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Sample records for allosteric sites revealed

  1. Exploiting protein flexibility to predict the location of allosteric sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Panjkovich Alejandro

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Allostery is one of the most powerful and common ways of regulation of protein activity. However, for most allosteric proteins identified to date the mechanistic details of allosteric modulation are not yet well understood. Uncovering common mechanistic patterns underlying allostery would allow not only a better academic understanding of the phenomena, but it would also streamline the design of novel therapeutic solutions. This relatively unexplored therapeutic potential and the putative advantages of allosteric drugs over classical active-site inhibitors fuel the attention allosteric-drug research is receiving at present. A first step to harness the regulatory potential and versatility of allosteric sites, in the context of drug-discovery and design, would be to detect or predict their presence and location. In this article, we describe a simple computational approach, based on the effect allosteric ligands exert on protein flexibility upon binding, to predict the existence and position of allosteric sites on a given protein structure. Results By querying the literature and a recently available database of allosteric sites, we gathered 213 allosteric proteins with structural information that we further filtered into a non-redundant set of 91 proteins. We performed normal-mode analysis and observed significant changes in protein flexibility upon allosteric-ligand binding in 70% of the cases. These results agree with the current view that allosteric mechanisms are in many cases governed by changes in protein dynamics caused by ligand binding. Furthermore, we implemented an approach that achieves 65% positive predictive value in identifying allosteric sites within the set of predicted cavities of a protein (stricter parameters set, 0.22 sensitivity, by combining the current analysis on dynamics with previous results on structural conservation of allosteric sites. We also analyzed four biological examples in detail, revealing

  2. The allosteric site regulates the voltage sensitivity of muscarinic receptors.

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    Hoppe, Anika; Marti-Solano, Maria; Drabek, Matthäus; Bünemann, Moritz; Kolb, Peter; Rinne, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    Muscarinic receptors (M-Rs) for acetylcholine (ACh) belong to the class A of G protein-coupled receptors. M-Rs are activated by orthosteric agonists that bind to a specific site buried in the M-R transmembrane helix bundle. In the active conformation, receptor function can be modulated either by allosteric modulators, which bind to the extracellular receptor surface or by the membrane potential via an unknown mechanism. Here, we compared the modulation of M 1 -Rs and M 3 -Rs induced by changes in voltage to their allosteric modulation by chemical compounds. We quantified changes in receptor signaling in single HEK 293 cells with a FRET biosensor for the G q protein cycle. In the presence of ACh, M 1 -R signaling was potentiated by voltage, similarly to positive allosteric modulation by benzyl quinolone carboxylic acid. Conversely, signaling of M 3 -R was attenuated by voltage or the negative allosteric modulator gallamine. Because the orthosteric site is highly conserved among M-Rs, but allosteric sites vary, we constructed "allosteric site" M 3 /M 1 -R chimeras and analyzed their voltage dependencies. Exchanging the entire allosteric sites eliminated the voltage sensitivity of ACh responses for both receptors, but did not affect their modulation by allosteric compounds. Furthermore, a point mutation in M 3 -Rs caused functional uncoupling of the allosteric and orthosteric sites and abolished voltage dependence. Molecular dynamics simulations of the receptor variants indicated a subtype-specific crosstalk between both sites, involving the conserved tyrosine lid structure of the orthosteric site. This molecular crosstalk leads to receptor subtype-specific voltage effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Non-site-specific allosteric effect of oxygen on human hemoglobin under high oxygen partial pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takayanagi, Masayoshi; Kurisaki, Ikuo; Nagaoka, Masataka

    2014-04-08

    Protein allostery is essential for vital activities. Allosteric regulation of human hemoglobin (HbA) with two quaternary states T and R has been a paradigm of allosteric structural regulation of proteins. It is widely accepted that oxygen molecules (O2) act as a "site-specific" homotropic effector, or the successive O2 binding to the heme brings about the quaternary regulation. However, here we show that the site-specific allosteric effect is not necessarily only a unique mechanism of O2 allostery. Our simulation results revealed that the solution environment of high O2 partial pressure enhances the quaternary change from T to R without binding to the heme, suggesting an additional "non-site-specific" allosteric effect of O2. The latter effect should play a complementary role in the quaternary change by affecting the intersubunit contacts. This analysis must become a milestone in comprehensive understanding of the allosteric regulation of HbA from the molecular point of view.

  4. In Vivo Investigation of Escitalopram’s Allosteric Site on the Serotonin Transporter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Karen E.; Ressler, Kerry J.; Owens, Michael J.

    2015-01-01

    Escitalopram is a commonly prescribed antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. Clinical evidence and mapping of the serotonin transporter (SERT) identified that escitalopram, in addition to its binding to a primary uptake-blocking site, is capable of binding to the SERT via an allosteric site that is hypothesized to alter escitalopram’s kinetics at the SERT. The studies reported here examined the in vivo role of the SERT allosteric site in escitalopram action. A knockin mouse model that possesses an allosteric-null SERT was developed. Autoradiographic studies indicated that the knockin protein was expressed at a lower density than endogenous mouse SERT (approximately 10–30% of endogenous mouse SERT), but the knockin mice are a viable tool to study the allosteric site. Microdialysis studies in the ventral hippocampus found no measurable decrease in extracellular serotonin response after local escitalopram challenge in mice without the allosteric site compared to mice with the site (p = 0.297). In marble burying assays there was a modest effect of the absence of the allosteric site, with a larger systemic dose of escitalopram (10-fold) necessary for the same effect as in mice with intact SERT (p = 0.023). However, there was no effect of the allosteric site in the tail suspension test. Together these data suggest that there may be a regional specificity in the role of the allosteric site. The lack of a robust effect overall suggests that the role of the allosteric site for escitalopram on the SERT may not produce meaningful in vivo effects. PMID:26621784

  5. Allosteric and orthosteric sites in CC chemokine receptor (CCR5), a chimeric receptor approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thiele, Stefanie; Steen, Anne; Jensen, Pia C

    2011-01-01

    -allosteric molecules. A chimera was successfully constructed between CCR5 and the closely related CCR2 by transferring all extracellular regions of CCR2 to CCR5, i.e. a Trojan horse that resembles CCR2 extracellularly but signals through a CCR5 transmembrane unit. The chimera bound CCR2 (CCL2 and CCL7), but not CCR5...... preserved, the allosteric enhancement of chemokine binding was disrupted. In summary, the Trojan horse chimera revealed that orthosteric and allosteric sites could be structurally separated and still act together with transmission of agonism and antagonism across the different receptor units....

  6. Prediction of allosteric sites on protein surfaces with an elastic-network-model-based thermodynamic method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ji Guo; Qi, Li Sheng; Li, Chun Hua; Zhu, Yan Ying; Du, Hui Jing; Hou, Yan Xue; Hao, Rui; Wang, Ji Hua

    2014-08-01

    Allostery is a rapid and efficient way in many biological processes to regulate protein functions, where binding of an effector at the allosteric site alters the activity and function at a distant active site. Allosteric regulation of protein biological functions provides a promising strategy for novel drug design. However, how to effectively identify the allosteric sites remains one of the major challenges for allosteric drug design. In the present work, a thermodynamic method based on the elastic network model was proposed to predict the allosteric sites on the protein surface. In our method, the thermodynamic coupling between the allosteric and active sites was considered, and then the allosteric sites were identified as those where the binding of an effector molecule induces a large change in the binding free energy of the protein with its ligand. Using the proposed method, two proteins, i.e., the 70 kD heat shock protein (Hsp70) and GluA2 alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor, were studied and the allosteric sites on the protein surface were successfully identified. The predicted results are consistent with the available experimental data, which indicates that our method is a simple yet effective approach for the identification of allosteric sites on proteins.

  7. Molecular sites for the positive allosteric modulation of glycine receptors by endocannabinoids.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gonzalo E Yévenes

    Full Text Available Glycine receptors (GlyRs are transmitter-gated anion channels of the Cys-loop superfamily which mediate synaptic inhibition at spinal and selected supraspinal sites. Although they serve pivotal functions in motor control and sensory processing, they have yet to be exploited as drug targets partly because of hitherto limited possibilities for allosteric control. Endocannabinoids (ECs have recently been characterized as direct allosteric GlyR modulators, but the underlying molecular sites have remained unknown. Here, we show that chemically neutral ECs (e.g. anandamide, AEA are positive modulators of α(1, α(2 and α(3 GlyRs, whereas acidic ECs (e.g. N-arachidonoyl-glycine; NA-Gly potentiate α(1 GlyRs but inhibit α(2 and α(3. This subunit-specificity allowed us to identify the underlying molecular sites through analysis of chimeric and mutant receptors. We found that alanine 52 in extracellular loop 2, glycine 254 in transmembrane (TM region 2 and intracellular lysine 385 determine the positive modulation of α(1 GlyRs by NA-Gly. Successive substitution of non-conserved extracellular and TM residues in α(2 converted NA-Gly-mediated inhibition into potentiation. Conversely, mutation of the conserved lysine within the intracellular loop between TM3 and TM4 attenuated NA-Gly-mediated potentiation of α(1 GlyRs, without affecting inhibition of α(2 and α(3. Notably, this mutation reduced modulation by AEA of all three GlyRs. These results define molecular sites for allosteric control of GlyRs by ECs and reveal an unrecognized function for the TM3-4 intracellular loop in the allosteric modulation of Cys-loop ion channels. The identification of these sites may help to understand the physiological role of this modulation and facilitate the development of novel therapeutic approaches to diseases such as spasticity, startle disease and possibly chronic pain.

  8. Mutations that silence constitutive signaling activity in the allosteric ligand-binding site of the thyrotropin receptor.

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    Haas, Ann-Karin; Kleinau, Gunnar; Hoyer, Inna; Neumann, Susanne; Furkert, Jens; Rutz, Claudia; Schülein, Ralf; Gershengorn, Marvin C; Krause, Gerd

    2011-01-01

    The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) exhibits elevated cAMP signaling in the basal state and becomes fully activated by thyrotropin. Previously we presented evidence that small-molecule ligands act allosterically within the transmembrane region in contrast to the orthosteric extracellular hormone-binding sites. Our goal in this study was to identify positions that surround the allosteric pocket and that are sensitive for inactivation of TSHR. Homology modeling combined with site-directed mutagenesis and functional characterization revealed seven mutants located in the allosteric binding site that led to a decrease of basal cAMP signaling activity. The majority of these silencing mutations, which constrain the TSHR in an inactive conformation, are found in two clusters when mapped onto the 3D structural model. We suggest that the amino acid positions identified herein are indicating locations where small-molecule antagonists, both neutral antagonists and inverse agonists, might interfere with active TSHR conformations.

  9. Identification of the Allosteric Regulatory Site of Insulysin

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    Noinaj, Nicholas; Bhasin, Sonia K.; Song, Eun Suk; Scoggin, Kirsten E.; Juliano, Maria A.; Juliano, Luiz; Hersh, Louis B.; Rodgers, David W. (U. Sao Paulo); (Kentucky)

    2012-05-25

    Insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) is responsible for the metabolism of insulin and plays a role in clearance of the A{beta} peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease. Unlike most proteolytic enzymes, IDE, which consists of four structurally related domains and exists primarily as a dimer, exhibits allosteric kinetics, being activated by both small substrate peptides and polyphosphates such as ATP. The crystal structure of a catalytically compromised mutant of IDE has electron density for peptide ligands bound at the active site in domain 1 and a distal site in domain 2. Mutating residues in the distal site eliminates allosteric kinetics and activation by a small peptide, as well as greatly reducing activation by ATP, demonstrating that this site plays a key role in allostery. Comparison of the peptide bound IDE structure (using a low activity E111F IDE mutant) with unliganded wild type IDE shows a change in the interface between two halves of the clamshell-like molecule, which may enhance enzyme activity by altering the equilibrium between closed and open conformations. In addition, changes in the dimer interface suggest a basis for communication between subunits. Our findings indicate that a region remote from the active site mediates allosteric activation of insulysin by peptides. Activation may involve a small conformational change that weakens the interface between two halves of the enzyme.

  10. Identification of the Allosteric Regulatory Site of Insulysin

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    Noinaj, Nicholas; Bhasin, Sonia K.; Song, Eun Suk; Scoggin, Kirsten E.; Juliano, Maria A.; Juliano, Luiz; Hersh, Louis B.; Rodgers, David W.; Gerrard, Juliet Ann

    2011-06-24

    Background Insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) is responsible for the metabolism of insulin and plays a role in clearance of the Aβ peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease. Unlike most proteolytic enzymes, IDE, which consists of four structurally related domains and exists primarily as a dimer, exhibits allosteric kinetics, being activated by both small substrate peptides and polyphosphates such as ATP. Principal Findings The crystal structure of a catalytically compromised mutant of IDE has electron density for peptide ligands bound at the active site in domain 1 and a distal site in domain 2. Mutating residues in the distal site eliminates allosteric kinetics and activation by a small peptide, as well as greatly reducing activation by ATP, demonstrating that this site plays a key role in allostery. Comparison of the peptide bound IDE structure (using a low activity E111F IDE mutant) with unliganded wild type IDE shows a change in the interface between two halves of the clamshell-like molecule, which may enhance enzyme activity by altering the equilibrium between closed and open conformations. In addition, changes in the dimer interface suggest a basis for communication between subunits. Conclusions/Significance Our findings indicate that a region remote from the active site mediates allosteric activation of insulysin by peptides. Activation may involve a small conformational change that weakens the interface between two halves of the enzyme.

  11. A novel polyamine allosteric site of SpeG from Vibrio cholerae is revealed by its dodecameric structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filippova, Ekaterina V; Kuhn, Misty L; Osipiuk, Jerzy; Kiryukhina, Olga; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Ballicora, Miguel A; Anderson, Wayne F

    2015-03-27

    Spermidine N-acetyltransferase, encoded by the gene speG, catalyzes the initial step in the degradation of polyamines and is a critical enzyme for determining the polyamine concentrations in bacteria. In Escherichia coli, studies have shown that SpeG is the enzyme responsible for acetylating spermidine under stress conditions and for preventing spermidine toxicity. Not all bacteria contain speG, and many bacterial pathogens have developed strategies to either acquire or silence it for pathogenesis. Here, we present thorough kinetic analyses combined with structural characterization of the VCA0947 SpeG enzyme from the important human pathogen Vibrio cholerae. Our studies revealed the unexpected presence of a previously unknown allosteric site and an unusual dodecameric structure for a member of the Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase superfamily. We show that SpeG forms dodecamers in solution and in crystals and describe its three-dimensional structure in several ligand-free and liganded structures. Importantly, these structural data define the first view of a polyamine bound in an allosteric site of an N-acetyltransferase. Kinetic characterization of SpeG from V. cholerae showed that it acetylates spermidine and spermine. The behavior of this enzyme is complex and exhibits sigmoidal curves and substrate inhibition. We performed a detailed non-linear regression kinetic analysis to simultaneously fit families of substrate saturation curves to uncover a simple kinetic mechanism that explains the apparent complexity of this enzyme. Our results provide a fundamental understanding of the bacterial SpeG enzyme, which will be key toward understanding the regulation of polyamine levels in bacteria during pathogenesis. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  12. Development of allosteric modulators of GPCRs for treatment of CNS disorders.

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    Nickols, Hilary Highfield; Conn, P Jeffrey

    2014-01-01

    The discovery of allosteric modulators of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) provides a promising new strategy with potential for developing novel treatments for a variety of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Traditional drug discovery efforts targeting GPCRs have focused on developing ligands for orthosteric sites which bind endogenous ligands. Allosteric modulators target a site separate from the orthosteric site to modulate receptor function. These allosteric agents can either potentiate (positive allosteric modulator, PAM) or inhibit (negative allosteric modulator, NAM) the receptor response and often provide much greater subtype selectivity than orthosteric ligands for the same receptors. Experimental evidence has revealed more nuanced pharmacological modes of action of allosteric modulators, with some PAMs showing allosteric agonism in combination with positive allosteric modulation in response to endogenous ligand (ago-potentiators) as well as "bitopic" ligands that interact with both the allosteric and orthosteric sites. Drugs targeting the allosteric site allow for increased drug selectivity and potentially decreased adverse side effects. Promising evidence has demonstrated potential utility of a number of allosteric modulators of GPCRs in multiple CNS disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease, as well as psychiatric or neurobehavioral diseases such as anxiety, schizophrenia, and addiction. © 2013.

  13. Identification of an allosteric binding site for RORγt inhibition

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    Scheepstra, Marcel; Leysen, Seppe; vanAlmen, Geert C.; Miller, J. Richard; Piesvaux, Jennifer; Kutilek, Victoria; van Eenennaam, Hans; Zhang, Hongjun; Barr, Kenneth; Nagpal, Sunil; Soisson, Stephen M.; Kornienko, Maria; Wiley, Kristen; Elsen, Nathaniel; Sharma, Sujata; Correll, Craig C.; Trotter, B. Wesley; van der Stelt, Mario; Oubrie, Arthur; Ottmann, Christian; Parthasarathy, Gopal; Brunsveld, Luc (Merck); (Eindhoven)

    2015-12-07

    RORγt is critical for the differentiation and proliferation of Th17 cells associated with several chronic autoimmune diseases. We report the discovery of a novel allosteric binding site on the nuclear receptor RORγt. Co-crystallization of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of RORγt with a series of small-molecule antagonists demonstrates occupancy of a previously unreported allosteric binding pocket. Binding at this non-canonical site induces an unprecedented conformational reorientation of helix 12 in the RORγt LBD, which blocks cofactor binding. The functional consequence of this allosteric ligand-mediated conformation is inhibition of function as evidenced by both biochemical and cellular studies. RORγt function is thus antagonized in a manner molecularly distinct from that of previously described orthosteric RORγt ligands. This brings forward an approach to target RORγt for the treatment of Th17-mediated autoimmune diseases. The elucidation of an unprecedented modality of pharmacological antagonism establishes a mechanism for modulation of nuclear receptors.

  14. An expanded allosteric network in PTP1B by multitemperature crystallography, fragment screening, and covalent tethering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keedy, Daniel A; Hill, Zachary B; Biel, Justin T; Kang, Emily; Rettenmaier, T Justin; Brandao-Neto, Jose; Pearce, Nicholas M; von Delft, Frank; Wells, James A; Fraser, James S

    2018-06-07

    Allostery is an inherent feature of proteins, but it remains challenging to reveal the mechanisms by which allosteric signals propagate. A clearer understanding of this intrinsic circuitry would afford new opportunities to modulate protein function. Here we have identified allosteric sites in protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) by combining multiple-temperature X-ray crystallography experiments and structure determination from hundreds of individual small-molecule fragment soaks. New modeling approaches reveal 'hidden' low-occupancy conformational states for protein and ligands. Our results converge on allosteric sites that are conformationally coupled to the active-site WPD loop and are hotspots for fragment binding. Targeting one of these sites with covalently tethered molecules or mutations allosterically inhibits enzyme activity. Overall, this work demonstrates how the ensemble nature of macromolecular structure, revealed here by multitemperature crystallography, can elucidate allosteric mechanisms and open new doors for long-range control of protein function. © 2018, Keedy et al.

  15. Allosteric regulation of epigenetic modifying enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zucconi, Beth E; Cole, Philip A

    2017-08-01

    Epigenetic enzymes including histone modifying enzymes are key regulators of gene expression in normal and disease processes. Many drug development strategies to target histone modifying enzymes have focused on ligands that bind to enzyme active sites, but allosteric pockets offer potentially attractive opportunities for therapeutic development. Recent biochemical studies have revealed roles for small molecule and peptide ligands binding outside of the active sites in modulating the catalytic activities of histone modifying enzymes. Here we highlight several examples of allosteric regulation of epigenetic enzymes and discuss the biological significance of these findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A Non-Competitive Inhibitor of VCP/p97 and VPS4 Reveals Conserved Allosteric Circuits in Type I and II AAA ATPases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pöhler, Robert; Krahn, Jan H; van den Boom, Johannes; Dobrynin, Grzegorz; Kaschani, Farnusch; Eggenweiler, Hans-Michael; Zenke, Frank T; Kaiser, Markus; Meyer, Hemmo

    2018-02-05

    AAA ATPases have pivotal functions in diverse cellular processes essential for survival and proliferation. Revealing strategies for chemical inhibition of this class of enzymes is therefore of great interest for the development of novel chemotherapies or chemical tools. Here, we characterize the compound MSC1094308 as a reversible, allosteric inhibitor of the type II AAA ATPase human ubiquitin-directed unfoldase (VCP)/p97 and the type I AAA ATPase VPS4B. Subsequent proteomic, genetic and biochemical studies indicate that MSC1094308 binds to a previously characterized drugable hotspot of p97, thereby inhibiting the D2 ATPase activity. Our results furthermore indicate that a similar allosteric site exists in VPS4B, suggesting conserved allosteric circuits and drugable sites in both type I and II AAA ATPases. Our results may thus guide future chemical tool and drug discovery efforts for the biomedically relevant AAA ATPases. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Allosteric enhancers, allosteric agonists and ago-allosteric modulators: where do they bind and how do they act?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schwartz, Thue W; Holst, Birgitte

    2007-01-01

    Many small-molecule agonists also display allosteric properties. Such ago-allosteric modulators act as co-agonists, providing additive efficacy--instead of partial antagonism--and they can affect--and often improve--the potency of the endogenous agonist. Surprisingly, the apparent binding sites...... different binding modes. In another, dimeric, receptor scenario, the endogenous agonist binds to one protomer while the ago-allosteric modulator binds to the other, 'allosteric' protomer. It is suggested that testing for ago-allosteric properties should be an integral part of the agonist drug discovery...... process because a compound that acts with--rather than against--the endogenous agonist could be an optimal agonist drug....

  18. Allosteric ligands and their binding sites define γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor subtypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Richard W

    2015-01-01

    GABAA receptors (GABA(A)Rs) mediate rapid inhibitory transmission in the brain. GABA(A)Rs are ligand-gated chloride ion channel proteins and exist in about a dozen or more heteropentameric subtypes exhibiting variable age and brain regional localization and thus participation in differing brain functions and diseases. GABA(A)Rs are also subject to modulation by several chemotypes of allosteric ligands that help define structure and function, including subtype definition. The channel blocker picrotoxin identified a noncompetitive channel blocker site in GABA(A)Rs. This ligand site is located in the transmembrane channel pore, whereas the GABA agonist site is in the extracellular domain at subunit interfaces, a site useful for low energy coupled conformational changes of the functional channel domain. Two classes of pharmacologically important allosteric modulatory ligand binding sites reside in the extracellular domain at modified agonist sites at other subunit interfaces: the benzodiazepine site and the high-affinity, relevant to intoxication, ethanol site. The benzodiazepine site is specific for certain GABA(A)R subtypes, mainly synaptic, while the ethanol site is found at a modified benzodiazepine site on different, extrasynaptic, subtypes. In the transmembrane domain are allosteric modulatory ligand sites for diverse chemotypes of general anesthetics: the volatile and intravenous agents, barbiturates, etomidate, propofol, long-chain alcohols, and neurosteroids. The last are endogenous positive allosteric modulators. X-ray crystal structures of prokaryotic and invertebrate pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, and the mammalian GABA(A)R protein, allow homology modeling of GABA(A)R subtypes with the various ligand sites located to suggest the structure and function of these proteins and their pharmacological modulation. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Computational redesign reveals allosteric mutation hotspots of organophosphate hydrolase that enhance organophosphate hydrolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacob, Reed B. [Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Ding, Feng [Clemson Univ., SC (United States); Ye, Dongmei [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ackerman, Eric [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Dokholyan, Nikolay V. [Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)

    2015-04-01

    Organophosphates are widely used for peaceful (agriculture) and military purposes (chemical warfare agents). The extraordinary toxicity of organophosphates and the risk of deployment, make it critical to develop means for their rapid and efficient deactivation. Organophosphate hydrolase (OPH) already plays an important role in organophosphate remediation, but is insufficient for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes primarily due to low substrate affinity. Current efforts focus on directly modifying the active site to differentiate substrate specificity and increase catalytic activity. Here, we present a novel strategy for enhancing the general catalytic efficiency of OPH through computational redesign of the residues that are allosterically coupled to the active site and validated our design by mutagenesis. Specifically, we identify five such hot-spot residues for allosteric regulation and assay these mutants for hydrolysis activity against paraoxon, a chemical-weapons simulant. A high percentage of the predicted mutants exhibit enhanced activity over wild-type (kcat =16.63 s-1), such as T199I/T54I (899.5 s-1) and C227V/T199I/T54I (848 s-1), while the Km remains relatively unchanged in our high-throughput cell-free expression system. Further computational studies of protein dynamics reveal four distinct distal regions coupled to the active site that display significant changes in conformation dynamics upon these identified mutations. These results validate a computational design method that is both efficient and easily adapted as a general procedure for enzymatic enhancement.

  20. Identification of an allosteric binding site for RORγt inhibition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scheepstra, M.; Leysen, S.; van Almen, G.; Miller, J.R.; Piesvaux, J.; Kutilek, V.; van Eenennaam, H.; Zhang, H.; Barr, K.; Nagpal, S.; Soisson, S.M.; Kornienko, M.; Wiley, K.; Elsen, N.; Sharma, S.; Correll, C.C.; Trotter, B.W.; Stelt, van der M.; Oubrie, A.; Ottmann, C.; Parthasarathy, G.; Brunsveld, L.

    2015-01-01

    RORγt is critical for the differentiation and proliferation of Th17 cells associated with several chronic autoimmune diseases. We report the discovery of a novel allosteric binding site on the nuclear receptor RORγt. Co-crystallization of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of RORγt with a series of

  1. Allosteric modulation of G-protein coupled receptors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Anders A.; Spalding, Tracy A

    2004-01-01

    are believed to activate (agonists) or inhibit (competitive antagonists) receptor signalling by binding the receptor at the same site as the endogenous agonist, the orthosteric site. In contrast, allosteric ligands modulate receptor function by binding to different regions in the receptor, allosteric sites....... In recent years, combinatorial chemistry and high throughput screening have helped identify several allosteric GPCR modulators with novel structures, several of which already have become valuable pharmacological tools and may be candidates for clinical testing in the near future. This mini review outlines...... the current status and perspectives of allosteric modulation of GPCR function with emphasis on the pharmacology of endogenous and synthesised modulators, their receptor interactions and the therapeutic prospects of allosteric ligands compared to orthosteric ligands....

  2. An allosteric conduit facilitates dynamic multisite substrate recognition by the SCFCdc4 ubiquitin ligase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Csizmok, Veronika; Orlicky, Stephen; Cheng, Jing; Song, Jianhui; Bah, Alaji; Delgoshaie, Neda; Lin, Hong; Mittag, Tanja; Sicheri, Frank; Chan, Hue Sun; Tyers, Mike; Forman-Kay, Julie D.

    2017-01-01

    The ubiquitin ligase SCFCdc4 mediates phosphorylation-dependent elimination of numerous substrates by binding one or more Cdc4 phosphodegrons (CPDs). Methyl-based NMR analysis of the Cdc4 WD40 domain demonstrates that Cyclin E, Sic1 and Ash1 degrons have variable effects on the primary Cdc4WD40 binding pocket. Unexpectedly, a Sic1-derived multi-CPD substrate (pSic1) perturbs methyls around a previously documented allosteric binding site for the chemical inhibitor SCF-I2. NMR cross-saturation experiments confirm direct contact between pSic1 and the allosteric pocket. Phosphopeptide affinity measurements reveal negative allosteric communication between the primary CPD and allosteric pockets. Mathematical modelling indicates that the allosteric pocket may enhance ultrasensitivity by tethering pSic1 to Cdc4. These results suggest negative allosteric interaction between two distinct binding pockets on the Cdc4WD40 domain may facilitate dynamic exchange of multiple CPD sites to confer ultrasensitive dependence on substrate phosphorylation.

  3. Intrasteric control of AMPK via the gamma1 subunit AMP allosteric regulatory site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Julian; Chen, Zhi-Ping; Van Denderen, Bryce J W; Morton, Craig J; Parker, Michael W; Witters, Lee A; Stapleton, David; Kemp, Bruce E

    2004-01-01

    AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a alphabetagamma heterotrimer that is activated in response to both hormones and intracellular metabolic stress signals. AMPK is regulated by phosphorylation on the alpha subunit and by AMP allosteric control previously thought to be mediated by both alpha and gamma subunits. Here we present evidence that adjacent gamma subunit pairs of CBS repeat sequences (after Cystathionine Beta Synthase) form an AMP binding site related to, but distinct from the classical AMP binding site in phosphorylase, that can also bind ATP. The AMP binding site of the gamma(1) CBS1/CBS2 pair, modeled on the structures of the CBS sequences present in the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase crystal structure, contains three arginine residues 70, 152, and 171 and His151. The yeast gamma homolog, snf4 contains a His151Gly substitution, and when this is introduced into gamma(1), AMP allosteric control is substantially lost and explains why the yeast snf1p/snf4p complex is insensitive to AMP. Arg70 in gamma(1) corresponds to the site of mutation in human gamma(2) and pig gamma(3) genes previously identified to cause an unusual cardiac phenotype and glycogen storage disease, respectively. Mutation of any of AMP binding site Arg residues to Gln substantially abolishes AMP allosteric control in expressed AMPK holoenzyme. The Arg/Gln mutations also suppress the previously described inhibitory properties of ATP and render the enzyme constitutively active. We propose that ATP acts as an intrasteric inhibitor by bridging the alpha and gamma subunits and that AMP functions to derepress AMPK activity.

  4. Assessing the structural conservation of protein pockets to study functional and allosteric sites: implications for drug discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daura Xavier

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background With the classical, active-site oriented drug-development approach reaching its limits, protein ligand-binding sites in general and allosteric sites in particular are increasingly attracting the interest of medicinal chemists in the search for new types of targets and strategies to drug development. Given that allostery represents one of the most common and powerful means to regulate protein function, the traditional drug discovery approach of targeting active sites can be extended by targeting allosteric or regulatory protein pockets that may allow the discovery of not only novel drug-like inhibitors, but activators as well. The wealth of available protein structural data can be exploited to further increase our understanding of allosterism, which in turn may have therapeutic applications. A first step in this direction is to identify and characterize putative effector sites that may be present in already available structural data. Results We performed a large-scale study of protein cavities as potential allosteric and functional sites, by integrating publicly available information on protein sequences, structures and active sites for more than a thousand protein families. By identifying common pockets across different structures of the same protein family we developed a method to measure the pocket's structural conservation. The method was first parameterized using known active sites. We characterized the predicted pockets in terms of sequence and structural conservation, backbone flexibility and electrostatic potential. Although these different measures do not tend to correlate, their combination is useful in selecting functional and regulatory sites, as a detailed analysis of a handful of protein families shows. We finally estimated the numbers of potential allosteric or regulatory pockets that may be present in the data set, finding that pockets with putative functional and effector characteristics are widespread across

  5. Allosteric transition: a comparison of two models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bindslev, Niels

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Two recent models are in use for analysis of allosteric drug action at receptor sites remote from orthosteric binding sites. One is an allosteric two-state mechanical model derived in 2000 by David Hall. The other is an extended operational model developed in 2007 by Arthur...... of model both for simulation and analysis of allosteric concentration-responses at equilibrium or steady-state. Conclusions As detailed knowledge of receptors systems becomes available, systems with several pathways and states and/ or more than two binding sites should be analysed by extended forms...

  6. Molecular modeling study on the allosteric inhibition mechanism of HIV-1 integrase by LEDGF/p75 binding site inhibitors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiwei Xue

    Full Text Available HIV-1 integrase (IN is essential for the integration of viral DNA into the host genome and an attractive therapeutic target for developing antiretroviral inhibitors. LEDGINs are a class of allosteric inhibitors targeting LEDGF/p75 binding site of HIV-1 IN. Yet, the detailed binding mode and allosteric inhibition mechanism of LEDGINs to HIV-1 IN is only partially understood, which hinders the structure-based design of more potent anti-HIV agents. A molecular modeling study combining molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and binding free energy calculation were performed to investigate the interaction details of HIV-1 IN catalytic core domain (CCD with two recently discovered LEDGINs BI-1001 and CX14442, as well as the LEDGF/p75 protein. Simulation results demonstrated the hydrophobic domain of BI-1001 and CX14442 engages one subunit of HIV-1 IN CCD dimer through hydrophobic interactions, and the hydrophilic group forms hydrogen bonds with HIV-1 IN CCD residues from other subunit. CX14442 has a larger tert-butyl group than the methyl of BI-1001, and forms better interactions with the highly hydrophobic binding pocket of HIV-1 IN CCD dimer interface, which can explain the stronger affinity of CX14442 than BI-1001. Analysis of the binding mode of LEDGF/p75 with HIV-1 IN CCD reveals that the LEDGF/p75 integrase binding domain residues Ile365, Asp366, Phe406 and Val408 have significant contributions to the binding of the LEDGF/p75 to HIV1-IN. Remarkably, we found that binding of BI-1001 and CX14442 to HIV-1 IN CCD induced the structural rearrangements of the 140 s loop and oration displacements of the side chains of the three conserved catalytic residues Asp64, Asp116, and Glu152 located at the active site. These results we obtained will be valuable not only for understanding the allosteric inhibition mechanism of LEDGINs but also for the rational design of allosteric inhibitors of HIV-1 IN targeting LEDGF/p75 binding site.

  7. Allosteric Inhibition of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Revealed by Ibudilast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Y.; Crichlow, G; Vermeire, J; Leng, L; Du, X; Hodsdon, M; Bucala, R; Cappello, M; Gross, M; et al.

    2010-01-01

    AV411 (ibudilast; 3-isobutyryl-2-isopropylpyrazolo-[1,5-a]pyridine) is an antiinflammatory drug that was initially developed for the treatment of bronchial asthma but which also has been used for cerebrovascular and ocular indications. It is a nonselective inhibitor of various phosphodiesterases (PDEs) and has varied antiinflammatory activity. More recently, AV411 has been studied as a possible therapeutic for the treatment of neuropathic pain and opioid withdrawal through its actions on glial cells. As described herein, the PDE inhibitor AV411 and its PDE-inhibition-compromised analog AV1013 inhibit the catalytic and chemotactic functions of the proinflammatory protein, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Enzymatic analysis indicates that these compounds are noncompetitive inhibitors of the p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (HPP) tautomerase activity of MIF and an allosteric binding site of AV411 and AV1013 is detected by NMR. The allosteric inhibition mechanism is further elucidated by X-ray crystallography based on the MIF/AV1013 binary and MIF/AV1013/HPP ternary complexes. In addition, our antibody experiments directed against MIF receptors indicate that CXCR2 is the major receptor for MIF-mediated chemotaxis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

  8. Piracetam defines a new binding site for allosteric modulators of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Ahmed H; Oswald, Robert E

    2010-03-11

    Glutamate receptors are the most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the vertebrate central nervous system and are important potential drug targets for cognitive enhancement and the treatment of schizophrenia. Allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors promote dimerization by binding to a dimer interface and reducing desensitization and deactivation. The pyrrolidine allosteric modulators, piracetam and aniracetam, were among the first of this class of drugs to be discovered. We have determined the structure of the ligand binding domain of the AMPA receptor subtypes GluA2 and GluA3 with piracetam and a corresponding structure of GluA3 with aniracetam. Both drugs bind to GluA2 and GluA3 in a very similar manner, suggesting little subunit specificity. However, the binding sites for piracetam and aniracetam differ considerably. Aniracetam binds to a symmetrical site at the center of the dimer interface. Piracetam binds to multiple sites along the dimer interface with low occupation, one of which is a unique binding site for potential allosteric modulators. This new site may be of importance in the design of new allosteric regulators.

  9. Allosteric Mutant IDH1 Inhibitors Reveal Mechanisms for IDH1 Mutant and Isoform Selectivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xie, Xiaoling; Baird, Daniel; Bowen, Kimberly; Capka, Vladimir; Chen, Jinyun; Chenail, Gregg; Cho, YoungShin; Dooley, Julia; Farsidjani, Ali; Fortin, Pascal; Kohls, Darcy; Kulathila, Raviraj; Lin, Fallon; McKay, Daniel; Rodrigues, Lindsey; Sage, David; Touré, B. Barry; van der Plas, Simon; Wright, Kirk; Xu, Ming; Yin, Hong; Levell, Julian; Pagliarini, Raymond A. (Novartis)

    2017-03-01

    Oncogenic IDH1 and IDH2 mutations contribute to cancer via production of R-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG). Here, we characterize two structurally distinct mutant- and isoform-selective IDH1 inhibitors that inhibit 2-HG production. Both bind to an allosteric pocket on IDH1, yet shape it differently, highlighting the plasticity of this site. Oncogenic IDH1R132H mutation destabilizes an IDH1 “regulatory segment,” which otherwise restricts compound access to the allosteric pocket. Regulatory segment destabilization in wild-type IDH1 promotes inhibitor binding, suggesting that destabilization is critical for mutant selectivity. We also report crystal structures of oncogenic IDH2 mutant isoforms, highlighting the fact that the analogous segment of IDH2 is not similarly destabilized. This intrinsic stability of IDH2 may contribute to observed inhibitor IDH1 isoform selectivity. Moreover, discrete residues in the IDH1 allosteric pocket that differ from IDH2 may also guide IDH1 isoform selectivity. These data provide a deeper understanding of how IDH1 inhibitors achieve mutant and isoform selectivity.

  10. Conopeptide ρ-TIA defines a new allosteric site on the extracellular surface of the α1B-adrenoceptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ragnarsson, Lotten; Wang, Ching-I Anderson; Andersson, Åsa; Fajarningsih, Dewi; Monks, Thea; Brust, Andreas; Rosengren, K Johan; Lewis, Richard J

    2013-01-18

    The G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily is an important drug target that includes over 1000 membrane receptors that functionally couple extracellular stimuli to intracellular effectors. Despite the potential of extracellular surface (ECS) residues in GPCRs to interact with subtype-specific allosteric modulators, few ECS pharmacophores for class A receptors have been identified. Using the turkey β(1)-adrenergic receptor crystal structure, we modeled the α(1B)-adrenoceptor (α(1B)-AR) to help identify the allosteric site for ρ-conopeptide TIA, an inverse agonist at this receptor. Combining mutational radioligand binding and inositol 1-phosphate signaling studies, together with molecular docking simulations using a refined NMR structure of ρ-TIA, we identified 14 residues on the ECS of the α(1B)-AR that influenced ρ-TIA binding. Double mutant cycle analysis and docking confirmed that ρ-TIA binding was dominated by a salt bridge and cation-π between Arg-4-ρ-TIA and Asp-327 and Phe-330, respectively, and a T-stacking-π interaction between Trp-3-ρ-TIA and Phe-330. Water-bridging hydrogen bonds between Asn-2-ρ-TIA and Val-197, Trp-3-ρ-TIA and Ser-318, and the positively charged N terminus and Glu-186, were also identified. These interactions reveal that peptide binding to the ECS on transmembrane helix 6 (TMH6) and TMH7 at the base of extracellular loop 3 (ECL3) is sufficient to allosterically inhibit agonist signaling at a GPCR. The ligand-accessible ECS residues identified provide the first view of an allosteric inhibitor pharmacophore for α(1)-adrenoceptors and mechanistic insight and a new set of structural constraints for the design of allosteric antagonists at related GPCRs.

  11. Heat Capacity Changes and Disorder-to-Order Transitions in Allosteric Activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cressman, William J; Beckett, Dorothy

    2016-01-19

    Allosteric coupling in proteins is ubiquitous but incompletely understood, particularly in systems characterized by coupling over large distances. Binding of the allosteric effector, bio-5'-AMP, to the Escherichia coli biotin protein ligase, BirA, enhances the protein's dimerization free energy by -4 kcal/mol. Previous studies revealed that disorder-to-order transitions at the effector binding and dimerization sites, which are separated by 33 Å, are integral to functional coupling. Perturbations to the transition at the ligand binding site alter both ligand binding and coupled dimerization. Alanine substitutions in four loops on the dimerization surface yield a range of energetic effects on dimerization. A glycine to alanine substitution at position 142 in one of these loops results in a complete loss of allosteric coupling, disruption of the disorder-to-order transitions at both functional sites, and a decreased affinity for the effector. In this work, allosteric communication between the effector binding and dimerization surfaces in BirA was further investigated by performing isothermal titration calorimetry measurements on nine proteins with alanine substitutions in three dimerization surface loops. In contrast to BirAG142A, at 20 °C all variants bind to bio-5'-AMP with free energies indistinguishable from that measured for wild-type BirA. However, the majority of the variants exhibit altered heat capacity changes for effector binding. Moreover, the ΔCp values correlate with the dimerization free energies of the effector-bound proteins. These thermodynamic results, combined with structural information, indicate that allosteric activation of the BirA monomer involves formation of a network of intramolecular interactions on the dimerization surface in response to bio-5'-AMP binding at the distant effector binding site.

  12. Conopeptide ρ-TIA Defines a New Allosteric Site on the Extracellular Surface of the α1B-Adrenoceptor*♦

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ragnarsson, Lotten; Wang, Ching-I Anderson; Andersson, Åsa; Fajarningsih, Dewi; Monks, Thea; Brust, Andreas; Rosengren, K. Johan; Lewis, Richard J.

    2013-01-01

    The G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily is an important drug target that includes over 1000 membrane receptors that functionally couple extracellular stimuli to intracellular effectors. Despite the potential of extracellular surface (ECS) residues in GPCRs to interact with subtype-specific allosteric modulators, few ECS pharmacophores for class A receptors have been identified. Using the turkey β1-adrenergic receptor crystal structure, we modeled the α1B-adrenoceptor (α1B-AR) to help identify the allosteric site for ρ-conopeptide TIA, an inverse agonist at this receptor. Combining mutational radioligand binding and inositol 1-phosphate signaling studies, together with molecular docking simulations using a refined NMR structure of ρ-TIA, we identified 14 residues on the ECS of the α1B-AR that influenced ρ-TIA binding. Double mutant cycle analysis and docking confirmed that ρ-TIA binding was dominated by a salt bridge and cation-π between Arg-4-ρ-TIA and Asp-327 and Phe-330, respectively, and a T-stacking-π interaction between Trp-3-ρ-TIA and Phe-330. Water-bridging hydrogen bonds between Asn-2-ρ-TIA and Val-197, Trp-3-ρ-TIA and Ser-318, and the positively charged N terminus and Glu-186, were also identified. These interactions reveal that peptide binding to the ECS on transmembrane helix 6 (TMH6) and TMH7 at the base of extracellular loop 3 (ECL3) is sufficient to allosterically inhibit agonist signaling at a GPCR. The ligand-accessible ECS residues identified provide the first view of an allosteric inhibitor pharmacophore for α1-adrenoceptors and mechanistic insight and a new set of structural constraints for the design of allosteric antagonists at related GPCRs. PMID:23184947

  13. Piracetam Defines a New Binding Site for Allosteric Modulators of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors§

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Ahmed H.; Oswald, Robert E.

    2010-01-01

    Glutamate receptors are the most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the vertebrate central nervous system and are important potential drug targets for cognitive enhancement and the treatment of schizophrenia. Allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors promote dimerization by binding to a dimer interface and reducing desensitization and deactivation. The pyrrolidine allosteric modulators, piracetam and aniracetam, were among the first of this class of drugs to be discovered. We have determined the structure of the ligand binding domain of the AMPA receptor subtypes GluA2 and GluA3 with piracetam and a corresponding structure of GluA3 with aniracetam. Both drugs bind to both GluA2 and GluA3 in a very similar manner, suggesting little subunit specificity. However, the binding sites for piracetam and aniracetam differ considerably. Aniracetam binds to a symmetrical site at the center of the dimer interface. Piracetam binds to multiple sites along the dimer interface with low occupation, one of which is a unique binding site for potential allosteric modulators. This new site may be of importance in the design of new allosteric regulators. PMID:20163115

  14. Emerging Computational Methods for the Rational Discovery of Allosteric Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Jeffrey R; Lee, Christopher T; Durrant, Jacob D; Malmstrom, Robert D; Feher, Victoria A; Amaro, Rommie E

    2016-06-08

    Allosteric drug development holds promise for delivering medicines that are more selective and less toxic than those that target orthosteric sites. To date, the discovery of allosteric binding sites and lead compounds has been mostly serendipitous, achieved through high-throughput screening. Over the past decade, structural data has become more readily available for larger protein systems and more membrane protein classes (e.g., GPCRs and ion channels), which are common allosteric drug targets. In parallel, improved simulation methods now provide better atomistic understanding of the protein dynamics and cooperative motions that are critical to allosteric mechanisms. As a result of these advances, the field of predictive allosteric drug development is now on the cusp of a new era of rational structure-based computational methods. Here, we review algorithms that predict allosteric sites based on sequence data and molecular dynamics simulations, describe tools that assess the druggability of these pockets, and discuss how Markov state models and topology analyses provide insight into the relationship between protein dynamics and allosteric drug binding. In each section, we first provide an overview of the various method classes before describing relevant algorithms and software packages.

  15. CavityPlus: a web server for protein cavity detection with pharmacophore modelling, allosteric site identification and covalent ligand binding ability prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Youjun; Wang, Shiwei; Hu, Qiwan; Gao, Shuaishi; Ma, Xiaomin; Zhang, Weilin; Shen, Yihang; Chen, Fangjin; Lai, Luhua; Pei, Jianfeng

    2018-05-10

    CavityPlus is a web server that offers protein cavity detection and various functional analyses. Using protein three-dimensional structural information as the input, CavityPlus applies CAVITY to detect potential binding sites on the surface of a given protein structure and rank them based on ligandability and druggability scores. These potential binding sites can be further analysed using three submodules, CavPharmer, CorrSite, and CovCys. CavPharmer uses a receptor-based pharmacophore modelling program, Pocket, to automatically extract pharmacophore features within cavities. CorrSite identifies potential allosteric ligand-binding sites based on motion correlation analyses between cavities. CovCys automatically detects druggable cysteine residues, which is especially useful to identify novel binding sites for designing covalent allosteric ligands. Overall, CavityPlus provides an integrated platform for analysing comprehensive properties of protein binding cavities. Such analyses are useful for many aspects of drug design and discovery, including target selection and identification, virtual screening, de novo drug design, and allosteric and covalent-binding drug design. The CavityPlus web server is freely available at http://repharma.pku.edu.cn/cavityplus or http://www.pkumdl.cn/cavityplus.

  16. Change in Allosteric Network Affects Binding Affinities of PDZ Domains: Analysis through Perturbation Response Scanning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerek, Z. Nevin; Ozkan, S. Banu

    2011-01-01

    The allosteric mechanism plays a key role in cellular functions of several PDZ domain proteins (PDZs) and is directly linked to pharmaceutical applications; however, it is a challenge to elaborate the nature and extent of these allosteric interactions. One solution to this problem is to explore the dynamics of PDZs, which may provide insights about how intramolecular communication occurs within a single domain. Here, we develop an advancement of perturbation response scanning (PRS) that couples elastic network models with linear response theory (LRT) to predict key residues in allosteric transitions of the two most studied PDZs (PSD-95 PDZ3 domain and hPTP1E PDZ2 domain). With PRS, we first identify the residues that give the highest mean square fluctuation response upon perturbing the binding sites. Strikingly, we observe that the residues with the highest mean square fluctuation response agree with experimentally determined residues involved in allosteric transitions. Second, we construct the allosteric pathways by linking the residues giving the same directional response upon perturbation of the binding sites. The predicted intramolecular communication pathways reveal that PSD-95 and hPTP1E have different pathways through the dynamic coupling of different residue pairs. Moreover, our analysis provides a molecular understanding of experimentally observed hidden allostery of PSD-95. We show that removing the distal third alpha helix from the binding site alters the allosteric pathway and decreases the binding affinity. Overall, these results indicate that (i) dynamics plays a key role in allosteric regulations of PDZs, (ii) the local changes in the residue interactions can lead to significant changes in the dynamics of allosteric regulations, and (iii) this might be the mechanism that each PDZ uses to tailor their binding specificities regulation. PMID:21998559

  17. Structural insight to mutation effects uncover a common allosteric site in class C GPCRs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harpsøe, Kasper; Boesgaard, Michael W; Munk, Christian

    2017-01-01

    MOTIVATION: Class C G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate important physiological functions and allosteric modulators binding to the transmembrane domain constitute an attractive and, due to a lack of structural insight, a virtually unexplored potential for therapeutics and the food industry....... Combining pharmacological site-directed mutagenesis data with the recent class C GPCR experimental structures will provide a foundation for rational design of new therapeutics. RESULTS: We uncover one common site for both positive and negative modulators with different amino acid layouts that can...

  18. An allosteric binding site at the human serotonin transporter mediates the inhibition of escitalopram by R-citalopram: kinetic binding studies with the ALI/VFL-SI/TT mutant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Huailing; Hansen, Kasper B; Boyle, Noel J; Han, Kiho; Muske, Galina; Huang, Xinyan; Egebjerg, Jan; Sánchez, Connie

    2009-10-25

    The human serotonin transporter (hSERT) has primary and allosteric binding sites for escitalopram and R-citalopram. Previous studies have established that the interaction of these two compounds at a low affinity allosteric binding site of hSERT can affect the dissociation of [(3)H]escitalopram from hSERT. The allosteric binding site involves a series of residues in the 10th, 11th, and 12th trans-membrane domains of hSERT. The low affinity allosteric activities of escitalopram and R-citalopram are essentially eliminated in a mutant hSERT with changes in some of these residues, namely A505V, L506F, I507L, S574T, I575T, as measured in dissociation binding studies. We confirm that in association binding experiments, R-citalopram at clinically relevant concentrations reduces the association rate of [(3)H]escitalopram as a ligand to wild type hSERT. We demonstrate that the ability of R-citalopram to reduce the association rate of escitalopram is also abolished in the mutant hSERT (A505V, L506F, I507L, S574T, I575T), along with the expected disruption the low affinity allosteric function on dissociation binding. This suggests that the allosteric binding site mediates both the low affinity and higher affinity interactions between R-citalopram, escitalopram, and hSERT. Our data add an additional structural basis for the different efficacies of escitalopram compared to racemic citalopram reported in animal studies and clinical trials, and substantiate the hypothesis that hSERT has complex allosteric mechanisms underlying the unexplained in vivo activities of its inhibitors.

  19. Allosteric regulation and communication between subunits in uracil phosphoribosyltransferase from Sulfolobus solfataricus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arent, Susan; Harris, Pernille; Jensen, Kaj Frank

    2005-01-01

    organisms. To understand the allosteric regulation, crystal structures were determined for S. solfataricus UPRTase in complex with UMP and with UMP and the allosteric inhibitor CTP. Also, a structure with UMP bound in half of the active sites was determined. All three complexes form tetramers but reveal...... to rearrangements in the quaternary structure imply that this residue plays a major role in regulation of the enzyme and in communication between subunits. The ribose ring of UMP adopts alternative conformations in the cis and trans subunits of the UPRTase-UMP tetramer with associated differences...

  20. Sparse networks of directly coupled, polymorphic, and functional side chains in allosteric proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soltan Ghoraie, Laleh; Burkowski, Forbes; Zhu, Mu

    2015-03-01

    Recent studies have highlighted the role of coupled side-chain fluctuations alone in the allosteric behavior of proteins. Moreover, examination of X-ray crystallography data has recently revealed new information about the prevalence of alternate side-chain conformations (conformational polymorphism), and attempts have been made to uncover the hidden alternate conformations from X-ray data. Hence, new computational approaches are required that consider the polymorphic nature of the side chains, and incorporate the effects of this phenomenon in the study of information transmission and functional interactions of residues in a molecule. These studies can provide a more accurate understanding of the allosteric behavior. In this article, we first present a novel approach to generate an ensemble of conformations and an efficient computational method to extract direct couplings of side chains in allosteric proteins, and provide sparse network representations of the couplings. We take the side-chain conformational polymorphism into account, and show that by studying the intrinsic dynamics of an inactive structure, we are able to construct a network of functionally crucial residues. Second, we show that the proposed method is capable of providing a magnified view of the coupled and conformationally polymorphic residues. This model reveals couplings between the alternate conformations of a coupled residue pair. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first computational method for extracting networks of side chains' alternate conformations. Such networks help in providing a detailed image of side-chain dynamics in functionally important and conformationally polymorphic sites, such as binding and/or allosteric sites. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Identification of potential small molecule allosteric modulator sites on IL-1R1 ectodomain using accelerated conformational sampling method.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao-Yie Yang

    Full Text Available The interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R is the founding member of the interleukin 1 receptor family which activates innate immune response by its binding to cytokines. Reports showed dysregulation of cytokine production leads to aberrant immune cells activation which contributes to auto-inflammatory disorders and diseases. Current therapeutic strategies focus on utilizing antibodies or chimeric cytokine biologics. The large protein-protein interaction interface between cytokine receptor and cytokine poses a challenge in identifying binding sites for small molecule inhibitor development. Based on the significant conformational change of IL-1R type 1 (IL-1R1 ectodomain upon binding to different ligands observed in crystal structures, we hypothesized that transient small molecule binding sites may exist when IL-1R1 undergoes conformational transition and thus suitable for inhibitor development. Here, we employed accelerated molecular dynamics (MD simulation to efficiently sample conformational space of IL-1R1 ectodomain. Representative IL-1R1 ectodomain conformations determined from the hierarchy cluster analysis were analyzed by the SiteMap program which leads to identify small molecule binding sites at the protein-protein interaction interface and allosteric modulator locations. The cosolvent mapping analysis using phenol as the probe molecule further confirms the allosteric modulator site as a binding hotspot. Eight highest ranked fragment molecules identified from in silico screening at the modulator site were evaluated by MD simulations. Four of them restricted the IL-1R1 dynamical motion to inactive conformational space. The strategy from this study, subject to in vitro experimental validation, can be useful to identify small molecule compounds targeting the allosteric modulator sites of IL-1R and prevent IL-1R from binding to cytokine by trapping IL-1R in inactive conformations.

  2. Molecular mechanism of allosteric communication in Hsp70 revealed by molecular dynamics simulations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Chiappori

    Full Text Available Investigating ligand-regulated allosteric coupling between protein domains is fundamental to understand cell-life regulation. The Hsp70 family of chaperones represents an example of proteins in which ATP binding and hydrolysis at the Nucleotide Binding Domain (NBD modulate substrate recognition at the Substrate Binding Domain (SBD. Herein, a comparative analysis of an allosteric (Hsp70-DnaK and a non-allosteric structural homolog (Hsp110-Sse1 of the Hsp70 family is carried out through molecular dynamics simulations, starting from different conformations and ligand-states. Analysis of ligand-dependent modulation of internal fluctuations and local deformation patterns highlights the structural and dynamical changes occurring at residue level upon ATP-ADP exchange, which are connected to the conformational transition between closed and open structures. By identifying the dynamically responsive protein regions and specific cross-domain hydrogen-bonding patterns that differentiate Hsp70 from Hsp110 as a function of the nucleotide, we propose a molecular mechanism for the allosteric signal propagation of the ATP-encoded conformational signal.

  3. Use of allosteric targets in the discovery of safer drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grover, Ashok Kumar

    2013-01-01

    The need for drugs with fewer side effects cannot be overemphasized. Today, most drugs modify the actions of enzymes, receptors, transporters and other molecules by directly binding to their active (orthosteric) sites. However, orthosteric site configuration is similar in several proteins performing related functions and this leads to a lower specificity of a drug for the desired protein. Consequently, such drugs may have adverse side effects. A new basis of drug discovery is emerging based on the binding of the drug molecules to sites away (allosteric) from the orthosteric sites. It is possible to find allosteric sites which are unique and hence more specific as targets for drug discovery. Of many available examples, two are highlighted here. The first is caloxins - a new class of highly specific inhibitors of plasma membrane Ca²⁺ pumps. The second concerns the modulation of receptors for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which binds to 12 types of receptors. Exploitation of allosteric sites has led to the discovery of drugs which can selectively modulate the activation of only 1 (M1 muscarinic) out of the 12 different types of acetylcholine receptors. These drugs are being tested for schizophrenia treatment. It is anticipated that the drug discovery exploiting allosteric sites will lead to more effective therapeutic agents with fewer side effects. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  4. Overlapping binding site for the endogenous agonist, small-molecule agonists, and ago-allosteric modulators on the ghrelin receptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holst, Birgitte; Frimurer, Thomas M; Mokrosinski, Jacek

    2008-01-01

    A library of robust ghrelin receptor mutants with single substitutions at 22 positions in the main ligand-binding pocket was employed to map binding sites for six different agonists: two peptides (the 28-amino-acid octanoylated endogenous ligand ghrelin and the hexapeptide growth hormone......, and PheVI:23 on the opposing face of transmembrane domain (TM) VI. Each of the agonists was also affected selectively by specific mutations. The mutational map of the ability of L-692,429 and GHRP-6 to act as allosteric modulators by increasing ghrelin's maximal efficacy overlapped with the common....... It is concluded that although each of the ligands in addition exploits other parts of the receptor, a large, common binding site for both small-molecule agonists--including ago-allosteric modulators--and the endogenous agonist is found on the opposing faces of TM-III and -VI of the ghrelin receptor....

  5. The second extracellular loop of the adenosine A1 receptor mediates activity of allosteric enhancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Dylan P; McRobb, Fiona M; Leonhardt, Susan A; Purdy, Michael; Figler, Heidi; Marshall, Melissa A; Chordia, Mahendra; Figler, Robert; Linden, Joel; Abagyan, Ruben; Yeager, Mark

    2014-02-01

    Allosteric enhancers of the adenosine A1 receptor amplify signaling by orthosteric agonists. Allosteric enhancers are appealing drug candidates because their activity requires that the orthosteric site be occupied by an agonist, thereby conferring specificity to stressed or injured tissues that produce adenosine. To explore the mechanism of allosteric enhancer activity, we examined their action on several A1 receptor constructs, including (1) species variants, (2) species chimeras, (3) alanine scanning mutants, and (4) site-specific mutants. These findings were combined with homology modeling of the A1 receptor and in silico screening of an allosteric enhancer library. The binding modes of known docked allosteric enhancers correlated with the known structure-activity relationship, suggesting that these allosteric enhancers bind to a pocket formed by the second extracellular loop, flanked by residues S150 and M162. We propose a model in which this vestibule controls the entry and efflux of agonists from the orthosteric site and agonist binding elicits a conformational change that enables allosteric enhancer binding. This model provides a mechanism for the observations that allosteric enhancers slow the dissociation of orthosteric agonists but not antagonists.

  6. Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase 1 Is Regulated by Its N-Terminal Domain in Response to Allosteric Effectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldo, Kristian Mark P; Acedo, Jeella Z; Panigrahi, Rashmi; Vederas, John C; Weselake, Randall J; Lemieux, M Joanne

    2017-10-01

    Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) is an integral membrane enzyme catalyzing the final and committed step in the acyl-coenzyme A (CoA)-dependent biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG). The biochemical regulation of TAG assembly remains one of the least understood areas of primary metabolism to date. Here, we report that the hydrophilic N-terminal domain of Brassica napus DGAT1 (BnaDGAT1 1-113 ) regulates activity based on acyl-CoA/CoA levels. The N-terminal domain is not necessary for acyltransferase activity and is composed of an intrinsically disordered region and a folded segment. We show that the disordered region has an autoinhibitory function and a dimerization interface, which appears to mediate positive cooperativity, whereas the folded segment of the cytosolic region was found to have an allosteric site for acyl-CoA/CoA. Under increasing acyl-CoA levels, the binding of acyl-CoA with this noncatalytic site facilitates homotropic allosteric activation. Enzyme activation, on the other hand, is prevented under limiting acyl-CoA conditions (low acyl-CoA-to-CoA ratio), whereby CoA acts as a noncompetitive feedback inhibitor through interaction with the same folded segment. The three-dimensional NMR solution structure of the allosteric site revealed an α-helix with a loop connecting a coil fragment. The conserved amino acid residues in the loop interacting with CoA were identified, revealing details of this important regulatory element for allosteric regulation. Based on these results, a model is proposed illustrating the role of the N-terminal domain of BnaDGAT1 as a positive and negative modulator of TAG biosynthesis. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  7. Biochemistry and structural studies of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase reveal allosteric inhibition by Ro 61-8048.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Jingjing; Yao, Licheng; Xia, Tingting; Liao, Xuebin; Zhu, Deyu; Xiang, Ye

    2018-04-01

    The human kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (hKMO) is a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative and neurologic disorders. Inhibition of KMO by Ro 61-8048, a potent, selective, and the most widely used inhibitor of KMO, was shown effective in various models of neurodegenerative or neurologic disorders. However, the molecular basis of hKMO inhibition by Ro 61-8048 is not clearly understood. Here, we report biochemistry studies on hKMO and crystal structures of an hKMO homolog, pfKMO from Pseudomonas fluorescens, in complex with the substrate l-kynurenine and Ro 61-8048. We found that the C-terminal ∼110 aa are essential for the enzymatic activity of hKMO and the homologous C-terminal region of pfKMO folds into a distinct, all-α-helical domain, which associates with the N-terminal catalytic domain to form a unique tunnel in proximity to the substrate-binding pocket. The tunnel binds the Ro 61-8048 molecule, which fills most of the tunnel, and Ro 61-8048 is hydrogen bonded with several completely conserved residues, including an essential catalytic residue. Modification of Ro 61-8048 and biochemical studies of the modified Ro 61-8048 derivatives suggested that Ro 61-8048 inhibits the enzyme in an allosteric manner by affecting the conformation of the essential catalytic residue and by blocking entry of the substrate or product release. The unique binding sites distinguish Ro 61-8048 as a noncompetitive and highly selective inhibitor from other competitive inhibitors, which should facilitate further optimization of Ro 61-8048 and the development of new inhibitory drugs to hKMO.-Gao, J., Yao, L., Xia, T., Liao, X., Zhu, D., Xiang, Y. Biochemistry and structural studies of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase reveal allosteric inhibition by Ro 61-8048.

  8. Modulation of global low-frequency motions underlies allosteric regulation: demonstration in CRP/FNR family transcription factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, Thomas L; Townsend, Philip D; Burnell, David; Jones, Matthew L; Richards, Shane A; McLeish, Tom C B; Pohl, Ehmke; Wilson, Mark R; Cann, Martin J

    2013-09-01

    Allostery is a fundamental process by which ligand binding to a protein alters its activity at a distinct site. There is growing evidence that allosteric cooperativity can be communicated by modulation of protein dynamics without conformational change. The mechanisms, however, for communicating dynamic fluctuations between sites are debated. We provide a foundational theory for how allostery can occur as a function of low-frequency dynamics without a change in structure. We have generated coarse-grained models that describe the protein backbone motions of the CRP/FNR family transcription factors, CAP of Escherichia coli and GlxR of Corynebacterium glutamicum. The latter we demonstrate as a new exemplar for allostery without conformation change. We observe that binding the first molecule of cAMP ligand is correlated with modulation of the global normal modes and negative cooperativity for binding the second cAMP ligand without a change in mean structure. The theory makes key experimental predictions that are tested through an analysis of variant proteins by structural biology and isothermal calorimetry. Quantifying allostery as a free energy landscape revealed a protein "design space" that identified the inter- and intramolecular regulatory parameters that frame CRP/FNR family allostery. Furthermore, through analyzing CAP variants from diverse species, we demonstrate an evolutionary selection pressure to conserve residues crucial for allosteric control. This finding provides a link between the position of CRP/FNR transcription factors within the allosteric free energy landscapes and evolutionary selection pressures. Our study therefore reveals significant features of the mechanistic basis for allostery. Changes in low-frequency dynamics correlate with allosteric effects on ligand binding without the requirement for a defined spatial pathway. In addition to evolving suitable three-dimensional structures, CRP/FNR family transcription factors have been selected to

  9. Role of allosteric switch residue histidine 195 in maintaining active-site asymmetry in presynaptic filaments of bacteriophage T4 UvsX recombinase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farb, Joshua N; Morrical, Scott W

    2009-01-16

    Recombinases of the highly conserved RecA/Rad51 family play central roles in homologous recombination and DNA double-stranded break repair. RecA/Rad51 enzymes form presynaptic filaments on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) that are allosterically activated to catalyze ATPase and DNA strand-exchange reactions. Information is conveyed between DNA- and ATP-binding sites, in part, by a highly conserved glutamine residue (Gln194 in Escherichia coli RecA) that acts as an allosteric switch. The T4 UvsX protein is a divergent RecA ortholog and contains histidine (His195) in place of glutamine at the allosteric switch position. UvsX and RecA catalyze similar strand-exchange reactions, but differ in other properties. UvsX produces both ADP and AMP as products of its ssDNA-dependent ATPase activity--a property that is unique among characterized recombinases. Details of the kinetics of ssDNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis reactions indicate that UvsX-ssDNA presynaptic filaments are asymmetric and contain two classes of ATPase active sites: one that generates ADP, and another that generates AMP. Active-site asymmetry is reduced by mutations at the His195 position, since UvsX-H195Q and UvsX-H195A mutants both exhibit stronger ssDNA-dependent ATPase activity, with lower cooperativity and markedly higher ADP/AMP product ratios, than wild-type UvsX. Reduced active-site asymmetry correlates strongly with reduced ssDNA-binding affinity and DNA strand-exchange activity in both H195Q and H195A mutants. These and other results support a model in which allosteric switch residue His195 controls the formation of an asymmetric conformation of UvsX-ssDNA filaments that is active in DNA strand exchange. The implications of our findings for UvsX recombination functions, and for RecA functions in general, are discussed.

  10. Zinc as Allosteric Ion Channel Modulator: Ionotropic Receptors as Metalloproteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peralta, Francisco Andrés; Huidobro-Toro, Juan Pablo

    2016-01-01

    Zinc is an essential metal to life. This transition metal is a structural component of many proteins and is actively involved in the catalytic activity of cell enzymes. In either case, these zinc-containing proteins are metalloproteins. However, the amino acid residues that serve as ligands for metal coordination are not necessarily the same in structural proteins compared to enzymes. While crystals of structural proteins that bind zinc reveal a higher preference for cysteine sulfhydryls rather than histidine imidazole rings, catalytic enzymes reveal the opposite, i.e., a greater preference for the histidines over cysteines for catalysis, plus the influence of carboxylic acids. Based on this paradigm, we reviewed the putative ligands of zinc in ionotropic receptors, where zinc has been described as an allosteric modulator of channel receptors. Although these receptors do not strictly qualify as metalloproteins since they do not normally bind zinc in structural domains, they do transitorily bind zinc at allosteric sites, modifying transiently the receptor channel’s ion permeability. The present contribution summarizes current information showing that zinc allosteric modulation of receptor channels occurs by the preferential metal coordination to imidazole rings as well as to the sulfhydryl groups of cysteine in addition to the carboxyl group of acid residues, as with enzymes and catalysis. It is remarkable that most channels, either voltage-sensitive or transmitter-gated receptor channels, are susceptible to zinc modulation either as positive or negative regulators. PMID:27384555

  11. Molecular dynamics simulation study of PTP1B with allosteric inhibitor and its application in receptor based pharmacophore modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharatham, Kavitha; Bharatham, Nagakumar; Kwon, Yong Jung; Lee, Keun Woo

    2008-12-01

    Allosteric inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), has paved a new path to design specific inhibitors for PTP1B, which is an important drug target for the treatment of type II diabetes and obesity. The PTP1B1-282-allosteric inhibitor complex crystal structure lacks α7 (287-298) and moreover there is no available 3D structure of PTP1B1-298 in open form. As the interaction between α7 and α6-α3 helices plays a crucial role in allosteric inhibition, α7 was modeled to the PTP1B1-282 in open form complexed with an allosteric inhibitor (compound-2) and a 5 ns MD simulation was performed to investigate the relative orientation of the α7-α6-α3 helices. The simulation conformational space was statistically sampled by clustering analyses. This approach was helpful to reveal certain clues on PTP1B allosteric inhibition. The simulation was also utilized in the generation of receptor based pharmacophore models to include the conformational flexibility of the protein-inhibitor complex. Three cluster representative structures of the highly populated clusters were selected for pharmacophore model generation. The three pharmacophore models were subsequently utilized for screening databases to retrieve molecules containing the features that complement the allosteric site. The retrieved hits were filtered based on certain drug-like properties and molecular docking simulations were performed in two different conformations of protein. Thus, performing MD simulation with α7 to investigate the changes at the allosteric site, then developing receptor based pharmacophore models and finally docking the retrieved hits into two distinct conformations will be a reliable methodology in identifying PTP1B allosteric inhibitors.

  12. Modulation of global low-frequency motions underlies allosteric regulation: demonstration in CRP/FNR family transcription factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas L Rodgers

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Allostery is a fundamental process by which ligand binding to a protein alters its activity at a distinct site. There is growing evidence that allosteric cooperativity can be communicated by modulation of protein dynamics without conformational change. The mechanisms, however, for communicating dynamic fluctuations between sites are debated. We provide a foundational theory for how allostery can occur as a function of low-frequency dynamics without a change in structure. We have generated coarse-grained models that describe the protein backbone motions of the CRP/FNR family transcription factors, CAP of Escherichia coli and GlxR of Corynebacterium glutamicum. The latter we demonstrate as a new exemplar for allostery without conformation change. We observe that binding the first molecule of cAMP ligand is correlated with modulation of the global normal modes and negative cooperativity for binding the second cAMP ligand without a change in mean structure. The theory makes key experimental predictions that are tested through an analysis of variant proteins by structural biology and isothermal calorimetry. Quantifying allostery as a free energy landscape revealed a protein "design space" that identified the inter- and intramolecular regulatory parameters that frame CRP/FNR family allostery. Furthermore, through analyzing CAP variants from diverse species, we demonstrate an evolutionary selection pressure to conserve residues crucial for allosteric control. This finding provides a link between the position of CRP/FNR transcription factors within the allosteric free energy landscapes and evolutionary selection pressures. Our study therefore reveals significant features of the mechanistic basis for allostery. Changes in low-frequency dynamics correlate with allosteric effects on ligand binding without the requirement for a defined spatial pathway. In addition to evolving suitable three-dimensional structures, CRP/FNR family transcription factors have

  13. Computational modeling of allosteric regulation in the hsp90 chaperones: a statistical ensemble analysis of protein structure networks and allosteric communications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristin Blacklock

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available A fundamental role of the Hsp90 chaperone in regulating functional activity of diverse protein clients is essential for the integrity of signaling networks. In this work we have combined biophysical simulations of the Hsp90 crystal structures with the protein structure network analysis to characterize the statistical ensemble of allosteric interaction networks and communication pathways in the Hsp90 chaperones. We have found that principal structurally stable communities could be preserved during dynamic changes in the conformational ensemble. The dominant contribution of the inter-domain rigidity to the interaction networks has emerged as a common factor responsible for the thermodynamic stability of the active chaperone form during the ATPase cycle. Structural stability analysis using force constant profiling of the inter-residue fluctuation distances has identified a network of conserved structurally rigid residues that could serve as global mediating sites of allosteric communication. Mapping of the conformational landscape with the network centrality parameters has demonstrated that stable communities and mediating residues may act concertedly with the shifts in the conformational equilibrium and could describe the majority of functionally significant chaperone residues. The network analysis has revealed a relationship between structural stability, global centrality and functional significance of hotspot residues involved in chaperone regulation. We have found that allosteric interactions in the Hsp90 chaperone may be mediated by modules of structurally stable residues that display high betweenness in the global interaction network. The results of this study have suggested that allosteric interactions in the Hsp90 chaperone may operate via a mechanism that combines rapid and efficient communication by a single optimal pathway of structurally rigid residues and more robust signal transmission using an ensemble of suboptimal multiple

  14. Computational Analysis of Residue Interaction Networks and Coevolutionary Relationships in the Hsp70 Chaperones: A Community-Hopping Model of Allosteric Regulation and Communication.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabrielle Stetz

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Allosteric interactions in the Hsp70 proteins are linked with their regulatory mechanisms and cellular functions. Despite significant progress in structural and functional characterization of the Hsp70 proteins fundamental questions concerning modularity of the allosteric interaction networks and hierarchy of signaling pathways in the Hsp70 chaperones remained largely unexplored and poorly understood. In this work, we proposed an integrated computational strategy that combined atomistic and coarse-grained simulations with coevolutionary analysis and network modeling of the residue interactions. A novel aspect of this work is the incorporation of dynamic residue correlations and coevolutionary residue dependencies in the construction of allosteric interaction networks and signaling pathways. We found that functional sites involved in allosteric regulation of Hsp70 may be characterized by structural stability, proximity to global hinge centers and local structural environment that is enriched by highly coevolving flexible residues. These specific characteristics may be necessary for regulation of allosteric structural transitions and could distinguish regulatory sites from nonfunctional conserved residues. The observed confluence of dynamics correlations and coevolutionary residue couplings with global networking features may determine modular organization of allosteric interactions and dictate localization of key mediating sites. Community analysis of the residue interaction networks revealed that concerted rearrangements of local interacting modules at the inter-domain interface may be responsible for global structural changes and a population shift in the DnaK chaperone. The inter-domain communities in the Hsp70 structures harbor the majority of regulatory residues involved in allosteric signaling, suggesting that these sites could be integral to the network organization and coordination of structural changes. Using a network-based formalism of

  15. Signaling-sensitive amino acids surround the allosteric ligand binding site of the thyrotropin receptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinau, Gunnar; Haas, Ann-Karin; Neumann, Susanne; Worth, Catherine L; Hoyer, Inna; Furkert, Jens; Rutz, Claudia; Gershengorn, Marvin C; Schülein, Ralf; Krause, Gerd

    2010-07-01

    The thyrotropin receptor [thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR)], a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), is endogenously activated by thyrotropin, which binds to the extracellular region of the receptor. We previously identified a low-molecular-weight (LMW) agonist of the TSHR and predicted its allosteric binding pocket within the receptor's transmembrane domain. Because binding of the LMW agonist probably disrupts interactions or leads to formation of new interactions among amino acid residues surrounding the pocket, we tested whether mutation of residues at these positions would lead to constitutive signaling activity. Guided by molecular modeling, we performed site-directed mutagenesis of 24 amino acids in this spatial region, followed by functional characterization of the mutant receptors in terms of expression and signaling, measured as cAMP accumulation. We found that mutations V421I, Y466A, T501A, L587V, M637C, M637W, S641A, Y643F, L645V, and Y667A located in several helices exhibit constitutive activity. Of note is mutation M637W at position 6.48 in transmembrane helix 6, which has a significant effect on the interaction of the receptor with the LMW agonist. In summary, we found that a high proportion of residues in several helices surrounding the allosteric binding site of LMW ligands in the TSHR when mutated lead to constitutively active receptors. Our findings of signaling-sensitive residues in this region of the transmembrane bundle may be of general importance as this domain appears to be evolutionarily retained among GPCRs.

  16. The different ways through which specificity works in orthosteric and allosteric drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nussinov, Ruth; Tsai, Chung-Jung

    2012-01-01

    Currently, there are two types of drugs on the market: orthosteric, which bind at the active site; and allosteric, which bind elsewhere on the protein surface, and allosterically change the conformation of the protein binding site. In this perspective we argue that the different mechanisms through which the two drug types affect protein activity and their potential pitfalls call for different considerations in drug design. The key problem facing orthosteric drugs is side effects which can occur by drug binding to homologous proteins sharing a similar binding site. Hence, orthosteric drugs should have very high affinity to the target; this would allow a low dosage to selectively achieve the goal of target-only binding. By contrast, allosteric drugs work by shifting the free energy landscape. Their binding to the protein surface perturbs the protein surface atoms, and the perturbation propagates like waves, finally reaching the binding site. Effective drugs should have atoms in good contact with the 'right' protein atoms; that is, the contacts should elicit propagation waves optimally reaching the protein binding site target. While affinity is important, the design should consider the protein conformational ensemble and the preferred propagation states. We provide examples from functional in vivo scenarios for both types of cases, and suggest how high potency can be achieved in allosteric drug development.

  17. 2013 Philip S. Portoghese Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship: Drug Discovery Targeting Allosteric Sites†

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The identification of sites on receptors topographically distinct from the orthosteric sites, so-called allosteric sites, has heralded novel approaches and modes of pharmacology for target modulation. Over the past 20 years, our understanding of allosteric modulation has grown significantly, and numerous advantages, as well as caveats (e.g., flat structure–activity relationships, species differences, “molecular switches”), have been identified. For multiple receptors and proteins, numerous examples have been described where unprecedented levels of selectivity are achieved along with improved physiochemical properties. While not a panacea, these novel approaches represent exciting opportunities for tool compound development to probe the pharmacology and therapeutic potential of discrete molecular targets, as well as new medicines. In this Perspective, in commemoration of the 2013 Philip S. Portoghese Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship (LindsleyC. W.Adventures in allosteric drug discovery. Presented at the 246th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Indianapolis, IN, September 10, 2013; The 2013 Portoghese Lectureship), several vignettes of drug discovery campaigns targeting novel allosteric mechanisms will be recounted, along with lessons learned and guidelines that have emerged for successful lead optimization. PMID:25180768

  18. Structural Insights into the Allosteric Operation of the Lon AAA+ Protease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Chien-Chu; Su, Shih-Chieh; Su, Ming-Yuan; Liang, Pi-Hui; Feng, Chia-Cheng; Wu, Shih-Hsiung; Chang, Chung-I

    2016-05-03

    The Lon AAA+ protease (LonA) is an evolutionarily conserved protease that couples the ATPase cycle into motion to drive substrate translocation and degradation. A hallmark feature shared by AAA+ proteases is the stimulation of ATPase activity by substrates. Here we report the structure of LonA bound to three ADPs, revealing the first AAA+ protease assembly where the six protomers are arranged alternately in nucleotide-free and bound states. Nucleotide binding induces large coordinated movements of conserved pore loops from two pairs of three non-adjacent protomers and shuttling of the proteolytic groove between the ATPase site and a previously unknown Arg paddle. Structural and biochemical evidence supports the roles of the substrate-bound proteolytic groove in allosteric stimulation of ATPase activity and the conserved Arg paddle in driving substrate degradation. Altogether, this work provides a molecular framework for understanding how ATP-dependent chemomechanical movements drive allosteric processes for substrate degradation in a major protein-destruction machine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Steric hindrance mutagenesis in the conserved extracellular vestibule impedes allosteric binding of antidepressants to the serotonin transporter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Plenge, Per; Shi, Lei; Beuming, Thijs

    2012-01-01

    be involved in the allosteric binding in the extracellular vestibule located above the central substrate binding (S1) site. Indeed, mutagenesis of selected residues in the vestibule reduces the allosteric potency of (S)-citalopram and clomipramine. The identified site is further supported by the inhibitory...

  20. Lack of conventional oxygen-linked proton and anion binding sites does not impair allosteric regulation of oxygen binding in dwarf caiman hemoglobin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fago, Angela; Malte, Hans; Storz, Jay F.; Gorr, Thomas A.

    2013-01-01

    In contrast to other vertebrate hemoglobins (Hbs) whose high intrinsic O2 affinities are reduced by red cell allosteric effectors (mainly protons, CO2, organic phosphates, and chloride ions), crocodilian Hbs exhibit low sensitivity to organic phosphates and high sensitivity to bicarbonate (HCO3−), which is believed to augment Hb-O2 unloading during diving and postprandial alkaline tides when blood HCO3− levels and metabolic rates increase. Examination of α- and β-globin amino acid sequences of dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus) revealed a unique combination of substitutions at key effector binding sites compared with other vertebrate and crocodilian Hbs: β82Lys→Gln, β143His→Val, and β146His→Tyr. These substitutions delete positive charges and, along with other distinctive changes in residue charge and polarity, may be expected to disrupt allosteric regulation of Hb-O2 affinity. Strikingly, however, P. palpebrosus Hb shows a strong Bohr effect, and marked deoxygenation-linked binding of organic phosphates (ATP and DPG) and CO2 as carbamate (contrasting with HCO3− binding in other crocodilians). Unlike other Hbs, it polymerizes to large complexes in the oxygenated state. The highly unusual properties of P. palpebrosus Hb align with a high content of His residues (potential sites for oxygenation-linked proton binding) and distinctive surface Cys residues that may form intermolecular disulfide bridges upon polymerization. On the basis of its singular properties, P. palpebrosus Hb provides a unique opportunity for studies on structure-function coupling and the evolution of compensatory mechanisms for maintaining tissue O2 delivery in Hbs that lack conventional effector-binding residues. PMID:23720132

  1. Evolution of allosteric regulation in chorismate mutases from early plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kroll, Kourtney; Holland, Cynthia K.; Starks, Courtney M.; Jez, Joseph M.

