Crystal structures of glutathione- and inhibitor-bound human GGT1: critical interactions within the cysteinylglycine binding site.

Overexpression of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT1) has been implicated in an array of human diseases including asthma, reperfusion injury, and cancer. Inhibitors are needed for therapy, but development of potent, specific inhibitors of GGT1 has been hampered by a lack of structural information regarding substrate binding and cleavage. To enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanism of substrate cleavage, we have solved the crystal structures of human GGT1 (hGGT1) with glutathione (a substrate) and a phosphate-glutathione analog (an irreversible inhibitor) bound in the active site. These are the first structures of any eukaryotic GGT with the cysteinylglycine region of the substrate-binding site occupied. These structures and the structure of apo-hGGT reveal movement of amino acid residues within the active site as the substrate binds. Asn-401 and Thr-381 each form hydrogen bonds with two atoms of GSH spanning the γ-glutamyl bond. Three different atoms of hGGT1 interact with the carboxyl oxygen of the cysteine of GSH. Interactions between the enzyme and substrate change as the substrate moves deeper into the active site cleft. The substrate reorients and a new hydrogen bond is formed between the substrate and the oxyanion hole. Thr-381 is locked into a single conformation as an acyl bond forms between the substrate and the enzyme. These data provide insight on a molecular level into the substrate specificity of hGGT1 and provide an explanation for seemingly disparate observations regarding the enzymatic activity of hGGT1 mutants. This knowledge will aid in the design of clinically useful hGGT1 inhibitors.

Design and evaluation of novel analogs of 2-amino-4-boronobutanoic acid (ABBA) as inhibitors of human gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.

Inhibitors of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT1, aka gamma-glutamyl transferase) are needed for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular illness and other diseases. Compounds that inhibit GGT1 have been evaluated in the clinic, but no inhibitor has successfully demonstrated specific and systemic GGT1 inhibition. All have severe side effects. L-2-amino-4­boronobutanoic acid (l-ABBA), a glutamate analog, is the most potent GGT1 inhibitor in vitro. In this study, we have solved the crystal structure of human GGT1 (hGGT1) with ABBA bound in the active site. The structure was interrogated to identify interactions between the enzyme and the inhibitor. Based on these data, a series of novel ABBA analogs were designed and synthesized. Their inhibitory activity against the hydrolysis and transpeptidation activities of hGGT1 were determined. The lead compounds were crystalized with hGGT1 and the structures solved. The kinetic data and structures of the complexes provide new insights into the critical role of protein structure dynamics in developing compounds for inhibition of hGGT1.

Structural basis of resistance of mutant RET protein-tyrosine kinase to its inhibitors nintedanib and vandetanib.

RET is a transmembrane growth factor receptor. Aberrantly activated RET is found in several types of human cancer and is a target for treating RET aberration-associated cancer. Multiple clinically relevant RET protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been identified, but how TKIs bind to RET is unknown except for vandetanib. Nintedanib is a RET TKI that inhibits the vandetanib-resistant RET(G810A) mutant. Here, we determined the X-ray co-crystal structure of RET kinase domain-nintedanib complex to 1.87 Å resolution and a RET(G810A) kinase domain crystal structure to 1.99 Å resolution. We also identified a vandetanib-resistant RET(L881V) mutation previously found in familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Drug-sensitivity profiling of RET(L881V) revealed that it remains sensitive to nintedanib. The RET-nintedanib co-crystal structure disclosed that Leu-730 in RET engages in hydrophobic interactions with the piperazine, anilino, and phenyl groups of nintedanib, providing a structural basis for explaining that the p.L730V mutation identified in nine independently isolated cell lines resistant to nintedanib. Comparisons of RET-nintedanib, RET(G810A), and RET-vandetanib crystal structures suggested that the solvent-front Ala-810 makes hydrophobic contacts with a methyl group and aniline in nintedanib and blocks water access to two oxygen atoms of vandetanib, resulting in an energetic penalty for burying polar groups. Of note, even though the p.L881V mutation did not affect sensitivity to nintedanib, RET(L881V) was resistant to nintedanib analogs lacking a phenyl group. These results provide structural insights into resistance of RET mutants against the TKIs nintedanib and vandetanib.

Human γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase 1: STRUCTURES OF THE FREE ENZYME, INHIBITOR-BOUND TETRAHEDRAL TRANSITION STATES, AND GLUTAMATE-BOUND ENZYME REVEAL NOVEL MOVEMENT WITHIN THE ACTIVE SITE DURING CATALYSIS.

