Biomedical subjects

Wolfram Bode

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfram Bode.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Physiological fIXa activation involves a cooperative conformational rearrangement of the 99-loop.

Coagulation factor IXa (fIXa) plays a central role in the coagulation cascade. Enzymatically, fIXa is characterized by its very low amidolytic activity that is not improved in the presence of cofactor, factor VIIIa (fVIIIa), distinguishing fIXa from all other coagulation factors. Activation of the fIXa-fVIIIa complex requires its macromolecular substrate, factor X (fX). The 99-loop positioned near the active site partly accounts for the poor activity of fIXa because it adopts a conformation that interferes with canonical substrate binding in S2-S4. Here we show that residues Lys-98 and Tyr-99 are critically linked to the amidolytic properties of fIXa. Exchange of Tyr-99 with smaller residues resulted not only in an overall decreased activity but also in impaired binding in S1. Replacement of Lys-98 with smaller and uncharged residues increased activity. Simultaneous mutagenesis of Lys-98, Tyr-177, and Tyr-94 produced an enzyme with 7000-fold increased activity and altered specificity. This triple mutant probably mimics the conformational changes that are physiologically induced by cofactor and substrate binding. It therefore provides a cooperative two-step activation model for fIXa. Tyr-177 locks the 99-loop in an inactive conformation which, in the physiologic complex, is released by cofactor fVIIIa. FX is then able to rearrange the unlocked 99-loop and subsequently binds to the active site cleft.

Amides↗

PubMed2002

The influence of residue 190 in the S1 site of trypsin-like serine proteases on substrate selectivity is universally conserved.

We examined the influence of Ser/Ala190 in the S1 site on P1 substrate selectivity in several serine proteases. The impact of residue 190 on the selectivity was constant, regardless of differences in original selectivity or reactivity. Substrate binding in S1 was optimised in all wild-type enzymes, while the effects on k(cat) depended on the combination of residue 190 and substrate. Mutagenesis of residue 190 did not affect the S2-S4 sites. Pronounced selectivity for arginine residues was coupled with low enzymatic activity, in particular in recombinant factor IXa. This is due to the dominance of the S1-P1 interaction over substrate binding in the S2-S4 sites.

Arginine↗

PubMed2002

The 2.2-A crystal structure of human pro-granzyme K reveals a rigid zymogen with unusual features.

Granzyme K (GzmK) belongs to a family of trypsin-like serine proteases localized in electron dense cytoplasmic granules of activated natural killer and cytotoxic T-cells. Like the related granzymes A and B, GzmK can trigger DNA fragmentation and is involved in apoptosis. We expressed the Ser(195) --> Ala variant of human pro-GzmK in Escherichia coli, crystallized it, and determined its 2.2-A x-ray crystal structure. Pro-GzmK possesses a surprisingly rigid structure, which is most similar to activated serine proteases, in particular complement factor D, and not their proforms. The N-terminal peptide Met(14)-Ile(17) projects freely into solution and can be readily approached by cathepsin C, the natural convertase of pro-granzymes. The pre-shaped S1 pocket is occupied by the ion paired residues Lys(188B)-Asp(194) and is hence not available for proper substrate binding. The Ser(214)-Cys(220) segment, which normally provides a template for substrate binding, bulges out of the active site and is distorted. With analogy to complement factor D, we suggest that this strand will maintain its non-productive conformation in mature GzmK, mainly due to the unusual residues Gly(215), Glu(219), and Val(94). We hypothesize that GzmK is proteolytically active only toward specific, as yet unidentified substrates, which upon approach transiently induce a functional active-site conformation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Increase in gelatinase-specificity of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors correlates with antimetastatic efficacy in a T-cell lymphoma model.

The recognition that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) facilitate tumor cell invasion and metastasis has led to the development of synthetic MMP inhibitors (MMPIs) as cancer therapeutic agents. Because several Phase III trials failed recently to show efficacy of broad-spectrum MMPIs in advanced cancer, the feasibility of MMPs as therapeutic targets has been challenged. However, it has not yet been determined whether MMPIs that have increased specificity may have greater benefit. We show that MMP-9 expression closely correlates with the progression of liver metastasis in a T-cell lymphoma model. MMPIs with greater selectivity/specificity for MMP-9 in vitro showed greater efficacy against liver metastasis in vivo. These data demonstrate a link between increased specificity of MMPIs and enhanced anticancer activity.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Crystal structures of uninhibited factor VIIa link its cofactor and substrate-assisted activation to specific interactions.

