RESUMO
The effect of mutations of the catalytic dyad residues of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MProWT) on the thermodynamics of binding of covalent inhibitors comprising nitrile [nirmatrelvir (NMV), NBH2], aldehyde (GC373), and ketone (BBH1) warheads to MPro is examined together with room temperature X-ray crystallography. When lacking the nucleophilic C145, NMV binding is â¼400-fold weaker corresponding to 3.5 kcal/mol and 13.3 °C decrease in free energy (ΔG) and thermal stability (Tm), respectively, relative to MProWT. The H41A mutation results in a 20-fold increase in the dissociation constant (Kd), and 1.7 kcal/mol and 1.4 °C decreases in ΔG and Tm, respectively. Increasing the pH from 7.2 to 8.2 enhances NMV binding to MProH41A, whereas no significant change is observed in binding to MProWT. Structures of the four inhibitor complexes with MPro1-304/C145A show that the active site geometries of the complexes are nearly identical to that of MProWT with the nucleophilic sulfur of C145 positioned to react with the nitrile or the carbonyl carbon. These results support a two-step mechanism for the formation of the covalent complex involving an initial non-covalent binding followed by a nucleophilic attack by the thiolate anion of C145 on the warhead carbon. Noncovalent inhibitor ensitrelvir (ESV) exhibits a binding affinity to MProWT that is similar to NMV but differs in its thermodynamic signature from NMV. The binding of ESV to MProC145A also results in a significant, but smaller, increase in Kd and decrease in ΔG and Tm, relative to NMV.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , Carbono , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/química , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/farmacologia , Lactamas , Leucina , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Nitrilas , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , SARS-CoV-2/enzimologiaRESUMO
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.
Assuntos
RNA , Ribose/química , Água , Cristalografia por Raios X , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Nêutrons , Conformação de Ácido Nucleico , RNA/química , Água/químicaRESUMO
Direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus are needed to complement vaccination efforts. Given the ongoing emergence of new variants, automated experimentation, and active learning based fast workflows for antiviral lead discovery remain critical to our ability to address the pandemic's evolution in a timely manner. While several such pipelines have been introduced to discover candidates with noncovalent interactions with the main protease (Mpro), here we developed a closed-loop artificial intelligence pipeline to design electrophilic warhead-based covalent candidates. This work introduces a deep learning-assisted automated computational workflow to introduce linkers and an electrophilic "warhead" to design covalent candidates and incorporates cutting-edge experimental techniques for validation. Using this process, promising candidates in the library were screened, and several potential hits were identified and tested experimentally using native mass spectrometry and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based screening assays. We identified four chloroacetamide-based covalent inhibitors of Mpro with micromolar affinities (KI of 5.27 µM) using our pipeline. Experimentally resolved binding modes for each compound were determined using room-temperature X-ray crystallography, which is consistent with the predicted poses. The induced conformational changes based on molecular dynamics simulations further suggest that the dynamics may be an important factor to further improve selectivity, thereby effectively lowering KI and reducing toxicity. These results demonstrate the utility of our modular and data-driven approach for potent and selective covalent inhibitor discovery and provide a platform to apply it to other emerging targets.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Hepatite C Crônica , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Antivirais/farmacologia , Pandemias , Inteligência Artificial , Inibidores de Proteases/farmacologia , Simulação de Acoplamento MolecularRESUMO
Even in high-quality X-ray crystal structures of oligonucleotides determined at a resolution of 1 Å or higher, the orientations of first-shell water molecules remain unclear. We used cryo neutron crystallography to gain insight into the H-bonding patterns of water molecules around the left-handed Z-DNA duplex [d(CGCGCG)]2. The neutron density visualized at 1.5 Å resolution for the first time allows us to pinpoint the orientations of most of the water molecules directly contacting the DNA and of many second-shell waters. In particular, H-bond acceptor and donor patterns for water participating in prominent hydration motifs inside the minor groove, on the convex surface or bridging nucleobase and phosphate oxygen atoms are finally revealed. Several water molecules display entirely unexpected orientations. For example, a water molecule located at H-bonding distance from O6 keto oxygen atoms of two adjacent guanines directs both its deuterium atoms away from the keto groups. Exocyclic amino groups of guanine (N2) and cytosine (N4) unexpectedly stabilize waters H-bonded to O2 keto oxygens from adjacent cytosines and O6 keto oxygens from adjacent guanines, respectively. Our structure offers the most detailed view to date of DNA solvation in the solid-state undistorted by metal ions or polyamines.
Assuntos
Cristalografia/métodos , DNA Forma Z/química , Água/química , Crioprotetores/química , Cristalografia por Raios X , DNA Forma Z/síntese química , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Modelos Moleculares , Difração de Nêutrons/métodos , Nêutrons , Conformação de Ácido Nucleico , Fosfatos/químicaRESUMO
Despite the recent availability of vaccines against the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the search for inhibitory therapeutic agents has assumed importance especially in the context of emerging new viral variants. In this paper, we describe the discovery of a novel noncovalent small-molecule inhibitor, MCULE-5948770040, that binds to and inhibits the SARS-Cov-2 main protease (Mpro) by employing a scalable high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) framework and a targeted compound library of over 6.5 million molecules that could be readily ordered and purchased. Our HTVS framework leverages the U.S. supercomputing infrastructure achieving nearly 91% resource utilization and nearly 126 million docking calculations per hour. Downstream biochemical assays validate this Mpro inhibitor with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 2.9 µM (95% CI 2.2, 4.0). Furthermore, using room-temperature X-ray crystallography, we show that MCULE-5948770040 binds to a cleft in the primary binding site of Mpro forming stable hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions. We then used multiple µs-time scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and machine learning (ML) techniques to elucidate how the bound ligand alters the conformational states accessed by Mpro, involving motions both proximal and distal to the binding site. Together, our results demonstrate how MCULE-5948770040 inhibits Mpro and offers a springboard for further therapeutic design.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Inibidores de Proteases , Antivirais , Proteases 3C de Coronavírus , Humanos , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Ácido Orótico/análogos & derivados , Piperazinas , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
The main protease (3CL Mpro) from SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, is an essential enzyme for viral replication. 3CL Mpro possesses an unusual catalytic dyad composed of Cys145 and His41 residues. A critical question in the field has been what the protonation states of the ionizable residues in the substrate-binding active-site cavity are; resolving this point would help understand the catalytic details of the enzyme and inform rational drug development against this pernicious virus. Here, we present the room-temperature neutron structure of 3CL Mpro, which allowed direct determination of hydrogen atom positions and, hence, protonation states in the protease. We observe that the catalytic site natively adopts a zwitterionic reactive form in which Cys145 is in the negatively charged thiolate state and His41 is doubly protonated and positively charged, instead of the neutral unreactive state usually envisaged. The neutron structure also identified the protonation states, and thus electrical charges, of all other amino acid residues and revealed intricate hydrogen-bonding networks in the active-site cavity and at the dimer interface. The fine atomic details present in this structure were made possible by the unique scattering properties of the neutron, which is an ideal probe for locating hydrogen positions and experimentally determining protonation states at near-physiological temperature. Our observations provide critical information for structure-assisted and computational drug design, allowing precise tailoring of inhibitors to the enzyme's electrostatic environment.
Assuntos
Proteases 3C de Coronavírus/química , Modelos Moleculares , Nêutrons , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios XRESUMO
Backbone chemical shift assignments for the Toho-1 ß-lactamase (263 amino acids, 28.9 kDa) are reported based on triple resonance solution-state NMR experiments performed on a uniformly 2H,13C,15N-labeled sample. These assignments allow for subsequent site-specific characterization at the chemical, structural, and dynamical levels. At the chemical level, titration with the non-ß-lactam ß-lactamase inhibitor avibactam is found to give chemical shift perturbations indicative of tight covalent binding that allow for mapping of the inhibitor binding site. At the structural level, protein secondary structure is predicted based on the backbone chemical shifts and protein residue sequence using TALOS-N and found to agree well with structural characterization from X-ray crystallography. At the dynamical level, model-free analysis of 15N relaxation data at a single field of 16.4 T reveals well-ordered structures for the ligand-free and avibactam-bound enzymes with generalized order parameters of ~ 0.85. Complementary relaxation dispersion experiments indicate that there is an escalation in motions on the millisecond timescale in the vicinity of the active site upon substrate binding. The combination of high rigidity on short timescales and active site flexibility on longer timescales is consistent with hypotheses for achieving both high catalytic efficiency and broad substrate specificity: the induced active site dynamics allows variously sized substrates to be accommodated and increases the probability that the optimal conformation for catalysis will be sampled.
