The blockage of the high-affinity lysine binding sites of plasminogen by EACA significantly inhibits prourokinase-induced plasminogen activation

Prourokinase-induced plasminogen activation is complex and involves three distinct reactions: (1) plasminogen activation by the intrinsic activity of prourokinase; (2) prourokinase activation by plasmin; (3) plasminogen activation by urokinase. To further understand some of the mechanisms involved, the effects of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA), a lysine analogue, on these reactions were studied. At a low range of concentrations (10-50 microM), EACA significantly inhibited prourokinase-induced (Glu-/Lys-) plasminogen activation, prourokinase activation by Lys-plasmin, and (Glu-/Lys-) plasminogen activation by urokinase. However, no inhibition of plasminogen activation by Ala158-prourokinase (a plasmin-resistant mutant) occurred. Therefore, the overall inhibition of EACA on prourokinase-induced plasminogen activation was mainly due to inhibition of reactions 2 and 3, by blocking the high-affinity lysine binding interaction between plasmin and prourokinase, as well as between plasminogen and urokinase. These findings were consistent with kinetic studies which suggested that binding of kringle 1-4 of plasmin to the N-terminal region of prourokinase significantly promotes prourokinase activation, and that binding of kringle 1-4 of plasminogen to the C-terminal lysine158 of urokinase significantly promotes plasminogen activation. In conclusion, EACA was found to inhibit, rather than promote, prourokinase-induced plasminogen activation due to its blocking of the high-affinity lysine binding sites on plasmin(ogen).     

Enhanced plasminogen activation by staphylokinase in the presence of streptokinase beta/betagamma domains: plasminogen kringles play a role

Presence of isolated beta or betagamma domains of streptokinase (SK) increased the catalytic activity of staphylokinase (SAK)-plasmin (Pm) complex up to 60%. In contrast, fusion of SK beta or betagamma domains with the C-terminal end of SAK drastically reduced the catalytic activity of the activator complex. The enhancement effect mediated by beta or betagamma domain on Pg activator activity of SAK-Pm complex was reduced greatly (45%) in the presence of isolated kringles of Pg, whereas, kringles did not change cofactor activity of SAK fusion proteins (carrying beta or betagamma domains) significantly. When catalytic activity of SAK-microPm (catalytic domain of Pm lacking kringle domains) complex was examined in the presence of isolated beta and betagamma domains, no enhancement effect on Pg activation was observed, whereas, enzyme complex formed between microplasmin and SAK fusion proteins (SAKbeta and SAKbetagamma) displayed 50-70% reduction in their catalytic activity. The present study, thus, suggests that the exogenously present beta and betagamma interact with Pg/Pm via kringle domains and elevate catalytic activity of SAK-Pm activator complex resulting in enhanced substrate Pg activation. Fusion of beta or betagamma domains with SAK might alter these intermolecular interactions resulting in attenuated functional activity of SAK.     

Rapid-reaction kinetic characterization of the pathway of streptokinase-plasmin catalytic complex formation

Binding of the fibrinolytic proteinase plasmin (Pm) to streptokinase (SK) in a tight stoichiometric complex transforms Pm into a potent proteolytic activator of plasminogen. SK binding to the catalytic domain of Pm, with a dissociation constant of 12 pm, is assisted by SK Lys(414) binding to a Pm kringle, which accounts for a 11-20-fold affinity decrease when Pm lysine binding sites are blocked by 6-aminohexanoic acid (6-AHA) or benzamidine. The pathway of SK.Pm catalytic complex formation was characterized by stopped-flow kinetics of SK and the Lys(414) deletion mutant (SKDeltaK414) binding to Pm labeled at the active site with 5-fluorescein ([5F]FFR-Pm) and the reverse reactions by competitive displacement of [5F]FFR-Pm with active site-blocked Pm. The rate constants for the biexponential fluorescence quenching caused by SK and SKDeltaK414 binding to [5F]FFR-Pm were saturable as a function of SK concentration, reporting encounter complex affinities of 62-110 nm in the absence of lysine analogs and 4900-6500 and 1430-2200 nm in the presence of 6-AHA and benzamidine, respectively. The encounter complex with SKDeltaK414 was approximately 10-fold weaker in the absence of lysine analogs but indistinguishable from that of native SK in the presence of 6-AHA and benzamidine. The studies delineate for the first time the sequence of molecular events in the formation of the SK.Pm catalytic complex and its regulation by kringle ligands. Analysis of the forward and reverse reactions supports a binding mechanism in which SK Lys(414) binding to a Pm kringle accompanies near-diffusion-limited encounter complex formation followed by two slower, tightening conformational changes.     

