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Pederson JP, McDaniel JG. PyDFT-QMMM: A modular, extensible software framework for DFT-based QM/MM molecular dynamics. J Chem Phys 2024; 161:034103. [PMID: 39007371 DOI: 10.1063/5.0219851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
PyDFT-QMMM is a Python-based package for performing hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations at the density functional level of theory. The program is designed to treat short-range and long-range interactions through user-specified combinations of electrostatic and mechanical embedding procedures within periodic simulation domains, providing necessary interfaces to external quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics software. To enable direct embedding of long-range electrostatics in periodic systems, we have derived and implemented force terms for our previously described QM/MM/PME approach [Pederson and McDaniel, J. Chem. Phys. 156, 174105 (2022)]. Communication with external software packages Psi4 and OpenMM is facilitated through Python application programming interfaces (APIs). The core library contains basic utilities for running QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations, and plug-in entry-points are provided for users to implement custom energy/force calculation and integration routines, within an extensible architecture. The user interacts with PyDFT-QMMM primarily through its Python API, allowing for complex workflow development with Python scripting, for example, interfacing with PLUMED for free energy simulations. We provide benchmarks of forces and energy conservation for the QM/MM/PME and alternative QM/MM electrostatic embedding approaches. We further demonstrate a simple example use case for water solute in a water solvent system, for which radial distribution functions are computed from 100 ps QM/MM simulations; in this example, we highlight how the solvation structure is sensitive to different basis-set choices due to under- or over-polarization of the QM water molecule's electron density.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Pederson
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0400, USA
| | - Jesse G McDaniel
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0400, USA
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2
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Maghsoud Y, Roy A, Leddin EM, Cisneros GA. Effects of the Y432S Cancer-Associated Variant on the Reaction Mechanism of Human DNA Polymerase κ. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:4231-4249. [PMID: 38717969 PMCID: PMC11181361 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00339] [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] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Human DNA polymerases are vital for genetic information management. Their function involves catalyzing the synthesis of DNA strands with unparalleled accuracy, which ensures the fidelity and stability of the human genomic blueprint. Several disease-associated mutations and their functional impact on DNA polymerases have been reported. One particular polymerase, human DNA polymerase kappa (Pol κ), has been reported to be susceptible to several cancer-associated mutations. The Y432S mutation in Pol κ, associated with various cancers, is of interest due to its impact on polymerization activity and markedly reduced thermal stability. Here, we have used computational simulations to investigate the functional consequences of the Y432S using classical molecular dynamics (MD) and coupled quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods. Our findings suggest that Y432S induces structural alterations in domains responsible for nucleotide addition and ternary complex stabilization while retaining structural features consistent with possible catalysis in the active site. Calculations of the minimum energy path associated with the reaction mechanism of the wild type (WT) and Y432S Pol κ indicate that, while both enzymes are catalytically competent (in terms of energetics and the active site's geometries), the cancer mutation results in an endoergic reaction and an increase in the catalytic barrier. Interactions with a third magnesium ion and environmental effects on nonbonded interactions, particularly involving key residues, contribute to the kinetic and thermodynamic distinctions between the WT and mutant during the catalytic reaction. The energetics and electronic findings suggest that active site residues favor the catalytic reaction with dCTP3- over dCTP4-.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazdan Maghsoud
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Arkanil Roy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Emmett M Leddin
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76201, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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3
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Chatterjee S, Nochebuena J, Cisneros GA. Impact of an Ionic Liquid Solution on Horseradish Peroxidase Activity. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:13247-13257. [PMID: 38701006 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c01100] [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: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is an enzyme that oxidizes pollutants from wastewater. A previous report indicated that peroxidases can have an enhancement in initial enzymatic activity in an aqueous solution of 0.26 M 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate ([EMIm][EtSO4]) at neutral pH. However, the atomistic details remain elusive. In the enzymatic landscape of HRP, compound II (Cpd II) plays a key role and involves a histidine (H42) residue. Cpd II exists as oxoferryl (2a) or hydroxoferryl (2b(FeIV)) forms, where 2a is the predominantly observed form in experimental studies. Intriguingly, the ferric 2b(FeIII) form seen in synthetic complexes has not been observed in HRP. Here, we have investigated the structure and dynamics of HRP in pure water and aqueous [EMIm][EtSO4] (0.26 M), as well as the reaction mechanism of 2a to 2b conversion using polarizable molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations. When HRP is solvated in aq [EMIm][EtSO4], the catalytic water displaces, and H42 directly orients over the ferryl moiety, allowing a direct proton transfer (PT) with a significant energy barrier reduction. Conversely, in neat water, the reaction of 2a to 2b follows the previously reported mechanism. We further investigated the deprotonated form of H42. Analysis of the electric fields at the active site indicates that the aq [EMIm][EtSO4] medium facilitates the reaction by providing a more favorable environment compared with the system solvated in neat water. Overall, the atomic level supports the previous experimental observations and underscores the importance of favorable electric fields in the active site to promote catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubham Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Jorge Nochebuena
