1
|
Ibrahim PEGF, Zuccotto F, Zachariae U, Gilbert I, Bodkin M. Accurate prediction of dynamic protein-ligand binding using P-score ranking. J Comput Chem 2024. [PMID: 38647338 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Protein-ligand binding prediction typically relies on docking methodologies and associated scoring functions to propose the binding mode of a ligand in a biological target. Significant challenges are associated with this approach, including the flexibility of the protein-ligand system, solvent-mediated interactions, and associated entropy changes. In addition, scoring functions are only weakly accurate due to the short time required for calculating enthalpic and entropic binding interactions. The workflow described here attempts to address these limitations by combining supervised molecular dynamics with dynamical averaging quantum mechanics fragment molecular orbital. This combination significantly increased the ability to predict the experimental binding structure of protein-ligand complexes independent from the starting position of the ligands or the binding site conformation. We found that the predictive power could be enhanced by combining the residence time and interaction energies as descriptors in a novel scoring function named the P-score. This is illustrated using six different protein-ligand targets as case studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter E G F Ibrahim
- Drug Discovery Unit, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Fabio Zuccotto
- Drug Discovery Unit, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Ulrich Zachariae
- Drug Discovery Unit, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Ian Gilbert
- Drug Discovery Unit, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Mike Bodkin
- Drug Discovery Unit, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
He Y, Liu K, Yu X, Yang H, Han W. Building a Kokumi Database and Machine Learning-Based Prediction: A Systematic Computational Study on Kokumi Analysis. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:2670-2680. [PMID: 38232977 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Kokumi is a subtle sensation characterized by a sense of fullness, continuity, and thickness. Traditional methods of taste discovery and analysis, including those of kokumi, have been labor-intensive and costly, thus necessitating the emergence of computational methods as critical strategies in molecular taste analysis and prediction. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive analysis, prediction, and screening of the kokumi compounds. We categorized 285 kokumi compounds from a previously unreleased kokumi database into five groups based on their molecular characteristics. Moreover, we predicted kokumi/non-kokumi and multi-flavor compositions using six structure-taste relationship models: MLP-E3FP, MLP-PLIF, MLP-RDKFP, SVM-RDKFP, RF-RDKFP, and WeaveGNN feature of Atoms and Bonds. These six predictors exhibited diverse performance levels across two different models. For kokumi/non-kokumi prediction, the WeaveGNN model showed an exceptional predictive AUC value (0.94), outperforming the other models (0.87, 0.90, 0.89, 0.92, and 0.78). For multi-flavor prediction, the MLP-E3FP model demonstrated a higher predictive AUC and MCC value (0.94 and 0.74) than the others (0.73 and 0.33; 0.92 and 0.70; 0.95 and 0.73; 0.94 and 0.64; and 0.88 and 0.69). This data highlights the model's proficiency in accurately predicting kokumi molecules. As a result, we sourced kokumi active compounds through a high-throughput screening of over 100 million molecules, further refined by toxicity and similarity screening. Lastly, we launched a web platform, KokumiPD (https://www.kokumipd.com/), offering a comprehensive kokumi database and online prediction services for users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Kaifeng Liu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xiangyu Yu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Hengzheng Yang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Weiwei Han
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang M, Liu K. Molecular dynamics simulations to explore the binding mode between the amyloid-β protein precursor (APP) and adaptor protein Mint2. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7975. [PMID: 38575686 PMCID: PMC10995209 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58584-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a significant challenge in neurodegenerative disease management, with limited therapeutic options available for its prevention and treatment. At the heart of AD pathogenesis is the amyloid-β (Aβ) protein precursor (APP), with the interaction between APP and the adaptor protein Mint2 being crucial. Despite previous explorations into the APP-Mint2 interaction, the dynamic regulatory mechanisms by which Mint2 modulates APP binding remain poorly understood. This study undertakes molecular dynamics simulations across four distinct systems-free Mint2, Mint2 bound to APP, a mutant form of Mint2, and the mutant form bound to APP-over an extensive 400 ns timeframe. Our findings reveal that the mutant Mint2 experiences significant secondary structural transformations, notably the formation of an α-helix in residues S55-K65 upon APP binding, within the 400 ns simulation period. Additionally, we observed a reduction in the active pocket size of the mutant Mint2 compared to its wild-type counterpart, enhancing its APP binding affinity. These insights hold promise for guiding the development of novel inhibitors targeting the Mints family, potentially paving the way for new therapeutic strategies in AD prevention and treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Wang
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130022, China.
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130022, China.
| | - Kaifeng Liu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang K, Cui H, Liu K, He Q, Fu X, Li W, Han W. Exploring the anti-gout potential of sunflower receptacles alkaloids: A computational and pharmacological analysis. Comput Biol Med 2024; 172:108252. [PMID: 38493604 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Gout, a painful condition marked by elevated uric acid levels often linked to the diet's high purine and alcohol content, finds a potential treatment target in xanthine oxidase (XO), a crucial enzyme for uric acid production. This study explores the therapeutic properties of alkaloids extracted from sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) receptacles against gout. By leveraging computational chemistry and introducing a novel R-based clustering algorithm, "TriDimensional Hierarchical Fingerprint Clustering with Tanimoto Representative Selection (3DHFC-TRS)," we assessed 231 alkaloid molecules from sunflower receptacles. Our clustering analysis pinpointed six alkaloids with significant gout-targeting potential, particularly emphasizing the fifth cluster's XO inhibition capabilities. Through molecular docking and the BatchDTA prediction model, we identified three top compounds-2-naphthylalanine, medroxalol, and fenspiride-with the highest XO affinity. Further molecular dynamics simulations assessed their enzyme active site interactions and binding free energies, employing MM-PBSA calculations. This investigation not only highlights the discovery of promising compounds within sunflower receptacle alkaloids via LC-MS but also introduces medroxalol as a novel gout treatment candidate, showcasing the synergy of computational techniques and LC-MS in drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyu Wang
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China
| | - Huizi Cui
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China
| | - Kaifeng Liu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China
| | - Qizheng He
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China
| | - Xueqi Fu
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China
| | - Wannan Li
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China.
| | - Weiwei Han
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, Qianjin road 2699, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Liu Y, Zhao W, Jiang Y, Xing S, Li W. Study on the Mechanism of Interaction between Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 and Inhibitory Peptides Based on Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamic Simulation. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:839. [PMID: 38255913 PMCID: PMC10815451 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors can effectively inhibit the activity of DPP4, increasing the concentrations of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which allows for them to effectively contribute to the reduction of blood sugar levels. Leu-Pro-Ala-Val-Thr-Ile-Arg (LPAVTIR) and Leu-Pro-Pro-Glu-His-Asp-Trp-Arg (LPPEHDWR) were the two peptides with the strongest inhibitory activity against DPP4 selected from silkworm pupa proteins. In this study, four systems were established: Apo (ligand-free DPP4), IPI (IPI-bound DPP4), LPAVTIR (LPAVTIR-bound DPP4), LPPEHDWR (LPPEHDWR-bound DPP4), and Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamic (GaMD) simulation was conducted to investigate the mechanism of action of two inhibitory peptides binding to DPP4. Our study revealed that the LPAVTIR peptide possessed a more stable structure and exhibited a tighter binding to the Ser630 active site in DPP4, thus exhibiting a favorable competitive inhibition effect. In contrast, the LPPEHDWR peptide caused the horizontal α-helix (residues 201-215) composed of Glu205 and Glu206 residues in DPP4 to disappear. The spatial arrangement of active sites Ser630 relative to Glu205 and Glu206 was disrupted, resulting in enzyme inactivation. Moreover, the size of the substrate channel and cavity volume was significantly reduced after the binding of the inhibitory peptide to the protein, which was an important factor in the inhibition of the enzyme activity. A similar effect was also found from IPI (our positive control). By stabilizing the active site of DPP4, the IPI peptide induced the disappearance of the horizontal α-helix and a notable reduction in the active cavity volume. In conclusion, our study provided a solid theoretical foundation for the inhibitory mechanisms of IPI, LPAVTIR, and LPPEHDWR on DPP4, offering valuable insights for advancing the development of drug targets for type 2 diabetes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Liu
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Wencheng Zhao
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Yongxin Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China;
| | - Shu Xing
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Wannan Li
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
He Y, Liu K, Cao F, Song R, Liu J, Zhang Y, Li W, Han W. Using deep learning and molecular dynamics simulations to unravel the regulation mechanism of peptides as noncompetitive inhibitor of xanthine oxidase. Sci Rep 2024; 14:174. [PMID: 38168773 PMCID: PMC10761953 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50686-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Xanthine oxidase (XO) is a crucial enzyme in the development of hyperuricemia and gout. This study focuses on LWM and ALPM, two food-derived inhibitors of XO. We used molecular docking to obtain three systems and then conducted 200 ns molecular dynamics simulations for the Apo, LWM, and ALPM systems. The results reveal a stronger binding affinity of the LWM peptide to XO, potentially due to increased hydrogen bond formation. Notable changes were observed in the XO tunnel upon inhibitor binding, particularly with LWM, which showed a thinner, longer, and more twisted configuration compared to ALPM. The study highlights the importance of residue F914 in the allosteric pathway. Methodologically, we utilized the perturbed response scan (PRS) based on Python, enhancing tools for MD analysis. These findings deepen our understanding of food-derived anti-XO inhibitors and could inform the development of food-based therapeutics for reducing uric acid levels with minimal side effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Qianjin Road 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Kaifeng Liu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Qianjin Road 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Fuyan Cao
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Qianjin Road 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Renxiu Song
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Qianjin Road 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Jianxuan Liu
- Jilin Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences, Chuangju Road 155, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Yinghua Zhang
- Jilin Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences, Chuangju Road 155, Changchun, 130012, China.
