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He X, Zhao L, Tian Y, Li R, Chu Q, Gu Z, Zheng M, Wang Y, Li S, Jiang H, Jiang Y, Wen L, Wang D, Cheng X. Highly accurate carbohydrate-binding site prediction with DeepGlycanSite. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5163. [PMID: 38886381 PMCID: PMC11183243 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49516-2] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
As the most abundant organic substances in nature, carbohydrates are essential for life. Understanding how carbohydrates regulate proteins in the physiological and pathological processes presents opportunities to address crucial biological problems and develop new therapeutics. However, the diversity and complexity of carbohydrates pose a challenge in experimentally identifying the sites where carbohydrates bind to and act on proteins. Here, we introduce a deep learning model, DeepGlycanSite, capable of accurately predicting carbohydrate-binding sites on a given protein structure. Incorporating geometric and evolutionary features of proteins into a deep equivariant graph neural network with the transformer architecture, DeepGlycanSite remarkably outperforms previous state-of-the-art methods and effectively predicts binding sites for diverse carbohydrates. Integrating with a mutagenesis study, DeepGlycanSite reveals the guanosine-5'-diphosphate-sugar-recognition site of an important G-protein coupled receptor. These findings demonstrate DeepGlycanSite is invaluable for carbohydrate-binding site prediction and could provide insights into molecular mechanisms underlying carbohydrate-regulation of therapeutically important proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lifen Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yinping Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qinyu Chu
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyong Gu
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mingyue Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yusong Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Hybrid Augmented Intelligence, National Engineering Research Center for Visual Information and Applications, and Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shaoning Li
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, China
| | - Liuqing Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | | | - Xi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Carbohydrate-Based Drug Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China.
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2
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Chen Q, Xu X, Xie S, Sheng A, Han N, Tian Z, Wang X, Li F, Linhardt RJ, Zhang F, Jin L, Zhang Q, Chi L. Improving impact of heparan sulfate on the endothelial glycocalyx abnormalities in atherosclerosis as revealed by glycan-protein interactome. Carbohydr Polym 2024; 330:121834. [PMID: 38368111 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121834] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Endothelial dysfunction induced by oxidative stress is an early predictor of atherosclerosis, which can cause various cardiovascular diseases. The glycocalyx layer on the endothelial cell surface acts as a barrier to maintain endothelial biological function, and it can be impaired by oxidative stress. However, the mechanism of glycocalyx damage during the development of atherosclerosis remains largely unclear. Herein, we established a novel strategy to address these issues from the glycomic perspective that has long been neglected. Using countercharged fluorescence protein staining and quantitative mass spectrometry, we found that heparan sulfate, a major component of the glycocalyx, was structurally altered by oxidative stress. Comparative proteomics and protein microarray analysis revealed several new heparan sulfate-binding proteins, among which alpha-2-Heremans-Schmid glycoprotein (AHSG) was identified as a critical protein. The molecular mechanism of AHSG with heparin was characterized through several methods. A heparan analog could relieve atherosclerosis by protecting heparan sulfate from degradation during oxidative stress and by reducing the accumulation of AHSG at lesion sites. In the present study, the molecular mechanism of anti-atherosclerotic effect of heparin through interaction with AHSG was revealed. These findings provide new insights into understanding of glycocalyx damage in atherosclerosis and lead to the development of corresponding therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Chen
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Xiaohui Xu
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Shaoshuai Xie
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Anran Sheng
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Naihan Han
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Zhenyu Tian
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China
| | - Fuchuan Li
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Robert J Linhardt
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, United States
| | - Fuming Zhang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, United States
| | - Lan Jin
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China.
| | - Qunye Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China.
| | - Lianli Chi
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China.
