Negative Cooperativity Research Articles

The Fluorescent Amyloid Ligand X34 Binding to Transthyretin (TTR) Tetramer and Fibrils: FRET and Binding Constants of a Sequential Two‐step Process

The amyloidogenic homotetrameric plasma protein transthyretin (TTR) has an affinity for bicyclic small molecule ligands in its two thyroxine (T4) binding sites. We have shown that native tetrameric TTR binds to amyloid ligands based on the trans‐stilbene scaffold. The fluorescent Congo‐red analogue X34, is a symmetric bi‐trans‐stilbene that contains two salicylic acid motifs. We used fluorescence spectroscopy methods to interrogate X34 binding to the TTR tetramer and fibril. We discovered two binding sites in both TTR forms by tryptophan FRET, ligand self‐quenching, Stern‐Volmer plots and binding curves, for the latter including the competitive ligand diflunisal. X34 binds with the similar affinity as diflunisal in the first binding site (Kd1=150 nM), and negative cooperativity renders the binding to the second site with lower affinity very similar compared to diflunisal (Kd2= 1.1 μM). This behavior is coherent with the salicylic acid moiety of diflunisal binding into the binding pocket of TTR (reverse mode). Interestingly, X34 binding to TTR fibrils was also fitted to two binding sites, however with overall lower affinity (Kd1 = 1.2 μM; Kd2 = 2.1 μM) compared to binding to the native tetramer. X34 fluorescence when bound to TTR‐fibrils was significantly blue shifted compared to binding to the TTR‐tetramer.

Variations in kinase and effector signaling logic in a two component signaling network.

The Alphaproteobacterial general stress response (GSR) crucially handles responses to an array of stressors. In a typical photosensitive GSR pathway, blue light illumination stimulates light-oxygen-voltage histidine kinase (LOV-HK) phosphorylation of a single PhyR response regulator, regulating downstream stress gene transcription. The GSR regulators highlighted in this study expand this signaling paradigm at three levels: 1) The LOV-HK RT-HK is dark-activated, 2) only one of two PhyR homologs is apparently accessible to HK phosphodonors, and 3) the other PhyR homolog shows negative cooperativity for activation and partner binding. Our work enhances the current understanding of this complex stress response, introduces novel regulatory modes, and underscores the necessity of testing structural and functional models derived from homology.

Allosteric changes in the conformational landscape of Src kinase upon substrate binding

Precise regulation of protein kinase activity is crucial in cell functions, and its loss is implicated in various diseases. The kinase activity is regulated by interconverting active and inactive states in the conformational landscape. However, how protein kinases switch conformations in response to different signals such as the binding at distinct sites remains incompletely understood. Here, we predict the binding mode for the peptide substrate to Src tyrosine kinase using enhanced conformational sampling simulations (totaling 24 μs) and then investigate changes in the conformational landscape upon substrate binding by conducting unbiased molecular dynamics simulations (totaling 50 μs) initiated from the apo and substrate-bound forms. Unexpectedly, the peptide substrate binding significantly facilitates the transitions from active to inactive conformations in which the αC helix is directed outward, the regulatory spine is broken, and the ATP-binding domain is perturbed. We also explore an underlying residue-contact network responsible for the allosteric conformational changes. Our results are in accord with the recent experiments reporting the negative cooperativity between the peptide substrate and ATP binding to tyrosine kinases and will contribute to advancing our understanding of the regulation mechanisms for kinase activity.

A PDZ-kinase allosteric relay mediates Par complex regulator exchange.

The Par complex polarizes the plasma membrane of diverse animal cells using the catalytic activity of atypical Protein Kinase C (aPKC) to pattern substrates. Two upstream regulators of the Par complex, Cdc42 and Par-3, bind separately to the complex to influence its activity in different ways. Each regulator binds a distinct member of the complex, Cdc42 to Par-6 and Par-3 to aPKC, making it unclear how they influence one another's binding. Here we report the discovery that Par-3 binding to aPKC is regulated by aPKC autoinhibition and link this regulation to Cdc42 and Par-3 exchange. The Par-6 PDZ domain activates aPKC binding to Par-3 via a novel interaction with the aPKC kinase domain. Cdc42 and Par-3 have opposite effects on the Par-6 PDZ-aPKC kinase interaction: while the Par-6 kinase domain interaction competes with Cdc42 binding to the complex, Par-3 binding is enhanced by the interaction. The differential effect of Par-3 and Cdc42 on the Par-6 PDZ interaction with the aPKC kinase domain forms an allosteric relay that connects their binding sites and is responsible for the negative cooperativity that underlies Par complex polarization and activity.