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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4
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Nochebuena J, Simmonett AC, Cisneros GA. Seamless integration of GEM, a density based-force field, for QM/MM simulations via LICHEM, Psi4, and Tinker-HP. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:174103. [PMID: 38747990 PMCID: PMC11223170 DOI: 10.1063/5.0200722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations have become an essential tool in computational chemistry, particularly for analyzing complex biological and condensed phase systems. Building on this foundation, our work presents a novel implementation of the Gaussian Electrostatic Model (GEM), a polarizable density-based force field, within the QM/MM framework. This advancement provides seamless integration, enabling efficient and optimized QM/GEM calculations in a single step using the LICHEM Code. We have successfully applied our implementation to water dimers and hexamers, demonstrating the ability to handle water systems with varying numbers of water molecules. Moreover, we have extended the application to describe the double proton transfer of the aspartic acid dimer in a box of water, which highlights the method's proficiency in investigating heterogeneous systems. Our implementation offers the flexibility to perform on-the-fly density fitting or to utilize pre-fitted coefficients to estimate exchange and Coulomb contributions. This flexibility enhances efficiency and accuracy in modeling molecular interactions, especially in systems where polarization effects are significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Nochebuena
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA
| | - Andrew C. Simmonett
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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5
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Maghsoud Y, Jayasinghe-Arachchige VM, Kumari P, Cisneros GA, Liu J. Leveraging QM/MM and Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Decipher the Reaction Mechanism of the Cas9 HNH Domain to Investigate Off-Target Effects. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6834-6850. [PMID: 37877218 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology is an RNA-guided targeted genome-editing tool using Cas family proteins. Two magnesium-dependent nuclease domains of the Cas9 enzyme, termed HNH and RuvC, are responsible for cleaving the target DNA (t-DNA) and nontarget DNA strands, respectively. The HNH domain is believed to determine the DNA cleavage activity of both endonuclease domains and is sensitive to complementary RNA-DNA base pairing. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas9, by which it rebukes or accepts mismatches, are poorly understood. Thus, investigation of the structure and dynamics of the catalytic state of Cas9 with either matched or mismatched t-DNA can provide insights into improving its specificity by reducing off-target cleavages. Here, we focus on a recently discovered catalytic-active form of the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) and employ classical molecular dynamics and coupled quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations to study two possible mechanisms of t-DNA cleavage reaction catalyzed by the HNH domain. Moreover, by designing a mismatched t-DNA structure called MM5 (C to G at the fifth position from the protospacer adjacent motif region), the impact of single-guide RNA (sgRNA) and t-DNA complementarity on the catalysis process was investigated. Based on these simulations, our calculated binding affinities, minimum energy paths, and analysis of catalytically important residues provide atomic-level details of the differences between matched and mismatched cleavage reactions. In addition, several residues exhibit significant differences in their catalytic roles for the two studied systems, including K253, K263, R820, K896, and K913.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazdan Maghsoud
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Vindi M Jayasinghe-Arachchige
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, United States
| | - Pratibha Kumari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Jin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, United States
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6
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Kvedaravičiūtė S, Carrasco-Busturia D, Møller KB, Olsen JMH. Polarizable Embedding without Artificial Boundary Polarization. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:5122-5141. [PMID: 37458793 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
We present a fully self-consistent polarizable embedding (PE) model that does not suffer from unphysical boundary polarization. This is achieved through the use of the minimum-image convention (MIC) in the induced electrostatics. It is a simple yet effective approach that includes a more physically accurate description of the polarization throughout the molecular system. Using PE with MIC (PE-MIC), we shed new light on the limitations of commonly employed cutoff models, such as the droplet model, when used in PE calculations. Specifically, we investigate the effects of the unphysical polarization at the outer boundary by comparing induced dipoles and the associated electrostatic potentials, as well as some optical properties of solute-solvent and biomolecular systems. We show that the magnitude of the inaccuracies caused by the unphysical polarization depends on multiple parameters: the nature of the quantum subsystem and of the environment, the cutoff model and distance, and the calculated property.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Klaus B Møller
