Verteporfin is a substrate-selective γ-secretase inhibitor that binds the amyloid precursor protein transmembrane domain.

This work reports substrate-selective inhibition of a protease with broad substrate specificity based on direct binding of a small-molecule inhibitor to the substrate. The target for these studies was γ-secretase protease, which cleaves dozens of different single-span membrane protein substrates, including both the C99 domain of the human amyloid precursor protein and the Notch receptor. Substrate-specific inhibition of C99 cleavage is desirable to reduce production of the amyloid-ß polypeptide without inhibiting Notch cleavage, a major source of toxicity associated with broad specificity γ-secretase inhibitors. In order to identify a C99-selective inhibitors of the human γ-secretase, we conducted an NMR-based screen of FDA-approved drugs against C99 in model membranes. From this screen, we identified the small-molecule verteporfin with these properties. We observed that verteporfin formed a direct 1:1 complex with C99, with a KD of 15-47 µM (depending on the membrane mimetic used), and that it did not bind the transmembrane domain of the Notch-1 receptor. Biochemical assays showed that direct binding of verteporfin to C99 inhibits γ-secretase cleavage of C99 with IC50 values in the range of 15-164 µM, while Notch-1 cleavage was inhibited only at higher concentrations, and likely via a mechanism that does not involve binding to Notch-1. This work documents a robust NMR-based approach to discovery of small-molecule binders to single-span membrane proteins and confirmed that it is possible to inhibit γ-secretase in a substrate-specific manner.

Comparison of the thermal stabilization of proteins by oligosaccharides and monosaccharide mixtures: Measurement and analysis in the context of excluded volume theory.

The thermal stability of apo α-lactalbumin (α-LA) and lysozyme was measured in the presence of mixtures of glucose, fructose, and galactose. Mixtures of these monosaccharides in the appropriate stoichiometric ratio were found to have a greater stabilizing effect on each of the two proteins than equal weight/volume concentrations of di- tri- and tetrasaccharides with identical subunit composition (sucrose, trehalose, raffinose, and stachyose). The excluded volume model for the effect of a single saccharide on the stability of a protein previously proposed by Beg et al. [Biochemistry 54 (2015) 3594] was extended to treat the case of saccharide mixtures. The extended model predicts quantitatively the stabilizing effect of all monosaccharide mixtures on α-LA and lysozyme reported here, as well as previously published results obtained for ribonuclease A [Biophys. Chem. 138 (2008) 120] to within experimental uncertainty.

The pH Dependence of Saccharides' Influence on Thermal Denaturation of Two Model Proteins Supports an Excluded Volume Model for Stabilization Generalized to Allow for Intramolecular Electrostatic Interactions.

The reversible thermal denaturation of apo α-lactalbumin (α-LA) and lysozyme was measured in the absence and presence of multiple concentrations of each of seven saccharides (glucose, galactose, fructose, sucrose, trehalose, raffinose, and stachyose) at multiple pH values. It was observed that with increasing pH, the absolute stability of α-LA decreased, whereas the stabilizing effect per mole of all saccharides increased, and that the absolute stability of lysozyme increased, whereas the stabilizing effect per mole of all saccharides decreased. All of the data may be accounted for quantitatively by straightforward electrostatic generalization of a previously introduced coarse-grained model for stabilization of proteins by sugars.

Refolding of urea denatured cytochrome c: Role of hydrophobic tail of the cationic gemini surfactants.

The refolding of urea denatured horse heart cytochrome c (h-cyt-c) under the influence of ester based cationic gemini surfactants [ethane-1, 2-diyl bis(N, N-dimethyl-N-alkylammoniumacetoxy) dichlorides] 16-E2-16, 14-E2-14 and 12-E2-12 (n-E2-n) was performed by using UV-visible, fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques. We found that n-E2-n geminis promote the formation of molten globule (MG) like state upon addition into the urea denatured h-cyt-c. The comparative study of refolding of denatured h-cyt-c with n-E2-n, cationic gemini surfactant show stabilization of MG-like state influenced by hydrophobic interactions. The formation of MG-like state from the unfolded protein confirms the presence of some regular structures induced by n-E2-n gemini surfactants. Thermodynamic parameters for refolding of h-cyt-c by n-E2-n were also measured and the m-values of all the refolded states of h-cyt-c by n-E2-n show marked difference. The higher m-values correspond to the larger hydrophobic chain length indicates that refolding ability of the n-E2-n depends on the alkyl chain length. The result is related to the stronger hydrophobic forces due to the presence of two head groups and two hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails. This study showed that these cationic gemini surfactants were efficiently utilized in the protein refolding studies.

Biophysical characterization of G protein ectodomain of group B human respiratory syncytial virus from E. coli.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is an important pathogen of acute respiratory tract infection. The G protein of hRSV is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is a neutralizing antigen and is thus a vaccine candidate. In this study, synthetic codon optimized ectodomain G protein [G(ΔTM)] of BA genotype of group B hRSV was cloned, expressed, and characterized using biophysical techniques. The molar absorption coefficient and mean residue ellipticity at 222 nm ([θ]222) of G (ΔTM) was found to be 7950 M(-1) cm(-1) and -19701.7 deg cm(2) dmol(-1) respectively. It was concluded that G(ΔTM) mainly consist of α-helix (74.9%) with some amount of ß-sheet (4%). The protein was stable up to 85°C without any transition curve. However, heat-induced denaturation of G(ΔTM) resulted in total loss of ß-sheet whereas not much change was observed in the α-helix part of the secondary structure. It was concluded that G(ΔTM) is an α-helical protein and it is highly stable at high temperature, but could be easily denatured using high concentrations of GdmCl/urea or acidic condition. This is the first investigation of cloning, expression, and characterization of G(ΔTM) of BA viruses from India. Structural characterization of G protein will assist in drug designing and vaccine development for hRSV.

Thermal Stabilization of Proteins by Mono- and Oligosaccharides: Measurement and Analysis in the Context of an Excluded Volume Model.

The reversible thermal denaturation of apo α-lactalbumin and lysozyme was monitored via measurement of changes in absorbance and ellipticity in the presence of varying concentrations of seven mono- and oligosaccharides: glucose, galactose, fructose, sucrose, trehalose, raffinose, and stachyose. The temperature dependence of the unfolding curves was quantitatively accounted for by a two-state model, according to which the free energy of unfolding is increased by an amount that is independent of temperature and depends linearly upon the concentration of added saccharide. The increment of added unfolding free energy per mole of added saccharide was found to depend approximately linearly upon the extent of oligomerization of the saccharide. The relative strength of stabilization of different saccharide oligomers could be accounted for by a simplified statistical-thermodynamic model attributing the stabilization effect to volume exclusion deriving from steric repulsion between protein and saccharide molecules.