Synthetic Ligands for Apo-Neocarzinostatin
Caddick, S., Muskett, F.W., Stoneman, R.G., Woolfson, D.N.(2006) J Am Chem Soc 128: 4204-4205
- PubMed: 16568976 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/ja058419i
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
2G0K, 2G0L - PubMed Abstract: 
Neocarzinostatin (NCS) is a 1:1 complex of an enediyne chromophore (NCSChrom), non-covalently bound to an 11 kDa protein (apoNCS). We are exploring apoNCS as a generic protein system for sequestering small molecules for therapeutic applications. Here, we disclose a new flavone ligand 1 for apoNCS and present a high-resolution NMR structure of this ligand bound to apoNCS. This is the first high-resolution structure of a completely non-cognate ligand bound to the apoNCS protein. This work provides unambiguous evidence that a completely new class of ligand can bind specifically to apoNCS. Furthermore, the mode of binding is different than that of the naphthoate-based ligands, and for such a simple hydrophobic compound, the new ligand surprisingly binds specifically. This work indicates that apo-Neocarzinostatin has multiple selective and distinct binding modes for small-molecule cargo.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemistry, University College London, UK. s.caddick@ucl.ac.uk