Site-specific histidine aza-Michael addition in proteins enabled by a ferritin-based metalloenzyme (#79)
Histidine modifications of proteins are broadly based on chemical methods triggering N-substitution reactions such as aza-Michael addition at histidine’s moderately nucleophilic imidazole side chain. While recent studies have demonstrated chemoselective, histidine-specific modifications by further exploiting imidazole’s electrophilic reactivity to overcome interference from the more nucleophilic lysine and cysteine, achieving site-specific histidine modifications remains a significant challenge due to the absence of spatial control over chemical processes1. Herein, through X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy structural studies, we describe the rational design of a nature-inspired, noncanonical amino-acid-incorporated2, human ferritin-based3 copper metalloenzyme that is capable of introducing site-specific post-translational modifications (PTMs) to histidine in peptides and proteins4. Specifically, chemoenzymatic aza-Michael additions on single histidine residues were carried out on eight protein substrates ranging from 10 to 607 amino acids, including the insulin peptide hormone. By introducing an insulin-targeting peptide into our metalloenzyme, we further directed modifications to be carried out site-specifically on insulin’s B-chain histidine 5. The success of this biocatalysis platform outlines a novel approach in introducing residue- and site-specific post-translational modifications to peptides and proteins, which may further enable reactions to be carried out in vivo.
- 1. Tsou J.C., Tsou C.J., Wang C.H., Ko A.L.A., Wang Y.H., Liang H.H., Sun J.C., Huang K.F., Ko T.P., Lin S.Y. & Wang Y.S.*, Site-specific histidine aza-Michael addition in proteins enabled by a ferritin-based metalloenzyme, 2024. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 33309–33315.
- 2. Wang Y.S., Fang X., Wallace A.L., Wu B. & Liu, W. R.* A rationally designed pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase mutant with a broad substrate spectrum. 2012. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 2950-2953.
- 3. Sharma V., Wang, Y.S. & Liu, W. R.* Probing the Catalytic Charge-Relay System in Alanine Racemase with Genetically Encoded Histidine Mimetics. 2016. ACS Chem. Biol. 11, 3305-3309.
- 4. Huard D.J., Kane K.M. & Tezcan F.A. Re-engineering protein interfaces yields copper-inducible ferritin cage assembly. 2013, Nat. Chem. Biol. 9, 169-176.