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Chan M, Verstraelen T, Tehrani A, Richer M, Yang XD, Kim TD, Vöhringer-Martinez E, Heidar-Zadeh F, Ayers PW. The tale of HORTON: Lessons learned in a decade of scientific software development. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:162501. [PMID: 38651814 DOI: 10.1063/5.0196638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
HORTON is a free and open-source electronic-structure package written primarily in Python 3 with some underlying C++ components. While HORTON's development has been mainly directed by the research interests of its leading contributing groups, it is designed to be easily modified, extended, and used by other developers of quantum chemistry methods or post-processing techniques. Most importantly, HORTON adheres to modern principles of software development, including modularity, readability, flexibility, comprehensive documentation, automatic testing, version control, and quality-assurance protocols. This article explains how the principles and structure of HORTON have evolved since we started developing it more than a decade ago. We review the features and functionality of the latest HORTON release (version 2.3) and discuss how HORTON is evolving to support electronic structure theory research for the next decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Chan
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S-4L8, Canada
| | - Toon Verstraelen
- Center for Molecular Modeling (CMM), Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 46, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alireza Tehrani
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L-3N6, Canada
| | - Michelle Richer
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S-4L8, Canada
| | - Xiaotian Derrick Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S-4L8, Canada
| | - Taewon David Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S-4L8, Canada
| | - Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez
- Departamento de Físico Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, 4070371 Concepción, Chile
| | - Farnaz Heidar-Zadeh
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L-3N6, Canada
| | - Paul W Ayers
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S-4L8, Canada
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2
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Aguilar-Pineda JA, Febres-Molina C, Cordova-Barrios CC, Campos-Olazával LM, Del-Carpio-Martinez BA, Ayqui-Cueva F, Gamero-Begazo PL, Gómez B. Study of the Rv1417 and Rv2617c Membrane Proteins and Their Interactions with Nicotine Derivatives as Potential Inhibitors of Erp Virulence-Associated Factor in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An In Silico Approach. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13020248. [PMID: 36830617 PMCID: PMC9953637 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing emergence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains resistant to traditional anti-tuberculosis drugs has alarmed health services worldwide. The search for new therapeutic targets and effective drugs that counteract the virulence and multiplication of Mtb represents a challenge for the scientific community. Several studies have considered the erp gene a possible therapeutic target in the last two decades, since its disruption negatively impacts Mtb multiplication. This gene encodes the exported repetitive protein (Erp), which is located in the cell wall of Mtb. In vitro studies have shown that the Erp protein interacts with two putative membrane proteins, Rv1417 and Rv2617c, and the impairment of their interactions can decrease Mtb replication. In this study, we present five nicotine analogs that can inhibit the formation of heterodimers and trimers between these proteins. Through DFT calculations, molecular dynamics, docking, and other advanced in silico techniques, we have analyzed the molecular complexes, and show the effect these compounds have on protein interactions. The results show that four of these analogs can be possible candidates to counteract the pathogenicity of Mtb. This study aims to combine research on the Erp protein as a therapeutic target in the search for new drugs that serve to create new therapies against tuberculosis disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Alberto Aguilar-Pineda
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería Molecular—CIIM, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
| | - Camilo Febres-Molina
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería Molecular—CIIM, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
- Doctorado en Fisicoquímica Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago de Chile 8370134, Chile
| | - Cinthia C. Cordova-Barrios
- Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Bioquímicas y Biotecnológicas, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
| | - Lizbeth M. Campos-Olazával
- Facultad de Arquitectura e Ingeniería Civil y del Ambiente, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
| | - Bruno A. Del-Carpio-Martinez
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería Molecular—CIIM, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
| | - Flor Ayqui-Cueva
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería Molecular—CIIM, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
| | - Pamela L. Gamero-Begazo
