Daniel M. Pinkas1, Pavel Strop2, and Chaitan Khosla1. (1) Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, 381 North-South Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, (2) Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, James H. Clark Center E300, 318 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305
Transglutaminase 2 is a ubiquitous enzyme which catalyzes the crosslinking of proteins via formation of epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl) lysine bonds as well as deamidation of glutamine residues to glutamate in suitable substrates. The activity of Transglutaminase 2 has been implicated in the pathology of several diseases including Celiac Disease and diseases involving protein aggregation such as Huntington's and Parkinson's Disease. We have synthesized a high affinity peptide inhibitor containing the unnatural amino acid 6-diazo-5-oxo-norleucine and have obtained a 2Å crystal structure of the enzyme-inhibitor complex. The peptide inhibitor stabilizes an extended conformation of Transglutaminase 2 in which the active site is exposed. The structure gives insights into enzyme-substrate interactions, has immunological implications for Celiac Disease, and acts as a basis for the rational design of small molecule inhibitors.