Additional level of information about complex interaction between non-nucleoside inhibitor and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase using biosensor-based thermodynamic analysis

The role of temperature in the binding of the disordered epitope region of human thrombopoietin to antibody: A molecular dynamics simulations study

The N-terminal domain (163 residues) of Human thrombopoietin (hTPO) is highly conserved and responsible for the receptor-binding. The crystal structure of free hTPO is not yet available, but the crystal structure of its receptor-binding domain (hTPO₁₆₃) is available in complex with the TN1-Fab antibody. According to a thermodynamic study of hTPO₁₆₃ binding to TN1-Fab Ab, the ΔH value for binding becomes more negative with an increase in temperature from 283 K to 303 K. The objective of our study is to understand how the free hTPO₁₆₃ behaves dynamically and to study the effect of temperature on the association of hTPO₁₆₃ to TN1-Fab antibody through molecular dynamics simulations. We studied the Ag-Ab interactions at two different temperatures 298 K and 303 K. The discontinuous epitope region (residues 98-115) of free hTPO₁₆₃ displays a conformational switch and it gets stabilized upon binding to the Ab at 303 K. Based on our results, it may be surmised that the epitope region 98-115 is behaving like a disordered epitope. The disordered epitopes are known to be more efficient in binding with the antibody. We also find that, there is an increase in number of hydrogen-bonding interactions and hydrophobic contacts with an increase in the temperature from 298 K to 303 K. Thus, this observation explains a possible reason behind the more negative value of ΔH at the higher temperature 303 K as compared to 298 K.

Impact of assay temperature on antibody binding characteristics in living cells: A case study

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of ligand-receptor interactions are essential for increasing the understanding of receptor activation mechanisms and drug behavior. The characterization of molecular interactions on living cells in real-time goes beyond most current binding assays, and provides valuable information about the dynamics and underlying mechanism of the molecules in a living system. The effect of temperature on interactions in cell-based assays is, however, rarely discussed. In the present study, the effect of temperature on binding of monoclonal antibodies, cetuximab and pertuzumab to specific receptors on living cancer cells was evaluated, and the affinity and kinetics of the interactions were estimated at selected key temperatures. Changes in the behavior of the interactions, particularly in the on- and off-rates were observed, leading to greatly extended time to reach the equilibrium at 21°C compared with at 37°C. However, the observed changes in kinetic characteristics were less than a factor of 10. It was concluded that it is possible to conduct real-time measurements with living cells at different temperatures, and demonstrated that influences of the ambient temperature on the interaction behavior are likely to be less than one order of magnitude.

Identification of structural-kinetic and structural-thermodynamic relationships for thrombin inhibitors

To improve our understanding of drug-target interactions, we explored the effect of introducing substituted amine residues with increased chain length in the P3 residue of the thrombin inhibitor melagatran. Inhibition, kinetic, and thermodynamic data obtained via stopped-flow spectroscopy (SF), isothermal microcalorimetry (ITC), and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor analysis were interpreted with the help of X-ray crystal structures of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes. The association rate became faster when the lipophilicity of the inhibitors was increased. This was coupled to an increased enthalpic component and a corresponding decreased entropic component. The dissociation rates were reduced with an increase in chain length, with only a smaller increase and a decrease in the enthalpic and entropic components, respectively. Overall, the affinity increased with an increase in chain length, with similar changes in the enthalpic and entropic components. ITC analysis confirmed the equilibrium data from SPR analysis, showing that the interaction of melagatran was the most enthalpy-driven interaction. Structural analysis of the thrombin-inhibitor complex showed that the orientation of the P1 and P2 parts of the molecules was very similar, but that there were significant differences in the interaction between the terminal part of the P3 side chain and the binding pocket. A combination of charge repulsion, H-bonds, and hydrophobic interactions could be used to explain the observed kinetic and thermodynamic profiles for the ligands. In conclusion, changes in the structure of a lead compound can have significant effects on its interaction with the target that translate directly into kinetic and thermodynamic effects. In contrast to what may be intuitively expected, hydrogen bond formation and breakage are not necessarily reflected in enthalpy gains and losses, respectively.

