期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2010
卷号：107
期号：5
页码：1966-1970
DOI：10.1073/pnas.0911785107
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Insulin is a key protein hormone that regulates blood glucose levels and, thus, has widespread impact on lipid and protein metabolism. Insulin action is manifested through binding of its monomeric form to the Insulin Receptor (IR). At present, however, our knowledge about the structural behavior of insulin is based upon inactive, multimeric, and storage-like states. The active monomeric structure, when in complex with the receptor, must be different as the residues crucial for the interactions are buried within the multimeric forms. Although the exact nature of the insulin's induced-fit is unknown, there is strong evidence that the C-terminal part of the B-chain is a dynamic element in insulin activation and receptor binding. Here, we present the design and analysis of highly active (200-500%) insulin analogues that are truncated at residue 26 of the B-chain (B26). They show a structural convergence in the form of a new {beta}-turn at B24-B26. We propose that the key element in insulin's transition, from an inactive to an active state, may be the formation of the {beta}-turn at B24-B26 associated with a trans to cis isomerisation at the B25-B26 peptide bond. Here, this turn is achieved with N-methylated L-amino acids adjacent to the trans to cis switch at the B25-B26 peptide bond or by the insertion of certain D-amino acids at B26. The resultant conformational changes unmask previously buried amino acids that are implicated in IR binding and provide structural details for new approaches in rational design of ligands effective in combating diabetes.
关键词：β-turn ; diabetes ; peptide bond isomerisation ; protein ; structure
