High-resolution structure discloses the potential for allosteric regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MAP2K7) regulates stress and inflammatory responses, and is an attractive drug discovery target for several diseases including arthritis and cardiac hypertrophy. Intracellular proteins such as MAP2K7 are prone to aggregation due to cysteine-driven oxidation in in vitro experiments. MAP2K7 instability due to the four free cysteine residues on the molecular surface abrogated the crystal growth and led to a low-resolution structure with large residual errors.

A crucial role of Cys218 in configuring an unprecedented auto-inhibition form of MAP2K7.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MAP2K7) is an indispensable kinase of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase signal cascade and is rigorously regulated via phosphorylation. To investigate the regulatory mechanism of the inactive non-phosphorylated state of MAP2K7, the crystal structures of the wild-type and C218S mutant were solved. The wild-type apo-structure revealed an unprecedented auto-inhibition form that occluded the ATP site.

5Z-7-Oxozeaenol covalently binds to MAP2K7 at Cys218 in an unprecedented manner.

5Z-7-Oxozeaenol (5Z7O) is a covalent bonding inhibitor against the several protein kinases (e.g., ERK2 and TAK1) that possess a free cysteine at the gatekeeper-2 position.

Crystal structure of human CK2α at 1.06 Å resolution.

The Ser/Thr kinase CK2 consists of two catalytic subunits (CK2α) and a dimer of the regulatory subunits (CK2β), and is a ubiquitous enzyme that regulates growth, proliferation and the survival of cells. CK2 is a remarkable drug target for potentially treating a wide variety of tumours and glomerulonephritis. The purified CK2α protein was crystallized using ethylene glycol as a precipitant.

High-resolution structure of exo-arabinanase from Penicillium chrysogenum.

Arabinanase Abnx from Penicillium chrysogenum 31B, which belongs to the GH93 family, releases arabinobiose from the nonreducing terminus of α-1,5-L-arabinan, which is distributed in the primary cell walls of higher plants. Crystal structures of Abnx and of its complex with arabinobiose were determined at the high resolutions of 1.14 Å to an R(work) of 10.

Structural basis for thermostability of endo-1,5-alpha-L-arabinanase from Bacillus thermodenitrificans TS-3.

The crystal structure of a thermostable endo-1,5-alpha-L-arabinanase, ABN-TS, from Bacillus thermodenitrificans TS-3 was determined at 1.9 A to an R-factor of 18.3% and an R-free-factor of 22.