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Increased GBM cell invasion in vivo is confirmed by a human specific antibody against HLA and measurement of tumour volume by multi-slice T2 MR imaging

GFP E2 cells irradiated with 2Gy in an ex vivo brain slice motility assay

Supplemental Figure 1. Kinome selectivity profiles for BDP8900 and BDP9066. Supplemental Figure 2. Cancer cell line sensitivity to BDP8900 and BDP9066. Supplemental Figure 3. MRCKα phosphorylations compared with MRCKβ. Supplemental Figure 4. MRCKα, MRCKβ and MRCKα pS1003 antibody validation. Supplemental Figure 5. MRCK and DMPK expression in MDA MB 231 D3H2 LN human breast cancer cells, SCC12 human squamous cell carcinoma cells, and human skeletal muscle. Supplemental Table 1. Crystallographic data and model statistics. Supplemental Table 2: BDP8900 and BDP9066 selectivity in vitro (in-house determinations). Supplemental Table 3. Kinase selectivity screen for BDP8900 and BDP9066. Supplemental Table 4. BDP8900 selectivity in vitro (out-sourced determinations). Supplemental Table 5. BDP9066 selectivity in vitro (out-sourced determinations). Supplemental Table 6. Cancer cell line EC50 values for BDP8900 and BDP9066. Supplemental Table 7. MRCKα phosphorylation sites. Supplemental Table 8. MRCKα phosphorylation on S1003.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive and incurable primary brain tumor that causes severe neurologic, cognitive, and psychologic symptoms. Symptoms are caused and exacerbated by the infiltrative properties of GBM cells, which enable them to pervade the healthy brain and disrupt normal function. Recent research has indicated that although radiotherapy (RT) remains the most effective component of multimodality therapy for patients with GBM, it can provoke a more infiltrative phenotype in GBM cells that survive treatment. Here, we demonstrate an essential role of the actin-myosin regulatory kinase myotonic dystrophy kinase-related CDC42-binding kinase (MRCK) in mediating the proinvasive effects of radiation. MRCK-mediated invasion occurred via downstream signaling to effector molecules MYPT1 and MLC2. MRCK was activated by clinically relevant doses per fraction of radiation, and this activation was concomitant with an increase in GBM cell motility and invasion. Furthermore, ablation of MRCK activity either by RNAi or by inhibition with the novel small-molecule inhibitor BDP-9066 prevented radiation-driven increases in motility both in vitro and in a clinically relevant orthotopic xenograft model of GBM. Crucially, treatment with BDP-9066 in combination with RT significantly increased survival in this model and markedly reduced infiltration of the contralateral cerebral hemisphere.Significance: An effective new strategy for the treatment of glioblastoma uses a novel, anti-invasive chemotherapeutic to prevent infiltration of the normal brain by glioblastoma cells.Cancer Res; 78(22); 6509–22. ©2018 AACR.

Subconfluent migration assays in the presence of 100nM BDP-9066

Summary of the properties of BDP-9066

Subconfluent migration assay in the presence of DMSO

Antibodies used for western blotting

untreated GFP E2 cells in an ex vivo brain slice motility assay

Supplemental figure legends

Ex vivo migration assay in the presence of BDP-9066.

Supplementary video figure legend

The myotonic dystrophy–related Cdc42-binding kinases MRCKα and MRCKβ contribute to the regulation of actin–myosin cytoskeleton organization and dynamics, acting in concert with the Rho-associated coiled-coil kinases ROCK1 and ROCK2. The absence of highly potent and selective MRCK inhibitors has resulted in relatively little knowledge of the potential roles of these kinases in cancer. Here, we report the discovery of the azaindole compounds BDP8900 and BDP9066 as potent and selective MRCK inhibitors that reduce substrate phosphorylation, leading to morphologic changes in cancer cells along with inhibition of their motility and invasive character. In over 750 human cancer cell lines tested, BDP8900 and BDP9066 displayed consistent antiproliferative effects with greatest activity in hematologic cancer cells. Mass spectrometry identified MRCKα S1003 as an autophosphorylation site, enabling development of a phosphorylation-sensitive antibody tool to report on MRCKα status in tumor specimens. In a two-stage chemical carcinogenesis model of murine squamous cell carcinoma, topical treatments reduced MRCKα S1003 autophosphorylation and skin papilloma outgrowth. In parallel work, we validated a phospho-selective antibody with the capability to monitor drug pharmacodynamics. Taken together, our findings establish an important oncogenic role for MRCK in cancer, and they offer an initial preclinical proof of concept for MRCK inhibition as a valid therapeutic strategy.Significance: The development of selective small-molecule inhibitors of the Cdc42-binding MRCK kinases reveals their essential roles in cancer cell viability, migration, and invasive character. Cancer Res; 78(8); 2096–114. ©2018 AACR.

