Catalytic Side Chains Research Articles

NMR-assisted crystallography of the tryptophan synthase α-aminoacrylate intermediate: Proton positions and role in inhibition.

NMR-assisted crystallography - the integrated application of solid-state NMR, X-ray crystallography, and first-principles computational chemistry - holds significant promise for mechanistic enzymology: by providing atomic-resolution characterization of stable intermediates, including hydrogen atom locations and tautomeric equilibria, NMR crystallography offers insight into structure and chemical dynamics. Here, we make use of this combined approach to characterize the tryptophan synthase α-aminoacrylate intermediate, a defining species for pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzymes that catalyze β-elimination and replacement reactions. For this intermediate, NMR-assisted crystallography identifies the protonation states of the ionizable sites on the cofactor, substrate, and catalytic side chains, and the location and orientation of crystallographic waters within the active site. From this, a detailed three-dimensional picture of structure and reactivity emerges, highlighting the fate of the substrate L-serine hydroxyl leaving group and the reaction pathway back to the preceding transition state. Reaction of the α-aminoacrylate intermediate with benzimidazole, an isostere of the natural substrate, indole, shows benzimidazole bound in the active site and poised for, but unable to initiate, the subsequent bond formation step. Here, the chemically detailed, three-dimensional structure from NMR-assisted crystallography is key to understanding why benzimidazole does not react.

Mechanism of Guanosine Triphosphate Hydrolysis by the Visual Proteins Arl3-RP2: Free Energy Reaction Profiles Computed with Ab Initio Type QM/MM Potentials.

We report the results of calculations of the Gibbs energy profiles of the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis by the Arl3-RP2 protein complex using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with ab initio type QM/MM potentials. The chemical reaction of GTP hydrolysis to guanosine diphosphate (GDP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) is catalyzed by GTPases, the enzymes, which are responsible for signal transduction in live cells. A small GTPase Arl3, catalyzing the GTP → GDP reaction in complex with the activating protein RP2, constitute an essential part of the human vision cycle. To simulate the reaction mechanism, a model system is constructed by motifs of the crystal structure of the Arl3-RP2 complexed with a substrate analog. After selection of reaction coordinates, energy profiles for elementary steps along the reaction pathway GTP + H2O → GDP + Pi are computed using the umbrella sampling and umbrella integration procedures. QM/MM MD calculations are carried out, interfacing the molecular dynamics program NAMD and the quantum chemistry program TeraChem. Ab initio type QM(DFT)/MM potentials are computed with atom-centered basis sets 6-31G** and two hybrid functionals (PBE0-D3 and ωB97x-D3) of the density functional theory, describing a large QM subsystem. Results of these simulations of the reaction mechanism are compared to those obtained with QM/MM calculations on the potential energy surface using a similar description of the QM part. We find that both approaches, QM/MM and QM/MM MD, support the mechanism of GTP hydrolysis by GTPases, according to which the catalytic glutamine side chain (Gln71, in this system) actively participates in the reaction. Both approaches distinguish two parts of the reaction: the cleavage of the phosphorus-oxygen bond in GTP coupled with the formation of Pi, and the enzyme regeneration. Newly performed QM/MM MD simulations confirmed the profile predicted in the QM/MM minimum energy calculations, called here the pathway-I, and corrected its relief at the first elementary step from the enzyme–substrate complex. The QM/MM MD simulations also revealed another mechanism at the part of enzyme regeneration leading to pathway-II. Pathway-II is more consistent with the experimental kinetic data of the wild-type complex Arl3-RP2, whereas pathway-I explains the role of the mutation Glu138Gly in RP2 slowing down the hydrolysis rate.

Stereoselective synthesis of a 4-\u237a-glucoside of valienamine and its X-ray structure in complex with Streptomyces coelicolor GlgE1-V279S

