1
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dos Santos A, da Costa CHS, Silva PHA, Skaf MS, Lameira J. Exploring the Reaction Mechanism of Polyethylene Terephthalate Biodegradation through QM/MM Approach. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:7486-7499. [PMID: 39072475 PMCID: PMC11317977 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c02207] [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] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
The enzyme PETase fromIdeonella sakaiensis (IsPETase) strain 201-F6 can catalyze the hydrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), mainly converting it into mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET). In this study, we used quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations to explore the molecular details of the catalytic reaction mechanism of IsPETase in the formation of MHET. The QM region was described with AM1d/PhoT and M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p) potential. QM/MM simulations unveil the complete enzymatic PET hydrolysis mechanism and identify two possible reaction pathways for acylation and deacylation steps. The barrier obtained at M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p)/MM potential for the deacylation step corresponds to 20.4 kcal/mol, aligning with the experimental value of 18 kcal/mol. Our findings indicate that deacylation is the rate-limiting step of the process. Furthermore, per-residue interaction energy contributions revealed unfavorable contributions to the transition state of amino acids located at positions 200-230, suggesting potential sites for targeted mutations. These results can contribute to the development of more active and selective enzymes for PET depolymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto
M. dos Santos
- Institute
of Chemistry and Centre for Computer in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13084-862, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Clauber H. S. da Costa
- Institute
of Chemistry and Centre for Computer in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13084-862, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro H. A. Silva
- Institute
of Biological Sciences, Federal University
of Para, 66075-110 Belem, Para, Brazil
| | - Munir S. Skaf
- Institute
of Chemistry and Centre for Computer in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13084-862, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Institute
of Biological Sciences, Federal University
of Para, 66075-110 Belem, Para, Brazil
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2
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Dos Santos AM, Oliveira ARS, da Costa CHS, Kenny PW, Montanari CA, Varela JDJG, Lameira J. Assessment of Reversibility for Covalent Cysteine Protease Inhibitors Using Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Free Energy Surfaces. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:4083-4094. [PMID: 36044342 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00466] [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
We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) potentials to investigate the reaction mechanism for covalent inhibition of cathepsin K and assess the reversibility of inhibition. The computed free energy profiles suggest that a nucleophilic attack by the catalytic cysteine on the inhibitor warhead and proton transfer from the catalytic histidine occur in a concerted manner. The results indicate that the reaction is more strongly exergonic for the alkyne-based inhibitors, which bind irreversibly to cathepsin K, than for the nitrile-based inhibitor odanacatib, which binds reversibly. Gas-phase energies were also calculated for the addition of methanethiol to structural prototypes for a number of warheads of interest in cysteine protease inhibitor design in order to assess electrophilicity. The approaches presented in this study are particularly applicable to assessment of novel warheads, and computed transition state geometries can be incorporated into molecular models for covalent docking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto M Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil.,Laboratório de Química Quântica Computacional, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65080 401 São Luis, MA, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ruslana Santana Oliveira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Clauber H S da Costa
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Peter W Kenny
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 13566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 13566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Jaldyr de Jesus G Varela
- Laboratório de Química Quântica Computacional, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65080 401 São Luis, MA, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil
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3
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de Oliveira MVD, Bittencourt Fernandes GM, da Costa KS, Vakal S, Lima AH. Virtual screening of natural products against 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase using the Anagreen herbicide-like natural compound library. RSC Adv 2022; 12:18834-18847. [PMID: 35873314 PMCID: PMC9240924 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra02645g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The shikimate pathway enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) catalyzes a reaction involved in the production of amino acids essential for plant growth and survival. EPSPS is the main target of glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide that acts as a competitive inhibitor concerning phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), which is the natural substrate of EPSPS. In the present study, we introduce a natural compound library, named Anagreen, which is a compendium of herbicide-like compounds obtained from different natural product databases. Herein, we combined the structure- and ligand-based virtual screening strategies to explore Anagreen against EPSPS using the structure of glyphosate complexed with a T102I/P106S mutant of EPSPS from Eleusine indica (EiEPSPS) as a starting point. First, ligand-based pharmacophore screening was performed to select compounds with a similar pharmacophore to glyphosate. Then, structure-based pharmacophore modeling was applied to build a model which represents the molecular features of glyphosate. Then, consensus docking was performed to rank the best poses of the natural compounds against the PEP binding site, and then molecular dynamics simulations were performed to analyze the stability of EPSPS complexed with the selected ligands. Finally, we have investigated the binding affinity of the complexes using free energy calculations. The selected hit compound, namely AG332841, showed a stable conformation and binding affinity to the EPSPS structure and showed no structural similarity to the already known weed EPSPS inhibitors. Our computational study aims to clarify the inhibition of the mutant EiEPSPS, which is resistant to glyphosate, and identify new potential herbicides from natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maycon Vinicius Damasceno de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará 66075-110 Belém Pará Brazil
