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Biomedical subjects

Luigi Di Costanzo

Publications and source records attributed to Luigi Di Costanzo.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Stereochemistry of guanidine-metal interactions: implications for L-arginine-metal interactions in protein structure and function.

The geometries of 150 guanidine-metal ion interactions retrieved from crystal structures deposited in the Cambridge Structural Database have been analyzed. Metal ions exhibit a preference for anti coordination stereochemistry in the plane of the unprotonated guanidine group, usually in chelate complexes with a diguanidine moiety, but syn-oriented interactions are occasionally found for single guanidine-metal interactions. Three L-arginine-metal coordination interactions are found in metalloenzyme structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank: biotin synthase from E. coli, His-67 --> Arg human carbonic anhydrase I, and inactivated B. caldovelox arginase complexed with L-arginine. In these proteins, L-arginine-metal coordination adopts syn/out-of-plane and anti/in-plane coordination stereochemistry. The implications of these results for L-arginine-metal interactions in protein structure and function are discussed. Although such interactions are rare, this analysis serves as a useful reference point for the growing interest in enzymes containing L-arginine residues that function as general bases or metal ligands.

Arginine↗
PubMed2006

Crystal structure of lactaldehyde dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli and inferences regarding substrate and cofactor specificity.

Aldehyde dehydrogenases catalyze the oxidation of aldehyde substrates to the corresponding carboxylic acids. Lactaldehyde dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli (aldA gene product, P25553) is an NAD(+)-dependent enzyme implicated in the metabolism of l-fucose and l-rhamnose. During the heterologous expression and purification of taxadiene synthase from the Pacific yew, lactaldehyde dehydrogenase from E. coli was identified as a minor (</=5%) side-product subsequent to its unexpected crystallization. Accordingly, we now report the serendipitous crystal structure determination of unliganded lactaldehyde dehydrogenase from E. coli determined by the technique of multiple isomorphous replacement using anomalous scattering at 2.2 A resolution. Additionally, we report the crystal structure of the ternary enzyme complex with products lactate and NADH at 2.1 A resolution, and the crystal structure of the enzyme complex with NADPH at 2.7 A resolution. The structure of the ternary complex reveals that the nicotinamide ring of the cofactor is disordered between two conformations: one with the ring positioned in the active site in the so-called hydrolysis conformation, and another with the ring extended out of the active site into the solvent region, designated the out conformation. This represents the first crystal structure of an aldehyde dehydrogenase-product complex. The active site pocket in which lactate binds is more constricted than that of medium-chain dehydrogenases such as the YdcW gene product of E. coli. The structure of the binary complex with NADPH reveals the first view of the structural basis of specificity for NADH: the negatively charged carboxylate group of E179 destabilizes the binding of the 2'-phosphate group of NADPH sterically and electrostatically, thereby accounting for the lack of enzyme activity with this cofactor.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2006

Noncovalent synthesis in aqueous solution and spectroscopic characterization of multi-porphyrin complexes.

The interactions of the tetracationic meso-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (H(2)TMPyP) and its metallo derivatives (MTMPyP) (where M=copper(II), zinc(II), and gold(III) with the octa-anionic form (at neutral pH) of 5,11,17,23-tetrasulfonato-25,26,27,28-tetrakis(hydroxycarbonylmethoxy)calix[4]arene (C(4)TsTc) lead to a series of complex species whose stoichiometry and porphyrin sequence can be easily tuned. Crystallographic, spectroscopic, and diffusion NMR studies converge towards a common picture in which a central 1:4 porphyrin/calixarene unit serves as a template for the formation of more complex species. These species arise by successive, stepwise addition of single porphyrin molecules above and below the plane of the 1:4 central core to ultimately give a 7:4 complex. Noticeably, the stoichiometry of the various complex species corresponds to the actual concentration ratio of porphyrins and calixarenes in solution allowing the stoichiometry of these species to be easily tuned. This behavior and the remarkable stability of these species allow homo-porphyrin and hetero-(metallo)porphyrin species to be formed with control of not only the stoichiometry but also the sequence of the porphyrin array. The flexibility and ease of this approach permit, in principle, the design and synthesis of porphyrin arrays for predetermined purposes. For example, we have shown that it is very easy to design and obtain mixed porphyrin species in which a foreseen photoinduced electron-transfer is indeed observed.

Calixarenes↗
PubMed2005

Response of a designed metalloprotein to changes in metal ion coordination, exogenous ligands, and active site volume determined by X-ray crystallography.

The de novo protein DF1 is a minimal model for diiron and dimanganese metalloproteins, such as soluble methane monooxygenase. DF1 is a homodimeric four-helix bundle whose dinuclear center is formed by two bridging Glu side chains, two chelating Glu side chains, and two monodentate His ligands. Here, we report the di-Mn(II) and di-Co(II) derivatives of variants of this protein. Together with previously solved structures, 23 crystallographically independent four-helix bundle structures of DF1 variants have been determined, which differ in the bound metal ions and size of the active site cavity. For the di-Mn(II) derivatives, as the size of the cavity increases, the number and polarity of exogenous ligands increases. This collection of structures was analyzed to determine the relationship between protein conformation and the geometry of the active site. The primary mode of backbone movement involves a coordinated tilting and sliding of the first helix in the helix-loop-helix motif. Sliding depends on crystal-packing forces, the steric bulk of a critical residue that determines the dimensions of the active site access cavity, and the intermetal distance. Additionally, a torsional motion of the bridging carboxylates modulates the intermetal distance. This analysis provides a critical evaluation of how conformation, flexibility, and active site accessibility affect the geometry and ligand-binding properties of a metal center. The geometric parameters defining the DF structures were compared to natural diiron proteins; DF proteins have a restricted active site cavity, which may have implications for substrate recognition and chemical stability.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2005

Crystal structure of human arginase I at 1.29-A resolution and exploration of inhibition in the immune response.

