Omi/HtrA2 is a mitochondrial serine protease with high homology to the bacterial HtrA proteins. Omi promotes caspase-dependent apoptosis by binding and degrading IAPs-inhibitor of apoptosis proteins. Omi can also induce caspase-independent apoptosis but the actual mechanism is still unknown. IAP's are not the only substrates cleaved by Omi. There are at least two more known substrates of Omi, the HAX-1 and the ped/pea-15 proteins. HS1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) is a mitochondrial protein, degraded by Omi after induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis. Ped/pea-15 is also an anti-apoptotic protein and is cleaved by Omi after induction of caspase-independent apoptosis. The proteolytic activity of Omi is necessary and essential for its pro-apoptotic function. Recent studies suggest the proteolytic activity of Omi is regulated by specific protein-protein interactions. Presenilin was identified to be such a regulator of Omi. It binds to the PDZ domain of Omi via its carboxy-terminus and this interaction significantly increases the proteolytic activity of the enzyme. My project was aimed to investigate the normal function of Omi in cell death and the mechanism of its regulation by isolating and characterizing novel Omi interactors. I screened a human melanocyte cDNA library using the yeast-two-hybrid system and Omi as the "bait" protein. Human Rad21 protein was isolated as a specific novel interactor of Omi. Human Rad21 interacted with the PDZ domain of Omi, the part of the protein known to be involved in protein-protein interactions. Human Rad21 is a nuclear protein that plays a role in DNA double-strand break repair and sister chromatid cohesion during metaphase. Several reports suggest hRad21 has also a role in apoptosis; it is cleaved by caspase-3 and part of the protein becomes cytoplasmic. Human Rad21 was not cleaved by Omi in vitro and therefore it is unlikely to be a substrate. When tested in a proteolytic assay Rad21 was able to increase the proteolytic activity of Omi. My work suggests a new mechanism whereby Omi and hRad21 can co-operate to induce cell death. This mechanism necessitates direct interaction of hRad21 with the PDZ domain of Omi resulting in increased proteolytic activity of the enzyme.

Human High Temperature requirement A2 (HtrA2) also known as Omi, is a serine protease located in the mitochondria with an important function in both cell survival and death. My results show the proteolytic activity of Omi/HtrA2 varies under different conditions. I characterized the optimal condition for Omi/HtrA2 protease activity using an in vitro assay system. Additionally, I identified a new allosteric regulation of Omi/HtrA2 through interaction with a specific substrate, the MUL1 protein. MUL1 is a multifunctional E3 ubiquitin ligase anchored in the outer mitochondrial membrane with domains both inside mitochondria and in the cytoplasm. The data shown here strongly supports the hypothesis that Omi/HtrA2 activity is modulated by a number of different mechanisms. Some of these conditions, such as pH or substrate denaturation might reflect the state of mitochondria under stress. It has been known that Omi/HtrA2 is a stress activated protease, but the mechanism of its regulation has not been fully elucidated. Furthermore, the allosteric regulation of Omi/HtrA2 by specific substrates, can be another mechanism that provides a feedback loop to increase the activity of the enzyme. The findings from this project contribute new information on the mechanisms of activation of Omi/HtrA2 protease. They support the hypothesis that mitochondrial stress might be involved in the regulation of Omi/HtrA2 protease.