| | - Gilson Mateus Bittencourt Fernandes
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará 66075-110 Belém Pará Brazil
| | - Kauê S da Costa
- Institute of Biodiversity, Federal University of Western Pará Santarém Pará Brazil
| | - Serhii Vakal
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland
| | - Anderson H Lima
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará 66075-110 Belém Pará Brazil
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4
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Lima AH, Silva JR, Alves C, Lameira J. QM/MM Study of the Fosfomycin Resistance Mechanism Involving FosB Enzyme. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:12507-12512. [PMID: 34056400 PMCID: PMC8154160 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant organisms contain antibiotic-modifying enzymes that facilitate resistance to a variety of antimicrobial compounds. Particularly, the fosfomycin (FOF) drug can be structurally modified by several FOF-modifying enzymes before it reaches the biological target. Among them, FosB is an enzyme that utilizes l-cysteine or bacillithiol in the presence of a divalent metal to open the epoxide ring of FOF and, consequently, inactivate the drug. Here, we have used hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the mechanism of the reaction involving FosB and FOF. The calculated free-energy profiles show that the cost to open the epoxide ring of FOF at the C2 atom is ∼3.0 kcal/mol higher than that at the C1 atom. Besides, our QM/MM MD results revealed the critical role of conformation change of Cys9 and Asn50 to release the drug from the active site. Overall, the present study provides insights into the mechanism of FOF-resistant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson H. Lima
- Laboratório de Planejamento
e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências
Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal
do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - José Rogério
A. Silva
- Laboratório de Planejamento
e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências
Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal
do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Cláudio
Nahum Alves
- Laboratório de Planejamento
e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências
Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal
do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento
e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências
Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal
do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brasil
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5
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de Oliveira MD, Araújo JDO, Galúcio JMP, Santana K, Lima AH. Targeting shikimate pathway: In silico analysis of phosphoenolpyruvate derivatives as inhibitors of EPSP synthase and DAHP synthase. J Mol Graph Model 2020; 101:107735. [PMID: 32947107 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2020.107735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The shikimate pathway consists of seven enzymatic steps involved in the conversion of erythrose-4-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate to chorismate and also responsible to the production of aromatic amino acids, such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan which are essential to the bacterial metabolism. The 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) and 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) catalyze important steps in the shikimate pathway using as substrate the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). Due to the importance of PEP in shikimate pathway, its structure has been investigated to develop new bioinspired competitive inhibitors against DAHPS and EPSPS. In the present study, we perform a literature survey of 28 PEP derivatives, then we analyzed the selectivity and affinity of these compounds against the EPSPS and DAHPS structures using consensual molecular docking, pharmacophore prediction, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and binding free energy calculations. Here, we propose consistent binding modes of the selected ligands and indicate that their structures show interesting pharmacophoric properties related to multi-targets inhibitors for both enzymes. Our computational results are supported by previous experimental findings related to the interactions of PEP derivatives with DAHPS and EPSPS structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maycon D de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Jéssica de O Araújo
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - João M P Galúcio
- Instituto de Biodiversidade. Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, 68035-110, Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Kauê Santana
- Instituto de Biodiversidade. Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, 68035-110, Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Anderson H Lima
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
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6
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis Shikimate Pathway Enzymes as Targets for the Rational Design of Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25061259. [PMID: 32168746 PMCID: PMC7144000 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25061259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Roughly a third of the world’s population is estimated to have latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, being at risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) during their lifetime. Given the inefficacy of prophylactic measures and the increase of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains, there is a clear and urgent need for the development of new and more efficient chemotherapeutic agents, with selective toxicity, to be implemented on patient treatment. The component enzymes of the shikimate pathway, which is essential in mycobacteria and absent in humans, stand as attractive and potential targets for the development of new drugs to treat TB. This review gives an update on published work on the enzymes of the shikimate pathway and some insight on what can be potentially explored towards selective drug development.
