Fragment Binding to Kinase Hinge: If Charge Distribution and Local pKa Shifts Mislead Popular Bioisosterism Concepts.

Medicinal-chemistry optimization follows strategies replacing functional groups and attaching larger substituents at a promising lead scaffold. Well-established bioisosterism rules are considered, however, it is difficult to estimate whether the introduced modifications really match the required properties at a binding site. The electron density distribution and pKa values are modulated influencing protonation states and bioavailability. Considering the adjacent H-bond donor/acceptor pattern of the hinge binding motif in a kinase, we studied by crystallography a set of fragments to map the required interaction pattern. Unexpectedly, benzoic acid and benzamidine, decorated with the correct substituents, are totally bioisosteric just as carboxamide and phenolic OH. A mono-dentate pyridine nitrogen out-performs bi-dentate functionalities. The importance of correctly designing pKa values of attached functional groups by additional substituents at the parent scaffold is rendered prominent.

Unraveling a Ligand-Induced Twist of a Homodimeric Enzyme by Pulsed Electron-Electron Double Resonance.

Mechanistic insights into protein-ligand interactions can yield chemical tools for modulating protein function and enable their use for therapeutic purposes. For the homodimeric enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT), a putative virulence target of shigellosis, ligand binding has been shown by crystallography to transform the functional dimer geometry into an incompetent twisted one. However, crystallographic observation of both end states does neither verify the ligand-induced transformation of one dimer into the other in solution nor does it shed light on the underlying transformation mechanism. We addressed these questions in an approach that combines site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) with distance measurements based on pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR or DEER) spectroscopy. We observed an equilibrium between the functional and twisted dimer that depends on the type of ligand, with a pyranose-substituted ligand being the most potent one in shifting the equilibrium toward the twisted dimer. Our experiments suggest a dissociation-association mechanism for the formation of the twisted dimer upon ligand binding.

Fragment-Based Discovery of Non-bisphosphonate Binders of Trypanosoma brucei Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Synthase.

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, a current treatment for bone diseases, have been shown to block the growth of the T. brucei parasites by inhibiting farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS); however, due to their poor pharmacokinetic properties, they are not well suited for antiparasitic therapy. Recently, an allosteric binding pocket was discovered on human FPPS, but its existence on trypanosomal FPPS was unclear. We applied NMR and X-ray fragment screening to T. brucei FPPS and report herein on four fragments bound to this previously unknown allosteric site. Surprisingly, non-bisphosphonate active-site binders were also identified. Moreover, fragment screening revealed a number of additional binding sites. In an early structure-activity relationship (SAR) study, an analogue of an active-site binder was unexpectedly shown to bind to the allosteric site. Overlaying identified fragment binders of a parallel T. cruzi FPPS fragment screen with the T. brucei FPPS structure, and medicinal chemistry optimisation based on two binders revealed another example of fragment "pocket hopping". The discovery of binders with new chemotypes sets the framework for developing advanced compounds with pharmacokinetic properties suitable for the treatment of parasitic infections by inhibition of FPPS in T. brucei parasites.

Protein-Ligand Complex Solvation Thermodynamics: Development, Parameterization, and Testing of GIST-Based Solvent Functionals.

In drug design, the importance of molecular solvation and desolvation is increasingly appreciated and water molecules are recognized as active contributors to protein-ligand binding. However, despite a number of theoretical approaches, computational tools are still far from routinely integrating solvation features into rational structure-affinity relationships (SARs). In this contribution, we present a set of solvent functional-based models, which calculate the relative binding free energy contributions resulting from solvation for a diverse set of 53 thrombin protein-ligand complexes. These protein-ligand complexes were further matched into chemically similar pairs of ligand molecules. Our solvent functionals are based on molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with grid inhomogeneous solvation theory (GIST) processing, and they are calibrated using accurate experimental data from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements. We found that excellent agreement with experimental measurements can be achieved by considering either the desolvation of the protein-binding pocket or the ligand in solution prior to binding. The incorporation of contributions from the protein-ligand complexes generally results in good agreement with experimental measurements but require additional adjustment of spatial cutoff parameters. In addition, we investigated the transfer of the trained solvent functionals to another protein target, which revealed deviating performance results, indicating a target-specific treatment of solvation features within the model. Together with our tool GIST-based processing of solvent functionals (Gips), we provide a way to automatically generate solvent functional parameters from GIST data and allow for the design of compounds with favorable solvation properties given the chemical similarity and affinity range of the matching pairs in the training set. Finally, we reflect on the resemblance with the popular three-dimensional quantitative SAR (3D-QSAR) method, as our study allows for (retrospective) insights on the high predictive power of this well-established method.

