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Behnam MAM, Klein CD. Alternate recognition by dengue protease: Proteolytic and binding assays provide functional evidence beyond an induced-fit. Biochimie 2024:S0300-9084(24)00138-X. [PMID: 38871044 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Proteases are key enzymes in viral replication, and interfering with these targets is the basis for therapeutic interventions. We previously introduced a hypothesis about conformational selection in the protease of dengue virus and related flaviviruses, based on conformational plasticity noted in X-ray structures. The present work presents the first functional evidence for alternate recognition by the dengue protease, in a mechanism based primarily on conformational selection rather than induced-fit. Recognition of distinct substrates and inhibitors in proteolytic and binding assays varies to a different extent, depending on factors reported to influence the protease structure. The pH, salinity, buffer type, and temperature cause a change in binding, proteolysis, or inhibition behavior. Using representative inhibitors with distinct structural scaffolds, we identify two contrasting binding profiles to dengue protease. Noticeable effects are observed in the binding assay upon inclusion of a non-ionic detergent in comparison to the proteolytic assay. The findings highlight the impact of the selection of testing conditions on the observed ligand affinity or inhibitory potency. From a broader scope, the dengue protease presents an example, where the induced-fit paradigm appears insufficient to explain binding events with the biological target. Furthermore, this protein reveals the complexity of comparing or combining biochemical assay data obtained under different conditions. This can be particularly critical for artificial intelligence (AI) approaches in drug discovery that rely on large datasets of compounds activity, compiled from different sources using non-identical testing procedures. In such cases, mismatched results will compromise the model quality and its predictive power.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira A M Behnam
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian D Klein
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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2
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Lessons Learnt from COVID-19: Computational Strategies for Facing Present and Future Pandemics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054401. [PMID: 36901832 PMCID: PMC10003049 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its outbreak in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of more than 6.5 million people around the world. The high transmissibility of its causative agent, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, coupled with its potentially lethal outcome, provoked a profound global economic and social crisis. The urgency of finding suitable pharmacological tools to tame the pandemic shed light on the ever-increasing importance of computer simulations in rationalizing and speeding up the design of new drugs, further stressing the need for developing quick and reliable methods to identify novel active molecules and characterize their mechanism of action. In the present work, we aim at providing the reader with a general overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing the hallmarks in its management, from the initial attempts at drug repurposing to the commercialization of Paxlovid, the first orally available COVID-19 drug. Furthermore, we analyze and discuss the role of computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) techniques, especially those that fall in the structure-based drug design (SBDD) category, in facing present and future pandemics, by showcasing several successful examples of drug discovery campaigns where commonly used methods such as docking and molecular dynamics have been employed in the rational design of effective therapeutic entities against COVID-19.
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Fornasier E, Macchia ML, Giachin G, Sosic A, Pavan M, Sturlese M, Salata C, Moro S, Gatto B, Bellanda M, Battistutta R. A new inactive conformation of SARS-CoV-2 main protease. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2022; 78:363-378. [PMID: 35234150 PMCID: PMC8900819 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798322000948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The SARS‐CoV‐2 main protease (Mpro) has a pivotal role in mediating viral genome replication and transcription of the coronavirus, making it a promising target for drugs against the COVID‐19 pandemic. Here, a crystal structure is presented in which Mpro adopts an inactive state that has never been observed before, called new‐inactive. It is shown that the oxyanion loop, which is involved in substrate recognition and enzymatic activity, adopts a new catalytically incompetent conformation and that many of the key interactions of the active conformation of the enzyme around the active site are lost. Solvation/desolvation energetic contributions play an important role in the transition from the inactive to the active state, with Phe140 moving from an exposed to a buried environment and Asn142 moving from a buried environment to an exposed environment. In new‐inactive Mpro a new cavity is present near the S2′ subsite, and the N‐terminal and C‐terminal tails, as well as the dimeric interface, are perturbed, with partial destabilization of the dimeric assembly. This novel conformation is relevant both for comprehension of the mechanism of action of Mpro within the catalytic cycle and for the successful structure‐based drug design of antiviral drugs.
