Prolinyl Phosphoramidates of Nucleotides with Increased Reactivity.

Nucleoside monophosphates (NMPs) are the subunits of RNA. They are incorporated into growing complementary strands when sequences are copied in enzyme-free reactions using organic leaving groups at the phosphates. Amino acids are rarely considered as leaving groups, but proline can act as a leaving group when N-linked to NMPs, so that prolinyl NMPs hydrolyze in aqueous buffer at 37 °C, with half-life times as short as 2.4 h, and they act as monomers in enzyme-free primer extension. Still, their level of reactivity is insufficient for practical purposes, requiring months for some extensions. Herein we report the synthesis of eight substituted prolinyl AMPs together with seven related compounds and the results of a study of their reactivity. A δ-carboxy prolinyl NMP was found to be converted with a half-life time of just 11 min in magnesium-free buffer, and a δ-isopropyl prolinyl NMP was shown to react sevenfold faster than its prolinyl counterpart in enzyme-free genetic copying of RNA. Our results indicate that both anchimeric and steric effects can be employed to increase the reactivity of aminoacidyl nucleotides, i.e. compounds that combine two fundamental classes of biomolecules in one functional entity.

Conformational Morphing by a DNA Analogue Featuring 7-Deazapurines and 5-Halogenpyrimidines and the Origins of Adenine-Tract Geometry.

Several efforts are currently directed at the creation and cellular implementation of alternative genetic systems composed of pairing components that are orthogonal to the natural dA/dT and dG/dC base pairs. In an alternative approach, Watson-Crick-type pairing is conserved, but one or all of the four letters of the A, C, G, and T alphabet are substituted by modified components. Thus, all four nucleobases were altered to create halogenated deazanucleic acid (DZA): dA was replaced by 7-deaza-2'-deoxyadenosine (dzA), dG by 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine (dzG), dC by 5-fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine (FdC), and dT by 5-chloro-2'-deoxyuridine (CldU). This base-pairing system was previously shown to retain function in Escherichia coli. Here, we analyze the stability, hydration, structure, and dynamics of a DZA Dickerson-Drew Dodecamer (DDD) of sequence 5'-FdC-dzG-FdC-dzG-dzA-dzA-CldU-CldU-FdC-dzG-FdC-dzG-3'. Contrary to similar stabilities of DDD and DZA-DDD, osmotic stressing revealed a dramatic loss of hydration for the DZA-DDD relative to that for the DDD. The parent DDD 5'-d(CGCGAATTCGCG)-3' features an A-tract, a run of adenosines uninterrupted by a TpA step, and exhibits a hallmark narrow minor groove. Crystal structures─in the presence of RNase H─and MD simulations show increased conformational plasticity ("morphing") of DZA-DDD relative to that of the DDD. The narrow dzA-tract minor groove in one structure widens to resemble that in canonical B-DNA in a second structure. These changes reflect an indirect consequence of altered DZA major groove electrostatics (less negatively polarized compared to that in DNA) and hydration (reduced compared to that in DNA). Therefore, chemical modifications outside the minor groove that lead to collapse of major groove electrostatics and hydration can modulate A-tract geometry.

The peroxidation-derived DNA adduct, 6-oxo-M1dG, is a strong block to replication by human DNA polymerase η.

