Structure of the Ser195Ala mutant of human alpha--thrombin complexed with fibrinopeptide A(7--16): evidence for residual catalytic activity

Crystal structure of MOA in complex with a peptide fragment: A protease caught in flagranti

The Marasmius oreades agglutinin (MOA) is the holotype of an emerging family of fungal chimerolectins and an active Ca2+/Mn2+-dependent protease, which exhibits a unique papain-like fold with special active site features. Here we investigated the functional significance of the structural elements differentiating MOA from other papain-like cysteine proteases. X-ray crystal structures of MOA co-crystallized with two synthetic substrates reveal cleaved peptides bound to the catalytic site, corresponding to the final products of the proteolytic reaction. Anomalous diffraction data on crystals grown in the presence of calcium and manganese, cadmium or zinc resolve the calcium/manganese preference of MOA and elucidate the inhibitory roles of zinc and cadmium towards papain-like cysteine proteases in general. The reported structures, together with activity data of MOA active site variants, point to a conservation of the general proteolysis mechanism established for papain. Ultimately, the findings suggest that papain and the papain-like domain of MOA are the product of convergent evolution.

Structural basis of thrombin-mediated factor V activation: the Glu666-Glu672 sequence is critical for processing at the heavy chain-B domain junction

Thrombin-catalyzed activation of coagulation factor V (FV) is an essential positive feedback reaction within the blood clotting system. Efficient processing at the N- (Arg(709)-Ser(710)) and C-terminal activation cleavage sites (Arg(1545)-Ser(1546)) requires initial substrate interactions with 2 clusters of positively charged residues on the proteinase surface, exosites I and II. We addressed the mechanism of activation of human factor V (FV) using peptides that cover the entire acidic regions preceding these cleavage sites, FV (657-709)/ (FVa2) and FV(1481-1545)/(FVa3). FVa2 appears to interact mostly with exosite I, while both exosites are involved in interactions with the C-terminal linker. The 1.7-Å crystal structure of irreversibly inhibited thrombin bound to FVa2 unambiguously reveals docking of FV residues Glu(666)-Glu(672) to exosite I. These findings were confirmed in a second, medium-resolution structure of FVa2 bound to the benzamidine-inhibited proteinase. Our results suggest that the acidic A2-B domain linker is involved in major interactions with thrombin during cofactor activation, with its more N-terminal hirudin-like sequence playing a critical role. Modeling experiments indicate that FVa2, and likely also FVa3, wrap around thrombin in productive thrombin·FV complexes that cover a large surface of the activator to engage the active site.

Molecular mechanisms of viral and host cell substrate recognition by hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease

Hepatitis C NS3/4A protease is a prime therapeutic target that is responsible for cleaving the viral polyprotein at junctions 3-4A, 4A4B, 4B5A, and 5A5B and two host cell adaptor proteins of the innate immune response, TRIF and MAVS. In this study, NS3/4A crystal structures of both host cell cleavage sites were determined and compared to the crystal structures of viral substrates. Two distinct protease conformations were observed and correlated with substrate specificity: (i) 3-4A, 4A4B, 5A5B, and MAVS, which are processed more efficiently by the protease, form extensive electrostatic networks when in complex with the protease, and (ii) TRIF and 4B5A, which contain polyproline motifs in their full-length sequences, do not form electrostatic networks in their crystal complexes. These findings provide mechanistic insights into NS3/4A substrate recognition, which may assist in a more rational approach to inhibitor design in the face of the rapid acquisition of resistance.

Drug resistance against HCV NS3/4A inhibitors is defined by the balance of substrate recognition versus inhibitor binding

Hepatitis C virus infects an estimated 180 million people worldwide, prompting enormous efforts to develop inhibitors targeting the essential NS3/4A protease. Resistance against the most promising protease inhibitors, telaprevir, boceprevir, and ITMN-191, has emerged in clinical trials. In this study, crystal structures of the NS3/4A protease domain reveal that viral substrates bind to the protease active site in a conserved manner defining a consensus volume, or substrate envelope. Mutations that confer the most severe resistance in the clinic occur where the inhibitors protrude from the substrate envelope, as these changes selectively weaken inhibitor binding without compromising the binding of substrates. These findings suggest a general model for predicting the susceptibility of protease inhibitors to resistance: drugs designed to fit within the substrate envelope will be less susceptible to resistance, as mutations affecting inhibitor binding would simultaneously interfere with the recognition of viral substrates.

