1
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Verma S, Nair NN. A Comprehensive Study of Factors Affecting the Prediction of the p Ka Shift of Asp 26 in Thioredoxin Protein. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:7304-7312. [PMID: 39023356 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01516] [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: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The stable protonation state of ionizable amino acids in a protein can be predicted by computing the pKa shift of that residue within the protein environment. Thermodynamic Integration (TI) is an ideal molecular dynamics-based approach for predicting the pKa shift of ionizable protein residues. Here, we probe TI-based simulation protocols for their ability to accurately predict the pKa shift of Asp26 in thioredoxin. While implicit solvent models can predict the pKa shift accurately, explicit solvent models result in substantial errors. To understand the underlying reason for this surprising discrepancy, we investigate the role of various factors such as solvent models, conformational sampling, background charges, and polarization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Verma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur - 208016, India
| | - Nisanth N Nair
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur - 208016, India
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2
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Santoro A, Buonocore M, Firoznezhad M, Grimaldi M, D'Ursi AM. Conformational analysis of a new peptide derived from feline immunodeficiency virus gp36 in SDS micelles: An NMR-MD based investigation. J Pept Sci 2024:e3645. [PMID: 39030892 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3645] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) shares structural similarities with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): the surface glycoprotein gp36 corresponds to the HIV gp41, which drives virus-host cell interactions and is targeted by the peptide entry inhibitor enfuvirtide. Following a similar drug design strategy for the development of an anti-FIV therapy, the present study investigates 627-646gp36 NHR, a peptide sequence derived from a region of gp36 that was previously found to interfere with the antiviral activity of the peptide C8, which instead derives from the gp36 MPER. CD, NMR, and MD simulations were employed to probe the conformational characteristics of 627-646gp36 NHR in the membrane-mimicking environment of SDS micelles. Our data show that 627-646gp36 NHR is characterized by three dynamic helix structures. MD simulations involving 627-646gp36 NHR, C8, and a larger protein, including the CHR and MPER regions, suggest that the interaction of C8 with the MPER region, the origin of the antiviral activity of C8, is disfavored in the presence of 627-646gp36 NHR in the simulation. This evidence can be useful for interpreting the molecular mechanism that leads to interference with the activity of C8, providing information on the folding/unfolding mechanism of the viral glycoprotein to design new strategies to inhibit viral entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Santoro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
- Department of Pharmacy, Scuola di Specializzazione in Farmacia Ospedaliera, University of Salerno, Italy
| | - Michela Buonocore
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Mohammad Firoznezhad
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy
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3
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Gogal RA, Nessler AJ, Thiel AC, Bernabe HV, Corrigan Grove RA, Cousineau LM, Litman JM, Miller JM, Qi G, Speranza MJ, Tollefson MR, Fenn TD, Michaelson JJ, Okada O, Piquemal JP, Ponder JW, Shen J, Smith RJH, Yang W, Ren P, Schnieders MJ. Force Field X: A computational microscope to study genetic variation and organic crystals using theory and experiment. J Chem Phys 2024; 161:012501. [PMID: 38958156 PMCID: PMC11223778 DOI: 10.1063/5.0214652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Force Field X (FFX) is an open-source software package for atomic resolution modeling of genetic variants and organic crystals that leverages advanced potential energy functions and experimental data. FFX currently consists of nine modular packages with novel algorithms that include global optimization via a many-body expansion, acid-base chemistry using polarizable constant-pH molecular dynamics, estimation of free energy differences, generalized Kirkwood implicit solvent models, and many more. Applications of FFX focus on the use and development of a crystal structure prediction pipeline, biomolecular structure refinement against experimental datasets, and estimation of the thermodynamic effects of genetic variants on both proteins and nucleic acids. The use of Parallel Java and OpenMM combines to offer shared memory, message passing, and graphics processing unit parallelization for high performance simulations. Overall, the FFX platform serves as a computational microscope to study systems ranging from organic crystals to solvated biomolecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose A. Gogal
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Aaron J. Nessler
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Andrew C. Thiel
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Hernan V. Bernabe
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Rae A. Corrigan Grove
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - Leah M. Cousineau
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Jacob M. Litman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Jacob M. Miller
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Guowei Qi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Matthew J. Speranza
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Mallory R. Tollefson
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Timothy D. Fenn
- Analytical Development, LEXEO Therapeutics, New York, New York 10010, USA
| | - Jacob J. Michaelson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Okimasa Okada
- Sohyaku Innovative Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, 1000 Kamoshida-cho, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 227-0033, Japan
| | | | - Jay W. Ponder
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
| | - Richard J. H. Smith
- Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratories, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | | | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
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4
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Xie S, Zhou Y, Zhu H, Xu X, Zhang H, Yuan C, Huang M, Xu P, Li J, Liu Y. Interface-driven structural evolution on diltiazem as novel uPAR inhibitors: from in silico design to in vitro evaluation. Mol Divers 2024:10.1007/s11030-024-10908-7. [PMID: 38935305 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-024-10908-7] [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: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) emerges as a key target for anti-metastasis owing to its pivotal role in facilitating the invasive and migratory processes of cancer cells. Recently, we identified the uPAR-targeting anti-metastatic ability of diltiazem (22), a commonly used antihypertensive agent. Fine-tuning the chemical structures of known hits represents a vital branch of drug development. To develop novel anti-metastatic drugs, we performed an interface-driven structural evolution strategy on 22. The uPAR-targeting and anti-cancer abilities of this antihypertensive drug wereidentified by us recently. Based on in silico strategy, including extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, hierarchical binding free energy predictions, and ADMET profilings, we designed, synthesized, and identified three new diltiazem derivatives (221-8, 221-57, and 221-68) as uPAR inhibitors. Indeed, all of these three derivatives exhibited uPAR-depending inhibitory activity against PC-3 cell line invasion at micromolar level. Particularly, derivatives 221-68 and 221-8 showed enhanced uPAR-dependent inhibitory activity against the tumor cell invasion compared to the original compound. Microsecond timesclae MD simulations demonstrated the optimized moiety of 221-68 and 221-8 forming more comprehensive interactions with the uPAR, highlighting the reasonability of our strategy. This work introduces three novel uPAR inhibitors, which not only pave the way for the development of effective anti-metastatic therapeutics, but also emphasize the efficacy and robustness of an in silico-based lead compound optimization strategy in drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Xie
- School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Hao Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xinyi Xu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Han Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Cai Yuan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Peng Xu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China
| | - Jinyu Li
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China.
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Yichang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China.
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5
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Tolokh IS, Folescu DE, Onufriev AV. Inclusion of Water Multipoles into the Implicit Solvation Framework Leads to Accuracy Gains. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5855-5873. [PMID: 38860842 PMCID: PMC11194828 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
The current practical "workhorses" of the atomistic implicit solvation─the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) and generalized Born (GB) models─face fundamental accuracy limitations. Here, we propose a computationally efficient implicit solvation framework, the Implicit Water Multipole GB (IWM-GB) model, that systematically incorporates the effects of multipole moments of water molecules in the first hydration shell of a solute, beyond the dipole water polarization already present at the PB/GB level. The framework explicitly accounts for coupling between polar and nonpolar contributions to the total solvation energy, which is missing from many implicit solvation models. An implementation of the framework, utilizing the GAFF force field and AM1-BCC atomic partial charges model, is parametrized and tested against the experimental hydration free energies of small molecules from the FreeSolv database. The resulting accuracy on the test set (RMSE ∼ 0.9 kcal/mol) is 12% better than that of the explicit solvation (TIP3P) treatment, which is orders of magnitude slower. We also find that the coupling between polar and nonpolar parts of the solvation free energy is essential to ensuring that several features of the IWM-GB model are physically meaningful, including the sign of the nonpolar contributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor S. Tolokh
- Department
of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Dan E. Folescu
- Department
of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Mathematics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Alexey V. Onufriev
- Department
of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center
for Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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6
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Zabrodskaya Y, Tsvetkov V, Shurygina AP, Vasyliev K, Shaldzhyan A, Gorshkov A, Kuklin A, Fedorova N, Egorov V. How the immune mousetrap works: Structural evidence for the immunomodulatory action of a peptide from influenza NS1 protein. Biophys Chem 2024; 307:107176. [PMID: 38219420 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107176] [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: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
One of the critical stages of the T-cell immune response is the dimerization of the intramembrane domains of T-cell receptors (TCR). Structural similarities between the immunosuppressive domains of viral proteins and the transmembrane domains of TCR have led several authors to hypothesize the mechanism of immune response suppression by highly pathogenic viruses: viral proteins embed themselves in the membrane and act on the intramembrane domain of the TCRalpha subunit, hindering its functional oligomerization. It has also been suggested that this mechanism is used by influenza A virus in NS1-mediated immunosuppression. We have shown that the peptide corresponding to the primary structure of the potential immunosuppressive domain of NS1 protein (G51) can reduce concanavalin A-induced proliferation of PBMC cells, as well as in vitro, G51 can affect the oligomerization of the core peptide corresponding to the intramembrane domain of TCR, using AFM and small-angle neutron scattering. The results obtained using in cellulo and in vitro model systems suggest the presence of functional interaction between the NS1 fragment and the intramembrane domain of the TCR alpha subunit. We have proposed a possible scheme for such interaction obtained by computer modeling. This suggests the existence of another NS1-mediated mechanism of immunosuppression in influenza.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Zabrodskaya
- Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology, Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, 29 Ulitsa Polytechnicheskaya, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia; Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, 15/17 Ulitsa Prof. Popova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia.
