Steric Control of the Rate-Limiting Step of UDP-Galactopyranose Mutase

Conformational flexibility is a critical factor in designing broad-spectrum human norovirus protease inhibitors

Human norovirus (HuNoV) infection is a global health and economic burden. Currently, there are no licensed HuNoV vaccines or antiviral drugs available. The protease encoded by the HuNoV genome plays a critical role in virus replication by cleaving the polyprotein and is, therefore, an excellent target for developing small molecule inhibitors. While rupintrivir, a potent small-molecule inhibitor of several picornavirus proteases, effectively inhibits GI.1 protease, it is an order of magnitude less effective against GII protease. Other GI.1 protease inhibitors also tend to be less effective against GII proteases. To understand the structural basis for the potency difference, we determined the crystal structures of proteases of GI.1, pandemic GII.4 (Houston and Sydney), and GII.3 in complex with rupintrivir. These structures show that the open substrate pocket in GI protease binds rupintrivir without requiring significant conformational changes, whereas, in GII proteases, the closed pocket flexibly extends, reorienting arginine-112 in the BII-CII loop to accommodate rupintrivir. Structures of R112A protease mutants with rupintrivir, coupled with enzymatic and inhibition studies, suggest R112 is involved in displacing both substrate and ligands from the active site, implying a role in the release of cleaved products during polyprotein processing. Thus, the primary determinant for differential inhibitor potency between the GI and GII proteases is the increased flexibility in the BII-CII loop of the GII proteases caused by H-G mutation in this loop. Therefore, the inherent flexibility of the BII-CII loop in GII proteases is a critical factor to consider when developing broad-spectrum inhibitors for HuNoV proteases.

IMPORTANCE

Human noroviruses are a significant cause of sporadic and epidemic gastroenteritis worldwide. There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs currently available to treat infections. Our work elucidates the structural differences between GI.1 and GII proteases in response to inhibitor binding and will inform the future development of broad-spectrum norovirus protease inhibitors.

N5 Is the New C4a: Biochemical Functionalization of Reduced Flavins at the N5 Position

For three decades the C4a-position of reduced flavins was the known site for covalency within flavoenzymes. The reactivity of this position of the reduced isoalloxazine ring with the dioxygen ground-state triplet established the C4a as a site capable of one-electron chemistry. Within the last two decades new types of reduced flavin reactivity have been documented. These studies reveal that the N5 position is also a protean site of reactivity, that is capable of nucleophilic attack to form covalent bonds with substrates. In addition, though the precise mechanism of dioxygen reactivity is yet to be definitively demonstrated, it is clear that the N5 position is directly involved in substrate oxygenation in some enzymes. In this review we document the lineage of discoveries that identified five unique modes of N5 reactivity that collectively illustrate the versatility of this position of the reduced isoalloxazine ring.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Substrate Release from Trypanosoma cruzi UDP-Galactopyranose Mutase

The enzyme UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM) represents a promising drug target for the treatment of infections with Trypanosoma cruzi. We have computed the Potential of Mean Force for the release of UDP-galactopyranose from UGM, using Umbrella Sampling simulations. The simulations revealed the conformational changes that both substrate and enzyme undergo during the process. It was determined that the galactopyranose portion of the substrate is highly mobile and that the opening/closing of the active site occurs in stages. Previously uncharacterized interactions with highly conserved residues were also identified. These findings provide new pieces of information that contribute to the rational design of drugs against T. cruzi.