Factor VIIa initiates the extrinsic coagulation cascade; this event requires a delicately balanced regulation that is implemented on different levels, including a sophisticated multi-step activation mechanism of factor VII. Its central role in hemostasis and thrombosis makes factor VIIa a key target of pharmaceutical research. We succeeded, for the first time, in recombinantly producing N-terminally truncated factor VII (rf7) in an Escherichia coli expression system by employing an oxidative, in vitro, folding protocol, which depends critically on the presence of ethylene glycol. Activated recombinant factor VIIa (rf7a) was crystallised in the presence of the reversible S1-site inhibitor benzamidine. Comparison of this 1.69A crystal structure with that of an inhibitor-free and sulphate-free, but isomorphous crystal form identified structural details of factor VIIa stimulation. The stabilisation of Asp189-Ser190 by benzamidine and the capping of the intermediate helix by a sulphate ion appear to be sufficient to mimic the disorder-order transition conferred by the cofactor tissue factor (TF) and the substrate factor X. Factor VIIa shares with the homologous factor IXa, but not factor Xa, a bell-shaped activity modulation dependent on ethylene glycol. The ethylene glycol-binding site of rf7a was identified in the vicinity of the 60 loop. Ethylene glycol binding induces a significant conformational rearrangement of the 60 loop. This region serves as a recognition site of the physiologic substrate, factor X, which is common to both factor VIIa and factor IXa. These results provide a mechanistic framework of substrate-assisted catalysis of both factor VIIa and factor IXa.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2002

The crystal structure of human alpha1-tryptase reveals a blocked substrate-binding region.

Human mast cell tryptases represent a subfamily of trypsin-like serine proteinases implicated in asthma. Unlike beta-tryptases, alpha-tryptases apparently are proteolytically inactive. We have solved the 2.2A crystal structure of mature human alpha1-tryptase. It reveals a frame-like tetrameric architecture that, surprisingly, does not require heparin-binding for stability. In marked contrast to beta2-tryptase, the Ser214-Gly219 segment, which normally provides the template for substrate binding, is kinked in alpha-tryptase, thereby blocking its non-primed subsites. This so far unobserved subsite distortion is incompatible with productive substrate binding and processing. alpha-Tryptase apparently is trapped in this off-conformation by repulsions and attractions of the Asp216 side-chain. However, proteolytic activity could be generated by an induced-fit mechanism.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Thermodynamic linkage between the S1 site, the Na+ site, and the Ca2+ site in the protease domain of human activated protein C (APC). Sodium ion in the APC crystal structure is coordinated to four carbonyl groups from two separate loops.

The serine protease domain of activated protein C (APC) contains a Na+ and a Ca2+ site. However, the number and identity of the APC residues that coordinate to Na+ is not precisely known. Further, the functional link between the Na+ and the Ca2+ site is insufficiently defined, and their linkage to the substrate S1 site has not been studied. Here, we systematically investigate the functional significance of these two cation sites and their thermodynamic links to the S1 site. Kinetic data reveal that Na+ binds to the substrate-occupied APC with K(d) values of approximately 24 mm in the absence and approximately 6 mm in the presence of Ca2+. Sodium-occupied APC has approximately 100-fold increased catalytic efficiency ( approximately 4-fold decrease in K(m) and approximately 25-fold increase in k(cat)) in hydrolyzing S-2288 (H-d-Ile-Pro-Arg-p-nitroanilide) and Ca2+ further increases this k(cat) slightly ( approximately 1.2-fold). Ca2+ binds to the protease domain of APC with K(d) values of approximately 438 microm in the absence and approximately 105 microm in the presence of Na+. Ca2+ binding to the protease domain of APC does not affect K(m) but increases the k(cat) approximately 10-fold, and Na+ further increases this k(cat) approximately 3-fold and decreases the K(m) value approximately 3.7-fold. In agreement with the K(m) data, sodium-occupied APC has approximately 4-fold increased affinity in binding to p-aminobenzamidine (S1 probe). Crystallographically, the Ca2+ site in APC is similar to that in trypsin, and the Na+ site is similar to that in factor Xa but not thrombin. Collectively, the Na+ site is thermodynamically linked to the S1 site as well as to the protease domain Ca2+ site, whereas the Ca2+ site is only linked to the Na+ site. The significance of these findings is that under physiologic conditions, most of the APC will exist in Na2+-APC-Ca2+ form, which has 110-fold increased proteolytic activity.

4-Aminobenzoic Acid↗

PubMed2002

The 1.9-A crystal structure of the noncollagenous (NC1) domain of human placenta collagen IV shows stabilization via a novel type of covalent Met-Lys cross-link.

