Docking-based approach for identification of mutations that disrupt binding between Bcl-2 and Bax proteins: Inducing apoptosis in cancer cells

γδ T Cells: A Game Changer in the Future of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Immunotherapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health challenge with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis for advanced-stage patients. Recent advancements in cancer immunotherapy have generated significant interest in exploring novel approaches to combat HCC. One such approach involves the unique and versatile subset of T cells known as γδ T cells. γδ T cells represent a distinct subset of T lymphocytes that differ from conventional αβ T cells in terms of antigen recognition and effector functions. They play a crucial role in immunosurveillance against various malignancies, including HCC. Recent studies have demonstrated that γδ T cells can directly recognize and target HCC cells, making them an attractive candidate for immunotherapy. In this article, we aimed to explore the role exerted by γδ T cells in the context of HCC. We investigate strategies designed to maximize the therapeutic effectiveness of these cells and examine the challenges and opportunities inherent in applying these research findings to clinical practice. The potential to bring about a revolutionary shift in HCC immunotherapy by capitalizing on the unique attributes of γδ T cells offers considerable promise for enhancing patient outcomes, warranting further investigation.

Persistent sepsis-induced transcriptomic signatures in signaling pathways of peripheral blood leukocytes: A pilot study

Sepsis is a dysregulated immune response to infections that frequently precipitates multiple organ dysfunction and death despite intensive supportive therapy. The aim of the present study was to identify sepsis-induced alterations in the signaling transcriptome of peripheral blood leukocytes that might shed light on the elusive transition from proinflammatory to anti-inflammatory responses and underlie long-term post-sepsis immunosuppression. Peripheral blood leukocytes were collected from subjects (i) with systemic inflammation, (ii) with sepsis in the acute phase and (iii) 6 months after recovery from sepsis, corresponding to progressive stages of the disease. Transcriptomic analysis was performed with the QuantStudio 12K Flex OpenArray Human Signal Transduction Panel analyzing transcripts of 573 genes playing a significant role in signaling. Of them, 145 genes exhibited differential expression in sepsis as compared to systemic inflammation. Pathway analysis revealed enhanced expression levels of genes involved in primary immune responses (proinflammatory cytokines, neutrophil and macrophage activation markers) and signatures characteristic of immunosuppression (increased expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and proapoptotic genes; diminished expression of T and B cell receptor dependent activating and survival pathways). Importantly, sepsis-induced expression patterns of 39 genes were not normalized by the end of the 6-month follow-up period, indicating expression aberrations persisting long after clinical recovery. Functional analysis of these transcripts revealed downregulation of the antiapoptotic Wnt and mTOR signaling pathways that might explain the post-sepsis immunosuppression commonly seen in sepsis survivors.

Searching for Natural Aurora a Kinase Inhibitors from Peppers Using Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics

Natural products are the precursors of many medicinal substances. Peppers (Piper, Capsicum, Pimienta) are a rich source of compounds with potential multidirectional biological activity. One of the studied directions is antitumor activity. Little research has been carried out so far on the ability of the compounds contained in peppers to inhibit the activity of Aurora A kinase, the overexpression of which is characteristic of cancer development. In this study, molecular docking methods, as well as molecular dynamics, were used, looking for compounds that could inhibit the activity of Aurora A kinase and trying to determine whether there is a relationship between the stimulation of the TRPV1 receptor and the inhibition of Aurora A kinase. We compared our results with anticancer activity studied earlier on MCF-7 cell lines (breast cancer cells). Our research indicates that the compounds contained in peppers can inhibit Aurora A. Further in vitro research is planned to confirm the obtained results.

Modeling and monitoring the effects of three partly conserved Ile residues in the dimerization domain of a Mip-like virulence factor from Escherichia coli

FKBP22, an Escherichia coli-made peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase, has shown considerable homology with Mip-like virulence factors. While the C-terminal domain of this enzyme is used for executing catalytic function and binding inhibitor, the N-terminal domain is employed for its dimerization. To precisely determine the underlying factors of FKBP22 dimerization, its structural model, developed using a suitable template, was carefully inspected. The data show that the dimeric FKBP22, like dimeric Mip proteins, has a V-like shape. Further, it dimerizes using 40 amino acid residues including Ile 9, Ile 17, Ile 42, and Ile 65. All of the above Ile residues except Ile 9 are partly conserved in the Mip-like proteins. To confirm the roles of the partly conserved Ile residues, three FKBP22 mutants, constructed by substituting them with an Ala residue, were studied as well. The results together indicate that Ile 65 has little role in maintaining the dimeric state or enzymatic activity of FKBP22. Conversely, both Ile 17 and Ile 42 are essential for preserving the structure, enzymatic activity, and dimerization ability of FKBP22. Ile 42 in particular looks more essential to FKBP22. However, none of these two Ile residues is required for binding the cognate inhibitor. Additional computational studies also indicated the change of V-shape and the dimeric state of FKBP22 due to the Ala substitution at position 42. The ways Ile 17 and Ile 42 protect the structure, function, and dimerization of FKBP22 have been discussed at length.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Immunoinformatics-based multi-epitope vaccine design for the re-emerging monkeypox virus

BACKGROUND

On May 7, 2022, WHO reported a new monkeypox case. By May 2023 over 80,000 cases had been reported worldwide outside previously endemic nations. (This primarily affected the men who have sex with men (MSM) community in rich nations). The present research aims to develop a multi-epitope vaccine for the monkeypox virus (MPXV) using structural and cell surface proteins.

METHODS

The first part of the research involved retrieving protein sequences. The Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) was then used to analyze the B and T lymphocyte epitopes. After analyzing the sensitizing properties, toxicity, antigenicity, and molecular binding, appropriate linkers were utilizedto connect selected epitopes to adjuvants, and the structure of the vaccine was formulated. Algorithms from the field of immunoinformatics predicted the secondary and tertiary structures of vaccines. The physical, chemical, and structural properties were refined and validated to achieve maximum stability. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations were subsequently employed to assess the vaccine's efficacy. Afterward, the ability of the vaccine to interact with toll-like receptors 3 and 4 (TLR3 and TLR4) was evaluated. Finally, the optimized sequence was then introduced into the Escherichia coli (E. coli) PET30A + vector.

RESULTS

An immunoinformatics evaluation suggested that such a vaccine might be safe revealed that this vaccine is safe, hydrophilic, temperature- and condition-stable, and can stimulate innate immunity by binding to TLR3 and TLR4.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the first step in MPXV pathogenesis is structural and cell surface epitopes. In this study, the most effective and promising epitopes were selected and designed throughprecision servers. Furthermore,through the utilization of multi-epitope structures and a combination of two established adjuvants, this research has the potential to be a landmarkin developing an antiviralvaccine against MPXV. However, additional in vitro and in vivo tests are required to confirm these results.

In silico investigation of nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in BCL2 apoptosis regulator gene to design novel protein-based drugs against cancer

BCL2 apoptosis regulator gene encodes Bcl-2 pro-survival protein, which plays an important role to evade apoptosis in various cancers. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BCL2 gene can be nonsynonymous (nsSNPs), which might affect the protein stability and probably its function. Therefore, we implement cutting-edge computational techniques based on the Spherical Polar Fourier and Monte-Carlo algorithms to investigate the impact of these SNPs on the B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) stability and therapeutic potential of protein-based molecules to inhibit this protein. As a result, we identified two nsSNPs (Q118R and R129C) to be deleterious and highly conserved, having a negative effect on protein stability. Additionally, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the decreased binding affinity of mutated Bcl-2 variants to bind three-helix bundle protein inhibitor as these mutations occurred in the protein-protein binding site. Overall, this computational approach investigating nsSNPs provides a useful basis for designing novel molecules to inhibit Bcl-2 pro-survival pathway in malignant cells.

The Impact of Postoperative Complications on Survival after Simultaneous Resection of Colorectal Cancer and Liver Metastases

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of postoperative complications on the long-term outcomes of patients who had undergone simultaneous resection (SR) of colorectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases (SCLMs). Methods: We conducted a single-institution survival cohort study in patients with SR, collecting clinical, pathological, and postoperative complication data. The impact of these variables on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was compared by log rank test. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified independent prognostic factors. Results: Out of 243 patients, 122 (50.2%) developed postoperative complications: 54 (22.2%) major complications (Clavien–Dindo grade III–V), 86 (35.3%) septic complications, 59 (24.2%) hepatic complications. Median comprehensive complication index (CCI) was 8.70. Twelve (4.9%) patients died postoperatively. The 3- and 5-year OS and DFS rates were 60.7%, 39.5% and 28%, 21.5%, respectively. Neither overall postoperative complications nor major and septic complications or CCI had a significant impact on OS or DFS. Multivariate analysis identified the N2 stage as an independent prognostic of poor OS, while N2 stage and four or more SCLMs were independent predictors for poor DFS. Conclusion: N2 stage and four or more SCLMs impacted OS and/or DFS, while CCI, presence, type, or grade of postoperative complications had no significant impact on long-term outcomes.

Dihydroarteannuin Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis Via Inhibiting B Cell Activation by Activating the FcγRIIb/Lyn/SHP-1 Pathway

Background: Dihydroarteannuin (DHA), which is extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Artemisia annua L, exhibits potent immunosuppressive activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Strong evidence indicates that B cells act as an essential factor in the pathogenesis of RA, but research on the immunosuppressive function of DHA in regulating B cells is limited. Objective: To investigate the modulatory effects of DHA on joint destruction, proinflammatory cytokine production, activation, apoptosis and proliferation of B cells and to explore the possible associated mechanism in RA treatment. Methods: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was established. Weight and joint oedema were record weekly, and joint damage was detected by micro-CT scan. Human Burkitt B lymphoma cells lacking endogenous Fc gamma receptor b (FcγRIIb) gene were transfected with a 232Thr loss-of-function mutant to construct a mutant cell model ST486. The proliferation of ST486 cells was assessed with Cell Counting Kit-8. Apoptosis and activation were tested by flow cytometry. The effects of DHA on the activation of FcγRIIb, protein tyrosine kinases (Lyn), and SH2-containing tyrosine phosphatase-1 (SHP-1) signaling pathways were determined by western blotting. Results: In comparison to model group, bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) and bone mineral density (BMD) were increased, whereas joint oedema was decreased in both of the DHA and MTX group. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were decreased after treatment with DHA. In addition, DHA treatment promoted the apoptosis, inhibited the activation and proliferation of ST486 cells. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of FcγRIIb, SHP-1, and Lyn were increased after treatment with DHA. Moreover, the expression of phosphorylated CD19 was also inhibited by DHA. Conclusion: We provide the first evidence that DHA may alleviate collagen-induced arthritis by activating the FcγRIIb/Lyn/SHP-1 signaling pathway in B cell, indicating that DHA is a novel and valuable candidate for RA therapy.

PLOD Family: A Novel Biomarker for Prognosis and Personalized Treatment in Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Despite various treatment attempts, the heterogenous group of soft tissue sarcomata (STS) with more than 100 subtypes still shows poor outcomes. Therefore, effective biomarkers for prognosis prediction and personalized treatment are of high importance. The Procollagen-Lysine, 2-Oxoglutarate 5-Dioxygenase (PLOD) gene family, which is related to multiple cancer entities, consists of three members which encode important enzymes for the formation of connective tissue. The relation to STS, however, has not yet been explored. In this study, data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were used to analyze the role of PLOD1–3 in STS. It was found that an overexpression of PLOD family members correlates with poor prognosis, which might be due to an increased infiltration of immune-related cells in the tumor microenvironment. In STS, the expression of PLOD genes could be a novel biomarker for prognosis and a personalized, more aggressive treatment in these patients.

