Intermolecular interactions and characterization of the novel factor Xa exosite involved in macromolecular recognition and inhibition: crystal structure of human Gla-domainless factor Xa complexed with the anticoagulant protein NAPc2 from the hematophagous nematode Ancylostoma caninum

NAPc2, an anticoagulant protein from the hematophagous nematode Ancylostoma caninum evaluated in phase-II/IIa clinical trials, inhibits the extrinsic blood coagulation pathway by a two step mechanism, initially interacting with the hitherto uncharacterized factor Xa exosite involved in macromolecular recognition and subsequently inhibiting factor VIIa (K(i)=8.4 pM) of the factor VIIa/tissue factor complex. NAPc2 is highly flexible, becoming partially ordered and undergoing significant structural changes in the C terminus upon binding to the factor Xa exosite. In the crystal structure of the ternary factor Xa/NAPc2/selectide complex, the binding interface consists of an intermolecular antiparallel beta-sheet formed by the segment of the polypeptide chain consisting of residues 74-80 of NAPc2 with the residues 86-93 of factor Xa that is additional maintained by contacts between the short helical segment (residues 67-73) and a turn (residues 26-29) of NAPc2 with the short C-terminal helix of factor Xa (residues 233-243). This exosite is physiologically highly relevant for the recognition and inhibition of factor X/Xa by macromolecular substrates and provides a structural motif for the development of a new class of inhibitors for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and angioplasty.

Structure of a calcium-independent phospholipase-like myotoxic protein from Bothrops asper venom

Myotoxin II, a myotoxic calcium-independent phospholipase-like protein isolated from the venom of Bothrops asper, possesses no detectable phospholipase activity. The crystal structure has been determined and refined at 2.8 A to an R-factor of 16.5% (F > 3sigma) with excellent stereochemistry. Amino-acid differences between catalytically active phospholipases and myotoxin II in the Ca(2+)-binding region, specifically the substitutions Tyr28-->Asn, Gly32-->Leu and Asp49-->Lys, result in an altered local conformation. The key difference is that the epsilon-amino group of Lys49 fills the site normally occupied by the calcium ion in catalytically active phospholipases. In contrast to the homologous monomeric Lys49 variant from Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus, myotoxin II is present as a dimer both in solution and in the crystalline state. The two molecules in the asymmetric unit are related by a nearly perfect twofold axis, yet the dimer is radically different from the dimer formed by the phospholipase from Crotalus atrox. Whereas in C. atrox the dimer interface occludes the active sites, in myotoxin II they are exposed to solvent.

An ambiguous structure of a DNA 15-mer thrombin complex

The structure of a complex between thrombin and a GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG DNA 15-mer has been analyzed crystallographically. The solution NMR structure of the 15-mer has two stacked G-quartets similar to that found in the previous X-ray structure determination of the 15-mer-thrombin complex [Padmanabhan, Padmanabhan, Ferrara, Sadler & Tulinsky (1993). J. Biol. Chem. 268, 17651-17654]; the strand polarity, however, is reversed from that of the crystallographic structure. The structure of the complex here has been redetermined with better diffraction data confirming the previous crystallographic structure but also indicating that the NMR solution structure fits equally well. Both 15-mer complex structures refined to an R value of about 0.16 presenting a disconcerting ambiguity. Since the two 15-mer structures associate with thrombin in different ways (through the TGT loop in the X-ray and TT loop in the NMR model), other independent lines of physical or chemical evidence are required to resolve the ambiguity.

Structure of 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG) aldolase from Pseudomonas putida

2-Keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG) aldolase from Pseudomonas putida is a key enzyme in the Entner-Doudoroff pathway which catalyses the cleavage of KDPG via a class I Schiff-base mechanism. The crystal structure of this enzyme has been refined to a crystallographic residual R = 17.1% (R(free) = 21.4%). The N-terminal helix caps one side of the torus of the (betaalpha)(8)-barrel and the active site is located on the opposite, carboxylic side of the barrel. The Schiff-base-forming Lys145 is coordinated by a sulfate (or phosphate) ion and two solvent water molecules. The interactions that stabilize the trimer are predominantly hydrophobic, with the exception of the cyclically permuted bonds formed between Glu132 OE1 of one molecule and Thr129 OG1 of a symmetry-equivalent molecule. Except for the N-terminal helix, the structure of KDPG aldolase from P. putida closely resembles the structure of the homologous enzyme from Escherichia coli.

Structure and binding determinants of the recombinant kringle-2 domain of human plasminogen to an internal peptide from a group A Streptococcal surface protein

The X-ray crystal structure of a complex of a modified recombinant kringle-2 domain of human plasminogen, K2Pg[C4G/E56D/L72Y] (mK2Pg), containing an upregulated lysine-binding site, bound to a functional 30 residue internal peptide (VEK-30) from an M-type protein of a group A Streptococcus surface protein, has been determined by molecular replacement methods using K4Pg as a model, and refined at 2.7 A resolution to a R-factor of 19.5 %. The X-ray crystal structure shows that VEK-30 exists as a nearly end-to-end alpha-helix in the complex with mK2Pg. The final structure also revealed that Arg17 and His18 of VEK-30 served as cationic loci for Asp54 and Asp56 of the consensus lysine-binding site of mK2Pg, while Glu20 of VEK-30 coordinates with Arg69 of the cationic binding site of mK2Pg. The hydrophobic ligand-binding pocket in mK2Pg, consisting primarily of Trp60 and Trp70, situated between the positive and negative centers of the lysine-binding site, is utilized in a novel manner in stabilizing the interaction with VEK-30 by forming a cation-pi-electron-mediated association with the positive side-chain of Arg17 of this peptide. Additional lysine-binding sites, as well as exosite electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions involving Glu9 and Lys14 of VEK-30, were observed in the structural model. The importance of these interactions were tested in solution by investigating the binding constants of synthetic variants of VEK-30 to mK2Pg, and it was found that, Lys14, Arg17, His18, and Glu20 of VEK-30 were the most critical amino acid binding determinants. With regard to the solution studies, circular dichroism analysis of the titration of VEK-30 with mK2Pg demonstrated that the peptidic alpha-helical structure increased substantially when bound to the kringle module, in agreement with the X-ray results. This investigation is the first to delineate structurally the mode of interaction of the lysine-binding site of a kringle with an internal pseudo-lysine residue of a peptide or protein that functionally interacts with a kringle module, and serves as a paradigm for this important class of interactions.

Structure of the Ser195Ala mutant of human alpha--thrombin complexed with fibrinopeptide A(7--16): evidence for residual catalytic activity

The Ser195Ala mutant of human alpha-thrombin was complexed with fibrinopeptide A(7-22) (FPA) in an effort to describe the (P1'-P6') post-cleavage binding subsites of the fibrinogen-recognition exosite and define more clearly the nature of the Michaelis complex and the scissile peptide bond bound at the catalytic site. The thrombin mutant, however, has residual catalytic activity and proteolysis occurred at the Arg16-Gly17 bond. Thus, the structure of the thrombin complex determined was that of FPA(7-16) bound at the active site, which is very similar to the ternary FPA(7-16)cmk-human thrombin-hirugen complex (r.m.s.d. approximately 0.4 A; Stubbs et al. , 1992). It is further shown by subsidiary experiments that the cleavage is the result of residual catalytic activity of the altered catalytic machinery.

Structure of thrombin complexed with selective non-electrophilic inhibitors having cyclohexyl moieties at P1

The crystal structures of five new non-electrophilic beta-strand-templated thrombin active-site inhibitors have been determined bound to the enzyme. Four co-crystallize with hirugen and inhibitor isomorphously to produce thrombin-hirugen crystals (monoclinic, space group C2), while one co-crystallizes in the hexagonal system, space group P6(5). A 1,4-substituted cyclohexyl moiety is conserved at the P1 position of all the inhibitors, along with a fused hetero-bicyclic five- and six-membered ring that occupies the P2 site. Amino, amidino and aminoimidazole groups are attached to the cyclohexyl ring for recognition at the S1 specificity site, while benzylsulfonyl and diphenyl groups enhance the binding at the S3 subsite. The cyclohexyl groups at the P1 positions of three of the inhibitors appear to be in the energetically favored chair conformation, while the imidazole-substituted cyclohexyl rings are in a boat conformation. Somewhat unexpectedly, the two cyclohexyl-aminoimidazole groups bind differently in the specificity site; the unique binding of one is heretofore unreported. The other inhibitors generally mimic arginyl binding at S1. This group of inhibitors combines the non-electrophilicity and selectivity of DAPA-like compounds and the more optimal binding features of the S1-S3 sites of thrombin for peptidic molecules, which results in highly potent (binding constants 12 nM-16 pM, one being 1.1 microM) and selective (ranging from 140 to 20 000 times more selective compared with trypsin) inhibitors of thrombin. The binding modes of these novel inhibitors are correlated with their binding constants, as is their selectivity, in order to provide further insight for the design of therapeutic antithrombotic agents that inhibit thrombin directly at the active site.

Structure of tick anticoagulant peptide at 1.6 A resolution complexed with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor

The structure of tick anticoagulant peptide (TAP) has been determined by X-ray crystallography at 1.6 A resolution complexed with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). The TAP-BPTI crystals are tetragonal, a = b = 46.87, c = 50.35 A, space group P41, four complexes per unit cell. The TAP molecules are highly dipolar and form an intermolecular helical array along the c-axis with a diameter of about 45 A. Individual TAP units interact in a head-to-tail fashion, the positive end of one molecule associating with the distal negative end of another, and vice versa. The BPTI molecules have a uniformly distributed positively charged surface that interacts extensively through 14 hydrogen bonds and two hydrogen bonded salt bridges with the helical groove around the helical TAP chains. Comparing the structure of TAP in TAP-BPTI with TAP bound to factor Xa(Xa) suggests a massive reorganization in the N-terminal tetrapeptide and the first disulfide loop of TAP (Cys5T-Cys15T) upon binding to Xa. The Tyr1(T)OH atom of TAP moves 14.2 A to interact with Asp189 of the S1 specificity site, Arg3(T)CZ moves 5.0 A with the guanidinium group forming a cation-pi-electron complex in the S4 subsite of Xa, while Lys7(T)NZ differs in position by 10.6 A in TAP-BPTI and TAP-Xa, all of which indicates a different pre-Xa-bound conformation for the N-terminal of TAP in its native state. In contrast to TAP, the BPTI structure of TAP-BPTI is practically the same as all those of previously determined structures of BPTI, only arginine and lysine side-chain conformations showing significant differences.

Crystallization and preliminary diffraction data of a platelet-aggregation inhibitor from the venom of Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus (North American water moccasin)

Applaggin (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus platelet-aggregation inhibitor) is a potent inhibitor of blood platelet aggregation derived from the venom of the North American water moccasin. The protein consists of 71 amino acids, is rich in cysteines, contains the sequence-recognition site of adhesion proteins at positions 50-52 (Arg-Gly-Asp) and shares high sequence homology with other snake-venom disintegrins such as echistatin, kistrin and trigramin. Single crystals of applaggin have been grown and X-ray diffraction data have been collected to a resolution of 3.2 A. The crystals belong to space group P4(1)2(1)2 (or its enantiomorph), with unit-cell dimensions a = b = 63.35, c = 74.18 A and two molecules per asymmetric unit. Molecular replacement using models constructed from the NMR structures of echistatin and kistrin has not been successful in producing a trial structure for applaggin.

Bound structures of novel P3-P1' beta-strand mimetic inhibitors of thrombin

The X-ray crystal structures of four beta-strand-templated active site inhibitors of thrombin containing P1' groups have been determined and refined at about 2.1-A resolution to crystallographic R-values between 0.148 and 0.164. Two of the inhibitors have an alpha-ketoamide functionality at the scissile bond; the other two have a nonhydrolyzable electrophilic group at the P1' position. The binding of lysine is compared with that of arginine at the S1 specificity site, while that of D,L-phenylalanine enantiomorphs is compared in the S3 region of thrombin. Four different P1' moieties bind at the S1' subsite in three different ways. The binding constants vary between 2.0 microM and 70 pM. The bound structures are used to intercorrelate the various binding constants and also lead to insightful inferences concerning binding at the S1' site of thrombin.

Structures of thrombin retro-inhibited with SEL2711 and SEL2770 as they relate to factor Xa binding

Most thrombin active-site inhibitors form a short antiparallel beta-strand with residues Ser214-Gly216. However, the Selectide Corp. inhibitors SEL2711 and SEL2770 bind to thrombin in a retro fashion, making a parallel beta-strand with Ser214-Gly216 similar to other retro-binding inhibitors. The crystallographic structures of thrombin-hirugen complexed with SEL2711 and SEL2770, which are isostructural with the binary thrombin-hirugen complex, have been determined and refined in the 9.0-2.1 A resolution range to final R values of 16.5 and 16.7%, respectively. The structures of the SEL2711 and SEL2770 complexes contain 131 and 104 water molecules, respectively, both of which correspond to occupancies of greater than 0.5. The L-4-amidinophenylalanyl residues of SEL2711 and SEL2770 are fixed at the S1 specificity site, utilizing favorable ionic and hydrogen-bonding interactions between the N atoms of the amidino group and the side-chain O atoms of Asp189. The Glu192 residue of thrombin adopts an extended conformation, which allows the L-cyclohexylglycyl residue in the P2 retro-binding position of the inhibitors to occupy a similar site to the P3 aspartate in thrombin platelet-receptor peptides bound to thrombin. The N-terminal acetyl group of both inhibitors is located in the S2 subsite, while the L-3-pyridyl-(3-methyl)-alanyl of SEL2711 and the L-(N,N-dimethyl)lysine of SEL2770 occupy the S3 D-Phe subsite of D-PheProArg chloromethyl ketone (PPACK) in the thrombin-PPACK complex. The two C-terminal residues of SEL2711 (leucine and proline) point into the solvent and have no electron density in the thrombin complex. Those of SEL2770 are also positioned into the solvent, but surprisingly produce weak electron density with high B values (<B> = 50 A2). Since the Selectide inhibitors are about 10(4) times more specific for factor Xa, modeling retro-binding to the latter suggests that the selectivity can be a consequence of interactions of the inhibitors in the S3-S4 binding subsites of factor Xa.

Recombinant kringle IV-10 modules of human apolipoprotein(a): structure, ligand binding modes, and biological relevance

The kringle modules of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] are highly homologous with kringle 4 of plasminogen (75-94%) and like the latter are autonomous structural and functional units. Apo(a) contains 14-37 kringle 4 (KIV) repeats distributed into 10 classes (1-10). Lp(a) binds lysine-Sepharose via a lysine binding site (LBS) located in KIV-10 (88% homology with plasminogen K4). However, the W72R substitution that occurs in rhesus monkeys and occasionally in humans leads to impaired lysine binding capacity of KIV-10 and Lp(a). The foregoing has been investigated by determining the structures of KIV-10/M66 (M66 variant) in its unliganded and ligand [epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA)] bound modes and the structure of recombinant KIV-10/M66R72 (the W72R mutant). In addition, the EACA liganded structure of a sequence polymorph (M66T in about 42-50% of the human population) was reexamined (KIV-10/T66/EACA). The KIV-10/M66, KIV-10/M66/EACA, and KIV-10/T66/EACA molecular structures are highly isostructural, indicating that the LBS of the kringles is preformed anticipating ligand binding. A displacement of three water molecules from the EACA binding groove and a movement of R35 bringing the guanidinium group close to the carboxylate of EACA to assist R71 in stabilizing the anionic group of the ligand are the only changes accompanying ligand binding. Both EACA structures were in the embedded binding mode utilizing all three binding centers (anionic, hydrophobic, cationic) like plasminogen kringles 1 and 4. The KIV-10/T66/EACA structure determined in this work differs from one previously reported [Mikol, V., Lo Grasso, P. V. and, Boettcher, B. R. (1996) J. Mol. Biol. 256, 751-761], which crystallized in a different crystal system and displayed an unbound binding mode, where only the amino group of EACA interacted with the anionic center of the LBS. The remainder of the ligand extended into solvent perpendicular to the kringle surface, leaving the hydrophobic pocket and the cationic center of the LBS unoccupied. The structure of recombinant KIV-10/M66R72 shows that R72 extends along the ligand binding groove parallel to the expected position of EACA toward the anionic center (D55/D57) and makes a salt bridge with D57. Thus, the R72 side chain mimics ligand binding, and loss of binding ability is the result of steric blockage of the LBS by R72 physically occupying part of the site. The rhesus monkey lysine binding impairment is compared with that of chimpanzee where KIV-10 has been shown to have a D57N mutation instead.

Structure of extracellular tissue factor complexed with factor VIIa inhibited with a BPTI mutant

The event that initiates the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation is the association of coagulation factor VIIa (VIIa) with its cell-bound receptor, tissue factor (TF), exposed to blood circulation following tissue injury and/or vascular damage. The natural inhibitor of the TF.VIIa complex is the first Kunitz domain of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI-K1). The structure of TF. VIIa reversibly inhibited with a potent (Ki=0.4 nM) bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) mutant (5L15), a homolog of TFPI-K1, has been determined at 2.1 A resolution. When bound to TF, the four domain VIIa molecule assumes an extended conformation with its light chain wrapping around the framework of the two domain TF cofactor. The 5L15 inhibitor associates with the active site of VIIa similar to trypsin-bound BPTI, but makes several unique interactions near the perimeter of the site that are not observed in the latter. Most of the interactions are polar and involve mutated positions of 5L15. Of the eight rationally engineered mutations distinguishing 5L15 from BPTI, seven are involved in productive interactions stabilizing the enzyme-inhibitor association with four contributing contacts unique to the VIIa.5L15 complex. Two additional unique interactions are due to distinguishing residues in the VIIa sequence: a salt bridge between Arg20 of 5L15 and Asp60 of an insertion loop of VIIa, and a hydrogen bond between Tyr34O of the inhibitor and Lys192NZ of the enzyme. These interactions were used further to model binding of TFPI-K1 to VIIa and TFPI-K2 to factor Xa, the principal activation product of TF.VIIa. The structure of the ternary protein complex identifies the determinants important for binding within and near the active site of VIIa, and provides cogent information for addressing the manner in which substrates of VIIa are bound and hydrolyzed in blood coagulation. It should also provide guidance in structure-aided drug design for the discovery of potent and selective small molecule VIIa inhibitors.

Highly selective mechanism-based thrombin inhibitors: structures of thrombin and trypsin inhibited with rigid peptidyl aldehydes

The crystal structures of three highly potent and selective low-molecular weight rigid peptidyl aldehyde inhibitors complexed with thrombin have been determined and refined to R values 0.152-0. 170 at 1.8-2.1 A resolution. Since the selectivity of two of the inhibitors was >1600 with respect to trypsin, the structures of trypsin-inhibited complexes of these inhibitors were also determined (R = 0.142-0.157 at 1.9-2.1 A resolution). The selectivity appears to reside in the inability of a benzenesulfonamide group to bind at the equivalent of the D-enantiomorphic S3 site of thrombin, which may be related to the lack of a 60-insertion loop in trypsin. All the inhibitors have a novel lactam moiety at the P3 position, while the two with greatest trypsin selectivity have a guanidinopiperidyl group at the P1 position that binds in the S1 specificity site. Differences in the binding constants of these inhibitors are correlated with their interactions with thrombin and trypsin. The kinetics of inhibition vary from slow to fast with thrombin and are fast in all cases with trypsin. The kinetics are examined in terms of the slow formation of a stable transition-state complex in a two-step mechanism. The structures of both thrombin and trypsin complexes show similar well-defined transition states in the S1 site and at the electrophilic carbon atom and Ser195OG. The trypsin structures, however, suggest that the first step in a two-step kinetic mechanism may involve formation of a weak transition-state complex, rather than binding dominated by the P2-P4 positions.

Localization of the thrombin-binding domain on prothrombin fragment 2

Co-crystallographic studies have shown that the interaction of human prothrombin fragment 2 (F2) with thrombin involves the formation of salt bridges between the kringle inner loop of F2 and anion-binding exosite II of thrombin. When F2 binds to thrombin, it has been shown to evoke conformational changes at the active site and at exosite I of the enzyme. Using plasma, recombinant, and synthetic F2 peptides (F2, rF2, and sF2, respectively) we have further localized the thrombin-binding domain on F2. F2, rF2-(1-116), rF2-(55-116), and sF2-(63-116), all of which contain the kringle inner loop (residues 64-93) and the acidic COOH-terminal connecting peptide (residues 94-116), bind to thrombin-agarose. In contrast, analogues of the kringle inner loop, sF2-(63-90), or the COOH-terminal connecting peptide, sF2-(92-116), do not bind. Thus, contrary to predictions from the crystal structure, the COOH-terminal connecting peptide as well as the kringle inner loop are involved in the interaction of F2 with thrombin. F2 and sF2-(63-116) bind saturably to fluorescently labeled active site-blocked thrombin with Kd values of 4.1 and 51.3 microM, respectively. The affinity of sF2-(63-116) for thrombin increases about 5-fold (Kd = 10 microM) when Val at position 78 is substituted with Glu. F2 and sF2-(63-116) bind to exosite II on thrombin because both reduce the heparin-catalyzed rate of thrombin inhibition by antithrombin approximately 4-fold. In contrast, only F2 slows the uncatalyzed rate of thrombin inactivation by antithrombin. Like F2, sF2-(63-116) induces allosteric changes in the active site and exosite I of thrombin because it alters the rates of thrombin-mediated hydrolysis of chromogenic substrates and displaces fluorescently labeled hirudin54-65 from active site-blocked thrombin, respectively. Both peptides also prolong the thrombin clotting time of fibrinogen in a concentration-dependent fashion, reflecting their effects on the active site and/or exosite I. These studies provide further insight into the regions of F2 that evoke functional changes in thrombin.

Structure and ligand binding determinants of the recombinant kringle 5 domain of human plasminogen

The X-ray crystal structure of the recombinant (r) kringle 5 domain of human plasminogen (K5HPg) has been solved by molecular replacement methods using K1HPg as a model and refined at 1.7 A resolution to an R factor of 16.6%. The asymmetric unit of K5HPg is composed of two molecules related by a noncrystallographic 2-fold rotation axis approximately parallel to the z-direction. The lysine binding site (LBS) is defined by the regions His33-Thr37, Pro54-Val58, Pro61-Tyr64, and Leu71-Tyr74 and is occupied in the apo-form by water molecules. A unique feature of the LBS of apo-K5HPg is the substitution by Leu71 for the basic amino acid, arginine, that in other kringle polypeptides forms the donor cationic center for the carboxylate group of omega-amino acid ligands. While wild-type (wt) r-K5HPg interacted weakly with these types of ligands, replacement by site-directed mutagenesis of Leu71 by arginine led to substantially increased affinity of the ligands for the LBS of K5HPg. As a result, binding of omega-amino acids to this mutant kringle (r-K5HPg[L71R]) was restored to levels displayed by the companion much stronger affinity HPg kringles, K1HPg and K4HPg. Correspondingly, alkylamine binding to r-K5HPg[L71R] was considerably attenuated from that shown by wtr-K5HPg. Thus, employing a rational design strategy based on the crystal structure of K5HPg, successful remodeling of the LBS has been accomplished, and has resulted in the conversion of a weak ligand binding kringle to one that possesses an affinity for omega-amino acids that is similar to K1HPg and K4HPg.

Interaction of calcium with native and decarboxylated human factor X. Effect of proteolysis in the autolysis loop on catalytic efficiency and factor Va binding

Human factor X is a two-chain, 58-kDa, vitamin K-dependent blood coagulation zymogen. The light chain of factor X consists of an NH2-terminal gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain, followed by a few helical hydrophobic residues and the two epidermal growth factor-like domains, whereas the heavy chain contains the serine protease domain. In this study, native factor X was found to contain three classes of Ca2+-binding sites: two high affinity (Kd 100 +/- 30 microM), four intermediate affinity (Kd 450 +/- 70 microM), and five to six low affinity (Kd 2 +/- 0.2 mM). Decarboxylated factor X in which the Gla residues were converted to Glu retained the two high affinity sites (Kd 140 +/- 20 microM). In contrast, factor X lacking the Gla domain as well as a part of the helical hydrophobic residues (des-44-X) retained only one high affinity Ca2+-binding site (Kd 130 +/- 20 microM). Moreover, a synthetic peptide composed of residues 238-277 (58-97 in chymotrypsinogen numbering) from the protease domain of factor X bound one Ca2+ with high affinity (Kd 150 +/- 20 microM). From competitive inhibition assays for binding of active site-blocked factor Xa to factor Va in the prothrombinase complex, the Kd for peptide-Va interaction was calculated to be approximately 10 microM as compared with 30 pM for factor Xa and approximately 1.5 microM for decarboxylated factor Xa. A peptide containing residues 238-262(58-82) bound Ca2+ with reduced affinity (Kd approximately 600 microM) and did not inhibit Xa:Va interaction. In contrast, a peptide containing residues 253-277(73-97) inhibited Xa:Va interaction (Kd approximately 10 microM) but did not bind Ca2+. In additional studies, Ca2+ increased the amidolytic activity of native and des-44-Xa toward a tetrapeptide substrate (benzoyl-Ile-Glu-Gly-Arg-p-nitroanilide) by approximately 1.6-fold. The half-maximal increase was observed at approximately 150 microM Ca2+ and the effect was primarily on the kcat. Ca2+ also significantly protected cleavage at Arg-332-Gln-333(150-151) in the protease domain autolysis loop. Des-44-Xa in which the autolysis loop was cleaved possessed </=5% of the amidolytic activity of the noncleaved form; however, the S1 binding site was not affected, as determined by the p-aminobenzamidine binding. Additionally, autolysis loop-cleaved, active site-blocked native factor Xa was calculated to have approximately 10-fold reduced affinity for factor Va as compared with that of the noncleaved form.

The molecular environment of the Na+ binding site of thrombin

When Na+ binds to thrombin, a conformational change is induced that renders the enzyme kinetically faster and more specific in the activation of fibrinogen. Two Na+ binding sites have here been identified crystallographically by exchanging Na+ with Rb+. One is intermolecular, found on the surface between two symmetry-related thrombin molecules. Since it is not present in thrombin crystal structures having different crystal systems, the other Na+ site is the functionally relevant one. The second site has octahedral coordination with the carbonyl oxygen atoms of Arg221A and Lys224 and four conserved water molecules. It is located near Asp189 of the S1 specificity site in an elongated solvent channel (8 x 18 A) formed by four antiparallel beta-strands between Cys182-Cys191 and Val213-Tyr228. This channel, extending from the active site to the opposite surface of the enzyme, was first noted in the hirudin-thrombin structure and contains about 20 conserved water molecules linked together by a hydrogen bonding network that connects to the main chain of thrombin. Although the antiparallel beta-strand interactions of the functional Na+ binding site are the same in prethrombin2, the loops between the strands are very different, so that Asp189 and Arg221A are not positioned properly for either substrate or Na+ binding in prethrombin2. A water molecule with octahedral coordination has also been identified in factor Xa at the topologically equivalent Na+ site position of thrombin. Since activated protein C shows enhanced activity with monovalant cation binding, the same position is probably utilized by Na+. Since thrombin crystals could not be grown in the absence of Na+, the cation was leached from Na(+)-bound thrombin crystals by diffusion/exchange. Although both Na+ and their coordinating water molecules were removed from the Na+ binding sites, the remainder of the thrombin structure was, unexpectedly, the same. The lack of an allosteric change is most likely attributable to crystal packing effects. Thus, the structure of the slow form remains to be established crystallographically.

Crystal structures of thrombin with thiazole-containing inhibitors: probes of the S1' binding site

Structures of the blood clotting enzyme thrombin complexed with hirugen and two active site inhibitors, RWJ-50353 10080(N-methyl-D-phenylalanyl-N-[5-[(aminoiminomethyl)amino]-1- [[(2-benzothiazolyl)carbonyl]butyl]-L-prolinamide trifluoroacetate hydrate) and RWJ-50215 (N-[4-(aminoiminomethyl)amino-1-[2- (thiazol-2-ylcarbonylethyl)piperidin- 1-ylcarbonyl]butyl]-5-(dimethylamino)naphthalenesulfonamide trifluoroacetate hydrate), were determined by x-ray crystallography. The refinements converged at R values of 0.158 in the 7.0-2.3-A range for RWJ-50353 and 0.155 in the 7.0-1.8-A range for RWJ-50215. Interactions between the protein and the thiazole rings of the two inhibitors provide new valuable information about the S1' binding site of thrombin. The RWJ-50353 inhibitor consists of an S1'-binding benzothiazole group linked to the D-Phe-Pro-Arg chloromethyl ketone motif. Interactions with the S1-S3 sites are similar to the D-phenylalanyl-prolyl-arginyl chloromethylketone structure. In RWJ-50215, a S1'-binding 2-ketothiazole group was added to the thrombin inhibitor-like framework of dansylarginine N-(3-ethyl-1,5-pentanediyl)amide. The geometry at the S1-S3 sites here is also similar to that of the parent compound. The benzothiazole and 2-ketothiazole groups bind in a cavity surrounded by His57, Tyr60A, Trp60D, and Lys60F. This location of the S1' binding site is consistent with previous structures of thrombin complexes with hirulog-3, CVS-995, and hirutonin-2 and -6. The ring nitrogen of the RWJ-50353 benzothiazole forms a hydrogen bond with His57, and Lys60F reorients because of close contacts. The oxygen and nitrogen of the ketothiazole of RWJ-50215 hydrogen bond with the NZ atom of Lys60F.

Comparison of the structures of the cyclotheonamide A complexes of human alpha-thrombin and bovine beta-trypsin

Thrombin, a trypsin-like serine protease present in blood, plays a central role in the regulation of thrombosis and hemostasis. A cyclic pentapeptide, cyclotheonamide A (CtA), isolated from sponges of the genus Theonella, inhibits thrombin, trypsin, and certain other serine proteases. Enzyme inhibition data for CtA indicate that it is a moderate inhibitor of alpha-thrombin (K(i) = 1.0 nM), but substantially more potent toward trypsin (K(i) = 0.2 nM). The comparative study of the crystal structures of the CtA complexes of alpha-thrombin and beta-trypsin reported here focuses on structure-function relationships in general and the enhanced specificity of trypsin, in particular. The crystal structures of the CtA complexes of thrombin and trypsin were solved and refined at 1.7 and 2.0 A resolution, respectively. The structures show that CtA occupies the active site with the Pro-Arg motif positioned in the S2 and S1 binding sites. The alpha-keto group of CtA is involved in a tetrahedral intermediate hemiketal structure with Ser 195 OG of the catalytic triad and is positioned within bonding distance from, and orthogonal to, the re-face of the carbonyl of the arginine of CtA. As in other productive binding modes of serine proteases, the Ser 214-Gly 216 segment runs in a twisted antiparallel beta-strand manner with respect to the diaminopropionic acid (Dpr)-Arg segment of CtA. The Tyr 60A-Thr 60I insertion loop of thrombin makes a weak aromatic stacking interaction with the v-Tyr of CtA through Trp 60D. The Glu 39 Tyr and Leu 41 Phe substitutions in trypsin produce an enhanced aromatic interaction with D-Phe of CtA, which also leads to different orientations of the side chains of D-Phe and the v-Tyr. The comparison of the CtA complexes of thrombin and trypsin shows that the gross structural features of both in the active site region are the same, whereas the differences observed are mainly due to minor insertions and substitutions. In trypsin, the substitution of Ile 174-Arg 175 by Gly 174-Gln 175 makes the S3 aryl site more polar because the Arg 175 side chain is directed away from thrombin and into the solvent, whereas Gln 175 is not. Because the site is occupied by the Dpr group of CtA, the occupancy of the S3 site is better in trypsin than in thrombin. In trypsin, the D-Phe side chain of CtA fits between Tyr 39 and Phe 41 in a favorable manner, whereas in thrombin, these residues are Glu 39 and Leu 41. The higher degree of specificity for trypsin is most likely the result of these substitutions and the absence of the fairly rigid Tyr 60A-Thr 60I insertion loop of thrombin, which narrows access to the active site and forces less favorable orientations for the D-Phe and v-Tyr residues.