Epsilon amino caproic acid inhibits streptokinase-plasminogen activator complex formation and substrate binding through kringle-dependent mechanisms

Lysine side chains induce conformational changes in plasminogen (Pg) that regulate the process of fibrinolysis or blood clot dissolution. A lysine side-chain mimic, epsilon amino caproic acid (EACA), enhances the activation of Pg by urinary-type and tissue-type Pg activators but inhibits Pg activation induced by streptokinase (SK). Our studies of the mechanism of this inhibition revealed that EACA (IC(50) 10 microM) also potently blocked amidolytic activity by SK and Pg at doses nearly 10000-fold lower than that required to inhibit the amidolytic activity of plasmin. Different Pg fragments were used to assess the role of the kringles in mediating the inhibitory effects of EACA: mini-Pg which lacks kringles 1-4 of Glu-Pg and micro-Pg which lacks all kringles and contains only the catalytic domain. SK bound with similar affinities to Glu-Pg (K(A) = 2.3 x 10(9) M(-1)) and to mini-Pg (K(A) = 3.8 x 10(9) M(-)(1)) but with significantly lower affinity to micro-Pg (K(A) = 6 x 10(7) M(-)(1)). EACA potently inhibited the binding of Glu-Pg to SK (K(i) = 5.7 microM), but was less potent (K(i) = 81.1 microM) for inhibiting the binding of mini-Pg to SK and had no significant inhibitory effects on the binding of micro-Pg and SK. In assays simulating substrate binding, EACA also potently inhibited the binding of Glu-Pg to the SK-Glu-Pg activator complex, but had negligible effects on micro-Pg binding. Taken together, these studies indicate that EACA inhibits Pg activation by blocking activator complex formation and substrate binding, through a kringle-dependent mechanism. Thus, in addition to interactions between SK and the protease domain, interactions between SK and the kringle domain(s) play a key role in Pg activation.     

Pro42 and Val45 of staphylokinase modulate intermolecular interactions of His43-Tyr44 pair and specificity of staphylokinase-plasmin activator complex

Staphylokinase (SAK) forms a 1:1 stoichiometric complex with plasmin (Pm) and changes its substrate specificity to create a plasminogen (Pg) activator complex. The His(43)-Tyr(44) pair of SAK resides within the active site cleft of the partner Pm and generates intermolecular contacts to confer Pg activator ability to the SAK-Pm bimolecular complex. Site-directed mutagenesis and molecular modeling studies unravelled that mutation at 42nd or 45th positions of SAK specifically disrupts cation-pi interaction of His(43) with Trp(215) of partner Pm within the active site, whereas pi-pi interaction of Tyr(44) with Trp(215) remain energetically favoured.     

Domain interactions between streptokinase and human plasminogen.

Plasmin (Pm), the main fibrinolytic protease in the plasma, is derived from its zymogen plasminogen (Plg) by cleavage of a peptide bond at Arg(561)-Val(562). Streptokinase (SK), a widely used thrombolytic agent, is an efficient activator of human Plg. Both are multiple-domain proteins that form a tight 1:1 complex. The Plg moiety gains catalytic activity, without peptide bond cleavage, allowing the complex to activate other Plg molecules to Pm by conventional proteolysis. We report here studies on the interactions between individual domains of the two proteins and their roles in Plg activation. Individually, all three SK domains activated native Plg. While the SK alpha domain was the most active, its activity was uniquely dependent on the presence of Pm. The SK gamma domain also induced the formation of an active site in Plg(R561A), a mutant that resists proteolytic activation. The alpha and gamma domains together yielded synergistic activity, both in Plg activation and in Plg(R561A) active site formation. However, the synergistic activity of the latter was dependent on the correct N-terminal isoleucine in the alpha domain. Binding studies using surface plasmon resonance indicated that all three domains of SK interact with the Plg catalytic domain and that the beta domain additionally interacts with Plg kringle 5. These results suggest mechanistic steps in SK-mediated Plg activation. In the case of free Plg, complex formation is initiated by the rapid and obligatory interaction between the SK beta domain and Plg kringle 5. After binding of all SK domains to the catalytic domain of Plg, the SK alpha and gamma domains cooperatively induce the formation of an active site within the Plg moiety of the activator complex. Substrate Plg is then recognized by the activator complex through interactions predominately mediated by the SK alpha domain.     

