Cryo-electron microscopy structure and potential enzymatic function of human six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1)

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1) is an integral membrane protein that is highly up-regulated on the cell surface of several human cancers, making it a promising therapeutic target to manage these diseases. It shares sequence homology with three enzymes (STEAP2–STEAP4) that catalyze the NADPH-dependent reduction of iron(III). However, STEAP1 lacks an intracellular NADPH-binding domain and does not exhibit cellular ferric reductase activity. Thus, both the molecular function of STEAP1 and its role in cancer progression remain elusive. Here, we present a ∼3.0-Å cryo-EM structure of trimeric human STEAP1 bound to three antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) of the clinically used antibody mAb120.545. The structure revealed that STEAP1 adopts a reductase-like conformation and interacts with the Fabs through its extracellular helices. Enzymatic assays in human cells revealed that STEAP1 promotes iron(III) reduction when fused to the intracellular NADPH-binding domain of its family member STEAP4, suggesting that STEAP1 functions as a ferric reductase in STEAP heterotrimers. Our work provides a foundation for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of STEAP1 and may be useful in the design of new therapeutic strategies to target STEAP1 in cancer.