The DNA adduct 6-oxo-M1dG, (3-(2'-deoxy-ß-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-6-oxo-pyrimido(1,2alpha)purin-10(3H)-one) is formed in the genome via oxidation of the peroxidation-derived adduct M1dG. However, the effect of 6-oxo-M1dG adducts on subsequent DNA replication is unclear. Here we investigated the ability of the human Y-family polymerase hPol η to bypass 6-oxo-M1dG. Using steady-state kinetics and analysis of DNA extension products by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we found hPol η preferentially inserts a dAMP or dGMP nucleotide into primer-templates across from the 6-oxo-M1dG adduct, with dGMP being slightly preferred. We also show primer-templates with a 3'-terminal dGMP or dAMP across from 6-oxo-M1dG were extended to a greater degree than primers with a dCMP or dTMP across from the adduct. In addition, we explored the structural basis for bypass of 6-oxo-M1dG by hPol η using X-ray crystallography of both an insertion-stage and an extension-stage complex. In the insertion-stage complex, we observed that the incoming dCTP opposite 6-oxo-M1dG, although present during crystallization, was not present in the active site. We found the adduct does not interact with residues in the hPol η active site but rather forms stacking interactions with the base pair immediately 3' to the adduct. In the extension-stage complex, we observed the 3' hydroxyl group of the primer strand dGMP across from 6-oxo-M1dG is not positioned correctly to form a phosphodiester bond with the incoming dCTP. Taken together, these results indicate 6-oxo-M1dG forms a strong block to DNA replication by hPol η and provide a structural basis for its blocking ability.

Conformation and Pairing Properties of an O6-Methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine-Directed Benzimidazole Nucleoside Analog in Duplex DNA.

O6-Methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (O6-MeG) is one of the most common DNA lesions and arises as a consequence of both xenobiotic carcinogens and endogenous methylation by S-adenosylmethionine. O6-MeG frequently causes G-to-A mutations during DNA replication due to the misincorporation of dTTP and continued DNA synthesis. Efforts to detect DNA adducts such as O6-MeG, and to understand their impacts on DNA structure and function, have motivated the creation of nucleoside analogs with altered base moieties to afford a more favorable interaction with the adduct as compared to the unmodified nucleotide. Such analogs directed at O6-MeG include benzimidazolinone and benzimidazole nucleotides, as well as their extended π surface analogs naphthimidazolinone and napthimidazole derivatives. These analogs form a more stable pair with O6-MeG than with G, most likely due to a combination of H-bonding and stacking. While extending the π surface of the analogs enhances their performance as adduct-directed probes, the precise origins of the increased affinity between the synthetic analogs and O6-MeG remain unclear. To better understand relevant conformational and pairing properties, we used X-ray crystallography and analyzed the structures of the DNA duplexes with naphthimidazolinone inserted opposite G or O6-MeG. The structures reveal a complex interaction of the analog found either in an anti orientation and stacked inside the duplex, either above or below G or O6-MeG, or in a syn orientation and paired opposite G with formation of a single H-bond. The experimental structural data are consistent with the stabilizing effect of the synthetic analog observed in UV melting experiments and calculations and moreover reveal that the origin of these observations appears to be superior stacking between O6-MeG and the extended π system of the synthetic probe.

Cryo neutron crystallography demonstrates influence of RNA 2'-OH orientation on conformation, sugar pucker and water structure.

The ribose 2'-hydroxyl is the key chemical difference between RNA and DNA and primary source of their divergent structural and functional characteristics. Macromolecular X-ray diffraction experiments typically do not reveal the positions of hydrogen atoms. Thus, standard crystallography cannot determine 2'-OH orientation (H2'-C2'-O2'-HO2' torsion angle) and its potential roles in sculpting the RNA backbone and the expansive fold space. Here, we report the first neutron crystal structure of an RNA, the Escherichia coli rRNA Sarcin-Ricin Loop (SRL). 2'-OD orientations were established for all 27 residues and revealed O-D bonds pointing toward backbone (O3', 13 observations), nucleobase (11) or sugar (3). Most riboses in the SRL stem region show a 2'-OD backbone-orientation. GAGA-tetraloop riboses display a 2'-OD base-orientation. An atypical C2'-endo sugar pucker is strictly correlated with a 2'-OD sugar-orientation. Neutrons reveal the strong preference of the 2'-OH to donate in H-bonds and that 2'-OH orientation affects both backbone geometry and ribose pucker. We discuss 2'-OH and water molecule orientations in the SRL neutron structure and compare with results from a solution phase 10 µs MD simulation. We demonstrate that joint cryo-neutron/X-ray crystallography offers an all-in-one approach to determine the complete structural properties of RNA, i.e. geometry, conformation, protonation state and hydration structure.

