The development of a high-affinity conformation-sensitive antibody mimetic using a biocompatible copolymer carrier (iBody).

Peptide display methods are a powerful tool for discovering new ligands of pharmacologically relevant targets. However, the selected ligands often suffer from low affinity. Using phage display, we identified a new bicyclic peptide binder of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a metalloprotease frequently overexpressed in prostate cancer. We show that linking multiple copies of a selected low-affinity peptide to a biocompatible water-soluble N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymer carrier (iBody) improved binding of the conjugate by several orders of magnitude. Furthermore, using ELISA, enzyme kinetics, confocal microscopy, and other approaches, we demonstrate that the resulting iBody can distinguish between different conformations of the target protein. The possibility to develop stable, fully synthetic, conformation-selective antibody mimetics has potential applications for molecular recognition, diagnosis and treatment of many pathologies. This strategy could significantly contribute to more effective drug discovery and design.

Profiling system for skin kallikrein proteolysis applied in gene-deficient mouse models.

Kallikrein-related proteases (KLKs) play a critical role in epidermis physiology and have been implicated in skin pathologies such as Netherton syndrome. The contribution of individual KLKs to skin proteolysis is poorly understood. Monitoring of their activities in skin proteome is hampered by overlapping substrate specificities, and there is a need for novel assays. Here, we present a platform of selective and sensitive fluorogenic substrates and inhibitors for profiling KLK5, KLK7 and KLK14. These chemical tools were evaluated using recombinant KLKs and tissue from a unique set of mice deficient in eight combinations of KLKs and their natural regulator LEKTI.

Structural and biochemical characterization of a novel aminopeptidase from human intestine.

N-acetylated α-linked acidic dipeptidase-like protein (NAALADase L), encoded by the NAALADL1 gene, is a close homolog of glutamate carboxypeptidase II, a metallopeptidase that has been intensively studied as a target for imaging and therapy of solid malignancies and neuropathologies. However, neither the physiological functions nor structural features of NAALADase L are known at present. Here, we report a thorough characterization of the protein product of the human NAALADL1 gene, including heterologous overexpression and purification, structural and biochemical characterization, and analysis of its expression profile. By solving the NAALADase L x-ray structure, we provide the first experimental evidence that it is a zinc-dependent metallopeptidase with a catalytic mechanism similar to that of glutamate carboxypeptidase II yet distinct substrate specificity. A proteome-based assay revealed that the NAALADL1 gene product possesses previously unrecognized aminopeptidase activity but no carboxy- or endopeptidase activity. These findings were corroborated by site-directed mutagenesis and identification of bestatin as a potent inhibitor of the enzyme. Analysis of NAALADL1 gene expression at both the mRNA and protein levels revealed the small intestine as the major site of protein expression and points toward extensive alternative splicing of the NAALADL1 gene transcript. Taken together, our data imply that the NAALADL1 gene product's primary physiological function is associated with the final stages of protein/peptide digestion and absorption in the human digestive system. Based on these results, we suggest a new name for this enzyme: human ileal aminopeptidase (HILAP).

Re-emerging Aspartic Protease Targets: Examining Cryptococcus neoformans Major Aspartyl Peptidase 1 as a Target for Antifungal Drug Discovery.

Cryptococcosis is an invasive infection that accounts for 15% of AIDS-related fatalities. Still, treating cryptococcosis remains a significant challenge due to the poor availability of effective antifungal therapies and emergence of drug resistance. Interestingly, protease inhibitor components of antiretroviral therapy regimens have shown some clinical benefits in these opportunistic infections. We investigated Major aspartyl peptidase 1 (May1), a secreted Cryptococcus neoformans protease, as a possible target for the development of drugs that act against both fungal and retroviral aspartyl proteases. Here, we describe the biochemical characterization of May1, present its high-resolution X-ray structure, and provide its substrate specificity analysis. Through combinatorial screening of 11,520 compounds, we identified a potent inhibitor of May1 and HIV protease. This dual-specificity inhibitor exhibits antifungal activity in yeast culture, low cytotoxicity, and low off-target activity against host proteases and could thus serve as a lead compound for further development of May1 and HIV protease inhibitors.

