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Bairagya HR, Tasneem A, Sarmadhikari D. Structural and thermodynamic properties of conserved water molecules in Mpro native: A combined approach by MD simulation and Grid Inhomogeneous Solvation Theory. Proteins 2024; 92:735-749. [PMID: 38213131 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The new viral strains of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are continuously rising, becoming more virulent, and transmissible. Therefore, the development of new antiviral drugs is essential. Due to its significant role in the viral life cycle of SARS-CoV-2, the main protease (Mpro) enzyme is a leading target for antiviral drug design. The Mpro monomer consists of domain DI, DII, and DI-DII interface. Twenty-one conserved water molecules (W4-W24) are occupied at these domains according to multiple crystal structure analyses. The crystal and MD structures reveal the presence of eight conserved water sites in domain DI, DII and remaining in the DI-DII interface. Grid-based inhomogeneous fluid solvation theory (GIST) was employed on MD structures of Mpro native to predict structural and thermodynamic properties of each conserved water site for focusing to identify the specific conserved water molecules that can easily be displaced by proposed ligands. Finally, MD water W13 is emerged as a promising candidate for water mimic drug design due to its low mean interaction energy, loose binding character with the protein, and its involvement in a water-mediated H-bond with catalytic His41 via the interaction Thr25(OG)---W13---W---His41(NE2). In this context, water occupancy, relative interaction energy, entropy, and topologies of W13 are thermodynamically acceptable for the water displacement method. Therefore, the strategic use of W13's geometrical position in the DI domain may be implemented for drug discovery against COVID disease by designing new ligands with appropriately oriented chemical groups to mimic its structural, electronic, and thermodynamic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hridoy R Bairagya
- Computational Drug Design and Bio-molecular Simulation Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Haringhata, West Bengal, India
| | - Alvea Tasneem
- Mathematical and Computational Biology Laboratory, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Debapriyo Sarmadhikari
- Computational Drug Design and Bio-molecular Simulation Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Haringhata, West Bengal, India
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2
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Apostolidou D, Zhang P, Pandya D, Bock K, Liu Q, Yang W, Marszalek PE. Tandem repeats of highly bioluminescent NanoLuc are refolded noncanonically by the Hsp70 machinery. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4895. [PMID: 38284490 PMCID: PMC10804678 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4895] [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: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Chaperones are a large family of proteins crucial for maintaining cellular protein homeostasis. One such chaperone is the 70 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp70), which plays a crucial role in protein (re)folding, stability, functionality, and translocation. While the key events in the Hsp70 chaperone cycle are well established, a relatively small number of distinct substrates were repetitively investigated. This is despite Hsp70 engaging with a plethora of cellular proteins of various structural properties and folding pathways. Here we analyzed novel Hsp70 substrates, based on tandem repeats of NanoLuc (Nluc), a small and highly bioluminescent protein with unique structural characteristics. In previous mechanical unfolding and refolding studies, we have identified interesting misfolding propensities of these Nluc-based tandem repeats. In this study, we further investigate these properties through in vitro bulk experiments. Similar to monomeric Nluc, engineered Nluc dyads and triads proved to be highly bioluminescent. Using the bioluminescence signal as the proxy for their structural integrity, we determined that heat-denatured Nluc dyads and triads can be efficiently refolded by the E. coli Hsp70 chaperone system, which comprises DnaK, DnaJ, and GrpE. In contrast to previous studies with other substrates, we observed that Nluc repeats can be efficiently refolded by DnaK and DnaJ, even in the absence of GrpE co-chaperone. Taken together, our study offers a new powerful substrate for chaperone research and raises intriguing questions about the Hsp70 mechanisms, particularly in the context of structurally diverse proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra Apostolidou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials ScienceDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUnited States
| | - Pan Zhang
- Department of ChemistryDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUnited States
| | - Devanshi Pandya
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUnited States
| | - Kaden Bock
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUnited States
| | - Qinglian Liu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of MedicineVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVirginiaUnited States
| | - Weitao Yang
- Department of ChemistryDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUnited States
| | - Piotr E. Marszalek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials ScienceDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUnited States
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3
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Paciaroni A, Libera V, Ripanti F, Orecchini A, Petrillo C, Francisci D, Schiaroli E, Sabbatini S, Gidari A, Bianconi E, Macchiarulo A, Hussain R, Silvestrini L, Moretti P, Belhaj N, Vercelli M, Roque Y, Mariani P, Comez L, Spinozzi F. Stabilization of the Dimeric State of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease by GC376 and Nirmatrelvir. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076062. [PMID: 37047038 PMCID: PMC10093836 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro or 3CLpro) is an enzyme that is evolutionarily conserved among different genera of coronaviruses. As it is essential for processing and maturing viral polyproteins, Mpro has been identified as a promising target for the development of broad-spectrum drugs against coronaviruses. Like SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, the mature and active form of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro is a dimer composed of identical subunits, each with a single active site. Individual monomers, however, have very low or no catalytic activity. As such, inhibition of Mpro can be achieved by molecules that target the substrate binding pocket to block catalytic activity or target the dimerization process. In this study, we investigated GC376, a transition-state analog inhibitor of the main protease of feline infectious peritonitis coronavirus, and Nirmatrelvir (NMV), an oral, bioavailable SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor with pan-human coronavirus antiviral activity. Our results show that both GC376 and NMV are capable of strongly binding to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and altering the monomer-dimer equilibrium by stabilizing the dimeric state. This behavior is proposed to be related to a structured hydrogen-bond network established at the Mpro active site, where hydrogen bonds between Ser1' and Glu166/Phe140 are formed in addition to those achieved by the latter residues with GC376 or NMV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Paciaroni
