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Validating fragment-based drug discovery for biological RNAs: lead fragments bind and remodel the TPP riboswitch specifically.

ABSTRACT: Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) riboswitches regulate essential genes in bacteria by changing conformation upon binding intracellular TPP. Previous studies using fragment-based approaches identified small molecule "fragments" that bind this gene-regulatory mRNA domain. Crystallographic studies now show that, despite having micromolar Kds, four different fragments bind the TPP riboswitch site-specifically, occupying the pocket that recognizes the aminopyrimidine of TPP. Unexpectedly, the unoccupied site that would recognize the pyrophosphate of TPP rearranges into a structure distinct from that of the cognate complex. This idiosyncratic fragment-induced conformation, also characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering and chemical probing, represents a possible mechanism for adventitious ligand discrimination by the riboswitch, and suggests that off-pathway conformations of RNAs can be targeted for drug development. Our structures, together with previous screening studies, demonstrate the feasibility of fragment-based drug discovery against RNA targets.

SUBMITTER: Warner KD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4057041 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Validating fragment-based drug discovery for biological RNAs: lead fragments bind and remodel the TPP riboswitch specifically.

Warner Katherine Deigan KD Homan Philip P Weeks Kevin M KM Smith Alison G AG Abell Chris C Ferré-D'Amaré Adrian R AR

Chemistry & biology 20140424 5

Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) riboswitches regulate essential genes in bacteria by changing conformation upon binding intracellular TPP. Previous studies using fragment-based approaches identified small molecule "fragments" that bind this gene-regulatory mRNA domain. Crystallographic studies now show that, despite having micromolar Kds, four different fragments bind the TPP riboswitch site-specifically, occupying the pocket that recognizes the aminopyrimidine of TPP. Unexpectedly, the unoccupied ...[more]

PMID: 24768306

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Project description:The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is an important crop in Malaysia but its productivity is hampered by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent studies suggest the importance of signalling molecules in plants in coping against stresses, which includes thiamine (vitamin B1). Thiamine is an essential microelement that is synthesized de novo by plants and microorganisms. The active form of thiamine, thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), plays a prominent role in metabolic activities particularly as an enzymatic cofactor. Recently, thiamine biosynthesis pathways in oil palm have been characterised but the search of novel regulatory element known as riboswitch is yet to be done. Previous studies showed that thiamine biosynthesis pathway is regulated by an RNA element known as riboswitch. Riboswitch binds a small molecule, resulting in a change in production of the proteins encoded by the mRNA. TPP binds specifically to TPP riboswitch to regulate thiamine biosynthesis through a variety of mechanisms found in archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. This study was carried out to hunt for TPP riboswitch in oil palm thiamine biosynthesis gene. Riboswitch detection software like RiboSW, RibEx, Riboswitch Scanner and Denison Riboswitch Detector were utilised in order to locate putative TPP riboswitch in oil palm ThiC gene sequence that encodes for the first enzyme in the pyrimidine branch of the pathway. The analysis revealed a 192 bp putative TPP riboswitch located at the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the mRNA. Further comparative gene analysis showed that the 92-nucleotide aptamer region, where the metabolite binds was conserved inter-species. The secondary structure analysis was also carried out using Mfold Web server and it showed a stem-loop structure manifested with stems (P1-P5) with minimum free energy of -12.26 kcal/mol. Besides that, the interaction of riboswitch and its ligand was determined using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and it yielded an exothermic reaction with 1:1 stoichiometry interaction with binding affinities of 0.178 nM, at 30°C. To further evaluate the ability of riboswitch to control the pathway, exogenous thiamine was applied to four months old of oil palm seedlings and sampling of spear leaves tissue was carried out at days 0, 1, 2 and 3 post-treatment for expression analysis of ThiC gene fragment via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results showed an approximately 5-fold decrease in ThiC gene expression upon application of exogenous thiamine. Quantification of thiamine and its derivatives was carried out via HPLC and the results showed that it was correlated to the down regulation of ThiC gene expression. The application of exogenous thiamine to oil palm affected ThiC gene expression, which supported the prediction of the presence of TPP riboswitch in the gene. Overall, this study provides the first evidence on the presence, binding and the functionality of TPP riboswitch in oil palm. This study is hoped to pave a way for better understanding on the regulation of thiamine biosynthesis pathway in oil palm, which can later be exploited for various purposes especially in manipulation of thiamine biosynthesis pathways in combating stresses in oil palm.

Dataset Information

Validating fragment-based drug discovery for biological RNAs: lead fragments bind and remodel the TPP riboswitch specifically.

Publications

Validating fragment-based drug discovery for biological RNAs: lead fragments bind and remodel the TPP riboswitch specifically.

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