1
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Agbaglo DA, Summers TJ, Cheng Q, DeYonker NJ. The influence of model building schemes and molecular dynamics sampling on QM-cluster models: the chorismate mutase case study. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:12467-12482. [PMID: 38618904 PMCID: PMC11090134 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp06100k] [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: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Most QM-cluster models of enzymes are constructed based on X-ray crystal structures, which limits comparison to in vivo structure and mechanism. The active site of chorismate mutase from Bacillus subtilis and the enzymatic transformation of chorismate to prephenate is used as a case study to guide construction of QM-cluster models built first from the X-ray crystal structure, then from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation snapshots. The Residue Interaction Network ResidUe Selector (RINRUS) software toolkit, developed by our group to simplify and automate the construction of QM-cluster models, is expanded to handle MD to QM-cluster model workflows. Several options, some employing novel topological clustering from residue interaction network (RIN) information, are evaluated for generating conformational clustering from MD simulation. RINRUS then generates a statistical thermodynamic framework for QM-cluster modeling of the chorismate mutase mechanism via refining 250 MD frames with density functional theory (DFT). The 250 QM-cluster models sampled provide a mean ΔG‡ of 10.3 ± 2.6 kcal mol-1 compared to the experimental value of 15.4 kcal mol-1 at 25 °C. While the difference between theory and experiment is consequential, the level of theory used is modest and therefore "chemical" accuracy is unexpected. More important are the comparisons made between QM-cluster models designed from the X-ray crystal structure versus those from MD frames. The large variations in kinetic and thermodynamic properties arise from geometric changes in the ensemble of QM-cluster models, rather from the composition of the QM-cluster models or from the active site-solvent interface. The findings open the way for further quantitative and reproducible calibration in the field of computational enzymology using the model construction framework afforded with the RINRUS software toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatus A Agbaglo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Thomas J Summers
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Qianyi Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Nathan J DeYonker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
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2
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Walker EJ, Hamill CJ, Crean R, Connolly MS, Warrender AK, Kraakman KL, Prentice EJ, Steyn-Ross A, Steyn-Ross M, Pudney CR, van der Kamp MW, Schipper LA, Mulholland AJ, Arcus VL. Cooperative Conformational Transitions Underpin the Activation Heat Capacity in the Temperature Dependence of Enzyme Catalysis. ACS Catal 2024; 14:4379-4394. [PMID: 38633402 PMCID: PMC11020164 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c05584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Many enzymes display non-Arrhenius behavior with curved Arrhenius plots in the absence of denaturation. There has been significant debate about the origin of this behavior and recently the role of the activation heat capacity (ΔCP⧧) has been widely discussed. If enzyme-catalyzed reactions occur with appreciable negative values of ΔCP⧧ (arising from narrowing of the conformational space along the reaction coordinate), then curved Arrhenius plots are a consequence. To investigate these phenomena in detail, we have collected high precision temperature-rate data over a wide temperature interval for a model glycosidase enzyme MalL, and a series of mutants that change the temperature-dependence of the enzyme-catalyzed rate. We use these data to test a range of models including macromolecular rate theory (MMRT) and an equilibrium model. In addition, we have performed extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize the conformational landscape traversed by MalL in the enzyme-substrate complex and an enzyme-transition state complex. We have crystallized the enzyme in a transition state-like conformation in the absence of a ligand and determined an X-ray crystal structure at very high resolution (1.10 Å). We show (using simulation) that this enzyme-transition state conformation has a more restricted conformational landscape than the wildtype enzyme. We coin the term "transition state-like conformation (TLC)" to apply to this state of the enzyme. Together, these results imply a cooperative conformational transition between an enzyme-substrate conformation (ES) and a transition-state-like conformation (TLC) that precedes the chemical step. We present a two-state model as an extension of MMRT (MMRT-2S) that describes the data along with a convenient approximation with linear temperature dependence of the activation heat capacity (MMRT-1L) that can be used where fewer data points are available. Our model rationalizes disparate behavior seen for MalL and previous results for a thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase and is consistent with a raft of data for other enzymes. Our model can be used to characterize the conformational changes required for enzyme catalysis and provides insights into the role of cooperative conformational changes in transition state stabilization that are accompanied by changes in heat capacity for the system along the reaction coordinate. TLCs are likely to be of wide importance in understanding the temperature dependence of enzyme activity and other aspects of enzyme catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma J. Walker
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Carlin J. Hamill
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Rory Crean
- Centre
for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry,
University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Michael S. Connolly
- Centre
for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry,
University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Annmaree K. Warrender
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Kirsty L. Kraakman
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Erica J. Prentice
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | | | - Moira Steyn-Ross
- School
of Engineering, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Christopher R. Pudney
- Department
of Biology and Biochemistry, Centre for Biosensors, Bioelectronics
and Biodevices, University of Bath, Bath ST16 2TB, U.K.