| | - Wannan Li
- Edmond H. Fischer Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Qianjin Road 2699, Changchun, 130012, China.
| | - Weiwei Han
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Qianjin Road 2699, Changchun, 130012, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Xu B, Liang L, Jiang Y, Zhao Z. Investigating the ibrutinib resistance mechanism of L528W mutation on Bruton's tyrosine kinase via molecular dynamics simulations. J Mol Graph Model 2024; 126:108623. [PMID: 37716293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Drug resistance to Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitors presents a challenge in treating B-cell malignancies, and the mechanism behind drug resistance remains unclear. In this study, we focused on the BTK L528W mutation and investigated the underlying mechanisms of resistance to ibrutinib (including prototype and its active metabolite from, PCI-45227) using a combination of bioinformatics analysis, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Protein stability of wild type (WT) BTK and L528W mutant was predicted using DUET, PoPMuSiC, and I-Mutant2.0. We performed MD simulations of six systems, apo-WT, metabolite-WT, prototype-WT and their mutants, to analyze the significant conformational and BTK-inhibitor binding affinity changes induced by the L528W mutation. Results show that the L528W mutation reduces the conformational stability of BTK compared to the WT. Principal component analysis (PCA) based free energy landscape (FEL) analysis shows that the L528W mutant ensemble tends to form more conformation clusters and exhibit higher levels of local minima than the WT counterpart. The interaction analysis reveal that the L528W mutation disrupts the strong hydrogen bond between Cys481 and inhibitors and reduces the number of hydrogen bonds between inhibitors and BTK in the L528W mutant complex structures compared to the WT. Porcupine plot analysis in association with cross-correlation analysis show the high-intensity flexible motion exhibited by the P-loop region. MM/GBSA calculations show that the L528W mutation in metabolite-BTK and prototype-BTK complexes increases binding free energy compared to the WT, with a reduction in binding affinity confirmed by per-residue energy decomposition. Specifically, the binding free energy increases from -57.86 kcal/mol to -48.26 kcal/mol for the metabolite-BTK complex and from -62.04 kcal/mol to -50.55 kcal/mol for the prototype-BTK complex. Overall, our study finds that the L528W mutation reduces BTK stability, decreases binding affinity, and leads to drug resistance and potential disease recurrence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Biyu Xu
- Department of Hematology, Dongguan Institute of Clinical Cancer Research, Affiliated Dongguan Hospital, Southern Medical University, Dongguan City, 523050, Guangdong Province, China; Dongguan Institute of Clinical Cancer Research, Dongguan Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Tumors, Affiliated Dongguan Hospital, Southern Medical University, Dongguan City, 523050, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Luguang Liang
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First Dongguan Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan City, 523710, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Yirong Jiang
- Department of Hematology, Dongguan Institute of Clinical Cancer Research, Affiliated Dongguan Hospital, Southern Medical University, Dongguan City, 523050, Guangdong Province, China; Dongguan Institute of Clinical Cancer Research, Dongguan Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Tumors, Affiliated Dongguan Hospital, Southern Medical University, Dongguan City, 523050, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Zuguo Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology of Basical Medicine of Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan City, 523808, Guangdong Province, China; Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First Dongguan Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan City, 523710, Guangdong Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Sar S, Mitra S, Panda P, Mandal SC, Ghosh N, Halder AK, Cordeiro MNDS. In Silico Modeling and Structural Analysis of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors for Enhanced Therapeutic Design. Molecules 2023; 28:6379. [PMID: 37687207 PMCID: PMC10490281 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Human soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), a dual-functioning homodimeric enzyme with hydrolase and phosphatase activities, is known for its pivotal role in the hydrolysis of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids. Inhibitors targeting sEH have shown promising potential in the treatment of various life-threatening diseases. In this study, we employed a range of in silico modeling approaches to investigate a diverse dataset of structurally distinct sEH inhibitors. Our primary aim was to develop predictive and validated models while gaining insights into the structural requirements necessary for achieving higher inhibitory potential. To accomplish this, we initially calculated molecular descriptors using nine different descriptor-calculating tools, coupled with stochastic and non-stochastic feature selection strategies, to identify the most statistically significant linear 2D-QSAR model. The resulting model highlighted the critical roles played by topological characteristics, 2D pharmacophore features, and specific physicochemical properties in enhancing inhibitory potential. In addition to conventional 2D-QSAR modeling, we implemented the Transformer-CNN methodology to develop QSAR models, enabling us to obtain structural interpretations based on the Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (LRP) algorithm. Moreover, a comprehensive 3D-QSAR analysis provided additional insights into the structural requirements of these compounds as potent sEH inhibitors. To validate the findings from the QSAR modeling studies, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using selected compounds from the dataset. The simulation results offered crucial insights into receptor-ligand interactions, supporting the predictions obtained from the QSAR models. Collectively, our work serves as an essential guideline for the rational design of novel sEH inhibitors with enhanced therapeutic potential. Importantly, all the in silico studies were performed using open-access tools to ensure reproducibility and accessibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuvam Sar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India; (S.S.)
| | - Soumya Mitra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India; (S.S.)
- Dr. B. C. Roy College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Campus Dr. Meghnad Saha Sarani, Durgapur 713206, India
| | - Parthasarathi Panda
- Dr. B. C. Roy College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Campus Dr. Meghnad Saha Sarani, Durgapur 713206, India
| | - Subhash C. Mandal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India; (S.S.)
| | - Nilanjan Ghosh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India; (S.S.)
| | - Amit Kumar Halder
- Dr. B. C. Roy College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Campus Dr. Meghnad Saha Sarani, Durgapur 713206, India
- LAQV@REQUIMTE—Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Natalia D. S. Cordeiro
- LAQV@REQUIMTE—Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Wang M, Liu K, Ma Y, Han W. Probing the Mechanisms of Inhibitors Binding to Presenilin Homologue Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28052076. [PMID: 36903320 PMCID: PMC10004098 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28052076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
γ-secretase is an intramembrane proteolytic enzyme that is mainly involved in the cleavage and hydrolysis of the amyloid precursor (APP). The catalytic subunit presenilin 1 (PS1) is the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase. Since it was found that PS1 is responsible for Aβ-producing proteolytic activity, which is involved in Alzheimer's disease, it is believed that reducing the activity of PS1 and preventing or delaying the production of Aβ could help treat Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, in recent years, researchers have begun investigating the potential clinical efficacy of PS1 inhibitors. Currently, most PS1 inhibitors are only used as a tool to study the structure and function of PS1, and a few inhibitors with a high selectivity have been tested in clinics. Less-selective PS1 inhibitors were found to not only inhibit Aβ production but also inhibit Notch cleavage, which led to serious adverse events. The archaeal presenilin homologue (PSH) is a surrogate protease of presenilin that is useful for agent screening. In this study, we performed 200 ns molecular dynamics simulations (MD) of four systems to explore the conformational changes of different ligands binding to PSH. Our results indicated that the PSH-L679 system formed 3-10 helices in TM4, loosening up TM4 and allowing substrates to enter the catalytic pocket, thereby making it less inhibitory. Additionally, we found that III-31-C can bring TM4 and TM6 closer, resulting in the contraction of the PSH active pocket. Altogether, these results provide the basis for the potential design of newer PS1 inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Weiwei Han
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-(431)-85155218
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
El-Hussieny M, ElMansy MF, Ewies EF, El-Rashedy AA, Ibrahim AY, El-Sayed NF. Synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular dynamics of novel coumarin based phosphorothioates as cholinesterase inhibitors. J Mol Struct 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.134214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
|
11
|
Comparative Genomics and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Chloroplast Genomes in Three Medicinal Salvia Species for Bioexploration. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012080. [PMID: 36292964 PMCID: PMC9603726 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
To systematically determine their phylogenetic relationships and develop molecular markers for species discrimination of Salvia bowleyana, S. splendens, and S. officinalis, we sequenced their chloroplast genomes using the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. The chloroplast genomes length of S. bowleyana, S. splendens, and S. officinalis were 151,387 bp, 150,604 bp, and 151,163 bp, respectively. The six genes ndhB, rpl2, rpl23, rps7, rps12, and ycf2 were present in the IR regions. The chloroplast genomes of S. bowleyana, S. splendens, and S. officinalis contain 29 tandem repeats; 35, 29, 24 simple-sequence repeats, and 47, 49, 40 interspersed repeats, respectively. The three specific intergenic sequences (IGS) of rps16-trnQ-UUG, trnL-UAA-trnF-GAA, and trnM-CAU-atpE were found to discriminate the 23 Salvia species. A total of 91 intergenic spacer sequences were identified through genetic distance analysis. The two specific IGS regions (trnG-GCC-trnM-CAU and ycf3-trnS-GGA) have the highest K2p value identified in the three studied Salvia species. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree showed that the 23 Salvia species formed a monophyletic group. Two pairs of genus-specific DNA barcode primers were found. The results will provide a solid foundation to understand the phylogenetic classification of the three Salvia species. Moreover, the specific intergenic regions can provide the probability to discriminate the Salvia species between the phenotype and the distinction of gene fragments.
