Crystal structure of the Na+/H+ antiporter NhaA at active pH reveals the mechanistic basis for pH sensing.

The strict exchange of protons for sodium ions across cell membranes by Na+/H+ exchangers is a fundamental mechanism for cell homeostasis. At active pH, Na+/H+ exchange can be modelled as competition between H+ and Na+ to an ion-binding site, harbouring either one or two aspartic-acid residues. Nevertheless, extensive analysis on the model Na+/H+ antiporter NhaA from Escherichia coli, has shown that residues on the cytoplasmic surface, termed the pH sensor, shifts the pH at which NhaA becomes active. It was unclear how to incorporate the pH senor model into an alternating-access mechanism based on the NhaA structure at inactive pH 4. Here, we report the crystal structure of NhaA at active pH 6.5, and to an improved resolution of 2.2 Å. We show that at pH 6.5, residues in the pH sensor rearrange to form new salt-bridge interactions involving key histidine residues that widen the inward-facing cavity. What we now refer to as a pH gate, triggers a conformational change that enables water and Na+ to access the ion-binding site, as supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our work highlights a unique, channel-like switch prior to substrate translocation in a secondary-active transporter.

Structure, mechanism and lipid-mediated remodeling of the mammalian Na+/H+ exchanger NHA2.

The Na+/H+ exchanger SLC9B2, also known as NHA2, correlates with the long-sought-after Na+/Li+ exchanger linked to the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and essential hypertension in humans. Despite the functional importance of NHA2, structural information and the molecular basis for its ion-exchange mechanism have been lacking. Here we report the cryo-EM structures of bison NHA2 in detergent and in nanodiscs, at 3.0 and 3.5 Å resolution, respectively. The bison NHA2 structure, together with solid-state membrane-based electrophysiology, establishes the molecular basis for electroneutral ion exchange. NHA2 consists of 14 transmembrane (TM) segments, rather than the 13 TMs previously observed in mammalian Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) and related bacterial antiporters. The additional N-terminal helix in NHA2 forms a unique homodimer interface with a large intracellular gap between the protomers, which closes in the presence of phosphoinositol lipids. We propose that the additional N-terminal helix has evolved as a lipid-mediated remodeling switch for the regulation of NHA2 activity.

Structural basis for the dephosphorylating activity of PTPRQ towards phosphatidylinositide substrates.

Unlike other classical protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), PTPRQ (PTP receptor type Q) has dephosphorylating activity towards phosphatidylinositide (PI) substrates. Here, the structure of the catalytic domain of PTPRQ was solved at 1.56 Šresolution. Overall, PTPRQ adopts a tertiary fold typical of other classical PTPs. However, the disordered M6 loop of PTPRQ surrounding the catalytic core and the concomitant absence of interactions of this loop with residues in the PTP loop results in a flat active-site pocket. On the basis of structural and biochemical analyses, it is proposed that this structural feature might facilitate the accommodation of large substrates, making it suitable for the dephosphorylation of PI substrates. Moreover, subsequent kinetic experiments showed that PTPRQ has a strong preferences for PI(3,4,5)P3 over other PI substrates, suggesting that its regulation of cell survival and proliferation reflects downregulation of Akt signalling.

Crystal structure of xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus (XMRV) ribonuclease H.

RNase H (retroviral ribonuclease H) cleaves the phosphate backbone of the RNA template within an RNA/DNA hybrid to complete the synthesis of double-stranded viral DNA. In the present study we have determined the complete structure of the RNase H domain from XMRV (xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus) RT (reverse transcriptase). The basic protrusion motif of the XMRV RNase H domain is folded as a short helix and an adjacent highly bent loop. Structural superposition and subsequent mutagenesis experiments suggest that the basic protrusion motif plays a role in direct binding to the major groove in RNA/DNA hybrid, as well as in establishing the co-ordination among modules in RT necessary for proper function.

Identification of 3-acyl-2-phenylamino-1,4-dihydroquinolin-4-one derivatives as inhibitors of the phosphatase SerB653 in Porphyromonas gingivalis, implicated in periodontitis.

