Targeting hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases restores insulin signaling and mitigates ChREBP-mediated lipogenesis in diet-induced obese mice.

Objective: Mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases 1-4 (PDKs1-4) negatively regulate activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) by reversible phosphorylation. PDKs play a pivotal role in maintaining energy homeostasis and contribute to metabolic flexibility by attenuating PDC activity in various mammalian tissues. Cumulative evidence has shown that the up-regulation of PDK4 expression is tightly associated with obesity and diabetes.

Development of Dihydroxyphenyl Sulfonylisoindoline Derivatives as Liver-Targeting Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase Inhibitors.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases 1-4 (PDK1-4) negatively control activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) and are up-regulated in obesity, diabetes, heart failure, and cancer. We reported earlier two novel pan-PDK inhibitors PS8 [4-((5-hydroxyisoindolin-2-yl)sulfonyl)benzene-1,3-diol] (1) and PS10 [2-((2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)sulfonyl)isoindoline-4,6-diol] (2) that targeted the ATP-binding pocket in PDKs. Here, we developed a new generation of PDK inhibitors by extending the dihydroxyphenyl sulfonylisoindoline scaffold in 1 and 2 to the entrance region of the ATP-binding pocket in PDK2.

Benzothiophene carboxylate derivatives as novel allosteric inhibitors of branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase.

The mitochondrial branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC) is negatively regulated by reversible phosphorylation.BCKDC kinase (BDK) inhibitors that augment BCKDC flux have been shown to reduce branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations in vivo. In the present study, we employed high-throughput screens to identify compound 3,6- dichlorobenzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid (BT2) as a novel BDK inhibitor (IC(50) = 3.

Structure-guided development of specific pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitors targeting the ATP-binding pocket.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoforms (PDKs 1-4) negatively regulate activity of the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex by reversible phosphorylation. PDK isoforms are up-regulated in obesity, diabetes, heart failure, and cancer and are potential therapeutic targets for these important human diseases. Here, we employed a structure-guided design to convert a known Hsp90 inhibitor to a series of highly specific PDK inhibitors, based on structural conservation in the ATP-binding pocket.

Structure-based design and mechanisms of allosteric inhibitors for mitochondrial branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase.

The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine are elevated in maple syrup urine disease, heart failure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. BCAA homeostasis is controlled by the mitochondrial branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC), which is negatively regulated by the specific BCKD kinase (BDK). Here, we used structure-based design to develop a BDK inhibitor, (S)-α-chloro-phenylpropionic acid [(S)-CPP].

Structural and biochemical characterization of human mitochondrial branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase phosphatase.

The branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase phosphatase (BDP) component of the human branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC) has been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified in the soluble form. The monomeric BDP shows a strict dependence on Mn(2+) ions for phosphatase activity, whereas Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) ions do not support catalysis. Metal binding constants for BDP, determined by competition isothermal titration calorimetry, are 2.

Structural and thermodynamic basis for weak interactions between dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase and subunit-binding domain of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex.

The purified mammalian branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC), which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of branched-chain α-keto acids, is essentially devoid of the constituent dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component (E3). The absence of E3 is associated with the low affinity of the subunit-binding domain of human BCKDC (hSBDb) for hE3. In this work, sequence alignments of hSBDb with the E3-binding domain (E3BD) of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex show that hSBDb has an arginine at position 118, where E3BD features an asparagine.

Determination of protein complex stoichiometry through multisignal sedimentation velocity experiments.

Determination of the stoichiometry of macromolecular assemblies is fundamental to an understanding of how they function. Many different biophysical methodologies may be used to determine stoichiometry. In the past, both sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation have been employed to determine component stoichiometries.

Maple syrup urine disease in Cypriot families: identification of three novel mutations and biochemical characterization of the p.Thr211Met mutation in the E1alpha subunit.

We report five mutations, three of them novel, responsible for maple syrup urine disease in four unrelated Cypriot families. The five children studied are the first cases of classic maple syrup urine disease to be reported among Cypriots. The first novel mutation identified is a single-base deletion in exon 6 of the Elalpha gene (c.

Subunit and catalytic component stoichiometries of an in vitro reconstituted human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

The human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a 9.5-megadalton catalytic machine that employs three catalytic components, i.e.

Structural basis for inactivation of the human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex by phosphorylation: role of disordered phosphorylation loops.

We report the crystal structures of the phosporylated pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1p) component of the human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). The complete phosphorylation at Ser264-alpha (site 1) of a variant E1p protein was achieved using robust pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 free of the PDC core. We show that unlike its unmodified counterpart, the presence of a phosphoryl group at Ser264-alpha prevents the cofactor thiamine diphosphate-induced ordering of the two loops carrying the three phosphorylation sites.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 structures reveal a metastable open conformation fostering robust core-free basal activity.

Human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is down-regulated by pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) isoforms 1-4. PDK4 is overexpressed in skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes, resulting in impaired glucose utilization. Here we show that human PDK4 has robust core-free basal activity, which is considerably higher than activity levels of other PDK isoforms stimulated by the PDC core.

Distinct structural mechanisms for inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoforms by AZD7545, dichloroacetate, and radicicol.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) isoforms are molecular switches that downregulate the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) by reversible phosphorylation in mitochondria. We have determined structures of human PDK1 or PDK3 bound to the inhibitors AZD7545, dichloroacetate (DCA), and radicicol. We show that the trifluoromethylpropanamide end of AZD7545 projects into the lipoyl-binding pocket of PDK1.

