Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a central role in host defense due to its wide range of immune and hematopoietic activities and its potent ability to induce the acute phase response. Overexpression of IL-6 has been implicated in the pathology of a number of diseases including multiple myeloma, rheumatoid arthritis, Castleman's disease, psoriasis, and post-menopausal osteoporosis. Hence, selective antagonists of IL-6 action may offer therapeutic benefits. IL-6 is a member of the family of cytokines that includes interleukin-1 1, leukemia inhibitory factor, oncostatin M, cardiotrophin-1, and ciliary neurotrophic factor. Like the other members of this family, IL-6 induces growth or differentiation via a receptor-system that involves a specific receptor and the use of a shared signaling subunit, gp130. Identification of the regions of IL-6 that are involved in the interactions with the IL-6 receptor and gp130 is an important first step in the rational manipulation of the effects of this cytokine for therapeutic benefit. In this review, we focus on the sites on IL-6 which interact with its low-affhity specific receptor, the IL-6 receptor, and the high-affinity converter gp130. A tentative model for the IL-6 hexameric receptor ligand complex is presented and discussed with respect to the mechanism of action of the other members of the IL-6 family of cytokines.

The structure of alpha-helix 1 (residues 6-18) in the transition state for the unfolding of barnase has been previously characterized by comparing the kinetics and thermodynamics of folding of wild-type protein with those of mutants whose side chains have been cut back, in the main, to that of alanine. The structure of the transition state has now been explored further by comparing the kinetics and thermodynamics of folding of glycine mutants with those of the alanine mutants at solvent-exposed positions in the alpha-helices of barnase. Such "Ala-->Gly scanning" provides a general procedure for examining the structure of solvent-exposed regions in the transition state. A gradual change of structure of the transition state was detected as helix 1 becomes increasingly destabilized on mutation. The extent of change of structure of helix 1 in the transition state for the mutant proteins was probed by a further round of Ala-->Gly scanning of those mutants. Destabilization of the helix 1 was found to cause the overall transition state for unfolding to become closer in structure to that of the folded protein. This is analogous to the conventional Hammond effect in physical-organic chemistry whereby the transition state moves parallel to the reaction coordinate with change in structure. But, paradoxically, the structure of helix 1 itself becomes less folded in the transition state as helix 1 becomes destabilized. This is analogous, however, to the rarer anti-Hammond effect in which there is movement perpendicular to the reaction coordinate. These observations are rationalized by plotting correlation diagrams of degree of formation of individual elements of structure against the degree of formation of overall structure in the transition state. There is a relatively smooth movement of the degree of compactness in the transition state against changes in activation energy on mutation that suggests a smooth movement of the transition state along the energy surface on mutation rather than a switch between two different parallel pathways. The results are consistent with the transition state having closely spaced energy levels. Helix 1, which appears to be an initiation point and forms early in the folding of wild-type protein, may be radically destabilized to the extent that it forms late in the folding of mutants. The order of events in folding may thus not be crucial.

Heterozygous GATA2 mutations underlie an array of complex hematopoietic and lymphatic diseases. Analysis of the literature reporting three recurrent GATA2 germline (g) mutations (gT354M, gR396Q and gR398W) revealed different phenotype tendencies. Although all three mutants differentially predispose to myeloid malignancies, there was no difference in leukemia-free survival for GATA2 patients. Despite intense interest, the molecular pathogenesis of GATA2 mutation is poorly understood. We functionally characterized a GATA2 mutant allelic series representing major disease phenotypes caused by germline and somatic (s) mutations in zinc finger 2 (ZF2). All GATA2 mutants, except for sL359V, displayed reduced DNA-binding affinity and transactivation compared with wild type (WT), which could be attributed to mutations of arginines critical for DNA binding or amino acids required for ZF2 domain structural integrity. Two GATA2 mutants (gT354M and gC373R) bound the key hematopoietic differentiation factor PU.1 more strongly than WT potentially perturbing differentiation via sequestration of PU.1. Unlike WT, all mutants failed to suppress colony formation and some mutants skewed cell fate to granulocytes, consistent with the monocytopenia phenotype seen in GATA2-related immunodeficiency disorders. These findings implicate perturbations of GATA2 function shaping the course of development of myeloid malignancy subtypes and strengthen complete or nearly complete haploinsufficiency for predisposition to lymphedema.

Cyclic peptide library screening technologies show immense promise for identifying drug leads and chemical probes for challenging targets. However, the structural and functional diversity encoded within such libraries is largely undefined. We have systematically profiled the affinity, selectivity, and structural features of library-derived cyclic peptides selected to recognize three closely related targets: the acetyllysine-binding bromodomain proteins BRD2, -3, and -4. We report affinities as low as 100 pM and specificities of up to 106-fold. Crystal structures of 13 peptide–bromodomain complexes reveal remarkable diversity in both structure and binding mode, including both α-helical and β-sheet structures as well as bivalent binding modes. The peptides can also exhibit a high degree of structural preorganization. Our data demonstrate the enormous potential within these libraries to provide diverse binding modes against a single target, which underpins their capacity to yield highly potent and selective ligands.