Urokinase peptide structure mimetics

[0001] The present invention concerns the use of the NMR structure of cy-clo[21,29][D-Cys21Cys29]-uPA21-30for the design of inhibitors that interfere with the binding of urokinase to its receptor, and it concerns peptidomimetics that imitate the binding mode of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21Cys29]-uPA21-30 to its receptor and therefore interfere with the binding of urokinase to its receptor.

[0002] Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine protease that is secreted as a single chain proenzyme. Limited proteolysis leads to the generation of the mature, two chain form of the enzyme, that catalyzes the conversion of the zymogen plasminogen to plasmin. Plasmin directs the degradation of the extracellular matrix either directly or indirectly via the activation of matrix metalloproteinases. Therefore, uPA plays a major role in matrix degradation, both in physiological and pathophysiological processes. In metastasis, uPA is an important factor, because it helps tumors to invade the surrounding tissue.

[0003] uPAR (uPA receptor) is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) linked cell surface protein, that binds uPA with subnanomolar affinity. It recruits uPA to the cell surface. The importance of the uPA binding to uPAR for tumor spread has been demonstrated in many cases. Conversely, the addition of a recombinant solubable form of the receptor reduced the invasive capacity of ovarian cancer cells (Wilhelm et al., FEBS Lett. 337 (1994), 131-134).

[0004] As a result, uPA antagonists that block the interaction of uPA with its receptor can be used for the treatment of invasive tumors. Other indications for uPA antagonists include conditions such as arthritis, inflammation and osteoporosis. uPA antagonists can also be used as contraceptives.

[0005] A successful strategy to design uPA antagonists has built on the modular organisation of uPA. The molecule consists of (a) a growth factor domain (GFD, amino acids 1-44 and 46, respectively), (b) a kringle domain (amino acids 45 and 47, respectively, to 135), that together form the amino terminal fragment (ATF), and (c) a serine protease domain. It was found that ATF, and in particular residues 20-30 of the so-called loop B of GFD, compete efficiently with uPA for binding to uPAR.

[0006] Wilhelm et al. have investigated cyclic disulfide peptides that mimick this loop. Their studies identified cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21Cys29]-uPA21-30 with an IC50 of 78 nM as a particularly promising drug lead (German patent application 199 33 701.2). Residues in this cyclic peptide cyclo[1,9] D-Cys-Asn-Lys-Tyr-Phe-Ser-Asn-Ile-Cys-Trp will be numbered sequentially, assigning residue number 1 to D-Cys. Thus, residue 1,2,3 . . . of the cyclic peptide correspond to residues 21,22,23, . . . in the ATF of uPA.

[0007] Although replacement of the Lys residue abolishes the susceptibility of the Lys-Tyr bond to the proteolytic action of plasmin (German patent application 199 33 701.2), it is expected that the peptide still suffers from some of the disadvantages of peptide drugs. These include lability against proteolysis in the stomach/intestine, low resorption if administered perorally, fast elimination by the liver and kidney and the risk of allergic reactions. Due to their conformational flexibility, peptide drugs and/or their metabolic products may interact with molecules other than their target molecules, leading to side effects that are both unwanted and hard to predict.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide inhibitor molecules that do not suffer from the above-mentioned disadvantages of the peptide lead compound and still maintain the affinity for uPAR.

[0009] This object is solved with the determination of the NMR solution structure of the lead compound, cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21Cys29]-uPA21-30. The procedure for structure determination is described in detail in Example 1 and the result is presented as a stereo representation of the molecule in FIG. 3 and as a coordinate file in FIG. 6.

[0010] It is a further object of the present investigations to provide molecules that mimick the lead compound cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21Cys29]-uPA21-30.

[0011] In an embodiment of the invention, conformation stabilizing cycles such as

[0012] are chosen for incorporation into the peptide, so that Ramachandran angles actually found in the lead peptide are enforced by the additional cycles (Gante, Angew.Chemie 1994, 106:1780-1802). In another preferred embodiment, conformationally constrained amino acid analogs are used to limit space (Gibson, S. E., Guillo, N., Toser, M. J., Tetrahedron 1999, 55:585-615) to regions actually used by the cyclic peptide and identified as part of this invention (see FIG. 4).

[0013] In another embodiment of the invention, β-turn mimetics

[0014] (Gante, J., Angew.Chemie 1994, 106:1780-1802; Böhm, H. J., Klebe, G., Kubinyi H., Wirkstoffdesign, Spektrum Adamischer Verlage, Gannis, A., Kolter, T., Angew. Chemie 1993, 105:1303-1326) are chosen to replace the type Iβ-turn forming tetrapeptides Asn-Lys-Tyr-Phe and/or Phe-Ser-Asn-Ile.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment β-turn mimetics that allow the attachment of side chains in positions i+1 and i+2 are used. Such scaffolds are for example the β-D-glucose scaffold (Nicolaou et al., Pept. Chem. Struct. Biol. Proc. Am. Pept. Symp. 11th, 1989 (1990), 881) or the cyclohexane scaffold (Olson et al., Proc. Biotechnol (USA), Conference Management Corporation, Norwalk, Conn., 1989, p.348).

[0016] In another embodiment of the invention, two subsequent residues with Rarnachandran angles typical of residues in an α-helical arrangement are replaced with α-helix inducing mimetics such as

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5, such subsequent residues in cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21Cys-29]-uPA21-30 are Lys3/Tyr4 and/or Ser6/Asn7.

[0018] In another embodiment of the invention, the polypeptide backbone is altered in such a way that the orientation of side chains is not substantially altered. Modifications include replacement of a peptide amido group with a ketomethylene, hydroxyethylene or ethylene group, leading to the formation of carbapeptide moieties in the molecule. The converse strategy, replacement of an α-carbon with a substituted nitrogen atom is equally possible and leads to the formation of azapeptide moieties. Azapeptides can be formed conviniently by condensing carboxyterminally acitivated azaamino acids.