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7
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da Costa CHS, Bonatto V, Dos Santos AM, Lameira J, Leitão A, Montanari CA. Evaluating QM/MM Free Energy Surfaces for Ranking Cysteine Protease Covalent Inhibitors. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:880-889. [PMID: 31944110 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
One tactic for cysteine protease inhibition is to form a covalent bond between an electrophilic atom of the inhibitor and the thiol of the catalytic cysteine. In this study, we evaluate the reaction free energy obtained from a hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) free energy profile as a predictor of affinity for reversible, covalent inhibitors of rhodesain. We demonstrate that the reaction free energy calculated with the PM6/MM potential is in agreement with the experimental data and suggest that the free energy profile for covalent bond formation in a protein environment may be a useful tool for the inhibitor design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clauber H S da Costa
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos , Universidade Federal do Pará , Rua Augusto Correa S/N , 66075-110 Belém , PA , Brazil
| | - Vinícius Bonatto
- Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
| | - Alberto M Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos , Universidade Federal do Pará , Rua Augusto Correa S/N , 66075-110 Belém , PA , Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos , Universidade Federal do Pará , Rua Augusto Correa S/N , 66075-110 Belém , PA , Brazil.,Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
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8
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Fonseca ECM, da Costa KS, Lameira J, Alves CN, Lima AH. Investigation of the target-site resistance of EPSP synthase mutants P106T and T102I/P106S against glyphosate. RSC Adv 2020; 10:44352-44360. [PMID: 35517162 PMCID: PMC9058485 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra09061a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The shikimate pathway enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) catalyzes the reaction involved in the production of amino acids essential for plant growth and survival. Thus, EPSPS is the main target of various herbicides, including glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide that acts as a competitive inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), which is the natural substrate of EPSPS. However, punctual mutations in the EPSPS gene have led to glyphosate resistance in some plants. Here, we investigated the mechanism of EPSPS resistance to glyphosate in mutants of two weed species, Conyza sumatrensis (mutant, P106T) and Eleusine indica (mutant, T102I/P106S), both of which have an economic impact on industrial crops. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations revealed the influence of the mutations on the affinity of glyphosate in the PEP-binding site. The amino acid residues of the EPSPS protein in both species involved in glyphosate resistance were elucidated as well as other residues that could be useful for protein engineering. In addition, during MD simulations, we identified conformational changes in glyphosate when complexed with resistant EPSPS, related to loss of herbicide activity and binding affinity. Our computational findings are consistent with previous experimental results and clarify the inhibitory activity of glyphosate as well as the structural target-site resistance of EPSPS against glyphosate. Single or double EPSP synthase mutations lead glyphosate to undergo conformational changes that limit its inhibitory action.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. M. Fonseca
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais
- Universidade Federal do Pará
- Belém
- Brazil
| | - Kauê S. da Costa
- Instituto de Biodiversidade
- Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará
- Santarém
- Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais
- Universidade Federal do Pará
- Belém
- Brazil
| | - Cláudio Nahum Alves
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais
- Universidade Federal do Pará
- Belém
- Brazil
| | - Anderson H. Lima
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais
- Universidade Federal do Pará
- Belém
- Brazil
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9
