Biochemistry and Pharmacology - Research Publications

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    Targeting of C-type lectin-like receptor 2 or P2Y12 for the prevention of platelet activation by immunotherapeutic CpG oligodeoxynucleotides: comment
    Flierl, U ; Nero, TL ; Lim, B ; Andrews, RK ; Parker, MW ; Gardiner, EE ; Peter, K (WILEY, 2018-01)
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    Glutathione transferase P1-1 as an arsenic drug-sequestering enzyme
    Parker, LJ ; Bocedi, A ; Ascher, DB ; Aitken, JB ; Harris, HH ; Lo Bello, M ; Ricci, G ; Morton, CJ ; Parker, MW (WILEY, 2017-02)
    Arsenic-based compounds are paradoxically both poisons and drugs. Glutathione transferase (GSTP1-1) is a major factor in resistance to such drugs. Here we describe using crystallography, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, mutagenesis, mass spectrometry, and kinetic studies how GSTP1-1 recognizes the drug phenylarsine oxide (PAO). In conditions of cellular stress where glutathione (GSH) levels are low, PAO crosslinks C47 to C101 of the opposing monomer, a distance of 19.9 Å, and causes a dramatic widening of the dimer interface by approximately 10 Å. The GSH conjugate of PAO, which forms rapidly in cancerous cells, is a potent inhibitor (Ki  = 90 nM) and binds as a di-GSH complex in the active site forming part of a continuous network of interactions from one active site to the other. In summary, GSTP1-1 can detoxify arsenic-based drugs by sequestration at the active site and at the dimer interface, in situations where there is a plentiful supply of GSH, and at the reactive cysteines in conditions of low GSH.
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    The mechanism of GM-CSF inhibition by human GM-CSF auto-antibodies suggests novel therapeutic opportunities
    Dhagat, U ; Hercus, TR ; Broughton, SE ; Nero, TL ; Shing, KSCT ; Barry, EF ; Thomson, CA ; Bryson, S ; Pai, EF ; McClure, BJ ; Schrader, JW ; Lopez, AF ; Parker, MW (TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC, 2018)
    Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor that can stimulate a variety of cells, but its overexpression leads to excessive production and activation of granulocytes and macrophages with many pathogenic effects. This cytokine is a therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases, and several anti-GM-CSF antibodies have advanced to Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with such diseases, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis. GM-CSF is also an essential factor in preventing pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), a disease associated with GM-CSF malfunction arising most typically through the presence of GM-CSF neutralizing auto-antibodies. Understanding the mechanism of action for neutralizing antibodies that target GM-CSF is important for improving their specificity and affinity as therapeutics and, conversely, in devising strategies to reduce the effects of GM-CSF auto-antibodies in PAP. We have solved the crystal structures of human GM-CSF bound to antigen-binding fragments of two neutralizing antibodies, the human auto-antibody F1 and the mouse monoclonal antibody 4D4. Coordinates and structure factors of the crystal structures of the GM-CSF:F1 Fab and the GM-CSF:4D4 Fab complexes have been deposited in the RCSB Protein Data Bank under the accession numbers 6BFQ and 6BFS, respectively. The structures show that these antibodies bind to mutually exclusive epitopes on GM-CSF; however, both prevent the cytokine from interacting with its alpha receptor subunit and hence prevent receptor activation. Importantly, identification of the F1 epitope together with functional analyses highlighted modifications to GM-CSF that would abolish auto-antibody recognition whilst retaining GM-CSF function. These results provide a framework for developing novel GM-CSF molecules for PAP treatment and for optimizing current anti-GM-CSF antibodies for use in treating inflammatory disorders.
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    A Family of Dual-Activity Glycosyltransferase-Phosphorylases Mediates Mannogen Turnover and Virulence in Leishmania Parasites
    Sernee, MF ; Ralton, JE ; Nero, TL ; Sobala, LF ; Kloehn, J ; Vieira-Lara, MA ; Cobbold, SA ; Stanton, L ; Pires, DEV ; Hanssen, E ; Males, A ; Ward, T ; Bastidas, LM ; van der Peet, PL ; Parker, MW ; Ascher, DB ; Williams, SJ ; Davies, GJ ; McConville, MJ (CELL PRESS, 2019-09-11)
    Parasitic protists belonging to the genus Leishmania synthesize the non-canonical carbohydrate reserve, mannogen, which is composed of β-1,2-mannan oligosaccharides. Here, we identify a class of dual-activity mannosyltransferase/phosphorylases (MTPs) that catalyze both the sugar nucleotide-dependent biosynthesis and phosphorolytic turnover of mannogen. Structural and phylogenic analysis shows that while the MTPs are structurally related to bacterial mannan phosphorylases, they constitute a distinct family of glycosyltransferases (GT108) that have likely been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from gram-positive bacteria. The seven MTPs catalyze the constitutive synthesis and turnover of mannogen. This metabolic rheostat protects obligate intracellular parasite stages from nutrient excess, and is essential for thermotolerance and parasite infectivity in the mammalian host. Our results suggest that the acquisition and expansion of the MTP family in Leishmania increased the metabolic flexibility of these protists and contributed to their capacity to colonize new host niches.
