1
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Fink JC, Landry D, Webb LJ. Probing the Electrostatic Effects of H-Ras Tyrosine 32 Mutations on Intrinsic GTP Hydrolysis Using Vibrational Stark Effect Spectroscopy of a Thiocyanate Probe. Biochemistry 2024; 63:1752-1760. [PMID: 38967549 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.4c00075] [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: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The wildtype H-Ras protein functions as a molecular switch in a variety of cell signaling pathways, and mutations to key residues result in a constitutively active oncoprotein. However, there is some debate regarding the mechanism of the intrinsic GTPase activity of H-Ras. It has been hypothesized that ordered water molecules are coordinated at the active site by Q61, a highly transforming amino acid site, and Y32, a position that has not previously been investigated. Here, we examine the electrostatic contribution of the Y32 position to GTP hydrolysis by comparing the rate of GTP hydrolysis of Y32X mutants to the vibrational energy shift of each mutation measured by a nearby thiocyanate vibrational probe to estimate changes in the electrostatic environment caused by changes at the Y32 position. We further compared vibrational energy shifts for each mutation to the hydration potential of the respective side chain and demonstrated that Y32 is less critical for recruiting water molecules into the active site to promote hydrolysis than Q61. Our results show a clear interplay between a steric contribution from Y32 and an electrostatic contribution from Q61 that are both critical for intrinsic GTP hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson C Fink
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Danielle Landry
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Lauren J Webb
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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2
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Berta D, Gehrke S, Nyíri K, Vértessy BG, Rosta E. Mechanism-Based Redesign of GAP to Activate Oncogenic Ras. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:20302-20310. [PMID: 37682266 PMCID: PMC10515638 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c04330] [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: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Ras GTPases play a crucial role in cell signaling pathways. Mutations of the Ras gene occur in about one third of cancerous cell lines and are often associated with detrimental clinical prognosis. Hot spot residues Gly12, Gly13, and Gln61 cover 97% of oncogenic mutations, which impair the enzymatic activity in Ras. Using QM/MM free energy calculations, we present a two-step mechanism for the GTP hydrolysis catalyzed by the wild-type Ras.GAP complex. We found that the deprotonation of the catalytic water takes place via the Gln61 as a transient Brønsted base. We also determined the reaction profiles for key oncogenic Ras mutants G12D and G12C using QM/MM minimizations, matching the experimentally observed loss of catalytic activity, thereby validating our reaction mechanism. Using the optimized reaction paths, we devised a fast and accurate procedure to design GAP mutants that activate G12D Ras. We replaced GAP residues near the active site and determined the activation barrier for 190 single mutants. We furthermore built a machine learning for ultrafast screening, by fast prediction of the barrier heights, tested both on the single and double mutations. This work demonstrates that fast and accurate screening can be accomplished via QM/MM reaction path optimizations to design protein sequences with increased catalytic activity. Several GAP mutations are predicted to re-enable catalysis in oncogenic G12D, offering a promising avenue to overcome aberrant Ras-driven signal transduction by activating enzymatic activity instead of inhibition. The outlined computational screening protocol is readily applicable for designing ligands and cofactors analogously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dénes Berta
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Sascha Gehrke
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Kinga Nyíri
- Institute
of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja
2, Budapest 1117, Hungary
- Department
of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budafoki út 6-8, Budapest 1111, Hungary
| | - Beáta G. Vértessy
- Institute
of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja
2, Budapest 1117, Hungary
- Department
of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budafoki út 6-8, Budapest 1111, Hungary
| | - Edina Rosta
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, United Kingdom
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3
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GAP positions catalytic H-Ras residue Q61 for GTP hydrolysis in molecular dynamics simulations, complicating chemical rescue of Ras deactivation. Comput Biol Chem 2023; 104:107835. [PMID: 36893567 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.107835] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
Functional interaction of Ras signaling proteins with upstream, negative regulatory GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) represents a crucial step in cellular decision making related to growth and survival. Key components of the catalytic transition state for Ras deactivation by GAP-accelerated hydrolysis of Ras-bound guanosine triphosphate (GTP) are thought to include an arginine residue from the GAP (the arginine finger), a glutamine residue from Ras (Q61), and a water molecule that is likely coordinated by Q61 to engage in nucleophilic attack on GTP. Here, we use in-vitro fluorescence experiments to show that 0.1-100 mM concentrations of free arginine, imidazole, and other small nitrogenous molecule fail to accelerate GTP hydrolysis, even in the presence of the catalytic domain of a mutant GAP lacking its arginine finger (R1276A NF1). This result is surprising given that imidazole can chemically rescue enzyme activity in arginine-to-alanine mutant protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) that share many active site components with Ras/GAP complexes. Complementary all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal that an arginine finger GAP mutant still functions to enhance Ras Q61-GTP interaction, though less extensively than wild-type GAP. This increased Q61-GTP proximity may promote more frequent fluctuations into configurations that enable GTP hydrolysis as a component of the mechanism by which GAPs accelerate Ras deactivation in the face of arginine finger mutations. The failure of small molecule analogs of arginine to chemically rescue catalytic deactivation of Ras is consistent with the idea that the influence of the GAP goes beyond the simple provision of its arginine finger. However, the failure of chemical rescue in the presence of R1276A NF1 suggests that the GAPs arginine finger is either unsusceptible to rescue due to exquisite positioning or that it is involved in complex multivalent interactions. Therefore, in the context of oncogenic Ras proteins with mutations at codons 12 or 13 that inhibit arginine finger penetration toward GTP, drug-based chemical rescue of GTP hydrolysis may have bifunctional chemical/geometric requirements that are more difficult to satisfy than those that result from arginine-to-alanine mutations in other enzymes for which chemical rescue has been demonstrated.
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4
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Khrenova MG, Polyakov IV, Nemukhin AV. Molecular Dynamics of Enzyme-Substrate Complexes in Guanosine Trifosphate-Binding Proteins. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1990793122030174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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5
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Khrenova MG, Grigorenko BL, Nemukhin AV. Molecular Modeling Reveals the Mechanism of Ran-RanGAP-Catalyzed Guanosine Triphosphate Hydrolysis without an Arginine Finger. ACS Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c00582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria G. Khrenova
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre “Fundamentals of Biotechnology”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Bella L. Grigorenko
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 19334, Russia
| | - Alexander V. Nemukhin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 19334, Russia
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6
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Sharma N, Sonavane U, Joshi R. Comparative MD simulations and advanced analytics based studies on wild-type and hot-spot mutant A59G HRas. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234836. [PMID: 33064725 PMCID: PMC7567374 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ras family of proteins is known to play an important role in cellular signal transduction. The oncoprotein Ras is also found to be mutated in ~90% of the pancreatic cancers, of which G12V, G13V, A59G and Q61L are the known hot-spot mutants. These ubiquitous proteins fall in the family of G-proteins, and hence switches between active GTP bound and inactive GDP bound states, which is hindered in most of its oncogenic mutant counterparts. Moreover, Ras being a GTPase has an intrinsic property to hydrolyze GTP to GDP, which is obstructed due to mutations and lends the mutants stuck in constitutively active state leading to oncogenic behavior. In this regard, the present study aims to understand the dynamics involved in the hot-spot mutant A59G-Ras using long 10μs classical MD simulations (5μs for each of the wild-type and mutant systems) and comparing the same with its wild-type counterpart. Advanced analytics using Markov State Model (MSM) based approach has been deployed to comparatively understand the transition path for the wild-type and mutant systems. Roles of crucial residues like Tyr32, Gln61 and Tyr64 have also been established using multivariate PCA analyses. Furthermore, this multivariate PCA analysis also provides crucial features which may be used as reaction coordinates for biased simulations for further studies. The absence of formation of pre-hydrolysis network is also reported for the mutant conformation, using the distance-based analyses (between crucial residues) of the conserved regions. The implications of this study strengthen the hypothesis that the disruption of the pre-hydrolysis network in the mutant A59G ensemble might lead to permanently active oncogenic conformation in the mutant conformers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeru Sharma
- HPC-Medical and Bioinformatics Applications Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, India
| | - Uddhavesh Sonavane
- HPC-Medical and Bioinformatics Applications Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, India
| | - Rajendra Joshi
- HPC-Medical and Bioinformatics Applications Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, India
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7
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Grigorenko BL, Kots ED, Nemukhin AV. Diversity of mechanisms in Ras-GAP catalysis of guanosine triphosphate hydrolysis revealed by molecular modeling. Org Biomol Chem 2020; 17:4879-4891. [PMID: 31041977 DOI: 10.1039/c9ob00463g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism of the deceptively simple reaction of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis catalyzed by the cellular protein Ras in complex with the activating protein GAP is an important issue because of the significance of this reaction in cancer research. We show that molecular modeling of GTP hydrolysis in the Ras-GAP active site reveals a diversity of mechanisms of the intrinsic chemical reaction depending on molecular groups at position 61 in Ras occupied by glutamine in the wild-type enzyme. First, a comparison of reaction energy profiles computed at the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) level shows that an assignment of the Gln61 side chain in the wild-type Ras either to QM or to MM parts leads to different scenarios corresponding to the glutamine-assisted or the substrate-assisted mechanisms. Second, replacement of Gln61 by the nitro-analog of glutamine (NGln) or by Glu, applied in experimental studies, results in two more scenarios featuring the so-called two-water and the concerted-type mechanisms. The glutamine-assisted mechanism in the wild-type Ras-GAP, in which the conserved Gln61 plays a decisive role, switching between the amide and imide tautomer forms, is consistent with the known experimental results of structural, kinetic and spectroscopy studies. The results emphasize the role of the Ras residue Gln61 in Ras-GAP catalysis and explain the retained catalytic activity of the Ras-GAP complex towards GTP hydrolysis in the Gln61NGln and Gln61Glu mutants of Ras.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bella L Grigorenko