[0019] In another embodiment of the invention, the two strategies of the preceding paragraphs are combined to form peptoid (Simon et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 9367 (1992) moieties. Peptoids contain nitrogen atoms instead Cα-atoms and carbon atoms instead of the α-amino nitrogen atoms, such that an NR—CO peptide-like bonded chain of N-alkylated glycines is formed.

[0020] The present invention additionaly concerns a pharmaceutical composition which contains at least one peptide or polypeptide or analogue thereof as defined above as the active substance, optionally together with common pharmaceutical carriers, auxilliary agents or diluents. The peptides or polypeptides according to the invention are used especially to produce uPA antagonists which are suitable for treating diseases associated with the expression of uPAR and especially for treating tumors.

[0021] An additional subject matter of the present invention is the use of peptides derived from the uPA sequence and in particular of uPA antagonists such as the above mentioned peptides and polypeptides to produce targeting vehicles e.g. liposomes, viral vectors etc. for uPAR-expressing cells. The targeting can be used for diagnostic applications to steer the transport of marker groups e.g. radioactive or non-radioactive marker groups. On the other hand, the targeting can be for therapeutic applications e.g. to transport pharmaceutical agents and for example also to transport nucleic acids for gene therapy.

[0022] The pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention can be present in any form, for example as tablets, as coated tablets or in the form of solutions or suspensions in aqueous and non-aqueous solvents. The peptides are preferably administered orally or parenterally in a liquid or solid form. When they are administered in a liquid form, water is preferably used as the carrier medium which optionally contains stabilizers, solubilizers and/or buffers that are usually used for injection solutions. Such additives are for example tartrate of borate buffer, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, complexing agents such as EDTA, polymers such as liquid polyethylene oxide etc.

[0023] If they are administered in a solid form, then solid carrier substances can be used such as starch, lactose, mannitol, methyl cellulose, talcum, highly dispersed silicon dioxide, high molecular weight fatty acids such as stearic acid, gelatin, agar, calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, animal and vegetable fats or solid high molecular polymers such as polyethylene glycols. The formulations can also contain flavourings and sweeteners if desired for oral administration.

[0024] The therapeutic compositions according to the invention can also be present in the form of complexes e.g. with cyclodextrins such as γ-cyclodextrin.

[0025] The administered dose depends on the age, state of health and weight of the patient, on the type and severity of the disease, on the type of the treatment, the frequency of administration and the type of desired effect. The daily dose of the active compound is usually 0.1 to 50 mg/kilogramme body weight. Normally 0.5 to 40 and preferably 1.0 to 20 mg/kg/day in one or several doses are adequate to achieve the desired effects.

EXAMPLE 1

[0026] Abbreviations: SA, simulated annealing; MD, molecular dynamics; rMD, restrained molecular dynamics; fMD, free molecular dynamics; NOE, nuclear Overhauser enhancement; RMSD, root mean square deviation; uPA, urokinase-type plasminogen activator; ATF, amino-terminal fragment of uPA;

[0027] Materials and Methods

[0028] NMR Spectroscopy. All NMR spectra were acquired on a Bruker DMX600 spectrometer and processed using the X-WINNMR software. A set of 1D spectra was acquired at the following temperatures: 275 K, 276 K, 278 K, 280 K, 282 K, 284 K and 285 K. COSY and NOESY spectra were acquired in water with 1024 and 512 complex points in t2 and t1, respectively, performing 64 scans per increment. A mixing time of 80 ms was chosen for the NOESY. Water suppression was accomplished using WATERGATE. The E.COSY spectrum was recorded in D2O at a resolution of 4096(t2)*256(t1) complex points, with 48 scans per increment. All 2D spectra were recorded at 280 K.

[0029] NOE-Derived Distance Restraints. NOE crosspeaks were converted into distance restraints dNOE according to their integrated volumes using the two-spin approximation. The lower and upper bound of each distance restraint was set to 0.9 dNOE and 1.1 dNOE, respectively. The average intensity of NOEs between geminal methylen protons (corresponding to a distance of 1.8 Å) was used for calibration, Standard corrections for center averaging [1] were applied.

[0030] Coupling Constants. 3J(HNHα) were obtained from the COSY spectrum using the methodology pioneered by Kim and Prestegard [2]. 3J(HαHβ) were extracted from the E.COSY recorded in D2O.

[0031] Amide Proton Temperature Coefficients. Temperature dependencies of the backbone amide proton chemical shifts were calculated from the above temperature series of 1H-1D experiments.

[0032] Structure Calculations. Structure calculations consisted of a two-step procedure involving conformational space sampling followed by refinement of the obtained three-dimensional structure. In vacuo conformational space sampling was performed with the X-PLOR 3.5 program[3] employing a standard simulated annealing (SA) protocol. [4,5] A random conformation with optimized covalent bond geometries was used as the initial structure for all calculations. NOE-derived distances as well as 3J(HNHα) coupling constants were employed as restraints. Ten low-energy conformations out of a total of 20 generated structures were selected for analysis of the agreement with the NMR-derived restraints. A structural representative of the ensemble of low-energy structures was then chosen and refined in extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To this end, the representative was placed in a 35 Å cubic simulation cell soaked with water molecules. The simulation cell was then energy-minimized and slowly heated up to the target temperature of 280 K. After equilibration, 200 ps restrained MD (rMD) were performed. Solely NOE-derived distances were employed, acting as time averaged distance restraints [6-9] with a memory decay time of r=20 ps. [9] To obtain average properties, the above simulation protocol was carried out twice, starting from different initial velocities. Finally, one MD simulation was resumed in absence of restraints to probe the stability of the structure (free MD, fMD). All MD simulations were performed with the DISCOVER 98 program (Molecular Simulations Inc.) using a home-written C program handling the time averaging of distance restraints.

[0033] Results and Discussion

[0034] Nomenclature. For sake of clarity residues of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29] uPA21-30 will be numbered from 1 through 10 in the following, while for the corresponding residues of the ATF of uPA the original numbering scheme is retained.