Klotho Inhibits Proliferation in a RET Fusion Model of Papillary Thyroid Cancer by Regulating the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

Purpose

We aimed to investigate the mechanisms of action on Klotho that underlie cancer development in RET fusion models of human papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Materials and Methods

Normal Nthy-ori 3-1 thyroid cells and two PTC cell lines (BHP10-3 and TPC-1), which were used as RET fusion models of PTC, were used to study Klotho. Klotho expression was analyzed by Western blotting. Klotho overexpression cell lines were constructed using the two types of PTC cells. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In addition, an activator and an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway were used to confirm that Klotho regulates the pathway in PTC cells. Mice were used to analyze the in vivo effect of Klotho on tumor growth and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Results

In BHP10-3 and TPC-1 cells, Klotho expression was low. After Klotho overexpression, the cell proliferation was significantly suppressed and apoptosis was significantly increased (p<0.05). Wnt1, β-catenin, and CyclinD1 expression were also significantly decreased after Klotho overexpression (p<0.05). Administration of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator attenuated the effect of Klotho overexpression (p<0.05). In vivo, the tumor growth was suppressed, and apoptosis of the cancer cells in the tumors were increased after Klotho overexpression. However, injection of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator attenuated the effects of Klotho overexpression.

Conclusion

Klotho inhibits cell proliferation in RET fusion models of PTC by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, providing a potential target for developing treatment for PTC.

Exploring the Binding Interaction of Raf Kinase Inhibitory Protein With the N-Terminal of C-Raf Through Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Protein-protein interactions are indispensable physiological processes regulating several biological functions. Despite the availability of structural information on protein-protein complexes, deciphering their complex topology remains an outstanding challenge. Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) has gained substantial attention as a favorable molecular target for numerous pathologies including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. RKIP interferes with the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling cascade by endogenously binding with C-Raf (Raf-1 kinase) and preventing its activation. In the current investigation, the binding of RKIP with C-Raf was explored by knowledge-based protein-protein docking web-servers including HADDOCK and ZDOCK and a consensus binding mode of C-Raf/RKIP structural complex was obtained. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were further performed in an explicit solvent to sample the conformations for when RKIP binds to C-Raf. Some of the conserved interface residues were mutated to alanine, phenylalanine and leucine and the impact of mutations was estimated by additional MD simulations and MM/PBSA analysis for the wild-type (WT) and constructed mutant complexes. Substantial decrease in binding free energy was observed for the mutant complexes as compared to the binding free energy of WT C-Raf/RKIP structural complex. Furthermore, a considerable increase in average backbone root mean square deviation and fluctuation was perceived for the mutant complexes. Moreover, per-residue energy contribution analysis of the equilibrated simulation trajectory by HawkDock and ANCHOR web-servers was conducted to characterize the key residues for the complex formation. One residue each from C-Raf (Arg398) and RKIP (Lys80) were identified as the druggable “hot spots” constituting the core of the binding interface and corroborated by additional long-time scale (300 ns) MD simulation of Arg398Ala mutant complex. A notable conformational change in Arg398Ala mutant occurred near the mutation site as compared to the equilibrated C-Raf/RKIP native state conformation and an essential hydrogen bonding interaction was lost. The thirteen binding sites assimilated from the overall analysis were mapped onto the complex as surface and divided into active and allosteric binding sites, depending on their location at the interface. The acquired information on the predicted 3D structural complex and the detected sites aid as promising targets in designing novel inhibitors to block the C-Raf/RKIP interaction.