Structural basis for sequential cleavage of fibrinopeptides upon fibrin assembly

Nonsubstrate interaction of thrombin with fibrinogen promotes sequential cleavage of fibrinopeptides A and B (fpA and fpB, respectively) from the latter, resulting in its conversion into fibrin. The recently established crystal structure of human thrombin in complex with the central part of human fibrin clarified the mechanism of this interaction. Here, we reveal new details of the structure and present the results of molecular modeling of the fpA- and fpB-containing portions of the Aalpha and Bbeta chains, not identified in the complex, in both fibrinogen and protofibrils. The analysis of the results reveals that in fibrinogen the fpA-containing portions are in a more favorable position to bind in the active site cleft of bound thrombin. Surface plasmon resonance experiments establish that the fpB-containing portions interact with the fibrin-derived dimeric D-D fragment, suggesting that in protofibrils they bind to the newly formed DD regions bringing fpB into the vicinity of bound thrombin. These findings provide a coherent rationale for the preferential removal of fpA from fibrinogen at the first stage of fibrin assembly and the accelerated cleavage of fpB from protofibrils and/or fibrils at the second stage.

Molecular recognition mechanisms of thrombin

Thrombin is the final protease generated in the blood coagulation cascade, and is the only factor capable of cleaving fibrinogen to create a fibrin clot. Unlike every other coagulation protease, thrombin is composed solely of its serine protease domain, so that once formed it can diffuse freely to encounter a large number of potential substrates. Thus thrombin serves many functions in hemostasis through the specific cleavage of at least a dozen substrates. The solution of the crystal structure of thrombin some 15 years ago revealed a deep active site cleft and two adjacent basic exosites, and it was clear that thrombin must utilize these unique features in recognizing its substrates. Just how this occurs is still being investigated, but recent data from thrombin mutant libraries and crystal structures combine to paint the clearest picture to date of the molecular determinants of substrate recognition by thrombin. In almost all cases, both thrombin exosites are involved, either through direct interaction with the substrate protein or through indirect interaction with a third cofactor molecule. The purpose of this article is to summarize recent biochemical and structural data in order to provide insight into the thrombin molecular recognition events at the heart of hemostasis.

Thrombomodulin changes the molecular surface of interaction and the rate of complex formation between thrombin and protein C

The interaction of thrombin with protein C triggers a key down-regulatory process of the coagulation cascade. Using a panel of 77 Ala mutants, we have mapped the epitope of thrombin recognizing protein C in the absence or presence of the cofactor thrombomodulin. Residues around the Na(+) site (Thr-172, Lys-224, Tyr-225, and Gly-226), the aryl binding site (Tyr-60a), the primary specificity pocket (Asp-189), and the oxyanion hole (Gly-193) hold most of the favorable contributions to protein C recognition by thrombin, whereas a patch of residues in the 30-loop (Arg-35 and Pro-37) and 60-loop (Phe-60h) regions produces unfavorable contributions to binding. The shape of the epitope changes drastically in the presence of thrombomodulin. The unfavorable contributions to binding disappear and the number of residues promoting the thrombin-protein C interaction is reduced to Tyr-60a and Asp-189. Kinetic studies of protein C activation as a function of temperature reveal that thrombomodulin increases >1,000-fold the rate of diffusion of protein C into the thrombin active site and lowers the activation barrier for this process by 4 kcal/mol. We propose that the mechanism of thrombomodulin action is to kinetically facilitate the productive encounter of thrombin and protein C and to allosterically change the conformation of the activation peptide of protein C for optimal presentation to the thrombin active site.

Molecular dissection of Na+ binding to thrombin

Na(+) binding near the primary specificity pocket of thrombin promotes the procoagulant, prothrombotic, and signaling functions of the enzyme. The effect is mediated allosterically by a communication between the Na(+) site and regions involved in substrate recognition. Using a panel of 78 Ala mutants of thrombin, we have mapped the allosteric core of residues that are energetically linked to Na(+) binding. These residues are Asp-189, Glu-217, Asp-222, and Tyr-225, all in close proximity to the bound Na(+). Among these residues, Asp-189 shares with Asp-221 the important function of transducing Na(+) binding into enhanced catalytic activity. None of the residues of exosite I, exosite II, or the 60-loop plays a significant role in Na(+) binding and allosteric transduction. X-ray crystal structures of the Na(+)-free (slow) and Na(+)-bound (fast) forms of thrombin, free or bound to the active site inhibitor H-d-Phe-Pro-Arg-chloromethyl-ketone, document the conformational changes induced by Na(+) binding. The slow --> fast transition results in formation of the Arg-187:Asp-222 ion pair, optimal orientation of Asp-189 and Ser-195 for substrate binding, and a significant shift of the side chain of Glu-192 linked to a rearrangement of the network of water molecules that connect the bound Na(+) to Ser-195 in the active site. The changes in the water network and the allosteric core explain the thermodynamic signatures linked to Na(+) binding and the mechanism of thrombin activation by Na(+). The role of the water network uncovered in this study establishes a new paradigm for the allosteric regulation of thrombin and other Na(+)-activated enzymes involved in blood coagulation and the immune response.