    2017-09-28

    Plants, fungi, and bacteria synthesize the aromatic amino acids: l-phenylalanine, l-tyrosine, and l-tryptophan. Chorismate mutase catalyzes the branch point reaction of phenylalanine and tyrosine biosynthesis to generate prephenate. In Arabidopsis thaliana, there are two plastid-localized chorismate mutases that are allosterically regulated (AtCM1 and AtCM3) and one cytosolic isoform (AtCM2) that is unregulated. Previous analysis of plant chorismate mutases suggested that the enzymes from early plants (i.e. bryophytes/moss, lycophytes, and basal angiosperms) formed a clade distinct from the isoforms found in flowering plants; however, no biochemical information on these enzymes is available. To understand the evolution of allosteric regulation in plant chorismate mutases, we analyzed a basal lineage of plant enzymes homologous to AtCM1 based on sequence similarity. The chorismate mutases from the moss/bryophyte Physcomitrella patens (PpCM1 and PpCM2), the lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii (SmCM), and the basal angiosperm Amborella trichopoda (AmtCM1 and AmtCM2) were characterized biochemically. Tryptophan was a positive effector for each of the five enzymes examined. Histidine was a weak positive effector for PpCM1 and AmtCM1. Neither tyrosine nor phenylalanine altered the activity of SmCM; however, tyrosine was a negative regulator of the other four enzymes. Phenylalanine down-regulates both moss enzymes and AmtCM2. The 2.0 Å X-ray crystal structure of PpCM1 in complex with the tryptophan identified the allosteric effector site and reveals structural differences between the R- (more active) and T-state (less active) forms of plant chorismate mutases. Molecular insight into the basal plant chorismate mutases guides our understanding of the evolution of allosteric regulation in these enzymes.

  2. A dynamically coupled allosteric network underlies binding cooperativity in Src kinase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foda, Zachariah H; Shan, Yibing; Kim, Eric T; Shaw, David E; Seeliger, Markus A

    2015-01-20

    Protein tyrosine kinases are attractive drug targets because many human diseases are associated with the deregulation of kinase activity. However, how the catalytic kinase domain integrates different signals and switches from an active to an inactive conformation remains incompletely understood. Here we identify an allosteric network of dynamically coupled amino acids in Src kinase that connects regulatory sites to the ATP- and substrate-binding sites. Surprisingly, reactants (ATP and peptide substrates) bind with negative cooperativity to Src kinase while products (ADP and phosphopeptide) bind with positive cooperativity. We confirm the molecular details of the signal relay through the allosteric network by biochemical studies. Experiments on two additional protein tyrosine kinases indicate that the allosteric network may be largely conserved among these enzymes. Our work provides new insights into the regulation of protein tyrosine kinases and establishes a potential conduit by which resistance mutations to ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors can affect their activity.

  3. A conformational switch high-throughput screening assay and allosteric inhibition of the flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew Brecher

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The flavivirus genome encodes a single polyprotein precursor requiring multiple cleavages by host and viral proteases in order to produce the individual proteins that constitute an infectious virion. Previous studies have revealed that the NS2B cofactor of the viral NS2B-NS3 heterocomplex protease displays a conformational dynamic between active and inactive states. Here, we developed a conformational switch assay based on split luciferase complementation (SLC to monitor the conformational change of NS2B and to characterize candidate allosteric inhibitors. Binding of an active-site inhibitor to the protease resulted in a conformational change of NS2B and led to significant SLC enhancement. Mutagenesis of key residues at an allosteric site abolished this induced conformational change and SLC enhancement. We also performed a virtual screen of NCI library compounds to identify allosteric inhibitors, followed by in vitro biochemical screening of the resultant candidates. Only three of these compounds, NSC135618, 260594, and 146771, significantly inhibited the protease of Dengue virus 2 (DENV2 in vitro, with IC50 values of 1.8 μM, 11.4 μM, and 4.8 μM, respectively. Among the three compounds, only NSC135618 significantly suppressed the SLC enhancement triggered by binding of active-site inhibitor in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that it inhibits the conformational change of NS2B. Results from virus titer reduction assays revealed that NSC135618 is a broad spectrum flavivirus protease inhibitor, and can significantly reduce titers of DENV2, Zika virus (ZIKV, West Nile virus (WNV, and Yellow fever virus (YFV on A549 cells in vivo, with EC50 values in low micromolar range. In contrast, the cytotoxicity of NSC135618 is only moderate with CC50 of 48.8 μM on A549 cells. Moreover, NSC135618 inhibited ZIKV in human placental and neural progenitor cells relevant to ZIKV pathogenesis. Results from binding, kinetics, Western blot, mass spectrometry and

  4. Allosteric Inhibition of Factor XIIIa. Non-Saccharide Glycosaminoglycan Mimetics, but Not Glycosaminoglycans, Exhibit Promising Inhibition Profile.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rami A Al-Horani

    Full Text Available Factor XIIIa (FXIIIa is a transglutaminase that catalyzes the last step in the coagulation process. Orthostery is the only approach that has been exploited to design FXIIIa inhibitors. Yet, allosteric inhibition of FXIIIa is a paradigm that may offer a key advantage of controlled inhibition over orthosteric inhibition. Such an approach is likely to lead to novel FXIIIa inhibitors that do not carry bleeding risks. We reasoned that targeting a collection of basic amino acid residues distant from FXIIIa's active site by using sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs or non-saccharide GAG mimetics (NSGMs would lead to the discovery of the first allosteric FXIIIa inhibitors. We tested a library of 22 variably sulfated GAGs and NSGMs against human FXIIIa to discover promising hits. Interestingly, although some GAGs bound to FXIIIa better than NSGMs, no GAG displayed any inhibition. An undecasulfated quercetin analog was found to inhibit FXIIIa with reasonable potency (efficacy of 98%. Michaelis-Menten kinetic studies revealed an allosteric mechanism of inhibition. Fluorescence studies confirmed close correspondence between binding affinity and inhibition potency, as expected for an allosteric process. The inhibitor was reversible and at least 9-fold- and 26-fold selective over two GAG-binding proteins factor Xa (efficacy of 71% and thrombin, respectively, and at least 27-fold selective over a cysteine protease papain. The inhibitor also inhibited the FXIIIa-mediated polymerization of fibrin in vitro. Overall, our work presents the proof-of-principle that FXIIIa can be allosterically modulated by sulfated non-saccharide agents much smaller than GAGs, which should enable the design of selective and safe anticoagulants.

  5. Orthosteric and allosteric potentiation of heteromeric neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jingyi; Lindstrom, Jon

    2018-06-01

    Heteromeric nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) were thought to have two orthodox agonist-binding sites at two α/β subunit interfaces. Highly selective ligands are hard to develop by targeting orthodox agonist sites because of high sequence similarity of this binding pocket among different subunits. Recently, unorthodox ACh-binding sites have been discovered at some α/α and β/α subunit interfaces, such as α4/α4, α5/α4 and β3/α4. Targeting unorthodox sites may yield subtype-selective ligands, such as those for (α4β2) 2 α5, (α4β2) 2 β3 and (α6β2) 2 β3 nAChRs. The unorthodox sites have unique pharmacology. Agonist binding at one unorthodox site is not sufficient to activate nAChRs, but it increases activation from the orthodox sites. NS9283, a selective agonist for the unorthodox α4/α4 site, was initially thought to be a positive allosteric modulator (PAM). NS9283 activates nAChRs with three engineered α4/α4 sites. PAMs, on the other hand, act at allosteric sites where ACh cannot bind. Known PAM sites include the ACh-homologous non-canonical site (e.g. morantel at β/α), the C-terminus (e.g. Br-PBTC and 17β-estradiol), a transmembrane domain (e.g. LY2087101) or extracellular and transmembrane domain interfaces (e.g. NS206). Some of these PAMs, such as Br-PBTC and 17β-estradiol, require only one subunit to potentiate activation of nAChRs. In this review, we will discuss differences between activation from orthosteric and allosteric sites, their selective ligands and clinical implications. These studies have advanced understanding of the structure, assembly and pharmacology of heteromeric neuronal nAChRs. This article is part of a themed section on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.11/issuetoc. © 2017 The British Pharmacological Society.

  6. Exploring allosteric coupling in the α-subunit of Heterotrimeric G proteins using evolutionary and ensemble-based approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilser Vincent J

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Allosteric coupling, which can be defined as propagation of a perturbation at one region of the protein molecule (such as ligand binding to distant sites in the same molecule, constitutes the most general mechanism of regulation of protein function. However, unlike molecular details of ligand binding, structural elements involved in allosteric effects are difficult to diagnose. Here, we identified allosteric linkages in the α-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, which were evolved to transmit membrane receptor signals by allosteric mechanisms, by using two different approaches that utilize fundamentally different and independent information. Results We analyzed: 1 correlated mutations in the family of G protein α-subunits, and 2 cooperativity of the native state ensemble of the Gαi1 or transducin. The combination of these approaches not only recovered already-known details such as the switch regions that change conformation upon nucleotide exchange, and those regions that are involved in receptor, effector or Gβγ interactions (indicating that the predictions of the analyses can be viewed with a measure of confidence, but also predicted new sites that are potentially involved in allosteric communication in the Gα protein. A summary of the new sites found in the present analysis, which were not apparent in crystallographic data, is given along with known functional and structural information. Implications of the results are discussed. Conclusion A set of residues and/or structural elements that are potentially involved in allosteric communication in Gα is presented. This information can be used as a guide to structural, spectroscopic, mutational, and theoretical studies on the allosteric network in Gα proteins, which will provide a better understanding of G protein-mediated signal transduction.

  7. Targeting S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis with a novel allosteric inhibitor of Mat2A

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quinlan, Casey L.; Kaiser, Stephen E.; Bolaños, Ben; Nowlin, Dawn; Grantner, Rita; Karlicek-Bryant, Shannon; Feng, Jun Li; Jenkinson, Stephen; Freeman-Cook, Kevin; Dann, Stephen G.; Wang, Xiaoli; Wells, Peter A.; Fantin, Valeria R.; Stewart, Al E.; Grant, Stephan K. (Pfizer)

    2017-05-29

    S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is an enzyme cofactor used in methyl transfer reactions and polyamine biosynthesis. The biosynthesis of SAM from ATP and L-methionine is performed by the methionine adenosyltransferase enzyme family (Mat; EC 2.5.1.6). Human methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (Mat2A), the extrahepatic isoform, is often deregulated in cancer. We identified a Mat2A inhibitor, PF-9366, that binds an allosteric site on Mat2A that overlaps with the binding site for the Mat2A regulator, Mat2B. Studies exploiting PF-9366 suggested a general mode of Mat2A allosteric regulation. Allosteric binding of PF-9366 or Mat2B altered the Mat2A active site, resulting in increased substrate affinity and decreased enzyme turnover. These data support a model whereby Mat2B functions as an inhibitor of Mat2A activity when methionine or SAM levels are high, yet functions as an activator of Mat2A when methionine or SAM levels are low. The ramification of Mat2A activity modulation in cancer cells is also described.

  8. The allosteric communication pathways in KIX domain of CBP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palazzesi, Ferruccio; Barducci, Alessandro; Tollinger, Martin; Parrinello, Michele

    2013-01-01

    Allosteric regulation plays an important role in a myriad of biomacromolecular processes. Specifically, in a protein, the process of allostery refers to the transmission of a local perturbation, such as ligand binding, to a distant site. Decades after the discovery of this phenomenon, models built on static images of proteins are being reconsidered with the knowledge that protein dynamics plays an important role in its function. Molecular dynamics simulations are a valuable tool for studying complex biomolecular systems, providing an atomistic description of their structure and dynamics. Unfortunately, their predictive power has been limited by the complexity of the biomolecule free-energy surface and by the length of the allosteric timescale (in the order of milliseconds). In this work, we are able to probe the origins of the allosteric changes that transcription factor mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) causes to the interactions of KIX domain of CREB-binding protein (CBP) with phosphorylated kinase inducible domain (pKID), by combing all-atom molecular dynamics with enhanced sampling methods recently developed in our group. We discuss our results in relation to previous NMR studies. We also develop a general simulations protocol to study allosteric phenomena and many other biological processes that occur in the micro/milliseconds timescale. PMID:23940332

  9. Allosteric cross-talk in chromatin can mediate drug-drug synergy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adhireksan, Zenita; Palermo, Giulia; Riedel, Tina; Ma, Zhujun; Muhammad, Reyhan; Rothlisberger, Ursula; Dyson, Paul J.; Davey, Curt A.

    2017-03-01

    Exploitation of drug-drug synergism and allostery could yield superior therapies by capitalizing on the immensely diverse, but highly specific, potential associated with the biological macromolecular landscape. Here we describe a drug-drug synergy mediated by allosteric cross-talk in chromatin, whereby the binding of one drug alters the activity of the second. We found two unrelated drugs, RAPTA-T and auranofin, that yield a synergistic activity in killing cancer cells, which coincides with a substantially greater number of chromatin adducts formed by one of the compounds when adducts from the other agent are also present. We show that this occurs through an allosteric mechanism within the nucleosome, whereby defined histone adducts of one drug promote reaction of the other drug at a distant, specific histone site. This opens up possibilities for epigenetic targeting and suggests that allosteric modulation in nucleosomes may have biological relevance and potential for therapeutic interventions.

  10. Allosteric inhibitors of Coxsackie virus A24 RNA polymerase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schein, Catherine H; Rowold, Diane; Choi, Kyung H

    2016-02-15

    Coxsackie virus A24 (CVA24), a causative agent of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, is a prototype of enterovirus (EV) species C. The RNA polymerase (3D(pol)) of CVA24 can uridylylate the viral peptide linked to the genome (VPg) from distantly related EV and is thus, a good model for studying this reaction. Once UMP is bound, VPgpU primes RNA elongation. Structural and mutation data have identified a conserved binding surface for VPg on the RNA polymerase (3D(pol)), located about 20Å from the active site. Here, computational docking of over 60,000 small compounds was used to select those with the lowest (best) specific binding energies (BE) for this allosteric site. Compounds with varying structures and low BE were assayed for their effect on formation of VPgU by CVA24-3D(pol). Two compounds with the lowest specific BE for the site inhibited both uridylylation and formation of VPgpolyU at 10-20μM. These small molecules can be used to probe the role of this allosteric site in polymerase function, and may be the basis for novel antiviral compounds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Allosteric Binding in the Serotonin Transporter - Pharmacology, Structure, Function and Potential Use as a Novel Drug Target

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Loland, Claus J.; Sanchez, Connie; Plenge, Per

    2017-01-01

    The serotonin transporter (SERT) is an important drug target and the majority of currently used antidepressants are potent inhibitors of SERT, binding primarily to the substrate binding site. However, even though the existence of an allosteric modulator site was realized more than 30 years ago......, the research into this mechanism is still in its early days. The current knowledge about the allosteric site with respect to pharmacology, structure and function, and pharmacological tool compounds, is reviewed and a perspective is given on its potential as a drug target....

  12. Selective Negative Allosteric Modulation Of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors - A Structural Perspective of Ligands and Mutants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harpsøe, Kasper; Isberg, Vignir; Tehan, Benjamin G

    2015-01-01

    modulators. In this analysis, we make the first comprehensive structural comparison of all metabotropic glutamate receptors, placing selective negative allosteric modulators and critical mutants into the detailed context of the receptor binding sites. A better understanding of how the different m......Glu allosteric modulator binding modes relates to selective pharmacological actions will be very valuable for rational design of safer drugs....

  13. The allosteric switching mechanism in bacteriophage MS2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perkett, Matthew R.; Mirijanian, Dina T.; Hagan, Michael F., E-mail: hagan@brandeis.edu [Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02474 (United States)

    2016-07-21

    We use all-atom simulations to elucidate the mechanisms underlying conformational switching and allostery within the coat protein of the bacteriophage MS2. Assembly of most icosahedral virus capsids requires that the capsid protein adopts different conformations at precise locations within the capsid. It has been shown that a 19 nucleotide stem loop (TR) from the MS2 genome acts as an allosteric effector, guiding conformational switching of the coat protein during capsid assembly. Since the principal conformational changes occur far from the TR binding site, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism underlying this allosteric communication. To this end, we use all-atom simulations with explicit water combined with a path sampling technique to sample the MS2 coat protein conformational transition, in the presence and absence of TR-binding. The calculations find that TR binding strongly alters the transition free energy profile, leading to a switch in the favored conformation. We discuss changes in molecular interactions responsible for this shift. We then identify networks of amino acids with correlated motions to reveal the mechanism by which effects of TR binding span the protein. We find that TR binding strongly affects residues located at the 5-fold and quasi-sixfold interfaces in the assembled capsid, suggesting a mechanism by which the TR binding could direct formation of the native capsid geometry. The analysis predicts amino acids whose substitution by mutagenesis could alter populations of the conformational substates or their transition rates.

  14. LIGAND-BINDING SITES ON THE MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS UREASE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisnyak Yu. V.

    2017-10-01

    surface by AlloPred and AlloSite servers. Predicted probable allosteric sites overlapped with binding sites revealed by FTSite suggesting their possible function as sites for allosteric binding. Conclusions. On the surface of M.tuberculosis urease, there were revealed the probable ligand binding sites that appear to be the sites of allosteric binding. They may serve as promising targets for designing novel allosteric modulators as receptor-selective anti-tuberculosis drugs.

  15. Allosteric mechanism of action of the therapeutic anti-IgE antibody omalizumab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Anna M; Allan, Elizabeth G; Keeble, Anthony H; Delgado, Jean; Cossins, Benjamin P; Mitropoulou, Alkistis N; Pang, Marie O Y; Ceska, Tom; Beavil, Andrew J; Craggs, Graham; Westwood, Marta; Henry, Alistair J; McDonnell, James M; Sutton, Brian J

    2017-06-16

    Immunoglobulin E and its interactions with receptors FcϵRI and CD23 play a central role in allergic disease. Omalizumab, a clinically approved therapeutic antibody, inhibits the interaction between IgE and FcϵRI, preventing mast cell and basophil activation, and blocks IgE binding to CD23 on B cells and antigen-presenting cells. We solved the crystal structure of the complex between an omalizumab-derived Fab and IgE-Fc, with one Fab bound to each Cϵ3 domain. Free IgE-Fc adopts an acutely bent structure, but in the complex it is only partially bent, with large-scale conformational changes in the Cϵ3 domains that inhibit the interaction with FcϵRI. CD23 binding is inhibited sterically due to overlapping binding sites on each Cϵ3 domain. Studies of omalizumab Fab binding in solution demonstrate the allosteric basis for FcϵRI inhibition and, together with the structure, reveal how omalizumab may accelerate dissociation of receptor-bound IgE from FcϵRI, exploiting the intrinsic flexibility and allosteric potential of IgE. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  16. Guanine nucleotide binding to the Bateman domain mediates the allosteric inhibition of eukaryotic IMP dehydrogenases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buey, Rubén M.; Ledesma-Amaro, Rodrigo; Velázquez-Campoy, Adrián; Balsera, Mónica; Chagoyen, Mónica; de Pereda, José M.; Revuelta, José L.

    2015-11-01

    Inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) plays key roles in purine nucleotide metabolism and cell proliferation. Although IMPDH is a widely studied therapeutic target, there is limited information about its physiological regulation. Using Ashbya gossypii as a model, we describe the molecular mechanism and the structural basis for the allosteric regulation of IMPDH by guanine nucleotides. We report that GTP and GDP bind to the regulatory Bateman domain, inducing octamers with compromised catalytic activity. Our data suggest that eukaryotic and prokaryotic IMPDHs might have developed different regulatory mechanisms, with GTP/GDP inhibiting only eukaryotic IMPDHs. Interestingly, mutations associated with human retinopathies map into the guanine nucleotide-binding sites including a previously undescribed non-canonical site and disrupt allosteric inhibition. Together, our results shed light on the mechanisms of the allosteric regulation of enzymes mediated by Bateman domains and provide a molecular basis for certain retinopathies, opening the door to new therapeutic approaches.

  17. Interdomain allosteric regulation of Polo kinase by Aurora B and Map205 is required for cytokinesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kachaner, David; Pinson, Xavier; El Kadhi, Khaled Ben; Normandin, Karine; Talje, Lama; Lavoie, Hugo; Lépine, Guillaume; Carréno, Sébastien; Kwok, Benjamin H.; Hickson, Gilles R.

    2014-01-01

    Drosophila melanogaster Polo and its human orthologue Polo-like kinase 1 fulfill essential roles during cell division. Members of the Polo-like kinase (Plk) family contain an N-terminal kinase domain (KD) and a C-terminal Polo-Box domain (PBD), which mediates protein interactions. How Plks are regulated in cytokinesis is poorly understood. Here we show that phosphorylation of Polo by Aurora B is required for cytokinesis. This phosphorylation in the activation loop of the KD promotes the dissociation of Polo from the PBD-bound microtubule-associated protein Map205, which acts as an allosteric inhibitor of Polo kinase activity. This mechanism allows the release of active Polo from microtubules of the central spindle and its recruitment to the site of cytokinesis. Failure in Polo phosphorylation results in both early and late cytokinesis defects. Importantly, the antagonistic regulation of Polo by Aurora B and Map205 in cytokinesis reveals that interdomain allosteric mechanisms can play important roles in controlling the cellular functions of Plks. PMID:25332165

  18. The future of type 1 cannabinoid receptor allosteric ligands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alaverdashvili, Mariam; Laprairie, Robert B

    2018-02-01

    Allosteric modulation of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) holds great therapeutic potential. This is because allosteric modulators do not possess intrinsic efficacy, but instead augment (positive allosteric modulation) or diminish (negative allosteric modulation) the receptor's response to endogenous ligand. Consequently, CB1R allosteric modulators have an effect ceiling which allows for the tempering of CB1R signaling without the desensitization, tolerance, dependence, and psychoactivity associated with orthosteric compounds. Pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, obesity are all potential therapeutic targets for CB1R allosteric modulation. Several challenges exist for the development of CB1R allosteric modulators, such as receptor subtype specificity, translation to in vivo systems, and mixed allosteric/agonist/inverse agonist activity. Despite these challenges, elucidation of crystal structures of CB1R and compound design based on structure-activity relationships will advance the field. In this review, we will cover recent progress for CB1R allosteric modulators and discuss the future promise of this research.

  19. Bitopic Ligands and Metastable Binding Sites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fronik, Philipp; Gaiser, Birgit I; Sejer Pedersen, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    of orthosteric binding sites. Bitopic ligands have been employed to address the selectivity problem by combining (linking) an orthosteric ligand with an allosteric modulator, theoretically leading to high-affinity subtype selective ligands. However, it remains a challenge to identify suitable allosteric binding...... that have been reported to date, this type of bitopic ligands would be composed of two identical pharmacophores. Herein, we outline the concept of bitopic ligands, review metastable binding sites, and discuss their potential as a new source of allosteric binding sites....

  20. Allosteric regulation of rhomboid intramembrane proteolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arutyunova, Elena; Panwar, Pankaj; Skiba, Pauline M; Gale, Nicola; Mak, Michelle W; Lemieux, M Joanne

    2014-09-01

    Proteolysis within the lipid bilayer is poorly understood, in particular the regulation of substrate cleavage. Rhomboids are a family of ubiquitous intramembrane serine proteases that harbour a buried active site and are known to cleave transmembrane substrates with broad specificity. In vitro gel and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based kinetic assays were developed to analyse cleavage of the transmembrane substrate psTatA (TatA from Providencia stuartii). We demonstrate significant differences in catalytic efficiency (kcat/K0.5) values for transmembrane substrate psTatA (TatA from Providencia stuartii) cleavage for three rhomboids: AarA from P. stuartii, ecGlpG from Escherichia coli and hiGlpG from Haemophilus influenzae demonstrating that rhomboids specifically recognize this substrate. Furthermore, binding of psTatA occurs with positive cooperativity. Competitive binding studies reveal an exosite-mediated mode of substrate binding, indicating allostery plays a role in substrate catalysis. We reveal that exosite formation is dependent on the oligomeric state of rhomboids, and when dimers are dissociated, allosteric substrate activation is not observed. We present a novel mechanism for specific substrate cleavage involving several dynamic processes including positive cooperativity and homotropic allostery for this interesting class of intramembrane proteases. © 2014 The Authors.

  1. Molecular Mechanism of Action for Allosteric Modulators and Agonists in CC-chemokine Receptor 5 (CCR5).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlshøj, Stefanie; Amarandi, Roxana Maria; Larsen, Olav; Daugvilaite, Viktorija; Steen, Anne; Brvar, Matjaž; Pui, Aurel; Frimurer, Thomas Michael; Ulven, Trond; Rosenkilde, Mette Marie

    2016-12-23

    The small molecule metal ion chelators bipyridine and terpyridine complexed with Zn 2+ (ZnBip and ZnTerp) act as CCR5 agonists and strong positive allosteric modulators of CCL3 binding to CCR5, weak modulators of CCL4 binding, and competitors for CCL5 binding. Here we describe their binding site using computational modeling, binding, and functional studies on WT and mutated CCR5. The metal ion Zn 2+ is anchored to the chemokine receptor-conserved Glu-283 VII:06/7.39 Both chelators interact with aromatic residues in the transmembrane receptor domain. The additional pyridine ring of ZnTerp binds deeply in the major binding pocket and, in contrast to ZnBip, interacts directly with the Trp-248 VI:13/6.48 microswitch, contributing to its 8-fold higher potency. The impact of Trp-248 was further confirmed by ZnClTerp, a chloro-substituted version of ZnTerp that showed no inherent agonism but maintained positive allosteric modulation of CCL3 binding. Despite a similar overall binding mode of all three metal ion chelator complexes, the pyridine ring of ZnClTerp blocks the conformational switch of Trp-248 required for receptor activation, thereby explaining its lack of activity. Importantly, ZnClTerp becomes agonist to the same extent as ZnTerp upon Ala mutation of Ile-116 III:16/3.40 , a residue that constrains the Trp-248 microswitch in its inactive conformation. Binding studies with 125 I-CCL3 revealed an allosteric interface between the chemokine and the small molecule binding site, including residues Tyr-37 I:07/1.39 , Trp-86 II:20/2.60 , and Phe-109 III:09/3.33 The small molecules and CCL3 approach this interface from opposite directions, with some residues being mutually exploited. This study provides new insight into the molecular mechanism of CCR5 activation and paves the way for future allosteric drugs for chemokine receptors. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  2. Convergent transmission of RNAi guide-target mismatch information across Argonaute internal allosteric network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Thomas T; Osman, Roman

    2012-01-01

    In RNA interference, a guide strand derived from a short dsRNA such as a microRNA (miRNA) is loaded into Argonaute, the central protein in the RNA Induced Silencing Complex (RISC) that silences messenger RNAs on a sequence-specific basis. The positions of any mismatched base pairs in an miRNA determine which Argonaute subtype is used. Subsequently, the Argonaute-guide complex binds and silences complementary target mRNAs; certain Argonautes cleave the target. Mismatches between guide strand and the target mRNA decrease cleavage efficiency. Thus, loading and silencing both require that signals about the presence of a mismatched base pair are communicated from the mismatch site to effector sites. These effector sites include the active site, to prevent target cleavage; the binding groove, to modify nucleic acid binding affinity; and surface allosteric sites, to control recruitment of additional proteins to form the RISC. To examine how such signals may be propagated, we analyzed the network of internal allosteric pathways in Argonaute exhibited through correlations of residue-residue interactions. The emerging network can be described as a set of pathways emanating from the core of the protein near the active site, distributed into the bulk of the protein, and converging upon a distributed cluster of surface residues. Nucleotides in the guide strand "seed region" have a stronger relationship with the protein than other nucleotides, concordant with their importance in sequence selectivity. Finally, any of several seed region guide-target mismatches cause certain Argonaute residues to have modified correlations with the rest of the protein. This arises from the aggregation of relatively small interaction correlation changes distributed across a large subset of residues. These residues are in effector sites: the active site, binding groove, and surface, implying that direct functional consequences of guide-target mismatches are mediated through the cumulative effects of

  3. Activation of Hsp90 Enzymatic Activity and Conformational Dynamics through Rationally Designed Allosteric Ligands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sattin, Sara; Tao, Jiahui; Vettoretti, Gerolamo; Moroni, Elisabetta; Pennati, Marzia; Lopergolo, Alessia; Morelli, Laura; Bugatti, Antonella; Zuehlke, Abbey; Moses, Mike; Prince, Thomas; Kijima, Toshiki; Beebe, Kristin; Rusnati, Marco; Neckers, Len; Zaffaroni, Nadia; Agard, David A; Bernardi, Anna; Colombo, Giorgio

    2015-09-21

    Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone of pivotal importance for multiple cell pathways. ATP-regulated internal dynamics are critical for its function and current pharmacological approaches block the chaperone with ATP-competitive inhibitors. Herein, a general approach to perturb Hsp90 through design of new allosteric ligands aimed at modulating its functional dynamics is proposed. Based on the characterization of a first set of 2-phenylbenzofurans showing stimulatory effects on Hsp90 ATPase and conformational dynamics, new ligands were developed that activate Hsp90 by targeting an allosteric site, located 65 Å from the active site. Specifically, analysis of protein responses to first-generation activators was exploited to guide the design of novel derivatives with improved ability to stimulate ATP hydrolysis. The molecules' effects on Hsp90 enzymatic, conformational, co-chaperone and client-binding properties were characterized through biochemical, biophysical and cellular approaches. These designed probes act as allosteric activators of the chaperone and affect the viability of cancer cell lines for which proper functioning of Hsp90 is necessary. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Structural and kinetic studies of the allosteric transition in Sulfolobus solfataricus uracil phosphoribosyltransferase: Permanent activation by engineering of the C-terminus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Stig; Kadziola, Anders; Johansson, Eva

    2009-01-01

    and PPi, in the other sites. Combined with three existing structures of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase in complex with UMP and the allosteric inhibitor cytidine triphosphate (CTP), these structures provide valuable insight into the mechanism of allosteric transition from inhibited to active enzyme...

  5. SH2-catalytic domain linker heterogeneity influences allosteric coupling across the SFK family.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Register, A C; Leonard, Stephen E; Maly, Dustin J

    2014-11-11

    Src-family kinases (SFKs) make up a family of nine homologous multidomain tyrosine kinases whose misregulation is responsible for human disease (cancer, diabetes, inflammation, etc.). Despite overall sequence homology and identical domain architecture, differences in SH3 and SH2 regulatory domain accessibility and ability to allosterically autoinhibit the ATP-binding site have been observed for the prototypical SFKs Src and Hck. Biochemical and structural studies indicate that the SH2-catalytic domain (SH2-CD) linker, the intramolecular binding epitope for SFK SH3 domains, is responsible for allosterically coupling SH3 domain engagement to autoinhibition of the ATP-binding site through the conformation of the αC helix. As a relatively unconserved region between SFK family members, SH2-CD linker sequence variability across the SFK family is likely a source of nonredundant cellular functions between individual SFKs via its effect on the availability of SH3 and SH2 domains for intermolecular interactions and post-translational modification. Using a combination of SFKs engineered with enhanced or weakened regulatory domain intramolecular interactions and conformation-selective inhibitors that report αC helix conformation, this study explores how SH2-CD sequence heterogeneity affects allosteric coupling across the SFK family by examining Lyn, Fyn1, and Fyn2. Analyses of Fyn1 and Fyn2, isoforms that are identical but for a 50-residue sequence spanning the SH2-CD linker, demonstrate that SH2-CD linker sequence differences can have profound effects on allosteric coupling between otherwise identical kinases. Most notably, a dampened allosteric connection between the SH3 domain and αC helix leads to greater autoinhibitory phosphorylation by Csk, illustrating the complex effects of SH2-CD linker sequence on cellular function.

  6. Allosteric modulation of endogenous metabolites as an avenue for drug discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wootten, Denise; Savage, Emilia E; Valant, Celine; May, Lauren T; Sloop, Kyle W; Ficorilli, James; Showalter, Aaron D; Willard, Francis S; Christopoulos, Arthur; Sexton, Patrick M

    2012-08-01

    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface receptors and a key drug target class. Recently, allosteric drugs that can co-bind with and modulate the activity of the endogenous ligand(s) for the receptor have become a major focus of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for the development of novel GPCR therapeutic agents. This class of drugs has distinct properties compared with drugs targeting the endogenous (orthosteric) ligand-binding site that include the ability to sculpt cellular signaling and to respond differently in the presence of discrete orthosteric ligands, a behavior termed "probe dependence." Here, using cell signaling assays combined with ex vivo and in vivo studies of insulin secretion, we demonstrate that allosteric ligands can cause marked potentiation of previously "inert" metabolic products of neurotransmitters and peptide hormones, a novel consequence of the phenomenon of probe dependence. Indeed, at the muscarinic M(2) receptor and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor, allosteric potentiation of the metabolites, choline and GLP-1(9-36)NH(2), respectively, was ~100-fold and up to 200-fold greater than that seen with the physiological signaling molecules acetylcholine and GLP-1(7-36)NH(2). Modulation of GLP-1(9-36)NH(2) was also demonstrated in ex vivo and in vivo assays of insulin secretion. This work opens up new avenues for allosteric drug discovery by directly targeting modulation of metabolites, but it also identifies a behavior that could contribute to unexpected clinical outcomes if interaction of allosteric drugs with metabolites is not part of their preclinical assessment.

  7. The Conformational Dynamics of Cas9 Governing DNA Cleavage Are Revealed by Single-Molecule FRET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mengyi Yang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Off-target binding and cleavage by Cas9 pose major challenges in its application. How the conformational dynamics of Cas9 govern its nuclease activity under on- and off-target conditions remains largely unknown. Here, using intra-molecular single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements, we revealed that Cas9 in apo, sgRNA-bound, and dsDNA/sgRNA-bound forms spontaneously transits among three major conformational states, mainly reflecting significant conformational mobility of the catalytic HNH domain. We also uncovered surprising long-range allosteric communication between the HNH domain and the RNA/DNA heteroduplex at the PAM-distal end to ensure correct positioning of the catalytic site, which demonstrated that a unique proofreading mechanism served as the last checkpoint before DNA cleavage. Several Cas9 residues were likely to mediate the allosteric communication and proofreading step. Modulating interactions between Cas9 and heteroduplex at the PAM-distal end by introducing mutations on these sites provides an alternative route to improve and optimize the CRISPR/Cas9 toolbox. : Yang et al. revealed significant conformational dynamics of Cas9 at global and local scales using single-molecule FRET. They uncovered surprising long-range allosteric communication between the HNH nuclease domain and the RNA/DNA heteroduplex at the PAM-distal end that serves as a proofreading checkpoint to govern the nuclease activity and specificity of Cas9. Keywords: CRISPR, Cas9, single-molecule, FRET, conformational dynamics, proofreading, off-target, allosteric communication, genome editing

  8. Surface dynamics in allosteric regulation of protein-protein interactions: modulation of calmodulin functions by Ca2+.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yosef Y Kuttner

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge of the structural basis of protein-protein interactions (PPI is of fundamental importance for understanding the organization and functioning of biological networks and advancing the design of therapeutics which target PPI. Allosteric modulators play an important role in regulating such interactions by binding at site(s orthogonal to the complex interface and altering the protein's propensity for complex formation. In this work, we apply an approach recently developed by us for analyzing protein surfaces based on steered molecular dynamics simulation (SMD to the study of the dynamic properties of functionally distinct conformations of a model protein, calmodulin (CaM, whose ability to interact with target proteins is regulated by the presence of the allosteric modulator Ca(2+. Calmodulin is a regulatory protein that acts as an intracellular Ca(2+ sensor to control a wide variety of cellular processes. We demonstrate that SMD analysis is capable of pinpointing CaM surfaces implicated in the recognition of both the allosteric modulator Ca(2+ and target proteins. Our analysis of changes in the dynamic properties of the CaM backbone elicited by Ca(2+ binding yielded new insights into the molecular mechanism of allosteric regulation of CaM-target interactions.

  9. A large-scale allosteric transition in cytochrome P450 3A4 revealed by luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena V Sineva

    Full Text Available Effector-induced allosteric transitions in cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4 were investigated by luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET between two SH-reactive probes attached to various pairs of distantly located cysteine residues, namely the double-cysteine mutants CYP3A4(C64/C468, CYP3A4(C377/C468 and CYP3A4(C64/C121. Successive equimolar labeling of these proteins with the phosphorescent probe erythrosine iodoacetamide (donor and the near-infrared fluorophore DY-731 maleimide (acceptor allowed us to establish donor/acceptor pairs sensitive to conformational motions. The interactions of all three double-labeled mutants with the allosteric activators α-naphthoflavone and testosterone resulted in an increase in the distance between the probes. A similar effect was elicited by cholesterol. These changes in distance vary from 1.3 to 8.5 Å, depending on the position of the donor/acceptor pair and the nature of the effector. In contrast, the changes in the interprobe distance caused by such substrates as bromocriptine or 1-pyrenebutanol were only marginal. Our results provide a decisive support to the paradigm of allosteric modulation of CYP3A4 and indicate that the conformational transition caused by allosteric effectors increases the spatial separation between the beta-domain of the enzyme (bearing residues Cys64 and Cys377 and the alpha-domain, where Cys121 and Cys468 are located.

  10. Dynamic Coupling and Allosteric Networks in the α Subunit of Heterotrimeric G Proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Xin-Qiu; Malik, Rabia U; Griggs, Nicholas W; Skjærven, Lars; Traynor, John R; Sivaramakrishnan, Sivaraj; Grant, Barry J

    2016-02-26

    G protein α subunits cycle between active and inactive conformations to regulate a multitude of intracellular signaling cascades. Important structural transitions occurring during this cycle have been characterized from extensive crystallographic studies. However, the link between observed conformations and the allosteric regulation of binding events at distal sites critical for signaling through G proteins remain unclear. Here we describe molecular dynamics simulations, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental mutagenesis that identifies residues involved in mediating the allosteric coupling of receptor, nucleotide, and helical domain interfaces of Gαi. Most notably, we predict and characterize novel allosteric decoupling mutants, which display enhanced helical domain opening, increased rates of nucleotide exchange, and constitutive activity in the absence of receptor activation. Collectively, our results provide a framework for explaining how binding events and mutations can alter internal dynamic couplings critical for G protein function. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  11. GABAA receptor: Positive and negative allosteric modulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Richard W

    2018-01-31

    gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission and the gene products involved were discovered during the mid-twentieth century. Historically, myriad existing nervous system drugs act as positive and negative allosteric modulators of these proteins, making GABA a major component of modern neuropharmacology, and suggesting that many potential drugs will be found that share these targets. Although some of these drugs act on proteins involved in synthesis, degradation, and membrane transport of GABA, the GABA receptors Type A (GABA A R) and Type B (GABA B R) are the targets of the great majority of GABAergic drugs. This discovery is due in no small part to Professor Norman Bowery. Whereas the topic of GABA B R is appropriately emphasized in this special issue, Norman Bowery also made many insights into GABA A R pharmacology, the topic of this article. GABA A R are members of the ligand-gated ion channel receptor superfamily, a chloride channel family of a dozen or more heteropentameric subtypes containing 19 possible different subunits. These subtypes show different brain regional and subcellular localization, age-dependent expression, and potential for plastic changes with experience including drug exposure. Not only are GABA A R the targets of agonist depressants and antagonist convulsants, but most GABA A R drugs act at other (allosteric) binding sites on the GABA A R proteins. Some anxiolytic and sedative drugs, like benzodiazepine and related drugs, act on GABA A R subtype-dependent extracellular domain sites. General anesthetics including alcohols and neurosteroids act at GABA A R subunit-interface trans-membrane sites. Ethanol at high anesthetic doses acts on GABA A R subtype-dependent trans-membrane domain sites. Ethanol at low intoxicating doses acts at GABA A R subtype-dependent extracellular domain sites. Thus GABA A R subtypes possess pharmacologically specific receptor binding sites for a large group of different chemical classes of

  12. Convergent transmission of RNAi guide-target mismatch information across Argonaute internal allosteric network.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas T Joseph

    Full Text Available In RNA interference, a guide strand derived from a short dsRNA such as a microRNA (miRNA is loaded into Argonaute, the central protein in the RNA Induced Silencing Complex (RISC that silences messenger RNAs on a sequence-specific basis. The positions of any mismatched base pairs in an miRNA determine which Argonaute subtype is used. Subsequently, the Argonaute-guide complex binds and silences complementary target mRNAs; certain Argonautes cleave the target. Mismatches between guide strand and the target mRNA decrease cleavage efficiency. Thus, loading and silencing both require that signals about the presence of a mismatched base pair are communicated from the mismatch site to effector sites. These effector sites include the active site, to prevent target cleavage; the binding groove, to modify nucleic acid binding affinity; and surface allosteric sites, to control recruitment of additional proteins to form the RISC. To examine how such signals may be propagated, we analyzed the network of internal allosteric pathways in Argonaute exhibited through correlations of residue-residue interactions. The emerging network can be described as a set of pathways emanating from the core of the protein near the active site, distributed into the bulk of the protein, and converging upon a distributed cluster of surface residues. Nucleotides in the guide strand "seed region" have a stronger relationship with the protein than other nucleotides, concordant with their importance in sequence selectivity. Finally, any of several seed region guide-target mismatches cause certain Argonaute residues to have modified correlations with the rest of the protein. This arises from the aggregation of relatively small interaction correlation changes distributed across a large subset of residues. These residues are in effector sites: the active site, binding groove, and surface, implying that direct functional consequences of guide-target mismatches are mediated through the

  13. RET Functions as a Dual-Specificity Kinase that Requires Allosteric Inputs from Juxtamembrane Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iván Plaza-Menacho

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Receptor tyrosine kinases exhibit a variety of activation mechanisms despite highly homologous catalytic domains. Such diversity arises through coupling of extracellular ligand-binding portions with highly variable intracellular sequences flanking the tyrosine kinase domain and specific patterns of autophosphorylation sites. Here, we show that the juxtamembrane (JM segment enhances RET catalytic domain activity through Y687. This phospho-site is also required by the JM region to rescue an otherwise catalytically deficient RET activation-loop mutant lacking tyrosines. Structure-function analyses identified interactions between the JM hinge, αC helix, and an unconventional activation-loop serine phosphorylation site that engages the HRD motif and promotes phospho-tyrosine conformational accessibility and regulatory spine assembly. We demonstrate that this phospho-S909 arises from an intrinsic RET dual-specificity kinase activity and show that an equivalent serine is required for RET signaling in Drosophila. Our findings reveal dual-specificity and allosteric components for the mechanism of RET activation and signaling with direct implications for drug discovery.

  14. Screening and identification of potential PTP1B allosteric inhibitors using in silico and in vitro approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinde, Ranajit Nivrutti; Kumar, G Siva; Eqbal, Shahbaz; Sobhia, M Elizabeth

    2018-01-01

    Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a validated therapeutic target for Type 2 diabetes due to its specific role as a negative regulator of insulin signaling pathways. Discovery of active site directed PTP1B inhibitors is very challenging due to highly conserved nature of the active site and multiple charge requirements of the ligands, which makes them non-selective and non-permeable. Identification of the PTP1B allosteric site has opened up new avenues for discovering potent and selective ligands for therapeutic intervention. Interactions made by potent allosteric inhibitor in the presence of PTP1B were studied using Molecular Dynamics (MD). Computationally optimized models were used to build separate pharmacophore models of PTP1B and TCPTP, respectively. Based on the nature of interactions the target residues offered, a receptor based pharmacophore was developed. The pharmacophore considering conformational flexibility of the residues was used for the development of pharmacophore hypothesis to identify potentially active inhibitors by screening large compound databases. Two pharmacophore were successively used in the virtual screening protocol to identify potential selective and permeable inhibitors of PTP1B. Allosteric inhibition mechanism of these molecules was established using molecular docking and MD methods. The geometrical criteria values confirmed their ability to stabilize PTP1B in an open conformation. 23 molecules that were identified as potential inhibitors were screened for PTP1B inhibitory activity. After screening, 10 molecules which have good permeability values were identified as potential inhibitors of PTP1B. This study confirms that selective and permeable inhibitors can be identified by targeting allosteric site of PTP1B.

  15. PATTERN BASED DETECTION OF POTENTIALLY DRUGGABLE BINDING SITES BY LIGAND SCREENING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uttam Pal

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This article describes an innovative way of finding the potentially druggable sites on a target protein, which can be used for orthosteric and allosteric lead detection in a single virtual screening setup. Druggability estimation for an alternate binding site other than the canonical ligand-binding pocket of an enzyme is rewarding for several inherent benefits. Allostery is a direct and efficient way of regulating biomacromolecule function. The allosteric modulators can fine-tune protein mechanics. Besides, allosteric sites are evolutionarily less conserved/more diverse even in very similarly related proteins, thus, provides high degree of specificity in targeting a particular protein. Therefore, targeting of allosteric sites is gaining attention as an emerging strategy in rational drug design. However, the experimental approaches provide a limited degree of characterization of new allosteric sites. Computational approaches are useful to analyze and select potential allosteric sites for drug discovery. Here, the use of molecular docking, which has become an integral part of the drug discovery process, has been discussed to predict the druggability of novel allosteric sites as well as the active site on target proteins by ligand screening. Genetic algorithm was used for docking and the whole protein was placed in the search space. For each ligand in the library of small molecules, the genetic algorithm was run for multiple times to populate all the druggable sites in the target protein, which was then translated into two dimensional density maps or “patterns”. High density clusters were observed for lead like molecules in these pattern diagrams. Each cluster in such a pattern diagram indicated a plausible binding site and the density gave its druggability score in terms of weighted probabilities. The patterns were filtered to find the leads for each of the druggable sites on the target protein. Such a novel pattern based analysis of the

  16. Allosteric regulation by oleamide of the binding properties of 5-hydroxytryptamine7 receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedlund, P B; Carson, M J; Sutcliffe, J G; Thomas, E A

    1999-12-01

    Oleamide belongs to a family of amidated lipids with diverse biological activities, including sleep induction and signaling modulation of several 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor subtypes, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A/2C, and 5-HT7. The 5-HT7 receptor, predominantly localized in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and frontal cortex, stimulates cyclic AMP formation and is thought to be involved in the regulation of sleep-wake cycles. Recently, it was proposed that oleamide acts at an allosteric site on the 5-HT7 receptor to regulate cyclic AMP formation. We have further investigated the interaction between oleamide and 5-HT7 receptors by performing radioligand binding assays with HeLa cells transfected with the 5-HT7 receptor. Methiothepin, clozapine, and 5-HT all displaced specific [3H]5-HT (100 nM) binding, with pK(D) values of 7.55, 7.85, and 8.39, respectively. Oleamide also displaced [3H]5-HT binding, but the maximum inhibition was only 40% of the binding. Taking allosteric (see below) cooperativity into account, a K(D) of 2.69 nM was calculated for oleamide. In saturation binding experiments, oleamide caused a 3-fold decrease in the affinity of [3H]5-HT for the 5-HT7 receptor, without affecting the number of binding sites. A Schild analysis showed that the induced shift in affinity of [3H]5-HT reached a plateau, unlike that of a competitive inhibitor, illustrating the allosteric nature of the interaction between oleamide and the 5-HT7 receptor. Oleic acid, the product of oleamide hydrolysis, had a similar effect on [3H]5-HT binding, whereas structural analogs of oleamide, trans-9,10-octadecenamide, cis-8,9-octadecenamide, and erucamide, did not alter [3H]5-HT binding significantly. The findings support the hypothesis that oleamide acts via an allosteric site on the 5-HT7 receptor regulating receptor affinity.

  17. Supramolecular Allosteric Cofacial Porphyrin Complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveri, Christopher G.; Gianneschi, Nathan C.; Nguyen, Son Binh T.; Mirkin, Chad A.; Stern, Charlotte L.; Wawrzak, Zdzislaw; Pink, Maren

    2008-01-01

    Nature routinely uses cooperative interactions to regulate cellular activity. For years, chemists have designed synthetic systems that aim toward harnessing the reactivity common to natural biological systems. By learning how to control these interactions in situ, one begins to allow for the preparation of man-made biomimetic systems that can efficiently mimic the interactions found in Nature. To this end, we have designed a synthetic protocol for the preparation of flexible metal-directed supramolecular cofacial porphyrin complexes which are readily obtained in greater than 90% yield through the use of new hemilabile porphyrin ligands with bifunctional ether-phosphine or thioether-phosphine substituents at the 5 and 15 positions on the porphyrin ring. The resulting architectures contain two hemilabile ligand-metal domains (Rh I or Cu I sites) and two cofacially aligned porphyrins (Zn II sites), offering orthogonal functionalities and allowing these multimetallic complexes to exist in two states, 'condensed' or 'open'. Combining the ether-phosphine ligand with the appropriate Rh I or Cu I transition-metal precursors results in 'open' macrocyclic products. In contrast, reacting the thioether-phosphine ligand with RhI or CuI precursors yields condensed structures that can be converted into their 'open' macrocyclic forms via introduction of additional ancillary ligands. The change in cavity size that occurs allows these structures to function as allosteric catalysts for the acyl transfer reaction between X-pyridylcarbinol (where X = 2, 3, or 4) and 1-acetylimidazole. For 3- and 4-pyridylcarbinol, the 'open' macrocycle accelerates the acyl transfer reaction more than the condensed analogue and significantly more than the porphyrin monomer. In contrast, an allosteric effect was not observed for 2-pyridylcarbinol, which is expected to be a weaker binder and is unfavorably constrained inside the macrocyclic cavity.

  18. Allosteric substrate switching in a voltage-sensing lipid phosphatase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Sasha S; Isacoff, Ehud Y

    2016-04-01

    Allostery provides a critical control over enzyme activity, biasing the catalytic site between inactive and active states. We found that the Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensing phosphatase (Ci-VSP), which modifies phosphoinositide signaling lipids (PIPs), has not one but two sequential active states with distinct substrate specificities, whose occupancy is allosterically controlled by sequential conformations of the voltage-sensing domain (VSD). Using fast fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporters of PIPs to monitor enzyme activity and voltage-clamp fluorometry to monitor conformational changes in the VSD, we found that Ci-VSP switches from inactive to a PIP3-preferring active state when the VSD undergoes an initial voltage-sensing motion and then into a second PIP2-preferring active state when the VSD activates fully. This two-step allosteric control over a dual-specificity enzyme enables voltage to shape PIP concentrations in time, and provides a mechanism for the complex modulation of PIP-regulated ion channels, transporters, cell motility, endocytosis and exocytosis.

  19. Allosteric substrate switching in a voltage sensing lipid phosphatase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Sasha S.; Isacoff, Ehud Y.

    2016-01-01

    Allostery provides a critical control over enzyme activity, biasing the catalytic site between inactive and active states. We find the Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensing phosphatase (Ci-VSP), which modifies phosphoinositide signaling lipids (PIPs), to have not one but two sequential active states with distinct substrate specificities, whose occupancy is allosterically controlled by sequential conformations of the voltage sensing domain (VSD). Using fast FRET reporters of PIPs to monitor enzyme activity and voltage clamp fluorometry to monitor conformational changes in the VSD, we find that Ci-VSP switches from inactive to a PIP3-preferring active state when the VSD undergoes an initial voltage sensing motion and then into a second PIP2-preferring active state when the VSD activates fully. This novel 2-step allosteric control over a dual specificity enzyme enables voltage to shape PIP concentrations in time, and provides a mechanism for the complex modulation of PIP-regulated ion channels, transporters, cell motility and endo/exocytosis. PMID:26878552

  20. Orthosteric and Allosteric Regulation in Trypsin-Like Peptidases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kromann-Tofting, Tobias

    Trypsin-like serine peptidases play an important role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes, the latter including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Binding of natural ligands to functional sites on the peptidase surface balances the level of activity and substrate specificity......-ray crystallography to determine crystal structures of active and inactive conformations of muPA, combined with biochemical analysis, elucidated an allosteric regulatory mechanism, which is now believed to be highly conserved in the trypsin-like serine peptidases. Targeting zymogen activation represents an attractive...

  1. First steps in the direction of synthetic, allosteric, direct inhibitors of thrombin and factor Xa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verghese, Jenson; Liang, Aiye; Sidhu, Preet Pal Singh; Hindle, Michael; Zhou, Qibing; Desai, Umesh R

    2009-08-01

    Designing non-saccharide functional mimics of heparin is a major challenge. In this work, a library of small, aromatic molecules based on the sulfated DHP scaffold was synthesized and screened against thrombin and factor Xa. The results reveal that (i) selected monomeric benzofuran derivatives inhibit the two enzymes, albeit weakly; (ii) the two enzymes recognize different structural features in the benzofurans studied suggesting significant selectivity of recognition; and (iii) the mechanism of inhibition is allosteric. The molecules represent the first allosteric small molecule inhibitors of the two enzymes.

  2. First Steps in the Direction of Synthetic, Allosteric, Direct Inhibitors of Thrombin and Factor Xa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verghese, Jenson; Liang, Aiye; Sidhu, Preet Pal Singh; Hindle, Michael; Zhou, Qibing; Desai, Umesh R.

    2009-01-01

    Designing non-saccharide functional mimics of heparin is a major challenge. In this work, a library of small, aromatic molecules based on the sulfated DHP scaffold was synthesized and screened against thrombin and factor Xa. The results reveal that i) selected monomeric benzofuran derivatives inhibit the two enzymes, albeit weakly; ii) the two enzymes recognize different structural features in the benzofurans studied suggesting significant selectivity of recognition; and iii) the mechanism of inhibition is allosteric. The molecules represent the first allosteric small molecule inhibitors of the two enzymes. PMID:19540113

  3. Identification of a negative allosteric site on human α4β2 and α3β4 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan E Pavlovicz

    Full Text Available Acetylcholine-based neurotransmission is regulated by cationic, ligand-gated ion channels called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs. These receptors have been linked to numerous neurological diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and nicotine addiction. Recently, a class of compounds has been discovered that antagonize nAChR function in an allosteric fashion. Models of human α4β2 and α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR extracellular domains have been developed to computationally explore the binding of these compounds, including the dynamics and free energy changes associated with ligand binding. Through a blind docking study to multiple receptor conformations, the models were used to determine a putative binding mode for the negative allosteric modulators. This mode, in close proximity to the agonist binding site, is presented in addition to a hypothetical mode of antagonism that involves obstruction of C loop closure. Molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA free energy of binding calculations were used as computational validation of the predicted binding mode, while functional assays on wild-type and mutated receptors provided experimental support. Based on the proposed binding mode, two residues on the β2 subunit were independently mutated to the corresponding residues found on the β4 subunit. The T58K mutation resulted in an eight-fold decrease in the potency of KAB-18, a compound that exhibits preferential antagonism for human α4β2 over α3β4 nAChRs, while the F118L mutation resulted in a loss of inhibitory activity for KAB-18 at concentrations up to 100 µM. These results demonstrate the selectivity of KAB-18 for human α4β2 nAChRs and validate the methods used for identifying the nAChR modulator binding site. Exploitation of this site may lead to the development of more potent and subtype-selective nAChR antagonists which may be used in the treatment of a number of neurological

  4. Molecular Basis for Allosteric Inhibition of Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1a by Ibuprofen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lynagh, Timothy; Romero-Rojo, José Luis; Lund, Camilla

    2017-01-01

    -clamp fluorometry. Our results show that ibuprofen is an allosteric inhibitor of ASIC1a, which binds to a crucial site in the agonist transduction pathway and causes conformational changes that oppose channel activation. Ibuprofen inhibits several ASIC subtypes, but certain ibuprofen derivatives show some...

  5. AIM for Allostery: Using the Ising Model to Understand Information Processing and Transmission in Allosteric Biomolecular Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeVine, Michael V; Weinstein, Harel

    2015-05-01

    In performing their biological functions, molecular machines must process and transmit information with high fidelity. Information transmission requires dynamic coupling between the conformations of discrete structural components within the protein positioned far from one another on the molecular scale. This type of biomolecular "action at a distance" is termed allostery . Although allostery is ubiquitous in biological regulation and signal transduction, its treatment in theoretical models has mostly eschewed quantitative descriptions involving the system's underlying structural components and their interactions. Here, we show how Ising models can be used to formulate an approach to allostery in a structural context of interactions between the constitutive components by building simple allosteric constructs we termed Allosteric Ising Models (AIMs). We introduce the use of AIMs in analytical and numerical calculations that relate thermodynamic descriptions of allostery to the structural context, and then show that many fundamental properties of allostery, such as the multiplicative property of parallel allosteric channels, are revealed from the analysis of such models. The power of exploring mechanistic structural models of allosteric function in more complex systems by using AIMs is demonstrated by building a model of allosteric signaling for an experimentally well-characterized asymmetric homodimer of the dopamine D2 receptor.

  6. An evolution-based strategy for engineering allosteric regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pincus, David; Resnekov, Orna; Reynolds, Kimberly A.

    2017-04-01

    Allosteric regulation provides a way to control protein activity at the time scale of milliseconds to seconds inside the cell. An ability to engineer synthetic allosteric systems would be of practical utility for the development of novel biosensors, creation of synthetic cell signaling pathways, and design of small molecule pharmaceuticals with regulatory impact. To this end, we outline a general approach—termed rational engineering of allostery at conserved hotspots (REACH)—to introduce novel regulation into a protein of interest by exploiting latent allostery that has been hard-wired by evolution into its structure. REACH entails the use of statistical coupling analysis (SCA) to identify ‘allosteric hotspots’ on protein surfaces, the development and implementation of experimental assays to test hotspots for functionality, and a toolkit of allosteric modulators to impinge on endogenous cellular circuitry. REACH can be broadly applied to rewire cellular processes to respond to novel inputs.

  7. In search of allosteric modulators of a7-nAChR by solvent density guided virtual screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dey, Raja; Chen, Lin

    2011-04-01

    Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are pentameric ligand gated ion channels whose activity can be modulated by endogenous neurotransmitters as well as by synthetic ligands that bind the same or distinct sites from the natural ligand. The subtype of α7 nAChR has been considered as a potenial therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here we have developed a homology model of α7 nAChR based on two high resolution crystal structures with Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (PDB) codes 2QC1 and 2WN9 for threading on one monomer and then for building a pentamer, respectively. A number of small molecule binding sites are identified using Pocket Finder (J. An, M. Tortov, and R. Abagyan, Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 4.6, 752-761 (2005)) of Internal Coordinate Mechanics (ICM). Remarkably, these computer-identified sites match perfectly with ordered solvent densities found in the high-resolution crystal structure of α1 nAChR, suggesting that the surface cavities in the α7 nAChR model are likely binding sites of small molecules. A high throughput virtual screening by flexible ligand docking of 5008 small molecule compounds was performed at three potential allosteric modulator (AM) binding sites of α7 nAChR using Molsoft ICM software (R. Abagyan, M. Tortov and D. Kuznetsov, J Comput Chem 15, 488-506, (1994)). Some experimentally verified allosteric modulators of α7 like CCMI comp-6, LY 7082101, 5-HI, TQS, PNU-120596, genistein, and NS-1738 ranked among top 100 compounds, while the rest of the compounds in the list could guide further search for new allosteric modulators.

  8. Derivation of the Crick-Wyman equation for allosteric proteins defining the difference between the number of binding sites and the Hill coefficient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poitevin, Frédéric; Edelstein, Stuart J

    2013-05-13

    In response to a 100-word footnote in the 1965 article by Monod, Wyman, and Changeux, a detailed manuscript signed by Francis Crick and Jeffries Wyman with 6000 words and 30 equations entitled "A Footnote on Allostery" circulated in 1965 among a limited group of scientists interested in allosteric interactions. This interesting and provocative document is published in this special issue for the first time. An intriguing equation in their text relates the difference between n (the number of ligand binding sites) and n' (the Hill coefficient) to the ratio of the saturation functions Y¯, for oligomers with n-1 and n binding sites. A compact derivation of this equation was not provided by Crick and Wyman, but one is presented here based on a definition of Y¯ involving the binding polynomial and its first derivative. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Discovery of a novel allosteric modulator of 5-HT3 receptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trattnig, Sarah M; Harpsøe, Kasper; Thygesen, Sarah B

    2012-01-01

    The ligand-gated ion channels in the Cysloop receptor superfamily mediate the effects of neurotransmitters acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA and glycine. Cysloop receptor signaling is susceptible to modulation by ligands acting through numerous allosteric sites. Here we report the discovery of a novel...... receptor guided by a homology model, PU02 is demonstrated to act through a transmembrane intersubunit site situated in the upper three helical turns of TM2 and TM3 in the (+)subunit and TM1 and TM2 in the (minus)subunit. The Ser248, Leu288, Ile290, Thr294 and Gly306 residues are identified as important...

  10. Defining the Structural Basis for Allosteric Product Release from E. coli Dihydrofolate Reductase Using NMR Relaxation Dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oyen, David; Fenwick, R Bryn; Aoto, Phillip C; Stanfield, Robyn L; Wilson, Ian A; Dyson, H Jane; Wright, Peter E

    2017-08-16

    The rate-determining step in the catalytic cycle of E. coli dihydrofolate reductase is tetrahydrofolate (THF) product release, which can occur via an allosteric or an intrinsic pathway. The allosteric pathway, which becomes accessible when the reduced cofactor NADPH is bound, involves transient sampling of a higher energy conformational state, greatly increasing the product dissociation rate as compared to the intrinsic pathway that obtains when NADPH is absent. Although the kinetics of this process are known, the enzyme structure and the THF product conformation in the transiently formed excited state remain elusive. Here, we use side-chain proton NMR relaxation dispersion measurements, X-ray crystallography, and structure-based chemical shift predictions to explore the structural basis of allosteric product release. In the excited state of the E:THF:NADPH product release complex, the reduced nicotinamide ring of the cofactor transiently enters the active site where it displaces the pterin ring of the THF product. The p-aminobenzoyl-l-glutamate tail of THF remains weakly bound in a widened binding cleft. Thus, through transient entry of the nicotinamide ring into the active site, the NADPH cofactor remodels the enzyme structure and the conformation of the THF to form a weakly populated excited state that is poised for rapid product release.

  11. Non equivalence of the chains in the allosteric interaction of the hemoglobin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacchieri, S.G.

    1983-01-01

    The importance, for the temperature dependence of the cooperative behaviour of hemoglobin, of the functional non equivalence of the polypeptide chains from which the hemoglobin molecule is built is studied. With such purpose thermodynamic allosteric parameters are introduced called 'mean allosteric parameters' which relate the last two oxygen bindings to the firsttwo ones. It is shown that the mean allosteric free energy is strongly correlated to the Hill parameter which is a classic measure of cooperativity; hence, the mean allosteric free energy measures the hemoglobin cooperativity. Recent experimental data show that the mean allosteric free energy decreasses with temperature; this is due to the mean allosteric enthalphy and entropy being positive quantities. To analise such behaviour in terms of thermodynamic's arguments equations are derived for the thermodynamic parameters of oxygen binding to hemoglobin in terms of those of its chains. Since the obtained equations have a great number of terms the same treatment is applied to a hypothetic dimer from which simpler relations are derived. From both cases it is concluded that the positive character of the mean allosteric enthalpy and entropy is due to the presence of cooperative and anticooperative terms. Since the last terms are absent in the equations of allosteric homoproteins, the characteristic temperature-dependence of hemoglobin's cooperativity depends on the presence of non-equivalent chains. (Author) [pt

  12. Comparison of crystal and solution hemoglobin binding of selected antigelling agents and allosteric modifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehanna, A.S.; Abraham, D.J.

    1990-01-01

    This paper details comprehensive binding studies (solution and X-ray) of human hemoglobin A with a group of halogenated carboxylic acids that were investigated as potential antisickling agents. It is, to our knowledge, the first study to compare solution and crystal binding for a series of compounds under similar high-salt conditions used for cocrystallization. The compounds include [(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)oxy]acetic acid, [(p-bromobenzyl)oxy]acetic acid, clofibric acid, and bezafibrate. The location and stereochemistry of binding sites have been established by X-ray crystallography, while the number of binding sites and affinity constants were measured by using equilibrium dialysis. The observed crystal structures are consistent with the binding observed in solution and that the number of binding sites is independent of salt concentration, while the binding constant increases with increasing salt concentration. The studies also reveal that relatively small changes in the chemical structure of a drug molecule can result in entirely different binding sites on the protein. Moreover, the X-ray studies provide a possible explanation for the multiplicity in function exhibited by these compounds as allosteric modulators and/or antisickling agents. Finally, the studies indicate that these compounds bind differently to the R and T states of hemoglobin, and observation of special significance to the original design of these agents

  13. The Low-Affinity Binding of Second Generation Radiotracers Targeting TSPO is Associated with a Unique Allosteric Binding Site

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Rojas, C.; Stathis, M.; Coughlin, J. M.; Pomper, M.; Slusher, Barbara S.

    2018-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 1 (2018), s. 1-5 ISSN 1557-1890 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : translocator protein 18KDa (TSPO) * allosteric modulation * residence time Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry OBOR OECD: Organic chemistry Impact factor: 3.339, year: 2016

  14. The tertiary origin of the allosteric activation of E. coli glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase studied by sol-gel nanoencapsulation of its T conformer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Zonszein

    Full Text Available The role of tertiary conformational changes associated to ligand binding was explored using the allosteric enzyme glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P deaminase from Escherichia coli (EcGNPDA as an experimental model. This is an enzyme of amino sugar catabolism that deaminates GlcN6P, giving fructose 6-phosphate and ammonia, and is allosterically activated by N-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc6P. We resorted to the nanoencapsulation of this enzyme in wet silica sol-gels for studying the role of intrasubunit local mobility in its allosteric activation under the suppression of quaternary transition. The gel-trapped enzyme lost its characteristic homotropic cooperativity while keeping its catalytic properties and the allosteric activation by GlcNAc6P. The nanoencapsulation keeps the enzyme in the T quaternary conformation, making possible the study of its allosteric activation under a condition that is not possible to attain in a soluble phase. The involved local transition was slowed down by nanoencapsulation, thus easing the fluorometric analysis of its relaxation kinetics, which revealed an induced-fit mechanism. The absence of cooperativity produced allosterically activated transitory states displaying velocity against substrate concentration curves with apparent negative cooperativity, due to the simultaneous presence of subunits with different substrate affinities. Reaction kinetics experiments performed at different tertiary conformational relaxation times also reveal the sequential nature of the allosteric activation. We assumed as a minimal model the existence of two tertiary states, t and r, of low and high affinity, respectively, for the substrate and the activator. By fitting the velocity-substrate curves as a linear combination of two hyperbolic functions with Kt and Kr as KM values, we obtained comparable values to those reported for the quaternary conformers in solution fitted to MWC model. These results are discussed in the

  15. Behind the curtain: cellular mechanisms for allosteric modulation of calcium-sensing receptors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavanaugh, Alice; Huang, Ying; Breitwieser, Gerda E

    2012-01-01

    Calcium-sensing receptors (CaSR) are integral to regulation of systemic Ca2+ homeostasis. Altered expression levels or mutations in CaSR cause Ca2+ handling diseases. CaSR is regulated by both endogenous allosteric modulators and allosteric drugs, including the first Food and Drug Administration-approved allosteric agonist, Cinacalcet HCl (Sensipar®). Recent studies suggest that allosteric modulators not only alter function of plasma membrane-localized CaSR, but regulate CaSR stability at the endoplasmic reticulum. This brief review summarizes our current understanding of the role of membrane-permeant allosteric agonists in cotranslational stabilization of CaSR, and highlights additional, indirect, signalling-dependent role(s) for membrane-impermeant allosteric drugs. Overall, these studies suggest that allosteric drugs act at multiple cellular organelles to control receptor abundance and hence function, and that drug hydrophobicity can bias the relative contributions of plasma membrane and intracellular organelles to CaSR abundance and signalling. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on the Molecular Pharmacology of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2012.165.issue-6. To view the 2010 themed section on the same topic visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.2010.159.issue-5/issuetoc PMID:21470201

  16. Escitalopram, an antidepressant with an allosteric effect at the serotonin transporter--a review of current understanding of its mechanism of action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Huailing; Haddjeri, Nasser; Sánchez, Connie

    2012-01-01

    Escitalopram is a widely used antidepressant for the treatment of patients with major depression. It is the pure S-enantiomer of racemic citalopram. Several clinical trials and meta-analyses indicate that escitalopram is quantitatively more efficacious than many other antidepressants with a faster onset of action. This paper reviews current knowledge about the mechanism of action of escitalopram. The primary target for escitalopram is the serotonin transporter (SERT), which is responsible for serotonin (or 5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) reuptake at the terminals and cell bodies of serotonergic neurons. Escitalopram and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors bind with high affinity to the 5-HT binding site (orthosteric site) on the transporter. This leads to antidepressant effects by increasing extracellular 5-HT levels which enhance 5-HT neurotransmission. SERT also has one or more allosteric sites, binding to which modulates activity at the orthosteric binding site but does not directly affect 5-HT reuptake by the transporter. In vitro studies have shown that through allosteric binding, escitalopram decreases its own dissociation rate from the orthosteric site on the SERT. R-citalopram, the nontherapeutic enantiomer in citalopram, is also an allosteric modulator of SERT but can inhibit the actions of escitalopram by interfering negatively with its binding. Both nonclinical studies and some clinical investigations have demonstrated the cellular, neurochemical, neuroadaptive, and neuroplastic changes induced by escitalopram with acute and chronic administration. The findings from binding, neurochemical, and neurophysiological studies may provide a mechanistic rationale for the clinical difference observed with escitalopram compared to other antidepressant therapies.

  17. Structural basis for the cooperative allosteric activation of the free fatty acid receptor GPR40

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Jun; Byrne, Noel; Wang, John; Bricogne, Gerard; Brown, Frank K.; Chobanian, Harry R.; Colletti, Steven L.; Di Salvo, Jerry; Thomas-Fowlkes, Brande; Guo, Yan; Hall, Dawn L.; Hadix, Jennifer; Hastings, Nicholas B.; Hermes, Jeffrey D.; Ho, Thu; Howard, Andrew D.; Josien, Hubert; Kornienko, Maria; Lumb, Kevin J.; Miller, Michael W.; Patel, Sangita B.; Pio, Barbara; Plummer, Christopher W.; Sherborne, Bradley S.; Sheth, Payal; Souza, Sarah; Tummala, Srivanya; Vonrhein, Clemens; Webb, Maria; Allen, Samantha J.; Johnston, Jennifer M.; Weinglass, Adam B.; Sharma, Sujata; Soisson, Stephen M. (Merck); (Globel Phasing)

    2017-06-05

    Clinical studies indicate that partial agonists of the G-protein-coupled, free fatty acid receptor 1 GPR40 enhance glucose-dependent insulin secretion and represent a potential mechanism for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Full allosteric agonists (AgoPAMs) of GPR40 bind to a site distinct from partial agonists and can provide additional efficacy. We report the 3.2-Å crystal structure of human GPR40 (hGPR40) in complex with both the partial agonist MK-8666 and an AgoPAM, which exposes a novel lipid-facing AgoPAM-binding pocket outside the transmembrane helical bundle. Comparison with an additional 2.2-Å structure of the hGPR40–MK-8666 binary complex reveals an induced-fit conformational coupling between the partial agonist and AgoPAM binding sites, involving rearrangements of the transmembrane helices 4 and 5 (TM4 and TM5) and transition of the intracellular loop 2 (ICL2) into a short helix. These conformational changes likely prime GPR40 to a more active-like state and explain the binding cooperativity between these ligands.

  18. Allosteric Regulation of Proteins

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ... Lecture Workshops · Refresher Courses · Symposia · Live Streaming. Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 22; Issue 1. Allosteric Regulation of Proteins: A Historical Perspective on the Development of Concepts and Techniques. General Article Volume 22 Issue 1 January 2017 pp 37-50 ...

  19. Studies on allosteric phenomena in glycogen phosphorylase b.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, N B; Avramovic-Zikic, O; Lue, P F; Honikel, K O

    1976-03-26

    This article attempts to trace, from a personal point of view, the history of discoveries of allosteric phenomena in phosphorylase b and the later development of systematic attempts to fit the data into comprehensive theoretical models. Work from our own laboratory is emphasized, but we try to integrate this into the results from other investigators and show their contributions to our ideas and experiments. Finally, some recent unpublished data is presented together with some conclusions and predictions from a new hypothesis. The discoveries by Carl and Gerty Cori of the activation of phosphorylase by AMP, the inhibition of glucose and the enzymatic interconversion of two forms fo the enzyme with different control properties helped lay the foundations of our present understanding of allosteric mechanisms. The later discovery of the oligomeric nature of phosphorylase and its relationship to AMP binding served as a basis for many years of research into the structure-function relationships of phosphorylase and other enzymes. Data showing that AMP lowers the entropy of activation is discussed with respect to the role of the nucleotide and its binding close to the active site. The discovery of the control of phosphorylase b by common metabolites and the impetus this gave to the intensive kinetic studies of the last ten years, wherein fitting to theoretical models has been a common feature, is reviewed.

  20. Correction for Inhibition Leads to an Allosteric Co-Agonist Model for Pentobarbital Modulation and Activation of α1β3γ2L GABAA Receptors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexis M Ziemba

    Full Text Available Pentobarbital, like propofol and etomidate, produces important general anesthetic effects through GABAA receptors. Photolabeling also indicates that pentobarbital binds to some of the same sites where propofol and etomidate act. Quantitative allosteric co-agonist models for propofol and etomidate account for modulatory and agonist effects in GABAA receptors and have proven valuable in establishing drug site characteristics and for functional analysis of mutants. We therefore sought to establish an allosteric co-agonist model for pentobarbital activation and modulation of α1β3γ2L receptors, using a novel approach to first correct pentobarbital activation data for inhibitory effects in the same concentration range.Using oocyte-expressed α1β3γ2L GABAA receptors and two-microelectrode voltage-clamp, we quantified modulation of GABA responses by a low pentobarbital concentration and direct effects of high pentobarbital concentrations, the latter displaying mixed agonist and inhibitory effects. We then isolated and quantified pentobarbital inhibition in activated receptors using a novel single-sweep "notch" approach, and used these results to correct steady-state direct activation for inhibition.Combining results for GABA modulation and corrected direct activation, we estimated receptor open probability and optimized parameters for a Monod-Wyman-Changeux allosteric co-agonist model. Inhibition by pentobarbital was consistent with two sites with IC50s near 1 mM, while co-agonist model parameters suggest two allosteric pentobarbital agonist sites characterized by KPB ≈ 5 mM and high efficacy. The results also indicate that pentobarbital may be a more efficacious agonist than GABA.Our novel approach to quantifying both inhibitory and co-agonist effects of pentobarbital provides a basis for future structure-function analyses of GABAA receptor mutations in putative pentobarbital binding sites.

  1. Substrate specificity changes for human reticulocyte and epithelial 15-lipoxygenases reveal allosteric product regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wecksler, Aaron T; Kenyon, Victor; Deschamps, Joshua D; Holman, Theodore R

    2008-07-15

    Human reticulocyte 15-lipoxygenase (15-hLO-1) and epithelial 15-lipoxygenase (15-hLO-2) have been implicated in a number of human diseases, with differences in their substrate specificity potentially playing a central role. In this paper, we present a novel method for accurately measuring the substrate specificity of the two 15-hLO isozymes and demonstrate that both cholate and specific LO products affect substrate specificity. The linoleic acid (LA) product, 13-hydroperoxyoctadienoic acid (13-HPODE), changes the ( k cat/ K m) (AA)/( k cat/ K m) (LA) ratio more than 5-fold for 15-hLO-1 and 3-fold for 15-hLO-2, while the arachidonic acid (AA) product, 12-( S)-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HPETE), affects only the ratio of 15-hLO-1 (more than 5-fold). In addition, the reduced products, 13-( S)-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) and 12-( S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), also affect substrate specificity, indicating that iron oxidation is not responsible for the change in the ( k cat/ K m) (AA)/( k cat/ K m) (LA) ratio. These results, coupled with the dependence of the 15-hLO-1 k cat/ K m kinetic isotope effect ( (D) k cat/ K m) on the presence of 12-HPETE and 12-HETE, indicate that the allosteric site, previously identified in 15-hLO-1 [Mogul, R., Johansen, E., and Holman, T. R. (1999) Biochemistry 39, 4801-4807], is responsible for the change in substrate specificity. The ability of LO products to regulate substrate specificity may be relevant with respect to cancer progression and warrants further investigation into the role of this product-feedback loop in the cell.

  2. Mechanism of allosteric regulation of β2-adrenergic receptor by cholesterol

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Manna, Moutusi; Niemelä, Miia; Tynkkynen, Joona

    2016-01-01

    ) - a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor - is modulated by cholesterol in an allosteric fashion. Extensive atomistic simulations show that cholesterol regulates b2AR by limiting its conformational variability. The mechanism of action is based on the binding of cholesterol at specific high-affinity sites located...... near the transmembrane helices 5-7 of the receptor. The alternative mechanism, where the β2AR conformation would be modulated by membrane-mediated interactions, plays only a minor role. Cholesterol analogues also bind to cholesterol binding sites and impede the structural flexibility of β2AR, however...... cholesterol generates the strongest effect. The results highlight the capacity of lipids to regulate the conformation of membrane receptors through specific interactions....

  3. The Role of Protein-Ligand Contacts in Allosteric Regulation of the Escherichia coli Catabolite Activator Protein*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Philip D.; Rodgers, Thomas L.; Glover, Laura C.; Korhonen, Heidi J.; Richards, Shane A.; Colwell, Lucy J.; Pohl, Ehmke; Wilson, Mark R.; Hodgson, David R. W.; McLeish, Tom C. B.; Cann, Martin J.

    2015-01-01

    Allostery is a fundamental process by which ligand binding to a protein alters its activity at a distant site. Both experimental and theoretical evidence demonstrate that allostery can be communicated through altered slow relaxation protein dynamics without conformational change. The catabolite activator protein (CAP) of Escherichia coli is an exemplar for the analysis of such entropically driven allostery. Negative allostery in CAP occurs between identical cAMP binding sites. Changes to the cAMP-binding pocket can therefore impact the allosteric properties of CAP. Here we demonstrate, through a combination of coarse-grained modeling, isothermal calorimetry, and structural analysis, that decreasing the affinity of CAP for cAMP enhances negative cooperativity through an entropic penalty for ligand binding. The use of variant cAMP ligands indicates the data are not explained by structural heterogeneity between protein mutants. We observe computationally that altered interaction strength between CAP and cAMP variously modifies the change in allosteric cooperativity due to second site CAP mutations. As the degree of correlated motion between the cAMP-contacting site and a second site on CAP increases, there is a tendency for computed double mutations at these sites to drive CAP toward noncooperativity. Naturally occurring pairs of covarying residues in CAP do not display this tendency, suggesting a selection pressure to fine tune allostery on changes to the CAP ligand-binding pocket without a drive to a noncooperative state. In general, we hypothesize an evolutionary selection pressure to retain slow relaxation dynamics-induced allostery in proteins in which evolution of the ligand-binding site is occurring. PMID:26187469

  4. Binding and Signaling Studies Disclose a Potential Allosteric Site for Cannabidiol in Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Pinilla, Eva; Varani, Katia; Reyes-Resina, Irene; Angelats, Edgar; Vincenzi, Fabrizio; Ferreiro-Vera, Carlos; Oyarzabal, Julen; Canela, Enric I; Lanciego, José L; Nadal, Xavier; Navarro, Gemma; Borea, Pier Andrea; Franco, Rafael

    2017-01-01

    The mechanism of action of cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-psychotropic component of Cannabis sativa L., is not completely understood. First assumed that the compound was acting via cannabinoid CB 2 receptors (CB 2 Rs) it is now suggested that it interacts with non-cannabinoid G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs); however, CBD does not bind with high affinity to the orthosteric site of any GPCR. To search for alternative explanations, we tested CBD as a potential allosteric ligand of CB 2 R. Radioligand and non-radioactive homogeneous binding, intracellular cAMP determination and ERK1/2 phosphorylation assays were undertaken in heterologous systems expressing the human version of CB 2 R. Using membrane preparations from CB 2 R-expressing HEK-293T (human embryonic kidney 293T) cells, we confirmed that CBD does not bind with high affinity to the orthosteric site of the human CB 2 R where the synthetic cannabinoid, [ 3 H]-WIN 55,212-2, binds. CBD was, however, able to produce minor but consistent reduction in the homogeneous binding assays in living cells using the fluorophore-conjugated CB 2 R-selective compound, CM-157. The effect on binding to CB 2 R-expressing living cells was different to that exerted by the orthosteric antagonist, SR144528, which decreased the maximum binding without changing the K D . CBD at nanomolar concentrations was also able to significantly reduce the effect of the selective CB 2 R agonist, JWH133, on forskolin-induced intracellular cAMP levels and on activation of the MAP kinase pathway. These results may help to understand CBD mode of action and may serve to revisit its therapeutic possibilities.

  5. Binding and Signaling Studies Disclose a Potential Allosteric Site for Cannabidiol in Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Martínez-Pinilla

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The mechanism of action of cannabidiol (CBD, the main non-psychotropic component of Cannabis sativa L., is not completely understood. First assumed that the compound was acting via cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB2Rs it is now suggested that it interacts with non-cannabinoid G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs; however, CBD does not bind with high affinity to the orthosteric site of any GPCR. To search for alternative explanations, we tested CBD as a potential allosteric ligand of CB2R. Radioligand and non-radioactive homogeneous binding, intracellular cAMP determination and ERK1/2 phosphorylation assays were undertaken in heterologous systems expressing the human version of CB2R. Using membrane preparations from CB2R-expressing HEK-293T (human embryonic kidney 293T cells, we confirmed that CBD does not bind with high affinity to the orthosteric site of the human CB2R where the synthetic cannabinoid, [3H]-WIN 55,212-2, binds. CBD was, however, able to produce minor but consistent reduction in the homogeneous binding assays in living cells using the fluorophore-conjugated CB2R-selective compound, CM-157. The effect on binding to CB2R-expressing living cells was different to that exerted by the orthosteric antagonist, SR144528, which decreased the maximum binding without changing the KD. CBD at nanomolar concentrations was also able to significantly reduce the effect of the selective CB2R agonist, JWH133, on forskolin-induced intracellular cAMP levels and on activation of the MAP kinase pathway. These results may help to understand CBD mode of action and may serve to revisit its therapeutic possibilities.

