I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Zihao
Wang
,
Guodong
Cao
,
Miranda P.
Collier
,
Xingyu
Qiu
,
Sophie
Broadway-Stringer
,
Dominik
Šaman
,
Jediael Z. Y.
Ng
,
Navoneel
Sen
,
Amar J.
Azad
,
Charlotte
Hooper
,
Johannes
Zimmermann
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Jurgen
Brem
,
Patrick
Rabe
,
Haigang
Song
,
T. Reid
Alderson
,
Christopher J.
Schofield
,
Jani R.
Bolla
,
Kristina
Djinovic-Carugo
,
Dieter O.
Fürst
,
Bettina
Warscheid
,
Matteo T.
Degiacomi
,
Timothy M.
Allison
,
Georg K. A.
Hochberg
,
Carol V.
Robinson
,
Katja
Gehmlich
,
Justin L. P.
Benesch
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19458]
Open Access
Abstract: The biomechanical properties and responses of tissues underpin a variety important of physiological functions and pathologies. In striated muscle, the actin-binding protein filamin C (FLNC) is a key protein whose variants causative for a wide range of cardiomyopathies and musculoskeletal pathologies. FLNC is a multi-functional protein that interacts with a variety of partners, however, how it is regulated at the molecular level is not well understood. Here we investigate its interaction with HSPB7, a cardiac-specific molecular chaperone whose absence is embryonically lethal. We find that FLNC and HSPB7 interact in cardiac tissue under biomechanical stress, forming a strong hetero-dimer whose structure we solve by X-ray crystallography. Our quantitative analyses show that the hetero-dimer out-competes the FLNC homo-dimer interface, potentially acting to abrogate the ability of the protein to cross-link the actin cytoskeleton, and to enhance its diffusive mobility. We show that phosphorylation of FLNC at threonine 2677, located at the dimer interface and associated with cardiac stress, acts to favour the homo-dimer. Conversely, phosphorylation at tyrosine 2683, also at the dimer interface, has the opposite effect and shifts the equilibrium towards the hetero-dimer. Evolutionary analysis and ancestral sequence reconstruction reveals this interaction and its mechanisms of regulation to date around the time primitive hearts evolved in chordates. Our work therefore shows, structurally, how HSPB7 acts as a specific molecular chaperone that regulates FLNC dimerisation.
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May 2025
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I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Adam M.
Thomas
,
Marta
Serafini
,
Emma K.
Grant
,
Edward A. J.
Coombs
,
Joseph P.
Bluck
,
Matthias
Schiedel
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Jessica K.
Reynolds
,
Bernadette
Lee
,
Michael
Platt
,
Vassilena
Sharlandjieva
,
Philip C.
Biggin
,
Fernanda
Duarte
,
Thomas A.
Milne
,
Jacob T.
Bush
,
Stuart J.
Conway
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18069]
Open Access
Abstract: Target validation remains a challenge in drug discovery, which leads to a high attrition rate in the drug discovery process, particularly in Phase II clinical trials. Consequently, new approaches to enhance target validation are valuable tools to improve the drug discovery process. Here, we report the combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electrophilic fragments to enable the rapid identification of small molecules that selectively inhibit the mutant protein. Using the bromodomain-containing protein BRD4 as an example, we employed a structure-based approach to identify the L94C mutation in the first bromodomain of BRD4 [BRD4(1)] as having a minimal effect on BRD4(1) function. We then screened a focused, KAc mimic-containing fragment set and a diverse fragment library against the mutant and wild-type proteins and identified a series of fragments that showed high selectivity for the mutant protein. These compounds were elaborated to include an alkyne click tag to enable the attachment of a fluorescent dye. These clickable compounds were then assessed in HEK293T cells, transiently expressing BRD4(1)WT or BRD4(1)L94C, to determine their selectivity for BRD4(1)L94C over other possible cellular targets. One compound was identified that shows very high selectivity for BRD4(1)L94C over all other proteins. This work provides a proof-of-concept that the combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electrophilic fragments, in a mutate and conjugate approach, can enable rapid identification of small molecule inhibitors for an appropriately mutated protein of interest. This technology can be used to assess the cellular phenotype of inhibiting the protein of interest, and the electrophilic ligand provides a starting point for noncovalent ligand development.