Collapse
|
12
|
Yu-Nan H, Kang W, Yu S, Xiao-Jun X, Yan W, Xing-Ao L, Ting-Ting S. Molecular dynamics simulation on the Thermosinus carboxydivorans pfl ZTP riboswitch by ligand binding. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 627:184-190. [PMID: 36044800 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Riboswitches are RNA molecules that can regulate gene expression which is affected by ligand-binding during cotranscriptional folding process. However, the role of ligand during the folding is still unclear. In this study, the pfl domain of Thermosinus carboxydivorans ZTP riboswitch was discussed. The ligand is molecule ZMP. We mainly analyzed the change of ZMP-free and ZMP-bound aptamer domain by the dynamics simulation method. Structural features by calculating their RMSD, RMSF, etc. are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the binding domain require the presence of ZMP to maintain a stable fold. It also suggested that ZMP specificly binding to ZTP can generate more hydrogen bonds in the binding domain. Through the calculation of binding free energy decomposition of each nucleotide, molecule ZMP was found to promote the recognition and binding process of ligands by controlling some special nucleotides in the process of ligand binding. At last, the dynamical correlation and components of conformational motions were both applied to explore the effect of molecule ZMP to ZTP riboswitch. In general, ZMP can effectively affect the motions of the pfl riboswitch and facilitate the folding process of the ZTP riboswitch.These results may provide some new ideas for structural changes in riboswitches and their cotranscriptional folding process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- He Yu-Nan
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, PR China
| | - Wang Kang
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, PR China
| | - Shen Yu
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, PR China
| | - Xu Xiao-Jun
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213001, PR China
| | - Wang Yan
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, PR China
| | - Li Xing-Ao
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, PR China.
| | - Sun Ting-Ting
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ma W, Zhu M, Wang B, Gong Z, Du X, Yang T, Shi X, Dai B, Zhan Y, Zhang D, Ji Y, Wang Y, Li S, Zhang Y. Vandetanib drives growth arrest and promotes sensitivity to imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia by targeting ephrin type-B receptor 4. Mol Oncol 2022; 16:2747-2765. [PMID: 35689424 PMCID: PMC9297786 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The oncogenic role of ephrin type‐B receptor 4 (EPHB4) has been reported in many types of tumors, including chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Here, we found that CML patients have a higher EPHB4 expression level than healthy subjects. EPHB4 knockdown inhibited growth of K562 cells (a human immortalized myelogenous leukemia cell line). In addition, transient transfection of EPHB4 siRNA led to sensitization to imatinib. These growth defects could be fully rescued by EPHB4 transfection. To identify an EPHB4‐specific inhibitor with the potential of rapid translation into the clinic, a pool of clinical compounds was screened and vandetanib was found to be most sensitive to K562 cells, which express a high level of EPHB4. Vandetanib mainly acts on the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain and interacts stably with a hydrophobic pocket. Furthermore, vandetanib downregulated EPHB4 protein via the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway and inhibited PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways in K562 cells. Vandetanib alone significantly inhibited tumor growth in a K562 xenograft model. Furthermore, the combination of vandetanib and imatinib exhibited enhanced and synergistic growth inhibition against imatinib‐resistant K562 cells in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that vandetanib drives growth arrest and overcomes the resistance to imatinib in CML via targeting EPHB4.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weina Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Man Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Bo Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhengyan Gong
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Xia Du
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shaanxi Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China
| | - Tianfeng Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Xianpeng Shi
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Bingling Dai
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Yingzhuan Zhan
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Dongdong Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| | - Yanhong Ji
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Yang Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Song Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Center for Pharmacogenetics, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yanmin Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.,State Key Laboratory of Shaanxi for Natural Medicines Research and Engineering, Xi'an, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Farasati Far B, Bokov D, Widjaja G, Setia Budi H, Kamal Abdelbasset W, Javanshir S, Seif F, Pazoki-Toroudi H, Dey SK. Metronidazole, acyclovir and tetrahydrobiopterin may be promising to treat COVID-19 patients, through interaction with interleukin-12. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022:1-19. [PMID: 35446232 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2064917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 patients have shown overexpressed serum levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to a high mortality rate due to numerous complications. Also, previous studies demonstrated that the metronidazole (MTZ) administration reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and improved the treatment outcomes for inflammatory disorders. However, the effect and mechanism of action of MTZ on cytokines have not been studied yet. Thus, the current study aimed to identify anti-cytokine therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with cytokine storm. The interaction of MTZ with key cytokines was investigated using molecular docking studies. MTZ-analogues, and its structurally similar FDA-approved drugs were also virtually screened against interleukin-12 (IL-12). Moreover, their mechanism of inhibition regarding IL-12 binding to IL-12 receptor was investigated by measuring the change in volume and area. IL-12-metronidazole complex is found to be more stable than all other cytokines under study. Our study also revealed that the active sites of IL-12 are inhibited from binding to its target, IL-12 receptor, by modifying the position of the methyl and hydroxyl functional groups in MTZ. Three MTZ analogues, metronidazole phosphate, metronidazole benzoate, 1-[1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-5-nitroimidazol-2-yl]-N-methylmethanimine-oxide, and two FDA-approved drugs acyclovir (ACV), and tetrahydrobiopterin (THB) were also found to prevent binding of IL-12 to IL-12 receptor similar to MTZ by changing the surface and volume of IL-12 upon IL-12-drug/ligand complex formation. According to the RMSD results, after 100 ns MD simulations of human IL-12-MTZ/ACV/THB drug complexes, it was also observed that each complex was swinging within a few Å compared to their corresponding docking poses, indicating that the docking poses were reliable. The current study demonstrates that three FDA-approved drugs, namely, metronidazole, acyclovir and tetrahydrobiopterin, are potential repurposable treatment options for overexpressed serum cytokines found in COVID-19 patients. Similar approach is also useful to develop therapeutics against other human disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Farasati Far
- Heterocyclic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Dmitry Bokov
- Institute of Pharmacy, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Gunawan Widjaja
- Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
| | - Hendrik Setia Budi
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Walid Kamal Abdelbasset
- Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Physical Therapy, Kasr Al-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Shahrzad Javanshir
- Heterocyclic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farhad Seif
- Department of Immunology & Allergy, Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Pazoki-Toroudi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Physiology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sanjay Kumar Dey
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Khanal P, Zargari F, Far BF, Kumar D, R M, Mahdi YK, Jubair NK, Saraf SK, Bansal P, Singh R, Selvaraja M, Dey YN. Integration of System Biology Tools to Investigate Huperzine A as an Anti-Alzheimer Agent. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:785964. [PMID: 34966281 PMCID: PMC8710610 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.785964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: The present study aimed to investigate huperzine A as an anti-Alzheimer agent based on the principle that a single compound can regulate multiple proteins and associated pathways, using system biology tools. Methodology: The simplified molecular-input line-entry system of huperzine A was retrieved from the PubChem database, and its targets were predicted using SwissTargetPrediction. These targets were matched with the proteins deposited in DisGeNET for Alzheimer disease and enriched in STRING to identify the probably regulated pathways, cellular components, biological processes, and molecular function. Furthermore, huperzine A was docked against acetylcholinesterase using AutoDock Vina, and simulations were performed with the Gromacs package to take into account the dynamics of the system and its effect on the stability and function of the ligands. Results: A total of 100 targets were predicted to be targeted by huperzine A, of which 42 were regulated at a minimum probability of 0.05. Similarly, 101 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were triggered, in which neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions scored the least false discovery rate. Also, huperzine A was predicted to modulate 54 cellular components, 120 molecular functions, and 873 biological processes. Furthermore, huperzine A possessed a binding affinity of -8.7 kcal/mol with AChE and interacted within the active site of AChE via H-bonds and hydrophobic interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pukar Khanal
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, KLE College of Pharmacy Belagavi, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KAHER), Belagavi, India
| | - Farshid Zargari
- Pharmacology Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Bahareh Farasati Far
- Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Dharmendra Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Laureate Institute of Pharmacy, Kangra, India
| | - Mogana R
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yasir K. Mahdi
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Najwan K. Jubair
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Parveen Bansal
- University Centre of Excellence in Research, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, India
| | | | | | - Yadu Nandan Dey
- Department of Pharmacology, Dr. B.C. Roy College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Durgapur, India