[0035] NMR Assignments. The 1H chemical shifts (Table 1) were assigned from analysis of the COSY and NOESY spectra. In the first step of the assignment procedure, frequencies of non-aromatic protons of each of the amino acid spin systems were determined using the COSY spectrum. Next, frequencies of aromatic protons were obtained from the NOESY spectrum. To this end, the chain of strong NOEs between adjacent protons in each aromatic side chain was traced, starting from the Hβ protons. Finally, the sequential order of the amino acid spin systems was determined using characteristic Hαi-HNi+1-NOEs as well as interresidue side-chain NOEs. A comparison of the obtained 1H chemical shifts with the corresponding random coil values (Wüthrich, K., NMR of Proteins and Nucleic Acids, Wiley, N.Y., 1996) reveals a considerable upfield shift for Lys3 (random coil chemical shifts are given in parentheses; Hβ: 1.33, 1.45 (1.76, 1.85); Hγ: 0.54, 0.79 (1.45); Hδ: 1.24 (1.70)) and Ile8 (γCH3: 0.42 (0.95), δCH3: 0.48 (0.89)) side-chain protons, which is due to aromatic ring systems adjacent in space (see Structure section).

[0036] NMR-Derived Structure Parameters. A total of 110 unambiguous NOE-derived distance restraints was obtained from analysis of the NOESY spectrum, including 30 nontrivial intraresidue, 40 sequential, 25 short-range (|i−j|<5, where i and j are residue numbers), and 15 long-range (|i−j|≧5) NOEs. Due to signal overlap in the 2D NOESY spectrum, a considerable amount of structural information is lost (see similarity of chemical shift values given in Table 1). A histogram of the NOE restraints for each residue is shown in FIG. 1. Aside from NOE-derived distances, nine 3J(HNHα) (Table 2) and an almost complete set of 3J(HαHβ) (Table 3) coupling constants were obtained from analysis of the COSY and E.COSY spectra. NOESY signal overlap and/or averaged 3J(HαHβ) coupling constants due to side-chain rotation (Table 3) did not allow for diastereotopic assignment of Hβ. In addition to NOE distances and vicinal coupling constants, temperature dependencies of the chemical shifts from six out of a total of nine backbone amide protons were obtained from the temperature series of 1D spectra.

[0037] Conformational Space Sampling. Only one family of backbone conformations was observed during conformational space sampling in vacuo using X-Plor (average backbone RMSD 0.6 Å from the family representative for residues 2 through 8). As already mentioned in the above paragraph, a considerable amount of signals in the 2D NOESY spectrum overlap, giving rise to ambiguous distance restraints. However, ambiguous distance restraints cannot be treated in the current version of the DISCOVER program which is used for subsequent refinement. To probe whether the set of ambiguous distance restraints influences the convergence of the X-Plor runs, three-dimensional structures were generated with and without incorporation of ambiguous distance restraints. The results are virtually identical (backbone RMSD between structural representatives 0.5 Å for residues 2 through 8). Thus, the set of unambiguous distance restraints already contains the principal structural information. Therefore, only unambiguous distance restraints were employed in the refinement stage.

[0038] Structural Refinement. The single structural representative obtained during conformational space sampling was refined in the course of 200 ps rMD simulations. To obtain average properties, two simulations were performed, starting from the same system configuration but different initial velocities. Both rMD simulations lead to similar results (backbone RMSD between energy-minimized average structures 0.3 Å for residues 2 through 8). To probe the stability of the rMD structure, one simulation was resumed in absence of restraints for another 200 ps (fMD). An inspection of the Ramachandran plots of the fMD trajectory (not shown) reveals that the rMD conformation is retained, a finding which is confirmed by the backbone RMSD between the energy-minimized average structures of both simulations (0.9 Å for residues 2 through 8).

[0039] According to analysis of the joint rMD trajectories (in the following denoted as rMD trajectory), the average violation of NOE-derived distance restraints is 0.1 Å with no single distance restraint violated by more than 0.5 Å. Although coupling constants were not employed as restraints in the refinement stage, 3J(HNHα) calculated from the rMD trajectory are close to their experimental values (Table 2). Deviations by more than 2 Hz can be explained in terms of the steep gradient of the corresponding Karplus curve at φ=−80±30° (curve not shown). Similar considerations apply for 3J(HαHβ). Despite the fact that no diastereotopic assignment of Hβ was possible, a comparison of calculated versus experimental values of 3J(HαHβ) yields similar pairings (Table 3), suggesting that the side-chain rotamer distribution is correctly reproduced by the rMD trajectory. Deviations occur for Tyr4, Ser6, Asn7 and Trp10. In case of Ser6, no NOE-derived distance restraints are available due to signal overlap. Therefore, the calculated rotamer distribution merely reflects the force-field preferences. This is also true for Asn7, where NOEs to the Hβ are present, but, due to the fact that the DISCOVER program cannot handle pseudo atoms under periodic boundary conditions, act on the Cβ atom, thereby eliminating their influence on the X1 rotamer distribution. Deviations of the experimental 3J(HαHβ) values of Tyr4 and Trp10 will be discussed in conjunction with the three-dimensional structure of the molecule (see Section Structure and Dynamics). Temperature dependancies of backbone amide proton chemical shifts are in good agreement with the corresponding amide proton solvent accessibilities calculated from the rMD trajectory (FIG. 2).

[0040] Structure and Dynamics of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]uPA21-30. The three-dimensional structure of the molecule is characterized by a hydrophobic cluster on one side of the ring, involving residues Tyr4, Phe5, Ile8 and Trp10, and two type βI turns centered at Lys3, Tyr4 and Ser6, Asn7, respectively (FIG. 3).