Subconfluent migration assays in the presence of 1000nM BDP-9066

Graphical abstract, Fascin is an actin binding and bundling protein that is not expressed in normal epithelial tissues but overexpressed in a variety of invasive epithelial tumors. It has a critical role in cancer cell metastasis by promoting cell migration and invasion. Here we report the crystal structures of fascin in complex with a series of novel and potent inhibitors. Structure-based elaboration of these compounds enabled the development of a series with nanomolar affinities for fascin, good physicochemical properties and the ability to inhibit fascin-mediated bundling of filamentous actin. These compounds provide promising starting points for fascin-targeted anti-metastatic therapies.

The myotonic dystrophy–related Cdc42-binding kinases MRCKα and MRCKβ contribute to the regulation of actin–myosin cytoskeleton organization and dynamics, acting in concert with the Rho-associated coiled-coil kinases ROCK1 and ROCK2. The absence of highly potent and selective MRCK inhibitors has resulted in relatively little knowledge of the potential roles of these kinases in cancer. Here, we report the discovery of the azaindole compounds BDP8900 and BDP9066 as potent and selective MRCK inhibitors that reduce substrate phosphorylation, leading to morphologic changes in cancer cells along with inhibition of their motility and invasive character. In over 750 human cancer cell lines tested, BDP8900 and BDP9066 displayed consistent antiproliferative effects with greatest activity in hematologic cancer cells. Mass spectrometry identified MRCKα S1003 as an autophosphorylation site, enabling development of a phosphorylation-sensitive antibody tool to report on MRCKα status in tumor specimens. In a two-stage chemical carcinogenesis model of murine squamous cell carcinoma, topical treatments reduced MRCKα S1003 autophosphorylation and skin papilloma outgrowth. In parallel work, we validated a phospho-selective antibody with the capability to monitor drug pharmacodynamics. Taken together, our findings establish an important oncogenic role for MRCK in cancer, and they offer an initial preclinical proof of concept for MRCK inhibition as a valid therapeutic strategy. Significance: The development of selective small-molecule inhibitors of the Cdc42-binding MRCK kinases reveals their essential roles in cancer cell viability, migration, and invasive character. Cancer Res; 78(8); 2096–114. ©2018 AACR.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive and incurable primary brain tumor that causes severe neurologic, cognitive, and psychologic symptoms. Symptoms are caused and exacerbated by the infiltrative properties of GBM cells, which enable them to pervade the healthy brain and disrupt normal function. Recent research has indicated that although radiotherapy (RT) remains the most effective component of multimodality therapy for patients with GBM, it can provoke a more infiltrative phenotype in GBM cells that survive treatment. Here, we demonstrate an essential role of the actin-myosin regulatory kinase myotonic dystrophy kinase-related CDC42-binding kinase (MRCK) in mediating the proinvasive effects of radiation. MRCK-mediated invasion occurred via downstream signaling to effector molecules MYPT1 and MLC2. MRCK was activated by clinically relevant doses per fraction of radiation, and this activation was concomitant with an increase in GBM cell motility and invasion. Furthermore, ablation of MRCK activity either by RNAi or by inhibition with the novel small-molecule inhibitor BDP-9066 prevented radiation-driven increases in motility both in vitro and in a clinically relevant orthotopic xenograft model of GBM. Crucially, treatment with BDP-9066 in combination with RT significantly increased survival in this model and markedly reduced infiltration of the contralateral cerebral hemisphere. Significance: An effective new strategy for the treatment of glioblastoma uses a novel, anti-invasive chemotherapeutic to prevent infiltration of the normal brain by glioblastoma cells.Cancer Res; 78(22); 6509–22. ©2018 AACR.

Protein O-GlcNAcylation is an essential post-translational modification on hundreds of intracellular proteins in metazoa, catalyzed by O-GlcNAc transferase using unknown mechanisms of transfer and substrate recognition. Through crystallographic snapshots and mechanism-inspired chemical probes, we define how human O-GlcNAc transferase recognizes the sugar donor and acceptor peptide and employs a novel catalytic mechanism of glycosyl transfer, involving the sugar donor α-phosphate as the catalytic base, as well as an essential lysine. This mechanism appears to be a unique evolutionary solution to the spatial constraints imposed by a bulky protein acceptor substrate, and explains the unexpected specificity of a recently reported metabolic O-GlcNAc transferase inhibitor.

Chitinases of the GH18 family play important roles in a variety of pathogenic organisms and have also been shown to be involved in human asthma progression, making these enzymes potential drug targets. While a number of potent GH18 chitinase inhibitors have been described, in general, these compounds suffer from limited synthetic accessibility or unfavorable medicinal-chemical properties, making them poor starting points for the development of chitinase-targeted drugs. Exploiting available structural data, we have rationally designed bisdionin C, a submicromolar inhibitor of GH18 enzymes, that possesses desirable druglike properties and tractable chemical synthesis. A crystallographic structure of a chitinase-bisdionin C complex shows the two aromatic systems of the ligand interacting with two conserved tryptophan residues exposed in the active site cleft of the enzyme, while at the same time forming extensive hydrogen-bonding interactions with the catalytic machinery. The observed mode of binding, together with inhibition data, suggests that bisdionin C presents an attractive starting point for the development of specific inhibitors of bacterial-type, but not plant-type, GH 18 chitinases.

