scholarly journals Elucidation of Molecular Mechanism of a Selective PPARα Modulator, Pemafibrate, through Combinational Approaches of X-ray Crystallography, Thermodynamic Analysis, and First-Principle Calculations

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayu Kawasaki ◽  
Akira Kambe ◽  
Yuta Yamamoto ◽  
Sundaram Arulmozhiraja ◽  
Sohei Ito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Molecular Mechanism ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Hydrophobic Interactions ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Titration Calorimetry ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Steroid Receptor Coactivator

The selective PPARα modulator (SPPARMα) is expected to medicate dyslipidemia with minimizing adverse effects. Recently, pemafibrate was screened from the ligand library as an SPPARMα bearing strong potency. Several clinical pieces of evidence have proved the usefulness of pemafibrate as a medication; however, how pemafibrate works as a SPPARMα at the molecular level is not fully known. In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanism behind its novel SPPARMα character through a combination of approaches of X-ray crystallography, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and fragment molecular orbital (FMO) analysis. ITC measurements have indicated that pemafibrate binds more strongly to PPARα than to PPARγ. The crystal structure of PPARα-ligand binding domain (LBD)/pemafibrate/steroid receptor coactivator-1 peptide (SRC1) determined at 3.2 Å resolution indicates that pemafibrate binds to the ligand binding pocket (LBP) of PPARα in a Y-shaped form. The structure also reveals that the conformation of the phenoxyalkyl group in pemafibrate is flexible in the absence of SRC1 coactivator peptide bound to PPARα; this gives a freedom for the phenoxyalkyl group to adopt structural changes induced by the binding of coactivators. FMO calculations have indicated that the accumulation of hydrophobic interactions provided by the residues at the LBP improve the interaction between pemafibrate and PPARα compared with the interaction between fenofibrate and PPARα.

scholarly journals X-ray crystallography reveals molecular recognition mechanism for sugar binding in a melibiose transporter MelB

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Guan ◽  
Parameswaran Hariharan
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Recognition ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Cation Binding ◽  
Recognition Mechanism ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Sugar Binding ◽  
Sugar Specificity ◽  
Major Facilitator ◽  
Mfs Transporters

AbstractMajor facilitator superfamily_2 transporters are widely found from bacteria to mammals. The melibiose transporter MelB, which catalyzes melibiose symport with either Na+, Li+, or H+, is a prototype of the Na+-coupled MFS transporters, but its sugar recognition mechanism has been a long-unsolved puzzle. Two high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of a Salmonella typhimurium MelB mutant with a bound ligand, either nitrophenyl-α-d-galactoside or dodecyl-β-d-melibioside, were refined to a resolution of 3.05 or 3.15 Å, respectively. In the substrate-binding site, the interaction of both galactosyl moieties on the two ligands with MelBSt are virturally same, so the sugar specificity determinant pocket can be recognized, and hence the molecular recognition mechanism for sugar binding in MelB has been deciphered. The conserved cation-binding pocket is also proposed, which directly connects to the sugar specificity pocket. These key structural findings have laid a solid foundation for our understanding of the cooperative binding and symport mechanisms in Na+-coupled MFS transporters, including eukaryotic transporters such as MFSD2A.

scholarly journals Interbase-FRET binding assay for pre-microRNAs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Bood ◽  
Anna Wypijewska del Nogal ◽  
Jesper R. Nilsson ◽  
Fredrik Edfeldt ◽  
Anders Dahlén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Titration Calorimetry ◽  
Drug Candidate ◽  
Binding Studies ◽  
Aberrant Expression

AbstractThe aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRs) has been linked to several human diseases. A promising approach for targeting these anomalies is the use of small-molecule inhibitors of miR biogenesis. These inhibitors have the potential to (i) dissect miR mechanisms of action, (ii) discover new drug targets, and (iii) function as new therapeutic agents. Here, we designed Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-labeled oligoribonucleotides of the precursor of the oncogenic miR-21 (pre-miR-21) and used them together with a set of aminoglycosides to develop an interbase-FRET assay to detect ligand binding to pre-miRs. Our interbase-FRET assay accurately reports structural changes of the RNA oligonucleotide induced by ligand binding. We demonstrate its application in a rapid, qualitative drug candidate screen by assessing the relative binding affinity between 12 aminoglycoside antibiotics and pre-miR-21. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) were used to validate our new FRET method, and the accuracy of our FRET assay was shown to be similar to the established techniques. With its advantages over SPR and ITC owing to its high sensitivity, small sample size, straightforward technique and the possibility for high-throughput expansion, we envision that our solution-based method can be applied in pre-miRNA–target binding studies.

scholarly journals Probing G-quadruplex topologies and recognition concurrently in real time and 3D using a dual-app nucleoside probe

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 6059-6072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok Nuthanakanti ◽  
Ishtiyaq Ahmed ◽  
Saddam Y Khatik ◽  
Kayarat Saikrishnan ◽  
Seergazhi G Srivatsan
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Telomeric Dna ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
New Class ◽  
Loop Region ◽  
Dna Repeat ◽  
G Quadruplex

Abstract Comprehensive understanding of structure and recognition properties of regulatory nucleic acid elements in real time and atomic level is highly important to devise efficient therapeutic strategies. Here, we report the establishment of an innovative biophysical platform using a dual-app nucleoside analog, which serves as a common probe to detect and correlate different GQ structures and ligand binding under equilibrium conditions and in 3D by fluorescence and X-ray crystallography techniques. The probe (SedU) is composed of a microenvironment-sensitive fluorophore and an excellent anomalous X-ray scatterer (Se), which is assembled by attaching a selenophene ring at 5-position of 2′-deoxyuridine. SedU incorporated into the loop region of human telomeric DNA repeat fluorescently distinguished subtle differences in GQ topologies and enabled quantify ligand binding to different topologies. Importantly, anomalous X-ray dispersion signal from Se could be used to determine the structure of GQs. As the probe is minimally perturbing, a direct comparison of fluorescence data and crystal structures provided structural insights on how the probe senses different GQ conformations without affecting the native fold. Taken together, our dual-app probe represents a new class of tool that opens up new experimental strategies to concurrently investigate nucleic acid structure and recognition in real time and 3D.