[0041] All hydrophobic residues (Tyr4, Phe5, Ile8 and Trp10) participate in the formation of a hydrophobic cluster. Ile8 is found at the core of the cluster, with its side chain being shielded from the aqueous environment by the phenyl ring of Phe5 and the indole moiety of Trp10. This finding is consistent with the distinct upfield shift observed for the chemical shifts of the methyl groups of the isoleucine side chain, suggesting these methyls to be located above the plane of aromatic ring systems (see section NMR Assignment). However, the nature of the hydrophobic cluster is not as static as FIG. 3 might suggest. As can be seen in FIG. 4, Ile8 displays remarkable flexibility around X1. According to one larger and one smaller 3J(HαHβ) value (Table 3), Tyr4 partially adopts the g− and t rotamer, while in the rMD simulation only the g− rotamer is populated (FIG. 4), allowing for the formation of a hydrophobic cluster with Phe5 (FIG. 3). In contrast, the g− rotamer enables a hydrophobic interaction with the methylens of the lysine side chain, a feature also found in the corresponding ω loop in the NMR solution structure of the ATF of uPA.[10] The resulting spatial arrangement would still be consistent with the observed NOEs between the side chains of Lys3 and Tyr4 and could also account for the distinct upfield shift of the β, γ and δ protons of the lysine side chain (see section NMR Assignment). In case of Trp10, the experimental evidence (both 3J(HαHβ) around 7.0 Hz, upper bound of Hα-H2 distance restraint violated) also indicates side-chain rotation, albeit not reproduced in the rMD simulation (FIG. 4). Rotation around X1 would bring the indole ring of Trp10 in a position comparable to that observed for its counterpart in the solution structure of the ATF. Obviously, the chosen time averaging regime for NOE-derived distance restraints using a memory decay time T of 20 ps[9] does not allow for side-chain rotational fluctuations large enough to correctly reproduce the experimental 3J(HαHβ) values.

[0042] In addition to a hydrophobic cluster, the molecule also displays regular secondary structure. A type βI turn (ideal φ,ψ dihedral values: −60°, −30° (i+1 position) and −90°, 0° (i+2 position))[11,12] is centered at Lys3 and Tyr4 (FIG. 5, FIG. 3). The corresponding (i,i+3) hydrogen bond is not populated to an appreciable extent, a phenomenon also encountered in 25% of the β-turns found in protein structures.[13] The turn is stabilized by a sidechain-backbone hydrogen bond between Asn2Oδ1 and the amide proton of Tyr4, forming another turn-like structure known as “Asx turn”.[14] In addition, Asn2Oδ1 hydrogen-bonds to Phe5HN, providing a rationale for the weakly populated (i,i+3) hydrogen bond of this βI turn (Table 4). Another type βI turn is centered at Ser6 and Asn7, with the corresponding (i,i+3) hydrogen bond between Phe5CO and Ile8HN populated in more than half of the rMD simulation time (Table 4). An equally populated hydrogen bond between Ser6Oγ and Asn7HN stabilizes the ψi+1 angle of this turn (Table 4). In the course of the rMD simulation, the Phe5-Ser6 amide bond rotates (FIG. 5), giving rise to a weakly populated type γ turn centered at Ser6 (Table 4) with the φi+1 angle stabilized by an additional sidechain-backbone hydrogen bond between Phe5CO and Ser6Hγ (Table 4). The φ,ψ pairs of this turn are close to their ideal values (70°, −70°).[11,12] The observed arrangement of two consecutive type βI turns is additionally stabilized by a strongly populated hydrogen bond between Asn2HN and Ile8CO (Table 4).

[0043] Agreement with statistically determined β-turn positional preferences. The large body of experimental information on the three-dimensional structure of proteins available in the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank[15] has enabled conformational and positional preferences of residues to be statistically determined.[16-20] Using a nonhomologous dataset of 205 protein chains, Hutchinson and Thornton derived β-turn positional potentials for the 20 naturally occuring amino acids.[20] For position i of type βI turns, they found a strong preference for side chains that can act as hydrogen bond acceptors (Asn, Asp, Cys, Ser, His). These stabilize the turn by the formation of a hydrogen bond with the main-chain nitrogen of the i+2 residue. Thereby another turn-like structure known as “Asx turn” [14] arises, made up of the side chain and main chain of residue i, together with the main chains of residues i+1 and i+2. For the remaining positions of type βI turns, Hutchinson and Thornton found significant positional preferences for the following residues: i+1: Pro, Ser, Glu; i+2: Thr, Ser, Asn, Asp; i+3: Gly. Indeed, an “Asx turn” is observed for the type βI turn centered at Lys3 and Tyr4 of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]uPA21-30, bearing Asn2 in position i (see section Structure and Dynamics). However, none of the other residues of this βI turn (Lys3 in i+1, Tyr4 in i+2, and Phe5 in i+3 position) displays significant propensity to appear in its respective position. In contrast, Ser6 and Asn7 in i+1 and i+2 position, respectively, of the second βI turn are in perfect agreement with the statistically derived preferences (see above). Ser6Oγ hydrogen-bonds to Asn7HN, thereby stabilizing the ψi+1 angle. As for position i+2, an analysis of high-resolution protein structures shows that Asn, along with Asp, Ser and Thr, is more likely to adopt the backbone conformation required for this position (φ=−90°, ψ=0°).[21]

[0044] Comparison with Solution Structure of Amino-Terminal Fragment of uPA. Cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]uPA21-30 and the ATF of uPA display similar binding characteristics with respect to the uPA receptor (uPAR). Thus, similar orientations of residues critical for receptor binding can be expected. These residues comprise Tyr24, Phe25, Ile28, and Trp30 within the ω loop of ATF [22] and the corresponding residues Tyr4, Phe5, Ile8, and Trp10 in our cyclic peptide, as determined by alanine replacements. Superposition with the solution structure of ATF [10] reveals that residues Tyr24 (Tyr4 in the cyclic peptide), Phe25 (Phe5), and Ile28 (Ile8) indeed adopt indentical positions and orientations relativ to each other (RMSD between Cα-Cβ vectors of corresponding tyrosine, phenylalanine and isoleucine residues 0.6 Å, see also FIG. 6). Trp30 (Trp10), however, is found in different orientations in both uPAR ligands. In the cyclic peptide, Trp10 is located outside the cyclic backbone of the peptide, which confers considerable conformational flexibility to this C-terminal residue. Thus, Trp10 can participate in the formation of the observed hydrophobic cluster, together with Tyr4, Phe5 and Ile8. Upon receptor binding, however, its conformational flexibility enables Trp10 to bring its indole in a position comparable to that found in the ATF. Interestingly, the presence of Phe and Trp seperated by five residues in sequence is among the essential features of uPAR binding peptide antagonists identified by phage display technology.[23] The consensus sequence derived from these linear peptides is XFXXYLW. The importance of proper spacing is further corroborated by the experimental finding that insertion of either Gly or β-Ala between Phe and Trp results in loss of antagonist function.[24] Furthermore, a manual alignment of our peptide and the above consensus sequence reveals the hydrophobic residues Ile8 and the consensus Tyr to be located in equivalent positions. Thus, formation of a hydrophobic cluster between Phe and Ile (Tyr), as observed for our peptide, as well as an appropriately spaced Trp seem to constitute preconditions for high affinity binding to uPAR.