Modification of cellular proteins with O-GlcNAc (O-linked N-acetylglucosamine) competes with protein phosphorylation and regulates a plethora of cellular processes. O-GlcNAcylation is orchestrated by two opposing enzymes, O-GlcNAc transferase and OGA (O-GlcNAcase or β-N-acetylglucosaminidase), which recognize their target proteins via as yet unidentified mechanisms. In the present study, we uncovered the first insights into the mechanism of substrate recognition by human OGA. The structure of a novel bacterial OGA orthologue reveals a putative substrate-binding groove, conserved in metazoan OGAs. Guided by this structure, conserved amino acids lining this groove in human OGA were mutated and the activity on three different substrate proteins [TAB1 (transforming growth factor-β-activated protein kinase 1-binding protein 1), FoxO1 (forkhead box O1) and CREB (cAMP-response-element-binding protein)] was tested in an in vitro deglycosylation assay. The results provide the first evidence that human OGA may possess a substrate-recognition mechanism that involves interactions with O-GlcNAcylated proteins beyond the GlcNAc-binding site, with possible implications for differential regulation of cycling of O-GlcNAc on different proteins.

International audience; Yeast cell wall remodeling is controlled by the equilibrium between glycoside hydrolases, glycosyltransferases, and transglycosylases. Family 72 glycoside hydrolases (GH72) are ubiquitous in fungal organisms and are known to possess significant transglycosylase activity, producing elongated beta(1-3) glucan chains. However, the molecular mechanisms that control the balance between hydrolysis and transglycosylation in these enzymes are not understood. Here we present the first crystal structure of a glucan transglycosylase, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gas2 (ScGas2), revealing a multidomain fold, with a (betaalpha)(8) catalytic core and a separate glucan binding domain with an elongated, conserved glucan binding groove. Structures of ScGas2 complexes with different beta-glucan substrate/product oligosaccharides provide "snapshots" of substrate binding and hydrolysis/transglycosylation giving the first insights into the mechanisms these enzymes employ to drive beta(1-3) glucan elongation. Together with mutagenesis and analysis of reaction products, the structures suggest a "base occlusion" mechanism through which these enzymes protect the covalent protein-enzyme intermediate from a water nucleophile, thus controlling the balance between hydrolysis and transglycosylation and driving the elongation of beta(1-3) glucan chains in the yeast cell wall.

Post-translational modification of protein serines/threonines with N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is dynamic, inducible and abundant, regulating many cellular processes by interfering with protein phosphorylation. O-GlcNAcylation is regulated by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase, both encoded by single, essential, genes in metazoan genomes. It is not understood how OGT recognises its sugar nucleotide donor and performs O-GlcNAc transfer onto proteins/peptides, and how the enzyme recognises specific cellular protein substrates. Here, we show, by X-ray crystallography and mutagenesis, that OGT adopts the (metal-independent) GT-B fold and binds a UDP-GlcNAc analogue at the bottom of a highly conserved putative peptide-binding groove, covered by a mobile loop. Strikingly, the tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs) tightly interact with the active site to form a continuous 120 A putative interaction surface, whereas the previously predicted phosphatidylinositide-binding site locates to the opposite end of the catalytic domain. On the basis of the structure, we identify truncation/point mutants of the TPRs that have differential effects on activity towards proteins/peptides, giving first insights into how OGT may recognise its substrates.

O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) glycosylates a diverse range of intracellular proteins with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), an essential and dynamic post-translational modification in metazoans. Although this enzyme modifies hundreds of proteins with O-GlcNAc, it is not understood how OGT achieves substrate specificity. In this study, we describe the application of a high-throughput OGT assay to a library of peptides. We mapped sites of O-GlcNAc modification by electron transfer dissociation MS and found that they correlate with previously detected O-GlcNAc sites. Crystal structures of four acceptor peptides in complex with Homo sapiens OGT suggest that a combination of size and conformational restriction defines sequence specificity in the -3 to +2 subsites. This work reveals that although the N-terminal TPR repeats of OGT may have roles in substrate recognition, the sequence restriction imposed by the peptide-binding site makes a substantial contribution to O-GlcNAc site specificity.