| | - Vladimir Tsvetkov
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, 15/17 Ulitsa Prof. Popova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia; Federal Research and Clinical Center for Physical Chemical Medicine, 1a Ulitsa Malaya Pirogovskaya, Moscow 119435, Russia; Center for Mathematical Modeling in Drug Development, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow 119146, Russia
| | - Anna-Polina Shurygina
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, 15/17 Ulitsa Prof. Popova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia
| | - Kirill Vasyliev
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, 15/17 Ulitsa Prof. Popova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia
| | - Aram Shaldzhyan
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, 15/17 Ulitsa Prof. Popova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia
| | - Andrey Gorshkov
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, 15/17 Ulitsa Prof. Popova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia
| | - Alexander Kuklin
- International Intergovernmental Organization Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 6 Ulitsa Joliot-Curie, Dubna 141980, Russia; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), 9 Institutskiy pereulok, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
| | - Natalya Fedorova
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute Named by B. P. Konstantinov of National Research Center, Kurchatov Institute, 1 mkr. Orlova Roshcha, Gatchina 188300, Russia
| | - Vladimir Egorov
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, 12 Ulitsa Akademika Pavlova, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia
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7
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Anila S, Samsonov SA. Benchmarking Water Models in Molecular Dynamics of Protein-Glycosaminoglycan Complexes. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:1691-1703. [PMID: 38410841 PMCID: PMC10934818 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) made of repeating disaccharide units intricately engage with proteins, playing a crucial role in the spatial organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the transduction of biological signals in cells to modulate a number of biochemical processes. Exploring protein-GAG interactions reveals several challenges for their analysis, namely, the highly charged and periodic nature of GAGs, their multipose binding, and the abundance of the interfacial water molecules in the protein-GAG complexes. Most of the studies on protein-GAG interactions are conducted using the TIP3P water model, and there are no data on the effect of various water models on the results obtained in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of protein-GAG complexes. Hence, it is essential to perform a systematic analysis of different water models in MD simulations for these systems. In this work, we aim to evaluate the properties of the protein-GAG complexes in MD simulations using different explicit: TIP3P, SPC/E, TIP4P, TIP4PEw, OPC, and TIP5P and implicit: IGB = 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 water models to find out which of them are best suited to study the dynamics of protein-GAG complexes. The FF14SB and GLYCAM06 force fields were used for the proteins and GAGs, respectively. The interactions of several GAG types, such as heparin, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid with basic fibroblast growth factor, cathepsin K, and CD44 receptor, respectively, are investigated. The observed variations in different descriptors used to study the binding in these complexes emphasize the relevance of the choice of water models for the MD simulation of these complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Anila
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Sergey A. Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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Bass L, Elder LH, Folescu DE, Forouzesh N, Tolokh IS, Karpatne A, Onufriev AV. Improving the Accuracy of Physics-Based Hydration-Free Energy Predictions by Machine Learning the Remaining Error Relative to the Experiment. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:396-410. [PMID: 38149593 PMCID: PMC10950260 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
The accuracy of computational models of water is key to atomistic simulations of biomolecules. We propose a computationally efficient way to improve the accuracy of the prediction of hydration-free energies (HFEs) of small molecules: the remaining errors of the physics-based models relative to the experiment are predicted and mitigated by machine learning (ML) as a postprocessing step. Specifically, the trained graph convolutional neural network attempts to identify the "blind spots" in the physics-based model predictions, where the complex physics of aqueous solvation is poorly accounted for, and partially corrects for them. The strategy is explored for five classical solvent models representing various accuracy/speed trade-offs, from the fast analytical generalized Born (GB) to the popular TIP3P explicit solvent model; experimental HFEs of small neutral molecules from the FreeSolv set are used for the training and testing. For all of the models, the ML correction reduces the resulting root-mean-square error relative to the experiment for HFEs of small molecules, without significant overfitting and with negligible computational overhead. For example, on the test set, the relative accuracy improvement is 47% for the fast analytical GB, making it, after the ML correction, almost as accurate as uncorrected TIP3P. For the TIP3P model, the accuracy improvement is about 39%, bringing the ML-corrected model's accuracy below the 1 kcal/mol threshold. In general, the relative benefit of the ML corrections is smaller for more accurate physics-based models, reaching the lower limit of about 20% relative accuracy gain compared with that of the physics-based treatment alone. The proposed strategy of using ML to learn the remaining error of physics-based models offers a distinct advantage over training ML alone directly on reference HFEs: it preserves the correct overall trend, even well outside of the training set.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis Bass
- Department of Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Luke H Elder
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Dan E Folescu
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department of Mathematics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Negin Forouzesh
- Department of Computer Science, California State University, Los Angeles, California 90032, United States
| | - Igor S Tolokh
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Anuj Karpatne
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Alexey V Onufriev
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center for Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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9
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Marcisz M, Anila S, Gaardløs M, Zacharias M, Samsonov SA. Studying specificity in protein-glycosaminoglycan recognition with umbrella sampling. Beilstein J Org Chem 2023; 19:1933-1946. [PMID: 38170083 PMCID: PMC10760462 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.19.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
In the past few decades, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) research has been crucial for gaining insights into various physiological, pathological, and therapeutic aspects mediated by the direct interactions between the GAG molecules and diverse proteins. The structural and functional heterogeneities of GAGs as well as their ability to bind specific proteins are determined by the sugar composition of the GAG, the size of the GAG chains, and the degree and pattern of sulfation. A deep understanding of the interactions in protein-GAG complexes is essential to explain their biological functions. In this study, the umbrella sampling (US) approach is used to pull away a GAG ligand from the binding site and then pull it back in. We analyze the binding interactions between GAGs of three types (heparin, desulfated heparan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate) with three different proteins (basic fibroblast growth factor, acidic fibroblast growth factor, and cathepsin K). The main focus of our study was to evaluate whether the US approach is able to reproduce experimentally obtained structures, and how useful it can be for getting a deeper understanding of GAG properties, especially protein recognition specificity and multipose binding. We found that the binding free energy landscape in the proximity of the GAG native binding pose is complex and implies the co-existence of several binding poses. The sliding of a GAG chain along a protein surface could be a potential mechanism of GAG particular sequence recognition by proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | | | | | - Martin Zacharias
- Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
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10
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Lushington GH, Linde A, Melgarejo T. Bacterial Proteases as Potentially Exploitable Modulators of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Logic from the Literature, Informatics, and Inspiration from the Dog. BIOTECH 2023; 12:61. [PMID: 37987478 PMCID: PMC10660736 DOI: 10.3390/biotech12040061] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic left many intriguing mysteries. Retrospective vulnerability trends tie as strongly to odd demographics as to exposure profiles, genetics, health, or prior medical history. This article documents the importance of nasal microbiome profiles in distinguishing infection rate trends among differentially affected subgroups. (2) Hypothesis: From a detailed literature survey, microbiome profiling experiments, bioinformatics, and molecular simulations, we propose that specific commensal bacterial species in the Pseudomonadales genus confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections by expressing proteases that may interfere with the proteolytic priming of the Spike protein. (3) Evidence: Various reports have found elevated Moraxella fractions in the nasal microbiomes of subpopulations with higher resistance to COVID-19 (e.g., adolescents, COVID-19-resistant children, people with strong dietary diversity, and omnivorous canines) and less abundant ones in vulnerable subsets (the elderly, people with narrower diets, carnivorous cats and foxes), along with bioinformatic evidence that Moraxella bacteria express proteases with notable homology to human TMPRSS2. Simulations suggest that these proteases may proteolyze the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a manner that interferes with TMPRSS2 priming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annika Linde
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA;
| | - Tonatiuh Melgarejo
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA;
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11
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Gates CA, Backos DS, Reigan P, Natale NR. The Lateral Metalation of Isoxazolo[3,4- d]pyridazinones towards Hit-to-Lead Development of Selective Positive Modulators of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors. Molecules 2023; 28:6800. [PMID: 37836643 PMCID: PMC10574779 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196800] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Isoxazolo[3,4-d] pyridazinones ([3,4-d]s) were previously shown to have selective positive modulation at the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) Subtypes 2 and 4, with no functional cross-reactivity at mGluR1a, mGluR5, or mGluR8. Additional analogs were prepared to access more of the allosteric pocket and achieve higher binding affinity, as suggested by homology modeling. Two different sets of analogs were generated. One uses the fully formed [3,4-d] with an N6-aryl with and without halogens. These underwent successful selective lateral metalation and electrophilic quenching (LM&EQ) at the C3 of the isoxazole. In a second set of analogs, a phenyl group was introduced at the C4 position of the [3,4-d] ring via a condensation of 4-phenylacetyl-3-ethoxcarbonyl-5-methyl isoxazole with the corresponding hydrazine to generate the 3,4-ds 2b and 2j to 2n.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina A Gates