Glycoside hydrolases (GH) are a large family of hydrolytic enzymes found in all domains of life. As such, they control a plethora of normal and pathogenic biological functions. Thus, understanding selective inhibition of GH enzymes at the atomic level can lead to the identification of new classes of therapeutics. In these studies, we identified a 4-⍺-glucoside of valienamine (8) as an inhibitor of Streptomyces coelicolor (Sco) GlgE1-V279S which belongs to the GH13 Carbohydrate Active EnZyme family. The results obtained from the dose–response experiments show that 8 at a concentration of 1000 µM reduced the enzyme activity of Sco GlgE1-V279S by 65%. The synthetic route to 8 and a closely related 4-⍺-glucoside of validamine (7) was achieved starting from readily available D-maltose. A key step in the synthesis was a chelation-controlled addition of vinylmagnesium bromide to a maltose-derived enone intermediate. X-ray structures of both 7 and 8 in complex with Sco GlgE1-V279S were solved to resolutions of 1.75 and 1.83 Å, respectively. Structural analysis revealed the valienamine derivative 8 binds the enzyme in an E2 conformation for the cyclohexene fragment. Also, the cyclohexene fragment shows a new hydrogen-bonding contact from the pseudo-diaxial C(3)–OH to the catalytic nucleophile Asp 394 at the enzyme active site. Asp 394, in fact, forms a bidentate interaction with both the C(3)–OH and C(7)-OH of the inhibitor. In contrast, compound 7 disrupts the catalytic sidechain interaction network of Sco GlgE1-V279S via steric interactions resulting in a conformation change in Asp 394. These findings will have implications for the design other aminocarbasugar-based GH13-inhibitors and will be useful for identifying more potent and selective inhibitors.

Recent structural insights into the mechanism of lysozyme hydrolysis.

Lysozyme hydrolyzes the glycosidic bonds between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine in peptidoglycans located in the bacterial cell wall. The mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction of lysozyme was first studied more than 50 years ago; however, it has not yet been fully elucidated and various mechanisms are still being investigated. One reaction system that has commonly been proposed is that the lysozyme intermediate undergoes covalent ligand binding during hydrolysis. However, these findings resulted from experiments performed under laboratory conditions using fluorine-based ligands, which facilitate the formation of covalent bonds between the ligands and the catalytic side chain of lysozyme. More recently, high-resolution X-ray structural analysis was used to study the complex of lysozyme with an N-acetylglucosamine tetramer. As a result, the carboxyl group of Asp52 was found to form a relatively strong hydrogen-bond network and had difficulty binding covalently to C1 of the carbohydrate ring. To confirm this hydrogen-bond network, neutron test measurements were successfully performed to a resolution of better than 1.9 Å.

The effect of ionic liquid on the structure of active site pocket and catalytic activity of a β-glucosidase from Halothermothrix orenii

Abstract Understanding the inhibition of cellulase activity in the presence of ionic liquids (IL) is extremely important towards engineering IL tolerant enzymes for biomass saccharification and subsequent biofuel production. Here we report the all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of a highly active and thermostable GH1 β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) B8CYA8 from Halothermothrix orenii in the presence of the IL, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([EMIM][Cl]). In the presence of IL, we observed a lack of destabilization of the overall protein structure but instead a localized increase in fluctuations of active site pocket residues corresponding to the loop region, gatekeeper region, aglycone binding site, and glycone binding site. The role of specific residues was confirmed by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Chemical Shift Perturbation (CSP) analyses. Since the enzymatic saccharification requires the proper arrangement of catalytic side chains, residue fluctuation within the active site tunnel affects the reaction rate. Indeed, while B8CYA8 exhibits very high IL tolerance, high concentrations of IL inhibit the enzyme, our analyses show that in high concentrations of IL, the IL accumulates at the active site pocket entrance and near the active site catalytic residues to restrict substrate accessibility to the catalytic site and decreases enzyme activity. Unlike the reaction product glucose, the IL does not change the overall tunnel diameter to constrict substrate access. To understand how IL viscosity may affect enzyme behavior, we determined the self-diffusion constant and show that the presence of IL has a significant effect on substrate access to the catalytic site due to the low diffusivity of the substrate in IL. These results highlight the role played by the residues in active site pocket and the IL properties and may guide in the design of better protein and IL pairs for efficient catalysis.

Toluene side chain alkylation with methanol over silica catalyst

MSN and SiO2 catalyst were investigated on side chain toluene alkylation with methanol reaction. Characterization of the catalyst were carried out by XRD, N2 physisorption analysis, FTIR spectroscopy. A pyrrole adsorption FTIR study reveals shifting of perturbed NH stretching increasing slightly in MSN compared to SiO2 catalyst revealed that MSN possessed higher basic sites than SiO2. N2 adsorption desorption isotherm analysis showed that MSN possessed higher surface area than SiO2 as well as increased the amount of mesopores in catalyst. The catalytic side chain toluene alkylation with methanol reaction was conducted in the range of 523K-673K under atmospheric pressure. MSN exhibits the highest catalytic performance compared to SiO2 catalyst.

A computational method for design of connected catalytic networks in proteins.

Computational design of new active sites has generally proceeded by geometrically defining interactions between the reaction transition state(s) and surrounding side‐chain functional groups which maximize transition‐state stabilization, and then searching for sites in protein scaffolds where the specified side‐chain–transition‐state interactions can be realized. A limitation of this approach is that the interactions between the side chains themselves are not constrained. An extensive connected hydrogen bond network involving the catalytic residues was observed in a designed retroaldolase following directed evolution. Such connected networks could increase catalytic activity by preorganizing active site residues in catalytically competent orientations, and enabling concerted interactions between side chains during catalysis, for example, proton shuffling. We developed a method for designing active sites in which the catalytic side chains, in addition to making interactions with the transition state, are also involved in extensive hydrogen bond networks. Because of the added constraint of hydrogen‐bond connectivity between the catalytic side chains, to find solutions, a wider range of interactions between these side chains and the transition state must be considered. Our new method starts from a ChemDraw‐like two‐dimensional representation of the transition state with hydrogen‐bond donors, acceptors, and covalent interaction sites indicated, and all placements of side‐chain functional groups that make the indicated interactions with the transition state, and are fully connected in a single hydrogen‐bond network are systematically enumerated. The RosettaMatch method can then be used to identify realizations of these fully‐connected active sites in protein scaffolds. The method generates many fully‐connected active site solutions for a set of model reactions that are promising starting points for the design of fully‐preorganized enzyme catalysts.

Characterizing E. coli Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Conformational States through Small Angle X-Ray Scattering

The conformations of an enzyme are directly related to function: during catalysis, conformational changes are required to bring catalytic sidechains into position for the reaction. Ligand binding often results in gross conformational changes as well. While X-ray crystallography provides atomic resolution enzyme structures, they are static conformations captured in the crystallographic state. Deviation of crystal structures from actual solution state conformation can arise from crystal packing as well as the non-physiological conditions required for crystal growth. Combining atomic resolution data from crystallography with solution small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data allows us to observe small conformational changes at resolutions greater than SAXS alone under conditions that are a more accurate representation of a protein's native environment. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) is a key metabolic enzyme responsible for catalyzing the first committed step of gluconeogenesis. It is a bilobate enzyme with the active site located in the cleft between the two domains. From crystallographic studies, substrate binding leads to domain rotation and cleft closing, and a 10-residue cap closes over the cleft. SAXS experiments on apo PCK suggests that the cap is in a closed state and the domains do not stay in a fully open state. Certain active site mutants of PCK show drastically different behavior in solution, including a constitutively open mutant that showed a different SAXS scattering profile. Addition of ATP to WT PCK led to both cleft and cap closing observable by SAXS. We also present a tool for high throughput comparison of SAXS profiles. From these results, it is evident that when SAXS experiments are combined with atomic models, relatively small conformations can be captured. This extends SAXS capabilities beyond its current routine use of generating low resolution molecular envelopes.

Structural basis for ligand binding to an enzyme by a conformational selection pathway

Proteins can bind target molecules through either induced fit or conformational selection pathways. In the conformational selection model, a protein samples a scarcely populated high-energy state that resembles a target-bound conformation. In enzymatic catalysis, such high-energy states have been identified as crucial entities for activity and the dynamic interconversion between ground states and high-energy states can constitute the rate-limiting step for catalytic turnover. The transient nature of these states has precluded direct observation of their properties. Here, we present a molecular description of a high-energy enzyme state in a conformational selection pathway by an experimental strategy centered on NMR spectroscopy, protein engineering, and X-ray crystallography. Through the introduction of a disulfide bond, we succeeded in arresting the enzyme adenylate kinase in a closed high-energy conformation that is on-pathway for catalysis. A 1.9-Å X-ray structure of the arrested enzyme in complex with a transition state analog shows that catalytic sidechains are properly aligned for catalysis. We discovered that the structural sampling of the substrate free enzyme corresponds to the complete amplitude that is associated with formation of the closed and catalytically active state. In addition, we found that the trapped high-energy state displayed improved ligand binding affinity, compared with the wild-type enzyme, demonstrating that substrate binding to the high-energy state is not occluded by steric hindrance. Finally, we show that quenching of fast time scale motions observed upon ligand binding to adenylate kinase is dominated by enzyme-substrate interactions and not by intramolecular interactions resulting from the conformational change.

