Oksana Gerlits

Genetically Encoded Fragment-Based Discovery of Glycopeptide Ligands for Carbohydrate-Binding Proteins

We describe an approach to accelerate the search for competitive inhibitors for carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs). Genetically encoded fragment-based discovery (GE-FBD) uses selection of phage-displayed glycopeptides to dock a glycan fragment at the CRD and guide selection of synergistic peptide motifs adjacent to the CRD. Starting from concanavalin A (ConA), a mannose (Man)-binding protein, as a bait, we narrowed a library of 10(8) glycopeptides to 86 leads that share a consensus motif, Man-WYD. Validation of synthetic leads yielded Man-WYDLF that exhibited 40-50-fold enhancement in affinity over methyl α-d-mannopyranoside (MeMan). Lectin array suggested specificity: Man-WYD derivative bound only to 3 out of 17 proteins—ConA, LcH, and PSA—that bind to Man. An X-ray structure of ConA:Man-WYD proved that the trimannoside core and Man-WYD exhibit identical CRD docking, but their extra-CRD binding modes are significantly different. Still, they have comparable affinity and selectivity for various Man-binding proteins. The intriguing observation provides new insight into functional mimicry of carbohydrates by peptide ligands. GE-FBD may provide an alternative to rapidly search for competitive inhibitors for lectins.

Insights into the Phosphoryl Transfer Catalyzed by cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase: An X-ray Crystallographic Study of Complexes with Various Metals and Peptide Substrate SP20.

X-ray structures of several ternary substrate and product complexes of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKAc) have been determined with different bound metal ions. In the PKAc complexes, Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+ metal ions could bind to the active site and facilitate the phosphoryl transfer reaction. ATP and a substrate peptide (SP20) were modified, and the reaction products ADP and the phosphorylated peptide were found trapped in the enzyme active site. Finally, we determined the structure of a pseudo-Michaelis complex containing Mg2+, nonhydrolyzable AMP-PCP (β,γ-methyleneadenosine 5′-triphosphate) and SP20. The product structures together with the pseudo-Michaelis complex provide snapshots of different stages of the phosphorylation reaction. Comparison of these structures reveals conformational, coordination, and hydrogen bonding changes that might occur during the reaction and shed new light on its mechanism, roles of metals, and active site residues.

Neutron diffraction reveals hydrogen bonds critical for cGMP-selective activation: Insights for cGMP-dependent protein kinase agonist design

High selectivity of cyclic-nucleotide binding (CNB) domains for cAMP and cGMP are required for segregating signaling pathways; however, the mechanism of selectivity remains unclear. To investigate the mechanism of high selectivity in cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), we determined a room-temperature joint X-ray/neutron (XN) structure of PKG Iβ CNB-B, a domain 200-fold selective for cGMP over cAMP, bound to cGMP (2.2 Å), and a low-temperature X-ray structure of CNB-B with cAMP (1.3 Å). The XN structure directly describes the hydrogen bonding interactions that modulate high selectivity for cGMP, while the structure with cAMP reveals that all these contacts are disrupted, explaining its low affinity for cAMP.

Long-Range Electrostatics-Induced Two-Proton Transfer Captured by Neutron Crystallography in an Enzyme Catalytic Site.

Neutron crystallography was used to directly locate two protons before and after a pH-induced two-proton transfer between catalytic aspartic acid residues and the hydroxy group of the bound clinical drug darunavir, located in the catalytic site of enzyme HIV-1 protease. The two-proton transfer is triggered by electrostatic effects arising from protonation state changes of surface residues far from the active site. The mechanism and pH effect are supported by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations. The low-pH proton configuration in the catalytic site is deemed critical for the catalytic action of this enzyme and may apply more generally to other aspartic proteases. Neutrons therefore represent a superb probe to obtain structural details for proton transfer reactions in biological systems at a truly atomic level.

Metal-Free cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Can Catalyze Phosphoryl Transfer.

X-ray structures of several ternary product complexes of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKAc) have been determined with no bound metal ions and with Na+ or K+ coordinated at two metal-binding sites. The metal-free PKAc and the enzyme with alkali metals were able to facilitate the phosphoryl transfer reaction. In all studied complexes, the ATP and the substrate peptide (SP20) were modified into the products ADP and the phosphorylated peptide. The products of the phosphotransfer reaction were also found when ATP-γS, a nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue, reacted with SP20 in the PKAc active site containing no metals. Single turnover enzyme kinetics measurements utilizing 32P-labeled ATP confirmed the phosphotransferase activity of the enzyme in the absence of metal ions and in the presence of alkali metals. In addition, the structure of the apo-PKAc binary complex with SP20 suggests that the sequence of binding events may become ordered in a metal-free environment, with SP20 binding first to prime the enzyme for subsequent ATP binding. Comparison of these structures reveals conformational and hydrogen bonding changes that might be important for the mechanism of catalysis.

Structural studies on platinum alkene complexes and precursors

A number of platinum complexes, precursors to alkene complexes (Pt2Cl4(PPh3)2 and cis-PtCl2(CH3CN)(PPh3)), alkene complexes (cis-PtCl2(C2H4)(PPh3), cis-PtCl2(C3H6)(PPh3) and cis-PtCl2(1-C6H12)(PPh3)), the diamination product of a 1,3-butadiene platinum complex and the 1,2,3,4-tetramethylcyclobutadiene complex resulting from dimerization of 2-butyne have been synthesized, characterized and the structures determined by X-ray diffraction. The ethylene complex, cis-PtCl2(C2H4)(PPh3), has been a useful reagent for preparing other alkene complexes. Reaction of a bound butadiene complex with diethylamine yielded a diamination product with anti-Markovnikov stereochemistry. An attempt at binding cis-butyne to the metal center resulted in metal-assisted formation of 1,2,3,4-tetramethylcyclobutadiene with previously unreported geometry.

