1H, 13C and 15N backbone assignments of cyclophilin when bound to cyclosporin A (CsA) and preliminary structural characterization of the CsA binding site

Characterization of folding cores in the cyclophilin A-cyclosporin A complex

Determining the folding core of a protein yields information about its folding process and dynamics. The experimental procedures for identifying the amino acids that make up the folding core include hydrogen-deuterium exchange and Φ-value analysis and can be expensive and time consuming. Because of this, there is a desire to improve upon existing methods for determining protein folding cores theoretically. We have obtained HDX data for the complex of cyclophilin A with the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A. We compare these data, as well as literature values for uncomplexed cyclophilin A, to theoretical predictions using a combination of rigidity analysis and coarse-grained simulations of protein motion. We find that in this case, the most specific prediction of folding cores comes from a combined approach that models the rigidity of the protein using the first software suite and the dynamics of the protein using the froda tool.

A conserved tandem cyclophilin-binding site in hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A regulates Alisporivir susceptibility

Cyclophilin A (CyPA) and its peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity play an essential role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication, and mounting evidence indicates that nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) is the major target of CyPA. However, neither a consensus CyPA-binding motif nor specific proline substrates that regulate CyPA dependence and sensitivity to cyclophilin inhibitors (CPIs) have been defined to date. We systematically characterized all proline residues in NS5A domain II, low-complexity sequence II (LCS-II), and domain III with both biochemical binding and functional replication assays. A tandem cyclophilin-binding site spanning domain II and LCS-II was identified. The first site contains a consensus sequence motif of AØPXW (where Ø is a hydrophobic residue) that is highly conserved in the majority of the genotypes of HCV (six of seven; the remaining genotype has VØPXW). The second tandem site contains a similar motif, and the ØP sequence is again conserved in six of the seven genotypes. Consistent with the similarity of their sequences, peptides representing the two binding motifs competed for CyPA binding in a spot-binding assay and induced similar chemical shifts when bound to the active site of CyPA. The two prolines (P310 and P341 of Japanese fulminant hepatitis 1 [JFH-1]) contained in these motifs, as well as a conserved tryptophan in the spacer region, were required for CyPA binding, HCV replication, and CPI resistance. Together, these data provide a high-resolution mapping of proline residues important for CyPA binding and identify critical amino acids modulating HCV susceptibility to the clinical CPI Alisporivir.

1H and 13C-NMR and molecular dynamics studies of cyclosporin a interacting with magnesium(II) or cerium(III) in acetonitrile. Conformational changes and cis-trans conversion of peptide bonds

Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an important drug used to prevent graft rejection in organ transplantations. Its immunosuppressive activity is related to the inhibition of T-cell activation through binding with the proteins Cyclophilin (Cyp) and, subsequently, Calcineurin (CN). In the complex with its target (Cyp), CsA adopts a conformation with all trans peptide bonds and this feature is very important for its pharmacological action. Unfortunately, CsA can cause several side effects, and it can favor the excretion of calcium and magnesium. To evaluate the possible role of conformational effects induced by these two metal ions in the action mechanism of CsA, its complexes with Mg(II) and Ce(III) (the latter as a paramagnetic probe for calcium) have been examined by two-dimensional NMR and relaxation rate analysis. The conformations of the two complexes and of the free form have been determined by restrained molecular dynamics calculations based on the experimentally obtained metal-proton and interproton distances. The findings here ratify the formation of 1:1 complexes of CsA with both Mg(II) and Ce(III), with metal coordination taking place on carbonyl oxygens and substantially altering the peptide structure with respect to the free form, although the residues involved and the resulting conformational changes, including cis-trans conversion of peptide bonds, are different for the two metals.

Plasmodium falciparum calcineurin and its association with heat shock protein 90: mechanisms for the antimalarial activity of cyclosporin A and synergism with geldanamycin

Geldanamycin (GA), an antibiotic of the ansamycin family and an inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), was previously shown to inhibit the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Here we report that cyclosporin A (CsA), an inhibitor of parasitic cyclophilin (Cyp) and protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin, CN), acted synergistically with GA to inhibit the erythrocytic growth of the parasite. Parasitic calcineurin associated with Hsp90 in vivo, and GA inhibited the association, but CsA had no effect. In a number of CsA-resistant (CsA(R)) P. falciparum clones mutations were detected in functionally significant amino acid residues of the catalytic and regulatory subunits of calcineurin (CnA and CnB, respectively) and in two out of three parasitic cyclophilins, namely Cyp19A and Cyp19B. No mutation was detected in the third cyclophilin, Cyp24. Further analysis of the mutant CnA revealed that its protein phosphatase activity was highly CsA-resistant in vitro. Similarly, one of the mutant Cyp19A proteins was purified and found to be unable to inhibit parasitic CN in the presence of CsA. Together, these results underscore the importance of the proper assembly and function of CN in plasmodial biology and suggest that the inhibition of CN can be a potential mechanism behind the CsA-sensitivity of the malaria parasite.