Up-regulation of KLF17 expression increases the sensitivity of gastric cancer to 5-fluorouracil

It has been reported that the expression of Krüppel-like factor 17 (KLF17) was associated with the occurrence, development, invasion, metastasis and chemotherapy resistance of various tumors. However, the detailed mechanisms by which KLF17 promotes chemotherapy resistance in gastric cancer (GC) have not been fully investigated. In the present study, we collected the GC tissues and non-tumor tissues (matched adjacent normal tissues with corresponding GC tissues) of 60 GC patients, used qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry assay to analyze the relationship between the expression of KLF17 and the clinical pathological data of the patients. The effect of KLF17 on the sensitivity of GC cell lines to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and the potential mechanism were detected by MTS assay, Flow cytometry assay, and Western blot. Compared with non-tumor tissues, the expression level of KLF17 in GC tissue was significantly down-regulated, and the expression level of KLF17 in GES-1 cell line and GC cell lines also had a similar trend. Down-regulated expression of KLF17 is related to tumor size, invasion, regional lymph node metastasis, and TNM staging. Furthermore, through upregulating the expression of KLF17, the sensitivity of BGC-823 and SGC-7901 cell lines to 5-FU was obviously increased. Mechanistically, upregulation the expression of KLF17 can inhibit the expressions of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1), and B-Cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), which have been reported to be associated with drug resistance and cell proliferation. Collectively, these data implied that KLF17 has the biological effect of inhibiting chemotherapy resistance of GC, and it could be a potential strategy for the GC chemotherapy resistance.

Regulatory Effect of miR497-5p-CCNE1 Axis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells and Its Predictive Value for Early Diagnosis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the regulatory role of miR497-5p-CCNE1 axis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and its predictive value for early diagnosis.

METHODS

Cancer tissue and adjacent tissue samples were collected from 86 patients with TNBC.RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR497-5p and CCNE1 (target gene) mRNA, determined by biological prediction in tissue and TNBC cells. ROC was used to analyze the diagnostic value of miR497-5p in TNBC. MTT, invasion, and flow cytometry were used to detect the proliferation, invasion, cycle, apoptosis rate, and expression of related proteins of TNBC cells with overexpression of miR497-5p or knockdown of CCNE1.

RESULTS

RT-qPCR results showed that miR497-5p levels were significantly downregulated in TNBC tissue and cells, while CCNE1 expression was significantly upregulated, and miR497-5p expression was negatively correlated with that of CCNE1 (P<0.001). ROC analysis showed that the AUC of miR497-5p for TNBC was >0.9, which had better diagnostic value. The cell tests revealed that miR497-5p played a role in tumor inhibition, including inhibiting proliferation and invasion of TNBC cells, blocking the cell cycle, and promoting apoptosis. Bioinformatic prediction and subsequent experiments revealed that CCNE1 was the direct target of miR497-5p. Furthermore, after knocking down the expression of CCNE1 in TNBC cells, the proliferation and invasion of TNBC cells were significantly inhibited, the cell cycle blocked, and the apoptosis rate significantly increased (P<0.001), and expression of the proapoptosis-related proteins Bax and caspase 3 (cleaved) were upregulated, while expression of the antiapoptosis-related protein BCL2 was downregulated (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

miR497-5p inhibited the proliferation and invasion of TNBC cells by targeting CCNE1, blocked the cell cycle and promoted the apoptosis of TNBC cells, and had better diagnostic value for TNBC. miR497-5p can be used as a new potential target for the treatment of TNBC.

Silencing of long non-coding RNA HCP5 inhibits proliferation, invasion, migration, and promotes apoptosis via regulation of miR-299-3p/SMAD5 axis in gastric cancer cells

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignant gastrointestinal tumor with high mortality. Previous study has reported that the overexpression of lncRNA HCP5 was observed in gastric cancer tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of lncRNA HCP5 on the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of GC cells. The relative mRNA expression of HCP5, miR-299-3p, and SMAD5 were determined by RT-qPCR. The expressions of proteins associated with apoptosis and invasion were detected by western blot. The interaction of HCP5 with miR-299-3p and SMAD5 with miR-299-3p was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. The cellular behaviors of AGS cells were, respectively, detected by CCK-8 assays, colony formation assays, migration and invasion assays, and flow cytometry. In our study, lncRNA HCP5 was highly expressed in GC cell lines compared with normal gastric epithelial cell. LncRNA HCP5 silencing inhibited AGS cells proliferation, migration, and invasion, while promoted cell apoptosis. Moreover, miR-299-3p downregulation could abolish the effect of HCP5 knockdown on cellular behaviors of AGS cells. Interestingly, SMAD5 is identified as the downstream target of miR-299-3p, and its expression was inhibited by miR-299-3p. More importantly, SMAD5 silencing inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells, and promoted cell apoptosis. In a word, lncRNA HCP5 silencing inhibits GC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration while promoting its apoptosis via regulation of miR-299-3p/SMAD5 axis. Hence, lncRNA HCP5 could be a novel and promising target for GC treatment.

