A challenge in the computational design of enzymes is that multiple properties, including substrate binding, transition state stabilization and product release, must be simultaneously optimized, and this has limited the absolute activity of successful designs. Here, we focus on a single critical property of many enzymes: the nucleophilicity of an active site residue that initiates catalysis. We design proteins with idealized serine-containing catalytic triads and assess their nucleophilicity directly in native biological systems using activity-based organophosphate probes. Crystal structures of the most successful designs show unprecedented agreement with computational models, including extensive hydrogen bonding networks between the catalytic triad (or quartet) residues, and mutagenesis experiments demonstrate that these networks are critical for serine activation and organophosphate reactivity. Following optimization by yeast display, the designs react with organophosphate probes at rates comparable to natural serine hydrolases. Co-crystal structures with diisopropyl fluorophosphate bound to the serine nucleophile suggest that the designs could provide the basis for a new class of organophosphate capture agents.
Small molecule control of intracellular protein levels allows temporal and dose-dependent regulation of protein function. Recently, we developed a method to degrade proteins fused to a mutant dehalogenase (HaloTag2) using small molecule hydrophobic tags (HyTs). Here, we introduce a complementary method to stabilize the same HaloTag2 fusion proteins, resulting in a unified system allowing bidirectional control of cellular protein levels in a temporal and dose-dependent manner. From a small molecule screen, we identified N-(3,5-dichloro-2-ethoxybenzyl)-2H-tetrazol-5-amine as a nanomolar HALoTag2 Stabilizer (HALTS1) that reduces the Hsp70:HaloTag2 interaction, thereby preventing HaloTag2 ubiquitination. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the HyT/HALTS system in probing the physiological role of therapeutic targets by modulating HaloTag2-fused oncogenic H-Ras, which resulted in either the cessation (HyT) or acceleration (HALTS) of cellular transformation. In sum, we present a general platform to study protein function, whereby any protein of interest fused to HaloTag2 can be either degraded 10-fold or stabilized 5-fold using two corresponding compounds.
Nucleophilic catalysis is a general strategy for accelerating ester and amide hydrolysis. In natural active sites, nucleophilic elements such as catalytic dyads and triads are usually paired with oxyanion holes for substrate activation, but it is difficult to parse out the independent contributions of these elements or to understand how they emerged in the course of evolution. Here we explore the minimal requirements for esterase activity by computationally designing artificial catalysts using catalytic dyads and oxyanion holes. We found much higher success rates using designed oxyanion holes formed by backbone NH groups rather than by side chains or bridging water molecules and obtained four active designs in different scaffolds by combining this motif with a Cys-His dyad. Following active site optimization, the most active of the variants exhibited a catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(M)) of 400 M(-1) s(-1) for the cleavage of a p-nitrophenyl ester. Kinetic experiments indicate that the active site cysteines are rapidly acylated as programmed by design, but the subsequent slow hydrolysis of the acyl-enzyme intermediate limits overall catalytic efficiency. Moreover, the Cys-His dyads are not properly formed in crystal structures of the designed enzymes. These results highlight the challenges that computational design must overcome to achieve high levels of activity.
Human retinoblastoma binding protein 9 (RBBP9) is an interacting partner of the retinoblastoma susceptibility protein (Rb). RBBP9 is a tumor-associated protein required for pancreatic neoplasia, affects cell cycle control, and is involved in the TGF-beta signalling pathway. Sequence analysis suggests that RBBP9 belongs to the alpha/beta hydrolase superfamily of enzymes. The serine hydrolase activity of RBBP9 is required for development of pancreatic carcinomas in part by inhibiting TGF-beta antiproliferative signaling through suppressing Smad2/3 phosphorylation. The crystal structure of human RBBP9 confirms the alpha/beta hydrolase fold, with a six-stranded parallel beta-sheet flanked by alpha helixes. The structure of RBBP9 resembles that of the YdeN protein from Bacillus subtilis, which is suggested to have carboxylesterase activity. RBBP9 contains a Ser75-His165-Asp138 catalytic triad, situated in a prominent pocket on the surface of the protein. The side chains of the LxCxE sequence motif that is important for interaction with Rb is mostly buried in the structure. Structure- function studies of RBBP9 suggest possible routes for novel cancer drug discovery programs.