TAB1 [TAK1 (transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1)-binding protein 1] is one of the regulatory subunits of TAK1, a protein kinase that lies at the head of three pro-inflammatory kinase cascades. In the current study we report the crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of TAB1. Surprisingly, TAB1 possesses a fold closely related to that of the PPM (Mg2+- or Mn2+-dependent protein phosphatase) family as demonstrated by the close structural similarity with protein phosphatase 2Cα. However, we were unable to detect any phosphatase activity for TAB1 using a phosphopeptide or p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate. Although the overall protein phosphatase 2Cα fold is conserved in TAB1, detailed structural analyses and mutagenesis studies show that several key residues required for dual metal-binding and catalysis are not present in TAB1, although binding of a single metal is supported by soaking experiments with manganese and isothermal titration calorimetry. Thus, it appears that TAB1 is a ‘pseudophosphatase’, possibly binding to and regulating accessibility of phosphorylated residues on substrates downstream of TAK1 or on the TAK1 complex itself.

The fungal pathogen Colletotrichum lindemuthianum secretes an endo-chitin de-N-acetylase (ClCDA) to modify exposed hyphal chitin during penetration and infection of plants. Although a significant amount of biochemical data is available on fungal chitin de-N-acetylases, no structural data exist. Here we describe the 1.8 A crystal structure of a ClCDA product complex and the analysis of the reaction mechanism using Hammett linear free energy relationships, subsite probing, and atomic absorption spectroscopy studies. The structural data in combination with biochemical data reveal that ClCDA consists of a single domain encompassing a mononuclear metalloenzyme which employs a conserved His-His-Asp zinc-binding triad closely associated with the conserved catalytic base (aspartic acid) and acid (histidine) to carry out acid/base catalysis. The data presented here indicate that ClCDA possesses a highly conserved substrate-binding groove, with subtle alterations that influence substrate specificity and subsite affinity. Strikingly, the structure also shows that the hexahistidine purification tag appears to form a tight interaction with the active site groove. The enzyme requires occupancy of at least the 0 and +1 subsites by (GlcNAc)(2) for activity and proceeds through a tetrahedral oxyanion intermediate.

Cystatins are important natural cysteine protease inhibitors targeting primarily papain-like cysteine proteases, including cathepsins and parasitic proteases like cruzipain, but also mammalian asparaginyl endopeptidase. Mammalian cystatin F, which is expressed almost exclusively in hematopoietic cells and accumulates in lysosome-like organelles, has been implicated in the regulation of antigen presentation and other immune processes. It is an unusual cystatin superfamily member with a redox-regulated activation mechanism and a restricted specificity profile. We describe the 2.1A crystal structure of human cystatin F in its dimeric "off" state. The two monomers interact in a fashion not seen before for cystatins or cystatin-like proteins that is crucially dependent on an unusual intermolecular disulfide bridge, suggesting how reduction leads to monomer formation and activation. Strikingly, core sugars for one of the two N-linked glycosylation sites of cystatin F are well ordered, and their conformation and interactions with the protein indicate that this unique feature of cystatin F may modulate its inhibitory properties, in particular its reduced affinity toward asparaginyl endopeptidase compared with other cystatins.

ModE is a bacterial transcriptional regulator that orchestrates many aspects of molybdenum metabolism by binding to specific DNA sequences in a molybdate-dependent fashion. We present the crystal structure of Escherichia coli ModE in complex with molybdate, which was determined at 2.75 A from a merohedrally twinned crystal (twin fraction≈0.30) with space group P 4 3 . We now have structures of ModE in both its “switched on” (ligand-bound) and “switched off” (apo) states. Comparison with the apo structure shows that ligand binding leads to extensive conformational changes not only in the molybdate-binding domain, but also in the DNA-binding domain. The most obvious difference is the loss of the pronounced asymmetry between the two chains of the ModE dimer, which had been a characteristic property of the apo structure. Another major change concerns the relative orientation of the two DNA-interacting winged helix-turn-helix motifs. Manual docking of an idealized DNA structure suggests that this conformational change should improve DNA binding of the activated molybdate-bound ModE.

MopII from Clostridium pasteurianumis a molbindin family member. These proteins may serve as intracellular storage facilities for molybdate, which they bind with high specificity. High resolution structures of MopII in a number of states, including the first structure of an apo-molbindin, together with calorimetric data, allow us to describe ligand binding and provide support for the proposed storage function of the protein. MopII assembles as a trimer of dimers and binds eight oxyanions at two types of binding sites located at intersubunit interfaces. Two type 1 sites are on the molecular 3-fold axis and three pairs of type 2 sites occur on the molecular 2-fold axes. The hexamer is largely unaffected by the binding of ligand. Molybdate is admitted to the otherwise inaccessible type 2 binding sites by the movement of the N-terminal residues of each protein chain. This contrasts with the structurally related molybdate-dependent transcriptional regulator ModE, which undergoes extensive conformational rearrangements on ligand binding. Despite similarities between the binding sites of ModE and the type 2 sites of MopII the molbindin has a significantly reduced ligand affinity, due, in part, to the high density of negative charges at the center of the hexamer. In the absence of ligand this effects the movement of an important lysine side chain, thereby partially inactivating the binding sites. The differences are consistent with a biological role in molybdate storage/buffering.