- DTU Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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7
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Maghsoud Y, Dong C, Cisneros GA. Computational Characterization of the Inhibition Mechanism of Xanthine Oxidoreductase by Topiroxostat. ACS Catal 2023; 13:6023-6043. [PMID: 37547543 PMCID: PMC10399974 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c01245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Xanthine oxidase (XO) is a member of the molybdopterin-containing enzyme family. It interconverts xanthine to uric acid as the last step of purine catabolism in the human body. The high uric acid concentration in the blood directly leads to human diseases like gout and hyperuricemia. Therefore, drugs that inhibit the biosynthesis of uric acid by human XO have been clinically used for many years to decrease the concentration of uric acid in the blood. In this study, the inhibition mechanism of XO and a new promising drug, topiroxostat (code: FYX-051), is investigated by employing molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations. This drug has been reported to act as both a noncovalent and covalent inhibitor and undergoes a stepwise inhibition by all its hydroxylated metabolites, which include 2-hydroxy-FYX-051, dihydroxy-FYX-051, and trihydroxy-FYX-051. However, the detailed mechanism of inhibition of each metabolite remains elusive and can be useful for designing more effective drugs with similar inhibition functions. Hence, herein we present the computational investigation of the structural and dynamical effects of FYX-051 and the calculated reaction mechanism for all of the oxidation steps catalyzed by the molybdopterin center in the active site. Calculated results for the proposed reaction mechanisms for each metabolite's inhibition reaction in the enzyme's active site, binding affinities, and the noncovalent interactions with the surrounding amino acid residues are consistent with previously reported experimental findings. Analysis of the noncovalent interactions via energy decomposition analysis (EDA) and noncovalent interaction (NCI) techniques suggests that residues L648, K771, E802, R839, L873, R880, R912, F914, F1009, L1014, and A1079 can be used as key interacting residues for further hybrid-type inhibitor development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazdan Maghsoud
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Chao Dong
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, The University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas 79762, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States; Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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8
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Kumar M, Tripathi MK, Gupta D, Kumar S, Biswas NR, Ethayathulla AS, Kaur P. N-acetylglucosamine-phosphatidylinositol de-N-acetylase as a novel target for probing potential inhibitor against Leishmania donovani. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:1904-1918. [PMID: 35014594 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2025429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania donavani is the causative agent of leishmaniasis, responsible for social and economic disruption, especially in developing countries. Lack of effective drugs with few side effects have necessitated the discovery of newer therapeutic solutions for leishmaniasis. Glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) synthesis plays a vital role in protozoan cell membranes structural formation and antigenic modification. Hence, any disruption in its biosynthesis can prove fatal to the parasitic protozoans. N-acetylglucosamine-phosphatidylinositol de-N-acetylase (NAGP-deacetylase) is an enzyme from the GPI biosynthetic pathway that catalyzes the deacetylation of N-acetylglucosaminylphosphatidylinositol to glucosaminylphosphatidylinositol, a step essential for the proper functioning of the enzyme. In the quest for novel scaffolds as anti-leishmaniasis agents, we have executed in silico virtual screening, density function theory, molecular dynamics and MM-GBSA based energy calculations with a natural product library and a diverse library set from Chembridge database. Two compounds, 14671 and 4610, were identified at the enzyme's active site and interacted with catalytic residues, Asp43, Asp44, His41, His147, His 150, Arg80 and Arg231. Both molecules exhibited stable conformation in their protein-ligand complexes with binding free energies for compound-14671 and compound-4610 of -54 ± 4 and -50 ± 4 kcal/mol, respectively. These scaffolds can be incorporated in future synthetic determinations, focusing on developing druggable inhibitor support, increasing potency, and introducing species selectivity.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Kumar
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Deepali Gupta
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Sanjit Kumar
- Centre for Bioseparation Technology (CBST), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Nihar Ranjan Biswas
- Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science (IGIMS), Patna, India
| | - A S Ethayathulla
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Punit Kaur
- Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
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9