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4
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Oktay L, Erdemoğlu E, Tolu İ, Yumak Y, Özcan A, Acar E, Büyükkiliç Ş, Olkan A, Durdaği S. Binary-QSAR guided virtual screening of FDA approved drugs and compounds in clinical investigation against SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Turk J Biol 2021; 45:459-468. [PMID: 34803447 PMCID: PMC8573836 DOI: 10.3906/biy-2106-61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
With the emergence of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus, drug repurposing studies have gained substantial importance. Combined with the efficacy of recent improvements in ligand- and target-based virtual screening approaches, virtual screening has become faster and more productive than ever. In the current study, an FDA library of approved drugs and compounds under clinical investigation were screened for their antiviral activity using the antiviral therapeutic activity binary QSAR model of the MetaCore/MetaDrug platform. Among 6733-compound collection, we found 370 compounds with a normalized therapeutic activity value greater than a cutoff of 0.75. Only these selected compounds were used for molecular docking studies against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). After initial short (10 ns) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the top-50 docking scored compounds and following molecular mechanics generalized born surface area (MM/GBSA) calculations, top-10 compounds were subjected to longer (100 ns) MD simulations and end-point MM/GBSA estimations. Our virtual screening protocol yielded Cefuroxime pivoxetil, an ester prodrug of second-generation cephalosporin antibiotic Cefuroxime, as being a considerable molecule for drug repurposing against the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lalehan Oktay
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey
| | - Ece Erdemoğlu
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey.,School of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin Turkey
| | - İlayda Tolu
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey
| | - Yeşim Yumak
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey.,Faculty of Science and Letters, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat Turkey
| | - Ayşenur Özcan
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey.,Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul Medeniyet University, İstanbul Turkey
| | - Elif Acar
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey.,Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul Medeniyet University, İstanbul Turkey
| | - Şehriban Büyükkiliç
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey.,Faculty of Science, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya Turkey
| | - Alpsu Olkan
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey.,School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey
| | - Serdar Durdaği
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul Turkey
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Precursors of Viral Proteases as Distinct Drug Targets. Viruses 2021; 13:v13101981. [PMID: 34696411 PMCID: PMC8537868 DOI: 10.3390/v13101981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral proteases are indispensable for successful virion maturation, thus making them a prominent drug target. Their enzyme activity is tightly spatiotemporally regulated by expression in the precursor form with little or no activity, followed by activation via autoprocessing. These cleavage events are frequently triggered upon transportation to a specific compartment inside the host cell. Typically, precursor oligomerization or the presence of a co-factor is needed for activation. A detailed understanding of these mechanisms will allow ligands with non-canonical mechanisms of action to be designed, which would specifically modulate the initial irreversible steps of viral protease autoactivation. Binding sites exclusive to the precursor, including binding sites beyond the protease domain, can be exploited. Both inhibition and up-regulation of the proteolytic activity of viral proteases can be detrimental for the virus. All these possibilities are discussed using examples of medically relevant viruses including herpesviruses, adenoviruses, retroviruses, picornaviruses, caliciviruses, togaviruses, flaviviruses, and coronaviruses.