scholarly journals Fragment-Based Screening for Inhibitors of PDE4A Using Enthalpy Arrays and X-ray Crystallography

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael I. Recht ◽  
Vandana Sridhar ◽  
John Badger ◽  
Leslie Hernandez ◽  
Barbara Chie-Leon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spectroscopic Properties ◽  
Titration Calorimetry ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Lead Discovery ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Affinity Ligands ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Chemical Structures ◽  
Fragment Library

Fragment-based screening has typically relied on X-ray or nuclear magnetic resonance methods to identify low-affinity ligands that bind to therapeutic targets. These techniques are expensive in terms of material and time, so it useful to have a higher throughput method to reliably prescreen a fragment library to identify a subset of compounds for structural analysis. Calorimetry provides a label-free method to assay binding and enzymatic activity that is unaffected by the spectroscopic properties of the sample. Conventional microcalorimetry is hampered by requiring large quantities of reagents and long measurement times. Nanocalorimeters can overcome these limitations of conventional isothermal titration calorimetry. Here we have used enthalpy arrays, which are arrays of nanocalorimeters, to perform an enzyme activity-based fragment screen for competitive inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 4A (PDE4A). Several inhibitors with K I <2 mM were identified and moved to X-ray crystallization trials. Although the co-crystals did not yield high-resolution data, evidence of binding was observed, and the chemical structures of the hits were consistent with motifs of known PDE4 inhibitors. This study shows how array calorimetry can be used as a prescreening method for fragment-based lead discovery with enzyme targets and provides a list of candidate fragments for inhibition of PDE4A.

The differences in binding 12-carbon aliphatic ligands by bovine β-lactoglobulin isoform A and B studied by isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray crystallography

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 357-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna I. Loch ◽  
Piotr Bonarek ◽  
Agnieszka Polit ◽  
Sylwia Świątek ◽  
Marta Dziedzicka-Wasylewska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isothermal Titration Calorimetry ◽  
Titration Calorimetry ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Β Lactoglobulin

Structural insights into the molecular mechanism ofEscherichia coliSdiA, a quorum-sensing receptor

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 694-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Truc Kim ◽  
Thao Duong ◽  
Chun-ai Wu ◽  
Jongkeun Choi ◽  
Nguyen Lan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Binding Affinity ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Titration Calorimetry

Escherichia coliSdiA is a quorum-sensing (QS) receptor that responds to autoinducers produced by other bacterial species to control cell division and virulence. Crystal structures reveal thatE. coliSdiA, which is composed of an N-terminal ligand-binding domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain (DBD), forms a symmetrical dimer. Although each domain shows structural similarity to other QS receptors, SdiA differs from them in the relative orientation of the two domains, suggesting that its ligand-binding and DNA-binding functions are independent. Consistently, in DNA gel-shift assays the binding affinity of SdiA for theftsQP2 promoter appeared to be insensitive to the presence of autoinducers. These results suggest that autoinducers increase the functionality of SdiA by enhancing the protein stability rather than by directly affecting the DNA-binding affinity. Structural analyses of the ligand-binding pocket showed that SdiA cannot accommodate ligands with long acyl chains, which was corroborated by isothermal titration calorimetry and thermal stability analyses. The formation of an intersubunit disulfide bond that might be relevant to modulation of the DNA-binding activity was predicted from the proximal position of two Cys residues in the DBDs of dimeric SdiA. It was confirmed that the binding affinity of SdiA for theuvrYpromoter was reduced under oxidizing conditions, which suggested the possibility of regulation of SdiA by multiple independent signals such as quorum-sensing inducers and the oxidation state of the cell.

scholarly journals A High-Throughput Screening Triage Workflow to Authenticate a Novel Series of PFKFB3 Inhibitors

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-22
Author(s):  
Stephen A. St-Gallay ◽  
Neil Bennett ◽  
Susan E. Critchlow ◽  
Nicola Curtis ◽  
Gareth Davies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Isothermal Calorimetry ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Carbonyl Oxygen ◽  
Enzyme Concentration ◽  
Titration Calorimetry ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
The Hill

A high-throughput screen (HTS) of human 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) resulted in several series of compounds with the potential for further optimization. Informatics was used to identify active chemotypes with lead-like profiles and remove compounds that commonly occurred as actives in other HTS screens. The activities were confirmed with IC50 measurements from two orthogonal assay technologies, and further analysis of the Hill slopes and comparison of the ratio of IC50 values at 10 times the enzyme concentration were used to identify artifact compounds. Several series of compounds were rejected as they had both high slopes and poor ratios. A small number of compounds representing the different leading series were assessed using isothermal titration calorimetry, and the X-ray crystal structure of the complex with PFKFB3 was solved. The orthogonal assay technology and isothermal calorimetry were demonstrated to be unreliable in identifying false-positive compounds in this case. Presented here is the discovery of the dihydropyrrolopyrimidinone series of compounds as active and novel inhibitors of PFKFB3, shown by X-ray crystallography to bind to the adenosine triphosphate site. The crystal structures of this series also reveal it is possible to flip the binding mode of the compounds, and the alternative orientation can be driven by a sigma-hole interaction between an aromatic chlorine atom and a backbone carbonyl oxygen. These novel inhibitors will enable studies to explore the role of PFKFB3 in driving the glycolytic phenotype of tumors.

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