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3
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Mycroft-West CJ, Abdelkarim S, Duyvesteyn HME, Gandhi NS, Skidmore MA, Owens RJ, Wu L. Structural and mechanistic characterization of bifunctional heparan sulfate N-deacetylase-N-sulfotransferase 1. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1326. [PMID: 38351061 PMCID: PMC10864358 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45419-4] [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: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Heparan sulfate (HS) polysaccharides are major constituents of the extracellular matrix, which are involved in myriad structural and signaling processes. Mature HS polysaccharides contain complex, non-templated patterns of sulfation and epimerization, which mediate interactions with diverse protein partners. Complex HS modifications form around initial clusters of glucosamine-N-sulfate (GlcNS) on nascent polysaccharide chains, but the mechanistic basis underpinning incorporation of GlcNS itself into HS remains unclear. Here, we determine cryo-electron microscopy structures of human N-deacetylase-N-sulfotransferase (NDST)1, the bifunctional enzyme primarily responsible for initial GlcNS modification of HS. Our structures reveal the architecture of both NDST1 deacetylase and sulfotransferase catalytic domains, alongside a non-catalytic N-terminal domain. The two catalytic domains of NDST1 adopt a distinct back-to-back topology that limits direct cooperativity. Binding analyses, aided by activity-modulating nanobodies, suggest that anchoring of the substrate at the sulfotransferase domain initiates the NDST1 catalytic cycle, providing a plausible mechanism for cooperativity despite spatial domain separation. Our data shed light on key determinants of NDST1 activity, and describe tools to probe NDST1 function in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sahar Abdelkarim
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, OX11 0QX, Didcot, UK
| | - Helen M E Duyvesteyn
- Division of Structural Biology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, OX3 7BN, Oxford, UK
| | - Neha S Gandhi
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, Karnataka, India
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology, QLD 4000, Brisbane, Australia
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
| | - Mark A Skidmore
- Centre for Glycoscience Research and Training, Keele University, ST5 5BG, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, UK
| | - Raymond J Owens
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, OX11 0QX, Didcot, UK
- Division of Structural Biology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, OX3 7BN, Oxford, UK
| | - Liang Wu
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, OX11 0QX, Didcot, UK.
- Division of Structural Biology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, OX3 7BN, Oxford, UK.
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4
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Holmes SG, Desai UR. Assessing Genetic Algorithm-Based Docking Protocols for Prediction of Heparin Oligosaccharide Binding Geometries onto Proteins. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1633. [PMID: 38002315 PMCID: PMC10669598 DOI: 10.3390/biom13111633] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Although molecular docking has evolved dramatically over the years, its application to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has remained challenging because of their intrinsic flexibility, highly anionic character and rather ill-defined site of binding on proteins. GAGs have been treated as either fully "rigid" or fully "flexible" in molecular docking. We reasoned that an intermediate semi-rigid docking (SRD) protocol may be better for the recapitulation of native heparin/heparan sulfate (Hp/HS) topologies. Herein, we study 18 Hp/HS-protein co-complexes containing chains from disaccharide to decasaccharide using genetic algorithm-based docking with rigid, semi-rigid, and flexible docking protocols. Our work reveals that rigid and semi-rigid protocols recapitulate native poses for longer chains (5→10 mers) significantly better than the flexible protocol, while 2→4-mer poses are better predicted using the semi-rigid approach. More importantly, the semi-rigid docking protocol is likely to perform better when no crystal structure information is available. We also present a new parameter for parsing selective versus non-selective GAG-protein systems, which relies on two computational parameters including consistency of binding (i.e., RMSD) and docking score (i.e., GOLD Score). The new semi-rigid protocol in combination with the new computational parameter is expected to be particularly useful in high-throughput screening of GAG sequences for identifying promising druggable targets as well as drug-like Hp/HS sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G. Holmes
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Suite 212, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - Umesh R. Desai
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Suite 212, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
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5
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Zhu H, Chelysheva I, Cross DL, Blackwell L, Jin C, Gibani MM, Jones E, Hill J, Trück J, Kelly DF, Blohmke CJ, Pollard AJ, O’Connor D. Molecular correlates of vaccine-induced protection against typhoid fever. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e169676. [PMID: 37402153 PMCID: PMC10425215 DOI: 10.1172/jci169676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDTyphoid fever is caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and poses a substantial public health burden worldwide. Vaccines have been developed based on the surface Vi-capsular polysaccharide of S. Typhi; these include a plain-polysaccharide-based vaccine, ViPS, and a glycoconjugate vaccine, ViTT. To understand immune responses to these vaccines and their vaccine-induced immunological protection, molecular signatures were analyzed using bioinformatic approaches.METHODSBulk RNA-Seq data were generated from blood samples obtained from adult human volunteers enrolled in a vaccine trial, who were then challenged with S. Typhi in a controlled human infection model (CHIM). These data were used to conduct differential gene expression analyses, gene set and modular analyses, B cell repertoire analyses, and time-course analyses at various post-vaccination and post-challenge time points between participants receiving ViTT, ViPS, or a control meningococcal vaccine.RESULTSTranscriptomic responses revealed strong differential molecular signatures between the 2 typhoid vaccines, mostly driven by the upregulation in humoral immune signatures, including selective usage of immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) genes and more polarized clonal expansions. We describe several molecular correlates of protection against S. Typhi infection, including clusters of B cell receptor (BCR) clonotypes associated with protection, with known binders of Vi-polysaccharide among these.CONCLUSIONThe study reports a series of contemporary analyses that reveal the transcriptomic signatures after vaccination and infectious challenge, while identifying molecular correlates of protection that may inform future vaccine design and assessment.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02324751.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henderson Zhu
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Irina Chelysheva
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah L. Cross
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Blackwell
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Celina Jin
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Malick M. Gibani
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, St Mary’s Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Jones
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Hill
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes Trück
- Division of Immunology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominic F. Kelly
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph J. Blohmke
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Pollard
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel O’Connor
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
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6
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McElhany SJ, Summers TJ, Shiery RC, Cantu DC. Analysis of the First Ion Coordination Sphere: A Toolkit to Analyze the Coordination Sphere of Ions. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:2699-2706. [PMID: 37083437 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Rapid and accurate approaches to characterizing the coordination structure of an ion are important for designing ligands and quantifying structure-property trends. Here, we introduce AFICS (Analysis of the First Ion Coordination Sphere), a tool written in Python 3 for analyzing the structural and geometric features of the first coordination sphere of an ion over the course of molecular dynamics simulations. The principal feature of AFICS is its ability to quantify the distortion a coordination geometry undergoes compared to uniform polyhedra. This work applies the toolkit to analyze molecular dynamics simulations of the well-defined coordination structure of aqueous Cr3+ along with the more ambiguous structure of aqueous Eu3+ chelated to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The tool is targeted for analyzing ions with fluxional or irregular coordination structures (e.g., solution structures of f-block elements) but is generalized such that it may be applied to other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart J McElhany
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States
| | - Thomas J Summers
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States
| | - Richard C Shiery
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States
| | - David C Cantu
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States
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7
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Marcisz M, Samsonov SA. Solvent Model Benchmark for Molecular Dynamics of Glycosaminoglycans. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:2147-2157. [PMID: 36989082 PMCID: PMC10091405 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
In computational studies of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a group of anionic, periodic linear polysaccharides, so far there has been very little discussion about the role of solvent models in the molecular dynamics simulations of these molecules. Predominantly, the TIP3P water model is commonly used as one of the most popular explicit water models in general. However, there are numerous alternative explicit and implicit water models that are neglected in the computational research of GAGs. Since solvent-mediated interactions are particularly important for GAG dynamic and structural properties, it would be of great interest for the GAG community to establish the solvent model that is suited the best in terms of the quality of theoretically obtained GAG parameters and, at the same time, would be reasonably demanding in terms of computational resources required. In this study, heparin (HP) was simulated using five implicit and six explicit solvent models with the aim to find out how different solvent models influence HP's molecular descriptors in the molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we initiate the search for the most appropriate solvent representation for GAG systems and we hope to encourage other groups to contribute to this highly relevant subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and MUG, ul. Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Sergey A Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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8
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Griffin ME, Hsieh-Wilson LC. Tools for mammalian glycoscience research. Cell 2022; 185:2657-2677. [PMID: 35809571 PMCID: PMC9339253 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Cellular carbohydrates or glycans are critical mediators of biological function. Their remarkably diverse structures and varied activities present exciting opportunities for understanding many areas of biology. In this primer, we discuss key methods and recent breakthrough technologies for identifying, monitoring, and manipulating glycans in mammalian systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E. Griffin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Linda C. Hsieh-Wilson
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 92115, USA,Correspondence: (L.C.H.W.)
