BMS-593214, an active site-directed factor VIIa inhibitor: enzyme kinetics, antithrombotic and antihaemostatic studies.

Factor (F) VIIa in association with tissue factor (TF) is the primary in vivo initiator of blood coagulation and activates FX and FIX to generate thrombin, which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of thrombosis. We evaluated the enzyme kinetics, antithrombotic and antihaemostatic properties of BMS-593214, an active-site, direct FVIIa inhibitor. Studies were conducted in enzymatic assays, and in anesthetised rabbit models of electrically-induced carotid arterial thrombosis (AT), thread-induced vena cava venous thrombosis (VT) and cuticle bleeding time (BT). Antithrombotic efficacy of BMS-593214 given intravenously was evaluated for both the prevention and treatment of AT and VT. BMS-593214 displayed direct, competitive inhibition of human FVIIa in the hydrolysis of a tripeptide substrate with Ki of 5 nM. However, it acted as a noncompetitive inhibitor of the activation of the physiological substrate FX by TF/VIIa with Ki of 9.3 nM. BMS-593214 showed selectivity for FVIIa and exhibited species differences in TF-FVIIa-dependent anticoagulation with similar potency in human and rabbit plasma. BMS-593214 was efficacious in the prevention and treatment models of AT and VT with ED50 values of 1.1 to 3.1 mg/kg. Furthermore, BMS-593214 exhibited a wide therapeutic window with respect to BT. These results suggest that inhibition of FVIIa with small-molecule active-site inhibitors represents a promising antithrombotic approach for the development of new therapies for the prevention and treatment of AT and VT.

Structural basis for differences in substrate selectivity in Kex2 and furin protein convertases.

Kex2 is the yeast prototype of a large family of serine proteases that are highly specific for cleavage of their peptide substrates C-terminal to paired basic sites. This paper reports the 2.2 A resolution crystal structure of ssKex2 in complex with an Ac-Arg-Glu-Lys-Arg peptidyl boronic acid inhibitor (R = 19.7, R(free) = 23.4). By comparison of this structure with the structure of the mammalian homologue furin [Henrich, S., et al. (2003) Nat. Struct. Biol. 10, 520-526], we suggest a structural basis for the differences in substrate recognition at the P(2) and P(4) positions between Kex2 and furin and provide a structural rationale for the lack of P(6) recognition in Kex2. In addition, several monovalent cation binding sites are identified, and a mechanism of activation of Kex2 by potassium ion is proposed.

2.4 A resolution crystal structure of the prototypical hormone-processing protease Kex2 in complex with an Ala-Lys-Arg boronic acid inhibitor.

This paper reports the first structure of a member of the Kex2/furin family of eukaryotic pro-protein processing proteases, which cleave sites consisting of pairs or clusters of basic residues. Reported is the 2.4 A resolution crystal structure of the two-domain protein ssKex2 in complex with an Ac-Ala-Lys-boroArg inhibitor (R = 20.9%, R(free) = 24.5%). The Kex2 proteolytic domain is similar in its global fold to the subtilisin-like superfamily of degradative proteases. Analysis of the complex provides a structural basis for the extreme selectivity of this enzyme family that has evolved from a nonspecific subtilisin-like ancestor. The P-domain of ssKex2 has a novel jelly roll like fold consisting of nine beta strands and may potentially be involved, along with the buried Ca(2+) ion, in creating the highly determined binding site for P(1) arginine.

Hepatitis C virus NS3 protease requires its NS4A cofactor peptide for optimal binding of a boronic acid inhibitor as shown by NMR.

NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease in a complex with the 24 residue peptide cofactor from NS4A and a boronic acid inhibitor, Ac-Asp-Glu-Val-Val-Pro-boroAlg-OH. Secondary-structure information, NOE constraints between protease and cofactor, and hydrogen-deuterium exchange rates revealed that the cofactor was an integral strand in the N-terminal beta-sheet of the complex as observed in X-ray crystal structures. Based upon chemical-shift perturbations, inhibitor-protein NOEs, and the protonation state of the catalytic histidine, the boronic acid inhibitor was bound in the substrate binding site as a transition state mimic. In the absence of cofactor, the inhibitor had a lower affinity for the protease. Although the inhibitor binds in the same location, differences were observed at the catalytic site of the protease.