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Bera A, Mukherjee S, Patra N. Exploring transmembrane allostery in the MexB: DB08385 variant as a promising inhibitor-like candidate against Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibiotic resistance: a computational study. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:17011-17027. [PMID: 38835320 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp01620c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a formidable pathogen renowned for its antimicrobial resistance, poses a significant threat to immunocompromised individuals. In this regard, the MexAB-OprM efflux pump acts as a pivotal line of defense by extruding antimicrobials from bacterial cells. The inner membrane homotrimeric protein MexB captures antibiotics and translocates them into the outer membrane OprM channel protein connected through the MexA adaptor protein. Despite extensive efforts, competitive inhibitors targeting the tight (T) protomer of the MexB protein have not received FDA approval for medical use. Over the past few years, allosteric inhibitors have become popular as alternatives to the classical competitive inhibitor-based approach because of their higher specificity, lower dosage, and reduced toxicological effects. Hence, in this study, we unveiled the existence of a transmembrane allosteric binding pocket of MexB inspired by the recent discovery of an important allosteric inhibitor, BDM88855, for the homolog AcrB protein. While repurposing BDM88855 proved ineffective in controlling the MexB loose (L) protomer, our investigation identified a promising alternative: a chlorine-containing variant of DB08385 (2-Cl DB08385 or Variant 1). Molecular dynamics simulations, including binding free energy estimation coupled with heterogeneous dielectric implicit membrane model (implicit-membrane MM/PBSA), interaction entropy (IE) analysis and potential of mean force (PMF) calculation, demonstrated Variant 1's superior binding affinity to the transmembrane pocket, displaying the highest energy barrier in the ligand unbinding process. To elucidate the allosteric crosstalk between the transmembrane and porter domain of MexB, we employed the 'eigenvector centrality' measure in the linear mutual information obtained from the protein correlation network. Notably, this study confirmed the presence of an allosteric transmembrane site in the MexB L protomer. In addition to this, Variant 1 emerged as a potent regulator of allosteric crosstalk, inducing an 'O-L intermediate state' in the MexB L protomer. This induced state might hold the potential to diminish substrate intake into the access pocket, leading to the ineffective efflux of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Bera
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad, Dhanbad-826004, India.
| | - Shreya Mukherjee
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad, Dhanbad-826004, India.
| | - Niladri Patra
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad, Dhanbad-826004, India.
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2
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Gao CY, Yang GY, Ding XW, Xu JH, Cheng X, Zheng GW, Chen Q. Engineering of Halide Methyltransferase BxHMT through Dynamic Cross-Correlation Network Analysis. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202401235. [PMID: 38623716 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202401235] [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: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Halide methyltransferases (HMTs) provide an effective way to regenerate S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) from S-adenosyl homocysteine and reactive electrophiles, such as methyl iodide (MeI) and methyl toluene sulfonate (MeOTs). As compared with MeI, the cost-effective unnatural substrate MeOTs can be accessed directly from cheap and abundant alcohols, but shows only limited reactivity in SAM production. In this study, we developed a dynamic cross-correlation network analysis (DCCNA) strategy for quickly identifying hot spots influencing the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme, and applied it to the evolution of HMT from Paraburkholderia xenovorans. Finally, the optimal mutant, M4 (V55T/C125S/L127T/L129P), exhibited remarkable improvement, with a specific activity of 4.08 U/mg towards MeOTs, representing an 82-fold increase as compared to the wild-type (WT) enzyme. Notably, M4 also demonstrated a positive impact on the catalytic ability with other methyl donors. The structural mechanism behind the enhanced enzyme activity was uncovered by molecular dynamics simulations. Our work not only contributes a promising biocatalyst for the regeneration of SAM, but also offers a strategy for efficient enzyme engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Yu Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Gui-Ying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Xu-Wei Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Jian-He Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Xiaolin Cheng
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - Gao-Wei Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Qi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
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3