The two active sites in human branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase operate independently without an obligatory alternating-site mechanism.

A long standing controversy is whether an alternating activesite mechanism occurs during catalysis in thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes. We address this question by investigating the ThDP-dependent decarboxylase/dehydrogenase (E1b) component of the mitochondrial branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC). Our crystal structure reveals that conformations of the two active sites in the human E1b heterotetramer harboring the reaction intermediate are identical.

A synchronized substrate-gating mechanism revealed by cubic-core structure of the bovine branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex.

The dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase (E2b) component of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex forms a cubic scaffold that catalyzes acyltransfer from S-acyldihydrolipoamide to CoA to produce acyl-CoA. We have determined the first crystal structures of a mammalian (bovine) E2b core domain with and without a bound CoA or acyl-CoA. These structures reveal both hydrophobic and the previously unreported ionic interactions between two-fold-related trimers that build up the cubic core.

Structure of the subunit binding domain and dynamics of the di-domain region from the core of human branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex.

The homo-24-meric dihydrolipoyl transacylase (E2) scaffold of the human branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC) contains the lipoyl-bearing domain (hbLBD), the subunit-binding domain (hbSBD) and the inner core domain that are linked to carry out E2 functions in substrate channeling and recognition. In this study, we employed NMR techniques to determine the structure of hbSBD and dynamics of several truncated constructs from the E2 component of the human BCKDC, including hbLBD (residues 1-84), hbSBD (residues 111-149), and a di-domain (hbDD) (residues 1-166) comprising hbLBD, hbSBD and the interdomain linker. The solution structure of hbSBD consists of two nearly parallel helices separated by a long loop, similar to the structures of the SBD isolated from other species, but it lacks the short 3(10) helix.

A versatile conformational switch regulates reactivity in human branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase.

The dehydrogenase/decarboxylase (E1b) component of the 4 MD human branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC) is a thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzyme. We have determined the crystal structures of E1b with ThDP bound intermediates after decarboxylation of alpha-ketoacids. We show that a key tyrosine residue in the E1b active site functions as a conformational switch to reduce the reactivity of the ThDP cofactor through interactions with its thiazolium ring.

Structural insight into interactions between dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) and E3 binding protein of human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

The 9.5 MDa human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) utilizes the specific dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) binding protein (E3BP) to tether the essential E3 component to the 60-meric core of the complex. Here, we report crystal structures of the binding domain (E3BD) of human E3BP alone and in complex with human E3 at 1.

Crystal structure of human dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase: NAD+/NADH binding and the structural basis of disease-causing mutations.

Human dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (hE3) is an enzymatic component common to the mitochondrial alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase and glycine decarboxylase complexes. Mutations to this homodimeric flavoprotein cause the often-fatal human disease known as E3 deficiency. To catalyze the oxidation of dihydrolipoamide, hE3 uses two molecules: non-covalently bound FAD and a transiently bound substrate, NAD+.

Crystal structure of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 3 bound to lipoyl domain 2 of human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

The human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is regulated by reversible phosphorylation by four isoforms of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). PDKs phosphorylate serine residues in the dehydrogenase (E1p) component of PDC, but their amino-acid sequences are unrelated to eukaryotic Ser/Thr/Tyr protein kinases. PDK3 binds to the inner lipoyl domains (L2) from the 60-meric transacetylase (E2p) core of PDC, with concomitant stimulated kinase activity.

Molecular mechanism for regulation of the human mitochondrial branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex by phosphorylation.

The human mitochondrial branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC) is a 4 MDa macromolecular machine comprising three catalytic components (E1b, E2b, and E3), a kinase, and a phosphatase. The BCKDC overall activity is tightly regulated by phosphorylation in response to hormonal and dietary stimuli. We report that phosphorylation of Ser292-alpha in the E1b active site channel results in an order-to-disorder transition of the conserved phosphorylation loop carrying the phosphoryl serine.

Cross-talk between thiamin diphosphate binding and phosphorylation loop conformation in human branched-chain alpha-keto acid decarboxylase/dehydrogenase.

The decarboxylase/dehydrogenase (E1b) component of the 4-megadalton human branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKD) metabolic machine is a thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzyme with a heterotetrameric cofactor-binding fold. The E1b component catalyzes the decarboxylation of alpha-keto acids and the subsequent reductive acylation of the lipoic acid-bearing domain (LBD) from the 24-meric transacylase (E2b) core. In the present study, we show that the binding of cofactor ThDP to the E1b active site induces a disorder-to-order transition of the conserved phosphorylation loop carrying the two phosphorylation sites Ser(292)-alpha and Ser(302)-alpha, as deduced from the 1.

Structural and biochemical basis for novel mutations in homozygous Israeli maple syrup urine disease patients: a proposed mechanism for the thiamin-responsive phenotype.

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) results from mutations affecting different subunits of the mitochondrial branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. In this study, we identified seven novel mutations in MSUD patients from Israel. These include C219W-alpha (TGC to TGG) in the E1alpha subunit; H156Y-beta (CAT to TAT), V69G-beta (GTT to GGT), IVS 9 del[-7:-4], and 1109 ins 8bp (exon 10) in the E1beta subunit; and H391R (CAC to CGC) and S133stop (TCA to TGA) affecting the E2 subunit of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex.