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Khorn PA, Luginina AP, Pospelov VA, Dashevsky DE, Khnykin AN, Moiseeva OV, Safronova NA, Belousov AS, Mishin AV, Borshchevsky VI. Rational Design of Drugs Targeting G-Protein-Coupled Receptors: A Structural Biology Perspective. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2024; 89:747-764. [PMID: 38831510 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297924040138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play a key role in the transduction of extracellular signals to cells and regulation of many biological processes, which makes these membrane proteins one of the most important targets for pharmacological agents. A significant increase in the number of resolved atomic structures of GPCRs has opened the possibility of developing pharmaceuticals targeting these receptors via structure-based drug design (SBDD). SBDD employs information on the structure of receptor-ligand complexes to search for selective ligands without the need for an extensive high-throughput experimental ligand screening and can significantly expand the chemical space for ligand search. In this review, we describe the process of deciphering GPCR structures using X-ray diffraction analysis and cryoelectron microscopy as an important stage in the rational design of drugs targeting this receptor class. Our main goal was to present modern developments and key features of experimental methods used in SBDD of GPCR-targeting agents to a wide range of specialists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polina A Khorn
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Aleksandra P Luginina
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Vladimir A Pospelov
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Dmitrii E Dashevsky
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Andrey N Khnykin
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Olga V Moiseeva
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
- Scryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia
| | - Nadezhda A Safronova
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Anatolii S Belousov
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Alexey V Mishin
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia.
| | - Valentin I Borshchevsky
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia.
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Dubna, Moscow Region, 141980, Russia
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2
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Derewenda ZS. C-H Groups as Donors in Hydrogen Bonds: A Historical Overview and Occurrence in Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13165. [PMID: 37685972 PMCID: PMC10488043 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen bonds constitute a unique type of non-covalent interaction, with a critical role in biology. Until fairly recently, the canonical view held that these bonds occur between electronegative atoms, typically O and N, and that they are mostly electrostatic in nature. However, it is now understood that polarized C-H groups may also act as hydrogen bond donors in many systems, including biological macromolecules. First recognized from physical chemistry studies, C-H…X bonds were visualized with X-ray crystallography sixty years ago, although their true significance has only been recognized in the last few decades. This review traces the origins of the field and describes the occurrence and significance of the most important C-H…O bonds in proteins and nucleic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zygmunt Stanislaw Derewenda
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2628, USA
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3
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Minor W, Cymborowski M, Borek D, Cooper DR, Chruszcz M, Otwinowski Z. Optimal structure determination from sub-optimal diffraction data. Protein Sci 2022; 31:259-268. [PMID: 34783106 PMCID: PMC8740829 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Herein we present the newest version of the HKL-3000 system that integrates data collection, data reduction, phasing, model building, refinement, and validation. The system significantly accelerates the process of structure determination and has proven its high value for the determination of very high-quality structures. The heuristic for choosing the best approach for every step of structure determination for various quality samples and diffraction data has been optimized. The latest modifications increase the likelihood of a successful structure determination with challenging data. The HKL-3000 is a successor of HKL and HKL-2000 programs. The use of the HKL family of programs has been reported for over 73,000 PDB deposits, that is, almost 50% of macromolecular structures determined with X-ray diffraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wladek Minor
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological PhysicsUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginia
| | - Marcin Cymborowski
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological PhysicsUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginia
| | - Dominika Borek
- Department of BiophysicsThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexas,Department of BiochemistryThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexas
| | - David R. Cooper
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological PhysicsUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginia
| | - Maksymilian Chruszcz
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth Carolina
| | - Zbyszek Otwinowski
- Department of BiophysicsThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexas,Department of BiochemistryThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexas
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Grabowski M, Cooper DR, Brzezinski D, Macnar JM, Shabalin IG, Cymborowski M, Otwinowski Z, Minor W. Synchrotron Radiation as a Tool for Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography: a XXI Century Perspective. NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH. SECTION B, BEAM INTERACTIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ATOMS 2021; 489:30-40. [PMID: 33603257 PMCID: PMC7886262 DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2020.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Intense X-rays available at powerful synchrotron beamlines provide macromolecular crystallographers with an incomparable tool for investigating biological phenomena on an atomic scale. The resulting insights into the mechanism's underlying biological processes have played an essential role and shaped biomedical sciences during the last 30 years, considered the "golden age" of structural biology. In this review, we analyze selected aspects of the impact of synchrotron radiation on structural biology. Synchrotron beamlines have been used to determine over 70% of all macromolecular structures deposited into the Protein Data Bank (PDB). These structures were deposited by over 13,000 different research groups. Interestingly, despite the impressive advances in synchrotron technologies, the median resolution of macromolecular structures determined using synchrotrons has remained constant throughout the last 30 years, at about 2 Å. Similarly, the median times from the data collection to the deposition and release have not changed significantly. We describe challenges to reproducibility related to recording all relevant data and metadata during the synchrotron experiments, including diffraction images. Finally, we discuss some of the recent opinions suggesting a diminishing importance of X-ray crystallography due to impressive advances in Cryo-EM and theoretical modeling. We believe that synchrotrons of the future will increasingly evolve towards a life science center model, where X-ray crystallography, Cryo-EM, and other experimental and computational resources and knowledge are encompassed within a versatile research facility. The recent response of crystallographers to the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that X-ray crystallography conducted at synchrotron beamlines will continue to play an essential role in structural biology and drug discovery for years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Grabowski
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903, USA
| | - David R. Cooper
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903, USA
| | - Dariusz Brzezinski
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903, USA
- Institute of Computing Science, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland
- Center for Biocrystallographic Research, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Joanna M. Macnar
- College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Center, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ivan G. Shabalin
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903, USA
| | - Marcin Cymborowski
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903, USA
| | - Zbyszek Otwinowski
- Department of Biophysics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Wladek Minor
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903, USA
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5
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Diffuse X-ray scattering to model protein motions. Structure 2014; 22:182-4. [PMID: 24507780 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2014.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2013] [Revised: 12/07/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Problems in biology increasingly need models of protein flexibility to understand and control protein function. At the same time, as they improve, crystallographic methods are marching closer to the limits of what can be learned from Bragg data in isolation. It is thus inevitable that mainstream protein crystallography will turn to diffuse scattering to model protein motions and improve crystallographic models. The time is ripe to make it happen.
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Breidt FJ, Erciulescu A, van der Woerd M. Autocovariance Structures for Radial Averages in Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Experiments. JOURNAL OF TIME SERIES ANALYSIS 2012; 33:704-717. [PMID: 23355752 PMCID: PMC3551296 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9892.2011.00779.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a technique for obtaining low-resolution structural information about biological macromolecules, by exposing a dilute solution to a high-intensity X-ray beam and capturing the resulting scattering pattern on a two-dimensional detector. The two-dimensional pattern is reduced to a one-dimensional curve through radial averaging; that is, by averaging across annuli on the detector plane. Subsequent analysis of structure relies on these one-dimensional data. This paper reviews the technique of SAXS and investigates autocorrelation structure in the detector plane and in the radial averages. Across a range of experimental conditions and molecular types, spatial autocorrelation in the detector plane is present and is well-described by a stationary kernel convolution model. The corresponding autocorrelation structure for the radial averages is non-stationary. Implications of the autocorrelation structure for inference about macromolecular structure are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Jay Breidt
- Department of Statistics, Colorado State University
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7
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Abstract
Proteins in thermal equilibrium are associated with conformational distributions rather than single, static structures. Although there are no experimental methods to measure the full protein conformational distribution, several methods exist to probe important aspects. Diffuse X-ray scattering is one such method. We have measured the first three-dimensional reciprocal-space maps of the intensity of diffuse X-ray reflections from protein crystals, and used them to characterize protein conformational distributions. With straightforward modifications, X-ray beamlines can be engineered to enable diffuse scattering measurements for protein crystals. To facilitate future studies, the Lunus software package, used to create the first three-dimensional maps of diffuse X-ray reflections from protein crystals, has been made publicly available ( http://lunus.sourceforge.net ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Wall
- Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
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8
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Costa J, Empadinhas N, Gonçalves L, Lamosa P, Santos H, da Costa MS. Characterization of the biosynthetic pathway of glucosylglycerate in the archaeon Methanococcoides burtonii. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:1022-30. [PMID: 16428406 PMCID: PMC1347341 DOI: 10.1128/jb.188.3.1022-1030.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathway for the synthesis of the organic solute glucosylglycerate (GG) is proposed based on the activities of the recombinant glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase (GpgS) and glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate phosphatase (GpgP) from Methanococcoides burtonii. A mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate phosphatase gene homologue (mpgP) was found in the genome of M. burtonii (http://www.jgi.doe.gov), but an mpgS gene coding for mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase (MpgS) was absent. The gene upstream of the mpgP homologue encoded a putative glucosyltransferase that was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant product had GpgS activity, catalyzing the synthesis of glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate (GPG) from GDP-glucose and d-3-phosphoglycerate, with a high substrate specificity. The recombinant MpgP protein dephosphorylated GPG to GG and was also able to dephosphorylate mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate (MPG) but no other substrate tested. Similar flexibilities in substrate specificity were confirmed in vitro for the MpgPs from Thermus thermophilus, Pyrococcus horikoshii, and "Dehalococcoides ethenogenes." GpgS had maximal activity at 50 degrees C. The maximal activity of GpgP was at 50 degrees C with GPG as the substrate and at 60 degrees C with MPG. Despite the similarity of the sugar donors GDP-glucose and GDP-mannose, the enzymes for the synthesis of GPG or MPG share no amino acid sequence identity, save for short motifs. However, the hydrolysis of GPG and MPG is carried out by phosphatases encoded by homologous genes and capable of using both substrates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the elucidation of a biosynthetic pathway for glucosylglycerate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Costa
- Departamento de Bioquímica and Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Universidade de Coimbra, 3001-401 Coimbra, Portugal.
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9
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Esposito L, Vitagliano L, Zagari A, Mazzarella L. Experimental evidence for the correlation of bond distances in peptide groups detected in ultrahigh-resolution protein structures. PROTEIN ENGINEERING 2000; 13:825-8. [PMID: 11239081 DOI: 10.1093/protein/13.12.825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The structural analysis of a deamidated derivative of ribonuclease A, determined at 0.87 A resolution, reveals a highly significant negative correlation between CN and CO bond distances in peptide groups. This trend, i.e. the CO bond lengthens when the CN bond shortens, is also found in seven out of eight protein structures, determined at ultrahigh resolution (<0.95 A). In five of them the linear correlation is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The present findings are consistent with the traditional view of amide resonance and, although already found in small peptide structures, they represent a new and important result. In fact, in a protein structure the fine details of the peptide geometry are only marginally affected by the crystal field and they are mostly produced by intramolecular and solvent interactions. The analysis of very high-resolution protein structures can reveal subtle information about local electronic features of proteins which may be critical to folding, function or ligand binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Esposito
- Centro di Studio di Biocristallografia CNR and Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Mezzocannone 4, I-80134 Naples, Italy
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10
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Covalent Titanium(IV)–Aryloxide Network Materials: 4,4′-Biphenoxide 3D and Polyphenolic 2D Motifs. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2000. [DOI: 10.1006/jssc.2000.8677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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11
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Bellizzi JJ, Widom J, Kemp CW, Clardy J. Producing selenomethionine-labeled proteins with a baculovirus expression vector system. Structure 1999; 7:R263-7. [PMID: 10574801 DOI: 10.1016/s0969-2126(00)80020-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J J Bellizzi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-1301, USA
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12
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Abstract
Unlike most protein crystals, form IX of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A diffracts well when severely dehydrated. Crystal structures have been solved after 2.5 and 4 days of desiccation with CaSO4, at 1.9 and 2.0 A resolution, respectively. The two desiccated structures are very similar. An RMS displacement of 1.6 A is observed for main-chain atoms in each structure when compared to the hydrated crystal structure with some large rearrangements observed in loop regions. The structural changes are the result of intermolecular contacts formed by strong electrostatic interactions in the absence of a high dielectric medium. The electron density is very diffuse for some surface loops, consistent with a very disordered structure. This disorder is related to the conformational changes. These results help explain conformational changes during the lyophilization of protein and the associated phenomena of denaturation and molecular memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Bell
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany 12201-0509, USA.