| | - Marc W. van der Kamp
- School
of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
| | - Louis A. Schipper
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Adrian J. Mulholland
- Centre
for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry,
University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Vickery L. Arcus
- Te
Aka Ma̅tuatua School of Science, University
of Waikato, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
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3
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Nam K, Shao Y, Major DT, Wolf-Watz M. Perspectives on Computational Enzyme Modeling: From Mechanisms to Design and Drug Development. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:7393-7412. [PMID: 38405524 PMCID: PMC10883025 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c09084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Understanding enzyme mechanisms is essential for unraveling the complex molecular machinery of life. In this review, we survey the field of computational enzymology, highlighting key principles governing enzyme mechanisms and discussing ongoing challenges and promising advances. Over the years, computer simulations have become indispensable in the study of enzyme mechanisms, with the integration of experimental and computational exploration now established as a holistic approach to gain deep insights into enzymatic catalysis. Numerous studies have demonstrated the power of computer simulations in characterizing reaction pathways, transition states, substrate selectivity, product distribution, and dynamic conformational changes for various enzymes. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain in investigating the mechanisms of complex multistep reactions, large-scale conformational changes, and allosteric regulation. Beyond mechanistic studies, computational enzyme modeling has emerged as an essential tool for computer-aided enzyme design and the rational discovery of covalent drugs for targeted therapies. Overall, enzyme design/engineering and covalent drug development can greatly benefit from our understanding of the detailed mechanisms of enzymes, such as protein dynamics, entropy contributions, and allostery, as revealed by computational studies. Such a convergence of different research approaches is expected to continue, creating synergies in enzyme research. This review, by outlining the ever-expanding field of enzyme research, aims to provide guidance for future research directions and facilitate new developments in this important and evolving field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwangho Nam
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, United States
| | - Yihan Shao
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019-5251, United States
| | - Dan T. Major
- Department
of Chemistry and Institute for Nanotechnology & Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
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4
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Coimbra JTS, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. Deciphering the Catalytic Mechanism of Virginiamycin B Lyase with Multiscale Methods and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6354-6365. [PMID: 37791530 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00962] [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: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, the need to explore novel antibiotics and/or novel strategies to counter antibiotic resistance is of utmost importance. In this work, we explored the molecular and mechanistic details of the degradation of a streptogramin B antibiotic by virginiamycin B (Vgb) lyase of Staphylococcus aureus using classical molecular dynamics simulations and multiscale quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods. Our results were in line with available experimental kinetic information. Although we were able to identify a stepwise mechanism, in the wild-type enzyme, the intermediate is short-lived, showing a small barrier to decay to the product state. The impact of point mutations on the reaction was also assessed, showing not only the importance of active site residues to the reaction catalyzed by Vgb lyase but also of near positive and negative residues surrounding the active site. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we also predicted the most likely protonation state of the 3-hydroxypicolinic moiety of the antibiotic and the impact of mutants on antibiotic binding. All this information will expand our understanding of linearization reactions of cyclic antibiotics, which are crucial for the development of novel strategies that aim to tackle antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- João T S Coimbra
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Fernandes
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J Ramos
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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5
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Nikkel DJ, Wetmore SD. Distinctive Formation of a DNA-Protein Cross-Link during the Repair of DNA Oxidative Damage: Insights into Human Disease from MD Simulations and QM/MM Calculations. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 37285289 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c01773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species damage DNA and result in health issues. The major damage product, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8oG), is repaired by human adenine DNA glycosylase homologue (MUTYH). Although MUTYH misfunction is associated with a genetic disorder called MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP) and MUTYH is a potential target for cancer drugs, the catalytic mechanism required to develop disease treatments is debated in the literature. This study uses molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics techniques initiated from DNA-protein complexes that represent different stages of the repair pathway to map the catalytic mechanism of the wild-type MUTYH bacterial homologue (MutY). This multipronged computational approach characterizes a DNA-protein cross-linking mechanism that is consistent with all previous experimental data and is a distinct pathway across the broad class of monofunctional glycosylase repair enzymes. In addition to clarifying how the cross-link is formed, accommodated by the enzyme, and hydrolyzed for product release, our calculations rationalize why cross-link formation is favored over immediate glycosidic bond hydrolysis, the accepted mechanism for all other monofunctional DNA glycosylases to date. Calculations on the Y126F mutant MutY highlight critical roles for active site residues throughout the reaction, while investigation of the N146S mutant rationalizes the connection between the analogous N224S MUTYH mutation and MAP. In addition to furthering our knowledge of the chemistry associated with a devastating disorder, the structural information gained about the distinctive MutY mechanism compared to other repair enzymes represents an important step for the development of specific and potent small-molecule inhibitors as cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan J Nikkel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Stacey D Wetmore
