1
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Coant N, Bickel JD, Rahaim R, Otsuka Y, Choi YM, Xu R, Simoes M, Cariello C, Mao C, Saied EM, Arenz C, Spicer TP, Bannister TD, Tonge PJ, Airola MV, Scampavia L, Hannun YA, Rizzo RC, Haley JD. Neutral ceramidase-active site inhibitor chemotypes and binding modes. Bioorg Chem 2023; 139:106747. [PMID: 37531819 PMCID: PMC10681040 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Ceramides impact a diverse array of biological functions and have been implicated in disease pathogenesis. The enzyme neutral ceramidase (nCDase) is a zinc-containing hydrolase and mediates the metabolism of ceramide to sphingosine (Sph), both in cells and in the intestinal lumen. nCDase inhibitors based on substrate mimetics, for example C6-urea ceramide, have limited potency, aqueous solubility, and micelle-free fraction. To identify non-ceramide mimetic nCDase inhibitors, hit compounds from an HTS campaign were evaluated in biochemical, cell based and in silico modeling approaches. A majority of small molecule nCDase inhibitors contained pharmacophores capable of zinc interaction but retained specificity for nCDase over zinc-containing acid and alkaline ceramidases, as well as matrix metalloprotease-3 and histone deacetylase-1. nCDase inhibitors were refined by SAR, were shown to be substrate competitive and were active in cellular assays. nCDase inhibitor compounds were modeled by in silico DOCK screening and by molecular simulation. Modeling data supports zinc interaction and a similar compound binding pose with ceramide. nCDase inhibitors were identified with notably improved activity and solubility in comparison with the reference lipid-mimetic C6-urea ceramide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Coant
- Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - John D Bickel
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Ronald Rahaim
- The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yuka Otsuka
- The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yong-Mi Choi
- Department of Biochemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Ruijuan Xu
- Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Michael Simoes
- Renaissance School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Chris Cariello
- Renaissance School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Cungui Mao
- Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Essa M Saied
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Christoph Arenz
- Institute for Chemistry, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Str. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Timothy P Spicer
- The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Thomas D Bannister
- The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Peter J Tonge
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Michael V Airola
- Department of Biochemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Louis Scampavia
- The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yusuf A Hannun
- Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Robert C Rizzo
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - John D Haley
- Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Renaissance School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
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2
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Prentis LE, Singleton CD, Bickel JD, Allen WJ, Rizzo RC. A molecular evolution algorithm for ligand design in DOCK. J Comput Chem 2022; 43:1942-1963. [PMID: 36073674 PMCID: PMC9623574 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
As a complement to virtual screening, de novo design of small molecules is an alternative approach for identifying potential drug candidates. Here, we present a new 3D genetic algorithm to evolve molecules through breeding, mutation, fitness pressure, and selection. The method, termed DOCK_GA, builds upon and leverages powerful sampling, scoring, and searching routines previously implemented into DOCK6. Three primary experiments were used during development: Single-molecule evolution evaluated three selection methods (elitism, tournament, and roulette), in four clinically relevant systems, in terms of mutation type and crossover success, chemical properties, ensemble diversity, and fitness convergence, among others. Large scale benchmarking assessed performance across 651 different protein-ligand systems. Ensemble-based evolution demonstrated using multiple inhibitors simultaneously to seed growth in a SARS-CoV-2 target. Key takeaways include: (1) The algorithm is robust as demonstrated by the successful evolution of molecules across a large diverse dataset. (2) Users have flexibility with regards to parent input, selection method, fitness function, and molecular descriptors. (3) The program is straightforward to run and only requires a single executable and input file at run-time. (4) The elitism selection method yields more tightly clustered molecules in terms of 2D/3D similarity, with more favorable fitness, followed by tournament and roulette.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E. Prentis
