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The paper presents the review of directions of development of the theory and practice of spiroid gears for the past two decades within the scientific production complex of Kalashnikov ISTU that involves the scientific department “Institute of Mechanics” and the small innovative enterprise “Mechanic”. This en-terprise became de facto the tasksetter and main investor of scientific and practical developments that can be divided into mutually related developments of the theory of gearing and methods of gear design, develop-ment of new varieties and advancement of the known gears, development of competitive layouts of gear-boxes and development of efficient techniques of gear and gearbox production. Development of the theory of gearing focused on creation of computer-aided means of design (the main of them is the software system “SPDIAL+”) provides the profound investigation of the process of tooth interaction with account of errors, elastic and elastoplastic strains of teeth and other elements of the design, localization of multi-pair contact, application of new schemes of tooth generation, optimization gear design with due regard to gear adaptation to real operation conditions and limitations of design and manufacturing procedures. Development and ad-vancement of different types of gears, their design and manufacturing techniques were mainly motivated by their implementation in the specific and under-investigated application area – low-speed heavy-loaded drives for pipeline valves. The practical effect of the development is illustrated by examples.

The design, synthesis and characterization of a phosphonate inhibitor of N-acetylneuraminate-9-phosphate phosphatase (HDHD4) is described. Compound 3, where the substrate C-9 oxygen was replaced with a nonlabile CH2 group, inhibits HDHD4 with a binding affinity (IC50 11μM) in the range of the native substrate Neu5Ac-9-P (compound 1, Km 47μM). Combined SAR, modeling and NMR studies are consistent with the phosphonate group in inhibitor 3 forming a stable complex with native Mg(2+). In addition to this key interaction, the C-1 carboxylate of the sugar interacts with a cluster of basic residues, K141, R104 and R72. Comparative NMR studies of compounds 3 and 1 with Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) are indicative of a highly dynamic process in the active site for the HDHD4/Mg(2+)/3 complex. Possible explanations for this observation are discussed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) catalyze the dephosphorylation of tyrosine residues, a process that involves a conserved tryptophan-proline-aspartate (WPD) loop in catalysis. In previously determined structures of PTPs, the WPD-loop has been observed in either an "open" conformation or a "closed" conformation. In the current work, X-ray structures of the catalytic domain of receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase γ (RPTPγ) revealed a ligand-induced "superopen" conformation not previously reported for PTPs. In the superopen conformation, the ligand acts as an apparent competitive inhibitor and binds in a small hydrophobic pocket adjacent to, but distinct from, the active site. In the open and closed WPD-loop conformations of RPTPγ, the side chain of Trp1026 partially occupies this pocket. In the superopen conformation, Trp1026 is displaced allowing a 3,4-dichlorobenzyl substituent to occupy this site. The bound ligand prevents closure of the WPD-loop over the active site and disrupts the catalytic cycle of the enzyme.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase γ is a membrane-bound receptor and is designated RPTPγ. RPTPγ and two mutants, RPTPγ(V948I, S970T) and RPTPγ(C858S, S970T), were recombinantly expressed and purified for X-ray crystallographic studies. The purified enzymes were crystallized using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method. Crystallographic data were obtained from several different crystal forms in the absence and the presence of inhibitor. In this paper, a description is given of how three different crystal forms were obtained that were used with various ligands. An orthorhombic crystal form and a trigonal crystal form were obtained both with and without ligand, and a monoclinic crystal form was only obtained in the presence of a particularly elaborated inhibitor.

Eg5 is a kinesin whose inhibition leads to cycle arrest during mitosis, making it a potential therapeutic target in cancers. Circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry of our pyrrolotriazine-4-one series of inhibitors with Eg5 motor domain revealed enhanced binding in the presence of adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP). Using this information, we studied the interaction of this series with ADP-Eg5 complexes using a thermal shift assay. We measured up to a 7 degrees C increase in the thermal melting (T(m)) of Eg5 for an inhibitor that produced IC(50) values of 60 and 130 nM in microtubule-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and cell-based cytotoxicity assays, respectively. In general, the inhibitor potency of the pyrrolotriazine-4-one series in in vitro biological assays correlated with the magnitude of the thermal stability enhancement of ADP-Eg5. The thermal shift assay also confirmed direct binding of Eg5 inhibitors identified in a high-throughput screen and demonstrated that the thermal shift assay is applicable to a range of chemotypes and can be useful in evaluating both potent (nM) and relatively weakly binding (microM) leads. Overall, the thermal shift assay was found to be an excellent biophysical method for evaluating direct binding of a large number of compounds to Eg5, and it complemented the catalytic assay screens by providing an alternative determination of inhibitor potency.