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Berger MB, Cisneros GA. Distal Mutations in the β-Clamp of DNA Polymerase III* Disrupt DNA Orientation and Affect Exonuclease Activity. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:3478-3490. [PMID: 36745735 PMCID: PMC10237177 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA polymerases are responsible for the replication and repair of DNA found in all DNA-based organisms. DNA Polymerase III is the main replicative polymerase of E. coli and is composed of over 10 proteins. A subset of these proteins (Pol III*) includes the polymerase (α), exonuclease (ϵ), clamp (β), and accessory protein (θ). Mutations of residues in, or around the active site of the catalytic subunits (α and ϵ), can have a significant impact on catalysis. However, the effects of distal mutations in noncatalytic subunits on the activity of catalytic subunits are less well-characterized. Here, we investigate the effects of two Pol III* variants, β-L82E/L82'E and β-L82D/L82'D, on the proofreading reaction catalyzed by ϵ. MD simulations reveal major changes in the dynamics of Pol III*, which extend throughout the complex. These changes are mostly induced by a shift in the position of the DNA substrate inside the β-clamp, although no major structural changes are observed in the protein complex. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations indicate that the β-L82D/L82'D variant has reduced catalytic proficiency due to highly endoergic reaction energies resulting from structural changes in the active site and differences in the electric field at the active site arising from the protein and substrate. Conversely, the β-L82E/L82'E variant is predicted to maintain proofreading activity, exhibiting a similar reaction barrier for nucleotide excision compared with the WT system. However, significant differences in the reaction mechanism are obtained due to the changes induced by the mutations on the β-clamp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison B Berger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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10
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Maghsoud Y, Vázquez-Montelongo EA, Yang X, Liu C, Jing Z, Lee J, Harger M, Smith AK, Espinoza M, Guo HF, Kurie JM, Dalby KN, Ren P, Cisneros GA. Computational Investigation of a Series of Small Molecules as Potential Compounds for Lysyl Hydroxylase-2 (LH2) Inhibition. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:986-1001. [PMID: 36779232 PMCID: PMC10233724 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The catalytic function of lysyl hydroxylase-2 (LH2), a member of the Fe(II)/αKG-dependent oxygenase superfamily, is to catalyze the hydroxylation of lysine to hydroxylysine in collagen, resulting in stable hydroxylysine aldehyde-derived collagen cross-links (HLCCs). Reports show that high amounts of LH2 lead to the accumulation of HLCCs, causing fibrosis and specific types of cancer metastasis. Some members of the Fe(II)/αKG-dependent family have also been reported to have intramolecular O2 tunnels, which aid in transporting one of the required cosubstrates into the active site. While LH2 can be a promising target to combat these diseases, efficacious inhibitors are still lacking. We have used computational simulations to investigate a series of 44 small molecules as lead compounds for LH2 inhibition. Tunneling analyses indicate the existence of several intramolecular tunnels. The lengths of the calculated O2-transporting tunnels in holoenzymes are relatively longer than those in the apoenzyme, suggesting that the ligands may affect the enzyme's structure and possibly block (at least partially) the tunnels. The sequence alignment analysis between LH enzymes from different organisms shows that all of the amino acid residues with the highest occurrence rate in the oxygen tunnels are conserved. Our results suggest that the enolate form of diketone compounds establishes stronger interactions with the Fe(II) in the active site. Branching the enolate compounds with functional groups such as phenyl and pyridinyl enhances the interaction with various residues around the active site. Our results provide information about possible leads for further LH2 inhibition design and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazdan Maghsoud
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Erik Antonio Vázquez-Montelongo
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Xudong Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Zhifeng Jing
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Juhoon Lee
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Matthew Harger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Ally K Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76201, United States
| | - Miguel Espinoza
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76201, United States
| | - Hou-Fu Guo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Jonathan M Kurie
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Kevin N Dalby
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
- Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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11
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Csizi K, Reiher M. Universal
QM
/
MM
approaches for general nanoscale applications. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Markus Reiher
- Laboratorium für Physikalische Chemie ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
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12
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Szabadi A, Schröder C. Recent Developments in Polarizable Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Electrolyte Solutions. JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL BIOPHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1142/s2737416521420035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Polarizable molecular dynamics simulations are a fast progressing field in the scientific research of ionic liquids. The fundamentals of polarizable simulations, as well as their application to ionic liquids, were summarized in a review [Bedrov, D.; Piquemal, J.-P.; Borodin, O.; MacKerell, Jr., A. D.; Roux, B.; Schröder, C. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Ionic Liquids and Electrolytes Using Polarizable Force Fields. Chem. Rev. 2019, 119, 7940–7995] in 2019. Since then, new methods to treat intermolecular interaction of induced dipoles in these highly charged systems were developed. This concerns the damping of these interactions and additional charge transfer as well as the prediction of ionic materials with ultrahigh refractive indices. In addition to the progress of the polarizable force fields, also thermostats and barostats for polarizable simulations evolved recently.