[0045] Besides the above hydrophobic residues, substitution of Ser6 by Ala also results in weaker binding to uPAR. This observation can be explained in terms of the structure-stabilizing effect of the serine residue by sidechain-backbone hydrogen bonds, as described in section Structure and Dynamics.

1TABLE 11H chemical shifts [ppm] of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]-uPA21-30 in water at 280 K.aResidueHNHαHβHγHδHεmisc.D-Cys1—3.812.62/3.26————Asn28.574.512.62/2.79—6.99/7.38——Lys38.743.731.33/1.450.54/0.791.242.577.32(HNε)Tyr48.034.162.52/2.62———6.86(H2,6)6.57(H3,5)Phe57.594.612.46/3.12———6.99(H2,6)7.06(H3,5)Ser68.403.913.70/3.79————Asn78.003.972.34/2.86—6.79/7.48——Ile87.423.761.560.91/1.16(CH2)0.480.42(CH3)Cys98.314.582.74/3.01————Trp107.974.472.98/3.08———9.76(H1)6.91(H2)7.27(H4)6.77(H5)6.77(H6)7.05(H7)aChemical shifts of aromatic protons were assigned using the NOESY spectrum. δ(Phe5H4) could not be assigned unambiguously due to signal overlap.

[0046]

2

TABLE 2

3
J(HNHα) of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]-uPA21-30 in water

at 280 K. NMR-derived values and the corresponding values

calculated from the rMD trajectory are given. 3J(HNHα)

were not employed as restraints during the rMD simulation.

Residue

3
J(HNHα)exp

3
J(HNHα)calc

Asn2
9.1
7.1 ± 2.3

Lys3
7.1
5.3 ± 2.0

Tyr4
11.3
8.0 ± 1.9

Phe5
11.9
9.7 ± 1.3

Ser6
8.7
3.9 ± 3.2

Asn7
9.1
6.5 ± 2.5

Ile8
8.6
5.6 ± 2.4

Cys9
8.7
9.6 ± 1.1

Trp10
9.4
8.8 ± 1.7

[0047]

3

TABLE 3

3
J(HαHβ) of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]-uPA21-30 in water

at 280 K. NMR-derived values and the corresponding values

calculated from the rMD trajectory are given. Due to side-

chain rotation or NOESY signal overlap no diastereotopic

assignment could be made. 3J(HαHβ) were not employed as

restraints during the rMD simulation.

Residue

3
J(HαHβ)exp

3
J(HαHβ)calc

D-Cys1
4.5,
10.2
9.2 ± 4.3
(proS)

4.6 ± 1.7
(proR)

Asn2
4.6,
9.2
12.1 ± 1.6
(proS)

3.1 ± 0.9
(proR)

Lys3
6.3,
6.4
7.8 ± 5.0
(proS)

4.6 ± 2.4
(proR)

Tyr4
6.0,
10.3
3.8 ± 1.2
(proS)

3.5 ± 1.2
(proR)

Phe5
6.4,
9.0
3.1 ± 1.7
(proS)

11.8 ± 2.5
(proR)

Ser6
both ca. 7.0 (overlapped)
2.6 ± 0.7
(proS)

5.1 ± 1.3
(proR)

Asn7
7.4,
7.8
12.0 ± 1.1
(proS)

2.4 ± 0.7
(proR)

Ile8
6.8

6.9 ± 4.5

Cys9
5.3,
9.5
8.8 ± 4.2
(proS)

5.1 ± 4.6
(proR)

Trp10
6.5,
7.5
3.0 ± 1.0
(proS)

6.0 ± 3.5
(proR)

[0048]

4

TABLE 4

Populations of hydrogen bonds of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]-

uPA21-30 in water at 280 K calculated from the rMD trajectorya

donor
acceptor
population

Asn2HN
Ile8CO
76

Asn2HN
Ser6CO
23

Lys3HN
Asn2Oδ1
42

Tyr4HN
Asn2Oδ1
60

Phe5HN
Asn2Oδ1
52

Ser6HN
Tyr4CO
14

Ser6HOγ
Phe5CO
10

Asn7HN
Ser6Oγ
49

Asn7HN
Phe5CO
14

Ile8HN
Phe5CO
59

Trp10HN
Ile8CO
13

a
Hydrogen bonds are defined by a distance between donor and acceptor of DA,D ≦ 2.8Å and an angle between the vectors NH and HO of δ = 180° ± 60°.