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Donald S Backos
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Philip Reigan
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Nicholas R Natale
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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12
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Corrigan RA, Thiel AC, Lynn JR, Casavant TL, Ren P, Ponder JW, Schnieders MJ. A generalized Kirkwood implicit solvent for the polarizable AMOEBA protein model. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:054102. [PMID: 37526158 PMCID: PMC10396400 DOI: 10.1063/5.0158914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Computational simulation of biomolecules can provide important insights into protein design, protein-ligand binding interactions, and ab initio biomolecular folding, among other applications. Accurate treatment of the solvent environment is essential in such applications, but the use of explicit solvents can add considerable cost. Implicit treatment of solvent effects using a dielectric continuum model is an attractive alternative to explicit solvation since it is able to describe solvation effects without the inclusion of solvent degrees of freedom. Previously, we described the development and parameterization of implicit solvent models for small molecules. Here, we extend the parameterization of the generalized Kirkwood (GK) implicit solvent model for use with biomolecules described by the AMOEBA force field via the addition of corrections to the calculation of effective radii that account for interstitial spaces that arise within biomolecules. These include element-specific pairwise descreening scale factors, a short-range neck contribution to describe the solvent-excluded space between pairs of nearby atoms, and finally tanh-based rescaling of the overall descreening integral. We then apply the AMOEBA/GK implicit solvent to a set of ten proteins and achieve an average coordinate root mean square deviation for the experimental structures of 2.0 Å across 500 ns simulations. Overall, the continued development of implicit solvent models will help facilitate the simulation of biomolecules on mechanistically relevant timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rae A. Corrigan
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Andrew C. Thiel
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Jack R. Lynn
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Thomas L. Casavant
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas in Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Jay W. Ponder
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
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13
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Wodak SJ, Vajda S, Lensink MF, Kozakov D, Bates PA. Critical Assessment of Methods for Predicting the 3D Structure of Proteins and Protein Complexes. Annu Rev Biophys 2023; 52:183-206. [PMID: 36626764 PMCID: PMC10885158 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-102622-084607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Advances in a scientific discipline are often measured by small, incremental steps. In this review, we report on two intertwined disciplines in the protein structure prediction field, modeling of single chains and modeling of complexes, that have over decades emulated this pattern, as monitored by the community-wide blind prediction experiments CASP and CAPRI. However, over the past few years, dramatic advances were observed for the accurate prediction of single protein chains, driven by a surge of deep learning methodologies entering the prediction field. We review the mainscientific developments that enabled these recent breakthroughs and feature the important role of blind prediction experiments in building up and nurturing the structure prediction field. We discuss how the new wave of artificial intelligence-based methods is impacting the fields of computational and experimental structural biology and highlight areas in which deep learning methods are likely to lead to future developments, provided that major challenges are overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoshana J Wodak
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium;
| | - Sandor Vajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marc F Lensink
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576-UGSF-Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France;
| | - Dima Kozakov
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA;
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Paul A Bates
- Biomolecular Modelling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom;
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14
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Bojarski KK, Samsonov SA. In silico insights into procathepsin S maturation mediated by glycosaminoglycans. J Mol Graph Model 2023; 120:108406. [PMID: 36707295 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108406] [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: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Procathepsins, inactive precursors of cathepsins are present in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and in lysosomes. Their active forms are involved in a number of biologically relevant processes, including bone resorption, intracellular proteolysis and regulation of programmed cell death. These processes might be mediated by glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), long unbranched periodic negatively charged polysaccharides. GAGs are also present in ECM and play important role in anticoagulation, angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. GAGs not only mediate the enzymatic activity of cathepsins but can also regulate the process of procathepsin maturation, as it was shown for procathepsin B and S. In this study, we propose the molecular mechanism underlying the biological role of GAGs in procathepsin S maturation and compare our findings with computational data obtained for procathepsin B. We rigorously analyse procathepsin S-GAG complexes in terms of their dynamics, free energy and potential allosteric regulation. We conclude that the GAG binding region might have an effect on the dynamics of procathepsin S structure and so affect its maturation by two different mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof K Bojarski
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdansk, 80-233, Poland.
| | - Sergey A Samsonov
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, Gdansk, 80-308, Poland
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15
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Marcisz M, Samsonov SA. Solvent Model Benchmark for Molecular Dynamics of Glycosaminoglycans. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:2147-2157. [PMID: 36989082 PMCID: PMC10091405 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
In computational studies of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a group of anionic, periodic linear polysaccharides, so far there has been very little discussion about the role of solvent models in the molecular dynamics simulations of these molecules. Predominantly, the TIP3P water model is commonly used as one of the most popular explicit water models in general. However, there are numerous alternative explicit and implicit water models that are neglected in the computational research of GAGs. Since solvent-mediated interactions are particularly important for GAG dynamic and structural properties, it would be of great interest for the GAG community to establish the solvent model that is suited the best in terms of the quality of theoretically obtained GAG parameters and, at the same time, would be reasonably demanding in terms of computational resources required. In this study, heparin (HP) was simulated using five implicit and six explicit solvent models with the aim to find out how different solvent models influence HP's molecular descriptors in the molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we initiate the search for the most appropriate solvent representation for GAG systems and we hope to encourage other groups to contribute to this highly relevant subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and MUG, ul. Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Sergey A Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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16
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Cao S, Kalin ML, Huang X. EPISOL: A software package with expanded functions to perform 3D-RISM calculations for the solvation of chemical and biological molecules. J Comput Chem 2023; 44:1536-1549. [PMID: 36856731 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27088] [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: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Integral equation theory (IET) provides an effective solvation model for chemical and biological systems that balances computational efficiency and accuracy. We present a new software package, the expanded package for IET-based solvation (EPISOL), that performs 3D-reference interaction site model (3D-RISM) calculations to obtain the solvation structure and free energies of solute molecules in different solvents. In EPISOL, we have implemented 22 different closures, multiple free energy functionals, and new variations of 3D-RISM theory, including the recent hydrophobicity-induced density inhomogeneity (HI) theory for hydrophobic solutes and ion-dipole correction (IDC) theory for negatively charged solutes. To speed up the convergence and enhance the stability of the self-consistent iterations, we have introduced several numerical schemes in EPISOL, including a newly developed dynamic mixing approach. We show that these schemes have significantly reduced the failure rate of 3D-RISM calculations compared to AMBER-RISM software. EPISOL consists of both a user-friendly graphic interface and a kernel library that allows users to call its routines and adapt them to other programs. EPISOL is compatible with the force-field and coordinate files from both AMBER and GROMACS simulation packages. Moreover, EPISOL is equipped with an internal memory control to efficiently manage the use of physical memory, making it suitable for performing calculations on large biomolecules. We demonstrate that EPISOL can efficiently and accurately calculate solvation density distributions around various solute molecules (including a protein chaperone consisting of 120,715 atoms) and obtain solvent free energy for a wide range of organic compounds. We expect that EPISOL can be widely applied as a solvation model for chemical and biological systems. EPISOL is available at https://github.com/EPISOLrelease/EPISOL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqin Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Michael L Kalin
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Xuhui Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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17
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Valdés-Tresanco ME, Valdés-Tresanco MS, Moreno E, Valiente PA. Assessment of Different Parameters on the Accuracy of Computational Alanine Scanning of Protein-Protein Complexes with the Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area Method. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:944-954. [PMID: 36661180 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Computational alanine scanning with the molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) method constitutes a widely used approach for identifying critical residues at protein-protein interfaces. Despite its popularity, the MM/GBSA method still has certain drawbacks due to its dependence on many factors. Here, we performed a systematical study on the impact of four different parameters, namely, the internal dielectric constant, the generalized Born model, the entropic term, and the inclusion of structural waters on the accuracy of computational alanine scanning calculations with the MM/GBSA method. Our results show that the internal dielectric constant is the most critical parameter for getting accurate predictions. The introduction of entropy and interfacial water molecules decreased the quality of the predictions, while the generalized Born model had little to no effect. Considering the significance of the internal dielectric value, we proposed a methodology based on the energetic predominance of a particular set of amino acids at the protein-protein interface for selecting an appropriate value for this variable. We hope that these results serve as a guideline for future studies of protein-protein complexes using the MM/GBSA method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario E Valdés-Tresanco