Cyclophilins: a new family of proteins involved in intracellular folding

Proteins of the cyclophilin family display two intriguing properties. On the one hand, they are the intracellular receptors for the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA); on the other hand, they function in vitro as enzymes that catalyse slow steps in protein folding. A dissection of the role of CsA in mediating immunosuppression, together with recent studies on the biology of cyclophilins in the absence of this ligand, is providing fundamental insight into the cellular function of this protein family.

Conformational polymorphism in peptidic and nonpeptidic drug molecules

Macrolide ligands that bind FK506 binding proteins and cyclosporins that a bind cyclophilins are chemically dissimilar but can share a number of structural and biological properties. Both families of ligands have very different conformations in the free state compared to those adopted when complexed with their binding protein. These transformations involve twisting from cis to trans about specific amide bonds, which result in significant changes in the hydrogen-bonding capabilities of the molecular surfaces. The three-dimensional structure of a new cyclosporin-like ligand (SDZ214 - 103) is described in the free crystalline state and bound to cyclophilin, and is shown to have a very different conformation from cyclosporin A in the free crystal, but a very similar conformation when bound to cyclophilin.

Using neural network predicted secondary structure information in automatic protein NMR assignment

In CAPRI, an automated NMR assignment software package that was developed in our laboratory, both chemical shift values and coupling topologies of spin patterns are used in a procedure for amino acids recognition. By using a knowledge base of chemical shift distributions of the 20 amino acid types, fuzzy mathematics, and pattern recognition theory, the spin coupling topological graphs are mapped onto specific amino acid residues. In this work, we investigated the feasibility of using secondary structure information of proteins as predicted by neural networks in the automated NMR assignment. As the 1H and 13C chemical shifts of proteins are known to correlate to their secondary structures, secondary structure information is useful in improving the amino acid recognition. In this study, the secondary structures of proteins predicted by the PHD protein server and our own trained neural networks are used in the amino acid type recognition. The results show that the predicted secondary structure information can help to improve the accuracy of the amino acid recognition.

Solving the atomic resolution structure of a protein in solution: nuclear magnetic resonance studies of villin 14T

To understand how a protein functions, it is essential to know the three-dimensional structure of the protein to atomic resolution. Multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques provide one method for solving atomic resolution protein structures. These techniques have been applied to the 126-residue protein domain, villin 14T. The most challenging step is assigning each resonance line in the NMR spectrum to the correct proton within the protein. For villin 14T, this sequential assignment step was accomplished with triple-resonance, backbone-directed strategies. The structure reveals a unique fold shared only by domains from other proteins in the actin-severing family.

pH titration of the histidine residues of cyclophilin and FK506 binding protein in the absence and presence of immunosuppressant ligands

Histidine residues in immunophilins, particularly His-126 of cyclophilin (CyP) and His-87 of the FK506 binding protein (FKBP), have been suggested to play important roles in ligand binding and peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPiase) catalysis. The charged states of the histidine residues in FKBP and CyP, which were characterized by their pKa values, have been determined in the absence and presence of the immunosuppressant ligands, ascomycin and cyclosporin A (CsA), respectively, by using a heteronuclear two-dimensional NMR method. Overall, the histidine residues in FKBP and CyP are very acidic with pKa values ranging from < or = 2.8 to 6.5, indicating that they are predominantly uncharged at physiological pH. To our knowledge, the pKa value of < or = 2.8 determined from this study is the lowest pKa reported for the free imidazole ring of the histidine residues in proteins. The abnormally acidic pKa's of His-25 in FKBP and His-54 in CyP could be explained by their highly positively charged environments. His-87 of FKBP, which is located in the FK506 binding pocket, was found to exist in two forms in free FKBP with pKa values of 5.9 and 6.5 for the major and minor forms, respectively. His-126, which is part of the CsA and substrate binding site, has a pKa of 6.3 in free CyP. The pKa values of these two histidine residues in the free proteins are higher than the pKa's obtained for the peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPiase) activity of these enzymes, indicating that the acid/base characters of His-87 of FKBP and His-126 of CyP are not essential in the PPiase catalysis. The hydrogen bonding of the histidine imidazole rings and the effect of hydrophobicity upon changes in pKa values are discussed.

Determination of the NMR solution structure of the cyclophilin A-cyclosporin A complex

The three-dimensional NMR solution structure of the cyclophilin A (Cyp)-cyclosporin A (CsA) complex was determined, and here we provide a detailed description of the analysis of the NMR data and the structure calculation. Using 15N- and 13C-resolved three- and four-dimensional [1H,1H]-nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) spectroscopy with uniformly isotope-labeled Cyp in the complex, a final data set of 1810 intra-Cyp, 107 intra-CsA and 63 intermolecular NOE upper distance constraints was collected as input for the structure calculation with the program DIANA. A group of DIANA conformers, selected by a previously described analysis of the dependence of the maximal root-mean-square deviation (rmsd) among the individual conformers on the residual target function value, was subjected to energy refinement with the program FANTOM. The 22 best energy-refined conformers were then used to represent the solution structure. The average rmsd relative to the mean structure of these 22 conformers is 1.1 A for the backbone atoms of all residues of the complex. The molecular architecture of Cyp in the Cyp-CsA complex includes an eight-stranded antiparallel beta-barrel, which is closed on each side by an amphipathic helix. CsA is bound in a cavity formed by part of the barrel surface and four loops with nonregular secondary structure. Comparison of this structure with structures of Cyp-CsA and other Cyp-peptide complexes determined by different approaches shows extensive similarities.

