scholarly journals The first plant acyl-CoA-binding protein structures: the close homologues OsACBP1 and OsACBP2 from rice

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 438-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ze-Hua Guo ◽  
Wallace H. Y. Chan ◽  
Geoffrey K. W. Kong ◽  
Quan Hao ◽  
Mee-Len Chye

Acyl-CoA-binding proteins (ACBPs) are a family of proteins that facilitate the binding of long-chain acyl-CoA esters at a conserved acyl-CoA-binding domain. ACBPs act to form intracellular acyl-CoA pools, transport acyl-CoA esters and regulate lipid metabolism. In the model plantArabidopsis thaliana, a family of six ACBPs has been demonstrated to function in stress and development. Six ACBPs (OsACBPs) have also been identified inOryza sativa(rice), but they are not as well characterized as those inArabidopsis thaliana. To understand the need in rice for the two 10 kDa ACBPs, namely OsACBP1 and OsACBP2, which share 79% sequence identity, their crystal structures were elucidated and their affinities toward acyl-CoA esters were compared using isothermal titration calorimetry. OsACBP2 was found to display a higher binding affinity for unsaturated acyl-CoA esters than OsACBP1. A difference between the two proteins is observed at helix 3 and is predicted to lead to different ligand-binding modes in terms of the shape of the binding pocket and the residues that are involved. OsACBP1 thus resembles bovine ACBP, while OsACBP2 is similar to human liver ACBP, in both structure and binding affinity. This is the first time that ACBP structures have been reported from plants, and suggests that OsACBP1 and OsACBP2 are not redundant in function despite their high sequence identity and general structural similarity.

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 694-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Truc Kim ◽  
Thao Duong ◽  
Chun-ai Wu ◽  
Jongkeun Choi ◽  
Nguyen Lan ◽  
...  

Escherichia coliSdiA is a quorum-sensing (QS) receptor that responds to autoinducers produced by other bacterial species to control cell division and virulence. Crystal structures reveal thatE. coliSdiA, which is composed of an N-terminal ligand-binding domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain (DBD), forms a symmetrical dimer. Although each domain shows structural similarity to other QS receptors, SdiA differs from them in the relative orientation of the two domains, suggesting that its ligand-binding and DNA-binding functions are independent. Consistently, in DNA gel-shift assays the binding affinity of SdiA for theftsQP2 promoter appeared to be insensitive to the presence of autoinducers. These results suggest that autoinducers increase the functionality of SdiA by enhancing the protein stability rather than by directly affecting the DNA-binding affinity. Structural analyses of the ligand-binding pocket showed that SdiA cannot accommodate ligands with long acyl chains, which was corroborated by isothermal titration calorimetry and thermal stability analyses. The formation of an intersubunit disulfide bond that might be relevant to modulation of the DNA-binding activity was predicted from the proximal position of two Cys residues in the DBDs of dimeric SdiA. It was confirmed that the binding affinity of SdiA for theuvrYpromoter was reduced under oxidizing conditions, which suggested the possibility of regulation of SdiA by multiple independent signals such as quorum-sensing inducers and the oxidation state of the cell.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina M Clayton ◽  
Janice White ◽  
John W Kappler ◽  
Sanny K Chan

AbstractLipocalins represent the most important protein family of the mammalian respiratory allergens. Four of the seven named dog allergens are lipocalins: Can f 1, Can f 2, Can f 4, and Can f 6. We present the structure of Can f 6 along with data on the biophysical and biological activity of this protein in comparison with other animal lipocalins. The Can f 6 structure displays the classic lipocalin calyx-shaped ligand binding cavity within a central β-barrel similar to other lipocalins. Despite low sequence identity between the different dog lipocalin proteins, there is a high degree of structural similarity. On the other hand, Can f 6 has a similar primary sequence to cat, horse, mouse lipocalins as well as a structure that may underlie their cross reactivity. Interestingly, the entrance to the ligand binding pocket is capped by a His instead of the usually seen Tyr that may help select its natural ligand binding partner. Our highly pure recombinant Can f 6 is able to bind to human IgE (hIgE) demonstrating biological antigenicity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Sonam Roy ◽  
Amarjyoti Das Mahapatra ◽  
Taj Mohammad ◽  
Preeti Gupta ◽  
Mohamed F. Alajmi ◽  
...  