Human arginase I is a potential target for therapeutic intervention in diseases linked to compromised l-arginine homeostasis. Here, we report high-affinity binding of the reaction coordinate analogue inhibitors 2(S)-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid (ABH, Kd = 5 nM) and S-(2-boronoethyl)-l-cysteine (BEC, Kd = 270 nM) to human arginase I, and we report x-ray crystal structures of the respective enzyme-inhibitor complexes at 1.29- and 1.94-A resolution determined from crystals twinned by hemihedry. The ultrahigh-resolution structure of the human arginase I-ABH complex yields an unprecedented view of the binuclear manganese cluster and illuminates the structural basis for nanomolar affinity: bidentate inner-sphere boronate-manganese coordination interactions and fully saturated hydrogen bond networks with inhibitor alpha-amino and alpha-carboxylate groups. These interactions are therefore implicated in the stabilization of the transition state for l-arginine hydrolysis. Electron density maps also reveal that active-site residue H141 is protonated as the imidazolium cation. The location of H141 is such that it could function as a general acid to protonate the leaving amino group of l-ornithine during catalysis, and this is a revised mechanistic proposal for arginase. This work serves as a foundation for studying the structural and chemical biology of arginase I in the immune response, and we demonstrate the inhibition of arginase activity by ABH in human and murine myeloid cells.

Aminocaproates↗
PubMed2004

Assembly of positively charged porphyrins driven by metal ions: a novel polymeric arrangement of cationic metalloporphyrin.

Crystallization and crystal structure analysis of chlorohydrates of either tri- or tetracationic copper porphyrins, namely copper(5,10,15-tris(N-methyl-pyridinium-4-yl)-20-pyridine-porphyrinato) (1) and copper(5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-pyridinium-4-yl)-porphyrinato), respectively, have been performed. Two crystalline forms, 2 and 3, of the latter have been obtained under different preparation conditions. A novel kind of slipped stack chains of these cationic porphyrins has been detected. The pronounced saddle conformation of the porphyrin reveals pi-like interactions between the peripheral pyrrole Cb-Cb- "double bond" and the metal center. DFT calculations on the isolated porphyrins clearly show the HOMO orbitals with the correct topology to yield a bonding interaction among the stacked porphyrin units. To our knowledge, a slipped stack chain of positively charged porphyrins has never been previously reported, if the arrangement of faced units of monocationic metalloporphyrins or phthalocyanins is excluded.

Cations↗
PubMed2004

Miniaturized heme proteins: crystal structure of Co(III)-mimochrome IV.

Protein design provides an attractive approach to test the essential features required for folding and function. Previously, we described the design and structural characterization in solution of mimochromes, a series of miniaturized metalloproteins, patterned after the F-helix of the hemoglobin beta-chain. Mimochromes consist of two medium-sized helical peptides, covalently linked to the deuteroporphyrin. CD and NMR characterization of the prototype, mimochrome I, revealed that the overall structure conforms well to the design. However, formation of Delta and Lambda diastereomers was observed. To overcome the problem of diastereomer formation, we re-designed mimochrome I, by engineering intramolecular, interchain interactions. The resulting model was mimochrome IV: the solution structural characterization showed the presence of the Lambda isomer as a unique form. To examine the extent to which the stereochemical stability and uniqueness of mimochrome IV was retained in the solid state, the crystal structure of Co(III)-mimochrome IV was solved by X-ray diffraction, and compared to the solution structure of the same derivative. Co(III)-mimochrome IV structures, both in solution and in the solid state, are characterized by the following common features: a bis-His axial coordination, a Lambda configuration around the metal ion, and a predominant helical conformation of the peptide chains. However, in the crystal structure, intrachain Glu1-Arg9 ion pairs are preferred over the designed, and experimentally found in solution, interchain interactions. This ion pairing switch may be related to strong packing interactions.

Arginine↗
PubMed2003

Guest encapsulation in a water-soluble molecular capsule based on ionic interactions.

We report on the synthesis and characterization of a water-soluble molecular capsule based on multiple ionic interactions. The assembly has been studied by means of 1H NMR, ESI-MS spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), showing an association constant in water, Ka, of 3.3 x 104 M-1. The achieved water solubility of the system opens the possibility of using this supramolecular assembly for molecular recognition in pure water. Encapsulation studies have been performed and are reported in this Communication.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Phasing protein structures using the group-subgroup relation.

Diffraction data from two non-isomorphous crystals (forms 1 and 2) of an artificial protein with a four-helix bundle motif, di-Co(II)-DF1-L13A, have been collected using synchrotron radiation. The phase of form 1 has been assigned using the group and minimal non-isomorphic supergroup relation between the space group of the previously determined di-Mn(II)-DF1-L13G structure and the space group of this form. This unconventional method of solving the phase problem has also been tested with form 2 using a reverse relation. The structure of the latter form has been solved using the group and maximal non-isomorphic subgroup relation with the space group of form 2 of the analogous dimanganese protein. This application has shown that this phasing method can be used for solving the protein structures of polymorphic crystals as an alternative to the molecular-replacement method.

Amino Acid Motifs↗