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Gampp O, Kadavath H, Riek R. NMR tools to detect protein allostery. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 86:102792. [PMID: 38428364 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Allostery is a fundamental mechanism of cellular homeostasis by intra-protein communication between distinct functional sites. It is an internal process of proteins to steer interactions not only with each other but also with other biomolecules such as ligands, lipids, and nucleic acids. In addition, allosteric regulation is particularly important in enzymatic activities. A major challenge in structural and molecular biology today is unraveling allosteric sites in proteins, to elucidate the detailed mechanism of allostery and the development of allosteric drugs. Here we summarize the recently developed tools and approaches which enable the elucidation of regulatory hotspots and correlated motion in biomolecules, focusing primarily on solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). These tools open an avenue towards a rational understanding of the mechanism of allostery and provide essential information for the design of allosteric drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Gampp
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Harindranath Kadavath
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, 38105 Memphis, Tennessee, USA. https://twitter.com/harijik
| | - Roland Riek
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
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4
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Nayana P, Gollapalli P, Manjunatha H. Investigating the structural basis of piperine targeting AKT1 against prostate cancer through in vitro and molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38529821 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2331096] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
AkT1, significantly impacts many tumours cell functions, like transcription, apoptosis, glucose metabolism, cell proliferation, and cell migration. For tumours to develop and spread, aberrant activation of AKT1 is essential. Therefore, a major focus of molecularly targeted PCa treatment is AKT1. The present study investigates the effect of piperine compared to SDF using in-vitro studies, viz colony formation assay, comet assay and AKT1 gene expression studies using human PCa cell line PC3. A cluster of approximately at least 50 cells constitutes a colony. The clonogenic assay showed that the number and size of colonies significantly decreased when treated with compounds (SDF and piperine) in comparison to the untreated cells which effectively proliferated to form more colonies. Piperine treatment showed significant inhibition of colony formation than SDF. Effective genotoxicity was observed in piperine-treated PC3 cells with an increased Tail length of 120 µm and it was moderately observed in SDF with a Tail length of 30 µm treated on PC3 cells. The control group did not show any considerable genotoxicity with a Tail length of 6 µm. Our data, both in vitro and in silico, suggested that piperine would be a good starting point for developing novel drugs for the treatment of PCa. The downstream functions of Akt1 may be inhibited by these effects, which could impede the proliferation of PCa cells. High stability of the piperine-AKT1 complex was found by the MD simulation. Higher hydrophilic residues like Lys268 and Ser205 at the active pocket may be the cause of the binding stability. Overall, the observed results confirmed the anti-PCa effect of piperine by causing effective DNA damage and proved to be genotoxic in nature against the human PCa. These effects may impede the downstream activities of Akt1 and result in PCa cell growth regression.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash Nayana
- Department of PG Studies and Research in Biotechnology, Kuvempu University, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
| | - Pavan Gollapalli
- Center for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
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5
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Bao Y, Jia F, Li M, Xu R, Xie Y, Zhang F, Guo J. Characterizing the Molecular Mechanism of the Lethal C423D Mutation in FgMyoI: A Molecular Perspective. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:1539-1549. [PMID: 38226494 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c08648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The lethal mutation C423D in Fusarium graminearum myosin I (FgMyoI) occurs close to the binding pocket of the allosteric inhibitor phenamacril and causes severe inhibition on mycelial growth of F. graminearum strain PH-1. Here, based on extensive Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics simulations and wet experiments, we elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of the abnormal functioning of the FgMyoIC423D mutant at the atomistic level. Our results suggest that the damaging mutation C423D exhibits a synergistic allosteric inhibition mechanism similar to but more robust than that of phenamacril, including effects on the active site and actin binding. Unlike phenamacril-induced closure of Switch2, the mutation results in unfolding of the N-terminal relay helix with a partially opened Switch2 and blocks the structural rearrangement of the relay/SH1 helices, impairing the proper initiation of the recovery stroke. Due to the significant influence of C423D mutation on the function of FgMyoI, designing covalent inhibitors targeting this site holds tremendous potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqiong Bao
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Fangying Jia
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Mengrong Li
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Ran Xu
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence Driven Drug Discovery, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao 999078, China
| | - Yanjie Xie
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jingjing Guo