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9
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Abstract
Glycoscience assembles all the scientific disciplines involved in studying various molecules and macromolecules containing carbohydrates and complex glycans. Such an ensemble involves one of the most extensive sets of molecules in quantity and occurrence since they occur in all microorganisms and higher organisms. Once the compositions and sequences of these molecules are established, the determination of their three-dimensional structural and dynamical features is a step toward understanding the molecular basis underlying their properties and functions. The range of the relevant computational methods capable of addressing such issues is anchored by the specificity of stereoelectronic effects from quantum chemistry to mesoscale modeling throughout molecular dynamics and mechanics and coarse-grained and docking calculations. The Review leads the reader through the detailed presentations of the applications of computational modeling. The illustrations cover carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions, glycolipids, and N- and O-linked glycans, emphasizing their role in SARS-CoV-2. The presentation continues with the structure of polysaccharides in solution and solid-state and lipopolysaccharides in membranes. The full range of protein-carbohydrate interactions is presented, as exemplified by carbohydrate-active enzymes, transporters, lectins, antibodies, and glycosaminoglycan binding proteins. A final section features a list of 150 tools and databases to help address the many issues of structural glycobioinformatics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge Perez
- Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolecules Vegetales, University of Grenoble-Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Grenoble F-38041, France
| | - Olga Makshakova
- FRC Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Kazan 420111, Russia
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10
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Guimond S, Mycroft-West CJ, Gandhi NS, Tree JA, Le TT, Spalluto CM, Humbert MV, Buttigieg KR, Coombes N, Elmore MJ, Wand M, Nyström K, Said J, Setoh YX, Amarilla AA, Modhiran N, Sng JDJ, Chhabra M, Young PR, Rawle DJ, Lima MA, Yates EA, Karlsson R, Miller RL, Chen YH, Bagdonaite I, Yang Z, Stewart J, Nguyen D, Laidlaw S, Hammond E, Dredge K, Wilkinson TMA, Watterson D, Khromykh AA, Suhrbier A, Carroll MW, Trybala E, Bergström T, Ferro V, Skidmore MA, Turnbull JE. Synthetic Heparan Sulfate Mimetic Pixatimod (PG545) Potently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 by Disrupting the Spike-ACE2 Interaction. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:527-545. [PMID: 35647275 PMCID: PMC9136977 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c01293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Heparan sulfate (HS) is a cell surface polysaccharide recently identified as a coreceptor with the ACE2 protein for the S1 spike protein on SARS-CoV-2 virus, providing a tractable new therapeutic target. Clinically used heparins demonstrate an inhibitory activity but have an anticoagulant activity and are supply-limited, necessitating alternative solutions. Here, we show that synthetic HS mimetic pixatimod (PG545), a cancer drug candidate, binds and destabilizes the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain and directly inhibits its binding to ACE2, consistent with molecular modeling identification of multiple molecular contacts and overlapping pixatimod and ACE2 binding sites. Assays with multiple clinical isolates of SARS-CoV-2 virus show that pixatimod potently inhibits the infection of monkey Vero E6 cells and physiologically relevant human bronchial epithelial cells at safe therapeutic concentrations. Pixatimod also retained broad potency against variants of concern (VOC) including B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), B.1.617.2 (Delta), and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). Furthermore, in a K18-hACE2 mouse model, pixatimod significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 viral titers in the upper respiratory tract and virus-induced weight loss. This demonstration of potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity tolerant to emerging mutations establishes proof-of-concept for targeting the HS-Spike protein-ACE2 axis with synthetic HS mimetics and provides a strong rationale for clinical investigation of pixatimod as a potential multimodal therapeutic for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott
E. Guimond
- Centre
for Glycoscience, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Courtney J. Mycroft-West
- Centre
for Glycoscience, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Neha S. Gandhi
- School
of Chemistry and Physics, Centre for Genomics and Personalized Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
| | - Julia A. Tree
- National
Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4
0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Thuy T. Le
- QIMR
Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - C. Mirella Spalluto
- School
of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University
of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Maria V. Humbert
- School
of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University
of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Karen R. Buttigieg
- National
Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4
0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Naomi Coombes
- National
Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4
0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Elmore
- National
Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4
0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Wand
- National
Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4
0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Kristina Nyström
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10B, S-413 46 Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Joanna Said
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10B, S-413 46 Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Yin Xiang Setoh
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Alberto A. Amarilla
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Naphak Modhiran
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Julian D. J. Sng
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Mohit Chhabra
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Paul R. Young
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Daniel J. Rawle
- QIMR
Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Marcelo A. Lima
- Centre
for Glycoscience, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Edwin A. Yates
- Department
of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular
and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Karlsson
- Copenhagen
Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Rebecca L. Miller
- Copenhagen
Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Yen-Hsi Chen
- Copenhagen
Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Ieva Bagdonaite
- Copenhagen
Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Zhang Yang
- Copenhagen
Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - James Stewart
- Department
of Infection Biology & Microbiomes, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Dung Nguyen
- Wellcome
Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN, United
Kingdom
| | - Stephen Laidlaw
- Wellcome
Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN, United
Kingdom
| | - Edward Hammond
- Zucero Therapeutics Ltd, 1 Westlink Court, Brisbane, Queensland 4076, Australia
| | - Keith Dredge
- Zucero Therapeutics Ltd, 1 Westlink Court, Brisbane, Queensland 4076, Australia
| | - Tom M. A. Wilkinson
- School
of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University
of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- NIHR
Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Watterson
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Alexander A. Khromykh
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Andreas Suhrbier
- QIMR
Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Miles W. Carroll
- National
Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4
0JG, United Kingdom
- Wellcome
Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN, United
Kingdom
| | - Edward Trybala
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10B, S-413 46 Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Tomas Bergström
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10B, S-413 46 Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Vito Ferro
- School
of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, GVN
Center of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland 4072/4079, Australia
| | - Mark A. Skidmore
- Centre
for Glycoscience, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy E. Turnbull
- Centre
for Glycoscience, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
- Department
of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular
and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
- Copenhagen
Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
- ;
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11
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Modeling glycosaminoglycan–protein complexes. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 73:102332. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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12
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Chhabra M, Wilson JC, Wu L, Davies GJ, Gandhi NS, Ferro V. Structural Insights into Pixatimod (PG545) Inhibition of Heparanase, a Key Enzyme in Cancer and Viral Infections. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202104222. [PMID: 34981584 PMCID: PMC9303737 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202104222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Pixatimod (PG545), a heparan sulfate (HS) mimetic and anticancer agent currently in clinical trials, is a potent inhibitor of heparanase. Heparanase is an endo‐β‐glucuronidase that degrades HS in the extracellular matrix and basement membranes and is implicated in numerous pathological processes such as cancer and viral infections, including SARS−CoV‐2. To understand how PG545 interacts with heparanase, we firstly carried out a conformational analysis through a combination of NMR experiments and molecular modelling which showed that the reducing end β‐D‐glucose residue of PG545 adopts a distorted conformation. This was followed by docking and molecular dynamics simulations to study the interactions of PG545 with heparanase, revealing that PG545 is able to block the active site by binding in different conformations, with the cholestanol side‐chain making important hydrophobic interactions. While PG545 blocks its natural substrate HS from binding to the active site, small synthetic heparanase substrates are only partially excluded, and thus pentasaccharide or larger substrates are preferred for assaying this class of inhibitor. This study provides new insights for the design of next‐generation heparanase inhibitors and substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohit Chhabra
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Jennifer C Wilson
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Griffith University Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, Australia
| | - Liang Wu