Rationalize the Functional Roles of Protein-Protein Interactions in Targeted Protein Degradation by Kinetic Monte-Carlo Simulations.

Targeted protein degradation is a promising therapeutic strategy to tackle disease-causing proteins that lack binding pockets for traditional small-molecule inhibitors. Its first step is to trigger the proximity between a ubiquitin ligase complex and a target protein through a heterobifunctional molecule, such as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), leading to the formation of a ternary complex. The properties of protein-protein interactions play an important regulatory role during this process, which can be reflected by binding cooperativity. Unfortunately, although computer-aided drug design has become a cornerstone of modern drug development, the endeavor to model targeted protein degradation is still in its infancy. The development of computational tools to understand the impacts of protein-protein interactions on targeted protein degradation, therefore, is highly demanded. To reach this goal, we constructed a non-redundant structural benchmark of the most updated ternary complexes and applied a kinetic Monte-Carlo method to simulate the association between ligases and PROTAC-targeted proteins in the benchmark. Our results show that proteins in most complexes with positive cooperativity tend to associate into native-like configurations more often. In contrast, proteins very likely failed to associate into native-like configurations in complexes with negative cooperativity. Moreover, we compared the protein-protein association through different interfaces generated from molecular docking. The native-like binding interface shows a higher association probability than all the other alternative interfaces only in the complex with positive cooperativity. These observations support the idea that the formation of ternary complexes is closely regulated by the binary interactions between proteins. Finally, we applied our method to cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). We found that their interactions with the ligase are not as similar as their structures. Altogether, our study paves the way for understanding the role of protein-protein interactions in PROTACE-induced ternary complex formation. It can potentially help in searching for degraders that selectively target specific proteins.

Mechanistic insights into lanthipeptide modification by a distinct subclass of LanKC enzyme that forms dimers

Naturally occurring lanthipeptides, peptides post-translationally modified by various enzymes, hold significant promise as antibiotics. Despite extensive biochemical and structural studies, the events preceding peptide modification remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a distinct subclass of lanthionine synthetase KC (LanKC) enzymes with distinct structural and functional characteristics. We show that PneKC, a member of this subclass, forms a dimer and possesses GTPase activity. Through three cryo-EM structures of PneKC, we illustrate different stages of peptide PneA binding, from initial recognition to full binding. Our structures show the kinase domain complexed with the PneA core peptide and GTPγS, a phosphate-bound lyase domain, and an unconventional cyclase domain. The leader peptide of PneA interact with a gate loop, transitioning from an extended to a helical conformation. We identify a dimerization hot spot and propose a “negative cooperativity” mechanism toggling the enzyme between tense and relaxed conformation. Additionally, we identify an important salt bridge in the cyclase domain, differing from those in in conventional cyclase domains. These residues are highly conserved in the LanKC subclass and are part of two signature motifs. These results unveil potential differences in lanthipeptide modification enzymes assembly and deepen our understanding of allostery in these multifunctional enzymes.

Cooperativity in Molecular Recognition of Porphyrin Clefts

The electron-rich cleft cavities of porphyrin-based molecular tweezers encapsulate various electron-deficient guest molecules via π-π stacking and donor-acceptor interactions. In this presentation, we will describe negative cooperativity in the molecular recognition of a trisporphyrin host molecule possessing two cleft cavities. A 1:2 host-guest complexation of the trisporphyrin host with various electron-deficient guest molecules showed strong negative cooperativity. The quantitative discussion of the negative cooperativity was provided by a detailed analysis using isothermal titration calorimetry.1) Hisano, N.; Kodama, T.; Haino, T., Chem. Eur. J. 2023, 29, e2023001072) Hisano, N.; Haino, T., J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 4001-4009. Figure 1

5-Oxo-7,7-Dimethyl-5,6,7,8-Tetrahydro-4-H-Chromene Bearing N, N-Dimethylaniline as Turn-Off Fluorescent Chemosensor for Picric Acid in Real Water Sample.