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase 1 (GGT1) is a cell surface, N-terminal nucleophile hydrolase that cleaves glutathione and other γ-glutamyl compounds. GGT1 expression is essential in cysteine homeostasis, and its induction has been implicated in the pathology of asthma, reperfusion injury, and cancer. In this study, we report four new crystal structures of human GGT1 (hGGT1) that show conformational changes within the active site as the enzyme progresses from the free enzyme to inhibitor-bound tetrahedral transition states and finally to the glutamate-bound structure prior to the release of this final product of the reaction. The structure of the apoenzyme shows flexibility within the active site. The serine-borate-bound hGGT1 crystal structure demonstrates that serine-borate occupies the active site of the enzyme, resulting in an enzyme-inhibitor complex that replicates the enzyme's tetrahedral intermediate/transition state. The structure of GGsTop-bound hGGT1 reveals its interactions with the enzyme and why neutral phosphonate diesters are more potent inhibitors than monoanionic phosphonates. These structures are the first structures for any eukaryotic GGT that include a molecule in the active site covalently bound to the catalytic Thr-381. The glutamate-bound structure shows the conformation of the enzyme prior to release of the final product and reveals novel information regarding the displacement of the main chain atoms that form the oxyanion hole and movement of the lid loop region when the active site is occupied. These data provide new insights into the mechanism of hGGT1-catalyzed reactions and will be invaluable in the development of new classes of hGGT1 inhibitors for therapeutic use.

Inhibition of human γ-glutamyl transpeptidase: development of more potent, physiologically relevant, uncompetitive inhibitors.

GGT (γ-glutamyl transpeptidase) is an essential enzyme for maintaining cysteine homoeostasis, leukotriene synthesis, metabolism of glutathione conjugates and catabolism of extracellular glutathione. Overexpression of GGT has been implicated in many pathologies, and clinical inhibitors of GGT are under development for use in the treatment of asthma, cancer and other diseases. Inhibitors are generally characterized using synthetic GGT substrates. The present study of uncompetitive inhibitors of GGT, has revealed that the potency with which compounds inhibit GGT activity in the standard biochemical assay does not correlate with the potency with which they inhibit the physiological reaction catalysed by GGT. Kinetic studies provided insight into the mechanism of inhibition. Modifications to the sulfobenzene or distal benzene ring of the uncompetitive inhibitor OU749 affected activity. One of the most potent inhibitors was identified among a novel group of analogues with an amine group para on the benzosulfonamide ring. New more potent uncompetitive inhibitors of the physiological GGT reaction were found to be less toxic than the glutamine analogues that have been tested clinically. Development of non-toxic inhibitors is essential for exploiting GGT as a therapeutic target.

Crystal structure of a glycosylated Fab from an IgM cryoglobulin with properties of a natural proteolytic antibody.

The 2.6 A (1 A=0.1 nm) resolution structure has been determined for the glycosylated Fab (fragment antigen binding) of an IgM (Yvo) obtained from a subject with Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia. Dynamic light scattering was used to estimate the gel point and monitor the formation of an ordered hydroscopic gel of Yvo IgM upon cooling. If a cryoglobulin forms gels in peripheral tissues and organs, the associated swelling and damage to microvasculature can result in considerable morbidity and mortality. The three-dimensional structure of the branched N-linked oligosaccharide associated with the CH1 domain (first constant domain of heavy chain) is reported. The carbohydrate may act to shield part of the lateral surface of the CH1 domain and crowd the junction between the CH1 and CH2 domains, thereby limiting the segmental flexibility of the Fab arms in intact Yvo IgM, especially at low temperatures. Recently, Yvo IgM was shown to have the properties of a naturally occurring proteolytic antibody [Paul, Karle, Planque, Taguchi, Salas, Nishiyama, Handy, Hunter, Edmundson and Hanson (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 39611-39619; Planque, Bangale, Song, Karle, Taguchi, Poindexter, Bick, Edmundson, Nishiyama and Paul (2004) J. Biol Chem. 279, 14024-14032]. The Yvo protein displayed the ability to cleave, by a nucleophilic mechanism, the amide bonds of a variety of serine protease substrates and the gp120 coat protein of HIV. An atypical serine, arginine and glutamate motif is located in the middle of the Yvo antigen-binding site and displays an overall geometry that mimics the classical serine, histidine and aspartate catalytic triad of serine proteases. Our present findings indicate that pre-existing or natural antibodies can utilize at least one novel strategy for the cleavage of peptide bonds.

Structure of 6-diazo-5-oxo-norleucine-bound human gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase 1, a novel mechanism of inactivation.