Intermolecular interactions in staphylokinase-plasmin(ogen) bimolecular complex: function of His43 and Tyr44

Staphylokinase (SAK) forms a 1:1 stoichiometric complex with human plasmin (Pm) and switches its substrate specificity to generate a plasminogen (Pg) activator complex. Site-directed mutagenesis of SAKHis43 and SAKTyr44 demonstrated the crucial requirement of a positively charged and an aromatic residue, respectively, at these positions for optimal functioning of SAK-Pm activator complex. Molecular modeling studies further revealed the role of these residues in making cation-pi and pi-pi interactions with Trp215 of Pm and thus establishing the crucial intermolecular contacts within the active site cleft of the activator complex for the cofactor activity of SAK.     

Structure of human SMYD2 protein reveals the basis of p53 tumor suppressor methylation

SMYD2 belongs to a subfamily of histone lysine methyltransferase and was recently identified to methylate tumor suppressor p53 and Rb. Here we report that SMYD2 prefers to methylate p53 Lys-370 over histone substrates in vitro. Consistently, the level of endogenous p53 Lys-370 monomethylation is significantly elevated when SMYD2 is overexpressed in vivo. We have solved the high resolution crystal structures of the full-length SMYD2 protein in binary complex with its cofactor S-adenosylmethionine and in ternary complex with cofactor product S-adenosylhomocysteine and p53 substrate peptide (residues 368-375), respectively. p53 peptide binds to a deep pocket of the interface between catalytic SET(1-282) and C-terminal domain (CTD) with an unprecedented U-shaped conformation. Subtle conformational change exists around the p53 binding site between the binary and ternary structures, in particular the tetratricopeptide repeat motif of the CTD. In addition, a unique EDEE motif between the loop of anti-parallel β7 and β8 sheets of the SET core not only interacts with p53 substrate but also forms a hydrogen bond network with residues from CTD. These observations suggest that the tetratricopeptide repeat and EDEE motif may play an important role in determining p53 substrate binding specificity. This is further verified by the findings that deletion of the CTD domain drastically reduces the methylation activity of SMYD2 to p53 protein. Meanwhile, mutation of EDEE residues impairs both the binding and the enzymatic activity of SMYD2 to p53 Lys-370. These data together reveal the molecular basis of SMYD2 in specifically recognizing and regulating functions of p53 tumor suppressor through Lys-370 monomethylation.     

Role of the amino-terminal region of streptokinase in the generation of a fully functional plasminogen activator complex probed with synthetic peptides.

