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Majekodunmi T, Britton D, Montclare JK. Engineered Proteins and Materials Utilizing Residue-Specific Noncanonical Amino Acid Incorporation. Chem Rev 2024. [PMID: 39008623 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into proteins and protein-based materials has significantly expanded the repertoire of available protein structures and chemistries. Through residue-specific incorporation, protein properties can be globally modified, resulting in the creation of novel proteins and materials with diverse and tailored characteristics. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in residue-specific incorporation techniques as well as the applications of the engineered proteins and materials. Specifically, we discuss their utility in bio-orthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), fluorescent noncanonical amino acid tagging (FUNCAT), threonine-derived noncanonical amino acid tagging (THRONCAT), cross-linking, fluorination, and enzyme engineering. This review underscores the importance of noncanonical amino acid incorporation as a tool for the development of tailored protein properties to meet diverse research and industrial needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temiloluwa Majekodunmi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Dustin Britton
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Jin Kim Montclare
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, United States
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10012, United States
- Department of Biomaterials, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York 10010, United States
- Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York 10016, United States
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2
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Kubyshkin V, Rubini M. Proline Analogues. Chem Rev 2024; 124:8130-8232. [PMID: 38941181 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Within the canonical repertoire of the amino acid involved in protein biogenesis, proline plays a unique role as an amino acid presenting a modified backbone rather than a side-chain. Chemical structures that mimic proline but introduce changes into its specific molecular features are defined as proline analogues. This review article summarizes the existing chemical, physicochemical, and biochemical knowledge about this peculiar family of structures. We group proline analogues from the following compounds: substituted prolines, unsaturated and fused structures, ring size homologues, heterocyclic, e.g., pseudoproline, and bridged proline-resembling structures. We overview (1) the occurrence of proline analogues in nature and their chemical synthesis, (2) physicochemical properties including ring conformation and cis/trans amide isomerization, (3) use in commercial drugs such as nirmatrelvir recently approved against COVID-19, (4) peptide and protein synthesis involving proline analogues, (5) specific opportunities created in peptide engineering, and (6) cases of protein engineering with the analogues. The review aims to provide a summary to anyone interested in using proline analogues in systems ranging from specific biochemical setups to complex biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marina Rubini
- School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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3
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Breunig SL, Chapman AM, LeBon J, Quijano JC, Ranasinghe M, Rawson J, Demeler B, Ku HT, Tirrell DA. 4S-fluorination of ProB29 in insulin lispro slows fibril formation. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107332. [PMID: 38703998 PMCID: PMC11154709 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Recombinant insulin is a life-saving therapeutic for millions of patients affected by diabetes mellitus. Standard mutagenesis has led to insulin variants with improved control of blood glucose; for instance, the fast-acting insulin lispro contains two point mutations that suppress dimer formation and expedite absorption. However, insulins undergo irreversible denaturation, a process accelerated for the insulin monomer. Here we replace ProB29 of insulin lispro with 4R-fluoroproline, 4S-fluoroproline, and 4,4-difluoroproline. All three fluorinated lispro variants reduce blood glucose in diabetic mice, exhibit similar secondary structure as measured by CD, and rapidly dissociate from the zinc- and resorcinol-bound hexamer upon dilution. Notably, however, we find that 4S-fluorination of ProB29 delays the formation of undesired insulin fibrils that can accumulate at the injection site in vivo and can complicate insulin production and storage. These results demonstrate how subtle molecular changes achieved through non-canonical amino acid mutagenesis can improve the stability of protein therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Breunig
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Alex M Chapman
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Jeanne LeBon
- Department of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Janine C Quijano
- Department of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Maduni Ranasinghe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Rawson
- Department of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Borries Demeler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Hsun Teresa Ku
- Department of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA; Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Science, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - David A Tirrell
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.
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4
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Ganguly HK, Ludwig BA, Tressler CM, Bhatt MR, Pandey AK, Quinn CM, Bai S, Yap GPA, Zondlo NJ. 4,4-Difluoroproline as a Unique 19F NMR Probe of Proline Conformation. Biochemistry 2024; 63:1131-1146. [PMID: 38598681 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Despite the importance of proline conformational equilibria (trans versus cis amide and exo versus endo ring pucker) on protein structure and function, there is a lack of convenient ways to probe proline conformation. 4,4-Difluoroproline (Dfp) was identified to be a sensitive 19F NMR-based probe of proline conformational biases and cis-trans isomerism. Within model compounds and disordered peptides, the diastereotopic fluorines of Dfp exhibit similar chemical shifts (ΔδFF = 0-3 ppm) when a trans X-Dfp amide bond is present. In contrast, the diastereotopic fluorines exhibit a large (ΔδFF = 5-12 ppm) difference in chemical shift in a cis X-Dfp prolyl amide bond. DFT calculations, X-ray crystallography, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy indicated that ΔδFF directly reports on the relative preference of one proline ring pucker over the other: a fluorine which is pseudo-axial (i.e., the pro-4R-F in an exo ring pucker, or the pro-4S-F in an endo ring pucker) is downfield, while a fluorine which is pseudo-equatorial (i.e., pro-4S-F when exo, or pro-4R-F when endo) is upfield. Thus, when a proline is disordered (a mixture of exo and endo ring puckers, as at trans-Pro in peptides in water), it exhibits a small Δδ. In contrast, when the Pro is ordered (i.e., when one ring pucker is strongly preferred, as in cis-Pro amide bonds, where the endo ring pucker is strongly favored), a large Δδ is observed. Dfp can be used to identify inherent induced order in peptides and to quantify proline cis-trans isomerism. Using Dfp, we discovered that the stable polyproline II helix (PPII) formed in the denatured state (8 M urea) exhibits essentially equal populations of the exo and endo proline ring puckers. In addition, the data with Dfp suggested the specific stabilization of PPII by water over other polar solvents. These data strongly support the importance of carbonyl solvation and n → π* interactions for the stabilization of PPII. Dfp was also employed to quantify proline cis-trans isomerism as a function of phosphorylation and the R406W mutation in peptides derived from the intrinsically disordered protein tau. Dfp is minimally sterically disruptive and can be incorporated in expressed proteins, suggesting its broad application in understanding proline cis-trans isomerization, protein folding, and local order in intrinsically disordered proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himal K Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Brice A Ludwig