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0FA, UK.,Department of Chemistry, University of York Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Gideon J Davies
- Department of Chemistry, University of York Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Neha S Gandhi
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George St, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Vito Ferro
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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13
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Systemic Lectin-Glycan Interaction of Pathogenic Enteric Bacteria in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031451. [PMID: 35163392 PMCID: PMC8835900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and host cells, such as plants and animals, have carbohydrate chains and lectins that reciprocally recognize one another. In hosts, the defense system is activated upon non-self-pattern recognition of microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns. These are present in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Glycan-based PAMPs are bound to a class of lectins that are widely distributed among eukaryotes. The first step of bacterial infection in humans is the adhesion of the pathogen's lectin-like proteins to the outer membrane surfaces of host cells, which are composed of glycans. Microbes and hosts binding to each other specifically is of critical importance. The adhesion factors used between pathogens and hosts remain unknown; therefore, research is needed to identify these factors to prevent intestinal infection or treat it in its early stages. This review aims to present a vision for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases by identifying the role of the host glycans in the immune response against pathogenic intestinal bacteria through studies on the lectin-glycan interaction.
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14
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Marcisz M, Zacharias M, Samsonov SA. Modeling Protein-Glycosaminoglycan Complexes: Does the Size Matter? J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4475-4485. [PMID: 34494837 PMCID: PMC8479808 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
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Docking glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has been challenging because
of the complex nature of these long periodic linear and negatively
charged polysaccharides. Although standard docking tools like Autodock3
are successful when docking GAGs up to hexameric length, they experience
challenges to properly dock longer GAGs. Similar limitations concern
other docking approaches typically developed for docking ligands of
limited size to proteins. At the same time, most of more advanced
docking approaches are challenging for a user who is inexperienced
with complex in silico methodologies. In this work,
we evaluate the binding energies of complexes with different lengths
of GAGs using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Based on this
analysis, we propose a new docking protocol for long GAGs that consists
of conventional docking of short GAGs and further elongation with
the use of a coarse-grained representation of the GAG parts not being
in direct contact with its protein receptor. This method automated
by a simple script is straightforward to use within the Autodock3
framework but also useful in combination with other standard docking
tools. We believe that this method with some minor case-specific modifications
could also be used for docking other linear charged polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Marcisz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland.,Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and MUG, ul. Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Sergey A Samsonov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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15
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Chhabra M, Doherty GG, See NW, Gandhi NS, Ferro V. From Cancer to COVID-19: A Perspective on Targeting Heparan Sulfate-Protein Interactions. CHEM REC 2021; 21:3087-3101. [PMID: 34145723 PMCID: PMC8441866 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202100125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Heparan sulfate (HS) is a complex, polyanionic polysaccharide ubiquitously expressed on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix. HS interacts with numerous proteins to mediate a vast array of biological and pathological processes. Inhibition of HS‐protein interactions is thus an attractive approach for new therapeutic development for cancer and infectious diseases, including COVID‐19; however, synthesis of well‐defined native HS oligosaccharides remains challenging. This has aroused significant interest in the development of HS mimetics which are more synthetically tractable and have fewer side effects, such as undesired anticoagulant activity. This account provides a perspective on the design and synthesis of different classes of HS mimetics with useful properties, and the development of various assays and molecular modelling tools to progress our understanding of their interactions with HS‐binding proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohit Chhabra
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Gareth G Doherty
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nicholas W See
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Neha S Gandhi
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology, 4000, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Vito Ferro
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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16