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería Molecular—CIIM, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
- Doctorado en Fisicoquímica Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago de Chile 8370134, Chile
| | - Badhin Gómez
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería Molecular—CIIM, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Bioquímicas y Biotecnológicas, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José s/n, Umacollo, Arequipa 04013, Peru
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +51-982895967
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3
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Exploring the Energy Landscape of Riboswitches Using Collective Variables Based on Tertiary Contacts. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167788. [PMID: 35963460 PMCID: PMC10042644 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Messenger RNA regulatory elements, such as riboswitches, can display a high degree of flexibility. By characterizing their energy landscapes, and corresponding distributions of 3D configurations, structure-function relationships can be elucidated. Molecular dynamics simulation with enhanced sampling is an important strategy used to computationally access free energy landscapes characterizing the accessible 3D conformations of RNAs. While tertiary contacts are thought to play important roles in RNA dynamics, it is difficult, in explicit solvent, to sample the formation and breakage of tertiary contacts, such as helix-helix interactions, pseudoknot interactions, and junction interactions, while maintaining intact secondary structure elements. To this end, we extend previously developed collective variables and metadynamics efforts, to establish a simple metadynamics protocol, which utilizes only one collective variable, based on multiple tertiary contacts, to characterize the underlying free energy landscape of any RNA molecule. We develop a modified collective variable, the tertiary contacts distance (QTC), which can probe the formation and breakage of all or selectively chosen tertiary contacts of the RNA. The SAM-I riboswitch in the presence of three ionic and substrate conditions was investigated and validated against the structure ensemble previously generated using SAXS experiments. This efficient and easy to implement all-atom MD simulation based approach incorporating metadynamics to study RNA conformational dynamics can also be transferred to any other type of biomolecule.
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4
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Hanževački M, Croft AK, Jäger CM. Activation of Glycyl Radical Enzymes─Multiscale Modeling Insights into Catalysis and Radical Control in a Pyruvate Formate-Lyase-Activating Enzyme. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3401-3414. [PMID: 35771966 PMCID: PMC9326890 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Pyruvate formate-lyase (PFL) is a glycyl radical enzyme (GRE) playing a pivotal role in the metabolism of strict and facultative anaerobes. Its activation is carried out by a PFL-activating enzyme, a member of the radical S-adenosylmethionine (rSAM) superfamily of metalloenzymes, which introduces a glycyl radical into the Gly radical domain of PFL. The activation mechanism is still not fully understood and is structurally based on a complex with a short model peptide of PFL. Here, we present extensive molecular dynamics simulations in combination with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM)-based kinetic and thermodynamic reaction evaluations of a more complete activation model comprising the 49 amino acid long C-terminus region of PFL. We reveal the benefits and pitfalls of the current activation model, providing evidence that the bound peptide conformation does not resemble the bound protein-protein complex conformation with PFL, with implications for the activation process. Substitution of the central glycine with (S)- and (R)-alanine showed excellent binding of (R)-alanine over unstable binding of (S)-alanine. Radical stabilization calculations indicate that a higher radical stability of the glycyl radical might not be the sole origin of the evolutionary development of GREs. QM/MM-derived radical formation kinetics further demonstrate feasible activation barriers for both peptide and C-terminus activation, demonstrating why the crystalized model peptide system is an excellent inhibitory system for natural activation. This new evidence supports the theory that GREs converged on glycyl radical formation due to the better conformational accessibility of the glycine radical loop, rather than the highest radical stability of the formed peptide radicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Hanževački
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K
| | - Anna K Croft
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K
| | - Christof M Jäger
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K