  6. The Conformational Dynamics of Cas9 Governing DNA Cleavage Are Revealed by Single-Molecule FRET.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Mengyi; Peng, Sijia; Sun, Ruirui; Lin, Jingdi; Wang, Nan; Chen, Chunlai

    2018-01-09

    Off-target binding and cleavage by Cas9 pose major challenges in its application. How the conformational dynamics of Cas9 govern its nuclease activity under on- and off-target conditions remains largely unknown. Here, using intra-molecular single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements, we revealed that Cas9 in apo, sgRNA-bound, and dsDNA/sgRNA-bound forms spontaneously transits among three major conformational states, mainly reflecting significant conformational mobility of the catalytic HNH domain. We also uncovered surprising long-range allosteric communication between the HNH domain and the RNA/DNA heteroduplex at the PAM-distal end to ensure correct positioning of the catalytic site, which demonstrated that a unique proofreading mechanism served as the last checkpoint before DNA cleavage. Several Cas9 residues were likely to mediate the allosteric communication and proofreading step. Modulating interactions between Cas9 and heteroduplex at the PAM-distal end by introducing mutations on these sites provides an alternative route to improve and optimize the CRISPR/Cas9 toolbox. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. A small-molecule allosteric inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis tryptophan synthase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wellington, Samantha; Nag, Partha P.; Michalska, Karolina; Johnston, Stephen E.; Jedrzejczak, Robert P.; Kaushik, Virendar K.; Clatworthy, Anne E.; Siddiqi, Noman; McCarren, Patrick; Bajrami, Besnik; Maltseva, Natalia I.; Combs, Senya; Fisher, Stewart L.; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Schreiber, Stuart L.; Hung, Deborah T.

    2017-07-03

    New antibiotics with novel targets are greatly needed. Bacteria have numerous essential functions, but only a small fraction of such processes—primarily those involved in macromolecular synthesis—are inhibited by current drugs. Targeting metabolic enzymes has been the focus of recent interest, but effective inhibitors have been difficult to identify. We describe a synthetic azetidine derivative, BRD4592, that kills Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) through allosteric inhibition of tryptophan synthase (TrpAB), a previously untargeted, highly allosterically regulated enzyme. BRD4592 binds at the TrpAB a–b-subunit interface and affects multiple steps in the enzyme’s overall reaction, resulting in inhibition not easily overcome by changes in metabolic environment. We show that TrpAB is required for the survival of Mtb and Mycobacterium marinum in vivo and that this requirement may be independent of an adaptive immune response. This work highlights the effectiveness of allosteric inhibition for targeting proteins that are naturally highly dynamic and that are essential in vivo, despite their apparent dispensability under in vitro conditions, and suggests a framework for the discovery of a next generation of allosteric inhibitors.

  8. Allosteric small-molecule kinase inhibitors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, Peng; Clausen, Mads Hartvig; Nielsen, Thomas E.

    2015-01-01

    current barriers of kinase inhibitors, including poor selectivity and emergence of drug resistance. In spite of the small number of identified allosteric inhibitors in comparison with that of inhibitors targeting the ATP pocket, encouraging results, such as the FDA-approval of the first small...

  9. Virtual screening with AutoDock Vina and the common pharmacophore engine of a low diversity library of fragments and hits against the three allosteric sites of HIV integrase: participation in the SAMPL4 protein-ligand binding challenge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perryman, Alexander L.; Santiago, Daniel N.; Forli, Stefano; Santos-Martins, Diogo; Olson, Arthur J.

    2014-04-01

    To rigorously assess the tools and protocols that can be used to understand and predict macromolecular recognition, and to gain more structural insight into three newly discovered allosteric binding sites on a critical drug target involved in the treatment of HIV infections, the Olson and Levy labs collaborated on the SAMPL4 challenge. This computational blind challenge involved predicting protein-ligand binding against the three allosteric sites of HIV integrase (IN), a viral enzyme for which two drugs (that target the active site) have been approved by the FDA. Positive control cross-docking experiments were utilized to select 13 receptor models out of an initial ensemble of 41 different crystal structures of HIV IN. These 13 models of the targets were selected using our new "Rank Difference Ratio" metric. The first stage of SAMPL4 involved using virtual screens to identify 62 active, allosteric IN inhibitors out of a set of 321 compounds. The second stage involved predicting the binding site(s) and crystallographic binding mode(s) for 57 of these inhibitors. Our team submitted four entries for the first stage that utilized: (1) AutoDock Vina (AD Vina) plus visual inspection; (2) a new common pharmacophore engine; (3) BEDAM replica exchange free energy simulations, and a Consensus approach that combined the predictions of all three strategies. Even with the SAMPL4's very challenging compound library that displayed a significantly lower amount of structural diversity than most libraries that are conventionally employed in prospective virtual screens, these approaches produced hit rates of 24, 25, 34, and 27 %, respectively, on a set with 19 % declared binders. Our only entry for the second stage challenge was based on the results of AD Vina plus visual inspection, and it ranked third place overall according to several different metrics provided by the SAMPL4 organizers. The successful results displayed by these approaches highlight the utility of the computational

  10. Virtual screening with AutoDock Vina and the common pharmacophore engine of a low diversity library of fragments and hits against the three allosteric sites of HIV integrase: participation in the SAMPL4 protein-ligand binding challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perryman, Alexander L; Santiago, Daniel N; Forli, Stefano; Martins, Diogo Santos; Olson, Arthur J

    2014-04-01

    To rigorously assess the tools and protocols that can be used to understand and predict macromolecular recognition, and to gain more structural insight into three newly discovered allosteric binding sites on a critical drug target involved in the treatment of HIV infections, the Olson and Levy labs collaborated on the SAMPL4 challenge. This computational blind challenge involved predicting protein-ligand binding against the three allosteric sites of HIV integrase (IN), a viral enzyme for which two drugs (that target the active site) have been approved by the FDA. Positive control cross-docking experiments were utilized to select 13 receptor models out of an initial ensemble of 41 different crystal structures of HIV IN. These 13 models of the targets were selected using our new "Rank Difference Ratio" metric. The first stage of SAMPL4 involved using virtual screens to identify 62 active, allosteric IN inhibitors out of a set of 321 compounds. The second stage involved predicting the binding site(s) and crystallographic binding mode(s) for 57 of these inhibitors. Our team submitted four entries for the first stage that utilized: (1) AutoDock Vina (AD Vina) plus visual inspection; (2) a new common pharmacophore engine; (3) BEDAM replica exchange free energy simulations, and a Consensus approach that combined the predictions of all three strategies. Even with the SAMPL4's very challenging compound library that displayed a significantly lower amount of structural diversity than most libraries that are conventionally employed in prospective virtual screens, these approaches produced hit rates of 24, 25, 34, and 27 %, respectively, on a set with 19 % declared binders. Our only entry for the second stage challenge was based on the results of AD Vina plus visual inspection, and it ranked third place overall according to several different metrics provided by the SAMPL4 organizers. The successful results displayed by these approaches highlight the utility of the computational

  11. A3 Adenosine Receptor Allosteric Modulator Induces an Anti-Inflammatory Effect: In Vivo Studies and Molecular Mechanism of Action

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shira Cohen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR is overexpressed in inflammatory cells and in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of individuals with inflammatory conditions. Agonists to the A3AR are known to induce specific anti-inflammatory effects upon chronic treatment. LUF6000 is an allosteric compound known to modulate the A3AR and render the endogenous ligand adenosine to bind to the receptor with higher affinity. The advantage of allosteric modulators is their capability to target specifically areas where adenosine levels are increased such as inflammatory and tumor sites, whereas normal body cells and tissues are refractory to the allosteric modulators due to low adenosine levels. LUF6000 administration induced anti-inflammatory effect in 3 experimental animal models of rat adjuvant induced arthritis, monoiodoacetate induced osteoarthritis, and concanavalin A induced liver inflammation in mice. The molecular mechanism of action points to deregulation of signaling proteins including PI3K, IKK, IκB, Jak-2, and STAT-1, resulting in decreased levels of NF-κB, known to mediate inflammatory effects. Moreover, LUF6000 induced a slight stimulatory effect on the number of normal white blood cells and neutrophils. The anti-inflammatory effect of LUF6000, mechanism of action, and the differential effects on inflammatory and normal cells position this allosteric modulator as an attractive and unique drug candidate.

  12. The Role of Protein-Ligand Contacts in Allosteric Regulation of the Escherichia coli Catabolite Activator Protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Philip D; Rodgers, Thomas L; Glover, Laura C; Korhonen, Heidi J; Richards, Shane A; Colwell, Lucy J; Pohl, Ehmke; Wilson, Mark R; Hodgson, David R W; McLeish, Tom C B; Cann, Martin J

    2015-09-04

    Allostery is a fundamental process by which ligand binding to a protein alters its activity at a distant site. Both experimental and theoretical evidence demonstrate that allostery can be communicated through altered slow relaxation protein dynamics without conformational change. The catabolite activator protein (CAP) of Escherichia coli is an exemplar for the analysis of such entropically driven allostery. Negative allostery in CAP occurs between identical cAMP binding sites. Changes to the cAMP-binding pocket can therefore impact the allosteric properties of CAP. Here we demonstrate, through a combination of coarse-grained modeling, isothermal calorimetry, and structural analysis, that decreasing the affinity of CAP for cAMP enhances negative cooperativity through an entropic penalty for ligand binding. The use of variant cAMP ligands indicates the data are not explained by structural heterogeneity between protein mutants. We observe computationally that altered interaction strength between CAP and cAMP variously modifies the change in allosteric cooperativity due to second site CAP mutations. As the degree of correlated motion between the cAMP-contacting site and a second site on CAP increases, there is a tendency for computed double mutations at these sites to drive CAP toward noncooperativity. Naturally occurring pairs of covarying residues in CAP do not display this tendency, suggesting a selection pressure to fine tune allostery on changes to the CAP ligand-binding pocket without a drive to a noncooperative state. In general, we hypothesize an evolutionary selection pressure to retain slow relaxation dynamics-induced allostery in proteins in which evolution of the ligand-binding site is occurring. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  13. Covalent Allosteric Inactivation of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) by an Inhibitor-Electrophile Conjugate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Punthasee, Puminan; Laciak, Adrian R; Cummings, Andrea H; Ruddraraju, Kasi Viswanatharaju; Lewis, Sarah M; Hillebrand, Roman; Singh, Harkewal; Tanner, John J; Gates, Kent S

    2017-04-11

    Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a validated drug target, but it has proven difficult to develop medicinally useful, reversible inhibitors of this enzyme. Here we explored covalent strategies for the inactivation of PTP1B using a conjugate composed of an active site-directed 5-aryl-1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxide inhibitor connected via a short linker to an electrophilic α-bromoacetamide moiety. Inhibitor-electrophile conjugate 5a caused time-dependent loss of PTP1B activity consistent with a covalent inactivation mechanism. The inactivation occurred with a second-order rate constant of (1.7 ± 0.3) × 10 2 M -1 min -1 . Mass spectrometric analysis of the inactivated enzyme indicated that the primary site of modification was C121, a residue distant from the active site. Previous work provided evidence that covalent modification of the allosteric residue C121 can cause inactivation of PTP1B [Hansen, S. K., Cancilla, M. T., Shiau, T. P., Kung, J., Chen, T., and Erlanson, D. A. (2005) Biochemistry 44, 7704-7712]. Overall, our results are consistent with an unusual enzyme inactivation process in which noncovalent binding of the inhibitor-electrophile conjugate to the active site of PTP1B protects the nucleophilic catalytic C215 residue from covalent modification, thus allowing inactivation of the enzyme via selective modification of allosteric residue C121.

  14. Causality, transfer entropy, and allosteric communication landscapes in proteins with harmonic interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacisuleyman, Aysima; Erman, Burak

    2017-06-01

    A fast and approximate method of generating allosteric communication landscapes in proteins is presented by using Schreiber's entropy transfer concept in combination with the Gaussian Network Model of proteins. Predictions of the model and the allosteric communication landscapes generated show that information transfer in proteins does not necessarily take place along a single path, but an ensemble of pathways is possible. The model emphasizes that knowledge of entropy only is not sufficient for determining allosteric communication and additional information based on time delayed correlations should be introduced, which leads to the presence of causality in proteins. The model provides a simple tool for mapping entropy sink-source relations into pairs of residues. By this approach, residues that should be manipulated to control protein activity may be determined. This should be of great importance for allosteric drug design and for understanding the effects of mutations on function. The model is applied to determine allosteric communication in three proteins, Ubiquitin, Pyruvate Kinase, and the PDZ domain. Predictions are in agreement with molecular dynamics simulations and experimental evidence. Proteins 2017; 85:1056-1064. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Structure of CC chemokine receptor 2 with orthosteric and allosteric antagonists

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Yi; Qin, Ling; Ortiz Zacarías, Natalia V.; de Vries, Henk; Han, Gye Won; Gustavsson, Martin; Dabros, Marta; Zhao, Chunxia; Cherney, Robert J.; Carter, Percy; Stamos, Dean; Abagyan, Ruben; Cherezov, Vadim; Stevens, Raymond C.; IJzerman, Adriaan P.; Heitman, Laura H.; Tebben, Andrew; Kufareva, Irina; Handel , Tracy M. (Vertex Pharm); (Leiden-MC); (USC); (BMS); (UCSD)

    2016-12-07

    CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is one of 19 members of the chemokine receptor subfamily of human class A G-protein-coupled receptors. CCR2 is expressed on monocytes, immature dendritic cells, and T-cell subpopulations, and mediates their migration towards endogenous CC chemokine ligands such as CCL2 (ref. 1). CCR2 and its ligands are implicated in numerous inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases2 including atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, neuropathic pain, and diabetic nephropathy, as well as cancer3. These disease associations have motivated numerous preclinical studies and clinical trials4 (see http://www.clinicaltrials.gov) in search of therapies that target the CCR2–chemokine axis. To aid drug discovery efforts5, here we solve a structure of CCR2 in a ternary complex with an orthosteric (BMS-681 (ref. 6)) and allosteric (CCR2-RA-[R]7) antagonist. BMS-681 inhibits chemokine binding by occupying the orthosteric pocket of the receptor in a previously unseen binding mode. CCR2-RA-[R] binds in a novel, highly druggable pocket that is the most intracellular allosteric site observed in class A G-protein-coupled receptors so far; this site spatially overlaps the G-protein-binding site in homologous receptors. CCR2-RA-[R] inhibits CCR2 non-competitively by blocking activation-associated conformational changes and formation of the G-protein-binding interface. The conformational signature of the conserved microswitch residues observed in double-antagonist-bound CCR2 resembles the most inactive G-protein-coupled receptor structures solved so far. Like other protein–protein interactions, receptor–chemokine complexes are considered challenging therapeutic targets for small molecules, and the present structure suggests diverse pocket epitopes that can be exploited to overcome obstacles in drug design.

  16. A small-molecule allosteric inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis tryptophan synthase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wellington, Samantha; Nag, Partha P.; Michalska, Karolina; Johnston, Stephen E.; Jedrzejczak, Robert P.; Kaushik, Virendar K.; Clatworthy, Anne E.; Siddiqi, Noman; McCarren, Patrick; Bajrami, Besnik; Maltseva, Natalia I.; Combs, Senya; Fisher, Stewart L.; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Schreiber, Stuart L.; Hung, Deborah T.

    2017-07-03

    New antibiotics with novel targets are greatly needed. Bacteria have numerous essential functions, but only a small fraction of such processes—primarily those involved in macromolecular synthesis—are inhibited by current drugs. Targeting metabolic enzymes has been the focus of recent interest, but effective inhibitors have been difficult to identify. We describe a synthetic azetidine derivative, BRD4592, that kills Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) through allosteric inhibition of tryptophan synthase (TrpAB), a previously untargeted, highly allosterically regulated enzyme. BRD4592 binds at the TrpAB α–β-subunit interface and affects multiple steps in the enzyme's overall reaction, resulting in inhibition not easily overcome by changes in metabolic environment. We show that TrpAB is required for the survival of Mtb and Mycobacterium marinum in vivo and that this requirement may be independent of an adaptive immune response. This work highlights the effectiveness of allosteric inhibition for targeting proteins that are naturally highly dynamic and that are essential in vivo, despite their apparent dispensability under in vitro conditions, and suggests a framework for the discovery of a next generation of allosteric inhibitors.

  17. Scalable rule-based modelling of allosteric proteins and biochemical networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julien F Ollivier

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Much of the complexity of biochemical networks comes from the information-processing abilities of allosteric proteins, be they receptors, ion-channels, signalling molecules or transcription factors. An allosteric protein can be uniquely regulated by each combination of input molecules that it binds. This "regulatory complexity" causes a combinatorial increase in the number of parameters required to fit experimental data as the number of protein interactions increases. It therefore challenges the creation, updating, and re-use of biochemical models. Here, we propose a rule-based modelling framework that exploits the intrinsic modularity of protein structure to address regulatory complexity. Rather than treating proteins as "black boxes", we model their hierarchical structure and, as conformational changes, internal dynamics. By modelling the regulation of allosteric proteins through these conformational changes, we often decrease the number of parameters required to fit data, and so reduce over-fitting and improve the predictive power of a model. Our method is thermodynamically grounded, imposes detailed balance, and also includes molecular cross-talk and the background activity of enzymes. We use our Allosteric Network Compiler to examine how allostery can facilitate macromolecular assembly and how competitive ligands can change the observed cooperativity of an allosteric protein. We also develop a parsimonious model of G protein-coupled receptors that explains functional selectivity and can predict the rank order of potency of agonists acting through a receptor. Our methodology should provide a basis for scalable, modular and executable modelling of biochemical networks in systems and synthetic biology.

  18. Characterization of an allosteric citalopram-binding site at the serotonin transporter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Fenghua; Breum Larsen, Mads; Neubauer, Henrik Amtoft

    2005-01-01

    The serotonin transporter (SERT), which belongs to a family of       sodium/chloride-dependent transporters, is the major pharmacological       target in the treatment of several clinical disorders, including       depression and anxiety. In the present study we show that the dissociation......       rate, of [3H]S-citalopram from human SERT, is retarded by the presence of       serotonin, as well as by several antidepressants, when present in the       dissociation buffer. Dissociation of [3H]S-citalopram from SERT is most       potently inhibited by S-citalopram followed by R......-citalopram, sertraline,       serotonin and paroxetine. EC50 values for S- and R-citalopram are 3.6 +/-       0.4 microm and 19.4 +/- 2.3 microm, respectively. Fluoxetine, venlafaxine       and duloxetine have no significant effect on the dissociation of       [3H]S-citalopram. Allosteric modulation of dissociation...

  19. Structural Dynamics Control Allosteric Activation of Cytohesin Family Arf GTPase Exchange Factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malaby, Andrew W.; Das, Sanchaita; Chakravarthy, Srinivas; Irving, Thomas C.; Bilsel, Osman; Lambright, David G.

    2018-01-01

    Membrane dynamic processes including vesicle biogenesis depend on Arf guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activation by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) containing a catalytic Sec7 domain and a membrane-targeting module such as a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. The catalytic output of cytohesin family Arf GEFs is controlled by autoinhibitory interactions that impede accessibility of the exchange site in the Sec7 domain. These restraints can be relieved through activator Arf-GTP binding to an allosteric site comprising the PH domain and proximal autoinhibitory elements (Sec7-PH linker and C-terminal helix). Small-angle X-ray scattering and negative-stain electron microscopy were used to investigate the structural organization and conformational dynamics of cytohesin-3 (Grp1) in autoinhibited and active states. The results support a model in which hinge dynamics in the autoinhibited state expose the activator site for Arf-GTP binding, while subsequent C-terminal helix unlatching and repositioning unleash conformational entropy in the Sec7-PH linker to drive exposure of the exchange site.

  20. Allosteric Modulation of Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jakubík, Jan; El-Fakahany, E. E.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 3, č. 9 (2010), s. 2838-2860 ISSN 1424-8247 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA305/09/0681 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : muscarinic acetylcholine receptors * allosteric modulation * Alzheimer´s disease Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry

  1. Ras activation by SOS: Allosteric regulation by altered fluctuation dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iversen, Lars; Tu, Hsiung-Lin; Lin, Wan-Chen; Christensen, Sune M.; Abel, Steven M.; Iwig, Jeff; Wu, Hung-Jen; Gureasko, Jodi; Rhodes, Christopher; Petit, Rebecca S.; Hansen, Scott D.; Thill, Peter; Yu, Cheng-Han; Stamou, Dimitrios; Chakraborty, Arup K.; Kuriyan, John; Groves, Jay T.

    2014-01-01

    Activation of the small guanosine triphosphatase H-Ras by the exchange factor Son of Sevenless (SOS) is an important hub for signal transduction. Multiple layers of regulation, through protein and membrane interactions, govern activity of SOS. We characterized the specific activity of individual SOS molecules catalyzing nucleotide exchange in H-Ras. Single-molecule kinetic traces revealed that SOS samples a broad distribution of turnover rates through stochastic fluctuations between distinct, long-lived (more than 100 seconds), functional states. The expected allosteric activation of SOS by Ras–guanosine triphosphate (GTP) was conspicuously absent in the mean rate. However, fluctuations into highly active states were modulated by Ras-GTP. This reveals a mechanism in which functional output may be determined by the dynamical spectrum of rates sampled by a small number of enzymes, rather than the ensemble average. PMID:24994643

  2. SB265610 is an allosteric, inverse agonist at the human CXCR2 receptor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, ME; Bond, ME; Manini, J; Brown, Z; Charlton, SJ

    2009-01-01

    Background and purpose: In several previous studies, the C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR)2 antagonist 1-(2-bromo-phenyl)-3-(7-cyano-3H-benzotriazol-4-yl)-urea (SB265610) has been described as binding competitively with the endogenous agonist. This is in contrast to many other chemokine receptor antagonists, where the mechanism of antagonism has been described as allosteric. Experimental approach: To determine whether it displays a unique mechanism among the chemokine receptor antagonists, the mode of action of SB265610 was investigated at the CXCR2 receptor using radioligand and [35S]-GTPγS binding approaches in addition to chemotaxis of human neutrophils. Key results: In equilibrium saturation binding studies, SB265610 depressed the maximal binding of [125I]-interleukin-8 ([125I]-IL-8) without affecting the Kd. In contrast, IL-8 was unable to prevent binding of [3H]-SB265610. Kinetic binding experiments demonstrated that this was not an artefact of irreversible or slowly reversible binding. In functional experiments, SB265610 caused a rightward shift of the concentration-response curves to IL-8 and growth-related oncogene α, but also a reduction in maximal response elicited by each agonist. Fitting these data to an operational allosteric ternary complex model suggested that, once bound, SB265610 completely blocks receptor activation. SB265610 also inhibited basal [35S]-GTPγS binding in this preparation. Conclusions and implications: Taken together, these data suggest that SB265610 behaves as an allosteric inverse agonist at the CXCR2 receptor, binding at a region distinct from the agonist binding site to prevent receptor activation, possibly by interfering with G protein coupling. PMID:19422399

  3. Allosteric inhibition enhances the efficacy of ABL kinase inhibitors to target unmutated BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL-T315I

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mian Afsar

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+ acute lymphatic leukemia (Ph + ALL are caused by the t(9;22, which fuses BCR to ABL resulting in deregulated ABL-tyrosine kinase activity. The constitutively activated BCR/ABL-kinase “escapes” the auto-inhibition mechanisms of c-ABL, such as allosteric inhibition. The ABL-kinase inhibitors (AKIs Imatinib, Nilotinib or Dasatinib, which target the ATP-binding site, are effective in Ph + leukemia. Another molecular therapy approach targeting BCR/ABL restores allosteric inhibition. Given the fact that all AKIs fail to inhibit BCR/ABL harboring the ‘gatekeeper’ mutation T315I, we investigated the effects of AKIs in combination with the allosteric inhibitor GNF2 in Ph + leukemia. Methods The efficacy of this approach on the leukemogenic potential of BCR/ABL was studied in Ba/F3 cells, primary murine bone marrow cells, and untransformed Rat-1 fibroblasts expressing BCR/ABL or BCR/ABL-T315I as well as in patient-derived long-term cultures (PDLTC from Ph + ALL-patients. Results Here, we show that GNF-2 increased the effects of AKIs on unmutated BCR/ABL. Interestingly, the combination of Dasatinib and GNF-2 overcame resistance of BCR/ABL-T315I in all models used in a synergistic manner. Conclusions Our observations establish a new approach for the molecular targeting of BCR/ABL and its resistant mutants using a combination of AKIs and allosteric inhibitors.

  4. Substrate-Induced Allosteric Change in the Quaternary Structure of the Spermidine N-Acetyltransferase SpeG

    OpenAIRE

    Filippova, Ekaterina V.; Weigand, Steven; Osipiuk, Jerzy; Kiryukhina, Olga; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Anderson, Wayne F.

    2015-01-01

    The spermidine N-acetyltransferase SpeG is a dodecameric enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl-coenzyme A to polyamines such as spermidine and spermine. SpeG has an allosteric polyamine-binding site and acetylating polyamines regulates their intracellular concentrations. The structures of SpeG from Vibrio cholerae in complexes with polyamines and cofactor have been characterized earlier. Here, we present the dodecameric structure of SpeG from V. cholerae in a ligan...

  5. Nootropic α7 nicotinic receptor allosteric modulator derived from GABAA receptor modulators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Herman J.; Whittemore, Edward R.; Tran, Minhtam B.; Hogenkamp, Derk J.; Broide, Ron S.; Johnstone, Timothy B.; Zheng, Lijun; Stevens, Karen E.; Gee, Kelvin W.

    2007-01-01

    Activation of brain α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nAChRs) has broad therapeutic potential in CNS diseases related to cognitive dysfunction, including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. In contrast to direct agonist activation, positive allosteric modulation of α7 nAChRs would deliver the clinically validated benefits of allosterism to these indications. We have generated a selective α7 nAChR-positive allosteric modulator (PAM) from a library of GABAA receptor PAMs. Compound 6 (N-(4-chlorophenyl)-α-[[(4-chloro-phenyl)amino]methylene]-3-methyl-5-isoxazoleacet-amide) evokes robust positive modulation of agonist-induced currents at α7 nAChRs, while preserving the rapid native characteristics of desensitization, and has little to no efficacy at other ligand-gated ion channels. In rodent models, it corrects sensory-gating deficits and improves working memory, effects consistent with cognitive enhancement. Compound 6 represents a chemotype for allosteric activation of α7 nAChRs, with therapeutic potential in CNS diseases with cognitive dysfunction. PMID:17470817

  6. Crystal structures of a GABAA-receptor chimera reveal new endogenous neurosteroid-binding sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laverty, Duncan; Thomas, Philip; Field, Martin; Andersen, Ole J; Gold, Matthew G; Biggin, Philip C; Gielen, Marc; Smart, Trevor G

    2017-11-01

    γ-Aminobutyric acid receptors (GABA A Rs) are vital for controlling excitability in the brain. This is emphasized by the numerous neuropsychiatric disorders that result from receptor dysfunction. A critical component of most native GABA A Rs is the α subunit. Its transmembrane domain is the target for many modulators, including endogenous brain neurosteroids that impact anxiety, stress and depression, and for therapeutic drugs, such as general anesthetics. Understanding the basis for the modulation of GABA A R function requires high-resolution structures. Here we present the first atomic structures of a GABA A R chimera at 2.8-Å resolution, including those bound with potentiating and inhibitory neurosteroids. These structures define new allosteric binding sites for these modulators that are associated with the α-subunit transmembrane domain. Our findings will enable the exploitation of neurosteroids for therapeutic drug design to regulate GABA A Rs in neurological disorders.

  7. Gs protein peptidomimetics as allosteric modulators of the β2-adrenergic receptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boyhus, Lotte Emilie; Danielsen, Mia; Bengtson, Nina Smidt

    2018-01-01

    A series of Gs protein peptidomimetics were designed and synthesised based on the published X-ray crystal structure of the active state β2-Adrenergic receptor (β2AR) in complex with the Gs protein (PDB 3SN6). We hypothesised that such peptidomimetics may function as allosteric modulators...... that target the intracellular Gs protein binding site of the β2AR. Peptidomimetics were designed to mimic the 15 residue C-Terminal α-helix of the Gs protein and were pre-organised in a helical conformation by (i, i + 4)-stapling using copper catalysed azide alkyne cycloaddition. Linear and stapled...... be able to compete with the native Gs protein for the intracellular binding site to block ISO-induced cAMP formation, but are unable to stabilise an active-like receptor conformation....

  8. Substrate-Induced Allosteric Change in the Quaternary Structure of the Spermidine N-Acetyltransferase SpeG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filippova, Ekaterina V; Weigand, Steven; Osipiuk, Jerzy; Kiryukhina, Olga; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Anderson, Wayne F

    2015-11-06

    The spermidine N-acetyltransferase SpeG is a dodecameric enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl coenzyme A to polyamines such as spermidine and spermine. SpeG has an allosteric polyamine-binding site and acetylating polyamines regulate their intracellular concentrations. The structures of SpeG from Vibrio cholerae in complexes with polyamines and cofactor have been characterized earlier. Here, we present the dodecameric structure of SpeG from V. cholerae in a ligand-free form in three different conformational states: open, intermediate and closed. All structures were crystallized in C2 space group symmetry and contain six monomers in the asymmetric unit cell. Two hexamers related by crystallographic 2-fold symmetry form the SpeG dodecamer. The open and intermediate states have a unique open dodecameric ring. This SpeG dodecamer is asymmetric except for the one 2-fold axis and is unlike any known dodecameric structure. Using a fluorescence thermal shift assay, size-exclusion chromatography with multi-angle light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering analysis, negative-stain electron microscopy and structural analysis, we demonstrate that this unique open dodecameric state exists in solution. Our combined results indicate that polyamines trigger conformational changes and induce the symmetric closed dodecameric state of the protein when they bind to their allosteric sites. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Mechanism of SOS PR-domain autoinhibition revealed by single-molecule assays on native protein from lysate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Young Kwang; Low-Nam, Shalini T; Chung, Jean K; Hansen, Scott D; Lam, Hiu Yue Monatrice; Alvarez, Steven; Groves, Jay T

    2017-04-28

    The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Son of Sevenless (SOS) plays a critical role in signal transduction by activating Ras. Here we introduce a single-molecule assay in which individual SOS molecules are captured from raw cell lysate using Ras-functionalized supported membrane microarrays. This enables characterization of the full-length SOS protein, which has not previously been studied in reconstitution due to difficulties in purification. Our measurements on the full-length protein reveal a distinct role of the C-terminal proline-rich (PR) domain to obstruct the engagement of allosteric Ras independently of the well-known N-terminal domain autoinhibition. This inhibitory role of the PR domain limits Grb2-independent recruitment of SOS to the membrane through binding of Ras·GTP in the SOS allosteric binding site. More generally, this assay strategy enables characterization of the functional behaviour of GEFs with single-molecule precision but without the need for purification.

  10. A key agonist-induced conformational change in the cannabinoid receptor CB1 is blocked by the allosteric ligand Org 27569.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fay, Jonathan F; Farrens, David L

    2012-09-28

    Allosteric ligands that modulate how G protein-coupled receptors respond to traditional orthosteric drugs are an exciting and rapidly expanding field of pharmacology. An allosteric ligand for the cannabinoid receptor CB1, Org 27569, exhibits an intriguing effect; it increases agonist binding, yet blocks agonist-induced CB1 signaling. Here we explored the mechanism behind this behavior, using a site-directed fluorescence labeling approach. Our results show that Org 27569 blocks conformational changes in CB1 that accompany G protein binding and/or activation, and thus inhibit formation of a fully active CB1 structure. The underlying mechanism behind this behavior is that simultaneous binding of Org 27569 produces a unique agonist-bound conformation, one that may resemble an intermediate structure formed on the pathway to full receptor activation.

  11. Integrin activation dynamics between the RGD-binding site and the headpiece hinge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puklin-Faucher, Eileen; Vogel, Viola

    2009-12-25

    Integrins form mechanical links between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. Although integrin activation is known to be regulated by an allosteric conformational change, which can be induced from the extracellular or intracellular end of the molecule, little is known regarding the sequence of structural events by which signals propagate between distant sites. Here, we reveal with molecular dynamics simulations of the FnIII(10)-bound alpha(V)beta(3) integrin headpiece how the binding pocket and interdomain betaA/hybrid domain hinge on the distal end of the betaA domain are allosterically linked via a hydrophobic T-junction between the middle of the alpha1 helix and top of the alpha7 helix. The key results of this study are: 1) that this T-junction is induced by ligand binding and hinge opening, and thus displays bidirectionality; 2) that formation of this junction can be accelerated by ligand-mediated force; and 3) how formation of this junction is inhibited by Ca(2+) in place of Mg(2+) at the site adjacent to the metal ion-dependent adhesion site ("ADMIDAS"). Together with recent experimental evidence that integrin complexes can form catch bonds (i.e. become strengthened under force), as well as earlier evidence that Ca(2+) at the ADMIDAS results in lower binding affinity, these simulations provide a common structural model for the dynamic process by which integrins become activated.

  12. Aryloxyalkanoic Acids as Non-Covalent Modifiers of the Allosteric Properties of Hemoglobin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdelsattar M. Omar

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Hemoglobin (Hb modifiers that stereospecifically inhibit sickle hemoglobin polymer formation and/or allosterically increase Hb affinity for oxygen have been shown to prevent the primary pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD, specifically, Hb polymerization and red blood cell sickling. Several such compounds are currently being clinically studied for the treatment of SCD. Based on the previously reported non-covalent Hb binding characteristics of substituted aryloxyalkanoic acids that exhibited antisickling properties, we designed, synthesized and evaluated 18 new compounds (KAUS II series for enhanced antisickling activities. Surprisingly, select test compounds showed no antisickling effects or promoted erythrocyte sickling. Additionally, the compounds showed no significant effect on Hb oxygen affinity (or in some cases, even decreased the affinity for oxygen. The X-ray structure of deoxygenated Hb in complex with a prototype compound, KAUS-23, revealed that the effector bound in the central water cavity of the protein, providing atomic level explanations for the observed functional and biological activities. Although the structural modification did not lead to the anticipated biological effects, the findings provide important direction for designing candidate antisickling agents, as well as a framework for novel Hb allosteric effectors that conversely, decrease the protein affinity for oxygen for potential therapeutic use for hypoxic- and/or ischemic-related diseases.

  13. Allosteric control of internal electron transfer in cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farver, Ole; Kroneck, Peter M H; Zumft, Walter G

    2003-01-01

    Cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase is a bifunctional multiheme enzyme catalyzing the one-electron reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide and the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water. Kinetics and thermodynamics of the internal electron transfer process in the Pseudomonas stutzeri enzyme have...... been studied and found to be dominated by pronounced interactions between the c and the d1 hemes. The interactions are expressed both in dramatic changes in the internal electron-transfer rates between these sites and in marked cooperativity in their electron affinity. The results constitute a prime...... example of intraprotein control of the electron-transfer rates by allosteric interactions....

  14. A generalized allosteric mechanism for cis-regulated cyclic nucleotide binding domains.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandr P Kornev

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP regulate multiple intracellular processes and are thus of a great general interest for molecular and structural biologists. To study the allosteric mechanism of different cyclic nucleotide binding (CNB domains, we compared cAMP-bound and cAMP-free structures (PKA, Epac, and two ionic channels using a new bioinformatics method: local spatial pattern alignment. Our analysis highlights four major conserved structural motifs: 1 the phosphate binding cassette (PBC, which binds the cAMP ribose-phosphate, 2 the "hinge," a flexible helix, which contacts the PBC, 3 the beta(2,3 loop, which provides precise positioning of an invariant arginine from the PBC, and 4 a conserved structural element consisting of an N-terminal helix, an eight residue loop and the A-helix (N3A-motif. The PBC and the hinge were included in the previously reported allosteric model, whereas the definition of the beta(2,3 loop and the N3A-motif as conserved elements is novel. The N3A-motif is found in all cis-regulated CNB domains, and we present a model for an allosteric mechanism in these domains. Catabolite gene activator protein (CAP represents a trans-regulated CNB domain family: it does not contain the N3A-motif, and its long range allosteric interactions are substantially different from the cis-regulated CNB domains.

  15. Discovery of a Hepatitis C Virus NS5B Replicase Palm Site Allosteric Inhibitor (BMS-929075) Advanced to Phase 1 Clinical Studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yeung, Kap-Sun; Beno, Brett R.; Parcella, Kyle; Bender, John A.; Grant-Young, Katherine A.; Nickel, Andrew; Gunaga, Prashantha; Anjanappa, Prakash; Bora, Rajesh Onkardas; Selvakumar, Kumaravel; Rigat, Karen; Wang, Ying-Kai; Liu, Mengping; Lemm, Julie; Mosure, Kathy; Sheriff, Steven; Wan, Changhong; Witmer, Mark; Kish, Kevin; Hanumegowda, Umesh; Zhuo, Xiaoliang; Shu, Yue-Zhong; Parker, Dawn; Haskell, Roy; Ng, Alicia; Gao, Qi; Colston, Elizabeth; Raybon, Joseph; Grasela, Dennis M.; Santone, Kenneth; Gao, Min; Meanwell, Nicholas A.; Sinz, Michael; Soars, Matthew G.; Knipe, Jay O.; Roberts, Susan B.; Kadow, John F.

    2017-05-04

    The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B replicase is a prime target for the development of direct-acting antiviral drugs for the treatment of chronic HCV infection. Inspired by the overlay of bound structures of three structurally distinct NS5B palm site allosteric inhibitors, the high-throughput screening hit anthranilic acid 4, the known benzofuran analogue 5, and the benzothiadiazine derivative 6, an optimization process utilizing the simple benzofuran template 7 as a starting point for a fragment growing approach was pursued. A delicate balance of molecular properties achieved via disciplined lipophilicity changes was essential to achieve both high affinity binding and a stringent targeted absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion profile. These efforts led to the discovery of BMS-929075 (37), which maintained ligand efficiency relative to early leads, demonstrated efficacy in a triple combination regimen in HCV replicon cells, and exhibited consistently high oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetic parameters across preclinical animal species. The human PK properties from the Phase I clinical studies of 37 were better than anticipated and suggest promising potential for QD administration.

  16. Effects of the dopamine D2 allosteric modulator, PAOPA, on the expression of GRK2, arrestin-3, ERK1/2, and on receptor internalization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dipannita Basu

    Full Text Available The activity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs is intricately regulated by a range of intracellular proteins, including G protein-coupled kinases (GRKs and arrestins. Understanding the effects of ligands on these signaling pathways could provide insights into disease pathophysiologies and treatment. The dopamine D2 receptor is a GPCR strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of a range of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly schizophrenia. Previous studies from our lab have shown the preclinical efficacy of a novel allosteric drug, 3(R-[(2(S-pyrrolidinylcarbonylamino]-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide (PAOPA, in attenuating schizophrenia-like behavioural abnormalities in rodent models of the disease. As an allosteric modulator, PAOPA binds to a site on the D2 receptor, which is distinct from the endogenous ligand-binding site, in order to modulate the binding of the D2 receptor ligand, dopamine. The exact signaling pathways affected by this allosteric modulator are currently unknown. The objectives of this study were to decipher the in vivo effects, in rats, of chronic PAOPA administration on D2 receptor regulatory and downstream molecules, including GRK2, arrestin-3 and extracellular receptor kinase (ERK 1/2. Additionally, an in vitro cellular model was also used to study PAOPA's effects on D2 receptor internalization. Results from western immunoblots showed that chronic PAOPA treatment increased the striatal expression of GRK2 by 41%, arrestin-3 by 34%, phospho-ERK1 by 51% and phospho-ERK2 by 36%. Results also showed that the addition of PAOPA to agonist treatment in cells increased D2 receptor internalization by 33%. This study provides the foundational evidence of putative signaling pathways, and changes in receptor localization, affected by treatment with PAOPA. It improves our understanding on the diverse mechanisms of action of allosteric modulators, while advancing PAOPA's development into a novel drug for the

  17. Allosteric Inhibition of SHP2: Identification of a Potent, Selective, and Orally Efficacious Phosphatase Inhibitor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fortanet, Jorge Garcia; Chen, Christine Hiu-Tung; Chen, Ying-Nan P.; Chen, Zhouliang; Deng, Zhan; Firestone, Brant; Fekkes, Peter; Fodor, Michelle; Fortin, Pascal D.; Fridrich, Cary; Grunenfelder, Denise; Ho, Samuel; Kang, Zhao B.; Karki, Rajesh; Kato, Mitsunori; Keen, Nick; LaBonte, Laura R.; Larrow, Jay; Lenoir, Francois; Liu, Gang; Liu, Shumei; Lombardo, Franco; Majumdar, Dyuti; Meyer, Matthew J.; Palermo, Mark; Perez, Lawrence; Pu, Minying; Ramsey, Timothy; Sellers, William R.; Shultz, Michael D.; Stams, Travis; Towler, Christopher; Wang, Ping; Williams, Sarah L.; Zhang, Ji-Hu; LaMarche, Matthew J. (Novartis)

    2016-09-08

    SHP2 is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) encoded by the PTPN11 gene involved in cell growth and differentiation via the MAPK signaling pathway. SHP2 also purportedly plays an important role in the programmed cell death pathway (PD-1/PD-L1). Because it is an oncoprotein associated with multiple cancer-related diseases, as well as a potential immunomodulator, controlling SHP2 activity is of significant therapeutic interest. Recently in our laboratories, a small molecule inhibitor of SHP2 was identified as an allosteric modulator that stabilizes the autoinhibited conformation of SHP2. A high throughput screen was performed to identify progressable chemical matter, and X-ray crystallography revealed the location of binding in a previously undisclosed allosteric binding pocket. Structure-based drug design was employed to optimize for SHP2 inhibition, and several new protein–ligand interactions were characterized. These studies culminated in the discovery of 6-(4-amino-4-methylpiperidin-1-yl)-3-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)pyrazin-2-amine (SHP099, 1), a potent, selective, orally bioavailable, and efficacious SHP2 inhibitor.

  18. Tuning Transcriptional Regulation through Signaling: A Predictive Theory of Allosteric Induction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razo-Mejia, Manuel; Barnes, Stephanie L; Belliveau, Nathan M; Chure, Griffin; Einav, Tal; Lewis, Mitchell; Phillips, Rob

    2018-04-25

    Allosteric regulation is found across all domains of life, yet we still lack simple, predictive theories that directly link the experimentally tunable parameters of a system to its input-output response. To that end, we present a general theory of allosteric transcriptional regulation using the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model. We rigorously test this model using the ubiquitous simple repression motif in bacteria by first predicting the behavior of strains that span a large range of repressor copy numbers and DNA binding strengths and then constructing and measuring their response. Our model not only accurately captures the induction profiles of these strains, but also enables us to derive analytic expressions for key properties such as the dynamic range and [EC 50 ]. Finally, we derive an expression for the free energy of allosteric repressors that enables us to collapse our experimental data onto a single master curve that captures the diverse phenomenology of the induction profiles. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Extracellular loop 2 of the free Fatty Acid receptor 2 mediates allosterism of a phenylacetamide ago-allosteric modulator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Smith, Nicola J; Ward, Richard J; Stoddart, Leigh A

    2011-01-01

    Allosteric agonists are powerful tools for exploring the pharmacology of closely related G protein-coupled receptors that have nonselective endogenous ligands, such as the short chain fatty acids at free fatty acid receptors 2 and 3 (FFA2/GPR43 and FFA3/GPR41, respectively). We explored the molec...

  20. Structure-based network analysis of activation mechanisms in the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases: the regulatory spine residues are global mediators of structural stability and allosteric interactions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin A James

    Full Text Available The ErbB protein tyrosine kinases are among the most important cell signaling families and mutation-induced modulation of their activity is associated with diverse functions in biological networks and human disease. We have combined molecular dynamics simulations of the ErbB kinases with the protein structure network modeling to characterize the reorganization of the residue interaction networks during conformational equilibrium changes in the normal and oncogenic forms. Structural stability and network analyses have identified local communities integrated around high centrality sites that correspond to the regulatory spine residues. This analysis has provided a quantitative insight to the mechanism of mutation-induced "superacceptor" activity in oncogenic EGFR dimers. We have found that kinase activation may be determined by allosteric interactions between modules of structurally stable residues that synchronize the dynamics in the nucleotide binding site and the αC-helix with the collective motions of the integrating αF-helix and the substrate binding site. The results of this study have pointed to a central role of the conserved His-Arg-Asp (HRD motif in the catalytic loop and the Asp-Phe-Gly (DFG motif as key mediators of structural stability and allosteric communications in the ErbB kinases. We have determined that residues that are indispensable for kinase regulation and catalysis often corresponded to the high centrality nodes within the protein structure network and could be distinguished by their unique network signatures. The optimal communication pathways are also controlled by these nodes and may ensure efficient allosteric signaling in the functional kinase state. Structure-based network analysis has quantified subtle effects of ATP binding on conformational dynamics and stability of the EGFR structures. Consistent with the NMR studies, we have found that nucleotide-induced modulation of the residue interaction networks is not

  1. Identification of halosalicylamide derivatives as a novel class of allosteric inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yaya; Donner, Pamela L; Pratt, John K; Jiang, Wen W; Ng, Teresa; Gracias, Vijaya; Baumeister, Steve; Wiedeman, Paul E; Traphagen, Linda; Warrior, Usha; Maring, Clarence; Kati, Warren M; Djuric, Stevan W; Molla, Akhteruzzaman

    2008-06-01

    Halosalicylamide derivatives were identified from high-throughput screening as potent inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. The subsequent structure and activity relationship revealed the absolute requirement of the salicylamide moiety for optimum activity. Methylation of either the hydroxyl group or the amide group of the salicylamide moiety abolished the activity while the substitutions on both phenyl rings are acceptable. The halosalicylamide derivatives were shown to be non-competitive with respect to elongation nucleotide and demonstrated broad genotype activity against genotype 1-3 HCV NS5B polymerases. Inhibitor competition studies indicated an additive binding mode to the initiation pocket that is occupied by the thiadiazine class of compounds and an additive binding mode to the elongation pocket that is occupied by diketoacids, but a mutually exclusive binding mode with respect to the allosteric thumb pocket that is occupied by the benzimidazole class of inhibitors. Therefore, halosalicylamides represent a novel class of allosteric inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase.

  2. In vitro pharmacological characterization of RXFP3 allosterism: an example of probe dependency.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lily Alvarez-Jaimes

    Full Text Available Recent findings suggest that the relaxin-3 neural network may represent a new ascending arousal pathway able to modulate a range of neural circuits including those affecting circadian rhythm and sleep/wake states, spatial and emotional memory, motivation and reward, the response to stress, and feeding and metabolism. Therefore, the relaxin-3 receptor (RXFP3 is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of various CNS diseases. Here we describe a novel selective RXFP3 receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM, 3-[3,5-Bis(trifluoromethylphenyl]-1-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl-1-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-ylethyl]urea (135PAM1. Calcium mobilization and cAMP accumulation assays in cell lines expressing the cloned human RXFP3 receptor show the compound does not directly activate RXFP3 receptor but increases functional responses to amidated relaxin-3 or R3/I5, a chimera of the INSL5 A chain and the Relaxin-3 B chain. 135PAM1 increases calcium mobilization in the presence of relaxin-3(NH2 and R3/I5(NH2 with pEC50 values of 6.54 (6.46 to 6.64 and 6.07 (5.94 to 6.20, respectively. In the cAMP accumulation assay, 135PAM1 inhibits the CRE response to forskolin with a pIC50 of 6.12 (5.98 to 6.27 in the presence of a probe (10 nM concentration of relaxin-3(NH2. 135PAM1 does not compete for binding with the orthosteric radioligand, [(125I] R3I5 (amide, in membranes prepared from cells expressing the cloned human RXFP3 receptor. 135PAM1 is selective for RXFP3 over RXFP4, which also responds to relaxin-3. However, when using the free acid (native form of relaxin-3 or R3/I5, 135PAM1 doesn't activate RXFP3 indicating that the compound's effect is probe dependent. Thus one can exchange the entire A-chain of the probe peptide while retaining PAM activity, but the state of the probe's c-terminus is crucial to allosteric activity of the PAM. These data demonstrate the existence of an allosteric site for modulation of this GPCR as well as the subtlety of changes in probe

  3. Allosteric conformational barcodes direct signaling in the cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nussinov, Ruth; Ma, Buyong; Tsai, Chung-Jung; Csermely, Peter

    2013-09-03

    The cellular network is highly interconnected. Pathways merge and diverge. They proceed through shared proteins and may change directions. How are cellular pathways controlled and their directions decided, coded, and read? These questions become particularly acute when we consider that a small number of pathways, such as signaling pathways that regulate cell fates, cell proliferation, and cell death in development, are extensively exploited. This review focuses on these signaling questions from the structural standpoint and discusses the literature in this light. All co-occurring allosteric events (including posttranslational modifications, pathogen binding, and gain-of-function mutations) collectively tag the protein functional site with a unique barcode. The barcode shape is read by an interacting molecule, which transmits the signal. A conformational barcode provides an intracellular address label, which selectively favors binding to one partner and quenches binding to others, and, in this way, determines the pathway direction, and, eventually, the cell's response and fate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Integrin Activation Dynamics between the RGD-binding Site and the Headpiece Hinge*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puklin-Faucher, Eileen; Vogel, Viola

    2009-01-01

    Integrins form mechanical links between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. Although integrin activation is known to be regulated by an allosteric conformational change, which can be induced from the extracellular or intracellular end of the molecule, little is known regarding the sequence of structural events by which signals propagate between distant sites. Here, we reveal with molecular dynamics simulations of the FnIII10-bound αVβ3 integrin headpiece how the binding pocket and interdomain βA/hybrid domain hinge on the distal end of the βA domain are allosterically linked via a hydrophobic T-junction between the middle of the α1 helix and top of the α7 helix. The key results of this study are: 1) that this T-junction is induced by ligand binding and hinge opening, and thus displays bidirectionality; 2) that formation of this junction can be accelerated by ligand-mediated force; and 3) how formation of this junction is inhibited by Ca2+ in place of Mg2+ at the site adjacent to the metal ion-dependent adhesion site (“ADMIDAS”). Together with recent experimental evidence that integrin complexes can form catch bonds (i.e. become strengthened under force), as well as earlier evidence that Ca2+ at the ADMIDAS results in lower binding affinity, these simulations provide a common structural model for the dynamic process by which integrins become activated. PMID:19762919

  5. A Coincidence Detection Mechanism Controls PX-BAR Domain-Mediated Endocytic Membrane Remodeling via an Allosteric Structural Switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Wen-Ting; Vujičić Žagar, Andreja; Gerth, Fabian; Lehmann, Martin; Puchkov, Dymtro; Krylova, Oxana; Freund, Christian; Scapozza, Leonardo; Vadas, Oscar; Haucke, Volker

    2017-11-20

    Clathrin-mediated endocytosis occurs by bending and remodeling of the membrane underneath the coat. Bin-amphiphysin-rvs (BAR) domain proteins are crucial for endocytic membrane remodeling, but how their activity is spatiotemporally controlled is largely unknown. We demonstrate that the membrane remodeling activity of sorting nexin 9 (SNX9), a late-acting endocytic PX-BAR domain protein required for constriction of U-shaped endocytic intermediates, is controlled by an allosteric structural switch involving coincident detection of the clathrin adaptor AP2 and phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate (PI(3,4)P 2 ) at endocytic sites. Structural, biochemical, and cell biological data show that SNX9 is autoinhibited in solution. Binding to PI(3,4)P 2 via its PX-BAR domain, and concomitant association with AP2 via sequences in the linker region, releases SNX9 autoinhibitory contacts to enable membrane constriction. Our results reveal a mechanism for restricting the latent membrane remodeling activity of BAR domain proteins to allow spatiotemporal coupling of membrane constriction to the progression of the endocytic pathway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Switch I-dependent allosteric signaling in a G-protein chaperone-B12 enzyme complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campanello, Gregory C; Lofgren, Michael; Yokom, Adam L; Southworth, Daniel R; Banerjee, Ruma

    2017-10-27

    G-proteins regulate various processes ranging from DNA replication and protein synthesis to cytoskeletal dynamics and cofactor assimilation and serve as models for uncovering strategies deployed for allosteric signal transduction. MeaB is a multifunctional G-protein chaperone, which gates loading of the active 5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin cofactor onto methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM) and precludes loading of inactive cofactor forms. MeaB also safeguards MCM, which uses radical chemistry, against inactivation and rescues MCM inactivated during catalytic turnover by using the GTP-binding energy to offload inactive cofactor. The conserved switch I and II signaling motifs used by G-proteins are predicted to mediate allosteric regulation in response to nucleotide binding and hydrolysis in MeaB. Herein, we targeted conserved residues in the MeaB switch I motif to interrogate the function of this loop. Unexpectedly, the switch I mutations had only modest effects on GTP binding and on GTPase activity and did not perturb stability of the MCM-MeaB complex. However, these mutations disrupted multiple MeaB chaperone functions, including cofactor editing, loading, and offloading. Hence, although residues in the switch I motif are not essential for catalysis, they are important for allosteric regulation. Furthermore, single-particle EM analysis revealed, for the first time, the overall architecture of the MCM-MeaB complex, which exhibits a 2:1 stoichiometry. These EM studies also demonstrate that the complex exhibits considerable conformational flexibility. In conclusion, the switch I element does not significantly stabilize the MCM-MeaB complex or influence the affinity of MeaB for GTP but is required for transducing signals between MeaB and MCM. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  7. Sequence analysis of serum albumins reveals the molecular evolution of ligand recognition properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fanali, Gabriella; Ascenzi, Paolo; Bernardi, Giorgio; Fasano, Mauro

    2012-01-01

    Serum albumin (SA) is a circulating protein providing a depot and carrier for many endogenous and exogenous compounds. At least seven major binding sites have been identified by structural and functional investigations mainly in human SA. SA is conserved in vertebrates, with at least 49 entries in protein sequence databases. The multiple sequence analysis of this set of entries leads to the definition of a cladistic tree for the molecular evolution of SA orthologs in vertebrates, thus showing the clustering of the considered species, with lamprey SAs (Lethenteron japonicum and Petromyzon marinus) in a separate outgroup. Sequence analysis aimed at searching conserved domains revealed that most SA sequences are made up by three repeated domains (about 600 residues), as extensively characterized for human SA. On the contrary, lamprey SAs are giant proteins (about 1400 residues) comprising seven repeated domains. The phylogenetic analysis of the SA family reveals a stringent correlation with the taxonomic classification of the species available in sequence databases. A focused inspection of the sequences of ligand binding sites in SA revealed that in all sites most residues involved in ligand binding are conserved, although the versatility towards different ligands could be peculiar of higher organisms. Moreover, the analysis of molecular links between the different sites suggests that allosteric modulation mechanisms could be restricted to higher vertebrates.

  8. Molecular kinetics. Ras activation by SOS: allosteric regulation by altered fluctuation dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iversen, Lars; Tu, Hsiung-Lin; Lin, Wan-Chen; Christensen, Sune M; Abel, Steven M; Iwig, Jeff; Wu, Hung-Jen; Gureasko, Jodi; Rhodes, Christopher; Petit, Rebecca S; Hansen, Scott D; Thill, Peter; Yu, Cheng-Han; Stamou, Dimitrios; Chakraborty, Arup K; Kuriyan, John; Groves, Jay T

    2014-07-04

    Activation of the small guanosine triphosphatase H-Ras by the exchange factor Son of Sevenless (SOS) is an important hub for signal transduction. Multiple layers of regulation, through protein and membrane interactions, govern activity of SOS. We characterized the specific activity of individual SOS molecules catalyzing nucleotide exchange in H-Ras. Single-molecule kinetic traces revealed that SOS samples a broad distribution of turnover rates through stochastic fluctuations between distinct, long-lived (more than 100 seconds), functional states. The expected allosteric activation of SOS by Ras-guanosine triphosphate (GTP) was conspicuously absent in the mean rate. However, fluctuations into highly active states were modulated by Ras-GTP. This reveals a mechanism in which functional output may be determined by the dynamical spectrum of rates sampled by a small number of enzymes, rather than the ensemble average. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  9. Allosteric Inhibition of Bcr-Abl Kinase by High Affinity Monobody Inhibitors Directed to the Src Homology 2 (SH2)-Kinase Interface*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojcik, John; Lamontanara, Allan Joaquim; Grabe, Grzegorz; Koide, Akiko; Akin, Louesa; Gerig, Barbara; Hantschel, Oliver; Koide, Shohei

    2016-01-01

    Bcr-Abl is a constitutively active kinase that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia. We have shown that a tandem fusion of two designed binding proteins, termed monobodies, directed to the interaction interface between the Src homology 2 (SH2) and kinase domains and to the phosphotyrosine-binding site of the SH2 domain, respectively, inhibits the Bcr-Abl kinase activity. Because the latter monobody inhibits processive phosphorylation by Bcr-Abl and the SH2-kinase interface is occluded in the active kinase, it remained undetermined whether targeting the SH2-kinase interface alone was sufficient for Bcr-Abl inhibition. To address this question, we generated new, higher affinity monobodies with single nanomolar KD values targeting the kinase-binding surface of SH2. Structural and mutagenesis studies revealed the molecular underpinnings of the monobody-SH2 interactions. Importantly, the new monobodies inhibited Bcr-Abl kinase activity in vitro and in cells, and they potently induced cell death in chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines. This work provides strong evidence for the SH2-kinase interface as a pharmacologically tractable site for allosteric inhibition of Bcr-Abl. PMID:26912659

  10. Allosteric Inhibition of Bcr-Abl Kinase by High Affinity Monobody Inhibitors Directed to the Src Homology 2 (SH2)-Kinase Interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojcik, John; Lamontanara, Allan Joaquim; Grabe, Grzegorz; Koide, Akiko; Akin, Louesa; Gerig, Barbara; Hantschel, Oliver; Koide, Shohei

    2016-04-15

    Bcr-Abl is a constitutively active kinase that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia. We have shown that a tandem fusion of two designed binding proteins, termed monobodies, directed to the interaction interface between the Src homology 2 (SH2) and kinase domains and to the phosphotyrosine-binding site of the SH2 domain, respectively, inhibits the Bcr-Abl kinase activity. Because the latter monobody inhibits processive phosphorylation by Bcr-Abl and the SH2-kinase interface is occluded in the active kinase, it remained undetermined whether targeting the SH2-kinase interface alone was sufficient for Bcr-Abl inhibition. To address this question, we generated new, higher affinity monobodies with single nanomolar KD values targeting the kinase-binding surface of SH2. Structural and mutagenesis studies revealed the molecular underpinnings of the monobody-SH2 interactions. Importantly, the new monobodies inhibited Bcr-Abl kinase activity in vitro and in cells, and they potently induced cell death in chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines. This work provides strong evidence for the SH2-kinase interface as a pharmacologically tractable site for allosteric inhibition of Bcr-Abl. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  11. Coarse-grained molecular simulations of allosteric cooperativity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nandigrami, Prithviraj; Portman, John J. [Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242 (United States)

    2016-03-14

    Interactions between a protein and a ligand are often accompanied by a redistribution of the population of thermally accessible conformations. This dynamic response of the protein’s functional energy landscape enables a protein to modulate binding affinities and control binding sensitivity to ligand concentration. In this paper, we investigate the structural origins of binding affinity and allosteric cooperativity of binding two Ca{sup 2+} ions to each domain of Calmodulin (CaM) through simulations of a simple coarse-grained model. In this model, the protein’s conformational transitions between open and closed conformational ensembles are simulated explicitly and ligand binding and unbinding are treated implicitly within the grand canonical ensemble. Ligand binding is cooperative because the binding sites are coupled through a shift in the dominant conformational ensemble upon binding. The classic Monod-Wyman-Changeux model of allostery with appropriate binding free energies to the open and closed ensembles accurately describes the simulated binding thermodynamics. The simulations predict that the two domains of CaM have distinct binding affinity and cooperativity. In particular, the C-terminal domain binds Ca{sup 2+} with higher affinity and greater cooperativity than the N-terminal domain. From a structural point of view, the affinity of an individual binding loop depends sensitively on the loop’s structural compatibility with the ligand in the bound ensemble, as well as the conformational flexibility of the binding site in the unbound ensemble.

  12. Defying c-Abl signaling circuits through small allosteric compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania eGonfloni

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Many extracellular and intracellular signals promote the c-Abl tyrosine kinase activity. c-Abl in turn triggers a multitude of changes either in protein phosphorylation or in gene expression in the cell. Yet, c-Abl takes part in diverse signaling routes because of several domains linked to its catalytic core. Complex conformational changes turn on and off its kinase activity. These changes affect surface features of the c-Abl kinase and likely its capability to bind actin and/or DNA. Two specific inhibitors (ATP-competitive or allosteric compounds regulate the c-Abl kinase through different mechanisms. NMR studies show that a c-Abl fragment (SH3-SH2-linker-SH1 adopts different conformational states upon binding to each inhibitor. This supports an unconventional use for allosteric compounds to unraveling physiological c-Abl signaling circuits.

  13. Shift in the Equilibrium between On and Off States of the Allosteric Switch in Ras-GppNHp Affected by Small Molecules and Bulk Solvent Composition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holzapfel, Genevieve; Buhrman, Greg; Mattos, Carla (NCSU)

    2012-08-31

    Ras GTPase cycles between its active GTP-bound form promoted by GEFs and its inactive GDP-bound form promoted by GAPs to affect the control of various cellular functions. It is becoming increasingly apparent that subtle regulation of the GTP-bound active state may occur through promotion of substates mediated by an allosteric switch mechanism that induces a disorder to order transition in switch II upon ligand binding at an allosteric site. We show with high-resolution structures that calcium acetate and either dithioerythritol (DTE) or dithiothreitol (DTT) soaked into H-Ras-GppNHp crystals in the presence of a moderate amount of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) can selectively shift the equilibrium to the 'on' state, where the active site appears to be poised for catalysis (calcium acetate), or to what we call the 'ordered off' state, which is associated with an anticatalytic conformation (DTE or DTT). We also show that the equilibrium is reversible in our crystals and dependent on the nature of the small molecule present. Calcium acetate binding in the allosteric site stabilizes the conformation observed in the H-Ras-GppNHp/NOR1A complex, and PEG, DTE, and DTT stabilize the anticatalytic conformation observed in the complex between the Ras homologue Ran and Importin-{beta}. The small molecules are therefore selecting biologically relevant conformations in the crystal that are sampled by the disordered switch II in the uncomplexed GTP-bound form of H-Ras. In the presence of a large amount of PEG, the ordered off conformation predominates, whereas in solution, in the absence of PEG, switch regions appear to remain disordered in what we call the off state, unable to bind DTE.

  14. Structural insights into substrate and inhibitor binding sites in human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis-Ballester, Ariel; Pham, Khoa N.; Batabyal, Dipanwita; Karkashon, Shay; Bonanno, Jeffrey B.; Poulos, Thomas L.; Yeh, Syun-Ru (Einstein); (UCI)

    2017-11-22

    Human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (hIDO1) is an attractive cancer immunotherapeutic target owing to its role in promoting tumoral immune escape. However, drug development has been hindered by limited structural information. Here, we report the crystal structures of hIDO1 in complex with its substrate, Trp, an inhibitor, epacadostat, and/or an effector, indole ethanol (IDE). The data reveal structural features of the active site (Sa) critical for substrate activation; in addition, they disclose a new inhibitor-binding mode and a distinct small molecule binding site (Si). Structure-guided mutation of a critical residue, F270, to glycine perturbs the Si site, allowing structural determination of an inhibitory complex, where both the Sa and Si sites are occupied by Trp. The Si site offers a novel target site for allosteric inhibitors and a molecular explanation for the previously baffling substrate-inhibition behavior of the enzyme. Taken together, the data open exciting new avenues for structure-based drug design.

  15. Biased signaling of lipids and allosteric actions of synthetic molecules for GPR119

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hassing, Helle A; Fares, Suzan; Larsen, Olav

    2016-01-01

    for 2h with the 2-MAG-lipase inhibitor JZL84 doubled the constitutive activity, indicating that endogenous lipids contribute to the apparent constitutive activity. Finally, besides being an agonist, AR231453 acted as a positive allosteric modulator of OEA and increased its potency by 54-fold at 100nM AR......231453. Our studies uncovering broad and biased signaling, masked constitutive activity by endogenous MAGs, and ago-allosteric properties of synthetic ligands may explain why many GPR119 drug-discovery programs have failed so far....

  16. Revealing Atomic-Level Mechanisms of Protein Allostery with Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Hertig

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Molecular dynamics (MD simulations have become a powerful and popular method for the study of protein allostery, the widespread phenomenon in which a stimulus at one site on a protein influences the properties of another site on the protein. By capturing the motions of a protein's constituent atoms, simulations can enable the discovery of allosteric binding sites and the determination of the mechanistic basis for allostery. These results can provide a foundation for applications including rational drug design and protein engineering. Here, we provide an introduction to the investigation of protein allostery using molecular dynamics simulation. We emphasize the importance of designing simulations that include appropriate perturbations to the molecular system, such as the addition or removal of ligands or the application of mechanical force. We also demonstrate how the bidirectional nature of allostery-the fact that the two sites involved influence one another in a symmetrical manner-can facilitate such investigations. Through a series of case studies, we illustrate how these concepts have been used to reveal the structural basis for allostery in several proteins and protein complexes of biological and pharmaceutical interest.

  17. Positive versus negative modulation of different endogenous chemokines for CC-chemokine receptor 1 by small molecule agonists through allosteric versus orthosteric binding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Pia C; Thiele, Stefanie; Ulven, Trond

    2008-01-01

    7 transmembrane-spanning (7TM) chemokine receptors having multiple endogenous ligands offer special opportunities to understand the molecular basis for allosteric mechanisms. Thus, CC-chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) binds CC-chemokine 3 and 5 (CCL3 and CCL5) with K(d) values of 7.3 and 0.16 nm......5 and not CCL3 activation is affected by substitutions in the main ligand binding pocket including the conserved GluVII:06 anchor point. A series of metal ion chelator complexes were found to act as full agonists on CCR1 and to be critically affected by the same substitutions in the main ligand...... binding pocket as CCL5 but not by mutations in the extracellular domain. In agreement with the overlapping binding sites, the small non-peptide agonists displaced radiolabeled CCL5 with high affinity. Interestingly, the same compounds acted as allosteric enhancers of the binding of CCL3, with which...

  18. Effects of intraperitoneal administration of the GABAB receptor positive allosteric modulator 2,6-di tert-butyl-4-(2-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-propyl)-phenol (CGP7930) on food intake in non-deprived rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebenezer, Ivor S

    2012-09-05

    γ-Aminobutyric acid-(B) (GABA(B)) receptor positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) act on an allosteric site on the GABA(B) receptor to potentiate the effects of GABA and GABA(B) receptor agonists. It has previously been demonstrated that the GABA(B) receptor agonist baclofen increases food intake in non-deprived rats. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the GABA(B) receptor PAM 2,6-di tert-butyl-4-(2-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-propyl)-phenol (CGP7930) would (i) increase food intake, and (ii) potentiate the hyperphagic effects of baclofen in rats. In Experiment 1, the effects of intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of CGP7930 (1, 6 and 12 mg/kg) was investigated on food intake in non-deprived male Wistar rats. The 12 mg/kg dose of CGP7930 significantly increased cumulative food intake 30, 60 and 120 min (PGABA and GABA(B) receptor agonists by allosteric modulation of the GABA(B) receptor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Quantitative phosphoproteomics reveals widespread full phosphorylation site occupancy during mitosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miller, Martin Lee; Brunak, Søren; Olsen, JV

    2010-01-01

    and phosphorylation sites were grouped according to their cell cycle kinetics and compared to publicly available messenger RNA microarray data. Most detected phosphorylation sites and more than 20% of all quantified proteins showed substantial regulation, mainly in mitotic cells. Kinase-motif analysis revealed global...

  20. Molecular Mechanism of Action for Allosteric Modulators and Agonists in CC-chemokine Receptor 5 (CCR5)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karlshøj, Stefanie; Amarandi, Roxana Maria; Larsen, Olav

    2016-01-01

    The small molecule metal ion chelators bipyridine and terpyridine complexed with Zn(2+) (ZnBip and ZnTerp) act as CCR5 agonists and strong positive allosteric modulators of CCL3 binding to CCR5, weak modulators of CCL4 binding, and competitors for CCL5 binding. Here we describe their binding site......Terp binds deeply in the major binding pocket and, in contrast to ZnBip, interacts directly with the Trp-248(VI:13/6.48) microswitch, contributing to its 8-fold higher potency. The impact of Trp-248 was further confirmed by ZnClTerp, a chloro-substituted version of ZnTerp that showed no inherent agonism...

  1. Sniffer patch laser uncaging response (SPLURgE): an assay of regional differences in allosteric receptor modulation and neurotransmitter clearance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christian, Catherine A; Huguenard, John R

    2013-10-01

    Allosteric modulators exert actions on neurotransmitter receptors by positively or negatively altering the effective response of these receptors to their respective neurotransmitter. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A ionotropic receptors (GABAARs) are major targets for allosteric modulators such as benzodiazepines, neurosteroids, and barbiturates. Analysis of substances that produce similar effects has been hampered by the lack of techniques to assess the localization and function of such agents in brain slices. Here we describe measurement of the sniffer patch laser uncaging response (SPLURgE), which combines the sniffer patch recording configuration with laser photolysis of caged GABA. This methodology enables the detection of allosteric GABAAR modulators endogenously present in discrete areas of the brain slice and allows for the application of exogenous GABA with spatiotemporal control without altering the release and localization of endogenous modulators within the slice. Here we demonstrate the development and use of this technique for the measurement of allosteric modulation in different areas of the thalamus. Application of this technique will be useful in determining whether a lack of modulatory effect on a particular category of neurons or receptors is due to insensitivity to allosteric modulation or a lack of local release of endogenous ligand. We also demonstrate that this technique can be used to investigate GABA diffusion and uptake. This method thus provides a biosensor assay for rapid detection of endogenous GABAAR modulators and has the potential to aid studies of allosteric modulators that exert effects on other classes of neurotransmitter receptors, such as glutamate, acetylcholine, or glycine receptors.

  2. The structure of brain glycogen phosphorylase-from allosteric regulation mechanisms to clinical perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathieu, Cécile; Dupret, Jean-Marie; Rodrigues Lima, Fernando

    2017-02-01

    Glycogen phosphorylase (GP) is the key enzyme that regulates glycogen mobilization in cells. GP is a complex allosteric enzyme that comprises a family of three isozymes: muscle GP (mGP), liver GP (lGP), and brain GP (bGP). Although the three isozymes display high similarity and catalyze the same reaction, they differ in their sensitivity to the allosteric activator adenosine monophosphate (AMP). Moreover, inactivating mutations in mGP and lGP have been known to be associated with glycogen storage diseases (McArdle and Hers disease, respectively). The determination, decades ago, of the structure of mGP and lGP have allowed to better understand the allosteric regulation of these two isoforms and the development of specific inhibitors. Despite its important role in brain glycogen metabolism, the structure of the brain GP had remained elusive. Here, we provide an overview of the human brain GP structure and its relationship with the two other members of this key family of the metabolic enzymes. We also summarize how this structure provides valuable information to understand the regulation of bGP and to design specific ligands of potential pharmacological interest. © 2016 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

  3. Allosteric modulation of Ras and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway: emerging therapeutic opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hubbard, Paul A.; Moody, Colleen L.; Murali, Ramachandran

    2014-01-01

    GTPases and kinases are two predominant signaling modules that regulate cell fate. Dysregulation of Ras, a GTPase, and the three eponymous kinases that form key nodes of the associated phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR pathway have been implicated in many cancers, including pancreatic cancer, a disease noted for its current lack of effective therapeutics. The K-Ras isoform of Ras is mutated in over 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) and there is growing evidence linking aberrant PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activity to PDAC. Although these observations suggest that targeting one of these nodes might lead to more effective treatment options for patients with pancreatic and other cancers, the complex regulatory mechanisms and the number of sequence-conserved isoforms of these proteins have been viewed as significant barriers in drug development. Emerging insights into the allosteric regulatory mechanisms of these proteins suggest novel opportunities for development of selective allosteric inhibitors with fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) helping make significant inroads. The fact that allosteric inhibitors of Ras and AKT are currently in pre-clinical development lends support to this approach. In this article, we will focus on the recent advances and merits of developing allosteric drugs targeting these two inter-related signaling pathways. PMID:25566081

  4. Entropy Transfer between Residue Pairs and Allostery in Proteins: Quantifying Allosteric Communication in Ubiquitin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aysima Hacisuleyman

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available It has recently been proposed by Gunasakaran et al. that allostery may be an intrinsic property of all proteins. Here, we develop a computational method that can determine and quantify allosteric activity in any given protein. Based on Schreiber's transfer entropy formulation, our approach leads to an information transfer landscape for the protein that shows the presence of entropy sinks and sources and explains how pairs of residues communicate with each other using entropy transfer. The model can identify the residues that drive the fluctuations of others. We apply the model to Ubiquitin, whose allosteric activity has not been emphasized until recently, and show that there are indeed systematic pathways of entropy and information transfer between residues that correlate well with the activities of the protein. We use 600 nanosecond molecular dynamics trajectories for Ubiquitin and its complex with human polymerase iota and evaluate entropy transfer between all pairs of residues of Ubiquitin and quantify the binding susceptibility changes upon complex formation. We explain the complex formation propensities of Ubiquitin in terms of entropy transfer. Important residues taking part in allosteric communication in Ubiquitin predicted by our approach are in agreement with results of NMR relaxation dispersion experiments. Finally, we show that time delayed correlation of fluctuations of two interacting residues possesses an intrinsic causality that tells which residue controls the interaction and which one is controlled. Our work shows that time delayed correlations, entropy transfer and causality are the required new concepts for explaining allosteric communication in proteins.

  5. Entropy Transfer between Residue Pairs and Allostery in Proteins: Quantifying Allosteric Communication in Ubiquitin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacisuleyman, Aysima; Erman, Burak

    2017-01-01

    It has recently been proposed by Gunasakaran et al. that allostery may be an intrinsic property of all proteins. Here, we develop a computational method that can determine and quantify allosteric activity in any given protein. Based on Schreiber's transfer entropy formulation, our approach leads to an information transfer landscape for the protein that shows the presence of entropy sinks and sources and explains how pairs of residues communicate with each other using entropy transfer. The model can identify the residues that drive the fluctuations of others. We apply the model to Ubiquitin, whose allosteric activity has not been emphasized until recently, and show that there are indeed systematic pathways of entropy and information transfer between residues that correlate well with the activities of the protein. We use 600 nanosecond molecular dynamics trajectories for Ubiquitin and its complex with human polymerase iota and evaluate entropy transfer between all pairs of residues of Ubiquitin and quantify the binding susceptibility changes upon complex formation. We explain the complex formation propensities of Ubiquitin in terms of entropy transfer. Important residues taking part in allosteric communication in Ubiquitin predicted by our approach are in agreement with results of NMR relaxation dispersion experiments. Finally, we show that time delayed correlation of fluctuations of two interacting residues possesses an intrinsic causality that tells which residue controls the interaction and which one is controlled. Our work shows that time delayed correlations, entropy transfer and causality are the required new concepts for explaining allosteric communication in proteins.

  6. Allosteric mechanisms within the adenosine A2A-dopamine D2 receptor heterotetramer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferré, Sergi; Bonaventura, Jordi; Tomasi, Dardo; Navarro, Gemma; Moreno, Estefanía; Cortés, Antonio; Lluís, Carme; Casadó, Vicent; Volkow, Nora D.

    2017-01-01

    The structure constituted by a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) homodimer and a G protein provides a main functional unit and oligomeric entities can be viewed as multiples of dimers. For GPCR heteromers, experimental evidence supports a tetrameric structure, comprised of two different homodimers, each able to signal with its preferred G protein. GPCR homomers and heteromers can act as the conduit of allosteric interactions between orthosteric ligands. The well-known agonist/agonist allosteric interaction in the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) heteromer, by which A2AR agonists decrease the affinity of D2R agonists, gave the first rationale for the use of A2AR antagonists in Parkinson’s disease. We review new pharmacological findings that can be explained in the frame of a tetrameric structure of the A2AR-D2R heteromer: first, ligand-independent allosteric modulations by the D2R that result in changes of the binding properties of A2AR ligands; second, differential modulation of the intrinsic efficacy of D2R ligands for G protein-dependent and independent signaling; third, the canonical antagonistic Gs-Gi interaction within the frame of the heteromer; and fourth, the ability of A2AR antagonists, including caffeine, to also exert the same allosteric modulations of D2R ligands than A2AR agonists, while A2AR agonists and antagonists counteract each other’s effects. These findings can have important clinical implications when evaluating the use of A2AR antagonists. They also call for the need of monitoring caffeine intake when evaluating the effect of D2R ligands, when used as therapeutic agents in neuropsychiatric disorders or as probes in imaging studies. PMID:26051403

  7. Potent Allosteric Dengue Virus NS5 Polymerase Inhibitors: Mechanism of Action and Resistance Profiling.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siew Pheng Lim

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Flaviviruses comprise major emerging pathogens such as dengue virus (DENV or Zika virus (ZIKV. The flavivirus RNA genome is replicated by the RNA-dependent-RNA polymerase (RdRp domain of non-structural protein 5 (NS5. This essential enzymatic activity renders the RdRp attractive for antiviral therapy. NS5 synthesizes viral RNA via a "de novo" initiation mechanism. Crystal structures of the flavivirus RdRp revealed a "closed" conformation reminiscent of a pre-initiation state, with a well ordered priming loop that extrudes from the thumb subdomain into the dsRNA exit tunnel, close to the "GDD" active site. To-date, no allosteric pockets have been identified for the RdRp, and compound screening campaigns did not yield suitable drug candidates. Using fragment-based screening via X-ray crystallography, we found a fragment that bound to a pocket of the apo-DENV RdRp close to its active site (termed "N pocket". Structure-guided improvements yielded DENV pan-serotype inhibitors of the RdRp de novo initiation activity with nano-molar potency that also impeded elongation activity at micro-molar concentrations. Inhibitors exhibited mixed inhibition kinetics with respect to competition with the RNA or GTP substrate. The best compounds have EC50 values of 1-2 μM against all four DENV serotypes in cell culture assays. Genome-sequencing of compound-resistant DENV replicons, identified amino acid changes that mapped to the N pocket. Since inhibitors bind at the thumb/palm interface of the RdRp, this class of compounds is proposed to hinder RdRp conformational changes during its transition from initiation to elongation. This is the first report of a class of pan-serotype and cell-active DENV RdRp inhibitors. Given the evolutionary conservation of residues lining the N pocket, these molecules offer insights to treat other serious conditions caused by flaviviruses.

  8. The origins of enhanced activity in factor VIIa analogs and the interplay between key allosteric sites revealed by hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rand, Kasper D; Andersen, Mette D; Olsen, Ole H

    2008-01-01

    Factor VIIa (FVIIa) circulates in the blood in a zymogen-like state. Only upon association with membrane-bound tissue factor (TF) at the site of vascular injury does FVIIa become active and able to initiate blood coagulation. Here we used hydrogen exchange monitored by mass spectrometry to invest......Factor VIIa (FVIIa) circulates in the blood in a zymogen-like state. Only upon association with membrane-bound tissue factor (TF) at the site of vascular injury does FVIIa become active and able to initiate blood coagulation. Here we used hydrogen exchange monitored by mass spectrometry...... to investigate the conformational effects of site-directed mutagenesis at key positions in FVIIa and the origins of enhanced intrinsic activity of FVIIa analogs. The differences in hydrogen exchange of two highly active variants, FVIIa(DVQ) and FVIIa(VEAY), imply that enhanced catalytic efficiency was attained...

  9. Monitoring Ras Interactions with the Nucleotide Exchange Factor Son of Sevenless (Sos) Using Site-specific NMR Reporter Signals and Intrinsic Fluorescence*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vo, Uybach; Vajpai, Navratna; Flavell, Liz; Bobby, Romel; Breeze, Alexander L.; Embrey, Kevin J.; Golovanov, Alexander P.