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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8
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Calixto AR, Moreira C, Pabis A, Kötting C, Gerwert K, Rudack T, Kamerlin SCL. GTP Hydrolysis Without an Active Site Base: A Unifying Mechanism for Ras and Related GTPases. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:10684-10701. [PMID: 31199130 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
GTP hydrolysis is a biologically crucial reaction, being involved in regulating almost all cellular processes. As a result, the enzymes that catalyze this reaction are among the most important drug targets. Despite their vital importance and decades of substantial research effort, the fundamental mechanism of enzyme-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis by GTPases remains highly controversial. Specifically, how do these regulatory proteins hydrolyze GTP without an obvious general base in the active site to activate the water molecule for nucleophilic attack? To answer this question, we perform empirical valence bond simulations of GTPase-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis, comparing solvent- and substrate-assisted pathways in three distinct GTPases, Ras, Rab, and the Gαi subunit of a heterotrimeric G-protein, both in the presence and in the absence of the corresponding GTPase activating proteins. Our results demonstrate that a general base is not needed in the active site, as the preferred mechanism for GTP hydrolysis is a conserved solvent-assisted pathway. This pathway involves the rate-limiting nucleophilic attack of a water molecule, leading to a short-lived intermediate that tautomerizes to form H2PO4- and GDP as the final products. Our fundamental biochemical insight into the enzymatic regulation of GTP hydrolysis not only resolves a decades-old mechanistic controversy but also has high relevance for drug discovery efforts. That is, revisiting the role of oncogenic mutants with respect to our mechanistic findings would pave the way for a new starting point to discover drugs for (so far) "undruggable" GTPases like Ras.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Calixto
- Department of Chemistry-BMC , Uppsala University , Box 576, S-751 23 Uppsala , Sweden
| | - Cátia Moreira
- Department of Chemistry-BMC , Uppsala University , Box 576, S-751 23 Uppsala , Sweden
| | - Anna Pabis
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology , Uppsala University , BMC Box 596, S-751 24 , Uppsala , Sweden
| | - Carsten Kötting
- Department of Biophysics , Ruhr University Bochum , 44801 Bochum , Germany
| | - Klaus Gerwert
- Department of Biophysics , Ruhr University Bochum , 44801 Bochum , Germany
| | - Till Rudack
- Department of Biophysics , Ruhr University Bochum , 44801 Bochum , Germany
| | - Shina C L Kamerlin
- Department of Chemistry-BMC , Uppsala University , Box 576, S-751 23 Uppsala , Sweden
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9
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Tichauer RH, Favre G, Cabantous S, Brut M. Hybrid QM/MM vs Pure MM Molecular Dynamics for Evaluating Water Distribution within p21 N-ras and the Resulting GTP Electronic Density. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:3935-3944. [PMID: 30991803 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b02660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
p21ras protein activity, regulated by GTP hydrolysis, constitutes an active field of research for the development of cancer targeted therapies that would concern ∼30% of human tumors to which specific mutations have been associated. Indeed, the catalyzing mechanisms provided by the protein environment during GTP hydrolysis and how they are impaired by specific mutations remain to be fully elucidated. In this article, we present results from molecular mechanics (MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations carried out for wild-type p21 N-ras and six Gln 61 mutants. In the first part, we present the water distribution within the active site of the wild-type protein according to MM MD. Significant differences are observed when comparing the results to the previous distribution assessed through quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) MD. Such method-dependent results highlight the importance of accounting for the electrostatic coupling between the protein complex and the solvent molecules in identifying hydration sites. In the second part, we present the results from DFT calculations performed to determine the electronic distribution of the GTP ligand, considering the wild-type active site arrangement according to both classical and hybrid approaches. Only in the QM/MM-based configuration is the ligand electronic density similar to that of a GDP-like state observed experimentally. For this reason, in the last set of calculations carried out for p21 N-ras Gln 61 mutants, only the active site structural conformations obtained through hybrid MD are considered. Through the analysis of the GTP electronic density, we conclude that the wild-type active site arrangement according to QM/MM MD is closer to a catalytically efficient conformation of the protein than the arrangement according to MM MD. Hence, water distribution according to the hybrid approach must correspond to the optimal placement of solvent in the active site. Within all of the studied Gln 61 substituted proteins, p21ras major catalyzing effect, which consists of stabilizing a more GDP-like state, is lost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth H Tichauer
- LAAS-CNRS , Université de Toulouse , CNRS, UPS, Toulouse , France
| | - Gilles Favre
- Cancer Research Center of Toulouse , INSERM U1037, Université de Toulouse , 31037 Toulouse , France
| | - Stéphanie Cabantous
- Cancer Research Center of Toulouse , INSERM U1037, Université de Toulouse , 31037 Toulouse , France
| | - Marie Brut
- LAAS-CNRS , Université de Toulouse , CNRS, UPS, Toulouse , France
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10
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Awuni E, Mu Y. Effect of A22 on the Conformation of Bacterial Actin MreB. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20061304. [PMID: 30875875 PMCID: PMC6471442 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of the antibiotic molecule A22 is yet to be clearly understood. In a previous study, we carried out molecular dynamics simulations of a monomer of the bacterial actin-like MreB in complex with different nucleotides and A22, and suggested that A22 impedes the release of Pi from the active site of MreB after the hydrolysis of ATP, resulting in filament instability. On the basis of the suggestion that Pi release occurs on a similar timescale to polymerization and that polymerization can occur in the absence of nucleotides, we sought in this study to investigate a hypothesis that A22 impedes the conformational change in MreB that is required for polymerization through molecular dynamics simulations of the MreB protofilament in the apo, ATP+, and ATP-A22+ states. We suggest that A22 inhibits MreB in part by antagonizing the ATP-induced structural changes required for polymerization. Our data give further insight into the polymerization/depolymerization dynamics of MreB and the mechanism of A22.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis Awuni
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, CANS, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast 00233, Ghana.
| | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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11
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Novelli ET, First JT, Webb LJ. Quantitative Measurement of Intrinsic GTP Hydrolysis for Carcinogenic Glutamine 61 Mutants in H-Ras. Biochemistry 2018; 57:6356-6366. [PMID: 30339365 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mutations of human oncoprotein p21H-Ras (hereafter "Ras") at glutamine 61 are known to slow the rate of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis and transform healthy cells into malignant cells. It has been hypothesized that this glutamine plays a role in the intrinsic mechanism of GTP hydrolysis by interacting with an active site water molecule that stabilizes the formation of the charged transition state at the γ-phosphate during hydrolysis. However, there is no comprehensive data set of the effects of mutations to Q61 on the protein's intrinsic catalytic rate, structure, or interactions with water at the active site. Here, we present the first comprehensive and quantitative set of initial rates of intrinsic hydrolysis for all stable variants of RasQ61X. We further conducted enhanced molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of each construct to determine the solvent accessible surface area (SASA) of the side chain at position 61 and compared these results to previously measured changes in electric fields caused by RasQ61X mutations. For polar and negatively charged residues, we found that the rates are normally distributed about an optimal electrostatic contribution, close to that of the native Q61 residue, and the rates are strongly correlated to the number of waters in the active site. Together, these results support a mechanism of GTP hydrolysis in which Q61 stabilizes a transient hydronium ion, which then stabilizes the transition state while the γ-phosphate is undergoing nucleophilic attack by a second, catalytically active water molecule. We discuss the implications of such a mechanism on future strategies for combating Ras-based cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa T Novelli
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , 105 E 24th Street STOP A5300 , Austin , Texas 78712-1224 , United States
| | - Jeremy T First
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , 105 E 24th Street STOP A5300 , Austin , Texas 78712-1224 , United States
| | - Lauren J Webb
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , 105 E 24th Street STOP A5300 , Austin , Texas 78712-1224 , United States
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12
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Grigorenko BL, Khrenova MG, Nemukhin AV. Amide-imide tautomerization in the glutamine side chain in enzymatic and photochemical reactions in proteins. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:23827-23836. [PMID: 30202846 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp04817g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Amide-imide tautomerization presents a pervasive class of chemical transformations in organic chemistry of natural compounds. In this Perspective, we describe two distinctively different protein systems, in which the amide-imide tautomerization in the glutamine side chain takes place in enzymatic or photochemical reactions. First, hydrolysis of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) catalyzed by the Ras-GAP protein complex suggests the occurrence of the imide tautomer of glutamine in reaction intermediates. Second, photoexcitation of flavin-binding protein domains (BLUFs) initiates a chain of reactions in the chromophore-binding pocket, including amide-imide tautomerization of glutamine. Mechanisms of these reactions at the atomic level have been revealed in quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. To reinforce conclusions on the critical role of amide-imide tautomerization of glutamine in these reactions we describe results of new quantum chemistry and QM/MM calculations for relevant molecular model systems. We reexamine results of the recent IR spectroscopy studies of BLUF domains, which provide experimental evidences of Gln tautomerization in proteins. We also propose to validate the glutamine-assisted mechanism of enzymatic GTP hydrolysis by using IR spectroscopy in a proper range of wavenumbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bella L Grigorenko
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation.
