Molecular characterization of a novel His333Arg variant of human protoporphyrinogen oxidase IX

Variegate porphyria is caused by mutations in the protoporphyrinogen oxidase IX (PPOX, EC 1.3.3.4) gene, resulting in reduced overall enzymatic activity of PPOX in human tissues. Recently, we have identified the His333Arg mutation in the PPOX protein (PPOX(H333R)) as a putative founder mutation in the Moroccan Jewish population. Herein we report the molecular characterization of PPOX(H333R) in vitro and in cells. Purified recombinant PPOX(H333R) did not show any appreciable enzymatic activity in vitro, corroborating the clinical findings. Biophysical experiments and molecular modeling revealed that PPOX(H333R) is not folded properly and fails to adopt its native functional three-dimensional conformation due to steric clashes in the vicinity of the active site of the enzyme. On the other hand, PPOX(H333R) subcellular distribution, as evaluated by live-cell confocal microscopy, is unimpaired suggesting that the functional three-dimensional fold is not required for efficient transport of the polypeptide chain into mitochondria. Overall, the data presented here provide molecular underpinnings of the pathogenicity of PPOX(H333R) and might serve as a blueprint for deciphering whether a given PPOX variant represents a disease-causing mutation. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).