Background:\ud The myotonic dystrophy kinase-related CDC42-binding kinases MRCKα and MRCKβ regulate actin-myosin contractility and have been implicated in cancer metastasis. Along with the related ROCK1 and ROCK2 kinases, the MRCK proteins initiate signalling events that lead to contractile force generation which powers cancer cell motility and invasion. A potential strategy for cancer therapy is to reduce metastasis by blocking MRCK activity, either alone or in combination with ROCK inhibition. However, to date no potent small molecule inhibitors have been developed with selectivity towards MRCK.\ud \ud Results:\ud Screening a kinase-focused small molecule chemical library resulted in the identification of compounds with inhibitory activity towards MRCK. Medicinal chemistry combined with in vitro enzyme profiling led to the discovery of 4-chloro-1-(4-piperidyl)-N-[5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]pyrazole-3-carboxamide (BDP00005290; abbreviated as BDP5290) as a potent MRCK inhibitor. X-ray crystallography of the MRCKβ kinase domain in complex with BDP5290 revealed how this ligand interacts with the nucleotide binding pocket. BDP5290 demonstrated marked selectivity for MRCKβ over ROCK1 or ROCK2 for inhibition of myosin II light chain (MLC) phosphorylation in cells. While BDP5290 was able to block MLC phosphorylation at both cytoplasmic actin stress fibres and peripheral cortical actin bundles, the ROCK selective inhibitor Y27632 primarily reduced MLC phosphorylation on stress fibres. BDP5290 was also more effective at reducing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell invasion through Matrigel than Y27632. Finally, the ability of human SCC12 squamous cell carcinoma cells to invade a three-dimensional collagen matrix was strongly inhibited by 2 μM BDP5290 but not the identical concentration of Y27632, despite equivalent inhibition of MLC phosphorylation.\ud \ud Conclusions:\ud BDP5290 is a potent MRCK inhibitor with activity in cells, resulting in reduced MLC phosphorylation, cell motility and tumour cell invasion. The discovery of this compound will enable further investigations into the biological activities of MRCK proteins and their contributions to cancer progression.

Pteridine reductase (PTR1) is a short-chain reductase (SDR) responsible for the salvage of pterins in parasitic trypanosomatids. PTR1 catalyzes the NADPH-dependent two-step reduction of oxidized pterins to the active tetrahydro-forms and reduces susceptibility to antifolates by alleviating dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibition. Crystal structures of PTR1 complexed with cofactor and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin (DHB) or methotrexate (MTX) delineate the enzyme mechanism, broad spectrum of activity and inhibition by substrate or an antifolate. PTR1 applies two distinct reductive mechanisms to substrates bound in one orientation. The first reduction uses the generic SDR mechanism, whereas the second shares similarities with the mechanism proposed for DHFR. Both DHB and MTX form extensive hydrogen bonding networks with NADP(H) but differ in the orientation of the pteridine.

Refolding of viral class-1 membrane fusion proteins from a native state to a trimer-of-hairpins structure promotes entry of viruses into cells. Here we present the structure of the bovine leukaemia virus transmembrane glycoprotein (TM) and identify a group of asparagine residues at the membrane-distal end of the trimer-of-hairpins that is strikingly conserved among divergent viruses. These asparagines are not essential for surface display of pre-fusogenic envelope. Instead, substitution of these residues dramatically disrupts membrane fusion. Our data indicate that, through electrostatic interactions with a chloride ion, the asparagine residues promote assembly and profoundly stabilize the fusion-active structures that are required for viral envelope-mediated membrane fusion. Moreover, the BLV TM structure also reveals a charge-surrounded hydrophobic pocket on the central coiled coil and interactions with basic residues that cluster around this pocket are critical to membrane fusion and form a target for peptide inhibitors of envelope function. Charge-surrounded pockets and electrostatic interactions with small ions are common among class-1 fusion proteins, suggesting that small molecules that specifically target such motifs should prevent assembly of the trimer-of-hairpins and be of value as therapeutic inhibitors of viral entry., Author Summary Human T-cell leukaemia virus types-1 (HTLV-1) and bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) are divergent blood borne viruses that cause hematological malignancies in humans and cattle respectively. In common with other enveloped viruses, infection of cells by HTLV-1 and BLV is dependent on the membrane fusion properties of the viral envelope glycoproteins. Here we have solved the crystal structure of the BLV transmembrane glycoprotein, and, through a functional and comparative analysis with HTLV-1, we have identified features that are critical to fusion protein function. In particular, we demonstrate that electrostatic interactions with small ions dramatically stabilize the assembly and fusion-associated forms of the BLV TM, but are not required for the cell surface display of native pre-fusogenic envelope. Moreover, we show that charged residues that border a deep hydrophobic pocket contribute directly to appropriate folding of fusion-active envelope and are critical to membrane fusion. Importantly, the charged residues that border the pocket are key features that determine the specificity and activity of peptide inhibitors of envelope function. Our study demonstrates that charge-surrounded pockets and electrostatic interactions with small ions are significant leitmotifs of diverse class-1 fusion proteins and that these elements represent ideal targets for novel small-molecule inhibitors of viral entry.