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Oct 2023
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I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18069]
Open Access
Abstract: The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl-hydroxylases (human PHD1-3) catalyze prolyl hydroxylation in oxygen-dependent degradation (ODD) domains of HIFα isoforms, modifications that signal for HIFα proteasomal degradation in an oxygen-dependent manner. PHD inhibitors are used for treatment of anemia in kidney disease. Increased erythropoietin (EPO) in patients with familial/idiopathic erythrocytosis and pulmonary hypertension is associated with mutations in EGLN1 (PHD2) and EPAS1 (HIF2α); a drug inhibiting HIF2α activity is used for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) treatment. We report crystal structures of PHD2 complexed with the C-terminal HIF2α-ODD in the presence of its 2-oxoglutarate cosubstrate or N-oxalylglycine inhibitor. Combined with the reported PHD2.HIFα-ODD structures and biochemical studies, the results inform on the different PHD.HIFα-ODD binding modes and the potential effects of clinically observed mutations in HIFα and PHD2 genes. They may help enable new therapeutic avenues, including PHD isoform-selective inhibitors and sequestration of HIF2α by the PHDs for ccRCC treatment.
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Jul 2023
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I02-Macromolecular Crystallography
I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Richard J.
Hopkinson
,
Anthony
Tumber
,
Clarence
Yapp
,
Rasheduzzaman
Chowdhury
,
Weishen
Aik
,
Ka Hing
Che
,
Xuan Shirley
Li
,
Jan B. L.
Kristensen
,
Oliver N. F.
King
,
Mun Chiang
Chan
,
Kar Kheng
Yeoh
,
Hwanho
Choi
,
Louise
Walport
,
Cyrille C.
Thinnes
,
Jacob T.
Bush
,
Clarisse
Lejeune
,
Anna M.
Rydzik
,
Nathan R.
Rose
,
Eleanor A.
Bagg
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Tobias J.
Krojer
,
Wyatt W.
Yue
,
Stanley S.
Ng
,
Lars
Olsen
,
Paul E.
Brennan
,
Udo
Oppermann
,
Susanne
Müller
,
Robert J.
Klose
,
Peter J.
Ratcliffe
,
Christopher J.
Schofield
,
Akane
Kawamura
Abstract: 2-Oxoglutarate and iron dependent oxygenases are therapeutic targets for human diseases. Using a representative 2OG oxygenase panel, we compare the inhibitory activities of 5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (IOX1) and 4-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (4C8HQ) with that of two other commonly used 2OG oxygenase inhibitors, N-oxalylglycine (NOG) and 2,4-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (2,4-PDCA). The results reveal that IOX1 has a broad spectrum of activity, as demonstrated by the inhibition of transcription factor hydroxylases, representatives of all 2OG dependent histone demethylase subfamilies, nucleic acid demethylases and γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase. Cellular assays show that, unlike NOG and 2,4-PDCA, IOX1 is active against both cytosolic and nuclear 2OG oxygenases without ester derivatisation. Unexpectedly, crystallographic studies on these oxygenases demonstrate that IOX1, but not 4C8HQ, can cause translocation of the active site metal, revealing a rare example of protein ligand-induced metal movement.
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Jun 2023
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Takashi
Miura
,
Tika R.
Malla
,
C. David
Owen
,
Anthony
Tumber
,
Lennart
Brewitz
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Eidarus
Salah
,
Naohiro
Terasaka
,
Takayuki
Katoh
,
Petra
Lukacik
,
Claire
Strain-Damerell
,
Halina
Mikolajek
,
Martin A.
Walsh
,
Akane
Kawamura
,
Christopher J.
Schofield
,
Hiroaki
Suga
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[27088]
Open Access
Abstract: γ-Amino acids can play important roles in the biological activities of natural products; however, the ribosomal incorporation of γ-amino acids into peptides is challenging. Here we report how a selection campaign employing a non-canonical peptide library containing cyclic γ2,4-amino acids resulted in the discovery of very potent inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). Two kinds of cyclic γ2,4-amino acids, cis-3-aminocyclobutane carboxylic acid (γ1) and (1R,3S)-3-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid (γ2), were ribosomally introduced into a library of thioether-macrocyclic peptides. One resultant potent Mpro inhibitor (half-maximal inhibitory concentration = 50 nM), GM4, comprising 13 residues with γ1 at the fourth position, manifests a 5.2 nM dissociation constant. An Mpro:GM4 complex crystal structure reveals the intact inhibitor spans the substrate binding cleft. The γ1 interacts with the S1′ catalytic subsite and contributes to a 12-fold increase in proteolytic stability compared to its alanine-substituted variant. Knowledge of interactions between GM4 and Mpro enabled production of a variant with a 5-fold increase in potency.
