Covalent Modifier Discovery Using Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange-Mass Spectrometry.

Covalent ligands are generally filtered out of chemical libraries used for high-throughput screening, because electrophilic functional groups are considered to be pan-assay interference compounds (PAINS). Therefore, screening strategies that can distinguish true covalent ligands from PAINS are required. Hydrogen/deuterium-exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is a powerful tool for evaluating protein stability. Here, we report a covalent modifier screening approach using HDX-MS. In this study, HDX-MS was used to classify peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and vitamin D receptor ligands. HDX-MS could discriminate the strength of ligand-protein interactions. Our HDX-MS screening method identified LT175 and nTZDpa, which can bind concurrently to the PPARγ ligand-binding domain (PPARγ-LBD) with synergistic activation. Furthermore, iodoacetic acid was identified as a novel covalent modifier that stabilizes the PPARγ-LBD.

Involvement of a Cluster of Basic Amino Acids in Phosphorylation-Dependent Functional Repression of the Ceramide Transport Protein CERT.

Ceramide transport protein (CERT) mediates ceramide transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi for sphingomyelin (SM) biosynthesis. CERT is inactivated by multiple phosphorylation at the serine-repeat motif (SRM), and mutations that impair the SRM phosphorylation are associated with a group of inherited intellectual disorders in humans. It has been suggested that the N-terminal phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate [PtdIns(4)P] binding domain and the C-terminal ceramide-transfer domain of CERT physically interfere with each other in the SRM phosphorylated state, thereby repressing the function of CERT; however, it remains unclear which regions in CERT are involved in the SRM phosphorylation-dependent repression of CERT. Here, we identified a previously uncharacterized cluster of lysine/arginine residues that were predicted to be located on the outer surface of a probable coiled-coil fold in CERT. Substitutions of the basic amino acids in the cluster with alanine released the SRM-dependent repression of CERT activities, i.e., the synthesis of SM, PtdIns(4)P-binding, vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein (VAP) binding, ceramide-transfer activity, and localization to the Golgi, although the effect on SM synthesis activity was only partially compromised by the alanine substitutions, which moderately destabilized the trimeric status of CERT. These results suggest that the basic amino acid cluster in the coiled-coil region is involved in the regulation of CERT function.

Structural Insights into the Loss-of-Function R288H Mutant of Human PPARγ.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a nuclear receptor and the molecular target of thiazolidinedione-class antidiabetic drugs. It has been reported that the loss of function R288H mutation in the human PPARγ ligand-binding domain (LBD) may be associated with the onset of colon cancer. A previous in vitro study showed that this mutation dampens 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2, a natural PPARγ agonist)-dependent transcriptional activation; however, it is poorly understood why the function of the R288H mutant is impaired and what role this arginine (Arg) residue plays. In this study, we found that the apo-form of R288H PPARγ mutant displays several altered conformational arrangements of the amino acid side chains in LBD: 1) the loss of a salt bridge between Arg288 and Glu295 leads to increased helix 3 movement; 2) closer proximity of Gln286 and His449 via a hydrogen bond, and closer proximity of Cys285 and Phe363 via hydrophobic interaction, stabilize the helix 3-helix 11 interaction; and 3) there is steric hindrance between Cys285/Gln286/Ser289/His449 and the flexible ligands 15d-PGJ2, 6-oxotetracosahexaenoic acid (6-oxoTHA), and 17-oxodocosahexaenoic acid (17-oxoDHA). These results suggest why Arg288 plays an important role in ligand binding and why the R288H mutation is disadvantageous for flexible ligand binding.

Phosphoinositide binding by the PH domain in ceramide transfer protein (CERT) is inhibited by hyperphosphorylation of an adjacent serine-repeat motif.

Sphingolipids such as ceramide are important constituents of cell membranes. The ceramide transfer protein (CERT) moves ceramide from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus in a nonvesicular manner. Hyperphosphorylation of the serine-repeat motif (SRM) adjacent to the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of CERT down-regulates the inter-organelle ceramide transport function of CERT. However, the mechanistic details of this down-regulation remain elusive. Using solution NMR and binding assays, we herein show that a hyperphosphorylation-mimetic CERT variant in which 10 serine/threonine residues of SRM had been replaced with glutamate residues (the 10E variant) displays an intramolecular interaction between SRM and positively charged regions of the PH domain, which are involved in the binding of this domain to phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate (PI4P). Of note, the binding of the PH domain to PI4P-embedded membranes was attenuated by the SRM 10E substitutions in cell-free assays. Moreover, the 10E substitutions reduced the Golgi-targeting activity of the PH-SRM construct in living cells. These results indicate that hyperphosphorylated SRM directly interacts with the surface of the PH domain in an intramolecular manner, thereby decreasing the PI4P-binding activity of the PH domain. In light of these findings, we propose that the hyperphosphorylation of SRM may trigger the dissociation of CERT from the Golgi apparatus, resulting in a functionally less active conformation of CERT.

