A New Member of Human TSA/AhpC as Thioredoxin-dependent Thiol Peroxidase

A new type of the human TSA homologous gene was cloned from a HeLa cell cDNA and characterized. The gene product consists of 161 amino acids with a molecular mass of 16,900. The TSA homologous protein, as a new 6th member of the human TSA (hTSA VI), exerted a thioldependent peroxidase activity with the use of thioredoxin system as a physiological electron donor. The values of $V_{max}/K_m$ of hTSA VI for $H_2O_2$ and t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) were calculated as $5.53{\times}10^{-2}$ and $3.70{\times}10^{-2}$, respectively. This implies that hTSA VI is a peroxidase, which reduces $H_2O_2$ and t-BOOH. The mutation of $Cys^{47}$ to serine resulted in a complete loss of the peroxidase activity. This suggests that $Cys^{47}$ acts as a primary site of catalysis. The analysis of the tryptic digest derived from hTSA VI revealed that the $Cys^{47}$ exists as a free thiol form. Taken together, these results suggest that the TSA homologous protein is a new type of the human family, which exerts thioredoxin-linked peroxidase activity toward $H_2O_2$ and alkyl hydroperoxide.