Phosphoryl Transfer Reaction Snapshots in Crystals: INSIGHTS INTO THE MECHANISM OF PROTEIN KINASE A CATALYTIC SUBUNIT.

Background: PKAc (catalytic subunit) catalyzes phosphorylation of protein substrates thereby regulating a myriad of cellular processes. Results: X-ray structures of PKAc complexes along the phosphoryl transfer reaction have been obtained. Conclusion: The phosphotransfer follows a multistep mechanism, including conformational changes of the substrate and product groups, a loose transition state, and metal movement. Significance: Mechanistic knowledge about the phosphorylation by PKAc will contribute to understanding of the kinase function and regulation. To study the catalytic mechanism of phosphorylation catalyzed by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) a structure of the enzyme-substrate complex representing the Michaelis complex is of specific interest as it can shed light on the structure of the transition state. However, all previous crystal structures of the Michaelis complex mimics of the PKA catalytic subunit (PKAc) were obtained with either peptide inhibitors or ATP analogs. Here we utilized Ca2+ ions and sulfur in place of the nucleophilic oxygen in a 20-residue pseudo-substrate peptide (CP20) and ATP to produce a close mimic of the Michaelis complex. In the ternary reactant complex, the thiol group of Cys-21 of the peptide is facing Asp-166 and the sulfur atom is positioned for an in-line phosphoryl transfer. Replacement of Ca2+ cations with Mg2+ ions resulted in a complex with trapped products of ATP hydrolysis: phosphate ion and ADP. The present structural results in combination with the previously reported structures of the transition state mimic and phosphorylated product complexes complete the snapshots of the phosphoryl transfer reaction by PKAc, providing us with the most thorough picture of the catalytic mechanism to date.

Mannobiose Binding Induces Changes in Hydrogen Bonding and Protonation States of Acidic Residues in Concanavalin A As Revealed by Neutron Crystallography

Plant lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins with various biomedical applications. Concanavalin A (Con A) holds promise in treating cancerous tumors. To better understand the Con A carbohydrate binding specificity, we obtained a room-temperature neutron structure of this legume lectin in complex with a disaccharide Manα1-2Man, mannobiose. The neutron structure afforded direct visualization of the hydrogen bonding between the protein and ligand, showing that the ligand is able to alter both protonation states and interactions for residues located close to and distant from the binding site. An unprecedented low-barrier hydrogen bond was observed forming between the carboxylic side chains of Asp28 and Glu8, with the D atom positioned equidistant from the oxygen atoms having an O···D···O angle of 101.5°.

Solid-state spectroscopic properties and the geometry of binuclear rhodium(I) diisocyanoalkane complexes

A series of crystalline dinuclear rhodium complexes with different bridging diisocyano ligands and different counter ions have been studied by low-temperature crystallographic and solid-state spectroscopic techniques. The Rh-Rh distances vary from 4.5153(3) to 3.0988(7) angstroms, and the twist angles around the Rh-Rh line from 58.3(1) to 0 degree, both depending on the size and conformational rigidity of the bridging ligand. For very long distances as occur in the [Rh(2)(dimen)(4)](2+) salts the absorption is significantly blue-shifted compared to other complexes. For a given cation a shorter Rh-Rh bond gives a red shift of the phosphorescence emission band, indicating a smaller energy gap between the ground and emitting excited states. An exception occurs for the [Rh(2)(1,6-diisocyanohexane)(4)](2+) ion, in which dimer formation in the calixarate salt lengthens the Rh-Rh intramolecular bond length without affecting the emission spectrum.

Defining the Specificity of Carbohydrate–Protein Interactions by Quantifying Functional Group Contributions

Protein-carbohydrate interactions are significant in a wide range of biological processes, disruption of which has been implicated in many different diseases. The capability of glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) to specifically bind to the corresponding glycans allows GBPs to be utilized in glycan biomarker detection or conversely to serve as targets for therapeutic intervention. However, understanding the structural origins of GBP specificity has proven to be challenging due to their typically low binding affinities (mM) and their potential to display broad or complex specificities. Here we perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and post-MD energy analyses with the Poisson-Boltzmann and generalized Born solvent models (MM-PB/GBSA) of the Erythrina cristagalli lectin (ECL) with its known ligands, and with new cocrystal structures reported herein. While each MM-PB/GBSA parametrization resulted in different estimates of the desolvation free energy, general trends emerged that permit us to define GBP binding preferences in terms of ligand substructure specificity. Additionally, we have further decomposed the theoretical interaction energies into contributions made between chemically relevant functional groups. Based on these contributions, the functional groups in each ligand can be assembled into a pharmacophore comprised of groups that are either critical for binding, or enhance binding, or are noninteracting. It is revealed that the pharmacophore for ECL consists of the galactopyranose (Gal) ring atoms along with C6 and the O3 and O4 hydroxyl groups. This approach provides a convenient method for identifying and quantifying the glycan pharmacophore and provides a novel method for interpreting glycan specificity that is independent of residue-level glycan nomenclature. A pharmacophore approach to defining specificity is readily transferable to molecular design software and, therefore, may be particularly useful in designing therapeutics (glycomimetics) that target GBPs.