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Sun H, Chen W, Chen L, Zheng W. Exploring the molecular basis of UG-rich RNA recognition by the human splicing factor TDP-43 using molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculation. J Comput Chem 2021; 42:1670-1680. [PMID: 34109652 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Transactivation response element RNA/DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is involved in the regulation of alternative splicing of human neurodegenerative disease-related genes through binding to long UG-rich RNA sequences. Mutations in TDP-43, most in the homeodomain, cause neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and fronto temporal lobar degeneration. Several mutants destabilize the structure and disrupt RNA-binding activity. The biological functions of these mutants have been characterized, but the structural basis behind the loss of RNA-binding activity is unclear. Focused on the specific TDP-43-ssRNA complex (PDB code 4BS2), we applied molecular dynamics simulations and the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area free energy calculation to characterize and explore the structural and dynamic effects between ssRNA and TDP-43. The energetic analysis indicated that the intermolecular van der Waals interaction and nonpolar solvation energy play an important role in the binding process of TDP-43 and ssRNA. Compared with the wild-type TDP-43, the reduction of the polar or non-polar interaction between all the mutants F149A, D105A/S254A, R171A/D174A, F147L/F149L/F229L/F231L and ssRNA is the main reason for the reduction of its binding free energy. Decomposing energies suggested that the extensive interactions between TDP-43 and the nitrogenous bases of ssRNA are responsible for the specific ssRNA recognition by TDP-43. These results elucidated the TDP-43-ssRNA interaction comprehensively and further extended our understanding of the previous experimental data. The uncovering of TDP-43-ssRNA recognition mechanism will provide us useful insights and new chances for the development of anti-neurodegenerative drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Han Sun
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, China
| | - Wei Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, China
| | - Lin Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, China
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
King E, Aitchison E, Li H, Luo R. Recent Developments in Free Energy Calculations for Drug Discovery. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:712085. [PMID: 34458321 PMCID: PMC8387144 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.712085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The grand challenge in structure-based drug design is achieving accurate prediction of binding free energies. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations enable modeling of conformational changes critical to the binding process, leading to calculation of thermodynamic quantities involved in estimation of binding affinities. With recent advancements in computing capability and predictive accuracy, MD based virtual screening has progressed from the domain of theoretical attempts to real application in drug development. Approaches including the Molecular Mechanics Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA), Linear Interaction Energy (LIE), and alchemical methods have been broadly applied to model molecular recognition for drug discovery and lead optimization. Here we review the varied methodology of these approaches, developments enhancing simulation efficiency and reliability, remaining challenges hindering predictive performance, and applications to problems in the fields of medicine and biochemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward King
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Erick Aitchison
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Han Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Ray Luo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Pei P, Qin H, Chen J, Wang F, He C, He S, Hong B, Liu K, Qiao RZ, Fan H, Tong YG, Chen L, Luo SZ. Computational design of ultrashort peptide inhibitors of the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:6309924. [PMID: 34180984 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting the interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-receptor-binding domain (RBD) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is believed to be an effective strategy for drug design to inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2. Herein, several ultrashort peptidase inhibitors against the RBD-ACE2 interaction were obtained by a computer-aided approach based on the RBD-binding residues on the protease domain (PD) of ACE2. The designed peptides were tested on a model coronavirus GX_P2V, which has 92.2 and 86% amino acid identity to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis predicted a potential binding pocket on the RBD of the spike protein, and this was confirmed by the specifically designed peptides SI5α and SI5α-b. They have only seven residues, showing potent antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay result also confirmed their inhibitory ability against the RBD-ACE2 interaction. The ultrashort peptides are promising precursor molecules for the drug development of Corona Virus Disease 2019, and the novel binding pocket on the RBD may be helpful for the design of RBD inhibitors or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Pei
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Hongbo Qin
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Jialin Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Fengli Wang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Chengzhi He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Shiting He
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Bixia Hong
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ke Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ren Zhong Qiao
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Huahao Fan
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yi-Gang Tong
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Long Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Shi-Zhong Luo
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Yadav S, Shinde RN, Singh S, Karthikeyan S, Singh B. Structurally disordered C-terminal residues of GTP cyclohydrolase II are essential for its enzymatic activity. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:9318-9331. [PMID: 34032179 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1926326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
GTP cyclohydrolase II (GCHII) is one of the rate limiting enzymes in riboflavin biosynthesis pathway and is shown to be a potential drug target for most of the pathogens. Previous biochemical and structural studies have identified the active site residues and elucidated the steps involved in the catalytic mechanism of GCHII. However, the last ∼20-25 C-terminal residues of GCHII remains unstructured in all the crystal structures determined to date and their role in the catalytic activity, if any, remains elusive. Therefore, to understand the role of these unstructured C-terminal residues, a series of C-terminal deletion mutants of GCHII from Helicobacter pylori (hGCHII) were generated and their catalytic activity was compared with its wild-type. Surprisingly, none of the C-terminal deletion mutants shows any enzymatic activity indicating that these are essential for GCHII function. To get additional insights for such loss of activity, homology models of full-length and deletion mutants of hGCHII in complex with GTP, Mg2+, and Zn2+ were generated and subjected to molecular dynamics simulation studies. The simulation studies show that a conserved histidine at 190th position from the unstructured C-terminal region of hGCHII interacts with α-phosphate of GTP. We propose that His-190 may play a role in the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate from GTP and in releasing the product, DARP. In summary, we demonstrate that the unstructured C-terminal residues of GCHII are important for its enzymatic activity and must be considered during rational drug designing. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Savita Yadav
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Ranajit Nivrutti Shinde
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Suruchi Singh
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Subramanian Karthikeyan
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Balvinder Singh
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Yin YY, Zhao J, Zhang LL, Xu XY, Liu JQ. Molecular mechanisms of inhibitor bindings to A-FABP deciphered by using molecular dynamics simulations and calculations of MM-GBSA. SAR AND QSAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 32:293-315. [PMID: 33655818 DOI: 10.1080/1062936x.2021.1891966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein (A-FABP) plays a central role in many aspects of metabolic diseases. It is an important target in drug design for treatment of FABP-related diseases. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations followed by calculations of molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) and principal components analysis (PCA) were implemented to decipher molecular mechanism correlating with binding of inhibitors 57Q, 57P and L96 to A-FABP. The results show that van der Waals interactions are the leading factors to control associations of 57Q, 57P, and L96 with A-FABP, which reveals an energetic basis for designing of clinically available inhibitors towards A-FABP. The information from PCA and cross-correlation analysis rationally unveils that inhibitor bindings affect conformational changes of A-FABP and change relative movements between residues. Decomposition of binding affinity into contributions of individual residues not only detects hot spots of inhibitor/A-FABP binding but also shows that polar interactions of the positively charged residue Arg126 with three inhibitors provide a significant contribution for stabilization of the inhibitor/A-FABP bindings. Furthermore, the binding strength of L96 to residues Ser55, Phe57 and Lys58 are stronger than that of inhibitors 57Q and 57P to these residues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y Y Yin
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China
| | - J Zhao
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China
| | - L L Zhang
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China
| | - X Y Xu
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China
| | - J Q Liu
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Tong M, Liu P, Sun W, Liu J, Fan N, Wang X, Zhang Z, Song X, Lv C, Wang Y. Molecular dynamics simulation studies on the specific regulation of PTPN18 to the HER2 phospho-peptides. J Mol Recognit 2021; 34:e2890. [PMID: 33620127 DOI: 10.1002/jmr.2890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The specific regulation of PTPN18 protein to three HER2 phospho-peptides has been studied by molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. The results revealed that the three HER2 phospho-peptides binding to the PTPN18 catalytic domain is energetically favorable due to substrate specificity of PTPN18, and moreover, the PTPN18 protein have significantly higher affinity to pY1248 peptide (-45.22 kcal/mol) than that of pY1112 (-25.3 kcal/mol) and pY1196 (-31.86 kcal/mol) peptides. Further, the binding of HER2 phospho-peptides to PTPN18 have also caused the closure of WPD-loop with the decrease of the centroid distances between the P-loop and the WPD loop. The WPD-loop closure of PTPN18 relates directly to the new hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction formations between the residues Tyr62, Asp64, Val65, Ala231, Arg235, and Ala273 in PTPN18 and Tyr(PO3) in the HER2 phospho-peptides, which suggests that these key residues would contribute to the specific regulation of PTPN18 to the substrates. The correlation analysis revealed the allosteric communication networks from the pY binding loop to the WPD loop through the structural change and the residue interactions in PTPN18. These results will be helpful to understand the specific regulation through the allosteric communication network in the PTPN18 catalytic domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingqiong Tong
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Peng Liu