- Centre for Molecular Simulations and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AlbertaT2N 1N4, Canada.,Computational Biology and Biomolecular Dynamics Laboratory, Center for Proteins Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Havana10400, Cuba
| | | | - Ernesto Moreno
- Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Medellin, Medellin, Antioquia050031, Colombia
| | - Pedro A Valiente
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, OntarioM5S 3E1, Canada.,Computational Biology and Biomolecular Dynamics Laboratory, Center for Proteins Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Havana10400, Cuba
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18
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Heilmann E, Costacurta F, Moghadasi SA, Ye C, Pavan M, Bassani D, Volland A, Ascher C, Weiss AKH, Bante D, Harris RS, Moro S, Rupp B, Martinez-Sobrido L, von Laer D. SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro mutations selected in a VSV-based system confer resistance to nirmatrelvir, ensitrelvir, and GC376. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eabq7360. [PMID: 36194133 PMCID: PMC9765458 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abq7360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Protease inhibitors are among the most powerful antiviral drugs. Nirmatrelvir is the first protease inhibitor specifically developed against the SARS-CoV-2 protease 3CLpro that has been licensed for clinical use. To identify mutations that confer resistance to this protease inhibitor, we engineered a chimeric vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that expressed a polyprotein composed of the VSV glycoprotein (G), the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, and the VSV polymerase (L). Viral replication was thus dependent on the autocatalytic processing of this precursor protein by 3CLpro and release of the functional viral proteins G and L, and replication of this chimeric VSV was effectively inhibited by nirmatrelvir. Using this system, we applied nirmatrelvir to select for resistance mutations. Resistance was confirmed by retesting nirmatrelvir against the selected mutations in additional VSV-based systems, in an independently developed cellular system, in a biochemical assay, and in a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 system. We demonstrate that some mutants are cross-resistant to ensitrelvir and GC376, whereas others are less resistant to these compounds. Furthermore, we found that most of these resistance mutations already existed in SARS-CoV-2 sequences that have been deposited in the NCBI and GISAID databases, indicating that these mutations were present in circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Heilmann
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Francesco Costacurta
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Seyed Arad Moghadasi
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Institute for Molecular Virology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Chengjin Ye
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Matteo Pavan
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Davide Bassani
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Andre Volland
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Claudia Ascher
- Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | | | - David Bante
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Reuben S. Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Institute for Molecular Virology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States
| | - Stefano Moro
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Bernhard Rupp
- Division of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
- k.-k. Hofkristallamt, San Diego, CA 92084, United States
| | | | - Dorothee von Laer
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
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19
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Liu R, Wang L, Meng Y, Li F, Nie H, Lu H. Role of Thylakoid Lipids in Protochlorophyllide Oxidoreductase Activation: Allosteric Mechanism Elucidated by a Computational Study. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010307. [PMID: 36613752 PMCID: PMC9820216 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (LPOR) is a chlorophyll synthetase that catalyzes the reduction of protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) to chlorophyllide (Chlide) with indispensable roles in regulating photosynthesis processes. A recent study confirmed that thylakoid lipids (TL) were able to allosterically enhance modulator-induced LPOR activation. However, the allosteric modulation mechanism of LPOR by these compounds remains unclear. Herein, we integrated multiple computational approaches to explore the potential cavities in the Arabidopsis thaliana LPOR and an allosteric site around the helix-G region where high affinity for phosphatidyl glycerol (PG) was identified. Adopting accelerated molecular dynamics simulation for different LPOR states, we rigorously analyzed binary LPOR/PG and ternary LPOR/NADPH/PG complexes in terms of their dynamics, energetics, and attainable allosteric regulation. Our findings clarify the experimental observation of increased NADPH binding affinity for LPOR with PGs. Moreover, the simulations indicated that allosteric regulators targeting LPOR favor a mechanism involving lid opening upon binding to an allosteric hinge pocket mechanism. This understanding paves the way for designing novel LPOR activators and expanding the applications of LPOR.
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20
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Chang Y, Hawkins BA, Du JJ, Groundwater PW, Hibbs DE, Lai F. A Guide to In Silico Drug Design. Pharmaceutics 2022; 15:pharmaceutics15010049. [PMID: 36678678 PMCID: PMC9867171 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The drug discovery process is a rocky path that is full of challenges, with the result that very few candidates progress from hit compound to a commercially available product, often due to factors, such as poor binding affinity, off-target effects, or physicochemical properties, such as solubility or stability. This process is further complicated by high research and development costs and time requirements. It is thus important to optimise every step of the process in order to maximise the chances of success. As a result of the recent advancements in computer power and technology, computer-aided drug design (CADD) has become an integral part of modern drug discovery to guide and accelerate the process. In this review, we present an overview of the important CADD methods and applications, such as in silico structure prediction, refinement, modelling and target validation, that are commonly used in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Chang
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Bryson A. Hawkins
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Jonathan J. Du
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Paul W. Groundwater
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - David E. Hibbs
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Felcia Lai
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
- Correspondence:
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21
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Fukunishi Y, Higo J, Kasahara K. Computer simulation of molecular recognition in biomolecular system: from in silico screening to generalized ensembles. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:1423-1447. [PMID: 36465086 PMCID: PMC9703445 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-01015-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Prediction of ligand-receptor complex structure is important in both the basic science and the industry such as drug discovery. We report various computation molecular docking methods: fundamental in silico (virtual) screening, ensemble docking, enhanced sampling (generalized ensemble) methods, and other methods to improve the accuracy of the complex structure. We explain not only the merits of these methods but also their limits of application and discuss some interaction terms which are not considered in the in silico methods. In silico screening and ensemble docking are useful when one focuses on obtaining the native complex structure (the most thermodynamically stable complex). Generalized ensemble method provides a free-energy landscape, which shows the distribution of the most stable complex structure and semi-stable ones in a conformational space. Also, barriers separating those stable structures are identified. A researcher should select one of the methods according to the research aim and depending on complexity of the molecular system to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshifumi Fukunishi
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-3-26, Aomi, Koto-Ku, Tokyo, 135-0064 Japan
| | - Junichi Higo
- Graduate School of Information Science, University of Hyogo, 7-1-28 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-Ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan ,Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan
| | - Kota Kasahara
- College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan
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22
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Structural analysis of a simplified model reproducing SARS-CoV-2 S RBD/ACE2 binding site. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11568. [PMID: 36406731 PMCID: PMC9663143 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11568] [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: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an RNA virus identified as the cause of the coronavirus outbreak in December 2019 (COVID-19). Like all the RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 constantly evolves through mutations in its genome, accumulating 1–2 nucleotide changes every month, giving the virus a selective advantage through enhanced transmissibility, greater pathogenicity, and the possibility of circumventing immunity previously acquired by an individual either by natural infection or by vaccination. Several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) have been identified, among which we find Alpha (Lineage B.1.1.7), Beta (Lineage B.1.351), and Gamma (Lineage P.1) variants. Most of the mutations occur in the spike (S) protein, a surface glycoprotein that plays a crucial role in viral infection; the S protein binds the host cell receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme of type 2 (ACE2) via the receptor binding domain (RBD) and catalyzes the fusion of the viral membrane with the host cell. In this work, we present the development of a simplified system that would afford to study the change in the SARS-CoV-2 S RBD/ACE2 binding related to the frequent mutations. In particular, we synthesized and studied the structure of short amino acid sequences, mimicking the two proteins’ critical portions. Variations in the residues were easily managed through the one-point alteration of the sequences. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies provide insights into ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 S RBD structure with its related three variants (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma). Spectroscopy data supported by molecular dynamics lead to the description of an ACE2/RBD binding model in which the effect of a single amino acid mutation in changing the binding of S protein to the ACE2 receptor is predictable.