    2016-01-01

    The activity of Ras is controlled by the interconversion between GTP- and GDP-bound forms partly regulated by the binding of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Son of Sevenless (Sos). The details of Sos binding, leading to nucleotide exchange and subsequent dissociation of the complex, are not completely understood. Here, we used uniformly 15N-labeled Ras as well as [13C]methyl-Met,Ile-labeled Sos for observing site-specific details of Ras-Sos interactions in solution. Binding of various forms of Ras (loaded with GDP and mimics of GTP or nucleotide-free) at the allosteric and catalytic sites of Sos was comprehensively characterized by monitoring signal perturbations in the NMR spectra. The overall affinity of binding between these protein variants as well as their selected functional mutants was also investigated using intrinsic fluorescence. The data support a positive feedback activation of Sos by Ras·GTP with Ras·GTP binding as a substrate for the catalytic site of activated Sos more weakly than Ras·GDP, suggesting that Sos should actively promote unidirectional GDP → GTP exchange on Ras in preference of passive homonucleotide exchange. Ras·GDP weakly binds to the catalytic but not to the allosteric site of Sos. This confirms that Ras·GDP cannot properly activate Sos at the allosteric site. The novel site-specific assay described may be useful for design of drugs aimed at perturbing Ras-Sos interactions. PMID:26565026

  10. Discovery and mapping of an intracellular antagonist binding site at the chemokine receptor CCR2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zweemer, Annelien J M; Bunnik, Julia; Veenhuizen, Margo

    2014-01-01

    be divided into two groups with most likely two topographically distinct binding sites. The aim of the current study was to identify the binding site of one such group of ligands, exemplified by three allosteric antagonists, CCR2-RA-[R], JNJ-27141491, and SD-24. We first used a chimeric CCR2/CCR5 receptor...

  11. Computational study on the inhibitor binding mode and allosteric regulation mechanism in hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiwei Xue

    Full Text Available HCV NS3/4A protein is an attractive therapeutic target responsible for harboring serine protease and RNA helicase activities during the viral replication. Small molecules binding at the interface between the protease and helicase domains can stabilize the closed conformation of the protein and thus block the catalytic function of HCV NS3/4A protein via an allosteric regulation mechanism. But the detailed mechanism remains elusive. Here, we aimed to provide some insight into the inhibitor binding mode and allosteric regulation mechanism of HCV NS3/4A protein by using computational methods. Four simulation systems were investigated. They include: apo state of HCV NS3/4A protein, HCV NS3/4A protein in complex with an allosteric inhibitor and the truncated form of the above two systems. The molecular dynamics simulation results indicate HCV NS3/4A protein in complex with the allosteric inhibitor 4VA adopts a closed conformation (inactive state, while the truncated apo protein adopts an open conformation (active state. Further residue interaction network analysis suggests the communication of the domain-domain interface play an important role in the transition from closed to open conformation of HCV NS3/4A protein. However, the inhibitor stabilizes the closed conformation through interaction with several key residues from both the protease and helicase domains, including His57, Asp79, Asp81, Asp168, Met485, Cys525 and Asp527, which blocks the information communication between the functional domains interface. Finally, a dynamic model about the allosteric regulation and conformational changes of HCV NS3/4A protein was proposed and could provide fundamental insights into the allosteric mechanism of HCV NS3/4A protein function regulation and design of new potent inhibitors.

  12. Theoretical Analysis of Allosteric and Operator Binding for Cyclic-AMP Receptor Protein Mutants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Einav, Tal; Duque, Julia; Phillips, Rob

    2018-02-01

    Allosteric transcription factors undergo binding events both at their inducer binding sites as well as at distinct DNA binding domains, and it is often difficult to disentangle the structural and functional consequences of these two classes of interactions. In this work, we compare the ability of two statistical mechanical models - the Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) and the Koshland-N\\'emethy-Filmer (KNF) models of protein conformational change - to characterize the multi-step activation mechanism of the broadly acting cyclic-AMP receptor protein (CRP). We first consider the allosteric transition resulting from cyclic-AMP binding to CRP, then analyze how CRP binds to its operator, and finally investigate the ability of CRP to activate gene expression. In light of these models, we examine data from a beautiful recent experiment that created a single-chain version of the CRP homodimer, thereby enabling each subunit to be mutated separately. Using this construct, six mutants were created using all possible combinations of the wild type subunit, a D53H mutant subunit, and an S62F mutant subunit. We demonstrate that both the MWC and KNF models can explain the behavior of all six mutants using a small, self-consistent set of parameters. In comparing the results, we find that the MWC model slightly outperforms the KNF model in the quality of its fits, but more importantly the parameters inferred by the MWC model are more in line with structural knowledge of CRP. In addition, we discuss how the conceptual framework developed here for CRP enables us to not merely analyze data retrospectively, but has the predictive power to determine how combinations of mutations will interact, how double mutants will behave, and how each construct would regulate gene expression.

  13. Site of anticonvulsant action on sodium channels: autoradiographic and electrophysiological studies in rat brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worley, P.F.; Baraban, J.M.

    1987-01-01

    The anticonvulsants phenytoin and carbamazepine interact allosterically with the batrachotoxin binding site of sodium channels. In the present study, we demonstrate an autoradiographic technique to localize the batrachotoxin binding site on sodium channels in rat brain using [ 3 H]batrachotoxinin-A 20-alpha-benzoate (BTX-B). Binding of [ 3 H]BTX-B to brain sections is dependent on potentiating allosteric interactions with scorpion venom and is displaced by BTX-B (Kd approximately 200 nM), aconitine, veratridine, and phenytoin with the same rank order of potencies as described in brain synaptosomes. The maximum number of [ 3 H]BTX-B binding sites in forebrain sections also agrees with biochemical determinations. Autoradiographic localizations indicate that [ 3 H]BTX-B binding sites are not restricted to cell bodies and axons but are present in synaptic zones throughout the brain. For example, a particularly dense concentration of these sites in the substantia nigra is associated with afferent terminals of the striatonigral projection. By contrast, myelinated structures possess much lower densities of binding sites. In addition, we present electrophysiological evidence that synaptic transmission, as opposed to axonal conduction, is preferentially sensitive to the action of aconitine and veratridine. Finally, the synaptic block produced by these sodium channel activators is inhibited by phenytoin and carbamazepine at therapeutic anticonvulsant concentrations

  14. [Pharmacological characteristics of drugs targeted on calcium-sensing receptor.-properties of cinacalcet hydrochloride as allosteric modulator].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagano, Nobuo; Tsutsui, Takaaki

    2016-06-01

    Calcimimetics act as positive allosteric modulators of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), thereby decreasing parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion from the parathyroid glands. On the other hand, negative allosteric modulators of the CaSR with stimulatory effect on PTH secretion are termed calcilytics. The calcimimetic cinacalcet hydrochloride (cinacalcet) is the world's first allosteric modulator of G protein-coupled receptor to enter the clinical market. Cinacalcet just tunes the physiological effects of Ca(2+), an endogenous ligand, therefore, shows high selectivity and low side effects. Calcimimetics also increase cell surface CaSR expression by acting as pharmacological chaperones (pharmacoperones). It is considered that the cinacalcet-induced upper gastrointestinal problems are resulted from enhanced physiological responses to Ca(2+) and amino acids via increased sensitivity of digestive tract CaSR by cinacalcet. While clinical developments of calcilytics for osteoporosis were unfortunately halted or terminated due to paucity of efficacy, it is expected that calcilytics may be useful for the treatment of patients with activating CaSR mutations, asthma, and idiopathic pulmonary artery hypertension.

  15. Characterization of the allosteric binding pocket of human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by protein crystallography and inhibitor activity studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iversen, L F; Brzozowski, M; Hastrup, S; Hubbard, R; Kastrup, J S; Larsen, I K; Naerum, L; Nørskov-Lauridsen, L; Rasmussen, P B; Thim, L; Wiberg, F C; Lundgren, K

    1997-05-01

    The structures of three complexes of human fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FB) with the allosteric inhibitor AMP and two AMP analogues have been determined and all fully refined. The data used for structure determination were collected at cryogenic temperature (110 K), and with the use of synchrotron radiation. The structures reveal a common mode of binding for AMP and formycine monophosphate (FMP). 5-Amino-4-carboxamido-1 beta-D-5-phosphate-ribofuranosyl-1H-imidazole (AICAR-P) shows an unexpected mode of binding to FB, different from that of the other two ligands. The imidazole ring of AICAR-P is rotated 180 degrees compared to the AMP and FMP bases. This rotation results in a slightly different hydrogen bonding pattern and minor changes in the water structure in the binding pocket. Common features of binding are seen for the ribose and phosphate moieties of all three compounds. Although binding in a different mode, AICAR-P is still capable of making all the important interactions with the residues building the allosteric binding pocket. The IC50 values of AMP, FMP, and AICAR-P were determined to be 1.7, 1.4, and 20.9 microM, respectively. Thus, the approximately 10 times lower potency of AICAR-P is difficult to explain solely from the variations observed in the binding pocket. Only one water molecule in the allosteric binding pocket was found to be conserved in all four subunits in all three structures. This water molecule coordinates to a phosphate oxygen atom and the N7 atom of the AMP molecule, and to similarly situated atoms in the FMP and AICAR-P complexes. This implies an important role of the conserved water molecule in binding of the ligand.

  16. Monitoring Ras Interactions with the Nucleotide Exchange Factor Son of Sevenless (Sos) Using Site-specific NMR Reporter Signals and Intrinsic Fluorescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vo, Uybach; Vajpai, Navratna; Flavell, Liz; Bobby, Romel; Breeze, Alexander L; Embrey, Kevin J; Golovanov, Alexander P

    2016-01-22

    The activity of Ras is controlled by the interconversion between GTP- and GDP-bound forms partly regulated by the binding of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Son of Sevenless (Sos). The details of Sos binding, leading to nucleotide exchange and subsequent dissociation of the complex, are not completely understood. Here, we used uniformly (15)N-labeled Ras as well as [(13)C]methyl-Met,Ile-labeled Sos for observing site-specific details of Ras-Sos interactions in solution. Binding of various forms of Ras (loaded with GDP and mimics of GTP or nucleotide-free) at the allosteric and catalytic sites of Sos was comprehensively characterized by monitoring signal perturbations in the NMR spectra. The overall affinity of binding between these protein variants as well as their selected functional mutants was also investigated using intrinsic fluorescence. The data support a positive feedback activation of Sos by Ras·GTP with Ras·GTP binding as a substrate for the catalytic site of activated Sos more weakly than Ras·GDP, suggesting that Sos should actively promote unidirectional GDP → GTP exchange on Ras in preference of passive homonucleotide exchange. Ras·GDP weakly binds to the catalytic but not to the allosteric site of Sos. This confirms that Ras·GDP cannot properly activate Sos at the allosteric site. The novel site-specific assay described may be useful for design of drugs aimed at perturbing Ras-Sos interactions. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  17. Evidence for allosterism in ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from comfrey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mueller, D.D.; Bolden, T.D.

    1986-05-01

    Evidence has been obtained suggesting that ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is an allosteric enzyme in the sense that it shows cooperative active site binding, cooperative interactions between the activation and active sites and significant binding of some metabolites at a second site. Investigation of the binding of a potent competitive inhibitor. 2-carboxymannitol-1,6-bisphosphate (CMBP) by /sup 31/P-NMR indicated essentially 1:1 binding with the active sites of comfrey RuBisCo. Among the interactions of competitive inhibitors, as measured by difference UV spectroscopy, the binding curves for ortho-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate were better fitted by a Monod-Wyman-Changeux model than by an independent site model, whereas the binding of CMBP and 2-phosphoglycolate were not. Difference UV methods also were used to study activation by CO/sub 2/ which at pH 7.9 in 10 mM MgCl/sub 2/ showed positive cooperativity with k = 100 +/- 3 ..mu..M (based on pK/sub a/ = 6.4 for the CO/sub 2/-HCO/sub 3//sup -/ equilibrium) and L = 3.5 +/- 0.7. Addition of saturating amounts of CMBP and lowering the MgCl/sub 2/ to 2 mM still gave a sigmoidal curve but it was shifted to higher CO/sub 2/ concentrations (k = 124 +/- 2 ..mu..M and L = 31 +/- 3). In the absence of CMBP the same conditions gave k = 26 +/- 2 ..mu..M for L = 3.5. Conversely, k was 0.96 +/- 0.08 ..mu..M for CMBP in 0.5 mM MgCl/sub 2/ without added NaHCO/sub 3/ but was 21 +/- 0.06 ..mu..M in 10 MgCl/sub 2/ and 2 mM NaHCO/sub 3/, pH 7.3.

  18. Evidence for allosterism in ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from comfrey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, D.D.; Bolden, T.D.

    1986-01-01

    Evidence has been obtained suggesting that ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is an allosteric enzyme in the sense that it shows cooperative active site binding, cooperative interactions between the activation and active sites and significant binding of some metabolites at a second site. Investigation of the binding of a potent competitive inhibitor. 2-carboxymannitol-1,6-bisphosphate (CMBP) by 31 P-NMR indicated essentially 1:1 binding with the active sites of comfrey RuBisCo. Among the interactions of competitive inhibitors, as measured by difference UV spectroscopy, the binding curves for ortho-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate were better fitted by a Monod-Wyman-Changeux model than by an independent site model, whereas the binding of CMBP and 2-phosphoglycolate were not. Difference UV methods also were used to study activation by CO 2 which at pH 7.9 in 10 mM MgCl 2 showed positive cooperativity with k = 100 +/- 3 μM (based on pK/sub a/ = 6.4 for the CO 2 -HCO 3 - equilibrium) and L = 3.5 +/- 0.7. Addition of saturating amounts of CMBP and lowering the MgCl 2 to 2 mM still gave a sigmoidal curve but it was shifted to higher CO 2 concentrations (k = 124 +/- 2 μM and L = 31 +/- 3). In the absence of CMBP the same conditions gave k = 26 +/- 2 μM for L = 3.5. Conversely, k was 0.96 +/- 0.08 μM for CMBP in 0.5 mM MgCl 2 without added NaHCO 3 but was 21 +/- 0.06 μM in 10 MgCl 2 and 2 mM NaHCO 3 , pH 7.3

  19. The condensed chromatin fiber: an allosteric chemo-mechanical machine for signal transduction and genome processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lesne, Annick; Victor, Jean–Marc; Bécavin, Christophe

    2012-01-01

    Allostery is a key concept of molecular biology which refers to the control of an enzyme activity by an effector molecule binding the enzyme at another site rather than the active site (allos = other in Greek). We revisit here allostery in the context of chromatin and argue that allosteric principles underlie and explain the functional architecture required for spacetime coordination of gene expression at all scales from DNA to the whole chromosome. We further suggest that this functional architecture is provided by the chromatin fiber itself. The structural, mechanical and topological features of the chromatin fiber endow chromosomes with a tunable signal transduction from specific (or nonspecific) effectors to specific (or nonspecific) active sites. Mechanical constraints can travel along the fiber all the better since the fiber is more compact and regular, which speaks in favor of the actual existence of the (so-called 30 nm) chromatin fiber. Chromatin fiber allostery reconciles both the physical and biochemical approaches of chromatin. We illustrate this view with two supporting specific examples. Moreover, from a methodological point of view, we suggest that the notion of chromatin fiber allostery is particularly relevant for systemic approaches. Finally we discuss the evolutionary power of allostery in the context of chromatin and its relation to modularity. (perspective)

  20. The condensed chromatin fiber: an allosteric chemo-mechanical machine for signal transduction and genome processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesne, Annick; Bécavin, Christophe; Victor, Jean–Marc

    2012-02-01

    Allostery is a key concept of molecular biology which refers to the control of an enzyme activity by an effector molecule binding the enzyme at another site rather than the active site (allos = other in Greek). We revisit here allostery in the context of chromatin and argue that allosteric principles underlie and explain the functional architecture required for spacetime coordination of gene expression at all scales from DNA to the whole chromosome. We further suggest that this functional architecture is provided by the chromatin fiber itself. The structural, mechanical and topological features of the chromatin fiber endow chromosomes with a tunable signal transduction from specific (or nonspecific) effectors to specific (or nonspecific) active sites. Mechanical constraints can travel along the fiber all the better since the fiber is more compact and regular, which speaks in favor of the actual existence of the (so-called 30 nm) chromatin fiber. Chromatin fiber allostery reconciles both the physical and biochemical approaches of chromatin. We illustrate this view with two supporting specific examples. Moreover, from a methodological point of view, we suggest that the notion of chromatin fiber allostery is particularly relevant for systemic approaches. Finally we discuss the evolutionary power of allostery in the context of chromatin and its relation to modularity.

  1. A novel antidiabetic drug, fasiglifam/TAK-875, acts as an ago-allosteric modulator of FFAR1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiori Yabuki

    Full Text Available Selective free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1/GPR40 agonist fasiglifam (TAK-875, an antidiabetic drug under phase 3 development, potentiates insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent manner by activating FFAR1 expressed in pancreatic β cells. Although fasiglifam significantly improved glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients with a minimum risk of hypoglycemia in a phase 2 study, the precise mechanisms of its potent pharmacological effects are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that fasiglifam acts as an ago-allosteric modulator with a partial agonistic activity for FFAR1. In both Ca(2+ influx and insulin secretion assays using cell lines and mouse islets, fasiglifam showed positive cooperativity with the FFAR1 ligand γ-linolenic acid (γ-LA. Augmentation of glucose-induced insulin secretion by fasiglifam, γ-LA, or their combination was completely abolished in pancreatic islets of FFAR1-knockout mice. In diabetic rats, the insulinotropic effect of fasiglifam was suppressed by pharmacological reduction of plasma free fatty acid (FFA levels using a lipolysis inhibitor, suggesting that fasiglifam potentiates insulin release in conjunction with plasma FFAs in vivo. Point mutations of FFAR1 differentially affected Ca(2+ influx activities of fasiglifam and γ-LA, further indicating that these agonists may bind to distinct binding sites. Our results strongly suggest that fasiglifam is an ago-allosteric modulator of FFAR1 that exerts its effects by acting cooperatively with endogenous plasma FFAs in human patients as well as diabetic animals. These findings contribute to our understanding of fasiglifam as an attractive antidiabetic drug with a novel mechanism of action.

  2. Tissue factor activates allosteric networks in factor VIIa through structural and dynamic changes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Jesper Jonasson; Persson, E.; Olsen, O. H.

    2015-01-01

    that are not likely to be inferred from mutagenesis studies. Furthermore, paths from Met306 to Ile153 (N-terminus) and Trp364, both representing hallmark residues of allostery, are 7% and 37% longer, respectively, in free FVIIa. Thus, there is significantly weaker coupling between the TF contact point and key......Background: Tissue factor (TF) promotes colocalization of enzyme (factorVIIa) and substrate (FX or FIX), and stabilizes the active conformation of FVIIa. Details on how TF induces structural and dynamic changes in the catalytic domain of FVIIa to enhance its efficiency remain elusive. Objective......: To elucidate the activation of allosteric networks in the catalytic domain of the FVIIa protease it is when bound to TF.MethodsLong-timescale molecular dynamics simulations of FVIIa, free and in complex with TF, were executed and analyzed by dynamic network analysis. Results: Allosteric paths of correlated...

  3. Site-Mutation of Hydrophobic Core Residues Synchronically Poise Super Interleukin 2 for Signaling: Identifying Distant Structural Effects through Affordable Computations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Longcan Mei

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available A superkine variant of interleukin-2 with six site mutations away from the binding interface developed from the yeast display technique has been previously characterized as undergoing a distal structure alteration which is responsible for its super-potency and provides an elegant case study with which to get insight about how to utilize allosteric effect to achieve desirable protein functions. By examining the dynamic network and the allosteric pathways related to those mutated residues using various computational approaches, we found that nanosecond time scale all-atom molecular dynamics simulations can identify the dynamic network as efficient as an ensemble algorithm. The differentiated pathways for the six core residues form a dynamic network that outlines the area of structure alteration. The results offer potentials of using affordable computing power to predict allosteric structure of mutants in knowledge-based mutagenesis.

  4. VU0477573: Partial Negative Allosteric Modulator of the Subtype 5 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor with In Vivo Efficacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nickols, Hilary Highfield; Yuh, Joannes P; Gregory, Karen J; Morrison, Ryan D; Bates, Brittney S; Stauffer, Shaun R; Emmitte, Kyle A; Bubser, Michael; Peng, Weimin; Nedelcovych, Michael T; Thompson, Analisa; Lv, Xiaohui; Xiang, Zixiu; Daniels, J Scott; Niswender, Colleen M; Lindsley, Craig W; Jones, Carrie K; Conn, P Jeffrey

    2016-01-01

    Negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5) have potential applications in the treatment of fragile X syndrome, levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, addiction, and anxiety; however, clinical and preclinical studies raise concerns that complete blockade of mGlu5 and inverse agonist activity of current mGlu5 NAMs contribute to adverse effects that limit the therapeutic use of these compounds. We report the discovery and characterization of a novel mGlu5 NAM, N,N-diethyl-5-((3-fluorophenyl)ethynyl)picolinamide (VU0477573) that binds to the same allosteric site as the prototypical mGlu5 NAM MPEP but displays weak negative cooperativity. Because of this weak cooperativity, VU0477573 acts as a "partial NAM" so that full occupancy of the MPEP site does not completely inhibit maximal effects of mGlu5 agonists on intracellular calcium mobilization, inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, or inhibition of synaptic transmission at the hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse. Unlike previous mGlu5 NAMs, VU0477573 displays no inverse agonist activity assessed using measures of effects on basal [(3)H]inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation. VU0477573 acts as a full NAM when measuring effects on mGlu5-mediated extracellular signal-related kinases 1/2 phosphorylation, which may indicate functional bias. VU0477573 exhibits an excellent pharmacokinetic profile and good brain penetration in rodents and provides dose-dependent full mGlu5 occupancy in the central nervous system (CNS) with systemic administration. Interestingly, VU0477573 shows robust efficacy, comparable to the mGlu5 NAM MTEP, in models of anxiolytic activity at doses that provide full CNS occupancy of mGlu5 and demonstrate an excellent CNS occupancy-efficacy relationship. VU0477573 provides an exciting new tool to investigate the efficacy of partial NAMs in animal models. Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Pharmacology and

  5. Sequence analysis and molecular characterization of Clonorchis sinensis hexokinase, an unusual trimeric 50-kDa glucose-6-phosphate-sensitive allosteric enzyme.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingjin Chen

    Full Text Available Clonorchiasis, which is induced by the infection of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis, is highly associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Because the available examination, treatment and interrupting transmission provide limited opportunities to prevent infection, it is urgent to develop integrated strategies to prevent and control clonorchiasis. Glycolytic enzymes are crucial molecules for trematode survival and have been targeted for drug development. Hexokinase of C. sinensis (CsHK, the first key regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, was characterized in this study. The calculated molecular mass (Mr of CsHK was 50.0 kDa. The obtained recombinant CsHK (rCsHK was a homotrimer with an Mr of approximately 164 kDa, as determined using native PAGE and gel filtration. The highest activity was obtained with 50 mM glycine-NaOH at pH 10 and 100 mM Tris-HCl at pH 8.5 and 10. The kinetics of rCsHK has a moderate thermal stability. Compared to that of the corresponding negative control, the enzymatic activity was significantly inhibited by praziquantel (PZQ and anti-rCsHK serum. rCsHK was homotropically and allosterically activated by its substrates, including glucose, mannose, fructose, and ATP. ADP exhibited mixed allosteric effect on rCsHK with respect to ATP, while inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi displayed net allosteric activation with various allosteric systems. Fructose behaved as a dose-dependent V activator with the substrate glucose. Glucose-6-phosphate (G6P displayed net allosteric inhibition on rCsHK with respect to ATP or glucose with various allosteric systems in a dose-independent manner. There were differences in both mRNA and protein levels of CsHK among the life stages of adult worm, metacercaria, excysted metacercaria and egg of C. sinensis, suggesting different energy requirements during different development stages. Our study furthers the understanding of the biological functions of CsHK and supports the need to screen for small

  6. Sequence Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Clonorchis sinensis Hexokinase, an Unusual Trimeric 50-kDa Glucose-6-Phosphate-Sensitive Allosteric Enzyme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tingjin; Ning, Dan; Sun, Hengchang; Li, Ran; Shang, Mei; Li, Xuerong; Wang, Xiaoyun; Chen, Wenjun; Liang, Chi; Li, Wenfang; Mao, Qiang; Li, Ye; Deng, Chuanhuan; Wang, Lexun; Wu, Zhongdao; Huang, Yan; Xu, Jin; Yu, Xinbing

    2014-01-01

    Clonorchiasis, which is induced by the infection of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis), is highly associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Because the available examination, treatment and interrupting transmission provide limited opportunities to prevent infection, it is urgent to develop integrated strategies to prevent and control clonorchiasis. Glycolytic enzymes are crucial molecules for trematode survival and have been targeted for drug development. Hexokinase of C. sinensis (CsHK), the first key regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, was characterized in this study. The calculated molecular mass (Mr) of CsHK was 50.0 kDa. The obtained recombinant CsHK (rCsHK) was a homotrimer with an Mr of approximately 164 kDa, as determined using native PAGE and gel filtration. The highest activity was obtained with 50 mM glycine-NaOH at pH 10 and 100 mM Tris-HCl at pH 8.5 and 10. The kinetics of rCsHK has a moderate thermal stability. Compared to that of the corresponding negative control, the enzymatic activity was significantly inhibited by praziquantel (PZQ) and anti-rCsHK serum. rCsHK was homotropically and allosterically activated by its substrates, including glucose, mannose, fructose, and ATP. ADP exhibited mixed allosteric effect on rCsHK with respect to ATP, while inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) displayed net allosteric activation with various allosteric systems. Fructose behaved as a dose-dependent V activator with the substrate glucose. Glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) displayed net allosteric inhibition on rCsHK with respect to ATP or glucose with various allosteric systems in a dose-independent manner. There were differences in both mRNA and protein levels of CsHK among the life stages of adult worm, metacercaria, excysted metacercaria and egg of C. sinensis, suggesting different energy requirements during different development stages. Our study furthers the understanding of the biological functions of CsHK and supports the need to screen for small molecule inhibitors

  7. Notes on stochastic (bio)-logic gates: computing with allosteric cooperativity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agliari, Elena; Altavilla, Matteo; Barra, Adriano; Dello Schiavo, Lorenzo; Katz, Evgeny

    2015-05-15

    Recent experimental breakthroughs have finally allowed to implement in-vitro reaction kinetics (the so called enzyme based logic) which code for two-inputs logic gates and mimic the stochastic AND (and NAND) as well as the stochastic OR (and NOR). This accomplishment, together with the already-known single-input gates (performing as YES and NOT), provides a logic base and paves the way to the development of powerful biotechnological devices. However, as biochemical systems are always affected by the presence of noise (e.g. thermal), standard logic is not the correct theoretical reference framework, rather we show that statistical mechanics can work for this scope: here we formulate a complete statistical mechanical description of the Monod-Wyman-Changeaux allosteric model for both single and double ligand systems, with the purpose of exploring their practical capabilities to express noisy logical operators and/or perform stochastic logical operations. Mixing statistical mechanics with logics, and testing quantitatively the resulting findings on the available biochemical data, we successfully revise the concept of cooperativity (and anti-cooperativity) for allosteric systems, with particular emphasis on its computational capabilities, the related ranges and scaling of the involved parameters and its differences with classical cooperativity (and anti-cooperativity).

  8. Development of an experimental activity for teaching cooperativity and allosterism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Manta

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Although  enzyme  control  and  regulation  is  an  important  topic  in  most  Biochemistry  and  Enzymology  courses, laboratory  activities  that  allow  an  experimental  approach  to  cooperativity  and  allosterism  are  difficult  to  implement. The objective of this work was to develop a simple and inexpensive experimental activity to teach this topic in basic courses.  We  decided  to  use  the  enzyme  glucosamine-6-phosphate  deaminase  (GNPD,  E.C.  3.5.99.6  from Escherichia coli,  that  is  both  kinetically  and  structurally  well-known.  GNPD  is  an  allosteric  enzyme,  activated  by  N-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate, that catalyzes the conversion of glucosamine 6-phosphate into fructose 6-phosphate and  ammonia.  The  enzyme  is  a  typical  allosteric  K-system  and  can  be  well  described  by  the  Monod-Wyman-Changeux  (MWC  model.  GNPD  was  partially  purified  through  anionic-exchange  chromatography  from  a  mutant E.coli strain  which  expresses  constitutively  high  levels  of the  enzyme.  In  order  to  measure  activity  we  used  an end point  method  which  consists  in  stopping  the  reaction  at  a  certain  time  point  with  HCl  10  N,  and  quantifying  the fructose-6-phosphate  formed  with  resorcinol  (Selliwanoff  reaction  through  the  formation  of  a  red  color  that  is measured  spectrophotometrically.  We  developed  a  protocol  that  consisted  in  a  4-hour  experiment  in  which  the students  measured  the  activity  of  the  GNPD  with  increasing  concentrations  of  the  substrate,  in  the  presence  or absence  of  allosteric  modulator.  The  students  obtained  a  good  quality  data  set  that  they  analyzed  based  on  the equations  of  Hill,  MWC  and  Acerenza-Mirzaji

  9. [3H]CGP 61594, the first photoaffinity ligand for the glycine site of NMDA receptors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benke, D.; Honer, M.; Mohler, H.; Heckendorn, R.; Pozza, M.F.; Allgeier, H.; Angst, C.

    1999-01-01

    Activation of NMDA receptors requires the presence of glycine as a coagonist which binds to a site that is allosterically linked to the glutamate binding site. To identify the protein constituents of the glycine binding site in situ the photoaffinity label [ 3 H]CGP 61594 was synthesized. In reversible binding assays using crude rat brain membranes, [ 3 H]CGP 61594 labeled with high affinity (K D =23 nM) the glycine site of the NMDA receptor. This was evident from the Scatchard analysis, the displacing potencies of various glycine site ligands and the allosteric modulation of [ 3 H]CGP 61594 binding by ligands of the glutamate and polyamine sites. Electrophysiological experiments in a neocortical slice preparation identified CGP 61594 as a glycine antagonist. Upon UV-irradiation, a protein band of 115 kDa was specifically photolabeled by [ 3 H]CGP 61594 in brain membrane preparations. The photolabeled protein was identified as the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor by NR1 subunit-specific immunoaffinity chromatography. Thus, [ 3 H]CGP 61594 is the first photoaffinity label for the glycine site of NMDA receptors. It will serve as a tool for the identification of structural elements that are involved in the formation of the glycine binding domain of NMDA receptors in situ and will thereby complement the mutational analysis of recombinant receptors. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  10. Discovery and Characterization of Non-ATP Site Inhibitors of the Mitogen Activated Protein (MAP) Kinases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Comess, Kenneth M.; Sun, Chaohong; Abad-Zapatero, Cele; Goedken, Eric R.; Gum, Rebecca J.; Borhani, David W.; Argiriadi, Maria; Groebe, Duncan R.; Jia, Yong; Clampit, Jill E.; Haasch, Deanna L.; Smith, Harriet T.; Wang, Sanyi; Song, Danying; Coen, Michael L.; Cloutier, Timothy E.; Tang, Hua; Cheng, Xueheng; Quinn, Christopher; Liu, Bo; Xin, Zhili; Liu, Gang; Fry, Elizabeth H.; Stoll, Vincent; Ng, Teresa I.; Banach, David; Marcotte, Doug; Burns, David J.; Calderwood, David J.; Hajduk, Philip J. (Abbott)

    2012-03-02

    Inhibition of protein kinases has validated therapeutic utility for cancer, with at least seven kinase inhibitor drugs on the market. Protein kinase inhibition also has significant potential for a variety of other diseases, including diabetes, pain, cognition, and chronic inflammatory and immunologic diseases. However, as the vast majority of current approaches to kinase inhibition target the highly conserved ATP-binding site, the use of kinase inhibitors in treating nononcology diseases may require great selectivity for the target kinase. As protein kinases are signal transducers that are involved in binding to a variety of other proteins, targeting alternative, less conserved sites on the protein may provide an avenue for greater selectivity. Here we report an affinity-based, high-throughput screening technique that allows nonbiased interrogation of small molecule libraries for binding to all exposed sites on a protein surface. This approach was used to screen both the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase Jnk-1 (involved in insulin signaling) and p38{alpha} (involved in the formation of TNF{alpha} and other cytokines). In addition to canonical ATP-site ligands, compounds were identified that bind to novel allosteric sites. The nature, biological relevance, and mode of binding of these ligands were extensively characterized using two-dimensional {sup 1}H/{sup 13}C NMR spectroscopy, protein X-ray crystallography, surface plasmon resonance, and direct enzymatic activity and activation cascade assays. Jnk-1 and p38{alpha} both belong to the MAP kinase family, and the allosteric ligands for both targets bind similarly on a ledge of the protein surface exposed by the MAP insertion present in the CMGC family of protein kinases and distant from the active site. Medicinal chemistry studies resulted in an improved Jnk-1 ligand able to increase adiponectin secretion in human adipocytes and increase insulin-induced protein kinase PKB phosphorylation in human hepatocytes, in

  11. A novel strategy for selection of allosteric ribozymes yields RiboReporter™ sensors for caffeine and aspartame

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Alicia; Boomer, Ryan M.; Kurz, Markus; Keene, Sara C.; Diener, John L.; Keefe, Anthony D.; Wilson, Charles; Cload, Sharon T.

    2004-01-01

    We have utilized in vitro selection technology to develop allosteric ribozyme sensors that are specific for the small molecule analytes caffeine or aspartame. Caffeine- or aspartame-responsive ribozymes were converted into fluorescence-based RiboReporter™ sensor systems that were able to detect caffeine or aspartame in solution over a concentration range from 0.5 to 5 mM. With read-times as short as 5 min, these caffeine- or aspartame-dependent ribozymes function as highly specific and facile molecular sensors. Interestingly, successful isolation of allosteric ribozymes for the analytes described here was enabled by a novel selection strategy that incorporated elements of both modular design and activity-based selection methods typically used for generation of catalytic nucleic acids. PMID:15026535

  12. Allosteric behavior in the activation of transducin mediated by rhodopsin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wessling-Resnick, M.; Johnson, G.I.

    1986-01-01

    Transducin is a member of the family of regulatory GTP-binding proteins which provide a signal transduction mechanism for many cell surface receptors. These receptors act in a catalytic manner to displace GDP bound to the G protein in exchange for GTP during a process referred to as activation. The authors have studied the steady-state kinetics of the activation of transducin mediated by rhodopsin by employing the non-hydrolyzable GTP analog, [ 35 S]-GTPγS. The substrate-velocity curves display remarkable allosteric behavior with a Hill coefficient, n/sub H/ = 2. Lineweaver-Burke plots with respect to reciprocal [transducin] show curvilinearity indicative of positive cooperativity. However, a series of parallel lines are generated by plotting the linear transformation as [transducin] -2 . The double reciprocal plots with respect to [GTPγS] are a series of parallel lines. The initial rate analysis supports a double displacement catalytic mechanism for the molecular interactions between the photon receptor, G protein, and guanine nucleotides. It remains to be determined whether the positive cooperative behavior the authors observe can be assigned to the interaction of multiple transducins with rhodopsin, the presence of an allosteric effector, or hysteresis in the receptor's activity. These unique observations also provide insight into the molecular interactions of members of the family of G protein-coupled receptors

  13. Endogenous vs Exogenous Allosteric Modulators in GPCRs: A dispute for shuttling CB1 among different membrane microenvironments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stornaiuolo, Mariano; Bruno, Agostino; Botta, Lorenzo; Regina, Giuseppe La; Cosconati, Sandro; Silvestri, Romano; Marinelli, Luciana; Novellino, Ettore

    2015-10-01

    A Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1) binding site for the selective allosteric modulator ORG27569 is here identified through an integrate approach of consensus pocket prediction, mutagenesis studies and Mass Spectrometry. This unprecedented ORG27569 pocket presents the structural features of a Cholesterol Consensus Motif, a cholesterol interacting region already found in other GPCRs. ORG27569 and cholesterol affects oppositely CB1 affinity for orthosteric ligands. Moreover, the rise in cholesterol intracellular level results in CB1 trafficking to the axonal region of neuronal cells, while, on the contrary, ORG27568 binding induces CB1 enrichment at the soma. This control of receptor migration among functionally different membrane regions of the cell further contributes to downstream signalling and adds a previously unknown mechanism underpinning CB1 modulation by ORG27569 , that goes beyond a mere control of receptor affinity for orthosteric ligands.

  14. Divergence of allosteric effects of rapacuronium on binding and function of muscarinic receptors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jakubík, Jan; Randáková, Alena; El-Fakahany, E. E.; Doležal, Vladimír

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 15 (2009), s. 1-20 ISSN 1471-2210 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA305/09/0681; GA MŠk(CZ) LC554; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA500110703 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : muscarinic receptors * allosteric modulation * rapacuronium Subject RIV: ED - Physiology

  15. Allosteric analysis of glucocorticoid receptor-DNA interface induced by cyclic Py-Im polyamide: a molecular dynamics simulation study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaru Wang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It has been extensively developed in recent years that cell-permeable small molecules, such as polyamide, can be programmed to disrupt transcription factor-DNA interfaces and can silence aberrant gene expression. For example, cyclic pyrrole-imidazole polyamide that competes with glucocorticoid receptor (GR for binding to glucocorticoid response elements could be expected to affect the DNA dependent binding by interfering with the protein-DNA interface. However, how such small molecules affect the transcription factor-DNA interfaces and gene regulatory pathways through DNA structure distortion is not fully understood so far. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the present work, we have constructed some models, especially the ternary model of polyamides+DNA+GR DNA-binding domain (GRDBD dimer, and carried out molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations for them to address how polyamide molecules disrupt the GRDBD and DNA interface when polyamide and protein bind at the same sites on opposite grooves of DNA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We found that the cyclic polyamide binding in minor groove of DNA can induce a large structural perturbation of DNA, i.e. a >4 Å widening of the DNA minor groove and a compression of the major groove by more than 4 Å as compared with the DNA molecule in the GRDBD dimer+DNA complex. Further investigations for the ternary system of polyamides+DNA+GRDBD dimer and the binary system of allosteric DNA+GRDBD dimer revealed that the compression of DNA major groove surface causes GRDBD to move away from the DNA major groove with the initial average distance of ∼4 Å to the final average distance of ∼10 Å during 40 ns simulation course. Therefore, this study straightforward explores how small molecule targeting specific sites in the DNA minor groove disrupts the transcription factor-DNA interface in DNA major groove, and consequently modulates gene expression.

  16. A Unified Model of the GABA(A) Receptor Comprising Agonist and Benzodiazepine Binding Sites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kongsbak, Kristine Grønning; Bergmann, Rikke; Sørensen, Pernille Louise

    2013-01-01

    We present a full-length a1b2c2 GABA receptor model optimized for agonists and benzodiazepine (BZD) allosteric modulators. We propose binding hypotheses for the agonists GABA, muscimol and THIP and for the allosteric modulator diazepam (DZP). The receptor model is primarily based on the glutamate......-gated chloride channel (GluCl) from C. elegans and includes additional structural information from the prokaryotic ligand-gated ion channel ELIC in a few regions. Available mutational data of the binding sites are well explained by the model and the proposed ligand binding poses. We suggest a GABA binding mode...... of the agonists in the orthosteric site. The carbonyl group of DZP is predicted to interact with two threonines a1T206 and c2T142, similar to the acidic moiety of GABA. The chlorine atom of DZP is placed near the important a1H101 and the N-methyl group near a1Y159, a1T206, and a1Y209. We present a binding mode...

  17. Allosteric interactions between agonists and antagonists within the adenosine A2A receptor-dopamine D2 receptor heterotetramer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonaventura, Jordi; Navarro, Gemma; Casadó-Anguera, Verònica; Azdad, Karima; Rea, William; Moreno, Estefanía; Brugarolas, Marc; Mallol, Josefa; Canela, Enric I; Lluís, Carme; Cortés, Antoni; Volkow, Nora D; Schiffmann, Serge N; Ferré, Sergi; Casadó, Vicent

    2015-07-07

    Adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) heteromers are key modulators of striatal neuronal function. It has been suggested that the psychostimulant effects of caffeine depend on its ability to block an allosteric modulation within the A2AR-D2R heteromer, by which adenosine decreases the affinity and intrinsic efficacy of dopamine at the D2R. We describe novel unsuspected allosteric mechanisms within the heteromer by which not only A2AR agonists, but also A2AR antagonists, decrease the affinity and intrinsic efficacy of D2R agonists and the affinity of D2R antagonists. Strikingly, these allosteric modulations disappear on agonist and antagonist coadministration. This can be explained by a model that considers A2AR-D2R heteromers as heterotetramers, constituted by A2AR and D2R homodimers, as demonstrated by experiments with bioluminescence resonance energy transfer and bimolecular fluorescence and bioluminescence complementation. As predicted by the model, high concentrations of A2AR antagonists behaved as A2AR agonists and decreased D2R function in the brain.

  18. Enzyme activity and allosteric characteristics of gamma-irradiated solid aspartate transcarbamylase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bigler, W.N.; Tolbert, B.M.

    1977-01-01

    Aspartate transcarbamylase purified from E. coli was lyophilized, irradiated in vacuo with γ radiation from a cesium-137 source, redissolved in buffer under a nitrogen atmosphere, and assayed for enzyme activity. Lyophilized and redissolved enzyme had normal catalytic and allosteric kinetic characteristics. The average D 37 observed with saturating substrate, 25 mM aspartate, was 4.1 Mrad. With less than saturating substrate, 5 mM aspartate, the activity increases from zero to 1.6 Mrad and then decreases with a D 37 of 7.2 Mrad. Inclusion of 1 mM CTP, an allosteric inhibitor, in the 5 mM aspartate assays results in a more pronounced maximum in the activity curve occurring at slightly higher dose, 2.2 Mrad. Inhibitability by CTP has a D 37 of 2.3 Mrad with doses below the activity maximum. Enzyme lyophilized in the presence of 1 mM CTP has a D 37 of 2.9 Mrad. ATCase activity changes caused by irradiation of lyophylized bacteria were qualitatively like the changes observed in the detailed studies with the purified enzyme. Apparent radiation sensitivities of ATCase in lyophilized bacteria were observed to vary with the technique used to disrupt the resuspended bacteria

  19. [{sup 3}H]CGP 61594, the first photoaffinity ligand for the glycine site of NMDA receptors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benke, D.; Honer, M.; Mohler, H. [Institute of Pharmacology, ETH and University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Heckendorn, R.; Pozza, M.F.; Allgeier, H.; Angst, C. [NS Research, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basle (Switzerland)

    1999-02-01

    Activation of NMDA receptors requires the presence of glycine as a coagonist which binds to a site that is allosterically linked to the glutamate binding site. To identify the protein constituents of the glycine binding site in situ the photoaffinity label [{sup 3}H]CGP 61594 was synthesized. In reversible binding assays using crude rat brain membranes, [{sup 3}H]CGP 61594 labeled with high affinity (K{sub D}=23 nM) the glycine site of the NMDA receptor. This was evident from the Scatchard analysis, the displacing potencies of various glycine site ligands and the allosteric modulation of [{sup 3}H]CGP 61594 binding by ligands of the glutamate and polyamine sites. Electrophysiological experiments in a neocortical slice preparation identified CGP 61594 as a glycine antagonist. Upon UV-irradiation, a protein band of 115 kDa was specifically photolabeled by [{sup 3}H]CGP 61594 in brain membrane preparations. The photolabeled protein was identified as the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor by NR1 subunit-specific immunoaffinity chromatography. Thus, [{sup 3}H]CGP 61594 is the first photoaffinity label for the glycine site of NMDA receptors. It will serve as a tool for the identification of structural elements that are involved in the formation of the glycine binding domain of NMDA receptors in situ and will thereby complement the mutational analysis of recombinant receptors. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  20. A chimeric prokaryotic-eukaryotic pentameric ligand gated ion channel reveals interactions between the extracellular and transmembrane domains shape neurosteroid modulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Borna; Tsao, Tzu-Wei; Czajkowski, Cynthia

    2017-10-01

    Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are the targets of several clinical and endogenous allosteric modulators including anesthetics and neurosteroids. Molecular mechanisms underlying allosteric drug modulation are poorly understood. Here, we constructed a chimeric pLGIC by fusing the extracellular domain (ECD) of the proton-activated, cation-selective bacterial channel GLIC to the transmembrane domain (TMD) of the human ρ1 chloride-selective GABA A R, and tested the hypothesis that drug actions are regulated locally in the domain that houses its binding site. The chimeric channels were proton-gated and chloride-selective demonstrating the GLIC ECD was functionally coupled to the GABAρ TMD. Channels were blocked by picrotoxin and inhibited by pentobarbital, etomidate and propofol. The point mutation, ρ TMD W328M, conferred positive modulation and direct gating by pentobarbital. The data suggest that the structural machinery mediating general anesthetic modulation resides in the TMD. Proton-activation and neurosteroid modulation of the GLIC-ρ chimeric channels, however, did not simply mimic their respective actions on GLIC and GABAρ revealing that across domain interactions between the ECD and TMD play important roles in determining their actions. Proton-induced current responses were biphasic suggesting that the chimeric channels contain an additional proton sensor. Neurosteroid modulation of the GLIC-ρ chimeric channels by the stereoisomers, 5α-THDOC and 5β-THDOC, were swapped compared to their actions on GABAρ indicating that positive versus negative neurosteroid modulation is not encoded solely in the TMD nor by neurosteroid isomer structure but is dependent on specific interdomain connections between the ECD and TMD. Our data reveal a new mechanism for shaping neurosteroid modulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. A genome-wide map of hyper-edited RNA reveals numerous new sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porath, Hagit T.; Carmi, Shai; Levanon, Erez Y.

    2014-01-01

    Adenosine-to-inosine editing is one of the most frequent post-transcriptional modifications, manifested as A-to-G mismatches when comparing RNA sequences with their source DNA. Recently, a number of RNA-seq data sets have been screened for the presence of A-to-G editing, and hundreds of thousands of editing sites identified. Here we show that existing screens missed the majority of sites by ignoring reads with excessive (‘hyper’) editing that do not easily align to the genome. We show that careful alignment and examination of the unmapped reads in RNA-seq studies reveal numerous new sites, usually many more than originally discovered, and in precisely those regions that are most heavily edited. Specifically, we discover 327,096 new editing sites in the heavily studied Illumina Human BodyMap data and more than double the number of detected sites in several published screens. We also identify thousands of new sites in mouse, rat, opossum and fly. Our results establish that hyper-editing events account for the majority of editing sites. PMID:25158696

  2. The active site of oxidative phosphorylation and the origin of hyperhomocysteinemia in aging and dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCully, Kilmer S

    2015-01-01

    The active site of oxidative phosphorylation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis in mitochondria is proposed to consist of two molecules of thioretinamide bound to cobalamin, forming thioretinaco, complexed with ozone, oxygen, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. and inorganic phosphate, TR2CoO3O2NAD(+)H2PO4(-). Reduction of the pyridinium nitrogen of the nicotinamide group by an electron from electron transport complexes initiates polymerization of phosphate with adenosine diphosphate, yielding nicotinamide riboside and ATP bound to thioretinaco ozonide oxygen. A second electron reduces oxygen to hydroperoxyl radical, releasing ATP from the active site. A proton gradient is created within F1F0 ATPase complexes of mitochondria by reaction of protons with reduced nicotinamide riboside and with hydroperoxyl radical, yielding reduced nicotinamide riboside and hydroperoxide. The hyperhomocysteinemia of aging and dementia is attributed to decreased synthesis of adenosyl methionine by thioretinaco ozonide and ATP, causing decreased allosteric activation of cystathionine synthase and decreased allosteric inhibition of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and resulting in dysregulation of methionine metabolism. © 2015 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.

  3. The location and nature of general anesthetic binding sites on the active conformation of firefly luciferase; a time resolved photolabeling study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sivananthaperumal Shanmugasundararaj

    Full Text Available Firefly luciferase is one of the few soluble proteins that is acted upon by a wide variety of general anesthetics and alcohols; they inhibit the ATP-driven production of light. We have used time-resolved photolabeling to locate the binding sites of alcohols during the initial light output, some 200 ms after adding ATP. The photolabel 3-azioctanol inhibited the initial light output with an IC50 of 200 µM, close to its general anesthetic potency. Photoincorporation of [(3H]3-azioctanol into luciferase was saturable but weak. It was enhanced 200 ms after adding ATP but was negligible minutes later. Sequencing of tryptic digests by HPLC-MSMS revealed a similar conformation-dependence for photoincorporation of 3-azioctanol into Glu-313, a residue that lines the bottom of a deep cleft (vestibule whose outer end binds luciferin. An aromatic diazirine analog of benzyl alcohol with broader side chain reactivity reported two sites. First, it photolabeled two residues in the vestibule, Ser-286 and Ile-288, both of which are implicated with Glu-313 in the conformation change accompanying activation. Second, it photolabeled two residues that contact luciferin, Ser-316 and Ser-349. Thus, time resolved photolabeling supports two mechanisms of action. First, an allosteric one, in which anesthetics bind in the vestibule displacing water molecules that are thought to be involved in light output. Second, a competitive one, in which anesthetics bind isosterically with luciferin. This work provides structural evidence that supports the competitive and allosteric actions previously characterized by kinetic studies.

  4. Heat shock protein 70 inhibitors. 2. 2,5'-thiodipyrimidines, 5-(phenylthio)pyrimidines, 2-(pyridin-3-ylthio)pyrimidines, and 3-(phenylthio)pyridines as reversible binders to an allosteric site on heat shock protein 70.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taldone, Tony; Kang, Yanlong; Patel, Hardik J; Patel, Maulik R; Patel, Pallav D; Rodina, Anna; Patel, Yogita; Gozman, Alexander; Maharaj, Ronnie; Clement, Cristina C; Lu, Alvin; Young, Jason C; Chiosis, Gabriela

    2014-02-27

    The discovery and development of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) inhibitors is currently a hot topic in cancer. In the preceding paper in this issue ( 10.1021/jm401551n ), we have described structure-activity relationship studies in the first Hsp70 inhibitor class rationally designed to bind to a novel allosteric pocket located in the N-terminal domain of the protein. These ligands contained an acrylamide to take advantage of an active cysteine embedded in the allosteric pocket and acted as covalent protein modifiers upon binding. Here, we perform chemical modifications around the irreversible inhibitor scaffold to demonstrate that covalent modification is not a requirement for activity within this class of compounds. The study identifies derivative 27c, which mimics the biological effects of the irreversible inhibitors at comparable concentrations. Collectively, the back-to-back manuscripts describe the first pharmacophores that favorably and selectively interact with a never explored pocket in Hsp70 and provide a novel blueprint for a cancer-oriented development of Hsp70-directed ligands.

  5. Engineering integrated digital circuits with allosteric ribozymes for scaling up molecular computation and diagnostics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penchovsky, Robert

    2012-10-19

    Here we describe molecular implementations of integrated digital circuits, including a three-input AND logic gate, a two-input multiplexer, and 1-to-2 decoder using allosteric ribozymes. Furthermore, we demonstrate a multiplexer-decoder circuit. The ribozymes are designed to seek-and-destroy specific RNAs with a certain length by a fully computerized procedure. The algorithm can accurately predict one base substitution that alters the ribozyme's logic function. The ability to sense the length of RNA molecules enables single ribozymes to be used as platforms for multiple interactions. These ribozymes can work as integrated circuits with the functionality of up to five logic gates. The ribozyme design is universal since the allosteric and substrate domains can be altered to sense different RNAs. In addition, the ribozymes can specifically cleave RNA molecules with triplet-repeat expansions observed in genetic disorders such as oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. Therefore, the designer ribozymes can be employed for scaling up computing and diagnostic networks in the fields of molecular computing and diagnostics and RNA synthetic biology.

  6. Prediction of consensus binding mode geometries for related chemical series of positive allosteric modulators of adenosine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakkal, Leon A; Rajkowski, Kyle Z; Armen, Roger S

    2017-06-05

    Following insights from recent crystal structures of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, binding modes of Positive Allosteric Modulators (PAMs) were predicted under the assumption that PAMs should bind to the extracellular surface of the active state. A series of well-characterized PAMs for adenosine (A 1 R, A 2A R, A 3 R) and muscarinic acetylcholine (M 1 R, M 5 R) receptors were modeled using both rigid and flexible receptor CHARMM-based molecular docking. Studies of adenosine receptors investigated the molecular basis of the probe-dependence of PAM activity by modeling in complex with specific agonist radioligands. Consensus binding modes map common pharmacophore features of several chemical series to specific binding interactions. These models provide a rationalization of how PAM binding slows agonist radioligand dissociation kinetics. M 1 R PAMs were predicted to bind in the analogous M 2 R PAM LY2119620 binding site. The M 5 R NAM (ML-375) was predicted to bind in the PAM (ML-380) binding site with a unique induced-fit receptor conformation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Structural changes at the myrtenol backbone reverse its positive allosteric potential into inhibitory GABAA receptor modulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Milanos, Sinem; Kuenzel, Katharina; Gilbert, Daniel F

    2017-01-01

    monoterpenes, e.g. myrtenol as positive allosteric modulator at α1β2 GABAA receptors. Here, along with pharmacophore-based virtual screening studies, we demonstrate that scaffold modifications of myrtenol resulted in loss of modulatory activity. Two independent approaches, fluorescence-based compound analysis...

  8. Modulation in selectivity and allosteric properties of small-molecule ligands for CC-chemokine receptors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thiele, Stefanie; Malmgaard-Clausen, Mikkel; Engel-Andreasen, Jens

    2012-01-01

    Among 18 human chemokine receptors, CCR1, CCR4, CCR5, and CCR8 were activated by metal ion Zn(II) or Cu(II) in complex with 2,2'-bipyridine or 1,10-phenanthroline with similar potencies (EC(50) from 3.9 to 172 μM). Besides being agonists, they acted as selective allosteric enhancers of CCL3. Thes...

  9. Complex pharmacology of novel allosteric free fatty acid 3 receptor ligands

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hudson, Brian D; Christiansen, Elisabeth; Murdoch, Hannah

    2014-01-01

    this series resulted in compounds completely lacking activity, acting as FFA3 PAMs, or appearing to act as FFA3-negative allosteric modulators. However, the pharmacology of this series was further complicated in that certain analogs displaying overall antagonism of FFA3 function actually appeared to generate......, considerable care must be taken to define the pharmacological characteristics of specific compounds before useful predictions of their activity and their use in defining specific roles of FFA3 in either in vitro and in vivo settings can be made....

  10. Thermodynamics and structural analysis of positive allosteric modulation of the ionotropic glutamate receptor GluA2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krintel, Christian; Frydenvang, Karla; Olsen, Lars

    2012-01-01

    Positive allosteric modulators of the ionotropic glutamate receptor-2 (GluA2) are promising compounds for the treatment of cognitive disorders, e.g. Alzheimer's disease. These modulators bind within the dimer interface of the ligand-binding domain and stabilize the agonist-bound conformation slow...

  11. Proteomic analysis of lysine acetylation sites in rat tissues reveals organ specificity and subcellular patterns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundby, Alicia; Hansen, Kasper Lage; Weinert, Brian Tate

    2012-01-01

    ,541 proteins and provide the data set as a web-based database. We demonstrate that lysine acetylation displays site-specific sequence motifs that diverge between cellular compartments, with a significant fraction of nuclear sites conforming to the consensus motifs G-AcK and AcK-P. Our data set reveals...

  12. Chemogenomic discovery of allosteric antagonists at the GPRC6A receptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gloriam, David E.; Wellendorph, Petrine; Johansen, Lars Dan

    2011-01-01

    and pharmacological character: (1) chemogenomic lead identification through the first, to our knowledge, ligand inference between two different GPCR families, Families A and C; and (2) the discovery of the most selective GPRC6A allosteric antagonists discovered to date. The unprecedented inference of...... pharmacological activity across GPCR families provides proof-of-concept for in silico approaches against Family C targets based on Family A templates, greatly expanding the prospects of successful drug design and discovery. The antagonists were tested against a panel of seven Family A and C G protein-coupled receptors...

  13. Adrenergic Agonists Bind to Adrenergic-Receptor-Like Regions of the Mu Opioid Receptor, Enhancing Morphine and Methionine-Enkephalin Binding: A New Approach to "Biased Opioids"?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Root-Bernstein, Robert; Turke, Miah; Subhramanyam, Udaya K Tiruttani; Churchill, Beth; Labahn, Joerg

    2018-01-17

    Extensive evidence demonstrates functional interactions between the adrenergic and opioid systems in a diversity of tissues and organs. While some effects are due to receptor and second messenger cross-talk, recent research has revealed an extracellular, allosteric opioid binding site on adrenergic receptors that enhances adrenergic activity and its duration. The present research addresses whether opioid receptors may have an equivalent extracellular, allosteric adrenergic binding site that has similar enhancing effects on opioid binding. Comparison of adrenergic and opioid receptor sequences revealed that these receptors share very significant regions of similarity, particularly in some of the extracellular and transmembrane regions associated with adrenergic binding in the adrenergic receptors. Five of these shared regions from the mu opioid receptor (muOPR) were synthesized as peptides and tested for binding to adrenergic, opioid and control compounds using ultraviolet spectroscopy. Adrenergic compounds bound to several of these muOPR peptides with low micromolar affinity while acetylcholine, histamine and various adrenergic antagonists did not. Similar studies were then conducted with purified, intact muOPR with similar results. Combinations of epinephrine with methionine enkephalin or morphine increased the binding of both by about half a log unit. These results suggest that muOPR may be allosterically enhanced by adrenergic agonists.

  14. Adrenergic Agonists Bind to Adrenergic-Receptor-Like Regions of the Mu Opioid Receptor, Enhancing Morphine and Methionine-Enkephalin Binding: A New Approach to “Biased Opioids”?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turke, Miah; Subhramanyam, Udaya K. Tiruttani; Churchill, Beth; Labahn, Joerg

    2018-01-01

    Extensive evidence demonstrates functional interactions between the adrenergic and opioid systems in a diversity of tissues and organs. While some effects are due to receptor and second messenger cross-talk, recent research has revealed an extracellular, allosteric opioid binding site on adrenergic receptors that enhances adrenergic activity and its duration. The present research addresses whether opioid receptors may have an equivalent extracellular, allosteric adrenergic binding site that has similar enhancing effects on opioid binding. Comparison of adrenergic and opioid receptor sequences revealed that these receptors share very significant regions of similarity, particularly in some of the extracellular and transmembrane regions associated with adrenergic binding in the adrenergic receptors. Five of these shared regions from the mu opioid receptor (muOPR) were synthesized as peptides and tested for binding to adrenergic, opioid and control compounds using ultraviolet spectroscopy. Adrenergic compounds bound to several of these muOPR peptides with low micromolar affinity while acetylcholine, histamine and various adrenergic antagonists did not. Similar studies were then conducted with purified, intact muOPR with similar results. Combinations of epinephrine with methionine enkephalin or morphine increased the binding of both by about half a log unit. These results suggest that muOPR may be allosterically enhanced by adrenergic agonists. PMID:29342106

  15. Adrenergic Agonists Bind to Adrenergic-Receptor-Like Regions of the Mu Opioid Receptor, Enhancing Morphine and Methionine-Enkephalin Binding: A New Approach to “Biased Opioids”?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Root-Bernstein

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Extensive evidence demonstrates functional interactions between the adrenergic and opioid systems in a diversity of tissues and organs. While some effects are due to receptor and second messenger cross-talk, recent research has revealed an extracellular, allosteric opioid binding site on adrenergic receptors that enhances adrenergic activity and its duration. The present research addresses whether opioid receptors may have an equivalent extracellular, allosteric adrenergic binding site that has similar enhancing effects on opioid binding. Comparison of adrenergic and opioid receptor sequences revealed that these receptors share very significant regions of similarity, particularly in some of the extracellular and transmembrane regions associated with adrenergic binding in the adrenergic receptors. Five of these shared regions from the mu opioid receptor (muOPR were synthesized as peptides and tested for binding to adrenergic, opioid and control compounds using ultraviolet spectroscopy. Adrenergic compounds bound to several of these muOPR peptides with low micromolar affinity while acetylcholine, histamine and various adrenergic antagonists did not. Similar studies were then conducted with purified, intact muOPR with similar results. Combinations of epinephrine with methionine enkephalin or morphine increased the binding of both by about half a log unit. These results suggest that muOPR may be allosterically enhanced by adrenergic agonists.

  16. The binding site for neohesperidin dihydrochalcone at the human sweet taste receptor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kratochwil Nicole A

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Differences in sweet taste perception among species depend on structural variations of the sweet taste receptor. The commercially used isovanillyl sweetener neohesperidin dihydrochalcone activates the human but not the rat sweet receptor TAS1R2+TAS1R3. Analysis of interspecies combinations and chimeras of rat and human TAS1R2+TAS1R3 suggested that the heptahelical domain of human TAS1R3 is crucial for the activation of the sweet receptor by neohesperidin dihydrochalcone. Results By mutational analysis combined with functional studies and molecular modeling we identified a set of different amino acid residues within the heptahelical domain of human TAS1R3 that forms the neohesperidin dihydrochalcone binding pocket. Sixteen amino acid residues in the transmembrane domains 2 to 7 and one in the extracellular loop 2 of hTAS1R3 influenced the receptor's response to neohesperidin dihydrochalcone. Some of these seventeen residues are also part of the binding sites for the sweetener cyclamate or the sweet taste inhibitor lactisole. In line with this observation, lactisole inhibited activation of the sweet receptor by neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and cyclamate competitively, whereas receptor activation by aspartame, a sweetener known to bind to the N-terminal domain of TAS1R2, was allosterically inhibited. Seven of the amino acid positions crucial for activation of hTAS1R2+hTAS1R3 by neohesperidin dihydrochalcone are thought to play a role in the binding of allosteric modulators of other class C GPCRs, further supporting our model of the neohesperidin dihydrochalcone pharmacophore. Conclusion From our data we conclude that we identified the neohesperidin dihydrochalcone binding site at the human sweet taste receptor, which overlaps with those for the sweetener cyclamate and the sweet taste inhibitor lactisole. This readily delivers a molecular explanation of our finding that lactisole is a competitive inhibitor of the receptor

  17. Mutation of I696 and W697 in the TRP box of vanilloid receptor subtype I modulates allosteric channel activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregorio-Teruel, Lucia; Valente, Pierluigi; González-Ros, José Manuel; Fernández-Ballester, Gregorio; Ferrer-Montiel, Antonio

    2014-03-01

    The transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor subtype I (TRPV1) channel acts as a polymodal sensory receptor gated by chemical and physical stimuli. Like other TRP channels, TRPV1 contains in its C terminus a short, conserved domain called the TRP box, which is necessary for channel gating. Substitution of two TRP box residues-I696 and W697-with Ala markedly affects TRPV1's response to all activating stimuli, which indicates that these two residues play a crucial role in channel gating. We systematically replaced I696 and W697 with 18 native l-amino acids (excluding cysteine) and evaluated the effect on voltage- and capsaicin-dependent gating. Mutation of I696 decreased channel activation by either voltage or capsaicin; furthermore, gating was only observed with substitution of hydrophobic amino acids. Substitution of W697 with any of the 18 amino acids abolished gating in response to depolarization alone, shifting the threshold to unreachable voltages, but not capsaicin-mediated gating. Moreover, vanilloid-activated responses of W697X mutants showed voltage-dependent gating along with a strong voltage-independent component. Analysis of the data using an allosteric model of activation indicates that mutation of I696 and W697 primarily affects the allosteric coupling constants of the ligand and voltage sensors to the channel pore. Together, our findings substantiate the notion that inter- and/or intrasubunit interactions at the level of the TRP box are critical for efficient coupling of stimulus sensing and gate opening. Perturbation of these interactions markedly reduces the efficacy and potency of the activating stimuli. Furthermore, our results identify these interactions as potential sites for pharmacological intervention.

  18. The therapeutic potential of allosteric ligands for free fatty acid sensitive GPCRs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hudson, Brian D; Ulven, Trond; Milligan, Graeme

    2013-01-01

    G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the most historically successful therapeutic targets. Despite this success there are many important aspects of GPCR pharmacology and function that have yet to be exploited to their full therapeutic potential. One in particular that has been gaining attention...... safety, more physiologically appropriate responses, better target selectivity, and reduced likelihood of desensitisation and tachyphylaxis. Despite these advantages, the development of allosteric ligands is often difficult from a medicinal chemistry standpoint due to the more complex challenge...

  19. Structural Fine-Tuning of MIT-Interacting Motif 2 (MIM2) and Allosteric Regulation of ESCRT-III by Vps4 in Yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kojima, Rieko; Obita, Takayuki; Onoue, Kousuke; Mizuguchi, Mineyuki

    2016-06-05

    The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) facilitates roles in membrane remodeling, such as multivesicular body biogenesis, enveloped virus budding and cell division. In yeast, Vps4 plays a crucial role in intraluminal vesicle formation by disassembling ESCRT proteins. Vps4 is recruited by ESCRT-III proteins to the endosomal membrane through the interaction between the microtubule interacting and trafficking (MIT) domain of Vps4 and the C-terminal MIT-interacting motif (MIM) of ESCRT-III proteins. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of Vps4-MIT in a complex with Vps20, a member of ESCRT-III, and revealed that Vps20 adopts a unique MIM2 conformation. Based on structural comparisons with other known MIM2s, we have refined the consensus sequence of MIM2. We have shown that another ESCRT-III protein, Ist1, binds to Vps4-MIT via its C-terminal MIM1 with higher affinity than Vps2, but lacks MIM2 by surface plasmon resonance. Surprisingly, the Ist1 MIM1 competed with the MIM2 of Vfa1, a regulator of Vps4, for binding to Vps4-MIT, even though these MIMs bind in non-overlapping sites on the MIT. These findings provide insight into the allosteric recognition of MIMs of ESCRT-III by Vps4 and also the regulation of ESCRT machinery at the last step of membrane remodeling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Determinants of positive cooperativity between strychnine-like allosteric modulators and N-methylscopolamine at muscarinic receptors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jakubík, Jan; Doležal, Vladimír

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 30, č. 1-2 (2006), s. 111-112 ISSN 0895-8696 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA305/05/0452; GA MŠk(CZ) LC554 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : muscarinic receptors * strychnine -like allosteric modulators * cooperativity Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 2.965, year: 2006

  1. Positive allosteric modulation of GABA-A receptors reduces capsaicin-induced primary and secondary hypersensitivity in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Rikke Rie; Erichsen, Helle K; Brown, David T

    2012-01-01

    GABA-A receptor positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) mediate robust analgesia in animal models of pathological pain, in part via enhancing injury-induced loss of GABA-A-α2 and -α3 receptor function within the spinal cord. As yet, a lack of clinically suitable tool compounds has prevented this co...

  2. Dual interaction of agmatine with the rat α2D-adrenoceptor: competitive antagonism and allosteric activation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molderings, G J; Menzel, S; Kathmann, M; Schlicker, E; Göthert, M

    2000-01-01

    In segments of rat vena cava preincubated with [3H]-noradrenaline and superfused with physiological salt solution, the influence of agmatine on the electrically evoked [3H]-noradrenaline release, the EP3 prostaglandin receptor-mediated and the α2D-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of evoked [3H]-noradrenaline release was investigated. Agmatine (0.1–10 μM) by itself was without effect on evoked [3H]-noradrenaline release. In the presence of 10 μM agmatine, the prostaglandin E2(PGE2)-induced EP3-receptor-mediated inhibition of [3H]-noradrenaline release was not modified, whereas the α2D-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of [3H]-noradrenaline release induced by noradrenaline, moxonidine or clonidine was more pronounced than in the absence of agmatine. However, 1 mM agmatine antagonized the moxonidine-induced inhibition of [3H]-noradrenaline release. Agmatine concentration-dependently inhibited the binding of [3H]-clonidine and [3H]-rauwolscine to rat brain cortex membranes (Ki values 6 μM and 12 μM, respectively). In addition, 30 and 100 μM agmatine increased the rate of association and decreased the rate of dissociation of [3H]-clonidine resulting in an increased affinity of the radioligand for the α2D-adrenoceptors. [14C]-agmatine labelled specific binding sites on rat brain cortex membranes. In competition experiments. [14C]-agmatine was inhibited from binding to its specific recognition sites by unlabelled agmatine, but not by rauwolscine and moxonidine. In conclusion, the present data indicate that agmatine both acts as an antagonist at the ligand recognition site of the α2D-adrenoceptor and enhances the effects of α2-adrenoceptor agonists probably by binding to an allosteric binding site of the α2D-adrenoceptor which seems to be labelled by [14C]-agmatine. PMID:10928978

  3. New insight into the binding modes of TNP-AMP to human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xinya; Huang, Yunyuan; Zhang, Rui; Xiao, San; Zhu, Shuaihuan; Qin, Nian; Hong, Zongqin; Wei, Lin; Feng, Jiangtao; Ren, Yanliang; Feng, Lingling; Wan, Jian

    2016-08-05

    Human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) contains two binding sites, a substrate fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) active site and an adenosine monophosphate (AMP) allosteric site. The FBP active site works by stabilizing the FBPase, and the allosteric site impairs the activity of FBPase through its binding of a nonsubstrate molecule. The fluorescent AMP analogue, 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine 5'-monophosphate (TNP-AMP) has been used as a fluorescent probe as it is able to competitively inhibit AMP binding to the AMP allosteric site and, therefore, could be used for exploring the binding modes of inhibitors targeted on the allosteric site. In this study, we have re-examined the binding modes of TNP-AMP to FBPase. However, our present enzyme kinetic assays show that AMP and FBP both can reduce the fluorescence from the bound TNP-AMP through competition for FBPase, suggesting that TNP-AMP binds not only to the AMP allosteric site but also to the FBP active site. Mutagenesis assays of K274L (located in the FBP active site) show that the residue K274 is very important for TNP-AMP to bind to the active site of FBPase. The results further prove that TNP-AMP is able to bind individually to the both sites. Our present study provides a new insight into the binding mechanism of TNP-AMP to the FBPase. The TNP-AMP fluorescent probe can be used to exam the binding site of an inhibitor (the active site or the allosteric site) using FBPase saturated by AMP and FBP, respectively, or the K247L mutant FBPase. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Allosteric activation of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor by selective, nonpeptide agonists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanofsky, Stephen D; Shen, Emily S; Holden, Frank; Whitehorn, Erik; Aguilar, Barbara; Tate, Emily; Holmes, Christopher P; Scheuerman, Randall; MacLean, Derek; Wu, May M; Frail, Donald E; López, Francisco J; Winneker, Richard; Arey, Brian J; Barrett, Ronald W

    2006-05-12

    The pituitary glycoprotein hormones, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), act through their cognate receptors to initiate a series of coordinated physiological events that results in germ cell maturation. Given the importance of FSH in regulating folliculogenesis and fertility, the development of FSH mimetics has been sought to treat infertility. Currently, purified and recombinant human FSH are the only FSH receptor (FSH-R) agonists available for infertility treatment. By screening unbiased combinatorial chemistry libraries, using a cAMP-responsive luciferase reporter assay, we discovered thiazolidinone agonists (EC50's = 20 microm) of the human FSH-R. Subsequent analog library screening and parallel synthesis optimization resulted in the identification of a potent agonist (EC50 = 2 nm) with full efficacy compared with FSH that was FSH-R-selective and -dependent. The compound mediated progesterone production in Y1 cells transfected with the human FSH-R (EC50 = 980 nm) and estradiol production from primary rat ovarian granulosa cells (EC50 = 10.5 nm). This and related compounds did not compete with FSH for binding to the FSH-R. Use of human FSH/thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor chimeras suggested a novel mechanism for receptor activation through a binding site independent of the natural hormone binding site. This study is the first report of a high affinity small molecule agonist that activates a glycoprotein hormone receptor through an allosteric mechanism. The small molecule FSH receptor agonists described here could lead to an oral alternative to the current parenteral FSH treatments used clinically to induce ovarian stimulation for both in vivo and in vitro fertilization therapy.

  5. Large-Scale Phosphoproteomics Reveals Shp-2 Phosphatase-Dependent Regulators of Pdgf Receptor Signaling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Batth, Tanveer S; Papetti, Moreno; Pfeiffer, Anamarija

    2018-01-01

    Despite its low cellular abundance, phosphotyrosine (pTyr) regulates numerous cell signaling pathways in health and disease. We applied comprehensive phosphoproteomics to unravel differential regulators of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-initiated signaling networks upon activation by Pdgf-ββ, Fgf-2...... of Pdgfr pTyr signaling. Application of a recently introduced allosteric Shp-2 inhibitor revealed global regulation of the Pdgf-dependent tyrosine phosphoproteome, which significantly impaired cell migration. In addition, we present a list of hundreds of Shp-2-dependent targets and putative substrates...

  6. Sites involved in intra- and interdomain allostery associated with the activation of factor VIIa pinpointed by hydrogen-deuterium exchange and electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Hongjian; Olsen, Ole H; Persson, Egon; Rand, Kasper D

    2014-12-19

    Factor VIIa (FVIIa) is a trypsin-like protease that plays an important role in initiating blood coagulation. Very limited structural information is available for the free, inactive form of FVIIa that circulates in the blood prior to vascular injury and the molecular details of its activity enhancement remain elusive. Here we have applied hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry coupled to electron transfer dissociation to pinpoint individual residues in the heavy chain of FVIIa whose conformation and/or local interaction pattern changes when the enzyme transitions to the active form, as induced either by its cofactor tissue factor or a covalent active site inhibitor. Identified regulatory residues are situated at key sites across one continuous surface of the protease domain spanning the TF-binding helix across the activation pocket to the calcium binding site and are embedded in elements of secondary structure and at the base of flexible loops. Thus these residues are optimally positioned to mediate crosstalk between functional sites in FVIIa, particularly the cofactor binding site and the active site. Our results unambiguously show that the conformational allosteric activation signal extends to the EGF1 domain in the light chain of FVIIa, underscoring a remarkable intra- and interdomain allosteric regulation of this trypsin-like protease. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  7. Enhancing NMDA Receptor Function: Recent Progress on Allosteric Modulators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lulu Yao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs are subtype glutamate receptors that play important roles in excitatory neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. Their hypo- or hyperactivation are proposed to contribute to the genesis or progression of various brain diseases, including stroke, schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. Past efforts in targeting NMDARs for therapeutic intervention have largely been on inhibitors of NMDARs. In light of the discovery of NMDAR hypofunction in psychiatric disorders and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease, efforts in boosting NMDAR activity/functions have surged in recent years. In this review, we will focus on enhancing NMDAR functions, especially on the recent progress in the generation of subunit-selective, allosteric positive modulators (PAMs of NMDARs. We shall also discuss the usefulness of these newly developed NMDAR-PAMs.

  8. Long chain fatty acids alter the interactive binding of ligands to the two principal drug binding sites of human serum albumin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keishi Yamasaki

    Full Text Available A wide variety of drugs bind to human serum albumin (HSA at its two principal sites, namely site I and site II. A number of reports indicate that drug binding to these two binding sites are not completely independent, and that interactions between ligands of these two discrete sites can play a role. In this study, the effect of the binding of long-chain fatty acids on the interactive binding between dansyl-L-asparagine (DNSA; site I ligand and ibuprofen (site II ligand at pH6.5 was examined. Binding experiments showed that the binding of sodium oleate (Ole to HSA induces conformational changes in the molecule, which, in turn, changes the individual binding of DNSA and ibuprofen, as well as the mode of interaction between these two ligands from a 'competitive-like' allosteric interaction in the case of the defatted HSA conformer to a 'nearly independent' binding in the case of non-defatted HSA conformer. Circular dichroism measurements indicated that ibuprofen and Ole are likely to modify the spatial orientation of DNSA at its binding site. Docking simulations suggest that the long-distance electric repulsion between DNSA and ibuprofen on defatted HSA contributes to a 'competitive-like' allosteric interaction, whereas extending the distance between ligands and/or increasing the flexibility or size of the DNSA binding site in fatted HSA evokes a change in the interaction mode to 'nearly independent' binding. The present findings provide further insights into the structural dynamics of HSA upon the binding of fatty acids, and its effects on drug binding and drug-drug interactions that occur on HSA.

  9. mGluR5 Positive Allosteric Modulation Enhances Extinction Learning Following Cocaine Self-Administration

    OpenAIRE

    Cleva, Richard M.; Hicks, Megan P.; Gass, Justin T.; Wischerath, Kelly C.; Plasters, Elizabeth T.; Widholm, John J.; Olive, M. Foster

    2011-01-01

    Extinction of classically and instrumentally conditioned behaviors, such as conditioned fear and drug-seeking behavior, is a process of active learning, and recent studies indicate that potentiation of glutamatergic transmission facilitates extinction learning. In this study we investigated the effects of the type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5) positive allosteric modulator 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide (CDPPB) on the extinction of cocaine-seeking behavior in ...

  10. The odyssey of a young gene: structure-function studies in human glutamate dehydrogenases reveal evolutionary-acquired complex allosteric regulation mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaganas, Ioannis V; Kanavouras, Konstantinos; Borompokas, Nikolas; Arianoglou, Giovanna; Dimovasili, Christina; Latsoudis, Helen; Vlassi, Metaxia; Mastorodemos, Vasileios

    2014-01-01

    Mammalian glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) catalyzes the reversible inter-conversion of glutamate to α-ketoglutarate and ammonia, interconnecting carbon skeleton and nitrogen metabolism. In addition, it functions as an energy switch by its ability to fuel the Krebs cycle depending on the energy status of the cell. As GDH lies at the intersection of several metabolic pathways, its activity is tightly regulated by several allosteric compounds that are metabolic intermediates. In contrast to other mammals that have a single GDH-encoding gene, humans and great apes possess two isoforms of GDH (hGDH1 and hGDH2, encoded by the GLUD1 and GLUD2 genes, respectively) with distinct regulation pattern, but remarkable sequence similarity (they differ, in their mature form, in only 15 of their 505 amino-acids). The GLUD2 gene is considered a very young gene, emerging from the GLUD1 gene through retro-position only recently (<23 million years ago). The new hGDH2 iso-enzyme, through random mutations and natural selection, is thought to have conferred an evolutionary advantage that helped its persistence through primate evolution. The properties of the two highly homologous human GDHs have been studied using purified recombinant hGDH1 and hGDH2 proteins obtained by expression of the corresponding cDNAs in Sf21 cells. According to these studies, in contrast to hGDH1 that maintains basal activity at 35-40 % of its maximal, hGDH2 displays low basal activity that is highly responsive to activation by rising levels of ADP and/or L-leucine which can also act synergistically. While hGDH1 is inhibited potently by GTP, hGDH2 shows remarkable GTP resistance. Furthermore, the two iso-enzymes are differentially inhibited by estrogens, polyamines and neuroleptics, and also differ in heat-lability. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underlie these different regulation patterns of the two iso-enzymes (and consequently the evolutionary adaptation of hGDH2 to a new functional role), we have

  11. Binding of the sphingolipid S1P to hTERT stabilizes telomerase at the nuclear periphery by allosterically mimicking protein phosphorylation†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selvam, Shanmugam P.; De Palma, Ryan M.; Oaks, Joshua J.; Oleinik, Natalia; Peterson, Yuri K.; Stahelin, Robert V.; Skordalakes, Emmanuel; Ponnusamy, Suriyan; Garrett-Mayer, Elizabeth; Smith, Charles D.; Ogretmen, Besim

    2015-01-01

    During DNA replication, the enzyme telomerase maintains the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres. Shortened telomeres trigger cell senescence, and cancer cells often have increased telomerase activity to promote their ability to proliferate indefinitely. The catalytic subunit, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), is stabilized by phosphorylation. Here, we found that the lysophospholipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), generated by sphingosine kinase 2 (SK2), bound hTERT at the nuclear periphery in human and mouse fibroblasts. Docking predictions and mutational analyses revealed that binding occurred between a hydroxyl group (C′3-OH) in S1P and Asp684 in hTERT. Inhibiting or depleting SK2 or mutating the S1P binding site decreased the stability of hTERT in cultured cells and promoted senescence and loss of telomere integrity. S1P binding inhibited the interaction of hTERT with MKRN1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that tags hTERT for degradation. Murine Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells formed smaller tumors in mice lacking SK2 than in wild-type mice, and knocking down SK2 in LLC cells before implantation into mice suppressed their growth. Pharmacologically inhibiting SK2 decreased the growth of subcutaneous A549 lung cancer cell-derived xenografts in mice, and expression of wild-type hTERT, but not an S1P-binding mutant, restored tumor growth. Thus, our data suggest that S1P binding to hTERT allosterically mimicks phosphorylation, promoting telomerase stability and hence telomere maintenance, cell proliferation, and tumor growth PMID:26082434

  12. Understanding the Functional Plasticity in Neural Networks of the Basal Ganglia in Cocaine Use Disorder: A Role for Allosteric Receptor-Receptor Interactions in A2A-D2 Heteroreceptor Complexes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dasiel O. Borroto-Escuela

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Our hypothesis is that allosteric receptor-receptor interactions in homo- and heteroreceptor complexes may form the molecular basis of learning and memory. This principle is illustrated by showing how cocaine abuse can alter the adenosine A2AR-dopamine D2R heterocomplexes and their receptor-receptor interactions and hereby induce neural plasticity in the basal ganglia. Studies with A2AR ligands using cocaine self-administration procedures indicate that antagonistic allosteric A2AR-D2R heterocomplexes of the ventral striatopallidal GABA antireward pathway play a significant role in reducing cocaine induced reward, motivation, and cocaine seeking. Anticocaine actions of A2AR agonists can also be produced at A2AR homocomplexes in these antireward neurons, actions in which are independent of D2R signaling. At the A2AR-D2R heterocomplex, they are dependent on the strength of the antagonistic allosteric A2AR-D2R interaction and the number of A2AR-D2R and A2AR-D2R-sigma1R heterocomplexes present in the ventral striatopallidal GABA neurons. It involves a differential cocaine-induced increase in sigma1Rs in the ventral versus the dorsal striatum. In contrast, the allosteric brake on the D2R protomer signaling in the A2AR-D2R heterocomplex of the dorsal striatopallidal GABA neurons is lost upon cocaine self-administration. This is potentially due to differences in composition and allosteric plasticity of these complexes versus those in the ventral striatopallidal neurons.