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Impact of thickness of spin-coated P3HT thin films, over their optical and electronic properties. J Solid State Electrochem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10008-021-05078-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Shi Y, El-Deeb IM, Masic V, Hartley-Tassell L, Maggioni A, Itzstein MV, Ve T. Discovery of Cofactor Competitive Inhibitors against the Human Methyltransferase Fibrillarin. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 15:26. [PMID: 35056083 PMCID: PMC8779173 DOI: 10.3390/ph15010026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibrillarin (FBL) is an essential and evolutionarily highly conserved S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) dependent methyltransferase. It is the catalytic component of a multiprotein complex that facilitates 2'-O-methylation of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), a modification essential for accurate and efficient protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells. It was recently established that human FBL (hFBL) is critical for Nipah, Hendra, and respiratory syncytial virus infections. In addition, overexpression of hFBL contributes towards tumorgenesis and is associated with poor survival in patients with breast cancer, suggesting that hFBL is a potential target for the development of both antiviral and anticancer drugs. An attractive strategy to target cofactor-dependent enzymes is the selective inhibition of cofactor binding, which has been successful for the development of inhibitors against several protein methyltransferases including PRMT5, DOT1L, and EZH2. In this work, we solved crystal structures of the methyltransferase domain of hFBL in apo form and in complex with the cofactor SAM. Screening of a fluorinated fragment library, via X-ray crystallography and 19F NMR spectroscopy, yielded seven hit compounds that competed with cofactor binding, two of which resulted in co-crystal structures. One of these structures revealed unexpected conformational variability in the cofactor binding site, which allows it to accommodate a compound significantly different from SAM. Our structural data provide critical information for the design of selective cofactor competitive inhibitors targeting hFBL, and preliminary elaboration of hit compounds has led to additional cofactor site binders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Shi
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Ibrahim M El-Deeb
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Veronika Masic
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | | | - Andrea Maggioni
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Mark von Itzstein
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Thomas Ve
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
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7
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Sato K, Kumar A, Hamada K, Okada C, Oguni A, Machiyama A, Sakuraba S, Nishizawa T, Nureki O, Kono H, Ogata K, Sengoku T. Structural basis of the regulation of the normal and oncogenic methylation of nucleosomal histone H3 Lys36 by NSD2. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6605. [PMID: 34782608 PMCID: PMC8593083 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26913-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Dimethylated histone H3 Lys36 (H3K36me2) regulates gene expression, and aberrant H3K36me2 upregulation, resulting from either the overexpression or point mutation of the dimethyltransferase NSD2, is found in various cancers. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of NSD2 bound to the nucleosome. Nucleosomal DNA is partially unwrapped, facilitating NSD2 access to H3K36. NSD2 interacts with DNA and H2A along with H3. The NSD2 autoinhibitory loop changes its conformation upon nucleosome binding to accommodate H3 in its substrate-binding cleft. Kinetic analysis revealed that two oncogenic mutations, E1099K and T1150A, increase NSD2 catalytic turnover. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that in both mutants, the autoinhibitory loop adopts an open state that can accommodate H3 more often than the wild-type. We propose that E1099K and T1150A destabilize the interactions that keep the autoinhibitory loop closed, thereby enhancing catalytic turnover. Our analyses guide the development of specific inhibitors of NSD2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ko Sato
- grid.268441.d0000 0001 1033 6139Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004 Japan
| | - Amarjeet Kumar
- Institute for Quantum Life Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215 Japan
| | - Keisuke Hamada
- grid.268441.d0000 0001 1033 6139Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004 Japan
| | - Chikako Okada
- grid.268441.d0000 0001 1033 6139Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004 Japan
| | - Asako Oguni
- grid.268441.d0000 0001 1033 6139Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004 Japan
| | - Ayumi Machiyama
- grid.268441.d0000 0001 1033 6139Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004 Japan
| | - Shun Sakuraba
- Institute for Quantum Life Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215 Japan
| | - Tomohiro Nishizawa
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XDepartment of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 Japan ,grid.268441.d0000 0001 1033 6139Present Address: Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045 Japan
| | - Osamu Nureki
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XDepartment of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Kono
- Institute for Quantum Life Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215 Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Ogata
- Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
