Search

Two interesting new X-ray structures of negative allosteric modulator (NAM) ligands for the mGlu 5 receptor, M-MPEP (3) and fenobam (4), are reported. The new structures show how the binding of the ligands induces different receptor water channel conformations to previously published structures. The structure of fenobam, where a urea replaces the acetylenic linker in M-MPEP and mavoglurant, reveals a binding mode where the ligand is rotated by 180° compared to a previously proposed docking model. The need for multiple ligand structures for accurate GPCR structure-based drug design is demonstrated by the different growing vectors identified for the head groups of M-MPEP and mavoglurant and by the unexpected water-mediated receptor interactions of a new chemotype represented by fenobam. The implications of the new structures for ligand design are discussed, with extensive analysis of the energetics of the water networks of both pseudoapo and bound structures providing a new design strategy for allosteric modulators.

The thermostability of an integral membrane protein (MP) in detergent solution is a key parameter that dictates the likelihood of obtaining well-diffracting crystals that are suitable for structure determination. However, many mammalian MPs are too unstable for crystallization. We developed a thermostabilization strategy based on systematic mutagenesis coupled to a radioligand-binding thermostability assay that can be applied to receptors, ion channels and transporters. It takes ∼6-12 months to thermostabilize a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) containing 300 amino acid (aa) residues. The resulting thermostabilized MPs are more easily crystallized and result in high-quality structures. This methodology has facilitated structure-based drug design applied to GPCRs because it is possible to determine multiple structures of the thermostabilized receptors bound to low-affinity ligands. Protocols and advice are given on how to develop thermostability assays for MPs and how to combine mutations to make an optimally stable mutant suitable for structural studies. The steps in the procedure include the generation of ∼300 site-directed mutants by Ala/Leu scanning mutagenesis, the expression of each mutant in mammalian cells by transient transfection and the identification of thermostable mutants using a thermostability assay that is based on binding of an (125)I-labeled radioligand to the unpurified, detergent-solubilized MP. Individual thermostabilizing point mutations are then combined to make an optimally stable MP that is suitable for structural biology and other biophysical studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare competing financial interests.

Fragment screening of a thermostabilized mGlu5 receptor using a high-concentration radioligand binding assay enabled the identification of moderate affinity, high ligand efficiency (LE) pyrimidine hit 5. Subsequent optimization using structure-based drug discovery methods led to the selection of 25, HTL14242, as an advanced lead compound for further development. Structures of the stabilized mGlu5 receptor complexed with 25 and another molecule in the series, 14, were determined at resolutions of 2.6 and 3.1 Å, respectively.

Fats based on stearic acid could be a healthier alternative to existing oils especially hydrogenated fractions of oils or palm, but only a few non-tropical species produce oils with these characteristics. In this regard, newly developed high stearic oil seed crops could be a future source of fats and hard stocks rich in stearic and oleic fatty acids. These oil crops have been obtained either by breeding and mutagenesis or by suppression of desaturases using RNA interference. The present review depicts the molecular and biochemical bases for the accumulation of stearic acid in sunflower. Moreover, aspects limiting the accumulation of stearate in the seeds of this species are reviewed. This included data obtained from the characterization of genes and enzymes related to fatty acid biosynthesis and triacylglycerol assembly. Future improvements and uses of these oils are also discussed., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The β(1)-adrenergic receptor (β(1)AR) is a G-protein-coupled receptor whose inactive state structure was determined using a thermostabilized mutant (β(1)AR-M23). However, it was not thought to be in a fully inactivated state because there was no salt bridge between Arg139 and Glu285 linking the cytoplasmic ends of transmembrane helices 3 and 6 (the R(3.50) - D/E(6.30) "ionic lock"). Here we compare eight new structures of β(1)AR-M23, determined from crystallographically independent molecules in four different crystals with three different antagonists bound. These structures are all in the inactive R state and show clear electron density for cytoplasmic loop 3 linking transmembrane helices 5 and 6 that had not been seen previously. Despite significantly different crystal packing interactions, there are only two distinct conformations of the cytoplasmic end of helix 6, bent and straight. In the bent conformation, the Arg139-Glu285 salt bridge is present, as in the crystal structure of dark-state rhodopsin. The straight conformation, observed in previously solved structures of β-receptors, results in the ends of helices 3 and 6 being too far apart for the ionic lock to form. In the bent conformation, the R(3.50)-E(6.30) distance is significantly longer than in rhodopsin, suggesting that the interaction is also weaker, which could explain the high basal activity in β(1)AR compared to rhodopsin. Many mutations that increase the constitutive activity of G-protein-coupled receptors are found in the bent region at the cytoplasmic end of helix 6, supporting the idea that this region plays an important role in receptor activation.