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23
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Denamur S, Chazeirat T, Maszota-Zieleniak M, Vivès RR, Saidi A, Zhang F, Linhardt RJ, Labarthe F, Samsonov SA, Lalmanach G, Lecaille F. Binding of heparan sulfate to human cystatin C modulates inhibition of cathepsin L: Putative consequences in mucopolysaccharidosis. Carbohydr Polym 2022; 293:119734. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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24
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Wang KW, Lee J, Zhang H, Suh D, Im W. CHARMM-GUI Implicit Solvent Modeler for Various Generalized Born Models in Different Simulation Programs. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7354-7364. [PMID: 36117287 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Implicit solvent models are widely used because they are advantageous to speed up simulations by drastically decreasing the number of solvent degrees of freedom, which allows one to achieve long simulation time scales for large system sizes. CHARMM-GUI, a web-based platform, has been developed to support the setup of complex multicomponent molecular systems and prepare input files. This study describes an Implicit Solvent Modeler (ISM) in CHARMM-GUI for various generalized Born (GB) implicit solvent simulations in different molecular dynamics programs such as AMBER, CHARMM, GENESIS, NAMD, OpenMM, and Tinker. The GB models available in ISM include GB-HCT, GB-OBC, GB-neck, GBMV, and GBSW with the CHARMM and Amber force fields for protein, DNA, RNA, glycan, and ligand systems. Using the system and input files generated by ISM, implicit solvent simulations of protein, DNA, and RNA systems produce similar results for different simulation packages with the same input information. Protein-ligand systems are also considered to further validate the systems and input files generated by ISM. Simple ligand root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) and molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) calculations show that the performance of implicit simulations is better than docking and can be used for early stage ligand screening. These reasonable results indicate that ISM is a useful and reliable tool to provide various implicit solvent simulation applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kye Won Wang
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Bioengineering, and Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Jumin Lee
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Bioengineering, and Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Han Zhang
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Bioengineering, and Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Donghyuk Suh
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Bioengineering, and Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Wonpil Im
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Bioengineering, and Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
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25
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Folescu DE, Onufriev AV. A Closed-Form, Analytical Approximation for Apparent Surface Charge and Electric Field of Molecules. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:26123-26136. [PMID: 35936397 PMCID: PMC9352323 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Closed-form, analytical approximations for electrostatic properties of molecules are of unique value as these can provide computational speed, versatility, and physical insight. Here, we have derived a simple, closed-form formula for the apparent surface charge (ASC) as well as for the electric field generated by a molecular charge distribution in aqueous solution. The approximation, with no fitted parameters, was tested against numerical solutions of the Poisson equation, where it has produced a significant speed-up. For neutral small molecules, the hydration free energies estimated from the closed-form ASC formula are within 0.8 kcal/mol RMSD from the numerical Poisson reference; the electric field at the surface is in quantitative agreement with the reference. Performance of the approximation was also tested on larger structures, including a protein, a DNA fragment, and a viral receptor-target complex. For all structures tested, a near-quantitative agreement with the numerical Poisson reference was achieved, except in regions of high negative curvature, where the new approximation is still qualitatively correct. A unique efficiency feature of the proposed "source-based″ closed-form approximation is that the ASC and electric field can be estimated individually at any point or surface patch, without the need to obtain the full global solution. An open-source software implementation of the method is available: https://people.cs.vt.edu/~onufriev/CODES/aasc.zip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan E. Folescu
- Department
of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Alexey V. Onufriev
- Department
of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center
for Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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26
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Gao K, Wang R, Chen J, Cheng L, Frishcosy J, Huzumi Y, Qiu Y, Schluckbier T, Wei X, Wei GW. Methodology-Centered Review of Molecular Modeling, Simulation, and Prediction of SARS-CoV-2. Chem Rev 2022; 122:11287-11368. [PMID: 35594413 PMCID: PMC9159519 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite tremendous efforts in the past two years, our understanding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), virus-host interactions, immune response, virulence, transmission, and evolution is still very limited. This limitation calls for further in-depth investigation. Computational studies have become an indispensable component in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their low cost, their efficiency, and the fact that they are free from safety and ethical constraints. Additionally, the mechanism that governs the global evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be revealed from individual experiments and was discovered by integrating genotyping of massive viral sequences, biophysical modeling of protein-protein interactions, deep mutational data, deep learning, and advanced mathematics. There exists a tsunami of literature on the molecular modeling, simulations, and predictions of SARS-CoV-2 and related developments of drugs, vaccines, antibodies, and diagnostics. To provide readers with a quick update about this literature, we present a comprehensive and systematic methodology-centered review. Aspects such as molecular biophysics, bioinformatics, cheminformatics, machine learning, and mathematics are discussed. This review will be beneficial to researchers who are looking for ways to contribute to SARS-CoV-2 studies and those who are interested in the status of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaifu Gao
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Rui Wang
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Limei Cheng
- Clinical
Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Bristol
Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, United States
| | - Jaclyn Frishcosy
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Yuta Huzumi
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Yuchi Qiu
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Tom Schluckbier
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Xiaoqi Wei
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Guo-Wei Wei
- Department
of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan
State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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27
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Marcisz M, Gaardløs M, Bojarski KK, Siebenmorgen T, Zacharias M, Samsonov SA. Explicit solvent repulsive scaling replica exchange molecular dynamics (RS-REMD) in molecular modeling of protein-glycosaminoglycan complexes. J Comput Chem 2022; 43:1633-1640. [PMID: 35796487 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Glycosaminoglcyans (GAGs), linear anionic periodic polysaccharides, are crucial for many biologically relevant functions in the extracellular matrix. By interacting with proteins GAGs mediate processes such as cancer development, cell proliferation and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Despite this eminent importance of GAGs, they still represent a limited focus for the computational community in comparison to other classes of biomolecules. Therefore, there is a lack of modeling tools designed specifically for docking GAGs. One has to rely on existing docking software developed mostly for small drug molecules substantially differing from GAGs in their basic physico-chemical properties. In this study, we present an updated protocol for docking GAGs based on the Repulsive Scaling Replica Exchange Molecular Dynamics (RS-REMD) that includes explicit solvent description. The use of this water model improved docking performance both in terms of its accuracy and speed. This method represents a significant computational progress in GAG-related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.,Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, Universuty of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | | | - Krzysztof K Bojarski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.,Department of Physical Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Till Siebenmorgen
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
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28
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In silico and in vitro mapping of specificity patterns of glycosaminoglycans towards cysteine cathepsins B, L, K, S and V. J Mol Graph Model 2022; 113:108153. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2022.108153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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29
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Severov V, Tsvetkov V, Barinov N, Babenko V, Klinov D, Pozmogova G. Spontaneous DNA Synapsis by Forming Noncanonical Intermolecular Structures. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14102118. [PMID: 35632001 PMCID: PMC9144187 DOI: 10.3390/polym14102118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the spontaneous formation of DNA-DNA junctions in solution in the absence of proteins visualised using atomic force microscopy. The synapsis position fits with potential G-quadruplex (G4) sites. In contrast to the Holliday structure, these conjugates have an affinity for G4 antibodies. Molecular modelling was used to elucidate the possible G4/IM-synaptic complex structures. Our results indicate a new role of the intermolecular noncanonical structures in chromatin architecture and genomic rearrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viacheslav Severov
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (N.B.); (V.B.); (D.K.); (G.P.)
- Correspondence: (V.S.); (V.T.)
| | - Vladimir Tsvetkov
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (N.B.); (V.B.); (D.K.); (G.P.)
- Institute of Biodesign and Complex System Modeling, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Trubetskaya Str. 8-2, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- A.V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Leninsky prospect Str. 29, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (V.S.); (V.T.)
| | - Nikolay Barinov
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (N.B.); (V.B.); (D.K.); (G.P.)
| | - Vladislav Babenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (N.B.); (V.B.); (D.K.); (G.P.)
| | - Dmitry Klinov
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (N.B.); (V.B.); (D.K.); (G.P.)
- Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya str.6, 117198 Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina Pozmogova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (N.B.); (V.B.); (D.K.); (G.P.)