Assuntos
Compostos Azabicíclicos , beta-Lactamases , Sítios de Ligação , Modelos Moleculares , Ressonância Magnética Nuclear Biomolecular , Conformação Proteica , beta-Lactamases/metabolismoRESUMO
Protein-carbohydrate interactions are significant in a wide range of biological processes, disruption of which has been implicated in many different diseases. The capability of glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) to specifically bind to the corresponding glycans allows GBPs to be utilized in glycan biomarker detection or conversely to serve as targets for therapeutic intervention. However, understanding the structural origins of GBP specificity has proven to be challenging due to their typically low binding affinities (mM) and their potential to display broad or complex specificities. Here we perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and post-MD energy analyses with the Poisson-Boltzmann and generalized Born solvent models (MM-PB/GBSA) of the Erythrina cristagalli lectin (ECL) with its known ligands, and with new cocrystal structures reported herein. While each MM-PB/GBSA parametrization resulted in different estimates of the desolvation free energy, general trends emerged that permit us to define GBP binding preferences in terms of ligand substructure specificity. Additionally, we have further decomposed the theoretical interaction energies into contributions made between chemically relevant functional groups. Based on these contributions, the functional groups in each ligand can be assembled into a pharmacophore comprised of groups that are either critical for binding, or enhance binding, or are noninteracting. It is revealed that the pharmacophore for ECL consists of the galactopyranose (Gal) ring atoms along with C6 and the O3 and O4 hydroxyl groups. This approach provides a convenient method for identifying and quantifying the glycan pharmacophore and provides a novel method for interpreting glycan specificity that is independent of residue-level glycan nomenclature. A pharmacophore approach to defining specificity is readily transferable to molecular design software and, therefore, may be particularly useful in designing therapeutics (glycomimetics) that target GBPs.
Assuntos
Carboidratos/química , Lectinas de Plantas/química , Configuração de Carboidratos , Cristalização , Ligantes , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica , TermodinâmicaRESUMO
Glycoside hydrolase (GH) enzymes apply acid/base chemistry to catalyze the decomposition of complex carbohydrates. These ubiquitous enzymes accept protons from solvent and donate them to substrates at close to neutral pH by modulating the pKa values of key side chains during catalysis. However, it is not known how the catalytic acid residue acquires a proton and transfers it efficiently to the substrate. To better understand GH chemistry, we used macromolecular neutron crystallography to directly determine protonation and ionization states of the active site residues of a family 11 GH at multiple pD (pD=pH+0.4) values. The general acid glutamate (Glu) cycles between two conformations, upward and downward, but is protonated only in the downward orientation. We performed continuum electrostatics calculations to estimate the pKa values of the catalytic Glu residues in both the apo- and substrate-bound states of the enzyme. The calculated pKa of the Glu increases substantially when the side chain moves down. The energy barrier required to rotate the catalytic Glu residue back to the upward conformation, where it can protonate the glycosidic oxygen of the substrate, is 4.3 kcal/mol according to free energy simulations. These findings shed light on the initial stage of the glycoside hydrolysis reaction in which molecular motion enables the general acid catalyst to obtain a proton from the bulk solvent and deliver it to the glycosidic oxygen.
Assuntos
Proteínas Fúngicas/química , Glicosídeo Hidrolases/química , Glicosídeos/química , Nêutrons , Biocatálise , Configuração de Carboidratos , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios X , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Ácido Glutâmico/química , Ácido Glutâmico/metabolismo , Glicosídeo Hidrolases/metabolismo , Glicosídeos/metabolismo , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Hidrólise , Modelos Químicos , Modelos Moleculares , Ligação Proteica , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , Prótons , Eletricidade Estática , Especificidade por Substrato , Temperatura , Trichoderma/enzimologiaRESUMO
Plant lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins with various biomedical applications. Concanavalin A (Con A) holds promise in treating cancerous tumors. To better understand the Con A carbohydrate binding specificity, we obtained a room-temperature neutron structure of this legume lectin in complex with a disaccharide Manα1-2Man, mannobiose. The neutron structure afforded direct visualization of the hydrogen bonding between the protein and ligand, showing that the ligand is able to alter both protonation states and interactions for residues located close to and distant from the binding site. An unprecedented low-barrier hydrogen bond was observed forming between the carboxylic side chains of Asp28 and Glu8, with the D atom positioned equidistant from the oxygen atoms having an O···D···O angle of 101.5°.