Triple-helical collagen IV protomers associate through their N- and C-termini forming a three-dimensional network, which provides basement membranes with an anchoring scaffold and mechanical strength. The noncollagenous (NC1) domain of the C-terminal junction between two adjacent collagen IV protomers from human placenta was crystallized and its 1.9-A structure was solved by multiple anomalous diffraction (MAD) phasing. This hexameric NC1 particle is composed of two trimeric caps, which interact through a large planar interface. Each cap is formed by two alpha 1 fragments and one alpha 2 fragment with a similar previously uncharacterized fold, segmentally arranged around an axial tunnel. Each monomer chain folds into two structurally very similar subdomains, which each contain a finger-like hairpin loop that inserts into a six-stranded beta-sheet of the neighboring subdomain of the same or the adjacent chain. Thus each trimer forms a quite regular, but nonclassical, sixfold propeller. The trimer-trimer interaction is further stabilized by a previously uncharacterized type of covalent cross-link between the side chains of a Met and a Lys residue of the alpha 1 and alpha 2 chains from opposite trimers, explaining previous findings of nonreducible cross-links in NC1. This structure provides insights into NC1-related diseases such as Goodpasture and Alport syndromes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

The methyl group of N(alpha)(Me)Arg-containing peptides disturbs the active-site geometry of thrombin, impairing efficient cleavage.

Bivalent peptidic thrombin inhibitors consisting of an N-terminal d-cyclohexylalanine-Pro-N(alpha)(Me)Arg active-site fragment, a flexible polyglycine linker, and a C-terminal hirugen-like segment directed towards the fibrinogen recognition exosite inhibit thrombin with K(i) values in the picomolar range, remaining stable in buffered solution at pH 7.8 for at least 15 hours. In order to investigate the structural basis of this increased stability, the most potent of these inhibitors, I-11 (K(i)=37pM), containing an N(alpha)(Me)Arg-Thr bond, was crystallized in complex with human alpha-thrombin. X-ray data were collected to 1.8A resolution and the crystal structure of this complex was determined. The Fourier map displays clear electron density for the N-terminal fragment and for the exosite binding segment. It indicates, however, that in agreement with Edman sequencing, the peptide had been cleaved in the crystal, presumably due to the long incubation time of 14 days needed for crystallization and data collection. The N(alpha)(Me) group is directed toward the carbonyl oxygen atom of Ser214, pushing the Ser195 O(gamma) atom out of its normal site. This structure suggests that upon thrombin binding, the scissile peptide bond of the intact peptide and the Ser195 O(gamma) are separated from each other, impairing the nucleophilic attack of the Ser195 O(gamma) toward the N(alpha)(Me)Arg carbonyl group. In the time-scale of two weeks, however, cleavage geometries favoured by the crystal allow catalysis at a slow rate.

Arginine↗

PubMed2002

Characterization of the residues involved in the human alpha-thrombin-haemadin complex: an exosite II-binding inhibitor.

Haemadin is a 57-amino acid thrombin inhibitor from the land-living leech Haemadipsa sylvestris, whose structure has recently been determined in complex with human alpha-thrombin. Here we communicate the effect of ionic strength on the kinetics of the inhibition of human alpha-thrombin by haemadin, by using thrombin mutants modified in exosite II. Data analysis has allowed both the ionic and nonionic binding contributions to be ascertained, with the nonionic component being virtually the same for all of the thrombins that have been examined, while the ionic binding energy contributions varied from molecule to molecule. In the case of the native human alpha-thrombin-haemadin complex, ionic interactions contribute -17 kJ/mol to the Gibbs free energy of binding, this being the equivalent of up to six salt bridges. These salt bridges make up 20% of the total binding energy at zero ionic strength, and this has been attributed to the C-terminal tail alone. In addition, the contributions of the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of haemadin to its tight binding have been ascertained by using derivatives of both haemadin and thrombin. Limited proteolysis using formic acid produced haemadin cleaved between residues 40 and 41, removing the majority of the C-terminal tail. This truncated haemadin displayed a 20000-fold reduced affinity for thrombin, and was no longer a tight binding inhibitor. A form of thrombin in which the active site serine has been blocked by diisopropyl fluorophosphate binds to haemadin, but with a 72000-fold reduced affinity, indicating that the N-terminus is more important than the C-terminus for strong binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

The 1.4 a crystal structure of kumamolysin: a thermostable serine-carboxyl-type proteinase.

Kumamolysin is a thermostable endopeptidase from Bacillus novosp. MN-32, exhibiting maximal proteolytic activity around pH 3. It belongs to the newly identified family of serine-carboxyl proteinases, which also includes CLN2, a human lysosomal homolog recently implicated in a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Kumamolysin and its complexes with two aldehyde inhibitors were crystallized, and their three-dimensional structures were solved and refined with X-ray data to 1.4 A resolution. As its Pseudomonas homolog, kumamolysin exhibits a Ser/Glu/Asp catalytic triad with particularly short interconnecting hydrogen bonds and an oxyanion hole enabling the reactive serine to attack substrate peptide bonds at quite acidic pH. An additional Glu/Trp pair, unique to kumamolysin, might further facilitate proton delocalization during nucleophilic attack, in particular at high temperature.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Crystal structure of the dinuclear zinc aminopeptidase PepV from Lactobacillus delbrueckii unravels its preference for dipeptides.

