Browsing by Author "Lepesheva, Galina I."
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Item Binding of a physiological substrate causes large-scale conformational reorganization in cytochrome P450 51(2018) Hargrove, Tatiana Y.; Wawrzak, Zdzislaw; Fisher, Paxtyn M. (TTU); Child, Stella A.; David Nes, W. (TTU); Peter Guengerich, F.; Waterman, Michael R.; Lepesheva, Galina I.Sterol 14-demethylases (CYP51s) are phylogenetically the most conserved cytochromes P450, and their three-step reaction is crucial for biosynthesis of sterols and serves as a leading target for clinical and agricultural antifungal agents. The structures of several (bacterial, protozoan, fungal, and human) CYP51 orthologs, in both the ligand-free and inhibitor-bound forms, have been determined and have revealed striking similarity at the secondary and tertiary structural levels, despite having low sequence identity. Moreover, in contrast to many of the substrate-promiscuous, drug-metabolizing P450s, CYP51 structures do not display substantial rearrangements in their backbones upon binding of various inhibitory ligands, essentially representing a snapshot of the ligand-free sterol 14-demethylase. Here, using the obtusifoliol-bound I105F variant of Trypanosoma cruzi CYP51, we report that formation of the catalytically competent complex with the physiological substrate triggers a large-scale conformational switch, dramatically reshaping the enzyme active site (3.5– 6.0 Å movements in the FG arm, HI arm, and helix C) in the direction of catalysis. Notably, our X-ray structural analyses revealed that the substrate channel closes, the proton delivery route opens, and the topology and electrostatic potential of the proximal surface reorganize to favor interaction with the electron-donating flavoprotein partner, NADPH–cytochrome P450 reductase. Site-directed mutagenesis of the amino acid residues involved in these events revealed a key role of active-site salt bridges in contributing to the structural dynamics that accompanies CYP51 function. Comparative analysis of apo-CYP51 and its sterol-bound complex provided key conceptual insights into the molecular mechanisms of CYP51 catalysis, functional conservation, lineage-specific substrate complementarity, and druggability differences.Item Concerning P450 Evolution: Structural Analyses Support Bacterial Origin of Sterol 14α-Demethylases(2021) Lamb, David C.; Hargrove, Tatiana Y.; Zhao, Bin; Wawrzak, Zdzislaw; Goldstone, Jared V.; Nes, William David; Kelly, Steven L.; Waterman, Michael R.; Stegeman, John J.; Lepesheva, Galina I.Sterol biosynthesis, primarily associated with eukaryotic kingdoms of life, occurs as an abbreviated pathway in the bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus. Sterol 14α-demethylation is an essential step in this pathway and is catalyzed by cytochrome P450 51 (CYP51). In M. capsulatus, the enzyme consists of the P450 domain naturally fused to a ferredoxin domain at the C-terminus (CYP51fx). The structure of M. capsulatus CYP51fx was solved to 2.7 Å resolution and is the first structure of a bacterial sterol biosynthetic enzyme. The structure contained one P450 molecule per asymmetric unit with no electron density seen for ferredoxin. We connect this with the requirement of P450 substrate binding in order to activate productive ferredoxin binding. Further, the structure of the P450 domain with bound detergent (which replaced the substrate upon crystallization) was solved to 2.4 Å resolution. Comparison of these two structures to the CYP51s from human, fungi, and protozoa reveals strict conservation of the overall protein architecture. However, the structure of an “orphan” P450 from nonsterol-producing Mycobacterium tuberculosis that also has CYP51 activity reveals marked differences, suggesting that loss of function in vivo might have led to alterations in the structural constraints. Our results are consistent with the idea that eukaryotic and bacterial CYP51s evolved from a common cenancestor and that early eukaryotes may have recruited CYP51 from a bacterial source. The idea is supported by bioinformatic analysis, revealing the presence of CYP51 genes in >1,000 bacteria from nine different phyla, >50 of them being natural CYP51fx fusion proteins.Item Crystal structures of Trypanosoma brucei sterol 14α-demethylase and implications for selective treatment of human infections(2010) Lepesheva, Galina I.; Park, Hee Won; Hargrove, Tatiana Y.; Vanhollebeke, Benoit; Wawrzak, Zdzislaw; Harp, Joel M.; Sundaramoorthy, Munirathinam; Nes, W. David (TTU); Pays, Etienne; Chaudhuri, Minu; Villalta, Fernando; Waterman, Michael R.Sterol 14α-demethylase (14DM, the CYP51 family of cytochrome P450) is an essential enzyme in sterol biosynthesis in eukaryotes. It serves as a major drug target for fungal diseases and can potentially become a target for treatment of human infections with protozoa. Here we present 1.9 Å resolution crystal structures of 14DM from the protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma brucei, ligand-free and complexed with a strong chemically selected inhibitor N-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethyl)-4-(5-phenyl-1,3, 4-oxadi-azol-2-yl)benzamide that we previously found to produce potent antiparasitic effects in Trypanosomatidae. This is the first structure of a eukaryotic microsomal 14DM that acts on sterol biosynthesis, and