  13. Rigid Residue Scan Simulations Systematically Reveal Residue Entropic Roles in Protein Allostery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Kalescky

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Intra-protein information is transmitted over distances via allosteric processes. This ubiquitous protein process allows for protein function changes due to ligand binding events. Understanding protein allostery is essential to understanding protein functions. In this study, allostery in the second PDZ domain (PDZ2 in the human PTP1E protein is examined as model system to advance a recently developed rigid residue scan method combining with configurational entropy calculation and principal component analysis. The contributions from individual residues to whole-protein dynamics and allostery were systematically assessed via rigid body simulations of both unbound and ligand-bound states of the protein. The entropic contributions of individual residues to whole-protein dynamics were evaluated based on covariance-based correlation analysis of all simulations. The changes of overall protein entropy when individual residues being held rigid support that the rigidity/flexibility equilibrium in protein structure is governed by the La Châtelier's principle of chemical equilibrium. Key residues of PDZ2 allostery were identified with good agreement with NMR studies of the same protein bound to the same peptide. On the other hand, the change of entropic contribution from each residue upon perturbation revealed intrinsic differences among all the residues. The quasi-harmonic and principal component analyses of simulations without rigid residue perturbation showed a coherent allosteric mode from unbound and bound states, respectively. The projection of simulations with rigid residue perturbation onto coherent allosteric modes demonstrated the intrinsic shifting of ensemble distributions supporting the population-shift theory of protein allostery. Overall, the study presented here provides a robust and systematic approach to estimate the contribution of individual residue internal motion to overall protein dynamics and allostery.

  14. Two-state dynamics of the SH3-SH2 tandem of Abl kinase and the allosteric role of the N-cap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbi-Verge, Carles; Marinelli, Fabrizio; Zafra-Ruano, Ana; Ruiz-Sanz, Javier; Luque, Irene; Faraldo-Gómez, José D

    2013-09-03

    The regulation and localization of signaling enzymes is often mediated by accessory modular domains, which frequently function in tandems. The ability of these tandems to adopt multiple conformations is as important for proper regulation as the individual domain specificity. A paradigmatic example is Abl, a ubiquitous tyrosine kinase of significant pharmacological interest. SH3 and SH2 domains inhibit Abl by assembling onto the catalytic domain, allosterically clamping it in an inactive state. We investigate the dynamics of this SH3-SH2 tandem, using microsecond all-atom simulations and differential scanning calorimetry. Our results indicate that the Abl tandem is a two-state switch, alternating between the conformation observed in the structure of the autoinhibited enzyme and another configuration that is consistent with existing scattering data for an activated form. Intriguingly, we find that the latter is the most probable when the tandem is disengaged from the catalytic domain. Nevertheless, an amino acid stretch preceding the SH3 domain, the so-called N-cap, reshapes the free-energy landscape of the tandem and favors the interaction of this domain with the SH2-kinase linker, an intermediate step necessary for assembly of the autoinhibited complex. This allosteric effect arises from interactions between N-cap and the SH2 domain and SH3-SH2 connector, which involve a phosphorylation site. We also show that the SH3-SH2 connector plays a determinant role in the assembly equilibrium of Abl, because mutations thereof hinder the engagement of the SH2-kinase linker. These results provide a thermodynamic rationale for the involvement of N-cap and SH3-SH2 connector in Abl regulation and expand our understanding of the principles of modular domain organization.

  15. Deciphering complex dynamics of water counteraction around secondary structural elements of allosteric protein complex: Case study of SAP-SLAM system in signal transduction cascade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta, Sudipta; Mukherjee, Sanchita

    2018-01-28

    The first hydration shell of a protein exhibits heterogeneous behavior owing to several attributes, majorly local polarity and structural flexibility as revealed by solvation dynamics of secondary structural elements. We attempt to recognize the change in complex water counteraction generated due to substantial alteration in flexibility during protein complex formation. The investigation is carried out with the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family of receptors, expressed by an array of immune cells, and interacting with SLAM-associated protein (SAP), composed of one SH2 domain. All atom molecular dynamics simulations are employed to the aqueous solutions of free SAP and SLAM-peptide bound SAP. We observed that water dynamics around different secondary structural elements became highly affected as well as nicely correlated with the SLAM-peptide induced change in structural rigidity obtained by thermodynamic quantification. A few instances of contradictory dynamic features of water to the change in structural flexibility are explained by means of occluded polar residues by the peptide. For βD, EFloop, and BGloop, both structural flexibility and solvent accessibility of the residues confirm the obvious contribution. Most importantly, we have quantified enhanced restriction in water dynamics around the second Fyn-binding site of the SAP due to SAP-SLAM complexation, even prior to the presence of Fyn. This observation leads to a novel argument that SLAM induced more restricted water molecules could offer more water entropic contribution during the subsequent Fyn binding and provide enhanced stability to the SAP-Fyn complex in the signaling cascade. Finally, SLAM induced water counteraction around the second binding site of the SAP sheds light on the allosteric property of the SAP, which becomes an integral part of the underlying signal transduction mechanism.

  16. Deciphering complex dynamics of water counteraction around secondary structural elements of allosteric protein complex: Case study of SAP-SLAM system in signal transduction cascade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta, Sudipta; Mukherjee, Sanchita

    2018-01-01

    The first hydration shell of a protein exhibits heterogeneous behavior owing to several attributes, majorly local polarity and structural flexibility as revealed by solvation dynamics of secondary structural elements. We attempt to recognize the change in complex water counteraction generated due to substantial alteration in flexibility during protein complex formation. The investigation is carried out with the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family of receptors, expressed by an array of immune cells, and interacting with SLAM-associated protein (SAP), composed of one SH2 domain. All atom molecular dynamics simulations are employed to the aqueous solutions of free SAP and SLAM-peptide bound SAP. We observed that water dynamics around different secondary structural elements became highly affected as well as nicely correlated with the SLAM-peptide induced change in structural rigidity obtained by thermodynamic quantification. A few instances of contradictory dynamic features of water to the change in structural flexibility are explained by means of occluded polar residues by the peptide. For βD, EFloop, and BGloop, both structural flexibility and solvent accessibility of the residues confirm the obvious contribution. Most importantly, we have quantified enhanced restriction in water dynamics around the second Fyn-binding site of the SAP due to SAP-SLAM complexation, even prior to the presence of Fyn. This observation leads to a novel argument that SLAM induced more restricted water molecules could offer more water entropic contribution during the subsequent Fyn binding and provide enhanced stability to the SAP-Fyn complex in the signaling cascade. Finally, SLAM induced water counteraction around the second binding site of the SAP sheds light on the allosteric property of the SAP, which becomes an integral part of the underlying signal transduction mechanism.

  17. Autoantibodies Enhance Agonist Action and Binding to Cardiac Muscarinic Receptors in Chronic Chagas’ Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández, Ciria C.; Nascimento, José H.; Chaves, Elen A.; Costa, Patrícia C.; Masuda, Masako O.; Kurtenbach, Eleonora; Campos de Carvalho, Antônio C.; Giménez, Luis E.

    2009-01-01

    Chronic Chagasic patient immunoglobulins (CChP-IgGs) recognize an acidic amino acid cluster at the second extracellular loop (el2) of cardiac M2-muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (M2AChRs). These residues correspond to a common binding site for various allosteric agents. We characterized the nature of the M2AChR/CChP-IgG interaction in functional and radioligand binding experiments applying the same mainstream strategies previously used for the characterization of other allosteric agents. Dose-response curves of acetylcholine effect on heart rate were constructed with data from isolated heart experiments in the presence of CChP or normal blood donor (NBD) sera. In these experiments, CChP sera but not NBD sera increased the efficacy of agonist action by augmenting the onset of bradyarrhythmias and inducing a Hill slope of 2.5. This effect was blocked by gallamine, an M2AChR allosteric antagonist. Correspondingly, CChP-IgGs increased acetylcholine affinity twofold and showed negative cooperativity for [3H]-N-methyl scopolamine ([3H]-NMS) in allosterism binding assays. A peptide corresponding to the M2AChR-el2 blocked this effect. Furthermore, dissociation assays showed that the effect of gallamine on the [3H]-NMS off-rate was reverted by CChP-IgGs. Finally, concentration-effect curves for the allosteric delay of W84 on [3H]-NMS dissociation right shifted from an IC50 of 33 nmol/L to 78 nmol/L, 992 nmol/L, and 1670 nmol/L in the presence of 6.7 × 10−8, 1.33 × 10−7, and 2.0 × 10−7 mol/L of anti-el2 affinity-purified CChP-IgGs. Taken together, these findings confirmed a competitive interplay of these ligands at the common allosteric site and revealed the novel allosteric nature of the interaction of CChP-IgGs at the M2AChRs as a positive cooperativity effect on acetylcholine action. PMID:18702010

  18. A chimeric prokaryotic pentameric ligand–gated channel reveals distinct pathways of activation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmandt, Nicolaus; Velisetty, Phanindra; Chalamalasetti, Sreevatsa V.; Stein, Richard A.; Bonner, Ross; Talley, Lauren; Parker, Mark D.; Mchaourab, Hassane S.; Yee, Vivien C.; Lodowski, David T.

    2015-01-01

    Recent high resolution structures of several pentameric ligand–gated ion channels have provided unprecedented details of their molecular architecture. However, the conformational dynamics and structural rearrangements that underlie gating and allosteric modulation remain poorly understood. We used a combination of electrophysiology, double electron–electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy, and x-ray crystallography to investigate activation mechanisms in a novel functional chimera with the extracellular domain (ECD) of amine-gated Erwinia chrysanthemi ligand–gated ion channel, which is activated by primary amines, and the transmembrane domain of Gloeobacter violaceus ligand–gated ion channel, which is activated by protons. We found that the chimera was independently gated by primary amines and by protons. The crystal structure of the chimera in its resting state, at pH 7.0 and in the absence of primary amines, revealed a closed-pore conformation and an ECD that is twisted with respect to the transmembrane region. Amine- and pH-induced conformational changes measured by DEER spectroscopy showed that the chimera exhibits a dual mode of gating that preserves the distinct conformational changes of the parent channels. Collectively, our findings shed light on both conserved and divergent features of gating mechanisms in this class of channels, and will facilitate the design of better allosteric modulators. PMID:26415570

  19. Structure and allosteric effects of low-molecular-weight activators on the protein kinase PDK1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hindie, Valerie; Stroba, Adriana; Zhang, Hua

    2009-01-01

    -dependent activation of AGC kinases. The AGC kinase PDK1 is activated by the docking of a phosphorylated motif from substrates. Here we present the crystallography of PDK1 bound to a rationally developed low-molecular-weight activator and describe the conformational changes induced by small compounds in the crystal...... molecular details of the allosteric changes induced by small compounds that trigger the activation of PDK1 through mimicry of phosphorylation-dependent conformational changes....

  20. Conformational changes and allosteric communications in human serum albumin due to ligand binding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahalawat, Navjeet; Murarka, Rajesh K

    2015-01-01

    It is well recognized that knowledge of structure alone is not sufficient to understand the fundamental mechanism of biomolecular recognition. Information of dynamics is necessary to describe motions involving relevant conformational states of functional importance. We carried out principal component analysis (PCA) of structural ensemble, derived from 84 crystal structures of human serum albumin (HSA) with different ligands and/or different conditions, to identify the functionally important collective motions, and compared with the motions along the low-frequency modes obtained from normal mode analysis of the elastic network model (ENM) of unliganded HSA. Significant overlap is observed in the collective motions derived from PCA and ENM. PCA and ENM analysis revealed that ligand selects the most favored conformation from accessible equilibrium structures of unliganded HSA. Further, we analyzed dynamic network obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of unliganded HSA and fatty acids- bound HSA. Our results show that fatty acids-bound HSA has more robust community network with several routes to communicate among different parts of the protein. Critical nodes (residues) identified from dynamic network analysis are in good agreement with allosteric residues obtained from sequence-based statistical coupling analysis method. This work underscores the importance of intrinsic structural dynamics of proteins in ligand recognition and can be utilized for the development of novel drugs with optimum activity.

  1. Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Reveals Calcium Binding Properties and Allosteric Regulation of Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist Modulator (DREAM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jun; Li, Jing; Craig, Theodore A; Kumar, Rajiv; Gross, Michael L

    2017-07-18

    Downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM) is an EF-hand Ca 2+ -binding protein that also binds to a specific DNA sequence, downstream regulatory elements (DRE), and thereby regulates transcription in a calcium-dependent fashion. DREAM binds to DRE in the absence of Ca 2+ but detaches from DRE under Ca 2+ stimulation, allowing gene expression. The Ca 2+ binding properties of DREAM and the consequences of the binding on protein structure are key to understanding the function of DREAM. Here we describe the application of hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the Ca 2+ binding properties and the subsequent conformational changes of full-length DREAM. We demonstrate that all EF-hands undergo large conformation changes upon calcium binding even though the EF-1 hand is not capable of binding to Ca 2+ . Moreover, EF-2 is a lower-affinity site compared to EF-3 and -4 hands. Comparison of HDX profiles between wild-type DREAM and two EF-1 mutated constructs illustrates that the conformational changes in the EF-1 hand are induced by long-range structural interactions. HDX analyses also reveal a conformational change in an N-terminal leucine-charged residue-rich domain (LCD) remote from Ca 2+ -binding EF-hands. This LCD domain is responsible for the direct interaction between DREAM and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and regulates the recruitment of the co-activator, CREB-binding protein. These long-range interactions strongly suggest how conformational changes transmit the Ca 2+ signal to CREB-mediated gene transcription.

  2. Crystal structure of the plexin A3 intracellular region reveals an autoinhibited conformation through active site sequestration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Huawei; Yang, Taehong; Terman, Jonathan R.; Zhang, Xuewu; (UTSMC)

    2010-01-20

    Plexin cell surface receptors bind to semaphorin ligands and transduce signals for regulating neuronal axon guidance. The intracellular region of plexins is essential for signaling and contains a R-Ras/M-Ras GTPase activating protein (GAP) domain that is divided into two segments by a Rho GTPase-binding domain (RBD). The regulation mechanisms for plexin remain elusive, although it is known that activation requires both binding of semaphorin to the extracellular region and a Rho-family GTPase (Rac1 or Rnd1) to the RBD. Here we report the crystal structure of the plexin A3 intracellular region. The structure shows that the N- and C-terminal portions of the GAP homologous regions together form a GAP domain with an overall fold similar to other Ras GAPs. However, the plexin GAP domain adopts a closed conformation and cannot accommodate R-Ras/M-Ras in its substrate-binding site, providing a structural basis for the autoinhibited state of plexins. A comparison with the plexin B1 RBD/Rnd1 complex structure suggests that Rnd1 binding alone does not induce a conformational change in plexin, explaining the requirement of both semaphorin and a Rho GTPase for activation. The structure also identifies an N-terminal segment that is important for regulation. Both the N-terminal segment and the RBD make extensive interactions with the GAP domain, suggesting the presence of an allosteric network connecting these three domains that integrates semaphorin and Rho GTPase signals to activate the GAP. The importance of these interactions in plexin signaling is shown by both cell-based and in vivo axon guidance assays.

  3. Two-state dynamics of the SH3–SH2 tandem of Abl kinase and the allosteric role of the N-cap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbi-Verge, Carles; Marinelli, Fabrizio; Zafra-Ruano, Ana; Ruiz-Sanz, Javier; Luque, Irene; Faraldo-Gómez, José D.

    2013-01-01

    The regulation and localization of signaling enzymes is often mediated by accessory modular domains, which frequently function in tandems. The ability of these tandems to adopt multiple conformations is as important for proper regulation as the individual domain specificity. A paradigmatic example is Abl, a ubiquitous tyrosine kinase of significant pharmacological interest. SH3 and SH2 domains inhibit Abl by assembling onto the catalytic domain, allosterically clamping it in an inactive state. We investigate the dynamics of this SH3–SH2 tandem, using microsecond all-atom simulations and differential scanning calorimetry. Our results indicate that the Abl tandem is a two-state switch, alternating between the conformation observed in the structure of the autoinhibited enzyme and another configuration that is consistent with existing scattering data for an activated form. Intriguingly, we find that the latter is the most probable when the tandem is disengaged from the catalytic domain. Nevertheless, an amino acid stretch preceding the SH3 domain, the so-called N-cap, reshapes the free-energy landscape of the tandem and favors the interaction of this domain with the SH2-kinase linker, an intermediate step necessary for assembly of the autoinhibited complex. This allosteric effect arises from interactions between N-cap and the SH2 domain and SH3–SH2 connector, which involve a phosphorylation site. We also show that the SH3–SH2 connector plays a determinant role in the assembly equilibrium of Abl, because mutations thereof hinder the engagement of the SH2-kinase linker. These results provide a thermodynamic rationale for the involvement of N-cap and SH3–SH2 connector in Abl regulation and expand our understanding of the principles of modular domain organization. PMID:23959873

  4. Positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 accelerates extinction learning but not relearning following methamphetamine self-administration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter R Kufahl

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Recent studies have implicated glutamate neurotransmission as an important substrate for the extinction of conditioned behaviors, including responding for drug reinforcement. Positive allosteric modulation of the type-5 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR5 in particular has emerged as a treatment strategy for the enhancement of extinction of drug-motivated behaviors. Here, we investigated the effects of the mGluR5 positive allosteric modulator CDPPB, a compound known for its cognitive enhancing effects in rodents, on extinction learning in rats with different histories of methamphetamine (METH training. Rats were trained to self-administer METH under two conditions: 16 daily sessions of short access (90 min/day, ShA, or 8 daily sessions of short access followed by 8 sessions of long access (6 hr/day, LgA. Control rats self-administered sucrose pellets in daily 30 min sessions. Next, rats were administered vehicle or 30 mg/kg CDPPB prior to 7 consecutive daily extinction sessions, subjected to additional extinction sessions to re-establish a post-treatment baseline, and then tested for reinstatement of behavior in the presence of METH- or sucrose-paired cues. Rats were then subjected to a second series of extinction sessions, preceded by vehicle or 30 mg/kg CDPPB, and an additional test for cue-triggered reinstatement. CDPPB treatment resulted in a more rapid extinction of responding on the active lever, especially in the early sessions of the first extinction sequence. However, treatment effects were minimal during subsequent cue reinstatement tests and nonexistent during the second series of extinction sessions. Rats with histories of ShA, LgA and sucrose training expressed similar behavioral sensitivities to CDPPB, with LgA rats demonstrating a modestly higher treatment effect. Positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 may therefore have some beneficial effects on efforts to facilitate extinction learning and reduce methamphetamine seeking.

  5. Antidepressant Binding Site in a Bacterial Homologue of Neurotransmitter Transporters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, S.; Yamashita, A.; Gouaux, E.

    2007-01-01

    Sodium-coupled transporters are ubiquitous pumps that harness pre-existing sodium gradients to catalyse the thermodynamically unfavourable uptake of essential nutrients, neurotransmitters and inorganic ions across the lipid bilayer. Dysfunction of these integral membrane proteins has been implicated in glucose/galactose malabsorption, congenital hypothyroidism, Bartter's syndrome, epilepsy, depression, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sodium-coupled transporters are blocked by a number of therapeutically important compounds, including diuretics, anticonvulsants and antidepressants, many of which have also become indispensable tools in biochemical experiments designed to probe antagonist binding sites and to elucidate transport mechanisms. Steady-state kinetic data have revealed that both competitive and noncompetitive modes of inhibition exist. Antagonist dissociation experiments on the serotonin transporter (SERT) have also unveiled the existence of a low-affinity allosteric site that slows the dissociation of inhibitors from a separate high-affinity site. Despite these strides, atomic-level insights into inhibitor action have remained elusive. Here we screen a panel of molecules for their ability to inhibit LeuT, a prokaryotic homologue of mammalian neurotransmitter sodium symporters, and show that the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) clomipramine noncompetitively inhibits substrate uptake. Cocrystal structures show that clomipramine, along with two other TCAs, binds in an extracellular-facing vestibule about 11 (angstrom) above the substrate and two sodium ions, apparently stabilizing the extracellular gate in a closed conformation. Off-rate assays establish that clomipramine reduces the rate at which leucine dissociates from LeuT and reinforce our contention that this TCA inhibits LeuT by slowing substrate release. Our results represent a molecular view into noncompetitive inhibition of a sodium-coupled transporter and define principles for the rational

  6. Antidepressant Binding Site in a Bacterial Homologue of Neurotransmitter Transporters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh,S.; Yamashita, A.; Gouaux, E.

    2007-01-01

    Sodium-coupled transporters are ubiquitous pumps that harness pre-existing sodium gradients to catalyse the thermodynamically unfavourable uptake of essential nutrients, neurotransmitters and inorganic ions across the lipid bilayer. Dysfunction of these integral membrane proteins has been implicated in glucose/galactose malabsorption, congenital hypothyroidism, Bartter's syndrome, epilepsy, depression, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sodium-coupled transporters are blocked by a number of therapeutically important compounds, including diuretics, anticonvulsants and antidepressants, many of which have also become indispensable tools in biochemical experiments designed to probe antagonist binding sites and to elucidate transport mechanisms. Steady-state kinetic data have revealed that both competitive and noncompetitive modes of inhibition exist. Antagonist dissociation experiments on the serotonin transporter (SERT) have also unveiled the existence of a low-affinity allosteric site that slows the dissociation of inhibitors from a separate high-affinity site. Despite these strides, atomic-level insights into inhibitor action have remained elusive. Here we screen a panel of molecules for their ability to inhibit LeuT, a prokaryotic homologue of mammalian neurotransmitter sodium symporters, and show that the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) clomipramine noncompetitively inhibits substrate uptake. Cocrystal structures show that clomipramine, along with two other TCAs, binds in an extracellular-facing vestibule about 11 {angstrom} above the substrate and two sodium ions, apparently stabilizing the extracellular gate in a closed conformation. Off-rate assays establish that clomipramine reduces the rate at which leucine dissociates from LeuT and reinforce our contention that this TCA inhibits LeuT by slowing substrate release. Our results represent a molecular view into noncompetitive inhibition of a sodium-coupled transporter and define principles for the

  7. Pharmacological characterization and modeling of the binding sites of novel 1,3-bis(pyridinylethynyl)benzenes as metabotropic glutamate receptor 5-selective negative allosteric modulators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mølck, Christina; Harpsøe, Kasper; Gloriam, David E

    2012-01-01

    )pyridine (MPEP)-derived negative allosteric modulators, 2-, 3-, and 4-BisPEB, have been characterized. 2-, 3-, and 4-BisPEB are 1,3-bis(pyridinylethynyl)-benzenes and differ only by the position of the nitrogen atoms in the pyridine rings. Despite their high structural similarity, 2-BisPEB [1,3-bis(pyridin-2......-ylethynyl)-benzene, nitrogen atoms in ortho positions], with an IC(50) value in the nanomolar range, is significantly more potent than the 3- and 4-pyridyl analogs. Mutational analysis, directed by a previously published mGluR5 homology model, was used to determine key residues for the ligand...... that the higher potency of 2-BisPEB is due to hydrogen bonding to Ser809 because the S809A mutation made 2-BisPEB equipotent to 3- and 4-BisPEB (IC(50), 1-2.5 µM). The potency of MPEP was also greatly affected by S809A (52-fold), suggesting that a Ser809-mediated hydrogen bond is also a key interaction between...

  8. The Effectors and Sensory Sites of Formaldehyde-responsive Regulator FrmR and Metal-sensing Variant *

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osman, Deenah; Piergentili, Cecilia; Chen, Junjun; Sayer, Lucy N.; Usón, Isabel; Huggins, Thomas G.; Robinson, Nigel J.; Pohl, Ehmke

    2016-01-01

    The DUF156 family of DNA-binding transcriptional regulators includes metal sensors that respond to cobalt and/or nickel (RcnR, InrS) or copper (CsoR) plus CstR, which responds to persulfide, and formaldehyde-responsive FrmR. Unexpectedly, the allosteric mechanism of FrmR from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is triggered by metals in vitro, and variant FrmRE64H gains responsiveness to Zn(II) and cobalt in vivo. Here we establish that the allosteric mechanism of FrmR is triggered directly by formaldehyde in vitro. Sensitivity to formaldehyde requires a cysteine (Cys35 in FrmR) conserved in all DUF156 proteins. A crystal structure of metal- and formaldehyde-sensing FrmRE64H reveals that an FrmR-specific amino-terminal Pro2 is proximal to Cys35, and these residues form the deduced formaldehyde-sensing site. Evidence is presented that implies that residues spatially close to the conserved cysteine tune the sensitivities of DUF156 proteins above or below critical thresholds for different effectors, generating the semblance of specificity within cells. Relative to FrmR, RcnR is less responsive to formaldehyde in vitro, and RcnR does not sense formaldehyde in vivo, but reciprocal mutations FrmRP2S and RcnRS2P, respectively, impair and enhance formaldehyde reactivity in vitro. Formaldehyde detoxification by FrmA requires S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione, yet glutathione inhibits formaldehyde detection by FrmR in vivo and in vitro. Quantifying the number of FrmR molecules per cell and modeling formaldehyde modification as a function of [formaldehyde] demonstrates that FrmR reactivity is optimized such that FrmR is modified and frmRA is derepressed at lower [formaldehyde] than required to generate S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione. Expression of FrmA is thereby coordinated with the accumulation of its substrate. PMID:27474740

  9. 8-anilino-1-naphthaline sulfonate binds at the hemoglobin allosteric regulatory sites: inhibitory analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bokut', S.B.; Parul', D.A.; Yachnik, N.N.; Milyutin, A.A.

    2001-01-01

    The present study focused on the localization at least one of the ANS binding sites in the major form of human hemoglobin HbA. High-resolution docking predict ANS binding to the hemoglobin central cavity. Steady-state fluorescence titration data obtained in the absence/presence of natural effector inositol hexaphosphate (IHP) allowed to conclude that IHP competitively inhibited ANS binding to HbA. Thus, we must conclude that one of the ANS binding sites is central cavity, which makes it possible to monitor changes at this region upon ligation/deligation, effector binding and changes in hemoglobin structure

  10. Cyclophilin40 isomerase activity is regulated by a temperature-dependent allosteric interaction with Hsp90.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackburn, Elizabeth A; Wear, Martin A; Landré, Vivian; Narayan, Vikram; Ning, Jia; Erman, Burak; Ball, Kathryn L; Walkinshaw, Malcolm D

    2015-09-01

    Cyclophilin 40 (Cyp40) comprises an N-terminal cyclophilin domain with peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity and a C-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain that binds to the C-terminal-EEVD sequence common to both heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and Hsp90. We show in the present study that binding of peptides containing the MEEVD motif reduces the PPIase activity by ∼30%. CD and fluorescence assays show that the TPR domain is less stable than the cyclophilin domain and is stabilized by peptide binding. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) shows that the affinity for the-MEEVD peptide is temperature sensitive in the physiological temperature range. Results from these biophysical studies fit with the MD simulations of the apo and holo (peptide-bound) structures which show a significant reduction in root mean square (RMS) fluctuation in both TPR and cyclophilin domains when-MEEVD is bound. The MD simulations of the apo-protein also highlight strong anti-correlated motions between residues around the PPIase-active site and a band of residues running across four of the seven helices in the TPR domain. Peptide binding leads to a distortion in the shape of the active site and a significant reduction in these strongly anti-correlated motions, providing an explanation for the allosteric effect of ligand binding and loss of PPIase activity. Together the experimental and MD results suggest that on heat shock, dissociation of Cyp40 from complexes mediated by the TPR domain leads to an increased pool of free Cyp40 capable of acting as an isomerase/chaperone in conditions of cellular stress. © 2015 Authors.

  11. Allosteric inactivation of a trypsin-like serine protease by an antibody binding to the 37- and 70-loops

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kromann-Hansen, Tobias; Lund, Ida K; Liu, Zhuo

    2013-01-01

    for elucidating fundamental allosteric mechanisms. The monoclonal antibody mU1 has previously been shown to be able to inhibit the function of murine urokinase-type plasminogen activator in vivo. We have now mapped the epitope of mU1 to the catalytic domain's 37- and 70-loops, situated about 20 Å from the S1...

  12. A New Negative Allosteric Modulator AP14145 for the Study of Small Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Simo Vicens, Rafel; Kirchhoff, Jeppe Egedal; Dolce, Bernardo

    2017-01-01

    ) prolongation in anaesthetised rats and a beam walk test was performed in mice to determine acute CNS related effects of the drug. Key results: AP14145 was found to be an equipotent negative allosteric modulator of KCa2.2 and KCa2.3 channels (IC50 = 1.1 ± 0.3 μM L-1). The presence of AP14145 (10 μM L-1......) increased the EC50 of Ca2+ on KCa2.3 from 0.36 ± 0.02 μM L-1 to 1.2 ± 0.1 μM L-1. The inhibitory effect strongly depended on two amino acids, S508 and A533. AP14145 concentration-dependently prolonged AERP in rats. Moreover, AP14145 (10 mg kg-1) did not trigger any apparent CNS effects in mice. Conclusion...... and implications: AP14145 is a negative allosteric modulator of KCa2.2 and KCa2.3 that shifts the calcium dependence of channel activation, an effect strongly dependent on two identified amino acids. AP14145 prolongs AERP in rats and does not trigger any acute CNS effects in mice. The understanding of how KCa2...

  13. The selective positive allosteric M1 muscarinic receptor modulator PQCA attenuates learning and memory deficits in the Tg2576 Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puri, Vanita; Wang, Xiaohai; Vardigan, Joshua D; Kuduk, Scott D; Uslaner, Jason M

    2015-01-01

    We have recently shown that the M1 muscarinic receptor positive allosteric modulator, PQCA, improves cognitive performance in rodents and non-human primates administered the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine. The purpose of the present experiments was to characterize the effects of PQCA in a model more relevant to the disease pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Tg2576 transgenic mice that have elevated Aβ were tested in the novel object recognition task to characterize recognition memory as a function of age and treatment with the PQCA. The effects of PQCA were compared to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, the standard of care for Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the effect of co-administering PQCA and donepezil was evaluated. Aged Tg2576 mice demonstrated a deficit in recognition memory that was significantly attenuated by PQCA. The positive control donepezil also reversed the deficit. Furthermore, doses of PQCA and donepezil that were inactive on their own were found to improve recognition memory when given together. These studies suggest that M1 muscarinic receptor positive allosteric modulation can ameliorate memory deficits in disease relevant models of Alzheimer's disease. These data, combined with our previous findings demonstrating PQCA improves scopolamine-induced cognitive deficits in both rodents and non-human primates, suggest that M1 positive allosteric modulators have therapeutic potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. A New Negative Allosteric Modulator AP14145 for the Study of Small Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Simo Vicens, Rafel; Kirchhoff, Jeppe Egedal; Dolce, Bernardo

    2017-01-01

    ) prolongation in anaesthetised rats and a beam walk test was performed in mice to determine acute CNS related effects of the drug. Key results: AP14145 was found to be an equipotent negative allosteric modulator of KCa2.2 and KCa2.3 channels (IC50 = 1.1 ± 0.3 μM L-1). The presence of AP14145 (10 μM L-1...

  15. Inversion of allosteric effect of arginine on N-acetylglutamate synthase, a molecular marker for evolution of tetrapods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cabrera-Luque Juan

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The efficient conversion of ammonia, a potent neurotoxin, into non-toxic metabolites was an essential adaptation that allowed animals to move from the aquatic to terrestrial biosphere. The urea cycle converts ammonia into urea in mammals, amphibians, turtles, snails, worms and many aquatic animals and requires N-acetylglutamate (NAG, an essential allosteric activator of carbamylphosphate synthetase I (CPSI in mammals and amphibians, and carbamylphosphate synthetase III (CPSIII in fish and invertebrates. NAG-dependent CPSI and CPSIII catalyze the formation of carbamylphosphate in the first and rate limiting step of ureagenesis. NAG is produced enzymatically by N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS, which is also found in bacteria and plants as the first enzyme of arginine biosynthesis. Arginine is an allosteric inhibitor of microbial and plant NAGS, and allosteric activator of mammalian NAGS. Results Information from mutagenesis studies of E. coli and P. aeruginosa NAGS was combined with structural information from the related bacterial N-acetylglutamate kinases to identify four residues in mammalian NAGS that interact with arginine. Substitutions of these four residues were engineered in mouse NAGS and into the vertebrate-like N-acetylglutamate synthase-kinase (NAGS-K of Xanthomonas campestris, which is inhibited by arginine. All mutations resulted in arginine losing the ability to activate mouse NAGS, and inhibit X. campestris NAGS-K. To examine at what point in evolution inversion of arginine effect on NAGS occur, we cloned NAGS from fish and frogs and examined the arginine response of their corresponding proteins. Fish NAGS were partially inhibited by arginine and frog NAGS were activated by arginine. Conclusion Difference in arginine effect on bacterial and mammalian NAGS most likely stems from the difference in the type of conformational change triggered by arginine binding to these proteins. The change from arginine

  16. Abacavir and warfarin modulate allosterically kinetics of NO dissociation from ferrous nitrosylated human serum heme-albumin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ascenzi, Paolo; Imperi, Francesco; Coletta, Massimo; Fasano, Mauro

    2008-01-01

    Human serum albumin (HSA) participates to heme scavenging, in turn HSA-heme binds gaseous diatomic ligands at the heme-Fe-atom. Here, the effect of abacavir and warfarin on denitrosylation kinetics of HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO (i.e., k off ) is reported. In the absence of drugs, the value of k off is (1.3 ± 0.2) x 10 -4 s -1 . Abacavir and warfarin facilitate NO dissociation from HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO, the k off value increases to (8.6 ± 0.9) x 10 -4 s -1 . From the dependence of k off on the drug concentration, values of the dissociation equilibrium constant for the abacavir and warfarin binding to HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO (i.e., K = (1.2 ± 0.2) x 10 -3 M and (6.2 ± 0.7) x 10 -5 M, respectively) were determined. The increase of k off values reflects the stabilization of the basic form of HSA-heme-Fe by ligands (e.g., abacavir and warfarin) that bind to Sudlow's site I. This event parallels the stabilization of the six-coordinate derivative of the HSA-heme-Fe(II)-NO atom. Present data highlight the allosteric modulation of HSA-heme-Fe(II) reactivity by heterotropic effectors

  17. Cross-species transcriptomic approach reveals genes in hamster implantation sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Wei; Herington, Jennifer; Galindo, Cristi L; Ding, Tianbing; Brown, Naoko; Reese, Jeff; Paria, Bibhash C

    2014-12-01

    The mouse model has greatly contributed to understanding molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of progesterone (P4) plus estrogen (E)-dependent blastocyst implantation process. However, little is known about contributory molecular mechanisms of the P4-only-dependent blastocyst implantation process that occurs in species such as hamsters, guineapigs, rabbits, pigs, rhesus monkeys, and perhaps humans. We used the hamster as a model of P4-only-dependent blastocyst implantation and carried out cross-species microarray (CSM) analyses to reveal differentially expressed genes at the blastocyst implantation site (BIS), in order to advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms of implantation. Upregulation of 112 genes and downregulation of 77 genes at the BIS were identified using a mouse microarray platform, while use of the human microarray revealed 62 up- and 38 down-regulated genes at the BIS. Excitingly, a sizable number of genes (30 up- and 11 down-regulated genes) were identified as a shared pool by both CSMs. Real-time RT-PCR and in situ hybridization validated the expression patterns of several up- and down-regulated genes identified by both CSMs at the hamster and mouse BIS to demonstrate the merit of CSM findings across species, in addition to revealing genes specific to hamsters. Functional annotation analysis found that genes involved in the spliceosome, proteasome, and ubiquination pathways are enriched at the hamster BIS, while genes associated with tight junction, SAPK/JNK signaling, and PPARα/RXRα signalings are repressed at the BIS. Overall, this study provides a pool of genes and evidence of their participation in up- and down-regulated cellular functions/pathways at the hamster BIS. © 2014 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

  18. Selective Allosteric Antagonists for the G Protein-Coupled Receptor GPRC6A Based on the 2-Phenylindole Privileged Structure Scaffold

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansson, Henrik; Boesgaard, Michael Worch; Nørskov-Lauritsen, Lenea

    2015-01-01

    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a biological target class of fundamental importance in drug therapy. The GPRC6A receptor is a newly deorphanized class C GPCR that we recently reported for the first allosteric antagonists based on the 2-arylindole privileged structure scaffold (e.g., 1...

  19. Proteomic Analysis of Lysine Acetylation Sites in Rat Tissues Reveals Organ Specificity and Subcellular Patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alicia Lundby

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Lysine acetylation is a major posttranslational modification involved in a broad array of physiological functions. Here, we provide an organ-wide map of lysine acetylation sites from 16 rat tissues analyzed by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. We quantify 15,474 modification sites on 4,541 proteins and provide the data set as a web-based database. We demonstrate that lysine acetylation displays site-specific sequence motifs that diverge between cellular compartments, with a significant fraction of nuclear sites conforming to the consensus motifs G-AcK and AcK-P. Our data set reveals that the subcellular acetylation distribution is tissue-type dependent and that acetylation targets tissue-specific pathways involved in fundamental physiological processes. We compare lysine acetylation patterns for rat as well as human skeletal muscle biopsies and demonstrate its general involvement in muscle contraction. Furthermore, we illustrate that acetylation of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase serves as a cellular mechanism to switch off enzymatic activity.

  20. Fragment Based Optimization of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 2 (mGluR2) Positive Allosteric Modulators in the Absence of Structural Information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szabó, György; Túrós, György I; Kolok, Sándor; Vastag, Mónika; Sánta, Zsuzsanna; Dékány, Miklós; Lévay, György I; Greiner, István; Natsumi, Minami; Tatsuya, Watanabe; Keserű, György M

    2018-03-14

    Metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) have been implicated as potential pharmacotherapy for psychiatric conditions. Screening our corporate compound deck, we identified a benzotriazole fragment (4) that was rapidly optimized to a potent and metabolically stable early lead (16). The highly lipophilic character of 16, together with its limited solubility, permeability, and high protein binding, however, did not allow reaching of the proof of concept in vivo. Since further attempts on the optimization of druglike properties were unsuccessful, the original hit 4 has been revisited and was optimized following the principles of fragment based drug discovery (FBDD). Lacking structural information on the receptor-ligand complex, we implemented a group efficiency (GE) based strategy and identified a new fragment like lead (60) with more balanced profile. Significant improvement achieved on the druglike properties nominated the compound for in vivo proof of concept studies that revealed the chemotype being a promising PAM lead targeting mGluR2 receptors.

  1. Positive allosteric modulation of the human metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (hmGluR4) by SIB-1893 and MPEP

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiesen, Jesper Mosolff; Svendsen, Nannette; Bräuner-Osborne, Hans

    2003-01-01

    We have identified 2-methyl-6-(2-phenylethenyl)pyridine (SIB-1893) and 2-methyl-6-phenylethynyl pyridine hydrochloride (MPEP) as positive allosteric modulators for the hmGluR4. SIB-1893 and MPEP enhanced the potency and efficacy of L-2-amino-4-phophonobutyrate (L-AP4) in guanosine 5'-O-(3-[(35)S...

  2. Hotspot mutations in KIT receptor differentially modulate its allosterically coupled conformational dynamics: impact on activation and drug sensitivity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isaure Chauvot de Beauchêne

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Receptor tyrosine kinase KIT controls many signal transduction pathways and represents a typical allosterically regulated protein. The mutation-induced deregulation of KIT activity impairs cellular physiological functions and causes serious human diseases. The impact of hotspots mutations (D816H/Y/N/V and V560G/D localized in crucial regulatory segments, the juxtamembrane region (JMR and the activation (A- loop, on KIT internal dynamics was systematically studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The mutational outcomes predicted in silico were correlated with in vitro and in vivo activation rates and drug sensitivities of KIT mutants. The allosteric regulation of KIT in the native and mutated forms is described in terms of communication between the two remote segments, JMR and A-loop. A strong correlation between the communication profile and the structural and dynamical features of KIT in the native and mutated forms was established. Our results provide new insight on the determinants of receptor KIT constitutive activation by mutations and resistance of KIT mutants to inhibitors. Depiction of an intra-molecular component of the communication network constitutes a first step towards an integrated description of vast communication pathways established by KIT in physiopathological contexts.

  3. Positive allosteric modulators of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor potentiate glutamate release in the prefrontal cortex of freely-moving rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bortz, D M; Upton, B A; Mikkelsen, J D

    2016-01-01

    Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChRs) exhibit pro-cognitive effects in animal models of schizophrenia and are targets for the discovery of cognition-enhancing drugs. However, little is known about their in vivo mechanism of action because...

  4. Activation of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase but Not of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathways in Lymphocytes Requires Allosteric Activation of SOS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jun, Jesse E.; Yang, Ming; Chen, Hang; Chakraborty, Arup K.

    2013-01-01

    Thymocytes convert graded T cell receptor (TCR) signals into positive selection or deletion, and activation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), p38, and Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) has been postulated to play a discriminatory role. Two families of Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RasGEFs), SOS and RasGRP, activate Ras and the downstream RAF-MEK-ERK pathway. The pathways leading to lymphocyte p38 and JNK activation are less well defined. We previously described how RasGRP alone induces analog Ras-ERK activation while SOS and RasGRP cooperate to establish bimodal ERK activation. Here we employed computational modeling and biochemical experiments with model cell lines and thymocytes to show that TCR-induced ERK activation grows exponentially in thymocytes and that a W729E allosteric pocket mutant, SOS1, can only reconstitute analog ERK signaling. In agreement with RasGRP allosterically priming SOS, exponential ERK activation is severely decreased by pharmacological or genetic perturbation of the phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ)-diacylglycerol-RasGRP1 pathway. In contrast, p38 activation is not sharply thresholded and requires high-level TCR signal input. Rac and p38 activation depends on SOS1 expression but not allosteric activation. Based on computational predictions and experiments exploring whether SOS functions as a RacGEF or adaptor in Rac-p38 activation, we established that the presence of SOS1, but not its enzymatic activity, is critical for p38 activation. PMID:23589333

  5. Long Distance Modulation of Disorder-to-Order Transitions in Protein Allostery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jingheng; Custer, Gregory; Beckett, Dorothy; Matysiak, Silvina

    2017-08-29

    Elucidation of the molecular details of allosteric communication between distant sites in a protein is key to understanding and manipulating many biological regulatory processes. Although protein disorder is acknowledged to play an important thermodynamic role in allostery, the molecular mechanisms by which this disorder is harnessed for long distance communication are known for a limited number of systems. Transcription repression by the Escherichia coli biotin repressor, BirA, is allosterically activated by binding of the small molecule effector biotinoyl-5'-AMP. The effector acts by promoting BirA dimerization, which is a prerequisite for sequence-specific binding to the biotin biosynthetic operon operator sequence. A 30 Å distance separates the effector binding and dimerization surfaces in BirA, and previous studies indicate that allostery is mediated, in part, by disorder-to-order transitions on the two coupled sites. In this work, combined experimental and computational methods have been applied to investigate the molecular basis of allosteric communication in BirA. Double-mutant cycle analysis coupled with thermodynamic measurements indicates functional coupling between residues in disordered loops on the two distant surfaces. All atom molecular dynamics simulations reveal that this coupling occurs through long distance reciprocal modulation of the structure and dynamics of disorder-to-order transitions on the two surfaces.

  6. New screening strategy and analysis for identification of allosteric modulators for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor using GLP-1 (9-36) amide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakane, Atsushi; Gotoh, Yusuke; Ichihara, Junji; Nagata, Hidetaka

    2015-12-15

    The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) is an important physiologic regulator of insulin secretion and a major therapeutic target for diabetes mellitus. GLP-1 (7-36) amide (active form of GLP-1) is truncated to GLP-1 (9-36) amide, which has been described as a weak agonist of GLP-1R and the major form of GLP-1 in the circulation. New classes of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) for GLP-1R may offer improved therapeutic profiles. To identify these new classes, we developed novel and robust primary and secondary high-throughput screening (HTS) systems in which PAMs were identified to enhance the GLP-1R signaling induced by GLP-1 (9-36) amide. Screening enabled identification of two compounds, HIT-465 and HIT-736, which possessed new patterns of modulation of GLP-1R. We investigated the ability of these compounds to modify GLP-1R signaling enhanced GLP-1 (9-36) amide- and/or GLP-1 (7-36) amide-mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation. These compounds also had unique profiles with regard to allosteric modulation of multiple downstream signaling (PathHunter β-arrestin signaling, PathHunter internalization signaling, microscopy-based internalization assay). We found allosteric modulation patterns to be obviously different among HIT-465, HIT-736, and Novo Nordisk compound 2. This work may enable the design of new classes of drug candidates by targeting modulation of GLP-1 (7-36) amide and GLP-1 (9-36) amide. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. The allosteric HIV-1 integrase inhibitor BI-D affects virion maturation but does not influence packaging of a functional RNA genome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Bel, Nikki; van der Velden, Yme; Bonnard, Damien; Le Rouzic, Erwann; Das, Atze T.; Benarous, Richard; Berkhout, Ben

    2014-01-01

    The viral integrase (IN) is an essential protein for HIV-1 replication. IN inserts the viral dsDNA into the host chromosome, thereby aided by the cellular co-factor LEDGF/p75. Recently a new class of integrase inhibitors was described: allosteric IN inhibitors (ALLINIs). Although designed to

  8. Implementation of the NMR CHEmical Shift Covariance Analysis (CHESCA): A Chemical Biologist's Approach to Allostery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulton, Stephen; Selvaratnam, Rajeevan; Ahmed, Rashik; Melacini, Giuseppe

    2018-01-01

    Mapping allosteric sites is emerging as one of the central challenges in physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is ideally suited to map allosteric sites, given its ability to sense at atomic resolution the dynamics underlying allostery. Here, we focus specifically on the NMR CHEmical Shift Covariance Analysis (CHESCA), in which allosteric systems are interrogated through a targeted library of perturbations (e.g., mutations and/or analogs of the allosteric effector ligand). The atomic resolution readout for the response to such perturbation library is provided by NMR chemical shifts. These are then subject to statistical correlation and covariance analyses resulting in clusters of allosterically coupled residues that exhibit concerted responses to the common set of perturbations. This chapter provides a description of how each step in the CHESCA is implemented, starting from the selection of the perturbation library and ending with an overview of different clustering options.

  9. Allosteric communication in myosin V: from small conformational changes to large directed movements.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Cecchini

    Full Text Available The rigor to post-rigor transition in myosin, a consequence of ATP binding, plays an essential role in the Lymn-Taylor functional cycle because it results in the dissociation of the actomyosin complex after the powerstroke. On the basis of the X-ray structures of myosin V, we have developed a new normal mode superposition model for the transition path between the two states. Rigid-body motions of the various subdomains and specific residues at the subdomain interfaces are key elements in the transition. The allosteric communication between the nucleotide binding site and the U50/L50 cleft is shown to result from local changes due to ATP binding, which induce large amplitude motions that are encoded in the structure of the protein. The triggering event is the change in the interaction of switch I and the P-loop, which is stabilized by ATP binding. The motion of switch I, which is a relatively rigid element of the U50 subdomain, leads directly to a partial opening of the U50/L50 cleft; the latter is expected to weaken the binding of myosin to actin. The calculated transition path demonstrates the nature of the subdomain coupling and offers an explanation for the mutual exclusion of ATP and actin binding. The mechanism of the uncoupling of the converter from the motor head, an essential part of the transition, is elucidated. The origin of the partial untwisting of the central beta-sheet in the rigor to post-rigor transition is described.

  10. Probe-Dependent Negative Allosteric Modulators of the Long-Chain Free Fatty Acid Receptor FFA4

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Watterson, Kenneth R; Hansen, Steffen V F; Hudson, Brian D

    2017-01-01

    High-affinity and selective antagonists that are able to block the actions of both endogenous and synthetic agonists of G protein-coupled receptors are integral to analysis of receptor function and to support suggestions of therapeutic potential. Although there is great interest in the potential...... of endogenous and synthetic agonists, clear agonist probe dependence in the nature of allosteric modulation was apparent. Although AH-7614 did not antagonize the second long-chain free fatty acid receptor, free fatty acid receptor 1, the simple chemical structure of AH-7614 containing features found in many...

  11. Vestigialization of an Allosteric Switch: Genetic and Structural Mechanisms for the Evolution of Constitutive Activity in a Steroid Hormone Receptor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridgham, Jamie T.; Keay, June; Ortlund, Eric A.; Thornton, Joseph W.

    2014-01-01

    An important goal in molecular evolution is to understand the genetic and physical mechanisms by which protein functions evolve and, in turn, to characterize how a protein's physical architecture influences its evolution. Here we dissect the mechanisms for an evolutionary shift in function in the mollusk ortholog of the steroid hormone receptors (SRs), a family of biologically essential transcription factors. In vertebrates, the activity of SRs allosterically depends on binding a hormonal ligand; in mollusks, however, the SR ortholog (called ER, because of high sequence similarity to vertebrate estrogen receptors) activates transcription in the absence of ligand and does not respond to steroid hormones. To understand how this shift in regulation evolved, we combined evolutionary, structural, and functional analyses. We first determined the X-ray crystal structure of the ER of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (CgER), and found that its ligand pocket is filled with bulky residues that prevent ligand occupancy. To understand the genetic basis for the evolution of mollusk ERs' unique functions, we resurrected an ancient SR progenitor and characterized the effect of historical amino acid replacements on its functions. We found that reintroducing just two ancient replacements from the lineage leading to mollusk ERs recapitulates the evolution of full constitutive activity and the loss of ligand activation. These substitutions stabilize interactions among key helices, causing the allosteric switch to become “stuck” in the active conformation and making activation independent of ligand binding. Subsequent changes filled the ligand pocket without further affecting activity; by degrading the allosteric switch, these substitutions vestigialized elements of the protein's architecture required for ligand regulation and made reversal to the ancestral function more complex. These findings show how the physical architecture of allostery enabled a few large-effect mutations

  12. Vestigialization of an allosteric switch: genetic and structural mechanisms for the evolution of constitutive activity in a steroid hormone receptor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamie T Bridgham

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available An important goal in molecular evolution is to understand the genetic and physical mechanisms by which protein functions evolve and, in turn, to characterize how a protein's physical architecture influences its evolution. Here we dissect the mechanisms for an evolutionary shift in function in the mollusk ortholog of the steroid hormone receptors (SRs, a family of biologically essential transcription factors. In vertebrates, the activity of SRs allosterically depends on binding a hormonal ligand; in mollusks, however, the SR ortholog (called ER, because of high sequence similarity to vertebrate estrogen receptors activates transcription in the absence of ligand and does not respond to steroid hormones. To understand how this shift in regulation evolved, we combined evolutionary, structural, and functional analyses. We first determined the X-ray crystal structure of the ER of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (CgER, and found that its ligand pocket is filled with bulky residues that prevent ligand occupancy. To understand the genetic basis for the evolution of mollusk ERs' unique functions, we resurrected an ancient SR progenitor and characterized the effect of historical amino acid replacements on its functions. We found that reintroducing just two ancient replacements from the lineage leading to mollusk ERs recapitulates the evolution of full constitutive activity and the loss of ligand activation. These substitutions stabilize interactions among key helices, causing the allosteric switch to become "stuck" in the active conformation and making activation independent of ligand binding. Subsequent changes filled the ligand pocket without further affecting activity; by degrading the allosteric switch, these substitutions vestigialized elements of the protein's architecture required for ligand regulation and made reversal to the ancestral function more complex. These findings show how the physical architecture of allostery enabled a few large

  13. Insect Ryanodine Receptor: Distinct But Coupled Insecticide Binding Sites for [N-C3H3]Chlorantraniliprole, Flubendiamide, and [3H]Ryanodine

    OpenAIRE

    Isaacs, André K.; Qi, Suzhen; Sarpong, Richmond; Casida, John E.

    2012-01-01

    Radiolabeled anthranilic diamide insecticide [N-C3H3]chlorantraniliprole was synthesized at high specific activity and compared with phthalic diamide insecticide flubendiamide and [3H]ryanodine in radioligand binding studies with house fly muscle membranes to provide the first direct evidence with a native insect ryanodine receptor that the major anthranilic and phthalic diamide insecticides bind at different allosterically coupled sites, i.e. there are three distinct Ca2+-release channel tar...

  14. Detection of secondary binding sites in proteins using fragment screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ludlow, R Frederick; Verdonk, Marcel L; Saini, Harpreet K; Tickle, Ian J; Jhoti, Harren

    2015-12-29

    Proteins need to be tightly regulated as they control biological processes in most normal cellular functions. The precise mechanisms of regulation are rarely completely understood but can involve binding of endogenous ligands and/or partner proteins at specific locations on a protein that can modulate function. Often, these additional secondary binding sites appear separate to the primary binding site, which, for example for an enzyme, may bind a substrate. In previous work, we have uncovered several examples in which secondary binding sites were discovered on proteins using fragment screening approaches. In each case, we were able to establish that the newly identified secondary binding site was biologically relevant as it was able to modulate function by the binding of a small molecule. In this study, we investigate how often secondary binding sites are located on proteins by analyzing 24 protein targets for which we have performed a fragment screen using X-ray crystallography. Our analysis shows that, surprisingly, the majority of proteins contain secondary binding sites based on their ability to bind fragments. Furthermore, sequence analysis of these previously unknown sites indicate high conservation, which suggests that they may have a biological function, perhaps via an allosteric mechanism. Comparing the physicochemical properties of the secondary sites with known primary ligand binding sites also shows broad similarities indicating that many of the secondary sites may be druggable in nature with small molecules that could provide new opportunities to modulate potential therapeutic targets.

  15. Allosteric mechanism controls traffic in the chaperone/usher pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Yu, Xiao; Dubnovitsky, Anatoly; Pudney, Alex F; Macintyre, Sheila; Knight, Stefan D; Zavialov, Anton V

    2012-11-07

    Many virulence organelles of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are assembled via the chaperone/usher pathway. The chaperone transports organelle subunits across the periplasm to the outer membrane usher, where they are released and incorporated into growing fibers. Here, we elucidate the mechanism of the usher-targeting step in assembly of the Yersinia pestis F1 capsule at the atomic level. The usher interacts almost exclusively with the chaperone in the chaperone:subunit complex. In free chaperone, a pair of conserved proline residues at the beginning of the subunit-binding loop form a "proline lock" that occludes the usher-binding surface and blocks usher binding. Binding of the subunit to the chaperone rotates the proline lock away from the usher-binding surface, allowing the chaperone-subunit complex to bind to the usher. We show that the proline lock exists in other chaperone/usher systems and represents a general allosteric mechanism for selective targeting of chaperone:subunit complexes to the usher and for release and recycling of the free chaperone. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Conformational control of the binding of the transactivation domain of the MLL protein and c-Myb to the KIX domain of CREB.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elif Nihal Korkmaz

    Full Text Available The KIX domain of CBP is a transcriptional coactivator. Concomitant binding to the activation domain of proto-oncogene protein c-Myb and the transactivation domain of the trithorax group protein mixed lineage leukemia (MLL transcription factor lead to the biologically active ternary MLL∶KIX∶c-Myb complex which plays a role in Pol II-mediated transcription. The binding of the activation domain of MLL to KIX enhances c-Myb binding. Here we carried out molecular dynamics (MD simulations for the MLL∶KIX∶c-Myb ternary complex, its binary components and KIX with the goal of providing a mechanistic explanation for the experimental observations. The dynamic behavior revealed that the MLL binding site is allosterically coupled to the c-Myb binding site. MLL binding redistributes the conformational ensemble of KIX, leading to higher populations of states which favor c-Myb binding. The key element in the allosteric communication pathways is the KIX loop, which acts as a control mechanism to enhance subsequent binding events. We tested this conclusion by in silico mutations of loop residues in the KIX∶MLL complex and by comparing wild type and mutant dynamics through MD simulations. The loop assumed MLL binding conformation similar to that observed in the KIX∶c-Myb state which disfavors the allosteric network. The coupling with c-Myb binding site faded, abolishing the positive cooperativity observed in the presence of MLL. Our major conclusion is that by eliciting a loop-mediated allosteric switch between the different states following the binding events, transcriptional activation can be regulated. The KIX system presents an example how nature makes use of conformational control in higher level regulation of transcriptional activity and thus cellular events.

  17. Are AMPA Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulators Potential Pharmacotherapeutics for Addiction?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas R. Watterson

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA receptors are a diverse class of compounds that increase fast excitatory transmission in the brain. AMPA PAMs have been shown to facilitate long-term potentiation, strengthen communication between various cortical and subcortical regions, and some of these compounds increase the production and release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF in an activity-dependent manner. Through these mechanisms, AMPA PAMs have shown promise as broad spectrum pharmacotherapeutics in preclinical and clinical studies for various neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. In recent years, a small collection of preclinical animal studies has also shown that AMPA PAMs may have potential as pharmacotherapeutic adjuncts to extinction-based or cue-exposure therapies for the treatment of drug addiction. The present paper will review this preclinical literature, discuss novel data collected in our laboratory, and recommend future research directions for the possible development of AMPA PAMs as anti-addiction medications.

  18. Pharmacophore screening of the protein data bank for specific binding site chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campagna-Slater, Valérie; Arrowsmith, Andrew G; Zhao, Yong; Schapira, Matthieu

    2010-03-22

    A simple computational approach was developed to screen the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for putative pockets possessing a specific binding site chemistry and geometry. The method employs two commonly used 3D screening technologies, namely identification of cavities in protein structures and pharmacophore screening of chemical libraries. For each protein structure, a pocket finding algorithm is used to extract potential binding sites containing the correct types of residues, which are then stored in a large SDF-formatted virtual library; pharmacophore filters describing the desired binding site chemistry and geometry are then applied to screen this virtual library and identify pockets matching the specified structural chemistry. As an example, this approach was used to screen all human protein structures in the PDB and identify sites having chemistry similar to that of known methyl-lysine binding domains that recognize chromatin methylation marks. The selected genes include known readers of the histone code as well as novel binding pockets that may be involved in epigenetic signaling. Putative allosteric sites were identified on the structures of TP53BP1, L3MBTL3, CHEK1, KDM4A, and CREBBP.

  19. Structural Basis for Linezolid Binding Site Rearrangement in the Staphylococcus aureus Ribosome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belousoff, Matthew J; Eyal, Zohar; Radjainia, Mazdak; Ahmed, Tofayel; Bamert, Rebecca S; Matzov, Donna; Bashan, Anat; Zimmerman, Ella; Mishra, Satabdi; Cameron, David; Elmlund, Hans; Peleg, Anton Y; Bhushan, Shashi; Lithgow, Trevor; Yonath, Ada

    2017-05-09

    An unorthodox, surprising mechanism of resistance to the antibiotic linezolid was revealed by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in the 70S ribosomes from a clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus This high-resolution structural information demonstrated that a single amino acid deletion in ribosomal protein uL3 confers linezolid resistance despite being located 24 Å away from the linezolid binding pocket in the peptidyl-transferase center. The mutation induces a cascade of allosteric structural rearrangements of the rRNA that ultimately results in the alteration of the antibiotic binding site. IMPORTANCE The growing burden on human health caused by various antibiotic resistance mutations now includes prevalent Staphylococcus aureus resistance to last-line antimicrobial drugs such as linezolid and daptomycin. Structure-informed drug modification represents a frontier with respect to designing advanced clinical therapies, but success in this strategy requires rapid, facile means to shed light on the structural basis for drug resistance (D. Brown, Nat Rev Drug Discov 14:821-832, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4675). Here, detailed structural information demonstrates that a common mechanism is at play in linezolid resistance and provides a step toward the redesign of oxazolidinone antibiotics, a strategy that could thwart known mechanisms of linezolid resistance. Copyright © 2017 Belousoff et al.

  20. Substrate Binding Drives Active-Site Closing of Human Blood Group B Galactosyltransferase as Revealed by Hot-Spot Labeling and NMR Spectroscopy Experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissbach, Sophie; Flügge, Friedemann; Peters, Thomas

    2018-05-04

    Crystallography has shown that human blood group A (GTA) and B (GTB) glycosyltransferases undergo transitions between "open", "semiclosed", and "closed" conformations upon substrate binding. However, the timescales of the corresponding conformational reorientations are unknown. Crystal structures show that the Trp and Met residues are located at "conformational hot spots" of the enzymes. Therefore, we utilized 15 N side-chain labeling of Trp residues and 13 C-methyl labeling of Met residues to study substrate-induced conformational transitions of GTB. Chemical-shift perturbations (CSPs) of Met and Trp residues in direct contact with substrate ligands reflect binding kinetics, whereas the CSPs of Met and Trp residues at remote sites reflect conformational changes of the enzyme upon substrate binding. Acceptor binding is fast on the chemical-shift timescale with rather small CSPs in the range of less than approximately 20 Hz. Donor binding matches the intermediate exchange regime to yield an estimate for exchange rate constants of approximately 200-300 Hz. Donor or acceptor binding to GTB saturated with acceptor or donor substrate, respectively, is slow (<10 Hz), as are coupled protein motions, reflecting mutual allosteric control of donor and acceptor binding. Remote CSPs suggest that substrate binding drives the enzyme into the closed state required for catalysis. These findings should contribute to better understanding of the mechanism of glycosyl transfer of GTA and GTB. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Fatty Acid-Mediated Inhibition of Metal Binding to the Multi-Metal Site on Serum Albumin: Implications for Cardiovascular Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blindauer, Claudia A; Khazaipoul, Siavash; Yu, Ruitao; Stewart, Alan J

    2016-01-01

    Human serum albumin (HSA) is the major protein in blood plasma and is responsible for circulatory transport of a range of small molecules including fatty acids, metal ions and drugs. We previously identified the major plasma Zn2+ transport site on HSA and revealed that fatty-acid binding (at a distinct site called the FA2 site) and Zn2+ binding are interdependent via an allosteric mechanism. Since binding affinities of long-chain fatty acids exceed those of plasma Zn2+, this means that under certain circumstances the binding of fatty acid molecules to HSA is likely to diminish HSA Zn2+-binding, and hence affects the control of circulatory and cellular Zn2+ dynamics. This relationship between circulatory fatty acid and Zn2+ dynamics is likely to have important physiological and pathological implications, especially since it has been recognised that Zn2+ acts as a signalling agent in many cell types. Fatty acid levels in the blood are dynamic, but most importantly, chronic elevation of plasma fatty acid levels is associated with some metabolic disorders and disease states - including myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases. In this article, we briefly review the metal-binding properties of albumin and highlight the importance of their interplay with fatty acid binding. We also consider the impact of this dynamic link upon levels and speciation of plasma Zn2+, its effect upon cellular Zn2+ homeostasis and its relevance to cardiovascular and circulatory processes in health and disease.

  2. Design and optimization of selective azaindole amide M1 positive allosteric modulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davoren, Jennifer E; O'Neil, Steven V; Anderson, Dennis P; Brodney, Michael A; Chenard, Lois; Dlugolenski, Keith; Edgerton, Jeremy R; Green, Michael; Garnsey, Michelle; Grimwood, Sarah; Harris, Anthony R; Kauffman, Gregory W; LaChapelle, Erik; Lazzaro, John T; Lee, Che-Wah; Lotarski, Susan M; Nason, Deane M; Obach, R Scott; Reinhart, Veronica; Salomon-Ferrer, Romelia; Steyn, Stefanus J; Webb, Damien; Yan, Jiangli; Zhang, Lei

    2016-01-15

    Selective activation of the M1 receptor via a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) is a new approach for the treatment of the cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. A novel series of azaindole amides and their key pharmacophore elements are described. The nitrogen of the azaindole core is a key design element as it forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond with the amide N-H thus reinforcing the bioactive conformation predicted by published SAR and our homology model. Representative compound 25 is a potent and selective M1 PAM that has well aligned physicochemical properties, adequate brain penetration and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, and is active in vivo. These favorable properties indicate that this series possesses suitable qualities for further development and studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Molecular sampling of the allosteric binding pocket of the TSH receptor provides discriminative pharmacophores for antagonist and agonists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyer, Inna; Haas, Ann-Karin; Kreuchwig, Annika; Schülein, Ralf; Krause, Gerd

    2013-02-01

    The TSHR (thyrotropin receptor) is activated endogenously by the large hormone thyrotropin and activated pathologically by auto-antibodies. Both activate and bind at the extracellular domain. Recently, SMLs (small-molecule ligands) have been identified, which bind in an allosteric binding pocket within the transmembrane domain. Modelling driven site-directed mutagenesis of amino acids lining this pocket led to the delineation of activation and inactivation sensitive residues. Modified residues showing CAMs (constitutively activating mutations) indicate signalling-sensitive positions and mark potential trigger points for agonists. Silencing mutations lead to an impairment of basal activity and mark contact points for antagonists. Mapping these residues on to a structural model of TSHR indicates locations where an SML may switch the receptor to an inactive or active conformation. In the present article, we report the effects of SMLs on these signalling-sensitive amino acids at the TSHR. Surprisingly, the antagonistic effect of SML compound 52 was reversed to an agonistic effect, when tested at the CAM Y667A. Switching agonism to antagonism and the reverse by changing either SMLs or residues covering the binding pocket provides detailed knowledge about discriminative pharmacophores. It prepares the basis for rational optimization of new high-affinity antagonists to interfere with the pathogenic activation of the TSHR.

  4. p97 Composition Changes Caused by Allosteric Inhibition Are Suppressed by an On-Target Mechanism that Increases the Enzyme's ATPase Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Her, Nam-Gu; Toth, Julia I; Ma, Chen-Ting; Wei, Yang; Motamedchaboki, Khatereh; Sergienko, Eduard; Petroski, Matthew D

    2016-04-21

    The AAA ATPase p97/VCP regulates protein homeostasis using a diverse repertoire of cofactors to fulfill its biological functions. Here we use the allosteric p97 inhibitor NMS-873 to analyze its effects on enzyme composition and the ability of cells to adapt to its cytotoxicity. We found that p97 inhibition changes steady state cofactor-p97 composition, leading to the enrichment of a subset of its cofactors and polyubiquitin bound to p97. We isolated cells specifically insensitive to NMS-873 and identified a new mutation (A530T) in p97. A530T is sufficient to overcome the cytotoxicity of NMS-873 and alleviates p97 composition changes caused by the molecule but not other p97 inhibitors. This mutation does not affect NMS-873 binding but increases p97 catalytic efficiency through altered ATP and ADP binding. Collectively, these findings identify cofactor-p97 interactions sensitive to p97 inhibition and reveal a new on-target mechanism to suppress the cytotoxicity of NMS-873. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Positive allosteric modulation of TRPV1 as a novel analgesic mechanism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lebovitz Evan E

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The prevalence of long-term opiate use in treating chronic non-cancer pain is increasing, and prescription opioid abuse and dependence are a major public health concern. To explore alternatives to opioid-based analgesia, the present study investigates a novel allosteric pharmacological approach operating through the cation channel TRPV1. This channel is highly expressed in subpopulations of primary afferent unmyelinated C- and lightly-myelinated Aδ-fibers that detect low and high rates of noxious heating, respectively, and it is also activated by vanilloid agonists and low pH. Sufficient doses of exogenous vanilloid agonists, such as capsaicin or resiniferatoxin, can inactivate/deactivate primary afferent endings due to calcium overload, and we hypothesized that positive allosteric modulation of agonist-activated TRPV1 could produce a selective, temporary inactivation of nociceptive nerve terminals in vivo. We previously identified MRS1477, a 1,4-dihydropyridine that potentiates vanilloid and pH activation of TRPV1 in vitro, but displays no detectable intrinsic agonist activity of its own. To study the in vivo effects of MRS1477, we injected the hind paws of rats with a non-deactivating dose of capsaicin, MRS1477, or the combination. An infrared diode laser was used to stimulate TRPV1-expressing nerve terminals and the latency and intensity of paw withdrawal responses were recorded. qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed on dorsal root ganglia to examine changes in gene expression and the cellular specificity of such changes following treatment. Results Withdrawal responses of the capsaicin-only or MRS1477-only treated paws were not significantly different from the untreated, contralateral paws. However, rats treated with the combination of capsaicin and MRS1477 exhibited increased withdrawal latency and decreased response intensity consistent with agonist potentiation and inactivation or lesion of TRPV1-containing

  6. Changes of cooperativity between N-methylscopolamine and allosteric modulators alcuronium and gallamine induced by mutations of external loops of muscarinic M(3) receptors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krejčí, Alena; Tuček, Stanislav

    2001-01-01

    Roč. 60, č. 4 (2001), s. 761-767 ISSN 0026-895X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA309/99/0214 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5011922 Keywords : muscarinic receptors * allosteric modulators Subject RIV: FH - Neurology Impact factor: 5.297, year: 2001

  7. pMD-Membrane: A Method for Ligand Binding Site Identification in Membrane-Bound Proteins.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priyanka Prakash

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Probe-based or mixed solvent molecular dynamics simulation is a useful approach for the identification and characterization of druggable sites in drug targets. However, thus far the method has been applied only to soluble proteins. A major reason for this is the potential effect of the probe molecules on membrane structure. We have developed a technique to overcome this limitation that entails modification of force field parameters to reduce a few pairwise non-bonded interactions between selected atoms of the probe molecules and bilayer lipids. We used the resulting technique, termed pMD-membrane, to identify allosteric ligand binding sites on the G12D and G13D oncogenic mutants of the K-Ras protein bound to a negatively charged lipid bilayer. In addition, we show that differences in probe occupancy can be used to quantify changes in the accessibility of druggable sites due to conformational changes induced by membrane binding or mutation.

  8. An antibody that prevents serpin polymerisation acts by inducing a novel allosteric behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motamedi-Shad, Neda; Jagger, Alistair M; Liedtke, Maximilian; Faull, Sarah V; Nanda, Arjun Scott; Salvadori, Enrico; Wort, Joshua L; Kay, Christopher W M; Heyer-Chauhan, Narinder; Miranda, Elena; Perez, Juan; Ordóñez, Adriana; Haq, Imran; Irving, James A; Lomas, David A

    2016-10-01

    Serpins are important regulators of proteolytic pathways with an antiprotease activity that involves a conformational transition from a metastable to a hyperstable state. Certain mutations permit the transition to occur in the absence of a protease; when associated with an intermolecular interaction, this yields linear polymers of hyperstable serpin molecules, which accumulate at the site of synthesis. This is the basis of many pathologies termed the serpinopathies. We have previously identified a monoclonal antibody (mAb4B12) that, in single-chain form, blocks α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) polymerisation in cells. Here, we describe the structural basis for this activity. The mAb4B12 epitope was found to encompass residues Glu32, Glu39 and His43 on helix A and Leu306 on helix I. This is not a region typically associated with the serpin mechanism of conformational change, and correspondingly the epitope was present in all tested structural forms of the protein. Antibody binding rendered β-sheet A - on the opposite face of the molecule - more liable to adopt an 'open' state, mediated by changes distal to the breach region and proximal to helix F. The allosteric propagation of induced changes through the molecule was evidenced by an increased rate of peptide incorporation and destabilisation of a preformed serpin-enzyme complex following mAb4B12 binding. These data suggest that prematurely shifting the β-sheet A equilibrium towards the 'open' state out of sequence with other changes suppresses polymer formation. This work identifies a region potentially exploitable for a rational design of ligands that is able to dynamically influence α1-AT polymerisation. © 2016 The Author(s).

  9. Understanding cAMP-dependent allostery by NMR spectroscopy: comparative analysis of the EPAC1 cAMP-binding domain in its apo and cAMP-bound states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazhab-Jafari, Mohammad T; Das, Rahul; Fotheringham, Steven A; SilDas, Soumita; Chowdhury, Somenath; Melacini, Giuseppe

    2007-11-21

    cAMP (adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate) is a ubiquitous second messenger that activates a multitude of essential cellular responses. Two key receptors for cAMP in eukaryotes are protein kinase A (PKA) and the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC), which is a recently discovered guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for the small GTPases Rap1 and Rap2. Previous attempts to investigate the mechanism of allosteric activation of eukaryotic cAMP-binding domains (CBDs) at atomic or residue resolution have been hampered by the instability of the apo form, which requires the use of mixed apo/holo systems, that have provided only a partial picture of the CBD apo state and of the allosteric networks controlled by cAMP. Here, we show that, unlike other eukaryotic CBDs, both apo and cAMP-bound states of the EPAC1 CBD are stable under our experimental conditions, providing a unique opportunity to define at an unprecedented level of detail the allosteric interactions linking two critical functional sites of this CBD. These are the phosphate binding cassette (PBC), where cAMP binds, and the N-terminal helical bundle (NTHB), which is the site of the inhibitory interactions between the regulatory and catalytic regions of EPAC. Specifically, the combined analysis of the cAMP-dependent changes in chemical shifts, 2 degrees structure probabilities, hydrogen/hydrogen exchange (H/H) and hydrogen/deuterium exchange (H/D) protection factors reveals that the long-range communication between the PBC and the NTHB is implemented by two distinct intramolecular cAMP-signaling pathways, respectively, mediated by the beta2-beta3 loop and the alpha6 helix. Docking of cAMP into the PBC perturbs the NTHB inner core packing and the helical probabilities of selected NTHB residues. The proposed model is consistent with the allosteric role previously hypothesized for L273 and F300 based on site-directed mutagenesis; however, our data show that such a contact is part of a

  10. Understanding large multiprotein complexes: applying a multiple allosteric networks model to explain the function of the Mediator transcription complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Brian A

    2010-01-15

    The regulation of transcription and of many other cellular processes involves large multi-subunit protein complexes. In the context of transcription, it is known that these complexes serve as regulatory platforms that connect activator DNA-binding proteins to a target promoter. However, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the function of these complexes. Why do multi-subunit complexes exist? What is the molecular basis of the function of their constituent subunits, and how are these subunits organized within a complex? What is the reason for physical connections between certain subunits and not others? In this article, I address these issues through a model of network allostery and its application to the eukaryotic RNA polymerase II Mediator transcription complex. The multiple allosteric networks model (MANM) suggests that protein complexes such as Mediator exist not only as physical but also as functional networks of interconnected proteins through which information is transferred from subunit to subunit by the propagation of an allosteric state known as conformational spread. Additionally, there are multiple distinct sub-networks within the Mediator complex that can be defined by their connections to different subunits; these sub-networks have discrete functions that are activated when specific subunits interact with other activator proteins.

  11. Conserved allosteric hot spots in the transmembrane domains of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channels and multidrug resistance protein (MRP) pumps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Shipeng; Roessler, Bryan C; Chauvet, Sylvain; Guo, Jingyu; Hartman, John L; Kirk, Kevin L

    2014-07-18

    ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are an ancient family of transmembrane proteins that utilize ATPase activity to move substrates across cell membranes. The ABCC subfamily of the ABC transporters includes active drug exporters (the multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs)) and a unique ATP-gated ion channel (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)). The CFTR channel shares gating principles with conventional ligand-gated ion channels, but the allosteric network that couples ATP binding at its nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) with conformational changes in its transmembrane helices (TMs) is poorly defined. It is also unclear whether the mechanisms that govern CFTR gating are conserved with the thermodynamically distinct MRPs. Here we report a new class of gain of function (GOF) mutation of a conserved proline at the base of the pore-lining TM6. Multiple substitutions of this proline promoted ATP-free CFTR activity and activation by the weak agonist, 5'-adenylyl-β,γ-imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP). TM6 proline mutations exhibited additive GOF effects when combined with a previously reported GOF mutation located in an outer collar of TMs that surrounds the pore-lining TMs. Each TM substitution allosterically rescued the ATP sensitivity of CFTR gating when introduced into an NBD mutant with defective ATP binding. Both classes of GOF mutations also rescued defective drug export by a yeast MRP (Yor1p) with ATP binding defects in its NBDs. We conclude that the conserved TM6 proline helps set the energy barrier to both CFTR channel opening and MRP-mediated drug efflux and that CFTR channels and MRP pumps utilize similar allosteric mechanisms for coupling conformational changes in their translocation pathways to ATP binding at their NBDs. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  12. Evidence for a Common Mechanism of SIRT1 Regulation by Allosteric Activators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hubbard, Basil P.; Gomes, Ana P.; Dai, Han; Li, Jun; Case, April W.; Considine, Thomas; Riera, Thomas V.; Lee, Jessica E.; Sook Yen, E; Lamming, Dudley W.; Pentelute, Bradley L.; Schuman, Eli R.; Stevens, Linda A.; Ling, Alvin J. Y.; Armour, Sean M.; Michan, Shaday; Zhao, Huizhen; Jiang, Yong; Sweitzer, Sharon M.; Blum, Charles A.; Disch, Jeremy S.; Ng, Pui Yee; Howitz, Konrad T.; Rolo, Anabela P.; Hamuro, Yoshitomo; Moss, Joel; Perni, Robert B.; Ellis, James L.; Vlasuk, George P.; Sinclair, David A.

    2013-01-01

    A molecule that treats multiple age-related diseases would have a major impact on global health and economics. The SIRT1 deacetylase has drawn attention in this regard as a target for drug design. Yet controversy exists around the mechanism of sirtuin-activating compounds (STACs). We found that specific hydrophobic motifs found in SIRT1 substrates such as PGC-1α and FOXO3a facilitate SIRT1 activation by STACs. A single amino acid in SIRT1, Glu230, located in a structured N-terminal domain, was critical for activation by all previously reported STAC scaffolds and a new class of chemically distinct activators. In primary cells reconstituted with activation-defective SIRT1, the metabolic effects of STACs were blocked. Thus, SIRT1 can be directly activated through an allosteric mechanism common to chemically diverse STACs. PMID:23471411

  13. Evidence for a common mechanism of SIRT1 regulation by allosteric activators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hubbard, Basil P; Gomes, Ana P; Dai, Han; Li, Jun; Case, April W; Considine, Thomas; Riera, Thomas V; Lee, Jessica E; E, Sook Yen; Lamming, Dudley W; Pentelute, Bradley L; Schuman, Eli R; Stevens, Linda A; Ling, Alvin J Y; Armour, Sean M; Michan, Shaday; Zhao, Huizhen; Jiang, Yong; Sweitzer, Sharon M; Blum, Charles A; Disch, Jeremy S; Ng, Pui Yee; Howitz, Konrad T; Rolo, Anabela P; Hamuro, Yoshitomo; Moss, Joel; Perni, Robert B; Ellis, James L; Vlasuk, George P; Sinclair, David A

    2013-03-08

    A molecule that treats multiple age-related diseases would have a major impact on global health and economics. The SIRT1 deacetylase has drawn attention in this regard as a target for drug design. Yet controversy exists around the mechanism of sirtuin-activating compounds (STACs). We found that specific hydrophobic motifs found in SIRT1 substrates such as PGC-1α and FOXO3a facilitate SIRT1 activation by STACs. A single amino acid in SIRT1, Glu(230), located in a structured N-terminal domain, was critical for activation by all previously reported STAC scaffolds and a new class of chemically distinct activators. In primary cells reconstituted with activation-defective SIRT1, the metabolic effects of STACs were blocked. Thus, SIRT1 can be directly activated through an allosteric mechanism common to chemically diverse STACs.