Advancing GIST-Based Solvent Functionals through Multiobjective Optimization of Solvent Enthalpy and Entropy Scoring Terms.

Water molecules and their impact on the enthalpy and entropy of protein-ligand binding are of considerable interest in drug discovery. In this contribution, we use multiobjective optimization to fit the solvent enthalpy and entropy scoring terms of grid inhomogeneous solvation theory (GIST)-based solvent functionals to measured isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data of protein-ligand-binding reactions for ligand pairs of the protein thrombin. For the investigated ligand pairs, the overwhelming contribution to the relative binding affinity difference is assumed to be attributed to the contribution of water molecules. We present different implementations of the solvent functionals and then proceed by analyzing the most successful one in more detail through error assessment and presentation of the scoring regions in the binding pocket and the unbound ligands of selected examples. We find overall good agreement between calculated and experimental data and, although physically not fully justified, the ligand-desolvation score increases binding affinity, thus suggesting that the solvent molecules on the surface of the unbound ligand constitute a proxy for interactions gained through the protein. Furthermore, we find limited transferability of the parameters even between similar protein targets, thus suggesting refitting for each new protein target. Possible reasons for the limited transferability may arise through the initial assumption of dominating water contributions to binding affinity. Nonetheless, overall our study demonstrates a consistent approach to assign thermodynamic quantities to water molecules that is sensible to measured thermodynamic signatures and enables bridging the gap between experimentally determined water positions in protein-ligand complexes and measured thermodynamic data.

Role of Water Molecules in Protein-Ligand Dissociation and Selectivity Discrimination: Analysis of the Mechanisms and Kinetics of Biomolecular Solvation Using Molecular Dynamics.

The mechanism by which water molecules modulate biomolecular interactions and the time scale of microscopic solvation processes are usually not known. This is particularly problematic as it prevents the incorporation of effects of water molecules into the design of drug molecules with optimal binding kinetics and selectivity. We investigated this crucial problem of drug discovery using trypsin and thrombin in complex with benzamidine and N-amidinopiperidine. For these systems, we studied the mechanism and time scale of solvation using molecular dynamics and umbrella sampling calculations. In thrombin, water molecules are seemingly stable in the apo binding pocket and have an exchange rate on the nanosecond time scale. On the contrary, water molecules in apo trypsin exchange approximately one order of magnitude faster than in thrombin. This difference in the exchange rate is due to internal water channels that are only found in thrombin linking the interior of the binding pocket with bulk solvent. These cause the exchange rate of water molecules to be independent of the ligand molecule. However, in the case of trypsin, the solvent exchange rate greatly varies between the two complexes, indicating a strong dependence on the ligand molecule. Furthermore, the binding mechanism of the ligand molecules critically depends on water molecules that intercalate between key amino acids and the ligand, leading to enhanced water residence times in intermediate dissociation steps. Our findings strongly indicate a selectivity discriminating role of water molecules for these two proteins and underline the functional interplay between water channels and binding affinity of ligand molecules.

Homodimer Architecture of QTRT2, the Noncatalytic Subunit of the Eukaryotic tRNA-Guanine Transglycosylase.