We have synthesized a one-pot, three-component pyran-based fluorescence chemosensor using onion extract as a green catalyst. The confirmed structure of the 1:2 binding of receptor SPR-2-picric acid adduct revealed that the pyran-based receptor accommodated two guest picric acid molecules through non-covalent interactions. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy show high selectivity and sensitivity towards picric acid. The 1D/2D NMR and Job's plot analysis show the complexation and stoichiometric binding of the receptor SPR-2 with picric acid are 1:2. The 1H NMR spectral studies confirm that the formation of receptor SPR-2-picric acid adduct via weak hydrogen bonding. The cooperativity of the receptor SPR-2-picric acid adduct shows negative cooperativity due to the weak hydrogen bonding of receptor SPR-2 and picric acid. Further, the density functional theory (DFT) confirmed the molecular level interaction of the SPR-2 and receptor SPR-2-Picric acid adduct. The receptor was effectively used to assess picric acid concentrations in real water samples.

Intersite communication in dimeric enzymes highlighted by structural and thermodynamic analysis of didansyltyrosine binding to thymidylate synthases

Intersite communication in dimeric enzymes, triggered by ligand binding, represents both a challenge and an opportunity in enzyme inhibition strategy. Though often understestimated, it can impact on the in vivo biological mechansim of an inhibitor and on its pharmacokinetics. Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a homodimeric enzyme present in almost all living organisms that plays a crucial role in DNA synthesis and cell replication. While its inhibition is a valid strategy in the therapy of several human cancers, designing specific inhibitors of bacterial TSs poses a challenge to the development of new anti-infective agents. N,O-didansyl-l-tyrosine (DDT) inhibits both Escherichia coli TS (EcTS) and Lactobacillus casei TS (LcTS). The available X-ray structure of the DDT:dUMP:EcTS ternary complex indicated an unexpected binding mode for DDT to EcTS, involving a rearrangement of the protein and addressing the matter of communication between the two active sites of an enzyme dimer. Combining molecular-level information on DDT binding to EcTS and LcTS extracted from structural and FRET-based fluorometric evidence with a thermodynamic characterization of these events obtained by fluorometric and calorimetric titrations, this study unveiled a negative cooperativity between the DDT bindings to the two monomers of each enzyme dimer. This result, complemented by the species-specific thermodynamic signatures of the binding events, implied that communication across the protein dimer was triggered by the first DDT binding. These findings could challenge the conventional understanding of TS inhibition and open the way for the development of novel TS inhibitors with a different mechanism of action and enhanced efficacy and specificity.

Structural-Change-Induced Two-Stage Redox Behavior of Pentacenebisquinodimethane with Tricolor Chromism.

Tricolor electrochromism was realized through the interconversion among the neutral (yellow), dicationic (green), and tetracationic (blue) states, even though only one kind of chromophore is generated upon oxidation. Both dicationic and tetracationic states were isolated as stable salts, and their different colors come from the effective inter-chromophore interaction only in the tetracationic state but not in the dicationic state. Despite the negligible Coulombic repulsion in the tetracationic state with four cyanine-type chromophores, pentacenebisquinodimethane undergoes stepwise two-stage two-electron oxidation when radical-stabilizing 5-(4-octyloxyphenyl)-2-thienyl groups are attached on the exomethylene bonds. A contribution from the biradical form only in the neutral state but not in the dicationic state is the reason for the observed negative cooperativity during the electrochemical oxidation.

Kinetic Behavior of Glutathione Transferases: Understanding Cellular Protection from Reactive Intermediates.

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are the primary catalysts protecting from reactive electrophile attack. In this review, the quantitative levels and distribution of glutathione transferases in relation to physiological function are discussed. The catalytic properties (random sequential) tell us that these enzymes have evolved to intercept reactive intermediates. High concentrations of enzymes (up to several hundred micromolar) ensure efficient protection. Individual enzyme molecules, however, turn over only rarely (estimated as low as once daily). The protection of intracellular protein and DNA targets is linearly proportional to enzyme levels. Any lowering of enzyme concentration, or inhibition, would thus result in diminished protection. It is well established that GSTs also function as binding proteins, potentially resulting in enzyme inhibition. Here the relevance of ligand inhibition and catalytic mechanisms, such as negative co-operativity, is discussed. There is a lack of knowledge pertaining to relevant ligand levels in vivo, be they exogenous or endogenous (e.g., bile acids and bilirubin). The stoichiometry of active sites in GSTs is well established, cytosolic enzyme dimers have two sites. It is puzzling that a third of the site's reactivity is observed in trimeric microsomal glutathione transferases (MGSTs). From a physiological point of view, such sub-stoichiometric behavior would appear to be wasteful. Over the years, a substantial amount of detailed knowledge on the structure, distribution, and mechanism of purified GSTs has been gathered. We still lack knowledge on exact cell type distribution and levels in vivo however, especially in relation to ligand levels, which need to be determined. Such knowledge must be gathered in order to allow mathematical modeling to be employed in the future, to generate a holistic understanding of reactive intermediate protection.