Fragment-like inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) include 5-hydroxyisoquinoline (IC50 approximately 85 microM). Modeling studies identified four possible binding modes for this compound. Two-dimensional (1)H-(1)H NOESY data obtained with selectively protonated samples of MK2 in complex with 5-hydroxyisoquinoline demonstrated that two of the four predicted binding modes are well populated. A second small isoquinoline was subsequently shown to bind in a single mode. NMR and modeling studies using this general approach are expected to facilitate "scaffold hopping" and structure-guided elaborations of fragment-like kinase inhibitor cores.

Atazanavir, which is marketed as REYATAZ, is the first human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitor approved for once-daily administration. As previously reported, atazanavir offers improved inhibitory profiles against several common variants of HIV-1 protease over those of the other peptidomimetic inhibitors currently on the market. This work describes the X-ray crystal structures of complexes of atazanavir with two HIV-1 protease variants, namely, (i) an enzyme optimized for resistance to autolysis and oxidation, referred to as the cleavage-resistant mutant (CRM); and (ii) the M46I/V82F/I84V/L90M mutant of the CRM enzyme, which is resistant to all approved HIV-1 protease inhibitors, referred to as the inhibitor-resistant mutant. In these two complexes, atazanavir adopts distinct bound conformations in response to the V82F substitution, which may explain why this substitution, at least in isolation, has yet to be selected in vitro or in the clinic. Because of its nearly symmetrical chemical structure, atazanavir is able to make several analogous contacts with each monomer of the biological dimer.

LFA-1 (leukocyte function-associated antigen-1), is a member of the beta2-integrin family and is expressed on all leukocytes. This letter describes the discovery and preliminary SAR of spirocyclic hydantoin based LFA-1 antagonists that culminated in the identification of analog 8 as a clinical candidate. We also report the first example of the efficacy of a small molecule LFA-1 antagonist in combination with CTLA-4Ig in an animal model of transplant rejection.

The NMR structure is presented for compound 1 (BMS-480404) (Ki = 33 (+/-2) nM) bound to keratinocyte fatty acid-binding protein. This article describes interactions between a high affinity drug-like compound and a member of the fatty acid-binding protein family. A benzyl group ortho to the mandelic acid in 1 occupies an area of the protein that fatty acids do not normally contact. Similar to that in the kFABP-palmitic acid structure, the acid moiety in 1 is proximal to R129 and Y131. Computational modeling indicates that the acid moiety in 1 interacts indirectly via a modeled water molecule to R109.

CFE88 is a conserved essential gene product from Streptococcus pneumoniae. This 227-residue protein has minimal sequence similarity to proteins of known 3D structure. Sequence alignment models and computational protein threading studies suggest that CFE88 is a methyltransferase. Characterization of the conformation and function of CFE88 has been performed by using several techniques. Backbone atom and limited side-chain atom NMR resonance assignments have been obtained. The data indicate that CFE88 has two domains: an N-terminal domain with 163 residues and a C-terminal domain with 64 residues. The C-terminal domain is primarily helical, while the N-terminal domain has a mixed helical/extended (Rossmann) fold. By aligning the experimentally observed elements of secondary structure, an initial unrefined model of CFE88 has been constructed based on the X-ray structure of ErmC' methyltransferase (Protein Data Bank entry 1QAN). NMR and biophysical studies demonstrate binding of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) to CFE88; these interactions have been localized by NMR to the predicted active site in the N-terminal domain. Mutants that target this predicted active site (H26W, E46R, and E46W) have been constructed and characterized. Overall, our results both indicate that CFE88 is a methyltransferase and further suggest that the methyltransferase activity is essential for bacterial survival.

