A salt bridge of the C-terminal carboxyl group regulates PHPT1 substrate affinity and catalytic activity

PHPT1 is a histidine phosphatase that modulates signaling in eukaryotes through its catalytic activity. Here, we present an analysis of the structure and dynamics of PHPT1 through a combination of solution NMR, molecular dynamics, and biochemical experiments. We identify a salt bridge formed between the R78 guanidinium moiety and the C-terminal carboxyl group on Y125 that is critical for ligand binding. Disruption of the salt bridge by appending a glycine residue at the C-terminus (G126) leads to a decrease in catalytic activity and binding affinity for the pseudo substrate, para-nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP), as well as the active site inhibitor, phenylphosphonic acid (PPA). We show through NMR chemical shift, 15N relaxation measurements, and analysis of molecular dynamics trajectories, that removal of this salt bridge results in an active site that is altered both structurally and dynamically thereby significantly impacting enzymatic function and confirming the importance of this electrostatic interaction.

Spectroscopic, biochemical and computational studies of bioactive DNA minor groove binders targeting 5'-WGWWCW-3' motif

Spectroscopic, biochemical, and computational modelling studies have been used to assess the binding capability of a set of minor groove binding (MGB) ligands against the self-complementary DNA sequences 5'-d(CGCACTAGTGCG)-3' and 5'-d(CGCAGTACTGCG)-3'. The ligands were carefully designed to target the DNA response element, 5'-WGWWCW-3', the binding site for several nuclear receptors. Basic 1D 1H NMR spectra of the DNA samples prepared with three MGB ligands show subtle variations suggestive of how each ligand associates with the double helical structure of both DNA sequences. The variations among the investigated ligands were reflected in the line shape and intensity of 1D 1H and 31P-{1H} NMR spectra. Rapid visual inspection of these 1D NMR spectra proves to be beneficial in providing valuable insights on MGB binding molecules. The NMR results were consistent with the findings from both UV DNA denaturation and molecular modelling studies. Both the NMR spectroscopic and computational analyses indicate that the investigated ligands bind to the minor grooves as antiparallel side-by-side dimers in a head-to-tail fashion. Moreover, comparisons with results from biochemical studies offered valuable insights into the mechanism of action, and antitumor activity of MGBs in relation to their structures, essential pre-requisites for future optimization of MGBs as therapeutic agents.

The adaptability of the ion-binding site by the Ag(I)/Cu(I) periplasmic chaperone SilF

The periplasmic chaperone SilF has been identified as part of an Ag(I) detoxification system in Gram-negative bacteria. Sil proteins also bind Cu(I) but with reported weaker affinity, therefore leading to the designation of a specific detoxification system for Ag(I). Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we show that binding of both ions is not only tighter than previously thought but of very similar affinities. We investigated the structural origins of ion binding using molecular dynamics and QM/MM simulations underpinned by structural and biophysical experiments. The results of this analysis showed that the binding site adapts to accommodate either ion, with key interactions with the solvent in the case of Cu(I). The implications of this are that Gram-negative bacteria do not appear to have evolved a specific Ag(I) efflux system but take advantage of the existing Cu(I) detoxification system. Therefore, there are consequences for how we define a particular metal resistance mechanism and understand its evolution in the environment.

Denaturant- or ligand-induced change in protein volume by pressure shift assay

A complete thermodynamic description of protein-ligand binding includes parameters related to pressure and temperature. The changes in protein volume and compressibility upon binding a ligand are pressure-related parameters that are...

Protein-Ligand Binding Volume Determined from a Single 2D NMR Spectrum with Increasing Pressure

Proteins undergo changes in their partial volumes in numerous biological processes such as enzymatic catalysis, unfolding–refolding, and ligand binding. The change in the protein volume upon ligand binding—a parameter termed the protein–ligand binding volume—can be extensively studied by high-pressure NMR spectroscopy. In this study, we developed a method to determine the protein–ligand binding volume from a single two-dimensional (2D) ¹H–¹⁵N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) spectrum at different pressures, if the exchange between ligand-free and ligand-bound states of a protein is slow in the NMR time-scale. This approach required a significantly lower amount of protein and NMR time to determine the protein–ligand binding volume of two carbonic anhydrase isozymes upon binding their ligands. The proposed method can be used in other protein–ligand systems and expand the knowledge about protein volume changes upon small-molecule binding.

Efficient affinity ranking of fluorinated ligands by 19F NMR: CSAR and FastCSAR

Fluorine NMR has recently gained high popularity in drug discovery as it allows efficient and sensitive screening of large numbers of ligands. However, the positive hits found in screening must subsequently be ranked according to their affinity in order to prioritize them for follow-up chemistry. Unfortunately, the primary read-out from the screening experiments, namely the increased relaxation rate upon binding, is not proportional to the affinity of the ligand, as it is polluted by effects such as exchange broadening. Here we present the method CSAR (Chemical Shift-anisotropy-based Affinity Ranking) for reliable ranking of fluorinated ligands by NMR, without the need of isotope labeled protein, titrations or setting up a reporter format. Our strategy is to produce relaxation data that is directly proportional to the binding affinity. This is achieved by removing all other contributions to relaxation as follows: (i) exchange effects are efficiently suppressed by using high power spin lock pulses, (ii) dipolar relaxation effects are approximately subtracted by measuring at two different magnetic fields and (iii) differences in chemical shift anisotropy are normalized using calculated values. A similar ranking can be obtained with the simplified approach FastCSAR that relies on a measurement of a single relaxation experiment at high field (preferably > 600 MHz). An affinity ranking obtained in this simple way will enable prioritizing ligands and thus improve the efficiency of fragment-based drug design.