PepV from Lactobacillus delbrueckii, a dinuclear zinc peptidase, has been characterized as an unspecific amino dipeptidase. The crystal structure of PepV in complex with the phosphinic inhibitor AspPsi[PO(2)CH(2)]AlaOH, a dipeptide substrate mimetic, reveals a "catalytic domain" and a "lid domain," which together form an internal active site cavity that traps the inhibitor. The catalytic domain is topologically similar to catalytic domains from amino- and carboxypeptidases. However, the lid domain is unique among the related enzymes. In contrast to the other related exopeptidases, PepV recognizes and fixes the dipeptide backbone, while the side chains are not specifically probed and can vary, rendering it a nonspecific dipeptidase. The cocrystallized inhibitor illustrates the two roles of the two catalytic zinc ions, namely stabilization of the tetrahedral intermediate and activation of the catalytic water molecule.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Flexibility analysis and structure comparison of two crystal forms of calcium-free human m-calpain.

The calpains form a growing family of structurally related intracellular multidomain cysteine proteinases containing a papain-related catalytic domain, whose activity depends on calcium. The calpains are believed to play important roles in cytoskelatel remodeling processes, cell differentiation, apoptosis and signal transduction, but are also implicated in a number of diseases. Recent crystal structures of truncated rat and full-length human apo-m-calpain revealed the domain arrangement and explained the inactivity of m-calpain in the absence of calcium by a disrupted catalytic domain. Proteolysis studies have indicated several susceptible sites, in particular in the catalytic subdomain IIb and in the following domain III, which are more accessible to attacking proteinases in the presence than in the absence of calcium. The current view is that m-calpain exhibits a number of calcium binding sites, which upon calcium binding cooperatively interact, triggering the reformation of a papain-like catalytic domain, accompanied by enhanced mobilisation of the whole structure. To further analyse the flexibility of m-calpain, we have determined and refined the human full-length apo-m-calpain structure of a second crystal form to 3.15 A resolution. Here we present this new structure, compare it with our first structure now re-refined with tighter constrain parameters, discuss the flexibility in context with the proteolysis and calcium binding data available, and suggest implications for the calcium-induced activation process.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2001

Catalytic domain structures of MT-SP1/matriptase, a matrix-degrading transmembrane serine proteinase.

The type II transmembrane multidomain serine proteinase MT-SP1/matriptase is highly expressed in many human cancer-derived cell lines and has been implicated in extracellular matrix re-modeling, tumor growth, and metastasis. We have expressed the catalytic domain of MT-SP1 and solved the crystal structures of complexes with benzamidine at 1.3 A and bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor at 2.9 A. MT-SP1 exhibits a trypsin-like serine proteinase fold, featuring a unique nine-residue 60-insertion loop that influences interactions with protein substrates. The structure discloses a trypsin-like S1 pocket, a small hydrophobic S2 subsite, and an open negatively charged S4 cavity that favors the binding of basic P3/P4 residues. A complementary charge pattern on the surface opposite the active site cleft suggests a distinct docking of the preceding low density lipoprotein receptor class A domain. The benzamidine crystals possess a freely accessible active site and are hence well suited for soaking small molecules, facilitating the improvement of inhibitors. The crystal structure of the MT-SP1 complex with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor serves as a model for hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor 1, the physiological inhibitor of MT-SP1, and suggests determinants for the substrate specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

(R)-3-Amidinophenylalanine-derived inhibitors of factor Xa with a novel active-site binding mode.

A putative non-substrate like binding mode of (R)-3-amidinophenylalanine derivatives to factor Xa, as derived from modeling experiments based on X-ray analysis of their complexes with trypsin, was used to design a new generation of inhibitors. However, the resulting inhibitory potencies were not at all consistent with the working assumption, although with an adamantyl-ureido derivative of (R)-3-amidinophenylalanine phenetyl amide a highly selective nanomolar inhibition of factor Xa was achieved. The X-ray analysis of the complex of this ligand with factor Xa revealed an unexpected new binding mode, of which the most important feature is the interaction of the C-terminal aryl moiety with a hydrophobic subregion of the S1 subsite, while the adamantyl group occupies the hydrophobic S3/S4 subsites of the enzyme.

Binding Sites↗