Assuntos
Concanavalina A/química , Concanavalina A/metabolismo , Mananas/química , Mananas/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Sítios de Ligação , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Conformação ProteicaRESUMO
A 1.1 Å resolution, room-temperature X-ray structure and a 2.1 Å resolution neutron structure of a chitin-degrading lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase domain from the bacterium Jonesia denitrificans (JdLPMO10A) show a putative dioxygen species equatorially bound to the active site copper. Both structures show an elongated density for the dioxygen, most consistent with a Cu(II)-bound peroxide. The coordination environment is consistent with Cu(II). In the neutron and X-ray structures, difference maps reveal the N-terminal amino group, involved in copper coordination, is present as a mixed ND2 and ND-, suggesting a role for the copper ion in shifting the pKa of the amino terminus.
Assuntos
Cobre/química , Oxigenases de Função Mista/química , Oxigênio/química , Polissacarídeos/química , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios X , Conformação Proteica , PrótonsRESUMO
The monobactam antibiotic aztreonam is used to treat cystic fibrosis patients with chronic pulmonary infections colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains expressing CTX-M extended-spectrum ß-lactamases. The protonation states of active-site residues that are responsible for hydrolysis have been determined previously for the apo form of a CTX-M ß-lactamase but not for a monobactam acyl-enzyme intermediate. Here we used neutron and high-resolution X-ray crystallography to probe the mechanism by which CTX-M extended-spectrum ß-lactamases hydrolyze monobactam antibiotics. In these first reported structures of a class A ß-lactamase in an acyl-enzyme complex with aztreonam, we directly observed most of the hydrogen atoms (as deuterium) within the active site. Although Lys 234 is fully protonated in the acyl intermediate, we found that Lys 73 is neutral. These findings are consistent with Lys 73 being able to serve as a general base during the acylation part of the catalytic mechanism, as previously proposed.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Aztreonam/farmacologia , Monobactamas/farmacologia , beta-Lactamases/metabolismo , Antibacterianos/química , Aztreonam/química , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios X , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Monobactamas/química , Pseudomonas aeruginosa/efeitos dos fármacos , Pseudomonas aeruginosa/enzimologia , beta-Lactamases/genéticaRESUMO
A cellulose synthesis complex with a "rosette" shape is responsible for synthesis of cellulose chains and their assembly into microfibrils within the cell walls of land plants and their charophyte algal progenitors. The number of cellulose synthase proteins in this large multisubunit transmembrane protein complex and the number of cellulose chains in a microfibril have been debated for many years. This work reports a low resolution structure of the catalytic domain of CESA1 from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana; AtCESA1CatD) determined by small-angle scattering techniques and provides the first experimental evidence for the self-assembly of CESA into a stable trimer in solution. The catalytic domain was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and using a two-step procedure, it was possible to isolate monomeric and trimeric forms of AtCESA1CatD. The conformation of monomeric and trimeric AtCESA1CatD proteins were studied using small-angle neutron scattering and small-angle x-ray scattering. A series of AtCESA1CatD trimer computational models were compared with the small-angle x-ray scattering trimer profile to explore the possible arrangement of the monomers in the trimers. Several candidate trimers were identified with monomers oriented such that the newly synthesized cellulose chains project toward the cell membrane. In these models, the class-specific region is found at the periphery of the complex, and the plant-conserved region forms the base of the trimer. This study strongly supports the "hexamer of trimers" model for the rosette cellulose synthesis complex that synthesizes an 18-chain cellulose microfibril as its fundamental product.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Arabidopsis/química , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Celulose/biossíntese , Glucosiltransferases/química , Glucosiltransferases/metabolismo , Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Domínio Catalítico , Celulose/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Glucosiltransferases/genética , Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão , Modelos Moleculares , Complexos Multiproteicos/genética , Complexos Multiproteicos/metabolismo , Multimerização Proteica , Estrutura Secundária de Proteína , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/isolamento & purificação , Espalhamento a Baixo Ângulo , Difração de Raios XRESUMO
We describe an approach to accelerate the search for competitive inhibitors for carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs). Genetically encoded fragment-based discovery (GE-FBD) uses selection of phage-displayed glycopeptides to dock a glycan fragment at the CRD and guide selection of synergistic peptide motifs adjacent to the CRD. Starting from concanavalin A (ConA), a mannose (Man)-binding protein, as a bait, we narrowed a library of 10(8) glycopeptides to 86 leads that share a consensus motif, Man-WYD. Validation of synthetic leads yielded Man-WYDLF that exhibited 40-50-fold enhancement in affinity over methyl α-d-mannopyranoside (MeMan). Lectin array suggested specificity: Man-WYD derivative bound only to 3 out of 17 proteinsConA, LcH, and PSAthat bind to Man. An X-ray structure of ConA:Man-WYD proved that the trimannoside core and Man-WYD exhibit identical CRD docking, but their extra-CRD binding modes are significantly different. Still, they have comparable affinity and selectivity for various Man-binding proteins. The intriguing observation provides new insight into functional mimicry of carbohydrates by peptide ligands. GE-FBD may provide an alternative to rapidly search for competitive inhibitors for lectins.