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30
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Liao J, Nie X, Unarta IC, Ericksen SS, Tang W. In Silico Modeling and Scoring of PROTAC-Mediated Ternary Complex Poses. J Med Chem 2022; 65:6116-6132. [PMID: 35412837 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are molecules that induce protein degradation via formation of ternary complexes between an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a target protein. The rational design of PROTACs requires accurate knowledge of the native configuration of the PROTAC-induced ternary complex. This study demonstrates that native and non-native ternary complex poses can be distinguished based on the pose occupancy time in MD, where native poses exhibit longer occupancy times at both room and higher temperatures. Candidate poses are generated by MD sampling and pre-ranked by classic MM/GBSA. A specific heating scheme is then applied to accelerate ternary pose departure, with the pose occupancy time and fraction being measured. This scoring identifies the native pose in all systems tested. Its success is partially attributed to the dynamic nature of pose departure analyses, which accounts for entropic effects typically neglected in the faster static scoring methods, while entropy plays a greater role in protein-protein than in protein-ligand systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junzhuo Liao
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Xueqing Nie
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Ilona Christy Unarta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Spencer S Ericksen
- Drug Development Core, UW Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Weiping Tang
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States.,Drug Development Core, UW Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
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31
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von Ranke NL, Castro HC, Rodrigues CR. Molecular modelling and dynamics simulations of single-wall carbon nanotube as a drug carrier: New insights into the drug-loading process. J Mol Graph Model 2022; 113:108145. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2022.108145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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32
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Zacharias M. Match_Motif: A rapid computational tool to assist in protein-protein interaction design. Protein Sci 2022; 31:147-157. [PMID: 34648221 PMCID: PMC8740833 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
In order to generate protein assemblies with a desired function, the rational design of protein-protein binding interfaces is of significant interest. Approaches based on random mutagenesis or directed evolution may involve complex experimental selection procedures. Also, molecular modeling approaches to design entirely new proteins and interactions with partner molecules can involve large computational efforts and screening steps. In order to simplify at least the initial effort for designing a putative binding interface between two proteins the Match_Motif approach has been developed. It employs the large collection of known protein-protein complex structures to suggest interface modifications that may lead to improved binding for a desired input interaction geometry. The approach extracts interaction motifs based on the backbone structure of short (four residues) segments and the relative arrangement with respect to short segments on the partner protein. The interaction geometry is used to search through a database of such motifs in known stable bound complexes. All matches are rapidly identified (within a few seconds) and collected and can be used to guide changes in the interface that may lead to improved binding. In the output, an alternative interface structure is also proposed based on the frequency of occurrence of side chains at a given interface position in all matches and based on sterical considerations. Applications of the procedure to known complex structures and alternative arrangements are presented and discussed. The program, data files, and example applications can be downloaded from https://www.groups.ph.tum.de/t38/downloads/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Zacharias
- Center of Functional Protein AssembliesTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
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33
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Jung J, Baek J, Tae K, Shin D, Han S, Yang W, Yu W, Jung SM, Park SH, Choi CY, Lee S. Structural mechanism for regulation of Rab7 by site-specific monoubiquitination. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 194:347-357. [PMID: 34801583 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.11.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific ubiquitination can regulate the functions of Rab proteins in membrane trafficking. Previously we showed that site-specific monoubiquitination on Rab5 downregulates its function. Rab7 acts in the downstream of Rab5. Although site-specific ubiquitination of Rab7 can affect its function, it remains elusive how the ubiquitination is involved in modulation of the function of Rab7 at molecular level. Here, we report molecular basis for the regulation of Rab7 by site-specific monoubiquitination. Rab7 was predominantly monoubiquitinated at multiple sites in the membrane fraction of cultured cells. Two major ubiquitination sites (K191 and K194), identified by mutational analysis with single K mutants, were responsible for membrane localization of monoubiquitinated Rab7. Using small-angle X-ray scattering, we derived structural models of site-specifically monoubiquitinated Rab7 in solution. Structural analysis combined with molecular dynamics simulation corroborated that the ubiquitin moieties on K191 and K194 are key determinants for exclusion of Rab7 from the endosomal membrane. Ubiquitination on the two major sites apparently mitigated colocalization of Rab7 with ORF3a of SARS-CoV-2, potentially deterring the egression of SARS-CoV-2. Our results establish that the regulatory effects of a Rab protein through site-specific monoubiquitination are commonly observed among Rab GTPases while the ubiquitination sites differ in each Rab protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaeeun Jung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiseok Baek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Kun Tae
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghyuk Shin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungsu Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonjin Yang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Wookyung Yu
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Su Myung Jung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Seok Hee Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol Yong Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangho Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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34
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Abstract
Monte Carlo (MC) methods are important computational tools for molecular structure optimizations and predictions. When solvent effects are explicitly considered, MC methods become very expensive due to the large degree of freedom associated with the water molecules and mobile ions. Alternatively implicit-solvent MC can largely reduce the computational cost by applying a mean field approximation to solvent effects and meanwhile maintains the atomic detail of the target molecule. The two most popular implicit-solvent models are the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) model and the Generalized Born (GB) model in a way such that the GB model is an approximation to the PB model but is much faster in simulation time. In this work, we develop a machine learning-based implicit-solvent Monte Carlo (MLIMC) method by combining the advantages of both implicit solvent models in accuracy and efficiency. Specifically, the MLIMC method uses a fast and accurate PB-based machine learning (PBML) scheme to compute the electrostatic solvation free energy at each step. We validate our MLIMC method by using a benzene-water system and a protein-water system. We show that the proposed MLIMC method has great advantages in speed and accuracy for molecular structure optimization and prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Chen
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USA
| | - Weihua Geng
- Department of Mathematics, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
| | - Guo-Wei Wei
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USA
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35
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Yang W, Kim BS, Muniyappan S, Lee YH, Kim JH, Yu W. Aggregation-Prone Structural Ensembles of Transthyretin Collected With Regression Analysis for NMR Chemical Shift. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:766830. [PMID: 34746240 PMCID: PMC8568061 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.766830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Monomer dissociation and subsequent misfolding of the transthyretin (TTR) is one of the most critical causative factors of TTR amyloidosis. TTR amyloidosis causes several human diseases, such as senile systemic amyloidosis and familial amyloid cardiomyopathy/polyneuropathy; therefore, it is important to understand the molecular details of the structural deformation and aggregation mechanisms of TTR. However, such molecular characteristics are still elusive because of the complicated structural heterogeneity of TTR and its highly sensitive nature to various environmental factors. Several nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) studies of TTR variants have recently reported evidence of transient aggregation-prone structural states of TTR. According to these studies, the stability of the DAGH β-sheet, one of the two main β-sheets in TTR, is a crucial determinant of the TTR amyloidosis mechanism. In addition, its conformational perturbation and possible involvement of nearby structural motifs facilitates TTR aggregation. This study proposes aggregation-prone structural ensembles of TTR obtained by MD simulation with enhanced sampling and a multiple linear regression approach. This method provides plausible structural models that are composed of ensemble structures consistent with NMR chemical shift data. This study validated the ensemble models with experimental data obtained from circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and NMR order parameter analysis. In addition, our results suggest that the structural deformation of the DAGH β-sheet and the AB loop regions may correlate with the manifestation of the aggregation-prone conformational states of TTR. In summary, our method employing MD techniques to extend the structural ensembles from NMR experimental data analysis may provide new opportunities to investigate various transient yet important structural states of amyloidogenic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonjin Yang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Beom Soo Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, South Korea
| | | | - Young-Ho Lee
- Research Center for Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Ochang, South Korea.,Department of Bio-analytical Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea.,Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea.,Research Headquarters, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jin Hae Kim
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Wookyung Yu
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, South Korea.,Core Protein Resources Center, DGIST, Daegu, South Korea
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36
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Marcisz M, Zacharias M, Samsonov SA. Modeling Protein-Glycosaminoglycan Complexes: Does the Size Matter? J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4475-4485. [PMID: 34494837 PMCID: PMC8479808 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Docking glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has been challenging because
of the complex nature of these long periodic linear and negatively
charged polysaccharides. Although standard docking tools like Autodock3
are successful when docking GAGs up to hexameric length, they experience
challenges to properly dock longer GAGs. Similar limitations concern
other docking approaches typically developed for docking ligands of
limited size to proteins. At the same time, most of more advanced
docking approaches are challenging for a user who is inexperienced
with complex in silico methodologies. In this work,
we evaluate the binding energies of complexes with different lengths
of GAGs using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Based on this
analysis, we propose a new docking protocol for long GAGs that consists
of conventional docking of short GAGs and further elongation with
the use of a coarse-grained representation of the GAG parts not being
in direct contact with its protein receptor. This method automated
by a simple script is straightforward to use within the Autodock3
framework but also useful in combination with other standard docking
tools. We believe that this method with some minor case-specific modifications
could also be used for docking other linear charged polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland.,Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and MUG, ul. Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Sergey A Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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37
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Ryazantsev DY, Myshkin MY, Alferova VA, Tsvetkov VB, Shustova EY, Kamzeeva PN, Kovalets PV, Zaitseva ER, Baleeva NS, Zatsepin TS, Shenkarev ZO, Baranov MS, Kozlovskaya LI, Aralov AV. Probing GFP Chromophore Analogs as Anti-HIV Agents Targeting LTR-III G-Quadruplex. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11101409. [PMID: 34680042 PMCID: PMC8533149 DOI: 10.3390/biom11101409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore and its congeners draw significant attention mostly for bioimaging purposes. In this work we probed these compounds as antiviral agents. We have chosen LTR-III DNA G4, the major G-quadruplex (G4) present in the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter region of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), as the target for primary screening and designing antiviral drug candidates. The stabilization of this G4 was previously shown to suppress viral gene expression and replication. FRET-based high-throughput screening (HTS) of 449 GFP chromophore-like compounds revealed a number of hits, sharing some general structural features. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) for the most effective stabilizers allowed us to establish structural fragments, important for G4 binding. Synthetic compounds, developed on the basis of SAR analysis, exhibited high LTR-III G4 stabilization level. NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling revealed the possible formation of LTR-III G4-ligand complex with one of the lead selective derivative ZS260.1 positioned within the cavity, thus supporting the LTR-III G4 attractiveness for drug targeting. Selected compounds showed moderate activity against HIV-I (EC50 1.78–7.7 μM) in vitro, but the activity was accompanied by pronounced cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitriy Y. Ryazantsev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
| | - Mikhail Yu. Myshkin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
| | - Vera A. Alferova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, B. Pirogovskaya 11, 119021 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir B. Tsvetkov
- World-Class Research Center “Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare”, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 8/2 Trubetskaya Str., 119146 Moscow, Russia;
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Y. Shustova
- Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-Biological Products of Russian Academy of Sciences, 108819 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Polina N. Kamzeeva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
- D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, 9 Miusskaya Sq., 125047 Moscow, Russia
| | - Polina V. Kovalets
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
| | - Elvira R. Zaitseva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
- D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, 9 Miusskaya Sq., 125047 Moscow, Russia
| | - Nadezhda S. Baleeva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ostrovitianov 1, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Timofei S. Zatsepin
- Center for Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 121205 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Zakhar O. Shenkarev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
| | - Mikhail S. Baranov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ostrovitianov 1, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Liubov I. Kozlovskaya
- Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-Biological Products of Russian Academy of Sciences, 108819 Moscow, Russia;
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (L.I.K.); (A.V.A.)
| | - Andrey V. Aralov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (D.Y.R.); (M.Y.M.); (V.A.A.); (P.N.K.); (P.V.K.); (E.R.Z.); (N.S.B.); (Z.O.S.); (M.S.B.)
- G4_Interact, USERN, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Correspondence: (L.I.K.); (A.V.A.)
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38
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Marcisz M, Maszota-Zieleniak M, Huard B, Samsonov SA. Advanced Molecular Dynamics Approaches to Model a Tertiary Complex APRIL/TACI with Long Glycosaminoglycans. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11091349. [PMID: 34572563 PMCID: PMC8465899 DOI: 10.3390/biom11091349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear anionic periodic polysaccharides participating in a number of biologically relevant processes in the extracellular matrix via interactions with their protein targets. Due to their periodicity, conformational flexibility, pseudo-symmetry of the sulfation pattern, and the key role of electrostatics, these molecules are challenging for both experimental and theoretical approaches. In particular, conventional molecular docking applied for GAGs longer than 10-mer experiences severe difficulties. In this work, for the first time, 24- and 48-meric GAGs were docked using all-atomic repulsive-scaling Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics (RS-REMD), a novel methodology based on replicas with van der Waals radii of interacting molecules being scaled. This approach performed well for proteins complexed with oligomeric GAGs and is independent of their length, which distinguishes it from other molecular docking approaches. We built a model of long GAGs in complex with a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) prebound to its receptors, the B cell maturation antigen and the transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI). Furthermore, the prediction power of the RS-REMD for this tertiary complex was evaluated. We conclude that the TACI–GAG interaction could be potentially amplified by TACI’s binding to APRIL. RS-REMD outperformed Autodock3, the docking program previously proven the best for short GAGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.M.); (M.M.-Z.)
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and MUG, ul. Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Martyna Maszota-Zieleniak
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.M.); (M.M.-Z.)
| | - Bertrand Huard
- Laboratory TIMC-IMAG, University Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS UMR 5525, 38700 La Tronche, France;
| | - Sergey A. Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.M.); (M.M.-Z.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-58-523-51-66
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39
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Ustimova MA, Fedorov YV, Tsvetkov VB, Tokarev SD, Shepel NA, Fedorova OA. Helical aggregates of bis(styryl) dyes formed by DNA templating. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2021.113378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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40
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Naassaoui I, Aschi A. Influence of temperature and salt on coacervation in an aqueous mixture of poly-L-lysine (PLL) and poly-(sodium styrene sulfonate) (PSSNa). EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2021; 50:877-887. [PMID: 34047804 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-021-01542-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The mixture of poly-L-lysine (PLL) and long-chain PSSNa can lead to the formation of soluble complexes depending on pH, PLL concentration, ionic strength, and temperature. The influence of these stimuli was studied by zetametry, dynamic and ultra-small-angle light scattering, and turbidimetric measurements. First of all, we studied the stoichiometry of complexation, and then considered the influence of salt concentration and temperature on the behavior of the mixture at different pH values. These findings have allowed us to conclude that the polyelectrolyte-polypeptide stoichiometry is controlled by electrostatic interactions between opposite charges. At mass ratios between 1.8 and 2.3 and with net charges close to neutrality, unstable complexes were formed and flocculated due to the hydrophobic attraction leading to macroscopic phase separation. The linear charge density of the complex is also controlled by the ionic strength. Higher CaCl2 concentrations reduce the complex stability and decrease the charge density, which leads to surface patch binding (SPB) at higher pH. Finally, the electrostatic interactions and strength of hydrogen bonds increased the stabilization of the complexes formed at temperatures lower than 45 °C. At temperatures higher than 45 °C, hydrophobic interactions became more dominant, causing a destabilization of the complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imen Naassaoui
- Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, LR99ES16 Laboratoire Physique de la Matière Molle et de la Modélisation Électromagnétique, Université de Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Adel Aschi
- Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, LR99ES16 Laboratoire Physique de la Matière Molle et de la Modélisation Électromagnétique, Université de Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia.
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41
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Photochemical synthesis, intercalation with DNA and antitumor evaluation in vitro of benzo[d]thiazolo[3,2-a]quinolin-10-ium derivatives. Bioorg Chem 2021; 115:105267. [PMID: 34426158 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105267] [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: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A new anticancer benzo[d]thiazolo[3,2-a]quinolin-10-ium derivatives were synthesized and characterized. Anticancer evaluation in vitro against four cancer cell lines including adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549), hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), prostate cancer (PC3) and breast cancer (MCF7) indicated that some of prepared compounds shows higher selectivity in comparison with doxorubicin. DNA interaction studies by optical, CD, NMR spectroscopies showed the high affinity of benzothiazole ligands towards the dsDNA. The ligand-DNA interaction occurs through the intercalation of benzo[d]thiazolo[3,2-a]quinolin-10-ium derivatives with nucleic acid. The investigation of formed ligand - DNA complexes by docking and molecular dynamic calculations was applied for analysis of the relationship between structure and anticancer activity. The results suggested that benzo[d]thiazolo[3,2-a]quinolin-10-ium derivatives might serve as a novel scaffold for the future development to new antitumor agents.
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42
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Exploring the Early Stages of the Amyloid Aβ(1-42) Peptide Aggregation Process: An NMR Study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14080732. [PMID: 34451828 PMCID: PMC8400958 DOI: 10.3390/ph14080732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathology characterized by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, the latter mainly composed of Aβ(1–40) and Aβ(1–42) peptides. The control of the Aβ aggregation process as a therapeutic strategy for AD has prompted the interest to investigate the conformation of the Aβ peptides, taking advantage of computational and experimental techniques. Mixtures composed of systematically different proportions of HFIP and water have been used to monitor, by NMR, the conformational transition of the Aβ(1–42) from soluble α-helical structure to β-sheet aggregates. In the previous studies, 50/50 HFIP/water proportion emerged as the solution condition where the first evident Aβ(1–42) conformational changes occur. In the hypothesis that this solvent reproduces the best condition to catch transitional helical-β-sheet Aβ(1–42) conformations, in this study, we report an extensive NMR conformational analysis of Aβ(1–42) in 50/50 HFIP/water v/v. Aβ(1–42) structure was solved by us, giving evidence that the evolution of Aβ(1–42) peptide from helical to the β-sheet may follow unexpected routes. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that the structural model we calculated represents a starting condition for amyloid fibrils formation.
