linked with atovaquone resistance in P. jiroveci into the S. cerevisiae cytochrome b gene. The effects of the mutations on the respiratory function and on the sensitivity to the inhibitor were then characterized. Six of the reported mutations lowered the sensitivity of the S. cerevisiae bc 1 complex to atovaquone, while one mutation had no effect on the drug resistance. These results were confirmed by monitoring the in vivo resi...

Research paper thumbnail of Synthesis of Multiple N-Acylhomoserine Lactones is Wide-spread Among the Members of the Burkholderia cepacia Complex

Systematic and Applied Microbiology, 2001

Seventy strains of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, which currently comprises six genomic specie... more Seventy strains of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, which currently comprises six genomic species, were tested for their ability to produce N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules. Using thin layer chromatography in conjunction with a range of AHL biosensors, we show that most strains primarily produce two AHLs, namely N-octanoylhomoserine lactone (C8-HSL) and N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone (C6-HSL). Furthermore, some strains belonging to B. vietnamiensis (genomovar V) produce additional long chain AHL molecules with acyl chains ranging from C10 to C14. For B. vietnamiensis R-921 the structure of the most abundant long chain AHL was confirmed as N-decanoylhomoserine lactone (C10-HSL) by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in combination with total chemical synthesis. Interestingly, a number of strains, most notably all representatives of B. multivorans (genomovar II), did not produce AHLs at least under the growth conditions used in this study. All strains were also screened for the production of extracellular lipase, chitinase, protease, and siderophores. However, no correlation between the AHL production and the synthesis of these exoproducts was apparent. Southern blot analysis showed that all the B. cepacia complex strains investigated, including the AHL-negative strains, possess genes homologous to the C8-HSL synthase cepI and to cepR, which encodes the cognate receptor protein. The nucleotide sequence of the cepI and cepR genes from one representative strain from each of the six genomovars was determined. Furthermore, the cepI genes from the different genomovars were expressed in Escherichia coli and it is demonstrated that all genes encode functional proteins that direct the synthesis of C8-HSL and C6-HSL. Given that cepI from the B. multivorans strain encodes a functional AHL synthase, yet detectable levels of AHLs were not produced by the wild-type, this suggests that additional regulatory functions may be present in members of this genomovar that negatively affect expression of cepI.

Research paper thumbnail of Disruption of the interaction between the Rieske iron-sulfur protein and cytochrome b in the yeast bc1 complex owing to a human disease-associated mutation within cytochrome b

European journal of biochemistry / FEBS, 2004

The mitochondrial cytochrome b missense mutation, G167E, has been reported in a patient with card... more The mitochondrial cytochrome b missense mutation, G167E, has been reported in a patient with cardiomyopathy. The residue G167 is located in an extramembranous helix close to the hinge region of the iron-sulfur protein. In order to characterize the effects of the mutation on the structure and function of the bc(1) complex, we introduced G167E into the highly similar yeast cytochrome b. The mutation had a severe effect on the respiratory function, with the activity of the bc(1) complex decreased to a few per cent of the wild type. Analysis of the enzyme activity indicated that the mutation affected its stability, which could be the result of an altered binding of the iron-sulfur protein on the complex. G167E had no major effect on the interaction between the iron-sulfur protein headgroup and the quinol oxidation site, as judged by the electron paramagnetic resonance signal, and only a minor effect on the rate of cytochrome b reduction, but it severely reduced the rate of cytochrome c(...

Research paper thumbnail of Molecular Basis for Atovaquone Binding to the Cytochrome bc 1 Complex

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Cytochrome b Mutations That Modify the Ubiquinol-binding Pocket of the Cytochrome bc1 Complex and Confer Anti-malarial Drug Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Recapitulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of Cytochrome b Mutations Conferring Resistance to Atovaquone in Pneumocystis jiroveci

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2003

Pneumocystis jiroveci (human-derived P. carinii ) is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus which cau... more Pneumocystis jiroveci (human-derived P. carinii ) is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus which causes pneumonia and is life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals. Spontaneously acquired resistance to atovaquone, a hydroxynaphthoquinone that is used to treat P. jiroveci infections, was linked to mutations in the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b gene. Because P. jiroveci cannot be easily cultivated, we have developed Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an alternative system to study atovaquone resistance mutations. In this work, we introduced seven mutations linked with atovaquone resistance in P. jiroveci into the S. cerevisiae cytochrome b gene. The effects of the mutations on the respiratory function and on the sensitivity to the inhibitor were then characterized. Six of the reported mutations lowered the sensitivity of the S. cerevisiae bc 1 complex to atovaquone, while one mutation had no effect on the drug resistance. These results were confirmed by monitoring the in vivo resi...

Research paper thumbnail of Synthesis of Multiple N-Acylhomoserine Lactones is Wide-spread Among the Members of the Burkholderia cepacia Complex

Systematic and Applied Microbiology, 2001

Seventy strains of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, which currently comprises six genomic specie... more Seventy strains of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, which currently comprises six genomic species, were tested for their ability to produce N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules. Using thin layer chromatography in conjunction with a range of AHL biosensors, we show that most strains primarily produce two AHLs, namely N-octanoylhomoserine lactone (C8-HSL) and N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone (C6-HSL). Furthermore, some strains belonging to B. vietnamiensis (genomovar V) produce additional long chain AHL molecules with acyl chains ranging from C10 to C14. For B. vietnamiensis R-921 the structure of the most abundant long chain AHL was confirmed as N-decanoylhomoserine lactone (C10-HSL) by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in combination with total chemical synthesis. Interestingly, a number of strains, most notably all representatives of B. multivorans (genomovar II), did not produce AHLs at least under the growth conditions used in this study. All strains were also screened for the production of extracellular lipase, chitinase, protease, and siderophores. However, no correlation between the AHL production and the synthesis of these exoproducts was apparent. Southern blot analysis showed that all the B. cepacia complex strains investigated, including the AHL-negative strains, possess genes homologous to the C8-HSL synthase cepI and to cepR, which encodes the cognate receptor protein. The nucleotide sequence of the cepI and cepR genes from one representative strain from each of the six genomovars was determined. Furthermore, the cepI genes from the different genomovars were expressed in Escherichia coli and it is demonstrated that all genes encode functional proteins that direct the synthesis of C8-HSL and C6-HSL. Given that cepI from the B. multivorans strain encodes a functional AHL synthase, yet detectable levels of AHLs were not produced by the wild-type, this suggests that additional regulatory functions may be present in members of this genomovar that negatively affect expression of cepI.