The crystal structure of the tandem SH2 domains of human ZAP-70 in complex with a peptide derived from the zeta-subunit of the T-cell receptor reveals an unanticipated interaction between the two domains. A coiled coil of alpha-helices connects the two SH2 domains, producing an interface that constitutes one of the two critical phosphotyrosine binding sites. These and other unique features provide the molecular basis for highly selective association of ZAP-70 with the T-cell receptor.

Intermolecular potential functions have been developed for use in computer simulations of substituted benzenes. Previously reported optimized potentials for liquid simulations (OPLS) for benzene and organic functional groups were merged and tested in Monte Carlo statistical mechanics simulations for the pure liquids of toluene, m-cresol, anisole, aniline, and benzonitrile at 25°C at 1 atm. The merged potential functions yielded acceptable thermodynamic results for the liquids except in the case of aniline, for which the error in the heat of vaporization was 12%. This was remedied by enhancing the polarity of the model to be more consistent with the observed dipole moment of aniline. Overall, the average errors in computed heats of vaporization and densities were then 2 and l!%, respectively. The structures of the liquids were characterized through energy and radial distribution functions. For m-cresol and aniline, the molecules participate in averages of 1.6 and 1.4 hydrogen bonds, respectively. Condensed phase effects on the torsional energies for anisole, mcresol, and aniline were found to be small; m-cresol has a slightly enhanced tendency to be nonplanar in the liquid than in the gas phase, while anisole shows the opposite pattern.

-An interactive computer program, CAMEO, has been developed to predict products of organic reactions given the starting materials and conditions. The analyses primarily feature mechanistic reasoning and have been extended to cover most of the major classes of organic reactions. An important aspect of the project has been to clearly define the logic behind accurate prediction of products and to simultaneously search for organizing principles governing organic reactivity. The current capabilities of the program are summarized in this review and illustrated with comparisons to reported experimental reaction sequences.

Cathepsin S, a lysosomal cysteine protease of the papain superfamily, has been implicated in the preparation of MHC class II alphabeta-heterodimers for antigen presentation to CD4+ T lymphocytes and is considered a potential target for autoimmune-disease therapy. Selective inhibition of this enzyme may be therapeutically useful for attenuating the hyperimmune responses in a number of disorders. We determined the three-dimensional crystal structures of human cathepsin S in complex with potent covalent inhibitors, the aldehyde inhibitor 4-morpholinecarbonyl-Phe-(S-benzyl)Cys-Psi(CH=O), and the vinyl sulfone irreversible inhibitor 4-morpholinecarbonyl-Leu-Hph-Psi(CH=CH-SO(2)-phenyl) at resolutions of 1.8 and 2.0 A, respectively. In the structure of the cathepsin S-aldehyde complex, the tetrahedral thiohemiacetal adduct favors the S-configuration, in which the oxygen atom interacts with the imidazole group of the active site His164 rather than with the oxyanion hole. The present structures provide a detailed map of noncovalent intermolecular interactions established in the substrate-binding subsites S3 to S1' of cathepsin S. In the S2 pocket, which is the binding affinity hot spot of cathepsin S, the Phe211 side chain can assume two stable conformations that accommodate either the P2-Leu or a bulkier P2-Phe side chain. This structural plasticity of the S2 pocket in cathepsin S explains the selective inhibition of cathepsin S over cathepsin K afforded by inhibitors with the P2-Phe side chain. Comparison with the structures of cathepsins K, V, and L allows delineation of local intermolecular contacts that are unique to cathepsin S.