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence Driven Drug Discovery, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao 999078, China
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6
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Raevsky A, Kovalenko O, Bulgakov E, Sharifi M, Volochnyuk D, Tukalo M. Developing a comprehensive solution aimed to disrupt LARS1/RagD protein-protein interaction. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:747-758. [PMID: 36995308 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2194996] [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: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are crucial enzymes involved in protein synthesis and various cellular physiological reactions. Aside from their standard role in linking amino acids to the corresponding tRNAs, they also impact protein homeostasis by controlling the level of soluble amino acids within the cell. For instance, leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LARS1) acts as a leucine sensor for the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), and may also function as a probable GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for the RagD subunit of the heteromeric activator of mTORC1. In turn, mTORC1 regulates cellular processes, such as protein synthesis, autophagy, and cell growth, and is implicated in various human diseases including cancer, obesity, diabetes, and neurodegeneration. Hence, inhibitors of mTORC1 or a deregulated mTORC1 pathway may offer potential cancer therapies. In this study, we investigated the structural requirements for preventing the sensing and signal transmission from LARS to mTORC1. Building upon recent studies on mTORC1 regulation activation by leucine, we lay the foundation for the development of chemotherapeutic agents against mTORC1 that can overcome resistance to rapamycin. Using a combination of in-silico approaches to develop and validate an alternative interaction model, discussing its benefits and advancements. Finally, we identified a set of compounds ready for testing to prevent LARS1/RagD protein-protein interactions. We establish a basis for creating chemotherapeutic drugs targeting mTORC1, which can conquer resistance to rapamycin. We utilize in-silico methods to generate and confirm an alternative interaction model, outlining its advantages and improvements, and pinpoint a group of novel substances that can prevent LARS1/RagD interactions.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Raevsky
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Institute of Food Biotechnology and Genomics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Enamine Ltd, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Oksana Kovalenko
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Elijah Bulgakov
- Institute of Food Biotechnology and Genomics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Dmityi Volochnyuk
- Enamine Ltd, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Institute of High Technologies, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Michael Tukalo
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
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7
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Mack AH, Menzies G, Southgate A, Jones DD, Connor TR. A Proofreading Mutation with an Allosteric Effect Allows a Cluster of SARS-CoV-2 Viruses to Rapidly Evolve. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad209. [PMID: 37738143 PMCID: PMC10553922 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus is error prone, with errors being corrected by the exonuclease (NSP14) proofreading mechanism. However, the mutagenesis and subsequent evolutionary trajectory of the virus is mediated by the delicate interplay of replicase fidelity and environmental pressures. Here, we have shown that a single, distal mutation (F60S) in NSP14 can have a profound impact upon proofreading with an increased accumulation of mutations and elevated evolutionary rate being observed. Understanding the implications of these changes is crucial, as these underlying mutational processes may have important implications for understanding the population-wide evolution of the virus. This study underscores the urgent need for continued research into the replicative mechanisms of this virus to combat its continued impact on global health, through the re-emergence of immuno-evasive variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Mack
- Molecular Biosciences Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK
| | - Georgina Menzies
- Molecular Biosciences Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK
| | - Alex Southgate
- Molecular Biosciences Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK
| | - D Dafydd Jones
- Molecular Biosciences Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK
| | - Thomas R Connor
- Molecular Biosciences Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK
- Pathogen Genomics Unit, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, Cardiff, UK
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8
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Yang J, Zhang X, Sun Q, Li R, Wang X, Zhao G, He X, Zheng F. Modulation of the catalytic activity and thermostability of a thermostable GH7 endoglucanase by engineering the key loop B3. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 248:125945. [PMID: 37482151 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125945] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
