Covalent Enzyme Inhibitors Research Articles

The molecular mechanism of human hormone-sensitive lipase inhibition by substituted 3-phenyl-5-alkoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) plays an important role in the mobilization of free fatty acids (FFA) from adipocytes. The inhibition of HSL may offer a pharmacological approach to reduce FFA levels in plasma and diminish peripheral insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. In this work, the inhibition of HSL by substituted 3-phenyl-5-alkoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones has been studied in vitro. 5-methoxy-3-(3-phenoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 7600) and 5-methoxy-3-(3-methyl-4-phenylacetamidophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 9368) were selected as the most potent HSL inhibitors. HSL is inhibited after few minutes of incubation with compound 7600, at a molar excess of 20. This inhibition is reversed in the presence of an emulsion of lipid substrate. The reactivation phenomenon is hardly observed when incubating HSL with compound 9368. The molecular mechanism underlying the reversible inhibition of HSL by compound 7600 was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The stoichiometry of the inhibition reaction revealed that specifically one molecule of inhibitor was bound per enzyme molecule. The inhibition by compound 7600 involves a nucleophilic attack by the hydroxy group of the catalytic Ser of the enzyme on the carbon atom of the carbonyl moiety of the oxadiazolone ring of the inhibitor, leading to the formation of covalent enzyme–inhibitor intermediate. This covalent intermediate is subsequently hydrolyzed, releasing an oxadiazolone decomposition product, carbon dioxide and the active HSL form. On the basis of this study, a kinetic model is proposed to describe the inhibition of HSL by compound 7600 in the aqueous phase as well as its partial reactivation at the lipid–water interface.

Covalent Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase: A Rationale for the Activity of Piperidine and Piperazine Aryl Ureas

Recently, covalent drugs have attracted great interest in the drug discovery community, with successful examples that have demonstrated their therapeutic effects. Here, we focus on the covalent inhibition of the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which is a promising strategy in the treatment of pain and inflammation. Among the most recent and potent FAAH inhibitors (FAAHi), there are the cyclic piperidine and piperazine aryl ureas. FAAH hydrolyzes efficiently the amide bond of these compounds, forming a covalent enzyme-inhibitor adduct. To rationalize this experimental evidence, we performed an extensive computational analysis centered on piperidine-based PF750 (1) and piperazine-based JNJ1661010 (2), two potent lead compounds used to generate covalent inhibitors as clinical candidates. We found that FAAH induces a distortion of the amide bond of the piperidine and piperazine aryl ureas. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics ΔE(LUMO-HOMO) energies indicate that the observed enzyme-induced distortion of the amide bond favors the formation of a covalent FAAH-inhibitor adduct. These findings could help in the rational structure-based design of novel covalent FAAHi.

Fluoride-mediated capture of a noncovalent bound state of a reversible covalent enzyme inhibitor: X-ray crystallographic analysis of an exceptionally potent α-ketoheterocycle inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase.

Two cocrystal X-ray structures of the exceptionally potent α-ketoheterocycle inhibitor 1 (K(i) = 290 pM) bound to a humanized variant of rat fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) are disclosed, representing noncovalently and covalently bound states of the same inhibitor with the enzyme. Key to securing the structure of the noncovalently bound state of the inhibitor was the inclusion of fluoride ion in the crystallization conditions that is proposed to bind the oxyanion hole precluding inhibitor covalent adduct formation with stabilization of the tetrahedral hemiketal. This permitted the opportunity to detect important noncovalent interactions stabilizing the binding of the inhibitor within the FAAH active site independent of the covalent reaction. Remarkably, noncovalently bound 1 in the presence of fluoride appears to capture the active site in the same "in action" state with the three catalytic residues Ser241-Ser217-Lys142 occupying essentially identical positions observed in the covalently bound structure of 1, suggesting that this technique of introducing fluoride may have important applications in structural studies beyond inhibiting substrate or inhibitor oxyanion hole binding. Key insights to emerge from the studies include the observations that noncovalently bound 1 binds in its ketone (not gem diol) form, that the terminal phenyl group in the acyl side chain of the inhibitor serves as the key anchoring interaction overriding the intricate polar interactions in the cytosolic port, and that the role of the central activating heterocycle is dominated by its intrinsic electron-withdrawing properties. These two structures are also briefly compared with five X-ray structures of α-ketoheterocycle-based inhibitors bound to FAAH recently disclosed.