Assuntos
Canavalia/metabolismo , Concanavalina A/metabolismo , Glicopeptídeos/química , Glicopeptídeos/metabolismo , Motivos de Aminoácidos , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Sítios de Ligação , Canavalia/química , Concanavalina A/química , Cristalografia por Raios X , Glicopeptídeos/genética , Humanos , Ligantes , Manose/análogos & derivados , Manose/metabolismo , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Biblioteca de Peptídeos , Ligação ProteicaRESUMO
The mechanism by which class A ß-lactamases hydrolyze ß-lactam antibiotics has been the subject of intensive investigation using many different experimental techniques. Here, we report on the novel use of both neutron and high resolution x-ray diffraction to help elucidate the identity of the catalytic base in the acylation part of the catalytic cycle, wherein the ß-lactam ring is opened and an acyl-enzyme intermediate forms. To generate protein crystals optimized for neutron diffraction, we produced a perdeuterated form of the Toho-1 ß-lactamase R274N/R276N mutant. Protein perdeuteration, which involves replacing all of the hydrogen atoms in a protein with deuterium, gives a much stronger signal in neutron diffraction and enables the positions of individual deuterium atoms to be located. We also synthesized a perdeuterated acylation transition state analog, benzothiophene-2-boronic acid, which was also isotopically enriched with (11)B, as (10)B is a known neutron absorber. Using the neutron diffraction data from the perdeuterated enzyme-inhibitor complex, we were able to determine the positions of deuterium atoms in the active site directly rather than by inference. The neutron diffraction results, along with supporting bond-length analysis from high resolution x-ray diffraction, strongly suggest that Glu-166 acts as the general base during the acylation reaction.
Assuntos
Acilação , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/química , Escherichia coli/enzimologia , beta-Lactamases/química , Catálise , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios X/métodos , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Hidrogênio/química , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Ligantes , Modelos Químicos , Conformação Molecular , Nêutrons , Nitrogênio/química , Prótons , Tiofenos/químicaRESUMO
Xylanases catalyze the hydrolysis of plant hemicellulose xylan into oligosaccharides by cleaving the main-chain glycosidic linkages connecting xylose subunits. To study ligand binding and to understand how the pH constrains the activity of the enzyme, variants of the Trichoderma reesei xylanase were designed to either abolish its activity (E177Q) or to change its pH optimum (N44H). An E177Q-xylohexaose complex structure was obtained at 1.15â Å resolution which represents a pseudo-Michaelis complex and confirmed the conformational movement of the thumb region owing to ligand binding. Co-crystallization of N44H with xylohexaose resulted in a hydrolyzed xylotriose bound in the active site. Co-crystallization of the wild-type enzyme with xylopentaose trapped an aglycone xylotriose and a transglycosylated glycone product. Replacing amino acids near Glu177 decreased the xylanase activity but increased the relative activity at alkaline pH. The substrate distortion in the E177Q-xylohexaose structure expands the possible conformational itinerary of this xylose ring during the enzyme-catalyzed xylan-hydrolysis reaction.