Molecular Interactions of Thrombin

Thrombin possesses at least three independent binding sites for substrate, inhibitor, and co-factor molecules, four counting the Na+ ion binding site. The S1 subsite of the active site is specific for an arginine side group, while S2 is a more extended apolar site. The highly electropositive S' subsites of the fibrinogen exosite circumnavigate about a third of the thrombin surface, although evidence suggests molecular recognition of a tetra- or pentapeptide sequence is sufficient for binding. Another highly electropositive region of thrombin that binds the second kringle of prothrombin is the heparin binding site. All three of these sites display distinct binding modes with different molecules. These can arise from tolerance of imprecision of binding and/or from reversal of ligand main chain direction in active site and fibrinogen exosite binding. Preliminary indications suggest similar principles may apply to the heparin site. Such varied behavior easily accounts for the diversity of thrombin functions at the molecular level. The complexity of the behavior is compounded even more by a Na+ ion binding site that produces a procoagulant fast form of thrombin. The slow form (in the absence of Na+ ion) is anticoagulant.

Synthesis, structure, and structure-activity relationships of divalent thrombin inhibitors containing an alpha-keto-amide transition-state mimetic

A new class of divalent thrombin inhibitors is described that contains an alpha-keto-amide transition-state mimetic linking an active site binding group and a group that binds to the fibrinogen-binding exosite. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the most potent member of this new class, CVS995, shows many features in common with other divalent thrombin inhibitors and clearly defines the transition-state-like binding of the alpha-keto-amide group. The structure of the active site part of the inhibitor shows a network of water molecules connecting both the side-chain and backbone atoms of thrombin and the inhibitor. Direct peptide analogues of the new transition-state-containing divalent thrombin inhibitors were compared using in vitro assays of thrombin inhibition. There was no direct correlation between the binding constants of the peptides and their alpha-keto-amide counterparts. The most potent alpha-keto-amide inhibitor, CVS995, with a Ki = 1 pM, did not correspond to the most potent divalent peptide and contained a single amino acid deletion in the exosite binding region with respect to the equivalent region of the natural thrombin inhibitor hirudin. The interaction energies of the active site, transition state, and exosite binding regions of these new divalent thrombin inhibitors are not additive.

Crystal structures of the recombinant kringle 1 domain of human plasminogen in complexes with the ligands epsilon-aminocaproic acid and trans-4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylic Acid

The X-ray crystal structures of the complexes of the recombinant kringle 1 domain of human plasminogen (Klpg) with the ligands epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) and trans-4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid (AMCHA), which are representative of a class of in vivo antifibrinolytic agents, have been determined at 2.1 angstroms resolution. Each Klpg/ligand unit cell contained a dimer of the complexes, and some small differences were noted in the kringle/ligand interatomic distances within the monomeric components of the dimers. The structures obtained allowed predictions to be made of the amino acid residues of Klpg that are likely important to ligand binding. In the crystal structure, the anionic center of Klpg responsible for coordinating the amino group of the ligands is composed of both Asp54 and Asp56, and the cationic center that stabilizes binding of the carboxylate moiety of the ligands is Arg70, with a possible contribution from Arg34. A hydrogen bond between the carboxylate of the ligand to the hydroxyl group of Tyr63 also appears to contribute to the kringle/ligand binding energies. The methylene groups of the ligand are stablized in the binding pocket by van der Waals contacts with side-chain atoms of Trp61 and Tyr71. These conclusions are in general agreement with site-directed mutagenesis results that implicate many of the same amino acid residues in the binding process, thus showing that the crystal and solution structures are in basic accord with each other. Further comparisons of the X-ray crystal structures of the Klpg/ligand complexes with each other and with apo-Klpg show that while small differences in Klpg side-chain geometries may exist in the three structures, the binding pocket can be considered to be preformed in the apokringle and not substantially altered by the nature of the omega-amino acid ligand that is inserted into the site. From the similar geometries of the binding of EACA and AMCHA, it appears that the kon is an important component to the tighter binding of AMCHA to Klpg, as compared to EACA. Ordered solvation effects of the bound AMCHA may contribute to its longer lifetime on Klpg, thereby retarding koff, both effects thus accounting for the higher binding energy of AMCHA as compared to EACA.

The Na+ binding site of thrombin

Thrombin is an allosteric serine protease existing in two forms, slow and fast, targeted toward anticoagulant and procoagulant activities. The slow --> fast transition is induced by Na+ binding to a site contained within a cylindrical cavity formed by three antiparallel beta-strands of the B-chain (Met180-Tyr184a, Lys224-Tyr228, and Val213-Gly219) diagonally crossed by the Glu188-Glu192 strand. The site is shaped further by the loop connecting the last two beta-strands and is located more than 15 A away from the catalytic triad. The cavity traverses through thrombin from the active site to the opposite surface and contains Asp189 of the primary specificity site near its midpoint. The bound Na+ is coordinated octahedrally by the carbonyl oxygen atoms of Tyr184a, Arg221a, and Lys224, and by three highly conserved water molecules in the D-Phe-Pro-Arg chloromethylketone thrombin. The sequence in the Na+ binding loop is highly conserved in thrombin from 11 different species and is homologous to that found in other serine proteases involved in blood coagulation. Mutation of two Asp residues flanking Arg221a (D221A/D222K) almost abolishes the allosteric properties of thrombin and shows that the Na+ binding loop is also involved in direct recognition of protein C and antithrombin.