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    Reaction mechanism of the bioluminescent protein mnemiopsin1 revealed by X-ray crystallography and QM/MM simulations
    Molakarimi, M ; Gorman, MA ; Mohseni, A ; Pashandi, Z ; Taghdir, M ; Naderi-Manesh, H ; Sajedi, RH ; Parker, MW (ELSEVIER, 2019-01-04)
    Bioluminescence of a variety of marine organisms, mostly cnidarians and ctenophores, is carried out by Ca2+-dependent photoproteins. The mechanism of light emission operates via the same reaction in both animal families. Despite numerous studies on the ctenophore photoprotein family, the detailed catalytic mechanism and arrangement of amino acid residues surrounding the chromophore in this family are a mystery. Here, we report the crystal structure of Cd2+-loaded apo-mnemiopsin1, a member of the ctenophore family, at 2.15 Å resolution and used quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) to investigate its reaction mechanism. The simulations suggested that an Asp-156-Arg-39-Tyr-202 triad creates a hydrogen-bonded network to facilitate the transfer of a proton from the 2-hydroperoxy group of the chromophore coelenterazine to bulk solvent. We identified a water molecule in the coelenteramide-binding cavity that forms a hydrogen bond with the amide nitrogen atom of coelenteramide, which, in turn, is hydrogen-bonded via another water molecule to Tyr-131. This observation supports the hypothesis that the function of the coelenteramide-bound water molecule is to catalyze the 2-hydroperoxycoelenterazine decarboxylation reaction by protonation of a dioxetanone anion, thereby triggering the bioluminescence reaction in the ctenophore photoprotein family.
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    Bridging Crystal Engineering and Drug Discovery by Utilizing Intermolecular Interactions and Molecular Shapes in Crystals
    Spackman, PR ; Yu, L-J ; Morton, CJ ; Parker, MW ; Bond, CS ; Spackman, MA ; Jayatilaka, D ; Thomas, SP (WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH, 2019-11-18)
    Most structure-based drug discovery methods utilize crystal structures of receptor proteins. Crystal engineering, on the other hand, utilizes the wealth of chemical information inherent in small-molecule crystal structures in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). We show that the interaction surfaces and shapes of molecules in experimentally determined small-molecule crystal structures can serve as effective tools in drug discovery. Our description of the shape and interaction propensities of molecules in their crystal structures can be used to screen them for specific binding compatibility with protein targets, as demonstrated through the high-throughput profiling of around 138 000 small-molecule structures in the CSD and a series of drug-protein crystal structures. Electron-density-based intermolecular boundary surfaces in small-molecule crystal structures and in target-protein pockets are utilized to identify potential ligand molecules from the CSD based on 3D shape and intermolecular interaction matching.
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    Bridging Crystal Engineering and Drug Discovery by Utilizing Intermolecular Interactions and Molecular Shapes in Crystals
    Spackman, PR ; Yu, LJ ; Bond, CS ; Spackman, MA ; Jayatilaka, D ; Thomas, SP ; Yu, LJ ; Morton, CJ ; Parker, MW ; Parker, MW ; Thomas, SP (Wiley, 2019-01-01)
    Abstract Most structure‐based drug discovery methods utilize crystal structures of receptor proteins. Crystal engineering, on the other hand, utilizes the wealth of chemical information inherent in small‐molecule crystal structures in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). We show that the interaction surfaces and shapes of molecules in experimentally determined small‐molecule crystal structures can serve as effective tools in drug discovery. Our description of the shape and interaction propensities of molecules in their crystal structures can be used to screen them for specific binding compatibility with protein targets, as demonstrated through the high‐throughput profiling of around 138 000 small‐molecule structures in the CSD and a series of drug–protein crystal structures. Electron‐density‐based intermolecular boundary surfaces in small‐molecule crystal structures and in target‐protein pockets are utilized to identify potential ligand molecules from the CSD based on 3D shape and intermolecular interaction matching.
