Molecular docking of carbohydrate ligands to antibodies: structural validation against crystal structures

Computational studies on the interaction of ABO-active saccharides with the norovirus VA387 capsid protein can explain experimental binding data

Norovirus strains are known to cause recurring epidemics of winter vomiting disease. The crystal structure of the capsid protein of VA387, a representative of the clinically important GII.4 genocluster, was recently solved in complex with histo-blood group A- and B-trisaccharides. However, the VA387 strain is known to bind also to other natural carbohydrates for which detailed structural information of the complexes is not available. In this study we have computationally explored the fit of the VA387 with a set of naturally occurring carbohydrate ligands containing a terminal alpha1,2-linked fucose. MD simulations both with explicit and implicit solvent models indicate that type 1 and 3 extensions of the ABO-determinant including ALe(b) and BLe(b) pentasaccharides can be well accommodated in the site. Scoring with Glide XP indicates that the downstream extensions of the ABO-determinants give an increase in binding strength, although the alpha1,2-linked fucose is the single strongest interacting residue. An error was discovered in the geometry of the GalNAc-Gal moiety of the published crystal structure of the A-trisaccharide/VA387 complex. The present modeling of the complexes with histo-blood group A-active structures shows some contacts which provide insight into mutational data, explaining the involvement of I389 and Q331. Our results can be applicable in structure-based design of adhesion inhibitors of noroviruses.

Identification of preferred carbohydrate binding modes in xenoreactive antibodies by combining conformational filters and binding site maps

Carbohydrates are notoriously flexible molecules. However, they have an important role in many biochemical processes as specific ligands. Understanding how carbohydrates are recognized by other biological macromolecules (usually proteins) is therefore of considerable scientific value. Interfering with carbohydrate-protein interactions is a potentially useful strategy in combating a range of disease states, as well as being of critical importance in facilitating allo- and xenotransplantation. We have devised an in silico protocol for analyzing carbohydrate-protein interactions. In this study, we have applied the protocol to determine the structures of alphaGal-terminating carbohydrate antigens in complex with a panel of xenoreactive antibodies. The most important feature of the binding modes is the fixed conformation of the Galbeta(1,4)Glc/GlcNAc linkage across all of the binding modes. The preferred conformation of the terminal Galalpha(1,3)Gal linkage varies depending on the antibody binding site topography, although it is possible that some of the antibodies studied recognize more than one Galalpha(1,3)Gal conformation. The binding modes obtained indicate that each antibody uses distinct mechanisms in recognizing the target antigens.