SummaryNatural products are often large, synthetically intractable molecules, yet frequently offer surprising inroads into previously unexplored chemical space for enzyme inhibitors. Argifin is a cyclic pentapeptide that was originally isolated as a fungal natural product. It competitively inhibits family 18 chitinases by mimicking the chitooligosaccharide substrate of these enzymes. Interestingly, argifin is a nanomolar inhibitor of the bacterial-type subfamily of fungal chitinases that possess an extensive chitin-binding groove, but does not inhibit the much smaller, plant-type enzymes from the same family that are involved in fungal cell division and are thought to be potential drug targets. Here we show that a small, highly efficient, argifin-derived, nine-atom fragment is a micromolar inhibitor of the plant-type chitinase ChiA1 from the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Evaluation of the binding mode with the first crystal structure of an A. fumigatus plant-type chitinase reveals that the compound binds the catalytic machinery in the same manner as observed for argifin with the bacterial-type chitinases. The structure of the complex was used to guide synthesis of derivatives to explore a pocket near the catalytic machinery. This work provides synthetically tractable plant-type family 18 chitinase inhibitors from the repurposing of a natural product.

Marked-up sequence alignments typically provide the central figure in articles describing proteins, whether in the fields of biochemistry, bioinformatics or structural biology. The generation of these figures is often unwieldy: interactive programs are often aesthetically limited and the use of batch programs requires the repetitive iterative editing of scripts. ALINE is a portable interactive graphical sequence-alignment editor implemented in Perl/Tk which produces publication-quality sequence-alignment figures where `what you see is what you get'. ALINE is freely available for download from http://crystal.bcs.uwa.edu.au/px/charlie/software/aline/.

Background Human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV-1) and bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) entry into cells is mediated by envelope glycoprotein catalyzed membrane fusion and is achieved by folding of the transmembrane glycoprotein (TM) from a rod-like pre-hairpin intermediate to a trimer-of-hairpins. For HTLV-1 and for several virus groups this process is sensitive to inhibition by peptides that mimic the C-terminal α-helical region of the trimer-of-hairpins. Results We now show that amino acids that are conserved between BLV and HTLV-1 TM tend to map to the hydrophobic groove of the central triple-stranded coiled coil and to the leash and C-terminal α-helical region (LHR) of the trimer-of-hairpins. Remarkably, despite this conservation, BLV envelope was profoundly resistant to inhibition by HTLV-1-derived LHR-mimetics. Conversely, a BLV LHR-mimetic peptide antagonized BLV envelope-mediated membrane fusion but failed to inhibit HTLV-1-induced fusion. Notably, conserved leucine residues are critical to the inhibitory activity of the BLV LHR-based peptides. Homology modeling indicated that hydrophobic residues in the BLV LHR likely make direct contact with a pocket at the membrane-proximal end of the core coiled-coil and disruption of these interactions severely impaired the activity of the BLV inhibitor. Finally, the structural predictions assisted the design of a more potent antagonist of BLV membrane fusion. Conclusion A conserved region of the HTLV-1 and BLV coiled coil is a target for peptide inhibitors of envelope-mediated membrane fusion and HTLV-1 entry. Nevertheless, the LHR-based inhibitors are highly specific to the virus from which the peptide was derived. We provide a model structure for the BLV LHR and coiled coil, which will facilitate comparative analysis of leukaemia virus TM function and may provide information of value in the development of improved, therapeutically relevant, antagonists of HTLV-1 entry into cells.

Family 18 chitinases play key roles in the life cycles of a variety of organisms ranging from bacteria to man. Very recently it has been shown that one of the mammalian chitinases is highly overexpressed in the asthmatic lung and contributes to the pathogenic process through recruitment of inflammatory cells. Although several potent natural product chitinase inhibitors have been identified, their chemotherapeutic potential or their use as cell biological tools is limited due to their size, complex chemistry, and limited availability. We describe a virtual screening-based approach to identification of a novel, purine-based, chitinase inhibitor. This inhibitor acts in the low micromolar (Ki = 2.8 ± 0.2 μm) range in a competitive mode. Dissection of the binding mode by x-ray crystallography reveals that the compound, which consists of two linked caffeine moieties, binds in the active site through extensive and not previously observed stacking interactions with conserved, solvent exposed tryptophans. Such exposed aromatics are also present in the structures of many other carbohydrate processing enzymes. The compound exhibits favorable chemical properties and is likely to be useful as a general scaffold for development of pan-family 18 chitinase inhibitors.