Silencing of Oncogenic KRAS by Mutant-Selective Small Interfering RNA.

Oncogenic mutations in the KRAS gene are well-established drivers of cancer. While the recently developed KRASG12C inhibitors offer a targeted KRAS therapy and have shown success in the clinic, KRASG12C represents only 11% of all KRAS mutations. Current therapeutic approaches for all other KRAS mutations are both indirect and nonmutant-selective, largely focusing on inhibition of downstream KRAS effectors such as MAP kinases. Inhibition of KRAS downstream signaling results in a system-wide down-modulation of the respective targets, raising concerns about systemic cell toxicity. Here, we describe a custom short interfering RNA oligonucleotide (EFTX-D1) designed to preferentially bind mRNA of the most commonly occurring KRAS missense mutations in codons 12 and 13. We determined that EFTX-D1 preferentially reduced the mutant KRAS sequence versus wild-type at the levels of both transcription and translation and reversed oncogenic KRAS-induced morphologic and growth transformation. Furthermore, EFTX-D1 significantly impaired the proliferation of several KRAS mutant cancer cell lines in 2-D as well as 3-D assays. Taken together, our data indicate a novel use of RNA interference to target oncogenic KRAS-driven cancers specifically.

Incorporating a Thiophosphate Modification into a Common RNA Tetraloop Motif Causes an Unanticipated Stability Boost.

GNRA (N = A, C, G, or U; R = A or G) tetraloops are common RNA secondary structural motifs and feature a phosphate stacked atop a nucleobase. The rRNA sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) is capped by GApGA, and the phosphate p stacks on G. We recently found that regiospecific incorporation of a single dithiophosphate (PS2) but not a monothiophosphate (PSO) instead of phosphate in the backbone of RNA aptamers dramatically increases the binding affinity for their targets. In the RNA:thrombin complex, the key contribution to the 1000-fold tighter binding stems from an edge-on contact between PS2 and a phenylalanine ring. Here we investigated the consequences of replacing the SRL phosphate engaged in a face-on interaction with guanine with either PS2 or PSO for stability. We found that PS2···G and Rp-PSO···G contacts stabilize modified SRLs compared to the parent loop to unexpected levels: up to 6.3 °C in melting temperature Tm and -4.7 kcal/mol in ΔΔG°. Crystal structures demonstrate that the vertical distance to guanine for the closest sulfur is just 0.05 Å longer on average compared to that of oxygen despite the larger van der Waals radius of the former (1.80 Å for S vs 1.52 Å for O). The higher stability is enthalpy-based, and the negative charge as assessed by a neutral methylphosphonate modification plays only a minor role. Quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations are supportive of favorable dispersion attraction interactions by sulfur making the dominant contribution. A stacking interaction between phosphate and guanine (SRL) or uracil (U-turn) is also found in newly classified RNA tetraloop families besides GNRA.

Synthesis, chirality-dependent conformational and biological properties of siRNAs containing 5'-(R)- and 5'-(S)-C-methyl-guanosine.

Various chemical modifications have been identified that enhance potency of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and that reduce off-target effects, immune stimulation, and toxicities of metabolites of these therapeutic agents. We previously described 5'-C-methyl pyrimidine nucleotides also modified at the 2' position of the sugar. Here, we describe the synthesis of 2'-position unmodified 5'-(R)- and 5'-(S)-C-methyl guanosine and evaluation of these nucleotides in the context of siRNA. The (R) isomer provided protection from 5' exonuclease and the (S) isomer provided protection from 3' exonuclease in the context of a terminally modified oligonucleotide. siRNA potency was maintained when these modifications were incorporated at the tested positions of sense and antisense strands. Moreover, the corresponding 5' triphosphates were not substrates for mitochondrial DNA polymerase. Models generated based on crystal structures of 5' and 3' exonuclease oligonucleotide complexes with 5'-(R)- and 5'-(S)-C-methyl substituents attached to the 5'- and 3'-terminal nucleotides, respectively, provided insight into the origins of the observed protections. Structural properties of 5'-(R)-C-methyl guanosine incorporated into an RNA octamer were analysed by X-ray crystallography, and the structure explains the loss in duplex thermal stability for the (R) isomer compared with the (S) isomer. Finally, the effect of 5'-C-methylation on endoribonuclease activity has been explained.