[0049]

5

TABLE 5

ATOM
1
N
CYS
1
23.523
11.953
18.425
N

ATOM
2
CA
CYS
1
23.062
13.252
18.958
C

ATOM
3
C
CYS
1
21.585
13.483
18.552
C

ATOM
4
O
CYS
1
20.678
12.784
19.019
O

ATOM
5
CB
CYS
1
23.252
13.289
20.488
C

ATOM
6
SG
CYS
1
22.725
14.883
21.147
S

ATOM
7
1H
CYS
1
23.021
11.171
18.860
H

ATOM
8
2H
CYS
1
24.524
11.803
18.593
H

ATOM
9
3H
CYS
1
23.374
11.885
17.413
H

ATOM
10
HA
CYS
1
23.713
14.040
18.528
H

ATOM
11
1HB
CYS
1
24.309
13.117
20.767
H

ATOM
12
2HB
CYS
1
22.664
12.494
20.985
H

ATOM
13
N
ASN
2
21.356
14.487
17.688
N

ATOM
14
CA
ASN
2
19.992
14.928
17.286
C

ATOM
15
C
ASN
2
19.459
14.098
16.077
C

ATOM
16
O
ASN
2
20.213
13.751
15.160
O

ATOM
17
CB
ASN
2
20.072
16.450
16.982
C

ATOM
18
CG
ASN
2
18.746
17.206
16.792
C

ATOM
19
OD1
ASN
2
17.679
16.832
17.284
O

ATOM
20
ND2
ASN
2
18.801
18.316
16.078
N

ATOM
21
H
ASN
2
22.201
14.959
17.348
H

ATOM
22
HA
ASN
2
19.316
14.803
18.158
H

ATOM
23
1HB
ASN
2
20.612
16.974
17.794
H

ATOM
24
2HB
ASN
2
20.709
16.604
16.093
H

ATOM
25
1HD2
ASN
2
17.920
18.827
15.955
H

ATOM
26
2HD2
ASN
2
19.714
18.549
15.668
H

ATOM
27
N
LYS
3
18.143
13.809
16.086
N

ATOM
28
CA
LYS
3
17.468
12.989
15.036
C

ATOM
29
C
LYS
3
17.537
13.619
13.608
C

ATOM
30
O
LYS
3
18.126
13.016
12.707
O

ATOM
31
CB
LYS
3
16.015
12.678
15.502
C

ATOM
32
CG
LYS
3
15.273
11.590
14.686
C

ATOM
33
CD
LYS
3
13.783
11.403
15.047
C

ATOM
34
CE
LYS
3
13.507
10.961
16.499
C

ATOM
35
NZ
LYS
3
12.077
10.675
16.708
N

ATOM
36
H
LYS
3
17.625
14.200
16.880
H

ATOM
37
HA
LYS
3
18.005
12.020
14.997
H

ATOM
38
1HB
LYS
3
16.029
12.352
16.559
H

ATOM
39
2HB
LYS
3
15.416
13.608
15.501
H

ATOM
40
1HG
LYS
3
15.322
11.843
13.609
H

ATOM
41
2HG
LYS
3
15.806
10.625
14.784
H

ATOM
42
1HD
LYS
3
13.239
12.343
14.836
H

ATOM
43
2HD
LYS
3
13.359
10.657
14.349
H

ATOM
44
1HE
LYS
3
14.101
10.063
16.752
H

ATOM
45
2HE
LYS
3
13.818
11.750
17.208
H

ATOM
46
1HZ
LYS
3
11.769
9.875
16.145
H

ATOM
47
2HZ
LYS
3
11.872
10.459
17.689
H

ATOM
48
3HZ
LYS
3
11.491
11.474
16.443
H

ATOM
49
N
TYR
4
16.958
14.821
13.423
N

ATOM
50
CA
TYR
4
16.972
15.552
12.126
C

ATOM
51
C
TYR
4
18.303
16.239
11.688
C

ATOM
52
O
TYR
4
18.450
16.486
10.488
O

ATOM
53
CB
TYR
4
15.732
16.489
12.011
C

ATOM
54
CG
TYR
4
15.605
17.804
12.830
C

ATOM
55
CD1
TYR
4
15.897
17.873
14.199
C

ATOM
56
CD2
TYR
4
15.027
18.917
12.206
C

ATOM
57
CE1
TYR
4
15.599
19.021
14.929
C

ATOM
58
CE2
TYR
4
14.728
20.064
12.939
C

ATOM
59
CZ
TYR
4
15.010
20.111
14.301
C

ATOM
60
OH
TYR
4
14.677
21.218
15.035
O

ATOM
61
H
TYR
4
16.517
15.217
14.261
H

ATOM
62
HA
TYR
4
16.792
14.782
11.349
H

ATOM
63
1HB
TYR
4
15.629
16.730
10.935
H

ATOM
64
2HB
TYR
4
14.822
15.888
12.212
H

ATOM
65
HD1
TYR
4
16.336
17.041
14.723
H

ATOM
66
HD2
TYR
4
14.773
18.898
11.154
H

ATOM
67
HE1
TYR
4
15.817
19.054
15.988
H

ATOM
68
HE2
TYR
4
14.256
20.901
12.448
H

ATOM
69
HH
TYR
4
14.748
21.000
15.967
H

ATOM
70
N
PHE
5
19.255
16.535
12.601
N

ATOM
71
CA
PHE
5
20.570
17.136
12.237
C

ATOM
72
C
PHE
5
21.699
16.228
12.809
C

ATOM
73
O
PHE
5
21.830
16.066
14.025
O

ATOM
74
CB
PHE
5
20.683
18.606
12.731
C

ATOM
75
CG
PHE
5
19.648
19.636
12.221
C

ATOM
76
CD1
PHE
5
19.300
19.710
10.864
C

ATOM
77
CD2
PHE
5
19.051
20.526
13.123
C

ATOM
78
CE1
PHE
5
18.352
20.629
10.427
C

ATOM
79
CE2
PHE
5
18.115
21.456
12.680
C

ATOM
80
CZ
PHE
5
17.762
21.504
11.334
C

ATOM
81
H
PHE
5
19.024
16.289
13.570
H

ATOM
82
HA
PHE
5
20.681
17.175
11.134
H

ATOM
83
1HB
PHE
5
20.685
18.599
13.838
H

ATOM
84
2HB
PHE
5
21.683
18.987
12.451
H

ATOM
85
HD1
PHE
5
19.753
19.045
10.142
H

ATOM
86
HD2
PHE
5
19.314
20.508
14.172
H

ATOM
87
HE1
PHE
5
18.077
20.662
9.382
H

ATOM
88
HE2
PHE
5
17.656
22.137
13.381