Streptococcus pneumoniae peptidoglycan GlcNAc deacetylase ( Sp PgdA) protects the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall from host lysozymes by deacetylating peptidoglycan GlcNAc residues. Deletion of the pgda gene has been shown to result in hypersensitivity to lysozyme and reduction of infectivity in a mouse model. Sp PgdA is a member of the family 4 carbohydrate esterases, for which little structural information exists, and no catalytic mechanism has yet been defined. Here we describe the native crystal structure and product complexes of Sp PgdA biochemical characterization and mutagenesis. The structural data show that Sp PgdA is an elongated three-domain protein in the crystal. The structure, in combination with mutagenesis, shows that Sp PgdA is a metalloenzyme using a His-His-Asp zinc-binding triad with a nearby aspartic acid and histidine acting as the catalytic base and acid, respectively, somewhat similar to other zinc deacetylases such as LpxC. The enzyme is able to accept GlcNAc 3 as a substrate ( K m = 3.8 mM, k cat = 0.55 s -1 ), with the N -acetyl of the middle sugar being removed by the enzyme. The data described here show that Sp PgdA and the other family 4 carbohydrate esterases are metalloenzymes and present a step toward identification of mechanism-based inhibitors for this important class of enzymes.

Pteridine reductase (PTR1) is an NADPH-dependent short-chain reductase found in parasitic trypanosomatid protozoans. The enzyme participates in the salvage of pterins and represents a target for the development of improved therapies for infections caused by these parasites. A series of crystallographic analyses of Leishmania major PTR1 are reported. Structures of the enzyme in a binary complex with the cofactor NADPH, and ternary complexes with cofactor and biopterin, 5,6-dihydrobiopterin, and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin reveal that PTR1 does not undergo any major conformational changes to accomplish binding and processing of substrates, and confirm that these molecules bind in a single orientation at the catalytic center suitable for two distinct reductions. Ternary complexes with cofactor and CB3717 and trimethoprim (TOP), potent inhibitors of thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase, respectively, have been characterized. The structure with CB3717 reveals that the quinazoline moiety binds in similar fashion to the pterin substrates/products and dominates interactions with the enzyme. In the complex with TOP, steric restrictions enforced on the trimethoxyphenyl substituent prevent the 2,4-diaminopyrimidine moiety from adopting the pterin mode of binding observed in dihydrofolate reductase, and explain the inhibition properties of a range of pyrimidine derivates. The molecular detail provided by these complex structures identifies the important interactions necessary to assist the structure-based development of novel enzyme inhibitors of potential therapeutic value.

The small-molecule topology generator PRODRG is described, which takes input from existing coordinates or various two-dimensional formats and automatically generates coordinates and molecular topologies suitable for X-ray refinement of protein–ligand complexes. Test results are described for automatic generation of topologies followed by energy minimization for a subset of compounds from the Cambridge Structural Database, which shows that, within the limits of the empirical GROMOS87 force field used, structures with good geometries are generated. X-ray refinement in X-­PLOR/CNS, REFMAC and SHELX using PRODRG-generated topologies produces results comparable to refinement with topologies from the standard libraries. However, tests with distorted starting coordinates show that PRODRG topologies perform better, both in terms of ligand geometry and of crystallographic R factors.

LY333531, BIM-1, BIM-2, BIM-3, and BIM-8 are bisindolyl maleimide-based, nanomolar protein kinase C inhibitors. LY333531, a PKCbeta-specific inhibitor, is in clinical trials against diabetes and cardiac ventricular hypertrophy complications. Specificity analysis with a panel of 29 protein kinases reveals that these bisindolyl maleimide inhibitors also inhibit PDK1, a key kinase from the insulin signaling pathway, albeit in the lower microM range. To understand the molecular basis of inhibition, the PDK1 kinase domain was cocrystallized with these bisindolyl maleimide inhibitors. The inhibitor complexes represent the first structural description of this class of compounds, revealing their unusual nonplanar conformation within the ATP binding site and also explaining the higher inhibitory potential of LY33331 compared to the BIM compounds toward PDK1. A combination of site-directed mutagenesis and essential dynamics analysis gives further insight into PDK1 and also PKC inhibition by these compounds, and may aid inhibitor design.

The large quantity of genomic, biochemical and metabolic data on microbial pathogens provides information that helps us to select biological problems of interest and to identify targets, metabolic pathways or constituent enzymes, for therapeutic intervention. One area of potential use in developing novel anti-parasitic agents concerns the regulation of oxidative stress, and we have targeted the trypanothione peroxidase pathway in this respect. In order to characterize this pathway, we have determined crystal structures for each of its components, and are now studying enzyme–ligand complexes of the first enzyme, trypanothione reductase. Also with regard to trypanosomatids, a question that arose was: why do anti-folates not provide useful therapies? The enzyme pteridine reductase has been shown to contribute to anti-folate drug resistance, and we have determined the enzyme structure and mechanism to understand this aspect of drug resistance.