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13
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Tichauer RH, Favre G, Cabantous S, Landa G, Hemeryck A, Brut M. Water Distribution within Wild-Type NRas Protein and Q61 Mutants during Unrestrained QM/MM Dynamics. Biophys J 2018; 115:1417-1430. [PMID: 30224050 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.07.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Point mutations in p21ras are associated with ∼30% of human tumors by disrupting its GTP hydrolysis cycle, which is critical to its molecular switch function in cellular signaling pathways. In this work, we investigate the impact of Gln 61 substitutions in the structure of the p21N-ras active site and particularly focus on water reorganization around GTP, which appears to be crucial to evaluate favorable and unfavorable hydration sites for hydrolysis. The NRas-GTP complex is analyzed using a hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics approach, treating for the first time to our knowledge transient water molecules at the ab initio level and leading to results that account for the electrostatic coupling between the protein complex and the solvent. We show that for the wild-type protein, water molecules are found around the GTP γ-phosphate group, forming an arch extended from residues 12 to 35. Two density peaks are observed, supporting previous results that suggest the presence of two water molecules in the active site, one in the vicinity of residue 35 and a second one stabilized by hydrogen bonds formed with nitrogen backbone atoms of residues 12 and 60. The structural changes observed in NRas Gln 61 mutants result in the drastic delocalization of water molecules that we discuss. In mutants Q61H and Q61K, for which water distribution is overlocalized next to residue 60, the second density peak supports the hypothesis of a second water molecule. We also conclude that Gly 60 indirectly participates in GTP hydrolysis by correctly positioning transient water molecules in the protein complex and that Gln 61 has an indirect steric effect in stabilizing the preorganized catalytic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth H Tichauer
- LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Gilles Favre
- Cancer Research Center of Toulouse, INSERM U1037, Toulouse, France; Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Stéphanie Cabantous
- Cancer Research Center of Toulouse, INSERM U1037, Toulouse, France; Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Georges Landa
- LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Anne Hemeryck
- LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Marie Brut
- LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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14
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Fatima T, Rani S, Fischer S, Efferth T, Kiani FA. The hydrolysis of 6-phosphogluconolactone in the second step of pentose phosphate pathway occurs via a two-water mechanism. Biophys Chem 2018; 240:98-106. [PMID: 30014892 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2018.06.002] [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: 05/06/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hydrolysis reaction marks the basis of life yet the mechanism of this crucial biochemical reaction is not completely understood. We recently reported the mechanisms of hydrolysis of nucleoside triphosphate and phosphate monoester. These two reactions hydrolyze P-O-P and P-O-C linkages, respectively. Here, we present the mechanism of hydrolysis of δ-6-phosphogluconolactone, which is an important precursor in the second step of the pentose phosphate pathway. Its hydrolysis requires the cleavage of C-O-C linkage and its mechanism is hitherto unknown. We report three mechanisms of hydrolysis of δ-6-phosphogluconolactone based on density functional computations. In the energetically most favorable mechanism, two water molecules participate in the hydrolysis reaction and the mechanism is sequential, i.e., activation of the attacking water molecule (OH bond breaking) precedes that of the cleavage of the CO bond of the C-O-C linkage. The rate-limiting energy barrier of this mechanism is comparable to the reported experimental free energy barrier. This mechanism has similarities with the mechanism of triphosphate hydrolysis and that of hydrolytic cleavage of DNA in EcoRV enzyme. This two-water sequential hydrolysis mechanism could be the unified mechanism required for the hydrolysis of other hydrolysable species in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabeer Fatima
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan; Department of Biotechnology, University of Sialkot, 51310 Sialkot, Pakistan
| | - Sadaf Rani
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, The University of Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Efferth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudinger Weg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Farooq Ahmad Kiani
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, 02118 Boston, MA, United States.
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15
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Lim D, Ahmed A, Kim S. Comparison of Theoretical Calculation Methods for Obtaining Collisional Cross-Section of Aromatic Compounds. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.11501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dongwan Lim
- Kyungpook National University; Department of Chemistry; Daegu 41566 Republic of Korea
| | - Arif Ahmed
- Kyungpook National University; Department of Chemistry; Daegu 41566 Republic of Korea
| | - Sunghwan Kim
- Kyungpook National University; Department of Chemistry; Daegu 41566 Republic of Korea
- Green Nano Center; Department of Chemistry; Daegu 41566 Republic of Korea
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16
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Kiani FA, Fischer S. Comparing the catalytic strategy of ATP hydrolysis in biomolecular motors. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 18:20219-33. [PMID: 27296627 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp01364c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
ATP-driven biomolecular motors utilize the chemical energy obtained from the ATP hydrolysis to perform vital tasks in living cells. Understanding the mechanism of enzyme-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis reaction has substantially progressed lately thanks to combined quantum/classical molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. Here, we present a comparative summary of the most recent QM/MM results for myosin, kinesin and F1-ATPase motors. These completely different motors achieve the acceleration of ATP hydrolysis through a very similar catalytic mechanism. ATP hydrolysis has high activation energy because it involves the breaking of two strong bonds, namely the Pγ-Oβγ bond of ATP and the H-O bond of lytic water. The key to the four-fold decrease in the activation barrier by the three enzymes is that the breaking of the Pγ-Oβγ bond precedes the deprotonation of the lytic water molecule, generating a metaphosphate hydrate complex. The resulting singly charged trigonal planar PγO3(-) metaphosphate is a better electrophilic target for attack by an OaH(-) hydroxyl group. The formation of this OaH(-) is promoted by a strong polarization of the lytic water: in all three proteins, this water is forming a hydrogen-bond with a backbone carbonyl group and interacts with the carboxylate group of glutamate (either directly or via an intercalated water molecule). This favors the shedding of one proton by the attacking water. The abstracted proton is transferred to the γ-phosphate via various proton wires, resulting in a H2PγO4(-)/ADP(3-) product state. This catalytic strategy is so effective that most other nucleotide hydrolyzing enzymes adopt a similar approach, as suggested by their very similar triphosphate binding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farooq Ahmad Kiani
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. and Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, 44000, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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17
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Das S. Importance of an Orchestrate Participation of each Individual Residue Present at a Catalytic Site. Mol Inform 2017; 37:e1700105. [PMID: 29024508 DOI: 10.1002/minf.201700105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
GTP hydrolysis is indispensable to keep a living cell healthy. Nature has evolved so many enzymes to enhance the slow GTP hydrolysis. Rab GTPases are evolved to regulate vesicle trafficking. GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) accelerates their intrinsic slow GTP hydrolysis in order to maintain the sustainability between cellular events. Any malfunction/interference in this hydrolysis disrupts normal cellular events and causes severe diseases. In this study, GTP hydrolysis mechanism of Rab33B catalyzed by TBC-domain GAP protein Gyp1p has been decoded using extensive ab initio QM/MM metadynamics simulations. An organized coupled movement of individual residues present at the catalytic site is found to be the key factor for this reaction. An unorganized coupled movement leads the hydrolysis through very high energy pathways. This also reveals that the chemical transformations occurring at a catalytic site are residue specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Das
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal By-pass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, 462066, MP, India
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18