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Affiliation(s)
- András Szabadi
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Computational Biological Chemistry, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Schröder
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Computational Biological Chemistry, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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13
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Basu S, Huynh L, Zhang S, Rabara R, Nguyen H, Velásquez Guzmán J, Hao G, Miles G, Shi Q, Stover E, Gupta G. Two Liberibacter Proteins Combine to Suppress Critical Innate Immune Defenses in Citrus. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:869178. [PMID: 35586217 PMCID: PMC9108871 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.869178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We adopted a systems-based approach to determine the role of two Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) proteins, LasP 235 and Effector 3, in Huanglongbing (HLB) pathogenesis. While a published work suggests the involvement of these CLas proteins HLB pathogenesis, the exact structure-based mechanism of their action has not been elucidated. We conducted the following experiments to determine the structure-based mechanisms of action. First, we immunoprecipitated the interacting citrus protein partners of LasP 235 and Effector 3 from the healthy and CLas-infected Hamlin extracts and identified them by Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Second, we performed a split green fluorescent protein (GFP) assay in tobacco to validate that the interactions observed in vitro are also retained in planta. The notable in planta citrus targets of LasP 235 and Effector 3 include citrus innate immune proteins. Third, in vitro and in planta studies were performed to show that LasP 235 and Effector 3 interact with and inhibit the functions of multiple citrus proteins belonging to the innate immune pathways. These inhibitory interactions led to a high level of reactive oxygen species, blocking of bactericidal lipid transfer protein (LTP), and induction of premature programed cell death (PCD), all of which are beneficial to CLas lifecycle and HLB pathogenesis. Finally, we performed molecular dynamics simulations to visualize the interactions of LasP 235 and Effector 3, respectively, with LTP and Kunitz protease inhibitor. This led to the design of an LTP mimic, which sequestered and blocked LasP 235 and rescued the bactericidal activity of LTP thereby proving that LasP 235 , indeed, participates in HLB pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supratim Basu
- Biolab, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Loan Huynh
- Biolab, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Shujian Zhang
- Biolab, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Roel Rabara
- Biolab, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Hau Nguyen
- Biolab, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | | | - Guixia Hao
- Horticulture and Breeding, U. S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL, United States
| | - Godfrey Miles
- Horticulture and Breeding, U. S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL, United States
| | - Qingchun Shi
- Horticulture and Breeding, U. S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL, United States
| | - Ed Stover
- Horticulture and Breeding, U. S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL, United States
| | - Goutam Gupta
- Biolab, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, United States
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14
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Pederson JP, McDaniel J. DFT-based QM/MM with Particle-Mesh Ewald for Direct, Long-Range Electrostatic Embedding. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:174105. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0087386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a DFT-based, QM/MM implementation with long-range electrostatic embedding achieved by direct real-space integration of the particle mesh Ewald (PME) computed electrostatic potential. The key transformation is the interpolation of the electrostatic potential from the PME grid to the DFT quadrature grid, from which integrals are easily evaluated utilizing standard DFT machinery. We provide benchmarks of the numerical accuracy with choice of grid size and real-space corrections, and demonstrate that good convergence is achieved while introducing nominal computational overhead. Furthermore, the approach requires only small modification to existing software packages, as is demonstrated with our implementation in the OpenMM and Psi4 software. After presenting convergence benchmarks, we evaluate the importance of long-range electrostatic embedding in three solute/solvent systems modeled with QM/MM. Water and BMIM/BF4 ionic liquid were considered as ``simple' and ``complex' solvents respectively, with water and p-phenylenediamine (PPD) solute molecules treated at QM level of theory. While electrostatic embedding with standard real-space truncation may introduce negligible error for simple systems such as water solute in water solvent, errors become more significant when QM/MM is applied to complex solvents such as ionic liquids. An extreme example is the electrostatic embedding energy for oxidized PPD in BMIM/BF4 for which real-space truncation produces severe error even at 2-3 nm cutoff distances. This latter example illustrates that utilization of QM/MM to compute redox potentials within concentrated electrolytes/ionic media requires carefully chosen long-range electrostatic embedding algorithms, with our presented algorithm providing a general and robust approach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse McDaniel
- Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States of America
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15
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Nochebuena J, Quintanar L, Vela A, Cisneros GA. Structural and electronic analysis of the octarepeat region of prion protein with four Cu 2+ by polarizable MD and QM/MM simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:21568-21578. [PMID: 34550129 PMCID: PMC8497436 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03187b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Prions have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases that affect various species of mammals including humans. The prion protein, located mainly in neurons, is believed to play the role of metal ion transporter. High levels of copper ions have been related to structural changes. A 32-residue region of the N-terminal domain, known as octarepeat, can bind up to four copper ions. Different coordination modes have been observed and are strongly dependent on Cu2+ concentration. Many theoretical studies carried out so far have focused on studying the coordination modes of a single copper ion. In this work we investigate the octarepeat region coordinated with four copper ions. Molecular dynamics (MD) and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations using the polarizable AMOEBA force field have been carried out. The polarizable MD simulations starting from a fully extended conformation indicate that the tetra-Cu2+/octarepeat complex forms a globular structure. The globular form is stabilized by interactions between Cu2+ and tryptophan residues resulting in some coordination sites observed to be in close proximity, in agreement with experimental results. Subsequent QM/MM simulations on several snapshots suggests the system is in a high-spin quintet state, with all Cu2+ bearing one single electron, and all unpaired electrons are ferromagnetically coupled. NMR simulations on selected structures provides insights on the chemical shifts of the first shell ligands around the metals with respect to inter-metal distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Nochebuena
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, 76201, USA.
| | - Liliana Quintanar
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Mexico City, 07360, Mexico
| | - Alberto Vela
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Mexico City, 07360, Mexico
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, 76201, USA.
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16
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Nochebuena J, Naseem-Khan S, Cisneros GA. Development and application of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods with advanced polarizable potentials. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2021; 11:e1515. [PMID: 34367343 PMCID: PMC8341087 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations are a popular approach to study various features of large systems. A common application of QM/MM calculations is in the investigation of reaction mechanisms in condensed-phase and biological systems. The combination of QM and MM methods to represent a system gives rise to several challenges that need to be addressed. The increase in computational speed has allowed the expanded use of more complicated and accurate methods for both QM and MM simulations. Here, we review some approaches that address several common challenges encountered in QM/MM simulations with advanced polarizable potentials, from methods to account for boundary across covalent bonds and long-range effects, to polarization and advanced embedding potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Nochebuena
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA
| | - Sehr Naseem-Khan
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA
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17
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Pan X, Nam K, Epifanovsky E, Simmonett AC, Rosta E, Shao Y. A simplified charge projection scheme for long-range electrostatics in ab initio QM/MM calculations. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:024115. [PMID: 33445891 DOI: 10.1063/5.0038120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous work [Pan et al., Molecules 23, 2500 (2018)], a charge projection scheme was reported, where outer molecular mechanical (MM) charges [>10 Å from the quantum mechanical (QM) region] were projected onto the electrostatic potential (ESP) grid of the QM region to accurately and efficiently capture long-range electrostatics in ab initio QM/MM calculations. Here, a further simplification to the model is proposed, where the outer MM charges are projected onto inner MM atom positions (instead of ESP grid positions). This enables a representation of the long-range MM electrostatic potential via augmentary charges (AC) on inner MM atoms. Combined with the long-range electrostatic correction function from Cisneros et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 143, 044103 (2015)] to smoothly switch between inner and outer MM regions, this new QM/MM-AC electrostatic model yields accurate and continuous ab initio QM/MM electrostatic energies with a 10 Å cutoff between inner and outer MM regions. This model enables efficient QM/MM cluster calculations with a large number of MM atoms as well as QM/MM calculations with periodic boundary conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoliang Pan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Pkwy, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