Dissecting substrate recognition by thrombin using the inactive mutant S195A

The catalytically inactive mutant S195A was used to study the interaction of thrombin with substrates under equilibrium conditions. By monitoring changes in intrinsic fluorescence, we measured dissociation constants for a variety of synthetic substrates, PAR peptides and the inhibitor PPACK. The S195A mutant retains the Na(+)-binding properties of the wild type, and substrate binding to the mutant is enhanced by the presence of Na(+). Temperature dependence studies allowed calculation of the thermodynamic parameters of substrate binding at the active site and showed a negligible deltaC(p). Titration of synthetic substrates carrying substitutions at the P1-P3 positions revealed energetics consistent with the specificity hierarchy identified in hydrolysis by the wild type. Titration with PAR peptides, which interact with both the active site and exosite I of thrombin, also showed consistency with the results obtained with the wild type at steady state. These findings demonstrate that inactive mutants of enzymes make it possible to dissect the equilibrium components linked to substrate binding and complement information on the kinetic properties of the wild type.

Thrombin activation of factor XI on activated platelets requires the interaction of factor XI and platelet glycoprotein Ib alpha with thrombin anion-binding exosites I and II, respectively

Activation of factor XI (FXI) by thrombin on stimulated platelets plays a physiological role in hemostasis, providing additional thrombin generation required in cases of severe hemostatic challenge. Using a collection of 53 thrombin mutants, we identified 16 mutants with <50% of the wild-type thrombin FXI-activating activity in the presence of dextran sulfate. These mutants mapped to anion-binding exosite (ABE) I, ABE-II, the Na+-binding site, and the 50-insertion loop. Only the ABE-II mutants showed reduced binding to dextran sulfate-linked agarose. Selected thrombin mutants in ABE-I (R68A, R70A, and R73A), ABE-II (R98A, R245A, and K248A), the 50-insertion loop (W50A), and the Na+-binding site (E229A and R233A) with <10% of the wild-type activity also showed a markedly reduced ability to activate FXI in the presence of stimulated platelets. The ABE-I, 50-insertion loop, and Na+-binding site mutants had impaired binding to FXI, but normal binding to glycocalicin, the soluble form of glycoprotein Ibalpha (GPIb alpha). In contrast, the ABE-II mutants were defective in binding to glycocalicin, but displayed normal binding to FXI. Our data support a quaternary complex model of thrombin activation of FXI on stimulated platelets. Thrombin bound to one GPIb alpha molecule, via ABE-II on its posterior surface, is properly oriented for its activation of FXI bound to a neighboring GPI alpha molecule, via ABE-I on its anterior surface. GPIb alpha plays a critical role in the co-localization of thrombin and FXI and the resultant efficient activation of FXI.

Targeting thrombin – rational drug design from natural mechanisms

It is difficult to overstate the medical importance of the serine protease thrombin. Thrombin is involved in many diverse processes, such as cell signaling and memory, but it is the crucial role that it plays in blood coagulation that commands the interest of the medical community. Thrombosis is the most common cause of death in the industrialized world and, whether through venous thromboembolism, myocardial infarction or stroke, ultimately involves the inappropriate activity of thrombin. The number and type of intrinsic and extrinsic natural mechanisms of targeting thrombin that have evolved validate thrombin as an important physiological target, and provide strategies to knock it out. The more we learn about the natural mechanisms that determine thrombin specificity the more likely we are to develop compounds that selectively alter thrombin activity. In this article, we review the natural mechanisms that regulate thrombin activity and novel approaches to inhibit thrombin based on these mechanisms.

