Computer-aided design of mechanism-based pterin analogues and MD/FEP simulations of their binding to dihydrofolate reductase

QM/MM and SCRF studies of the ionization state of 8-methylpterin substrate bound to dihydrofolate reductase: existence of a low-barrier hydrogen bond

Using combined semiempirical quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and ab initio self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) calculations, we determined that a low-barrier hydrogen bond (LBHB) is formed when the mechanism-based substrate 8-methylpterin binds to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). The substrate initially was assumed bound either in the ion-pair form corresponding to N3-protonated substrate hydrogen (H) bonded to the unprotonated (carboxylate) of the conserved Glu30 residue in the active site, or in the neutral-pair form corresponding to unprotonated substrate H bonded to the neutral (carboxylic acid) from of Glu30. The free energy of interaction of these H-bonded systems with the protein/solvent surroundings was computed using a coordinate-coupled free energy perturbation (FEP) method implemented within the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation scheme and using a semiempirical (PM3) QM/MM force field. The free energy obtained from the QM/MM force-field simulations corresponds most closely with the corresponding free energy component obtained from HF/6-31G* SCRF calculations using a value of 2 for the dielectric constant (epsilon) for the solvated protein. Calculations were performed at levels ranging from HF/6-31G to MP2/6-31G* to B3LYP/6-31 + G**, with varying dielectric constants. The energy-minimized path for motion of the proton in the H bond along a one-dimensional reaction coordinate was calculated at HF/6-31G, HF/6-31G* (epsilon = 1) and B3LYP/6-31G* (epsilon = 2) levels. These calculations identified a second neutral-pair complex, involving the 2-amino group of substrate, which also interacts with Glu30, which is lower in energy than the ion-pair form. A harmonic vibrational analysis shows that the first vibrational state appears to lie near or above the TS connecting potential energy minima corresponding to the two neutral-pair configurations, thus indicating an LBHB. Consequently, the H-bonded system will have a significant probability of being found in the ion-pair form, in agreement with experimental spectral studies indicating an enzyme-bound cation and suggesting that the LBHB would activate substrate towards hydride-ion transfer from NADPH.

Ionization state and pKa of pterin-analogue ligands bound to dihydrofolate reductase

The ionization state and pKa of the inhibitor 6,8-dimethyl-N5-deazapterin bound to the recombinant human dihydrofolate reductase (rhH2folate reductase) complex with NADPH was determined by a spectrofluorimetric method. The excitation spectra for bound ligand as a function of pH from 6.1 to 9.7 indicated it was the same cationic form as for unbound ligand, which is protonated on N3. However, the lower limit for the pKa of the bound form was determined to be 9.1, a value about pH 2.5 higher than that for free ligand, indicating that ligand bound to the enzyme is protonated at neutral pH. The excitation spectra for bound ligand as a function of pH were generated by computer simulation by employing corrections for the pH dependence of the proportion of bound ligand (variable Kd; ligand-dissociation constant) and taking account of the different pKa values for bound and unbound forms. A plot of Kd values against pH showed a bell-shaped curve indicating that 6,8-dimethyl-N5-deazapterin bound to rhH2folate reductase.NADPH to form a ternary complex of ionised enzyme with protonated ligand and/or protonated enzyme with unprotonated ligand; the spectrofluorimetric results are consistent with the first alternative.