- The Office of Academic Affairs, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Wan Sun
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Na Fan
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Xiaoyue Wang
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Zhongyu Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Xinfeng Song
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Chao Lv
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients, Sustained and Controlled Release Preparations, College of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Li C, Zhao X, Liu W, Yin F, Hu J, Zhang G, Chen G. DNA Structural Distortions Induced by a Monofunctional Trinuclear Platinum Complex with Various Cross-Links Using Molecular Dynamics Simulation. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:1700-1708. [PMID: 32096984 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The monofunctional trinuclear platinum complex (MTPC), as a promising antitumor agent, can form MTPC-DNA adducts via bifunctional and trifunctional cross-links. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate DNA structural distortions of the MTPC-DNA adducts. MTPC coordinating to DNA results in the decrease of base-pair thermal stability and DNA structural distortions. It is found that there are more significant DNA structural distortions in the trifunctional cross-link than in the bifunctional cross-link, in the 1,4-GG than in the 1,3-GG cross-link, and in the intrastrand than in the interstrand cross-link with the same spans. The results provide a better understanding of DNA structural distortions induced by MTPC with various cross-links at the nucleotide level and are helpful for exploring novel Pt-based anticancer drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqun Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Heterocyclic Compounds, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, Handan, 056005 Hebei province, China
| | - Xiaojia Zhao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Heterocyclic Compounds, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, Handan, 056005 Hebei province, China
| | - Wei Liu
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, 19# Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Fangqian Yin
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Heterocyclic Compounds, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, Handan, 056005 Hebei province, China
| | - Junping Hu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Heterocyclic Compounds, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, Handan, 056005 Hebei province, China
| | - Guangjie Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Heterocyclic Compounds, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, Handan, 056005 Hebei province, China
| | - Guangju Chen
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, 19# Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Mansourian M, Mahnam K, Rajabi HR, Roushani M, Doustimotlagh AH. Exploring the binding mechanism of saccharin and sodium saccharin to promoter of human p53 gene by theoretical and experimental methods. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2019; 38:548-564. [PMID: 30856053 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1582438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In the past few decades, extensive discussions have been on the impact of artificial sweeteners on the risk of cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the interaction of saccharin (SA) and sodium saccharin (SSA) with the promoter of the human p53 gene. The binding ability was assessed using the spectroscopic technique, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. Free energy of binding has been calculated using Molecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) method. Fluorescence spectra of mentioned gene with concentration profiles of SA and SSA were obtained in a physiological condition. A gradual increase without any significant spectral shift in the fluorescence intensity of around 350 nm was evident, indicating the presence of an interaction between both compounds and gene. The docking results showed that both compounds were susceptible to bind to 5'-DG56DG57-3' nucleotide sequence of gene. Furthermore, the MD simulation demonstrated that the binding positions for SA and SSA were 5'-A1T3T4-3' and 5'-G44T45-3' sequences of gene, respectively. The binding of these sweeteners to gene made significant conformational changes to the DNA structure. Hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions are the major forces in complexes stability. Through the groove binding mode, the non-interactive DNA-binding nature of SSA and SA has been demonstrated by the results of spectrofluorometric and molecular modeling. This study could provide valuable insight into the binding mechanism of SA and its salt with p53 gene promoter as macromolecule at the molecular level in atomistic details. This work can contribute to the possibility of the potential hazard of carcinogenicity of this sweetener and to design and apply new and safer artificial sweeteners. AbbreviationsSASaccharinSSASodium SaccharinPp53gpromoter of human p53 geneMDMolecular dynamicsRMSDRoot-mean-square deviationRMSFRoot-mean-square fluctuationRgRadius of GyrationSASASolvent-Accessible Surface AreaADIAcceptable daily intakeMM/PBSAMolecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Surface AreaCommunicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahboubeh Mansourian
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, I.R. Iran
| | - Karim Mahnam
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.,Nanotechnology Research Center, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kajal K, Panda AK, Bhat J, Chakraborty D, Bose S, Bhattacharjee P, Sarkar T, Chatterjee S, Kar SK, Sa G. Andrographolide binds to ATP-binding pocket of VEGFR2 to impede VEGFA-mediated tumor-angiogenesis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4073. [PMID: 30858542 PMCID: PMC6412047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40626-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis are process of formation of blood vessels. Blood vessels are evolved to distribute nutrients and oxygen to distant organs. These vessels are crucial for growth and repair of wounded tissue. During tumor condition there occurs imbalance in the growth of blood vessels which leads to neo-angiogenesis. Neo-angiogenesis is major perpetrator behind the establishment of tumor. Tumor cells secrete pro-angiogenic factor VEGFA which binds to VEGFR2 present over surface of endothelial cells and triggers formation of new blood vessels. To inhibit tumor-angiogenesis, a physiologically-safe small molecule inhibitor was screened which can potentially interact with kinase domain of VEGFR2 and inhibit its activity. Molecular-docking module and biochemical analysis identified andrographolide as one of the best docking molecules that binds to ATP-binding pocket of VEGFR2 and inhibits its kinase activity. Thus, for a more radical approach towards safe VEGFR2 inhibitor, andrographolide was repurposed to inhibit tumor-angiogenesis and reduce tumor burden.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kirti Kajal
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Abir K Panda
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Jyotsna Bhat
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Dwaipayan Chakraborty
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Sayantan Bose
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Pushpak Bhattacharjee
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Tania Sarkar
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Subhrangsu Chatterjee
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Santosh K Kar
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, 751024, India
| | - Gaurisankar Sa
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
He MY, Li WK, Meiler J, Zheng QC, Zhang HX. Insight on mutation-induced resistance to anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor ceritinib from molecular dynamics simulations. Biopolymers 2019; 110:e23257. [PMID: 30664251 DOI: 10.1002/bip.23257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ceritinib, an advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) next-generation inhibitor, has been proved excellent antitumor activity in the treatment of ALK-associated cancers. However, the accumulation of acquired resistance mutations compromise the therapeutic efficacy of ceritinib. Despite abundant mutagenesis data, the structural determinants for reduced ceritinib binding in mutants remains elusive. Focusing on the G1123S and F1174C mutations, we applied molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study possible reasons for drug resistance caused by these mutations. The MD simulations predict that the studied mutations allosterically impact the configurations of the ATP-binding pocket. An important hydrophobic cluster is identified that connects P-loop and the αC-helix, which has effects on stabilizing the conformation of ATP-binding pocket. It is suggested, in this study, that the G1123S and F1174C mutations can induce the conformational change of P-loop thereby causing the reduced ceritinib affinity and causing drug resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mu-Yang He
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei-Kang Li
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Qing-Chuan Zheng
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Xing Zhang
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Yan F, Liu X, Zhang S, Su J, Zhang Q, Chen J. Electrostatic interaction-mediated conformational changes of adipocyte fatty acid binding protein probed by molecular dynamics simulation. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2018; 37:3583-3595. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2018.1520648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Yan
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Xinguo Liu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Shaolong Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Jing Su
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Qinggang Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Jianzhong Chen
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Li C, Zhao X, Zhu X, Xie P, Chen G. Structural Studies of the 3',3'-cGAMP Riboswitch Induced by Cognate and Noncognate Ligands Using Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19113527. [PMID: 30423927 PMCID: PMC6274999 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19113527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Riboswtich RNAs can control gene expression through the structural change induced by the corresponding small-molecule ligands. Molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations on the aptamer domain of the 3′,3′-cGAMP riboswitch in the ligand-free, cognate-bound and noncognate-bound states were performed to investigate the structural features of the 3′,3′-cGAMP riboswitch induced by the 3′,3′-cGAMP ligand and the specificity of ligand recognition. The results revealed that the aptamer of the 3′,3′-cGAMP riboswitch in the ligand-free state has a smaller binding pocket and a relatively compact structure versus that in the 3′,3′-cGAMP-bound state. The binding of the 3′,3′-cGAMP molecule to the 3′,3′-cGAMP riboswitch induces the rotation of P1 helix through the allosteric communication from the binding sites pocket containing the J1/2, J1/3 and J2/3 junction to the P1 helix. Simultaneously, these simulations also revealed that the preferential binding of the 3′,3′-cGAMP riboswitch to its cognate ligand, 3′,3′-cGAMP, over its noncognate ligand, c-di-GMP and c-di-AMP. The J1/2 junction in the 3′,3′-cGAMP riboswitch contributing to the specificity of ligand recognition have also been found.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqun Li
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No. 530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan 056005, Hebei, China.