Is allostery a fuzzy concept?

Allostery is an important property of biological macromolecules which regulates diverse biological functions such as catalysis, signal transduction, transport, and molecular recognition. However, the concept was expressed using two different definitions by J. Monod and, over time, more have been added by different authors, making it fuzzy. Here, we reviewed the different meanings of allostery in the current literature and found that it has been used to indicate that the function of a protein is regulated by heterotropic ligands, and/or that the binding of ligands and substrates presents homotropic positive or negative cooperativity, whatever the hypothesized or demonstrated reaction mechanism might be. Thus, proteins defined to be allosteric include not only those that obey the two-state concerted model, but also those that obey different reaction mechanisms such as ligand-induced fit, possibly coupled to sequential structure changes, and ligand-linked dissociation-association. Since each reaction mechanism requires its own mathematical description and is defined by it, there are many possible 'allosteries'. This lack of clarity is made even fuzzier by the fact that the reaction mechanism is often assigned imprecisely and/or implicitly in the absence of the necessary experimental evidence. In this review, we examine a list of proteins that have been defined to be allosteric and attempt to assign a reaction mechanism to as many as possible.

Dynamic Structures and Fast Transition Kinetics of Oxidized G-Quadruplexes.

8-oxoguanines (8-oxoG) in cells form compromised G-quadruplexes (GQs), which may vary GQ mediated gene regulations. By mimicking molecularly crowded cellular environment using 40% DMSO or sucrose, here it is found that oxidized human telomeric GQs have stabilities close to the wild-type (WT) GQs. Surprisingly, while WT GQs show negative formation cooperativity between a Pt(II) binder and molecularly crowded environment, positive cooperativity is observed for oxidized GQ formation. Single-molecule mechanical unfolding reveals that 8-oxoG sequence formed more diverse and flexible structures with faster folding/unfolding transition kinetics, which facilitates the Pt(II) ligand to bind the best-fit structures with positive cooperativity. These findings offer new understanding on structures and properties of oxidized G-rich species in crowded environments. They also provide insights into the design of better ligands to target oxidized G-rich structures formed under oxidative cell stress.

Revealing the Origin of Cooperative Adsorption of Chains on Nanoparticle Surfaces through Coarse-Grained Simulations.

This work aims to deepen our understanding of the molecular origin of the recently observed phenomenon of polymer cooperative adsorption onto faceted nanoparticle (NP) surfaces. By exploring a large parameter space for polymer/NP interactions through coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, it is found that consistent with experiments the presence or absence of cooperativity is related to solvent quality and relative interaction strengths between the polymer and the adsorbent. Specifically, positive cooperativity is associated with stronger polymer-polymer interaction than polymer-surface interactions and vice versa for negative cooperativity. This contrast in interaction energies manifests in positive cooperativity (i.e., increased affinity) and negative cooperativity (i.e., decreased affinity) as concentration increases. It is also found that increasing chain length strengthens cooperativity effects and that the nanoscale confinement of polymer chains to the adsorbing facet (due to weaker affinity to corners and edges) enhances positive cooperativity but weakens negative cooperativity. Moreover, adsorption onto a spherical NP shows stronger positive cooperativity but weaker negative cooperativity compared with adsorption onto a cubic NP of equal surface area. It was further found that as polymer bulk concentration increases, the free energy of adsorption decreases in positive cooperativity, increases in negative cooperativity, and is independent of concentration in noncooperative systems consistent with the phenomenological explanation of cooperativity. We further found that positive cooperativity is associated with growing fluctuations in the adsorption density at critical bulk polymer concentrations. This behavior can be attributed to the competition between enthalpic gains and entropic losses upon adsorption. Overall, our results shed light on the microscopic origin of cooperative adsorption and the role of solvent quality, which can be leveraged in, for example, controlling NP growth into target shapes and designing NP catalysts with improved performance.

Dynamic behavior of enzyme kinetics cooperative chemical reactions

This article uses computational mathematics to investigate the dynamics of cooperative occurrences in chemical reactions inside living organisms. We study the dynamics of complex systems using mathematical models based on ordinary differential equations, paying special attention to chemical equilibrium and reaction speed. Explanations of cooperation, non-cooperation, and positive cooperation are presented in our study. We analyze the stabilities of equilibrium points by a systematic analysis that makes use of the Jacobian matrix and the threshold parameter R0. We next extend our investigation to evaluate global stability and the probability of the model. Variations in k3 have a notable effect on substrate concentration probabilities, indicating that it plays an important role in reaction kinetics. Reducing k3 highlights the substrate's critical contribution to the system by extending its presence in the concentration. We find that different results were obtained for cooperative behavior: higher reaction rates at different binding sites are correlated with positive cooperativity, while slower reactions are induced by negative cooperativity. The Adams–Bashforth method is used to show numerical and graphical solutions with the help of MATLAB. Tables and graphs are used to further explain the effects of the parameters. This study underlines how well ordinary differential equations may represent the complicated system dynamics found in chemical reactions. It also provides elusive insights into cooperative occurrences, which develops our understanding of the phenomenon and serves as a foundation for future research.

Negative cooperativity in the formation of H-bond networks involving primary anilines.

Networks of H-bonds can show non-additive behaviour, where the strength of one interaction perturbs another. The magnitude of such cooperative effects can be quantified by measuring the effect of the presence of an intramolecular H-bond at one site on a molecule on the association constant for formation of an intermolecular H-bond at another site. This approach has been used to quantify the cooperativity associated with the interaction of a primary amine with two H-bond acceptors. A series of compounds that have an intramolecular H-bond between an aniline NH2 group and a pyridine nitrogen were prepared, using polarising substituents on the pyridine ring to vary the strength of the intramolecular H-bond. The presence of the intramolecular interaction was confirmed by X-ray crystallography in the solid state and NMR spectroscopy in n-octane solution. UV-vis absorption titrations were used to measure the association constants for formation of an intermolecular H-bond with tri-n-butyl phosphine oxide in n-octane. Electron-donating substituents on the pyridine ring, which increase the strength of the intramolecular H-bond, were found to decrease the strength of the intermolecular H-bond between the aniline and the phosphine oxide. The results were used to determine the H-bond donor parameters for the anilines, α, and there is a linear relationship between the values of α and the H-bond acceptor parameter of the pyridine group involved in the intramolecular H-bond, β. The slope of this relationship was used to determine the cooperativity parameter (κ = -0.10), which quantifies the negative allosteric cooperativity between the two H-bonding interactions. Calculated molecular electrostatic potential surfaces of the anilines quantitatively reproduce the experimental result, which suggests that effects are electrostatic in origin, either due to polarisation of the NH bonds or due to secondary electrostatic interactions between the two H-bond acceptors.

Site-directed allostery perturbation to probe the negative regulation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α.

The interaction between the intrinsically disordered transcription factor HIF-1α and the coactivator proteins p300/CBP is essential in the fast response to low oxygenation. The negative feedback regulator, CITED2, switches off the hypoxic response through a very efficient irreversible mechanism. The negative cooperativity with HIF-1α relies on the formation of a ternary intermediate that leads to allosteric structural changes in p300/CBP, in which the cooperative folding/binding of the CITED2 sequence motifs plays a key role. Understanding the contribution of a binding motif to the structural changes in relation to competition efficiency provides invaluable insights into the molecular mechanism. Our strategy is to site-directedly perturb the p300-CITED2 complex's structure without significantly affecting binding thermodynamics. In this way, the contribution of a sequence motif to the negative cooperativity with HIF-1α would mainly depend on the induced structural changes, and to a lesser extent on binding affinity. Using biophysical assays and NMR measurements, we show here that the interplay between the N-terminal tail and the rest of the binding motifs of CITED2 is crucial for the unidirectional displacement of HIF-1α. We introduce an advantageous approach for evaluating the roles of the different sequence parts with the help of motif-by-motif backbone perturbations.