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Caitlin M Tressler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Megh R Bhatt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Anil K Pandey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Caitlin M Quinn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Shi Bai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Glenn P A Yap
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Neal J Zondlo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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5
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Loughlin JO, Zinovjev K, Napolitano S, van der Kamp M, Rubini M. 4-Thiaproline accelerates the slow folding phase of proteins containing cis prolines in the native state by two orders of magnitude. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4877. [PMID: 38115231 PMCID: PMC10804670 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The cis/trans isomerization of peptidyl-prolyl peptide bonds is often the bottleneck of the refolding reaction for proteins containing cis proline residues in the native state. Proline (Pro) analogues, especially C4-substituted fluoroprolines, have been widely used in protein engineering to enhance the thermodynamic stability of peptides and proteins and to investigate folding kinetics. 4-thiaproline (Thp) has been shown to bias the ring pucker of Pro, to increase the cis population percentage of model peptides in comparison to Pro, and to diminish the activation energy barrier for the cis/trans isomerization reaction. Despite its intriguing properties, Thp has been seldom incorporated into proteins. Moreover, the impact of Thp on the folding kinetics of globular proteins has never been reported. In this study, we show that upon incorporation of Thp at cisPro76 into the thioredoxin variant Trx1P the half-life of the refolding reaction decreased from ~2 h to ~35 s. A dramatic acceleration of the refolding rate could be observed also for the protein pseudo wild-type barstar upon replacement of cisPro48 with Thp. Quantum chemical calculations suggested that the replacement of the Cγ H2 group by a sulfur atom in the pyrrolidine ring, might lower the barrier for cis/trans rotation due to a weakened peptide bond. The protein variants retained their thermodynamic stability upon incorporation of Thp, while the catalytic and enzymatic activities of the modified Trx1P remained unchanged. Our results show that the Pro isostere Thp might accelerate the rate of the slow refolding reaction for proteins containing cis proline residues in the native state, independent from the local structural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kirill Zinovjev
- School of Biochemistry, University of BristolBristolUK
- Department of Physical ChemistryUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
| | - Silvia Napolitano
- Department of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | | | - Marina Rubini
- School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, BelfieldDublin 4Ireland
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6
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Breunig S, Quijano JC, Donohue C, Henrickson A, Demeler B, Ku HT, Tirrell DA. Incorporation of Aliphatic Proline Residues into Recombinantly Produced Insulin. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:2574-2581. [PMID: 37960878 PMCID: PMC10728891 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Analogs of proline can be used to expand the chemical space about the residue while maintaining its uniquely restricted conformational space. Here, we demonstrate the incorporation of 4R-methylproline, 4S-methylproline, and 4-methyleneproline into recombinant insulin expressed in Escherichia coli. These modified proline residues, introduced at position B28, change the biophysical properties of insulin: Incorporation of 4-methyleneproline at B28 accelerates fibril formation, while 4-methylation speeds dissociation from the pharmaceutically formulated hexamer. This work expands the scope of proline analogs amenable to incorporation into recombinant proteins and demonstrates how noncanonical amino acid mutagenesis can be used to engineer the therapeutically relevant properties of protein drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie
L. Breunig
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Janine C. Quijano
- Department
of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Institute City
of Hope, Duarte, California 91010, United States
| | - Cecile Donohue
- Department
of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Institute City
of Hope, Duarte, California 91010, United States
| | - Amy Henrickson
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Borries Demeler
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801, United States
| | - Hsun Teresa Ku
- Department
of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Institute City
of Hope, Duarte, California 91010, United States
- Irell &
Manella Graduate School of Biological Science, City of Hope, Duarte, California 91010, United
States
| | - David A. Tirrell
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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7
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Liu S, Sommese RF, Nedoma NL, Stevens LM, Dutra JK, Zhang L, Edmonds DJ, Wang Y, Garnsey M, Clasquin MF. Structural basis of lipid-droplet localization of 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5158. [PMID: 37620305 PMCID: PMC10449848 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40766-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydroxysteroid 17-beta-dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) is a hepatic lipid droplet-associated enzyme that is upregulated in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Recently, there have been several reports that predicted loss of function variants in HSD17B13 protect against the progression of steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Here we report crystal structures of full length HSD17B13 in complex with its NAD+ cofactor, and with lipid/detergent molecules and small molecule inhibitors from two distinct series in the ligand binding pocket. These structures provide insights into a mechanism for lipid droplet-associated proteins anchoring to membranes as well as a basis for HSD17B13 variants disrupting function. Two series of inhibitors interact with the active site residues and the bound cofactor similarly, yet they occupy different paths leading to the active site. These structures provide ideas for structure-based design of inhibitors that may be used in the treatment of liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenping Liu
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Groton, CT, 06340, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Jason K Dutra
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Liying Zhang
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David J Edmonds
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Medicinal Chemistry, Roche, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yang Wang
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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