Intense efforts are underway to identify inhibitors of the enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase 1 (GGT1) which cleaves extracellular gamma-glutamyl compounds and contributes to the pathology of asthma, reperfusion injury and cancer. The glutamate analog, 6-diazo-5-oxo-norleucine (DON), inhibits GGT1. DON also inhibits many essential glutamine metabolizing enzymes rendering it too toxic for use in the clinic as a GGT1 inhibitor. We investigated the molecular mechanism of human GGT1 (hGGT1) inhibition by DON to determine possible strategies for increasing its specificity for hGGT1. DON is an irreversible inhibitor of hGGT1. The second order rate constant of inactivation was 0.052 mM-1 min-1 and the Ki was 2.7 ± 0.7 mM. The crystal structure of DON-inactivated hGGT1 contained a molecule of DON without the diazo-nitrogen atoms in the active site. The overall structure of the hGGT1-DON complex resembled the structure of the apo-enzyme; however, shifts were detected in the loop forming the oxyanion hole and elements of the main chain that form the entrance to the active site. The structure of hGGT1-DON complex revealed two covalent bonds between the enzyme and inhibitor which were part of a six membered ring. The ring included the OG atom of Thr381, the reactive nucleophile of hGGT1 and the α-amine of Thr381. The structure of DON-bound hGGT1 has led to the discovery of a new mechanism of inactivation by DON that differs from its inactivation of other glutamine metabolizing enzymes, and insight into the activation of the catalytic nucleophile that initiates the hGGT1 reaction.

Three-dimensional structures of a humanized anti-IFN-gamma Fab (HuZAF) in two crystal forms.

Three-dimensional structures were determined for two crystal forms (orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1) and monoclinic C2) of the Fab from the humanized version of a murine monoclonal antibody (AF2) that possesses binding and potent neutralizing activity against human interferon gamma (IFN-gamma). This humanized antibody (HuZAF; USAN name fontolizumab) is currently in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of Crohn's disease. HuZAF exhibits binding and IFN-gamma neutralizing capacities that closely approximate those of the original antibody. It is shown that HuZAF, whose VH domain was designed using a best-sequence-fit approach, is closer structurally to its mouse precursor than is a version whose VH was constructed using a human sequence with lower homology to the original mouse sequence. This work thus offers direct structural evidence in support of the best-sequence-fit approach and adds to previous results of biological and biochemical evaluations of distinctly engineered antibodies that also favored the use of a best-sequence-fit strategy. A second crystal type appeared during attempts to crystallize the Fab-IFN-gamma complex. The antibody-antigen complex that existed in solution dissociated in the crystallization mixture. A conformationally altered but unliganded HuZAF protein crystallized in a different space group (C2), with two Fab molecules in the asymmetric unit. In this crystal lattice, no space was available for accommodating the IFN-gamma antigen. Thus, there are currently three slightly different structures of the HuZAF Fab.

Comparison of the three-dimensional structures of a human Bence-Jones dimer crystallized on Earth and aboard US Space Shuttle Mission STS-95.

Crystals of a human (Sea) Bence-Jones dimer were produced in a capillary by vapor diffusion under microgravity conditions in the 9 day US Space Shuttle Mission STS-95. In comparison to ground-based experiments, nucleation was facile and spontaneous in space. Appearance of a very large (8 x 1.6 x 1.0 mm) crystal in a short time period is a strong endorsement for the use of microgravity to produce crystals sufficiently large for neutron diffraction studies. The Sea dimer crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with a = 48.9 A, b = 85.2 A, and c = 114.0 A. The crystals grown in microgravity exhibited significantly lower mosaicities than those of ground-based crystals and the X-ray diffraction data had a lower overall B factor. Three-dimensional structures determined by X-ray analysis at two temperatures (100 and 293 K) were indistinguishable from those obtained from ground-based crystals. However, both the crystallographic R factor and the free R factor were slightly lower in the models derived from crystals produced in microgravity. The major difference between the two crystal growth systems is a lack of convection and sedimentation in a microgravity environment. This environment resulted in the growth of much larger, higher-quality crystals of the Sea Bence-Jones protein. Structurally, heretofore unrecognized grooves on the external surfaces of the Sea and other immunoglobulin-derived fragments are regular features and may offer supplementary binding regions for super antigens and other elongated ligands in the bloodstream and perivascular tissues.

Three-dimensional structure of an immunoglobulin light-chain dimer with amyloidogenic properties.

The X-ray structure of an immunoglobulin light-chain dimer isolated from the urine as a "Bence-Jones protein" from a patient with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis (Sea) was determined at 1.94 A resolution and refined to R and R(free) factors of 0.22 and 0.25, respectively. This "amyloidogenic" protein crystallized in the orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group with unit-cell parameters a = 48.28, b = 83.32, c = 112.59 A as determined at 100 K. In the vital organs (heart and kidneys), the equivalent of the urinary protein produced fibrillar amyloid deposits which were fatal to the patient. Compared with the amyloidogenic Mcg light-chain dimer, the Sea protein was highly soluble in aqueous solutions and only crystallized at concentrations approaching 100 mg ml(-1). Both the Sea and Mcg proteins packed into crystals in highly ordered arrangements typical of strongly diffracting crystals of immunoglobulin fragments. Overall similarities and significant differences in the three-dimensional structures and crystalline properties are discussed for the Sea and Mcg Bence-Jones proteins, which together provide a generalized model of abnormalities present in lambda chains, facilitating a better understanding of amyloidosis of light-chain origin (AL).