Supramolecular polymerization behavior of a ditopic self-folding biscavitand

Abstract Reported herein is the supramolecular polymerization of a mixture of a feet-to-feet connected biscavitand and a homoditopic quinuclidinium guest that is regulated by cooperativity in the host–guest association. Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) was used to evaluate the supramolecular polymerization in toluene, CHCl3, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). Upon concentrating the solutions of the biscavitand with the quinuclidinium guest in CHCl3 and THF, the diffusion coefficient (D) values were meaningfully decreased, indicating that the host–guest complexation facilitated supramolecular polymerization. In contrast, the slight change of the D value in toluene suggests that supramolecular polymerization was suppressed, although the binding constant (K) between the cavitand and quinuclidinium guest was reported to be 105 L mol−1 in toluene. The viscosity measurements showed both the critical polymerization concentration (CPC) and entangled concentration (Ce) upon concentrating the CHCl3 solution of the mixture. Neither the CPC nor Ce was seen in the toluene solution of the mixture. Accordingly, the strong negative cooperativity in the 1:2 host–guest complexation of the biscavitand discouraged the supramolecular polymerization in toluene. These findings are valuable in deepening the understanding of host–guest association-driven supramolecular polymerization behaviors regulated by a combination of cooperativity and K value in solution.

Discovery of a Potent Proteolysis Targeting Chimera Enables Targeting the Scaffolding Functions of FK506-Binding Protein 51 (FKBP51).

The FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is a promising target in a variety of disorders including depression, chronic pain, and obesity. Previous FKBP51-targeting strategies were restricted to occupation of the FK506-binding site, which does not affect core functions of FKBP51. Here, we report the discovery of the first FKBP51 proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) that enables degradation of FKBP51 abolishing its scaffolding function. Initial synthesis of 220 FKBP-focused PROTACs yielded a plethora of active PROTACs for FKBP12, six for FKBP51, and none for FKBP52. Structural analysis of a binary FKBP12:PROTAC complex revealed the molecular basis for negative cooperativity. Linker-based optimization of first generation FKBP51 PROTACs led to the PROTAC SelDeg51 with improved cellular activity, selectivity, and high cooperativity. The structure of the ternary FKBP51:SelDeg51:VCB complex revealed how SelDeg51 establishes cooperativity by dimerizing FKBP51 and the von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL) in a glue-like fashion. SelDeg51 efficiently depletes FKBP51 and reactivates glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-signalling, highlighting the enhanced efficacy of full protein degradation compared to classical FKBP51 binding.

Entdeckung eines potenten PROTAC ermöglicht die gezielte Ausschaltung der Gerüstfunktionen von FKBP51

AbstractDas FK506‐bindende Protein 51 (FKBP51) stellt ein vielversprechendes Wirkstoffziel zur Behandlung von verschiedenen Krankheiten dar, darunter Depression, chronischer Schmerz und Fettleibigkeit. Bisherige FKBP51‐gerichtete Wirkstoffe waren auf die Blockade der FK506‐Bindestelle beschränkt, wodurch Kernfunktionen von FKBP51 jedoch nicht beeinträchtigt werden. Hier präsentieren wir die Entwicklung des ersten FKBP51 Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC), der den Abbau von FKBP51 ermöglicht und damit auch die Gerüstfunktion von FKBP51 ausschalten kann. Die initiale Synthese von 220 FKBP‐gerichteten PROTACs ergab eine Vielzahl aktiver PROTACs für FKBP12, sechs für FKBP51 und keinen für FKBP52. Die Strukturanalyse eines binären FKBP12:PROTAC‐Komplexes offenbarte die molekulare Grundlage für negative Kooperativität. Die Linker‐Optimierung eines FKBP51 PROTACs der ersten Generation führte zur Entwicklung von SelDeg51 mit verbesserter zellulärer Aktivität, Selektivität und hoher Kooperativität. Die Struktur des ternären FKBP51:SelDeg51:VCB Komplexes zeigte, wie SelDeg51 durch Dimerisierung von FKBP51 und VHL Kooperativität herstellt, die dem Bindungsmodus von molekularen Klebern ähnelt. SelDeg51 baut FKBP51 auf effiziente Weise in Zellen ab und reaktiviert den GR‐Signalweg, was die erhöhte Wirksamkeit des Proteinabbaus im Vergleich zur klassischen FKBP51‐Besetzung demonstriert.