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6
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Inhibitor potency and assay conditions: A case study on SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2106095118. [PMID: 34475216 PMCID: PMC8433543 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106095118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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Alhadrami HA, Sayed AM, Al-Khatabi H, Alhakamy NA, Rateb ME. Scaffold Hopping of α-Rubromycin Enables Direct Access to FDA-Approved Cromoglicic Acid as a SARS-CoV-2 M Pro Inhibitor. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:541. [PMID: 34198933 PMCID: PMC8229550 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is still active around the globe despite the newly introduced vaccines. Hence, finding effective medications or repurposing available ones could offer great help during this serious situation. During our anti-COVID-19 investigation of microbial natural products (MNPs), we came across α-rubromycin, an antibiotic derived from Streptomyces collinus ATCC19743, which was able to suppress the catalytic activity (IC50 = 5.4 µM and Ki = 3.22 µM) of one of the viral key enzymes (i.e., MPro). However, it showed high cytotoxicity toward normal human fibroblasts (CC50 = 16.7 µM). To reduce the cytotoxicity of this microbial metabolite, we utilized a number of in silico tools (ensemble docking, molecular dynamics simulation, binding free energy calculation) to propose a novel scaffold having the main pharmacophoric features to inhibit MPro with better drug-like properties and reduced/minimal toxicity. Nevertheless, reaching this novel scaffold synthetically is a time-consuming process, particularly at this critical time. Instead, this scaffold was used as a template to explore similar molecules among the FDA-approved medications that share its main pharmacophoric features with the aid of pharmacophore-based virtual screening software. As a result, cromoglicic acid (aka cromolyn) was found to be the best hit, which, upon in vitro MPro testing, was 4.5 times more potent (IC50 = 1.1 µM and Ki = 0.68 µM) than α-rubromycin, with minimal cytotoxicity toward normal human fibroblasts (CC50 > 100 µM). This report highlights the potential of MNPs in providing unprecedented scaffolds with a wide range of therapeutic efficacy. It also revealed the importance of cheminformatics tools in speeding up the drug discovery process, which is extremely important in such a critical situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hani A. Alhadrami
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (H.A.A.); (H.A.-K.)
- Molecular Diagnostic Lab, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M. Sayed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef 62513, Egypt;
| | - Heba Al-Khatabi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (H.A.A.); (H.A.-K.)
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nabil A. Alhakamy
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mostafa E. Rateb
- School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK
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8
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Rocha REO, Chaves EJF, Fischer PHC, Costa LSC, Grillo IB, da Cruz LEG, Guedes FC, da Silveira CH, Scotti MT, Camargo AD, Machado KS, Werhli AV, Ferreira RS, Rocha GB, de Lima LHF. A higher flexibility at the SARS-CoV-2 main protease active site compared to SARS-CoV and its potentialities for new inhibitor virtual screening targeting multi-conformers. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:9214-9234. [PMID: 33970798 PMCID: PMC8127201 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1924271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The main-protease (Mpro) catalyzes a crucial step for the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. The recent SARS-CoV-2 presents the main protease (MCoV2pro) with 12 mutations compared to SARS-CoV (MCoV1pro). Recent studies point out that these subtle differences lead to mobility variances at the active site loops with functional implications. We use metadynamics simulations and a sort of computational analysis to probe the dynamic, pharmacophoric and catalytic environment differences between the monomers of both enzymes. So, we verify how much intrinsic distinctions are preserved in the functional dimer of MCoV2pro, as well as its implications for ligand accessibility and optimized drug screening. We find a significantly higher accessibility to open binding conformers in the MCoV2pro monomer compared to MCoV1pro. A higher hydration propensity for the MCoV2pro S2 loop with the A46S substitution seems to exercise a key role. Quantum calculations suggest that the wider conformations for MCoV2pro are less catalytically active in the monomer. However, the statistics for contacts involving the N-finger suggest higher maintenance of this activity at the dimer. Docking analyses suggest that the ability to vary the active site width can be important to improve the access of the ligand to the active site in different ways. So, we carry out a multiconformational virtual screening with different ligand bases. The results point to the importance of taking into account the protein conformational multiplicity for new promissors anti MCoV2pro ligands. We hope these results will be useful in prospecting, repurposing and/or designing new anti SARS-CoV-2 drugs.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael E. O. Rocha
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Department of Biochemistry and Imunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Elton J. F. Chaves
- Laboratory of Computational and Quantum Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Pedro H. C. Fischer
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Department of Exact and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei, Sete Lagoas, Brazil
| | - Leon S. C. Costa
- Comp. Modeling Coordination, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil
| | - Igor Barden Grillo
- Laboratory of Computational and Quantum Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Luiz E. G. da Cruz
- Laboratory of Computational and Quantum Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Fabiana C. Guedes
- Structural Bioinformatic Laboratory, Institute of Technological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Itabira, Brazil
| | - Carlos H. da Silveira
- Structural Bioinformatic Laboratory, Institute of Technological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Itabira, Brazil
| | - Marcus T. Scotti
- Graduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products; Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Alex D. Camargo
- Computational Biology Laboratory, Center for computational sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - Karina S. Machado
- Computational Biology Laboratory, Center for computational sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - Adriano V. Werhli
- Computational Biology Laboratory, Center for computational sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - Rafaela S. Ferreira
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Department of Biochemistry and Imunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Gerd B. Rocha
- Laboratory of Computational and Quantum Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Leonardo H. F. de Lima
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Department of Exact and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei, Sete Lagoas, Brazil
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Alhadrami HA, Sayed AM, Sharif AM, Azhar EI, Rateb ME. Olive-Derived Triterpenes Suppress SARS COV-2 Main Protease: A Promising Scaffold for Future Therapeutics. Molecules 2021; 26:2654. [PMID: 34062737 PMCID: PMC8125615 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26092654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS CoV-2 pandemic is still considered a global health disaster, and newly emerged variants keep growing. A number of promising vaccines have been recently developed as a protective measure; however, cost-effective treatments are also of great importance to support this critical situation. Previously, betulinic acid has shown promising antiviral activity against SARS CoV via targeting its main protease. Herein, we investigated the inhibitory potential of this compound together with three other triterpene congeners (i.e., ursolic acid, maslinic acid, and betulin) derived from olive leaves against the viral main protease (Mpro) of the currently widespread SARS CoV-2. Interestingly, betulinic, ursolic, and maslinic acids showed significant inhibitory activity (IC50 = 3.22-14.55 µM), while betulin was far less active (IC50 = 89.67 µM). A comprehensive in-silico analysis (i.e., ensemble docking, molecular dynamic simulation, and binding-free energy calculation) was then performed to describe the binding mode of these compounds with the enzyme catalytic active site and determine the main essential structural features required for their inhibitory activity. Results presented in this communication indicated that this class of compounds could be considered as a promising lead scaffold for developing cost-effective anti-SARS CoV-2 therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hani A. Alhadrami
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (H.A.A.); (E.I.A.)
- Special Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Molecular Diagnostic Lab, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M. Sayed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef 62513, Egypt;
| | - Ahmed M. Sharif
- Special Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Esam I. Azhar
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (H.A.A.); (E.I.A.)
- Special Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80402, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mostafa E. Rateb
- School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK
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Iida S, Fukunishi Y. Asymmetric dynamics of dimeric SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV main proteases in an apo form: Molecular dynamics study on fluctuations of active site, catalytic dyad, and hydration water. BBA ADVANCES 2021; 1:100016. [PMID: 34235495 PMCID: PMC8214910 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2021.100016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been widely spread around the world. It is necessary to examine the viral proteins that play a notorious role in the invasion of our body. The main protease (3CLpro) facilitates the maturation of the coronavirus. It is thought that the dimerization of 3CLpro leads to its catalytic activity; the detailed mechanism has, however, not been suggested. Furthermore, the structural differences between the predecessor SARS-CoV 3CLpro and SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro have not been fully understood. Here, we show the structural and dynamical differences between the two main proteases, and demonstrate the relationship between the dimerization and the activity via atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Simulating monomeric and dimeric 3CLpro systems for each protease, we show that (i) global dynamics between the two different proteases are not conserved, (ii) the dimerization stabilizes the catalytic dyad and hydration water molecules behind the dyad, and (iii) the substrate-binding site (active site) and hydration water molecules in each protomer fluctuate asymmetrically. We then speculate the roles of hydration water molecules in their catalytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Iida
- Technology Research Association for Next-Generation Natural Products Chemistry, 2-3-26, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan 135-0064
- Corresponding author.
| | - Yoshifumi Fukunishi
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-3-26 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan 135-0064
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