Sister Chromatid Cohesion Establishment Factor ESCO1 Operates by Substrate-Assisted Catalysis

Sister chromatid cohesion, formed by the cohesin protein complex, is essential for chromosome segregation. In order for cohesion to be established, the cohesin subunit SMC3 needs to be acetylated by ahomolog of the ESCO1/Eco1 acetyltransferases, the enzymatic mechanism of which has remained unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of the ESCO1 acetyltransferase domain in complex with acetyl-coenzyme A, and show by SAXS that ESCO1 is a dimer in solution. The structure reveals an active site that lacks a potential catalytic base side chain. However, mutation of glutamate 789, a surface residue that is close to the automodification target lysine 803, strongly reduces autoacetylation of ESCO1. Moreover, budding yeast Smc3 mutated at the conserved residue D114, adjacent to the cohesion-activating acetylation site K112,K113, cannot be acetylated invivo. This indicates that ESCO1 controls cohesion through substrate-assisted catalysis. Thus, this study discloses a key mechanism for cohesion establishment.

Mutational and structural study of RipA, a key enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell division: evidence for the L-to-D inversion of configuration of the catalytic cysteine.

RipA is a key cysteine protease of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as it is responsible for bacterial daughter-cell separation. Although it is an important target for antimicrobial development, its mechanism of action and its interaction pattern with its substrate are hitherto unknown. By combining crystallographic and mutational studies with functional assays and molecular modelling, it is shown that the catalytic activity of the enzyme relies on a Cys-His-Glu triad and the impact of the mutation of each residue of the triad on the structure and function of RipA is analysed. Unexpectedly, the crystallographic analyses reveal that mutation of the glutamic acid to alanine results in inversion of the configuration of the catalytic cysteine. The consequent burial of the catalytic cysteine side chain explains the enzyme inactivation upon mutation. These data point to a novel role of the acidic residue often present in the triad of cysteine proteases as a supervisor of cysteine configuration through preservation of the local structural integrity.

Computational design of novel enzymes without cofactors.

In this review we present a recently developed computational method to design de novo enzymes. Starting from the three-dimensional arrangement of the transition state structure and the catalytic side chains around it (theozyme), RosettaMatch identifies successful placements of the theozyme into protein scaffolds. Subsequently, RosettaEnzDes (for EnzymeDesign) redesigns the active site around the theozyme for binding and stabilization of the transition state and the catalytic residues. The resulting computationally designed enzymes are expressed and experimentally tested for catalytic activity.

Characterization of three novel isoprenyl diphosphate synthases from the terpenoid rich mango fruit

Mango (cv. Alphonso) is popular due to its highly attractive, terpenoid-rich flavor. Although Alphonso is clonally propagated, its fruit-flavor composition varies when plants are grown in different geo-climatic zones. Isoprenyl diphosphate synthases catalyze important branch-point reactions in terpenoid biosynthesis, providing precursors for common terpenoids such as volatile terpenes, sterols and carotenoids. Two geranyl diphosphate synthases and a farnesyl diphosphate synthase were isolated from Alphonso fruits, cloned for recombinant expression and found to produce the respective products. Although, one of the geranyl diphosphate synthases showed high sequence similarity to the geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthases, it did not exhibit geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthesizing activity. When modeled, this geranyl diphosphate synthase and farnesyl diphosphate synthase structures were found to be homologous with the reference structures, having all the catalytic side chains appropriately oriented. The optimum temperature for both the geranyl diphosphate synthases was 40 °C and that for farnesyl diphosphate synthase was 25 °C. This finding correlated well with the dominance of monoterpenes in comparison to sesquiterpenes in the fruits of Alphonso mango in which the mesocarp temperature is higher during ripening than development. The absence of activity of these enzymes with the divalent metal ion other than Mg(2+) indicated their adaptation to the Mg(2+) rich mesocarp. The typical expression pattern of these genes through the ripening stages of fruits from different cultivation localities depicting the highest transcript levels of these genes in the stage preceding the maximum terpene accumulation indicated the involvement of these genes in the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes.