Reactivity and selectivity in the inhibition of elastase by 3-oxo-β-sultams and in their hydrolysis

3-oxo-beta-sultams are both beta-sultams and beta-lactams and are a novel class of time-dependent inhibitors of elastase. The inhibition involves formation of a covalent enzyme-inhibitor adduct with transient stability by acylation of the active-site serine resulting from substitution at the carbonyl centre of the 3-oxo-beta-sultam, C-N fission, and expulsion of the sulfonamide. The lead compound, N-benzyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxo-beta-sultam 1 is a reasonably potent inhibitor against porcine pancreatic elastase with a second-order rate constant of 768 M(-1) s(-1) at pH 6, but also possesses high chemical reactivity with a half-life for hydrolysis of only 6 mins at the same pH in water. Interestingly, the hydrolysis of 3-oxo-beta-sultams occurs at the sulfonyl centre with S-N fission and expulsion of the amide leaving group, whereas the enzyme reaction occurs at the acyl centre. Increasing selectivity between these two reactive centres was explored by examining the effect of substituents on the reactivity of 3-oxo-beta-sultam towards hydrolysis and enzyme inhibition. The inhibition activity against porcine pancreatic elastase has a much higher sensitivity to substituent variation than does the rate of alkaline hydrolysis. A difference of 2000-fold is observed in the second-order rate constants, k(i), for inhibition whereas there is only a 100-fold difference in the second-order rate constants, k(OH), for alkaline hydrolysis within the series. The higher sensitivity of enzyme inhibition to substituents than that of simple chemical reactivity indicates a significant degree of molecular recognition of the 3-oxo-beta-sultams by the enzyme.

Structural Basis for the Substrate Specificity of a Bacillus 1,3-1,4-β-Glucanase

Depolymerization of polysaccharides is catalyzed by highly specific enzymes that promote hydrolysis of the scissile glycosidic bond by an activated water molecule. 1,3-1,4-beta-Glucanases selectively cleave beta-1,4 glycosidic bonds in 3-O-substituted glucopyranosyl units within polysaccharides with mixed linkage. The reaction follows a double-displacement mechanism by which the configuration of the anomeric C(1)-atom of the glucosyl unit in subsite -I is retained. Here we report the high-resolution crystal structure of the hybrid 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase H(A16-M)(E105Q/E109Q) in complex with a beta-glucan tetrasaccharide. The structure shows four beta-d-glucosyl moieties bound to the substrate-binding cleft covering subsites -IV to -I, thus corresponding to the reaction product. The ten active-site residues Asn26, Glu63, Arg65, Phe92, Tyr94, Glu105, Asp107, Glu109, Asn182 and Trp184 form a network of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic stacking interactions with the substrate. These residues were previously identified by mutational analysis as significant for stabilization of the enzyme-carbohydrate complex, with Glu105 and Glu109 being the catalytic residues. Compared to the Michaelis complex model, the tetrasaccharide moiety is slightly shifted toward that part of the cleft binding the non-reducing end of the substrate, but shows previously unanticipated strong stacking interactions with Phe92 in subsite -I. A number of specific hydrogen-bond contacts between the enzyme and the equatorial O(2), O(3) and O(6) hydroxyl groups of the glucosyl residues in subsites -I, -II and -III are the structural basis for the observed substrate specificity of 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanases. Kinetic analysis of enzyme variants with the all beta-1,3 linked polysaccharide laminarin identified key residues mediating substrate specificity in good agreement with the structural data. The comparison with structures of the apo-enzyme H(A16-M) and a covalent enzyme-inhibitor (E.I) complex, together with kinetic and mutagenesis data, yields new insights into the structural requirements for substrate binding and catalysis. A detailed view of enzyme-carbohydrate interactions is presented and mechanistic implications are discussed.

