Vladimir Romanov

Mode of Action, In Vitro Activity, and In Vivo Efficacy of AFN-1252, a Selective Antistaphylococcal FabI Inhibitor

ABSTRACT The mechanism of action of AFN-1252, a selective inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabI), which is involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, was confirmed by using biochemistry, macromolecular synthesis, genetics, and cocrystallization of an AFN-1252–FabI complex. AFN-1252 demonstrated a low propensity for spontaneous resistance development and a time-dependent reduction of the viability of both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, achieving a ≥2-log10 reduction in S. aureus counts over 24 h, and was extremely potent against clinical isolates of S. aureus (MIC90, 0.015 μg/ml) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (MIC90, 0.12 μg/ml), regardless of their drug resistance, hospital- or community-associated origin, or other clinical subgroup. AFN-1252 was orally available in mouse pharmacokinetic studies, and a single oral dose of 1 mg/kg AFN-1252 was efficacious in a mouse model of septicemia, providing 100% protection from an otherwise lethal peritoneal infection of S. aureus Smith. A median effective dose of 0.15 mg/kg indicated that AFN-1252 was 12 to 24 times more potent than linezolid in the model. These studies, demonstrating a selective mode of action, potent in vitro activity, and in vivo efficacy, support the continued investigation of AFN-1252 as a targeted therapeutic for staphylococcal infections.

X-CHIP: an integrated platform for high-throughput protein crystallization and on-the-chip X-ray diffraction data collection

The X-CHIP (X-ray Crystallography High-throughput Integrated Platform) is a novel microchip that has been developed to combine multiple steps of the crystallographic pipeline from crystallization to diffraction data collection on a single device to streamline the entire process.

Structural insights into Noonan/LEOPARD syndrome-related mutants of protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 ( PTPN11 )

BackgroundThe ubiquitous non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 (encoded by PTPN11) plays a key role in RAS/ERK signaling downstream of most, if not all growth factors, cytokines and integrins, although its major substrates remain controversial. Mutations in PTPN11 lead to several distinct human diseases. Germ-line PTPN11 mutations cause about 50% of Noonan Syndrome (NS), which is among the most common autosomal dominant disorders. LEOPARD Syndrome (LS) is an acronym for its major syndromic manifestations: multiple Lentigines, Electrocardiographic abnormalities, Ocular hypertelorism, Pulmonary stenosis, Abnormalities of genitalia, Retardation of growth, and sensorineural Deafness. Frequently, LS patients have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and they might also have an increased risk of neuroblastoma (NS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Consistent with the distinct pathogenesis of NS and LS, different types of PTPN11 mutations cause these disorders.ResultsAlthough multiple studies have reported the biochemical and biological consequences of NS- and LS-associated PTPN11 mutations, their structural consequences have not been analyzed fully. Here we report the crystal structures of WT SHP2 and five NS/LS-associated SHP2 mutants. These findings enable direct structural comparisons of the local conformational changes caused by each mutation.ConclusionsOur structural analysis agrees with, and provides additional mechanistic insight into, the previously reported catalytic properties of these mutants. The results of our research provide new information regarding the structure-function relationship of this medically important target, and should serve as a solid foundation for structure-based drug discovery programs.

Crystal structure of a truncated urease accessory protein UreF from Helicobacter pylori

Urease plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori in humans. Maturation of this nickel metalloenzyme in bacteria requires the participation of the accessory proteins UreD (termed UreH in H. pylori), UreF, and UreG, which form sequential complexes with the urease apoprotein as well as UreE, a metallochaperone. Here, we describe the crystal structure of C‐terminal truncated UreF from H. pylori (residues 1–233), the first UreF structure to be determined, at 1.55 Å resolution using SAD methods. UreF forms a dimer in vitro and adopts an all‐helical fold congruent with secondary structure prediction. On the basis of evolutionary conservation analysis, the structure reveals a probable binding surface for interaction with other urease components as well as key conserved residues of potential functional relevance. Proteins 2010.

Structure of Francisella tularensis peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase

The rational design of novel antibiotics for bacteria involves the identification of inhibitors for enzymes involved in essential biochemical pathways in cells. In this study, the cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and structure of the enzyme peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase from Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, was performed. The structure of F. tularensis peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase is comparable to those of other bacterial peptidyl-tRNA hydrolases, with most residues in the active site conserved amongst the family. The resultant reagents, structural data and analyses provide essential information for the structure-based design of novel inhibitors for this class of proteins.