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is one of the well-studied drug targets for cancer and inflammatory diseases. Recently discovered small-molecule inhibitors of SphK1 have been recommended in cancer therapeutics; however, selectivity and potency of first-generation inhibitors are great challenge. In search of effective SphK1 inhibitors, a set of small molecules have been designed and synthesized bearing urea, sulfonylurea, sulfonamide, and sulfonyltriurea groups. The binding affinity of these inhibitors was measured by fluorescence-binding assay and isothermal titration calorimetry. Compounds 1, 5, 6, and 7 showed an admirable binding affinity to the SphK1 in the sub-micromolar range and significantly inhibited SphK1 activity with admirable IC50 values. Molecular docking studies revealed that these compounds fit well into the sphingosine binding pocket of SphK1 and formed significant number of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. These molecules may be exploited as potent and selective inhibitors of SphK1 that could be implicated in cancer therapeutics after the required in vivo validation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Hwang ◽  
Robert A Grant ◽  
Amy E Keating

Metazoan proteomes contain many protein families wherein paralogs with high sequence and structural similarity have evolved unique functions and binding profiles. We uncovered a region from ciliary protein PCARE is highly specific to Ena/VASP paralog ENAH, but not VASP and EVL (Hwang et al., 2021). Here, we show that despite binding at a site that is identical between paralogs, PCARE stabilizes a conformation of the EVH1 domain of ENAH that is inaccessible to family members VASP and EVL to achieve its high affinity and ~100-fold specificity. Structure-based modeling rapidly identified seven residues distributed throughout EVL that, when mutated to residues of ENAH, are sufficient to confer high-affinity binding of PCARE. By exploiting the ENAH-specific EVH1 conformation, we rationally designed the tightest and most selective ENAH binder to date, providing a tool for dissecting paralog-specific Ena/VASP functions in processes including cancer cell invasion. Our work uncovers a mechanism of interaction specificity that distinguishes paralogs that share high sequence identity and many common binding partners.


2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (24) ◽  
pp. 3835-3847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliyath Susmitha ◽  
Kesavan Madhavan Nampoothiri ◽  
Harsha Bajaj

Most Gram-positive bacteria contain a membrane-bound transpeptidase known as sortase which covalently incorporates the surface proteins on to the cell wall. The sortase-displayed protein structures are involved in cell attachment, nutrient uptake and aerial hyphae formation. Among the six classes of sortase (A–F), sortase A of S. aureus is the well-characterized housekeeping enzyme considered as an ideal drug target and a valuable biochemical reagent for protein engineering. Similar to SrtA, class E sortase in GC rich bacteria plays a housekeeping role which is not studied extensively. However, C. glutamicum ATCC 13032, an industrially important organism known for amino acid production, carries a single putative sortase (NCgl2838) gene but neither in vitro peptide cleavage activity nor biochemical characterizations have been investigated. Here, we identified that the gene is having a sortase activity and analyzed its structural similarity with Cd-SrtF. The purified enzyme showed a greater affinity toward LAXTG substrate with a calculated KM of 12 ± 1 µM, one of the highest affinities reported for this class of enzyme. Moreover, site-directed mutation studies were carried to ascertain the structure functional relationship of Cg-SrtE and all these are new findings which will enable us to perceive exciting protein engineering applications with this class of enzyme from a non-pathogenic microbe.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (42) ◽  
pp. 5803-5821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona N. Rahman ◽  
Dragic Vukomanovic ◽  
Jason Z. Vlahakis ◽  
Walter A. Szarek ◽  
Kanji Nakatsu ◽  
...  

The development of isozyme-selective heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitors promises powerful pharmacological tools to elucidate the regulatory characteristics of the HO system. It is already known that HO has cytoprotective properties with a role in several disease states; thus, it is an enticing therapeutic target. Historically, the metalloporphyrins have been used as competitive HO inhibitors based on their structural similarity to the substrate, heme. However, heme’s important role in several other proteins (e.g. cytochromes P450, nitric oxide synthase), results in non-selectivity being an unfortunate side effect. Reports that azalanstat and other non-porphyrin molecules inhibited HO led to a multi-faceted effort over a decade ago to develop novel compounds as potent, selective inhibitors of HO. The result was the creation of the first generation of non-porphyrin based, non-competitive inhibitors with selectivity for HO, including a subset with isozyme selectivity for HO-1. Using X-ray crystallography, the structures of several complexes of HO-1 with novel inhibitors have been elucidated and provided insightful information regarding the salient features required for inhibitor binding. This included the structural basis for non-competitive inhibition, flexibility and adaptability of the inhibitor binding pocket, and multiple, potential interaction subsites, all of which can be exploited in future drug-design strategies. Notably, HO-1 inhibitors are of particular interest for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia and certain types of cancer. Key features based on this initial study have already been used by others to discover additional potential HO-1 inhibitors. Moreover, studies have begun to use selected compounds and determine their effects in some disease models.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (17) ◽  
pp. 1899-1904
Author(s):  
Daniel Fabio Kawano ◽  
Marcelo Rodrigues de Carvalho ◽  
Mauricio Ferreira Marcondes Machado ◽  
Adriana Karaoglanovic Carmona ◽  
Gilberto Ubida Leite Braga ◽  
...  

