Tetsuko Nakaniwa

Structural insight into human CK2α in complex with the potent inhibitor ellagic acid

We determined the 2.35-A crystal structure of a human CK2 catalytic subunit (referred to as CK2alpha complexed with the ATP-competitive, potent CK2 inhibitor ellagic acid. The inhibitor binds to CK2alpha with a novel binding mode, including water-mediated hydrogen bonds. This structural information may support discovery of potent CK2 inhibitors.

A detailed thermodynamic profile of cyclopentyl and isopropyl derivatives binding to CK2 kinase

The detailed understanding of the molecular features of a ligand binding to a target protein, facilitates the successful design of potent and selective inhibitors. We present a case study of ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors that include a pyradine moiety. These compounds have similar chemical structure, except for distinct terminal hydrophobic cyclopentyl or isopropyl groups, and block kinase activity of casein kinase 2 subunit α (CK2α), which is a target for several diseases, such as cancer and glomerulonephritis. Although these compounds display similar inhibitory potency against CK2α, the crystal structures reveal that the cyclopentyl derivative gains more favorable interactions compared with the isopropyl derivative, because of the additional ethylene moiety. The structural observations and biological data are consistent with the thermodynamic profiles of these inhibitors in binding to CK2α, revealing that the enthalpic advantage of the cyclopentyl derivative is accompanied with a lower entropic loss. Computational analyses indicated that the relative enthalpic gain of the cyclopentyl derivative arises from an enhancement of a wide range of van der Waals interactions from the whole complex. Conversely, the relative entropy loss of the cyclopentyl derivative arises from a decrease in the molecular fluctuation and higher conformational restriction in the active site of CK2α. These structural insights, in combination with thermodynamic and computational observations, should be helpful in developing potent and selective CK2α inhibitors.

Structure of human protein kinase CK2α2 with a potent indazole-derivative inhibitor

Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions as a heterotetramer composed of two catalytic subunits (CK2alpha1 or CK2alpha2) and two regulatory subunits (CK2beta). The two isozymes CK2alpha1 and CK2alpha2 play distinguishable roles in healthy subjects and in patients with diseases such as cancer, respectively. In order to develop novel CK2alpha1-selective inhibitors, the crystal structure of human CK2alpha2 (hCK2alpha2) complexed with a potent CK2alpha inhibitor which binds to the active site of hCK2alpha2 was determined and compared with that of human CK2alpha1. While the two isozymes exhibited a high similarity with regard to the active site, the largest structural difference between the isoforms occurred in the beta4-beta5 loop responsible for the CK2alpha-CK2beta interface. The top of the N-terminal segment interacted with the beta4-beta5 loop via a hydrogen bond in hCK2alpha2 but not in hCK2alpha1. Thus, the CK2alpha-CK2beta interface is a likely target candidate for the production of selective CK2alpha1 inhibitors.

Biochemical characterization and gene expression of two endo-arabinanases from Penicillium chrysogenum 31B

We previously described five arabinanolytic enzymes secreted by Penicillium chrysogenum 31B into the culture medium. Here, we describe a sixth such enzyme, termed AbnS1. Analysis of the reaction products of debranched arabinan revealed that AbnS1 cleaved the substrate in an endo manner. The optimum temperature of AbnS1 was 60°C, which was much higher than that of a cold-adapted endo-arabinanase (Abnc) produced by this strain. The abns1 cDNA gene encoding AbnS1 was isolated by in vitro cloning. The deduced amino acid sequence of AbnS1 had 70% identity with that of Abnc. Pfam analysis revealed a Glyco_hydro_43 domain at positions 28 to 318 of AbnS1. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the abns1 gene was constitutively expressed in P. chrysogenum 31B at a low level, although the expression was only slightly induced with arabinose and arabinan. In contrast, expression of the abnc gene encoding Abnc was strongly induced by arabinose, arabinitol, and arabinan. Using debranched arabinan as substrate, recombinant AbnS1 (rAbnS1) accumulated arabinobiose and arabinotriose as the major products. Recombinant Abnc (rAbnc) released mainly arabinotriose and lesser amounts of arabinose and arabinobiose than did rAbnS1. Branched arabinan was completely degraded to arabinose by the action of rAbnS1 or rAbnc in combination with α-l-arabinofuranosidase.