The bacterial enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) is involved in the biosynthesis of queuosine, a modified nucleoside present in the anticodon wobble position of tRNAHis, tRNATyr, tRNAAsp, and tRNAAsn. Although it forms a stable homodimer endowed with two active sites, it is, for steric reasons, able to bind and convert only one tRNA molecule at a time. In contrast, its mammalian counterpart constitutes a heterodimer consisting of a catalytic and a noncatalytic subunit, termed QTRT1 and QTRT2, respectively. Both subunits are homologous to the bacterial enzyme, yet only QTRT1 possesses all the residues required for substrate binding and catalysis. In mice, genetic inactivation of the TGT results in the uncontrolled oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin and, accordingly, phenylketonuria-like symptoms. For this reason and because of the recent finding that mammalian TGT may be utilized for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, this enzyme is of potential medical relevance, rendering detailed knowledge of its biochemistry and structural architecture highly desirable. In this study, we performed the kinetic characterization of the murine enzyme, investigated potential quaternary structures of QTRT1 and QTRT2 via noncovalent mass spectrometry, and, finally, determined the crystal structure of the murine noncatalytic TGT subunit, QTRT2. In the crystal, QTRT2 is clearly present as a homodimer that is strikingly similar to that formed by bacterial TGT. In particular, a cluster of four aromatic residues within the interface of the bacterial TGT, which constitutes a "hot spot" for dimer stability, is present in a similar constellation in QTRT2.

Protoplast Swelling and Hypocotyl Growth Depend on Different Auxin Signaling Pathways.

Members of the TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1/AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX PROTEIN (TIR1/AFB) family are known auxin receptors. To analyze the possible receptor function of AUXIN BINDING PROTEIN1 (ABP1), an auxin receptor currently under debate, we performed different approaches. We performed a pharmacological approach using α-(2,4-dimethylphenylethyl-2-oxo)-indole-3-acetic acid (auxinole), α-(phenylethyl-2-oxo)-indole-3-acetic acid (PEO-IAA), and 5-fluoroindole-3-acetic acid (5-F-IAA) to discriminate between ABP1- and TIR1/AFB-mediated processes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). We used a peptide of the carboxyl-terminal region of AtABP1 as a tool. We performed mutant analysis with the null alleles of ABP1, abp1-c1 and abp1-TD1, and the TILLING mutant abp1-5 We employed Coimbra, an accession that exhibits an amino acid exchange in the auxin-binding domain of ABP1. We measured either volume changes of single hypocotyl protoplasts or hypocotyl growth, both at high temporal resolution. 5-F-IAA selectively activated the TIR1/AFB pathway but did not induce protoplast swelling; instead, it showed auxin activity in the hypocotyl growth test. In contrast, PEO-IAA induced an auxin-like swelling response but no hypocotyl growth. The carboxyl-terminal peptide of AtABP1 induced an auxin-like swelling response. In the ABP1-related mutants and Coimbra, no auxin-induced protoplast swelling occurred. ABP1 seems to be involved in mediating rapid auxin-induced protoplast swelling, but it is not involved in the control of rapid auxin-induced growth.

Sugar Acetonides are a Superior Motif for Addressing the Large, Solvent-Exposed Ribose-33 Pocket of tRNA-Guanine Transglycosylase.

The intestinal disease shigellosis caused by Shigella bacteria affects over 120 million people annually. There is an urgent demand for new drugs as resistance against common antibiotics emerges. Bacterial tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) is a druggable target and controls the pathogenicity of Shigella flexneri. We report the synthesis of sugar-functionalized lin-benzoguanines addressing the ribose-33 pocket of TGT from Zymomonas mobilis. Ligand binding was analyzed by isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray crystallography. Pocket occupancy was optimized by variation of size and protective groups of the sugars. The participation of a polycyclic water-cluster in the recognition of the sugar moiety was revealed. Acetonide-protected ribo- and psicofuranosyl derivatives are highly potent, benefiting from structural rigidity, good solubility, and metabolic stability. We conclude that sugar acetonides have a significant but not yet broadly recognized value in drug development.