| | - Xiaojia Zhao
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No. 530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan 056005, Hebei, China.
| | - Xiaomin Zhu
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No. 530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan 056005, Hebei, China.
| | - Pengtao Xie
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No. 530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan 056005, Hebei, China.
| | - Guangju Chen
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, 19# Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Yan F, Liu X, Zhang S, Su J, Zhang Q, Chen J. Molecular Dynamics Exploration of Selectivity of Dual Inhibitors 5M7, 65X, and 65Z toward Fatty Acid Binding Proteins 4 and 5. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19092496. [PMID: 30142969 PMCID: PMC6164837 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Designing highly selective inhibitors of fatty acid binding proteins 4 and 5 (FABP4 and FABP5) is of importance for treatment of some diseases related with inflammation, metabolism, and tumor growth. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) method were performed to probe binding selectivity of three inhibitors (5M7, 65X, and 65Z) to FABP4/FABP5 with Ki values of 0.022/0.50 μM, 0.011/0.086 μM, and 0.016/0.12 μM, respectively. The results not only suggest that all inhibitors associate more tightly with FABP4 than FABP5, but also prove that the main forces driving the selective bindings of inhibitors to FABP4 and FABP5 stem from the difference in the van der Waals interactions and polar interactions of inhibitors with two proteins. Meanwhile, a residue-based free energy decomposition method was applied to reveal molecular basis that inhibitors selectively interact with individual residues of two different proteins. The calculated results show that the binding difference of inhibitors to the residues (Phe16, Phe19), (Ala33, Gly36), (Phe57, Leu60), (Ala75, Ala78), (Arg126, Arg129), and (Tyr128, Tyr131) in (FABP4, FABP5) drive the selectivity of inhibitors toward FABP4 and FABP5. This study will provide great help for further design of effective drugs to protect against a series of metabolic diseases, arteriosclerosis, and inflammation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Yan
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
| | - Xinguo Liu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
| | - Shaolong Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
| | - Jing Su
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
| | - Qinggang Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
| | - Jianzhong Chen
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan 250357, China.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Mehrabi M, Mahdiuni H, Rasouli H, Mansouri K, Shahlaei M, Khodarahmi R. Comparative experimental/theoretical studies on the EGFR dimerization under the effect of EGF/EGF analogues binding: Highlighting the importance of EGF/EGFR interactions at site III interface. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 115:401-417. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.04.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
30
|
Li C, Zhao X, Xie P, Hu J, Bi H. Molecular dynamics simulation on the allosteric analysis of the c-di-GMP class I riboswitch induced by ligand binding. J Mol Recognit 2018; 32:e2756. [PMID: 30033590 DOI: 10.1002/jmr.2756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Riboswitches are RNA molecules that regulate gene expression using conformation change, affected by binding of small molecule ligands. Although a number of ligand-bound aptamer complex structures have been solved, it is important to know ligand-free conformations of the aptamers in order to understand the mechanism of specific binding by ligands. In this paper, we use dynamics simulations on a series of models to characterize the ligand-free and ligand-bound aptamer domain of the c-di-GMP class I (GEMM-I) riboswitch. The results revealed that the ligand-free aptamer has a stable state with a folded P2 and P3 helix, an unfolded P1 helix and open binding pocket. The first Mg ions binding to the aptamer is structurally favorable for the successive c-di-GMP binding. The P1 helix forms when c-di-GMP is successive bound. Three key junctions J1/2, J2/3 and J1/3 in the GEMM-I riboswitch contributing to the formation of P1 helix have been found. The binding of the c-di-GMP ligand to the GEMM-I riboswitch induces the riboswitch's regulation through the direct allosteric communication network in GEMM-I riboswitch from the c-di-GMP binding sites in the J1/2 and J1/3 junctions to the P1 helix, the indirect ones from those in the J2/3 and P2 communicating to P1 helix via the J1/2 and J1/3 media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqun Li
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No.530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan, Hebei province, China
| | - Xiaojia Zhao
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No.530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan, Hebei province, China
| | - Pengtao Xie
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No.530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan, Hebei province, China
| | - Junping Hu
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No.530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan, Hebei province, China
| | - Huimin Bi
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Handan University, No.530 North Xueyuan Road, Hanshan District, Han Dan, Hebei province, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Yuan X, Xu Y. Recent Trends and Applications of Molecular Modeling in GPCR⁻Ligand Recognition and Structure-Based Drug Design. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19072105. [PMID: 30036949 PMCID: PMC6073596 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19072105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors represent the largest family of human membrane proteins and are modulated by a variety of drugs and endogenous ligands. Molecular modeling techniques, especially enhanced sampling methods, have provided significant insight into the mechanism of GPCR–ligand recognition. Notably, the crucial role of the membrane in the ligand-receptor association process has earned much attention. Additionally, docking, together with more accurate free energy calculation methods, is playing an important role in the design of novel compounds targeting GPCRs. Here, we summarize the recent progress in the computational studies focusing on the above issues. In the future, with continuous improvement in both computational hardware and algorithms, molecular modeling would serve as an indispensable tool in a wider scope of the research concerning GPCR–ligand recognition as well as drug design targeting GPCRs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201203, China.
- School of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Yechun Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201203, China.
- School of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Tang H, Cui F, Liu L, Li Y. Predictive models for tyrosinase inhibitors: Challenges from heterogeneous activity data determined by different experimental protocols. Comput Biol Chem 2018; 73:79-84. [PMID: 29471263 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2018.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models of tyrosinase inhibitors were built using Random Forest (RF) algorithm and evaluated by the out-of-bag estimation (R2OOB) and 10-fold cross validation (Q2CV). We found that the performances of QSAR models were closely correlated with the systematic errors of inhibitory activities of tyrosinase inhibitors arising from the different measuring protocols. By defining ERRsys, outliers with larger errors can be efficiently identified and removed from heterogeneous activity data. A reasonable QSAR model (R2OOB of 0.74 and Q2CV of 0.80) was obtained by the exclusion of 13 outliers with larger systematic errors. It is a clear example of the challenge for QSAR model that can overwhelm heterogeneous data from different experimental protocols.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haifeng Tang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Rubber, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China; School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Fengchao Cui
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Rubber, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China.