Crystallographic structure of a peptidyl keto acid inhibitor and human alpha-thrombin

The low molecular weight alpha-keto amide inhibitor CVS-1347, benzyl-SO2-Met(O2)-Pro-Arg(CO)((CONH)CH2)-phenyl, is a slow, tight binding inhibitor of alpha-thrombin amidolytic activity having a Ki = 1.28 x 10(-10) M. A complex between human alpha-thrombin and a hydrolysis product of CVS-1347 has been determined and refined using crystallography. The crystals belong to monoclinic space group C2 with cell dimensions of a = 71.08, b = 72.05 and c = 72.98 A and beta = 100.8 degrees. The structure was solved using isomorphous replacement methods and refined with resolution limits of (8.00-1.76) A to an R-value of 0.162. The Pro-Arg core of the inhibitor binds in the S2 and S1 subsites respectively, as is usually observed for Pro-Arg thrombin inhibitors. The Met(O2) side chain does not make any close contacts with the enzyme but influences the conformation of Glu192; the N-terminal benzylsulfonyl group makes an aromatic-aromatic contact with Trp215 in the hydrophobic part of the active site. The alpha-keto carboxylic acid of the proteolyzed inhibitor binds with the carboxylate group in the oxyanion hole, demonstrating that this region can accommodate an anion in a protease-peptide complex. The alpha-keto carbonyl group interacts closely with the two most important residues in the active site: the carbon atom is within a covalent bond distance of the active site Ser195 O gamma and the carbonyl oxygen is hydrogen bonded to His57.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Active-site mimetic inhibition of thrombin

The structures of two mimetic inhibitor complexes of human alpha-thrombin have been determined by X-ray crystallography. One mimics a beta-turn with a bicyclic ring system; the other mimics two different active-site binding modes. The beta-turn mimetic is used to approximate a turn found in the conformation of fibrinopeptide A, which is catalytically released by thrombin in the activation of fibrinogen to fibrin. The binding of the second mimetic is a hybrid between normal substrate and the abnormal binding of the potent natural leech inhibitor hirudin. The binding of the beta-turn mimetic is tenuous, because it is like a substrate, while that of the substrate-hirudin hybrid is that of a tenacious inhibitor (which it is). Structurally retrospect modifications for rational design and improvement of both mimetic inhibitors are proposed.

Functions of individual gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues of human protein c. Determination of functionally nonessential Gla residues and correlations with their mode of binding to calcium

Previous studies from this laboratory have been directed toward elucidation of the roles of individual gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues in Gla domain-related Ca(2+)-directed properties of human protein C (PC) and activated protein C (APC). On the basis of results using recombinant variants of PC containing highly conservative (Asp) mutations of individual Gla residues, it was previously proposed that Gla6, Gla14, and Gla19 may not be essential for properties associated with the Ca(2+)-dependent conformation of the Gla domain of these proteins. In this study, we have demonstrated that radical mutations to Val of Gla residues 14 and 19 resulted in 94% and 82%, respectively, of the Gla domain-related, Ca(2+)- and phospholipid- (PL-) dependent anticoagulant (APTT) activity of wild-type recombinant (wtr) APC, while [Gla6-->Val]r-APC showed a complete loss of this same activity. The more conservative mutant [Gla6-->Gln]r-APC possessed 4% of the APTT activity of wtr-APC, whereas [Gla6-->Asp]r-APC was nearly fully active. As with wtr-PC, both [Gla6-->Val]r-PC and [Gla6-->Gln]r-PC displayed Ca(2+)-dependent intrinsic fluorescence quenching, suggesting that they adopted a Ca(2+)-induced conformation. However, Ca2+ titration data suggested that these conformations were not identical to that undergone by wtr-PC. In addition, the Ca(2+)-mediated binding parameters of [Gla6-->Val]r-PC and [Gla6-->Gln]r-PC to acidic PL vesicles were found to be defective. These data were interpreted at the molecular level using a model for the Gla domain of PC based on the X-ray crystal structure of the Ca2+/bovine prothrombin fragment 1 complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The isomorphous structures of prethrombin2, hirugen-, and PPACK-thrombin: changes accompanying activation and exosite binding to thrombin

The X-ray crystal structure of prethrombin2 (pre2), the immediate inactive precursor of alpha-thrombin, has been determined at 2.0 A resolution complexed with hirugen. The structure has been refined to a final R-value of 0.169 using 14,211 observed reflections in the resolution range 8.0-2.0 A. A total of 202 water molecules have also been located in the structure. Comparison with the hirugen-thrombin complex showed that, apart from the flexible beginning and terminal regions of the molecule, there are 4 polypeptide segments in pre2 differing in conformation from the active enzyme (Pro 186-Asp 194, Gly 216-Gly 223, Gly 142-Pro 152, and the Arg 15-Ile 16 cleavage region). The formation of the Ile 16-Asp 194 ion pair and the specificity pocket are characteristic of serine protease activation with the conformation of the catalytic triad being conserved. With the determination of isomorphous structures of hirugen-thrombin and D-Phe-Pro-Arg chloromethyl ketone (PPACK)-thrombin, the changes that occur in the active site that affect the kinetics of chromogenic substrate hydrolysis on binding to the fibrinogen recognition exosite have been determined. The backbone of the Ala 190-Gly 197 segment in the active site has an average RMS difference of 0.55 A between the 2 structures (about 3.7 sigma compared to the bulk structure). This segment has 2 type II beta-bends, the first bend showing the largest shift due to hirugen binding. Another important feature was the 2 different conformations of the side chain of Glu 192. The side chain extends to solvent in hirugen-thrombin, which is compatible with the binding of substrates having an acidic residue in the P3 position (protein-C, thrombin platelet receptor). In PPACK-thrombin, the side chain of Asp 189 and the segment Arg 221A-Gly 223 move to provide space for the inhibitor, whereas in hirugen-thrombin, the Ala 190-Gly 197 movement expands the active site region. Although 8 water molecules are expelled from the active site with PPACK binding, the inhibitor complex is resolvated with 5 other water molecules.