Two proteins, which are co-transcribed in Escherichia coli (MobA and MobB), are involved in the attachment of a nucleotide moiety to the molybdenum cofactor to form active molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide. Although not essential for this process, the dimeric MobB increases the activation of molybdoenzymes, incorporating this cofactor by a mechanism that is not understood. The structure of MobB has been elucidated in two crystal forms, one of which has provided a model at 1.9-A resolution with Rwork and Rfree values of 21.5 and 28.7%, respectively. The MobB subunit displays an alpha/beta-fold arranged into a major and minor domain, the latter of which is inserted between the major and minor domains of the partner subunit, creating an elongated dimer constructed around a 16-stranded beta-sheet. Structural homologues have been identified, and they include a number of nucleotide-binding proteins. Comparisons indicate that although the phosphate-binding regions are highly conserved, MobB lacks the elements of structure required to interact with and efficiently bind a nucleotide base. In the present structure, a sulfate is bound to the Walker A phosphate-binding motif of MobB. The possibility that MobB forms a complex with the nucleotide-binding MobA, the protein with which it is co-transcribed, is explored, and modeling suggests that such a MobA:MobB complex is feasible. This hypothesis is supported by recent biochemical evidence indicating that MobB interacts with several proteins involved in various stages of molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis including MobA. We propose therefore that MobB is an adapter protein that acts in concert with MobA to achieve the efficient biosynthesis and utilization of molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide.

MopII from Clostridium pasteurianum is a molbindin family member. These proteins may serve as intracellular storage facilities for molybdate, which they bind with high specificity. High resolution structures of MopII in a number of states, including the first structure of an apo-molbindin, together with calorimetric data, allow us to describe ligand binding and provide support for the proposed storage function of the protein. MopII assembles as a trimer of dimers and binds eight oxyanions at two types of binding sites located at intersubunit interfaces. Two type 1 sites are on the molecular 3-fold axis and three pairs of type 2 sites occur on the molecular 2-fold axes. The hexamer is largely unaffected by the binding of ligand. Molybdate is admitted to the otherwise inaccessible type 2 binding sites by the movement of the N-terminal residues of each protein chain. This contrasts with the structurally related molybdate-dependent transcriptional regulator ModE, which undergoes extensive conformational rearrangements on ligand binding. Despite similarities between the binding sites of ModE and the type 2 sites of MopII the molbindin has a significantly reduced ligand affinity, due, in part, to the high density of negative charges at the center of the hexamer. In the absence of ligand this effects the movement of an important lysine side chain, thereby partially inactivating the binding sites. The differences are consistent with a biological role in molybdate storage/buffering.

Clostridium pasteurianum carries three genes termed mopI, II and III encoding three molbindin isoforms, one of which has been cloned, the gene product expressed in high yield and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Well ordered monoclinic crystals in two different crystal forms, both with space group C2, were obtained in the presence and absence of Na(2)MoO(4) and Na(2)WO(4). Ligand-bound MopII crystallized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 as a precipitant, whereas apo MopII required PEG 6000. High-resolution diffraction data were collected for ligand-bound MopII structures using synchrotron radiation to 1.8 and 1.6 A resolution for the molybdate and tungstate complexes, respectively. Data were collected on apoMopII crystals to a resolution of 1.8 A in-house.

Graphical abstract, Chitin is an essential structural component of the fungal cell wall. Chitinases are thought to be important for fungal cell wall remodelling, and inhibition of these enzymes has been proposed as a potential strategy for development of novel anti-fungals. The fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus possesses two distinct multi-gene chitinase families. Here we explore acetazolamide as a chemical scaffold for the inhibition of an A. fumigatus ‘plant-type’ chitinase. A co-crystal structure of AfChiA1 with acetazolamide was used to guide synthesis and screening of acetazolamide analogues that yielded SAR in agreement with these structural data. Although acetazolamide and its analogues are weak inhibitors of the enzyme, they have a high ligand efficiency and as such are interesting leads for future inhibitor development.

Refolding of viral class-1 membrane fusion proteins from a native state to a trimer-of-hairpins structure promotes entry of viruses into cells. Here we present the structure of the bovine leukaemia virus transmembrane glycoprotein (TM) and identify a group of asparagine residues at the membrane-distal end of the trimer of hairpins that is strikingly conserved among divergent viruses. These asparagines are not essential for surface display of pre-fusogenic envelope. Instead, substitution of these residues dramatically disrupts membrane fusion. Our data indicate that through electrostatic interactions with of a chloride ion the asparagine residues promote assembly and profoundly stabilize the fusion-active structures that are required for viral envelope-mediated membrane fusion. Moreover, the BLV TM structure also reveals a charge-surrounded hydrophobic pocket on the central coiled coil and interactions with basic residues that cluster around this pocket are critical to membrane fusion and form a target for peptide inhibitors of envelope function. Charge-surrounded pockets and electrostatic interactions with small ions are common leitmotifs among class-1 fusion proteins. We will discuss the impact of these observations in light of current models of membrane fusion and as potential targets for therapeutic inhibition of viral entry.