HIV-1 protease mutations and inhibitor modifications monitored on a series of complexes. Structural basis for the effect of the A71V mutation on the active site.

Two new X-ray structures of an HIV-1 protease mutant (A71V, V82T, I84V) in complex with inhibitors SE and SQ, pseudotetrapeptide inhibitors with an acyclic S-hydroxyethylamine isostere, were determined. Comparison of eight structures exploring the binding of four similar inhibitors--SE, SQ (S-hydroxyethylamine isostere), OE (ethyleneamine), and QF34 (hydroxyethylene)--to wild-type and A71V/V82T/I84V HIV-1 protease elucidates the principles of altered interaction with changing conditions. The A71V mutation, which is distant from the active site, causes changes in the structure of the enzyme detectable by the means of X-ray structure analysis, and a route of propagation of the effect toward the active site is proposed.

Prolyl Oligopeptidase from the Blood Fluke Schistosoma mansoni: From Functional Analysis to Anti-schistosomal Inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma cause schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that infects over 240 million people worldwide, and for which there is a need to identify new targets for chemotherapeutic interventions. Our research is focused on Schistosoma mansoni prolyl oligopeptidase (SmPOP) from the serine peptidase family S9, which has not been investigated in detail in trematodes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrate that SmPOP is expressed in adult worms and schistosomula in an enzymatically active form. By immunofluorescence microscopy, SmPOP is localized in the tegument and parenchyma of both developmental stages. Recombinant SmPOP was produced in Escherichia coli and its active site specificity investigated using synthetic substrate and inhibitor libraries, and by homology modeling. SmPOP is a true oligopeptidase that hydrolyzes peptide (but not protein) substrates with a strict specificity for Pro at P1. The inhibition profile is analogous to those for mammalian POPs. Both the recombinant enzyme and live worms cleave host vasoregulatory, proline-containing hormones such as angiotensin I and bradykinin. Finally, we designed nanomolar inhibitors of SmPOP that induce deleterious phenotypes in cultured schistosomes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We provide the first localization and functional analysis of SmPOP together with chemical tools for measuring its activity. We briefly discuss the notion that SmPOP, operating at the host-parasite interface to cleave host bioactive peptides, may contribute to the survival of the parasite. If substantiated, SmPOP could be a new target for the development of anti-schistosomal drugs.

Hydroxyethylamine isostere of an HIV-1 protease inhibitor prefers its amine to the hydroxy group in binding to catalytic aspartates. A synchrotron study of HIV-1 protease in complex with a peptidomimetic inhibitor.

A complex structure of HIV-1 protease with a hydroxyethylamine-containing inhibitor Boc-Phe-Psi[(S)-CH(OH)CH2NH]-Phe-Gln-Phe-NH2 has been determined by X-ray diffraction to 1.8 A resolution. The inhibitor is bound in the active site of the protease dimer with its hydroxyethylamine isostere participating in hydrogen bonds to the catalytic aspartates 25 and 25' and glycine 27' of the active site triads via five hydrogen bonds. The isostere amine interactions with the catalytic aspartates result in a displacement of the isostere hydroxy group in comparison with the common position known for analogous hydroxyethylamine containing inhibitors. A comparison with another inhibitor of this series shows that the change of one atom of the P2' side chain (Glu/Gln) leads to an altered ability of creating hydrogen bonds to the active site and within the inhibitor molecule. The diffraction data collected at a synchrotron radiation source enabled a detailed analysis of the complex solvation and of alternative conformations of protein side chains.

A phenylnorstatine inhibitor binding to HIV-1 protease: geometry, protonation, and subsite-pocket interactions analyzed at atomic resolution.