The serine phosphatase SerB653 plays a crucial role in the infection of Porphyromonas gingivalis, which contributes to the pathogenesis of periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of teeth-supporting tissues. Because functional loss of SerB653 eliminates the virulence of P. gingivalis, SerB653 inhibitors are considered potential periodontitis therapeutic or preventive agents. To identify SerB653 inhibitors with potent anti-periodontitis activity, we conducted a high-throughput screen of a representative 6800-compound subset of a synthetic chemical library of the Korea Chemical Bank (KCB) for compounds with activity against SerB653. The primary screening yielded 150 hits, and subsequent confirmatory studies identified eight compounds, mainly within a single cluster of 3-acyl-2-phenylamino-1,4-dihydroquinolin-4-one derivatives, that showed greater than 50% inhibition of SerB653 activity at a concentration of 50µM. A second screening with a focused library identified 10 compounds with IC(50) values less than 10µM. In antibacterial tests, three of these compounds showed a minimum inhibitory concentration against P. gingivalis growth of 5-50nM.

Structure-based virtual screening approach to the discovery of novel inhibitors of eyes absent 2 phosphatase with various metal chelating moieties.

Despite a series of persuasive experimental evidence for the involvement of eyes absent protein tyrosine phosphatases in various human cancers, no small-molecule inhibitor has been reported so far. We have identified seven novel inhibitors of eyes absent homologue 2 (Eya2) with IC(50) values ranging from 1 to 70 µm by the virtual screening with docking simulations and enzyme inhibition assay. Atomic charges of the active-site Mg(2+) ion complex are calculated to enhance the accuracy of docking simulations. The newly discovered inhibitors are structurally diverse and have various chelating groups for the Mg(2+) ion. The interactions with the amino acid residues responsible for the stabilizations of the inhibitors in the active site of Eya2 are addressed in detail.

Crystal structure of ED-Eya2: insight into dual roles as a protein tyrosine phosphatase and a transcription factor.

Eya proteins are transcription factors that play pivotal roles in organ formation during development by mediating interactions between Sine Oculis (SO) and Dachshund (DAC). Remarkably, the transcriptional activity of Eya proteins is regulated by a dephosphorylating activity within its Eya domain (ED). However, the molecular basis for the link between catalytic and transcriptional activities remains unclear. Here we report the first description of the crystal structure of the ED of human Eya2 (ED-Eya2), determined at 2.4-A resolution. In stark contrast to other members of the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) family to which ED-Eya2 belongs, the helix-bundle motif (HBM) is elongated along the back of the catalytic site. This not only results in a structure that accommodates large protein substrates but also positions the catalytic and the SO-interacting sites on opposite faces, which suggests that SO binding is not directly affected by catalytic function. Based on the observation that the DAC-binding site is located between the catalytic core and SO binding sites within ED-Eya2, we propose that catalytic activity can be translated to SO binding through DAC, which acts as a transcriptional switch. We also captured at two stages of reaction cycles-acyl-phosphate intermediate and transition state of hydrolysis step, which provided a detailed view of reaction mechanism. The ED-Eya2 structure defined here serves as a model for other members of the Eya family and provides a framework for understanding the role of Eya phosphatase mutations in disease.

Dephosphorylation of the C-terminal tyrosyl residue of the DNA damage-related histone H2A.X is mediated by the protein phosphatase eyes absent.

In mammalian cells, the DNA damage-related histone H2A variant H2A.X is characterized by a C-terminal tyrosyl residue, Tyr-142, which is phosphorylated by an atypical kinase, WSTF. The phosphorylation status of Tyr-142 in H2A.X has been shown to be an important regulator of the DNA damage response by controlling the formation of gammaH2A.X foci, which are platforms for recruiting molecules involved in DNA damage repair and signaling. In this work, we present evidence to support the identification of the Eyes Absent (EYA) phosphatases, protein-tyrosine phosphatases of the haloacid dehalogenase superfamily, as being responsible for dephosphorylating the C-terminal tyrosyl residue of histone H2A.X. We demonstrate that EYA2 and EYA3 displayed specificity for Tyr-142 of H2A.X in assays in vitro. Suppression of eya3 by RNA interference resulted in elevated basal phosphorylation and inhibited DNA damage-induced dephosphorylation of Tyr-142 of H2A.X in vivo. This study provides the first indication of a physiological substrate for the EYA phosphatases and suggests a novel role for these enzymes in regulation of the DNA damage response.

Discovery of novel Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitors with micromolar activity based on the structure-based virtual screening.