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da Costa KS, Galúcio JM, da Costa CHS, Santana AR, dos Santos Carvalho V, do Nascimento LD, Lima e Lima AH, Neves Cruz J, Alves CN, Lameira J. Exploring the Potentiality of Natural Products from Essential Oils as Inhibitors of Odorant-Binding Proteins: A Structure- and Ligand-Based Virtual Screening Approach To Find Novel Mosquito Repellents. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:22475-22486. [PMID: 31909330 PMCID: PMC6941369 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are the main olfactory proteins of mosquitoes, and their structures have been widely explored to develop new repellents. In the present study, we combined ligand- and structure-based virtual screening approaches using as a starting point 1633 compounds from 71 botanical families obtained from the Essential Oil Database (EssOilDB). Using as reference the crystallographic structure of N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide interacting with the OBP1 homodimer of Anopheles gambiae (AgamOBP1), we performed a structural and pharmacophoric similarity search to select potential natural products from the library. Thymol acetate, 4-(4-methyl phenyl)-pentanal, thymyl isovalerate, and p-cymen-8-yl demonstrated a favorable chemical correlation with DEET and also had high-affinity interactions with the OBP binding pocket that molecular dynamics simulations showed to be stable. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate on a large scale the potentiality of NPs from essential oils as inhibitors of the mosquito OBP1 using in silico approaches. Our results could facilitate the design of novel repellents with improved selectivity and affinity to the protein binding pocket and can shed light on the mechanism of action of these compounds against insect olfactory recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kauȇ Santana da Costa
- Institute
of Biodiversity, Federal University of Western
Pará, 68035-110 Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - João Marcos Galúcio
- Institute
of Biodiversity, Federal University of Western
Pará, 68035-110 Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Amanda Ruslana Santana
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University
of Pará, 66060-902 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Vitor dos Santos Carvalho
- Institute of Exact and Natural
Sciences and Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal
University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Anderson Henrique Lima e Lima
- Institute of Exact and Natural
Sciences and Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal
University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Jorddy Neves Cruz
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University
of Pará, 66060-902 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Claudio Nahum Alves
- Institute of Exact and Natural
Sciences and Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal
University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Institute of Exact and Natural
Sciences and Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal
University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
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10
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Dos Santos AM, Cianni L, De Vita D, Rosini F, Leitão A, Laughton CA, Lameira J, Montanari CA. Experimental study and computational modelling of cruzain cysteine protease inhibition by dipeptidyl nitriles. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 20:24317-24328. [PMID: 30211406 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp03320j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease affects millions of people in Latin America. This disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanossoma cruzi. The cysteine protease cruzain is a key enzyme for the survival and propagation of this parasite lifecycle. Nitrile-based inhibitors are efficient inhibitors of cruzain that bind by forming a covalent bond with this enzyme. Here, three nitrile-based inhibitors dubbed Neq0409, Neq0410 and Neq0570 were synthesized, and the thermodynamic profile of the bimolecular interaction with cruzain was determined using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The result suggests the inhibition process is enthalpy driven, with a detrimental contribution of entropy. In addition, we have used hybrid Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical (QM/MM) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the reaction mechanism of reversible covalent modification of cruzain by Neq0409, Neq0410 and Neq0570. The computed free energy profile shows that the nucleophilic attack of Cys25 on the carbon C1 of inhibitiors and the proton transfer from His162 to N1 of the dipeptidyl nitrile inhibitor take place in a single step. The calculated free energy of the inhibiton reaction is in agreement with covalent experimental binding. Altogether, the results reported here suggests that nitrile-based inhibitors are good candidates for the development of reversible covalent inhibitors of cruzain and other cysteine proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Monteiro Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária Prof. José da Silveira Netto, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, Belém-PA, Brazil.
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