The X-ray structure of a complex of HIV-1 protease (PR) with a phenylnorstatine inhibitor Z-Pns-Phe-Glu-Glu-NH(2) has been determined at 1.03 A, the highest resolution so far reported for any HIV PR complex. The inhibitor shows subnanomolar K(i) values for both the wild-type PR and the variant representing one of the most common mutations linked to resistance development. The structure comprising the phenylnorstatine moiety of (2R,3S)-chirality displays a unique pattern of hydrogen bonding to the two catalytic aspartate residues. This high resolution makes it possible to assess the donor and acceptor relations of this hydrogen bonding and to indicate a proton shared by the two catalytic residues. A structural mechanism for the unimpaired inhibition of the protease Val82Ala mutant is also suggested, based on energy calculations and analyses.

Two aspartic proteinases secreted by the pathogenic yeast Candida parapsilosis differ in expression pattern and catalytic properties.

Secreted aspartic proteinases (Sap) play a role in the virulence of pathogenic Candida spp. Candida parapsilosis possesses three genes encoding these enzymes: SAPP1, SAPP2, and SAPP3. We analyzed the expression of the SAPP1 and SAPP2 genes and the production of Sapp1p and Sapp2p proteinases in the presence of different nitrogen sources. While the SAPP2 transcript was present under all of the conditions tested, expression of SAPP1 was induced only by the presence of exogenous protein as the sole nitrogen source. The concentration of Sapp1 p in the medium upon induction was at least one order of magnitude higher than the concentration of Sapp2p in all media tested in this study. Enzymological characterization of purified Sapp1 p and Sapp2p demonstrated that Sapp2p has a more restricted substrate specificity and significantly lower catalytic activity than Sapp1p. Homology models of Sapp1p and Sapp2p revealed structural motifs that may be responsible for the differences between these two enzymes. Our results indicate that C. parapsilosis secretes a low level of Sapp2p proteinase with narrow substrate specificity and low proteolytic activity under most conditions, while expression and secretion of a higher amount of catalytically efficient Sapp1p enzymes is triggered in the presence of exogenous protein serving as a nitrogen source.

Structure-based specificity mapping of secreted aspartic proteases of Candida parapsilosis, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis using peptidomimetic inhibitors and homology modeling.

Secreted aspartic proteases (Saps) of pathogenic Candida spp. represent a specific target for antifungal drug development. We synthesized a series of peptidomimetic inhibitors with different isosteric groups and modifications at individual positions and tested them with purified Saps from C. albicans (Sap2p), C. tropicalis (Sapt1p), and C. parapsilosis (Sapp1p). The kinetic parameters indicated that all three proteases prefer binding of inhibitors containing bulky hydrophobic residues between positions P3 and P3'. The most divergent specificity was found for Sapp1p. The sequence alignment of Sap2p, Sapt1p, and Sapp1p, and homology modeling of Sapp1p with the crystal structure of Sapt1p and the complex of Sap2p with a peptidomimetic inhibitor showed that the overall folds of Sap2p, Sapt1p, and Sapp1p are similar. However, the N- and C-terminal loops formed by disulfide bonds between residues 47-53 and 258-292 are significantly shorter in Sapp1p, and a unique insertion following Tyr 129 in Sapp1p results in the formation of a loop that can interact with inhibitor residues. These Sapp1p structural differences might lead to its altered susceptibility to inhibition.

Cloning and characterization of Sapp2p, the second aspartic proteinase isoenzyme from Candida parapsilosis.

The human fungal pathogen Candida parapsilosis possesses at least three genes encoding secreted aspartic proteinases. Whereas the Sapp1p isoenzyme has already been biochemically characterized, the SAPP2 and SAPP3 gene products have not. The Sapp2p precursor, pro-Sapp2p, was therefore expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Autoactivation of pro-Sapp2p in acidic conditions was inefficient and resulted in a protein extended by eight amino acids at the N-terminus (Sapp2p(+8)). The correct promature junction KR/SSPSS was cleaved by trypsin or by a membrane-bound Kex2-like proteinase from Candida parapsilosis. The mature Sapp2p obtained by the assisted activation was proteolytically active. Its activity was more than twofold higher than that of the self-processed protein species Sapp2p(+8), as measured by the hemoglobin cleavage test. The substrate specificity of Sapp2p differs from that of Sapp1p. Peptides containing aromatic residues in the P1 and P1' positions are cleaved poorly by Sapp2p. A fluorogenic substrate was synthesized to facilitate further studies.