  14. Fluorescence Polarization Screening Assays for Small Molecule Allosteric Modulators of ABL Kinase Function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grover, Prerna; Shi, Haibin; Baumgartner, Matthew; Camacho, Carlos J; Smithgall, Thomas E

    2015-01-01

    The ABL protein-tyrosine kinase regulates intracellular signaling pathways controlling diverse cellular processes and contributes to several forms of cancer. The kinase activity of ABL is repressed by intramolecular interactions involving its regulatory Ncap, SH3 and SH2 domains. Small molecules that allosterically regulate ABL kinase activity through its non-catalytic domains may represent selective probes of ABL function. Here we report a screening assay for chemical modulators of ABL kinase activity that target the regulatory interaction of the SH3 domain with the SH2-kinase linker. This fluorescence polarization (FP) assay is based on a purified recombinant ABL protein consisting of the N-cap, SH3 and SH2 domains plus the SH2-kinase linker (N32L protein) and a short fluorescein-labeled probe peptide that binds to the SH3 domain. In assay development experiments, we found that the probe peptide binds to the recombinant ABL N32L protein in vitro, producing a robust FP signal that can be competed with an excess of unlabeled peptide. The FP signal is not observed with control N32L proteins bearing either an inactivating mutation in the SH3 domain or enhanced SH3:linker interaction. A pilot screen of 1200 FDA-approved drugs identified four compounds that specifically reduced the FP signal by at least three standard deviations from the untreated controls. Secondary assays showed that one of these hit compounds, the antithrombotic drug dipyridamole, enhances ABL kinase activity in vitro to a greater extent than the previously described ABL agonist, DPH. Docking studies predicted that this compound binds to a pocket formed at the interface of the SH3 domain and the linker, suggesting that it activates ABL by disrupting this regulatory interaction. These results show that screening assays based on the non-catalytic domains of ABL can identify allosteric small molecule regulators of kinase function, providing a new approach to selective drug discovery for this important

  15. Fluorescence Polarization Screening Assays for Small Molecule Allosteric Modulators of ABL Kinase Function.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prerna Grover

    Full Text Available The ABL protein-tyrosine kinase regulates intracellular signaling pathways controlling diverse cellular processes and contributes to several forms of cancer. The kinase activity of ABL is repressed by intramolecular interactions involving its regulatory Ncap, SH3 and SH2 domains. Small molecules that allosterically regulate ABL kinase activity through its non-catalytic domains may represent selective probes of ABL function. Here we report a screening assay for chemical modulators of ABL kinase activity that target the regulatory interaction of the SH3 domain with the SH2-kinase linker. This fluorescence polarization (FP assay is based on a purified recombinant ABL protein consisting of the N-cap, SH3 and SH2 domains plus the SH2-kinase linker (N32L protein and a short fluorescein-labeled probe peptide that binds to the SH3 domain. In assay development experiments, we found that the probe peptide binds to the recombinant ABL N32L protein in vitro, producing a robust FP signal that can be competed with an excess of unlabeled peptide. The FP signal is not observed with control N32L proteins bearing either an inactivating mutation in the SH3 domain or enhanced SH3:linker interaction. A pilot screen of 1200 FDA-approved drugs identified four compounds that specifically reduced the FP signal by at least three standard deviations from the untreated controls. Secondary assays showed that one of these hit compounds, the antithrombotic drug dipyridamole, enhances ABL kinase activity in vitro to a greater extent than the previously described ABL agonist, DPH. Docking studies predicted that this compound binds to a pocket formed at the interface of the SH3 domain and the linker, suggesting that it activates ABL by disrupting this regulatory interaction. These results show that screening assays based on the non-catalytic domains of ABL can identify allosteric small molecule regulators of kinase function, providing a new approach to selective drug discovery

  16. Design, synthesis, and activity of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate analogs as allosteric modulators of hemoglobin O2 affinity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassa, Tigist W; Zhang, Ning; Palmer, Andre F; Matthews, Jason Shastri

    2013-04-01

    Four phosphonate derivates of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), in which the phosphate group is replaced by a methylene or difluoromethylene, were successfully synthesized for use as allosteric modulators of hemoglobin (Hb) O2 affinity. The syntheses were accomplished in four steps and the reagents were converted to their potassium salts to allow for effective binding with Hb in aqueous media. O2 equilibrium measurements of the chemically modified Hbs exhibited P50 values in the range 8.9-12.8 with Hill coefficients in the range of 1.5-2.4.

  17. Crystallographic Analysis Reveals a Novel Second Binding Site for Trimethoprim in Active Site Double Mutants of Human Dihydrofolate Reductase†,‡

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cody, Vivian; Pace, Jim; Piraino, Jennifer; Queener, Sherry F.

    2011-01-01

    In order to produce a more potent replacement for trimethoprim (TMP) used as a therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia and targets dihydrofolate reductase from Pneumocystis jirovecii (pjDHFR), it is necessary to understand the determinants of potency and selectivity against DHFR from the mammalian host and fungal pathogen cells. To this end, active site residues in human (h)DHFR were replaced with those from pjDHFR. Structural data are reported for two complexes of TMP with the double mutants Gln35Ser/Asn64Phe (Q35S/N64F) and Gln35Lys/Asn64Phe (Q35K/N64F) of hDHFR that unexpectedly show evidence for the binding of two molecules of TMP: one molecule that binds in the normal folate binding site and the second molecule that binds in a novel subpocket site such that the mutated residue Phe64 is involved in van der Waals contacts to the trimethoxyphenyl ring of the second TMP molecule. Kinetic data for the binding of TMP to hDHFR and pjDHFR reveal an 84-fold selectivity of TMP against pjDHFR (Ki 49 nM) compared to hDHFR (Ki 4093 nM). Two mutants that contain one substitution from pj- and one from the closely related Pneumocystis carinii DHFR (pcDHFR) (Q35K/N64F and Q35S/N64F) show Ki values of 593 and 617 nM, respectively; these Ki values are well above both the Ki for pjDHFR and are similar to pcDHFR (Q35K/N64F) and Q35S/N64F) (305 nM). These results suggest that active site residues 35 and 64 play key roles in determining selectivity for pneumocystis DHFR, but that other residues contribute to the unique binding of inhibitors to these enzymes. PMID:21684339

  18. Discovery of intramolecular signal transduction network based on a new protein dynamics model of energy dissipation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Wei Ma

    Full Text Available A novel approach to reveal intramolecular signal transduction network is proposed in this work. To this end, a new algorithm of network construction is developed, which is based on a new protein dynamics model of energy dissipation. A key feature of this approach is that direction information is specified after inferring protein residue-residue interaction network involved in the process of signal transduction. This enables fundamental analysis of the regulation hierarchy and identification of regulation hubs of the signaling network. A well-studied allosteric enzyme, E. coli aspartokinase III, is used as a model system to demonstrate the new method. Comparison with experimental results shows that the new approach is able to predict all the sites that have been experimentally proved to desensitize allosteric regulation of the enzyme. In addition, the signal transduction network shows a clear preference for specific structural regions, secondary structural types and residue conservation. Occurrence of super-hubs in the network indicates that allosteric regulation tends to gather residues with high connection ability to collectively facilitate the signaling process. Furthermore, a new parameter of propagation coefficient is defined to determine the propagation capability of residues within a signal transduction network. In conclusion, the new approach is useful for fundamental understanding of the process of intramolecular signal transduction and thus has significant impact on rational design of novel allosteric proteins.

  19. Distinct roles of beta1 metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS), adjacent to MIDAS (ADMIDAS), and ligand-associated metal-binding site (LIMBS) cation-binding sites in ligand recognition by integrin alpha2beta1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdramidou, Dimitra; Humphries, Martin J; Mould, A Paul

    2008-11-21

    Integrin-ligand interactions are regulated in a complex manner by divalent cations, and previous studies have identified ligand-competent, stimulatory, and inhibitory cation-binding sites. In collagen-binding integrins, such as alpha2beta1, ligand recognition takes place exclusively at the alpha subunit I domain. However, activation of the alphaI domain depends on its interaction with a structurally similar domain in the beta subunit known as the I-like or betaI domain. The top face of the betaI domain contains three cation-binding sites: the metal-ion dependent adhesion site (MIDAS), the ADMIDAS (adjacent to MIDAS), and LIMBS (ligand-associated metal-binding site). The role of these sites in controlling ligand binding to the alphaI domain has yet to be elucidated. Mutation of the MIDAS or LIMBS completely blocked collagen binding to alpha2beta1; in contrast mutation of the ADMIDAS reduced ligand recognition but this effect could be overcome by the activating monoclonal antibody TS2/16. Hence, the MIDAS and LIMBS appear to be essential for the interaction between alphaI and betaI, whereas occupancy of the ADMIDAS has an allosteric effect on the conformation of betaI. An activating mutation in the alpha2 I domain partially restored ligand binding to the MIDAS and LIMBS mutants. Analysis of the effects of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Mn(2+) on ligand binding to these mutants showed that the MIDAS is a ligand-competent site through which Mn(2+) stimulates ligand binding, whereas the LIMBS is a stimulatory Ca(2+)-binding site, occupancy of which increases the affinity of Mg(2+) for the MIDAS.

  20. Repeated administration of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists, but not positive allosteric modulators, increases alpha7 nAChR levels in the brain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Ditte Z; Mikkelsen, Jens D; Hansen, Henrik H

    2010-01-01

    AChR binding sites in several brain regions, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. The alpha7 nAChR agonists SSR180711 and PNU-282987 also increase [(125)I]-BTX binding, suggesting that this is a general consequence of alpha7 nAChR agonism. Interestingly, the alpha7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators PNU......The alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is an important target for treatment of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. However, the receptor desensitizes rapidly in vitro, which has led to concern regarding its applicability as a clinically relevant drug target....... Here we investigate the effects of repeated agonism on alpha7 nAChR receptor levels and responsiveness in vivo in rats. Using [(125)I]-alpha-bungarotoxin (BTX) autoradiography we show that acute or repeated administration with the selective alpha7 nAChR agonist A-582941 increases the number of alpha7 n...

  1. Diverse binding site structures revealed in homology models of polyreactive immunoglobulins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsland, Paul A.; Guddat, Luke W.; Edmundson, Allen B.; Raison, Robert L.

    1997-09-01

    We describe here computer-assisted homology models of the combiningsite structure of three polyreactive immunoglobulins. Template-based modelsof Fv (VL-VH) fragments were derived forthe surface IgM expressed by the malignant CD5 positive B cells from threepatients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The conserved frameworkregions were constructed using crystal coordinates taken from highlyhomologous human variable domain structures (Pot and Hil). Complementaritydetermining regions (CDRs) were predicted by grafting loops, taken fromknown immunoglobulin structures, onto the Fv framework models. The CDRtemplates were chosen, where possible, to be of the same length and of highresidue identity or similarity. LCDR1, 2 and 3 as well as HCDR1 and 2 forthe Fv were constructed using this strategy. For HCDR3 prediction, adatabase containing the Cartesian coordinates of 30 of these loops wascompiled from unliganded antibody X-ray crystallographic structures and anHCDR3 of the same length as that of the B CLL Fv was selected as a template.In one case (Yar), the resulting HCDR3 model gave unfavourable interactionswhen incorporated into the Fv model. This HCDR3 was therefore modelled usingan alternative strategy of construction of the loop stems, using apreviously described HCDR3 conformation (Pot), followed by chain closurewith a β-turn. The template models were subjected to positionalrefinement using energy minimisation and molecular dynamics simulations(X-PLOR). An electrostatic surface description (GRASP) did not reveal acommon structural feature within the binding sites of the three polyreactiveFv. Thus, polyreactive immunoglobulins may recognise similar and multipleantigens through a diverse array of binding site structures.

  2. Inverse agonist-like action of cadmium on G-protein-gated inward-rectifier K+ channels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inanobe, Atsushi; Matsuura, Takanori; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Kurachi, Yoshihisa

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → We examined allosteric control of K + channel gating. → We identified a high-affinity site for Cd 2+ to inhibit Kir3.2 activity. → The 6-coordination geometry supports the binding. → Cd 2+ inhibits Kir3.2 by trapping the conformation in the closed state. -- Abstract: The gate at the pore-forming domain of potassium channels is allosterically controlled by a stimulus-sensing domain. Using Cd 2+ as a probe, we examined the structural elements responsible for gating in an inward-rectifier K + channel (Kir3.2). One of four endogenous cysteines facing the cytoplasm contributes to a high-affinity site for inhibition by internal Cd 2+ . Crystal structure of its cytoplasmic domain in complex with Cd 2+ reveals that octahedral coordination geometry supports the high-affinity binding. This mode of action causes the tethering of the N-terminus to CD loop in the stimulus-sensing domain, suggesting that their conformational changes participate in gating and Cd 2+ inhibits Kir3.2 by trapping the conformation in the closed state like 'inverse agonist'.

  3. HBV core protein allosteric modulators differentially alter cccDNA biosynthesis from de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Fang; Zhao, Qiong; Sheraz, Muhammad; Cheng, Junjun; Qi, Yonghe; Su, Qing; Cuconati, Andrea; Wei, Lai; Du, Yanming; Li, Wenhui; Chang, Jinhong; Guo, Ju-Tao

    2017-09-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein assembles viral pre-genomic (pg) RNA and DNA polymerase into nucleocapsids for reverse transcriptional DNA replication to take place. Several chemotypes of small molecules, including heteroaryldihydropyrimidines (HAPs) and sulfamoylbenzamides (SBAs), have been discovered to allosterically modulate core protein structure and consequentially alter the kinetics and pathway of core protein assembly, resulting in formation of irregularly-shaped core protein aggregates or "empty" capsids devoid of pre-genomic RNA and viral DNA polymerase. Interestingly, in addition to inhibiting nucleocapsid assembly and subsequent viral genome replication, we have now demonstrated that HAPs and SBAs differentially modulate the biosynthesis of covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA from de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways by inducing disassembly of nucleocapsids derived from virions as well as double-stranded DNA-containing progeny nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm. Specifically, the mistimed cuing of nucleocapsid uncoating prevents cccDNA formation during de novo infection of hepatocytes, while transiently accelerating cccDNA synthesis from cytoplasmic progeny nucleocapsids. Our studies indicate that elongation of positive-stranded DNA induces structural changes of nucleocapsids, which confers ability of mature nucleocapsids to bind CpAMs and triggers its disassembly. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the dual effects of the core protein allosteric modulators on nucleocapsid assembly and disassembly will facilitate the discovery of novel core protein-targeting antiviral agents that can more efficiently suppress cccDNA synthesis and cure chronic hepatitis B.

  4. HBV core protein allosteric modulators differentially alter cccDNA biosynthesis from de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Guo

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Hepatitis B virus (HBV core protein assembles viral pre-genomic (pg RNA and DNA polymerase into nucleocapsids for reverse transcriptional DNA replication to take place. Several chemotypes of small molecules, including heteroaryldihydropyrimidines (HAPs and sulfamoylbenzamides (SBAs, have been discovered to allosterically modulate core protein structure and consequentially alter the kinetics and pathway of core protein assembly, resulting in formation of irregularly-shaped core protein aggregates or "empty" capsids devoid of pre-genomic RNA and viral DNA polymerase. Interestingly, in addition to inhibiting nucleocapsid assembly and subsequent viral genome replication, we have now demonstrated that HAPs and SBAs differentially modulate the biosynthesis of covalently closed circular (ccc DNA from de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways by inducing disassembly of nucleocapsids derived from virions as well as double-stranded DNA-containing progeny nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm. Specifically, the mistimed cuing of nucleocapsid uncoating prevents cccDNA formation during de novo infection of hepatocytes, while transiently accelerating cccDNA synthesis from cytoplasmic progeny nucleocapsids. Our studies indicate that elongation of positive-stranded DNA induces structural changes of nucleocapsids, which confers ability of mature nucleocapsids to bind CpAMs and triggers its disassembly. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the dual effects of the core protein allosteric modulators on nucleocapsid assembly and disassembly will facilitate the discovery of novel core protein-targeting antiviral agents that can more efficiently suppress cccDNA synthesis and cure chronic hepatitis B.

  5. HBV core protein allosteric modulators differentially alter cccDNA biosynthesis from de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Fang; Zhao, Qiong; Cheng, Junjun; Qi, Yonghe; Su, Qing; Wei, Lai; Li, Wenhui; Chang, Jinhong

    2017-01-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein assembles viral pre-genomic (pg) RNA and DNA polymerase into nucleocapsids for reverse transcriptional DNA replication to take place. Several chemotypes of small molecules, including heteroaryldihydropyrimidines (HAPs) and sulfamoylbenzamides (SBAs), have been discovered to allosterically modulate core protein structure and consequentially alter the kinetics and pathway of core protein assembly, resulting in formation of irregularly-shaped core protein aggregates or “empty” capsids devoid of pre-genomic RNA and viral DNA polymerase. Interestingly, in addition to inhibiting nucleocapsid assembly and subsequent viral genome replication, we have now demonstrated that HAPs and SBAs differentially modulate the biosynthesis of covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA from de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways by inducing disassembly of nucleocapsids derived from virions as well as double-stranded DNA-containing progeny nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm. Specifically, the mistimed cuing of nucleocapsid uncoating prevents cccDNA formation during de novo infection of hepatocytes, while transiently accelerating cccDNA synthesis from cytoplasmic progeny nucleocapsids. Our studies indicate that elongation of positive-stranded DNA induces structural changes of nucleocapsids, which confers ability of mature nucleocapsids to bind CpAMs and triggers its disassembly. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the dual effects of the core protein allosteric modulators on nucleocapsid assembly and disassembly will facilitate the discovery of novel core protein-targeting antiviral agents that can more efficiently suppress cccDNA synthesis and cure chronic hepatitis B. PMID:28945802

  6. The interaction of escitalopram and R-citalopram at the human serotonin transporter investigated in the mouse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobsen, Jacob P R; Plenge, Per; Sachs, Benjamin D; Pehrson, Alan L; Cajina, Manuel; Du, Yunzhi; Roberts, Wendy; Rudder, Meghan L; Dalvi, Prachiti; Robinson, Taylor J; O'Neill, Sharon P; Khoo, King S; Morillo, Connie Sanchez; Zhang, Xiaodong; Caron, Marc G

    2014-12-01

    Escitalopram appears to be a superior antidepressant to racemic citalopram. It has been hypothesized that binding of R-citalopram to the serotonin transporter (SERT) antagonizes escitalopram binding to and inhibition of the SERT, there by curtailing the elevation of extracellular 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HTExt), and hence anti-depressant efficacy. Further, it has been suggested that a putative allosteric binding site is important for binding of escitalopram to the primary, orthosteric, site, and for R-citalopram's inhibition here of. Primary: Investigate at the human (h)SERT, at clinical relevant doses, whether R-citalopram antagonizes escitalopram-induced 5-HTExt elevation. Secondary: Investigate whether abolishing the putative allosteric site affects escitalopram-induced 5-HTExt elevation and/or modulates the effect of R-citalopram. Recombinant generation of hSERT transgenic mice; in vivo microdialysis; SERT binding; pharmacokinetics; 5-HT sensitive behaviors (tail suspension, marble burying). We generated mice expressing either the wild-type human SERT (hSERT(WT)) or hSERT carrying amino acid substitutions (A505V, L506F, I507L, S574T and I575T) collectively abolishing the putative allosteric site (hSERT(ALI/VFL+SI/TT)). One mg/kg escitalopram yielded clinical relevant plasma levels and brain levels consistent with therapeutic SERT occupancy. The hSERT mice showed normal basal 5-HTExt levels. Escitalopram-induced 5-HTExt elevation was not decreased by R-citalopram co-treatment and was unaffected by loss of the allosteric site. The behavioral effects of the clinically relevant escitalopram dose were small and tended to be enhanced by R-citalopram co-administration. We find no evidence that R-citalopram directly antagonizes escitalopram or that the putative allosteric site is important for hSERT inhibition by escitalopram.

  7. Synthesis and biological activity of allosteric modulators of GABAB receptors part 3. 3-(2,6-bis-iso-propyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propanols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kerr, David I.B.; Ong, Jennifer; Khalafy, Jabbar; Rimaz, Mehdi; Prager, Rolf H.

    2007-01-01

    A series of six 2,2-disubstituted 3-[3,5-di-iso-propyl-4-hydroxyphenyl]propan-1-ol derivatives have been prepared for evaluation as allosteric modulators of GABA B receptors. The activity (EC 50 30 μM) was greatest for the dimethyl analogue, but the isopropylphenyl compounds were generally weaker than the corresponding t-butyl compounds. Methylation of the phenolic group led to loss of activity. (author)

  8. Substituted 3-Benzylcoumarins as Allosteric MEK1 Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation as Antiviral Agents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Xu

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In order to find novel antiviral agents, a series of allosteric MEK1 inhibitors were designed and synthesized. Based on docking results, multiple optimizations were made on the coumarin scaffold. Some of the derivatives showed excellent MEK1 binding affinity in the appropriate enzymatic assays and displayed obvious inhibitory effects on the ERK pathway in a cellular assay. These compounds also significantly inhibited virus (EV71 replication in HEK293 and RD cells. Several compounds showed potential as agents for the treatment of viral infective diseases, with the most potent compound 18 showing an IC50 value of 54.57 nM in the MEK1 binding assay.

  9. The HIV-1 integrase-LEDGF allosteric inhibitor MUT-A: resistance profile, impairment of virus maturation and infectivity but without influence on RNA packaging or virus immunoreactivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amadori, Céline; Ubeles van der Velden, Yme; Bonnard, Damien; Orlov, Igor; van Bel, Nikki; Le Rouzic, Erwann; Miralles, Laia; Brias, Julie; Chevreuil, Francis; Spehner, Daniele; Chasset, Sophie; Ledoussal, Benoit; Mayr, Luzia; Moreau, François; García, Felipe; Gatell, José; Zamborlini, Alessia; Emiliani, Stéphane; Ruff, Marc; Klaholz, Bruno P.; Moog, Christiane; Berkhout, Ben; Plana, Montserrat; Benarous, Richard

    2017-01-01

    HIV-1 Integrase (IN) interacts with the cellular co-factor LEDGF/p75 and tethers the HIV preintegration complex to the host genome enabling integration. Recently a new class of IN inhibitors was described, the IN-LEDGF allosteric inhibitors (INLAIs). Designed to interfere with the IN-LEDGF

  10. Modulation of calmodulin lobes by different targets: an allosteric model with hemiconcerted conformational transitions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massimo Lai

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Calmodulin is a calcium-binding protein ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells, involved in numerous calcium-regulated biological phenomena, such as synaptic plasticity, muscle contraction, cell cycle, and circadian rhythms. It exibits a characteristic dumbell shape, with two globular domains (N- and C-terminal lobe joined by a linker region. Each lobe can take alternative conformations, affected by the binding of calcium and target proteins. Calmodulin displays considerable functional flexibility due to its capability to bind different targets, often in a tissue-specific fashion. In various specific physiological environments (e.g. skeletal muscle, neuron dendritic spines several targets compete for the same calmodulin pool, regulating its availability and affinity for calcium. In this work, we sought to understand the general principles underlying calmodulin modulation by different target proteins, and to account for simultaneous effects of multiple competing targets, thus enabling a more realistic simulation of calmodulin-dependent pathways. We built a mechanistic allosteric model of calmodulin, based on an hemiconcerted framework: each calmodulin lobe can exist in two conformations in thermodynamic equilibrium, with different affinities for calcium and different affinities for each target. Each lobe was allowed to switch conformation on its own. The model was parameterised and validated against experimental data from the literature. In spite of its simplicity, a two-state allosteric model was able to satisfactorily represent several sets of experiments, in particular the binding of calcium on intact and truncated calmodulin and the effect of different skMLCK peptides on calmodulin's saturation curve. The model can also be readily extended to include multiple targets. We show that some targets stabilise the low calcium affinity T state while others stabilise the high affinity R state. Most of the effects produced by calmodulin targets can be

  11. Hemoglobin function and allosteric regulation in semi-fossorial rodents (family Sciuridae) with different altitudinal ranges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Revsbech, Inge G.; Tufts, Danielle M.; Projecto-Garcia, Joana; Moriyama, Hideaki; Weber, Roy E.; Storz, Jay F.; Fago, Angela

    2013-01-01

    SUMMARY Semi-fossorial ground squirrels face challenges to respiratory gas transport associated with the chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia of underground burrows, and such challenges are compounded in species that are native to high altitude. During hibernation, such species must also contend with vicissitudes of blood gas concentrations and plasma pH caused by episodic breathing. Here, we report an analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) function in six species of marmotine ground squirrels with different altitudinal distributions. Regardless of their native altitude, all species have high Hb–O2 affinities, mainly due to suppressed sensitivities to allosteric effectors [2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) and chloride ions]. This suppressed anion sensitivity is surprising given that all canonical anion-binding sites are conserved. Two sciurid species, the golden-mantled and thirteen-lined ground squirrel, have Hb–O2 affinities that are characterized by high pH sensitivity and low thermal sensitivity relative to the Hbs of humans and other mammals. The pronounced Bohr effect is surprising in light of highly unusual amino acid substitutions at the C-termini that are known to abolish the Bohr effect in human HbA. Taken together, the high O2 affinity of sciurid Hbs suggests an enhanced capacity for pulmonary O2 loading under hypoxic and hypercapnic conditions, while the large Bohr effect should help to ensure efficient O2 unloading in tissue capillaries. In spite of the relatively low thermal sensitivities of the sciurid Hbs, our results indicate that the effect of hypothermia on Hb oxygenation is the main factor contributing to the increased blood–O2 affinity in hibernating ground squirrels. PMID:24172889

  12. A mechanistic understanding of allosteric immune escape pathways in the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anurag Sethi

    Full Text Available The HIV-1 envelope (Env spike, which consists of a compact, heterodimeric trimer of the glycoproteins gp120 and gp41, is the target of neutralizing antibodies. However, the high mutation rate of HIV-1 and plasticity of Env facilitates viral evasion from neutralizing antibodies through various mechanisms. Mutations that are distant from the antibody binding site can lead to escape, probably by changing the conformation or dynamics of Env; however, these changes are difficult to identify and define mechanistically. Here we describe a network analysis-based approach to identify potential allosteric immune evasion mechanisms using three known HIV-1 Env gp120 protein structures from two different clades, B and C. First, correlation and principal component analyses of molecular dynamics (MD simulations identified a high degree of long-distance coupled motions that exist between functionally distant regions within the intrinsic dynamics of the gp120 core, supporting the presence of long-distance communication in the protein. Then, by integrating MD simulations with network theory, we identified the optimal and suboptimal communication pathways and modules within the gp120 core. The results unveil both strain-dependent and -independent characteristics of the communication pathways in gp120. We show that within the context of three structurally homologous gp120 cores, the optimal pathway for communication is sequence sensitive, i.e. a suboptimal pathway in one strain becomes the optimal pathway in another strain. Yet the identification of conserved elements within these communication pathways, termed inter-modular hotspots, could present a new opportunity for immunogen design, as this could be an additional mechanism that HIV-1 uses to shield vulnerable antibody targets in Env that induce neutralizing antibody breadth.

  13. Allosteric effects in bacteriophage HK97 procapsids revealed directly from covariance analysis of cryo EM data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Nan; Veesler, David; Doerschuk, Peter C; Johnson, John E

    2018-05-01

    The information content of cryo EM data sets exceeds that of the electron scattering potential (cryo EM) density initially derived for structure determination. Previously we demonstrated the power of data variance analysis for characterizing regions of cryo EM density that displayed functionally important variance anomalies associated with maturation cleavage events in Nudaurelia Omega Capensis Virus and the presence or absence of a maturation protease in bacteriophage HK97 procapsids. Here we extend the analysis in two ways. First, instead of imposing icosahedral symmetry on every particle in the data set during the variance analysis, we only assume that the data set as a whole has icosahedral symmetry. This change removes artifacts of high variance along icosahedral symmetry axes, but retains all of the features previously reported in the HK97 data set. Second we present a covariance analysis that reveals correlations in structural dynamics (variance) between the interior of the HK97 procapsid with the protease and regions of the exterior (not seen in the absence of the protease). The latter analysis corresponds well with hydrogen deuterium exchange studies previously published that reveal the same correlation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Optimization of Allosteric With-No-Lysine (WNK) Kinase Inhibitors and Efficacy in Rodent Hypertension Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamada, Ken; Levell, Julian; Yoon, Taeyong; Kohls, Darcy; Yowe, David; Rigel, Dean F.; Imase, Hidetomo; Yuan, Jun; Yasoshima, Kayo; DiPetrillo, Keith; Monovich, Lauren; Xu, Lingfei; Zhu, Meicheng; Kato, Mitsunori; Jain, Monish; Idamakanti, Neeraja; Taslimi, Paul; Kawanami, Toshio; Argikar, Upendra A.; Kunjathoor, Vidya; Xie, Xiaoling; Yagi, Yukiko I.; Iwaki, Yuki; Robinson, Zachary; Park, Hyi-Man (Novartis)

    2017-08-03

    The observed structure–activity relationship of three distinct ATP noncompetitive With-No-Lysine (WNK) kinase inhibitor series, together with a crystal structure of a previously disclosed allosteric inhibitor bound to WNK1, led to an overlay hypothesis defining core and side-chain relationships across the different series. This in turn enabled an efficient optimization through scaffold morphing, resulting in compounds with a good balance of selectivity, cellular potency, and pharmacokinetic profile, which were suitable for in vivo proof-of-concept studies. When dosed orally, the optimized compound reduced blood pressure in mice overexpressing human WNK1, and induced diuresis, natriuresis and kaliuresis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), confirming that this mechanism of inhibition of WNK kinase activity is effective at regulating cardiovascular homeostasis.

  15. Binding site of ribosomal proteins on prokaryotic 5S ribonucleic acids: a study with ribonucleases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Douthwaite, S; Christensen, A; Garrett, R A

    1982-01-01

    The binding sites of ribosomal proteins L18 and L25 on 5S RNA from Escherichia coli were probed with ribonucleases A, T1, and T2 and a double helix specific cobra venom endonuclease. The results for the protein-RNA complexes, which were compared with those for the free RNA [Douthwaite, S...... stearothermophilus 5S RNA. Several protein-induced changes in the RNA structures were identified; some are possibly allosteric in nature. The two prokaryotic 5S RNAs were also incubated with total 50S subunit proteins from E. coli and B. stearothermophilus ribosomes. Homologous and heterologous reconstitution....... stearothermophilus 5S RNA, which may have been due to a third ribosomal protein L5....

  16. Phosphorylation of human aquaporin 2 (AQP2) allosterically controls its interaction with the lysosomal trafficking protein LIP5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roche, Jennifer Virginia; Survery, Sabeen; Kreida, Stefan; Nesverova, Veronika; Ampah-Korsah, Henry; Gourdon, Maria; Deen, Peter M T; Törnroth-Horsefield, Susanna

    2017-09-01

    The interaction between the renal water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2) and the lysosomal trafficking regulator-interacting protein LIP5 targets AQP2 to multivesicular bodies and facilitates lysosomal degradation. This interaction is part of a process that controls AQP2 apical membrane abundance in a vasopressin-dependent manner, allowing for urine volume adjustment. Vasopressin regulates phosphorylation at four sites within the AQP2 C terminus (Ser 256 , Ser 261 , Ser 264 , and Thr 269 ), of which Ser 256 is crucial and sufficient for AQP2 translocation from storage vesicles to the apical membrane. However, whether AQP2 phosphorylation modulates AQP2-LIP5 complex affinity is unknown. Here we used far-Western blot analysis and microscale thermophoresis to show that the AQP2 binds LIP5 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. We constructed five phospho-mimicking mutants (S256E, S261E, S264E, T269E, and S256E/T269E) and a C-terminal truncation mutant (ΔP242) that lacked all phosphorylation sites but retained a previously suggested LIP5-binding site. CD spectroscopy indicated that wild-type AQP2 and the phospho-mimicking mutants had similar overall structure but displayed differences in melting temperatures possibly arising from C-terminal conformational changes. Non-phosphorylated AQP2 bound LIP5 with the highest affinity, whereas AQP2-ΔP242 had 20-fold lower affinity as determined by microscale thermophoresis. AQP2-S256E, S261E, T269E, and S256E/T269E all had reduced affinity. This effect was most prominent for AQP2-S256E, which fits well with its role in apical membrane targeting. AQP2-S264E had affinity similar to non-phosphorylated AQP2, possibly indicating a role in exosome excretion. Our data suggest that AQP2 phosphorylation allosterically controls its interaction with LIP5, illustrating how altered affinities to interacting proteins form the basis for regulation of AQP2 trafficking by post-translational modifications. © 2017 by The American Society for

  17. Docking analysis targeted to the whole enzyme: an application to the prediction of inhibition of PTP1B by thiomorpholine and thiazolyl derivatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganou, C A; Eleftheriou, P Th; Theodosis-Nobelos, P; Fesatidou, M; Geronikaki, A A; Lialiaris, T; Rekka, E A

    2018-02-01

    PTP1b is a protein tyrosine phosphatase involved in the inactivation of insulin receptor. Since inhibition of PTP1b may prolong the action of the receptor, PTP1b has become a drug target for the treatment of type II diabetes. In the present study, prediction of inhibition using docking analysis targeted specifically to the active or allosteric site was performed on 87 compounds structurally belonging to 10 different groups. Two groups, consisting of 15 thiomorpholine and 10 thiazolyl derivatives exhibiting the best prediction results, were selected for in vitro evaluation. All thiomorpholines showed inhibitory action (with IC 50 = 4-45 μΜ, Ki = 2-23 μM), while only three thiazolyl derivatives showed low inhibition (best IC 50 = 18 μΜ, Ki = 9 μΜ). However, free binding energy (E) was in accordance with the IC 50 values only for some compounds. Docking analysis targeted to the whole enzyme revealed that the compounds exhibiting IC 50 values higher than expected could bind to other peripheral sites with lower free energy, E o , than when bound to the active/allosteric site. A prediction factor, E- (Σ Eo × 0.16), which takes into account lower energy binding to peripheral sites, was proposed and was found to correlate well with the IC 50 values following an asymmetrical sigmoidal equation with r 2 = 0.9692.

  18. Assigning Quantitative Function to Post-Translational Modifications Reveals Multiple Sites of Phosphorylation That Tune Yeast Pheromone Signaling Output

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pincus, David; Ryan, Christopher J.; Smith, Richard D.; Brent, Roger; Resnekov, Orna; Hakimi, Mohamed Ali

    2013-03-12

    Cell signaling systems transmit information by post-­translationally modifying signaling proteins, often via phosphorylation. While thousands of sites of phosphorylation have been identified in proteomic studies, the vast majority of sites have no known function. Assigning functional roles to the catalog of uncharacterized phosphorylation sites is a key research challenge. Here we present a general approach to address this challenge and apply it to a prototypical signaling pathway, the pheromone response pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The pheromone pathway includes a mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade activated by a G-­protein coupled receptor (GPCR). We used mass spectrometry-based proteomics to identify sites whose phosphorylation changed when the system was active, and evolutionary conservation to assign priority to a list of candidate MAPK regulatory sites. We made targeted alterations in those sites, and measured the effects of the mutations on pheromone pathway output in single cells. Our work identified six new sites that quantitatively tuned system output. We developed simple computational models to find system architectures that recapitulated the quantitative phenotypes of the mutants. Our results identify a number of regulated phosphorylation events that contribute to adjust the input-­output relationship of this model eukaryotic signaling system. We believe this combined approach constitutes a general means not only to reveal modification sites required to turn a pathway on and off, but also those required for more subtle quantitative effects that tune pathway output. Our results further suggest that relatively small quantitative influences from individual regulatory phosphorylation events endow signaling systems with plasticity that evolution may exploit to quantitatively tailor signaling outcomes.

  19. Comparison of S. cerevisiae F-BAR domain structures reveals a conserved inositol phosphate binding site

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moravcevic, Katarina; Alvarado, Diego; Schmitz, Karl R.; Kenniston, Jon A.; Mendrola, Jeannine M.; Ferguson, Kathryn M.; Lemmon, Mark A.

    2015-01-01

    SUMMARY F-BAR domains control membrane interactions in endocytosis, cytokinesis, and cell signaling. Although generally thought to bind curved membranes containing negatively charged phospholipids, numerous functional studies argue that differences in lipid-binding selectivities of F-BAR domains are functionally important. Here, we compare membrane-binding properties of the S. cerevisiae F-BAR domains in vitro and in vivo. Whereas some F-BAR domains (such as Bzz1p and Hof1p F-BARs) bind equally well to all phospholipids, the F-BAR domain from the RhoGAP Rgd1p preferentially binds phosphoinositides. We determined X-ray crystal structures of F-BAR domains from Hof1p and Rgd1p, the latter bound to an inositol phosphate. The structures explain phospholipid-binding selectivity differences, and reveal an F-BAR phosphoinositide binding site that is fully conserved in a mammalian RhoGAP called Gmip, and is partly retained in certain other F-BAR domains. Our findings reveal previously unappreciated determinants of F-BAR domain lipid-binding specificity, and provide a basis for its prediction from sequence. PMID:25620000

  20. Exploring Covalent Allosteric Inhibition of Antigen 85C from Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Ebselen Derivatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goins, Christopher M; Dajnowicz, Steven; Thanna, Sandeep; Sucheck, Steven J; Parks, Jerry M; Ronning, Donald R

    2017-05-12

    rearrangement due to covalent allosteric modification creates a sizable solvent network that encompasses the active site and extends to the modified Cys209 residue. In all, this study outlines factors that influence enzyme inhibition by ebselen and its derivatives while further highlighting the effects of the covalent modification of Cys209 by said inhibitors on the structure and stability of Ag85C. Furthermore, the results suggest a strategy for developing new classes of Ag85 inhibitors with increased specificity and potency.

  1. Inverse agonist-like action of cadmium on G-protein-gated inward-rectifier K{sup +} channels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inanobe, Atsushi, E-mail: inanobe@pharma2.med.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Matsuura, Takanori [Laboratory of Protein Informatics, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Nakagawa, Atsushi [Laboratory of Supramolecular Crystallography, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Kurachi, Yoshihisa, E-mail: ykurachi@pharma2.med.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan)

    2011-04-08

    Highlights: {yields} We examined allosteric control of K{sup +} channel gating. {yields} We identified a high-affinity site for Cd{sup 2+} to inhibit Kir3.2 activity. {yields} The 6-coordination geometry supports the binding. {yields} Cd{sup 2+} inhibits Kir3.2 by trapping the conformation in the closed state. -- Abstract: The gate at the pore-forming domain of potassium channels is allosterically controlled by a stimulus-sensing domain. Using Cd{sup 2+} as a probe, we examined the structural elements responsible for gating in an inward-rectifier K{sup +} channel (Kir3.2). One of four endogenous cysteines facing the cytoplasm contributes to a high-affinity site for inhibition by internal Cd{sup 2+}. Crystal structure of its cytoplasmic domain in complex with Cd{sup 2+} reveals that octahedral coordination geometry supports the high-affinity binding. This mode of action causes the tethering of the N-terminus to CD loop in the stimulus-sensing domain, suggesting that their conformational changes participate in gating and Cd{sup 2+} inhibits Kir3.2 by trapping the conformation in the closed state like 'inverse agonist'.

  2. Transverse relaxation dispersion of the p7 membrane channel from hepatitis C virus reveals conformational breathing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dev, Jyoti; Brüschweiler, Sven; Ouyang, Bo; Chou, James J.

    2015-01-01

    The p7 membrane protein encoded by hepatitis C virus (HCV) assembles into a homo-hexamer that selectively conducts cations. An earlier solution NMR structure of the hexameric complex revealed a funnel-like architecture and suggests that a ring of conserved asparagines near the narrow end of the funnel are important for cation interaction. NMR based drug-binding experiments also suggest that rimantadine can allosterically inhibit ion conduction via a molecular wedge mechanism. These results suggest the presence of dilation and contraction of the funnel tip that are important for channel activity and that the action of the drug is attenuating this motion. Here, we determined the conformational dynamics and solvent accessibility of the p7 channel. The proton exchange measurements show that the cavity-lining residues are largely water accessible, consistent with the overall funnel shape of the channel. Our relaxation dispersion data show that residues Val7 and Leu8 near the asparagine ring are subject to large chemical exchange, suggesting significant intrinsic channel breathing at the tip of the funnel. Moreover, the hinge regions connecting the narrow and wide regions of the funnel show strong relaxation dispersion and these regions are the binding sites for rimantadine. Presence of rimantadine decreases the conformational dynamics near the asparagine ring and the hinge area. Our data provide direct observation of μs–ms dynamics of the p7 channel and support the molecular wedge mechanism of rimantadine inhibition of the HCV p7 channel

  3. Transverse relaxation dispersion of the p7 membrane channel from hepatitis C virus reveals conformational breathing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dev, Jyoti; Brüschweiler, Sven [Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology (United States); Ouyang, Bo [Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (China); Chou, James J., E-mail: james-chou@hms.harvard.edu [Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology (United States)

    2015-04-15

    The p7 membrane protein encoded by hepatitis C virus (HCV) assembles into a homo-hexamer that selectively conducts cations. An earlier solution NMR structure of the hexameric complex revealed a funnel-like architecture and suggests that a ring of conserved asparagines near the narrow end of the funnel are important for cation interaction. NMR based drug-binding experiments also suggest that rimantadine can allosterically inhibit ion conduction via a molecular wedge mechanism. These results suggest the presence of dilation and contraction of the funnel tip that are important for channel activity and that the action of the drug is attenuating this motion. Here, we determined the conformational dynamics and solvent accessibility of the p7 channel. The proton exchange measurements show that the cavity-lining residues are largely water accessible, consistent with the overall funnel shape of the channel. Our relaxation dispersion data show that residues Val7 and Leu8 near the asparagine ring are subject to large chemical exchange, suggesting significant intrinsic channel breathing at the tip of the funnel. Moreover, the hinge regions connecting the narrow and wide regions of the funnel show strong relaxation dispersion and these regions are the binding sites for rimantadine. Presence of rimantadine decreases the conformational dynamics near the asparagine ring and the hinge area. Our data provide direct observation of μs–ms dynamics of the p7 channel and support the molecular wedge mechanism of rimantadine inhibition of the HCV p7 channel.

  4. Three classes of ligands each bind to distinct sites on the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR84.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahmud, Zobaer Al; Jenkins, Laura; Ulven, Trond; Labéguère, Frédéric; Gosmini, Romain; De Vos, Steve; Hudson, Brian D; Tikhonova, Irina G; Milligan, Graeme

    2017-12-20

    Medium chain fatty acids can activate the pro-inflammatory receptor GPR84 but so also can molecules related to 3,3'-diindolylmethane. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane and decanoic acid acted as strong positive allosteric modulators of the function of each other and analysis showed the affinity of 3,3'-diindolylmethane to be at least 100 fold higher. Methyl decanoate was not an agonist at GPR84. This implies a key role in binding for the carboxylic acid of the fatty acid. Via homology modelling we predicted and confirmed an integral role of arginine 172 , located in the 2nd extracellular loop, in the action of decanoic acid but not of 3,3'-diindolylmethane. Exemplars from a patented series of GPR84 antagonists were able to block agonist actions of both decanoic acid and 3,3'-diindolylmethane at GPR84. However, although a radiolabelled form of a related antagonist, [ 3 H]G9543, was able to bind with high affinity to GPR84, this was not competed for by increasing concentrations of either decanoic acid or 3,3'-diindolylmethane and was not affected adversely by mutation of arginine 172 . These studies identify three separable ligand binding sites within GPR84 and suggest that if medium chain fatty acids are true endogenous regulators then co-binding with a positive allosteric modulator would greatly enhance their function in physiological settings.

  5. All-atom normal-mode analysis reveals an RNA-induced allostery in a bacteriophage coat protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dykeman, Eric C; Twarock, Reidun

    2010-03-01

    Assembly of the T=3 bacteriophage MS2 is initiated by the binding of a 19 nucleotide RNA stem loop from within the phage genome to a symmetric coat protein dimer. This binding event effects a folding of the FG loop in one of the protein subunits of the dimer and results in the formation of an asymmetric dimer. Since both the symmetric and asymmetric forms of the dimer are needed for the assembly of the protein container, this allosteric switch plays an important role in the life cycle of the phage. We provide here details of an all-atom normal-mode analysis of this allosteric effect. The results suggest that asymmetric contacts between the A -duplex RNA phosphodiester backbone of the stem loop with the EF loop in one coat protein subunit results in an increased dynamic behavior of its FG loop. The four lowest-frequency modes, which encompass motions predominantly on the FG loops, account for over 90% of the increased dynamic behavior due to a localization of the vibrational pattern on a single FG loop. Finally, we show that an analysis of the allosteric effect using an elastic network model fails to predict this localization effect, highlighting the importance of using an all-atom full force field method for this problem.

  6. Mutational and structural analyses of Caldanaerobius polysaccharolyticus Man5B reveal novel active site residues for family 5 glycoside hydrolases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takuji Oyama

    Full Text Available CpMan5B is a glycoside hydrolase (GH family 5 enzyme exhibiting both β-1,4-mannosidic and β-1,4-glucosidic cleavage activities. To provide insight into the amino acid residues that contribute to catalysis and substrate specificity, we solved the structure of CpMan5B at 1.6 Å resolution. The structure revealed several active site residues (Y12, N92 and R196 in CpMan5B that are not present in the active sites of other structurally resolved GH5 enzymes. Residue R196 in GH5 enzymes is thought to be strictly conserved as a histidine that participates in an electron relay network with the catalytic glutamates, but we show that an arginine fulfills a functionally equivalent role and is found at this position in every enzyme in subfamily GH5_36, which includes CpMan5B. Residue N92 is required for full enzymatic activity and forms a novel bridge over the active site that is absent in other family 5 structures. Our data also reveal a role of Y12 in establishing the substrate preference for CpMan5B. Using these molecular determinants as a probe allowed us to identify Man5D from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii as a mannanase with minor endo-glucanase activity.

  7. Mutational and structural analyses of Caldanaerobius polysaccharolyticus Man5B reveal novel active site residues for family 5 glycoside hydrolases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oyama, Takuji; Schmitz, George E; Dodd, Dylan; Han, Yejun; Burnett, Alanna; Nagasawa, Naoko; Mackie, Roderick I; Nakamura, Haruki; Morikawa, Kosuke; Cann, Isaac

    2013-01-01

    CpMan5B is a glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5 enzyme exhibiting both β-1,4-mannosidic and β-1,4-glucosidic cleavage activities. To provide insight into the amino acid residues that contribute to catalysis and substrate specificity, we solved the structure of CpMan5B at 1.6 Å resolution. The structure revealed several active site residues (Y12, N92 and R196) in CpMan5B that are not present in the active sites of other structurally resolved GH5 enzymes. Residue R196 in GH5 enzymes is thought to be strictly conserved as a histidine that participates in an electron relay network with the catalytic glutamates, but we show that an arginine fulfills a functionally equivalent role and is found at this position in every enzyme in subfamily GH5_36, which includes CpMan5B. Residue N92 is required for full enzymatic activity and forms a novel bridge over the active site that is absent in other family 5 structures. Our data also reveal a role of Y12 in establishing the substrate preference for CpMan5B. Using these molecular determinants as a probe allowed us to identify Man5D from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii as a mannanase with minor endo-glucanase activity.

  8. Structural Analysis of ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase From the Bacterium Agrobacterium Tumefaciens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cupp-Vickery, J.R.; Igarashi, R.Y.; Perez, M.; Poland, M.; Meyer, C.R.

    2009-05-14

    ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (ADPGlc PPase) catalyzes the conversion of glucose 1-phosphate and ATP to ADP-glucose and pyrophosphate. As a key step in glucan synthesis, the ADPGlc PPases are highly regulated by allosteric activators and inhibitors in accord with the carbon metabolism pathways of the organism. Crystals of Agrobacterium tumefaciens ADPGlc PPase were obtained using lithium sulfate as a precipitant. A complete anomalous selenomethionyl derivative X-ray diffraction data set was collected with unit cell dimensions a = 85.38 {angstrom}, b = 93.79 {angstrom}, and c = 140.29 {angstrom} ({alpha} = {beta} = {gamma} = 90{sup o}) and space group I{sub 222}. The A. tumefaciens ADPGlc PPase model was refined to 2.1 {angstrom} with an R{sub factor} = 22% and R{sub free} = 26.6%. The model consists of two domains: an N-terminal {alpha}{beta}{alpha} sandwich and a C-terminal parallel {beta}-helix. ATP and glucose 1-phosphate were successfully modeled in the proposed active site, and site-directed mutagenesis of conserved glycines in this region (G20, G21, and G23) resulted in substantial loss of activity. The interface between the N- and the C-terminal domains harbors a strong sulfate-binding site, and kinetic studies revealed that sulfate is a competitive inhibitor for the allosteric activator fructose 6-phosphate. These results suggest that the interface between the N- and C-terminal domains binds the allosteric regulator, and fructose 6-phosphate was modeled into this region. The A. tumefaciens ADPGlc PPase/fructose 6-phosphate structural model along with sequence alignment analysis was used to design mutagenesis experiments to expand the activator specificity to include fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. The H379R and H379K enzymes were found to be activated by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate.

  9. Distinguishing Binders from False Positives by Free Energy Calculations: Fragment Screening Against the Flap Site of HIV Protease

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Molecular docking is a powerful tool used in drug discovery and structural biology for predicting the structures of ligand–receptor complexes. However, the accuracy of docking calculations can be limited by factors such as the neglect of protein reorganization in the scoring function; as a result, ligand screening can produce a high rate of false positive hits. Although absolute binding free energy methods still have difficulty in accurately rank-ordering binders, we believe that they can be fruitfully employed to distinguish binders from nonbinders and reduce the false positive rate. Here we study a set of ligands that dock favorably to a newly discovered, potentially allosteric site on the flap of HIV-1 protease. Fragment binding to this site stabilizes a closed form of protease, which could be exploited for the design of allosteric inhibitors. Twenty-three top-ranked protein–ligand complexes from AutoDock were subject to the free energy screening using two methods, the recently developed binding energy analysis method (BEDAM) and the standard double decoupling method (DDM). Free energy calculations correctly identified most of the false positives (≥83%) and recovered all the confirmed binders. The results show a gap averaging ≥3.7 kcal/mol, separating the binders and the false positives. We present a formula that decomposes the binding free energy into contributions from the receptor conformational macrostates, which provides insights into the roles of different binding modes. Our binding free energy component analysis further suggests that improving the treatment for the desolvation penalty associated with the unfulfilled polar groups could reduce the rate of false positive hits in docking. The current study demonstrates that the combination of docking with free energy methods can be very useful for more accurate ligand screening against valuable drug targets. PMID:25189630

  10. Structure of a prokaryotic sodium channel pore reveals essential gating elements and an outer ion binding site common to eukaryotic channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaya, David; Findeisen, Felix; Abderemane-Ali, Fayal; Arrigoni, Cristina; Wong, Stephanie; Nurva, Shailika Reddy; Loussouarn, Gildas; Minor, Daniel L

    2014-01-23

    Voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs) are central elements of cellular excitation. Notwithstanding advances from recent bacterial NaV (BacNaV) structures, key questions about gating and ion selectivity remain. Here, we present a closed conformation of NaVAe1p, a pore-only BacNaV derived from NaVAe1, a BacNaV from the arsenite oxidizer Alkalilimnicola ehrlichei found in Mono Lake, California, that provides insight into both fundamental properties. The structure reveals a pore domain in which the pore-lining S6 helix connects to a helical cytoplasmic tail. Electrophysiological studies of full-length BacNaVs show that two elements defined by the NaVAe1p structure, an S6 activation gate position and the cytoplasmic tail "neck", are central to BacNaV gating. The structure also reveals the selectivity filter ion entry site, termed the "outer ion" site. Comparison with mammalian voltage-gated calcium channel (CaV) selectivity filters, together with functional studies, shows that this site forms a previously unknown determinant of CaV high-affinity calcium binding. Our findings underscore commonalities between BacNaVs and eukaryotic voltage-gated channels and provide a framework for understanding gating and ion permeation in this superfamily. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Hemoglobin Rahere, a human hemoglobin variant with amino acid substitution at the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate binding site. Functional consequences of the alteration and effects of bezafibrate on the oxygen bindings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugihara, J; Imamura, T; Nagafuchi, S; Bonaventura, J; Bonaventura, C; Cashon, R

    1985-09-01

    We encountered an abnormal hemoglobin (Rahere), with a threonine residue replacing the beta 82 (EF6) lysine residue at the binding site of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, which was responsible for overt erythrocytosis in two individuals of a Japanese family. Hemoglobin Rahere shows a lower oxygen affinity on the binding of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate or chloride ions than hemoglobin A. Although a decrease in the positive charge density at the binding sites of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in hemoglobin Rahere apparently shifts the allosteric equilibrium toward the low affinity state, it greatly diminishes the cofactor effects by anions. The oxygen affinity of the patient's erythrocytes is substantially lowered by the presence of bezafibrate, which combines with sites different from those of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in either hemoglobin Rahere or hemoglobin A.

  12. Inacessible Andean sites reveal land-use induced stabilisation of soil organic carbon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heitkamp, Felix; Maqsood, Shafique; Sylvester, Steven; Kessler, Michael; Jungkunst, Hermann

    2015-04-01

    these findings were a high proportion of complexed SOC in rangeland soils (25 to 36 vs. 59% of SOC were extractable with Na-pyrophosphate in pristine and rangeland soils, respectively). Moreover, less C was associated with the light fraction (plant-soil) were lower in all density-size fractions and even negative in the light fraction of rangeland soils, meaning that these were more depleted or less enriched with 13C relative to vegetation. This could indicate stabilisation of old C derived from former pristine vegetation (having a lower 13C signature), presence of pyrogenic carbon or specific stabilisation of depleted compounds. Overall, our the approach of using large, inaccessible sites as reference for continuously used sites revealed that grazing management had tremendous effects on the partitioning of SOC among different fractions, but not on the total stocks. Since SOC in rangeland soils was more effectively stabilised, reactions to environmental changes should be slower and SOC in pristine soils is likely to react more sensitive.

  13. A unified view of "how allostery works".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Chung-Jung; Nussinov, Ruth

    2014-02-01

    The question of how allostery works was posed almost 50 years ago. Since then it has been the focus of much effort. This is for two reasons: first, the intellectual curiosity of basic science and the desire to understand fundamental phenomena, and second, its vast practical importance. Allostery is at play in all processes in the living cell, and increasingly in drug discovery. Many models have been successfully formulated, and are able to describe allostery even in the absence of a detailed structural mechanism. However, conceptual schemes designed to qualitatively explain allosteric mechanisms usually lack a quantitative mathematical model, and are unable to link its thermodynamic and structural foundations. This hampers insight into oncogenic mutations in cancer progression and biased agonists' actions. Here, we describe how allostery works from three different standpoints: thermodynamics, free energy landscape of population shift, and structure; all with exactly the same allosteric descriptors. This results in a unified view which not only clarifies the elusive allosteric mechanism but also provides structural grasp of agonist-mediated signaling pathways, and guides allosteric drug discovery. Of note, the unified view reasons that allosteric coupling (or communication) does not determine the allosteric efficacy; however, a communication channel is what makes potential binding sites allosteric.

  14. Interplay between Structure and Charge as a Key to Allosteric Modulation of Human 20S Proteasome by the Basic Fragment of HIV-1 Tat Protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Przemysław Karpowicz

    Full Text Available The proteasome is a giant protease responsible for degradation of the majority of cytosolic proteins. Competitive inhibitors of the proteasome are used against aggressive blood cancers. However, broadening the use of proteasome-targeting drugs requires new mechanistic approaches to the enzyme's inhibition. In our previous studies we described Tat1 peptide, an allosteric inhibitor of the proteasome derived from a fragment of the basic domain of HIV-Tat1 protein. Here, we attempted to dissect the structural determinants of the proteasome inhibition by Tat1. Single- and multiple- alanine walking scans were performed. Tat1 analogs with stabilized beta-turn conformation at positions 4-5 and 8-9, pointed out by the molecular dynamics modeling and the alanine scan, were synthesized. Structure of Tat1 analogs were analyzed by circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies, supplemented by molecular dynamics simulations. Biological activity tests and structural studies revealed that high flexibility and exposed positive charge are hallmarks of Tat1 peptide. Interestingly, stabilization of a beta-turn at the 8-9 position was necessary to significantly improve the inhibitory potency.

  15. Inhibition of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone-Induced Preovulatory Follicles in Rats Treated with a Nonsteroidal Negative Allosteric Modulator of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor1

    OpenAIRE

    Dias, James A.; Campo, Brice; Weaver, Barbara A.; Watts, Julie; Kluetzman, Kerri; Thomas, Richard M.; Bonnet, Béatrice; Mutel, Vincent; Poli, Sonia M.

    2013-01-01

    We previously described a negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of FSHR (ADX61623) that blocked FSH-induced cAMP and progesterone production but did not block estradiol production. That FSHR NAM did not affect FSH-induced preovulatory follicle development as evidenced by the lack of an effect on the number of FSH-dependent oocytes found in the ampullae following ovulation with hCG. A goal is the development of a nonsteroidal contraceptive. Toward this end, a high-throughput screen using human F...

  16. Metaproteomics and metabolomics analyses of chronically petroleum-polluted sites reveal the importance of general anaerobic processes uncoupled with degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bargiela, Rafael; Herbst, Florian-Alexander; Martínez-Martínez, Mónica; Seifert, Jana; Rojo, David; Cappello, Simone; Genovese, María; Crisafi, Francesca; Denaro, Renata; Chernikova, Tatyana N; Barbas, Coral; von Bergen, Martin; Yakimov, Michail M; Ferrer, Manuel; Golyshin, Peter N

    2015-10-01

    Crude oil is one of the most important natural assets for humankind, yet it is a major environmental pollutant, notably in marine environments. One of the largest crude oil polluted areas in the word is the semi-enclosed Mediterranean Sea, in which the metabolic potential of indigenous microbial populations towards the large-scale chronic pollution is yet to be defined, particularly in anaerobic and micro-aerophilic sites. Here, we provide an insight into the microbial metabolism in sediments from three chronically polluted marine sites along the coastline of Italy: the Priolo oil terminal/refinery site (near Siracuse, Sicily), harbour of Messina (Sicily) and shipwreck of MT Haven (near Genoa). Using shotgun metaproteomics and community metabolomics approaches, the presence of 651 microbial proteins and 4776 metabolite mass features have been detected in these three environments, revealing a high metabolic heterogeneity between the investigated sites. The proteomes displayed the prevalence of anaerobic metabolisms that were not directly related with petroleum biodegradation, indicating that in the absence of oxygen, biodegradation is significantly suppressed. This suppression was also suggested by examining the metabolome patterns. The proteome analysis further highlighted the metabolic coupling between methylotrophs and sulphate reducers in oxygen-depleted petroleum-polluted sediments. © 2015 The Authors. PROTEOMICS published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Metaproteomics and metabolomics analyses of chronically petroleum‐polluted sites reveal the importance of general anaerobic processes uncoupled with degradation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bargiela, Rafael; Herbst, Florian‐Alexander; Martínez‐Martínez, Mónica; Seifert, Jana; Rojo, David; Cappello, Simone; Genovese, María; Crisafi, Francesca; Denaro, Renata; Chernikova, Tatyana N.; Barbas, Coral; von Bergen, Martin; Yakimov, Michail M.; Golyshin, Peter N.

    2015-01-01

    Crude oil is one of the most important natural assets for humankind, yet it is a major environmental pollutant, notably in marine environments. One of the largest crude oil polluted areas in the word is the semi‐enclosed Mediterranean Sea, in which the metabolic potential of indigenous microbial populations towards the large‐scale chronic pollution is yet to be defined, particularly in anaerobic and micro‐aerophilic sites. Here, we provide an insight into the microbial metabolism in sediments from three chronically polluted marine sites along the coastline of Italy: the Priolo oil terminal/refinery site (near Siracuse, Sicily), harbour of Messina (Sicily) and shipwreck of MT Haven (near Genoa). Using shotgun metaproteomics and community metabolomics approaches, the presence of 651 microbial proteins and 4776 metabolite mass features have been detected in these three environments, revealing a high metabolic heterogeneity between the investigated sites. The proteomes displayed the prevalence of anaerobic metabolisms that were not directly related with petroleum biodegradation, indicating that in the absence of oxygen, biodegradation is significantly suppressed. This suppression was also suggested by examining the metabolome patterns. The proteome analysis further highlighted the metabolic coupling between methylotrophs and sulphate reducers in oxygen‐depleted petroleum‐polluted sediments. PMID:26201687

  18. Levamisole: A Positive Allosteric Modulator for the α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Prevents Weight Gain in the CD-1 Mice on a High Fat Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Jeanne A; Yakel, Jerrel L; Pandya, Anshul A

    2017-01-01

    Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) regulate the function of multiple neurotransmitter pathways throughout the central nervous system. This includes nAChRs found on the proopiomelanocortin neurons in the hypothalamus. Activation of these nAChRs by nicotine causes a decrease in the consumption of food in rodents. This study tested the effect of subtype selective allosteric modulators for nAChRs on the body weight of CD-1 mice. Levamisole, an allosteric modulator for the α3β4 subtype of nAChRs, prevented weight gain in mice that were fed a high fat diet. PNU-120596 and desformylflustrabromine were observed to be selective PAMs for the α7 and α4β2 nAChR, respectively. Both of these compounds failed to prevent weight gain in the CD-1 mice. These results suggest that the modulation of hypothalamic α3β4 nAChRs is an important factor in regulating food intake, and the PAMs for these receptors need further investigation as potential therapeutic agents for controlling weight gain. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  19. Illumina amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA tag reveals bacterial community development in the rhizosphere of apple nurseries at a replant disease site and a new planting site.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Sun

    Full Text Available We used a next-generation, Illumina-based sequencing approach to characterize the bacterial community development of apple rhizosphere soil in a replant site (RePlant and a new planting site (NewPlant in Beijing. Dwarfing apple nurseries of 'Fuji'/SH6/Pingyitiancha trees were planted in the spring of 2013. Before planting, soil from the apple rhizosphere of the replant site (ReSoil and from the new planting site (NewSoil was sampled for analysis on the Illumina MiSeq platform. In late September, the rhizosphere soil from both sites was resampled (RePlant and NewPlant. More than 16,000 valid reads were obtained for each replicate, and the community was composed of five dominant groups (Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes and Actinobacteria. The bacterial diversity decreased after apple planting. Principal component analyses revealed that the rhizosphere samples were significantly different among treatments. Apple nursery planting showed a large impact on the soil bacterial community, and the community development was significantly different between the replanted and newly planted soils. Verrucomicrobia were less abundant in RePlant soil, while Pseudomonas and Lysobacter were increased in RePlant compared with ReSoil and NewPlant. Both RePlant and ReSoil showed relatively higher invertase and cellulase activities than NewPlant and NewSoil, but only NewPlant soil showed higher urease activity, and this soil also had the higher plant growth. Our experimental results suggest that planting apple nurseries has a significant impact on soil bacterial community development at both replant and new planting sites, and planting on new site resulted in significantly higher soil urease activity and a different bacterial community composition.

  20. Computational dissection of allosteric inhibition of the SH2 domain of Bcr-Abl kinase by the monobody inhibitor AS25.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Mingfei; Zheng, Guodong; Li, Xiaolong; Zhang, Zhongqin; Jv, Guanqun; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Jialin

    2017-06-01

    The deregulated breakpoint cluster region (Bcr)-Abelson tyrosine kinase (Abl) fusion protein represents an attractive pharmacological target for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The high affinity of monobody AS25 was designed to target the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of Bcr-Abl, leading to allosteric inhibition of Bcr-Abl through formation of protein-protein interactions. An I164E mutation in the SH2 domain disrupts AS25 binding to the SH2 domain of Bcr-Abl. The detailed mechanisms, however, remain to be unresolved. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations were performed to explore the conformational and energetic differences between the wild-type (WT) complexes of Bcr-Abl SH2 domain and AS25 (SH2 WT -AS25) as well as the mutated complexes (SH2 I164E -AS25). The results revealed that I164E mutation not only caused an increase in the conformational flexibility of SH2-AS25 complexes, but also weakened the binding affinity of AS25 to SH2. The comparative binding modes of SH2-AS25 complexes between WT and the I164E mutant were comprehensively analyzed to unravel the disruption of hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions in the interface of the SH2-AS25 complex triggered by the I164E mutation. The results obtained may help to design the next generation of higher affinity Bcr-Abl SH2-specific peptide inhibitors.

  1. Epitope mapping for monoclonal antibody reveals the activation mechanism for αVβ3 integrin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetsuji Kamata

    Full Text Available Epitopes for a panel of anti-αVβ3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs were investigated to explore the activation mechanism of αVβ3 integrin. Experiments utilizing αV/αIIb domain-swapping chimeras revealed that among the nine mAbs tested, five recognized the ligand-binding β-propeller domain and four recognized the thigh domain, which is the upper leg of the αV chain. Interestingly, the four mAbs included function-blocking as well as non-functional mAbs, although they bound at a distance from the ligand-binding site. The epitopes for these four mAbs were further determined using human-to-mouse αV chimeras. Among the four, P3G8 recognized an amino acid residue, Ser-528, located on the side of the thigh domain, while AMF-7, M9, and P2W7 all recognized a common epitope, Ser-462, that was located close to the α-genu, where integrin makes a sharp bend in the crystal structure. Fibrinogen binding studies for cells expressing wild-type αVβ3 confirmed that AMF-7, M9, and P2W7 were inhibitory, while P3G8 was non-functional. However, these mAbs were all unable to block binding when αVβ3 was constrained in its extended conformation. These results suggest that AMF-7, M9, and P2W7 block ligand binding allosterically by stabilizing the angle of the bend in the bent conformation. Thus, a switchblade-like movement of the integrin leg is indispensable for the affinity regulation of αVβ3 integrin.

  2. Interactions between allosteric modulators and 4-DAMP and other antagonists at muscarinic receptors: potential significance of the distance between the N and Carboxyl C atoms in the molecules of antagonists

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Lysíková, Michaela; Havlas, Zdeněk; Tuček, Stanislav

    2001-01-01

    Roč. 26, č. 4 (2001), s. 383-394 ISSN 0364-3190 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA309/99/0214; GA MŠk LN00A032 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5011922 Keywords : muscarinic receptors * allosteric modulation * 4-DAMP Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 1.638, year: 2001

  3. High-Resolution Profiling of Drosophila Replication Start Sites Reveals a DNA Shape and Chromatin Signature of Metazoan Origins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federico Comoglio

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available At every cell cycle, faithful inheritance of metazoan genomes requires the concerted activation of thousands of DNA replication origins. However, the genetic and chromatin features defining metazoan replication start sites remain largely unknown. Here, we delineate the origin repertoire of the Drosophila genome at high resolution. We address the role of origin-proximal G-quadruplexes and suggest that they transiently stall replication forks in vivo. We dissect the chromatin configuration of replication origins and identify a rich spatial organization of chromatin features at initiation sites. DNA shape and chromatin configurations, not strict sequence motifs, mark and predict origins in higher eukaryotes. We further examine the link between transcription and origin firing and reveal that modulation of origin activity across cell types is intimately linked to cell-type-specific transcriptional programs. Our study unravels conserved origin features and provides unique insights into the relationship among DNA topology, chromatin, transcription, and replication initiation across metazoa.

  4. Self-phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor: evidence for a model of intermolecular allosteric activation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yarden, Y.; Schlessinger, J.

    1987-01-01

    The membrane receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a 170,000 dalton glycoprotein composed of an extracellular EGF-binding domain and a cytoplasmic kinase domain connected by a stretch of 23 amino acids traversing the plasma membrane. The binding of EGF to the extracellular domain activates the cytoplasmic kinase function even in highly purified preparations of EGF receptor, suggesting that the activation occurs exclusively within the EGF receptor moiety. Conceivably, kinase activation may require the transfer of a conformational change through the single transmembrane region from the ligand binding domain to the cytoplasmic kinase region. Alternatively, ligand-induced receptor-receptor interactions may activate the kinase and thus bypass this requirement. Both mechanisms were contrasted by employing independent experimental approaches. On the basis of these results, an allosteric aggregation model is formulated for the activation of the cytoplasmic kinase function of the receptor by EGF. This model may be relevant to the mechanism by which the mitogenic signal of EGF is transferred across the membrane

  5. Intracellular calcium levels determine differential modulation of allosteric interactions within G protein-coupled receptor heteromers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro, Gemma; Aguinaga, David; Moreno, Estefania; Hradsky, Johannes; Reddy, Pasham P; Cortés, Antoni; Mallol, Josefa; Casadó, Vicent; Mikhaylova, Marina; Kreutz, Michael R; Lluís, Carme; Canela, Enric I; McCormick, Peter J; Ferré, Sergi

    2014-11-20

    The pharmacological significance of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) heteromer is well established and it is being considered as an important target for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the physiological factors that control its distinctive biochemical properties are still unknown. We demonstrate that different intracellular Ca2+ levels exert a differential modulation of A2AR-D2R heteromer-mediated adenylyl-cyclase and MAPK signaling in striatal cells. This depends on the ability of low and high Ca2+ levels to promote a selective interaction of the heteromer with the neuronal Ca2+-binding proteins NCS-1 and calneuron-1, respectively. These Ca2+-binding proteins differentially modulate allosteric interactions within the A2AR-D2R heteromer, which constitutes a unique cellular device that integrates extracellular (adenosine and dopamine) and intracellular (Ca+2) signals to produce a specific functional response.

  6. A2A adenosine receptor ligand binding and signalling is allosterically modulated by adenosine deaminase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gracia, Eduard; Pérez-Capote, Kamil; Moreno, Estefanía; Barkešová, Jana; Mallol, Josefa; Lluís, Carme; Franco, Rafael; Cortés, Antoni; Casadó, Vicent; Canela, Enric I

    2011-05-01

    A2ARs (adenosine A2A receptors) are highly enriched in the striatum, which is the main motor control CNS (central nervous system) area. BRET (bioluminescence resonance energy transfer) assays showed that A2AR homomers may act as cell-surface ADA (adenosine deaminase; EC 3.5.4.4)-binding proteins. ADA binding affected the quaternary structure of A2ARs present on the cell surface. ADA binding to adenosine A2ARs increased both agonist and antagonist affinity on ligand binding to striatal membranes where these proteins are co-expressed. ADA also increased receptor-mediated ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) phosphorylation. Collectively, the results of the present study show that ADA, apart from regulating the concentration of extracellular adenosine, may behave as an allosteric modulator that markedly enhances ligand affinity and receptor function. This powerful regulation may have implications for the physiology and pharmacology of neuronal A2ARs.

  7. Molecular recognition of epothilones by microtubules and tubulin dimers revealed by biochemical and NMR approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canales, Angeles; Nieto, Lidia; Rodríguez-Salarichs, Javier; Sánchez-Murcia, Pedro A; Coderch, Claire; Cortés-Cabrera, Alvaro; Paterson, Ian; Carlomagno, Teresa; Gago, Federico; Andreu, José M; Altmann, Karl-Heinz; Jiménez-Barbero, Jesús; Díaz, J Fernando

    2014-04-18

    The binding of epothilones to dimeric tubulin and to microtubules has been studied by means of biochemical and NMR techniques. We have determined the binding constants of epothilone A (EpoA) and B (EpoB) to dimeric tubulin, which are 4 orders of magnitude lower than those for microtubules, and we have elucidated the conformation and binding epitopes of EpoA and EpoB when bound to tubulin dimers and microtubules in solution. The determined conformation of epothilones when bound to dimeric tubulin is similar to that found by X-ray crystallographic techniques for the binding of EpoA to the Tubulin/RB3/TTL complex; it is markedly different from that reported for EpoA bound to zinc-induced sheets obtained by electron crystallography. Likewise, only the X-ray structure of EpoA bound to the Tubulin/RB3/TTL complex at the luminal site, but not the electron crystallography structure, is compatible with the results obtained by STD on the binding epitope of EpoA bound to dimeric tubulin, thus confirming that the allosteric change (structuring of the M-loop) is the biochemical mechanism of induction of tubulin assembly by epothilones. TR-NOESY signals of EpoA bound to microtubules have been obtained, supporting the interaction with a transient binding site with a fast exchange rate (pore site), consistent with the notion that epothilones access the luminal site through the pore site, as has also been observed for taxanes. Finally, the differences in the tubulin binding affinities of a series of epothilone analogues has been quantitatively explained using the newly determined binding pose and the COMBINE methodology.

  8. Models, theory structure and mechanisms in biochemistry: The case of allosterism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alleva, Karina; Díez, José; Federico, Lucia

    2017-06-01

    From the perspective of the new mechanistic philosophy, it has been argued that explanatory causal mechanisms in some special sciences such as biochemistry and neurobiology cannot be captured by any useful notion of theory, or at least by any standard notion. The goal of this paper is to show that a model-theoretic notion of theory, and in particular the structuralist notion of a theory-net already applied to other unified explanatory theories, adequately suits the MWC allosteric mechanism explanatory set-up. We also argue, contra some mechanistic claims questioning the use of laws in biological explanations, that the theory reconstructed in this way essentially contains non-accidental regularities that qualify as laws, and that taking into account these lawful components, it is possible to explicate the unified character of the theory. Finally, we argue that, contrary to what some mechanists also claim, functional explanations that do not fully specify the mechanistic structure are not defective or incomplete in any relevant sense, and that functional components are perfectly explanatory. The conclusion is that, as some authors have emphasized in other fields (Walmsley 2008), particular elements of traditional approaches do not contradict but rather complement the new mechanist philosophy, and taken together they may offer a more complete understanding of special sciences and the variety of explanations they provide. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Engineering of specific uranyl-coordination sites in the calcium-binding motif of Calmodulin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beccia, M.; Pardoux, R.; Sauge-Merle, S.; Bremond, N.; Lemaire, D.; Berthomieu, C.; Delangle, P.; Guilbaud, P.

    2014-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows: Characterization of heavy metals interactions with proteins is fundamental for understanding the molecular factors and mechanisms governing ions toxicity and speciation in cells. This line of research will also help in developing new molecules able to selectively and efficiently bind toxic metal ions, which could find application for bio-detection or bioremediation purposes. We have used the regulatory calcium-binding protein Calmodulin (CaM) from A. thaliana as a structural model and, starting from it, we have designed various mutants by site-directed mutagenesis. We have analysed thermodynamics of uranyl ion binding to both sites I and II of CaM N-terminal domain and we have identified structural factors governing this interaction. Selectivity for uranyl ion has been tested by studying reactions of the investigated peptides with Ca 2+ , in the same conditions used for UO 2 2+ . Spectro-fluorimetric titrations and FTIR analysis have shown that the affinity for uranyl increases by phosphorylation of a threonine in site I, especially approaching the physiological pH, where the phospho-threonine side chain is deprotonated. Based on structural models obtained by Molecular Dynamics, we tested the effect of a two residues deletion on site I properties. We obtained an almost two orders of magnitude increase in affinity for uranyl, with a sub-nanomolar dissociation constant for the uranyl complex with the non phosphorylated peptide, and an improved uranyl/calcium selectivity. Allosteric effects depending on Ca 2+ and UO 2 2+ binding have been investigated by comparing thermodynamic parameters obtained for mutants having both sites I and II able to chelate metal ions with those of mutants consisting of just one active site

  10. Fidelity of bats to forest sites revealed from mist-netting recaptures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roger W. Perry

    2011-01-01

    Although site fidelity to permanent roost structures by bats is generally known, long-term fidelity to areas such as foraging or drinking sites is unknown. Furthermore, mist-net recaptures of bats over multiple years are rarely reported. Extensive mist-net surveys were conducted over the course of 8 y in the Ouachita National Forest of central Arkansas, United States...

  11. Structure-based Markov random field model for representing evolutionary constraints on functional sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Chan-Seok; Kim, Dongsup

    2016-02-24

    Elucidating the cooperative mechanism of interconnected residues is an important component toward understanding the biological function of a protein. Coevolution analysis has been developed to model the coevolutionary information reflecting structural and functional constraints. Recently, several methods have been developed based on a probabilistic graphical model called the Markov random field (MRF), which have led to significant improvements for coevolution analysis; however, thus far, the performance of these models has mainly been assessed by focusing on the aspect of protein structure. In this study, we built an MRF model whose graphical topology is determined by the residue proximity in the protein structure, and derived a novel positional coevolution estimate utilizing the node weight of the MRF model. This structure-based MRF method was evaluated for three data sets, each of which annotates catalytic site, allosteric site, and comprehensively determined functional site information. We demonstrate that the structure-based MRF architecture can encode the evolutionary information associated with biological function. Furthermore, we show that the node weight can more accurately represent positional coevolution information compared to the edge weight. Lastly, we demonstrate that the structure-based MRF model can be reliably built with only a few aligned sequences in linear time. The results show that adoption of a structure-based architecture could be an acceptable approximation for coevolution modeling with efficient computation complexity.

  12. Analgesic effect of ADX71441, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of GABAB receptor in a rat model of bladder pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kannampalli, Pradeep; Poli, Sonia-Maria; Boléa, Christelle; Sengupta, Jyoti N

    2017-11-01

    Therapeutic use of GABA B receptor agonists for conditions like chronic abdominal pain, overactive bladder (OAB) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is severely affected by poor blood-brain barrier permeability and potential side effects. ADX71441 is a novel positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the GABA B receptor that has shown encouraging results in pre-clinical models of anxiety, pain, OAB and alcohol addiction. The present study investigates the analgesic effect of ADX71441 to noxious stimulation of the urinary bladder and colon in rats. In female Sprague-Dawley rats, systemic (i.p), but not intrathecal (i.t), administration of ADX71441 produced a dose-dependent decrease in viscero-motor response (VMR) to graded urinary bladder distension (UBD) and colorectal distension (CRD). Additionally, intra-cerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of ADX71441 significantly decreased the VMRs to noxious UBD. In electrophysiology experiments, the drug did not attenuate the responses of UBD-sensitive pelvic nerve afferent (PNA) fibers to UBD. In contrast, ADX71441 significantly decreased the responses of UBD-responsive lumbosacral (LS) spinal neurons in spinal intact rats. However, ADX71441 did not attenuate these LS neurons in cervical (C1-C2) spinal transected rats. During cystometrogram (CMG) recordings, ADX71441 (i.p.) significantly decreased the VMR to slow infusion without affecting the number of voiding contraction. These results indicate that ADX71441 modulate bladder nociception via its effect at the supra-spinal sites without affecting the normal bladder motility and micturition reflex in naïve adult rats. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Stereospecific suppression of active site mutants by methylphosphonate substituted substrates reveals the stereochemical course of site-specific DNA recombination

    OpenAIRE

    Rowley, Paul A.; Kachroo, Aashiq H.; Ma, Chien-Hui; Maciaszek, Anna D.; Guga, Piotr; Jayaram, Makkuni

    2015-01-01

    Tyrosine site-specific recombinases, which promote one class of biologically important phosphoryl transfer reactions in DNA, exemplify active site mechanisms for stabilizing the phosphate transition state. A highly conserved arginine duo (Arg-I; Arg-II) of the recombinase active site plays a crucial role in this function. Cre and Flp recombinase mutants lacking either arginine can be rescued by compensatory charge neutralization of the scissile phosphate via methylphosphonate (MeP) modificati...

  14. pocketZebra: a web-server for automated selection and classification of subfamily-specific binding sites by bioinformatic analysis of diverse protein families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suplatov, Dmitry; Kirilin, Eugeny; Arbatsky, Mikhail; Takhaveev, Vakil; Svedas, Vytas

    2014-07-01

    The new web-server pocketZebra implements the power of bioinformatics and geometry-based structural approaches to identify and rank subfamily-specific binding sites in proteins by functional significance, and select particular positions in the structure that determine selective accommodation of ligands. A new scoring function has been developed to annotate binding sites by the presence of the subfamily-specific positions in diverse protein families. pocketZebra web-server has multiple input modes to meet the needs of users with different experience in bioinformatics. The server provides on-site visualization of the results as well as off-line version of the output in annotated text format and as PyMol sessions ready for structural analysis. pocketZebra can be used to study structure-function relationship and regulation in large protein superfamilies, classify functionally important binding sites and annotate proteins with unknown function. The server can be used to engineer ligand-binding sites and allosteric regulation of enzymes, or implemented in a drug discovery process to search for potential molecular targets and novel selective inhibitors/effectors. The server, documentation and examples are freely available at http://biokinet.belozersky.msu.ru/pocketzebra and there are no login requirements. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  15. Using Carbohydrate Interaction Assays to Reveal Novel Binding Sites in Carbohydrate Active Enzymes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cockburn, Darrell; Wilkens, Casper; Dilokpimol, Adiphol

    2016-01-01

    Carbohydrate active enzymes often contain auxiliary binding sites located either on independent domains termed carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) or as so-called surface binding sites (SBSs) on the catalytic module at a certain distance from the active site. The SBSs are usually critical...

  16. Can a Positive Allosteric Modulation of GABAergic Receptors Improve Motor Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson's Disease? The Potential Role of Zolpidem in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniele, Antonio; Panza, Francesco; Greco, Antonio; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Seripa, Davide

    2016-01-01

    At present, patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) are unsatisfactorily controlled by currently used anti-Parkinsonian dopaminergic drugs. Various studies suggest that therapeutic strategies based on nondopaminergic drugs might be helpful in PD. Zolpidem, an imidazopyridine widely used as sleep inducer, shows high affinity only for GABAA receptors containing the α-1 subunit and facilitates GABAergic neurotransmission through a positive allosteric modulation of GABAA receptors. Various observations, although preliminary, consistently suggest that in PD patients zolpidem may induce beneficial (and sometimes remarkable) effects on motor symptoms even after single doses and may also improve dyskinesias. Since a high density of zolpidem binding sites is in the two main output structures of the basal ganglia which are abnormally overactive in PD (internal globus pallidus, GPi, and substantia nigra pars reticulata, SNr), it was hypothesized that in PD patients zolpidem may induce through GABAA receptors an inhibition of GPi and SNr (and, possibly, of the subthalamic nucleus also), resulting in an increased activity of motor cortical areas (such as supplementary motor area), which may give rise to improvement of motor symptoms of PD. Randomized clinical trials are needed in order to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of zolpidem in treating motor symptoms of PD. PMID:27293955

  17. Site-directed mutagenesis under the direction of in silico protein docking modeling reveals the active site residues of 3-ketosteroid-Δ1-dehydrogenase from Mycobacterium neoaurum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Ning; Shen, Yanbing; Yang, Xu; Su, Liqiu; Tang, Rui; Li, Wei; Wang, Min

    2017-07-01

    3-Ketosteroid-Δ 1 -dehydrogenases (KsdD) from Mycobacterium neoaurum could transform androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD) to androst-1,4-diene-3,17-dione. This reaction has a significant effect on the product of pharmaceutical steroid. The crystal structure and active site residues information of KsdD from Mycobacterium is not yet available, which result in the engineering of KsdD is tedious. In this study, by the way of protein modeling and site-directed mutagenesis, we find that, Y122, Y125, S138, E140 and Y541 from the FAD-binding domain and Y365 from the catalytic domain play a key role in this transformation. Compared with the wild type, the decline in AD conversion for mutants illustrated that Y125, Y365, and Y541 were essential to the function of KsdD. Y122, S138 and E140 contributed to the catalysis of KsdD. The following analysis revealed the catalysis mechanism of these mutations in KsdD of Mycobacterium. These information presented here facilitate the manipulation of the catalytic properties of the enzyme to improve its application in the pharmaceutical steroid industry.