| | - Toru Sengoku
- Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
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da Silva IR, Parise MR, Pereira M, da Silva RA. Prospecting for new catechol- O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease: a study by molecular dynamics and structure-based virtual screening. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:5872-5891. [PMID: 32691671 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1794963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative, chronic, and progressive disease, common in the elderly. The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a monomeric enzyme involved in dopamine (DA) degradation, the neurotransmitter in deficit in patients with PD. The reference treatment of PD consists of levodopa (L-dopa) administration, which is the precursor of DA. The inhibition of COMT is an adjuvant treatment in PD since it keeps DA levels constant. The goal of this study was to identify drug candidates capable of inhibiting COMT for the treatment of PD and identify important fragments of these molecules. Initially, we analyzed the flexibility of COMT and defined its main conformations in solution regarding the absence (system I) and presence of the S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) cofactor (system II) through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Two regions in these structures were selected for molecular docking, firstly the entire cavity where the cofactor and substrates are bound and secondly the specific biding region of the enzyme substrates. Based on the conformations of the MD, the virtual screening (VS) was performed against FDA Approved and Zinc Natural Products databases aiming at the selection of the best compounds. Subsequently, the absorption, distribution, metabolization, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties, as well as drug-score and drug-likeness indexes of the most promising compounds were analyzed. After a detailed analysis of the compounds selected by structure-based VS, it was possible to highlight the fragments most frequently involved in their stability: 2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole, 9H-Benz(c)indole(3,2,1-ij)(1,5)naphthyridin-9-one and (10R,13S)-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17dodecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-one. The identification of these potential fragments is essential for the prospection of more specific inhibitors against COMT using the technique of Fragment-based lead discovery (FBLD). Besides, this study allowed us to identify the potential COMT inhibitors through a complete understanding of molecular-level interactions based on the flexibility of this protein.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michelle Rocha Parise
- Laboratório de Farmacologia e Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de Jataí, Jataí, Brasil
| | - Maristela Pereira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brasil
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Restriction of S-adenosylmethionine conformational freedom by knotted protein binding sites. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1007904. [PMID: 32453784 PMCID: PMC7319350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is one of the most important enzyme substrates. It is vital for the function of various proteins, including large group of methyltransferases (MTs). Intriguingly, some bacterial and eukaryotic MTs, while catalysing the same reaction, possess significantly different topologies, with the former being a knotted one. Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of SAM conformational space and factors that affect its vastness. We investigated SAM in two forms: free in water (via NMR studies and explicit solvent simulations) and bound to proteins (based on all data available in the PDB and on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in water). We identified structural descriptors—angles which show the major differences in SAM conformation between unknotted and knotted methyltransferases. Moreover, we report that this is caused mainly by a characteristic for knotted MTs compact binding site formed by the knot and the presence of adenine-binding loop. Additionally, we elucidate conformational restrictions imposed on SAM molecules by other protein groups in comparison to conformational space in water. The topology of a folded polypeptide chain has great impact on the resulting protein function and its interaction with ligands. Interestingly, topological constraints appear to affect binding of one of the most ubiquitous substrates in the cell, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), to its target proteins. Here, we demonstrate how binding sites of specific proteins restrict SAM conformational freedom in comparison to its unbound state, with a special interest in proteins with non-trivial topology, including an exciting group of knotted methyltransferases. Using a vast array of computational methods combined with NMR experiments, we identify key structural features of knotted methyltransferases that impose unorthodox SAM conformations. We compare them with the characteristics of standard, unknotted SAM binding proteins. These results are significant for understanding differences between analogous, yet topologically different enzymes, as well as for future rational drug design.