Cdc25 phosphatases have been considered as attractive drug targets for anticancer therapy because of the correlation of their overexpression with a wide variety of cancers. We have been able to identify five novel Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitors with micromolar activity by means of a computer-aided drug design protocol involving the homology modeling of Cdc25A and the virtual screening with the automated AutoDock program implementing the effects of ligand solvation in the scoring function. Because the newly discovered inhibitors are structurally diverse and reveal a significant potency with IC 50 values lower than 10 microM, they can be considered for further development by structure-activity relationship studies or de novo design methods. The differences in binding modes of the identified inhibitors in the active sites of Cdc25A and B are discussed in detail.

Structure of human alpha-enolase (hENO1), a multifunctional glycolytic enzyme.

Aside from its enzymatic function in the glycolytic pathway, alpha-enolase (ENO1) has been implicated in numerous diseases, including metastatic cancer, autoimmune disorders, ischaemia and bacterial infection. The disease-related roles of ENO1 are mostly attributed to its immunogenic capacity, DNA-binding ability and plasmin(ogen) receptor function, which are significantly affected by its three-dimensional structure and surface properties, rather than its enzymatic activity. Here, the crystal structure of human ENO1 (hENO1) is presented at 2.2 A resolution. Despite its high sequence similarity to other enolases, the hENO1 structure exhibits distinct surface properties, explaining its various activities, including plasmin(ogen) and DNA binding.

Discovery of novel PRL-3 inhibitors based on the structure-based virtual screening.

The inhibitors of phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) have been shown to be useful as therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. We have been able to identify 12 novel PRL-3 inhibitors by means of the virtual screening with docking simulations under the consideration of the effects of ligand solvation in the scoring function. Because the newly identified inhibitors are structurally diverse and reveal a significant potency with IC(50) values ranging from 10 to 50muM, all of them can be considered for further development by structure-activity relationship or de novo design methods. Structural features relevant to the interactions of the newly identified inhibitors with the amino acid residues in the active site and the peripheral binding site of PRL-3 are discussed in detail.

Structural basis for the cold adaptation of psychrophilic M37 lipase from Photobacterium lipolyticum.

The M37 lipase from Photobacterium lipolyticum shows an extremely low activation energy and strong activity at low temperatures, with optimum activity seen at 298 K and more than 75% of the optimum activity retained down to 278 K. Though the M37 lipase is most closely related to the filamentous fungal lipase, Rhizomucor miehei lipase (RML) at the primary structure level, their activity characteristics are completely different. In an effort to identify structural components of cold adaptation in lipases, we determined the crystal structure of the M37 lipase at 2.2 A resolution and compared it to that of nonadapted RML. Structural analysis revealed that M37 lipase adopted a folding pattern similar to that observed for other lipase structures. However, comparison with RML revealed that the region beneath the lid of the M37 lipase included a significant and unique cavity that would be occupied by a lid helix upon substrate binding. In addition, the oxyanion hole was much wider in M37 lipase than RML. We propose that these distinct structural characteristics of M37 lipase may facilitate the lateral movement of the helical lid and subsequent substrate hydrolysis, which might explain its low activation energy and high activity at low temperatures.

Crystal structure of the catalytic domain of human MAP kinase phosphatase 5: structural insight into constitutively active phosphatase.

MAP kinase phosphatase 5 (MKP5) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase (MKP) family and selectively dephosphorylates JNK and p38. We have determined the crystal structure of the catalytic domain of human MKP5 (MKP5-C) to 1.6 A. In previously reported MKP-C structures, the residues that constitute the active site are seriously deviated from the active conformation of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), which are accompanied by low catalytic activity. High activities of MKPs are achieved by binding their cognate substrates, representing substrate-induced activation. However, the MKP5-C structure adopts an active conformation of PTP even in the absence of its substrate binding, which is consistent with the previous results that MKP5 solely possesses the intrinsic activity. Further, we identify a sequence motif common to the members of MKPs having low catalytic activity by comparing structures and sequences of other MKPs. Our structural information provides an explanation of constitutive activity of MKP5 as well as the structural insight into substrate-induced activation occurred in other MKPs.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of rhodanine derivatives as PRL-3 inhibitors.

A series of rhodanine derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit PRL-3. Benzylidene rhodanine derivative showed good biological activity, while compound 5e was the most active in this series exhibiting an IC50 value of 0.9 microM in vitro and showed a reduced invasion in cell-based assay.