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
| | | | - John D. Bickel
- Department of ChemistryStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
| | - William J. Allen
- Department of Applied Mathematics & StatisticsStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
| | - Robert C. Rizzo
- Department of Applied Mathematics & StatisticsStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA,Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug DiscoveryStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA,Laufer Center for Physical & Quantitative BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
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3
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Zinzula L, Mereu AM, Orsini M, Seeleitner C, Bracher A, Nagy I, Baumeister W. Ebola and Marburg virus VP35 coiled-coil validated as antiviral target by tripartite split-GFP complementation. iScience 2022; 25:105354. [PMID: 36325051 PMCID: PMC9619376 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) are highly pathogenic viruses in humans, against which approved antivirals are lacking. During EBOV and MARV infection, coiled-coil mediated oligomerization is essential for the virion protein 35 (VP35) polymerase co-factor function and type I interferon antagonism, making VP35 coiled-coil an elective drug target. We established a tripartite split-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence complementation (FC) system based on recombinant GFP-tagged EBOV and MARV VP35, which probes VP35 coiled-coil assembly by monitoring fluorescence on E. coli colonies, or in vitro in 96/384-multiwell. Oligomerization-defective VP35 mutants showed that correct coiled-coil knobs-into-holes pairing within VP35 oligomer is pre-requisite for GFP tags and GFP detector to reconstitute fluorescing full-length GFP. The method was validated by screening a small compound library, which identified Myricetin and 4,5,6,7-Tetrabromobenzotriazole as inhibitors of EBOV and MARV VP35 oligomerization-dependent FC with low-micromolar IC50 values. These findings substantiate the VP35 coiled-coil value as antiviral target. Ebola and Marburg virus VP35 oligomerize via trimeric and tetrameric coiled-coil VP35 coiled-coil assembly triggers fluorescence of a tripartite split-GFP system Mutations perturbing VP35 coiled-coil hamper split-GFP complementation Myricetin and TBBT inhibit split-GFP complementation mediated by VP35 coiled-coil
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Zinzula
- The Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
- Corresponding author
| | - Angela Maria Mereu
- The Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Massimiliano Orsini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Department of Risk Analysis and Public Health Surveillance, Viale dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
| | - Christine Seeleitner
- The Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Andreas Bracher
- The Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - István Nagy
- The Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Baumeister
- The Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
- Corresponding author
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4
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Telehany SM, Humby MS, McGee TD, Riley SP, Jacobs A, Rizzo RC. Identification of Zika Virus Inhibitors Using Homology Modeling and Similarity-Based Screening to Target Glycoprotein E. Biochemistry 2020; 59:3709-3724. [PMID: 32876433 PMCID: PMC7598728 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
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The
World Health Organization has designated Zika virus (ZIKV)
as a dangerous, mosquito-borne pathogen that can cause severe developmental
defects. The primary goal of this work was identification of small
molecules as potential ZIKV inhibitors that target the viral envelope
glycoprotein (ZIKV E) involved in membrane fusion and viral entry.
A homology model of ZIKV E containing the small molecule β-octyl
glucoside (BOG) was constructed, on the basis of an analogous X-ray
structure from dengue virus, and >4 million commercially available
compounds were computationally screened using the program DOCK6. A
key feature of the screen involved the use of similarity-based scoring
to identify inhibitor candidates that make similar interaction energy
patterns (molecular footprints) as the BOG reference. Fifty-three
prioritized compounds underwent experimental testing using cytotoxicity,
cell viability, and tissue culture infectious dose 50% (TCID50) assays.
Encouragingly, relative to a known control (NITD008), six compounds
were active in both the cell viability assay and the TCID50 infectivity
assay, and they showed activity in a third caspase activity assay.