| | - Lunyang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Rubber, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Yunqi Li
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Rubber, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Zhang LF, Zheng QC, Zhang HX. Recognition mechanism of Wilms' tumour suppressor protein and DNA triplets: insights from molecular dynamics simulation and free energy analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2018; 37:562-575. [PMID: 29375007 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2018.1433066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The Wilms' tumour suppressor protein (WT1) plays a multifaceted role in human cancer processes. Mutations on its DNA recognition domain could lead to Denys-Drash syndrome, and alternate splicing results in insertion of the tripeptide Lys-Thr-Ser (KTS) between the third and fourth zinc fingers (ZFs), leading to changes in the DNA-binding function. However, detailed recognition mechanisms of the WT1-DNA complex have not been explored. To clarify the mutational effects upon WT1 towards DNA binding at the atomic level, molecular dynamics simulations and the molecular mechanics/Poisson Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) method were employed. The simulation results indicate that mutations in ZF domains (E427Q and Q369H) may weaken the binding affinity, and the statistical analyses of the hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions show that eight residues (Lys351, Arg366, Arg375, Arg376, Lys399, Arg403, Arg424 and Arg430) have a significant influence on recognition and binding to DNA. Insertion of the tripeptide KTS could form an immobilized hydrogen-bonding network with Arg403, affecting the flexibility and angle of the linker between ZF3 and ZF4, thus influencing the recognition between the protein and the DNA triplet at its 5' terminus. These results represent the first step towards a thorough characterization of the WT1 recognition mechanisms, providing a better understanding of the structure-function relationship of WT1 and its mutants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Fei Zhang
- a International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry , Jilin University , Changchun 130023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Qing-Chuan Zheng
- a International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry , Jilin University , Changchun 130023 , People's Republic of China.,b Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology & Engineering, The Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences , Jilin University , Changchun 130023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Xing Zhang
- a International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry , Jilin University , Changchun 130023 , People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Zargari F, Lotfi M, Shahraki O, Nikfarjam Z, Shahraki J. Flavonoids as potent allosteric inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B: molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculation. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2017; 36:4126-4142. [PMID: 29216799 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2017.1409651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a member of the PTP superfamily which is considered to be a negative regulator of insulin receptor (IR) signaling pathway. PTP1B is a promising drug target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer. The existence of allosteric site in PTP1B has turned the researcher's attention to an alternate strategy for inhibition of this enzyme. Herein, the molecular interactions between the allosteric site of PTP1B with three non-competitive flavonoids, (MOR), (MOK), and (DPO) have been investigated. Three ligands were docked into allosteric site of the enzyme. The resulting protein-ligand complexes were used for molecular dynamics studies. Principal component and free-energy landscape (FEL) as well as cluster analyses were used to investigate the conformational and dynamical properties of the protein and identify representative enzyme substrates bounded to the inhibitors. Per residue energy decomposition analysis attributed dissimilar affinities of three inhibitors to the several hydrogen bonds and non-bonded interactions. In conclusion, our results exhibited an inhibitory pattern of the ligands against PTP1B.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farshid Zargari
- a Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
| | - Maryam Lotfi
- b Testing Calibration, Geotechnic & Technical Inspection Servies , Binaazma Sepahan Consulting Eng. Co. , Isfahan , Iran
| | - Omolbanin Shahraki
- c Health Technology Incubator Center , Zahedan University of Medical Sciences , Zahedan , Iran
| | - Zahra Nikfarjam
- d Department of Molecular and Supramolecular Modelling , Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran , Tehran , Iran
| | - Jafar Shahraki
- e Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy , Zabol University of Medical Sciences , Zabol , Iran
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Yan F, Liu X, Zhang S, Su J, Zhang Q, Chen J. Computational revelation of binding mechanisms of inhibitors to endocellular protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B using molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2017; 36:3636-3650. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2017.1394221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Yan
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Xinguo Liu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Shaolong Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Jing Su
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Qinggang Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Jianzhong Chen
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, 250357, China
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Yoshida N. Role of Solvation in Drug Design as Revealed by the Statistical Mechanics Integral Equation Theory of Liquids. J Chem Inf Model 2017; 57:2646-2656. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.7b00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Norio Yoshida
- Department of Chemistry,
Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Bhat J, Mondal S, Sengupta P, Chatterjee S. In Silico Screening and Binding Characterization of Small Molecules toward a G-Quadruplex Structure Formed in the Promoter Region of c-MYC Oncogene. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:4382-4397. [PMID: 30023722 PMCID: PMC6044917 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.6b00531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Overexpression of c-MYC oncogene is associated with cancer pathology. Expression of c-MYC is regulated by the G-quadruplex structure formed in the G-rich segment of nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE III1), that is, "Pu27", which is localized in the promoter region. Ligand-induced stabilization of the Pu27 structure has been identified as a novel target for cancer therapeutics. Here, we have explored the library of synthetic compounds against the predefined binding site of Pu27. Three compounds were selected based on the docking analyses; they were further scrutinized using all atom molecular dynamics simulations in an explicit water model. Simulated trajectories were scrutinized for conformational stability and ligand binding free energy estimation; essential dynamic behavior was determined using principal component analysis. One of the molecules, "TPP (1-(3-(4-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-4-yl)phenoxy)-2-hydroxypropyl)-4-carbamoylpiperidinium)", with the best results was considered for further evaluation. The theoretical observations are supported well by biophysical analysis using circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry, and high-resolution NMR spectroscopy indicating association of TPP with Pu27. The in vitro studies were then translated into c-MYC overexpression in the T47D breast cancer cell line. Biological evaluation through the MTT assay, flow cytometric assay, RT-PCR, and reporter luciferase assay suggests that TPP downregulates the expression of c-MYC oncogene by arresting its promoter region. In silico and in vitro observations cumulatively suggest that the novel skeleton of TPP could be a potential anticancer agent by stabilizing the G-quadruplex formed in the Pu27 and consequently downregulating the expression of c-MYC oncogene. Derivation of new molecules on its skeleton may confer anticancer therapeutics for the next generation.
Collapse
|
38
|
Sargolzaei M, Afshar M, Nikoofard H. Molecular dynamics simulation study of binding affinity of thieno[2,3-b]benzo[1,8]naphthyridine derivatives to DNA. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s1068162017040057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
39
|
Pant P, Afshan Shaikh S, Jayaram B. Design and characterization of symmetric nucleic acids via molecular dynamics simulations. Biopolymers 2017; 107. [PMID: 27861723 DOI: 10.1002/bip.23002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 11/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Asymmetry (5'→3') associated with each strand of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is inherent in the sugar-phosphate backbone connectivity and is essential for replication and transcription. We note that this asymmetry is due to one single chemical bond (C3' to C2' ) in each nucleotide unit, and the absence of this bond results in directionally symmetric nucleic acids. We also discovered that creation of an extra chemical bond (C5' to C2' ) can lead to a symmetric backbone. Keeping their potential synthetic and therapeutic interest in mind, we designed a few novel symmetric nucleic acids. We investigated their conformational stability and flexibility via detailed all atom explicit solvent 100-ns long molecular dynamics simulations and compared the resulting structures with that of regular B-DNA. Quite interestingly, some of the symmetric nucleic acids retain the overall double helical structure indicating their potential for integration in physiological DNA without causing major structural perturbations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Pant
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.,Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Saher Afshan Shaikh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.,Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India
| | - B Jayaram
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.,Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.,Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Zuo Z, Liu J. Cas9-catalyzed DNA Cleavage Generates Staggered Ends: Evidence from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Sci Rep 2016; 5:37584. [PMID: 27874072 PMCID: PMC5118739 DOI: 10.1038/srep37584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes (spCas9) along with a single guide RNA (sgRNA) has emerged as a versatile toolbox for genome editing. Despite recent advances in the mechanism studies on spCas9-sgRNA-mediated double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) recognition and cleavage, it is still unclear how the catalytic Mg2+ ions induce the conformation changes toward the catalytic active state. It also remains controversial whether Cas9 generates blunt-ended or staggered-ended breaks with overhangs in the DNA. To investigate these issues, here we performed the first all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of the spCas9-sgRNA-dsDNA system with and without Mg2+ bound. The simulation results showed that binding of two Mg2+ ions at the RuvC domain active site could lead to structurally and energetically favorable coordination ready for the non-target DNA strand cleavage. Importantly, we demonstrated with our simulations that Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage produces 1-bp staggered ends rather than generally assumed blunt ends.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhicheng Zuo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
| | - Jin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Vangaveti S, Ranganathan SV, Chen AA. Advances in RNA molecular dynamics: a simulator's guide to RNA force fields. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 8. [DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sweta Vangaveti
- The RNA Institute; University at Albany State University of New York; Albany NY USA
| | | | - Alan A. Chen
- The RNA Institute; University at Albany State University of New York; Albany NY USA
- Department of Chemistry; University at Albany State University of New York; Albany NY USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Spiliotopoulos D, Kastritis PL, Melquiond ASJ, Bonvin AMJJ, Musco G, Rocchia W, Spitaleri A. dMM-PBSA: A New HADDOCK Scoring Function for Protein-Peptide Docking. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:46. [PMID: 27630991 PMCID: PMC5006095 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular-docking programs coupled with suitable scoring functions are now established and very useful tools enabling computational chemists to rapidly screen large chemical databases and thereby to identify promising candidate compounds for further experimental processing. In a broader scenario, predicting binding affinity is one of the most critical and challenging components of computer-aided structure-based drug design. The development of a molecular docking scoring function which in principle could combine both features, namely ranking putative poses and predicting complex affinity, would be of paramount importance. Here, we systematically investigated the performance of the MM-PBSA approach, using two different Poisson-Boltzmann solvers (APBS and DelPhi), in the currently rising field of protein-peptide interactions (PPIs), identifying the correct binding conformations of 19 different protein-peptide complexes and predicting their binding free energies. First, we scored the decoy structures from HADDOCK calculation via the MM-PBSA approach in order to assess the capability of retrieving near-native poses in the best-scoring clusters and of evaluating the corresponding free energies of binding. MM-PBSA behaves well in finding the poses corresponding to the lowest binding free energy, however the built-in HADDOCK score shows a better performance. In order to improve the MM-PBSA-based scoring function, we dampened the MM-PBSA solvation and coulombic terms by 0.2, as proposed in the HADDOCK score and LIE approaches. The new dampened MM-PBSA (dMM-PBSA) outperforms the original MM-PBSA and ranks the decoys structures as the HADDOCK score does. Second, we found a good correlation between the dMM-PBSA and HADDOCK scores for the near-native clusters of each system and the experimental binding energies, respectively. Therefore, we propose a new scoring function, dMM-PBSA, to be used together with the built-in HADDOCK score in the context of protein-peptide docking simulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Panagiotis L Kastritis