The mechanism whereby fragments of streptokinase (SK) derived from its N terminus (e.g., SK1-59 or SK1-63) enhance the low plasminogen (PG)-activating ability of other fragments, namely SK64-386, SK60-414, SK60-387, and SK60-333 (reported previously), has been investigated using a synthetic peptide approach. The addition of either natural SK1-59, or chemically synthesized SK16-59, at saturation (about 500-fold molar excess) generated amidolytic and PG activation capabilities in equimolar mixtures of human plasminogen (HPG) and its complementary fragment (either SK60-414 or SK56-414, prepared by expression of truncated SK gene fragments in Escherichia coli) that were approximately 1.2- and 2.5-fold, respectively, of that generated by equimolar mixtures of native SK and HPG. Although in the absence of SK1-59 equimolar mixtures of SK56-414 and HPG could generate almost 80% of amidolytic activity, albeit slowly, less than 2% level of PG activation could be observed under the same conditions, indicating that the contribution of the N-terminal region lay mainly in imparting in SK56-414 an enhanced ability for PG activation. The ability of various synthetic peptides derived from the amino-terminal region (SK16-51, SK16-45, SK37-59, SK1-36, SK16-36, and SK37-51) to (1) complement equimolar mixtures of SK56-414 and HPG for the generation of amidolytic and PG activation functions, (2) inhibit the potentiation of SK56-414 and HPG by SK16-59, and (3) directly inhibit PG activation by the 1:1 SK-HPG activator complex was tested. Apart from SK16-59, SK16-51, and 16-45, the ability to rapidly generate amidolytic potential in HPG in the presence of SK56-414 survived even in the smaller SK-peptides, viz., SK37-59 and SK37-51. However, this ability was abolished upon specifically mutating the sequence -LTSRP-, present at position 42-46 in native SK. Although SK16-51 retained virtually complete ability for potentiation of PG activation in comparison to SK16-59 or SK1-59, this ability was reduced by approximately fourfold in the case of SK16-45, and completely abolished upon further truncation of the C-terminal residues to SK16-36 or SK1-36. Remarkably, however, these peptides not only displayed ability to bind PG, but also showed strong inhibition of PG activation by the native activator complex in the micromolar range of concentration; the observed inhibition, however, could be competitively relieved by increasing the concentration of substrate PG in the reaction, suggesting that this region in SK contains a site directed specifically toward interaction with substrate PG. This conclusion was substantiated by the observation that the potentiation of PG activating ability was found to be considerably reduced in a peptide (SK25-59) in which the sequence corresponding to this putative locus (residues 16-36) was truncated at the middle. On the other hand, fragments SK37-51 and SK37-59 did not show any inhibition of the PG activation by native activator complex. Taken together, these findings strongly support a model of SK action wherein the HPG binding site resident in the region 37-51 helps in anchoring the N-terminal domain to the strong intermolecular complex formed between HPG and the region 60-414. In contrast, the site located between residues 16 and 36 is qualitatively more similar to the previously reported PG interacting site (SK254-273) present in the core region of SK, in being involved in the relatively low-affinity enzyme-substrate interactions of the activator complex with PG during the catalytic cycle.     

Contribution of conserved lysine residues in the alpha2-antiplasmin C terminus to plasmin binding and inhibition

α(2)-Antiplasmin is the physiological inhibitor of plasmin and is unique in the serpin family due to N- and C-terminal extensions beyond its core domain. The C-terminal extension comprises 55 amino acids from Asn-410 to Lys-464, and the lysine residues (Lys-418, Lys-427, Lys-434, Lys-441, Lys-448, and Lys-464) within this region are important in mediating the initial interaction with kringle domains of plasmin. To understand the role of lysine residues within the C terminus of α(2)-antiplasmin, we systematically and sequentially mutated the C-terminal lysines, studied the effects on the rate of plasmin inhibition, and measured the binding affinity for plasmin via surface plasmon resonance. We determined that the C-terminal lysine (Lys-464) is individually most important in initiating binding to plasmin. Using two independent methods, we also showed that the conserved internal lysine residues play a major role mediating binding of the C terminus of α(2)-antiplasmin to kringle domains of plasmin and in accelerating the rate of interaction between α(2)-antiplasmin and plasmin. When the C terminus of α(2)-antiplasmin was removed, the binding affinity for active site-blocked plasmin remained high, suggesting additional exosite interactions between the serpin core and plasmin.     

Studies on the lysine-binding sites of human plasminogen. The effect of ligand structure on the binding of lysine analogs to plasminogen

A method is described for measuring relative binding constants of lysine and analogs of lysine to plasminogen and plasminogen 'kringle' fragments. Plasminogen or kringle fragments adsorbed to lysine-Sepharose are eluted with increasing concentrations of lysine or other ligands, the concentration of ligand required to elute 50% of the protein being taken as a measure of the binding constant. The method is simple and is not dependent on monitoring conformational changes. We confirm earlier reports that the best ligands for the lysine binding sites of plasminogen are omega-amino acids containing five or six carbons. We show further that both Glu-plasminogen (the native form with N-terminal glutamic acid) and Lys-plasminogen (a degraded form with N-terminal lysine), as well as the heavy chain fragments, kringle 4 and kringle 1+2+3, have very similar properties with regard to binding specificity for omega-amino acids. For all species optimal binding is observed when the distance between the amino and carboxyl carbon is about 0.68 nm. The finding of ligands is decreased by the presence of polar atoms on the alpha and beta positions of the carbon chain of amino acids. Arginine binds relatively weakly at the lysine site and there does not appear to be a separate arginine binding site in plasminogen.     