Assessing molecular interactions with biophysical methods using the validation cross

There are numerous methods for studying molecular interactions. However, each method gives rise to false negative- or false positive binding results, stemming from artifacts of the scientific equipment or from shortcomings of the experimental format. To validate an initial positive binding result, additional methods need to be applied to cover the shortcomings of the primary experiment. The aim of such a validation procedure is to exclude as many artifacts as possible to confirm that there is a true molecular interaction that meets the standards for publishing or is worth investing considerable resources for follow-up activities in a drug discovery project. To simplify this validation process, a graphical scheme — the validation cross — can be used. This simple graphic is a powerful tool for identifying blind spots of a binding hypothesis, for selecting the most informative combination of methods to reveal artifacts and, in general, for understanding more thoroughly the nature of a validation process. The concept of the validation cross was originally introduced for the validation of protein–ligand interactions by NMR in drug discovery. Here, an attempt is made to expand the concept to further biophysical methods and to generalize it for binary molecular interactions.

Ligand-detected NMR Methods in Drug Discovery

This book chapter describes the basic principles of NMR-based techniques for detecting ligand binding and uses examples of the application of these techniques in drug discovery programs for screening, hit validation and optimization to illustrate their utility in characterizing ligand–protein interactions. The binding of small molecules to biological receptors can be observed directly by detecting changes in a particular NMR parameter when the protein is added to a sample containing the ligand, or indirectly, using a “spy” molecule in competitive NMR experiments. Combinations of different NMR experiments can be used to confirm binding and also to obtain structural information that can be used to guide medicinal chemistry decisions. Ligand-observed NMR methods are able to identify weak affinity ligands that cannot be detected by other biophysical techniques, which means that NMR-based methods are extremely valuable tools for fragment-based drug discovery approaches.

NMR in drug discovery: A practical guide to identification and validation of ligands interacting with biological macromolecules

Protein-ligand interactions are at the heart of drug discovery research. NMR spectroscopy is an excellent technology to identify and validate protein-ligand interactions. A plethora of NMR methods are available which are powerful, robust and information-rich, but also have pitfalls and limitations. In this review, we will focus on how to choose between different experiments, and assess their strengths and liabilities. We introduce the concept of the validation cross, which helps to categorize experiments according to their information content and to simplify the choice of the right experiment in order to address a specific question. Additionally, we will provide the framework for drawing correct conclusions from experimental results in order to accurately evaluate such interactions. Out of scope for this review are methods for subsequent characterization of the interaction such as quantitative K_D determination, binding mode analysis, or structure determination.

A General Strategy for Targeting Drugs to Bone

Targeting drugs to their desired site of action can increase their safety and efficacy. Bisphosphonates are prototypical examples of drugs targeted to bone. However, bisphosphonate bone affinity is often considered too strong and cannot be significantly modulated without losing activity on the enzymatic target, farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS). Furthermore, bisphosphonate bone affinity comes at the expense of very low and variable oral bioavailability. FPPS inhibitors were developed with a monophosphonate as a bone-affinity tag that confers moderate affinity to bone, which can furthermore be tuned to the desired level, and the relationship between structure and bone affinity was evaluated by using an NMR-based bone-binding assay. The concept of targeting drugs to bone with moderate affinity, while retaining oral bioavailability, has broad application to a variety of other bone-targeted drugs.

Fragment-based drug discovery using NMR spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has evolved into a powerful tool for fragment-based drug discovery over the last two decades. While NMR has been traditionally used to elucidate the three-dimensional structures and dynamics of biomacromolecules and their interactions, it can also be a very valuable tool for the reliable identification of small molecules that bind to proteins and for hit-to-lead optimization. Here, we describe the use of NMR spectroscopy as a method for fragment-based drug discovery and how to most effectively utilize this approach for discovering novel therapeutics based on our experience.

Nuclear magnetic resonance of hyperpolarized fluorine for characterization of protein-ligand interactions

Fluorine NMR spectroscopy is widely used for detection of protein-ligand interactions in drug discovery because of the simplicity of fluorine spectra combined with a relatively high likelihood for a drug molecule to include at least one fluorine atom. In general, an important limitation of NMR spectroscopy in drug discovery is its sensitivity, which results in the need for unphysiologically high protein concentrations and large ligand:protein ratios. An enhancement in the (19)F signal of several thousand fold by dynamic nuclear polarization allows for the detection of submicromolar concentrations of fluorinated small molecules. Techniques for exploiting this gain in signal to detect ligands in the strong-, intermediate-, and weak-binding regimes are presented. Similar to conventional NMR analysis, dissociation constants are determined. However, the ability to use a low ligand concentration permits the detection of ligands in slow exchange that are not easily amenable to drug screening by traditional NMR methods. The relative speed and additional information gained may make the hyperpolarization-based approach an interesting alternative for use in drug discovery.