Crystal structure of alkyl hydroperoxidase D like protein PA0269 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Homology of the AhpD-like structural family

BackgroundAlkyl hydroperoxidase activity provides an important antioxidant defense for bacterial cells. The catalytic mechanism requires two peroxidases, AhpC and AhpD, where AhpD plays the role of an essential adaptor protein.ResultsThe crystal structure of a putative AhpD from Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been determined at 1.9 Å. The protein has an all-helical fold with a chain topology similar to a known AhpD from Mycobacterium tuberculosis despite a low overall sequence identity of 9%. A conserved two α-helical motif responsible for function is present in both. However, in the P. aeruginosa protein, helices H3, H4 of this motif are located at the N-terminal part of the chain, while in M. tuberculosis AhpD, the corresponding helices H8, H9 are situated at the C-terminus. Residues 24-62 of the putative catalytic region of P. aeruginosa have a higher sequence identity of 33% where the functional activity is supplied by a proton relay system of five residues, Glu36, Cys48, Tyr50, Cys51, and His55, and one structural water molecule. A comparison of five other related hypothetical proteins from various species, assigned to the alkyl hydroperoxidase D-like protein family, shows they contain the same conserved structural motif and catalytic sequence Cys-X-X-Cys. We have shown that AhpD from P. aeruginosa exhibits a weak ability to reduce H2O2 as tested using a ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) assay, and this activity is blocked by thiol alkylating reagents.ConclusionThus, this hypothetical protein was assigned to the AhpD-like protein family with peroxidase-related activity. The functional relationship of specific oligomeric structures of AhpD-like structural family is discussed.

Insights into the binding of PARP inhibitors to the catalytic domain of human tankyrase-2.

The high-resolution crystal structures of the human tankyrase 2 poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) domain in complex with 16 various PARP inhibitors are reported, including the compounds BSI-201, AZD-2281 and ABT-888, which are currently in Phase 2 or 3 clinical trials.

The structure of SAV1646 from Staphylococcus aureus belonging to a new `ribosome‐associated' subfamily of bacterial proteins

The crystal structure of the SAV1646 protein from the pathogenic microorganism Staphylococcus aureus has been determined at 1.7u2005Å resolution. The 106-amino-acid protein forms a two-layer sandwich with α/β topology. The protein molecules associate as dimers in the crystal and in solution, with the monomers related by a pseudo-twofold rotation axis. A sequence-homology search identified the protein as a member of a new subfamily of yet uncharacterized bacterial `ribosome-associated proteins with at least 13 members to date. A detailed analysis of the crystal protein structure along with the genomic structure of the operon containing the sav1646 gene allowed a tentative functional model of this protein to be proposed. The SAV1646 dimer is assumed to form a complex with ribosomal proteins L21 and L27 which could help to complete the assembly of the large subunit of the ribosome.

Crystal structure of the CN-hydrolase SA0302 from the pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus belonging to the Nit and NitFhit Branch of the nitrilase superfamily.

The nitrilases include a variety of enzymes with functional specificities of nitrilase, amidase, and hydrolase reactions. The crystal structure of the uncharacterized protein SA0302 from the pathogenic microorganism Staphylococcus aureus is solved at 1.7u2009Å resolution. The protein contains 261 amino acids and presents a four-layer αββα sandwich with a chain topology similar to that of a few known CN-hydrolase folds. In the crystal, the proteins are arranged as dimers whose monomers are related by a pseudo twofold rotation symmetry axis. Analysis of the sequences and structures of CN-hydrolases with known 3D structures shows that SA0302 definitely is a member of Branch 10 (Nit and NitFhit) of the nitrilase superfamily. Enzyme activities and substrate specificities of members of this branch are not yet characterized, in contrast to those of the members of Branches 1–9. Although the sequence identities between Branch 10 members are rather low, less than 30%, five conserved regions are common in this subfamily. Three of them contain functionally important catalytic residues, and the two other newly characterized ones are associated with crucial intramolecular and intermolecular interactions. Sequence homology of the area near the active site shows clearly that the catalytic triad of SA0302 is Glu41-Lys110-Cys146. We suggest also that the active site includes a fourth residue, the closely located Glu119. Despite an extensive similarity with other Nit-family structural folds, SA0302 displays an important difference. Protein loop 111–122, which follows the catalytic Lys110, is reduced to half the number of amino acids found in other Nit-family members. This leaves the active site fully accessible to solvent and substrates. We have identified conservative sequence motifs around the three core catalytic residues, which are inherent solely to Branch 10 of the nitrilase superfamily. On the basis of these new sequence fingerprints, 10 previously uncharacterized proteins also could be assigned to this hydrolase subfamily. An animated interactive 3D complement (I3DC) is available in Proteopedia at http://proteopedia.org/w/Journal:JBSD:19