Involvement of a nine-residue loop of streptokinase in the generation of macromolecular substrate specificity by the activator complex through interaction with substrate kringle domains

The selective deletion of a discrete surface-exposed epitope (residues 254-262; 250-loop) in the beta domain of streptokinase (SK) significantly decreased the rates of substrate human plasminogen (HPG) activation by the mutant (SK(del254-262)). A kinetic analysis of SK(del254-262) revealed that its low HPG activator activity arose from a 5-6-fold increase in K(m) for HPG as substrate, with little alteration in k(cat) rates. This increase in the K(m) for the macromolecular substrate was proportional to a similar decrease in the binding affinity for substrate HPG as observed in a new resonant mirror-based assay for the real-time kinetic analysis of the docking of substrate HPG onto preformed binary complex. In contrast, studies on the interaction of the two proteins with microplasminogen showed no difference between the rates of activation of microplasminogen under conditions where HPG was activated differentially by nSK and SK(del254-262). The involvement of kringles was further indicated by a hypersusceptibility of the SK(del254-262).plasmin activator complex to epsilon-aminocaproic acid-mediated inhibition of substrate HPG activation in comparison with that of the nSK.plasmin activator complex. Further, ternary binding experiments on the resonant mirror showed that the binding affinity of kringles 1-5 of HPG to SK(del254-262).HPG was reduced by about 3-fold in comparison with that of nSK.HPG . Overall, these observations identify the 250 loop in the beta domain of SK as an important structural determinant of the inordinately stringent substrate specificity of the SK.HPG activator complex and demonstrate that it promotes the binding of substrate HPG to the activator via the kringle(s) during the HPG activation process.     

Staphylokinase as a Plasminogen Activator Component in Recombinant Fusion Proteins

The plasminogen activator staphylokinase (SAK) is a promising thrombolytic agent for treatment of myocardial infarction. It can specifically stimulate the thrombolysis of both erythrocyte-rich and platelet-rich clots. However, SAK lacks fibrin-binding and thrombin inhibitor activities, two functions which would supplement and potentially improve its thrombolytic potency. Creating a recombinant fusion protein is one approach for combining protein domains with complementary functions. To evaluate SAK for use in a translational fusion protein, both N- and C-terminal fusions to SAK were constructed by using hirudin as a fusion partner. Recombinant fusion proteins were secreted from Bacillus subtilis and purified from culture supernatants. The rate of plasminogen activation by SAK was not altered by the presence of an additional N- or C-terminal protein sequence. However, cleavage at N-terminal lysines within SAK rendered the N-terminal fusion unstable in the presence of plasmin. The results of site-directed mutagenesis of lysine 10 and lysine 11 in SAK suggested that a plasmin-resistant variant cannot be created without interfering with the plasmin processing necessary for activation of SAK. Although putative plasmin cleavage sites are located at the C-terminal end of SAK at lysine 135 and lysine 136, these sites were resistant to plasmin cleavage in vitro. Therefore, C-terminal fusions represent stable configurations for developing improved thrombolytic agents based on SAK as the plasminogen activator component.     

Structure of a ternary Naa50p (NAT5/SAN) N-terminal acetyltransferase complex reveals the molecular basis for substrate-specific acetylation

The co-translational modification of N-terminal acetylation is ubiquitous among eukaryotes and has been reported to have a wide range of biological effects. The human N-terminal acetyltransferase (NAT) Naa50p (NAT5/SAN) acetylates the α-amino group of proteins containing an N-terminal methionine residue and is essential for proper sister chromatid cohesion and chromosome condensation. The elevated activity of NATs has also been correlated with cancer, making these enzymes attractive therapeutic targets. We report the x-ray crystal structure of Naa50p bound to a native substrate peptide fragment and CoA. We found that the peptide backbone of the substrate is anchored to the protein through a series of backbone hydrogen bonds with the first methionine residue specified through multiple van der Waals contacts, together creating an α-amino methionine-specific pocket. We also employed structure-based mutagenesis; the results support the importance of the α-amino methionine-specific pocket of Naa50p and are consistent with the proposal that conserved histidine and tyrosine residues play important catalytic roles. Superposition of the ternary Naa50p complex with the peptide-bound Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase revealed that the two enzymes share a Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase fold but differ in their respective substrate-binding grooves such that Naa50p can accommodate only an α-amino substrate and not a side chain lysine substrate that is acetylated by lysine acetyltransferase enzymes such as Gcn5. The structure of the ternary Naa50p complex also provides the first molecular scaffold for the design of NAT-specific small molecule inhibitors with possible therapeutic applications.     