Conserved Structural Chemistry for Incision Activity in Structurally Non-homologous Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease APE1 and Endonuclease IV DNA Repair Enzymes

Non-coding apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in DNA form spontaneously and as DNA base excision repair intermediates are the most common toxic and mutagenic in vivo DNA lesion. For repair, AP sites must be processed by 5' AP endonucleases in initial stages of base repair. Human APE1 and bacterial Nfo represent the two conserved 5' AP endonuclease families in the biosphere; they both recognize AP sites and incise the phosphodiester backbone 5' to the lesion, yet they lack similar structures and metal ion requirements. Here, we determined and analyzed crystal structures of a 2.4 Å resolution APE1-DNA product complex with Mg(2+) and a 0.92 Å Nfo with three metal ions. Structural and biochemical comparisons of these two evolutionarily distinct enzymes characterize key APE1 catalytic residues that are potentially functionally similar to Nfo active site components, as further tested and supported by computational analyses. We observe a magnesium-water cluster in the APE1 active site, with only Glu-96 forming the direct protein coordination to the Mg(2+). Despite differences in structure and metal requirements of APE1 and Nfo, comparison of their active site structures surprisingly reveals strong geometric conservation of the catalytic reaction, with APE1 catalytic side chains positioned analogously to Nfo metal positions, suggesting surprising functional equivalence between Nfo metal ions and APE1 residues. The finding that APE1 residues are positioned to substitute for Nfo metal ions is supported by the impact of mutations on activity. Collectively, the results illuminate the activities of residues, metal ions, and active site features for abasic site endonucleases.

Comparison of designed and randomly generated catalysts for simple chemical reactions.

There has been recent success in designing enzymes for simple chemical reactions using a two-step protocol. In the first step, a geometric matching algorithm is used to identify naturally occurring protein scaffolds at which predefined idealized active sites can be realized. In the second step, the residues surrounding the transition state model are optimized to increase transition state binding affinity and to bolster the primary catalytic side chains. To improve the design methodology, we investigated how the set of solutions identified by the design calculations relate to the overall set of solutions for two different chemical reactions. Using a TIM barrel scaffold in which catalytically active Kemp eliminase and retroaldolase designs were obtained previously, we carried out activity screens of random libraries made to be compositionally similar to active designs. A small number of active catalysts were found in screens of 10³ variants for each of the two reactions, which differ from the computational designs in that they reuse charged residues already present in the native scaffold. The results suggest that computational design considerably increases the frequency of catalyst generation for active sites involving newly introduced catalytic residues, highlighting the importance of interaction cooperativity in enzyme active sites.

Anacardic Acid Inhibits the Catalytic Activity of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9

Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of a wide variety of pathophysiological conditions. To further define the mechanism of CNSL action, we investigated the effect of cashew nut shell extract (CNSE) on two matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-2/gelatinase A and MMP-9/gelatinase B, which are known to have critical roles in several disease states. We observed that the major constituent of CNSE, anacardic acid, markedly inhibited the gelatinase activity of 3T3-L1 cells. Our gelatin zymography studies on these two secreted gelatinases, present in the conditioned media from 3T3-L1 cells, established that anacardic acid directly inhibited the catalytic activities of both MMP-2 and MMP-9. Our docking studies suggested that anacardic acid binds into the MMP-2/9 active site, with the carboxylate group of anacardic acid chelating the catalytic zinc ion and forming a hydrogen bond to a key catalytic glutamate side chain and the C15 aliphatic group being accommodated within the relatively large S1' pocket of these gelatinases. In agreement with the docking results, our fluorescence-based studies on the recombinant MMP-2 catalytic core domain demonstrated that anacardic acid directly inhibits substrate peptide cleavage in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC₅₀ of 11.11 μM. In addition, our gelatinase zymography and fluorescence data confirmed that the cardol-cardanol mixture, salicylic acid, and aspirin, all of which lack key functional groups present in anacardic acid, are much weaker MMP-2/MMP-9 inhibitors. Our results provide the first evidence for inhibition of gelatinase catalytic activity by anacardic acid, providing a novel template for drug discovery and a molecular mechanism potentially involved in CNSL therapeutic action.

