Towards investigation of the inhibitor-recognition mechanisms of drug-target proteins by neutron crystallography

Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2010 Nov;66(Pt 11):1126-30. doi: 10.1107/S0907444910034967. Epub 2010 Oct 20.

Abstract

It is generally known that enzymes represent important drug-target proteins. Elucidation of the catalytic function and the molecular-recognition mechanisms of enzymes provides important information for structure-based drug design. Neutron crystallography provides accurate information on the locations of H atoms that are essential in enzymatic function and molecular recognition. Recent examples are described of the structure determination of the drug-target proteins human immunodeficiency virus protease and porcine pancreatic elastase in complex with transition-state analogue inhibitors using the neutron diffractometers for biological crystallography (BIX-3 and BIX-4) installed at the JRR-3 research reactor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Design*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / metabolism*
  • HIV Protease / chemistry*
  • HIV Protease / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Neutron Diffraction
  • Neutrons*
  • Pancreatic Elastase / chemistry*
  • Pancreatic Elastase / metabolism*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Swine

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Pancreatic Elastase
  • HIV Protease