Crystal structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae N-myristoyltransferase with bound myristoyl-CoA and inhibitors reveal the functional roles of the N-terminal region

Protein N-myristoylation catalyzed by myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) plays an important role in a variety of critical cellular processes and thus is an attractive target for development of antifungal drugs. We report here three crystal structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae NMT: in binary complex with myristoyl-CoA (MYA) alone and in two ternary complexes involving MYA and two different non-peptidic inhibitors. In all three structures, the majority of the N-terminal region, absent in all previously reported structures, forms a well defined motif that is located in the vicinity of the peptide substrate-binding site and is involved in the binding of MYA. The Ab loop, which might be involved in substrate recognition, adopts an open conformation, whereas a loop of the N-terminal region (residues 22-24) that covers the top of the substrate-binding site is in the position occupied by the Ab loop when in the closed conformation. Structural comparisons with other NMTs, together with mutagenesis data, suggest that the N-terminal region of NMT plays an important role in the binding of both MYA and peptide substrate, but not in subsequent steps of the catalytic mechanism. The two inhibitors occupy the peptide substrate-binding site and interact with the protein through primarily hydrophobic contacts. Analyses of the inhibitorenzyme interactions provide valuable information for further improvement of antifungal inhibitors targeting NMT.     

Recombinant kringle IV-10 modules of human apolipoprotein(a): structure, ligand binding modes, and biological relevance

The kringle modules of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] are highly homologous with kringle 4 of plasminogen (75-94%) and like the latter are autonomous structural and functional units. Apo(a) contains 14-37 kringle 4 (KIV) repeats distributed into 10 classes (1-10). Lp(a) binds lysine-Sepharose via a lysine binding site (LBS) located in KIV-10 (88% homology with plasminogen K4). However, the W72R substitution that occurs in rhesus monkeys and occasionally in humans leads to impaired lysine binding capacity of KIV-10 and Lp(a). The foregoing has been investigated by determining the structures of KIV-10/M66 (M66 variant) in its unliganded and ligand [epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA)] bound modes and the structure of recombinant KIV-10/M66R72 (the W72R mutant). In addition, the EACA liganded structure of a sequence polymorph (M66T in about 42-50% of the human population) was reexamined (KIV-10/T66/EACA). The KIV-10/M66, KIV-10/M66/EACA, and KIV-10/T66/EACA molecular structures are highly isostructural, indicating that the LBS of the kringles is preformed anticipating ligand binding. A displacement of three water molecules from the EACA binding groove and a movement of R35 bringing the guanidinium group close to the carboxylate of EACA to assist R71 in stabilizing the anionic group of the ligand are the only changes accompanying ligand binding. Both EACA structures were in the embedded binding mode utilizing all three binding centers (anionic, hydrophobic, cationic) like plasminogen kringles 1 and 4. The KIV-10/T66/EACA structure determined in this work differs from one previously reported [Mikol, V., Lo Grasso, P. V. and, Boettcher, B. R. (1996) J. Mol. Biol. 256, 751-761], which crystallized in a different crystal system and displayed an unbound binding mode, where only the amino group of EACA interacted with the anionic center of the LBS. The remainder of the ligand extended into solvent perpendicular to the kringle surface, leaving the hydrophobic pocket and the cationic center of the LBS unoccupied. The structure of recombinant KIV-10/M66R72 shows that R72 extends along the ligand binding groove parallel to the expected position of EACA toward the anionic center (D55/D57) and makes a salt bridge with D57. Thus, the R72 side chain mimics ligand binding, and loss of binding ability is the result of steric blockage of the LBS by R72 physically occupying part of the site. The rhesus monkey lysine binding impairment is compared with that of chimpanzee where KIV-10 has been shown to have a D57N mutation instead.     

Kringle-kringle interactions in multimer kringle structures.

