X-ray crystallography and computational docking for the detection and development of protein-ligand interactions.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the selective dysfunction and death of the upper and lower motor neurons. Median survival rates are between 3 and 5 years after diagnosis. Mutations in the gene encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) have been linked to a subset of familial forms of ALS (fALS). Herein, we describe a fragment- based drug discovery (FBDD) approach for the investigation of small molecule binding sites in SOD1. X-ray crystallography has been used as the primary screening method and has been shown to directly detect protein-ligand interactions which cannot be unambiguously identified using other biophysical methods. The structural requirements for effective binding at Trp32 are detailed for a series of quinazoline-containing compounds. The investigation of an additional site that binds a range of catecholamines and the use of computational modelling to assist fragment evolution is discussed. This study also highlights the importance of ligand solubility for successful Xray crystallographic campaigns in lead compound design.

Crystal structure of human prion protein bound to a therapeutic antibody.

Prion infection is characterized by the conversion of host cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into disease-related conformers (PrP(Sc)) and can be arrested in vivo by passive immunization with anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies. Here, we show that the ability of an antibody to cure prion-infected cells correlates with its binding affinity for PrP(C) rather than PrP(Sc). We have visualized this interaction at the molecular level by determining the crystal structure of human PrP bound to the Fab fragment of monoclonal antibody ICSM 18, which has the highest affinity for PrP(C) and the highest therapeutic potency in vitro and in vivo. In this crystal structure, human PrP is observed in its native PrP(C) conformation. Interactions between neighboring PrP molecules in the crystal structure are mediated by close homotypic contacts between residues at position 129 that lead to the formation of a 4-strand intermolecular beta-sheet. The importance of this residue in mediating protein-protein contact could explain the genetic susceptibility and prion strain selection determined by polymorphic residue 129 in human prion disease, one of the strongest common susceptibility polymorphisms known in any human disease.

Crystal structure of manganese catalase from Lactobacillus plantarum.

BACKGROUND: Catalases are important antioxidant metalloenzymes that catalyze disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide, forming dioxygen and water. Two families of catalases are known, one having a heme cofactor, and the other, a structurally distinct family containing nonheme manganese. We have solved the structure of the mesophilic manganese catalase from Lactobacillus plantarum and its azide-inhibited complex. RESULTS: The crystal structure of the native enzyme has been solved at 1.8 A resolution by molecular replacement, and the azide complex of the native protein has been solved at 1.4 A resolution. The hexameric structure of the holoenzyme is stabilized by extensive intersubunit contacts, including a beta zipper and a structural calcium ion crosslinking neighboring subunits. Each subunit contains a dimanganese active site, accessed by a single substrate channel lined by charged residues. The manganese ions are linked by a mu1,3-bridging glutamate carboxylate and two mu-bridging solvent oxygens that electronically couple the metal centers. The active site region includes two residues (Arg147 and Glu178) that appear to be unique to the Lactobacillus plantarum catalase. CONCLUSIONS: A comparison of L. plantarum and T. thermophilus catalase structures reveals the existence of two distinct structural classes, differing in monomer design and the organization of their active sites, within the manganese catalase family. These differences have important implications for catalysis and may reflect distinct biological functions for the two enzymes, with the L. plantarum enzyme serving as a catalase, while the T. thermophilus enzyme may function as a catalase/peroxidase.

Improving the X-ray resolution by reversible flash-cooling combined with concentration screening, as exemplified with PPase.

A significant improvement in the X-ray resolution of crystals of Escherichia coli inorganic pyrophosphatase at cryotemperature was obtained as a result of studying the relationship between the crystal order and cryosolution component concentrations. To perform the experiments, the ability to reverse the flash-cooling process and to return a crystal to ambient temperature was used. In each cycle, the crystal was transferred from a cold nitrogen-gas stream to a cryosolution with modified concentrations of the components. The crystal was then flash-cooled again and the diffraction quality checked. Such a technique allows the screening of a wide concentration range rather quickly without using a large number of crystals and allows the determination of optimal cryosolution component concentrations. The resolution limit for crystals of pyrophosphatase increased by almost 0.7 A, from 1.8 to 1.15 A.

The oxidized (3,3) state of manganese catalase. Comparison of enzymes from Thermus thermophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum.

Manganese catalases contain a binuclear manganese cluster that catalyzes the redox dismutation of hydrogen peroxide, interconverting between dimanganese(II) [(2,2)] and dimanganese(III) [(3,3)] oxidation states during turnover. We have investigated the oxidized (3,3) states of the homologous enzymes from Thermus thermophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum using a combination of optical absorption, CD, MCD, and EPR spectroscopies as sensitive probes of the electronic structure and protein environment for the active site metal clusters. Comparison of results for these two enzymes allows the essential features of the active sites to be recognized and the differences identified. For both enzymes, preparations having the highest catalytic activity have diamagnetic ground states, consistent with the bis-mu-bridging dimanganese core structure that has been defined crystallographically. Oxidative damage and exogenous ligand binding perturb the core structure of LPC, converting the enzyme to a distinct form in which the cluster becomes paramagnetic as a result of altered exchange coupling mediated by the bridging ligands. The TTC cluster does not exhibit this sensitivity to ligand binding, implying a different reactivity for the bridges in that enzyme. A mechanism is proposed involving distinct coordination modes for peroxide substrate in each of the two half-reactions for enzyme turnover.