Background: Fungal secondary metabolites are important sources for the discovery of new pharmaceuticals, as exemplified by penicillin, lovastatin and cyclosporine. Searching for secondary metabolites of the fungi Metarhizium spp., we previously identified tyrosine betaine as a major constituent. Methods: Because of the structural similarity with other inhibitors of neprilysin (NEP), an enzyme explored for the treatment of heart failure, we devised the synthesis of tyrosine betaine and three analogues to be subjected to in vitro NEP inhibition assays and to molecular modeling studies. Results: In spite of the similar binding modes with other NEP inhibitors, these compounds only displayed moderate inhibitory activities (IC50 ranging from 170.0 to 52.9 µM). However, they enclose structural features required to hinder passive blood brain barrier permeation (BBB). Conclusions: Tyrosine betaine remains as a starting point for the development of NEP inhibitors because of the low probability of BBB permeation and, consequently, of NEP inhibition at the Central Nervous System, which is associated to an increment in the Aβ levels and, accordingly, with a higher risk for the onset of Alzheimer's disease.


Author(s):  
Suman Rohilla ◽  
Ranju Bansal ◽  
Puneet Chauhan ◽  
Sonja Kachler ◽  
Karl-Norbert Klotz

Background: Adenosine receptors (AR) have emerged as competent and innovative nondopaminergic targets for the development of potential drug candidates and thus constitute an effective and safer treatment approach for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Xanthine derivatives are considered as potential candidates for the treatment Parkinson’s disease due to their potent A2A AR antagonistic properties. Objective: The objectives of the work are to study the impact of substituting N7-position of 8-m/pchloropropoxyphenylxanthine structure on in vitro binding affinity of compounds with various AR subtypes, in vivo antiparkinsonian activity and binding modes of newly synthesized xanthines with A2A AR in molecular docking studies. Methods: Several new 7-substituted 8-m/p-chloropropoxyphenylxanthine analogues have been prepared. Adenosine receptor binding assays were performed to study the binding interactions with various subtypes and perphenazine induced rat catatonia model was used for antiparkinsonian activity. Molecular docking studies were performed using Schrödinger molecular modeling interface. Results: 8-para-substituted xanthine 9b bearing an N7-propyl substituent displayed the highest affinity towards A2A AR (Ki = 0.75 µM) with moderate selectivity versus other AR subtypes. 7-Propargyl analogue 9d produced significantly longlasting antiparkinsonian effects and also produced potent and selective binding affinity towards A2A AR. In silico docking studies further highlighted the crucial structural components required to develop xanthine derived potential A2A AR ligands as antiparkinsonian agents. Conclusion: A new series of 7-substituted 8-m/p-chloropropoxyphenylxanthines having good affinity for A2A AR and potent antiparkinsonian activity has been developed.


Author(s):  
Arash Soltani ◽  
Seyed Isaac Hashemy ◽  
Farnaz Zahedi Avval ◽  
Houshang Rafatpanah ◽  
Seyed Abdolrahim Rezaee ◽  
...  

Introoduction: Inhibition of the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by low molecular weight inhibitors is still an active area of research. Here, protein-ligand interactions and possible binding modes of novel compounds with the HIV-1 RT binding pocket (the wild-type as well as Y181C and K103N mutants) were obtained and discussed. Methods: A molecular fragment-based approach using FDA-approved drugs were followed to design novel chemical derivatives using delavirdine, efavirenz, etravirine and rilpivirine as the scaffolds. The drug-likeliness of the derivatives was evaluated using Swiss-ADME. Then the parent molecule and derivatives were docked into the binding pocket of related crystal structures (PDB ID: 4G1Q, 1IKW, 1KLM and 3MEC). Genetic Optimization for Ligand Docking (GOLD) Suite 5.2.2 software was used for docking and the results analyzed in the Discovery Studio Visualizer 4. A derivative was chosen for further analysis, if it passed drug-likeliness and the docked energy was more favorable than that of its parent molecule. Out of the fifty-seven derivatives, forty-eight failed in druglikeness screening by Swiss-ADME or in docking stage. Results: The final results showed that the selected compounds had higher predicted binding affinities than their parent scaffolds in both wild-type and the mutants. Binding energy improvement was higher for the structures designed based on second-generation NNRTIs (etravirine and rilpivirine) than the first-generation NNRTIs (delavirdine and efavirenz). For example, while the docked energy for rilpivirine was -51 KJ/mol, it was improved for its derivatives RPV01 and RPV15 up to -58.3 and -54.5 KJ/mol, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, we have identified and proposed some novel molecules with improved binding capacity for HIV RT using fragment-based approach.


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