LncRNA-ATB Promotes the Tumorigenesis of Ovarian Cancer via Targeting miR-204-3p

Background

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth among the most prevalent cancer type in females all over the world. It is the second most frequent malignant tumor which accounts for 3% of cancer in females. Therefore, to explore the mechanism of carcinogenesis in ovarian cancer is important to develop new treatment methods. It has been previously found that lncRNA-ATB could promote the tumorigenesis of malignant tumors. However, the role of lncRNA-ATB during the progression of ovarian cancer remains unclear.

Methods

Gene expressions in tissues or cells were detected by using qRT-PCR. Western blot was performed to investigate the protein expressions in ovarian cancer cells. Cell apoptosis was tested by flow cytometry. Moreover, the correction between lncRNA-ATB and miR-204-3p was examined by Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pulldown. Cell proliferation and invasion were detected by CCK-8, Ki-67 staining and transwell assay, respectively. Finally, xenograft mice model was established to confirm the result of in vitro experiments.

Results

LncRNA-ATB silencing significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. In addition, luciferase activity suggested that lncRNA-ATB negatively regulated miR-204-3p in ovarian cancer. Besides, Nidogen 1 (NID1) was the direct target of miR-204-3p. Overexpression of NID1 could notably reverse the inhibitory effect of lncRNA-ATB knockdown on the progression of ovarian cancer. Finally, lncRNA-ATB silencing notably attenuated the severity of ovarian cancer in vivo.

Conclusion

Downregulation of lncRNA-ATB significantly inhibited the tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo, which may serve as a potential novel target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Docking-based approach for identification of mutations that disrupt binding between Bcl-2 and Bax proteins: Inducing apoptosis in cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Inducing apoptosis in cancer cells is an important step for the successful treatment of cancer patients. Bcl-2 is an antiapoptotic protein which determines apoptosis by interacting with proapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family. Exome sequencing has identified Bcl-2 and Bax missense mutations in more than 40 cancer types. However, a little information is available about the functional impact of each Bcl-2 and Bax mutation on the pathogenesis of cancer.

METHODS

The mutational data from cancer tissues and cell lines were retrieved from the cBioPortal web resource. The 13 mutated Bcl-2 and wild-type Bax complexes with experimentally verified binding were identified from previous studies wherein, binding for all complexes was reportedly disrupted except one. Several protein-protein docking methods such as ClusPro, HDOCK, PatchDock, FireDock, InterEVDock2 and several mutation prediction methods such as PolyPhen-2, SIFT, and OncoKB have been used to predict the effect of mutation to disrupt the binding between Bcl-2 and Bax. The result obtained was compared with the known experimental data.

RESULTS

The protein-protein docking method, ClusPro, employed in the present study confirmed that the binding affinity of 11 out of 13 complexes decreases. Similarly, binding affinity computed for all the 10 wild-type Bcl-2 and mutated Bax complexes agreed with experimentally verified results.

CONCLUSION

Several methods like PolyPhen-2, SIFT, and OncoKB have been developed to predict cancer-associated or deleterious mutations, but no method is available to predict apoptosis-inducing mutations. Thus, in this study, we have examined the mutations in Bcl-2 and Bax proteins that disrupt their binding, which is crucial for inducing apoptosis to eradicate cancer. This study suggests that protein-protein docking methods can play a significant role in the identification of hotspot mutations in Bcl-2 or Bax that can disrupt their binding with wild-type partner to induce apoptosis in cancer cells.