Mixed protein-surfactant micelles are used for in vitro studies and 3D crystallization when solutions of pure, monodisperse integral membrane proteins are required. However, many membrane proteins undergo inactivation when transferred from the biomembrane into micelles of conventional surfactants with alkyl chains as hydrophobic moieties. Here we describe the development of surfactants with rigid, saturated or aromatic hydrocarbon groups as hydrophobic parts. Their stabilizing properties are demonstrated with three different integral membrane proteins. The temperature at which 50% of the binding sites for specific ligands are lost is used as a measure of stability and dodecyl-β-D-maltoside ('C12-b-M') as a reference for conventional surfactants. One surfactant increased the stability of two different G protein-coupled receptors and the human Patched protein receptor by approximately 10°C compared to C12-b-M. Another surfactant yielded the highest stabilization of the human Patched protein receptor compared to C12-b-M (13°C) but was inferior for the G protein-coupled receptors. In addition, one of the surfactants was successfully used to stabilize and crystallize the cytochrome b(6 )f complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The structure was solved to the same resolution as previously reported in C12-b-M.

In previous work we described six point mutations that thermostabilised the turkey beta(1)-adrenergic receptor (tbeta(1)AR). The thermostable mutant, tbeta(1)AR-m23, had an apparent T(m) 21 degrees C higher than the native protein when solubilized in dodecylmaltoside (DDM) and, in addition, was significantly more stable in short chain detergents, which allowed its crystallization and structure determination. Identification of thermostabilizing mutations in tbeta(1)AR was performed by systematic mutagenesis followed by expressing and assaying each of the 318 mutants for their thermostability. This is time-consuming, so to facilitate studies on related receptors, we have studied the transferability of these mutations to the human adrenergic receptors, hbeta(1)AR and hbeta(2)AR, which have, respectively, 76% and 59% sequence identity to tbeta(2)AR, excluding the N- and C-termini. Thermostability assays revealed that hbeta(1)AR was much more unstable than tbeta(2)AR, whereas hbeta(2)AR was more stable than tbeta(1)AR. Addition of the 6 thermostabilizing mutations in tbeta(2)AR-m23 into both hbeta(2)AR and hbeta(2)AR increased their apparent T(m)s by 17 degrees C and 11 degrees C, respectively. In addition, the mutations affected the global conformation of the human receptors so that they were predominantly in the antagonist bound form, as was originally observed for tbeta(2)AR-m23. Thus, once thermostabilizing mutations have been identified in one G protein-coupled receptor, stabilization of close members within the subfamily is rapidly obtainable.

Structural studies on G-protein-coupled receptors have been hampered for many years by their instability in detergent solution and by the number of potential conformations that receptors can adopt. Recently, the structures of the beta(1) and beta(2) adrenergic receptors and the adenosine A(2a) receptor were determined in the antagonist-bound state, a receptor conformation that is thought to be more stable than the agonist-bound state. In contrast to these receptors, the neurotensin (NT) receptor NTS1 is much less stable in detergent solution. We have therefore used a systematic mutational approach coupled with activity assays to identify receptor mutants suitable for crystallization, both alone and in complex with the peptide agonist NT. The best receptor mutant NTS1-7m contained four point mutations. It showed increased stability compared to the wild-type receptor, in the absence of ligand, after solubilization with a variety of detergents. In addition, NTS1-7m bound to NT was more stable than unliganded NTS1-7m. Of the four thermostabilizing mutations, only one residue (A86L) is predicted to be in the lipid environment. In contrast, I260A appears to be buried within the transmembrane helix bundle, F342A may form a distant part of the putative ligand-binding site, whereas F358A is likely to be in a region that is important for receptor activation. NTS1-7m binds NT with a similar affinity for the wild-type receptor. However, agonist dissociation was slower, and NTS1-7m activated G-proteins poorly. The affinity of NTS1-7m for the antagonist SR48692 was also lower than that of the wild-type receptor. Thus, we have successfully stabilized NTS1 in an agonist-binding conformation that does not efficiently couple to G-proteins.