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Hassan HA, Rani S, Fatima T, Kiani FA, Fischer S. Effect of protonation on the mechanism of phosphate monoester hydrolysis and comparison with the hydrolysis of nucleoside triphosphate in biomolecular motors. Biophys Chem 2017; 230:27-35. [PMID: 28941815 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Hydrolysis of phosphate groups is a crucial reaction in living cells. It involves the breaking of two strong bonds, i.e. the OaH bond of the attacking water molecule, and the POl bond of the substrate (Oa and Ol stand for attacking and leaving oxygen atoms). Mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction can proceed either by a concurrent or a sequential mechanism. In the concurrent mechanism, the breaking of OaH and POl bonds occurs simultaneously, whereas in the sequential mechanism, the OaH and POl bonds break at different stages of the reaction. To understand how protonation affects the mechanism of hydrolysis of phosphate monoester, we have studied the mechanism of hydrolysis of protonated and deprotonated phosphate monoester at M06-2X/6-311+G**//M06-2X/6-31+G*+ZPE level of theory (where ZPE stands for zero point energy). Our calculations show that in both protonated and deprotonated cases, the breaking of the water OaH bond occurs before the breaking of the POl bond. Because the two events are not separated by a stable intermediate, the mechanism can be categorized as semi-concurrent. The overall energy barrier is 41kcalmol-1 in the unprotonated case. Most (5/6th) of this is due to the initial breaking of the water OaH bond. This component is lowered from 34 to 25kcalmol-1 by adding one proton to the phosphate. The rest of the overall energy barrier comes from the subsequent breaking of the POl bond and is not sensitive to protonation. This is consistent with previous findings about the effect of triphosphate protonation on the hydrolysis, where the equivalent protonation (on the γ-phosphate) was seen to lower the barrier of breaking the water OaH bond and to have little effect on the POl bond breaking. Hydrolysis pathways of phosphate monoester with initial breaking of the POl bond could not be found here. This is because the leaving group in phosphate monoester cannot be protonated, unlike in triphosphate hydrolysis, where protonation of the β- and γ-phosphates had been shown to promote a mechanism where the POl bond breaks before the OaH bond does. We also point out that the charge shift due to POl bond breaking during sequential ATP hydrolysis in bio-molecular motors onsets the week unbinding of hydrolysis product that finally leads to the product release during power stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hammad Ali Hassan
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sadaf Rani
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Tabeer Fatima
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan; Department of Biotechnology, University of Gujrat Sialkot Sub Campus, 51310 Sialkot, Pakistan
| | - Farooq Ahmad Kiani
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany street, 02118 Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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19
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Elucidation of Single Hydrogen Bonds in GTPases via Experimental and Theoretical Infrared Spectroscopy. Biophys J 2017; 112:66-77. [PMID: 28076817 PMCID: PMC5232353 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.11.3195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool to elucidate label-free the reaction mechanisms of proteins. After assignment of the absorption bands to individual groups of the protein, the order of events during the reaction mechanism can be monitored and rate constants can be obtained. Additionally, structural information is encoded into infrared spectra and can be decoded by combining the experimental data with biomolecular simulations. We have determined recently the infrared vibrations of GTP and guanosine diphosphate (GDP) bound to Gαi1, a ubiquitous GTPase. These vibrations are highly sensitive for the environment of the phosphate groups and thereby for the binding mode the GTPase adopts to enable fast hydrolysis of GTP. In this study we calculated these infrared vibrations from biomolecular simulations to transfer the spectral information into a computational model that provides structural information far beyond crystal structure resolution. Conformational ensembles were generated using 15 snapshots of several 100 ns molecular-mechanics/molecular-dynamics (MM-MD) simulations, followed by quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics (QM/MM) minimization and normal mode analysis. In comparison with other approaches, no time-consuming QM/MM-MD simulation was necessary. We carefully benchmarked the simulation systems by deletion of single hydrogen bonds between the GTPase and GTP through several Gαi1 point mutants. The missing hydrogen bonds lead to blue-shifts of the corresponding absorption bands. These band shifts for α-GTP (Gαi1-T48A), γ-GTP (Gαi1-R178S), and for both β-GTP/γ-GTP (Gαi1-K46A, Gαi1-D200E) were found in agreement in the experimental and the theoretical spectra. We applied our approach to open questions regarding Gαi1: we show that the GDP state of Gαi1 carries a Mg2+, which is not found in x-ray structures. Further, the catalytic role of K46, a central residue of the P-loop, and the protonation state of the GTP are elucidated.
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20
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Sharma N, Sonavane U, Joshi R. Differentiating the pre-hydrolysis states of wild-type and A59G mutant HRas: An insight through MD simulations. Comput Biol Chem 2017; 69:96-109. [PMID: 28600956 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2017.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The most representative member of the Ras subfamily is its HRas isoform. Ras proteins being GTPases, possess an intrinsic activity to hydrolyze the GTP molecule to GDP. During the transition phases, between active and inactive states, P-loop and switch regions show maximum variations. Various hot-spot Ras mutants (G12V, A59G, Q61L etc) have been reported, that limit the protein's conformation in the permanent active state. In the present study, we aim to explore the structural dynamics of one such crucial mutant of Ras namely A59G which belongs to the conserved Switch II region of the protein. Approximately ∼15μs of Classical Molecular Dynamics (CMD) simulations have been carried out on the mutant and wild-type complexes. Further, a metadynamics simulation of 500ns was also carried out, which suggests an energy barrier of ∼9.56kcal/mol between wild-type and mutant conformation. We demonstrate the role of water molecule in maintaining the required interaction networks in the pre-hydrolysis state, its impact on A59G mutation, distinct orientation of the Gln61 residue in two conformations, disruption of crucial Gly60 and γ phosphate and the change in the Switch II region. The outcome of our study captures the pre-hydrolysis state of the HRas protein. It also establishes the fact that this mutation makes the movement of Switch II region and the conserved DXXGQ motif highly constrained, which is known to be an important requirement for hydrolysis. This suggests that the A59G mutation may decrease the rate of intrinsic hydrolysis as well as GAP-mediated hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeru Sharma
- HPC - Medical and Bioinformatics Applications Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune University Campus, Pune - 411 007, India
| | - Uddhavesh Sonavane
- HPC - Medical and Bioinformatics Applications Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune University Campus, Pune - 411 007, India.
| | - Rajendra Joshi
- HPC - Medical and Bioinformatics Applications Group, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune University Campus, Pune - 411 007, India.
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21
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Metal Fluorides: Tools for Structural and Computational Analysis of Phosphoryl Transfer Enzymes. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2017; 375:36. [PMID: 28299727 PMCID: PMC5480424 DOI: 10.1007/s41061-017-0130-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
The phosphoryl group, PO3-, is the dynamic structural unit in the biological chemistry of phosphorus. Its transfer from a donor to an acceptor atom, with oxygen much more prevalent than nitrogen, carbon, or sulfur, is at the core of a great majority of enzyme-catalyzed reactions involving phosphate esters, anhydrides, amidates, and phosphorothioates. The serendipitous discovery that the phosphoryl group could be labeled by "nuclear mutation," by substitution of PO3- by MgF3- or AlF4-, has underpinned the application of metal fluoride (MF x ) complexes to mimic transition states for enzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions, with sufficient stability for experimental analysis. Protein crystallography in the solid state and 19F NMR in solution have enabled direct observation of ternary and quaternary protein complexes embracing MF x transition state models with precision. These studies have underpinned a radically new mechanistic approach to enzyme catalysis for a huge range of phosphoryl transfer processes, as varied as kinases, phosphatases, phosphomutases, and phosphohydrolases. The results, without exception, have endorsed trigonal bipyramidal geometry (tbp) for concerted, "in-line" stereochemistry of phosphoryl transfer. QM computations have established the validity of tbp MF x complexes as reliable models for true transition states, delivering similar bond lengths, coordination to essential metal ions, and virtually identical hydrogen bond networks. The emergence of protein control of reactant orbital overlap between bond-forming species within enzyme transition states is a new challenging theme for wider exploration.
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22
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Tripathi R, Glaves R, Marx D. The GTPase hGBP1 converts GTP to GMP in two steps via proton shuttle mechanisms. Chem Sci 2017; 8:371-380. [PMID: 28451182 PMCID: PMC5365056 DOI: 10.1039/c6sc02045c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
GTPases play a crucial role in the regulation of many biological processes by catalyzing the hydrolysis of GTP into GDP. The focus of this work is on the dynamin-related large GTPase human guanine nucleotide binding protein-1 (hGBP1) which is able to hydrolyze GTP even to GMP. Here, we studied the largely unknown mechanisms of both GTP and GDP hydrolysis steps utilizing accelerated ab initio QM/MM metadynamics simulations to compute multi-dimensional free energy landscapes. We find an indirect substrate-assisted catalysis (SAC) mechanism for GTP hydrolysis involving transfer of a proton from the water nucleophile to a nonbridging phosphoryl oxygen via a proton relay pathway where the rate-determining first step is concerted-dissociative nature. A "composite base" consisting of Ser73, Glu99, a bridging water molecule, and GTP was found to activate the nucleophilic water, thus disclosing the complex nature of the general base in hGBP1. A nearly two-fold reduction in the free energy barrier was obtained for GTP hydrolysis in the enzyme in comparison to bulk solvent. The subsequent GDP hydrolysis in hGBP1 was also found to follow a water-mediated proton shuttle mechanism. It is expected that the proton shuttle mechanisms unravelled for hGBP1 apply to many classes of GTPases/ATPases that possess an optimally-arranged hydrogen bonding network, which connects the catalytic water to a proton acceptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Tripathi
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , 44780 Bochum , Germany .
| | - Rachel Glaves
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , 44780 Bochum , Germany .
| | - Dominik Marx
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , 44780 Bochum , Germany .