- Faculty of Science - Chemistry, Bijvoet Center, Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands; European Molecular Biology Laboratory HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany
| | - Adrien S J Melquiond
- Faculty of Science - Chemistry, Bijvoet Center, Utrecht University Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Giovanna Musco
- Biomolecular Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Unit, Ospedale S. Raffaele Milan, Italy
| | - Walter Rocchia
- CONCEPT Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Genoa, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Mehrabi M, Khodarahmi R, Shahlaei M. Critical effects on binding of epidermal growth factor produced by amino acid substitutions. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2016; 35:1085-1101. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2016.1171799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masomeh Mehrabi
- Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Reza Khodarahmi
- Nano Drug Delivery Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Mohsen Shahlaei
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Kumar V, Sobhia ME. Molecular dynamics-based investigation of InhA substrate binding loop for diverse biological activity of direct InhA inhibitors. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2016; 34:2434-52. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2015.1118410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Kumar
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar 160 062, Punjab, India
| | - M. Elizabeth Sobhia
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar 160 062, Punjab, India
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Xue T, Song C, Wang Q, Wang Y, Chen G. Investigations of the CLOCK and BMAL1 Proteins Binding to DNA: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155105. [PMID: 27153104 PMCID: PMC4859532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK), and brain and muscle ARNT-like 1 (BMAL1) proteins are important transcriptional factors of the endogenous circadian clock. The CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins can regulate the transcription-translation activities of the clock-related genes through the DNA binding. The hetero-/homo-dimerization and DNA combination of the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins play a key role in the positive and negative transcriptional feedback processes. In the present work, we constructed a series of binary and ternary models for the bHLH/bHLH-PAS domains of the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins, and the DNA molecule, and carried out molecular dynamics simulations, free energy calculations and conformational analysis to explore the interaction properties of the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins with DNA. The results show that the bHLH domains of CLOCK and BMAL1 can favorably form the heterodimer of the bHLH domains of CLOCK and BMAL1 and the homodimer of the bHLH domains of BMAL1. And both dimers could respectively bind to DNA at its H1-H1 interface. The DNA bindings of the H1 helices in the hetero- and homo-bHLH dimers present the rectangular and diagonal binding modes, respectively. Due to the function of the α-helical forceps in these dimers, the tight gripping of the H1 helices to the major groove of DNA would cause the decrease of interactions at the H1-H2 interfaces in the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins. The additional PAS domains in the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins affect insignificantly the interactions of the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins with the DNA molecule due to the flexible and long loop linkers located at the middle of the PAS and bHLH domains. The present work theoretically explains the interaction mechanisms of the bHLH domains of the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins with DNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tuo Xue
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chunnian Song
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Guangju Chen
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Bischoff G, Gromann U, Lindau S, Birch-Hirschfeld E, Bischoff R, Bohley C, Meister WV, Hoffmann S. Stabilization of Double Stranded Homologous Poly(dA)·Poly(dT) by Taxol. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2016; 17 Suppl 1:349-54. [PMID: 22607443 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2000.10506640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Abstract The nucleic acid activity of taxol and paclitaxel was investigated with synthetic and natural oligo- and polynucleotides. The polynucleotides poly(dA)·poly(dT), poly(dG)·poly(dC), poly [d(A-T)]·poly[d(A-T)], poly[d(G-C)]·poly[d(G-C)] and calf thymus DNA were used. The oligonucleotides are 24-mers with d(purine)(24)·d(pyrimidine)(24) strands, as well as d[(purine)(x)-(pyrimidine)(x)]·d[(purine)(x)-(pyrimidine)(x)] sequences. The study was performed with spectroscopic and calorimetric methods in dilute and condensed DNA-solutions. In a recent study, taxol and paclitaxel showed molecular recognition of AT nucleotides with a high affinity to homologous (dA)·(dT) sequences; no interaction with GC nucleotides could be observed. An astonishing stabilization of the DNA duplex up to ΔT(m) = 25°C was measured by thermal denaturation with poly(dA)·poly(dT)/paclitaxel complexes. Circular dichroism signals of DNA (24-mer) containing homologous (dA)·(dT) tracts increased with increasing amount of the drug; for the other oligo- and polynucleotides no change in the spectra could be found. Contrary to this findings, circular dichroism (CD) spectra of poly(dA)·poly(dT)/paclitaxel complexes displayed reduced intensities of the signals at increasing drug concentrations. These findings in dilute solutions were complemented by differential scanning calorimetric investigations in condensed states (only calf thymus DNA tested). Increasing enthalpies by increasing amount of the drug point to a stabilization. Simple phosphate backbone interaction in the narrow groove of (dA)·(dT) tracts could be a sufficient explanation for all the results. Hydrophilic side groups of the drug interact with the phosphate and clip the strands together, while the hydrophobic parts of the molecule may disturb the polynucleobase formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Bischoff
- a Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biochemistry , Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3 , D-06120 , Halle (Saale) , Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Bhat J, Chatterjee S. Skeleton selectivity in complexation of chelerythrine and chelerythrine-like natural plant alkaloids with the G-quadruplex formed at the promoter of c-MYC oncogene: in silico exploration. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra04671a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Chelerythrine binds at the 5′ end and arrests the G-quadruplex formed in the promoter region ofc-MYConcogene thus restrict thec-MYCexpression. Position of methoxy group over the core skeleton of chelerythrine determines the binding pattern of ligand.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jyotsna Bhat
- Department of Biophysics
- Bose Institute
- Kolkata
- India
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Galindo-Murillo R, Davis DR, Cheatham TE. Probing the influence of hypermodified residues within the tRNA3(Lys) anticodon stem loop interacting with the A-loop primer sequence from HIV-1. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2015; 1860:607-17. [PMID: 26655694 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2015.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Replication of the HIV-1 virus requires reverse transcription of the viral RNA genome, a process that is specifically initiated by human tRNA3(Lys) packaged within the infectious virion. The primary binding site for the tRNA involves the 3' 18 nucleotides with an additional interaction between an adenine rich loop (A-loop) in the template and the anticodon stem-loop region of the tRNA3(Lys). The loop of the tRNA primer contains two hypermodified base residues and a pseudouridine that are required for a proper binding and activity. Here, we investigate the influence on the structure, dynamics and binding stability of the three modified residues (mnm(5)s(2)U34, t(6)A37 and Ψ39) using extensive molecular dynamics and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) analysis. Consistent with experiment, the results suggest that the three modified residues are required for faithful binding. Residues mnm(5)s(2)U34 and Ψ39 have a major influence in stabilizing the anticodon loop whereas mnm(5)s(2)U34 and t(6)A37 appear to stabilize the formation of the complex of tRNA3(Lys) with the HIV-1 A-loop.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Galindo-Murillo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
| | - Darrell R Davis
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
| | - Thomas E Cheatham
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Chen L, Zheng QC, Zhang HX. Insights into the effects of mutations on Cren7-DNA binding using molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:5704-11. [PMID: 25622968 DOI: 10.1039/c4cp05413j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
A novel, highly conserved chromatin protein, Cren7 is involved in regulating essential cellular processes such as transcription, replication and repair. Although mutations in the DNA-binding loop of Cren7 destabilize the structure and reduce DNA-binding activity, the details are not very clear. Focusing on the specific Cren7-dsDNA complex (PDB code ), we applied molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) free energy calculations to explore the structural and dynamic effects of W26A, L28A, and K53A mutations in comparison to the wild-type protein. The energetic analysis indicated that the intermolecular van der Waals interaction and nonpolar solvation energy play an important role in the binding process of Cren7 and dsDNA. Compared with the wild type Cren7, all the studied mutants W26A, L28A, and K53A have obviously reduced binding free energies with dsDNA in the reduction of the polar and/or nonpolar interactions. These results further elucidated the previous experiments to understand the Cren7-DNA interaction comprehensively. Our work also would provide support for an understanding of the interactions of proteins with nucleic acids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Chen
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, P. R. China.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Wang N, Jiang J, Li X, Tan H, Zheng J, Chen G, Jia Z. Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of dTTP Binding and Catalysis Mediated by YhdE Dimerization. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134879. [PMID: 26252214 PMCID: PMC4529217 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
YhdE is a Maf-like (multicopy associated filamentation) protein that primarily acts as dTTPase to hydrolyze dTTP into dTMP and two phosphate molecules in cell metabolism pathway. Two crystal structures of YhdE have been previously determined, representing the open and closed active site conformations, respectively. Based on the structures, we have carried out molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations to investigate dTTP binding to and hydrolysis by YhdE. Our results suggest that YhdE closed state is structurally more compact than its open state at room temperature. YhdE open state is a favorable conformation for dTTP binding and closed state is a structurally favorable conformation for catalytic reaction. This observation is supported by the structure of YhdE homolog in complex with a nucleotide analog. Free energy calculations reveal that YhdE dimerization occurs preferentially in dTTP binding and is favorable for successive cooperative reaction. The key residues R11, R12 and K80, are found to contribute to the substrate stabilization. Further, YhdE dimerization and binding of dTTP induce the cooperative effect through a direct allosteric communication network in YhdE from the dTTP binding sites in the catalytic center to the intermolecular β-strand in YhdE dimer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nan Wang
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiahong Jiang
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xichen Li
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongwei Tan
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jimin Zheng
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (JMZ); (ZCJ)
| | - Guangju Chen
- College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zongchao Jia
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail: (JMZ); (ZCJ)
| |
Collapse
|