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May 2023
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Ysobel R.
Baker
,
Cameron
Thorpe
,
Jinfeng
Chen
,
Laura M.
Poller
,
Lina
Cox
,
Pawan
Kumar
,
Wooi F.
Lim
,
Lillian
Lie
,
Graham
Mcclorey
,
Sven
Epple
,
Daniel
Singleton
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Jack S.
Hardwick
,
Kirsten E.
Christensen
,
Matthew J. A.
Wood
,
James P.
Hall
,
Afaf H.
El-Sagheer
,
Tom
Brown
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18069, 23459]
Open Access
Abstract: Oligonucleotides that target mRNA have great promise as therapeutic agents for life-threatening conditions but suffer from poor bioavailability, hence high cost. As currently untreatable diseases come within the reach of oligonucleotide therapies, new analogues are urgently needed to address this. With this in mind we describe reduced-charge oligonucleotides containing artificial LNA-amide linkages with improved gymnotic cell uptake, RNA affinity, stability and potency. To construct such oligonucleotides, five LNA-amide monomers (A, T, C, 5mC and G), where the 3′-OH is replaced by an ethanoic acid group, are synthesised in good yield and used in solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis to form amide linkages with high efficiency. The artificial backbone causes minimal structural deviation to the DNA:RNA duplex. These studies indicate that splice-switching oligonucleotides containing LNA-amide linkages and phosphorothioates display improved activity relative to oligonucleotides lacking amides, highlighting the therapeutic potential of this technology.
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Jul 2022
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23459]
Open Access
Abstract: AlkB homologue 5 (ALKBH5) is a ferrous iron and 2-oxoglutarate dependent oxygenase that demethylates RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a post-transcriptional RNA modification with an emerging set of regulatory roles. Along with the fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), ALKBH5 is one of only two identified human m6A RNA oxidizing enzymes and is a potential target for cancer treatment. Unlike FTO, ALKBH5 efficiently catalyzes fragmentation of its proposed nascent hemiaminal intermediate to give formaldehyde and a demethylated nucleoside. A detailed analysis of the molecular mechanisms used by ALKBH5 for substrate recognition and m6A demethylation is lacking. We report three crystal structures of ALKBH5 in complex with an m6A-ssRNA 8-mer substrate and supporting biochemical analyses. Strikingly, the single-stranded RNA substrate binds to the active site of ALKBH5 in a 5′-3′ orientation that is opposite to single-stranded or double-stranded DNA substrates observed for other AlkB subfamily members, including single-stranded DNA bound to FTO. The combined structural and biochemical results provide insight into the preference of ALKBH5 for substrates containing a (A/G)m6AC consensus sequence motif. The results support a mechanism involving formation of an m6A hemiaminal intermediate, followed by efficient ALKBH5 catalyzed demethylation, enabled by a proton shuttle network involving Lys132 and Tyr139.
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Mar 2022
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I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18069]
Open Access
Abstract: Carbapenems are important antibacterials and are both substrates and inhibitors of some β-lactamases. We report studies on the reaction of the unusual carbapenem biapenem, with the subclass B1 metallo-β-lactamases VIM-1 and VIM-2 and the class A serine-β-lactamase KPC-2. X-ray diffraction studies with VIM-2 crystals treated with biapenem reveal the opening of the β-lactam ring to form a mixture of the (2S)-imine and enamine complexed at the active site. NMR studies on the reactions of biapenem with VIM-1, VIM-2, and KPC-2 reveal the formation of hydrolysed enamine and (2R)- and (2S)-imine products. The combined results support the proposal that SBL/MBL-mediated carbapenem hydrolysis results in a mixture of tautomerizing enamine and (2R)- and (2S)-imine products, with the thermodynamically favoured (2S)-imine being the major observed species over a relatively long-time scale. The results suggest that prolonging the lifetimes of β-lactamase carbapenem complexes by optimising tautomerisation of the nascently formed enamine to the (2R)-imine and likely more stable (2S)-imine tautomer is of interest in developing improved carbapenems.