it differs profoundly from that of the water-soluble CYP51 family member from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, both in organization of the active site cavity and in the substrate access channel location. Inhibitor binding does not cause large scale conformational rearrangements, yet induces unanticipated local alterations in the active site, including formation of a hydrogen bond network that connects, via the inhibitor amide group fragment, two remote functionally essential protein segments and alters the heme environment. The inhibitor binding mode provides a possible explanation for both its functionally irreversible effect on the enzyme activity and its selectivity toward the14DM from human pathogens versus the human 14DM ortholog. The structures shed new light on 14DM functional conservation and open an excellent opportunity for directed design of novel antiparasitic drugs. © 2010 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.Item CYP51 from Trypanosoma cruzi: A phyla-specific residue in the B′ helix defines substrate preferences of sterol 14α-demethylase(2006) Lepesheva, Galina I.; Zaitseva, Natalia G.; Nes, W. David (TTU); Zhou, Wenxu (TTU); Arase, Miharu; Liu, Jialin (TTU); Hill, George C.; Waterman, Michael R.A potential drug target for treatment of Chagas disease, sterol 14α-demethylase from Trypanosoma cruzi (TCCYP51), was found to be catalytically closely related to animal/fungi-like CYP51. Contrary to the ortholog from Trypanosoma brucei (TB), which like plant CYP51 requires C4-monomethylated sterol substrates, TCCYP51 prefers C4-dimethylsterols. Sixty-six CYP51 sequences are known from bacteria to human, their sequence homology ranging from ∼25% between phyla to ∼80% within a phylum. TC versus TB is the first example of two organisms from the same phylum, in which CYP51s (83% amino acid identity) have such profound differences in substrate specificity. Substitution of animal/fungi-like Ile105 in the B′ helix to Phe, the residue found in this position in all plant and the other six CYP51 sequences from Trypanosomatidae, dramatically alters substrate preferences of TCCYP51, converting it into a more plant-like enzyme. The rates of 14α-demethylation of obtusifoliol and its 24-demethyl analog 4α-,4α-dimethylcholesta-8,24-dien-3β-ol(norlanosterol) increase 60- and 150-fold, respectively. Turnover of the three 4,4-dimethylated sterol substrates is reduced ∼3.5-fold. These catalytic properties correlate with the sterol binding parameters, suggesting that Phe in this position provides necessary interactions with C4-monomethylated substrates, which Ile cannot. The CYP51 substrate preferences imply differences in the post-squalene portion of sterol biosynthesis in TC and TB. The phyla-specific residue can be used to predict preferred substrates of new CYP51 sequences and subsequently for the development of new artificial substrate analogs, which might serve as highly specific inhibitors able to kill human parasites. © 2006 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.Item CYP51 from Trypanosoma cruzi: A phyla-specific residue in the B′ helix defines substrate preferences of sterol 14α-demethylase(2006) Lepesheva, Galina I.; Zaitseva, Natalia G.; Nes, W. David (TTU); Zhou, Wenxu (TTU); Arase, Miharu; Liu, Jialin (TTU); Hill, George C.; Waterman, Michael R.A potential drug target for treatment of Chagas disease, sterol 14α-demethylase from Trypanosoma cruzi (TCCYP51), was found to be catalytically closely related to animal/fungi-like CYP51. Contrary to the ortholog from Trypanosoma brucei (TB), which like plant CYP51 requires C4-monomethylated sterol substrates, TCCYP51 prefers C4-dimethylsterols. Sixty-six CYP51 sequences are known from bacteria to human, their sequence homology ranging from ∼25% between phyla to ∼80% within a phylum. TC versus TB is the first example of two organisms from the same phylum, in which CYP51s (83% amino acid identity) have such profound differences in substrate specificity. Substitution of animal/fungi-like Ile105 in the B′ helix to Phe, the residue found in this position in all plant and the other six CYP51 sequences from Trypanosomatidae, dramatically alters substrate preferences of TCCYP51, converting it into a more plant-like enzyme. The rates of 14α-demethylation of obtusifoliol and its 24-demethyl analog 4α-,4α-dimethylcholesta-8,24-dien-3β-ol(norlanosterol) increase 60- and 150-fold, respectively. Turnover of the three 4,4-dimethylated sterol substrates is reduced ∼3.5-fold. These catalytic properties correlate with the sterol binding parameters, suggesting that Phe in this position provides necessary interactions with C4-monomethylated substrates, which Ile cannot. The CYP51 substrate preferences imply differences in the post-squalene portion of sterol biosynthesis in TC and TB. The phyla-specific residue can be used to predict preferred substrates of new CYP51 sequences and subsequently for the development of new artificial substrate analogs, which might serve as highly specific inhibitors able to kill human parasites. © 2006 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.Item Mechanistic analysis of a multiple product sterol methyltransferase implicated in ergosterol biosynthesis in Trypanosoma brucei(2006) Zhou, Wenxu (TTU); Lepesheva, Galina I.; Waterman, Michael R.; Nes, W. David (TTU)Sterol methyltransferase (SMT) plays a key role in sterol biosynthesis in different pathogenic organisms by setting the pattern of the side chain structure of the final product. This catalyst, absent in humans, provides critical pathway-specific enzymatic steps in the production of ergosterol in fungi or phytosterols in plants. The new SMT gene was isolated from Trypanosoma brucei genomic DNA and cloned into an Escherichia coli expression system. The recombinant SMT was purified to homogeneity to give a band at 40.0 kDa upon SDS-PAGE and showed a tetrameric subunit organization by gel chromatography. It has a pH optimum of 7.5, an apparent kcat value of 0.01 s -1, and a Km of 47 ± 4 μM for zymosterol. The products of the reaction were a mixture of C24-monoalkylated sterols, ergosta-8,24 (25)-dienol, ergosta-8,25 (27)-dienol, and ergosta-8,24 (28)-dienol (fecosterol), and an unusual double C24-alkylated sterol, 24,24-dimethyl ergosta-8,25 (27)-dienol, typically found in plants. Inhibitory profile studies with 25-azalanosterol (Ki value of 39 nM) or 24(R,S),25- epiminolanosterol (Ki value of 49 nM), ergosterol (Ki value of 27 μM) and 26,27-dehydrozymosterol (Ki and k inact values of 29 μM and 0.26 min-1, respectively) and data showing zymosterol as the preferred acceptor strongly suggest that the protozoan SMT has an active site topography combining properties of the SMT1 from plants and yeast (37-47% identity). The enzymatic activation of this and other SMTs reveals that the catalytic requirements for the C-methyl reaction are remarkably versatile, whereas the inhibition studies provide a powerful approach to rational design of new anti-sleeping sickness chemotherapeutic drugs. © 2006 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.Item Structural complex of sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) with 14α-methylenecyclopropyl-Δ7-24, 25-dihydrolanosterol(2012) Hargrove, Tatiana Y.; Wawrzak, Zdzislaw; Liu, Jialin (TTU); Waterman, Michael R.; David Nes, W. (TTU); Lepesheva, Galina I.Sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) that catalyzes the removal of the 14α-methyl group from the sterol nucleus is an essential enzyme in sterol biosynthesis, a primary target for clinical and agricultural antifungal azoles and an emerging target for antitrypanosomal chemotherapy. Here, we present the crystal structure of Trypanosoma ( T ) brucei CYP51 in complex with the substrate analog 14α- methylenecyclopropyl-Δ7-24,25- dihydrolanosterol (MCP). This sterol binds tightly to all protozoan CYP51s and acts as a competitive inhibitor of F105-containing (plant-like) T. brucei and Leishmania ( L ) infantum orthologs, but it has a much stronger, mechanism-based inhibitory effect on I105-containing (animal/fungi-like) T. cruzi CYP51. Depicting substrate orientation in the conserved CYP51 binding cavity, the complex specifi es the roles of the contact amino acid residues and sheds new light on CYP51 substrate specifi city. It also provides an explanation for the effect of MCP on T. cruzi CYP51. Comparison with the ligand-free and azole-bound structures supports the notion of structural rigidity as the characteristic feature of the CYP51 substrate binding cavity, confi rming the enzyme as an excellent candidate for structure-directed design of new drugs, including mechanism-based substrate analog inhibitors. Copyright © 2012 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.Item Substrate preferences and catalytic parameters determined by structural characteristics of sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) from Leishmania infantum(2011) Hargrove, Tatiana Y.; Wawrzak, Zdzislaw; Liu, Jialin (TTU); Nes, W. David (TTU); Waterman, Michael R.; Lepesheva, Galina I.Leishmaniasis is a major health problem that affects populations of ∼90 countries worldwide, with no vaccine and only a few moderately effective drugs. Here we report the structure/ function characterization of sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) from Leishmania infantum. The enzyme catalyzes removal of the 14α-methyl group from sterol precursors. The reaction is essential for membrane biogenesis and therefore has great potential to become a target for antileishmanial chemotherapy. Although L. infantum CYP51 prefers C4-monomethylated sterol substrates such as C4-norlanosterol and obtusifoliol (V max of ∼10 and 8min -1, respectively), it is also found to 14α-demethylate C4-dimethylated lanosterol (V max=0.9 min -1) and C4-desmethylated 14α-methylzymosterol (V max=1.9 min -1). Binding parameters with six sterols were tested, with Kd values ranging from 0.25 to 1.4μM. Thus, L. infantum CYP51 is the first example of a plant-like sterol 14α-demethylase, where requirements toward the composition of the C4 atom substituents are not strict, indicative of possible branching in the postsqualene portion of sterol biosynthesis in the parasite. Comparative analysis of three CYP51 substrate binding cavities (Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and L. infantum) suggests that substrate preferences of plant- and fungal-like protozoan CYP51s largely depend on the differences in the enzyme active site topology. These minor structural differences are also likely to underlie CYP51 catalytic rates and drug susceptibility and can be used to design potent and specific inhibitors. © 2011 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.