On the role of the R configuration of the reaction-intermediate isostere in HIV-1 protease-inhibitor binding: X-ray structure at 2.0 A resolution.

Peptidomimetic inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus-1 protease are successful lead substances for the development of virostatic drugs against HIV as the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The hydroxyethylamine isostere of the proteolytic cleavage intermediate provides a suitable replacement for the peptide bond. A series of acyclic pseudopeptide inhibitors with the hydroxyethylamine isostere varying in chiral carbon configuration and P'2 residue type were structurally analysed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The compounds inhibit HIV protease with subnanomolar inhibition constants and block viral replication in tissue cultures. Here, the structure of such a complex with the R configuration of the isosteric group (PDB code 1zsf) is presented together with newly available synchrotron data for a complex with the S stereoisomer of the inhibitor (PDB code 1zsr). Comparison of the structure and binding with other complexes of HIV-1 protease and similar inhibitors contributes to the understanding of how these molecules bind to the wild-type form of this enzyme. The hydroxy group of the R stereoisomer interacts with one of the catalytic aspartic acids by a short hydrogen bond with rather extreme geometry. The change of configuration of the chiral carbon bearing the hydroxyl from S to R does not influence the inhibition efficiency in this case.

Homology modeling and SAR analysis of Schistosoma japonicum cathepsin D (SjCD) with statin inhibitors identify a unique active site steric barrier with potential for the design of specific inhibitors.

Proteases that digest the blood-meal of the parasitic fluke Schistosoma are potential targets for therapy of schistosomiasis, a disease of chronic morbidity in humans. We generated a three-dimensional model of the cathepsin D target protease of Schistosoma japonicum (SjCD) utilizing the crystal structure of human cathepsin D (huCD) in complex with pepstatin as template. A homology model was also generated for the related secreted aspartic protease 2 (SAP2) of the pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans . An initial panel of seven statin inhibitors, originally designed for huCD [Majer et al., Protein Sci. 6 (1997), pp. 1458-1466], was tested against the two pathogen proteases. One inhibitor showed poor reactivity with SjCD. Examination of the SjCD active-site cleft revealed that the poor inhibition was due to a unique steric barrier situated between the S2 and S4 subsites. An in silico screen of 20 potential statin scaffolds with the SjCD model and incorporating the steric barrier constraint was performed. Four inhibitors (SJ1-SJ4) were eventually synthesized and tested with SjCD, bovine CD and SAP2. Of these, SJ2 and SJ3 proved moderately more specific for SjCD over bovine CD, with IC 50 values of 15 and 60 nM, respectively. The unique steric barrier identified here provides a structural focus for further development of more specific SjCD inhibitors.

Inhibitor binding at the protein interface in crystals of a HIV-1 protease complex.

Depending on the excess of ligand used for complex formation, the HIV-1 protease complexed with a novel phenylnorstatine inhibitor forms crystals of either hexagonal (P6(1)) or orthorhombic (P2(1)2(1)2(1)) symmetry. The orthorhombic form shows an unusual complexity of crystal packing: in addition to one inhibitor molecule that is bound to the enzyme active site, the second inhibitor molecule is bound as an outer ligand at the protein interface. Binding of the outer ligand apparently increases the crystal-quality parameters so that the diffraction data allow solution of the structure of the complex at 1.03 A, the best resolution reported to date. The outer ligand interacts with all four surrounding HIV-1 protease molecules and has a bent conformation owing to its accommodation in the intermolecular space. The parameters of the solved structures of the orthorhombic and hexagonal forms are compared.