The Enzyme-Free Release of Nucleotides from Phosphoramidates Depends Strongly on the Amino Acid.

Phosphoramidates composed of an amino acid and a nucleotide analogue are critical metabolites of prodrugs, such as remdesivir. Hydrolysis of the phosphoramidate liberates the nucleotide, which can then be phosphorylated to become the pharmacologically active triphosphate. Enzymatic hydrolysis has been demonstrated, but a spontaneous chemical process may also occur. We measured the rate of enzyme-free hydrolysis for 17 phosphoramidates of ribonucleotides with amino acids or related compounds at pH 7.5. Phosphoramidates of proline hydrolyzed fast, with a half-life time as short as 2.4 h for Pro-AMP in ethylimidazole-containing buffer at 37 °C; 45-fold faster than Ala-AMP and 120-fold faster than Phe-AMP. Crystal structures of Gly-AMP, Pro-AMP, ßPro-AMP and Phe-AMP bound to RNase A as crystallization chaperone showed how well the carboxylate is poised to attack the phosphoramidate, helping to explain this reactivity. Our results are significant for the design of new antiviral prodrugs.

Comparative analysis of inosine-substituted duplex DNA by circular dichroism and X-ray crystallography.

Leveraging structural biology tools, we report the results of experiments seeking to determine if the different mechanical properties of DNA polymers with base analog substitutions can be attributed, at least in part, to induced changes from classical B-form DNA. The underlying hypothesis is that different inherent bending and twisting flexibilities may characterize non-canonical B-DNA, so that it is inappropriate to interpret mechanical changes caused by base analog substitution as resulting simply from 'electrostatic' or 'base stacking' influences without considering the larger context of altered helical geometry. Circular dichroism spectra of inosine-substituted oligonucleotides and longer base-substituted DNAs in solution indicated non-canonical helical conformations, with the degree of deviation from a standard B-form geometry depending on the number of I⋅C pairs. X-ray diffraction of a highly inosine-substituted DNA decamer crystal (eight I⋅C and two A⋅T pairs) revealed an A-tract-like conformation with a uniformly narrow minor groove, reduced helical rise, and the majority of sugars adopting a C1'-exo (southeastern) conformation. This contrasts with the standard B-DNA geometry with C2'-endo sugar puckers (south conformation). In contrast, the crystal structure of a decamer with only four I⋅C pairs has a geometry similar to that of the reference duplex with eight G⋅C and two A⋅T pairs. The unique crystal geometry of the inosine-rich duplex is noteworthy given its unusual CD signature in solution and the altered mechanical properties of some inosine-containing DNAs.

Inherent steroid 17α,20-lyase activity in defunct cytochrome P450 17A enzymes.

Cytochrome P450 (P450) 17A1 catalyzes the oxidations of progesterone and pregnenolone and is the major source of androgens. The enzyme catalyzes both 17α-hydroxylation and a subsequent 17α,20-lyase reaction, and several mechanisms have been proposed for the latter step. Zebrafish P450 17A2 catalyzes only the 17α-hydroxylations. We previously reported high similarity of the crystal structures of zebrafish P450 17A1 and 17A2 and human P450 17A1. Five residues near the heme, which differed, were changed. We also crystallized this five-residue zebrafish P450 17A1 mutant, and the active site still resembled the structure in the other proteins, with some important differences. These P450 17A1 and 17A2 mutants had catalytic profiles more similar to each other than did the wildtype proteins. Docking with these structures can explain several minor products, which require multiple enzyme conformations. The 17α-hydroperoxy (OOH) derivatives of the steroids were used as oxygen surrogates. Human P450 17A1 and zebrafish P450s 17A1 and P450 17A2 readily converted these to the lyase products in the absence of other proteins or cofactors (with catalytically competent kinetics) plus hydroxylated 17α-hydroxysteroids. The 17α-OOH results indicate that a "Compound I" (FeO3+) intermediate is capable of formation and can be used to rationalize the products. We conclude that zebrafish P450 17A2 is capable of lyase activity with the 17α-OOH steroids because it can achieve an appropriate conformation for lyase catalysis in this system that is precluded in the conventional reaction.