Mechanism of Gly-Pro-pNA cleavage catalyzed by dipeptidyl peptidase-IV and its inhibition by saxagliptin (BMS-477118)

Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) is a serine protease with a signature Asp-His-Ser motif at the active site. Our pH data suggest that Gly-Pro-pNA cleavage catalyzed by DPP-IV is facilitated by an ionization of a residue with a p K of 7.2 ± 0.1. By analogy to other serine proteases this p K is suggestive of His-Asp assisted Ser addition to the P1 carbonyl carbon of the substrate to form a tetrahedral intermediate. Solvent kinetic isotope effect studies yielded a D 2 O k cat / K m = 2.9 ± 0.2 and a D 2 O k cat = 1.7 ± 0.2 suggesting that kinetically significant proton transfers contribute to rate limitation during acyl intermediate formation (leaving group release) and hydrolysis. A “burst” of product release during pre steady-state Gly-Pro- pNA cleavage indicated rate limitation in the deacylation half-reaction. Nevertheless, the amplitude of the burst exceeded the enzyme concentration significantly (∼15-fold), which is consistent with a branching deacylation step. All of these data allowed us to better understand DPP-IV inhibition by saxagliptin (BMS-477118). We propose a two-step inhibition mechanism wherein an initial encounter complex is followed by covalent intermediate formation. Final inhibitory complex assembly ( k on) depends upon the ionization of an enzyme residue with a p K of 6.2 ± 0.1, and we assigned it to the catalytic His-Asp pair which enhances Ser nucleophilicity for covalent addition. An ionization with a p K of 7.9 ± 0.2 likely reflects the P2 terminal amine of the inhibitor hydrogen bonding to Glu205/Glu206 in the enzyme active site. The formation of the covalent enzyme–inhibitor complex was reversible and dissociated with a k off of (5.5 ± 0.4) × 10 −5 s −1, thus yielding a K i ∗ (as k off/ k on) of 0.35 nM, which is in good agreement with the value of 0.6 nM obtained from steady-state inhibition studies. Proton NMR spectra of DPP-IV showed a downfield resonance at 16.1 ppm. Two additional peaks in the 1H NMR spectra at 17.4 and 14.1 ppm were observed upon mixing the enzyme with saxagliptin. Fractionation factors ( ϕ) of 0.6 and 0.5 for the 17.4 and 14.1 ppm peaks, respectively, are suggestive of short strong hydrogen bonds in the enzyme–inhibitor complex.

Mechanistic investigation of UDP-galactopyranose mutase from Escherichia coli using 2- and 3-fluorinated UDP-galactofuranose as probes.

The galactofuranose moiety found in many surface constituents of microorganisms is derived from UDP-D-galactopyranose (UDP-Galp) via a unique ring contraction reaction catalyzed by UDP-Galp mutase. This enzyme, which has been isolated from several bacterial sources, is a flavoprotein. To study this catalysis, the cloned Escherichia coli mutase was purified and two fluorinated analogues, UDP-[2-F]Galf (9) and UDP-[3-F]Galf (10), were chemically synthesized. These two compounds were found to be substrates for the reduced UDP-Galp mutase with the Km values determined to be 65 and 861 microM for 9 and 10, respectively, and the corresponding kcat values estimated to be 0.033 and 5.7 s(-1). Since the fluorine substituent is redox inert, a mechanism initiated by the oxidation of 2-OH or 3-OH on the galactose moiety can thus be firmly ruled out. Furthermore, both 9 and 10 are poorer substrates than UDP-Galf, and the rate reduction for 9 is especially significant. This finding may be ascribed to the inductive effect of the 2-F substituent that is immediately adjacent to the anomeric center, and is consistent with a mechanism involving formation of oxocarbenium intermediates or transition states during turnover. Interestingly, under nonreducing conditions, compounds 9 and 10 are not substrates, but instead are inhibitors for the mutase. The inactivation by 10 is time-dependent, active-site-directed, and irreversible with a K(I) of 270 microM and a k(inact) of 0.19 min(-1). Since the K(I) value is similar to Km, the observed inactivation is unlikely a result of tight binding. To our surprise, the inactivated enzyme could be regenerated in the presence of dithionite, and the reduced enzyme is resistant to inactivation by these fluorinated analogues. It is possible that reduction of the enzyme-bound FAD may induce a conformational change that facilitates the breakdown of the putative covalent enzyme-inhibitor adduct to reactivate the enzyme. It is also conceivable that the reduced flavin bears a higher electron density at N-1, which may play a role in preventing the formation of the covalent adduct or facilitating its breakdown by charge stabilization of the oxocarbenium intermediates/transition states. Clearly, this study has led to the identification of a potent inactivator (10) for this enzyme, and study of its inactivation has also shed light on the possible mechanism of this mutase.

Mechanism of Mammalian Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibition by Chalcone Oxide Derivatives

A series of substituted chalcone oxides (1,3-diphenyl-2-oxiranyl propanones) and structural analogs was synthesized to investigate the mechanism by which they inhibit soluble epoxide hydrolases (sEH). The inhibitor potency and inhibition kinetics were evaluated using both murine and human recombinant sEH. Inhibition kinetics were well described by the kinetic models of A. R. Main (1982,inIntroduction to Biochemical Toxicology, pp. 193–223, Elsevier, New York) supporting the formation of a covalent enzyme–inhibitor intermediate with a half-life inversely proportional to inhibitor potency. Structure–activity relationships describe active-site steric constraints and support a mechanism of inhibition consistent with the electronic stabilization of the covalent enzyme–inhibitor intermediate. The electronic effects induced by altering the ketone functionality and thepara-substitution of the phenyl attached to the epoxy C1(i.e., the α-carbon) had the greatest influence on inhibitor potency. The direction of the observed influence was reversed for the inhibitory potency of glycidol (1-phenyl-2-oxiranylpropanol) derivatives. Recent insights into the mechanism of epoxide hydrolase activity are combined with these experimental results to support a proposed mechanism of sEH inhibition by chalcone oxides.

Inactivation of subtilisin Carlsberg by N-((tert-butoxycarbonyl)alanylprolylphenylalanyl)-O-benzoylhydroxyl- amine: formation of a covalent enzyme-inhibitor linkage in the form of a carbamate derivative.

The mechanism of inactivation of serine proteases by N-peptidyl-O-aroylhydroxylamines was studied by X-ray crystallography. Cocrystals of subtilisin Carlsberg inactivated with N-((tert-butoxycarbonyl)alanylprolylphenylalanyl)-O-nitrobenzoy lhydroxylamine were grown, and diffraction data to 1.8-A resolution were obtained. The resulting electron density maps clearly reveal that the gamma-oxygen of the catalytic serine forms a carbamate derivative with the inhibitor. The peptide part of the inhibitor does not form the usual antiparallel beta-sheet in the P binding cleft but protrudes out of the active site and is stabilized by a network of water molecules. These results, combined with kinetic characterization reported previously [Demuth, H.-U., Schoenlein, C., & Barth, A. (1989b) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 996, 19-22; Schmidt, C., Schmidt, R., & Demuth, H.-U. (1990) Peptides (Giralt, E., & Andreu, D., Eds.) ESCOM Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam] support the existence of at least one intermediate between the formation of the Michaelis complex and the final product. We suggest a mechanism for the inactivation of subtilisin Carlsberg by N-((tert-butoxycarbonyl)alanylprolylphenylalanyl)-O-benzoylhydr oxylamine whereby a negatively charged Michaelis complex undergoes a Lossen rearrangement giving rise to an isocyanate intermediate that reacts with the side chain of the active site serine.

Inactivation of 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine decarboxylase by 2-(fluoromethyl)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine.

2-(Fluoromethyl)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine [alpha-FM-Dopa (I)] causes rapid, time-dependent, stereospecific, and irreversible inhibition of hog kidney aromatic amino acid (Dopa) decarboxylase. The inactivation occurs with loss of both the carboxyl carbon and fluoride from I and results in the stoichimetric formation of a covalent enzyme-inhibitor adduct. The data are consistent with I being a suicide inactivator of the enzyme, and a plausible mechanism for the inactivation process is presented. The inactivation is highly efficient in that there is essentially no enzymatic turnover of I to produce the corresponding amine, 1-(fluoromethyl)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylamine [alpha-FM-dopamine (II)]. Amine II is also a potent inactivator of the enzyme. In vivo compound I is found to inactivate both brain and peripheral (liver) Dopa decarboxylase activity. The possible significance of these data with respect to the known antihypertensive effect of I is discussed.