Quantitative structure-activity relationship of human neutrophil collagenase (MMP-8) inhibitors using comparative molecular field analysis and X-ray structure analysis.

A set of 90 novel 2-(arylsulfonyl)-1,2,3, 4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylates and -hydroxamates as inhibitors of the matrix metalloproteinase human neutrophil collagenase (MMP-8) was designed, synthesized, and investigated by 3D-QSAR techniques (CoMFA, CoMSIA) and X-ray structure analysis. Docking studies of a reference compound are based on crystal structures of MMP-8 complexed with peptidic inhibitors to propose a model of its bioactive conformation. This model was validated by a 1. 7 A X-ray structure of the catalytic domain of MMP-8. The 3D-QSAR models based on a superposition rule derived from these docking studies were validated using conventional and cross-validated r2 values using the leave-one-out method, repeated analyses using two randomly chosen cross-validation groups plus randomization of biological activities. This led to consistent and highly predictive 3D-QSAR models with good correlation coefficients for both CoMFA and CoMSIA, which were found to correspond to experimentally determined MMP-8 catalytic site topology in terms of steric, electrostatic, and hydrophobic complementarity. Subsets selected as smaller training sets using 2D fingerprints and maximum dissimilarity methods resulted in 3D-QSAR models with remarkable correlation coefficients and a high predictive power. This allowed to compensate the weaker zinc binding properties of carboxylates by introducing optimal fitting P1' residues. The final QSAR information agrees with all experimental data for the binding topology and thus provides clear guidelines and accurate activity predictions for novel MMP-8 inhibitors.

Rab7: NMR and kinetics analysis of intact and C-terminal truncated constructs.

Rab proteins are a family of approximately 25kD ras-related GTPases which are associated with distinct intracellular membranes where they control vesicle traffic between intracellular compartments. The late-endosomal rab protein rab7(1-207), (lacking only the C-terminal lipids of the native molecule) and three C-terminal truncated constructs rab7(1-202), rab7(1-197) and rab7(1-182) were purified using an E. coli expression system. The C-terminal tail region of rab proteins is of special interest because it is thought to target rab proteins to particular intracellular membranes. A comparison of TOCSY-NMR spectra from intact rab7(1-207) and the tail-less construct rab7(1-182) suggested that much of the C-terminal tail is flexible in solution. The GTP hydrolysis, and GDP association and dissociation rates for all the truncated and intact constructs were similar, showing that the tail region of rab7(1-207) has little influence on the hydrolysis and exchange rates of the nucleotide.

Rab7: crystallization of intact and C-terminal truncated constructs complexed with GDP and GppNHp.

The GTP/GDP conformational switch of members of the rab family of ras-related GTP-ases control specific intracellular vesicle transport pathways. We report the crystallization of the late-endosomal rab protein rab7, in both GTP and GDP conformations. X-ray data from crystals of rab7(1-207) GppNHp (i.e., intact rab7, without C-terminal bound lipid, complexed with a non-hydrolysable GTP analog), rab7(1-197)GppNHp and rab7(1-197)GDP were collected to 1.9A (0 degree C), 1.76A (100 degrees K) and 1.75A (100 degrees K) respectively. Rab7-GDP crystals diffract to at least 1.35A.

Crystallization and initial crystallographic results for pepstatin A inhibited bovine cathepsin D.

Cathepsin D was purified from bovine liver by a method using two pepstatin A affinity columns. The eluted protein was combined with pepstatin A and the complex crystallized from 15% polyethylene glycol 8000 at pH 5.9. The crystals diffract to a resolution of 3.0 A and have space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell dimensions a = 74.8 A, b = 76.0 A, c = 157.7 A. There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The structure was solved by molecular replacement using a pepsin search model and both molecules showed clearly interpretable density in the position expected for pepstatin A in a preliminary difference map. The refined model has r.m.s. deviations from ideal bond lengths and angles of 0.014 A and 3.2 degrees, respectively, and a crystallographic R factor of 17%.