The loop B3 of glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7) endoglucanases is confined into long and short types. TtCel7 is a thermophilic GH7 endoglucanase from Thermothelomyces thermophilus ATCC 42464 with a long loop B3. TtCel7 was distinct for the excellent thermostability (>30 % residual activity after 1-h incubation at 90 °C). The catalytic efficiency was reduced by removing the disulfide bond in loop B3 (C220A) and truncated the loop B3 (B3cut). However, B3cut exhibited improved thermostability, the remaining enzyme activity increased by 39 %-171 % compared toTtCel7 when treated at 70-90 °C for 1-h. Based on the analysis of molecular dynamics simulation, both loops B1 and A3 of B3cut swing toward the catalytic center, which contributed to the reduced cleft-space and increased structure-rigidity. Conversely, the deletion of disulfide bond resulted in a reduction of structural rigidity in C220A. Through structure-directed enzyme modulation, this study has identified two structural elements that are related to the catalysis and thermostability of TtCel7. The loop B3 of TtCel7 possibly stretches the catalytic pocket, thereby increases the openness of the catalytic tunnel and enhancing flexibility for efficient catalysis. Additionally, the disulfide bond within loop B3 serves to enhance structural stability and maintain a heightened level of activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junzhao Yang
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xinrui Zhang
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Qingyang Sun
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Ruilin Li
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Druggability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Guozhu Zhao
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiangwei He
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Fei Zheng
- College of Biological Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
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Maschietto F, Allen B, Kyro GW, Batista VS. MDiGest: A Python package for describing allostery from molecular dynamics simulations. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:215103. [PMID: 37272574 PMCID: PMC10769569 DOI: 10.1063/5.0140453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many biological processes are regulated by allosteric mechanisms that communicate with distant sites in the protein responsible for functionality. The binding of a small molecule at an allosteric site typically induces conformational changes that propagate through the protein along allosteric pathways regulating enzymatic activity. Elucidating those communication pathways from allosteric sites to orthosteric sites is, therefore, essential to gain insights into biochemical processes. Targeting the allosteric pathways by mutagenesis can allow the engineering of proteins with desired functions. Furthermore, binding small molecule modulators along the allosteric pathways is a viable approach to target reactions using allosteric inhibitors/activators with temporal and spatial selectivity. Methods based on network theory can elucidate protein communication networks through the analysis of pairwise correlations observed in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using molecular descriptors that serve as proxies for allosteric information. Typically, single atomic descriptors such as α-carbon displacements are used as proxies for allosteric information. Therefore, allosteric networks are based on correlations revealed by that descriptor. Here, we introduce a Python software package that provides a comprehensive toolkit for studying allostery from MD simulations of biochemical systems. MDiGest offers the ability to describe protein dynamics by combining different approaches, such as correlations of atomic displacements or dihedral angles, as well as a novel approach based on the correlation of Kabsch-Sander electrostatic couplings. MDiGest allows for comparisons of networks and community structures that capture physical information relevant to allostery. Multiple complementary tools for studying essential dynamics include principal component analysis, root mean square fluctuation, as well as secondary structure-based analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Maschietto
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 225 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Brandon Allen
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 225 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Gregory W. Kyro
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 225 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Victor S. Batista
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 225 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
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10
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Wang Q, Liu S, Li K, Xing R, Chen X, Li P. A Computational Biology Study on the Structure and Dynamics Determinants of Thermal Stability of the Chitosanase from Aspergillus fumigatus. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076671. [PMID: 37047643 PMCID: PMC10095384 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmentally friendly and efficient biodegradation with chitosanase for degrading chitosan to oligosaccharide has been gaining more importance. Here, we studied a chitosanase from Aspergillus fumigatus with potential for production, but does not have the ideal thermal stability. The structure predicted by the Alphafold2 model, especially the binding site and two catalytic residues, has been found to have a high similarity with the experimental structure of the chitosanase V-CSN from the same family. The effects of temperature on structure and function were studied by dynamic simulation and the results showed that the binding site had high flexibility. After heating up from 300 K to 350 K, the RMSD and RMSF of the binding site increased significantly, in particular, the downward shift of loop6 closed the binding site, resulting in the spatial hindrance of binding. The time proportions of important hydrogen bonds at the binding site decreased sharply, indicating that serious disruption of hydrogen bonds should be the main interaction factor for conformational changes. The residues contributing energetically to binding were also revealed to be in the highly flexible region, which inevitably leads to the decrease in the activity stability at high temperature. These findings provide directions for the modification of thermal stability and perspectives on the research of proteins without experimental structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Song Liu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Kecheng Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Ronge Xing