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A Bittersweet Computational Journey among Glycosaminoglycans. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11050739. [PMID: 34063530 PMCID: PMC8156566 DOI: 10.3390/biom11050739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear polysaccharides. In proteoglycans (PGs), they are attached to a core protein. GAGs and PGs can be found as free molecules, associated with the extracellular matrix or expressed on the cell membrane. They play a role in the regulation of a wide array of physiological and pathological processes by binding to different proteins, thus modulating their structure and function, and their concentration and availability in the microenvironment. Unfortunately, the enormous structural diversity of GAGs/PGs has hampered the development of dedicated analytical technologies and experimental models. Similarly, computational approaches (in particular, molecular modeling, docking and dynamics simulations) have not been fully exploited in glycobiology, despite their potential to demystify the complexity of GAGs/PGs at a structural and functional level. Here, we review the state-of-the art of computational approaches to studying GAGs/PGs with the aim of pointing out the “bitter” and “sweet” aspects of this field of research. Furthermore, we attempt to bridge the gap between bioinformatics and glycobiology, which have so far been kept apart by conceptual and technical differences. For this purpose, we provide computational scientists and glycobiologists with the fundamentals of these two fields of research, with the aim of creating opportunities for their combined exploitation, and thereby contributing to a substantial improvement in scientific knowledge.
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17
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Schuurs ZP, Hammond E, Elli S, Rudd TR, Mycroft-West CJ, Lima MA, Skidmore MA, Karlsson R, Chen YH, Bagdonaite I, Yang Z, Ahmed YA, Richard DJ, Turnbull J, Ferro V, Coombe DR, Gandhi NS. Evidence of a putative glycosaminoglycan binding site on the glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 spike protein N-terminal domain. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:2806-2818. [PMID: 33968333 PMCID: PMC8093007 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread throughout the world's population since its initial discovery in 2019. The virus infects cells via a glycosylated spike protein located on its surface. The protein primarily binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor, using glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) as co-receptors. Here, we performed bioinformatics and molecular dynamics simulations of the spike protein to investigate the existence of additional GAG binding sites on the receptor-binding domain (RBD), separate from previously reported heparin-binding sites. A putative GAG binding site in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the protein was identified, encompassing residues 245-246. We hypothesized that GAGs of a sufficient length might bridge the gap between this site and the PRRARS furin cleavage site, including the mutation S247R. Docking studies using GlycoTorch Vina and subsequent MD simulations of the spike trimer in the presence of dodecasaccharides of the GAGs heparin and heparan sulfate supported this possibility. The heparan sulfate chain bridged the gap, binding the furin cleavage site and S247R. In contrast, the heparin chain bound the furin cleavage site and surrounding glycosylation structures, but not S247R. These findings identify a site in the spike protein that favors heparan sulfate binding that may be particularly pertinent for a better understanding of the recent UK and South African strains. This will also assist in future targeted therapy programs that could include repurposing clinical heparan sulfate mimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachariah P. Schuurs
- QUT, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Cancer and Ageing Research Program, School of Chemistry and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Edward Hammond
- Zucero Therapeutics Ltd, 1 Westlink Court, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Stefano Elli
- Istituto di Ricerche Chimiche e Biochimiche “G.Ronzoni”, via Giuseppe Colombo 81, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Timothy R. Rudd
- National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Analytical and Biological Sciences Division, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, UK
| | - Courtney J. Mycroft-West
- Molecular & Structural Biosciences, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Marcelo A. Lima
- Molecular & Structural Biosciences, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Mark A. Skidmore
- Molecular & Structural Biosciences, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Richard Karlsson
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Yen-Hsi Chen
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Ieva Bagdonaite
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Zhang Yang
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Yassir A. Ahmed
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Derek J. Richard
- QUT, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Cancer & Ageing Research Program, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at the Translational Research Institute (TRI), 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jeremy Turnbull
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Vito Ferro
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Deirdre R. Coombe
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Neha S. Gandhi
- QUT, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Cancer and Ageing Research Program, School of Chemistry and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
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