Assuntos
Endo-1,4-beta-Xilanases/química , Trichoderma/enzimologia , Sítios de Ligação , Biocatálise , Cristalografia por Raios X , Endo-1,4-beta-Xilanases/genética , Endo-1,4-beta-Xilanases/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Mutagênese , Especificidade por Substrato , Trichoderma/química , Trichoderma/genética , Trissacarídeos/química , Trissacarídeos/metabolismoRESUMO
N-terminal autoprocessing from its polyprotein precursor enables creating the mature-like stable dimer interface of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro), concomitant with the active site oxyanion loop equilibrium transitioning to the active conformation (E*) and onset of catalytic activity. Through mutagenesis of critical interface residues and evaluating noncovalent inhibitor (ensitrelvir, ESV) facilitated dimerization through its binding to MPro, we demonstrate that residues extending from Ser1 through Glu14 are critical for dimerization. Combined mutations G11A, E290A and R298A (MPro™) restrict dimerization even upon binding of ESV to monomeric MPro™ with an inhibitor dissociation constant of 7.4 ± 1.6 µM. Contrasting the covalent inhibitor NMV or GC373 binding to monomeric MPro, ESV binding enabled capturing the transition of the oxyanion loop conformations in the absence of a reactive warhead and independent of dimerization. Characterization of complexes by room-temperature X-ray crystallography reveals ESV bound to the E* state of monomeric MPro as well as an intermediate approaching the inactive state (E). It appears that the E* to E equilibrium shift occurs initially from G138-F140 residues, leading to the unwinding of the loop and formation of the 310-helix. Finally, we describe a transient dimer structure of the MPro precursor held together through interactions of residues A5-G11 with distinct states of the active sites, E and E*, likely representing an intermediate in the autoprocessing pathway.
Assuntos
Domínio Catalítico , Proteases 3C de Coronavírus , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus , Indazóis , Multimerização Proteica , SARS-CoV-2 , Triazinas , Triazóis , Humanos , Proteases 3C de Coronavírus/metabolismo , Proteases 3C de Coronavírus/química , Indazóis/química , Indazóis/farmacologia , Modelos Moleculares , Mutação , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica , SARS-CoV-2/enzimologia , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Triazinas/química , Triazinas/farmacologia , Triazóis/química , Triazóis/farmacologia , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/química , Inibidores de Protease de Coronavírus/farmacologiaRESUMO
Human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a crucial oxidoreductase that maintains the vitality of mitochondria by converting O 2 â- to O 2 and H 2 O 2 with proton-coupled electron transfers (PCETs). Since changes in mitochondrial H 2 O 2 concentrations are capable of stimulating apoptotic signaling pathways, human MnSOD has evolutionarily gained the ability to be highly inhibited by its own product, H 2 O 2 . A separate set of PCETs is thought to regulate product inhibition, though mechanisms of PCETs are typically unknown due to difficulties in detecting the protonation states of specific residues that coincide with the electronic state of the redox center. To shed light on the underlying mechanism, we combined neutron diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the product-bound, trivalent, and divalent states to reveal the all-atom structures and electronic configuration of the metal. The data identifies the product-inhibited complex for the first time and a PCET mechanism of inhibition is constructed.
RESUMO
Human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a crucial oxidoreductase that maintains the vitality of mitochondria by converting O2â- to O2 and H2O2 with proton-coupled electron transfers (PCETs). Since changes in mitochondrial H2O2 concentrations are capable of stimulating apoptotic signaling pathways, human MnSOD has evolutionarily gained the ability to be highly inhibited by its own product, H2O2. A separate set of PCETs is thought to regulate product inhibition, though mechanisms of PCETs are typically unknown due to difficulties in detecting the protonation states of specific residues that coincide with the electronic state of the redox center. To shed light on the underlying mechanism, we combined neutron diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the product-bound, trivalent, and divalent states to reveal the all-atom structures and electronic configuration of the metal. The data identifies the product-inhibited complex for the first time and a PCET mechanism of inhibition is constructed.
RESUMO
Human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a crucial oxidoreductase that maintains the vitality of mitochondria by converting superoxide (O2â-) to molecular oxygen (O2) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with proton-coupled electron transfers (PCETs). Human MnSOD has evolved to be highly product inhibited to limit the formation of H2O2, a freely diffusible oxidant and signaling molecule. The product-inhibited complex is thought to be composed of a peroxide (O22-) or hydroperoxide (HO2-) species bound to Mn ion and formed from an unknown PCET mechanism. PCET mechanisms of proteins are typically not known due to difficulties in detecting the protonation states of specific residues that coincide with the electronic state of the redox center. To shed light on the mechanism, we combine neutron diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the product-bound, trivalent, and divalent states of the enzyme to reveal the positions of all the atoms, including hydrogen, and the electronic configuration of the metal ion. The data identifies the product-inhibited complex, and a PCET mechanism of inhibition is constructed.