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10
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Suess CJ, Martins FL, Croft AK, Jäger CM. Radical Stabilization Energies for Enzyme Engineering: Tackling the Substrate Scope of the Radical Enzyme QueE. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:5111-5125. [PMID: 31730347 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Experimental assessment of catalytic reaction mechanisms and profiles of radical enzymes can be severely challenging due to the reactive nature of the intermediates and sensitivity of cofactors such as iron-sulfur clusters. Here, we present an enzyme-directed computational methodology for the assessment of thermodynamic reaction profiles and screening for radical stabilization energies (RSEs) for the assessment of catalytic turnovers in radical enzymes. We have applied this new screening method to the radical S-adenosylmethione enzyme 7-carboxy-7-deazaguanine synthase (QueE), following a detailed molecular dynamics (MD) analysis that clarifies the role of both specific enzyme residues and bound Mg2+, Ca2+, or Na+. The MD simulations provided the basis for a statistical approach to sample different conformational outcomes. RSE calculation at the M06-2X/6-31+G* level of theory provided the most computationally cost-effective assessment of enzyme-based energies, facilitated by an initial triage using semiempirical methods. The impact of intermolecular interactions on RSE was clearly established, and application to the assessment of potential alternative substrates (focusing on radical clock type rearrangements) proposes a selection of carbon-substituted analogues that would react to afford cyclopropylcarbinyl radical intermediates as candidates for catalytic turnover by QueE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian J Suess
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering , The University of Nottingham , University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD , United Kingdom
| | - Floriane L Martins
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering , The University of Nottingham , University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD , United Kingdom
| | - Anna K Croft
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering , The University of Nottingham , University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD , United Kingdom
| | - Christof M Jäger
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering , The University of Nottingham , University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD , United Kingdom
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11
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Marmolejo-Valencia AF, Mata-Pinzón Z, Dominguez L, Amador-Bedolla C. Atomistic simulations of bulk heterojunctions to evaluate the structural and packing properties of new predicted donors in OPVs. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:20315-20326. [PMID: 31495832 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04041b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Organic photovoltaic materials (OPVs), with low cost and structure flexibility, are of great interest and importance for their application in solar cell device development. However, the optimization of new OPV structures and the study of the structure arrangements and packing morphologies when materials are blended takes time and consumes raw materials, thus theoretical models could be of considerable value. In this work, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of present OPVs to understand the morphological packing of the donor-acceptor (DA) phases and DA heterojunction during evaporation and annealing processes, following inter and intramolecular properties like frontier orbitals, π-π stacking, coordination, distances, angles, and aggregation. Our considered donor molecules were selected from already proved experimental studies and also from predicted optimal compounds, designed through high throughput studies. The acceptor molecule employed in all our studied systems was PCBM ([6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester). Furthermore, we also analyze the influence of including different lateral aliphatic chains on the structural properties of the resulting DA packing morphologies. Our results can guide the design of new OPVs and subsequent studies applying charge transport and charge separation models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés F Marmolejo-Valencia
- Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Coyoacán, CDMX 04510, Mexico.
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12
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García-Ruiz KM, Marmolejo-Valencia AF, González-Navejas A, Dominguez L, Amador-Bedolla C. Parameterization of prototype organic small molecules suitable for OPVs and molecular dynamics simulations: the BTT and BPT cases. J Mol Model 2019; 25:110. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-019-3984-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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13
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Gomez A, Vöhringer-Martinez E. Conformational sampling and polarization of Asp26 in pK a calculations of thioredoxin. Proteins 2019; 87:467-477. [PMID: 30714651 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Thioredoxin is a protein that has been used as model system by various computational methods to predict the pKa of aspartate residue Asp26 which is 3.5 units higher than a solvent exposed one (eg, Asp20). Here, we use extensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of two different protonation states of Asp26 in combination with conformational analysis based on RMSD clustering and principle component analysis to identify representative conformations of the protein in solution. For each conformation, the Gibbs free energy of proton transfer between Asp26 and Asp20, which is fully solvated in a loop region of the protein, is calculated with the Amber99sb force field in alchemical transformations. The varying polarization of the two residues in different molecular environments and protonation states is described by Hirshfeld-I (HI) atomic charges obtained from the averaged polarized electron density. Our results show that the Gibbs free energy of proton transfer is dependent on the protein conformation, the proper sampling of the neighboring Lys57 residue orientations and on water molecules entering the hydrophobic cavity upon deprotonating Asp26. The inclusion of the polarization of both aspartate residues in the free energy cycle by HI atomic charges corrects the results from the non-polarizable force field and reproduces the experimental ΔpKa value of Asp26.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aharon Gomez
