Caspase-6 is an apoptotic cysteine protease that also governs disease progression in Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases. Caspase-6 is of great interest as a target for treatment of these neurodegenerative diseases, however the molecular basis of caspase-6 function and regulation remains poorly understood. In the recently reported structure of caspase-6, the 60’s and 130’s helices at the base of the substrate-binding groove extend upward, in a conformation entirely different from that of any other caspase. Presently, the central question about caspase-6 structure and function is whether the extended conformation is the catalytically competent conformation or whether the extended helices must undergo a large conformational rearrangement in order to bind substrate. We have generated a series of caspase-6 cleavage variants including a novel constitutively two-chain form and determined crystal structures of caspase-6 with and without the intersubunit linker. This series allows evaluation of the role of the prodomain and intersubunit linker on caspase-6 structure and function before and after substrate binding. Caspase-6 is inherently more stable than closely related caspases. Cleaved caspase-6 with both the prodomain and linker present is the most stable indicating that these two regions act in concert to increase stability, but maintain the extended conformation in the unliganded state. Most importantly, these data suggest that caspase-6 undergoes a significant conformational change upon substrate binding, adopting a structure that is more like canonical caspases.

One of the most promising and as yet underutilized means of regulating protein function is exploitation of allosteric sites. All caspases catalyze the same overall reaction, but they perform different biological roles and are differentially regulated. It is our hypothesis that many allosteric sites exist on various caspases and that understanding both the distinct and overlapping mechanisms by which each caspase can be allosterically controlled should ultimately enable caspase-specific inhibition. Here we describe the ongoing work and methods for compiling a comprehensive map of apoptotic caspase allostery. Central to this approach are the use of i) the embedded record of naturally evolved allosterically sites that are sensitive to zinc-medicated inhibition, phosphorylation and other post-translationally modifications, ii) structural and mutagenic approaches and iii) novel binding sites identified by both rationally-designed and screening-derived small-molecule inhibitors.

Caspase-6 is an apoptotic protease that also plays important roles in neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Caspase-6 is the only caspase known to form a latent state in which two extended helices block access to the active site. These helices must convert to strands for binding substrate. We probed the inter-converting region and found that the absence of helix-breaking residues is more critical than is a helix-bridging, hydrogen-bond network for formation of the extended conformation. In addition, our results suggest that caspase-6 must transition through a low-stability intermediate in order to bind active-site ligand.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) participate in many disease pathways and represent the largest family of therapeutic targets. Thus, great investments are made to discover drugs modulating GPCR-mediated events. Among functional assays for screening GPCRs, the Transfluor ® imaging assay is based on redistribution of cytosolic β-arrestin to an activated GPCR and has become widely used in high-content screening. However, assessing Transfluor ® alone has limitations: relying on a single mechanistic step of β-arrestin redistribution during GPCR activation, providing no information on the stimulated GPCR's intracellular fate, and using only a single fluorescent color (green fluorescent protein). Taking full advantage of high-content imaging to screen approximately 2000 compounds, the authors multifplexed the Transfluor ® assay with an immunofluorescence-based quantification of GPCR internalization. This approach identified and classified 377 compounds interfering with agonistinduced activation of the Transfluor ® assay, receptor internalization, or both. In addition, a subset of compounds was analyzed for their performance across imaging, cell-based calcium release (fluorometric imaging plate reader [FLIPR]), and biochemical receptor binding assays (scintillation proximity assay). This indicated that the imaging assays have even better predictive power for direct inhibition of receptor binding than the FLIPR assay. In conclusion, compounds inducing unique responses can suggest novel mechanisms of action and be used as tools to study GPCR activation and internalization. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2008:449-455)