Amide linkages mimic phosphates in RNA interactions with proteins and are well tolerated in the guide strand of short interfering RNAs.

While the use of RNA interference (RNAi) in molecular biology and functional genomics is a well-established technology, in vivo applications of synthetic short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) require chemical modifications. We recently found that amides as non-ionic replacements for phosphodiesters may be useful modifications for optimization of siRNAs. Herein, we report a comprehensive study of systematic replacement of a single phosphate with an amide linkage throughout the guide strand of siRNAs. The results show that amides are surprisingly well tolerated in the seed and central regions of the guide strand and increase the silencing activity when placed between nucleosides 10 and 12, at the catalytic site of Argonaute. A potential explanation is provided by the first crystal structure of an amide-modified RNA-DNA with Bacillus halodurans RNase H1. The structure reveals how small changes in both RNA and protein conformation allow the amide to establish hydrogen bonding interactions with the protein. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that these alternative binding modes may compensate for interactions lost due to the absence of a phosphodiester moiety. Our results suggest that an amide can mimic important hydrogen bonding interactions with proteins required for RNAi activity and may be a promising modification for optimization of biological properties of siRNAs.

Chirality Dependent Potency Enhancement and Structural Impact of Glycol Nucleic Acid Modification on siRNA.

Here we report the investigation of glycol nucleic acid (GNA), an acyclic nucleic acid analogue, as a modification of siRNA duplexes. We evaluated the impact of (S)- or (R)-GNA nucleotide incorporation on RNA duplex structure by determining three individual crystal structures. These structures indicate that the (S)-nucleotide backbone adopts a conformation that has little impact on the overall duplex structure, while the (R)-nucleotide disrupts the phosphate backbone and hydrogen bonding of an adjacent base pair. In addition, the GNA-T nucleobase adopts a rotated conformation in which the 5-methyl group points into the minor groove, rather than the major groove as in a normal Watson-Crick base pair. This observation of reverse Watson-Crick base pairing is further supported by thermal melting analysis of GNA-C and GNA-G containing duplexes where it was demonstrated that a higher thermal stability was associated with isoguanine and isocytosine base pairing, respectively, over the canonical nucleobases. Furthermore, it was also shown that GNA nucleotide or dinucleotide incorporation increases resistance against snake venom phosphodiesterase. Consistent with the structural data, modification of an siRNA with (S)-GNA resulted in greater in vitro potencies over identical sequences containing (R)-GNA. A walk of (S)-GNA along the guide and passenger strands of a GalNAc conjugate duplex targeting mouse transthyretin (TTR) indicated that GNA is well tolerated in the seed region of both strands in vitro, resulting in an approximate 2-fold improvement in potency. Finally, these conjugate duplexes modified with GNA were capable of maintaining in vivo potency when subcutaneously injected into mice.