Swapping Interface Contacts in the Homodimeric tRNA-Guanine Transglycosylase: An Option for Functional Regulation.

The enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase, a target to fight Shigellosis, recognizes tRNA only as a homodimer and performs full nucleobase exchange at the wobble position. Active-site inhibitors block the enzyme function by competitively replacing tRNA. In solution, the wild-type homodimer dissociates only marginally, whereas mutated variants show substantial monomerization in solution. Surprisingly, one inhibitor transforms the protein into a twisted state, whereby one monomer unit rotates by approximately 130°. In this altered geometry, the enzyme is no longer capable of binding and processing tRNA. Three sugar-type inhibitors have been designed and synthesized, which bind to the protein in either the functionally competent or twisted inactive state. They crystallize with the enzyme side-by-side under identical conditions from the same crystallization well. Possibly, the twisted inactive form corresponds to a resting state of the enzyme, important for its functional regulation.

How Nothing Boosts Affinity: Hydrophobic Ligand Binding to the Virtually Vacated S1' Pocket of Thermolysin.

We investigated the hydration state of the deep, well-accessible hydrophobic S1' specificity pocket of the metalloprotease thermolysin with purposefully designed ligands using high-resolution crystallography and isothermal titration calorimetry. The S1' pocket is known to recognize selectively a very stringent set of aliphatic side chains such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine of putative substrates. We engineered a weak-binding ligand covering the active site of the protease without addressing the S1' pocket, thus transforming it into an enclosed cavity. Its sustained accessibility could be proved by accommodating noble gas atoms into the pocket in the crystalline state. The topology and electron content of the enclosed pocket with a volume of 141 Å3 were analyzed using an experimental MAD-phased electron density map that was calibrated to an absolute electron number scale, enabling access to the total electron content within the cavity. Our analysis indicates that the S1' pocket is virtually vacated, thus free of any water molecules. The thermodynamic signature of the reduction of the void within the pocket by growing aliphatic P1' substituents (H, Me, iPr, iBu) reveals a dramatic, enthalpy-dominated gain in free energy of binding resulting in a factor of 41 000 in Kd for the H-to-iBu transformation. Substituents placing polar decoy groups into the pocket to capture putatively present water molecules could not collect any evidence for a bound solvent molecule.

Charges Shift Protonation: Neutron Diffraction Reveals that Aniline and 2-Aminopyridine Become Protonated Upon Binding to Trypsin.

Hydrogen atoms play a key role in protein-ligand recognition. They determine the quality of established H-bonding networks and define the protonation of bound ligands. Structural visualization of H atoms by X-ray crystallography is rarely possible. We used neutron diffraction to determine the positions of the hydrogen atoms in the ligands aniline and 2-aminopyridine bound to the archetypical serine protease trypsin. The resulting structures show the best resolution so far achieved for proteins larger than 100 residues and allow an accurate description of the protonation states and interactions with nearby water molecules. Despite its low pKa of 4.6 and a large distance of 3.6 Što the charged Asp189 at the bottom of the S1 pocket, the amino group of aniline becomes protonated, whereas in 2-aminopyridine, the pyridine nitrogen picks up the proton although its amino group is 1.6 Šcloser to Asp189. Therefore, apart from charge-charge distances, tautomer stability is decisive for the resulting binding poses, an aspect that is pivotal for predicting correct binding.

A False-Positive Screening Hit in Fragment-Based Lead Discovery: Watch out for the Red Herring.

With the rising popularity of fragment-based approaches in drug development, more and more attention has to be devoted to the detection of false-positive screening results. In particular, the small size and low affinity of fragments drives screening techniques to their limit. The pursuit of a false-positive hit can cause significant loss of time and resources. Here, we present an instructive and intriguing investigation into the origin of misleading assay results for a fragment that emerged as the most potent binder for the aspartic protease endothiapepsin (EP) across multiple screening assays. This molecule shows its biological effect mainly after conversion into another entity through a reaction cascade that involves major rearrangements of its heterocyclic scaffold. The formed ligand binds EP through an induced-fit mechanism involving remarkable electrostatic interactions. Structural information in the initial screening proved to be crucial for the identification of this false-positive hit.

