alo1

UniProt ID: Q9HDX8
Organism: Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Review Status: COMPLETE
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Gene Description

D-arabinono-1,4-lactone oxidase that catalyzes the terminal step in fungal D-erythroascorbic acid biosynthesis. This mitochondrial outer membrane-anchored flavoprotein oxidizes D-arabinono-1,4-lactone using molecular oxygen as electron acceptor, producing D-erythroascorbic acid (a 5-carbon analog of vitamin C) and hydrogen peroxide. The enzyme contains a covalently bound FAD cofactor and plays a critical role in cellular antioxidant defense, with deletion mutants showing hypersensitivity to oxidative stress. Recent studies in S. cerevisiae reveal a potential moonlighting function where Alo1 binds the myosin V motor Myo2 and aids in mitochondrial inheritance, particularly under oxidative stress conditions (PMID:39775849), though this role remains to be confirmed in S. pombe.

Existing Annotations Review

GO Term Evidence Action Reason
GO:0005739 mitochondrion
IBA
GO_REF:0000033
ACCEPT
Summary: Annotation correctly identifies mitochondrial localization based on ortholog evidence. While more specific localization to outer membrane might be possible, the mitochondrial localization is confirmed.
Supporting Evidence:
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
ALO was purified from the **mitochondrial fraction**
GO:0003885 D-arabinono-1,4-lactone oxidase activity
IBA
GO_REF:0000033
ACCEPT
Summary: Correct molecular function annotation based on phylogenetic inference from S. cerevisiae ortholog.
Supporting Evidence:
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research.md
S. cerevisiae ALO1 was biochemically confirmed to catalyze EASC production. The enzyme produces D-erythroascorbic acid, a five-carbon analog of vitamin C found in fungi
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
ALO catalyzes the **terminal oxidation step** in **D-erythroascorbic acid (EASC)** biosynthesis: **D-arabinono-1,4-lactone β†’ D-erythroascorbic acid**
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
Purified budding-yeast ALO oxidized **D-arabinono-1,4-lactone**, **L-gulono-1,4-lactone**, and **L-galactono-1,4-lactone**
GO:0003885 D-arabinono-1,4-lactone oxidase activity
IEA
GO_REF:0000120
ACCEPT
Summary: Redundant with IBA annotation above. The molecular function is correct.
GO:0016020 membrane
IEA
GO_REF:0000002
MODIFY
Summary: Too general. Protein specifically localizes to mitochondrial outer membrane based on evidence from orthologs.
Proposed replacements: mitochondrial outer membrane
GO:0016491 oxidoreductase activity
IEA
GO_REF:0000043
REMOVE
Summary: Too general. The specific activity GO:0003885 (D-arabinono-1,4-lactone oxidase activity) is already annotated.
GO:0016899 oxidoreductase activity, acting on the CH-OH group of donors, oxygen as acceptor
IEA
GO_REF:0000002
KEEP AS NON CORE
Summary: Correct but could be more specific. This parent term encompasses the specific activity GO:0003885.
GO:0031966 mitochondrial membrane
IEA
GO_REF:0000044
MODIFY
Summary: Correct but not specific enough. Evidence indicates outer membrane localization. Falcon ortholog evidence independently supports a mitochondrial membrane association (S. cerevisiae ALO purified from the mitochondrial fraction and predicted to be an integral membrane protein), though falcon does not resolve inner vs outer membrane; the outer-membrane specificity rests on the Myo2-interaction study.
Proposed replacements: mitochondrial outer membrane
Supporting Evidence:
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
sequence analysis predicted an **integral membrane protein** with a **transmembrane segment (aa 172–188)**, supporting a **mitochondrial membrane** localization in budding yeast
GO:0050660 flavin adenine dinucleotide binding
IEA
GO_REF:0000002
ACCEPT
Summary: Correct annotation. The enzyme contains a conserved FAD-binding domain essential for oxidase activity.
Supporting Evidence:
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research.md
S. cerevisiae ALO1 has a conserved histidine that binds FAD, and sequence analysis revealed a covalent FAD-binding site in the enzyme
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
ALO is a **flavoenzyme** with **covalently bound FAD**
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
fungal/animal oxidase-type enzymes (ALO/GULO) commonly feature a **covalent histidyl-FAD** and use **O2** as electron acceptor
GO:0071949 FAD binding
IEA
GO_REF:0000002
REMOVE
Summary: Redundant with GO:0050660. Both refer to FAD binding.
GO:0070485 dehydro-D-arabinono-1,4-lactone biosynthetic process
ISO
GO_REF:0000024
ACCEPT
Summary: Correct biological process annotation. The enzyme produces dehydro-D-arabinono-1,4-lactone (D-erythroascorbic acid) as confirmed in S. cerevisiae.
Supporting Evidence:
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research.md
In S. cerevisiae, ALO1 is essential for endogenous erythroascorbate production – alo1Ξ” mutants completely lack D-erythroascorbic acid and ALO activity
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
the **mitochondrial D-arabinono-1,4-lactone oxidase uses oxygen as an electron acceptor**, producing D-erythroascorbate and hydrogen peroxide
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-falcon.md
alo1 deletion** abolished detectable **EASC** and ALO activity; multicopy **ALO1** increased intracellular **EASC ~6.9-fold** and ALO activity **~7.3-fold**
GO:0005739 mitochondrion
HDA
PMID:16823372
ORFeome cloning and global analysis of protein localization ...
ACCEPT
Summary: Experimentally confirmed mitochondrial localization. Could be more specific (outer membrane) but experimental evidence confirms mitochondrial association.
Supporting Evidence:
PMID:16823372
ORFeome cloning and global analysis of protein localization in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
GO:0005741 mitochondrial outer membrane
ISO
GO_REF:0000024
ACCEPT
Summary: Correct and specific localization based on ortholog evidence from S. cerevisiae.
Supporting Evidence:
file:SCHPO/alo1/alo1-deep-research-alt.md
Alo1 was found anchored in the mitochondrial outer membrane and capable of recruiting Myo2 to mitochondria