| | - Kwangho Nam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - Evgeny Epifanovsky
- Q-Chem, Inc., 6601 Owens Drive, Suite 105, Pleasanton, California 94588, USA
| | - Andrew C Simmonett
- National Institutes of Health-National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Laboratory of Computational Biology, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Edina Rosta
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Yihan Shao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Pkwy, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
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18
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Taştan Ü, Seeber P, Kupfer S, Ziegenbalg D. Photochlorination of toluene – the thin line between intensification and selectivity. Part 2: selectivity. REACT CHEM ENG 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d0re00366b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The selectivity of the photochlorination of toluene was found to decrease under intensified conditions. This was traced back to the formation of a toluene–chlorine complex, that activates the ring upon irradiation and causes ring chlorination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ümit Taştan
- Institute of Chemical Engineering
- Ulm University
- 89081 Ulm
- Germany
| | - Phillip Seeber
- Institute of Chemical Engineering
- Ulm University
- 89081 Ulm
- Germany
| | - Stephan Kupfer
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
- 07743 Jena
- Germany
| | - Dirk Ziegenbalg
- Institute of Chemical Engineering
- Ulm University
- 89081 Ulm
- Germany
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19
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Gökcan H, Vázquez-Montelongo EA, Cisneros GA. LICHEM 1.1: Recent Improvements and New Capabilities. J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 15:3056-3065. [PMID: 30908049 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The QM/MM method has become a useful tool to investigate various properties of complex systems. We previously introduced the layered interacting chemical models (LICHEM) package to enable QM/MM simulations with advanced potentials by combining various (unmodified) QM and MM codes ( J. Comp. Chem., 2016, 37, 1019). LICHEM provides several capabilities such as the ability to use polarizable force fields, such as AMOEBA, for the MM environment. Here, we describe an updated version of LICHEM (v1.1), which includes several new functionalities including a new method to account for long-range electrostatic effects in QM/MM (QM/MM-LREC), a new implementation for QM/MM with the Gaussian electrostatic model (GEM), and new capabilities for path optimizations using the quadratic string model (QSM) coupled with restrained MM environment optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Gökcan
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Texas , Denton , Texas 76201 , United States
| | | | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Texas , Denton , Texas 76201 , United States
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20
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Vázquez-Montelongo EA, Vázquez-Cervantes JE, Cisneros GA. Polarizable ab initio QM/MM Study of the Reaction Mechanism of N- tert-Butyloxycarbonylation of Aniline in [EMIm][BF₄]. Molecules 2018; 23:E2830. [PMID: 30384470 PMCID: PMC6278528 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23112830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
N-t e r t-butoxycarbonylation of amines in solution (water, organic solvents, or ionic liquids) is a common reaction for the preparation of drug molecules. To understand the reaction mechanism and the role of the solvent, quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulations using a polarizable multipolar force field with long⁻range electrostatic corrections were used to optimize the minimum energy paths (MEPs) associated with various possible reaction mechanisms employing the nudged elastic band (NEB) and the quadratic string method (QSM). The calculated reaction energies and energy barriers were compared with the corresponding gas-phase and dichloromethane results. Complementary Electron Localization Function (ELF)/NCI analyses provide insights on the critical structures along the MEP. The calculated results suggest the most likely path involves a sequential mechanism with the rate⁻limiting step corresponding to the nucleophilic attack of the aniline, followed by proton transfer and the release of CO 2 without the direct involvement of imidazolium cations as catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201, USA.
- The Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling (CASCaM), University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201, USA.
