page_title: Serpin
section_title: Allosteric activation
hierarchical_section_title: Serpin / Conformational change and inhibitory mechanism / Allosteric activation
caption_attribution_description: English: Some serpins are activated by cofactors. The the serpin antithrombin has an RCL (blue) where the P1 arginine (blue sticks) points inwards, preventing protease binding. Binding of heparin (green sticks) causes the P1 arginine residue to flip to an exposed position. The target protease (grey) then binds both the exposed P1 arginine as well as the heparin. The serpin then activates and heparin is released. (PDB: 2ANT, 1TB6, 1EZX​)
context_page_description: Serpins are a superfamily of proteins with similar structures that were first identified for their protease inhibition activity and are found in all kingdoms of life. The acronym serpin was originally coined because the first serpins to be identified act on chymotrypsin-like serine proteases. They are notable for their unusual mechanism of action, in which they irreversibly inhibit their target protease by undergoing a large conformational change to disrupt its active site. This contrasts with the more common competitive mechanism for protease inhibitors that bind to and block access to the protease active site.
  Protease inhibition by serpins controls an array of biological processes, including coagulation and inflammation, and consequently these proteins are the target of medical research. Their unique conformational change also makes them of interest to the structural biology and protein folding research communities. The conformational-change mechanism confers certain advantages, but it also has drawbacks: serpins are vulnerable to mutations that can result in serpinopathies such as protein misfolding and the formation of inactive long-chain polymers.
context_section_description: The conformational mobility of serpins provides a key advantage over static lock-and-key protease inhibitors. In particular, the function of inhibitory serpins can be regulated by allosteric interactions with specific cofactors. The X-ray crystal structures of antithrombin, heparin cofactor II, MENT and murine antichymotrypsin reveal that these serpins adopt a conformation wherein the first two amino acids of the RCL are inserted into the top of the A β-sheet. The partially inserted conformation is important because co-factors are able to conformationally switch certain partially inserted serpins into a fully expelled form. This conformational rearrangement makes the serpin a more effective inhibitor.
  The archetypal example of this situation is antithrombin, which circulates in plasma in a partially inserted relatively inactive state. The primary specificity determining residue (the P1 arginine) points toward the body of the serpin and is unavailable to the protease. Upon binding a high-affinity pentasaccharide sequence within long-chain heparin, antithrombin undergoes a conformational change, RCL expulsion, and exposure of the P1 arginine. The heparin pentasaccharide-bound form of antithrombin is, thus, a more effective inhibitor of thrombin and factor Xa. Furthermore, both of these coagulation proteases also contain binding sites (called exosites) for heparin. Heparin, therefore, also acts as a template for binding of both protease and serpin, further dramatically accelerating the interaction between the two parties. After the initial interaction, the final serpin complex is formed and the heparin moiety is released. This interaction is physiologically important. For example, after injury to the blood vessel wall, heparin is exposed, and antithrombin is activated to control the clotting response. Understanding of the molecular basis of this interaction enabled the development of Fondaparinux, a synthetic form of Heparin pentasaccharide used as an anti-clotting drug.
caption: Some serpins are activated by cofactors. The serpin antithrombin has an RCL (blue) where the P1 arginine (blue sticks) points inwards, preventing protease binding. Binding of heparin (green sticks) causes the P1 arginine residue to flip to an exposed position. The target protease (grey) then binds to both the exposed P1 arginine as well as the heparin. The serpin then activates and heparin is released. (PDB: 2ANT, 1TB6, 1EZX​)
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