Functional analysis of human cytochrome P450 21A2 variants involved in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) 21A2 is the major steroid 21-hydroxylase, converting progesterone to 11-deoxycorticosterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17α-OH-progesterone) to 11-deoxycortisol. More than 100 CYP21A2 variants give rise to congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). We previously reported a structure of WT human P450 21A2 with bound progesterone and now present a structure bound to the other substrate (17α-OH-progesterone). We found that the 17α-OH-progesterone- and progesterone-bound complex structures are highly similar, with only some minor differences in surface loop regions. Twelve P450 21A2 variants associated with either salt-wasting or nonclassical forms of CAH were expressed, purified, and analyzed. The catalytic activities of these 12 variants ranged from 0.00009% to 30% of WT P450 21A2 and the extent of heme incorporation from 10% to 95% of the WT. Substrate dissociation constants (Ks) for four variants were 37-13,000-fold higher than for WT P450 21A2. Cytochrome b5, which augments several P450 activities, inhibited P450 21A2 activity. Similar to the WT enzyme, high noncompetitive intermolecular kinetic deuterium isotope effects (≥ 5.5) were observed for all six P450 21A2 variants examined for 21-hydroxylation of 21-d3-progesterone, indicating that C-H bond breaking is a rate-limiting step over a 104-fold range of catalytic efficiency. Using UV-visible and CD spectroscopy, we found that P450 21A2 thermal stability assessed in bacterial cells and with purified enzymes differed among salt-wasting- and nonclassical-associated variants, but these differences did not correlate with catalytic activity. Our in-depth investigation of CAH-associated P450 21A2 variants reveals critical insight into the effects of disease-causing mutations on this important enzyme.

Limits of RNA 2'-OH Mimicry by Fluorine: Crystal Structure of Bacillus halodurans RNase H Bound to a 2'-FRNA:DNA Hybrid.

RNase H1 cleaves the RNA strand of RNA:DNA hybrids. Replacement of RNA 2'-hydroxyls by fluorine (FRNA) is commonly used to stabilize aptamers and siRNAs. However, FRNA:DNA hybrids fail to elicit RNase H activity. The underlying reasons are unclear, as 2'-OH groups are not directly involved in cleavage. We determined the crystal structure of Bacillus halodurans RNase H bound to a FRNA:DNA hybrid. The structure points to dynamic (slippage of the FRNA:DNA hybrid relative to the enzyme), geometric (different curvatures of FRNA:DNA and RNA:DNA hybrids), and electronic reasons (Mg(2+) absent from the active site of the FRNA:DNA complex) for the loss of RNaseH activity.

Evoking picomolar binding in RNA by a single phosphorodithioate linkage.

RNA aptamers are synthetic oligonucleotide-based affinity molecules that utilize unique three-dimensional structures for their affinity and specificity to a target such as a protein. They hold the promise of numerous advantages over biologically produced antibodies; however, the binding affinity and specificity of RNA aptamers are often insufficient for successful implementation in diagnostic assays or as therapeutic agents. Strong binding affinity is important to improve the downstream applications. We report here the use of the phosphorodithioate (PS2) substitution on a single nucleotide of RNA aptamers to dramatically improve target binding affinity by ∼1000-fold (from nanomolar to picomolar). An X-ray co-crystal structure of the α-thrombin:PS2-aptamer complex reveals a localized induced-fit rearrangement of the PS2-containing nucleotide which leads to enhanced target interaction. High-level quantum mechanical calculations for model systems that mimic the PS2 moiety and phenylalanine demonstrate that an edge-on interaction between sulfur and the aromatic ring is quite favorable, and also confirm that the sulfur analogs are much more polarizable than the corresponding phosphates. This favorable interaction involving the sulfur atom is likely even more significant in the full aptamer-protein complexes than in the model systems.

Generating Crystallographic Models of DNA Dodecamers from Structures of RNase H:DNA Complexes.