Secondary structure and backbone resonance assignments of the periplasmic cyclophilin type peptidyl-prolyl isomerase from Escherichia coli

Proton, carbon-13, and nitrogen-15 sequence-specific backbone assignments have been obtained for the periplasmic cyclophilin type cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase from Escherichia coli (167 residues, M(r) = 18,244). Assignments were obtained using both 1H, 13C, and 15N triple-resonance and 1H and 15N double-resonance three-dimensional (3D) NMR spectroscopy at pH 6.2, 25 degrees C. Complete or partial residue-specific assignments have been obtained for 165 of the 167 residues. The secondary structure has been characterized using long- and medium-range NOEs. The protein consists of an eight-stranded anti-parallel beta-sheet and two helices. The overall topology of E. coli cyclophilin is similar to that of human T-cell cyclophilin. Sequence alignment with human T-cell cyclophilin based on secondary structure homology implicates several residues in E. coli cyclophilin that may be crucial for binding the peptide substrate AC-A-A-P-A-AMC and the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A.

Solution structure of the cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex by NMR

Cyclosporin A, a cyclic undecapeptide, is a potent immunosuppressant that binds to a peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase of 165 amino acids, cyclophilin. The cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex inhibits the calcium- and calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, resulting in a failure to activate genes encoding interleukin-2 and other lymphokines. The three-dimensional structures of uncomplexed cyclophilin, a tetrapeptide/cyclophilin complex, and cyclosporin A when bound to cyclophilin have been reported. However, the structure of the cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex has not been determined. Here we present the solution structure of the cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex obtained by heteronuclear three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The structure, one of the largest determined by NMR, differs from proposed models of the complex and is analysed in terms of the binding interactions and structure/activity relationships for CsA analogues.

A practical method for uniform isotopic labeling of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells

A method to obtain uniformly isotopically labeled (15N and 15N/13C) protein from mammalian cells is described. The method involves preparation of isotopically labeled media consisting of amino acids isolated from bacterial and algal extracts supplemented with cysteine and enzymatically synthesized glutamine. The approach is demonstrated by producing 15N-labeled and 15N/13C-labeled urokinase from Sp2/0 cells and successfully growing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells on the labeled media. Thus, using the procedures described, isotopically labeled proteins that have been expressed in mammalian cells can be prepared, allowing them to be studied by heteronuclear multidimensional NMR techniques.

Active site mutants of human cyclophilin A separate peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity from cyclosporin A binding and calcineurin inhibition

Based on recent X-ray structural information, six site-directed mutants of human cyclophilin A (hCyPA) involving residues in the putative active site--H54, R55, F60, Q111, F113, and H126--have been constructed, overexpressed, and purified from Escherichia coli to homogeneity. The proteins W121A (Liu, J., Chen, C.-M., & Walsh, C.T., 1991a, Biochemistry 30, 2306-2310), H54Q, R55A, F60A, Q111A, F113A, and H126Q were assayed for cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity, their ability to bind the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA), and protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) inhibition in the presence of CsA. Results indicate that H54Q, Q111A, F113A, and W121A retain 3-15% of the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of wild-type recombinant hCyPA. The remaining three mutants (R55A, F60A, and H126Q) each retain less than 1% of the wild-type catalytic efficiency, indicating participation by these residues in PPIase catalysis. Each of the mutants bound to a CsA affinity matrix. The mutants R55A, F60A, F113A, and H126Q inhibited calcineurin in the presence of CsA, whereas W121A did not. Although CsA is a competitive inhibitor of PPIase activity, it can complex with enzymatically inactive cyclophilins and inhibit the phosphatase activity of calcineurin.

Cyclosporin A-cyclophilin complex formation. A model based on X-ray and NMR data

The previously determined 3D NMR solution structure of cyclophilin-bound cyclosporin A (CsA) was docked onto the X-ray crystal structure of cyclophilin. Intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) between CsA and cyclophilin were used as constraints in a restrained energy minimization to generate a model of the complex which satisfied all the NOE distance constraints. The model shows that the residues 9 to 11 and 1 to 5 of the cyclic CsA molecule are in contact with cyclophilin. Comparing the model of the CsA-cyclophilin complex to the X-ray crystal structure of a complex of cyclophilin with a substrate for peptidyl-proline cis-trans isomerase activity, i.e. the linear tetrapeptide substrate ac-Ala-Ala-Pro-Ala-amc (ac, acetyl; amc, amidomethylcoumarin), one notices that the contacting peptide segments in the two ligands are oriented in opposite directions, and that the side chain of MeVal-11 of CsA superposes rather precisely with the position of the prolyl residue in ac-Ala-Ala-Pro-Ala-amc.