Use of secondary structural information and C alpha-C alpha distance restraints to model protein structures with MODELLER

Variations of VEGFR2 Chemical Space: Stimulator and Inhibitory Peptides

The kinase pathway plays a crucial role in blood vessel function. Particular attention is paid to VEGFR type 2 angiogenesis and vascular morphogenesis as the tyrosine kinase pathway is preferentially activated. In silico studies were performed on several peptides that affect VEGFR2 in both stimulating and inhibitory ways. This investigation aims to examine the molecular properties of VEGFR2, a molecule primarily involved in the processes of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. These relationships were defined by the interactions between Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and the structural features of the systems. The chemical space of the inhibitory peptides and stimulators was described using topological and energetic properties. Furthermore, chimeric models of stimulating and inhibitory proteins (for VEGFR2) were computed using the protein system structures. The interaction between the chimeric proteins and VEGFR was computed. The chemical space was further characterized using complex manifolds and high-dimensional data visualization. The results show that a slightly similar chemical area is shared by VEGFR2 and stimulating and inhibitory proteins. On the other hand, the stimulator peptides and the inhibitors have distinct chemical spaces.

Direct Visualization of the Dynamic Process of Epsilon Toxin on Hemolysis

Hemolysis is the process of rupturing erythrocytes (red blood cells) by forming nanopores on their membranes using hemolysins, which then impede membrane permeability. However, the self-assembly process before the state of transmembrane pores and underlying mechanisms of conformational change are not fully understood. In this work, theoretical and experimental evidence of the pre-pore morphology of Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin (ETX), a typical hemolysin, is provided using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) complemented by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to detect the conformational distribution of different states in Mica. The AFM suggests that the ETX pore is formed in two stages: ETX monomers first attach to the membrane and form a pre-pore in no special conditions required, which then undergo a conformational change to form a transmembrane pore at temperatures above the critical point in the presence of receptors. The authors' MD simulations reveal that initial nucleation occurs when specific amino acids adsorb to negatively charged mica cavities. This work fills the knowledge gap in understanding the early stage of hemolysis and the oligomerization of hemolysins. Moreover, the newly identified pre-pore of ETX holds promise as a candidate for nanopore applications.

PIK3CA Mutations Contribute to Acquired Cetuximab Resistance in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: Mutations in KRAS are considered to be the main drivers of acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) blockade in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the potential role of other genes downstream of the EGFR signaling pathway in conferring acquired resistance has not been extensively investigated.Experimental Design: Using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patients with mCRC and with acquired cetuximab resistance, we developed a targeted amplicon ultra-deep sequencing method to screen for low-abundance somatic mutations in a panel of genes that encode components of the EGFR signaling pathway. Mutations with significantly increased variant frequencies upon disease progression were selected by using quartile analysis. The functional consequences of the identified mutations were validated in cultured cells.Results: We analyzed 32 patients with acquired cetuximab resistance in a development cohort. Of them, seven (22%) carried five novel PIK3CA mutations, whereas eight (25%) carried previously reported KRAS mutations. Functional studies showed that novel PIK3CA mutations (all in exon 19; p.K944N, p.F930S, p.V955G, p.V955I, and p.K966E) promote cell viability in the presence of cetuximab. Only one novel PIK3CA mutation (p.K944N) was verified in one of the 27 patients with acquired resistance in a validation cohort, simultaneous KRAS and PIK3CA hotspot mutations were detected in two patients. Among the above 59 acquired resistance patients, those with PIK3CA or RAS mutations detected in ctDNA showed a pronounced decrease in progression-free survival than patients with no mutation.Conclusions: The PIK3CA mutations may potentially contribute to acquired cetuximab resistance in patients with mCRC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(16); 4602-16. ©2017 AACR.

Effect of novel triazole-amino acid hybrids on growth and virulence of Candida species: in vitro and in vivo studies

The increasing incidence of human candidiasis and the tendency of Candida species to become resistant to existing chemotherapies are well-recognized health problems. The present study demonstrates the successful synthesis of novel triazole-amino acid hybrids with potent in vitro and in vivo inhibitory activity against Candida species. Particularly, compounds 68 and 70 showed potent in vitro activity against fluconazole (FLC) resistant as well as sensitive clinical isolates of Candida albicans. Time kill curve analysis of lead inhibitors 68 and 70 showed their fungistatic nature. Secretion of hydrolytic enzymes, mainly proteinases and phospholipases, decreased considerably in the presence of 68 and 70 indicating their interference in fungal virulence. TEM analysis of Candida cells exposed to compounds 68 and 70 clearly showed morphological changes and intracellular damage as their possible mode of action. A preliminary mechanistic study carried out on the two most effective inhibitors (68 and 70) revealed the inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis thereby causing the cells to lose their integrity and viability. The selected compounds did not show significant cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 200 μg mL^-1 in the HEK293 cell line. An in silico analysis of 68 and 70 binding to a modeled C. albicans CYP51 showed critical H-bonding as well as hydrophobic interactions with the important active site residues indicating the basis of their anti-Candida role. Studies on the larvae of Galleria mellonella showed that the selected inhibitors (68 and 70) were non-toxic, did not provoke an immune response and significantly reduced Candida proliferation in vivo.

Homology modeling and structural comparison of leucine rich repeats of Toll like receptors 1-10 of ruminants

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are transmembrane receptors composed of extra cellular leucine rich repeats (LRRs) that identify specific pathogen associated molecular patterns triggering a innate immune cascade. The LRR regions of TLR 1-10 proteins of goat (Capra hircus), sheep (Ovis aries), buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and bovine (Bos taurus) were modeled using MODELLER 9v7 tool and validated. The similarities and variations of these 10 TLRs extracellular regions of each species were compared using online servers like FATCAT, SSM and SSAP. It was evident that the LRRs of TLRs like 1, 2, 3 and 6 showed structural convergence with <1 % RMSD deviation while TLRs like 5, 7, 8 and 9 had high divergence. Docking analysis showed that TLR 2, 3 and 7 of all the selected four ruminant species were able to bind with their corresponding ligands like Peptidoglycan (PGN), Poly I:C, Resiquimod (R-848) and Imiquimod. However, there were variations in the active site regions, interacting residues and the number of bonded interactions. Variations seen among TLR structures and their ligand binding characteristics is likely to be responsible for species and breed specific genetic resistance observed among species or breeds.

Constraint-based, homology model of the extracellular domain of the epithelial Na+ channel α subunit reveals a mechanism of channel activation by proteases

The epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) mediates Na(+) transport across high resistance epithelia. This channel is assembled from three homologous subunits with the majority of the protein's mass found in the extracellular domains. Acid-sensing ion channel 1 (ASIC1) is homologous to ENaC, but a key functional domain is highly divergent. Here we present molecular models of the extracellular region of α ENaC based on a large data set of mutations that attenuate inhibitory peptide binding in combination with comparative modeling based on the resolved structure of ASIC1. The models successfully rationalized the data from the peptide binding screen. We engineered new mutants that had not been tested based on the models and successfully predict sites where mutations affected peptide binding. Thus, we were able to confirm the overall general fold of our structural models. Further analysis suggested that the α subunit-derived inhibitory peptide affects channel gating by constraining motions within two major domains in the extracellular region, the thumb and finger domains.