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Valeria Libera
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
- Istituto Officina dei Materiali-IOM, National Research Council-CNR, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesca Ripanti
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Orecchini
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Caterina Petrillo
- Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Daniela Francisci
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Schiaroli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Samuele Sabbatini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Medical Microbiology Section, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Anna Gidari
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Elisa Bianconi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Antonio Macchiarulo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Rohanah Hussain
- Diamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Lucia Silvestrini
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Paolo Moretti
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Norhan Belhaj
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Matteo Vercelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Yessica Roque
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Paolo Mariani
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Lucia Comez
- Istituto Officina dei Materiali-IOM, National Research Council-CNR, Via Alessandro Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesco Spinozzi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
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Banerjee A, Gosavi S. Potential Self-Peptide Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:855-865. [PMID: 36689738 PMCID: PMC9883841 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) plays an essential role in viral replication, cleaving viral polyproteins into functional proteins. This makes Mpro an important drug target. Mpro consists of an N-terminal catalytic domain and a C-terminal α-helical domain (MproC). Previous studies have shown that peptides derived from a given protein sequence (self-peptides) can affect the folding and, in turn, the function of that protein. Since the SARS-CoV-1 MproC is known to stabilize its Mpro and regulate its function, we hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 MproC-derived self-peptides may modulate the folding and the function of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. To test this, we studied the folding of MproC in the presence of various self-peptides using coarse-grained structure-based models and molecular dynamics simulations. In these simulations of MproC and one self-peptide, we found that two self-peptides, the α1-helix and the loop between α4 and α5 (loop4), could replace the equivalent native sequences in the MproC structure. Replacement of either sequence in full-length Mpro should, in principle, be able to perturb Mpro function albeit through different mechanisms. Some general principles for the rational design of self-peptide inhibitors emerge: The simulations show that prefolded self-peptides are more likely to replace native sequences than those which do not possess structure. Additionally, the α1-helix self-peptide is kinetically stable and once inserted rarely exchanges with the native α1-helix, while the loop4 self-peptide is easily replaced by the native loop4, making it less useful for modulating function. In summary, a prefolded α1-derived peptide should be able to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mpro function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkadeep Banerjee
- Simons Centre for the Study
of Living Machines, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India
| | - Shachi Gosavi
- Simons Centre for the Study
of Living Machines, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India
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Lalwani Prakash D, Gosavi S. Understanding the Folding Mediated Assembly of the Bacteriophage MS2 Coat Protein Dimers. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:8722-8732. [PMID: 34339197 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The capsids of RNA viruses such as MS2 are great models for studying protein self-assembly because they are made almost entirely of multiple copies of a single coat protein (CP). Although CP is the minimal repeating unit of the capsid, previous studies have shown that CP exists as a homodimer (CP2) even in an acid-disassembled system, indicating that CP2 is an obligate dimer. Here, we investigate the molecular basis of this obligate dimerization using coarse-grained structure-based models and molecular dynamics simulations. We find that, unlike monomeric proteins of similar size, CP populates a single partially folded ensemble whose "foldedness" is sensitive to denaturing conditions. In contrast, CP2 folds similarly to single-domain proteins populating only the folded and the unfolded ensembles, separated by a prominent folding free energy barrier. Several intramonomer contacts form early, but the CP2 folding barrier is crossed only when the intermonomer contacts are made. A dissection of the structure of CP2 through mutant folding simulations shows that the folding barrier arises both from the topology of CP and the interface contacts of CP2. Together, our results show that CP2 is an obligate dimer because of kinetic stability, that is, dimerization induces a folding barrier and that makes it difficult for proteins in the dimer minimum to partially unfold and access the monomeric state without completely unfolding. We discuss the advantages of this obligate dimerization in the context of dimer design and virus stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Digvijay Lalwani Prakash
- Simons Centre for the Study of Living Machines, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India
| | - Shachi Gosavi
- Simons Centre for the Study of Living Machines, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India
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