  18. Photonic Activation of Plasminogen induced by low dose UVB

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Correia, Manuel Guiherme L.P. Marins; Snabe, Torben; Thiagarajan, Viruthachalam

    2015-01-01

    that plasminogen retains a native like cooperative transition at ~70 ºC after UV-illumination. We propose that UVB activation of plasminogen occurs upon photo-cleavage of a functional allosteric disulphide bond, Cys737-Cys765, located in the catalytic domain and in van der Waals contact with Trp761 (4.3 Å......). Such proximity makes its disruption very likely, which may occur upon electron transfer from excited Trp761. Reduction of Cys737-Cys765 will result in likely conformational changes in the catalytic site. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that reduction of Cys737-Cys765 in plasminogen leads to an increase...

  19. In vivo binding of PRDM9 reveals interactions with noncanonical genomic sites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grey, Corinne; Clément, Julie A.J.; Buard, Jérôme

    2017-01-01

    In mouse and human meiosis, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) initiate homologous recombination and occur at specific sites called hotspots. The localization of these sites is determined by the sequence-specific DNA binding domain of the PRDM9 histone methyl transferase. Here, we performed...

  20. Investigation of a thiazolidinone derivative as an allosteric modulator of follicle stimulating hormone receptor: evidence for its ability to support follicular development and ovulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sriraman, Venkataraman; Denis, Deborah; de Matos, Daniel; Yu, Henry; Palmer, Stephen; Nataraja, Selva

    2014-05-15

    FSH signalling through its cognate receptor is critical for follicular development and ovulation. An earlier study had documented thiazolidinone derivatives to activate FSH receptor expressed in CHO cells and rat granulosa cells; however development of this compound for clinical use was halted for unobvious reasons. The objective of the current study is to extend the previous investigations in detail on the ability of thiazolidinone derivative (henceforth referred to as Compound 5) to activate FSH signalling and learn the barriers that preclude development of this derivative for clinical purposes. Our results demonstrate that the Compound 5 in a dose-dependent manner stimulated cAMP production, activated AKT and ERK signalling pathways and induced estradiol production in cultured rat granulosa cells. Compound 5 also caused dose-dependent increase in estradiol production from human granulosa cells. In increasingly more complex in vitro systems, Compound 5 was able to induce the expansion of mouse cumulus-oocyte-complex and support in vitro development of mouse preantral follicle to preovulatory stage and release of oocyte from the follicle. In vivo, the compound stimulated preovulatory follicular development and ovulation in immature rats. Pharmacokinetic and safety investigations reveal poor oral availability and genotoxicity. Together, our results document Compound 5 to act as a FSHR allosteric modulator but have poor pharmacological properties for development of an oral FSH receptor modulator. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. High- and low-affinity binding of S-citalopram to the human serotonin transporter mutated at 20 putatively important amino acid positions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Plenge, Per; Wiborg, Ove

    2005-01-01

    of presumed importance. Binding of S-citalopram, both to the high-affinity-binding site and to the allosteric binding site, was measured in these mutants with the purpose of investigating the connection between the two binding sites. The amino acid substitutions did not introduce large changes in the two...

  2. The crystal structure of human protein α1M reveals a chromophore-binding site and two putative protein–protein interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yangli; Gao, Zengqiang; Guo, Zhen; Zhang, Hongpeng; Zhang, Zhenzhen; Luo, Miao; Hou, Haifeng; Huang, Ailong; Dong, Yuhui; Wang, Deqiang

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •We determined the first structure of human α1M with heavy electron density of the chromophore. •We proposed a new structural model of the chromophore. •We first revealed that the two conserved surface regions of α1M are proposed as putative protein–protein interface sites. -- Abstract: Lipocalin α1-microglobulin (α1M) is a conserved glycoprotein present in plasma and in the interstitial fluids of all tissues. α1M is linked to a heterogeneous yellow–brown chromophore of unknown structure, and interacts with several target proteins, including α1-inhibitor-3, fibronectin, prothrombin and albumin. To date, there is little knowledge about the interaction sites between α1M and its partners. Here, we report the crystal structure of the human α1M. Due to the crystallization occurring in a low ionic strength solution, the unidentified chromophore with heavy electron density is observed at a hydrophobic inner tube of α1M. In addition, two conserved surface regions of α1M are proposed as putative protein–protein interface sites. Further study is needed to unravel the detailed information about the interaction between α1M and its partners

  3. Potent neutralization of hepatitis A virus reveals a receptor mimic mechanism and the receptor recognition site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiangxi; Zhu, Ling; Dang, Minghao; Hu, Zhongyu; Gao, Qiang; Yuan, Shuai; Sun, Yao; Zhang, Bo; Ren, Jingshan; Kotecha, Abhay; Walter, Thomas S; Wang, Junzhi; Fry, Elizabeth E; Stuart, David I; Rao, Zihe

    2017-01-24

    Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infects ∼1.4 million people annually and, although there is a vaccine, there are no licensed therapeutic drugs. HAV is unusually stable (making disinfection problematic) and little is known of how it enters cells and releases its RNA. Here we report a potent HAV-specific monoclonal antibody, R10, which neutralizes HAV infection by blocking attachment to the host cell. High-resolution cryo-EM structures of HAV full and empty particles and of the complex of HAV with R10 Fab reveal the atomic details of antibody binding and point to a receptor recognition site at the pentamer interface. These results, together with our observation that the R10 Fab destabilizes the capsid, suggest the use of a receptor mimic mechanism to neutralize virus infection, providing new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

  4. Time-lapse imagery of Adélie penguins reveals differential winter strategies and breeding site occupation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Caitlin; Southwell, Colin; Emmerson, Louise; Lunn, Daniel; Hart, Tom

    2018-01-01

    Polar seabirds adopt different over-wintering strategies to survive and build condition during the critical winter period. Penguin species either reside at the colony during the winter months or migrate long distances. Tracking studies and survey methods have revealed differences in winter migration routes among penguin species and colonies, dependent on both biotic and abiotic factors present. However, scan sampling methods are rarely used to reveal non-breeding behaviors during winter and little is known about presence at the colony site over this period. Here we show that Adélie penguins on the Yalour Islands in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are present year-round at the colony and undergo a mid-winter peak in abundance during winter. We found a negative relationship between daylight hours and penguin abundance when either open water or compact ice conditions were present, suggesting that penguins return to the breeding colony when visibility is lowest for at-sea foraging and when either extreme low or high levels of sea ice exist offshore. In contrast, Adélie penguins breeding in East Antarctica were not observed at the colonies during winter, suggesting that Adélie penguins undergo differential winter strategies in the marginal ice zone on the WAP compared to those in East Antarctica. These results demonstrate that cameras can successfully monitor wildlife year-round in areas that are largely inaccessible during winter.

  5. Whole genome resequencing reveals natural target site preferences of transposable elements in Drosophila melanogaster.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel S Linheiro

    Full Text Available Transposable elements are mobile DNA sequences that integrate into host genomes using diverse mechanisms with varying degrees of target site specificity. While the target site preferences of some engineered transposable elements are well studied, the natural target preferences of most transposable elements are poorly characterized. Using population genomic resequencing data from 166 strains of Drosophila melanogaster, we identified over 8,000 new insertion sites not present in the reference genome sequence that we used to decode the natural target preferences of 22 families of transposable element in this species. We found that terminal inverted repeat transposon and long terminal repeat retrotransposon families present clade-specific target site duplications and target site sequence motifs. Additionally, we found that the sequence motifs at transposable element target sites are always palindromes that extend beyond the target site duplication. Our results demonstrate the utility of population genomics data for high-throughput inference of transposable element targeting preferences in the wild and establish general rules for terminal inverted repeat transposon and long terminal repeat retrotransposon target site selection in eukaryotic genomes.

  6. Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines as NNRTIs

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Bode, ML

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) is a validated target for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Drugs acting against RT may act at either the catalytic site (NRTIs) or the allosteric site (NNRTIs). During random screening of a small in...

  7. Species Richness and Diversity Reveal that Human-Modified ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Family diversity and richness showed no significant differences across the sites. The spider species consisted of primarily three functional groups: ground wanderers, web builders and plant wanderers, and showed no within-group differences in abundance between sites. Similarity index between the study sites revealed a ...

  8. Orthosteric and Allosteric Ligands of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors for Smoking Cessation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tasnim S. Mohamed

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Nicotine addiction, the result of tobacco use, leads to over six million premature deaths world-wide, a number that is expected to increase by a third within the next two decades. While more than half of smokers want and attempt to quit, only a small percentage of smokers are able to quit without pharmacological interventions. Therefore, over the past decades, researchers in academia and the pharmaceutical industry have focused their attention on the development of more effective smoking cessation therapies, which is now a growing 1.9 billion dollar market. Because the role of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR in nicotine addiction is well established, nAChR based therapeutics remain the leading strategy for smoking cessation. However, the development of neuronal nAChR drugs that are selective for a nAChR subpopulation is challenging, and only few neuronal nAChR drugs are clinically available. Among the many neuronal nAChR subtypes that have been identified in the brain, the α4β2 subtype is the most abundant and plays a critical role in nicotine addiction. Here, we review the role of neuronal nAChRs, especially the α4β2 subtype, in the development and treatment of nicotine addiction. We also compare available smoking cessation medications and other nAChR orthosteric and allosteric ligands that have been developed with emphasis on the difficulties faced in the development of clinically useful compounds with high nAChR subtype selectivity.

  9. Can a Positive Allosteric Modulation of GABAergic Receptors Improve Motor Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease? The Potential Role of Zolpidem in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Daniele

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available At present, patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD are unsatisfactorily controlled by currently used anti-Parkinsonian dopaminergic drugs. Various studies suggest that therapeutic strategies based on nondopaminergic drugs might be helpful in PD. Zolpidem, an imidazopyridine widely used as sleep inducer, shows high affinity only for GABAA receptors containing the α-1 subunit and facilitates GABAergic neurotransmission through a positive allosteric modulation of GABAA receptors. Various observations, although preliminary, consistently suggest that in PD patients zolpidem may induce beneficial (and sometimes remarkable effects on motor symptoms even after single doses and may also improve dyskinesias. Since a high density of zolpidem binding sites is in the two main output structures of the basal ganglia which are abnormally overactive in PD (internal globus pallidus, GPi, and substantia nigra pars reticulata, SNr, it was hypothesized that in PD patients zolpidem may induce through GABAA receptors an inhibition of GPi and SNr (and, possibly, of the subthalamic nucleus also, resulting in an increased activity of motor cortical areas (such as supplementary motor area, which may give rise to improvement of motor symptoms of PD. Randomized clinical trials are needed in order to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of zolpidem in treating motor symptoms of PD.

  10. Mutational analysis to identify the residues essential for the inhibition of N-acetyl glutamate kinase of Corynebacterium glutamicum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Hao; Tian, Hongming; Li, Cheng; Han, Shuangyan; Lin, Ying; Zheng, Suiping

    2015-09-01

    N-acetyl glutamate kinase (NAGK) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of L-arginine that is inhibited by its end product L-arginine in Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum). In this study, the potential binding sites of arginine and the residues essential for its inhibition were identified by homology modeling, inhibitor docking, and site-directed mutagenesis. The allosteric inhibition of NAGK was successfully alleviated by a mutation, as determined through analysis of mutant enzymes, which were overexpressed in vivo in C. glutamicum ATCC14067. Analysis of the mutant enzymes and docking analysis demonstrated that residue W23 positions an arginine molecule, and the interaction between arginine and residues L282, L283, and T284 may play an important role in the remote inhibitory process. Based on the results of the docking analysis of the effective mutants, we propose a linkage mechanism for the remote allosteric regulation of NAGK activity, in which residue R209 may play an essential role. In this study, the structure of the arginine-binding site of C. glutamicum NAGK (CgNAGK) was successfully predicted and the roles of the relevant residues were identified, providing new insight into the allosteric regulation of CgNAGK activity and a solid platform for the future construction of an optimized L-arginine producing strain.

  11. Time-lapse imagery of Adélie penguins reveals differential winter strategies and breeding site occupation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Southwell, Colin; Emmerson, Louise; Lunn, Daniel

    2018-01-01

    Polar seabirds adopt different over-wintering strategies to survive and build condition during the critical winter period. Penguin species either reside at the colony during the winter months or migrate long distances. Tracking studies and survey methods have revealed differences in winter migration routes among penguin species and colonies, dependent on both biotic and abiotic factors present. However, scan sampling methods are rarely used to reveal non-breeding behaviors during winter and little is known about presence at the colony site over this period. Here we show that Adélie penguins on the Yalour Islands in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are present year-round at the colony and undergo a mid-winter peak in abundance during winter. We found a negative relationship between daylight hours and penguin abundance when either open water or compact ice conditions were present, suggesting that penguins return to the breeding colony when visibility is lowest for at-sea foraging and when either extreme low or high levels of sea ice exist offshore. In contrast, Adélie penguins breeding in East Antarctica were not observed at the colonies during winter, suggesting that Adélie penguins undergo differential winter strategies in the marginal ice zone on the WAP compared to those in East Antarctica. These results demonstrate that cameras can successfully monitor wildlife year-round in areas that are largely inaccessible during winter. PMID:29561876

  12. Mapping of the Lassa virus LAMP1 binding site reveals unique determinants not shared by other old world arenaviruses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hadar Israeli

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Cell entry of many enveloped viruses occurs by engagement with cellular receptors, followed by internalization into endocytic compartments and pH-induced membrane fusion. A previously unnoticed step of receptor switching was found to be critical during cell entry of two devastating human pathogens: Ebola and Lassa viruses. Our recent studies revealed the functional role of receptor switching to LAMP1 for triggering membrane fusion by Lassa virus and showed the involvement of conserved histidines in this switching, suggesting that other viruses from this family may also switch to LAMP1. However, when we investigated viruses that are genetically close to Lassa virus, we discovered that they cannot bind LAMP1. A crystal structure of the receptor-binding module from Morogoro virus revealed structural differences that allowed mapping of the LAMP1 binding site to a unique set of Lassa residues not shared by other viruses in its family, illustrating a key difference in the cell-entry mechanism of Lassa virus that may contribute to its pathogenicity.

  13. Molecular properties of mammalian proteins that interact with cGMP: protein kinases, cation channels, phosphodiesterases, and multi-drug anion transporters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Sharron H; Blount, Mitsi A; Zoraghi, Roya; Corbin, Jackie D

    2005-09-01

    Cyclic GMP is a critical second messenger signaling molecule in many mammalian cell types. It is synthesized by a family of guanylyl cyclases that is activated in response to stimuli from hormones such as natriuretic peptides, members of the guanylin family, and chemical stimuli including nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. The resulting elevation of cGMP modulates myriad physiological processes. Three major groups of cellular proteins bind cGMP specifically at allosteric sites; interaction of cGMP with these sites modulates the activities and functions of other domains within these protein groups to bring about physiological effects. These proteins include the cyclic nucleotide (cN)-dependent protein kinases, cN-gated cation channels, and cGMP-binding phosphodiesterases (PDE). Cyclic GMP also interacts with the catalytic sites of many cN PDEs and with some members of the multi-drug anion transporter family (MRPs) which can extrude nucleotides from cells. The allosteric cN-binding sites in the kinases and the cN-gated channels are evolutionarily and biochemically related, whereas the allosteric cGMP-binding sites in PDEs (also known as GAF domains), the catalytic sites of PDEs , and the ligand-binding sites in the MRPs are evolutionarily and biochemically distinct from each other and from those in the kinase and channel families. The sites that interact with cGMP within each of these groups of proteins have unique properties that provide for cGMP binding. Within a given cell, cGMP can potentially interact with members of all these groups of proteins if they are present. The relative abundance and affinities of these various cGMP-binding sites in conjunction with their subcellular compartmentation, proximity to cyclases and PDEs, and post-translational modification contribute importantly in determining the impact of these respective proteins to cGMP signaling within a particular cell.

  14. Nonequilibrium dissipation-free transport in F₁-ATPase and the thermodynamic role of asymmetric allosterism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawaguchi, Kyogo; Sasa, Shin-Ichi; Sagawa, Takahiro

    2014-06-03

    F1-ATPase (or F1), the highly efficient and reversible biochemical engine, has motivated physicists as well as biologists to imagine the design principles governing machines in the fluctuating world. Recent experiments have clarified yet another interesting property of F1; the dissipative heat inside the motor is very small, irrespective of the velocity of rotation and energy transport. Conceptual interest is devoted to the fact that the amount of internal dissipation is not simply determined by the sequence of equilibrium pictures, but also relies on the rotational-angular dependence of nucleotide affinity, which is a truly nonequilibrium aspect. We propose that the totally asymmetric allosteric model (TASAM), where adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding to F1 is assumed to have low dependence on the angle of the rotating shaft, produces results that are most consistent with the experiments. Theoretical analysis proves the crucial role of two time scales in the model, which explains the universal mechanism to produce the internal dissipation-free feature. The model reproduces the characteristic torque dependence of the rotational velocity of F1 and predicts that the internal dissipation upon the ATP synthesis direction rotation becomes large at the low nucleotide condition. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. (/sup 3/H)MK-801 labels a site on the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channel complex in rat brain membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wong, E H; Knight, A R; Woodruff, G N

    1988-01-01

    The potent noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist (/sup 3/H)MK-801 bound with nanomolar affinity to rat brain membranes in a reversible, saturable, and stereospecific manner. The affinity of (/sup 3/H)MK-801 was considerably higher in 5 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) than in previous studies using Krebs-Henseleit buffer. (/sup 3/H)MK-801 labels a homogeneous population of sites in rat cerebral cortical membranes with KD of 6.3 nM and Bmax of 2.37 pmol/mg of protein. This binding was unevenly distributed among brain regions, with hippocampus greater than cortex greater than olfactory bulb = striatum greater than medulla-pons, and the cerebellum failing to show significant binding. Detailed pharmacological characterization indicated (/sup 3/H)MK-801 binding to a site which was competitively and potently inhibited by known noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists, such as phencyclidine, thienylcyclohexylpiperidine (TCP), ketamine, N-allylnormetazocine (SKF 10,047), cyclazocine, and etoxadrol, a specificity similar to sites labelled by (/sup 3/H)TCP. These sites were distinct from the high-affinity sites labelled by the sigma receptor ligand (+)-(/sup 3/H)SKF 10,047. (/sup 3/H)MK-801 binding was allosterically modulated by the endogenous NMDA receptor antagonist Mg2+ and by other active divalent cations. These data suggest that (/sup 3/H)MK-801 labels a high-affinity site on the NMDA receptor channel complex, distinct from the NMDA recognition site, which is responsible for the blocking action of MK-801 and other noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists.

  16. Structural Bioinformatics and Protein Docking Analysis of the Molecular Chaperone-Kinase Interactions: Towards Allosteric Inhibition of Protein Kinases by Targeting the Hsp90-Cdc37 Chaperone Machinery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gennady Verkhivker

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available A fundamental role of the Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone system in mediating maturation of protein kinase clients and supporting kinase functional activity is essential for the integrity and viability of signaling pathways involved in cell cycle control and organism development. Despite significant advances in understanding structure and function of molecular chaperones, the molecular mechanisms and guiding principles of kinase recruitment to the chaperone system are lacking quantitative characterization. Structural and thermodynamic characterization of Hsp90-Cdc37 binding with protein kinase clients by modern experimental techniques is highly challenging, owing to a transient nature of chaperone-mediated interactions. In this work, we used experimentally-guided protein docking to probe the allosteric nature of the Hsp90-Cdc37 binding with the cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4 kinase clients. The results of docking simulations suggest that the kinase recognition and recruitment to the chaperone system may be primarily determined by Cdc37 targeting of the N-terminal kinase lobe. The interactions of Hsp90 with the C-terminal kinase lobe may provide additional “molecular brakes” that can lock (or unlock kinase from the system during client loading (release stages. The results of this study support a central role of the Cdc37 chaperone in recognition and recruitment of the kinase clients. Structural analysis may have useful implications in developing strategies for allosteric inhibition of protein kinases by targeting the Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone machinery.

  17. Piroxicam inhibits NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity through allosteric inhibition of the GluN2B subunit: an in silico study elucidating a novel mechanism of action of the drug.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazumder, Muhammed Khairujjaman; Borah, Anupom

    2014-12-01

    Hyperactivation of GluN2B subunit containing N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) significantly contributes to the development of several neurodegenerative diseases through a process called excitotoxicity. NMDARs are voltage-gated Ca2+ channels which when activated lead to excessive influx of Ca2+ into neurons thereby exacerbating several calcium-dependent pathways that cause oxidative stress and apoptosis. Several drugs are presently in use to counter the NMDAR-mediated excitotoxic events among which Ifenprodil and its derivatives are GluN2B selective allosteric antagonists. Certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have also been reported to inhibit NMDARs and the resultant pathologies. Meanwhile, Piroxicam, which is a NSAID, has been reported to be protective in cerebral ischemia-induced neurodegeneration through various pathways. Since Piroxicam has more number of interacting groups as compared to other NSAIDs and also has structural similarities with Ifenprodil, we thought it prudent that Piroxicam may inhibit NMDARs similar to Ifenprodil. By using molecular docking as a tool, we validated the hypothesis and hereby report for the first time that Piroxicam can inhibit GluN2B containing NMDARs through allosteric mode similar to the well known selective antagonist--Ifenprodil; and thus can be a therapeutic drug for the prevention of excitotoxic neurodegeneration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Quantifying siting difficulty: a case study of US transmission line siting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vajjhala, S.P. [Resources for the Future, Washington DC (United States); Fischbeck, P.S. [Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Departments of Social and Decision Sciences and Engineering and Public Policy

    2007-01-15

    The worldwide demand for new energy infrastructures has been paralleled in recent years by the increasing difficulty of siting major facilities. Siting difficulty is the subject of widespread discussion, but because of the complexity of the problem, potential solutions are not obvious or well understood. This paper presents a two-step policy-level framework that first develops an empirical measure of siting difficulty and then qualitatively assesses its major causes. The approach is based on the creation and aggregation of four siting indicators that are independent of the common causes and localized effects of siting problems. The proposed framework is demonstrated for the case of US transmission line siting. Results of the analyses reveal significant variations in state siting difficulty and industry experts' perceptions of its dominant causes, with implications for the long-term success of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and knowledge transfer among siting professionals in the deregulated industry. (author)

  19. Differential immediate and sustained memory enhancing effects of alpha7 nicotinic receptor agonists and allosteric modulators in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Morten Skøtt; El-Sayed, Mona; Mikkelsen, Jens D

    2011-01-01

    of repeated administration of α7 nAChR agonists. We further compare the effect of agonists to that of α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), which do not induce upregulation of the α7 nAChR. Using the social discrimination test as a measure of short-term memory, we show that the α7 nAChR agonist A......-582941 improves short-term memory immediately after repeated (7× daily), but not a single administration. The α7 nAChR PAMs PNU-120596 and AVL-3288 do not affect short-term memory immediately after a single or repeated administration. This demonstrates a fundamental difference in the behavioral effects...... of agonists and PAMs that may be relevant for clinical development. Importantly, A-582941 and AVL-3288 increase short-term memory 24 hrs after repeated, but not a single, administration, suggesting that repeated administration of both agonists and PAMs may produce sustained effects on cognitive performance...

  20. H/D exchange mass spectrometry and statistical coupling analysis reveal a role for allostery in a ferredoxin-dependent bifurcating transhydrogenase catalytic cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, Luke; Poudel, Saroj; Tokmina-Lukaszewska, Monika; Colman, Daniel R; Nguyen, Diep M N; Schut, Gerrit J; Adams, Michael W W; Peters, John W; Boyd, Eric S; Bothner, Brian

    2018-01-01

    Recent investigations into ferredoxin-dependent transhydrogenases, a class of enzymes responsible for electron transport, have highlighted the biological importance of flavin-based electron bifurcation (FBEB). FBEB generates biomolecules with very low reduction potential by coupling the oxidation of an electron donor with intermediate potential to the reduction of high and low potential molecules. Bifurcating systems can generate biomolecules with very low reduction potentials, such as reduced ferredoxin (Fd), from species such as NADPH. Metabolic systems that use bifurcation are more efficient and confer a competitive advantage for the organisms that harbor them. Structural models are now available for two NADH-dependent ferredoxin-NADP + oxidoreductase (Nfn) complexes. These models, together with spectroscopic studies, have provided considerable insight into the catalytic process of FBEB. However, much about the mechanism and regulation of these multi-subunit proteins remains unclear. Using hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and statistical coupling analysis (SCA), we identified specific pathways of communication within the model FBEB system, Nfn from Pyrococus furiosus, under conditions at each step of the catalytic cycle. HDX-MS revealed evidence for allosteric coupling across protein subunits upon nucleotide and ferredoxin binding. SCA uncovered a network of co-evolving residues that can provide connectivity across the complex. Together, the HDX-MS and SCA data show that protein allostery occurs across the ensemble of iron‑sulfur cofactors and ligand binding sites using specific pathways that connect domains allowing them to function as dynamically coordinated units. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Small Molecule Screen for Candidate Antimalarials Targeting Plasmodium Kinesin-5*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Liqiong; Richard, Jessica; Kim, Sunyoung; Wojcik, Edward J.

    2014-01-01

    Plasmodium falciparum and vivax are responsible for the majority of malaria infections worldwide, resulting in over a million deaths annually. Malaria parasites now show measured resistance to all currently utilized drugs. Novel antimalarial drugs are urgently needed. The Plasmodium Kinesin-5 mechanoenzyme is a suitable “next generation” target. Discovered via small molecule screen experiments, the human Kinesin-5 has multiple allosteric sites that are “druggable.” One site in particular, unique in its sequence divergence across all homologs in the superfamily and even within the same family, exhibits exquisite drug specificity. We propose that Plasmodium Kinesin-5 shares this allosteric site and likewise can be targeted to uncover inhibitors with high specificity. To test this idea, we performed a screen for inhibitors selective for Plasmodium Kinesin-5 ATPase activity in parallel with human Kinesin-5. Our screen of nearly 2000 compounds successfully identified compounds that selectively inhibit both P. vivax and falciparum Kinesin-5 motor domains but, as anticipated, do not impact human Kinesin-5 activity. Of note is a candidate drug that did not biochemically compete with the ATP substrate for the conserved active site or disrupt the microtubule-binding site. Together, our experiments identified MMV666693 as a selective allosteric inhibitor of Plasmodium Kinesin-5; this is the first identified protein target for the Medicines of Malaria Venture validated collection of parasite proliferation inhibitors. This work demonstrates that chemical screens against human kinesins are adaptable to homologs in disease organisms and, as such, extendable to strategies to combat infectious disease. PMID:24737313

  2. Dimerization-Induced Allosteric Changes of the Oxyanion-Hole Loop Activate the Pseudorabies Virus Assemblin pUL26N, a Herpesvirus Serine Protease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Zühlsdorf

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Herpesviruses encode a characteristic serine protease with a unique fold and an active site that comprises the unusual triad Ser-His-His. The protease is essential for viral replication and as such constitutes a promising drug target. In solution, a dynamic equilibrium exists between an inactive monomeric and an active dimeric form of the enzyme, which is believed to play a key regulatory role in the orchestration of proteolysis and capsid assembly. Currently available crystal structures of herpesvirus proteases correspond either to the dimeric state or to complexes with peptide mimetics that alter the dimerization interface. In contrast, the structure of the native monomeric state has remained elusive. Here, we present the three-dimensional structures of native monomeric, active dimeric, and diisopropyl fluorophosphate-inhibited dimeric protease derived from pseudorabies virus, an alphaherpesvirus of swine. These structures, solved by X-ray crystallography to respective resolutions of 2.05, 2.10 and 2.03 Å, allow a direct comparison of the main conformational states of the protease. In the dimeric form, a functional oxyanion hole is formed by a loop of 10 amino-acid residues encompassing two consecutive arginine residues (Arg136 and Arg137; both are strictly conserved throughout the herpesviruses. In the monomeric form, the top of the loop is shifted by approximately 11 Å, resulting in a complete disruption of the oxyanion hole and loss of activity. The dimerization-induced allosteric changes described here form the physical basis for the concentration-dependent activation of the protease, which is essential for proper virus replication. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments confirmed a concentration-dependent equilibrium of monomeric and dimeric protease in solution.

  3. AGC kinases, mechanisms of regulation ‎and innovative drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leroux, Alejandro E; Schulze, Jörg O; Biondi, Ricardo M

    2018-02-01

    The group of AGC kinases consists of 63 evolutionarily related serine/threonine protein kinases comprising PDK1, PKB/Akt, SGK, PKC, PRK/PKN, MSK, RSK, S6K, PKA, PKG, DMPK, MRCK, ROCK, NDR, LATS, CRIK, MAST, GRK, Sgk494, and YANK, while two other families, Aurora and PLK, are the most closely related to the group. Eight of these families are physiologically activated downstream of growth factor signalling, while other AGC kinases are downstream effectors of a wide range of signals. The different AGC kinase families share aspects of their mechanisms of inhibition and activation. In the present review, we update the knowledge of the mechanisms of regulation of different AGC kinases. The conformation of the catalytic domain of many AGC kinases is regulated allosterically through the modulation of the conformation of a regulatory site on the small lobe of the kinase domain, the PIF-pocket. The PIF-pocket acts like an ON-OFF switch in AGC kinases with different modes of regulation, i.e. PDK1, PKB/Akt, LATS and Aurora kinases. In this review, we make emphasis on how the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of regulation can guide the discovery and development of small allosteric modulators. Molecular probes stabilizing the PIF-pocket in the active conformation are activators, while compounds stabilizing the disrupted site are allosteric inhibitors. One challenge for the rational development of allosteric modulators is the lack of complete structural information of the inhibited forms of full-length AGC kinases. On the other hand, we suggest that the available information derived from molecular biology and biochemical studies can already guide screening strategies for the identification of innovative mode of action molecular probes and the development of selective allosteric drugs for the treatment of human diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Site Practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wahedi, Haseebullah

    2016-01-01

    different practices in the construction phase. The research is based on an ethnographic study of a case in Denmark. The empirical data were collected through direct observations and semi-structured interviews with site managers, contract managers, foremen and craftsmen. Findings revealed...... that the construction phase comprises several communities and practices, leading to various uses of the drawings. The results indicated that the craftsmen used drawings to position themselves in the correct location, and that the site managers and contract managers used them as management tools and legal documents...

  5. Adaptive response and genomic instability: allosteric response of genome to negative impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Masao S.

    2010-01-01

    Currently, there is an upsurge concern on the unique response of living cells to low dose ionizing radiation for its inconformity to the existing paradigm of the biological action of radiation and its impact on the current understanding of risk evaluation of health effect of radiation in our workplace and environment. For the allosteric response to have significance, the cells must have an excellent sensing mechanism to discriminate tolerable and intolerable signals. In a series of experiments with mammalian, including human, cells, we demonstrated a novel sensing and signaling mechanism in the low-dose irradiated cells that was mediated by a PKCα-p3BMAPK-PLCδ1 feedback regulatory loop. Upon irradiation, PKCα is immediately activated, which in turn activate p38MAPK. The activation of p38MAPK is feedbacked to the activation of PKCα via PLCδ1, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of PtdInsP2 to generate PKCα-directed second messengers DAG and lnsP3. At low doses, the PKCα and p38MAPK continue to be activated for long time through this feedback loop, but when the cells encounter the high dose (>10 cGy or equivalent), the feedback loop is immediately comes to shutdown by deprivation of PKCα protein, known as down-regulation of PKC signaling. Thus, PKCα plays a key role in the long lasting nature of adaptive response to low doses and a binary switch to the genomic instability by too much signals. Tumor suppressor protein, p53, is a downstream effecter

  6. CYP2E1 Metabolism of Styrene Involves Allostery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartman, Jessica H.; Boysen, Gunnar

    2012-01-01

    We are the first to report allosterism during styrene oxidation by recombinant CYP2E1 and human liver microsomes. At low styrene concentrations, oxidation is inefficient because of weak binding to CYP2E1 (Ks = 830 μM). A second styrene molecule then binds CYP2E1 with higher affinity (Kss = 110 μM) and significantly improves oxidation to achieve a kcat of 6.3 nmol · min−1 · nmol CYP2E1−1. The transition between these metabolic cycles coincides with reported styrene concentrations in blood from exposed workers; thus, this CYP2E1 mechanism may be relevant in vivo. Scaled modeling of the in vitro-positive allosteric mechanism for styrene metabolism to its in vivo clearance led to significant deviations from the traditional model based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Low styrene levels were notably much less toxic than generally assumed. We interrogated the allosteric mechanism using the CYP2E1-specific inhibitor and drug 4-methylpyrazole, which we have shown binds two CYP2E1 sites. From the current studies, styrene was a positive allosteric effector on 4-methylpyrazole binding, based on a 10-fold increase in 4-methylpyrazole binding affinity from Ki 0.51 to Ksi 0.043 μM. The inhibitor was a negative allosteric effector on styrene oxidation, because kcat decreased 6-fold to 0.98 nmol · min−1 · nmol CYP2E1−1. Consequently, mixtures of styrene and other molecules can induce allosteric effects on binding and metabolism by CYP2E1 and thus mitigate the efficiency of their metabolism and corresponding effects on human health. Taken together, our elucidation of mechanisms for these allosteric reactions provides a powerful tool for further investigating the complexities of CYP2E1 metabolism of drugs and pollutants. PMID:22807108

  7. Engineering allostery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raman, Srivatsan; Taylor, Noah; Genuth, Naomi; Fields, Stanley; Church, George M

    2014-12-01

    Allosteric proteins have great potential in synthetic biology, but our limited understanding of the molecular underpinnings of allostery has hindered the development of designer molecules, including transcription factors with new DNA-binding or ligand-binding specificities that respond appropriately to inducers. Such allosteric proteins could function as novel switches in complex circuits, metabolite sensors, or as orthogonal regulators for independent, inducible control of multiple genes. Advances in DNA synthesis and next-generation sequencing technologies have enabled the assessment of millions of mutants in a single experiment, providing new opportunities to study allostery. Using the classic LacI protein as an example, we describe a genetic selection system using a bidirectional reporter to capture mutants in both allosteric states, allowing the positions most crucial for allostery to be identified. This approach is not limited to bacterial transcription factors, and could reveal new mechanistic insights and facilitate engineering of other major classes of allosteric proteins such as nuclear receptors, two-component systems, G protein-coupled receptors, and protein kinases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Differential immediate and sustained memory enhancing effects of alpha7 nicotinic receptor agonists and allosteric modulators in rats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morten S Thomsen

    Full Text Available The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR is a potential target for the treatment of cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia, ADHD and Alzheimer's disease. Here we test the hypothesis that upregulation of α7 nAChR levels underlies the enhanced and sustained procognitive effect of repeated administration of α7 nAChR agonists. We further compare the effect of agonists to that of α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs, which do not induce upregulation of the α7 nAChR. Using the social discrimination test as a measure of short-term memory, we show that the α7 nAChR agonist A-582941 improves short-term memory immediately after repeated (7× daily, but not a single administration. The α7 nAChR PAMs PNU-120596 and AVL-3288 do not affect short-term memory immediately after a single or repeated administration. This demonstrates a fundamental difference in the behavioral effects of agonists and PAMs that may be relevant for clinical development. Importantly, A-582941 and AVL-3288 increase short-term memory 24 hrs after repeated, but not a single, administration, suggesting that repeated administration of both agonists and PAMs may produce sustained effects on cognitive performance. Subsequent [(125I]-bungarotoxin autoradiography revealed no direct correlation between α7 nAChR levels in frontal cortical or hippocampal brain regions and short-term memory with either compound. Additionally, repeated treatment with A-582941 did not affect mRNA expression of RIC-3 or the lynx-like gene products lynx1, lynx2, PSCA, or Ly6H, which are known to affect nAChR function. In conclusion, both α7 nAChR agonists and PAMs exhibit sustained pro-cognitive effects after repeated administration, and altered levels of the α7 nAChR per se, or that of endogenous regulators of nAChR function, are likely not the major cause of this effect.

  9. Oncogenic exon 2 mutations in Mediator subunit MED12 disrupt allosteric activation of cyclin C-CDK8/19.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Min Ju; Shen, Hailian; Spaeth, Jason M; Tolvanen, Jaana H; Failor, Courtney; Knudtson, Jennifer F; McLaughlin, Jessica; Halder, Sunil K; Yang, Qiwei; Bulun, Serdar E; Al-Hendy, Ayman; Schenken, Robert S; Aaltonen, Lauri A; Boyer, Thomas G

    2018-03-30

    Somatic mutations in exon 2 of the RNA polymerase II transcriptional Mediator subunit MED12 occur at high frequency in uterine fibroids (UFs) and breast fibroepithelial tumors as well as recurrently, albeit less frequently, in malignant uterine leimyosarcomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemias, and colorectal cancers. Previously, we reported that UF-linked mutations in MED12 disrupt its ability to activate cyclin C (CycC)-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) in Mediator, implicating impaired Mediator-associated CDK8 activity in the molecular pathogenesis of these clinically significant lesions. Notably, the CDK8 paralog CDK19 is also expressed in myometrium, and both CDK8 and CDK19 assemble into Mediator in a mutually exclusive manner, suggesting that CDK19 activity may also be germane to the pathogenesis of MED12 mutation-induced UFs. However, whether and how UF-linked mutations in MED12 affect CDK19 activation is unknown. Herein, we show that MED12 allosterically activates CDK19 and that UF-linked exon 2 mutations in MED12 disrupt its CDK19 stimulatory activity. Furthermore, we find that within the Mediator kinase module, MED13 directly binds to the MED12 C terminus, thereby suppressing an apparent UF mutation-induced conformational change in MED12 that otherwise disrupts its association with CycC-CDK8/19. Thus, in the presence of MED13, mutant MED12 can bind, but cannot activate, CycC-CDK8/19. These findings indicate that MED12 binding is necessary but not sufficient for CycC-CDK8/19 activation and reveal an additional step in the MED12-dependent activation process, one critically dependent on MED12 residues altered by UF-linked exon 2 mutations. These findings confirm that UF-linked mutations in MED12 disrupt composite Mediator-associated kinase activity and identify CDK8/19 as prospective therapeutic targets in UFs. © 2018 Park et al.

  10. DISTINCT ROLES OF β1 MIDAS, ADMIDAS AND LIMBS CATION-BINDING SITES IN LIGAND RECOGNITION BY INTEGRIN α2β1*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdramidou, Dimitra; Humphries, Martin J.; Mould, A. Paul

    2012-01-01

    Integrin-ligand interactions are regulated in a complex manner by divalent cations, and previous studies have identified ligand-competent, stimulatory, and inhibitory cation-binding sites. In collagen-binding integrins, such as α2β1, ligand recognition takes place exclusively at the α subunit I domain. However, activation of the αI domain depends on its interaction with a structurally similar domain in the β subunit known as the I-like or βI domain. The top face of the βI domain contains three cation-binding sites: the metal-ion dependent adhesion site (MIDAS), the ADMIDAS (adjacent to MIDAS) and LIMBS (ligand-associated metal binding site). The role of these sites in controlling ligand binding to the αI domain has yet to be elucidated. Mutation of the MIDAS or LIMBS completely blocked collagen binding to α2β1; in contrast mutation of the ADMIDAS reduced ligand recognition but this effect could be overcome by the activating mAb TS2/16. Hence, the MIDAS and LIMBS appear to be essential for the interaction between αI and βI whereas occupancy of the ADMIDAS has an allosteric effect on the conformation of βI. An activating mutation in the α2 I domain partially restored ligand binding to the MIDAS and LIMBS mutants. Analysis of the effects of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Mn2+ on ligand binding to these mutants showed that the MIDAS is a ligand-competent site through which Mn2+ stimulates ligand binding, whereas the LIMBS is a stimulatory Ca2+-binding site, occupancy of which increases the affinity of Mg2+ for the MIDAS. PMID:18820259

  11. Cocaine self-administration differentially affects allosteric A2A-D2 receptor-receptor interactions in the striatum. Relevance for cocaine use disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pintsuk, Julia; Borroto-Escuela, Dasiel O; Pomierny, Bartosz; Wydra, Karolina; Zaniewska, Magdalena; Filip, Malgorzata; Fuxe, Kjell

    2016-05-01

    In the current study behavioral and biochemical experiments were performed to study changes in the allosteric A2AR-D2R interactions in the ventral and dorsal striatum after cocaine self-administration versus corresponding yoked saline control. By using ex vivo [(3)H]-raclopride/quinpirole competition experiments, the effects of the A2AR agonist CGS 21680 (100 nM) on the KiH and KiL values of the D2-like receptor (D2-likeR) were determined. One major result was a significant reduction in the D2-likeR agonist high affinity state observed with CGS 21680 after cocaine self-administration in the ventral striatum compared with the yoked saline group. The results therefore support the hypothesis that A2AR agonists can at least in part counteract the motivational actions of cocaine. This action is mediated via the D2-likeR by targeting the A2AR protomer of A2AR-D2-like R heteroreceptor complexes in the ventral striatum, which leads to the reduction of D2-likeR protomer recognition through the allosteric receptor-receptor interaction. In contrast, in the dorsal striatum the CGS 21680-induced antagonistic modulation in the D2-likeR agonist high affinity state was abolished after cocaine self-administration versus the yoked saline group probably due to a local dysfunction/disruption of the A2AR-D2-like R heteroreceptor complexes. Such a change in the dorsal striatum in cocaine self-administration can contribute to the development of either locomotor sensitization, habit-forming learning and/or the compulsive drug seeking by enhanced D2-likeR protomer signaling. Potential differences in the composition and stoichiometry of the A2AR-D2R heteroreceptor complexes, including differential recruitment of sigma 1 receptor, in the ventral and dorsal striatum may explain the differential regional changes observed in the A2A-D2-likeR interactions after cocaine self-administration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Defining the origins of electron transfer at screen-printed graphene-like and graphite electrodes: MoO2 nanowire fabrication on edge plane sites reveals electrochemical insights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowley-Neale, Samuel J; Brownson, Dale A C; Banks, Craig E

    2016-08-18

    Molybdenum (di)oxide (MoO2) nanowires are fabricated onto graphene-like and graphite screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) for the first time, revealing crucial insights into the electrochemical properties of carbon/graphitic based materials. Distinctive patterns observed in the electrochemical process of nanowire decoration show that electron transfer occurs predominantly on edge plane sites when utilising SPEs fabricated/comprised of graphitic materials. Nanowire fabrication along the edge plane sites (and on edge plane like-sites/defects) of graphene/graphite is confirmed with Cyclic Voltammetry, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman Spectroscopy. Comparison of the heterogeneous electron transfer (HET) rate constants (k°) at unmodified and nanowire coated SPEs show a reduction in the electrochemical reactivity of SPEs when the edge plane sites are effectively blocked/coated with MoO2. Throughout the process, the basal plane sites of the graphene/graphite electrodes remain relatively uncovered; except when the available edge plane sites have been utilised, in which case MoO2 deposition grows from the edge sites covering the entire surface of the electrode. This work clearly illustrates the distinct electron transfer properties of edge and basal plane sites on graphitic materials, indicating favourable electrochemical reactivity at the edge planes in contrast to limited reactivity at the basal plane sites. In addition to providing fundamental insights into the electron transfer properties of graphite and graphene-like SPEs, the reported simple, scalable, and cost effective formation of unique and intriguing MoO2 nanowires realised herein is of significant interest for use in both academic and commercial applications.

  13. The relative importance of kinetic mechanisms and variable enzyme abundances for the regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism--insights from mathematical modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulik, Sascha; Holzhütter, Hermann-Georg; Berndt, Nikolaus

    2016-03-02

    Adaptation of the cellular metabolism to varying external conditions is brought about by regulated changes in the activity of enzymes and transporters. Hormone-dependent reversible enzyme phosphorylation and concentration changes of reactants and allosteric effectors are the major types of rapid kinetic enzyme regulation, whereas on longer time scales changes in protein abundance may also become operative. Here, we used a comprehensive mathematical model of the hepatic glucose metabolism of rat hepatocytes to decipher the relative importance of different regulatory modes and their mutual interdependencies in the hepatic control of plasma glucose homeostasis. Model simulations reveal significant differences in the capability of liver metabolism to counteract variations of plasma glucose in different physiological settings (starvation, ad libitum nutrient supply, diabetes). Changes in enzyme abundances adjust the metabolic output to the anticipated physiological demand but may turn into a regulatory disadvantage if sudden unexpected changes of the external conditions occur. Allosteric and hormonal control of enzyme activities allow the liver to assume a broad range of metabolic states and may even fully reverse flux changes resulting from changes of enzyme abundances alone. Metabolic control analysis reveals that control of the hepatic glucose metabolism is mainly exerted by enzymes alone, which are differently controlled by alterations in enzyme abundance, reversible phosphorylation, and allosteric effects. In hepatic glucose metabolism, regulation of enzyme activities by changes of reactants, allosteric effects, and reversible phosphorylation is equally important as changes in protein abundance of key regulatory enzymes.

  14. Site Specific Ground Response Analysis for Quantifying Site Amplification at A Regolith Site

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bambang Setiawan

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available DOI: 10.17014/ijog.4.3.159-167A numerical model has demonstrated that it can simulate reasonably well earthquake motions at the ground level during a seismic event. The most widely used model is an equivalent linear approach. The equivalent linear model was used to compute the free-field response of Adelaide regolith during the 1997 Burra earthquake. The aim of this study is to quantify the amplification at the investigated site. The model computed the ground response of horizontally layered soil deposits subjected to transient and vertically propagating shear waves through a one-dimensional-soil column. Each soil layer was assumed to be homogeneous, visco-elastic, and infinite in the horizontal extent. The results of this study were compared to other studies and forward computation of the geotechnical dynamic parameters of the investigated site. The amplification triggered by the 1997 Burra seismic event was deduced. This study reveals the amplification factor up to 3.6 at the studied site.

  15. Allosteric Regulation in the Ligand Binding Domain of Retinoic Acid Receptorγ.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yassmine Chebaro

    Full Text Available Retinoic acid (RA plays key roles in cell differentiation and growth arrest through nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs, which are ligand-dependent transcription factors. While the main trigger of RAR activation is the binding of RA, phosphorylation of the receptors has also emerged as an important regulatory signal. Phosphorylation of the RARγ N-terminal domain (NTD is known to play a functional role in neuronal differentiation. In this work, we investigated the phosphorylation of RARγ ligand binding domain (LBD, and present evidence that the phosphorylation status of the LBD affects the phosphorylation of the NTD region. We solved the X-ray structure of a phospho-mimetic mutant of the LBD (RARγ S371E, which we used in molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the consequences of the S371E mutation on the RARγ structural dynamics. Combined with simulations of the wild-type LBD, we show that the conformational equilibria of LBD salt bridges (notably R387-D340 are affected by the S371E mutation, which likely affects the recruitment of the kinase complex that phosphorylates the NTD. The molecular dynamics simulations also showed that a conservative mutation in this salt bridge (R387K affects the dynamics of the LBD without inducing large conformational changes. Finally, cellular assays showed that the phosphorylation of the NTD of RARγ is differentially regulated by retinoic acid in RARγWT and in the S371N, S371E and R387K mutants. This multidisciplinary work highlights an allosteric coupling between phosphorylations of the LBD and the NTD of RARγ and supports the importance of structural dynamics involving electrostatic interactions in the regulation of RARs activity.

  16. A generalized cellular automata approach to modeling first order ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ... inhibitors deforming the allosteric site or inhibitors changing the structure of active ... Cell-based models with discrete state variables, such as Cellular Automata ... capture the essential features of a discrete real system, consisting of space, ...

  17. Inhibitory mechanism of peptides and antibodies targeting murine urokinase-type plasminogen activator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Zhuo

    2012-01-01

    drugs, a detailed mechanistic understanding must be obtained. One peptide and two antibodies were studied in this thesis. First, an engineered cyclic peptide, mupain-1-16 with an unnatural amino acid in the P1 position and the sequence CPAYS[L-3-(N-Amidino-4-piperidyl)alanine]YLDC was investigated...... different conformational and inhibitory mechanisms both in vivo and in vitro. Their similar epitopes, but different functions revealed two different allosteric regulation mechanisms for antibodies binding to serine proteases. Both the peptidic inhibitors and the allosteric mechanisms of uPA are believed...

  18. Environmental proteomics reveals early microbial community responses to biostimulation at a uranium- and nitrate-contaminated site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chourey, Karuna [ORNL; Nissen, Silke [ORNL; Vishnivetskaya, T. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Shah, Manesh B [ORNL; Pffifner, Susan [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Hettich, Robert {Bob} L [ORNL; Loeffler, Frank E [ORNL

    2013-01-01

    High performance mass spectrometry instrumentation coupled with improved protein extraction techniques enable metaproteomics to identify active members of soil and groundwater microbial communities. Metaproteomics workflows were applied to study the initial responses (i.e., 4 days post treatment) of the indigenous aquifer microbiota to biostimulation with emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) at a uranium-contaminated site. Members of the Betaproteobacteria (i.e., Dechloromonas, Ralstonia, Rhodoferax, Polaromonas, Delftia, Chromobacterium) and Firmicutes dominated the biostimulated aquifer community. Proteome characterization revealed distinct differences in protein expression between the microbial biomass collected from groundwater influenced by biostimulation and groundwater collected up-gradient of the EVO injection points. In particular, proteins involved in ammonium assimilation, EVO degradation, and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granule formation were prominent following biostimulation. Interestingly, the atypical NosZ of a Dechloromonas sp. was highly expressed suggesting active nitrous oxide (N2O) respiration. c-type cytochromes were barely detected, as was citrate synthase, a biomarker for hexavalent uranium reduction activity, suggesting that metal reduction has not commenced 4 days post EVO delivery. Environmental metaproteomics identified microbial community responses to biostimulation and elucidated active pathways demonstrating the value of this technique for complementing nucleic acid-based approaches.

  19. Allosteric inhibition of SHP2 phosphatase inhibits cancers driven by receptor tyrosine kinases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Ying-Nan P.; LaMarche, Matthew J.; Chan, Ho Man; Fekkes, Peter; Garcia-Fortanet, Jorge; Acker, Michael G.; Antonakos, Brandon; Chen, Christine Hiu-Tung; Chen, Zhouliang; Cooke, Vesselina G.; Dobson, Jason R.; Deng, Zhan; Fei, Feng; Firestone, Brant; Fodor, Michelle; Fridrich, Cary; Gao, Hui; Grunenfelder, Denise; Hao, Huai-Xiang; Jacob, Jaison; Ho, Samuel; Hsiao, Kathy; Kang, Zhao B.; Karki, Rajesh; Kato, Mitsunori; Larrow, Jay; La Bonte, Laura R.; Lenoir, Francois; Liu, Gang; Liu, Shumei; Majumdar, Dyuti; Meyer, Matthew J.; Palermo, Mark; Perez, Lawrence; Pu, Minying; Price, Edmund; Quinn, Christopher; Shakya, Subarna; Shultz, Michael D.; Slisz, Joanna; Venkatesan, Kavitha; Wang, Ping; Warmuth, Markus; Williams, Sarah; Yang, Guizhi; Yuan, Jing; Zhang, Ji-Hu; Zhu, Ping; Ramsey, Timothy; Keen, Nicholas J.; Sellers, William R.; Stams, Travis; Fortin , Pascal D. (Novartis)

    2016-06-29

    The non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, encoded by PTPN11, has an important role in signal transduction downstream of growth factor receptor signalling and was the first reported oncogenic tyrosine phosphatase1. Activating mutations of SHP2 have been associated with developmental pathologies such as Noonan syndrome and are found in multiple cancer types, including leukaemia, lung and breast cancer and neuroblastoma1, 2, 3, 4, 5. SHP2 is ubiquitously expressed and regulates cell survival and proliferation primarily through activation of the RAS–ERK signalling pathway2, 3. It is also a key mediator of the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) immune checkpoint pathways6, 7. Reduction of SHP2 activity suppresses tumour cell growth and is a potential target of cancer therapy8, 9. Here we report the discovery of a highly potent (IC50 = 0.071 μM), selective and orally bioavailable small-molecule SHP2 inhibitor, SHP099, that stabilizes SHP2 in an auto-inhibited conformation. SHP099 concurrently binds to the interface of the N-terminal SH2, C-terminal SH2, and protein tyrosine phosphatase domains, thus inhibiting SHP2 activity through an allosteric mechanism. SHP099 suppresses RAS–ERK signalling to inhibit the proliferation of receptor-tyrosine-kinase-driven human cancer cells in vitro and is efficacious in mouse tumour xenograft models. Together, these data demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of SHP2 is a valid therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancers.

  20. Regulation of ribonucleotide reductase by Spd1 involves multiple mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nestoras, Konstantinos; Mohammed, Asma Hadi; Schreurs, Ann-Sofie

    2010-01-01

    The correct levels of deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates and their relative abundance are important to maintain genomic integrity. Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) regulation is complex and multifaceted. RNR is regulated allosterically by two nucleotide-binding sites, by transcriptional control, and...

  1. Satellite power system (SPS). Rectenna siting: availability and distribution of nominally eligible sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-11-01

    Siting of 60 ground receiving stations (rectennas) for the SPS may pose a problem due to the large area per rectenna (15,000 hectares, 38,000 acres) and numerous siting constraints. This study analyzes areas potentially eligible for rectenna sites by mapping, at a national scale, those conditions which would preclude rectenna construction. These exclusion variables which reflect restricted lands, topography, safety, national policy and electromagnetic (microwave) effects, have been computer encoded and tabulated. Subsequent analysis of the nine electric power planning regions that make up the contiguous states indicate an apparently adequate number of nominally eligible sites in all regions in comparison to projected electrical generation. Eligibility in this context means only that areas were not excluded in this national level analysis; more detailed investigation may reveal purely local constraints or smaller scale exclusions. A second major qualification relates to small isolated eligible areas. Eliminating individual eligible clusters with less than nine times the area of one rectenna eliminates much of the Eastern US; a four-to-one adjacent eligible area test poses no such problem. An independant study of the placement of 60 nominal sites in relation to projected load centers reveals that, even with modest transmission distances, the supply of eligible areas is not a key constraint, except perhaps in the Mid-Atlantic (Electric Reliability) Council Region. Even when several less critical (potential) exclusions are considered, more than 19% of the US is eligible; every region except Mid-Atlantic has at least 50 times an many eligible sites as are required.

  2. Therapeutic effects of the allosteric protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitor KY-226 on experimental diabetes and obesity via enhancements in insulin and leptin signaling in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuma Ito

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects of the allosteric protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B inhibitor 4-(biphenyl-4-ylmethylsulfanylmethyl-N-(hexane-1-sulfonylbenzoylamide (KY-226 were pharmacologically evaluated. KY-226 inhibited human PTP1B activity (IC50 = 0.28 μM, but did not exhibit peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ agonist activity. In rodent preadipocytes (3T3-L1, KY-226 up to 10 μM had no effects on adipocyte differentiation, whereas pioglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, markedly promoted it. In human hepatoma-derived cells (HepG2, KY-226 (0.3–10 μM increased the phosphorylated insulin receptor (pIR produced by insulin. In db/db mice, the oral administration of KY-226 (10 and 30 mg/kg/day, 4 weeks significantly reduced plasma glucose and triglyceride levels as well as hemoglobin A1c values without increasing body weight gain, while pioglitazone exerted similar effects with increases in body weight gain. KY-226 attenuated plasma glucose elevations in the oral glucose tolerance test. KY-226 also increased pIR and phosphorylated Akt in the liver and femoral muscle. In high-fat diet-induced obese mice, the oral administration of KY-226 (30 and 60 mg/kg/day, 4 weeks decreased body weight gain, food consumption, and fat volume gain with increases in phosphorylated STAT3 in the hypothalamus. In conclusion, KY-226 exerted anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects by enhancing insulin and leptin signaling, respectively. Keywords: PTP1B inhibitor, Diabetes, Obesity, Allosteric inhibitor, db/db mouse

  3. Incorporating in situ habitat patchiness in site selection models reveals that site fidelity is not always a consequence of animal choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, Aline S; Queiroz, Eduardo V; Bryson, Mitch; Byrne, Maria; Coleman, Ross A

    2017-07-01

    Understanding site fidelity is important in animal ecology, but evidence is lacking that this behaviour is due to an animal choosing a specific location. To discern site selection behaviour, it is necessary to consider the spatial distribution of habitats that animals can occupy within a landscape. Tracking animals and defining clear habitat boundaries, however, is often difficult. We use in situ habitat distribution data and animal movement simulations to investigate behavioural choice in site fidelity patterns. We resolved the difficulty of gathering data by working with intertidal rock pool systems, which are of manageable size and where boundaries are easy to define. Movements of the intertidal starfish Parvulastra exigua were quantified to test the hypotheses that (1) this species displays fidelity to a particular rock pool and that (2) rock pool fidelity is due to site selection behaviour. Observed patterns of individuals (n = 10 starfish) returning to a previously occupied rock pool (n = 5 pools per location) were tested against an expected null distribution generated through simulations of random movements within their natural patchy environment. Starfish exhibited site selection behaviour at only one location even though site fidelity was high (av. 7·4 starfish out of 10 found in test pools) in two of the three locations. The random chance of a starfish returning to a pool increased 67% for each metre further a rock pool was from the original pool, and 120% for each square metre increase in surface area of an original pool. The decision of returning to an original rock pool was influenced by food availability. When microalgal cover was >60%, there was a c. 50% chance of animals staying faithful to that pool. Our results show the importance to consider spatial distribution of habitats in understanding patterns of animal movement associated with animal choices and site fidelity. Returning to a particular place does not necessarily mean that an animal

  4. USDA soil classification system dictates site surface management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowmer, W.J.

    1985-01-01

    Success or failure of site surface management practices greatly affects long-term site stability. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil classification system best documents those parameters which control the success of installed practices for managing both erosion and surface drainage. The USDA system concentrates on soil characteristics in the upper three meters of the surface that support the associated flora both physically and physiologically. The USDA soil survey first identifies soil series based on detailed characteristics that are related to production potential. Using the production potential, land use capability classes are developed. Capability classes reveal the highest and best agronomic use for the site. Lower number classes are considered arable while higher number classes are best suited for grazing agriculture. Application of ecological principles based on the USDA soil survey reveals the current state of the site relative to its ecological potential. To assure success, site management practices must be chosen that are compatible with both production capability and current state of the site

  5. Reproducible isolation of lymph node stromal cells reveals site-dependent differences in fibroblastic reticular cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, Anne L; Malhotra, Deepali; Acton, Sophie E; Lukacs-Kornek, Veronika; Bellemare-Pelletier, Angelique; Curry, Mark; Armant, Myriam; Turley, Shannon J

    2011-01-01

    Within lymph nodes, non-hematopoietic stromal cells organize and interact with leukocytes in an immunologically important manner. In addition to organizing T and B cell segregation and expressing lymphocyte survival factors, several recent studies have shown that lymph node stromal cells shape the naïve T cell repertoire, expressing self-antigens which delete self-reactive T cells in a unique and non-redundant fashion. A fundamental role in peripheral tolerance, in addition to an otherwise extensive functional portfolio, necessitates closer study of lymph node stromal cell subsets using modern immunological techniques; however this has not routinely been possible in the field, due to difficulties reproducibly isolating these rare subsets. Techniques were therefore developed for successful ex vivo and in vitro manipulation and characterization of lymph node stroma. Here we discuss and validate these techniques in mice and humans, and apply them to address several unanswered questions regarding lymph node composition. We explored the steady-state stromal composition of lymph nodes isolated from mice and humans, and found that marginal reticular cells and lymphatic endothelial cells required lymphocytes for their normal maturation in mice. We also report alterations in the proportion and number of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) between skin-draining and mesenteric lymph nodes. Similarly, transcriptional profiling of FRCs revealed changes in cytokine production from these sites. Together, these methods permit highly reproducible stromal cell isolation, sorting, and culture.

  6. Elastic strain and twist analysis of protein structural data and allostery of the transmembrane channel KcsA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Michael R.; Leibler, Stanislas

    2018-05-01

    The abundance of available static protein structural data makes the more effective analysis and interpretation of this data a valuable tool to supplement the experimental study of protein mechanics. Structural displacements can be difficult to analyze and interpret. Previously, we showed that strains provide a more natural and interpretable representation of protein deformations, revealing mechanical coupling between spatially distinct sites of allosteric proteins. Here, we demonstrate that other transformations of displacements yield additional insights. We calculate the divergence and curl of deformations of the transmembrane channel KcsA. Additionally, we introduce quantities analogous to bend, splay, and twist deformation energies of nematic liquid crystals. These transformations enable the decomposition of displacements into different modes of deformation, helping to characterize the type of deformation a protein undergoes. We apply these calculations to study the filter and gating regions of KcsA. We observe a continuous path of rotational deformations physically coupling these two regions, and, we propose, underlying the allosteric interaction between these regions. Bend, splay, and twist distinguish KcsA gate opening, filter opening, and filter-gate coupling, respectively. In general, physically meaningful representations of deformations (like strain, curl, bend, splay, and twist) can make testable predictions and yield insights into protein mechanics, augmenting experimental methods and more fully exploiting available structural data.

  7. Development of a phosphorylated Momordica charantia protein system for inhibiting susceptible dose-dependent C. albicans to available antimycotics: An allosteric regulation of protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Yuanbiao; Song, Li; Zhu, Chenchen; Wang, Qian; Guo, Tianyan; Yan, Yanhua; Li, Qingshan

    2017-11-15

    A regulatory Momordica charantia protein system was constructed allosterically by in vitro protein phosphorylation, in an attempt to evaluate antimycological pluripotency against dose-dependent susceptibilities in C. albicans. Fungal strain lineages susceptible to ketoconazole, econazole, miconazole, 5-flucytosine, nystatin and amphotericin B were prepared in laboratory, followed by identification via antifungal susceptibility testing. Protein phosphorylation was carried out in reactions with 5'-adenylic, guanidylic, cytidylic and uridylic acids and cyclic adenosine triphosphate, through catalysis of cyclin-dependent kinase 1, protein kinase A and protein kinase C respectively. Biochemical analysis of enzymatic reactions indicated the apparent Michaelis-Menten constants and maximal velocity values of 16.57-91.97mM and 55.56-208.33μM·min -1 , together with an approximate 1:1 reactant stoichiometric ratio. Three major protein phosphorylation sites were theoretically predicted at Thr255, Thr102 and Thr24 by a KinasePhos tool. Additionally, circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrated that upon phosphorylation, protein folding structures were decreased in random coil, β6-sheet and α1-helix partial regions. McFarland equivalence standard testing yielded the concentration-dependent inhibition patterns, while fungus was grown in Sabouraud's dextrose agar. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of 0.16-0.51μM (at 50% response) were obtained for free protein and phosphorylated counterparts. With respect to the 3-cycling susceptibility testing regimen, individuals of total protein forms were administrated in-turn at 0.14μM/cycle. Relative inhibition ratios were retained to 66.13-81.04% of initial ones regarding the ketoconazole-susceptible C. albicans growth. An inhibitory protein system, with an advantage of decreasing antifungal susceptibilities to diverse antimycotics, was proposed because of regulatory pluripotency whereas little contribution to susceptibility in

  8. Crystal structure of equine serum albumin in complex with cetirizine reveals a novel drug-binding site

    OpenAIRE

    Handing, Katarzyna B.; Shabalin, Ivan G.; Szlachta, Karol; Majorek, Karolina A.; Minor, Wladek

    2016-01-01

    Serum albumin (SA) is the main transporter of drugs in mammalian blood plasma. Here, we report the first crystal structure of equine serum albumin (ESA) in complex with antihistamine drug cetirizine at a resolution of 2.1 ?. Cetirizine is bound in two sites ? a novel drug binding site (CBS1) and the fatty acid binding site 6 (CBS2). Both sites differ from those that have been proposed in multiple reports based on equilibrium dialysis and fluorescence studies for mammalian albumins as cetirizi...

  9. Circular dichroism and site-directed spin labeling reveal structural and dynamical features of high-pressure states of myoglobin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lerch, Michael T.; Horwitz, Joseph; McCoy, John; Hubbell, Wayne L.

    2013-01-01

    Excited states of proteins may play important roles in function, yet are difficult to study spectroscopically because of their sparse population. High hydrostatic pressure increases the equilibrium population of excited states, enabling their characterization [Akasaka K (2003) Biochemistry 42:10875–85]. High-pressure site-directed spin-labeling EPR (SDSL-EPR) was developed recently to map the site-specific structure and dynamics of excited states populated by pressure. To monitor global secondary structure content by circular dichroism (CD) at high pressure, a modified optical cell using a custom MgF2 window with a reduced aperture is introduced. Here, a combination of SDSL-EPR and CD is used to map reversible structural transitions in holomyoglobin and apomyoglobin (apoMb) as a function of applied pressure up to 2 kbar. CD shows that the high-pressure excited state of apoMb at pH 6 has helical content identical to that of native apoMb, but reversible changes reflecting the appearance of a conformational ensemble are observed by SDSL-EPR, suggesting a helical topology that fluctuates slowly on the EPR time scale. Although the high-pressure state of apoMb at pH 6 has been referred to as a molten globule, the data presented here reveal significant differences from the well-characterized pH 4.1 molten globule of apoMb. Pressure-populated states of both holomyoglobin and apoMb at pH 4.1 have significantly less helical structure, and for the latter, that may correspond to a transient folding intermediate. PMID:24248390

  10. Crystal structure of the adenosine A 2A receptor bound to an antagonist reveals a potential allosteric pocket

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Bingfa; Bachhawat, Priti; Chu, Matthew Ling-Hon; Wood, Martyn; Ceska, Tom; Sands, Zara A.; Mercier, Joel; Lebon, Florence; Kobilka, Tong Sun; Kobilka, Brian K. (Stanford-MED); (ConfometRx); (UCB Pharma)

    2017-02-06

    The adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) has long been implicated in cardiovascular disorders. As more selective A2AR ligands are being identified, its roles in other disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, are starting to emerge, and A2AR antagonists are important drug candidates for nondopaminergic anti-Parkinson treatment. Here we report the crystal structure of A2A receptor bound to compound 1 (Cmpd-1), a novel A2AR/N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subtype 2B (NR2B) dual antagonist and potential anti-Parkinson candidate compound, at 3.5 Å resolution. The A2A receptor with a cytochrome b562-RIL (BRIL) fusion (A2AR–BRIL) in the intracellular loop 3 (ICL3) was crystallized in detergent micelles using vapor-phase diffusion. Whereas A2AR–BRIL bound to the antagonist ZM241385 has previously been crystallized in lipidic cubic phase (LCP), structural differences in the Cmpd-1–bound A2AR–BRIL prevented formation of the lattice observed with the ZM241385–bound receptor. The crystals grew with a type II crystal lattice in contrast to the typical type I packing seen from membrane protein structures crystallized in LCP. Cmpd-1 binds in a position that overlaps with the native ligand adenosine, but its methoxyphenyl group extends to an exosite not previously observed in other A2AR structures. Structural analysis revealed that Cmpd-1 binding results in the unique conformations of two tyrosine residues, Tyr91.35 and Tyr2717.36, which are critical for the formation of the exosite. The structure reveals insights into antagonist binding that are not observed in other A2AR structures, highlighting flexibility in the binding pocket that may facilitate the development of A2AR-selective compounds for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

  11. Integrating structural and mutagenesis data to elucidate GPCR ligand binding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, Christian; Harpsøe, Kasper; Hauser, Alexander S

    2016-01-01

    is reported that exhibit activity through multiple receptors, binding in allosteric sites, and bias towards different intracellular signalling pathways. Furthermore, a wealth of single point mutants has accumulated in literature and public databases. Integrating these structural and mutagenesis data will help...

  12. Functional Dynamics within the Human Ribosome Regulate the Rate of Active Protein Synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Angelica; Wang, Leyi; Altman, Roger B; Terry, Daniel S; Juette, Manuel F; Burnett, Benjamin J; Alejo, Jose L; Dass, Randall A; Parks, Matthew M; Vincent, C Theresa; Blanchard, Scott C

    2015-11-05

    The regulation of protein synthesis contributes to gene expression in both normal physiology and disease, yet kinetic investigations of the human translation mechanism are currently lacking. Using single-molecule fluorescence imaging methods, we have quantified the nature and timing of structural processes in human ribosomes during single-turnover and processive translation reactions. These measurements reveal that functional complexes exhibit dynamic behaviors and thermodynamic stabilities distinct from those observed for bacterial systems. Structurally defined sub-states of pre- and post-translocation complexes were sensitive to specific inhibitors of the eukaryotic ribosome, demonstrating the utility of this platform to probe drug mechanism. The application of three-color single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) methods further revealed a long-distance allosteric coupling between distal tRNA binding sites within ribosomes bearing three tRNAs, which contributed to the rate of processive translation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Polyphony: superposition independent methods for ensemble-based drug discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitt, William R; Montalvão, Rinaldo W; Blundell, Tom L

    2014-09-30

    Structure-based drug design is an iterative process, following cycles of structural biology, computer-aided design, synthetic chemistry and bioassay. In favorable circumstances, this process can lead to the structures of hundreds of protein-ligand crystal structures. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations are increasingly being used to further explore the conformational landscape of these complexes. Currently, methods capable of the analysis of ensembles of crystal structures and MD trajectories are limited and usually rely upon least squares superposition of coordinates. Novel methodologies are described for the analysis of multiple structures of a protein. Statistical approaches that rely upon residue equivalence, but not superposition, are developed. Tasks that can be performed include the identification of hinge regions, allosteric conformational changes and transient binding sites. The approaches are tested on crystal structures of CDK2 and other CMGC protein kinases and a simulation of p38α. Known interaction - conformational change relationships are highlighted but also new ones are revealed. A transient but druggable allosteric pocket in CDK2 is predicted to occur under the CMGC insert. Furthermore, an evolutionarily-conserved conformational link from the location of this pocket, via the αEF-αF loop, to phosphorylation sites on the activation loop is discovered. New methodologies are described and validated for the superimposition independent conformational analysis of large collections of structures or simulation snapshots of the same protein. The methodologies are encoded in a Python package called Polyphony, which is released as open source to accompany this paper [http://wrpitt.bitbucket.org/polyphony/].

  14. Systematic mapping of contact sites reveals tethers and a function for the peroxisome-mitochondria contact

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shai, Nadav; Yifrach, Eden; van Roermund, Carlo W T; Cohen, Nir; Bibi, Chen; IJlst, Lodewijk; Cavellini, Laetitia; Meurisse, Julie; Schuster, Ramona; Zada, Lior; Mari, Muriel C; Reggiori, Fulvio M; Hughes, Adam L; Escobar-Henriques, Mafalda; Cohen, Mickael M; Waterham, Hans R; Wanders, Ronald J A; Schuldiner, Maya; Zalckvar, Einat

    2018-01-01

    The understanding that organelles are not floating in the cytosol, but rather held in an organized yet dynamic interplay through membrane contact sites, is altering the way we grasp cell biological phenomena. However, we still have not identified the entire repertoire of contact sites, their

  15. Different effects of pentobarbital on two γ-aminobutyrate receptors from rat brain: channel opening, desensitization, and an additional conformational change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cash, D.J.; Subbarao, K.

    1988-01-01

    The effect of pentobarbital on the responses of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor from rat brain was studied in quantitative measurements of GABA-mediated chloride-exchange rates (reflecting channel-opening equilibrium) and receptor desensitization rates by using 36 Cl - tracer ion with negative membrane vesicles. Pentobarbital effected the two phases of 36 Cl - influx in different ways, supporting previous evidence that these are mediated by two different receptors. Both the chloride-exchange rate and the desensitization rate of the faster desensitizing receptor were increased by pentobarbital at concentrations above 20 μM by an allosteric effect shifting the response curve to lower GABA concentrations. A similar enhancement of the responses of the slower desensitizing receptor occurred up to 200 μM pentobarbital. Two pentobarbital effector sites were involved in the allosteric mechanism. Above 500 μM pentobarbital, both the initial chloride-exchange rate and the desensitization rate of the slower desensitizing receptor were decreased. This inhibition, which was immediate, occurred with saturating as well as low GABA concentrations and therefore was not attributed to decreased GABA binding but to inhibitory sites for pentobarbital, different from the allosteric activating sites and the GABA binding sites. The chloride ion exchange activity was seen to recover with time, at concentrations above 1000 μM pentobarbital, in a process with a very steep dependence on pentobarbital concentration. This reactivation was attributed to the conversion of an initial form of the receptor to a final form that was less inhibited by pentobarbital. Comparisons of the effects of pentobarbital on desensitization and on high-affinity ligand binding measurements suggest that increased GABA binding at equilibrium reflects an increased conversion to the desensitized state

  16. Conserved antigenic sites between MERS-CoV and Bat-coronavirus are revealed through sequence analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharmin, Refat; Islam, Abul B M M K

    2016-01-01

    MERS-CoV is a newly emerged human coronavirus reported closely related with HKU4 and HKU5 Bat coronaviruses. Bat and MERS corona-viruses are structurally related. Therefore, it is of interest to estimate the degree of conserved antigenic sites among them. It is of importance to elucidate the shared antigenic-sites and extent of conservation between them to understand the evolutionary dynamics of MERS-CoV. Multiple sequence alignment of the spike (S), membrane (M), enveloped (E) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins was employed to identify the sequence conservation among MERS and Bat (HKU4, HKU5) coronaviruses. We used various in silico tools to predict the conserved antigenic sites. We found that MERS-CoV shared 30 % of its S protein antigenic sites with HKU4 and 70 % with HKU5 bat-CoV. Whereas 100 % of its E, M and N protein's antigenic sites are found to be conserved with those in HKU4 and HKU5. This sharing suggests that in case of pathogenicity MERS-CoV is more closely related to HKU5 bat-CoV than HKU4 bat-CoV. The conserved epitopes indicates their evolutionary relationship and ancestry of pathogenicity.

  17. Exquisite Modulation of the Active Site of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii Adenylosuccinate Synthetase in Forward Reaction Complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karnawat, Vishakha; Mehrotra, Sonali; Balaram, Hemalatha; Puranik, Mrinalini

    2016-05-03

    In enzymes that conduct complex reactions involving several substrates and chemical transformations, the active site must reorganize at each step to complement the transition state of that chemical step. Adenylosuccinate synthetase (ADSS) utilizes a molecule each of guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GTP) and aspartate to convert inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) into succinyl adenosine 5'-monophosphate (sAMP) through several kinetic intermediates. Here we followed catalysis by ADSS through high-resolution vibrational spectral fingerprints of each substrate and intermediate involved in the forward reaction. Vibrational spectra show differential ligand distortion at each step of catalysis, and band positions of substrates are influenced by binding of cosubstrates. We found that the bound IMP is distorted toward its N1-deprotonated form even in the absence of any other ligands. Several specific interactions between GTP and active-site amino acid residues result in large Raman shifts and contribute substantially to intrinsic binding energy. When both IMP and GTP are simultaneously bound to ADSS, IMP is converted into an intermediate 6-phosphoryl inosine 5'-monophosphate (6-pIMP). The 6-pIMP·ADSS complex was found to be stable upon binding of the third ligand, hadacidin (HDA), an analogue of l-aspartate. We find that in the absence of HDA, 6-pIMP is quickly released from ADSS, is unstable in solution, and converts back into IMP. HDA allosterically stabilizes ADSS through local conformational rearrangements. We captured this complex and determined the spectra and structure of 6-pIMP in its enzyme-bound state. These results provide important insights into the exquisite tuning of active-site interactions with changing substrate at each kinetic step of catalysis.

  18. A comparative review of escitalopram, paroxetine, and sertraline: Are they all alike?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Connie; Reines, Elin H; Montgomery, Stuart A

    2014-07-01

    It is known that newer antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), provide advantages in tolerability over antidepressants such as the tricyclics. However, even within the SSRI class, differences in efficacy or tolerability exist between the individual drugs. Among the three most widely prescribed SSRIs are paroxetine, sertraline, and escitalopram. Escitalopram is commonly referred to as an SSRI, but also has well-documented allosteric properties, and thus can be further classed as an allosteric serotonin reuptake inhibitor. All three antidepressants are efficacious compared with placebo, but there is evidence that escitalopram is more effective than a range of other antidepressants. There are no direct data to regard either paroxetine or sertraline as a superior antidepressant. Escitalopram is superior compared with paroxetine, which has a less favorable tolerability profile. Paroxetine is associated with cholinergic muscarinic antagonism and potent inhibition of CYP2D6, and sertraline has moderate drug interaction issues in comparison with escitalopram. Overall, as an allosteric serotonin reuptake inhibitor that is somewhat different from classical SSRIs, escitalopram is the first choice judged by combined efficacy and tolerability, and nonclinical data have offered possible mechanisms through which escitalopram could be more efficacious, based on its interaction with orthosteric and allosteric binding sites at the serotonin transporter.

  19. Mathematical model of the binding of allosteric effectors to the Escherichia coli PII signal transduction protein GlnB.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Rocha, Ricardo Alves; Weschenfelder, Thiago André; de Castilhos, Fernanda; de Souza, Emanuel Maltempi; Huergo, Luciano Fernandes; Mitchell, David Alexander

    2013-04-16

    PII proteins are important regulators of nitrogen metabolism in a wide variety of organisms: the binding of the allosteric effectors ATP, ADP, and 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) to PII proteins affects their ability to interact with target proteins. We modeled the simultaneous binding of ATP, ADP, and 2-OG to one PII protein, namely GlnB of Escherichia coli, using a modeling approach that allows the prediction of the proportions of individual binding states. Four models with different binding rules were compared. We selected one of these models (that assumes that the binding of the first nucleotide to GlnB makes it harder for subsequent nucleotides to bind) and used it to explore how physiological concentrations of ATP, ADP, and 2-OG would affect the proportions of those states of GlnB that interact with the target proteins ATase and NtrB. Our simulations indicate that GlnB can, as suggested by previous researchers, act as a sensor of both 2-OG and the ATP:ADP ratio. We conclude that our modeling approach will be an important tool in future studies concerning the PII binding states and their interactions with target proteins.

  20. Kinetic and photochemical studies and alteration of ultraviolet sensitivity of Escherichia coli thymidine kinase of halogenated allosteric regulators and substrate analogues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, M.S.; Prusoff, W.H.

    1977-01-01

    The effect of various halogenated and nonhalogenated allosteric effectors on the sensitivity of Escherichia coli thymidine kinase to ultraviolet radiations (uv,253.7 nm) was investigated. All naturally occurring dNTPs convert the monomeric form of the enzyme into the dimeric form which is less sensitive to uv inactivation. Whereas 5-iodo-2'-deoxycytidine triphosphate (IdCTP) and 5-iodo-2' deoxyuridine triphosphate (IdUTP) enhance the uv inactivation of the enzyme, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine triphosphate and 5-bromo-2'-deoxycytidine triphosphate exert a protective effect similar to that produced by the corresponding naturally occurring effectors, dTTP and dCTP. The enhanced uv inactivation by IdUTP is prevented totally by dTTP, but only partially by dCTP or dThd, whereas the enhanced sensitization by IdCTP is prevented almost totally by dCTP, partially by dTTP, and not at all by dThd. The uv sensitization of thymidine kinase by IdCTP appears to be at the regulatory site since a maximum saturation effect is observed, and the concentration required to exert a 50% maximal uv sensitization is similar to its K/sub m/ for enhancement of catalytic activity. When the enzyme was irradiated in the presence of either [2- 14 C]IdUTP or [2- 14 C]IdUrd, zone sedimentation analysis in sucrose density gradients showed the sedimentation coefficient of the radioactive labeled proteins to be the same, 3.8 S. Hence uv irradiation of the effector-induced dimer resulted in not only dissociation to the monomer, but also complete loss of catalytic activity. The substitution of an azido group for the 5'-OH group of 5-iodo-, 5-bromo-, 5-chloro-, or 5-fluorodeoxyuridine greatly decreased their affinity for thymidine kinase, and in addition the kinetics of inhibition changed from a competitive to a noncompetitive pattern. The presence of the azido moiety in the 5' position of the halogenated nucleosides did not enhance the rate of uv inactivation of the enzyme

  1. Site-Directed Mutagenesis Study Revealed Three Important Residues in Hc-DAF-22, a Key Enzyme Regulating Diapause of Haemonchus contortus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Huang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus is one of the most important parasites of small ruminants, especially goats and sheep. The complex life cycle of this nematode is a main obstacle for the control and prevention of haemonchosis. So far, a special form of arrested development called diapause different from the dauer stage in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans has been found in many parasitic nematodes. In our previous study, we have characterized a novel gene Hc-daf-22 from H. contortus sharing high homology with Ce-daf-22 and functional analysis showed this gene has similar biological function with Ce-daf-22. In this study, Hc-daf-22 mutants were constructed using site-directed mutagenesis, and carried out rescue experiments, RNA interference (RNAi experiments and in vitro enzyme activity analysis with the mutants to further explore the precise function site of Hc-DAF-22. The results showed that Hc-daf-22 mutants could be expressed in the rescued ok693 worms and the expression positions were mainly in the intestine which was identical with that of Hc-daf-22 rescued worms. Through lipid staining we found that Hc-daf-22 could rescue daf-22 mutant (ok693 from the fatty acid metabolism deficiency while Hc-daf-22 mutants failed. Brood size and body length analyses in rescue experiment along with body length and life span analyses in RNAi experiment elucidated that Hc-daf-22 resembled Ce-daf-22 in effecting the development and capacity of C. elegans and mutants impaired the function of Hc-daf-22. Together with the protease activity assay, this research revealed three important active resides 84C/299H/349H in Hc-DAF-22 by site-directed mutagenesis.