H

ATOM
89
HZ
PHE
5
17.028
22.218
10.991
H

ATOM
90
N
SER
6
22.500
15.622
11.912
N

ATOM
91
CA
SER
6
23.473
14.549
12.270
C

ATOM
92
C
SER
6
24.681
14.973
13.162
C

ATOM
93
O
SER
6
24.844
14.411
14.248
O

ATOM
94
CB
SER
6
23.898
13.794
10.987
C

ATOM
95
OG
SER
6
24.543
14.644
10.042
O

ATOM
96
H
SER
6
22.276
15.833
10.934
H

ATOM
97
HA
SER
6
22.909
13.802
12.863
H

ATOM
98
1HB
SER
6
24.574
12.955
11.238
H

ATOM
99
2HB
SER
6
23.018
13.327
10.503
H

ATOM
100
HG
SER
6
23.863
15.240
9.717
H

ATOM
101
N
ASN
7
25.501
15.956
12.731
N

ATOM
102
CA
ASN
7
26.610
16.522
13.562
C

ATOM
103
C
ASN
7
26.149
17.380
14.792
C

ATOM
104
O
ASN
7
26.812
17.346
15.834
O

ATOM
105
CB
ASN
7
27.587
17.286
12.617
C

ATOM
106
CG
ASN
7
28.971
17.655
13.200
C

ATOM
107
OD1
ASN
7
29.544
16.946
14.027
O

ATOM
108
ND2
ASN
7
29.555
18.758
12.754
N

ATOM
109
H
ASN
7
25.235
16.372
11.831
H

ATOM
110
HA
ASN
7
27.175
15.659
13.969
H

ATOM
111
1HB
ASN
7
27.787
16.669
11.718
H

ATOM
112
2HB
ASN
7
27.082
18.193
12.226
H

ATOM
113
1HD2
ASN
7
30.478
18.976
13.145
H

ATOM
114
2HD2
ASN
7
29.042
19.302
12.052
H

ATOM
115
N
ILE
8
25.018
18.109
14.682
N

ATOM
116
CA
ILE
8
24.388
18.875
15.799
C

ATOM
117
C
ILE
8
23.851
17.907
16.913
C

ATOM
118
O
ILE
8
23.318
16.832
16.618
O

ATOM
119
CB
ILE
8
23.300
19.830
15.170
C

ATOM
120
CG1
ILE
8
23.944
20.995
14.350
C

ATOM
121
CG2
ILE
8
22.286
20.404
16.187
C

ATOM
122
CD1
ILE
8
23.000
21.854
13.490
C

ATOM
123
H
ILE
8
24.569
18.049
13.762
H

ATOM
124
HA
ILE
8
25.170
19.522
16.245
H

ATOM
125
HB
ILE
8
22.699
19.224
14.473
H

ATOM
126
1HG1
ILE
8
24.511
21.656
15.032
H

ATOM
127
2HG1
ILE
8
24.705
20.583
13.661
H

ATOM
128
1HG2
ILE
8
22.792
21.032
16.942
H

ATOM
129
2HG2
ILE
8
21.507
21.016
15.701
H

ATOM
130
3HG2
ILE
8
21.738
19.610
16.729
H

ATOM
131
1HD1
ILE
8
22.260
22.403
14.099
H

ATOM
132
2HD1
ILE
8
23.572
22.612
12.924
H

ATOM
133
3HD1
ILE
8
22.443
21.249
12.756
H

ATOM
134
N
CYS
9
23.995
18.332
18.186
N

ATOM
135
CA
CYS
9
23.537
17.555
19.367
C

ATOM
136
C
CYS
9
22.612
18.431
20.257
C

ATOM
137
O
CYS
9
23.085
19.261
21.041
O

ATOM
138
CB
CYS
9
24.777
17.030
20.126
C

ATOM
139
SG
CYS
9
24.310
16.032
21.558
S

ATOM
140
H
CYS
9
24.448
19.248
18.285
H

ATOM
141
HA
CYS
9
22.977
16.653
19.045
H

ATOM
142
2HB
CYS
9
25.424
17.860
20.475
H

ATOM
143
1HB
CYS
9
25.404
16.402
19.463
H

ATOM
144
N
TRP
10
21.287
18.212
20.147
N

ATOM
145
CA
TRP
10
20.289
18.723
21.125
C

ATOM
146
CB
TRP
10
19.858
20.208
20.932
C

ATOM
147
CG
TRP
10
19.268
20.673
19.587
C

ATOM
148
CD1
TRP
10
17.996
20.331
19.072
C

ATOM
149
CD2
TRP
10
19.770
21.626
18.709
C

ATOM
150
NE1
TRP
10
17.707
21.016
17.880
N

ATOM
151
CE2
TRP
10
18.815
21.818
17.675
C

ATOM
152
CE3
TRP
10
20.961
22.400
18.735
C

ATOM
153
CZ2
TRP
10
19.049
22.773
16.657
C

ATOM
154
CZ3
TRP
10
21.170
23.334
17.717
C

ATOM
155
CH2
TRP
10
20.230
23.514
16.693
C

ATOM
156
C
TRP
10
19.102
17.737
21.221
C

ATOM
157
OT1
TRP
10
18.533
17.327
20.183
O

ATOM
158
OT2
TRP
10
18.722
17.377
22.358
O

ATOM
159
HN
TRP
10
21.026
17.528
19.428
H

ATOM
160
HA
TRP
10
20.763
18.692
22.126
H

ATOM
161
1HB
TRP
10
20.732
20.840
21.169
H

ATOM
162
2HB
TRP
10
19.134
20.474
21.727
H

ATOM
163
HD1
TRP
10
17.297
19.666
19.558
H

ATOM
164
HE1
TRP
10
16.867
20.943
17.297
H

ATOM
165
HE3
TRP
10
21.702
22.270
19.511
H

ATOM
166
HZ2
TRP
10
18.325
22.939
15.875
H

ATOM
167
HZ3
TRP
10
22.081
23.915
17.709
H

ATOM
168
HH2
TRP
10
20.425
24.240
15.918
H

[0050] List of atomic coordinates in units of 0.1 nm. Column 2 indicates atom number, column 3 atom name, column 4 residue type, column 5 residue number, column 6,7,8 the x,y,z coordinates and column 9 indicates atom type.