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23
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Vithani N, Batra S, Prakash B, Nair NN. Elucidating the GTP Hydrolysis Mechanism in FeoB: A Hydrophobic Amino-Acid Substituted GTPase. ACS Catal 2016. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6b03365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Neha Vithani
- Department
of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Sahil Batra
- Department
of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Balaji Prakash
- Department
of Molecular Nutrition, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570020, India
| | - Nisanth N. Nair
- Department
of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India
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24
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Awuni Y, Jiang S, Robinson RC, Mu Y. Exploring the A22-Bacterial Actin MreB Interaction through Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:9867-74. [PMID: 27600765 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b05199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
MreB is an actin-like cytoskeleton protein that plays a vital role in the maintenance of the rod-shaped morphology of many bacteria. S-(3,4-Dichlorobenzyl) isothiourea (A22) is an antibiotic-like small molecule that perturbs the rod cell shape and has been suggested to inhibit MreB by targeting ATP hydrolysis. However, without the elucidation of the structure of the ATP-bound state of MreB in the presence of A22, the mechanism of A22 inhibition is still not clear. Here we apply conventional molecular dynamics simulations to explore the dynamics of the active site of MreB in complex with A22 and different nucleotides. We observe that hydrogen bonding between A22 and the catalytic Glu140 residue is not favored in the ATP-A22-bound state of MreB. Water dynamics analysis in the MreB active site reveals that in the presence of A22 water molecules are able to occupy positions suitable for ATP hydrolysis. Overall, our results are consistent with a mechanism in which A22 affects MreB polymerization/depolymerization dynamics in part through slowing phosphate release rather than by inhibiting ATP hydrolysis. These data can be incorporated in the design/development of the next generation of MreB inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaw Awuni
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
| | - Shimin Jiang
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology , A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore 138673
| | - Robert C Robinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology , A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore 138673.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore , Singapore 117597.,Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University , 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 636921.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine , 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
| | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
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25
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Khrenova MG, Grigorenko BL, Nemukhin AV. Theoretical vibrational spectroscopy of intermediates and the reaction mechanism of the guanosine triphosphate hydrolysis by the protein complex Ras-GAP. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2016; 166:68-72. [PMID: 27214270 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2016.04.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2015] [Revised: 04/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The structures and vibrational spectra of the reacting species upon guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis to guanosine diphosphate and inorganic phosphate (Pi) trapped inside the protein complex Ras-GAP were analyzed following the results of QM/MM simulations. The frequencies of the phosphate vibrations referring to the reactants and to Pi were compared to those observed in the experimental FTIR studies. A good correlation between the theoretical and experimental vibrational data provides a strong support to the reaction mechanism of GTP hydrolysis by the Ras-GAP enzyme system revealed by the recent QM/MM modeling. Evolution of the vibrational bands associated with the inorganic phosphate Pi during the elementary stages of GTP hydrolysis is predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Khrenova
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Bella L Grigorenko
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991, Russia; N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin Street, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991, Russia; N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin Street, Moscow 119334, Russia.
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26
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Sprang SR. Invited review: Activation of G proteins by GTP and the mechanism of Gα-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis. Biopolymers 2016; 105:449-62. [PMID: 26996924 PMCID: PMC5319639 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Revised: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
This review addresses the regulatory consequences of the binding of GTP to the alpha subunits (Gα) of heterotrimeric G proteins, the reaction mechanism of GTP hydrolysis catalyzed by Gα and the means by which GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) stimulate the GTPase activity of Gα. The high energy of GTP binding is used to restrain and stabilize the conformation of the Gα switch segments, particularly switch II, to afford stable complementary to the surfaces of Gα effectors, while excluding interaction with Gβγ, the regulatory binding partner of GDP-bound Gα. Upon GTP hydrolysis, the energy of these conformational restraints is dissipated and the two switch segments, particularly switch II, become flexible and are able to adopt a conformation suitable for tight binding to Gβγ. Catalytic site pre-organization presents a significant activation energy barrier to Gα GTPase activity. The glutamine residue near the N-terminus of switch II (Glncat ) must adopt a conformation in which it orients and stabilizes the γ phosphate and the water nucleophile for an in-line attack. The transition state is probably loose with dissociative character; phosphoryl transfer may be concerted. The catalytic arginine in switch I (Argcat ), together with amide hydrogen bonds from the phosphate binding loop, stabilize charge at the β-γ bridge oxygen of the leaving group. GAPs that harbor "regulator of protein signaling" (RGS) domains, or structurally unrelated domains within G protein effectors that function as GAPs, accelerate catalysis by stabilizing the pre-transition state for Gα-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis, primarily by restraining Argcat and Glncat to their catalytic conformations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 449-462, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R. Sprang
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, Telephone: (406) 243-6028, Fax: (406) 243-6024,
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27
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Kiani FA, Fischer S. Effects of protonation on the hydrolysis of triphosphate in vacuum and the implications for catalysis by nucleotide hydrolyzing enzymes. BMC BIOCHEMISTRY 2016; 17:12. [PMID: 27974044 PMCID: PMC5157097 DOI: 10.1186/s12858-016-0068-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) hydrolysis is a key reaction in biology. It involves breaking two very stable bonds (one P-O bond and one O-H bond of water), in either a concurrent or a sequential way. Here, we systematically examine how protonation of the triphosphate affects the mechanism of hydrolysis. RESULTS The hydrolysis reaction of methyl triphosphate in vacuum is computed with protons in various numbers and position on the three phosphate groups. Protonation is seen to have a strong catalytic effect, with the reaction mechanism depending highly on the protonation pattern. CONCLUSION This dependence is apparently complicated, but is shown to obey a well-defined set of rules: Protonation of the α- and β-phosphate groups favors a sequential hydrolysis mechanism, whereas γ-protonation favors a concurrent mechanism, the two effects competing with each other in cases of simultaneous protonation. The rate-limiting step is always the breakup of the water molecule while it attacks the γ-phosphorus, and its barrier is lowered by γ-protonation. This step has significantly lower barriers in the sequential reactions, because the dissociated γ-metaphosphate intermediate (PγO3-) is a much better target for water attack than the un-dissociated γ-phosphate (-PγO42-). The simple chemical logic behind these rules helps to better understand the catalytic strategy used by NTPase enzymes, as illustrated here for the catalytic pocket of myosin. A set of rules was determined that describes how protonating the phosphate groups affects the hydrolysis mechanism of methyl triphosphate: Protonation of the α- and/or β- phosphate groups promotes a sequential mechanism in which P-O bond breaking precedes the breakup of the attacking water, whereas protonation of the γ-phosphate promotes a concurrent mechanism and lowers the rate-limiting barrier of water breakup. The role played by individual protein residues in the catalytic pocket of triphosphate hydrolysing enzymes can be assigned accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farooq Ahmad Kiani
- Research Center for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Computational Biochemistry, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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28
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Khrenova MG, Kots ED, Nemukhin AV. Reaction Mechanism of Guanosine Triphosphate Hydrolysis by the Vision-Related Protein Complex Arl3-RP2. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:3873-9. [PMID: 27043216 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b03363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Complexes of small GTPases with GTPase-activating proteins have been intensively studied with the main focus on the complex of H-Ras with p120GAP (Ras-GAP). The detailed mechanism of GTP hydrolysis is still unresolved. To clarify it, we calculated the energy profile of GTP hydrolysis in the active site of a recently characterized vision-related member of this family, the Arl3-RP2 complex. The mechanism suggested in this study retains the main features of GTP hydrolysis by the Ras-GAP complex, but the relative energies of the corresponding intermediates are different and an additional intermediate exists in the Arl3-RP2 complex compared with the Ras-GAP. These differences arise from small deviations in the catalytic arginine conformation of the active site. In the Arl3-RP2 complex, the first two intermediates, corresponding to the Pγ-Oβγ bond cleavage and the glutamine-assisted proton transfer, are almost isoenergetic with the ES complex. Numerical simulations of the kinetic curves demonstrate that the concentrations of these intermediates are comparable with that of ES during the reaction. The calculated IR spectra reveal specific vibrational bands, corresponding to these intermediates. These specific features of the Arl3-RP2 complex open the opportunity to identify spectroscopically two more reaction intermediates in GTP hydrolysis in addition to the ES and EP complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Khrenova
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Ekaterina D Kots
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation.,N. M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Kosygina 4, Moscow, 119334, Russian Federation
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation.,N. M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Kosygina 4, Moscow, 119334, Russian Federation
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Lu S, Jang H, Muratcioglu S, Gursoy A, Keskin O, Nussinov R, Zhang J. Ras Conformational Ensembles, Allostery, and Signaling. Chem Rev 2016; 116:6607-65. [PMID: 26815308 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 262] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Ras proteins are classical members of small GTPases that function as molecular switches by alternating between inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound states. Ras activation is regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors that catalyze the exchange of GDP by GTP, and inactivation is terminated by GTPase-activating proteins that accelerate the intrinsic GTP hydrolysis rate by orders of magnitude. In this review, we focus on data that have accumulated over the past few years pertaining to the conformational ensembles and the allosteric regulation of Ras proteins and their interpretation from our conformational landscape standpoint. The Ras ensemble embodies all states, including the ligand-bound conformations, the activated (or inactivated) allosteric modulated states, post-translationally modified states, mutational states, transition states, and nonfunctional states serving as a reservoir for emerging functions. The ensemble is shifted by distinct mutational events, cofactors, post-translational modifications, and different membrane compositions. A better understanding of Ras biology can contribute to therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoyong Lu
- Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Universities E-Institute for Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine , Shanghai, 200025, China.,Cancer and Inflammation Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory, National Cancer Institute , Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory, National Cancer Institute , Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | | | | | | | - Ruth Nussinov
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory, National Cancer Institute , Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States.,Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Sackler Institute of Molecular Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Jian Zhang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Universities E-Institute for Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine , Shanghai, 200025, China
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30
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Khrenova MG, Grigorenko BL, Mironov VA, Nemukhin AV. Why does mutation of Gln61 in Ras by the nitro analog NGln maintain activity of Ras-GAP in hydrolysis of guanosine triphosphate? Proteins 2015; 83:2091-9. [PMID: 26370130 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Interpretation of the experiments showing that the Ras-GAP protein complex maintains activity in guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis upon replacement of Glu61 in Ras with its unnatural nitro analog, NGln, is an important issue for understanding details of chemical transformations at the enzyme active site. By using molecular modeling we demonstrate that both glutamine and its nitro analog in the aci-nitro form participate in the reaction of GTP hydrolysis at the stages of proton transfer and formation of inorganic phosphate. The computed structures and the energy profiles for the complete pathway from the enzyme-substrate to enzyme-product complexes for the wild-type and mutated Ras suggest that the reaction mechanism is not affected by this mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Khrenova
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Bella L Grigorenko
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia.,N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin Street, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - Vladimir A Mironov
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia.,N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin Street, Moscow, 119334, Russia
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31
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Khrenova MG, Grigorenko BL, Kolomeisky AB, Nemukhin AV. Hydrolysis of Guanosine Triphosphate (GTP) by the Ras·GAP Protein Complex: Reaction Mechanism and Kinetic Scheme. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:12838-45. [PMID: 26374425 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b07238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Molecular mechanisms of the hydrolysis of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to guanosine diphosphate (GDP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) by the Ras·GAP protein complex are fully investigated by using modern modeling tools. The previously hypothesized stages of the cleavage of the phosphorus-oxygen bond in GTP and the formation of the imide form of catalytic Gln61 from Ras upon creation of Pi are confirmed by using the higher-level quantum-based calculations. The steps of the enzyme regeneration are modeled for the first time, providing a comprehensive description of the catalytic cycle. It is found that for the reaction Ras·GAP·GTP·H2O → Ras·GAP·GDP·Pi, the highest barriers correspond to the process of regeneration of the active site but not to the process of substrate cleavage. The specific shape of the energy profile is responsible for an interesting kinetic mechanism of the GTP hydrolysis. The analysis of the process using the first-passage approach and consideration of kinetic equations suggest that the overall reaction rate is a result of the balance between relatively fast transitions and low probability of states from which these transitions are taking place. Our theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with available experimental observations on GTP hydrolysis rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Khrenova
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Bella L Grigorenko
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.,N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Kosygina 4, Moscow 119334, Russian Federation
| | - Anatoly B Kolomeisky
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University , Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.,N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Kosygina 4, Moscow 119334, Russian Federation
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32
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Mironov VA, Khrenova MG, Lychko LA, Nemukhin AV. Computational characterization of the chemical step in the GTP hydrolysis by Ras-GAP for the wild-type and G13V mutated Ras. Proteins 2015; 83:1046-53. [PMID: 25820867 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The free energy profiles for the chemical reaction of the guanosine triphosphate hydrolysis GTP + H2O → GDP + Pi by Ras-GAP for the wild-type and G13V mutated Ras were computed by using molecular dynamics protocols with the QM(ab initio)/MM potentials. The results are consistent with the recent measurements of reaction kinetics in Ras-GAP showing about two-order reduction of the rate constant upon G13V mutation in Ras: the computed activation barrier on the free energy profile is increased by 3 kcal/mol upon the G13V replacement. The major reason for a higher energy barrier is a shift of the "arginine finger" (R789 from GAP) from the favorable position in the active site. The results of simulations provide support for the mechanism of the reference reaction according to which the Q61 side chain directly participates in chemical transformations at the proton transfer stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir A Mironov
- Chemistry Department, M.V, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Maria G Khrenova
- Chemistry Department, M.V, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Leonora A Lychko
- Chemistry Department, M.V, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Chemistry Department, M.V, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.,N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia
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33
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Carvalho ATP, Szeler K, Vavitsas K, Åqvist J, Kamerlin SCL. Modeling the mechanisms of biological GTP hydrolysis. Arch Biochem Biophys 2015; 582:80-90. [PMID: 25731854 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2015.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Enzymes that hydrolyze GTP are currently in the spotlight, due to their molecular switch mechanism that controls many cellular processes. One of the best-known classes of these enzymes are small GTPases such as members of the Ras superfamily, which catalyze the hydrolysis of the γ-phosphate bond in GTP. In addition, the availability of an increasing number of crystal structures of translational GTPases such as EF-Tu and EF-G have made it possible to probe the molecular details of GTP hydrolysis on the ribosome. However, despite a wealth of biochemical, structural and computational data, the way in which GTP hydrolysis is activated and regulated is still a controversial topic and well-designed simulations can play an important role in resolving and rationalizing the experimental data. In this review, we discuss the contributions of computational biology to our understanding of GTP hydrolysis on the ribosome and in small GTPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra T P Carvalho
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 596, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Klaudia Szeler
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 596, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Konstantinos Vavitsas
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre (CPSC), Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Johan Åqvist
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 596, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Shina C L Kamerlin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 596, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Khrenova MG, Mironov VA, Grigorenko BL, Nemukhin AV. Modeling the role of G12V and G13V Ras mutations in the Ras-GAP-catalyzed hydrolysis reaction of guanosine triphosphate. Biochemistry 2014; 53:7093-9. [PMID: 25339142 DOI: 10.1021/bi5011333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cancer-associated point mutations in Ras, in particular, at glycine 12 and glycine 13, affect the normal cycle between inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound states. In this work, the role of G12V and G13V replacements in the GAP-stimulated intrinsic GTP hydrolysis reaction in Ras is studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) potentials. A model molecular system was constructed by motifs of the relevant crystal structure (Protein Data Bank entry 1WQ1 ). QM/MM optimization of geometry parameters in the Ras-GAP-GTP complex and QM/MM-MD simulations were performed with a quantum subsystem comprising a large fraction of the enzyme active site. For the system with wild-type Ras, the conformations fluctuated near the structure ready to be involved in the efficient chemical reaction leading to the cleavage of the phosphorus-oxygen bond in GTP upon approach of the properly aligned catalytic water molecule. Dynamics of the system with the G13V mutant is characterized by an enhanced flexibility in the area occupied by the γ-phosphate group of GTP, catalytic water, and the side chains of Arg789 and Gln61, which should somewhat hinder fast chemical steps. Conformational dynamics of the system with the G12V mutant shows considerable displacement of the Gln61 side chain and catalytic water from their favorable arrangement in the active site that may lead to a marked reduction in the reaction rate. The obtained computational results correlate well with the recent kinetic measurements of the Ras-GAP-catalyzed hydrolysis of GTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Khrenova
- Department of Chemistry, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University , Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
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Singh MK, Chu ZT, Warshel A. Simulating the catalytic effect of a designed mononuclear zinc metalloenzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphate triesters. J Phys Chem B 2014; 118:12146-52. [PMID: 25233046 PMCID: PMC4207531 DOI: 10.1021/jp507592g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
One
of the greatest challenges in biotechnology and in biochemistry
is the ability to design efficient enzymes. In fact, such an ability
would be one of the most convincing manifestations of a full understanding
of the origin of enzyme catalysis. Despite some progress on this front,
most of the advances have been made by placing the reacting fragments
in the proper places rather than by optimizing the preorganization
of the environment, which is the key factor in enzyme catalysis. A
rational improvement of the preorganization and a consistent assessment
of the effectiveness of different design options require approaches
capable of evaluating reliably the actual catalytic effect. In this
work we examine the ability of the empirical valence bond (EVB) to
reproduce the results of directed evolution improvements of the catalysis
of diethyl 7-hydroxycoumarinyl by a designed mononuclear zinc metalloenzyme.
