First computational evidence for a catalytic bridging hydroxide ion in a phosphodiesterase active site

Phosphodiesterases are clinical targets for a variety of biological disorders, because this superfamily of enzymes regulates the intracellular concentration of cyclic nucleotides that serve as the second messengers playing a critical role in a variety of physiological processes. Understanding the structure and mechanism of a phosphodiesterase will provide a solid basis for rational design of the more efficient therapeutics. Although a three-dimensional X-ray crystal structure of the catalytic domain of human phosphodiesterase 4B2B was recently reported, it is uncertain whether a critical bridging ligand in the active site is a water molecule or a hydroxide ion. The identity of this bridging ligand is theoretically determined by performing first-principles quantum chemical calculations on models of the active site. All the results obtained indicate that this critical bridging ligand in the active site of the reported X-ray crystal structure is a hydroxide ion, rather than a water molecule, expected to serve as the nucleophile to initialize the catalytic degradation of the intracellular second messengers.