A peptidoglycan monomer with the glutamine to serine change and basic peptides bind in silico to TLR-2 (403-455)

Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2011 Apr;60(4):515-24. doi: 10.1007/s00262-010-0959-1. Epub 2010 Dec 28.

Abstract

Bacterial cell wall polysaccharides, such as PGN, bind and activate TLR-2, NOD2 and PGRP on monocytes/macrophages and activate inflammation. We found that the peptides containing basic amino acids (cations) at N -terminus and tyrosine at C-terminus interfered with activating ability of PGN. This finding is significant because the ECD of TLR-2 in vivo encounters a large number of proteins or peptides. Some should bind ECD and "pre-form" TLR-2 to respond or not to its activators, although they cannot activate TLR-2 alone. TLR-2 is receptor for a large number of ligands, including lipopeptides and bacterial cell wall glycoproteins. A binding site for lipopeptides has been identified; however, a binding site for soluble or multimeric PGN has not been proposed. To identify the candidate binding sites of peptides and PGN on TLR-2, we modeled docking of peptides and of the PGN monomer (PGN-S-monomer) to extracellular domain (ECD-TLR-2) of the unbound TLR-2. Quantification, in silico, of free energy of binding (DG) identified 2 close sites for peptides and PGN. The PGN-S-monomer binding site is between amino acids TLR-2, 404-430 or more closely TLR-2, 417-428. The peptide-binding site is between amino acids TLR-2, 434-455. Molecular models show PGN-S-monomer inserts its N -acetyl-glucosamine (NAG) deep in the TLR-2 coil, while its terminal lysine interacts with inside (Glu(403)) and outside pocket (Tyr(378)). Peptides insert their two N -terminal arginines or their C-terminal tyrosines in the TLR-2 coil. PGN did not bind the lipopeptide-binding site in the TLR-2. It can bind the C-terminus, 572-586 (DG = 0.026 kcal), of "lipopeptide-bound" TLR-2. An additional, low-affinity PGN-binding site is TLR-2 (227-237). MTP, MDP, and lysine-less PGN bind to TLR-2, 87-113. This is the first report identifying candidate binding sites of monomer PGN and peptides on TLR-2. Experimental verification of our findings is needed to create synthetic adjuvant for vaccines. Such synthetic PGN can direct both adjuvant and cancer antigen to TLR-2.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Binding Sites*
  • Computational Biology
  • Glutamine / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Macrophage Activation / immunology
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptidoglycan / chemistry*
  • Peptidoglycan / immunology
  • Peptidoglycan / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Serine / chemistry
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / chemistry*
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / immunology
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / metabolism

Substances

  • Peptidoglycan
  • TLR2 protein, human
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2
  • Glutamine
  • Serine