Structure and Catalysis of Acylaminoacyl Peptidase: CLOSED AND OPEN SUBUNITS OF A DIMER OLIGOPEPTIDASE

Acylaminoacyl peptidase from Aeropyrum pernix is a homodimer that belongs to the prolyl oligopeptidase family. The monomer subunit is composed of one hydrolase and one propeller domain. Previous crystal structure determinations revealed that the propeller domain obstructed the access of substrate to the active site of both subunits. Here we investigated the structure and the kinetics of two mutant enzymes in which the aspartic acid of the catalytic triad was changed to alanine or asparagine. Using different substrates, we have determined the pH dependence of specificity rate constants, the rate-limiting step of catalysis, and the binding of substrates and inhibitors. The catalysis considerably depended both on the kind of mutation and on the nature of the substrate. The results were interpreted in terms of alterations in the position of the catalytic histidine side chain as demonstrated with crystal structure determination of the native and two mutant structures (D524N and D524A). Unexpectedly, in the homodimeric structures, only one subunit displayed the closed form of the enzyme. The other subunit exhibited an open gate to the catalytic site, thus revealing the structural basis that controls the oligopeptidase activity. The open form of the native enzyme displayed the catalytic triad in a distorted, inactive state. The mutations affected the closed, active form of the enzyme, disrupting its catalytic triad. We concluded that the two forms are at equilibrium and the substrates bind by the conformational selection mechanism.

Cured of “Stickiness”, Poly-l β-Hairpin is Promoted with ll-to-dd Mutation as a Protein and a Hydrolase Mimic

The planar ribbon of the poly-L β-hairpin is modified to a local ~90° bend by mutating a cross-strand pair of residues from LL to DD structure. The bend is furnished aromatic side chains in proximity of acid-base-nucleophile side chains, toward the possibility of catalyzed hydrolysis of an active-site-anchored substrate. Six sequences permuted in putative catalytic side chains are evaluated for activity and variability as hydrolase enzymes. Studies using CD, NMR, spectorofluorometry, ITC, and molecular dynamics establish that the sequences over the bent β-hairpin are by and large aggregation-free folds soluble to at least millimolar concentration, and thus remarkably contrasted with "stickiness" of the canonical poly-L β-hairpin. The heterochiral fold displays cooperative ordering and affinity for acetylcholine, p-nitrophenylacetate, and p-nitrophenylphosphate, presumably as the ligands in its aromatic pocket as a bent hairpin. The fold displays hydrolytic activity against p-nitrophenylacetate and manifests saturation kinetics with respect to substrate concentration. However, the catalysis power is feeble, which remains unaffected by repositioning acid-base-nucleophile side chains. Stereochemistry is proven to be critical in the balance between mutually competitive forces of polypeptide structure involved in guidance of folding or aggregation of the structure. Residue stereochemistry is confirmed in its value as the alphabet for design of protein folds to desired molecular shapes.

ChemInform Abstract: Chemoselective Catalytic Side-Chain Alkylation of Aromatics by Ethylene Leading to Sterically Demanding Alkylbenzenes.

ChemInform Abstract: Chemoselective Catalytic Side-Chain Alkylation of Aromatics by Ethylene Leading to Sterically Demanding Alkylbenzenes.

Crystallographic Snapshots of Nonaged and Aged Conjugates of Soman with Acetylcholinesterase, and of a Ternary Complex of the Aged Conjugate with Pralidoxime

Organophosphate compounds (OP) are potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterases (AChEs) and can cause lethal poisoning in humans. Inhibition of AChEs by the OP soman involves phosphonylation of the catalytic serine, and subsequent dealkylation produces a form known as the "aged" enzyme. The nonaged form can be reactivated to a certain extent by nucleophiles, such as pralidoxime (2-PAM), whereas aged forms of OP-inhibited AChEs are totally resistant to reactivation. Here, we solved the X-ray crystal structures of AChE from Torpedo californica (TcAChE) conjugated with soman before and after aging. The absolute configuration of the soman stereoisomer adduct in the nonaged conjugate is P(S)C(R). A structural reorientation of the catalytic His440 side chain was observed during the aging process. Furthermore, the crystal structure of the ternary complex of the aged conjugate with 2-PAM revealed that the orientation of the oxime function does not permit nucleophilic attack on the phosphorus atom, thus providing a plausible explanation for its failure to reactivate the aged soman/AChE conjugate. Together, these three crystal structures provide an experimental basis for the design of new reactivators.