Solvent-dependent stereoselectivity in a Still-Wittig rearrangement: an experimental and ab initio study.

[see reaction]. The Still-Wittig rearrangement gave opposite selectivities for (Z:E)-alkenes in THF (3:1) vs toluene (1:3) in the synthesis of serine-proline dipeptide amide isosteres. Four transition states leading to (Z)-and (E)-alkenes with THF and without (representing toluene) were identified by ab initio calculations at the 3-21G* level. The calculated (Z:E)-ratios with THF (4.7:1) and without THF (1:3.2) suggested that the transition state geometries and energies were well-represented by the calculations.

Stereoselective deuterium labeling of proR beta-protons in the NMR structure determination of a helix-turn-helix turn peptide mimic.

The NMR structure of a small, side-chain-cyclized tripeptide mimic of the turn in the helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif was determined. The four beta-protons were stereospecifically assigned by stereoselective deuterium replacement of only the proR beta-protons. All 24 of 30 NOESY cross-peaks not involving chemically defined or freely rotating protons, and six of seven coupling constants from the P.COSY were used as distance and angle constraints in molecular modeling. MacroModel found 33/1000 structures in the NMR constrained search and 263/1000 structures in the unconstrained search, indicating meaningful constraint by the NMR data. However, the 10 lowest-energy structures from the unconstrained and constrained searches are very similar, so modeling alone was able to find the experimentally determined structure.

DNA-binding affinities of MyoD and E47 homo- and hetero-dimers by capillary electrophoresis mobility shift assay.

A simple capillary electrophoresis mobility shift assay (CEMSA), with no gel and uncoated capillaries, for the accurate determination of protein-DNA affinities free in solution was applied to constructs of the MyoD/E47 DNA-binding proteins. The determined affinities are compared to those obtained by EMSA. MyoD-E47 covalent heterodimer binds DNA more tightly (Kd=1.8 nM) than MyoD (Kd=14.2 nM) or E47 (Kd= 11.5 nM) covalent homodimers. The effect of non-specific DNA on binding affinities was more important than salt concentration in the MyoD/E47 series. Application of this method to the MyoD/E47 system demonstrates the generality of our CEMSA.

A capillary electrophoresis mobility shift assay for protein-DNA binding affinities free in solution.

Quantitative determination of dissociation constants for DNA-protein complexes will help clarify the molecular mechanisms of transcription, replication and DNA repair. A practical capillary electrophoresis mobility shift assay (CEMSA) for protein-DNA affinities free in solution is presented. The method is fast and simple, precise and general. The speed (<2 min separations) and simplicity derive from the use of an uncoated capillary with no gel matrix. The dissociation constant for GCNK58, a DNA-binding-region construct of the yeast transcription factor GCN4, binding to the AP1 DNA site was measured ( K d = 35 +/- 4 nM) to demonstrate the utility of the method.

The mutant Escherichia coli F112W cyclophilin binds cyclosporin A in nearly identical conformation as human cyclophilin.

The periplasmic Escherichia coli cyclophilin is distantly related to human cyclophilin (34% sequence identity). Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity, cyclosporin A binding, and inhibition of the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin are compared for human and E. coli wild-type and mutant proteins. Like human cyclophilin, the E. coli protein is a cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase. However, while the human protein binds cyclosporin A tightly (Kd = 17 nM), the E. coli protein does not (Kd = 3.4 microM). The mutant F112W E. coli cyclophilin has enhanced cyclosporin binding (Kd = 170 nM). As for the human protein, the complex of the E. coli mutant with cyclosporin A inhibits calcineurin. Here we describe the structure at pH 6.2 of cyclosporin A bound to the mutant E. coli cyclophilin as solved with solution NMR methods. Despite the low overall sequence identity, the structure of the bound cyclosporin A is virtually identical in both proteins. To assess differences of the cyclosporin binding site, the solution structure of wild-type E. coli cyclophilin was compared with structures of uncomplexed human cyclophilin A and with cyclosporin bound. Despite the structural similarity of bound cyclosporin A, the architecture of the binding site in the E. coli protein is substantially different at the site most distant to tryptophan 121 (human sequence). This site is constructed by a five-residue insertion in a loop of the E. coli protein, replacing another loop in the human protein.

Cyclophilin residues that affect noncompetitive inhibition of the protein serine phosphatase activity of calcineurin by the cyclophilin.cyclosporin A complex.