Encouragingly, our study reproduced the catalytic effect obtained
by directed evolution and offers a good start for further studies
of this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj Kumar Singh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , SGM 418, 3620 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
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36
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Catalytic strategy used by the myosin motor to hydrolyze ATP. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E2947-56. [PMID: 25006262 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1401862111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Myosin is a molecular motor responsible for biological motions such as muscle contraction and intracellular cargo transport, for which it hydrolyzes adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). Early steps of the mechanism by which myosin catalyzes ATP hydrolysis have been investigated, but still missing are the structure of the final ADP·inorganic phosphate (Pi) product and the complete pathway leading to it. Here, a comprehensive description of the catalytic strategy of myosin is formulated, based on combined quantum-classical molecular mechanics calculations. A full exploration of catalytic pathways was performed and a final product structure was found that is consistent with all experiments. Molecular movies of the relevant pathways show the different reorganizations of the H-bond network that lead to the final product, whose γ-phosphate is not in the previously reported HPγO4(2-) state, but in the H2PγO4(-) state. The simulations reveal that the catalytic strategy of myosin employs a three-pronged tactic: (i) Stabilization of the γ-phosphate of ATP in a dissociated metaphosphate (PγO3(-)) state. (ii) Polarization of the attacking water molecule, to abstract a proton from that water. (iii) Formation of multiple proton wires in the active site, for efficient transfer of the abstracted proton to various product precursors. The specific role played in this strategy by each of the three loops enclosing ATP is identified unambiguously. It explains how the precise timing of the ATPase activation during the force generating cycle is achieved in myosin. The catalytic strategy described here for myosin is likely to be very similar in most nucleotide hydrolyzing enzymes.
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Prakash P, Gorfe AA. Overview of simulation studies on the enzymatic activity and conformational dynamics of the GTPase Ras. MOLECULAR SIMULATION 2014; 40:839-847. [PMID: 26491216 DOI: 10.1080/08927022.2014.895000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Over the last 40 years, we have learnt a great deal about the Ras onco-proteins. These intracellular molecular switches are essential for the function of a variety of physiological processes, including signal transduction cascades responsible for cell growth and proliferation. Molecular simulations and free energy calculations have played an essential role in elucidating the conformational dynamics and energetics underlying the GTP hydrolysis reaction catalysed by Ras. Here we present an overview of the main lessons from molecular simulations on the GTPase reaction and conformational dynamics of this important anti-cancer drug target. In the first part, we summarise insights from quantum mechanical and combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulations as well as other free energy methods and highlight consensus viewpoints as well as remaining controversies. The second part provides a very brief overview of new insights emerging from large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. We conclude with a perspective regarding future studies of Ras where computational approaches will likely play an active role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Prakash
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Alemayehu A Gorfe
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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38
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Quantitative exploration of the molecular origin of the activation of GTPase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:20509-14. [PMID: 24282301 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1319854110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
GTPases play a major role in cellular processes, and gaining quantitative understanding of their activation demands reliable free energy surfaces of the relevant mechanistic paths in solution, as well as the interpolation of this information to GTPases. Recently, we generated ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical free energy surfaces for the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters in solution, establishing quantitatively that the barrier for the reactions with a proton transfer (PT) step from a single attacking water (1 W) is higher than the one where the PT is assisted by a second water (2 W). The implication of this finding on the activation of GTPases is quantified here, by using the ab initio solution surfaces to calibrate empirical valence bond surfaces and then exploring the origin of the activation effect. It is found that, although the 2 W PT path is a new element, this step is not rate determining, and the catalytic effect is actually due to the electrostatic stabilization of the pre-PT transition state and the subsequent plateau. Thus, the electrostatic catalytic effect found in our previous studies of the Ras GTPase activating protein (RasGAP) and the elongation factor-Tu (EF-Tu) with a 1 W mechanism is still valid for the 2 W path. Furthermore, as found before, the corresponding activation appears to involve a major allosteric effect. Overall, we believe that our finding is general to both GTPases and ATPases. In addition to the biologically relevant finding, we also provide a critical discussion of the requirements from reliable surfaces for enzymatic reactions.
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Prakash P, Gorfe AA. Lessons from computer simulations of Ras proteins in solution and in membrane. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2013; 1830:5211-8. [PMID: 23906604 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2013.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A great deal has been learned over the last several decades about the function of Ras proteins in solution and membrane environments. While much of this knowledge has been derived from a plethora of experimental techniques, computer simulations have also played a substantial role. SCOPE OF REVIEW Our goal here is to summarize the contribution of molecular simulations to our current understanding of normal and aberrant Ras function. We focus on lessons from molecular dynamics simulations in aqueous and membrane environments. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS The central message is that a close interaction between theory and simulation on the one hand and cell-biological, spectroscopic and other experimental approaches on the other has played, and will likely continue to play, a vital role in Ras research. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Atomistic insights emerging from detailed simulations of Ras in solution and in bilayers may be the key to unlock the secret that to date prevented development of selective anti-Ras inhibitors for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Prakash
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA
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40
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Abstract
Phosphoryl transfer plays key roles in signaling, energy transduction, protein synthesis, and maintaining the integrity of the genetic material. On the surface, it would appear to be a simple nucleophile displacement reaction. However, this simplicity is deceptive, as, even in aqueous solution, the low-lying d-orbitals on the phosphorus atom allow for eight distinct mechanistic possibilities, before even introducing the complexities of the enzyme catalyzed reactions. To further complicate matters, while powerful, traditional experimental techniques such as the use of linear free-energy relationships (LFER) or measuring isotope effects cannot make unique distinctions between different potential mechanisms. A quarter of a century has passed since Westheimer wrote his seminal review, 'Why Nature Chose Phosphate' (Science 235 (1987), 1173), and a lot has changed in the field since then. The present review revisits this biologically crucial issue, exploring both relevant enzymatic systems as well as the corresponding chemistry in aqueous solution, and demonstrating that the only way key questions in this field are likely to be resolved is through careful theoretical studies (which of course should be able to reproduce all relevant experimental data). Finally, we demonstrate that the reason that nature really chose phosphate is due to interplay between two counteracting effects: on the one hand, phosphates are negatively charged and the resulting charge-charge repulsion with the attacking nucleophile contributes to the very high barrier for hydrolysis, making phosphate esters among the most inert compounds known. However, biology is not only about reducing the barrier to unfavorable chemical reactions. That is, the same charge-charge repulsion that makes phosphate ester hydrolysis so unfavorable also makes it possible to regulate, by exploiting the electrostatics. This means that phosphate ester hydrolysis can not only be turned on, but also be turned off, by fine tuning the electrostatic environment and the present review demonstrates numerous examples where this is the case. Without this capacity for regulation, it would be impossible to have for instance a signaling or metabolic cascade, where the action of each participant is determined by the fine-tuned activity of the previous piece in the production line. This makes phosphate esters the ideal compounds to facilitate life as we know it.
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Wang X, Hirao H. ONIOM (DFT:MM) Study of the Catalytic Mechanism of myo-Inositol Monophosphatase: Essential Role of Water in Enzyme Catalysis in the Two-Metal Mechanism. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:833-42. [DOI: 10.1021/jp312483n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Wang
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore
637371
| | - Hajime Hirao
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore
637371
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Xia F, Rudack T, Cui Q, Kötting C, Gerwert K. Detailed structure of the H2PO4(-)-guanosine diphosphate intermediate in Ras-GAP decoded from FTIR experiments by biomolecular simulations. J Am Chem Soc 2012. [PMID: 23181905 DOI: 10.1021/ja310496e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Essential biochemical processes such as signal transduction, energy conversion, or substrate conversion depend on transient ligand binding. Thus, identifying the detailed structure and transient positioning of small ligands, and their stabilization by the surrounding protein, is of great importance. In this study, by decoding information from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra with biomolecular simulation methods, we identify the precise position and hydrogen network of a small compound, the guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-H(2)PO(4)(-) intermediate, in the surrounding protein-protein complex of Ras and its GTPase-activating protein, a central molecular switch in cellular signal transduction. We validate the simulated structure by comparing the calculated fingerprint vibrational modes of H(2)PO(4)(-) with those obtained from FTIR experiments. The new structural information, below the resolution of X-ray structural analysis, gives detailed insight into the catalytic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xia
- Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max Planck Partner Institute and Key Laboratory for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China
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44
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Ras and GTPase-activating protein (GAP) drive GTP into a precatalytic state as revealed by combining FTIR and biomolecular simulations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:15295-300. [PMID: 22949691 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1204333109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the Ras superfamily regulate many cellular processes. They are down-regulated by a GTPase reaction in which GTP is cleaved into GDP and P(i) by nucleophilic attack of a water molecule. Ras proteins accelerate GTP hydrolysis by a factor of 10(5) compared to GTP in water. GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) accelerate hydrolysis by another factor of 10(5) compared to Ras alone. Oncogenic mutations in Ras and GAPs slow GTP hydrolysis and are a factor in many cancers. Here, we elucidate in detail how this remarkable catalysis is brought about. We refined the protein-bound GTP structure and protein-induced charge shifts within GTP beyond the current resolution of X-ray structural models by combining quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics simulations with time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The simulations were validated by comparing experimental and theoretical IR difference spectra. The reactant structure of GTP is destabilized by Ras via a conformational change from a staggered to an eclipsed position of the nonbridging oxygen atoms of the γ- relative to the β-phosphates and the further rotation of the nonbridging oxygen atoms of α- relative to the β- and γ-phosphates by GAP. Further, the γ-phosphate becomes more positive although two of its oxygen atoms remain negative. This facilitates the nucleophilic attack by the water oxygen at the phosphate and proton transfer to the oxygen. Detailed changes in geometry and charge distribution in the ligand below the resolution of X-ray structure analysis are important for catalysis. Such high resolution appears crucial for the understanding of enzyme catalysis.