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Pugmire MJ, Ealick SE. The crystal structure of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase in a closed conformation. Structure 1998; 6:1467-79. [PMID: 9817849 DOI: 10.1016/s0969-2126(98)00145-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PYNP) catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of pyrimidines in the nucleotide synthesis salvage pathway. In lower organisms (e.g. Bacillus stearothermophilus) PYNP accepts both thymidine and uridine, whereas in mammalian and other higher organisms it is specific for thymidine (designated thymidine phosphorylase, TP). PYNP shares 40% sequence similarity (and presumably significant structural similarity) with human TP, which has been implicated as a growth factor in tumor angiogenesis. It is thought that TP undergoes a major conformational change upon substrate binding that consequently produces an active conformation. RESULTS The crystal structure of PYNP from B. stearothermophilus with the substrate analog pseudouridine in its active site has been solved to 2.1 A resolution. This structure confirms the similarity of PYNP to TP and supports the idea of a closed active conformation, which is the result of rigid body movement of the alpha and alpha/beta domains. The active-site cleft, where the pyrimidine and phosphate substrates bind, is between the two domains. The structure reveals an asymmetric dimer in which one subunit is fully closed and the other is only partially closed. CONCLUSIONS The closed conformation of PYNP serves as a good model to better understand the domain movement and overall function of TP. Active-site residues are confirmed and a possible mechanism for substrate binding and subsequent domain movement is suggested. Potent inhibitors of TP might have significant therapeutic value in various chemotherapeutic strategies, and the structure of PYNP should provide valuable insight into the rational design of such inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Pugmire
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY 14853, USA
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14
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Brenner C, Pace HC, Garrison PN, Robinson AK, Rosler A, Liu XH, Blackburn GM, Croce CM, Huebner K, Barnes LD. Purification and crystallization of complexes modeling the active state of the fragile histidine triad protein. PROTEIN ENGINEERING 1997; 10:1461-3. [PMID: 9543008 PMCID: PMC2556046 DOI: 10.1093/protein/10.12.1461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Fragile histidine triad protein (Fhit) is a diadenosine triphosphate (ApppA) hydrolase encoded at the human chromosome 3 fragile site which is frequently disrupted in tumors. Reintroduction of FHIT coding sequences to cancer cell lines with FHIT deletions suppressed the ability of these cell lines to form tumors in nude mice even when the reintroduced FHIT gene had been mutated to allow ApppA binding but not hydrolysis. Because this suggested that the tumor suppressor activity of Fhit protein depends on substrate-dependent signaling rather than ApppA catabolism, we prepared two crystalline forms of Fhit protein that are expected to model its biologically active, substrate-bound state. Wild-type and the His96Asn forms of Fhit were overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and crystallized in the presence and absence of ApppA and an ApppA analog. Single crystals obtained by vapor diffusion against ammonium sulfate diffracted X-rays to beyond 2.75 A resolution. High quality native synchrotron X-ray data were collected for an orthorhombic and a hexagonal crystal form.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Brenner
- Kimmel Cancer Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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15
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Abstract
Advances in experimental and computational techniques have reaffirmed the role of protein X-ray crystallography as one of the primary providers of structural information both to enhance our fundamental understanding of biological systems and also to assist the design and optimization of important therapeutics. Today, the most important challenge facing macromolecular X-ray crystallography is the need to grow suitable crystals of a given protein. Once this has been accomplished, most often the question is not whether the structure will be solved but rather how fast this will be done. A dramatic example of this is the crystal structure of cytochrome c oxidase. The search for crystallization conditions took about 15 years and then the structure was solved in about one year.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Wery
- Research Technologies & Proteins, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46285, USA.
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16
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Hendrickson WA, Ogata CM. [28] Phase determination from multiwavelength anomalous diffraction measurements. Methods Enzymol 1997; 276:494-523. [PMID: 27799111 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(97)76074-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 226] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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17
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Täte MW, Eikenberry EF, Grüner SM. X‐ray detectors for macromolecular crystallography. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1996. [DOI: 10.1080/08940889608602914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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18
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Abstract
Crystallization is necessary to obtain the three-dimensional structure of proteins and nucleic acids; it often represents the bottleneck in structure determination. Our understanding of crystallization mechanisms is still incomplete. In this review, we emphasize fundamental aspects of the crystallization process. Protein-protein contacts in crystals are complex, involving a delicate balance of specific and nonspecific interactions. Depending on solution conditions, these interactions can lead to nucleation of crystals or to amorphous aggregation; this stage of crystallization has been successfully studied by light scattering. Post-nucleation crystal growth may proceed by mechanisms involving crystal defects or two-dimensional nucleation, as observed by atomic force and interference microscopy. Cessation of growth has been observed but remains incompletely understood. Impurities may play important roles during all stages of crystallization. Phase diagrams can guide optimization of conditions for nucleation and subsequent crystal growth; a theoretical understanding relating these to the intermolecular interactions is beginning to develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Durbin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota 55057, USA
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