Mechanisms of Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe inhibition of thrombin

Investigations determined the mechanism(s) by which Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe (RPPGF) inhibits thrombin-induced platelet activation. High concentrations of RPPGF inhibit thrombin-induced coagulant activity. RPPGF binds to the active site of thrombin by forming a parallel beta-strand with Ser214-Gly216 and interacts with His57, Asp189, and Ser195 of the catalytic triad. RPPGF competitively inhibits alpha-thrombin from hydrolyzing Sar-Pro-Arg-paranitroanilide with a Ki = 1.75 +/- 0.03 mM. Other mechanisms were sought to explain why RPPGF inhibits thrombin activation of platelets at concentrations below that which inhibits its active site. Soluble RPPGF blocks biotinylated NATLDPRSFLLR of the thrombin cleavage site on protease-activated receptor (PAR)1 from binding to the peptide RPPGC (IC50 = 20 microM). The soluble recombinant extracellular domain of PAR1 (rPAR1EC) blocks biotinylated RPPGF binding to rPAR1EC (IC50 = 50 microM) bound to microtiter plates, but rPAR1EC deletion mutants missing the sequence LDPR or PRSF do not. RPPGF and related forms prevent the thrombin-like enzyme thrombocytin from proteolyzing rPAR1EC at concentrations that do not block thrombocytin's active site. These studies indicate that RPPGF is a bifunctional inhibitor of thrombin: it binds to PAR1 to prevent thrombin cleavage at Arg41 and interacts with the active site of alpha-thrombin.

The molecular basis of thrombin allostery revealed by a 1.8 A structure of the "slow" form

Thrombin participates in its own positive and negative feedback loops, and its allosteric state helps determine the hemostatic balance. Here we present the 1.8 A crystallographic structure of S195A thrombin in two conformational states: active site occupied and active site free. The active site-occupied form shows how thrombin can accommodate substrates, such as protein C. The active site-free form is in a previously unobserved closed conformation of thrombin, which satisfies all the conditions of the so-called "slow" form. A mechanism of allostery is revealed, which relies on the concerted movement of the disulphide bond between Cys168 and 182 and aromatic residues Phe227, Trp215, and Trp60d. These residues constitute an allosteric switch, which is flipped directly through sodium binding, resulting in the fast form with an open active site.

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.

Crystal structure of the anticoagulant slow form of thrombin

Using the thrombin mutant R77aA devoid of the site of autoproteolytic degradation at exosite I, we have solved for the first time the structure of thrombin free of any inhibitors and effector molecules and stabilized in the Na(+)-free slow form. The slow form shows subtle differences compared with the currently available structures of the Na(+)-bound fast form that carry inhibitors at the active site or exosite I. The most notable differences are the displacement of Asp-189 in the S1 specificity pocket, a downward shift of the 190-193 strand, a rearrangement of the side chain of Glu-192, and a significant shift in the position of the catalytic Ser-195 that is no longer within H-bonding distance from His-57. The structure of the slow form explains the reduced specificity toward synthetic and natural substrates and suggests a molecular basis for its anticoagulant properties.

Structural requirements for the activation of human factor VIII by thrombin

The coagulation factors V (FV) and VIII (FVIII) are important at sites of vascular injury for the amplification of the clotting cascade. Natural variants of these factors frequently lead to severe bleeding disorders. To understand the mechanisms of activation of FVIII by thrombin, we used a bank of mutant thrombins to define residues important for its activation. From the initial screening of 53 mutant thrombins for the activation of human recombinant FVIII, we mapped thrombin mutants with 50% or less activity to anion-binding exosite-I (Lys21Ala, His66Ala, Lys65Ala, Arg68Ala, Arg70Ala, and Tyr71Ala) and anion-binding exosite-II (Arg98Ala), the Na(+)-binding site (Glu229Ala, Arg233Ala, Asp234Ala, and Asp193Ala/Lys196Ala), and the 50-insertion loop (Trp50Ala), which were similar to our results for the activation of FV. The role of these residues for cleavage at Arg372 and Arg1689 was investigated using plasma FVIII. Anion-binding exosite-I appears to be important for cleavage at both sites, whereas the anion-binding exosite-II residue Arg98Ala is important for cleavage at Arg372 alone. The Glu229Ala mutant, which contributes to the Na(+)-binding site, and the 50-insertion loop mutant W50A have severely impaired cleavage at Arg372 and Arg1689. This suggests that the integrity of the active site and the Na(+)-bound form of thrombin are important for its procoagulant activity against FVIII. Detailed mutagenic analysis of thrombin can assist in understanding the pathogenesis of bleeding disorders and may lead to the rational design of selective thrombin inhibitors.