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    Cyclic Hexapeptide Mimics of the LEDGF Integrase Recognition Loop in Complex with HIV-1 Integrase
    Northfield, SE ; Wielens, J ; Headey, SJ ; Williams-Noonan, BJ ; Mulcair, M ; Scanlon, MJ ; Parker, MW ; Thompson, PE ; Chalmers, DK (WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH, 2018-08-10)
    The p75 splice variant of lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF) is a 75 kDa protein, which is recruited by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to tether the pre-integration complex to the host chromatin and promote integration of proviral DNA into the host genome. We designed a series of small cyclic peptides that are structural mimics of the LEDGF binding domain, which interact with integrase as potential binding inhibitors. Herein we present the X-ray crystal structures, NMR studies, SPR analysis, and conformational studies of four cyclic peptides bound to the HIV-1 integrase core domain. Although the X-ray studies show that the peptides closely mimic the LEDGF binding loop, the measured affinities of the peptides are in the low millimolar range. Computational analysis using conformational searching and free energy calculations suggest that the low affinity of the peptides is due to mismatch between the low-energy solution and bound conformations.
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    Fluorescence Microscopy Assay to Measure HIV-1 Capsid Uncoating Kinetics in vitro
    Marquez, CL ; Lau, D ; Walsh, J ; Faysal, KMR ; Parker, MW ; Turville, SG ; Bocking, T (BIO-PROTOCOL, 2019-07-05)
    The stability of the HIV-1 capsid and the spatiotemporal control of its disassembly, a process called uncoating, need to be finely tuned for infection to proceed. Biochemical methods for measuring capsid lattice disassembly in bulk are unable to resolve intermediates in the uncoating reaction. We have developed a single-particle fluorescence microscopy method to follow the real-time uncoating kinetics of authentic HIV capsids in vitro. The assay utilizes immobilized viral particles that are permeabilized with the a pore-former protein, and is designed to (1) detect the first defect of the capsid by the release of a solution phase marker (GFP) and (2) visualize the disassembly of the capsid over time by "painting" the capsid lattice with labeled cyclophilin A (CypA), a protein that binds weakly to the outside of the capsid. This novel assay allows the study of dynamic interactions of molecules with hundreds of individual capsids as well as to determine their effect on viral capsid stability, which provides a powerful tool for dissecting uncoating mechanisms and for the development of capsid-binding drugs.
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    From Knock-Out Phenotype to Three-Dimensional Structure of a Promising Antibiotic Target from Streptococcus pneumoniae
    Dogovski, C ; Gorman, MA ; Ketaren, NE ; Praszkier, J ; Zammit, LM ; Mertens, HD ; Bryant, G ; Yang, J ; Griffin, MDW ; Pearce, FG ; Gerrard, JA ; Jameson, GB ; Parker, MW ; Robins-Browne, RM ; Perugini, MA ; Taylor, P (PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2013-12-13)
    Given the rise in drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, there is an urgent need to discover new antimicrobials targeting this pathogen and an equally urgent need to characterize new drug targets. A promising antibiotic target is dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS), which catalyzes the rate-limiting step in lysine biosynthesis. In this study, we firstly show by gene knock out studies that S. pneumoniae (sp) lacking the DHDPS gene is unable to grow unless supplemented with lysine-rich media. We subsequently set out to characterize the structure, function and stability of the enzyme drug target. Our studies show that sp-DHDPS is folded and active with a k(cat) = 22 s(-1), K(M)(PYR) = 2.55 ± 0.05 mM and K(M)(ASA) = 0.044 ± 0.003 mM. Thermal denaturation experiments demonstrate sp-DHDPS exhibits an apparent melting temperature (T(M)(app)) of 72 °C, which is significantly greater than Escherichia coli DHDPS (Ec-DHDPS) (T(M)(app) = 59 °C). Sedimentation studies show that sp-DHDPS exists in a dimer-tetramer equilibrium with a K(D)(4→2) = 1.7 nM, which is considerably tighter than its E. coli ortholog (K(D)(4→2) = 76 nM). To further characterize the structure of the enzyme and probe its enhanced stability, we solved the high resolution (1.9 Å) crystal structure of sp-DHDPS (PDB ID 3VFL). The enzyme is tetrameric in the crystal state, consistent with biophysical measurements in solution. Although the sp-DHDPS and Ec-DHDPS active sites are almost identical, the tetramerization interface of the s. pneumoniae enzyme is significantly different in composition and has greater buried surface area (800 Å(2)) compared to its E. coli counterpart (500 Å(2)). This larger interface area is consistent with our solution studies demonstrating that sp-DHDPS is considerably more thermally and thermodynamically stable than Ec-DHDPS. Our study describe for the first time the knock-out phenotype, solution properties, stability and crystal structure of DHDPS from S. pneumoniae, a promising antimicrobial target.