[0051] 1 K. Wüthrich, M. Billeter, W. Braun, J. Mol. Biol. 1983, 169, 949-961.

[0052] 2 Y. Kim, J. H. Prestegard, J. Magn. Reson. 1989, 84, 9-13.

[0053] 3 A. T. Brünger X-PLOR Manual. Version 3.1.; Yale University Press: Cambridge, Mass., 1992.

[0054] 4 M. Nilges, G. M. Clore, A. M. Gronenborn, FEBS Lett. 1988, 239, 129-136.

[0055] 5 M. Nilges, J. Kuszewski, A. T. Brünger, Sampling properties of simulated annealing and distance geometry. In Computational aspects of the study of biological macromolecules by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, J. C. Hoch, F. M. Poulsen and C. Redfield (Hrsg.), Plenum Press, New York, N.Y., 1991, 451-61.

[0056] 6 Torda, R. M. Scheek, W. F. van Gunsteren, Chem. Phys. Lett. 1989, 157, 289-294.

[0057] 7 Torda, R. M. Scheek, W. F. van Gunsteren, J. Mol. Biol. 1990, 214, 223-230.

[0058] 8 D. A. Pearlman, P. A. Kollmann, J. Mol. Biol. 1991, 220, 457-79.

[0059] 9 A. P. Nanzer, W. F. van Gunsteren, A. E. Torda, J. Biomol. NMR 1995, 6, 313-320.

[0060] 10 A. P. Hansen, A. M. Petros, R. P. Meadows, D. G. Nettesheim, A. P. Mazar, E. T. Olejnizak, R. X. Xu, T. M. Perderson, J. Henkin, S. W. Fesik, Biochemistry 1994, 33, 4847-4864.

[0061] 11 G. Mueller, M. Gurrath, M. Kurz, H. Kessler, Proteins 1993,. 15, 235-51.

[0062] 12 J. S. Richardson, Adv. Protein Chem. 1981, 34, 167-339.

[0063] 13 P. N. Lewis, F. A. Momany, H. A. Scheraga, Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1973, 303, 211-29.

[0064] 14 D. C. Rees, M. Lewis, W. N. Lipscomb, J. Mol. Biol. 1983, 168, 367-87.

[0065] 15 F. C. Bernstein, T. F. Koetzle, G. J. Williams, E. J. Meyer, M. D. Brice, J. R. Rodgers, O. Kennard, T. Shimanouchi, M. Tasumi, J. Mol. Biol. 1977, 112, 535-42.

[0066] 16 M. Levitt, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1978, 17, 4277-85.

[0067] 17 T. M. Gray, B. W. Matthews, J. Mol. Biol. 1984, 175, 75-81.

[0068] 18 J. M. Thornton, B. L. Sibanda, M. S. Edwards, D. J. Barlow, Bioessays 1988, 8, 63-9.

[0069] 19 C. M. Wilmot, J. M. Thornton, J. Mol. Biol. 1988, 203, 221-32.

[0070] 20 E. G. Hutchinson, J. M. Thornton, Protein Sci. 1994, 3, 2207-16.

[0071] 21 R. A. Laskowski, M. W. Macarthur, D. S. Moss, J. M. Thornton, Appl. Crystallogr. 1993, 26, 283-91.

[0072] 22 M. Bürgle, M. Koppitz, C. Riemer, H. Kessler, B. König, U. H. Weidle, J. Kellermann, F. Lottspeich, H. Graeff, M. Schmitt, L. Goretzki, U. Reuning, O. Wilhelm, V. Magdolen. Biol. Chem. 1997, 378:231-237

[0073] 23 R. J. Goodson, M. V. Doyle, S. E. Kaufman, S. Rosenberg, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1994, 91, 7129-33.

[0074] 24 M. Ploug, S. Ostergaard, L. B. L. Hansen, A. Holm, K. Dano, Biochemistry 1998, 37, 3612-22.

[0075]
FIG. 1: Histogram of NOE-derived distance restraints per residue. Intraresidue (black), short-range (gray; |i−j|<5, where i and j are residue numbers of participating residues) and long-range (white; |i−j|>5) NOEs are given.

[0076]
FIG. 2: Radial distribution functions g(r) of water oxygens around backbone amide protons. A steep rise of g(r) at r=2.0 Å, as observed for Lys3, Ser6, and Cys9, indicates solvent exposition of the respective amide proton, allowing for the formation of hydrogen bonds with the solvent The gradual rise of g(r) seen in the plots for Asn2, Phe5, and Ile8 results from shielding of the respective amide proton from solvent, accomplished by intramolecular hydrogen bonds or vicinity of side chains. Experimentally determined temperature dependances of the amide proton chemical shifts (Δδ/ΔT [−ppb/K], see plots) correlate well with the calculated radial distribution functions.

[0077]
FIG. 3: Stereoview of cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]UPA21-30. Different atom types are shown in the following manner hydrogen (small white spheres), carbon (large white spheres), nitrogen (black spheres), oxygen (gray spheres). The three-dimensional structure is characterized by a hydrophobic cluster involving Tyr4, Phe5, Ile8, and Trp10, and two type βI turns centered at Lys3, Tyr4 and Ser6, Asn7, respectively.

[0078]
FIG. 4: χ1 angles in the course of the two 200 ps rMD simulations starting from different initial velocities. Each plot is split by a vertical line, displaying the data of simulation 1 and simulation 2 on the left-hand and the right-hand side, respectively.

[0079]
FIG. 5: Ramachandran plots generated from the two 200 ps rMD simulations starting from different initial velocities.

[0080]
FIG. 6: Comparison of the NMR solution structures of the ATF of uPA and cyclo[21,29][D-Cys21,Cys29]uPA21-30. Cα-Cβ vectors of Tyr4, Phe5 and Ile8 of the peptide were superimposed on the corresponding protein residues (RMSD of Cα,Cβ atoms after superposition: 0.6 Å).

Urokinase peptide structure mimetics

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CPC

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Abstract

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Priority Claims (1)

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