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Mar 2022
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Jurgen
Brem
,
Tharindi
Panduwawala
,
Jon Ulf
Hansen
,
Joanne
Hewitt
,
Edgars
Liepins
,
Pawel
Donets
,
Laura
Espina
,
Alistair J. M.
Farley
,
Kirill
Shubin
,
Gonzalo Gomez
Campillos
,
Paula
Kiuru
,
Shifali
Shishodia
,
Daniel
Krahn
,
Robert K.
Leśniak
,
Juliane
Schmidt
,
Karina
Calvopina
,
María-Carmen
Turrientes
,
Madeline E.
Kavanagh
,
Dmitrijs
Lubriks
,
Philip
Hinchliffe
,
Gareth W.
Langley
,
Ali F.
Aboklaish
,
Anders
Eneroth
,
Maria
Backlund
,
Andrei G.
Baran
,
Elisabet I.
Nielsen
,
Michael
Speake
,
Janis
Kuka
,
John
Robinson
,
Solveiga
Grinberga
,
Lindsay
Robinson
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Anna M.
Rydzik
,
Thomas M.
Leissing
,
Juan Carlos
Jimenez-Castellanos
,
Matthew B.
Avison
,
Solange
Da Silva Pinto
,
Andrew D.
Pannifer
,
Marina
Martjuga
,
Emma
Widlake
,
Martins
Priede
,
Iva
Hopkins Navratilova
,
Marek
Gniadkowski
,
Anna Karin
Belfrage
,
Peter
Brandt
,
Jari
Yli-Kauhaluoma
,
Eric
Bacque
,
Malcolm G. P.
Page
,
Fredrik
Björkling
,
Jonathan M.
Tyrrell
,
James
Spencer
,
Pauline A.
Lang
,
Pawel
Baranczewski
,
Rafael
Cantón
,
Stuart P.
Mcelroy
,
Philip S.
Jones
,
Fernando
Baquero
,
Edgars
Suna
,
Angus
Morrison
,
Timothy R.
Walsh
,
Christopher J.
Schofield
Open Access
Abstract: Carbapenems are vital antibiotics, but their efficacy is increasingly compromised by metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs). Here we report the discovery and optimization of potent broad-spectrum MBL inhibitors. A high-throughput screen for NDM-1 inhibitors identified indole-2-carboxylates (InCs) as potential β-lactamase stable β-lactam mimics. Subsequent structure–activity relationship studies revealed InCs as a new class of potent MBL inhibitor, active against all MBL classes of major clinical relevance. Crystallographic studies revealed a binding mode of the InCs to MBLs that, in some regards, mimics that predicted for intact carbapenems, including with respect to maintenance of the Zn(II)-bound hydroxyl, and in other regards mimics binding observed in MBL–carbapenem product complexes. InCs restore carbapenem activity against multiple drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and have a low frequency of resistance. InCs also have a good in vivo safety profile, and when combined with meropenem show a strong in vivo efficacy in peritonitis and thigh mouse infection models.
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Dec 2021
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I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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Shifali
Shishodia
,
Marina
Demetriades
,
Dong
Zhang
,
Nok Yin
Tam
,
Pratheesh
Maheswaran
,
Caitlin
Clunie-O'Connor
,
Anthony
Tumber
,
Ivanhoe K. H.
Leung
,
Yi Min
Ng
,
Thomas M.
Leissing
,
Afaf H.
El-Sagheer
,
Eidarus
Salah
,
Tom
Brown
,
Wei Shen
Aik
,
Michael A.
Mcdonough
,
Christopher J.
Schofield
Open Access
Abstract: FTO catalyzes the Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent modification of nucleic acids, including the demethylation of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in mRNA. FTO is a proposed target for anti-cancer therapy. Using information from crystal structures of FTO in complex with 2OG and substrate mimics, we designed and synthesized two series of FTO inhibitors, which were characterized by turnover and binding assays, and by X-ray crystallography with FTO and the related bacterial enzyme AlkB. A potent inhibitor employing binding interactions spanning the FTO 2OG and substrate binding sites was identified. Selectivity over other clinically targeted 2OG oxygenases was demonstrated, including with respect to the hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl and asparaginyl hydroxylases (PHD2 and FIH) and selected JmjC histone demethylases (KDMs). The results illustrate how structure-based design can enable the identification of potent and selective 2OG oxygenase inhibitors and will be useful for the development of FTO inhibitors for use in vivo.
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Nov 2021
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