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21
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Pan X, Rosta E, Shao Y. Representation of the QM Subsystem for Long-Range Electrostatic Interaction in Non-Periodic Ab Initio QM/MM Calculations. Molecules 2018; 23:E2500. [PMID: 30274290 PMCID: PMC6222767 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23102500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In QM/MM calculations, it is essential to handle electrostatic interactions between the QM and MM subsystems accurately and efficiently. To achieve maximal efficiency, it is convenient to adopt a hybrid scheme, where the QM electron density is used explicitly in the evaluation of short-range QM/MM electrostatic interactions, while a multipolar representation for the QM electron density is employed to account for the long-range QM/MM electrostatic interactions. In order to avoid energy discontinuity at the cutoffs, which separate the short- and long-range QM/MM electrostatic interactions, a switching function should be utilized to ensure a smooth potential energy surface. In this study, we benchmarked the accuracy of such hybrid embedding schemes for QM/MM electrostatic interactions using different multipolar representations, switching functions and cutoff distances. For test systems (neutral and anionic oxyluciferin in MM (aqueous and enzyme) environments), the best accuracy was acquired with a combination of QM electrostatic potential (ESP) charges and dipoles and two switching functions (long-range electrostatic corrections (LREC) and Switch) in the treatment of long-range QM/MM electrostatics. It allowed us to apply a 10Å distance cutoff and still obtain QM/MM electrostatics/polarization energies within 0.1 kcal/mol and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)/MM vertical excitation energies within 10-3 eV from theoretical reference values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoliang Pan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, OK 73019⁻5251, USA.
| | - Edina Rosta
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London, London SE1 1DB, UK.
| | - Yihan Shao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, OK 73019⁻5251, USA.
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22
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Vatamanu J, Borodin O, Bedrov D. Application of Screening Functions as Cutoff-Based Alternatives to Ewald Summation in Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using Polarizable Force Fields. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 14:768-783. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.7b01043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jenel Vatamanu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, 122 South Central
Campus Dr., Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
- Electrochemistry
Branch, Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, Army Research Laboratory, 2800 Powder Mill Rd., Adelphi, Maryland 20783, United States
| | - Oleg Borodin
- Electrochemistry
Branch, Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, Army Research Laboratory, 2800 Powder Mill Rd., Adelphi, Maryland 20783, United States
| | - Dmitry Bedrov
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, 122 South Central
Campus Dr., Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
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23
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Giese TJ, York DM. Quantum mechanical force fields for condensed phase molecular simulations. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2017; 29:383002. [PMID: 28817382 PMCID: PMC5821073 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aa7c5c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Molecular simulations are powerful tools for providing atomic-level details into complex chemical and physical processes that occur in the condensed phase. For strongly interacting systems where quantum many-body effects are known to play an important role, density-functional methods are often used to provide the model with the potential energy used to drive dynamics. These methods, however, suffer from two major drawbacks. First, they are often too computationally intensive to practically apply to large systems over long time scales, limiting their scope of application. Second, there remain challenges for these models to obtain the necessary level of accuracy for weak non-bonded interactions to obtain quantitative accuracy for a wide range of condensed phase properties. Quantum mechanical force fields (QMFFs) provide a potential solution to both of these limitations. In this review, we address recent advances in the development of QMFFs for condensed phase simulations. In particular, we examine the development of QMFF models using both approximate and ab initio density-functional models, the treatment of short-ranged non-bonded and long-ranged electrostatic interactions, and stability issues in molecular dynamics calculations. Example calculations are provided for crystalline systems, liquid water, and ionic liquids. We conclude with a perspective for emerging challenges and future research directions.
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24
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Abstract
The weighted ensemble (WE) methodology orchestrates quasi-independent parallel simulations run with intermittent communication that can enhance sampling of rare events such as protein conformational changes, folding, and binding. The WE strategy can achieve superlinear scaling-the unbiased estimation of key observables such as rate constants and equilibrium state populations to greater precision than would be possible with ordinary parallel simulation. WE software can be used to control any dynamics engine, such as standard molecular dynamics and cell-modeling packages. This article reviews the theoretical basis of WE and goes on to describe successful applications to a number of complex biological processes-protein conformational transitions, (un)binding, and assembly processes, as well as cell-scale processes in systems biology. We furthermore discuss the challenges that need to be overcome in the next phase of WE methodological development. Overall, the combined advances in WE methodology and software have enabled the simulation of long-timescale processes that would otherwise not be practical on typical computing resources using standard simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Zuckerman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239;
| | - Lillian T Chong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260;
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