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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14
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Liu L, Shi T, Houk KN, Zhao YL. Understanding the R882H mutation effects of DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A: a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and QM/MM calculations. RSC Adv 2019; 9:31425-31434. [PMID: 35527972 PMCID: PMC9072302 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra06791d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The AML-related high-frequent R882H mutation of DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A), a key enzyme forde novoepigenetic methylation in human beings, was characterized by a disturbing conformation ofS-adenosylmethionine (SAM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanxuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- Shanghai 200240
| | - Ting Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- Shanghai 200240
| | - Kendall N. Houk
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- University of California
- Los Angeles
- USA
| | - Yi-Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- Shanghai 200240
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15
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Riquelme M, Lara A, Mobley DL, Verstraelen T, Matamala AR, Vöhringer-Martinez E. Hydration Free Energies in the FreeSolv Database Calculated with Polarized Iterative Hirshfeld Charges. J Chem Inf Model 2018; 58:1779-1797. [PMID: 30125107 PMCID: PMC6195221 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.8b00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Computer simulations of biomolecular systems often use force fields, which are combinations of simple empirical atom-based functions to describe the molecular interactions. Even though polarizable force fields give a more detailed description of intermolecular interactions, nonpolarizable force fields, developed several decades ago, are often still preferred because of their reduced computation cost. Electrostatic interactions play a major role in biomolecular systems and are therein described by atomic point charges. In this work, we address the performance of different atomic charges to reproduce experimental hydration free energies in the FreeSolv database in combination with the GAFF force field. Atomic charges were calculated by two atoms-in-molecules approaches, Hirshfeld-I and Minimal Basis Iterative Stockholder (MBIS). To account for polarization effects, the charges were derived from the solute's electron density computed with an implicit solvent model, and the energy required to polarize the solute was added to the free energy cycle. The calculated hydration free energies were analyzed with an error model, revealing systematic errors associated with specific functional groups or chemical elements. The best agreement with the experimental data is observed for the AM1-BCC and the MBIS atomic charge methods. The latter includes the solvent polarization and presents a root-mean-square error of 2.0 kcal mol-1 for the 613 organic molecules studied. The largest deviation was observed for phosphorus-containing molecules and the molecules with amide, ester and amine functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximiliano Riquelme
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas , Universidad de Concepción , 4070386 Concepción , Chile
| | - Alejandro Lara
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas , Universidad de Concepción , 4070386 Concepción , Chile
| | - David L Mobley
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemistry, 147 Bison Modular , University of California, Irvine , Irvine , California 92617 , United States
| | - Toon Verstraelen
- Center for Molecular Modeling (CMM) , Ghent University , Technologiepark 903 , B-9052 Ghent , Belgium
| | - Adelio R Matamala
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas , Universidad de Concepción , 4070386 Concepción , Chile
| | - Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas , Universidad de Concepción , 4070386 Concepción , Chile
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16
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Saez DA, Zinovjev K, Tuñón I, Vöhringer-Martinez E. Catalytic Reaction Mechanism in Native and Mutant Catechol-O-methyltransferase from the Adaptive String Method and Mean Reaction Force Analysis. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:8861-8871. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b07339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Adrian Saez
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, 4070371 Concepcion, Chile
| | - Kirill Zinovjev
- Departament de Química Física, Universitat de València, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Iñaki Tuñón
- Departament de Química Física, Universitat de València, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, 4070371 Concepcion, Chile
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17
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Lara A, Riquelme M, Vöhringer-Martinez E. Partition coefficients of methylated DNA bases obtained from free energy calculations with molecular electron density derived atomic charges. J Comput Chem 2018; 39:1728-1737. [PMID: 29752734 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.25347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Partition coefficients serve in various areas as pharmacology and environmental sciences to predict the hydrophobicity of different substances. Recently, they have also been used to address the accuracy of force fields for various organic compounds and specifically the methylated DNA bases. In this study, atomic charges were derived by different partitioning methods (Hirshfeld and Minimal Basis Iterative Stockholder) directly from the electron density obtained by electronic structure calculations in a vacuum, with an implicit solvation model or with explicit solvation