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Pengcheng Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
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11
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Insight into free energy and dynamic cross-correlations of residue for binding affinity of antibody and receptor binding domain SARS-CoV-2. Heliyon 2023; 9:e12667. [PMID: 36618128 PMCID: PMC9809146 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve and mutate causing most of the mutated variants resist to many of the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Despite several mAbs retained neutralizing capability for Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, reduction in neutralization potency was reported. Hence, effort of searching for mAb that is broader in neutralization breadth without losing the neutralizing ability is continued. MW06 was reported with capability in neutralizing most of the variants of concern (VOC) and it binds to the conserved region (left flank) near epitope mAb sotrovimab (S309). In this study, binding affinity of mAb MW06 and its cocktail formulation with MW05 for receptor binding domain (RBD) SARS-CoV-2 virus was investigated under molecular dynamics simulations (MDs). Binding free energies computed by Molecular Mechanics Generalised Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA) algorithm predicted the binding affinity of MW06 for RBD BA.1 (-53 kcal/mol) as strong as RBD wildtype (-58 kcal/mol) while deterioration was observed for RBD BA.2 (-43 kcal/mol). Alike S309 and MW06, simulated cocktail mAb (MW05 and MW06)-RBD interactions suggested the neutralizing capability of the cocktail formulation for RBD BA.1 and BA.2 reduced. Meanwhile, residue pairs that favour the communication between the mAb and RBD have been identified by decomposing the free energy per pairwise residue basis. Apart from understanding the effects of mutation occurred in the RBD region on human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) binding, impact of heavily mutated RBD on mAb-RBD interactions was investigated in this study as well. In addition to energetic profile obtained from MDs, plotting the dynamics cross-correlation map of the mAb-RBD complex under elastic network model (ENM) was aimed to understand the cross-correlations between residue fluctuations. It allows simple and rapid analysis on the motions or dynamics of the protein residues of mAbs and RBD in complex. Protein residues having correlated motions are normally part of the structural domains of the protein and their respective motions and protein function are related. Motion of mutated RBD residues and mAb residues was less correlated while their respective interactions energy computed to be higher. The combined techniques of MDs and ENM offered simplicity in understanding dynamics and energy contribution that explain binding affinity of mAb-RBD complexes.
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12
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Yang T, Han L, Huo S. Dynamics and Allosteric Information Pathways of Unphosphorylated c-Cbl. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6148-6159. [PMID: 36442893 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human c-Cbl is a RING-type ligase and plays a central role in the protein degradation cascade. To elucidate its conformational changes related to substrate binding, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of different variants/states of c-Cbl for a cumulative time of 68 μs. Our simulations demonstrate that before the substrate binds, the RING domain samples a broad set of conformational states at a biologically relevant salt concentration, including the closed, partially open, and fully open states, whereas substrate binding leads to a restricted conformational sampling. Phe378 and the C-terminal region play an essential role in stabilizing the partially open state. To visualize the allosteric signal transmission pathways from the substrate-binding site to the 40 Å apart RING domain and identify the critical residues for allostery, we have created a subgraph from the optimal and suboptimal paths. Redundant paths are seen in the SH2 domain where the substrate binds, while the major bottlenecks are found at the junction between the SH2 domain and the linker helix region as well as that between the SH2 domain and the 4H bundle. These bottlenecks separate the paths into two overall routes. The nodes/residues at the bottlenecks on the subgraph are considered allosteric hot spots. This subgraph approach provides a general tool for network visualization and determination of critical residues for allostery. The structurally and allosterically critical residues identified in our work are testable and would provide valuable insights into the emerging strategies for drug discovery, such as targeted protein degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Yang
- Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Li Han
- Department of Computer Science, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Shuanghong Huo
- Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
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Periwal N, Rathod SB, Sarma S, Johar GS, Jain A, Barnwal RP, Srivastava KR, Kaur B, Arora P, Sood V. Time Series Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes and Correlations among Highly Prevalent Mutations. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0121922. [PMID: 36069583 PMCID: PMC9603882 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01219-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The efforts of the scientific community to tame the recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seem to have been diluted by the emergence of new viral strains. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the effect of mutations on viral evolution. We performed a time series analysis on 59,541 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from around the world to gain insights into the kinetics of the mutations arising in the viral genomes. These 59,541 genomes were grouped according to month (January 2020 to March 2021) based on the collection date. Meta-analysis of these data led us to identify significant mutations in viral genomes. Pearson correlation of these mutations led us to the identification of 16 comutations. Among these comutations, some of the individual mutations have been shown to contribute to viral replication and fitness, suggesting a possible role of other unexplored mutations in viral evolution. We observed that the mutations 241C>T in the 5' untranslated region (UTR), 3037C>T in nsp3, 14408C>T in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and 23403A>G in spike are correlated with each other and were grouped in a single cluster by hierarchical clustering. These mutations have replaced the wild-type nucleotides in SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Additionally, we employed a suite of computational tools to investigate the effects of T85I (1059C>T), P323L (14408C>T), and Q57H (25563G>T) mutations in nsp2, RdRp, and the ORF3a protein of SARS-CoV-2, respectively. We observed that the mutations T85I and Q57H tend to be deleterious and destabilize the respective wild-type protein, whereas P323L in RdRp tends to be neutral and has a stabilizing effect. IMPORTANCE We performed a meta-analysis on SARS-CoV-2 genomes categorized by collection month and identified several significant mutations. Pearson correlation analysis of these significant mutations identified 16 comutations having absolute correlation coefficients of >0.4 and a frequency of >30% in the genomes used in this study. The correlation results were further validated by another statistical tool called hierarchical clustering, where mutations were grouped in clusters on the basis of their similarity. We identified several positive and negative correlations among comutations in SARS-CoV-2 isolates from around the world which might contribute to viral pathogenesis. The negative correlations among some of the mutations in SARS-CoV-2 identified in this study warrant further investigations. Further analysis of mutations such as T85I in nsp2 and Q57H in ORF3a protein revealed that these mutations tend to destabilize the protein relative to the wild type, whereas P323L in RdRp is neutral and has a stabilizing effect. Thus, we have identified several comutations which can be further characterized to gain insights into SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Periwal
- Department of Biochemistry, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Shravan B. Rathod
- Department of Chemistry, Smt. S. M. Panchal Science College, Talod, Gujarat, India
| | - Sankritya Sarma
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Avantika Jain
- Department of Biochemistry, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
- Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ravi P. Barnwal
- Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Baljeet Kaur
- Department of Computer Science, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Pooja Arora
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Vikas Sood
- Department of Biochemistry, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
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14
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Payne RT, Crivelli S, Watanabe M. All-Atom Simulations Uncover Structural and Dynamical Properties of STING Proteins in the Membrane System. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:4486-4499. [PMID: 36103256 PMCID: PMC10246352 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that the stimulator of interferon gene (STING) protein plays a central role in the immune system by facilitating the production of type I interferons in cells. The STING signaling pathway is also a prominent activator of cancer-killing T cells that initiate a powerful adaptive immune response. Since biomolecular signaling pathways are complicated and not easily identified through traditional experiments, molecular dynamics (MD) has often been used to study structural and dynamical responses of biological pathways. Here, we carried out MD simulations for full-length chicken and human STING (chSTING and hSTING) proteins. Specifically, we investigated ligand-bound closed (holo) and ligand-unbound open (apo) forms of STING in the membrane system by comparing their conformational and dynamical differences. Our research provides clues for understanding the mechanism of the STING signaling pathway by uncovering detailed insights for the examined systems: the residues from each chain in the binding pocket are strongly correlated to one another in the open STING structure compared with those in the closed STING structure. Ligand-bound closed STING displays ∼174° rotation of the ligand-binding domain (LBD) relative to the open STING structure. The dynamical analysis of residue Cys148 located in the linker region of hSTING does not support the earlier hypothesis that Cys148 can form disulfide bonds between adjacent STING dimers. We also demonstrate that using the full-length proteins is critical, since the MD simulations of the LBD portion alone cannot properly describe the global conformational properties of STING.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Silvia Crivelli