Structure determination of G protein-coupled receptors is still in its infancy and many factors affect whether crystals are obtained and whether the diffraction is of sufficient quality for structure determination. We recently solved the structure of a thermostabilised turkey beta 1-adrenergic receptor by crystallization in the presence of the detergent octylthioglucoside. Three factors were essential for this success. Firstly, truncations were required at the N-terminus to give optimal expression. Secondly, 6 thermostabilising point mutations were incorporated to make the receptor sufficiently stable in short-chain detergents to allow crystallization. Thirdly, truncations at the C-terminus and within cytoplasmic loop 3, in combination with the removal of the palmitoylation site, were required to obtain well-diffracting crystals in octylthioglucoside. Here, we describe the strategy employed and the utility of thermostability assays in assessing how point mutations, truncations, detergents and ligands combine to develop a construct that forms diffraction-grade crystals.

Structural studies on mammalian integral membrane proteins have long been hampered by their instability in detergent. This is particularly true for the agonist conformation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), where it is thought that the movement of helices that occurs upon agonist binding results in a looser and less stable packing in the protein. Here, we show that mutagenesis coupled to a specific selection strategy can be used to stabilize the agonist and antagonist conformations of the adenosine A(2a) receptor. Of the 27 mutations identified that improve the thermostability of the agonist conformation, only three are also present in the 17 mutations identified that improve the thermostability of the antagonist conformation, suggesting that the selection strategies used were specific for each conformation. Combination of the stabilizing mutations for the antagonist- or agonist-binding conformations resulted in mutants that are more stable at higher temperatures than the wild-type receptor by 17 degrees C and 9 degrees C, respectively. The mutant receptors both showed markedly improved stability in short-chain alkyl-glucoside detergents compared with the wild-type receptor, which will facilitate their structural analysis.

G-protein-coupled receptors have a major role in transmembrane signalling in most eukaryotes and many are important drug targets. Here we report the 2.7 A resolution crystal structure of a beta(1)-adrenergic receptor in complex with the high-affinity antagonist cyanopindolol. The modified turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) receptor was selected to be in its antagonist conformation and its thermostability improved by earlier limited mutagenesis. The ligand-binding pocket comprises 15 side chains from amino acid residues in 4 transmembrane alpha-helices and extracellular loop 2. This loop defines the entrance of the ligand-binding pocket and is stabilized by two disulphide bonds and a sodium ion. Binding of cyanopindolol to the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor and binding of carazolol to the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor involve similar interactions. A short well-defined helix in cytoplasmic loop 2, not observed in either rhodopsin or the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor, directly interacts by means of a tyrosine with the highly conserved DRY motif at the end of helix 3 that is essential for receptor activation.

There are approximately 350 non-odorant G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) encoded by the human genome, many of which are predicted to be potential therapeutic targets, but there are only two structures available to represent the whole of the family. We hypothesized that improving the detergent stability of these receptors and simultaneously locking them into one preferred conformation will greatly improve the chances of crystallization. We developed a generic strategy for the isolation of detergent-solubilized thermostable mutants of a GPCR, the beta1-adrenergic receptor. The most stable mutant receptor, betaAR-m23, contained six point mutations that led to an apparent T(m) 21 degrees C higher than the native protein, and, in the presence of bound antagonist, betaAR-m23 was as stable as bovine rhodopsin. In addition, betaAR-m23 was significantly more stable in a wide range of detergents ideal for crystallization and was preferentially in an antagonist conformation in the absence of ligand.