Seven cysteine-deficient mutants depict the interplay between thermal and chemical stabilities of individual cysteine residues in mitogen-activated protein kinase c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1

Intracellular proteins can have free cysteines that may contribute to their structure, function, and stability; however, free cysteines can lead to chemical instabilities in solution because of oxidation-driven aggregation. The MAP kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1), possesses seven free cysteines and is an important drug target for autoimmune diseases, cancers, and apoptosis-related diseases. To characterize the role of cysteine residues in the structure, function, and stability of JNK1, we prepared and evaluated wild-type JNK1 and seven cysteine-deficient JNK1 proteins. The nonreduced sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis experiments showed that the chemical stability of JNK1 increased as the number of cysteines decreased. The contribution of each cysteine residue to biological function and thermal stability was highly susceptible to the environment surrounding the particular cysteine mutation. The mutations of solvent-exposed cysteine to serine did not influence biological function and increased the thermal stability. The mutation of the accessible cysteine involved in the hydrophobic pocket did not affect biological function, although a moderate thermal destabilization was observed. Cysteines in the loosely assembled hydrophobic environment moderately contributed to thermal stability, and the mutations of these cysteines had a negligible effect on enzyme activity. The other cysteines are involved in the tightly filled hydrophobic core, and mutation of these residues was found to correlate with thermal stability and enzyme activity. These findings about the role of cysteine residues should allow us to obtain a stable JNK1 and thus promote the discovery of potent JNK1 inhibitors.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a thermostable endo-1,5-α-L-arabinanase from Bacillus thermodenitrificans TS-3

A thermostable endo-1,5-alpha-L-arabinanase ABN-TS from Bacillus thermodenitrificans TS-3 with a molecular weight of 35 kDa was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using sodium citrate as a precipitant. The crystals were loop-mounted in a cryoprotectant solution containing 28%(w/v) sucrose and 1 M sodium citrate pH 6.0 and flash-cooled. Sucrose was selected as the most suitable cryoprotectant. The crystal belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 40.3, b = 77.8, c = 89.7 angstroms. The calculated VM based on one molecule per asymmetric unit was 2.0 angstroms3 Da(-1). A complete data set from a frozen crystal was collected to 1.9 angstroms resolution using synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. A molecular-replacement solution was obtained using the structure of alpha-arabinanase 43A from Cellvibrio japonicus.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a thermostable pectate lyase PL 47 from Bacillus sp. TS 47

The thermostable pectate lyase PL 47 from Bacillus sp. TS 47, with a molecular weight of 50 kDa, was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using 2-propanol and polyethylene glycol 4000 as precipitants. The crystals belong to the trigonal space group P3(1)21, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 58.8, c = 229.7 A, gamma = 120 degrees. The calculated V(M) based on one molecule per asymmetric unit is 2.30 A(3) Da(-1). A native data set from a frozen crystal was collected to 1.8 A resolution using synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. A molecular-replacement solution was obtained using the structure of pectate lyase from B. subtilis as a model.

Identification of protein kinase CK2 inhibitors using solvent dipole ordering virtual screening

Novel protein kinase CK2 inhibitors were identified using the solvent dipole ordering virtual screening method. A total of 26 compounds categorized in 15 distinct scaffold classes inhibited greater than 50% of enzyme activity at 50 μM, and eight exhibited IC50 values less than 10 μM. Most of the identified compounds are lead-like and dissimilar to known inhibitors. The crystal structures of two of the CK2 complexes revealed the high accuracy of the predicted binding modes.

A substrate-bound structure of cyanobacterial biliverdin reductase identifies stacked substrates as critical for activity

Biliverdin reductase catalyses the last step in haem degradation and produces the major lipophilic antioxidant bilirubin via reduction of biliverdin, using NAD(P)H as a cofactor. Despite the importance of biliverdin reductase in maintaining the redox balance, the molecular details of the reaction it catalyses remain unknown. Here we present the crystal structure of biliverdin reductase in complex with biliverdin and NADP+. Unexpectedly, two biliverdin molecules, which we designated the proximal and distal biliverdins, bind with stacked geometry in the active site. The nicotinamide ring of the NADP+ is located close to the reaction site on the proximal biliverdin, supporting that the hydride directly attacks this position of the proximal biliverdin. The results of mutagenesis studies suggest that a conserved Arg185 is essential for the catalysis. The distal biliverdin probably acts as a conduit to deliver the proton from Arg185 to the proximal biliverdin, thus yielding bilirubin.

An approach for producing a CK2alpha inhibitor using X-ray, calculation and ITC

Protein kinase CK2alpha is a highly pleiotropic serine/threonine protein kinase. CK2alpha plays important roles in cell growth, proliferation, and survival, while it is highly expressed in a wide variety of tumors.(1) Furthermore, CK2alpha is a target protein for glomerulo nephritis (GN) therapy, because an administration of either anitisense oligodeoxynucleotide against CK2alpha or low molecular weight CK2alpha-specific inhibitors effectively prevents the progression of renal pathology in the rat GN models.(2) To design a novel and potent CK2alpha inhibitor, we determined four X-ray crystal structures of CK2alpha-inhibitor complexes (cc-04791, cc-04820, apigenin, ellagic acid), and measured enzyme kinetic parameters using ITC (Isothermal Titration Calorimetry) for the respective inhibitors. Thermodynamic data, specifically enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS), reveal the forces that drive complex formation. Furthermore, binding affinity Kd in range of millimolar to nanomolar is a powerful information for drug design targeting highly homologous kinases. Supported with computational analysis, these data show the specific contributions of some important residues in bitor. ligand-binding, and lead to design a potent inhi