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Chen X, Yuan Y, Chen Y, Yu J, Wang J, Chen J, Guo Y, Pu X. Biased Activation Mechanism Induced by GPCR Heterodimerization: Observations from μOR/δOR Dimers. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:5581-5600. [PMID: 36377848 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
GPCRs regulate multiple intracellular signaling cascades. Biasedly activating one signaling pathway over the others provides additional clinical utility to optimize GPCR-based therapies. GPCR heterodimers possess different functions from their monomeric states, including their selectivity to different transducers. However, the biased signaling mechanism induced by the heterodimerization remains unclear. Motivated by the issue, we select an important GPCR heterodimer (μOR/δOR heterodimer) as a case and use microsecond Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics simulation coupled with potential of mean force and protein structure network (PSN) to probe mechanisms regarding the heterodimerization-induced constitutive β-arrestin activity and efficacy change of the agonist DAMGO. The results show that only the lowest energy state of the μOR/δOR heterodimer, which adopts a slightly outward shift of TM6 and an ICL2 conformation close to the receptor core, can selectively accommodate β-arrestins. PSN further reveals important roles of H8, ICL1, and ICL2 in regulating the constitutive β-arrestin-biased activity for the apo μOR/δOR heterodimer. In addition, the heterodimerization can allosterically alter the binding mode of DAMGO mainly by means of W7.35. Consequently, DAMGO transmits the structural signal mainly through TM6 and TM7 in the dimer, rather than TM3 similar to the μOR monomer, thus changing the efficacy of DAMGO from a balanced agonist to the β-arrestin-biased one. On the other side, the binding of DAMGO to the heterodimer can stabilize μOR/δOR heterodimers through a stronger interaction of TM1/TM1 and H8/H8, accordingly enhancing the interaction of μOR with δOR and the binding affinity of the dimer to the β-arrestin. The agonist DAMGO does not change main compositions of the regulation network from the dimer interface to the transducer binding pocket of the μOR protomer, but induces an increase in the structural communication of the network, which should contribute to the enhanced β-arrestin coupling. Our observations, for the first time, reveal the molecular mechanism of the biased signaling induced by the heterodimerization for GPCRs, which should be beneficial to more comprehensively understand the GPCR bias signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu610064, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- College of Management, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu610041, China
| | - Yichi Chen
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu610064, China
| | - Jin Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California92697, United States
| | - Jingzhou Wang
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu610064, China
| | - Jianfang Chen
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu610064, China
| | - Yanzhi Guo
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu610064, China
| | - Xuemei Pu
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu610064, China
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Mabonga L, Masamba P, Kappo AP. Inhibitory potential of a benzoxazole derivative, 4FI against SNRPG∼RING finger domain protein complex as a lead compound in the discovery of anti-cancer drugs: A molecular dynamics simulation approach. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2022.100993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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Ahmad S, Strunk CH, Schott-Verdugo SN, Jaeger KE, Kovacic F, Gohlke H. Substrate Access Mechanism in a Novel Membrane-Bound Phospholipase A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Concordant with Specificity and Regioselectivity. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:5626-5643. [PMID: 34748335 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
PlaF is a cytoplasmic membrane-bound phospholipase A1 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa that alters the membrane glycerophospholipid (GPL) composition and fosters the virulence of this human pathogen. PlaF activity is regulated by a dimer-to-monomer transition followed by tilting of the monomer in the membrane. However, how substrates reach the active site and how the characteristics of the active site tunnels determine the activity, specificity, and regioselectivity of PlaF for natural GPL substrates have remained elusive. Here, we combined unbiased and biased all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and configurational free-energy computations to identify access pathways of GPL substrates to the catalytic center of PlaF. Our results map out a distinct tunnel through which substrates access the catalytic center. PlaF variants with bulky tryptophan residues in this tunnel revealed decreased catalysis rates due to tunnel blockage. The MD simulations suggest that GPLs preferably enter the active site with the sn-1 acyl chain first, which agrees with the experimentally demonstrated PLA1 activity of PlaF. We propose that the acyl chain-length specificity of PlaF is determined by the structural features of the access tunnel, which results in favorable free energy of binding of medium-chain GPLs. The suggested egress route conveys fatty acid (FA) products to the dimerization interface and, thus, contributes to understanding the product feedback regulation of PlaF by FA-triggered dimerization. These findings open up opportunities for developing potential PlaF inhibitors, which may act as antibiotics against P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabahuddin Ahmad
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christoph Heinrich Strunk
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Stephan N Schott-Verdugo
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.,Centro de Bioinformática y Simulación Molecular (CBSM), Faculty of Engineering, University of Talca, 3460000 Talca, Chile.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry) & Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1: Biotechnology), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Filip Kovacic
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry) & Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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King E, Aitchison E, Li H, Luo R. Recent Developments in Free Energy Calculations for Drug Discovery. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:712085. [PMID: 34458321 PMCID: PMC8387144 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.712085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The grand challenge in structure-based drug design is achieving accurate prediction of binding free energies. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations enable modeling of conformational changes critical to the binding process, leading to calculation of thermodynamic quantities involved in estimation of binding affinities. With recent advancements in computing capability and predictive accuracy, MD based virtual screening has progressed from the domain of theoretical attempts to real application in drug development. Approaches including the Molecular Mechanics Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA), Linear Interaction Energy (LIE), and alchemical methods have been broadly applied to model molecular recognition for drug discovery and lead optimization. Here we review the varied methodology of these approaches, developments enhancing simulation efficiency and reliability, remaining challenges hindering predictive performance, and applications to problems in the fields of medicine and biochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward King
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Erick Aitchison
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Han Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Ray Luo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
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Gertzen CGW, Gohlke H, Häussinger D, Herebian D, Keitel V, Kubitz R, Mayatepek E, Schmitt L. The many facets of bile acids in the physiology and pathophysiology of the human liver. Biol Chem 2021; 402:1047-1062. [PMID: 34049433 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Bile acids perform vital functions in the human liver and are the essential component of bile. It is therefore not surprising that the biology of bile acids is extremely complex, regulated on different levels, and involves soluble and membrane receptors as well as transporters. Hereditary disorders of these proteins manifest in different pathophysiological processes that result in liver diseases of varying severity. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of the physiology and pathophysiology of bile acids with an emphasis on recently established analytical approaches as well as the molecular mechanisms that underlie signaling and transport of bile acids. In this review, we will focus on ABC transporters of the canalicular membrane and their associated diseases. As the G protein-coupled receptor, TGR5, receives increasing attention, we have included aspects of this receptor and its interaction with bile acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph G W Gertzen
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Diran Herebian
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Verena Keitel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ralf Kubitz
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ertan Mayatepek
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lutz Schmitt
- Institute of Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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