The substrate specificity of acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterases (EC 3.1.2.14) determines the fatty acids available for the biosynthesis of storage and membrane lipids in seeds. In order to determine the mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acids in sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus L.), we isolated, cloned and sequenced a cDNA clone of acyl-ACP thioesterase from developing sunflower seeds, HaFatA1. Through the heterologous expression of HaFatA1 in Escherichia coli we have purified and characterized this enzyme, showing that sunflower HaFatA1 cDNA encodes a functional thioesterase with preference for monounsaturated acyl-ACPs. The HaFatA1 thioesterase was most efficient (kcat/K(m)) in catalyzing oleoyl-ACP, both in vivo and in vitro. By comparing this sequence with those obtained from public databases, we constructed a phylogenetic tree that included FatA and FatB thioesterases, as well as related prokaryotic proteins. The phylogenetic relationships support the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of eukaryotic cells and the suggestion that eubacteria from the delta-subdivision were the guest cells in the symbiosis with archaea. These prokaryotic proteins are more homologous to plant FatB, suggesting that the ancient thioesterases were more similar to FatB. Finally, using the available structure prediction methods, a 3D model of plant acyl-ACP thioesterases is proposed that reflects the combined data from direct mutagenesis and chimera studies. In addition, the model was tested by mutating the residues proposed to interact with the ACP protein in the FatA thioesterase by site-directed mutagenesis. The results indicate that this region is involved in the stabilization of the substrate at the active site.

Information obtained in recent years regarding the enzymes involved in FA synthesis can now be applied to develop novel sunflower lines by incorporating enzymes with specific characteristics into lines with a defined background. We have generated three highly saturated mutant lines in this way and characterized their FA content. The new high-palmitic, low-palmitoleic lines CAS-18 and CAS-25, the latter on a high-oleic background, have been selected from the high-stearic mutant CAS-3 by introducing a deficient stearic acid desaturase in a high-palmitic background from the previously developed mutant lines CAS-5 and CAS-12, respectively. As such, the desaturation of palmitic acid and the synthesis of palmitoleic acid and its derivatives (asclepic and palmitolinoleic acids) were reduced in these high-palmitic lines, increasing the stearic acid content. Likewise, introducing a FA thioesterase from a high-palmitic line (e.g., CAS-5) into the high-stearic CAS-3 increased the stearic acid content from 27 to 32% in the new high-stearic line CAS-31. As previously described in high-palmitic lines, high growth temperatures did not reduce the linoleic acid content of the oil. Furthermore, the FA composition of TAG, DAG, and phospholipids was modified in these lines. Besides a high degree of saturation, the TAG from these new vegetable oils have a low content of saturated FA in the sn-2 position. The alpha asymmetric coefficient obtained also indicates that the saturated FA are asymmetrically distributed within the TAG molecules. Indeed, the disaturated TAG content rose from 31.8 to 48.2%. These values of disaturated TAG are the highest to date in a temperate oilseed.

To further characterize the stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) desaturase (EC 1.14.99.6) and the acyl-ACP thioesterase FatB (EC 3.1.2.14) activities from sunflower seeds, we cloned, sequenced and expressed the recombinant genes in Escherichia coli. We obtained two partially purified proteins, His-SAD and His-FATB, each of about 45000 Da. The expression of either proteins produced changes in the E. coli fatty acid profile indicating the functionality of the recombinant proteins. While the expression of His-SAD produced an effect similar to that produced by overexpression of the fabA gene, responsible for the fatty acid desaturation in E. coli, the expression of His-FATB gave rise to an unbalance between unsaturated fatty acids and a toxic effect in E. coli.

During sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seed formation there was an active period of lipid biosynthesis between 12 and 28 days after flowering (DAF). The maximum in-vitro acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterase activities (EC 3.1.2.14) were found at 15 DAF, preceding the largest accumulation of lipid in the seed. Data from the apparent kinetic parameters, Vmax and Km, from seeds of 15 and 30 DAF, showed that changes in acyl-ACP thioesterase activity are not only quantitative, but also qualitative, since, although the preferred substrate was always oleoyl-ACP, the affinity for palmitoyl-ACP decreased, whereas that for stearoyl-ACP increased with seed maturation. Bisubstrate assays carried out at 30 DAF seemed to indicate that the total activity found in mature seeds is due to a single enzyme with 100/75/15 affinity for oleoyl-ACP/stearoyl-ACP/ palmitoyl-ACP. In contrast, at 15 DAF, enzymatic data together with partial sequences from cDNAs indicated the presence of at least two enzymes with different properties, a FatA-like thioesterase, with a high affinity for oleoyl-ACP, plus a FatB-like enzyme, with preference for long-chain saturated fatty acids, both being expressed during the active lipid biosynthesis period. Competition assays carried out with CAS-5, a mutant with a higher content of palmitic acid in the seed oil, indicated that a modified FatA-type thioesterase is involved in the mutant phenotype.