Structures of the heart specific SERCA2a Ca2+-ATPase

The sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) performs active reuptake of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ and is a major regulator of cardiac muscle contractility. Dysfunction or dysregulation of SERCA2a is associated with heart failure, while restoring its function is considered as a therapeutic strategy to restore cardiac performance. However, its structure has not yet been determined. Based on native, active protein purified from pig ventricular muscle, we present the first crystal structures of SERCA2a, determined in the CPA-stabilized E2-AlF4- form (3.3 Å) and the Ca²⁺-occluded [Ca₂]E1-AMPPCP form (4.0 Å). The structures are similar to the skeletal muscle isoform SERCA1a pointing to a conserved mechanism. We seek to explain the kinetic differences between SERCA1a and SERCA2a. We find that several isoform-specific residues are acceptor sites for post-translational modifications. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations predict that isoform-specific residues support distinct intramolecular interactions in SERCA2a and SERCA1a. Our experimental observations further indicate that isoform-specific intramolecular interactions are functionally relevant, and may explain the kinetic differences between SERCA2a and SERCA1a.

Structure/activity relationship of thapsigargin inhibition on the purified Golgi/secretory pathway Ca2+/Mn2+-transport ATPase (SPCA1a)

The Golgi/secretory pathway Ca²⁺/Mn²⁺-transport ATPase (SPCA1a) is implicated in breast cancer and Hailey-Hailey disease. Here, we purified recombinant human SPCA1a from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and measured Ca²⁺-dependent ATPase activity following reconstitution in proteoliposomes. The purified SPCA1a displays a higher apparent Ca²⁺ affinity and a lower maximal turnover rate than the purified sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA1a). The lipids cholesteryl hemisuccinate, linoleamide/oleamide, and phosphatidylethanolamine inhibit and phosphatidic acid and sphingomyelin enhance SPCA1a activity. Moreover, SPCA1a is blocked by micromolar concentrations of the commonly used SERCA1a inhibitors thapsigargin (Tg), cyclopiazonic acid, and 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone. Because tissue-specific targeting of SERCA2b by Tg analogues is considered for prostate cancer therapy, the inhibition of SPCA1a by Tg might represent an off-target risk. We assessed the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of Tg for SPCA1a by in silico modeling, site-directed mutagenesis, and measuring the potency of a series of Tg analogues. These indicate that Tg and the analogues are bound via the Tg scaffold but with lower affinity to the same homologous cavity as on the membrane surface of SERCA1a. The lower Tg affinity may depend on a more flexible binding cavity in SPCA1a, with low contributions of the Tg O-3, O-8, and O-10 chains to the binding energy. Conversely, the protein interaction of the Tg O-2 side chain with SPCA1a appears comparable with that of SERCA1a. These differences define a SAR of Tg for SPCA1a distinct from that of SERCA1a, indicating that Tg analogues with a higher specificity for SPCA1a can probably be developed.

In silico, in vitro and cellular analysis with a kinome-wide inhibitor panel correlates cellular LRRK2 dephosphorylation to inhibitor activity on LRRK2

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a complex, multidomain protein which is considered a valuable target for potential disease-modifying therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease (PD). In mammalian cells and brain, LRRK2 is phosphorylated and treatment of cells with inhibitors of LRRK2 kinase activity can induce LRRK2 dephosphorylation at a cluster of serines including Ser910/935/955/973. It has been suggested that phosphorylation levels at these sites reflect LRRK2 kinase activity, however kinase-dead variants of LRRK2 or kinase activating variants do not display altered Ser935 phosphorylation levels compared to wild type. Furthermore, Ser910/935/955/973 are not autophosphorylation sites, therefore, it is unclear if inhibitor induced dephosphorylation depends on the activity of compounds on LRRK2 or on yet to be identified upstream kinases. Here we used a panel of 160 ATP competitive and cell permeable kinase inhibitors directed against all branches of the kinome and tested their activity on LRRK2 in vitro using a peptide-substrate-based kinase assay. In neuronal SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing LRRK2 we used compound-induced dephosphorylation of Ser935 as readout. In silico docking of selected compounds was performed using a modeled LRRK2 kinase structure. Receiver operating characteristic plots demonstrated that the obtained docking scores to the LRRK2 ATP binding site correlated with in vitro and cellular compound activity. We also found that in vitro potency showed a high degree of correlation to cellular compound induced LRRK2 dephosphorylation activity across multiple compound classes. Therefore, acute LRRK2 dephosphorylation at Ser935 in inhibitor treated cells involves a strong component of inhibitor activity on LRRK2 itself, without excluding a role for upstream kinases. Understanding the regulation of LRRK2 phosphorylation by kinase inhibitors aids our understanding of LRRK2 signaling and may lead to development of new classes of LRRK2 kinase inhibitors.