Small-molecule ligands of GD2 ganglioside, designed from NMR studies, exhibit induced-fit binding and bioactivity. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Ganglioside GD2 is a cell surface glycosphingolipid. Targeting of GD2, i.e., by anti-GD2 mAb 3F8, is used clinically for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Here, the conformations of free GD2, and of GD2 bound to mAb 3F8, were resolved by saturation transfer difference NMR and molecular modeling. Then, three small-molecule cyclic peptide ligands that bind to GD2 selectively were designed. Transferred nuclear Overhauser enhancement of the GD2-bound conformation of the peptide ligands showed an induced-fit binding mechanism. The mAb 3F8 and the peptidic GD2 ligands mediate similar biological functions in cell-based assays of calcium fluxes and src activation. Thus, small molecules can selectively and functionally interact with a sugar head group. This work furthers the concept of rationally designing ligands for carbohydrate targets, and may be expanded to other clinically relevant gangliosides.

publication date

  • February 26, 2010

Research

keywords

  • Gangliosides
  • Ligands

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 77049128054

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.chembiol.2010.01.012

PubMed ID

  • 20189108

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 17

issue

  • 2