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Masakatsu Watanabe
- Department of Chemistry, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS 67601, United States
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Gokcan H, Bedoyan JK, Isayev O. Simulations of Pathogenic E1α Variants: Allostery and Impact on Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex-E1 Structure and Function. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3463-3475. [PMID: 35797142 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency is a major cause of primary lactic acidemia resulting in high morbidity and mortality, with limited therapeutic options. The E1 component of the mitochondrial multienzyme PDC (PDC-E1) is a symmetric dimer of heterodimers (αβ/α'β') encoded by the PDHA1 and PDHB genes, with two symmetric active sites each consisting of highly conserved phosphorylation loops A and B. PDHA1 mutations are responsible for 82-88% of cases. Greater than 85% of E1α residues with disease-causing missense mutations (DMMs) are solvent-inaccessible, with ∼30% among those involved in subunit-subunit interface contact (SSIC). We performed molecular dynamics simulations of wild-type (WT) PDC-E1 and E1 variants with E1α DMMs at R349 and W185 (residues involved in SSIC), to investigate their impact on human PDC-E1 structure. We evaluated the change in E1 structure and dynamics and examined their implications on E1 function with the specific DMMs. We found that the dynamics of phosphorylation Loop A, which is crucial for E1 biological activity, changes with DMMs that are at least about 15 Å away. Because communication is essential for PDC-E1 activity (with alternating active sites), we also investigated the possible communication network within WT PDC-E1 via centrality analysis. We observed that DMMs altered/disrupted the communication network of PDC-E1. Collectively, these results indicate allosteric effect in PDC-E1, with implications for the development of novel small-molecule therapeutics for specific recurrent E1α DMMs such as replacements of R349 responsible for ∼10% of PDC deficiency due to E1α DMMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Gokcan
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Jirair K Bedoyan
- Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219, United States
| | - Olexandr Isayev
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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16
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Xue B, DasGupta D, Alam M, Khan MS, Wang S, Shamsi A, Islam A, Hassan MI. Investigating binding mechanism of thymoquinone to human transferrin, targeting Alzheimer's disease therapy. J Cell Biochem 2022; 123:1381-1393. [PMID: 35722728 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Iron deposition in the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the causes of neurodegenerative diseases. Human transferrin (hTf) acts as an iron carrier present in the blood plasma, preventing it from contributing to redox reactions. Plant compounds and their derivatives are frequently being used in preventing or delaying Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thymoquinone (TQ), a natural product has gained popularity because of its broad therapeutic applications. TQ is one of the significant phytoconstituent of Nigella sativa. The binding of TQ to hTf was determined by spectroscopic methods and isothermal titration calorimetry. We have observed that TQ strongly binds to hTf with a binding constant (K) of 0.22 × 106 M-1 and forming a stable complex. In addition, isothermal titration calorimetry revealed the spontaneous binding of TQ with hTf. Molecular docking analysis showed key residues of the hTf that were involved in the binding to TQ. We further performed a 250 ns molecular dynamics simulation which deciphered the dynamics and stability of the hTf-TQ complex. Structure analysis suggested that the binding of TQ doesn't cause any significant alterations in the hTf structure during the course of simulation and a stable complex is formed. Altogether, we have elucidated the mechanism of binding of TQ with hTf, which can be further implicated in the development of a novel strategy for AD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Xue
- School of Engineering, Guangzhou College of Technology and Business, Guangzhou, China
| | - Debarati DasGupta
- College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Manzar Alam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Mohd Shahnawaz Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shuo Wang
- School of Engineering, Guangzhou College of Technology and Business, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anas Shamsi
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.,Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, UAE, Ajman
| | - Asimul Islam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Md Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
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