title: Activation of human liver glycogen phosphorylase by alteration of the secondary structure and packing of the catalytic core.
abstract: Glycogen phosphorylases catalyze the breakdown of glycogen to glucose-1-phosphate, which enters glycolysis to fulfill the energetic requirements of the organism. Maintaining control of blood glucose levels is critical in minimizing the debilitating effects of diabetes, making liver glycogen phosphorylase a potential therapeutic target. To support inhibitor design, we determined the crystal structures of the active and inactive forms of human liver glycogen phosphorylase a. During activation, forty residues of the catalytic site undergo order/disorder transitions, changes in secondary structure, or packing to reorganize the catalytic site for substrate binding and catalysis. Knowing the inactive and active conformations of the liver enzyme and how each differs from its counterpart in muscle phosphorylase provides the basis for designing inhibitors that bind preferentially to the inactive conformation of the liver isozyme.
authors.affiliation: Exploratory Medicinal Sciences, Global Research and Development, Groton Laboratories, Pfizer, Inc, Connecticut 06340, USA.
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Rath
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ammirati
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: LeMotte
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Fennell
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Danley
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hynes
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wasilko
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pandit
mesh_terms: D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D015195:Drug Design; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009132:Muscles / Q000201:enzymology; D006005:Phosphorylases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate; D006005:Phosphorylases