  2. Site-Directed Mutagenesis Study Revealed Three Important Residues in Hc-DAF-22, a Key Enzyme Regulating Diapause of Haemonchus contortus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yan; Zheng, Xiuping; Zhang, Hongli; Ding, Haojie; Guo, Xiaolu; Yang, Yi; Chen, Xueqiu; Zhou, Qianjin; Du, Aifang

    2017-01-01

    Haemonchus contortus ( H. contortus ) is one of the most important parasites of small ruminants, especially goats and sheep. The complex life cycle of this nematode is a main obstacle for the control and prevention of haemonchosis. So far, a special form of arrested development called diapause different from the dauer stage in Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ) has been found in many parasitic nematodes. In our previous study, we have characterized a novel gene Hc-daf-22 from H. contortus sharing high homology with Ce-daf-22 and functional analysis showed this gene has similar biological function with Ce-daf-22 . In this study, Hc-daf-22 mutants were constructed using site-directed mutagenesis, and carried out rescue experiments, RNA interference (RNAi) experiments and in vitro enzyme activity analysis with the mutants to further explore the precise function site of Hc-DAF-22. The results showed that Hc-daf-22 mutants could be expressed in the rescued ok693 worms and the expression positions were mainly in the intestine which was identical with that of Hc-daf-22 rescued worms. Through lipid staining we found that Hc-daf-22 could rescue daf-22 mutant ( ok693 ) from the fatty acid metabolism deficiency while Hc-daf-22 mutants failed. Brood size and body length analyses in rescue experiment along with body length and life span analyses in RNAi experiment elucidated that Hc-daf-22 resembled Ce-daf-22 in effecting the development and capacity of C. elegans and mutants impaired the function of Hc-daf-22 . Together with the protease activity assay, this research revealed three important active resides 84C/299H/349H in Hc-DAF-22 by site-directed mutagenesis.

  3. Crystal structure of equine serum albumin in complex with cetirizine reveals a novel drug binding site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handing, Katarzyna B; Shabalin, Ivan G; Szlachta, Karol; Majorek, Karolina A; Minor, Wladek

    2016-03-01

    Serum albumin (SA) is the main transporter of drugs in mammalian blood plasma. Here, we report the first crystal structure of equine serum albumin (ESA) in complex with antihistamine drug cetirizine at a resolution of 2.1Å. Cetirizine is bound in two sites--a novel drug binding site (CBS1) and the fatty acid binding site 6 (CBS2). Both sites differ from those that have been proposed in multiple reports based on equilibrium dialysis and fluorescence studies for mammalian albumins as cetirizine binding sites. We show that the residues forming the binding pockets in ESA are highly conserved in human serum albumin (HSA), and suggest that binding of cetirizine to HSA will be similar. In support of that hypothesis, we show that the dissociation constants for cetirizine binding to CBS2 in ESA and HSA are identical using tryptophan fluorescence quenching. Presence of lysine and arginine residues that have been previously reported to undergo nonenzymatic glycosylation in CBS1 and CBS2 suggests that cetirizine transport in patients with diabetes could be altered. A review of all available SA structures from the PDB shows that in addition to the novel drug binding site we present here (CBS1), there are two pockets on SA capable of binding drugs that do not overlap with fatty acid binding sites and have not been discussed in published reviews. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Reproducible isolation of lymph node stromal cells reveals site-dependent differences in fibroblastic reticular cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne L Fletcher

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Within lymph nodes, non-hematopoietic stromal cells organize and interact with leukocytes in an immunologically important manner. In addition to organizing T and B cell segregation and expressing lymphocyte survival factors, several recent studies have shown that lymph node stromal cells shape the naïve T cell repertoire, expressing self-antigens which delete self-reactive T cells in a unique and non-redundant fashion. A fundamental role in peripheral tolerance, in addition to an otherwise extensive functional portfolio, necessitates closer study of lymph node stromal cell subsets using modern immunological techniques; however this has not routinely been possible in the field, due to difficulties reproducibly isolating these rare subsets. Techniques were therefore developed for successful ex vivo and in vitro manipulation and characterization of lymph node stroma. Here we discuss and validate these techniques in mice and humans, and apply them to address several unanswered questions regarding lymph node composition. We explored the steady-state stromal composition of lymph nodes isolated from mice and humans, and found that marginal reticular cells and lymphatic endothelial cells required lymphocytes for their normal maturation in mice. We also report alterations in the proportion and number of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs between skin-draining and mesenteric lymph nodes. Similarly, transcriptional profiling of FRCs revealed changes in cytokine production from these sites. Together, these methods permit highly reproducible stromal cell isolation, sorting, and culture.

  5. An allosteric gating model recapitulates the biophysical properties of IK,L expressed in mouse vestibular type I hair cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spaiardi, Paolo; Tavazzani, Elisa; Manca, Marco; Milesi, Veronica; Russo, Giancarlo; Prigioni, Ivo; Marcotti, Walter; Magistretti, Jacopo; Masetto, Sergio

    2017-11-01

    Vestibular type I and type II hair cells and their afferent fibres send information to the brain regarding the position and movement of the head. The characteristic feature of type I hair cells is the expression of a low-voltage-activated outward rectifying K + current, I K,L , whose biophysical properties and molecular identity are still largely unknown. In vitro, the afferent nerve calyx surrounding type I hair cells causes unstable intercellular K + concentrations, altering the biophysical properties of I K,L . We found that in the absence of the calyx, I K,L in type I hair cells exhibited unique biophysical activation properties, which were faithfully reproduced by an allosteric channel gating scheme. These results form the basis for a molecular and pharmacological identification of I K,L . Type I and type II hair cells are the sensory receptors of the mammalian vestibular epithelia. Type I hair cells are characterized by their basolateral membrane being enveloped in a single large afferent nerve terminal, named the calyx, and by the expression of a low-voltage-activated outward rectifying K + current, I K,L . The biophysical properties and molecular profile of I K,L are still largely unknown. By using the patch-clamp whole-cell technique, we examined the voltage- and time-dependent properties of I K,L in type I hair cells of the mouse semicircular canal. We found that the biophysical properties of I K,L were affected by an unstable K + equilibrium potential (V eq K + ). Both the outward and inward K + currents shifted V eq K + consistent with K + accumulation or depletion, respectively, in the extracellular space, which we attributed to a residual calyx attached to the basolateral membrane of the hair cells. We therefore optimized the hair cell dissociation protocol in order to isolate mature type I hair cells without their calyx. In these cells, the uncontaminated I K,L showed a half-activation at -79.6 mV and a steep voltage dependence (2.8 mV). I K,L also

  6. Quantifying information transfer by protein domains: Analysis of the Fyn SH2 domain structure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lenaerts, Tom; Ferkinghoff-Borg, Jesper; Stricher, Francois

    2008-01-01

    instance of communication over a noisy channel. In particular, we analyze the conformational correlations between protein residues and apply the concept of mutual information to quantify information exchange. Mapping out changes of mutual information on the protein structure then allows visualizing how...... distal communication is achieved. We illustrate the approach by analyzing information transfer by the SH2 domain of Fyn tyrosine kinase, obtained from Monte Carlo dynamics simulations. Our analysis reveals that the Fyn SH2 domain forms a noisy communication channel that couples residues located......Background: Efficient communication between distant sites within a protein is essential for cooperative biological response. Although often associated with large allosteric movements, more subtle changes in protein dynamics can also induce long-range correlations. However, an appropriate formalism...

  7. Rational Design and Tuning of Functional RNA Switch to Control an Allosteric Intermolecular Interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endoh, Tamaki; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2015-08-04

    Conformational transitions of biomolecules in response to specific stimuli control many biological processes. In natural functional RNA switches, often called riboswitches, a particular RNA structure that has a suppressive or facilitative effect on gene expression transitions to an alternative structure with the opposite effect upon binding of a specific metabolite to the aptamer region. Stability of RNA secondary structure (-ΔG°) can be predicted based on thermodynamic parameters and is easily tuned by changes in nucleobases. We envisioned that tuning of a functional RNA switch that causes an allosteric interaction between an RNA and a peptide would be possible based on a predicted switching energy (ΔΔG°) that corresponds to the energy difference between the RNA secondary structure before (-ΔG°before) and after (-ΔG°after) the RNA conformational transition. We first selected functional RNA switches responsive to neomycin with predicted ΔΔG° values ranging from 5.6 to 12.2 kcal mol(-1). We then demonstrated a simple strategy to rationally convert the functional RNA switch to switches responsive to natural metabolites thiamine pyrophosphate, S-adenosyl methionine, and adenine based on the predicted ΔΔG° values. The ΔΔG° values of the designed RNA switches proportionally correlated with interaction energy (ΔG°interaction) between the RNA and peptide, and we were able to tune the sensitivity of the RNA switches for the trigger molecule. The strategy demonstrated here will be generally applicable for construction of functional RNA switches and biosensors in which mechanisms are based on conformational transition of nucleic acids.

  8. Three classes of ligands each bind to distinct sites on the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR84

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mahmud, Zobaer Al; Jenkins, Laura; Ulven, Trond

    2017-01-01

    Medium chain fatty acids can activate the pro-inflammatory receptor GPR84 but so also can molecules related to 3,3'-diindolylmethane. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane and decanoic acid acted as strong positive allosteric modulators of the function of each other and analysis showed the affinity of 3,3'-diind...

  9. The crystal structures of apo and cAMP-bound GlxR from Corynebacterium glutamicum reveal structural and dynamic changes upon cAMP binding in CRP/FNR family transcription factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip D Townsend

    Full Text Available The cyclic AMP-dependent transcriptional regulator GlxR from Corynebacterium glutamicum is a member of the super-family of CRP/FNR (cyclic AMP receptor protein/fumarate and nitrate reduction regulator transcriptional regulators that play central roles in bacterial metabolic regulatory networks. In C. glutamicum, which is widely used for the industrial production of amino acids and serves as a non-pathogenic model organism for members of the Corynebacteriales including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the GlxR homodimer controls the transcription of a large number of genes involved in carbon metabolism. GlxR therefore represents a key target for understanding the regulation and coordination of C. glutamicum metabolism. Here we investigate cylic AMP and DNA binding of GlxR from C. glutamicum and describe the crystal structures of apo GlxR determined at a resolution of 2.5 Å, and two crystal forms of holo GlxR at resolutions of 2.38 and 1.82 Å, respectively. The detailed structural analysis and comparison of GlxR with CRP reveals that the protein undergoes a distinctive conformational change upon cyclic AMP binding leading to a dimer structure more compatible to DNA-binding. As the two binding sites in the GlxR homodimer are structurally identical dynamic changes upon binding of the first ligand are responsible for the allosteric behavior. The results presented here show how dynamic and structural changes in GlxR lead to optimization of orientation and distance of its two DNA-binding helices for optimal DNA recognition.

  10. Comparative Genomics Reveals the Diversity of Restriction-Modification Systems and DNA Methylation Sites in Listeria monocytogenes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Poyin; den Bakker, Henk C; Korlach, Jonas; Kong, Nguyet; Storey, Dylan B; Paxinos, Ellen E; Ashby, Meredith; Clark, Tyson; Luong, Khai; Wiedmann, Martin; Weimer, Bart C

    2017-02-01

    Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen that is found in a wide variety of anthropogenic and natural environments. Genome sequencing technologies are rapidly becoming a powerful tool in facilitating our understanding of how genotype, classification phenotypes, and virulence phenotypes interact to predict the health risks of individual bacterial isolates. Currently, 57 closed L. monocytogenes genomes are publicly available, representing three of the four phylogenetic lineages, and they suggest that L. monocytogenes has high genomic synteny. This study contributes an additional 15 closed L. monocytogenes genomes that were used to determine the associations between the genome and methylome with host invasion magnitude. In contrast to previous findings, large chromosomal inversions and rearrangements were detected in five isolates at the chromosome terminus and within rRNA genes, including a previously undescribed inversion within rRNA-encoding regions. Each isolate's epigenome contained highly diverse methyltransferase recognition sites, even within the same serotype and methylation pattern. Eleven strains contained a single chromosomally encoded methyltransferase, one strain contained two methylation systems (one system on a plasmid), and three strains exhibited no methylation, despite the occurrence of methyltransferase genes. In three isolates a new, unknown DNA modification was observed in addition to diverse methylation patterns, accompanied by a novel methylation system. Neither chromosome rearrangement nor strain-specific patterns of epigenome modification observed within virulence genes were correlated with serotype designation, clonal complex, or in vitro infectivity. These data suggest that genome diversity is larger than previously considered in L. monocytogenes and that as more genomes are sequenced, additional structure and methylation novelty will be observed in this organism. Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a disease

  11. Energy transfer by way of an exciplex intermediate in flexible boron dipyrromethene-based allosteric architectures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mula, Soumyaditya; Elliott, Kristopher; Harriman, Anthony; Ziessel, Raymond

    2010-10-07

    We have designed and synthesized a series of modular, dual-color dyes comprising a conventional boron dipyrromethene (Bodipy) dye, as a yellow emitter, and a Bodipy dye possessing extended conjugation that functions as a red emitter. A flexible tether of variable length, built from ethylene glycol residues, connects the terminal dyes. A critical design element of this type of dyad relates to a secondary amine linkage interposed between the conventional Bodipy and the tether. Cyclic voltammetry shows both Bodipy dyes to be electroactive and indicates that the secondary amine is quite easily oxidized. The ensuing fluorescence quenching is best explained in terms of the rapid formation of an intermediate charge-transfer state. In fact, exciplex-type emission is observed in weakly polar solvents and over a critical temperature range. In the dual-color dyes, direct excitation of the yellow emitter results in the appearance of red fluorescence, indicating that the exciplex is likely involved in the energy-transfer event, and provides for a virtual Stokes shift of 5000 cm(-1). Replacing the red emitter with a higher energy absorber (namely, pyrene) facilitates the collection of near-UV light and extends the virtual Stokes shift to 8000 cm(-1). Modulation of the efficacy of intramolecular energy transfer is achieved by preorganization of the connector in the presence of certain cations. This latter behavior, which is fully reversible, corresponds to an artificial allosteric effect.

  12. Structural insights into conserved L-arabinose metabolic enzymes reveal the substrate binding site of a thermophilic L-arabinose isomerase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yong-Jik; Lee, Sang-Jae; Kim, Seong-Bo; Lee, Sang Jun; Lee, Sung Haeng; Lee, Dong-Woo

    2014-03-18

    Structural genomics demonstrates that despite low levels of structural similarity of proteins comprising a metabolic pathway, their substrate binding regions are likely to be conserved. Herein based on the 3D-structures of the α/β-fold proteins involved in the ara operon, we attempted to predict the substrate binding residues of thermophilic Geobacillus stearothermophilus L-arabinose isomerase (GSAI) with no 3D-structure available. Comparison of the structures of L-arabinose catabolic enzymes revealed a conserved feature to form the substrate-binding modules, which can be extended to predict the substrate binding site of GSAI (i.e., D195, E261 and E333). Moreover, these data implicated that proteins in the l-arabinose metabolic pathway might retain their substrate binding niches as the modular structure through conserved molecular evolution even with totally different structural scaffolds. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Identification of a New Interaction Mode between the Src Homology 2 Domain of C-terminal Src Kinase (Csk) and Csk-binding Protein/Phosphoprotein Associated with Glycosphingolipid Microdomains♦

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Hiroaki; Akagi, Ken-ichi; Oneyama, Chitose; Tanaka, Masakazu; Sasaki, Yuichi; Kanou, Takashi; Lee, Young-Ho; Yokogawa, Daisuke; Dobenecker, Marc-Werner; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Okada, Masato; Ikegami, Takahisa

    2013-01-01

    Proteins with Src homology 2 (SH2) domains play major roles in tyrosine kinase signaling. Structures of many SH2 domains have been studied, and the regions involved in their interactions with ligands have been elucidated. However, these analyses have been performed using short peptides consisting of phosphotyrosine followed by a few amino acids, which are described as the canonical recognition sites. Here, we report the solution structure of the SH2 domain of C-terminal Src kinase (Csk) in complex with a longer phosphopeptide from the Csk-binding protein (Cbp). This structure, together with biochemical experiments, revealed the existence of a novel binding region in addition to the canonical phosphotyrosine 314-binding site of Cbp. Mutational analysis of this second region in cells showed that both canonical and novel binding sites are required for tumor suppression through the Cbp-Csk interaction. Furthermore, the data indicate an allosteric connection between Cbp binding and Csk activation that arises from residues in the βB/βC loop of the SH2 domain. PMID:23548896

  14. Essential Genes for In Vitro Growth of the Endophyte Herbaspirillum seropedicae SmR1 as Revealed by Transposon Insertion Site Sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosconi, Federico; de Vries, Stefan P W; Baig, Abiyad; Fabiano, Elena; Grant, Andrew J

    2016-11-15

    The interior of plants contains microorganisms (referred to as endophytes) that are distinct from those present at the root surface or in the surrounding soil. Herbaspirillum seropedicae strain SmR1, belonging to the betaproteobacteria, is an endophyte that colonizes crops, including rice, maize, sugarcane, and sorghum. Different approaches have revealed genes and pathways regulated during the interactions of H. seropedicae with its plant hosts. However, functional genomic analysis of transposon (Tn) mutants has been hampered by the lack of genetic tools. Here we successfully employed a combination of in vivo high-density mariner Tn mutagenesis and targeted Tn insertion site sequencing (Tn-seq) in H. seropedicae SmR1. The analysis of multiple gene-saturating Tn libraries revealed that 395 genes are essential for the growth of H. seropedicae SmR1 in tryptone-yeast extract medium. A comparative analysis with the Database of Essential Genes (DEG) showed that 25 genes are uniquely essential in H. seropedicae SmR1. The Tn mutagenesis protocol developed and the gene-saturating Tn libraries generated will facilitate elucidation of the genetic mechanisms of the H. seropedicae endophytic lifestyle. A focal point in the study of endophytes is the development of effective biofertilizers that could help to reduce the input of agrochemicals in croplands. Besides the ability to promote plant growth, a good biofertilizer should be successful in colonizing its host and competing against the native microbiota. By using a systematic Tn-based gene-inactivation strategy and massively parallel sequencing of Tn insertion sites (Tn-seq), it is possible to study the fitness of thousands of Tn mutants in a single experiment. We have applied the combination of these techniques to the plant-growth-promoting endophyte Herbaspirillum seropedicae SmR1. The Tn mutant libraries generated will enable studies into the genetic mechanisms of H. seropedicae-plant interactions. The approach that we

  15. Homology modeling and docking of AahII-Nanobody complexes reveal the epitope binding site on AahII scorpion toxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ksouri, Ayoub; Ghedira, Kais; Ben Abderrazek, Rahma; Shankar, B A Gowri; Benkahla, Alia; Bishop, Ozlem Tastan; Bouhaouala-Zahar, Balkiss

    2018-02-19

    Scorpion envenoming and its treatment is a public health problem in many parts of the world due to highly toxic venom polypeptides diffusing rapidly within the body of severely envenomed victims. Recently, 38 AahII-specific Nanobody sequences (Nbs) were retrieved from which the performance of NbAahII10 nanobody candidate, to neutralize the most poisonous venom compound namely AahII acting on sodium channels, was established. Herein, structural computational approach is conducted to elucidate the Nb-AahII interactions that support the biological characteristics, using Nb multiple sequence alignment (MSA) followed by modeling and molecular docking investigations (RosettaAntibody, ZDOCK software tools). Sequence and structural analysis showed two dissimilar residues of NbAahII10 CDR1 (Tyr27 and Tyr29) and an inserted polar residue Ser30 that appear to play an important role. Indeed, CDR3 region of NbAahII10 is characterized by a specific Met104 and two negatively charged residues Asp115 and Asp117. Complex dockings reveal that NbAahII17 and NbAahII38 share one common binding site on the surface of the AahII toxin divergent from the NbAahII10 one's. At least, a couple of NbAahII10 - AahII residue interactions (Gln38 - Asn44 and Arg62, His64, respectively) are mainly involved in the toxic AahII binding site. Altogether, this study gives valuable insights in the design and development of next generation of antivenom. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Repeated elevational transitions in hemoglobin function during the evolution of Andean hummingbirds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Projecto-Garcia, Joana; Natarajan, Chandrasekhar; Moriyama, Hideaki; Weber, Roy E; Fago, Angela; Cheviron, Zachary A; Dudley, Robert; McGuire, Jimmy A; Witt, Christopher C; Storz, Jay F

    2013-12-17

    Animals that sustain high levels of aerobic activity under hypoxic conditions (e.g., birds that fly at high altitude) face the physiological challenge of jointly optimizing blood-O2 affinity for O2 loading in the pulmonary circulation and O2 unloading in the systemic circulation. At high altitude, this challenge is especially acute for small endotherms like hummingbirds that have exceedingly high mass-specific metabolic rates. Here we report an experimental analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) function in South American hummingbirds that revealed a positive correlation between Hb-O2 affinity and native elevation. Protein engineering experiments and ancestral-state reconstructions revealed that this correlation is attributable to derived increases in Hb-O2 affinity in highland lineages, as well as derived reductions in Hb-O2 affinity in lowland lineages. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that repeated evolutionary transitions in biochemical phenotype are mainly attributable to repeated amino acid replacements at two epistatically interacting sites that alter the allosteric regulation of Hb-O2 affinity. These results demonstrate that repeated changes in biochemical phenotype involve parallelism at the molecular level, and that mutations with indirect, second-order effects on Hb allostery play key roles in biochemical adaptation.

  17. Mapping allostery through computational glycine scanning and correlation analysis of residue-residue contacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Quentin R; Lindsay, Richard J; Nellas, Ricky B; Fernandez, Elias J; Shen, Tongye

    2015-02-24

    Understanding allosteric mechanisms is essential for the physical control of molecular switches and downstream cellular responses. However, it is difficult to decode essential allosteric motions in a high-throughput scheme. A general two-pronged approach to performing automatic data reduction of simulation trajectories is presented here. The first step involves coarse-graining and identifying the most dynamic residue-residue contacts. The second step is performing principal component analysis of these contacts and extracting the large-scale collective motions expressed via these residue-residue contacts. We demonstrated the method using a protein complex of nuclear receptors. Using atomistic modeling and simulation, we examined the protein complex and a set of 18 glycine point mutations of residues that constitute the binding pocket of the ligand effector. The important motions that are responsible for the allostery are reported. In contrast to conventional induced-fit and lock-and-key binding mechanisms, a novel "frustrated-fit" binding mechanism of RXR for allosteric control was revealed.

  18. Proteome-wide analysis of arginine monomethylation reveals widespread occurrence in human cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Sara C; Sylvestersen, Kathrine B; Mund, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    to the frequency of somatic mutations at arginine methylation sites throughout the proteome, we observed that somatic mutations were common at arginine methylation sites in proteins involved in mRNA splicing. Furthermore, in HeLa and U2OS cells, we found that distinct arginine methyltransferases differentially...... kidney 293 cells, indicating that the occurrence of this modification is comparable to phosphorylation and ubiquitylation. A site-level conservation analysis revealed that arginine methylation sites are less evolutionarily conserved compared to arginines that were not identified as modified...... as coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1)] or PRMT1 increased the RNA binding function of HNRNPUL1. High-content single-cell imaging additionally revealed that knocking down CARM1 promoted the nuclear accumulation of SRSF2, independent of cell cycle phase. Collectively, the presented human...

  19. Orexin A/Hypocretin Modulates Leptin Receptor-Mediated Signaling by Allosteric Modulations Mediated by the Ghrelin GHS-R1A Receptor in Hypothalamic Neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medrano, Mireia; Aguinaga, David; Reyes-Resina, Irene; Canela, Enric I; Mallol, Josefa; Navarro, Gemma; Franco, Rafael

    2018-06-01

    The hypothalamus is a key integrator of nutrient-seeking signals in the form of hormones and metabolites originated in both the central nervous system and the periphery. The main autocrine and paracrine target of orexinergic-related hormones such as leptin, orexin/hypocretin, and ghrelin are neuropeptide Y neurons located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and the molecular and functional relationships between leptin, orexin/hypocretin and ghrelin receptors. Biophysical studies in a heterologous system showed physical interactions between them, with potential formation of heterotrimeric complexes. Functional assays showed robust allosteric interactions particularly different when the three receptors are expressed together. Further biochemical and pharmacological assays provided evidence of heterotrimer functional expression in primary cultures of hypothalamic neurons. These findings constitute evidence of close relationships in the action of the three hormones already starting at the receptor level in hypothalamic cells.

  20. The allosteric behavior of Fur mediates oxidative stress signal transduction in Helicobacter pylori

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone ePelliciari

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The microaerophilic gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori is exposed to oxidative stress originating from the aerobic environment, the oxidative burst of phagocytes and the formation of reactive oxygen species, catalyzed by iron excess. Accordingly, the expression of genes involved in oxidative stress defense have been repeatedly linked to the ferric uptake regulator Fur. Moreover, mutations in the Fur protein affect the resistance to metronidazole, likely due to loss-of-function in the regulation of genes involved in redox control. Although many advances in the molecular understanding of HpFur function were made, little is known about the mechanisms that enable Fur to mediate the responses to oxidative stress.Here we show that iron-inducible, apo-Fur repressed genes, such as pfr and hydA, are induced shortly after oxidative stress, while their oxidative induction is lost in a fur knockout strain. On the contrary, holo-Fur repressed genes, such as frpB1 and fecA1, vary modestly in response to oxidative stress. This indicates that the oxidative stress signal specifically targets apo-Fur repressed genes, rather than impairing indiscriminately the regulatory function of Fur. Footprinting analyses showed that the oxidative signal strongly impairs the binding affinity of Fur towards apo-operators, while the binding towards holo-operators is less affected. Further evidence is presented that a reduced state of Fur is needed to maintain apo-repression, while oxidative conditions shift the preferred binding architecture of Fur towards the holo-operator binding conformation, even in the absence of iron. Together the results demonstrate that the allosteric regulation of Fur enables transduction of oxidative stress signals in H. pylori, supporting the concept that apo-Fur repressed genes can be considered oxidation inducible Fur regulatory targets. These findings may have important implications in the study of H. pylori treatment and resistance to

  1. Inhibition of follicle-stimulating hormone-induced preovulatory follicles in rats treated with a nonsteroidal negative allosteric modulator of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, James A; Campo, Brice; Weaver, Barbara A; Watts, Julie; Kluetzman, Kerri; Thomas, Richard M; Bonnet, Béatrice; Mutel, Vincent; Poli, Sonia M

    2014-01-01

    We previously described a negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of FSHR (ADX61623) that blocked FSH-induced cAMP and progesterone production but did not block estradiol production. That FSHR NAM did not affect FSH-induced preovulatory follicle development as evidenced by the lack of an effect on the number of FSH-dependent oocytes found in the ampullae following ovulation with hCG. A goal is the development of a nonsteroidal contraceptive. Toward this end, a high-throughput screen using human FSHR identified an additional nonsteroidal small molecule (ADX68692). Although ADX68692 behaved like ADX61623 in inhibiting production of cAMP and progesterone, it also inhibited FSH-induced estradiol in an in vitro rat granulosa primary cell culture bioassay. When immature, noncycling female rats were injected subcutaneously or by oral dosing prior to exogenous FSH administration, it was found that ADX68692 decreased the number of oocytes recovered from the ampullae. The estrous cycles of mature female rats were disrupted by administration by oral gavage of 25 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg ADX68692. In the highest dose tested (25 mg/kg), 55% of animals cohabited with mature males had implantation sites compared to 33% in the 10 mg/kg group and 77% in the control group. A surprising finding was that a structural analog ADX68693, while effectively blocking progesterone production with similar efficacy as ADX68692, did not block estrogen production and despite better oral availability did not decrease the number of oocytes found in the ampullae even when used at 100 mg/kg. These data demonstrate that because of biased antagonism of the FSHR, nonsteroidal contraception requires that both arms of the FSHR steroidogenic pathway must be effectively blocked, particularly estrogen biosynthesis. Thus, a corollary to these findings is that it seems reasonable to propose that the estrogen-dependent diseases such as endometriosis may benefit from inhibition of FSH action at the ovary using the FSHR

  2. Mu opioid receptor binding sites in human brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pilapil, C.; Welner, S.; Magnan, J.; Zamir, N.; Quirion, R.

    1986-01-01

    Our experiments focused on the examination of the distribution of mu opioid receptor binding sites in normal human brain using the highly selective ligand [ 3 H]DAGO, in both membrane binding assay and in vitro receptor autoradiography. Mu opioid binding sites are very discretely distributed in human brain with high densities of sites found in the posterior amygdala, caudate, putamen, hypothalamus and certain cortical areas. Moreover the autoradiographic distribution of [ 3 H]DAGO binding sites clearly reveals the discrete lamination (layers I and III-IV) of mu sites in cortical areas

  3. Dual functionality of β-tryptase protomers as both proteases and cofactors in the active tetramer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maun, Henry R; Liu, Peter S; Franke, Yvonne; Eigenbrot, Charles; Forrest, William F; Schwartz, Lawrence B; Lazarus, Robert A

    2018-04-16

    Human β-tryptase, a tetrameric trypsin-like serine protease, is an important mediator of the allergic inflammatory responses in asthma. During acute hypersensitivity reactions, mast cells degranulate, releasing active tetramer as a complex with proteoglycans. Extensive efforts have focused on developing therapeutic β-tryptase inhibitors, but its unique activation mechanism is less well explored. Tryptase is active only after proteolytic removal of the pro-domain followed by tetramer formation via two distinct symmetry-related interfaces. We show that the cleaved I16G mutant cannot tetramerize, likely due to impaired insertion of its N-terminus into its 'activation pocket', indicating allosteric linkage at multiple sites on each protomer. We engineered cysteines into each of the two distinct interfaces (Y75C for small or I99C for large) to assess the activity of each tetramer and disulfide-locked dimer. Using size-exclusion chromatography and enzymatic assays, we demonstrate that the two large tetramer interfaces regulate enzymatic activity, elucidating the importance of this protein-protein interaction for allosteric regulation. Notably, the I99C large interface dimer is active, even in the absence of heparin. We show that a monomeric β-tryptase mutant (I99C*:Y75A:Y37bA where C* is cysteinylated Cys99) cannot form a dimer or tetramer, yet is active, but only in the presence of heparin. Thus heparin both stabilizes the tetramer and allosterically conditions the active site. We hypothesize that each β-tryptase protomer in the tetramer has two distinct roles, acting both as a protease and as a cofactor for its neighboring protomer, to allosterically regulate enzymatic activity, providing a rationale for direct correlation of tetramer stability with proteolytic activity. Copyright © 2018, The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  4. Comparative Genomic Hybridization of Human Malignant Gliomas Reveals Multiple Amplification Sites and Nonrandom Chromosomal Gains and Losses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schròck, Evelin; Thiel, Gundula; Lozanova, Tanka; du Manoir, Stanislas; Meffert, Marie-Christine; Jauch, Anna; Speicher, Michael R.; Nürnberg, Peter; Vogel, Siegfried; Janisch, Werner; Donis-Keller, Helen; Ried, Thomas; Witkowski, Regine; Cremer, Thomas

    1994-01-01

    Nine human malignant gliomas (2 astrocytomas grade III and 7 glioblastomas) were analyzed using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). In addition to the amplification of the EGFR gene at 7p12 in 4 of 9 cases, six new amplification sites were mapped to 1q32, 4q12, 7q21.1, 7q21.2-3, 12p, and 22q12. Nonrandom chromosomal gains and losses were identified with overrepresentation of chromosome 7 and underrepresentation of chromosome 10 as the most frequent events (1 of 2 astrocytomas, 7 of 7 glioblastomas). Gain of a part or the whole chromosome 19 and losses of chromosome bands 9pter-23 and 22q13 were detected each in five cases. Loss of chromosome band 17p13 and gain of chromosome 20 were revealed each in three cases. The validity of the CGH data was confirmed using interphase cytogenetics with YAC clones, chromosome painting in tumor metaphase spreads, and DNA fingerprinting. A comparison of CGH data with the results of chromosome banding analyses indicates that metaphase spreads accessible in primary tumor cell cultures may not represent the clones predominant in the tumor tissue ImagesFigure 1Figure 4Figure 6 PMID:8203461

  5. In vitro blood-brain barrier permeability predictions for GABAA receptor modulating piperine analogs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eigenmann, Daniela Elisabeth; Dürig, Carmen; Jähne, Evelyn Andrea

    2016-01-01

    The alkaloid piperine from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and several synthetic piperine analogs were recently identified as positive allosteric modulators of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors. In order to reach their target sites of action, these compounds need to enter the brain by c...

  6. Characterization of an allosteric citalopram-binding site at the serotonin transporter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Fenghua; Breum Larsen, Mads; Neubauer, Henrik Amtoft

    2005-01-01

    The serotonin transporter (SERT), which belongs to a family of       sodium/chloride-dependent transporters, is the major pharmacological       target in the treatment of several clinical disorders, including       depression and anxiety. In the present study we show that the dissociation       r...

  7. Structural basis for subtype-specific inhibition of the P2X7 receptor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karasawa, Akira; Kawate, Toshimitsu (Cornell)

    2016-12-09

    The P2X7 receptor is a non-selective cation channel activated by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Chronic activation of P2X7 underlies many health problems such as pathologic pain, yet we lack effective antagonists due to poorly understood mechanisms of inhibition. Here we present crystal structures of a mammalian P2X7 receptor complexed with five structurally-unrelated antagonists. Unexpectedly, these drugs all bind to an allosteric site distinct from the ATP-binding pocket in a groove formed between two neighboring subunits. This novel drug-binding pocket accommodates a diversity of small molecules mainly through hydrophobic interactions. Functional assays propose that these compounds allosterically prevent narrowing of the drug-binding pocket and the turret-like architecture during channel opening, which is consistent with a site of action distal to the ATP-binding pocket. These novel mechanistic insights will facilitate the development of P2X7-specific drugs for treating human diseases.

  8. Positive selection in octopus haemocyanin indicates functional links to temperature adaptation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oellermann, Michael; Strugnell, Jan M; Lieb, Bernhard; Mark, Felix C

    2015-07-05

    Octopods have successfully colonised the world's oceans from the tropics to the poles. Yet, successful persistence in these habitats has required adaptations of their advanced physiological apparatus to compensate impaired oxygen supply. Their oxygen transporter haemocyanin plays a major role in cold tolerance and accordingly has undergone functional modifications to sustain oxygen release at sub-zero temperatures. However, it remains unknown how molecular properties evolved to explain the observed functional adaptations. We thus aimed to assess whether natural selection affected molecular and structural properties of haemocyanin that explains temperature adaptation in octopods. Analysis of 239 partial sequences of the haemocyanin functional units (FU) f and g of 28 octopod species of polar, temperate, subtropical and tropical origin revealed natural selection was acting primarily on charge properties of surface residues. Polar octopods contained haemocyanins with higher net surface charge due to decreased glutamic acid content and higher numbers of basic amino acids. Within the analysed partial sequences, positive selection was present at site 2545, positioned between the active copper binding centre and the FU g surface. At this site, methionine was the dominant amino acid in polar octopods and leucine was dominant in tropical octopods. Sites directly involved in oxygen binding or quaternary interactions were highly conserved within the analysed sequence. This study has provided the first insight into molecular and structural mechanisms that have enabled octopods to sustain oxygen supply from polar to tropical conditions. Our findings imply modulation of oxygen binding via charge-charge interaction at the protein surface, which stabilize quaternary interactions among functional units to reduce detrimental effects of high pH on venous oxygen release. Of the observed partial haemocyanin sequence, residue 2545 formed a close link between the FU g surface and the

  9. Site-directed fluorescence labeling reveals a revised N-terminal membrane topology and functional periplasmic residues in the Escherichia coli cell division protein FtsK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berezuk, Alison M; Goodyear, Mara; Khursigara, Cezar M

    2014-08-22

    In Escherichia coli, FtsK is a large integral membrane protein that coordinates chromosome segregation and cell division. The N-terminal domain of FtsK (FtsKN) is essential for division, and the C terminus (FtsKC) is a well characterized DNA translocase. Although the function of FtsKN is unknown, it is suggested that FtsK acts as a checkpoint to ensure DNA is properly segregated before septation. This may occur through modulation of protein interactions between FtsKN and other division proteins in both the periplasm and cytoplasm; thus, a clear understanding of how FtsKN is positioned in the membrane is required to characterize these interactions. The membrane topology of FtsKN was initially determined using site-directed reporter fusions; however, questions regarding this topology persist. Here, we report a revised membrane topology generated by site-directed fluorescence labeling. The revised topology confirms the presence of four transmembrane segments and reveals a newly identified periplasmic loop between the third and fourth transmembrane domains. Within this loop, four residues were identified that, when mutated, resulted in the appearance of cellular voids. High resolution transmission electron microscopy of these voids showed asymmetric division of the cytoplasm in the absence of outer membrane invagination or visible cell wall ingrowth. This uncoupling reveals a novel role for FtsK in linking cell envelope septation events and yields further evidence for FtsK as a critical checkpoint of cell division. The revised topology of FtsKN also provides an important platform for future studies on essential interactions required for this process. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  10. X-ray structure based evaluation of analogs of citalopram

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Topiol, Sid; Bang-Andersen, Benny; Sanchez, Connie

    2017-01-01

    The recent publication of X-ray structures of SERT includes structures with the potent antidepressant S-Citalopram (S-Cit). Earlier predictions of ligand binding at both a primary (S1) and an allosteric modulator site (S2), were confirmed. We provide herein examples of a series of Citalopram anal...

  11. Hemi-methylated DNA regulates DNA methylation inheritance through allosteric activation of H3 ubiquitylation by UHRF1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Joseph S; Cornett, Evan M; Goldfarb, Dennis; DaRosa, Paul A; Li, Zimeng M; Yan, Feng; Dickson, Bradley M; Guo, Angela H; Cantu, Daniel V; Kaustov, Lilia; Brown, Peter J; Arrowsmith, Cheryl H; Erie, Dorothy A; Major, Michael B; Klevit, Rachel E; Krajewski, Krzysztof; Kuhlman, Brian; Strahl, Brian D; Rothbart, Scott B

    2016-09-06

    The epigenetic inheritance of DNA methylation requires UHRF1, a histone- and DNA-binding RING E3 ubiquitin ligase that recruits DNMT1 to sites of newly replicated DNA through ubiquitylation of histone H3. UHRF1 binds DNA with selectivity towards hemi-methylated CpGs (HeDNA); however, the contribution of HeDNA sensing to UHRF1 function remains elusive. Here, we reveal that the interaction of UHRF1 with HeDNA is required for DNA methylation but is dispensable for chromatin interaction, which is governed by reciprocal positive cooperativity between the UHRF1 histone- and DNA-binding domains. HeDNA recognition activates UHRF1 ubiquitylation towards multiple lysines on the H3 tail adjacent to the UHRF1 histone-binding site. Collectively, our studies are the first demonstrations of a DNA-protein interaction and an epigenetic modification directly regulating E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. They also define an orchestrated epigenetic control mechanism involving modifications both to histones and DNA that facilitate UHRF1 chromatin targeting, H3 ubiquitylation, and DNA methylation inheritance.

  12. Raman chemical mapping reveals site of action of HIV protease inhibitors in HPV16 E6 expressing cervical carcinoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dong-Hyun; Jarvis, Roger M; Allwood, J William; Batman, Gavin; Moore, Rowan E; Marsden-Edwards, Emma; Hampson, Lynne; Hampson, Ian N; Goodacre, Royston

    2010-12-01

    It has been shown that the HIV protease inhibitors indinavir and lopinavir may have activity against the human papilloma virus (HPV) type 16 inhibiting HPV E6-mediated proteasomal degradation of p53 in cultured cervical carcinoma cells. However, their mode and site of action is unknown. HPV-negative C33A cervical carcinoma cells and the same cells stably transfected with E6 (C33AE6) were exposed to indinavir and lopinavir at concentrations of 1 mM and 30 μM, respectively. The intracellular distribution of metabolites and metabolic changes induced by these treatments were investigated by Raman microspectroscopic imaging combined with the analysis of cell fractionation products by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A uniform cellular distribution of proteins was found in drug-treated cells irrespective of cell type. Indinavir was observed to co-localise with nucleic acid in the nucleus, but only in E6 expressing cells. Principal components analysis (PCA) score maps generated on the full Raman hypercube and the corresponding PCA loadings plots revealed that the majority of metabolic variations influenced by the drug exposure within the cells were associated with changes in nucleic acids. Analysis of cell fractionation products by LC-MS confirmed that the level of indinavir in nuclear extracts was approximately eight-fold greater than in the cytoplasm. These data demonstrate that indinavir undergoes enhanced nuclear accumulation in E6-expressing cells, which suggests that this is the most likely site of action for this compound against HPV.

  13. Site-Selection in Single-Molecule Junction for Highly Reproducible Molecular Electronics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaneko, Satoshi; Murai, Daigo; Marqués-González, Santiago; Nakamura, Hisao; Komoto, Yuki; Fujii, Shintaro; Nishino, Tomoaki; Ikeda, Katsuyoshi; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito; Kiguchi, Manabu

    2016-02-03

    Adsorption sites of molecules critically determine the electric/photonic properties and the stability of heterogeneous molecule-metal interfaces. Then, selectivity of adsorption site is essential for development of the fields including organic electronics, catalysis, and biology. However, due to current technical limitations, site-selectivity, i.e., precise determination of the molecular adsorption site, remains a major challenge because of difficulty in precise selection of meaningful one among the sites. We have succeeded the single site-selection at a single-molecule junction by performing newly developed hybrid technique: simultaneous characterization of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The I-V response of 1,4-benzenedithiol junctions reveals the existence of three metastable states arising from different adsorption sites. Notably, correlated SERS measurements show selectivity toward one of the adsorption sites: "bridge sites". This site-selectivity represents an essential step toward the reliable integration of individual molecules on metallic surfaces. Furthermore, the hybrid spectro-electric technique reveals the dependence of the SERS intensity on the strength of the molecule-metal interaction, showing the interdependence between the optical and electronic properties in single-molecule junctions.

  14. Characteristics of the tomato chromoplast revealed by proteomic analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Barsan, Cristina; Sanchez-Bel, Paloma; Rombaldi, César Valmor; Egea, Isabel; Rossignol, Michel; Kuntz, Marcel; Zouine, Mohamed; Latché, Alain; Bouzayen, Mondher; Pech, Jean-Claude

    2010-01-01

    Chromoplasts are non-photosynthetic specialized plastids that are important in ripening tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum) since, among other functions, they are the site of accumulation of coloured compounds. Analysis of the proteome of red fruit chromoplasts revealed the presence of 988 proteins corresponding to 802 Arabidopsis unigenes, among which 209 had not been listed so far in plastidial databanks. These data revealed several features of the chromoplast. Proteins of lipid metabolism ...

  15. Why Ser and not Thr brokers catalysis in the trypsin fold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelc, Leslie A; Chen, Zhiwei; Gohara, David W; Vogt, Austin D; Pozzi, Nicola; Di Cera, Enrico

    2015-02-24

    Although Thr is equally represented as Ser in the human genome and as a nucleophile is as good as Ser, it is never found in the active site of the large family of trypsin-like proteases that utilize the Asp/His/Ser triad. The molecular basis of the preference of Ser over Thr in the trypsin fold was investigated with X-ray structures of the thrombin mutant S195T free and bound to an irreversible active site inhibitor. In the free form, the methyl group of T195 is oriented toward the incoming substrate in a conformation seemingly incompatible with productive binding. In the bound form, the side chain of T195 is reoriented for efficient substrate acylation without causing steric clash within the active site. Rapid kinetics prove that this change is due to selection of an active conformation from a preexisting ensemble of reactive and unreactive rotamers whose relative distribution determines the level of activity of the protease. Consistent with these observations, the S195T substitution is associated with a weak yet finite activity that allows identification of an unanticipated important role for S195 as the end point of allosteric transduction in the trypsin fold. The S195T mutation abrogates the Na(+)-dependent enhancement of catalytic activity in thrombin, activated protein C, and factor Xa and significantly weakens the physiologically important allosteric effects of thrombomodulin on thrombin and of cofactor Va on factor Xa. The evolutionary selection of Ser over Thr in trypsin-like proteases was therefore driven by the need for high catalytic activity and efficient allosteric regulation.

  16. Site characterization and site response in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hough, Susan E.; Yong, Alan K.; Altidor, Jean Robert; Anglade, Dieuseul; Given, Douglas D.; Mildor, Saint-Louis

    2011-01-01

    Waveform analysis of aftershocks of the Mw7.0 Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 reveals amplification of ground motions at sites within the Cul de Sac valley in which Port-au-Prince is situated. Relative to ground motions recorded at a hard-rock reference site, peak acceleration values are amplified by a factor of approximately 1.8 at sites on low-lying Mio-Pliocene deposits in central Port-au-Prince and by a factor of approximately 2.5–3 on a steep foothill ridge in the southern Port-au-Prince metropolitan region. The observed amplitude, predominant periods, variability, and polarization of amplification are consistent with predicted topographic amplification by a steep, narrow ridge. A swath of unusually high damage in this region corresponds with the extent of the ridge where high weak-motion amplifications are observed. We use ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) imagery to map local geomorphology, including characterization of both near-surface and of small-scale topographic structures that correspond to zones of inferred amplification.

  17. Dual Drug Targeting of Mutant Bcr-Abl Induces Inactive Conformation: New Strategy for the Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Overcoming Monotherapy Resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Rashedy, Ahmed A; Olotu, Fisayo A; Soliman, Mahmoud E S

    2018-03-01

    Bcr-Abl is an oncogenic fusion protein which expression enhances tumorigenesis, and has been highly associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Acquired drug resistance in mutant Bcr-Abl has enhanced pathogenesis with the use of single therapy agents such as nilotinib. Moreover, allosteric targeting has been identified to consequentially inhibit Bcr-Abl activity, which led to the recent development of ABL-001 (asciminib) that selectively binds the myristoyl pocket. Experimental studies have revealed that the combination of nilotinib and ABL-001 induced a 'bent' conformation in the C-terminal helix of Bcr-Abl; a benchmark of inhibition, thereby exhibiting a greater potency in the treatment of CML, surmounting the setbacks of drug resistance, disease regression and relapse. Therefore, we report the first account of the dynamics and conformational analysis of oncogenic T334I Bcr-Abl by dual targeting. Our findings revealed that unlike in the Bcr-Abl-Nilotinib complex, dual targeting by both inhibitors induced the bent conformation in the C-terminal helix that varied with time. This was coupled with significant alteration in Bcr-Abl stability, flexibility, and compactness and an overall structural re-orientation inwards towards the hydrophobic core, which reduced the solvent-exposed residues indicative of protein folding. This study will facilitate allosteric targeting and the design of more potent allosteric inhibitors for resistive target proteins in cancer. © 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

  18. Site specific modification of the human plasma proteome by methylglyoxal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimzey, Michael J.; Kinsky, Owen R.; Yassine, Hussein N.; Tsaprailis, George; Stump, Craig S.; Monks, Terrence J.; Lau, Serrine S.

    2015-01-01

    Increasing evidence identifies dicarbonyl stress from reactive glucose metabolites, such as methylglyoxal (MG), as a major pathogenic link between hyperglycemia and complications of diabetes. MG covalently modifies arginine residues, yet the site specificity of this modification has not been thoroughly investigated. Sites of MG adduction in the plasma proteome were identified using LC–MS/MS analysis in vitro following incubation of plasma proteins with MG. Treatment of plasma proteins with MG yielded 14 putative MG hotspots from five plasma proteins (albumin [nine hotspots], serotransferrin, haptoglobin [2 hotspots], hemopexin, and Ig lambda-2 chain C regions). The search results revealed two versions of MG-arginine modification, dihydroxyimidazolidine (R + 72) and hydroimidazolone (R + 54) adducts. One of the sites identified was R257 in human serum albumin, which is a critical residue located in drug binding site I. This site was validated as a target for MG modification by a fluorescent probe displacement assay, which revealed significant drug dissociation at 300 μM MG from a prodan–HSA complex (75 μM). Moreover, twelve human plasma samples (six male, six female, with two type 2 diabetic subjects from both genders) were analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) tandem mass spectrometry and revealed the presence of the MG-modified albumin R257 peptide. These data provide insights into the nature of the site-specificity of MG modification of arginine, which may be useful for therapeutic treatments that aim to prevent MG-mediated adverse responses in patients. - Highlights: • Methylglyoxal (MG) selectively modifies arginine sites in human plasma proteome. • Dihydroxyimidazolidine and hydroimidazolone adducts on serum albumin identified • MG modification on albumin R257 associated with loss of drug site I binding capacity • MRM-tandem mass spectrometry enables sensitive detection of albumin MG-R257. • Site-specific MG modification may

  19. Site specific modification of the human plasma proteome by methylglyoxal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kimzey, Michael J.; Kinsky, Owen R. [Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Yassine, Hussein N. [Department of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Tsaprailis, George [Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Stump, Craig S. [Department of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Tucson, AZ 85723 (United States); Monks, Terrence J. [Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Lau, Serrine S., E-mail: lau@pharmacy.arizona.edu [Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Increasing evidence identifies dicarbonyl stress from reactive glucose metabolites, such as methylglyoxal (MG), as a major pathogenic link between hyperglycemia and complications of diabetes. MG covalently modifies arginine residues, yet the site specificity of this modification has not been thoroughly investigated. Sites of MG adduction in the plasma proteome were identified using LC–MS/MS analysis in vitro following incubation of plasma proteins with MG. Treatment of plasma proteins with MG yielded 14 putative MG hotspots from five plasma proteins (albumin [nine hotspots], serotransferrin, haptoglobin [2 hotspots], hemopexin, and Ig lambda-2 chain C regions). The search results revealed two versions of MG-arginine modification, dihydroxyimidazolidine (R + 72) and hydroimidazolone (R + 54) adducts. One of the sites identified was R257 in human serum albumin, which is a critical residue located in drug binding site I. This site was validated as a target for MG modification by a fluorescent probe displacement assay, which revealed significant drug dissociation at 300 μM MG from a prodan–HSA complex (75 μM). Moreover, twelve human plasma samples (six male, six female, with two type 2 diabetic subjects from both genders) were analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) tandem mass spectrometry and revealed the presence of the MG-modified albumin R257 peptide. These data provide insights into the nature of the site-specificity of MG modification of arginine, which may be useful for therapeutic treatments that aim to prevent MG-mediated adverse responses in patients. - Highlights: • Methylglyoxal (MG) selectively modifies arginine sites in human plasma proteome. • Dihydroxyimidazolidine and hydroimidazolone adducts on serum albumin identified • MG modification on albumin R257 associated with loss of drug site I binding capacity • MRM-tandem mass spectrometry enables sensitive detection of albumin MG-R257. • Site-specific MG modification may

  20. An all-atom, active site exploration of antiviral drugs that target Flaviviridae polymerases

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Valdés, James J.; Gil, V.A.; Butterill, Philip T.; Růžek, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 97, OCT (2016), s. 2552-2565 ISSN 0022-1317 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) EE2.3.30.0032; GA ČR GB14-36098G; GA MZd(CZ) NV16-34238A EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 316304 - MODBIOLIN Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : dependent RNA-polymerase * c virus polymerase * de-novo initiation * hepatitis C * allosteric inhibitors * nucleoside inhibitors * molecular dynamics * encephalitis virus * protein-structure * cluster-analysis Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.838, year: 2016

  1. Negative Allosteric Modulators of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors Subtype 5 in Addiction: a Therapeutic Window

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Background: Abundant evidence at the anatomical, electrophysiological, and molecular levels implicates metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) in addiction. Consistently, the effects of a wide range of doses of different mGluR5 negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) have been tested in various animal models of addiction. Here, these studies were subjected to a systematic review to find out if mGluR5 NAMs have a therapeutic potential that can be translated to the clinic. Methods: Literature on consumption/self-administration and reinstatement of drug seeking as outcomes of interest published up to April 2015 was retrieved via PubMed. The review focused on the effects of systemic (i.p., i.v., s.c.) administration of the mGluR5 NAMs 3-((2-Methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP) and 2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP) on paradigms with cocaine, ethanol, nicotine, and food in rats. Results: MTEP and MPEP were found to reduce self-administration of cocaine, ethanol, and nicotine at doses ≥1mg/kg and 2.5mg/kg, respectively. Dose-response relationship resembled a sigmoidal curve, with low doses not reaching statistical significance and high doses reliably inhibiting self-administration of drugs of abuse. Importantly, self-administration of cocaine, ethanol, and nicotine, but not food, was reduced by MTEP and MPEP in the dose range of 1 to 2mg/kg and 2.5 to 3.2mg/kg, respectively. This dose range corresponds to approximately 50% to 80% mGluR5 occupancy. Interestingly, the limited data found in mice and monkeys showed a similar therapeutic window. Conclusion: Altogether, this review suggests a therapeutic window for mGluR5 NAMs that can be translated to the treatment of substance-related and addictive disorders. PMID:26802568

  2. The Structural Basis for Endotoxin-induced Allosteric Regulation of the Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Innate Immune Receptor*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paramo, Teresa; Piggot, Thomas J.; Bryant, Clare E.; Bond, Peter J.

    2013-01-01

    As part of the innate immune system, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) recognizes bacterial cell surface lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by forming a complex with a lipid-binding co-receptor, MD-2. In the presence of agonist, TLR4·MD-2 dimerizes to form an active receptor complex, leading to initiation of intracellular inflammatory signals. TLR4 is of great biomedical interest, but its pharmacological manipulation is complicated because even subtle variations in the structure of LPS can profoundly impact the resultant immunological response. Here, we use atomically detailed molecular simulations to gain insights into the nature of the molecular signaling mechanism. We first demonstrate that MD-2 is extraordinarily flexible. The “clamshell-like” motions of its β-cup fold enable it to sensitively match the volume of its hydrophobic cavity to the size and shape of the bound lipid moiety. We show that MD-2 allosterically transmits this conformational plasticity, in a ligand-dependent manner, to a phenylalanine residue (Phe-126) at the cavity mouth previously implicated in TLR4 activation. Remarkably, within the receptor complex, we observe spontaneous transitions between active and inactive signaling states of Phe-126, and we confirm that Phe-126 is indeed the “molecular switch” in endotoxic signaling. PMID:24178299

  3. The structural basis for endotoxin-induced allosteric regulation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) innate immune receptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paramo, Teresa; Piggot, Thomas J; Bryant, Clare E; Bond, Peter J

    2013-12-20

    As part of the innate immune system, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) recognizes bacterial cell surface lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by forming a complex with a lipid-binding co-receptor, MD-2. In the presence of agonist, TLR4·MD-2 dimerizes to form an active receptor complex, leading to initiation of intracellular inflammatory signals. TLR4 is of great biomedical interest, but its pharmacological manipulation is complicated because even subtle variations in the structure of LPS can profoundly impact the resultant immunological response. Here, we use atomically detailed molecular simulations to gain insights into the nature of the molecular signaling mechanism. We first demonstrate that MD-2 is extraordinarily flexible. The "clamshell-like" motions of its β-cup fold enable it to sensitively match the volume of its hydrophobic cavity to the size and shape of the bound lipid moiety. We show that MD-2 allosterically transmits this conformational plasticity, in a ligand-dependent manner, to a phenylalanine residue (Phe-126) at the cavity mouth previously implicated in TLR4 activation. Remarkably, within the receptor complex, we observe spontaneous transitions between active and inactive signaling states of Phe-126, and we confirm that Phe-126 is indeed the "molecular switch" in endotoxic signaling.

  4. Revealing the impact of local access-site complications and upper extremity dysfunction post transradial percutaneous coronary procedures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwaan, E.M.; Koopman, A.G.M.M.; Holtzer, C.A.J.; Zijlstra, F.; Ritt, M.J.P.F.; Amoroso, G.; Moerman, E.; Kofflard, M.J.M.; Ijsselmuiden, A.J.J.

    2015-01-01

    Objectives Little is known about local access-site complications and upper extremity dysfunction after transradial percutaneous coronary procedures (TR-PCP). This systematic review study aimed to summarise the current knowledge on the incidences of access-site complications and upper extremity

  5. Environmental Metabarcoding Reveals Contrasting Belowground and Aboveground Fungal Communities from Poplar at a Hg Phytomanagement Site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Alexis; Maillard, François; Foulon, Julie; Gweon, Hyun S; Valot, Benoit; Chalot, Michel

    2017-11-01

    Characterization of microbial communities in stressful conditions at a field level is rather scarce, especially when considering fungal communities from aboveground habitats. We aimed at characterizing fungal communities from different poplar habitats at a Hg-contaminated phytomanagement site by using Illumina-based sequencing, network analysis approach, and direct isolation of Hg-resistant fungal strains. The highest diversity estimated by the Shannon index was found for soil communities, which was negatively affected by soil Hg concentration. Among the significant correlations between soil operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the co-occurrence network, 80% were negatively correlated revealing dominance of a pattern of mutual exclusion. The fungal communities associated with Populus roots mostly consisted of OTUs from the symbiotic guild, such as members of the Thelephoraceae, thus explaining the lowest diversity found for root communities. Additionally, root communities showed the highest network connectivity index, while rarely detected OTUs from the Glomeromycetes may have a central role in the root network. Unexpectedly high richness and diversity were found for aboveground habitats, compared to the root habitat. The aboveground habitats were dominated by yeasts from the Lalaria, Davidiella, and Bensingtonia genera, not detected in belowground habitats. Leaf and stem habitats were characterized by few dominant OTUs such as those from the Dothideomycete class producing mutual exclusion with other OTUs. Aureobasidium pullulans, one of the dominating OTUs, was further isolated from the leaf habitat, in addition to Nakazawaea populi species, which were found to be Hg resistant. Altogether, these findings will provide an improved point of reference for microbial research on inoculation-based programs of tailings dumps.

  6. High-Affinity Low-Capacity and Low-Affinity High-Capacity N-Acetyl-2-Aminofluorene (AAF) Macromolecular Binding Sites Are Revealed During the Growth Cycle of Adult Rat Hepatocytes in Primary Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Katherine S; Moran, Tom; Shier, W Thomas; Leffert, Hyam L

    2018-05-01

    Long-term cultures of primary adult rat hepatocytes were used to study the effects of N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (AAF) on hepatocyte proliferation during the growth cycle; on the initiation of hepatocyte DNA synthesis in quiescent cultures; and, on hepatocyte DNA replication following the initiation of DNA synthesis. Scatchard analyses were used to identify the pharmacologic properties of radiolabeled AAF metabolite binding to hepatocyte macromolecules. Two classes of growth cycle-dependent AAF metabolite binding sites-a high-affinity low-capacity site (designated Site I) and a low-affinity high-capacity site (designated Site II)-associated with two spatially distinct classes of macromolecular targets, were revealed. Based upon radiolabeled AAF metabolite binding to purified hepatocyte genomic DNA or to DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipids from isolated nuclei, Site IDAY 4 targets (KD[APPARENT] ≈ 2-4×10-6 M and BMAX[APPARENT] ≈ 6 pmol/106 cells/24 h) were consistent with genomic DNA; and with AAF metabolized by a nuclear cytochrome P450. Based upon radiolabeled AAF binding to total cellular lysates, Site IIDAY 4 targets (KD[APPARENT] ≈ 1.5×10-3 M and BMAX[APPARENT] ≈ 350 pmol/106 cells/24 h) were consistent with cytoplasmic proteins; and with AAF metabolized by cytoplasmic cytochrome P450s. DNA synthesis was not inhibited by concentrations of AAF that saturated DNA binding in the neighborhood of the Site I KD. Instead, hepatocyte DNA synthesis inhibition required higher concentrations of AAF approaching the Site II KD. These observations raise the possibility that carcinogenic DNA adducts derived from AAF metabolites form below concentrations of AAF that inhibit replicative and repair DNA synthesis.

  7. CD44 Binding to Hyaluronic Acid Is Redox Regulated by a Labile Disulfide Bond in the Hyaluronic Acid Binding Site.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena Kellett-Clarke

    Full Text Available CD44 is the primary leukocyte cell surface receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA, a component of the extracellular matrix. Enzymatic post translational cleavage of labile disulfide bonds is a mechanism by which proteins are structurally regulated by imparting an allosteric change and altering activity. We have identified one such disulfide bond in CD44 formed by Cys77 and Cys97 that stabilises the HA binding groove. This bond is labile on the surface of leukocytes treated with chemical and enzymatic reducing agents. Analysis of CD44 crystal structures reveal the disulfide bond to be solvent accessible and in the-LH hook configuration characteristic of labile disulfide bonds. Kinetic trapping and binding experiments on CD44-Fc chimeric proteins show the bond is preferentially reduced over the other disulfide bonds in CD44 and reduction inhibits the CD44-HA interaction. Furthermore cells transfected with CD44 no longer adhere to HA coated surfaces after pre-treatment with reducing agents. The implications of CD44 redox regulation are discussed in the context of immune function, disease and therapeutic strategies.

  8. Novel Tyrosine Phosphorylation Sites in Rat Skeletal Muscle Revealed by Phosphopeptide Enrichment and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiangmin; Højlund, Kurt; Luo, Moulun; Meyer, Christian; Thangiah, Geetha; Yi, Zhengping

    2012-01-01

    Tyrosine phosphorylation plays a fundamental role in many cellular processes including differentiation, growth and insulin signaling. In insulin resistant muscle, aberrant tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins has been detected. However, due to the low abundance of tyrosine phosphorylation (tyrosine phosphorylation sites have been identified in mammalian skeletal muscle to date. Here, we used immunoprecipitation of phosphotyrosine peptides prior to HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis to improve the discovery of tyrosine phosphorylation in relatively small skeletal muscle biopsies from rats. This resulted in the identification of 87 distinctly localized tyrosine phosphorylation sites in 46 muscle proteins. Among them, 31 appear to be novel. The tyrosine phosphorylated proteins included major enzymes in the glycolytic pathway and glycogen metabolism, sarcomeric proteins, and proteins involved in Ca2+ homeostasis and phosphocreatine resynthesis. Among proteins regulated by insulin, we found tyrosine phosphorylation sites in glycogen synthase, and two of its inhibitors, GSK-3α and DYRK1A. Moreover, tyrosine phosphorylation sites were identified in several MAP kinases and a protein tyrosine phosphatase, SHPTP2. These results provide the largest catalogue of mammalian skeletal muscle tyrosine phosphorylation sites to date and provide novel targets for the investigation of human skeletal muscle phosphoproteins in various disease states. PMID:22609512

  9. Zinc-mediated Allosteric Inhibition of Caspase-6*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velázquez-Delgado, Elih M.; Hardy, Jeanne A.

    2012-01-01

    Zinc and caspase-6 have independently been implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders. Depletion of zinc intracellularly leads to apoptosis by an unknown mechanism. Zinc inhibits cysteine proteases, including the apoptotic caspases, leading to the hypothesis that zinc-mediated inhibition of caspase-6 might contribute to its regulation in a neurodegenerative context. Using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, we observed that caspase-6 binds one zinc per monomer, under the same conditions where the zinc leads to complete loss of enzymatic activity. To understand the molecular details of zinc binding and inhibition, we performed an anomalous diffraction experiment above the zinc edge. The anomalous difference maps showed strong 5σ peaks, indicating the presence of one zinc/monomer bound at an exosite distal from the active site. Zinc was not observed bound to the active site. The zinc in the exosite was liganded by Lys-36, Glu-244, and His-287 with a water molecule serving as the fourth ligand, forming a distorted tetrahedral ligation sphere. This exosite appears to be unique to caspase-6, as the residues involved in zinc binding were not conserved across the caspase family. Our data suggest that binding of zinc at the exosite is the primary route of inhibition, potentially locking caspase-6 into the inactive helical conformation. PMID:22891250

  10. Demethoxycurcumin is a potent inhibitor of P-type ATPases from diverse kingdoms of life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dao, Trong Tuan; Sehgal, Pankaj; Thanh Tung, Truong

    2016-01-01

    the curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin was the most potent inhibitor of all tested P-type ATPases from fungal (Pma1p; H+-ATPase), plant (AHA2; H+-ATPase) and animal (SERCA; Ca2+-ATPase) cells. All three curcuminoids acted as non-competitive antagonist to ATP and hence may bind to a highly conserved allosteric site...

  11. Structure of the first representative of Pfam family PF04016 (DUF364) reveals enolase and Rossmann-like folds that combine to form a unique active site with a possible role in heavy-metal chelation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Mitchell D.; Aravind, L.; Bakolitsa, Constantina; Rife, Christopher L.; Carlton, Dennis; Abdubek, Polat; Astakhova, Tamara; Axelrod, Herbert L.; Chiu, Hsiu-Ju; Clayton, Thomas; Deller, Marc C.; Duan, Lian; Feuerhelm, Julie; Grant, Joanna C.; Han, Gye Won; Jaroszewski, Lukasz; Jin, Kevin K.; Klock, Heath E.; Knuth, Mark W.; Kozbial, Piotr; Krishna, S. Sri; Kumar, Abhinav; Marciano, David; McMullan, Daniel; Morse, Andrew T.; Nigoghossian, Edward; Okach, Linda; Reyes, Ron; Bedem, Henry van den; Weekes, Dana; Xu, Qingping; Hodgson, Keith O.; Wooley, John; Elsliger, Marc-André; Deacon, Ashley M.; Godzik, Adam; Lesley, Scott A.; Wilson, Ian A.

    2010-01-01

    The crystal structure of the first representative of DUF364 family reveals a combination of enolase N-terminal-like and C-terminal Rossmann-like folds. Analysis of the interdomain cleft combined with sequence and genome context conservation among homologs, suggests a unique catalytic site likely involved in the synthesis of a flavin or pterin derivative. The crystal structure of Dhaf4260 from Desulfitobacterium hafniense DCB-2 was determined by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) to a resolution of 2.01 Å using the semi-automated high-throughput pipeline of the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) as part of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI). This protein structure is the first representative of the PF04016 (DUF364) Pfam family and reveals a novel combination of two well known domains (an enolase N-terminal-like fold followed by a Rossmann-like domain). Structural and bioinformatic analyses reveal partial similarities to Rossmann-like methyltransferases, with residues from the enolase-like fold combining to form a unique active site that is likely to be involved in the condensation or hydrolysis of molecules implicated in the synthesis of flavins, pterins or other siderophores. The genome context of Dhaf4260 and homologs additionally supports a role in heavy-metal chelation

  12. Administration of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 allosteric modulator GET 73 with alcohol: A translational study in rats and humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haass-Koffler, Carolina L; Goodyear, Kimberly; Loche, Antonella; Long, Victoria M; Lobina, Carla; Tran, Harrison H; Cacciaglia, Roberto; Swift, Robert M; Colombo, Giancarlo; Leggio, Lorenzo

    2018-02-01

    Preclinical work suggests that GET 73 (N-[4-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-4-methoxybutyramide), a novel metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 negative allosteric modulator, may represent a novel pharmacological treatment for alcohol use disorder. Two independent experiments evaluated the effect of acutely administered GET 73 (0, 30, and 100 mg/kg, intragastrically) on alcohol-induced hypolocomotion ( n=72) and sedation/hypnosis ( n=36) in rats. In healthy male volunteers ( n=14), an open-label, randomised, crossover study was conducted to compare adverse events and pharmacokinetic parameters, in two experiments in which 300 mg GET 73 was administered, with and without alcohol, once and thrice. In rats, when administered with alcohol-vehicle, 100 mg/kg, but not 30 mg/kg, GET 73 reduced spontaneous locomotor activity. When administered with alcohol, no dose of GET 73 altered either alcohol-induced hypolocomotion or sedation/hypnosis. In humans, both single and thrice 300 mg GET 73 administration were well tolerated, in the presence and absence of alcohol, with no differences in adverse events. There were no significant differences in relative bioavailability between administering 300 mg GET 73 in the presence or absence of alcohol.

  13. Structure of the transcriptional regulator LmrR and its mechanism of multidrug recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madoori, Pramod Kumar; Agustiandari, Herfita; Driessen, Arnold J M; Thunnissen, Andy-Mark W H

    2009-01-21

    LmrR is a PadR-related transcriptional repressor that regulates the production of LmrCD, a major multidrug ABC transporter in Lactococcus lactis. Transcriptional regulation is presumed to follow a drug-sensitive induction mechanism involving the direct binding of transporter ligands to LmrR. Here, we present crystal structures of LmrR in an apo state and in two drug-bound states complexed with Hoechst 33342 and daunomycin. LmrR shows a common topology containing a typical beta-winged helix-turn-helix domain with an additional C-terminal helix involved in dimerization. Its dimeric organization is highly unusual with a flat-shaped hydrophobic pore at the dimer centre serving as a multidrug-binding site. The drugs bind in a similar manner with their aromatic rings sandwiched in between the indole groups of two dimer-related tryptophan residues. Multidrug recognition is facilitated by conformational plasticity and the absence of drug-specific hydrogen bonds. Combined analyses using site-directed mutagenesis, fluorescence-based drug binding and protein-DNA gel shift assays reveal an allosteric coupling between the multidrug- and DNA-binding sites of LmrR that most likely has a function in the induction mechanism.

  14. Archaeology. Sedimentary DNA from a submerged site reveals wheat in the British Isles 8000 years ago.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Oliver; Momber, Garry; Bates, Richard; Garwood, Paul; Fitch, Simon; Pallen, Mark; Gaffney, Vincent; Allaby, Robin G

    2015-02-27

    The Mesolithic-to-Neolithic transition marked the time when a hunter-gatherer economy gave way to agriculture, coinciding with rising sea levels. Bouldnor Cliff, is a submarine archaeological site off the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom that has a well-preserved Mesolithic paleosol dated to 8000 years before the present. We analyzed a core obtained from sealed sediments, combining evidence from microgeomorphology and microfossils with sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) analyses to reconstruct floral and faunal changes during the occupation of this site, before it was submerged. In agreement with palynological analyses, the sedaDNA sequences suggest a mixed habitat of oak forest and herbaceous plants. However, they also provide evidence of wheat 2000 years earlier than mainland Britain and 400 years earlier than proximate European sites. These results suggest that sophisticated social networks linked the Neolithic front in southern Europe to the Mesolithic peoples of northern Europe. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  15. Resolving the fast kinetics of cooperative binding: Ca2+ buffering by calretinin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guido C Faas

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Cooperativity is one of the most important properties of molecular interactions in biological systems. It is the ability to influence ligand binding at one site of a macromolecule by previous ligand binding at another site of the same molecule. As a consequence, the affinity of the macromolecule for the ligand is either decreased (negative cooperativity or increased (positive cooperativity. Over the last 100 years, O2 binding to hemoglobin has served as the paradigm for cooperative ligand binding and allosteric modulation, and four practical models were developed to quantitatively describe the mechanism: the Hill, the Adair-Klotz, the Monod-Wyman-Changeux, and the Koshland-Némethy-Filmer models. The predictions of these models apply under static conditions when the binding reactions are at equilibrium. However, in a physiological setting, e.g., inside a cell, the timing and dynamics of the binding events are essential. Hence, it is necessary to determine the dynamic properties of cooperative binding to fully understand the physiological implications of cooperativity. To date, the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model was applied to determine the kinetics of cooperative binding to biologically active molecules. In this model, cooperativity is established by postulating two allosteric isoforms with different binding properties. However, these studies were limited to special cases, where transition rates between allosteric isoforms are much slower than the binding rates or where binding and unbinding rates could be measured independently. For all other cases, the complex mathematical description precludes straightforward interpretations. Here, we report on calculating for the first time the fast dynamics of a cooperative binding process, the binding of Ca2+ to calretinin. Calretinin is a Ca2+-binding protein with four cooperative binding sites and one independent binding site. The Ca2+ binding to calretinin was assessed by measuring the decay of free Ca2

  16. The Allosterically Unregulated Isoform of ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase from Barley Endosperm Is the Most Likely Source of ADP-Glucose Incorporated into Endosperm Starch.

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    Doan; Rudi; Olsen

    1999-11-01

    We present the results of studies of an unmodified version of the recombinant major barley (Hordeum vulgare) endosperm ADP-glucose pyrophoshorylase (AGPase) expressed in insect cells, which corroborate previous data that this isoform of the enzyme acts independently of the allosteric regulators 3-phosphoglycerate and inorganic phosphate. We also present a characterization of the individual subunits expressed separately in insect cells, showing that the SS AGPase is active in the presence of 3-phosphoglycerate and is inhibited by inorganic phosphate. As a step toward the elucidation of the role of the two AGPase isoforms in barley, the temporal and spatial expression profile of the four barley AGPase transcripts encoding these isoforms were studied. The results show that the steady-state level of beps and bepl, the transcripts encoding the major endosperm isoform, correlated positively with the rate of endosperm starch accumulation. In contrast, blps and blpl, the transcripts encoding the major leaf isoform, were constitutively expressed at a very low steady-state level throughout the barley plant. The implications of these findings for the evolution of plant AGPases are discussed.

  17. Metabolite Regulation of Nuclear Localization of Carbohydrate-response Element-binding Protein (ChREBP): ROLE OF AMP AS AN ALLOSTERIC INHIBITOR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Shogo; Jung, Hunmin; Nakagawa, Tsutomu; Pawlosky, Robert; Takeshima, Tomomi; Lee, Wan-Ru; Sakiyama, Haruhiko; Laxman, Sunil; Wynn, R Max; Tu, Benjamin P; MacMillan, John B; De Brabander, Jef K; Veech, Richard L; Uyeda, Kosaku

    2016-05-13

    The carbohydrate-response element-binding protein (ChREBP) is a glucose-responsive transcription factor that plays an essential role in converting excess carbohydrate to fat storage in the liver. In response to glucose levels, ChREBP is regulated by nuclear/cytosol trafficking via interaction with 14-3-3 proteins, CRM-1 (exportin-1 or XPO-1), or importins. Nuclear localization of ChREBP was rapidly inhibited when incubated in branched-chain α-ketoacids, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, or 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide. Here, we discovered that protein-free extracts of high fat-fed livers contained, in addition to ketone bodies, a new metabolite, identified as AMP, which specifically activates the interaction between ChREBP and 14-3-3. The crystal structure showed that AMP binds directly to the N terminus of ChREBP-α2 helix. Our results suggest that AMP inhibits the nuclear localization of ChREBP through an allosteric activation of ChREBP/14-3-3 interactions and not by activation of AMPK. AMP and ketone bodies together can therefore inhibit lipogenesis by restricting localization of ChREBP to the cytoplasm during periods of ketosis. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  18. Structure and mechanisms of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipscomb, William N; Kantrowitz, Evan R

    2012-03-20

    Enzymes catalyze a particular reaction in cells, but only a few control the rate of this reaction and the metabolic pathway that follows. One specific mechanism for such enzymatic control of a metabolic pathway involves molecular feedback, whereby a metabolite further down the pathway acts at a unique site on the control enzyme to alter its activity allosterically. This regulation may be positive or negative (or both), depending upon the particular system. Another method of enzymatic control involves the cooperative binding of the substrate, which allows a large change in enzyme activity to emanate from only a small change in substrate concentration. Allosteric regulation and homotropic cooperativity are often known to involve significant conformational changes in the structure of the protein. Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) is the textbook example of an enzyme that regulates a metabolic pathway, namely, pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis, by feedback control and by the cooperative binding of the substrate, L-aspartate. The catalytic and regulatory mechanisms of this enzyme have been extensively studied. A series of X-ray crystal structures of the enzyme in the presence and absence of substrates, products, and analogues have provided details, at the molecular level, of the conformational changes that the enzyme undergoes as it shifts between its low-activity, low-affinity form (T state) to its high-activity, high-affinity form (R state). These structural data provide insights into not only how this enzyme catalyzes the reaction between l-aspartate and carbamoyl phosphate to form N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate and inorganic phosphate, but also how the allosteric effectors modulate this activity. In this Account, we summarize studies on the structure of the enzyme and describe how these structural data provide insights into the catalytic and regulatory mechanisms of the enzyme. The ATCase-catalyzed reaction is regulated by nucleotide binding some 60

  19. Cross-site comparisons of concentration-discharge relationships reveal climate-driven chemostatic set points

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godsey, S.; Kirchner, J. W.

    2017-12-01

    Streamflow solute concentrations often vary predictably with flows, providing insight into processes controlling solute generation and export. Previous work by the authors showed that log-transformed concentration-discharge relationships of weathering-derived solutes in 59 headwater catchments had relatively low slopes, implying that these watersheds behaved almost like chemostats. That is, their rates of solute production and/or mobilization were nearly proportional to water fluxes, on both event and inter-annual time scales. Here we re-examine these findings using data from roughly 1000 catchments, ranging from ˜10 to >1,000,000 sq. km in drainage area, and spanning a wide range of lithologic and climatic settings.Concentration-discharge relationships among this much larger set of much larger catchments are broadly consistent with the chemostatic behavior described above. However, site-to-site variations in mean concentrations among these catchments are negatively correlated with long-term average precipitation and discharge, suggesting dilution of stream concentrations under long-term leaching of the critical zone. Thus, on event and inter-annual time scales, stream solute concentrations are chemostatically buffered by groundwater storage and fast chemical reactions (such as ion exchange), but on much longer time scales, the catchment's chemostatic "set point" is determined by climatically driven critical zone evolution. We present examples illustrating short-term and long-term controls on water quality consistent with variations in weather and climate, and discuss their implications.

  20. Partial mGlu₅ Negative Allosteric Modulators Attenuate Cocaine-Mediated Behaviors and Lack Psychotomimetic-Like Effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gould, Robert W; Amato, Russell J; Bubser, Michael; Joffe, Max E; Nedelcovych, Michael T; Thompson, Analisa D; Nickols, Hilary H; Yuh, Johannes P; Zhan, Xiaoyan; Felts, Andrew S; Rodriguez, Alice L; Morrison, Ryan D; Byers, Frank W; Rook, Jerri M; Daniels, John S; Niswender, Colleen M; Conn, P Jeffrey; Emmitte, Kyle A; Lindsley, Craig W; Jones, Carrie K

    2016-03-01

    Cocaine abuse remains a public health concern for which pharmacotherapies are largely ineffective. Comorbidities between cocaine abuse, depression, and anxiety support the development of novel treatments targeting multiple symptom clusters. Selective negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) targeting the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) subtype are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders and have shown promise in preclinical models of substance abuse. However, complete blockade or inverse agonist activity by some full mGlu5 NAM chemotypes demonstrated adverse effects, including psychosis in humans and psychotomimetic-like effects in animals, suggesting a narrow therapeutic window. Development of partial mGlu5 NAMs, characterized by their submaximal but saturable levels of blockade, may represent a novel approach to broaden the therapeutic window. To understand potential therapeutic vs adverse effects in preclinical behavioral assays, we examined the partial mGlu5 NAMs, M-5MPEP and Br-5MPEPy, in comparison with the full mGlu5 NAM MTEP across models of addiction and psychotomimetic-like activity. M-5MPEP, Br-5MPEPy, and MTEP dose-dependently decreased cocaine self-administration and attenuated the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine. M-5MPEP and Br-5MPEPy also demonstrated antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activity. Dose-dependent effects of partial and full mGlu5 NAMs in these assays corresponded with increasing in vivo mGlu5 occupancy, demonstrating an orderly occupancy-to-efficacy relationship. PCP-induced hyperlocomotion was potentiated by MTEP, but not by M-5MPEP and Br-5MPEPy. Further, MTEP, but not M-5MPEP, potentiated the discriminative-stimulus effects of PCP. The present data suggest that partial mGlu5 NAM activity is sufficient to produce therapeutic effects similar to full mGlu5 NAMs, but with a broader therapeutic index.