Intrinsic thermodynamics of sulfonamide inhibitor binding to human carbonic anhydrases I and II.

Human carbonic anhydrase (CA) I and II are cytosolic proteins, where their expression disorders can cause diseases such as glaucoma, edema, epilepsy or cancer. There are numerous inhibitors that target these isozymes, but it is difficult to design compounds that could bind to one of these proteins specifically. The binding of sulfonamide inhibitor to a CA is linked to several protonation reactions, namely, deprotonation of the sulfonamide group, protonation of the active site zinc hydroxide and the compensating protonation-deprotonation of buffer. By performing binding experiments at various pHs and buffers, all those contributions were dissected and the "intrinsic" binding parameters were calculated. Intrinsic thermodynamic binding parameters to CA I and II were determined for such widely studied drugs as acetazolamide, ethoxzolamide, methazolamide, trifluoromethanesulfonamide and dichlorophenamide. The assignment of all contributions should enhance our understanding of the underlying energetics and increase our capability to design more potent and specific CA inhibitors.

Benzenesulfonamides with benzimidazole moieties as inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases I, II, VII, XII and XIII.

A series of benzenesulfonamide derivatives, bearing benzimidazole moieties, were designed and synthesized as inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases (CAs). Their binding affinities to recombinant human CA isozymes I, II, VII, XII and XIII were determined by the thermal shift assay. A group of compounds containing a benzimidazole substituent in the para position of the benzenesulfonamide ring was found to exhibit higher binding potency toward tested CAs than meta-substituted benzenesulfonamides. Some of these compounds exhibited nanomolar affinities and selectivity toward the CA isozymes tested.

Benzenesulfonamides with pyrimidine moiety as inhibitors of human carbonic anhydrases I, II, VI, VII, XII, and XIII.

Two groups of benzenesulfonamide derivatives, bearing pyrimidine moieties, were designed and synthesized as inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases (CA). Their binding affinities to six recombinant human CA isoforms I, II, VI, VII, XII, and XIII were determined by the thermal shift assay (TSA). The binding of several inhibitors was measured by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Direct demonstration of compound inhibition was achieved by determining the inhibition constant by stopped-flow CO2 hydration assay. The most potent compounds demonstrated selectivity towards isoform I and affinities of 0.5 nM. The crystal structures of selected compounds in complex with CA II, XII, and XIII were determined to atomic resolution. Compounds described here were compared with previously published pyrimidinebenzenesulfonamides.(1) Systematic structure-activity analysis of 40 compound interactions with six isoforms yields clues for the design of compounds with greater affinities and selectivities towards target CA isoforms.

4-Substituted-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzenesulfonamides as inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases I, II, VII, XII, and XIII.

A series of 4-substituted-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenezenesulfonamides were synthesized and their binding potencies as inhibitors of recombinant human carbonic anhydrase isozymes I, II, VII, XII, and XIII were determined by the thermal shift assay, isothermal titration calorimetry, and stop-flow CO2 hydration assay. All fluorinated benzenesulfonamides exhibited nanomolar binding potency toward tested CAs and fluorinated benzenesulfonamides posessed higher binding potency than non-fluorinated compounds. The crystal structures of 4-[(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)thio]-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzenesulfonamide in complex with CA II and CA XII, and 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfonyl]benzenesulfonamide in complex with CA XIII were determined. The observed dissociation constants for several fluorinated compounds reached subnanomolar range for CA I isozyme. The affinity and the selectivity of the compounds towards tested isozymes are presented.

Volume of Hsp90 ligand binding and the unfolding phase diagram as a function of pressure and temperature.

Volume changes that accompany protein unfolding and ligand binding are important but largely neglected thermodynamic parameters that may facilitate rational drug design. Here, we determined the volume of lead compound ICPD47 binding to an anticancer target, heat shock protein 90 N-terminal domain, using a pressure shift assay (PressureFluor). The ligand exhibited a stabilizing effect on the protein by increasing its melting pressure and temperature. The Gibbs free energy of unfolding depends on the absence or presence of ligand and has an elliptical shape. Ellipse size increases upon addition of the strongly binding ligand, which stabilizes the protein. The three-dimensional (3D) ellipsoidal surface of the Gibbs free energy of unfolding was calculated with increasing ligand concentrations. The negative volume of ligand binding was relatively large and significantly exceeded the volume of protein unfolding. The pressure shift assay technique could be used to determine the volume changes associated with both protein unfolding as well as ligand binding to protein.

Characterization of human carbonic anhydrase XII stability and inhibitor binding.

Human carbonic anhydrase isozyme XII is a transmembrane protein that is overexpressed in many human cancers. Therefore CA XII is an anticancer drug target. However, there are few compounds that specifically target CA XII. The design of specific inhibitors against CA XII relies on the detailed understanding of the thermodynamics of inhibitor binding and the structural features of the protein-inhibitor complex. To characterize the thermodynamic parameters of the binding of known sulfonamides, namely ethoxzolamide, acetazolamide and trifluoromethanesulfonamide, we used isothermal titration calorimetry and fluorescent thermal shift assay. The binding of these sulfonamides to CA XII was buffer and pH-dependent. Dissection of protonation-deprotonation reactions of both the water molecule bound to the CA XII active site and the sulfonamide group of the inhibitor yielded the intrinsic thermodynamic parameters of binding, such as binding enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy. Thermal shift assay was also used to determine CA XII stabilities at various pH and in the presence of buffers and salts.