taking the dynamics of the solute and the solvent into account. To test the ability of these charges to describe electrostatic interactions in force fields for condensed phases, the original atomic charges of the AMBER99 force field were replaced with the new atomic charges and combined with different solvent models to obtain the hydration and chloroform solvation free energies by molecular dynamics simulations. Chloroform-water partition coefficients derived from the obtained free energies were compared to experimental and previously reported values obtained with the GAFF or the AMBER-99 force field. The results show that good agreement with experimental data is obtained when the polarization of the electron density by the solvent has been taken into account, and when the energy needed to polarize the electron density of the solute has been considered in the transfer free energy. These results were further confirmed by hydration free energies of polar and aromatic amino acid side chain analogs. Comparison of the two partitioning methods, Hirshfeld-I and Minimal Basis Iterative Stockholder (MBIS), revealed some deficiencies in the Hirshfeld-I method related to the unstable isolated anionic nitrogen pro-atom used in the method. Hydration free energies and partitioning coefficients obtained with atomic charges from the MBIS partitioning method accounting for polarization by the implicit solvation model are in good agreement with the experimental values. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Lara
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
| | - M Riquelme
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
| | - E Vöhringer-Martinez
- Departamento de Físico-Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
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18
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Bame J, Hoeck C, Carrington MJ, Butts CP, Jäger CM, Croft AK. Improved NOE fitting for flexible molecules based on molecular mechanics data – a case study with S-adenosylmethionine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:7523-7531. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp07265a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Using the important biomolecule S-adenosyl methionine as an exemplar, we provide a new, enhanced approach for fitting MD data to high-accuracy NOE data, providing improvements in structure determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bame
- University of Bristol
- School of Chemistry
- Clifton
- Bristol BS8 1TS
- UK
| | - Casper Hoeck
- University of Bristol
- School of Chemistry
- Clifton
- Bristol BS8 1TS
- UK
| | - Matthew J. Carrington
- University of Nottingham
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
- University Park
- Nottingham
- UK
| | - Craig P. Butts
- University of Bristol
- School of Chemistry
- Clifton
- Bristol BS8 1TS
- UK
| | - Christof M. Jäger
- University of Nottingham
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
- University Park
- Nottingham
- UK
| | - Anna K. Croft
- University of Nottingham
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
- University Park
- Nottingham
- UK
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19
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Lankau T, Kuo TN, Yu CH. Computational Study of the Degradation of S-Adenosyl Methionine in Water. J Phys Chem A 2017; 121:505-514. [PMID: 28004936 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b09639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The degradation of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) to homoserine-γ-lactone (HSL) and methyltioadenine (MTA) in water is studied with MD simulations. The AM1 Hamiltonian is used for the quantum part and the flexible AMBER force field for the H2O molecules. The MD simulations predict the free energy barrier for the degradation reaction to be between 109 and 112 kJ mol-1 and an overall gain in free energy of -26 kJ mol-1. The high barrier and the low energy gain of this reaction can be linked to interactions among the carboxylate group of the SAM molecule and solvent H2O molecules, which are not observed on the product side. Hence, the H2O molecules effectively slow down the reaction that otherwise would be much faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Lankau
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Tzu Nung Kuo
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chin Hui Yu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University , Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
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20
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Saez DA, Vogt-Geisse S, Inostroza-Rivera R, Kubař T, Elstner M, Toro-Labbé A, Vöhringer-Martinez E. The effect of the environment on the methyl transfer reaction mechanism between trimethylsulfonium and phenolate. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:24033-42. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp02821g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The methyl transfer reaction mechanism in different molecular environments were studied by electronic structure methods and QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Adrian Saez
- Departamento de Físico-Química
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas
- Universidad de Concepción
- Millenium Nucleus Chemical Processes and Catalysis (CPC)
- Chile
| | - Stefan Vogt-Geisse
- Departamento de Físico-Química
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas
- Universidad de Concepción
- Millenium Nucleus Chemical Processes and Catalysis (CPC)
- Chile
| | | | - Tomáš Kubař
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Germany
- Institute for Physical Chemistry
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
| | - Marcus Elstner
- Institute for Physical Chemistry
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 76131 Karlsruhe
- Germany
| | - Alejandro Toro-Labbé
- QTC
- Facultad de Química
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
- Millenium Nucleus Chemical Processes and Catalysis (CPC)
- Chile
| | - Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez
- Departamento de Físico-Química
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas
- Universidad de Concepción
- Millenium Nucleus Chemical Processes and Catalysis (CPC)
- Chile
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