Core Functions

Catalyzes oxidation of D-arabinono-1,4-lactone to produce D-erythroascorbic acid

References

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Suggested Questions for Experts

Q: Does S. pombe alo1 have a moonlighting function in mitochondrial inheritance similar to S. cerevisiae ALO1?

Q: What is the substrate specificity of S. pombe Alo1 and can it produce L-ascorbate from L-gulonolactone?

Q: Is alo1 expression regulated by oxygen availability or oxidative stress response pathways in S. pombe?

Q: How does loss of alo1 affect cellular redox balance and what compensatory mechanisms are activated?

Suggested Experiments

Experiment: Create and characterize alo1Ξ” knockout strain to test oxidative stress sensitivity and D-erythroascorbate dependence

Experiment: Biochemically characterize purified Alo1 enzyme for substrate specificity, kinetics, and FAD cofactor binding

Experiment: Track mitochondrial inheritance in alo1Ξ” cells during cell division using live-cell imaging with fluorescent markers

Experiment: Identify Alo1 protein interaction partners by co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, especially testing for Myo52 binding

Experiment: Test if alo1 expression is regulated by oxygen levels or oxidative stress using promoter-reporter assays and RNA-seq

Experiment: Determine if Alo1 can produce L-ascorbate from L-gulonolactone using in vitro enzymatic assays and LC-MS product analysis

Deep Research

Alt

(alo1-deep-research-alt.md)

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Falcon

(alo1-deep-research-falcon.md)

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Deep Research Report: alo1 (pombe)

(alo1-deep-research.md)

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OpenScientist

(alo1-hypotheses/prediction-gulonolactone-oxidase/openscientist.md)

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πŸ“š Additional Documentation

Bioreason Rl Predictions

(alo1-bioreason-rl-predictions.md)

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Bioreason Rl Review

(alo1-bioreason-rl-review.md)

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πŸ“„ View Raw YAML

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