Thermodynamic signatures of fragment binding: Validation of direct versus displacement ITC titrations.

BACKGROUND: Detailed characterization of the thermodynamic signature of weak binding fragments to proteins is essential to support the decision making process which fragments to take further for the hit-to-lead optimization. METHOD: Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is the method of choice to record thermodynamic data, however, weak binding ligands such as fragments require the development of meaningful and reliable measuring protocols as usually sigmoidal titration curves are hardly possible to record due to limited solubility. RESULTS: Fragments can be titrated either directly under low c-value conditions (no sigmoidal curve) or indirectly by use of a strong binding ligand displacing the pre-incubated weak fragment from the protein. The determination of Gibbs free energy is reliable and rather independent of the applied titration protocol. CONCLUSION: Even though the displacement method achieves higher accuracy, the obtained enthalpy-entropy profile depends on the properties of the used displacement ligand. The relative enthalpy differences across different displacement experiments reveal a constant signature and can serve as a thermodynamic fingerprint for fragments. Low c-value titrations are only reliable if the final concentration of the fragment in the sample cell exceeds 2-10 fold its K(D) value. Limited solubility often prevents this strategy. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The present study suggests an applicable protocol to characterize the thermodynamic signature of protein-fragment binding. It shows however, that such measurements are limited by protein and fragment solubility. Deviating profiles obtained by use of different displacement ligands indicate that changes in the solvation pattern and protein dynamics most likely take influence on the resulting overall binding signature.

An Immucillin-Based Transition-State-Analogous Inhibitor of tRNA-Guanine Transglycosylase (TGT).

Shigellosis is one of the most severe diarrheal diseases worldwide without any efficient treatment so far. The enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) has been identified as a promising target for small-molecule drug design. Herein, we report a transition-state analogue, a small, immucillin-derived inhibitor, as a new lead structure with a novel mode of action. The complex inhibitor synthesis was accomplished in 18 steps with an overall yield of 3 %. A co-crystal structure of the inhibitor bound to Z. mobilis TGT confirmed the predicted conformation of the immucillin derivative in the enzyme active site.

Impact of Surface Water Layers on Protein--Ligand Binding: How Well Are Experimental Data Reproduced by Molecular Dynamics Simulations in a Thermolysin Test Case?

Drug binding involves changes of the local water structure around proteins including water rearrangements across surface-solvation layers around protein and ligand portions exposed to the newly formed complex surface. For a series of thermolysin-binding phosphonamidates, we discovered that variations of the partly exposed P2'-substituents modulate binding affinity up to 10 kJ mol(-1) with even larger enthalpy/entropy partitioning of the binding signature. The observed profiles cannot be completely explained by desolvation effects. Instead, the quality and completeness of the surface water network wrapping around the formed complexes provide an explanation for the observed structure-activity relationship. We used molecular dynamics to compute surface water networks and predict solvation sites around the complexes. A fairly good correspondence with experimental difference electron densities in high-resolution crystal structures is achieved; in detail some problems with the potentials were discovered. Charge-assisted contacts to waters appeared as exaggerated by AMBER, and stabilizing contributions of water-to-methyl contacts were underestimated.

Occupying a flat subpocket in a tRNA-modifying enzyme with ordered or disordered side chains: Favorable or unfavorable for binding?