Mutation of three cationic surface residues of human cyclophilin A (hCyPA), R69, K125, and R148, to both anionic and neutral residues left its intrinsic peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity and cyclosporin A (CsA) binding unaffected, but altered its ability to inhibit the serine phosphatase activity of calcineurin (CN). R69E was 13-fold less effective (Ki = 3400 nM) than wild-type hCyPA (Ki = 270 nM) in presenting CsA for calcineurin phosphatase inhibition, while R148E was 17-fold more effective (Ki < or = 16 nM), and human CyPB was 13-fold better (Ki < or = 21 nM), establishing that a composite drug/protein surface is being recognized. The phosphoserine phosphatase reaction catalyzed by CN using unlabeled phosphoserine RII19 peptide was coupled to a continuous spectrophotometric assay to measure inorganic phosphate production using the enzyme purine ribonucleoside phosphorylase and the substrate N7-methyl-2-thioguanosine [Webb, M. R. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 4884-4887]. With this assay, we have determined that human cyclophilin A complexed with the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A is a noncompetitive inhibitor of calcineurin phosphatase activity. This mutational analysis identified hCyPA residues that interact with CN, and comparison to similar data on FKBP allowed us to begin to map out the CN recognition surface. The p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity of CN was stimulated ca. 3-fold by CyP.CsA, presumably reflecting altered active site geometry and selective access of this small substrate.

Crystal structures of cyclophilin A complexed with cyclosporin A and N-methyl-4-[(E)-2-butenyl]-4,4-dimethylthreonine cyclosporin A.

BACKGROUND: Cyclophilin (CyP) is a ubiquitious intracellular protein that binds the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA). CyP-CsA forms a ternary complex with calcineurin and thereby inhibits T-cell activation. CyP also has enzymatic activity, catalyzing the cis-trans isomerization of peptidyl-prolyl amide bonds. RESULTS: We have determined the structure of human cyclophilin A (CyPA) complexed with CsA to 2.1 A resolution. We also report here the structure of CyPA complexed with an analog of CsA, CsA (MeBm2t1-CsA), which binds less well to CyPA, but has increased immunosuppressive activity. Comparison of these structures with previously determined structures of unligated CyPA and CyPA complexed with a candidate substrate for the isomerase activity, the dipeptide AlaPro, reveals that subtle conformational changes occur in both CsA and CyPA on complex formation. CONCLUSIONS: MeBm2t1-CsA binds to CyPA in an essentially similar manner to CsA. The 100-fold weaker affinity of its binding may be attributable to the close contact between MeBmt1 and the active site residue Ala103 of CyPA, which causes small conformational changes in both protein and drug. One change, the slight movement of MeLeu6 in CsA relative to MeBm2t1-CsA, may be at least partially responsible for the higher affinity of the CyPA-MeBm2t1-CsA complex for calcineurin. Our comparison between CyPA-CsA and CyPA-AlaPro suggests that CsA is probably not an analog of the natural substrate, confirming that the catalytic activity of CyPA is not related to its role in immunosuppression either structurally or functionally.

Overexpression, purification, and mechanistic study of UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvylglucosamine reductase.

The recently isolated Escherichia coli murB gene (Pucci et al., 1992) has been cloned into an expression vector and the encoded UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvylglucosamine reductase (EC 1.1.1.158) was overproduced to about 10% of soluble cell protein. The encoded 38-kDa protein has been purified to near homogeneity. It was found to be a monomer and to contain stoichiometric amounts of bound FAD which is reducible in catalytic turnover. The enzyme utilizes the 4-pro-S hydrogen of NADPH to reduce the enolpyruvyl group of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvate to the lactyl ether in UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid. NMR analysis of products from 2H2O and 4S-[2H]NADPH incubations establishes that a hydride from NADPH via E.FADH2 is transferred to the beta-methyl of the 3-O-lactyl moiety and a proton from solvent to the alpha-carbon of the lactyl moiety of UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid. A mechanism for this unusual enolether reduction in bacterial cell wall assembly is proposed.

Active site mutants of human cyclophilin A separate peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity from cyclosporin A binding and calcineurin inhibition.

Based on recent X-ray structural information, six site-directed mutants of human cyclophilin A (hCyPA) involving residues in the putative active site--H54, R55, F60, Q111, F113, and H126--have been constructed, overexpressed, and purified from Escherichia coli to homogeneity. The proteins W121A (Liu, J., Chen, C.-M., & Walsh, C.T., 1991a, Biochemistry 30, 2306-2310), H54Q, R55A, F60A, Q111A, F113A, and H126Q were assayed for cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity, their ability to bind the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA), and protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) inhibition in the presence of CsA. Results indicate that H54Q, Q111A, F113A, and W121A retain 3-15% of the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of wild-type recombinant hCyPA. The remaining three mutants (R55A, F60A, and H126Q) each retain less than 1% of the wild-type catalytic efficiency, indicating participation by these residues in PPIase catalysis. Each of the mutants bound to a CsA affinity matrix. The mutants R55A, F60A, F113A, and H126Q inhibited calcineurin in the presence of CsA, whereas W121A did not. Although CsA is a competitive inhibitor of PPIase activity, it can complex with enzymatically inactive cyclophilins and inhibit the phosphatase activity of calcineurin.