Refined 2.5 Å X-ray crystal structure of the complex formed by porcine kallikrein A and the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor: Crystallization, patterson search, structure determination, refinement, structure and comparison with its components and with the bovine trypsin-pancreatic trypsin inhibitor complex☆

Abstract The complex formed by porcine pancreatic kallikrein A with the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (PTI) has been crystallized at pH 4 in tetragonal crystals of space group P 4 1 2 1 2 with one molecule per asymmetric unit. Its crystal structure has been solved applying Patterson search methods and using a model derived from the bovine trypsin-PTI complex (Huber et al. , 1974) and the structure of porcine pancreatic kallikrein A (Bode et al. , 1983). The kallikrein-PTI model has been crystallographically refined to an R -value of 0·23 including X-ray data to 2·5 A. The root-mean-square deviation, including all main-chain atoms, is 0·45 A and 0·65 A for the PTI and for the kallikrein component, respectively, compared with the refined models of the free components. The largest differences are observed in external loops of the kallikrein molecule surrounding the binding site, particularly in the C-terminal part of the intermediate helix around His172. Overall, PTI binding to kallikrein is similar to that of the trypsin complex. In particular, the conformation of the groups at the active site is identical within experimental error (in spite of the different pH values of the two structures). Ser195 OG is about 2·5 A away from the susceptible inhibitor bond Lys15 C and forms an optimal 2·5 A hydrogen bond with His57 NE. The PTI residues Thr11 to Ile18 and Val34 to Arg39 are in direct contact with kallikrein residues and form nine intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The reactive site Lys15 protrudes into the specificity pocket of kallikrein as in the trypsin complex, but its distal ammonium group is positioned differently to accommodate the side-chain of Ser226. Ser226 OG mediates the ionic interaction between the ammonium group and the carboxylate group of Asp189. Model-building studies indicate that an arginine side-chain could be accommodated in this pocket. The PTI disulfide bridge 14–38 forces the kallikrein residue Tyr99 to swing out of its normal position. Model-building experiments show that large hydrophobic residues such as phenylalanine can be accommodated at this (S2) site in a wedge-shaped hydrophobic cavity, which is formed by the indole ring of Trp215 and by the phenolic side-chain of Tyr99, and which opens towards the bound inhibitor/substrate chain. Arg17 in PTI forms a favorable hydrogen bond and van der Waals' contacts with kallikrein residues, whereas the additional hydrogen bond formed in the trypsin-PTI complex between Tvr39 OEH and Ile19 N is not possible The kallikrein binding site offers a qualitative explanation of the unusual binding and cleavage at the N-terminal Met-Lys site of kininogen. Model-building experiments suggest that the generally restricted capacity of kallikrein to bind protein inhibitors with more extended binding segments might be explained by steric hindrance with some extruding external loops surrounding the kallikrein binding site (Bode et al. , 1983).