Small-molecule ligands binding with partial disorder or enhanced residual mobility are usually assumed as unfavorable with respect to their binding properties. Considering thermodynamics, disorder or residual mobility is entropically favorable and contributes to the Gibbs energy of binding. In the present study, we analyzed a series of congeneric ligands inhibiting the tRNA-modifying enzyme TGT. Attached to the parent lin-benzoguanine scaffold, substituents in position 2 accommodate in a flat solvent-exposed pocket and exhibit varying degree of residual mobility. This is indicated in the crystal structures by enhanced B-factors, reduced occupancies, or distributions over split conformers. MD simulations of the complexes suggest an even larger scatter over several conformational families. Introduction of a terminal acidic group fixes the substituent by a salt-bridge to an Arg residue. Overall, all substituted derivatives show the same affinity underpinning that neither order nor disorder is a determinant factor for binding affinity. The additional salt bridge remains strongly solvent-exposed and thus does not contribute to affinity. MD suggests temporary fluctuation of this contact.

Changing the selectivity profile - from substrate analog inhibitors of thrombin and factor Xa to potent matriptase inhibitors.

The type II transmembrane serine protease matriptase is a potential target for anticancer therapy and might be involved in cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis or inflammatory skin disorders. Starting from previously described nonspecific thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors we have prepared new noncovalent substrate-analogs with superior potency against matriptase. The most suitable compound 35 (H-d-hTyr-Ala-4-amidinobenzylamide) binds to matriptase with an inhibition constant of 26 nM and has more than 10-fold reduced activity against thrombin and factor Xa. The crystal structure of inhibitor 35 was determined in the surrogate protease trypsin, the obtained complex was used to model the binding mode of inhibitor 35 in the active site of matriptase. The methylene insertion in d-hTyr and d-hPhe increases the flexibility of the P3 side chain compared to their d-Phe analogs, which enables an improved binding of these inhibitors in the well-defined S3/4 pocket of matriptase. Inhibitor 35 can be used for further biochemical studies with matriptase.

Fragment Linking and Optimization of Inhibitors of the Aspartic Protease Endothiapepsin: Fragment-Based Drug Design Facilitated by Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry.

Fragment-based drug design (FBDD) affords active compounds for biological targets. While there are numerous reports on FBDD by fragment growing/optimization, fragment linking has rarely been reported. Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) has become a powerful hit-identification strategy for biological targets. We report the synergistic combination of fragment linking and DCC to identify inhibitors of the aspartic protease endothiapepsin. Based on X-ray crystal structures of endothiapepsin in complex with fragments, we designed a library of bis-acylhydrazones and used DCC to identify potent inhibitors. The most potent inhibitor exhibits an IC50 value of 54 nm, which represents a 240-fold improvement in potency compared to the parent hits. Subsequent X-ray crystallography validated the predicted binding mode, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the combination of fragment linking and DCC as a hit-identification strategy. This approach could be applied to a range of biological targets, and holds the potential to facilitate hit-to-lead optimization.

Impact of protein and ligand impurities on ITC-derived protein-ligand thermodynamics.

BACKGROUND: The thermodynamic characterization of protein-ligand interactions by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a powerful tool in drug design, giving valuable insight into the interaction driving forces. ITC is thought to require protein and ligand solutions of high quality, meaning both the absence of contaminants as well as accurately determined concentrations. METHODS: Ligands synthesized to deviating purity and protein of different pureness were titrated by ITC. Data curation was attempted also considering information from analytical techniques to correct stoichiometry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We used trypsin and tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT), together with high affinity ligands to investigate the effect of errors in protein concentration as well as the impact of ligand impurities on the apparent thermodynamics. We found that errors in protein concentration did not change the thermodynamic properties obtained significantly. However, most ligand impurities led to pronounced changes in binding enthalpy. If protein binding of the respective impurity is not expected, the actual ligand concentration was corrected for and the thus revised data compared to thermodynamic properties obtained with the respective pure ligand. Even in these cases, we observed differences in binding enthalpy of about 4kJ⋅mol(-1), which is considered significant. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that ligand purity is the critical parameter to monitor if accurate thermodynamic data of a protein-ligand complex are to be recorded. Furthermore, artificially changing fitting parameters to obtain a sound interaction stoichiometry in the presence of uncharacterized ligand impurities may lead to thermodynamic parameters significantly deviating from the accurate thermodynamic signature.