The crystal structure of a monoclinic form of human plasminogen kringle 4 (PGK4) has been solved by molecular replacement using the orthorthombic structure as a model and it has been refined by restrained least-squares methods to an R factor of 16.4% at 2.25 A resolution. The X-PLOR structure of kringle 2 of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PAK2) has been refined further using PROFFT (R = 14.5% at 2.38 A resolution). The PGK4 structure has 2 and t-PAK2 has 3 independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. There are 5 different noncrystallographic symmetry "dimers" in PGK4. Three make extensive kringle-kringle interactions related by noncrystallographic 2(1) screw axes without blocking the lysine binding site. Such associations may occur in multikringle structures such as prothrombin, hepatocyte growth factor, plasminogen (PG), and apolipoprotein [a]. The t-PAK2 structure also has noncrystallographic screw symmetry (3(1)) and mimics fibrin binding mode by having lysine of one molecule interacting electrostatically with the lysine binding site of another kringle. This ligand-like binding interaction may be important in kringle-kringle interactions involving non-lysine binding kringles with lysine or pseudo-lysine binding sites. Electrostatic intermolecular interactions involving the lysine binding site are also found in the crystal structures of PGK1 and orthorhombic PGK4. Anions associate with the cationic centers of these and t-PAK2 that appear to be more than occasional components of lysine binding site regions.     

Proximity of the catalytic region and the kringle 2 domain in the closed conformer of plasminogen

Introduction of a single intramolecular cross-link with 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene into Glu-plasminogen freezes the molecule in its closed conformational state (Bányai, L. and Patthy, L. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 6466-6471). Here we show that the cross-link connects Lys-203 of the kringle 2 domain and Tyr-671 of the catalytic domain, indicating that these regions are in close proximity in the closed conformer of Glu-plasminogen. Comparison of the parameters of the urokinase-catalysed activation of native and cross-linked Glu-plasminogen species indicates that cross-linking of kringle 2 and the catalytic region interferes with the productive binding of urokinase to plasminogen.     

Crystal structure of the kringle 2 domain of tissue plasminogen activator at 2.4-A resolution.

The crystal structure of the kringle 2 domain of tissue plasminogen activator was determined and refined at a resolution of 2.43 A. The overall fold of the molecule is similar to that of prothrombin kringle 1 and plasminogen kringle 4; however, there are differences in the lysine binding pocket, and two looping regions, which include insertions in kringle 2, take on very different conformations. Based on a comparison of the overall structural homology between kringle 2 and kringle 4, a new sequence alignment for kringle domains is proposed that results in a division of kringle domains into two groups, consistent with their proposed evolutionary relation. The crystal structure shows a strong interaction between a lysine residue of one molecule and the lysine/fibrin binding pocket of a noncrystallographically related neighbor. This interaction represents a good model of a bound protein ligand and is the first such ligand that has been observed in a kringle binding pocket. The structure shows an intricate network of interactions both among the binding pocket residues and between binding pocket residues and the lysine ligand. A lysine side chain is identified as the positively charged group positioned to interact with the carboxylate of lysine and lysine analogue ligands. In addition, a chloride ion is located in the kringle-kringle interface and contributes to the observed interaction between kringle molecules.     

Thermodynamic properties of the binding of alpha-, omega-amino acids to the isolated kringle 4 region of human plasminogen as determined by high sensitivity titration calorimetry

The binding of alpha-, omega-amino acids, which are important effectors of human plasminogen activation, to the isolated kringle 4 (K4) peptide region of this protein has been investigated by high sensitivity titration calorimetry. The titration curve of the heat changes accompanying binding of the widely employed ligand, epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA), to K4 were deconvoluted to yield the following binding characteristics: n = 0.87 +/- 0.08 mol/mol; Ka = 3.82 +/- 0.37 x 10(4) M-1; delta H = -4.50 +/- 0.22 kcal/mol; delta S = 6.01 +/- 0.7 entropy units; and delta G = 6.29 +/- 0.06 kcal/mol. Here, both delta H and delta S provide the driving force of the interaction, with both hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, the latter which may result from an induced conformational change in K4 upon ligand binding, as well as possible alterations in peptide-bound water structure, providing the stabilizing forces for complex formation. The thermodynamic binding parameters were not greatly influenced by pH between the values of 5.5 and 8.2, suggesting that titratable groups on K4 in this pH region did not influence the binding. Investigations of the binding properties of structural analogues of EACA to K4 demonstrated that definable steric requirements existed for a maximal interaction, with spacing between the functional groups on EACA, as well as a hydrophobic region of this molecule, being important. This rapid and reliable method for measuring all thermodynamic parameters of formation of this complex at a given temperature can now be employed to investigate this important interaction with a wide variety of kringles and modified kringles to provide a more complete understanding of the necessary factors for this binding to occur.