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Freedman H, Laino T, Curioni A. Reaction Dynamics of ATP Hydrolysis in Actin Determined by ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2012; 8:3373-83. [PMID: 26605743 DOI: 10.1021/ct3003282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Energy released by the hydrolysis of the high-energy phosphate bond of nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) cofactors is the driving force behind most biological processes. To understand how this energy is used to induce differences in protein structure and function, we examine the transfer of vibrational energy into the nucleotide-bound actin active site immediately after reaction activation. To this end, we perform Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations of the active site at the level of density functional theory (DFT) starting at the calculated transition state (TS) structure. Similarly to the mechanism determined in many nucleotide-bound protein systems, the Os-Pγ bond is first elongated. Then, nucleophilic attack of the lytic water on Pγ occurs. Subsequently, protons are transferred in a cycle formed by water molecules, a protein residue, Asp154, and the γ-phosphate group, resulting in the formation of H2PO4(-). To investigate the possible creation of excited vibrational states in the products, power spectra of bond-length autocorrelation functions for relevant bonds within the active site are compared for simulations that start at the TS, at reactants, and at reaction end products. The hydroxyl bond formed in the final proton transfer to the phosphate molecule is observed to exhibit relatively high kinetic energies and large oscillations during reaction. It is also likely that some of the energy released by the reaction is captured by the low-energy stretching vibrations of the phosphoryl bonds of orthophosphate, which oscillate with large amplitudes in nonequilibrium simulations of end products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Freedman
- CCMAR, FCT, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
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46
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Rudack T, Xia F, Schlitter J, Kötting C, Gerwert K. The role of magnesium for geometry and charge in GTP hydrolysis, revealed by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations. Biophys J 2012; 103:293-302. [PMID: 22853907 PMCID: PMC3400779 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2012] [Revised: 06/13/2012] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The coordination of the magnesium ion in proteins by triphosphates plays an important role in catalytic hydrolysis of GTP or ATP, either in signal transduction or energy conversion. For example, in Ras the magnesium ion contributes to the catalysis of GTP hydrolysis. The cleavage of GTP to GDP and P(i) in Ras switches off cellular signaling. We analyzed GTP hydrolysis in water, Ras, and Ras·Ras-GTPase-activating protein using quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations. By comparison of the theoretical IR-difference spectra for magnesium ion coordinated triphosphate to experimental ones, the simulations are validated. We elucidated thereby how the magnesium ion contributes to catalysis. It provides a temporary storage for the electrons taken from the triphosphate and it returns them after bond cleavage and P(i) release back to the diphosphate. Furthermore, the Ras·Mg(2+) complex forces the triphosphate into a stretched conformation in which the β- and γ-phosphates are coordinated in a bidentate manner. In this conformation, the triphosphate elongates the bond, which has to be cleaved during hydrolysis. Furthermore, the γ-phosphate adopts a more planar structure, driving the conformation of the molecule closer to the hydrolysis transition state. GTPase-activating protein enhances these changes in GTP conformation and charge distribution via the intruding arginine finger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Rudack
- Department of Biophysics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Fei Xia
- Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max Planck Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jürgen Schlitter
- Department of Biophysics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Carsten Kötting
- Department of Biophysics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Klaus Gerwert
- Department of Biophysics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max Planck Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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47
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Molecular dynamics simulation of GTPase activity in polymers of the cell division protein FtsZ. FEBS Lett 2012; 586:1236-9. [PMID: 22575662 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.03.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2011] [Revised: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
FtsZ, the prokaryotic ortholog of tubulin, assembles into polymers in the bacterial division ring. The interfaces between monomers contain a GTP molecule, but the relationship between polymerization and GTPase activity is not unequivocally proven. A set of short FtsZ polymers were modelled and the formation of active GTPase structures was monitored using molecular dynamics. Only the interfaces nearest the polymer ends exhibited an adequate geometry for GTP hydrolysis. Simulated conversion of interfaces from close-to-end to internal position and vice versa resulted in their spontaneous rearrangement between active and inactive conformations. This predicted behavior of FtsZ polymer ends was supported by in vitro experiments.
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Martín-García F, Mendieta-Moreno JI, López-Viñas E, Gómez-Puertas P, Mendieta J. The Role of Gln61 in HRas GTP hydrolysis: a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study. Biophys J 2012; 102:152-7. [PMID: 22225809 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.11.4005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2011] [Revised: 11/26/2011] [Accepted: 11/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of the water molecule involved in GTP hydrolysis within the HRas·RasGAP system is analyzed using a tailored approach based on hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulation. A new path emerges: transfer of a proton from the attacking water molecule to a second water molecule, then a different proton is transferred from this second water molecule to the GTP. Gln(61) will stabilize the transient OH(-) and H(3)O(+) molecules thus generated. This newly proposed mechanism was generated by using, for the first time to our knowledge, the entire HRas-RasGAP protein complex in a QM/MM simulation context. It also offers a rational explanation for previous experimental results regarding the decrease of GTPase rate found in the HRas Q61A mutant and the increase exhibited by the HRas Q61E mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Martín-García
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Madrid, Spain
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49
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Xia F, Rudack T, Kötting C, Schlitter J, Gerwert K. The specific vibrational modes of GTP in solution and bound to Ras: a detailed theoretical analysis by QM/MM simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2011; 13:21451-60. [PMID: 22048726 DOI: 10.1039/c1cp22741f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The hydrolysis of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) in general, and especially by GTPases like the Ras protein, is in the focus of biological investigations. A huge amount of experimental data from Fourier-transformed infrared studies is currently available, and many vibrational bands of free GTP, GTP·Mg(2+), and Ras·GTP·Mg(2+) in solution have been assigned by isotopic labeling. In the Ras environment, bands between 800 cm(-1) and 1300 cm(-1) have already been assigned, but not those below 800 cm(-1). The combination of quantum and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods takes the quantum effects for selected relevant atoms into account. This provides structural details, vibrational frequencies and electron distributions of the region of interest. We therefore used MM and QM/MM simulations to investigate the normal vibrational modes of GTP, GTP·Mg(2+), and Ras·GTP·Mg(2+) in solution, and assigned the vibrational frequencies for each normal vibration mode. In this study, the quantum box contains the nucleoside and the Mg(2+). The comparison of calculated and experimental vibrational spectra provides a very good control for the quality of the calculations. Structurally, MM and QM/MM simulations reveal a stable tridentate coordination of the Mg(2+) by GTP in water, and a stable bidentate coordination by GTP in complex with Ras. For validation, we compare the calculated frequencies and isotopic shifts with the experimental results available in the range of 800 cm(-1) to 1300 cm(-1). For the first time we suggest band assignments of the vibrational modes below 800 cm(-1) by comparison of calculated and experimental spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xia
- Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max Planck Partner Institute and Key Laboratory for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China
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Vorontsov II, Minasov G, Kiryukhina O, Brunzelle JS, Shuvalova L, Anderson WF. Characterization of the deoxynucleotide triphosphate triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) activity of the EF1143 protein from Enterococcus faecalis and crystal structure of the activator-substrate complex. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:33158-66. [PMID: 21757692 PMCID: PMC3190883 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.250456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The EF1143 protein from Enterococcus faecalis is a distant homolog of deoxynucleotide triphosphate triphosphohydrolases (dNTPases) from Escherichia coli and Thermus thermophilus. These dNTPases are important components in the regulation of the dNTP pool in bacteria. Biochemical assays of the EF1143 dNTPase activity demonstrated nonspecific hydrolysis of all canonical dNTPs in the presence of Mn(2+). In contrast, with Mg(2+) hydrolysis required the presence of dGTP as an effector, activating the degradation of dATP and dCTP with dGTP also being consumed in the reaction with dATP. The crystal structure of EF1143 and dynamic light scattering measurements in solution revealed a tetrameric oligomer as the most probable biologically active unit. The tetramer contains four dGTP specific allosteric regulatory sites and four active sites. Examination of the active site with the dATP substrate suggests an in-line nucleophilic attack on the α-phosphate center as a possible mechanism of the hydrolysis and two highly conserved residues, His-129 and Glu-122, as an acid-base catalytic dyad. Structural differences between EF1143 apo and holo forms revealed mobility of the α3 helix that can regulate the size of the active site binding pocket and could be stabilized in the open conformation upon formation of the tetramer and dGTP effector binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan I Vorontsov
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
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