SRC2-3 binds to vitamin D receptor with high sensitivity and strong affinity.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and regulates the expression of target genes through ligand binding. To express the target gene, coactivator binding to the VDR/ligand complex is essential. Although there are many coactivators in living cells, precise interactions between coactivators and VDR have not been clarified. Here, we synthesized two coactivator peptides, DRIP205-2 and SRC2-3, evaluated their affinity for the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of VDR using 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, partial agonist 1, and antagonist 2 by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and assessed their interaction modes with VDR-LBD using X-ray crystallographic analysis. This study showed that the SRC2-3 peptide is more sensitive to the ligands (agonist, partial agonist, and antagonist) and shows more intimate interactions with VDR-LBD than DRIP205-2 peptide.

Apo- and Antagonist-Binding Structures of Vitamin D Receptor Ligand-Binding Domain Revealed by Hybrid Approach Combining Small-Angle X-ray Scattering and Molecular Dynamics.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) controls the expression of numerous genes through the conformational change caused by binding 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Helix 12 in the ligand-binding domain (LBD) is key to regulating VDR activation. The structures of apo VDR-LBD and the VDR-LBD/antagonist complex are unclear. Here, we reveal their unprecedented structures in solution using a hybrid method combining small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. In apo rat VDR-LBD, helix 12 is partially unraveled, and it is positioned around the canonical active position and fluctuates. Helix 11 greatly bends toward the outside at Q396, creating a kink. In the rat VDR-LBD/antagonist complex, helix 12 does not generate the activation function 2 surface, and loop 11-12 is remarkably flexible compared to that in the apo rat VDR-LBD. On the basis of these structural insights, we propose a "folding-door model" to describe the mechanism of agonism/antagonism of VDR-LBD.

Helix12-Stabilization Antagonist of Vitamin D Receptor.

To develop strong vitamin D receptor (VDR) antagonists and reveal their antagonistic mechanism, we designed and synthesized vitamin D analogues with bulky side chains based on the "active antagonist" concept in which antagonist prevents helix 12 (H12) folding. Of the synthesized analogues, compounds 3a and 3b showed strong antagonistic activity. Dynamic hydrogen/deuterium exchange coupled with mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and static X-ray crystal structure analyses indicated that compound 3a stabilizes H11-H12 but displaces H6-H7 so that 3a is a novel rather than "active" or "passive" type of antagonist. We classified 3a as a third type of antagonist and called it "H11-H12 stabilization antagonist". HDX-MS analysis indicated that antagonist 3b is an "active" antagonist. To date there are no reports relating to nuclear receptor antagonist that strongly stabilizes H12. In this study, we found first VDR antagonist that stabilizes H12 and we showed that antagonistic mechanism is diverse depending on each antagonist structure. Additionally, HDX-MS was proven to be very useful for investigations of protein structure alterations resulting from ligand binding.

17-OxoDHA Is a PPARα/γ Dual Covalent Modifier and Agonist.

17-Hydroxy docosahexaenoic acid (17-HDHA) is an oxidized form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and known as a specialized proresolving mediator. We found that a further oxidized product, 17-oxodocosahexaenoic acid (17-oxoDHA), activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ (PPARγ) and PPARα in transcriptional assays and thus can be classified as an α/γ dual agonist. ESI mass spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic analysis showed that 17-oxoDHA binds to PPARγ and PPARα covalently, making 17-oxoDHA the first of a novel class of PPAR agonists, the PPARα/γ dual covalent agonist. Furthermore, the covalent binding sites were identified as Cys285 for PPARγ and Cys275 for PPARα.

Characterization of covalent bond formation between PPARγ and oxo-fatty acids.

Covalent modification of proteins is important for normal cellular regulation. Here, we report on the covalent modification of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), an important drug target, by oxo-fatty acids. In this study, ESI mass spectroscopy showed that the reactivities of oxo-fatty acids with PPARγ are different from one another and that these behaviors are related to the structure of the fatty acids. X-ray crystallography showed that three oxo-fatty acids all bound to the same residue of PPARγ (Cys285), but displayed different hydrogen bonding modes. Moreover, fatty acids formed covalent bonds with both PPARγ moieties in the homodimer, one in an active conformation and the other in an alternative conformation. These two conformations may explain why covalently bound fatty acids show partial rather than full agonist activity.

A mixed population of antagonist and agonist binding conformers in a single crystal explains partial agonism against vitamin D receptor: active vitamin D analogues with 22R-alkyl group.

We are continuing to study the structural basis of vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonism and antagonism by using 22S-alkyl vitamin D analogues. Here we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of 22R-alkyl analogues and the X-ray crystallographic analysis of vitamin D receptor ligand-binding domain (VDR-LBD) complexed with a 22R-analogue. VDR-LBD complexed with the partial agonist 8a showed that 8a binds to VDR-LBD with two conformations, one of which is the antagonist/VDR-LBD complex structure and the other is the agonist/VDR-LBD complex structure. The results indicate that the partial agonist activity of 8a depends on the sum of antagonistic and agonistic activities caused by the antagonist and agonist binding conformers, respectively. The structural basis observed here must be applicable to the partial agonism of other ligand-dependent nuclear receptors. This is the first report describing the trapping of a conformational subset of the ligand and the nuclear receptor in a single crystal.