Crystallographic structure of human gamma-thrombin

In an effort to prepare crystals and determine the structure of alpha-thrombin complexed to a synthetic peptide inhibitor (MDL-28050) of the hirudin 54-65 COOH-terminal region, it was discovered that the crystals were not those of the complex but of gamma-thrombin. Gel electrophoresis studies revealed that autolytic degradation had occurred prior to crystallization. NH2-terminal sequence analysis of these autolytic fragments confirmed the gamma-thrombin product (cleavages at Arg75-Tyr76 and/or Arg77A-Asn78, and Lys149E-Gly150; chymotrypsinogen numbering) with a minor amount of another autolysis product, beta-thrombin (first two cleavages only). The final structure has an R-factor of 0.156 for 7.0-2.5-A data, and includes 186 water molecules. A comparison of gamma-thrombin with the thrombin structure in the alpha-thrombin-hirugen complex revealed that the two structures agreed well (r.m.s. delta = 0.39 A for main chain atoms). These structures possess uninhibited active sites where the disposition of the catalytic triad residues is nearly identical. The electron density in the vicinity of the gamma-thrombin cleavage regions is poor, and only becomes well-defined several residues prior to and after the actual cleavage sites. The extensive disorder evoked by beta-cleavage(s) in the Lys70-Glu80 loop region indicates that this part of the molecule is severely disrupted by autolysis and is the reason exosite functions are dramatically impaired in beta-and gamma-thrombin. Since autolysis did not lead to a major reorganization of the folded structure of alpha-thrombin, the likely structural features of the interaction of thrombin substrate with thrombin enzyme during beta-cleavage have been modeled by docking the exosite region of one molecule at the active site of another.

Kringle-kringle interactions in multimer kringle structures

The crystal structure of a monoclinic form of human plasminogen kringle 4 (PGK4) has been solved by molecular replacement using the orthorthombic structure as a model and it has been refined by restrained least-squares methods to an R factor of 16.4% at 2.25 A resolution. The X-PLOR structure of kringle 2 of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PAK2) has been refined further using PROFFT (R = 14.5% at 2.38 A resolution). The PGK4 structure has 2 and t-PAK2 has 3 independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. There are 5 different noncrystallographic symmetry "dimers" in PGK4. Three make extensive kringle-kringle interactions related by noncrystallographic 2(1) screw axes without blocking the lysine binding site. Such associations may occur in multikringle structures such as prothrombin, hepatocyte growth factor, plasminogen (PG), and apolipoprotein [a]. The t-PAK2 structure also has noncrystallographic screw symmetry (3(1)) and mimics fibrin binding mode by having lysine of one molecule interacting electrostatically with the lysine binding site of another kringle. This ligand-like binding interaction may be important in kringle-kringle interactions involving non-lysine binding kringles with lysine or pseudo-lysine binding sites. Electrostatic intermolecular interactions involving the lysine binding site are also found in the crystal structures of PGK1 and orthorhombic PGK4. Anions associate with the cationic centers of these and t-PAK2 that appear to be more than occasional components of lysine binding site regions.

The structure of recombinant plasminogen kringle 1 and the fibrin binding site

The structure of recombinant (Hoover et al. Biochemistry, 1993; 32:10936-10944) plasminogen (PG) kringle 1 (K1) has been determined and refined at 2.48 A resolution to a crystallographic R value of 0.159. In addition, 71 water molecules and two chloride ions have been located. The folding of PGK1 is very similar to that of PGK4. The lysine/fibrin binding site, however, differs from that of both PGK4 and tissue-type PG activator (t-PA) K2 at the cationic centre. Although PGK1 can potentially have a doubly charged cationic centre utilizing Arg34 and Arg71, the side chain of Arg34 is outside of Arg71 in a solvent region and its guanidino group is flexibly disordered. Moreover, site specific mutagenesis studies show unequivocally that Arg34 can be changed to glutamine without affecting the binding ability of PGK1. Thus, PGK1 only has Arg71 at the cationic site, PGK4 has Lys35/Arg71 and t-PAK2 has only Lys33. The cationic site differences may result in subtle responses in the binding affinities of the kringles. The two chloride ions are located in the lysine binding site and effectively compensate the positive charges of the region. They also appear to be involved intermolecularly in a complex way in the crystal structure. Such intermolecular anionic interactions are also found in PGK4 and t-PAK2.

Crystallographic structures of thrombin complexed with thrombin receptor peptides: existence of expected and novel binding modes

Many of the vital actions of thrombin on platelets and other cells appear to be mediated by the recently cloned seven-transmembrane-domain thrombin receptor. Thrombin activates this receptor by a novel proteolytic mechanism. The amino-terminal exodomain of the receptor contains the sequence LDPRSFLLRNPNDKYEPF. Structure-activity studies with mutant receptors and receptor peptides suggest that this sequence binds to thrombin at two sites: LDPR with the active center of thrombin and KYEPF with the fibrinogen recognition exosite of thrombin. Thrombin then cleaves the Arg41-Ser42 bond to unmask a new amino terminus, which functions as a tethered peptide ligand binding to as yet undefined sites within the body of the receptor to effect receptor activation. We have determined eight crystal structures of thrombin complexed with receptor-based peptides. Each of the two components of the bidentate docking model was captured in individual cocrystals. In one crystal type, the LDPR sequence docked in the active center of thrombin in a manner analogous to d-PheProArg chloromethyl ketone. In other crystals, the KYEPF sequence bound in the fibrinogen anion binding exosite of thrombin in a manner analogous to the DFEEI sequence of the carboxylate-terminal peptide of hirudin. Strikingly, however, generation of a single crystal that includes both components of the anticipated bidentate binding mode was not achieved, apparently because the peptides have a dominant solution S-like conformation that does not bind in a productive way at the active center. This peptide structure apparently favored a novel alternative mode of receptor peptide-thrombin interaction in which the receptor peptides formed an intermolecular bridge between neighboring thrombin molecules, resulting in an infinite peptide thrombin chain in crystals. In this structure, the KYEPF sequence docked in the expected manner at the exosite of one thrombin molecule, but the LDPR sequence docked in an unusual nonproductive mode with the active center of a neighboring molecule. Mutations that removed important determinants of the S-like receptor peptide structure underlying the bridging mode in the receptor itself did not significantly alter thrombin signaling. Additionally, a comparison of receptor density to the responsiveness of a cell did not support a role for receptor oligomerization in signaling. The physiological role for this unexpected intermolecular binding mode, if any, remains to be identified.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)