Insights into activity and inhibition from the crystal structure of human O-GlcNAcase.

O-GlcNAc hydrolase (OGA) catalyzes removal of ßα-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine from serine and threonine residues. We report crystal structures of Homo sapiens OGA catalytic domain in apo and inhibited states, revealing a flexible dimer that displays three unique conformations and is characterized by subdomain α-helix swapping. These results identify new structural features of the substrate-binding groove adjacent to the catalytic site and open new opportunities for structural, mechanistic and drug discovery activities.

Integration of Affinity Selection-Mass Spectrometry and Functional Cell-Based Assays to Rapidly Triage Druggable Target Space within the NF-κB Pathway.

The primary objective of early drug discovery is to associate druggable target space with a desired phenotype. The inability to efficiently associate these often leads to failure early in the drug discovery process. In this proof-of-concept study, the most tractable starting points for drug discovery within the NF-κB pathway model system were identified by integrating affinity selection-mass spectrometry (AS-MS) with functional cellular assays. The AS-MS platform Automated Ligand Identification System (ALIS) was used to rapidly screen 15 NF-κB proteins in parallel against large-compound libraries. ALIS identified 382 target-selective compounds binding to 14 of the 15 proteins. Without any chemical optimization, 22 of the 382 target-selective compounds exhibited a cellular phenotype consistent with the respective target associated in ALIS. Further studies on structurally related compounds distinguished two chemical series that exhibited a preliminary structure-activity relationship and confirmed target-driven cellular activity to NF-κB1/p105 and TRAF5, respectively. These two series represent new drug discovery opportunities for chemical optimization. The results described herein demonstrate the power of combining ALIS with cell functional assays in a high-throughput, target-based approach to determine the most tractable drug discovery opportunities within a pathway.

Structure and Function of the Hypertension Variant A486V of G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase 4.

G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) bind to and phosphorylate GPCRs, initiating the process of GPCR desensitization and internalization. GRK4 is implicated in the regulation of blood pressure, and three GRK4 polymorphisms (R65L, A142V, and A486V) are associated with hypertension. Here, we describe the 2.6 Å structure of human GRK4α A486V crystallized in the presence of 5'-adenylyl ß,γ-imidodiphosphate. The structure of GRK4α is similar to other GRKs, although slight differences exist within the RGS homology (RH) bundle subdomain, substrate-binding site, and kinase C-tail. The RH bundle subdomain and kinase C-terminal lobe form a strikingly acidic surface, whereas the kinase N-terminal lobe and RH terminal subdomain surfaces are much more basic. In this respect, GRK4α is more similar to GRK2 than GRK6. A fully ordered kinase C-tail reveals interactions linking the C-tail with important determinants of kinase activity, including the αB helix, αD helix, and the P-loop. Autophosphorylation of wild-type GRK4α is required for full kinase activity, as indicated by a lag in phosphorylation of a peptide from the dopamine D1 receptor without ATP preincubation. In contrast, this lag is not observed in GRK4α A486V. Phosphopeptide mapping by mass spectrometry indicates an increased rate of autophosphorylation of a number of residues in GRK4α A486V relative to wild-type GRK4α, including Ser-485 in the kinase C-tail.

Structural basis for selective small molecule kinase inhibition of activated c-Met.

The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met is implicated in oncogenesis and is the target for several small molecule and biologic agents in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. Binding of the hepatocyte growth factor to the cell surface receptor of c-Met induces activation via autophosphorylation of the kinase domain. Here we describe the structural basis of c-Met activation upon autophosphorylation and the selective small molecule inhibiton of autophosphorylated c-Met. MK-2461 is a potent c-Met inhibitor that is selective for the phosphorylated state of the enzyme. Compound 1 is an MK-2461 analog with a 20-fold enthalpy-driven preference for the autophosphorylated over unphosphorylated c-Met kinase domain. The crystal structure of the unbound kinase domain phosphorylated at Tyr-1234 and Tyr-1235 shows that activation loop phosphorylation leads to the ejection and disorder of the activation loop and rearrangement of helix αC and the G loop to generate a viable active site. Helix αC adopts a orientation different from that seen in activation loop mutants. The crystal structure of the complex formed by the autophosphorylated c-Met kinase domain and compound 1 reveals a significant induced fit conformational change of the G loop and ordering of the activation loop, explaining the selectivity of compound 1 for the autophosphorylated state. The results highlight the role of structural plasticity within the kinase domain in imparting the specificity of ligand binding and provide the framework for structure-guided design of activated c-Met inhibitors.

Structural definition and substrate specificity of the S28 protease family: the crystal structure of human prolylcarboxypeptidase.

BACKGROUND: The unique S28 family of proteases is comprised of the carboxypeptidase PRCP and the aminopeptidase DPP7. The structural basis of the different substrate specificities of the two enzymes is not understood nor has the structure of the S28 fold been described. RESULTS: The experimentally phased 2.8 A crystal structure is presented for human PRCP. PRCP contains an alpha/beta hydrolase domain harboring the catalytic Asp-His-Ser triad and a novel helical structural domain that caps the active site. Structural comparisons with prolylendopeptidase and DPP4 identify the S1 proline binding site of PRCP. A structure-based alignment with the previously undescribed structure of DPP7 illuminates the mechanism of orthogonal substrate specificity of PRCP and DPP7. PRCP has an extended active-site cleft that can accommodate proline substrates with multiple N-terminal residues. In contrast, the substrate binding groove of DPP7 is occluded by a short amino-acid insertion unique to DPP7 that creates a truncated active site selective for dipeptidyl proteolysis of N-terminal substrates. CONCLUSION: The results define the structure of the S28 family of proteases, provide the structural basis of PRCP and DPP7 substrate specificity and enable the rational design of selective PRCP modulators.

Expression, purification and crystallization of human prolylcarboxypeptidase.

Prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) is a lysosomal serine carboxypeptidase that cleaves a variety of C-terminal amino acids adjacent to proline and has been implicated in diseases such as hypertension and obesity. Here, the robust production, purification and crystallization of glycosylated human PrCP from stably transformed CHO cells is described. Purified PrCP yielded crystals belonging to space group R32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 181.14, c = 240.13 A, that diffracted to better than 2.8 A resolution.