Adipocyte lipid-binding protein (A-LBP) and muscle fatty acid-binding protein (M-FABP) are members of a family of small ( approximately 15 kDa) cytosolic proteins that are involved in the metabolism of fatty acids and other lipid-soluble molecules. Although highly homologous (65%) and structurally very similar, A-LBP and M-FABP display distinct ligand binding characteristics. Since ligand binding may be influenced by intrinsic protein dynamical properties, we have characterized the backbone and side chain dynamics of uncomplexed (apo) human A-LBP and M-FABP. Backbone dynamics were characterized by measurements of 15N T1 and T2 values and ¿1H¿-15N NOEs. These data were analyzed using model-free spectral density functions and reduced spectral density mapping. The dynamics of methyl-containing side chains were charaterized by measurements of 2H T1 and T1rho relaxation times of 13C1H22H groups. The 2H relaxation data were analyzed using the model-free approach. For A-LBP, 15N relaxation data were obtained for 111 residues and 2H relaxation data were obtained for 42 methyl groups. For M-FABP, 15N relaxation data were obtained for 111 residues and 2H relaxation data were obtained for 53 methyl groups. The intrinsic flexibilities of these two proteins are compared, with particular emphasis placed on binding pocket residues. There are a number of distinct dynamical differences among corresponding residues between the two proteins. In particular, many residues display greater backbone picosecond to nanosecond and/or microsecond to millisecond time scale mobility in A-LBP relative to M-FABP, including F57, K58, and most residues in alpha-helix 2 (residues 28-35). Variations in the dynamics of this region may play a role in ligand selectivity. The side chains lining the fatty acid binding pocket display a wide range of motional restriction in both proteins. Side chains showing distinct dynamical differences between the two proteins include those of residues 20, 29, and 51. This information provides a necessary benchmark for determining dynamical changes induced by ligand binding and may ultimately lead to an enhanced understanding of ligand affinity and selectivity among fatty acid-binding proteins.

Backbone-atom resonances have been assigned for both the substrate-free and the NADP+-complexed forms of UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvylglucosamine reductase (MurB), a monomeric, 347-residue (38.5 kDa) flavoenzyme essential for bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis. NMR studies were performed using perdeuterated, uniformly 13C/15N-labeled samples of MurB. In the case of substrate-free MurB, one or more backbone atoms have been assigned for 334 residues (96%). The assigned backbone atoms include 309 1HN and 15N atoms (94%), 315 13CO atoms (91%), 331 13C(alpha) atoms (95%), and 297 13C(beta) atoms (93%). For NADP+-complexed MurB, one or more backbone atoms have been assigned for 313 residues (90%); these include 283 1HN and 15N atoms (86%), 305 13CO atoms (88%), 310 13C(alpha) atoms (89%), and 269 13C(beta) atoms (84%). The strategies used for obtaining resonance assignments are described in detail. Information on the secondary structure in solution for both the substrate-free and NADP+-complexed forms of the enzyme has been derived both from 13C(alpha) and 13C(beta) chemical-shift deviations from random-coil values and from 1HN-1HN NOEs. These data are compared to X-ray crystallographic structures of substrate-free MurB and MurB complexed with the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvate (UNAGEP) substrate. NADP+ binding induces significant chemical-shift changes in residues both within the known UNAGEP and FAD binding pockets and within regions known to undergo conformational changes upon UNAGEP binding. The NMR data indicate that NADP+ and UNAGEP utilize the same binding pocket and, furthermore, that the binding of NADP+ induces structural changes in MurB. Finally, many of the residues within the UNAGEP/NADP+ binding pocket were difficult to assign due to dynamic processes which weaken and/or broaden the respective resonances. Overall, our results are consistent with MurB having a flexible active site.

Refined ensembles of solution structures have been calculated for the N-terminal SH3 domain of Grb2 (N-SH3) complexed with the ac-VPPPVPPRRR-nh2 peptide derived from residues 1135 to 1144 of the mouse SOS-1 sequence. NMR spectra obtained from different combinations of both 13C-15N-labeled and unlabeled N-SH3 and SOS peptide fragment were used to obtain stereo-assignments for pro-chiral groups of the peptide, angle restraints via heteronuclear coupling constants, and complete 1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments for both molecules. One ensemble of structures was calculated using conventional methods while a second ensemble was generated by including additional direct refinements against both 1H and 13C(alpha)/13C(beta) chemical shifts. In both ensembles, the protein:peptide interface is highly resolved, reflecting the inclusion of 110 inter-molecular nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) distance restraints. The first and second peptide-binding sub-sites of N-SH3 interact with structurally well-defined portions of the peptide. These interactions include hydrogen bonds and extensive hydrophobic contacts. In the third highly acidic sub-site, the conformation of the peptide Arg8 side-chain is partially ordered by a set of NOE restraints to the Trp36 ring protons. Overall, several lines of evidence point to dynamical averaging of peptide and N-SH3 side-chain conformations in the third subsite. These conformations are characterized by transient charge stabilized hydrogen bond interactions between the peptide arginine side-chain hydrogen bond donors and either single, or possibly multiple, acceptor(s) in the third peptide-binding sub-site.