In particular, compounds 8 and 15 (tested
at 25 μM) and compound 43 (tested at 10 μM)
appeared to provide significant protection to infected cells, indicative
of anti-ZIKV activity. Overall, the study highlights how similarity-based
scoring can be leveraged to computationally identify potential ZIKV
E inhibitors that mimic a known reference (in this case BOG), and
the experimentally verified hits provide a strong starting point for
further refinement and optimization efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Telehany
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Monica S Humby
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214, United States
| | - T Dwight McGee
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Sean P Riley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214, United States
| | - Amy Jacobs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214, United States
| | - Robert C Rizzo
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States.,Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States.,Laufer Center for Physical & Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
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5
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Lai W, Wang C, Yan J, Liu H, Zhang W, Lin B, Xi Z. Suitable fusion of N-terminal heptad repeats to achieve covalently stabilized potent N-peptide inhibitors of HIV-1 infection. Bioorg Med Chem 2019; 28:115214. [PMID: 31932193 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2019.115214] [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: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
N-terminal heptad repeat (NHR)-derived peptide (N-peptide) fusion inhibitors, which are derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoprotein 41 (gp41), are limited by aggregation and unstable trimer conformation. However, they could function as potent inhibitors of viral infection by forming a coiled-coil structure covalently stabilized by interchain disulfide bonds. We previously synthesized N-peptides with potent anti-HIV-1 activity and high stability by coiled-coil fusion and covalent stabilization. Here, we attempted to study the effects of NHRs of chimeric N-peptides by fusing de novo coiled-coil isopeptide bridge-tethered T21 peptides of different NHR lengths. Peptides (T21N23)3 and (T21N36)3 was a more potent HIV-1 fusion inhibitor than (T21N17)3. The site of isopeptide bond formation was precisely controlled and had little influence on N-peptide properties. The N-peptide (T21N36)3, which had a similar conformation as the NHR trimer and interacted well with the C34 peptide, may be useful for screening other C-peptides and small-molecule fusion inhibitors, and for studying the interactions between the NHR trimer and C-terminal heptad repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqing Lai
- Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, 1 Da-Li Road, Tianjin 300050, China; Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100089, China
| | - Chao Wang
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100089, China
| | - Jun Yan
- Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, 1 Da-Li Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Huanliang Liu
- Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, 1 Da-Li Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, 1 Da-Li Road, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Bencheng Lin
- Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, 1 Da-Li Road, Tianjin 300050, China.
| | - Zhuge Xi
- Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, 1 Da-Li Road, Tianjin 300050, China.
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6
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Zhou Y, Elmes MW, Sweeney JM, Joseph OM, Che J, Hsu HC, Li H, Deutsch DG, Ojima I, Kaczocha M, Rizzo RC. Identification of Fatty Acid Binding Protein 5 Inhibitors Through Similarity-Based Screening. Biochemistry 2019; 58:4304-4316. [PMID: 31539229 PMCID: PMC6812325 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) is a promising target for development of inhibitors to help control pain and inflammation. In this work, computer-based docking (DOCK6 program) was employed to screen ∼2 M commercially available compounds to FABP5 based on an X-ray structure complexed with the small molecule inhibitor SBFI-26 previously identified by our group (also through virtual screening). The goal was discovery of additional chemotypes. The screen resulted in the purchase of 78 candidates, which led to the identification of a new inhibitor scaffold (STK-0) with micromolar affinity and apparent selectivity for FABP5 over FABP3. A second similarity-based screen resulted in three additional hits (STK-15, STK-21, STK-22) from which preliminary SAR could be derived. Notably, STK-15 showed comparable activity to the SBFI-26 reference under the same assay conditions (1.40 vs 0.86 μM). Additional molecular dynamics simulations, free energy calculations, and structural analysis (starting from DOCK-generated poses) revealed that R enantiomers (dihydropyrrole scaffold) of STK-15 and STK-22 have a more optimal composition of functional groups to facilitate additional H-bonds with Arg109 of FABP5. This observation suggests enantiomerically pure compounds could show enhanced activity. Overall, our study highlights the utility of using similarity-based screening methods to discover new inhibitor chemotypes, and the identified FABP5 hits provide a strong starting point for future efforts geared to improve activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Zhou
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Matthew W Elmes
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Department of Anesthesiology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Joseph M Sweeney