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43
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Vymětal J, Jakubec D, Galgonek J, Vondrášek J. Amino Acid Interactions (INTAA) web server v2.0: a single service for computation of energetics and conservation in biomolecular 3D structures. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:W15-W20. [PMID: 34019656 PMCID: PMC8262704 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions among amino acid residues are the principal contributor to the stability of the three-dimensional structure of a protein. The Amino Acid Interactions (INTAA) web server (https://bioinfo.uochb.cas.cz/INTAA/) has established itself as a unique computational resource, which enables users to calculate the contribution of individual residues in a biomolecular structure to its total energy using a molecular mechanical scoring function. In this update, we describe major additions to the web server which help solidify its position as a robust, comprehensive resource for biomolecular structure analysis. Importantly, a new continuum solvation model was introduced, allowing more accurate representation of electrostatic interactions in aqueous media. In addition, a low-overhead pipeline for the estimation of evolutionary conservation in protein chains has been added. New visualization options were introduced as well, allowing users to easily switch between and interrelate the energetic and evolutionary views of the investigated structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Vymětal
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - David Jakubec
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha 6, 160 00, Czech Republic.,Department of Software Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Praha 1, 118 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Galgonek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Vondrášek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha 6, 160 00, Czech Republic
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44
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Röder K. Is the H4 histone tail intrinsically disordered or intrinsically multifunctional? Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:5134-5142. [PMID: 33624669 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05405d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The structural versatility of histone tails is one of the key elements in the organisation of chromatin, which allows for the compact storage of genomic information. However, this structural diversity also complicates experimental and computational studies. Here, the potential and free energy landscape for the isolated and bound H4 histone tail are explored. The landscapes exhibit a set of distinct structural ensembles separated by high energy barriers, with little difference between isolated and bound tails. This consistency is a desirable feature that facilitates the formation of transient interactions, which are required for the liquid-like chromatin organisation. The existence of multiple, distinct structures on a multifunnel energy landscape is likely to be associated with multifunctionality, i.e. a set of evolved, distinct functions. Contrasting it with previously reported results for other disordered peptides, this type of landscape may be associated with a conformational selection based binding mechanism. Given the similarity to other systems exhibiting similar multifunnel energy landscapes, the disorder in histone tails might be better described in context of multifunctionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Röder
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
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45
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Spoel D, Zhang J, Zhang H. Quantitative predictions from molecular simulations using explicit or implicit interactions. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David Spoel
- Uppsala Center for Computational Chemistry, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
| | - Haiyang Zhang
- Department of Biological Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering University of Science and Technology Beijing Beijing China
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46
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Binding Free Energy (BFE) Calculations and Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) Analysis of Schistosoma mansoni Histone Deacetylase 8 ( smHDAC8) Inhibitors. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26092584. [PMID: 33925246 PMCID: PMC8125515 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26092584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone-modifying proteins have been identified as promising targets to treat several diseases including cancer and parasitic ailments. In silico methods have been incorporated within a variety of drug discovery programs to facilitate the identification and development of novel lead compounds. In this study, we explore the binding modes of a series of benzhydroxamates derivatives developed as histone deacetylase inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni histone deacetylase (smHDAC) using molecular docking and binding free energy (BFE) calculations. The developed docking protocol was able to correctly reproduce the experimentally established binding modes of resolved smHDAC8–inhibitor complexes. However, as has been reported in former studies, the obtained docking scores weakly correlate with the experimentally determined activity of the studied inhibitors. Thus, the obtained docking poses were refined and rescored using the Amber software. From the computed protein–inhibitor BFE, different quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models could be developed and validated using several cross-validation techniques. Some of the generated QSAR models with good correlation could explain up to ~73% variance in activity within the studied training set molecules. The best performing models were subsequently tested on an external test set of newly designed and synthesized analogs. In vitro testing showed a good correlation between the predicted and experimentally observed IC50 values. Thus, the generated models can be considered as interesting tools for the identification of novel smHDAC8 inhibitors.
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47
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Corrigan RA, Qi G, Thiel AC, Lynn JR, Walker BD, Casavant TL, Lagardere L, Piquemal JP, Ponder JW, Ren P, Schnieders MJ. Implicit Solvents for the Polarizable Atomic Multipole AMOEBA Force Field. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:2323-2341. [PMID: 33769814 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Computational protein design, ab initio protein/RNA folding, and protein-ligand screening can be too computationally demanding for explicit treatment of solvent. For these applications, implicit solvent offers a compelling alternative, which we describe here for the polarizable atomic multipole AMOEBA force field based on three treatments of continuum electrostatics: numerical solutions to the nonlinear and linearized versions of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE), the domain-decomposition conductor-like screening model (ddCOSMO) approximation to the PBE, and the analytic generalized Kirkwood (GK) approximation. The continuum electrostatics models are combined with a nonpolar estimator based on novel cavitation and dispersion terms. Electrostatic model parameters are numerically optimized using a least-squares style target function based on a library of 103 small-molecule solvation free energy differences. Mean signed errors for the adaptive Poisson-Boltzmann solver (APBS), ddCOSMO, and GK models are 0.05, 0.00, and 0.00 kcal/mol, respectively, while the mean unsigned errors are 0.70, 0.63, and 0.58 kcal/mol, respectively. Validation of the electrostatic response of the resulting implicit solvents, which are available in the Tinker (or Tinker-HP), OpenMM, and Force Field X software packages, is based on comparisons to explicit solvent simulations for a series of proteins and nucleic acids. Overall, the emergence of performative implicit solvent models for polarizable force fields opens the door to their use for folding and design applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rae A Corrigan
- Roy J Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Guowei Qi
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Andrew C Thiel
- Roy J Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Jack R Lynn
- Roy J Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Brandon D Walker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas in Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Thomas L Casavant
- Roy J Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Louis Lagardere
- Department of Chemistry, Sorbonne Université, F-75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Jay W Ponder
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas in Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Michael J Schnieders
- Roy J Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
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48
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Gaardløs M, Samsonov SA, Sletmoen M, Hjørnevik M, Sætrom GI, Tøndervik A, Aachmann FL. Insights into the roles of charged residues in substrate binding and mode of action of mannuronan C-5 epimerase AlgE4. Glycobiology 2021; 31:1616-1635. [PMID: 33822050 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwab025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mannuronan C-5 epimerases catalyse the epimerization of monomer residues in the polysaccharide alginate, changing the physical properties of the biopolymer. The enzymes are utilized to tailor alginate to numerous biological functions by alginate-producing organisms. The underlying molecular mechanisms that control the processive movement of the epimerase along the substrate chain is still elusive. To study this, we have used an interdisciplinary approach combining molecular dynamics simulations with experimental methods from mutant studies of AlgE4, where initial epimerase activity and product formation were addressed with NMR spectroscopy, and characteristics of enzyme-substrate interactions were obtained with isothermal titration calorimetry and optical tweezers. Positive charges lining the substrate-binding groove of AlgE4 appear to control the initial binding of poly-mannuronate, and binding also seems to be mediated by both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. After the catalytic reaction, negatively charged enzyme residues might facilitate dissociation of alginate from the positive residues, working like electrostatic switches, allowing the substrate to translocate in the binding groove. Molecular simulations show translocation increments of two monosaccharide units before the next productive binding event resulting in MG-block formation, with the epimerase moving with its N-terminus towards the reducing end of the alginate chain. Our results indicate that the charge pair R343-D345 might be directly involved in conformational changes of a loop that can be important for binding and dissociation. The computational and experimental approaches used in this study complement each other, allowing for a better understanding of individual residues' roles in binding and movement along the alginate chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margrethe Gaardløs
- Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL), Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Sælands vei 6/8, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Marit Sletmoen
- Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL), Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Sælands vei 6/8, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Maya Hjørnevik
- Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL), Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Sælands vei 6/8, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Gerd Inger Sætrom
- Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL), Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Sælands vei 6/8, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Anne Tøndervik
- Department of Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, SINTEF Industry, Richard Birkelands veg 3 B, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Finn Lillelund Aachmann
- Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL), Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Sælands vei 6/8, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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49
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Herbert JM. Dielectric continuum methods for quantum chemistry. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John M. Herbert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
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50
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Marcisz M, Huard B, Lipska AG, Samsonov SA. Further analyses of APRIL/APRIL-Receptor/Glycosaminoglycan interactions by biochemical assays linked to computational studies. Glycobiology 2021; 31:772-786. [PMID: 33682874 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwab016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily. APRIL is quite unique in this superfamily for at least for two reasons: i) it binds to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) via its positively charged N-terminus; ii) one of its signaling receptor, the transmembrane activator CAML interactor (TACI) was also reported to bind GAGs. Here, as provided by biochemical evidences with the use of an APRIL deletion mutant linked to computational studies, APRIL-GAG interaction involved other regions than the APRIL N-terminus. Preferential interaction of APRIL with heparin followed by chondroitin sulfate E were confirmed by in silico analysis. Both computational and experimental approaches did not reveal heparan sulfate binding to TACI. Together, computational results corroborated experiments contributing with atomistic details to the knowledge on this biologically relevant trimolecular system. Additionally, a high-throughput rigorous analysis of the free energy calculations data was performed to critically evaluate the applied computational methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland.,Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and MUG, ul. Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Bertrand Huard
- TIMC-IMAG, university Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS UMR 5525, La Tronche, France
| | - Agnieszka G Lipska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Sergey A Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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