Cryo-EM structures of human arachidonate 12S-lipoxygenase bound to endogenous and exogenous inhibitors.
Mobbs, J.I., Black, K.A., Tran, M., Burger, W.A.C., Venugopal, H., Holman, T.R., Holinstat, M., Thal, D.M., Glukhova, A.(2023) Blood 142: 1233-1242
- PubMed: 37506345 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2023020441
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
8GHB, 8GHC, 8GHD, 8GHE - PubMed Abstract: 
Human 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) is a key enzyme involved in platelet activation, and the regulation of its activity has been targeted for the treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Despite the clinical importance of 12-LOX, the exact mechanisms by which it affects platelet activation are not fully understood, and the lack of structural information has limited drug discovery efforts. In this study, we used single-particle cryo-electron microscopy to determine high-resolution structures (1.7-2.8 Å) of human 12-LOX. Our results showed that 12-LOX can exist in multiple oligomeric states, from monomer to hexamer, which may affect its catalytic activity and membrane association. We also identified different conformations within the 12-LOX dimer, which likely represent different time points in its catalytic cycle. Furthermore, we identified small molecules bound to 12-LOX. The active site of the 12-LOX tetramer was occupied by an endogenous 12-LOX inhibitor, a long-chain acyl coenzyme A. In addition, we found that the 12-LOX hexamer can simultaneously bind to arachidonic acid and ML355, a selective 12-LOX inhibitor that has passed a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and received a fast-track designation by the Food and Drug Administration. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into the assembly of 12-LOX oligomers, their catalytic mechanism, and small molecule binding, paving the way for further drug development targeting the 12-LOX enzyme.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia.