Interaction of α-Thymidine Inhibitors with Thymidylate Kinase from Plasmodium falciparum

Targeting the Plasmodium falciparum’s Thymidylate Monophosphate Kinase for the Identification of Novel Antimalarial Natural Compounds

Recent reports of resistance to artemisinin-based combination drugs necessitate the need to discover novel antimalarial compounds. The present study was aimed at identifying novel antimalarial compounds from natural product libraries using computational methods. Plasmodium falciparum is highly dependent on the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, a de novo pathway responsible for the production of pyrimidines, and the parasite lacks the pyrimidine salvage enzymes. The P. falciparum thymidylate monophosphate kinase (PfTMPK) is an important protein necessary for rapid DNA replication; however, due to its broad substrate specificity, the protein is distinguished from its homologs, making it a suitable drug target. Compounds from AfroDB, a database of natural products originating from Africa, were screened virtually against PfTMPK after filtering the compounds for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET)-acceptable compounds with FAF-Drugs4. Thirteen hits with lower binding energies than thymidine monophosphate were selected after docking. Among the thirteen compounds, ZINC13374323 and ZINC13365918 with binding energies of −9.4 and −8.9 kcal/mol, respectively, were selected as plausible lead compounds because they exhibited structural properties that ensure proper binding at the active site and inhibitory effect against PfTMPK. ZINC13374323 (also called aurantiamide acetate) is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities, and ZINC13365918 exhibits antileishmanial activity. Furthermore, aurantiamide acetate, which is commercially available, is a constituent of Artemisia annua, the herb from which artemisinin was derived. The compound also shares interactions with several residues with a potent thymidine analog inhibitor of PfTMPK. The anti-plasmodial activity of aurantiamide acetate was evaluated in vitro, and the mean half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 69.33 μM when synchronized P. falciparum 3D7 culture was used as compared to IC50 > 100 μM with asynchronized culture. The significance of our findings within the context of malaria treatment strategies and challenges is discussed.

Conformational diversity defines substrate specificity of thymidylate/uridylate kinase from Candida albicans

Thymidylate kinase (TMK) from Candida albicans (CaTMK) contains a unique 15 residue insert, the CaLoop, that is not found on other TMKs. CaTMK is proficient at phosphorylating deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP), showing a rate 6-fold higher than TMP. It has been shown that deletion of the CaLoop reduces the activity towards dUMP by 19-fold, but has only a modest 4-fold decrease in activity towards TMP. The molecular dynamics calculations presented here show that the increased activity towards dUMP is due to an increase in flexibility and correlated motions of the protein that allows the enzyme-dUMP complex to more readily approach a catalytically competent state. Deletion of the CaLoop allows the dUMP-enzyme complex to adopt catalytically non-functional conformations. In contrast, TMP stabilizes the deletion such that it remains in a functional conformation that is similar to the conformation of the original enzyme.

Stabilization of Active Site Dynamics Leads to Increased Activity with 3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine Monophosphate for F105Y Mutant Human Thymidylate Kinase

Thymidylate kinases are essential enzymes with roles in DNA synthesis and repair and have been the target of drug development for antimalarials, antifungals, HIV treatment, and cancer therapeutics. Human thymidylate kinase (hTMPK) conversion of the anti-HIV prodrug 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT or zidovudine) monophosphate to diphosphate is the rate-limiting step in the activation of AZT. A point mutant (F105Y) has been previously reported with significantly increased activity for the monophosphate form of the drug [3'-azidothymidine-5'-monophosphate (AZTMP)]. Using solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, we show that while the wild-type (WT) and F105Y hTMPK adopt the same structure in solution, significant changes in dynamics may explain their different activities toward TMP and AZTMP. ¹³C spin-relaxation measurements show that there is little change in dynamics on the ps to ns time scale. In contrast, methyl ¹H relaxation dispersion shows that AZTMP alters adenosine nucleotide handling in the WT protein but not in the mutant. Additionally, the F105Y mutant has reduced conformational flexibility, leading to an increase in affinity for the product ADP and a slower rate of phosphorylation of TMP. The dynamics at the catalytic center for F105Y bound to AZTMP are tuned to the same frequency as WT bound to TMP, which may explain the mutant's catalytic efficiency toward the prodrug.

dGMP Binding to Thymidylate Kinase from Plasmodium falciparum Shows Half-Site Binding and Induces Protein Dynamics at the Dimer Interface

Plasmodium falciparum thymidylate kinase (PfTMK) is an essential enzyme for the growth of the organism because of its critical role in the de novo synthesis of deoxythymidine 5'-diphosphate (TDP), a precursor for TTP that is required for DNA replication and repair. The kinetics, thermodynamic parameters, and substrate binding properties of PfTMK for TMP, dGMP, ADP, and ATP were measured and characterized by steady-state kinetics and a combination of isothermal titration calorimetry, tryptophan fluorescence titration, and NMR. Mutational studies were performed to investigate residues that contribute to the unique ability of PfTMK to also utilize dGMP as a substrate. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed that dGMP binding exhibits a unique half-site binding mechanism. The occlusion of the empty site in the dGMP complex is supported by molecular mechanics calculations. Relaxation dispersion experiments show that the dGMP and enzyme complex is more dynamic at the dimer interface than the TMP complex on the μs-ms time scale. The unique properties of dGMP binding need to be considered in the design of guanosine-based PfTMK-specific inhibitors.

The structural basis of unique substrate recognition by Plasmodium thymidylate kinase: Molecular dynamics simulation and inhibitory studies

Plasmodium falciparum thymidylate kinase (PfTMK) showed structural and catalytic distinctions from the host enzyme rendering it a hopeful antiprotozoal drug target. Despite the comprehensive enzymologic, structural, inhibitory and chemical synthesis approaches targeting this enzyme, the elucidation of the exact mechanism underlying the recognition of the atypical purine substrates remains to be determined. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a broad range of substrates and inhibitors as well as the inhibitory properties of deoxyguanosine (dG) derivatives were used to assess the PfTMK substructure molecular rearrangements. The estimated changes during the favourable binding of high affinity substrate (TMP) include lower interaction with P-loop, free residue fluctuations of the lid domain and the average RMSD value. The RMSD of TMP complex was higher and more rapidly stabilized than the dGMP complex. The lid domain flexibility is severely affected by dGMP and β-thymidine derivatives, while being partially fluctuating with other thymidine derivatives. The TMK-purine (dGMP) complex was slowly and gradually stabilized with lower over all structure flexibility and residue fluctuations especially at the lid domain, which closes the active site during its catalytic state. Thymidine derivatives allow structure flexibility of the lid domain being highly fluctuating in α- and β-thymidine derivatives and TMP. dG derivatives remains less efficient than thymidine derivatives in inhibiting TMK. The variations in the structural dynamics of the P-loop and lid domain in response to TMP or dGMP might favour thymidine-based compounds. The provided MD simulation strategy can be used for predicating structural changes in PfTMK during lead optimization.