The DNA dodecamer 5'-d(CGCGAATTCGCG)-3' is arguably the best studied oligonucleotide and crystal structures of duplexes with this sequence account for a considerable portion of the total number of oligo-2'-deoxynucleotide structures determined over the last 30 years. The dodecamer has commonly served as a template to analyze the effects of sequence on DNA conformation, the conformational properties of chemically modified nucleotides, DNA-ligand interactions as well as water structure and DNA-cation binding. Although molecular replacement is the phasing method of choice given the large number of available models of the dodecamer, this strategy often fails as a result of conformational changes caused by chemical modification, mismatch pairs, or differing packing modes. Here, we describe an alternative approach to determine crystal structures of the dodecamer in cases where molecular replacement does not produce a solution or when crystals of the DNA alone cannot be grown. It is based on the discovery that many dodecamers of the above sequence can be readily co-crystallized with Bacillus halodurans RNase H, whereby the enzyme is unable to cleave the DNA. Determination of the structure of the complex using the protein portion as the search model yields a structural model of the DNA. Provided crystals of the DNA alone are also available, the DNA model from the complex then enables phasing their structures by molecular replacement.

Research Resource: Correlating Human Cytochrome P450 21A2 Crystal Structure and Phenotypes of Mutations in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.

Cytochrome P450 21A2 is a key player in steroid 21-hydroxylation and converts progesterone to 11-deoxycorticosterone and 17α-hydroxy progesterone to 11-deoxycortisol. More than 100 mutations in P450 21A2 have been established in patients thus far; these account for the vast majority of occurrences of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which is among the most common heritable metabolic diseases in humans. CAH phenotypes range from the most severe, salt-wasting (SW), to the simple virilizing (SV), and nonclassical (NC) CAH forms. We recently determined the crystal structure of human P450 21A2 in complex with progesterone. To gain more insight into the structural and stability changes underlying the phenotypes of individual mutations, we analyzed 24 SW, SV, and NC mutants in the context of the crystal structure of the human enzyme. Our analysis reveals clear differences in the localization of SW, SV, and NC mutations, with many of the first type mapping to the active site and near the heme and/or substrate and mostly resulting in complete loss of enzyme activity. Conversely, NC mutations are often found near the periphery and close to the surface of the protein, and mutant enzymes retain partial activity. The main conclusion from the mutation-structure-activity study is that the severity of the CAH clinical manifestations can be directly correlated with the degree of mutation-induced damage in terms of protein fold stability and active site changes in the structural model. Thus, the NC phenotype is typically associated with mutations that have a compensatory effect, ie, H-bonding replacing hydrophobic interactions and vice versa.

Human Cytochrome P450 21A2, the Major Steroid 21-Hydroxylase: STRUCTURE OF THE ENZYME·PROGESTERONE SUBSTRATE COMPLEX AND RATE-LIMITING C-H BOND CLEAVAGE.

Cytochrome P450 (P450) 21A2 is the major steroid 21-hydroxylase, and deficiency of this enzyme is involved in ∼95% of cases of human congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disorder of adrenal steroidogenesis. A structure of the bovine enzyme that we published previously (Zhao, B., Lei, L., Kagawa, N., Sundaramoorthy, M., Banerjee, S., Nagy, L. D., Guengerich, F. P., and Waterman, M. R. (2012) Three-dimensional structure of steroid 21-hydroxylase (cytochrome P450 21A2) with two substrates reveals locations of disease-associated variants. J. Biol. Chem. 287, 10613-10622), containing two molecules of the substrate 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, has been used as a template for understanding genetic deficiencies. We have now obtained a crystal structure of human P450 21A2 in complex with progesterone, a substrate in adrenal 21-hydroxylation. Substrate binding and release were fast for human P450 21A2 with both substrates, and pre-steady-state kinetics showed a partial burst but only with progesterone as substrate and not 17α-hydroxyprogesterone. High intermolecular non-competitive kinetic deuterium isotope effects on both kcat and kcat/Km, from 5 to 11, were observed with both substrates, indicative of rate-limiting C-H bond cleavage and suggesting that the juxtaposition of the C21 carbon in the active site is critical for efficient oxidation. The estimated rate of binding of the substrate progesterone (kon 2.4 × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1)) is only ∼2-fold greater than the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km = 1.3 × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1)) with this substrate, suggesting that the rate of substrate binding may also be partially rate-limiting. The structure of the human P450 21A2-substrate complex provides direct insight into mechanistic effects of genetic variants.