Resolution of the interaction mechanisms and characteristics of non-nucleoside inhibitors of hepatitis C virus polymerase

Development of allosteric inhibitors into efficient drugs is hampered by their indirect mode-of-action and complex structure-kinetic relationships. To enable the design of efficient allosteric drugs targeting the polymerase of hepatitis C virus (NS5B), the interaction characteristics of three non-nucleoside compounds (filibuvir, VX-222, and tegobuvir) inhibiting HCV replication via NS5B have been analyzed. Since there was no logical correlation between the anti-HCV replicative and enzyme inhibitory effects of the compounds, surface plasmon resonance biosensor technology was used to resolve the mechanistic, kinetic, thermodynamic and chemodynamic features of their interactions with their target and their effect on its interaction with RNA. Tegobuvir could not be seen to interact with NS5B at all while filibuvir interacted in a single reversible step (except at low temperatures) and VX-222 in two serial steps, interpreted as an induced fit mechanism. Both filibuvir and VX-222 interfered with the interaction between NS5B and RNA. They competed for binding to the enzyme, suggesting that they had a common inhibition mechanism and identical or overlapping binding sites. The greater anti-HCV replicative activity of VX-222 over filibuvir is hypothesized to be due to a greater allosteric conformational effect, resulting in the formation of a less catalytically competent complex. In addition, the induced fit mechanism of VX-222 gives it a kinetic advantage over filibuvir, exhibited as a longer residence time. These insights have important consequences for the selection and optimization of new allosteric NS5B inhibitors.

Deconstruction of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 for exploration of the optimization landscape of fragments

This study has taken a closer look at the theoretical basis for protein-fragment interactions. The approach involved the deconstruction of 3 non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and investigation of the interaction between 21 substructures and the enzyme. It focused on the concept of ligand efficiency and showed that ligand independent free energy fees (ΔG(ind)) are crucial for the understanding of the binding affinities of fragments. A value of 7.0 kcal mol(-1) for the ΔG(ind) term is shown to be a lower limit for the NNRTI binding pocket of HIV-1 RT. The addition of the ΔG(ind) term to the dissociation free energy in the calculation of a corrected ligand efficiency, in combination with the lack of an efficient ligand binding hot spot in the NNIBP, fully explains the existence of nonbinding NNRTI substructures. By applying the concept to a larger set of ligands, we could define a binding site profile that indicates the absence of an efficient fragment binding hot spot but an efficient binding of full-sized NNRTIs. The analysis explains some of the challenges in identifying fragments against flexible targets involving conformational changes and how fragments may be prioritized.

Inhibition of HIV-1 by non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors via an induced fit mechanism-Importance of slow dissociation and relaxation rates for antiviral efficacy

The importance of slow dissociation of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) for antiviral effect has been investigated. The kinetic characteristics of a series of NNRTIs interacting with wild type and drug resistant variants of HIV-1 RT (EC 2.7.7.49) were analyzed by SPR biosensor technology. The antiviral effect was determined in MT-4 and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Due to extremely slow dissociation rates and a complex interaction mechanism, rate constants could not be quantified. Instead, interaction characteristics were qualitatively analyzed using simulated sensorgrams. The simplest model describing these interactions adequately was an induced fit mechanism, i.e. a mechanism involving the formation of an initial enzyme-inhibitor complex subsequently transformed into a more stable complex. Differences in rates of dissociation from the initial complex and rates of relaxation from the induced complex explained (1) the differences in the amounts of formed complex, (2) the stability of the complex and (3) the antiviral efficacies of the compounds. The effect of NNRTI binding site mutations also correlated with these kinetic characteristics. MIV-170 was the most effective inhibitor of wild type and mutant HIV-1 in cell culture, a property that was associated with the formation of the largest amount of complex and the slowest relaxation and dissociation rates. This study supports the hypothesis that the efficacy of anti-HIV drugs is dependent on slow dissociation from the target, thereby maximizing the duration of the inhibitory effect. It also illustrates the strength of simulating interaction data for qualitative analysis of tight-binding drugs and the importance of resolving the kinetic mechanism of drug-target interactions.

Integrating surface plasmon resonance biosensor-based interaction kinetic analyses into the lead discovery and optimization process

Surface plasmon resonance biosensor technology has come of age and become an important tool for drug discovery. It is a label-free biophysical technique for the kinetic analysis of molecular interactions that provides exceptionally information-rich data. Recent improvements in sensitivity, experimental design, data analysis and sample throughput makes it suitable for use throughout the drug-discovery process. This article outlines the use of SPR biosensor technology for small-molecule drug discovery and exemplifies how it complements other techniques. The technology is especially valuable for fragment-based lead discovery since it has the required sensitivity and throughput for screening of fragment libraries. Hits can be identified with respect to multiple criteria, defined by the experimental design used for screening. Expansion of hits and subsequent characterization and optimization of leads can be performed with a variety of experiments exploiting the kinetic resolution of the technology. Leads identified by this strategy can therefore be extensively characterized with respect to their interactions, with their target as well as with nontarget proteins. Although it may take some time for the methods to become well established, and for the research community to reach proficiency and fully embrace the information-rich data that can be obtained, it can be predicted that this technology will be widely used for drug discovery within the near future. It is expected that the technology will be particularly important for fragment-based strategies and integrated with other experimental technologies as well as with computational methods.