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Olivia M Joseph
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Joyce Che
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Hao-Chi Hsu
- Structural Biology Program , Van Andel Institute , Grand Rapids , Michigan 49503 , United States
| | - Huilin Li
- Structural Biology Program , Van Andel Institute , Grand Rapids , Michigan 49503 , United States
| | - Dale G Deutsch
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Iwao Ojima
- Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Department of Chemistry , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Martin Kaczocha
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Department of Anesthesiology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
| | - Robert C Rizzo
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States.,Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York 11794 , United States
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7
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Singleton CD, Humby MS, Yi HA, Rizzo RC, Jacobs A. Identification of Ebola Virus Inhibitors Targeting GP2 Using Principles of Molecular Mimicry. J Virol 2019; 93:e00676-19. [PMID: 31092576 PMCID: PMC6639268 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00676-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A key step in the Ebola virus (EBOV) replication cycle involves conformational changes in viral glycoprotein 2 (GP2) which facilitate host-viral membrane fusion and subsequent release of the viral genome. Ebola GP2 plays a critical role in virus entry and has similarities in mechanism and structure to the HIV gp41 protein for which inhibitors have been successfully developed. In this work, a putative binding pocket for the C-terminal heptad repeat in the N-terminal heptad repeat trimer was targeted for identification of small molecules that arrest EBOV-host membrane fusion. Two computational structure-based virtual screens of ∼1.7 M compounds were performed (DOCK program) against a GP2 five-helix bundle, resulting in 165 commercially available compounds purchased for experimental testing. Based on assessment of inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity, and target specificity, four promising candidates emerged with 50% inhibitory concentration values in the 3 to 26 μM range. Molecular dynamics simulations of the two most potent candidates in their DOCK-predicted binding poses indicate that the majority of favorable interactions involve seven highly conserved residues that can be used to guide further inhibitor development and refinement targeting EBOV.IMPORTANCE The most recent Ebola virus disease outbreak, from 2014 to 2016, resulted in approximately 28,000 individuals becoming infected, which led to over 12,000 causalities worldwide. The particularly high pathogenicity of the virus makes paramount the identification and development of promising lead compounds to serve as inhibitors of Ebola infection. To limit viral load, the virus-host membrane fusion event can be targeted through the inhibition of the class I fusion glycoprotein of Ebolavirus In the current work, several promising small-molecule inhibitors that target the glycoprotein GP2 were identified through systematic application of structure-based computational and experimental drug design procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney D Singleton
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Monica S Humby
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Hyun Ah Yi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Robert C Rizzo
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical & Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Amy Jacobs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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8
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Guo J, Collins S, Miller WT, Rizzo RC. Identification of a Water-Coordinating HER2 Inhibitor by Virtual Screening Using Similarity-Based Scoring. Biochemistry 2018; 57:4934-4951. [PMID: 29975516 PMCID: PMC6110523 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
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Human
epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a validated
breast cancer drug target for small molecule inhibitors that target
the ATP-binding pocket of the kinase domain. In this work, a large-scale
virtual screen was performed to a novel homology model of HER2, in
a hypothesized “fully active” state, that considered
water-mediated interactions during the prioritization of compounds
for experimental testing. This screen led to the identification of
a new inhibitor with micro molar affinity and potency (Kd = 7.0 μM, IC50 = 4.6 μM). Accompanying
molecular dynamics simulations showed that inhibitor binding likely
involves water coordination through an important water-mediated network
previously identified in our laboratory. The predicted binding geometry
also showed a remarkable overlap with the crystallographic poses for
two previously reported inhibitors of the related Chk1 kinase. Concurrent
with the HER2 studies, we developed formalized computational protocols
that leverage solvated footprints (per-residue interaction maps that
include bridging waters) to identify ligands that can “coordinate”
or “displace” key binding site waters. Proof-of-concept
screens targeting HIVPR and PARP1 demonstrate that molecules with
high footprint overlap can be effectively identified in terms of their
coordination or displacement patterns relative to a known reference.
Overall, the procedures developed as a result of this study should
be useful for researchers targeting HER2 and, more generally, for
any protein in which the identification of compounds that exploit
binding site waters is desirable.
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