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
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6
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De Sousa JPM, Oliveira NCSA, Fernandes PA. Rational Engineering of ( S)-Norcoclaurine Synthase for Efficient Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloids Biosynthesis. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28114265. [PMID: 37298742 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114265] [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: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
(S)-Norcoclaurine is synthesized in vivo through a metabolic pathway that ends with (S)-norcoclaurine synthase (NCS). The former constitutes the scaffold for the biosynthesis of all benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs), including many drugs such as the opiates morphine and codeine and the semi-synthetic opioids oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone. Unfortunately, the only source of complex BIAs is the opium poppy, leaving the drug supply dependent on poppy crops. Therefore, the bioproduction of (S)-norcoclaurine in heterologous hosts, such as bacteria or yeast, is an intense area of research nowadays. The efficiency of (S)-norcoclaurine biosynthesis is strongly dependent on the catalytic efficiency of NCS. Therefore, we identified vital NCS rate-enhancing mutations through the rational transition-state macrodipole stabilization method at the Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) level. The results are a step forward for obtaining NCS variants able to biosynthesize (S)-norcoclaurine on a large scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- João P M De Sousa
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno C S A Oliveira
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Fernandes
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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7
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Castro-Amorim J, Oliveira A, Mukherjee AK, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Unraveling the Reaction Mechanism of Russell's Viper Venom Factor X Activator: A Paradigm for the Reactivity of Zinc Metalloproteinases? J Chem Inf Model 2023. [PMID: 37092784 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) are important drug targets against snakebite envenoming, the neglected tropical disease with the highest mortality worldwide. Here, we focus on Russell's viper (Daboia russelii), one of the "big four" snakes of the Indian subcontinent that, together, are responsible for ca. 50,000 fatalities annually. The "Russell's viper venom factor X activator" (RVV-X), a highly toxic metalloproteinase, activates the blood coagulation factor X (FX), leading to the prey's abnormal blood clotting and death. Given its tremendous public health impact, the WHO recognized an urgent need to develop efficient, heat-stable, and affordable-for-all small-molecule inhibitors, for which a deep understanding of the mechanisms of action of snake's principal toxins is fundamental. In this study, we determine the catalytic mechanism of RVV-X by using a density functional theory/molecular mechanics (DFT:MM) methodology to calculate its free energy profile. The results showed that the catalytic process takes place via two steps. The first step involves a nucleophilic attack by an in situ generated hydroxide ion on the substrate carbonyl, yielding an activation barrier of 17.7 kcal·mol-1, while the second step corresponds to protonation of the peptide nitrogen and peptide bond cleavage with an energy barrier of 23.1 kcal·mol-1. Our study shows a unique role played by Zn2+ in catalysis by lowering the pKa of the Zn2+-bound water molecule, enough to permit the swift formation of the hydroxide nucleophile through barrierless deprotonation by the formally much less basic Glu140. Without the Zn2+ cofactor, this step would be rate-limiting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Castro-Amorim
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Porto 4169-007, Portugal
| | - Ana Oliveira
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Porto 4169-007, Portugal
| | - Ashis K Mukherjee
- Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Vigyan Path Garchuk, Paschim Boragaon, Guwahati 781035, Assam, India
| | - Maria J Ramos
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Porto 4169-007, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Fernandes
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Porto 4169-007, Portugal
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8
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Neves RP, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Engineering DszC Mutants from Transition State Macrodipole Considerations and Evolutionary Sequence Analysis. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:20-26. [PMID: 36534708 PMCID: PMC9832474 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We describe an approach to identify enzyme mutants with increased turnover using the enzyme DszC as a case study. Our approach is based on recalculating the barriers of alanine mutants through single-point energy calculations at the hybrid QM/MM level in the wild-type reactant and transition state geometries. We analyze the difference in the electron density between the reactant and transition state to identify sites/residues where electrostatic interactions stabilize the transition state over the reactants. We also assess the insertion of a unit probe charge to identify positions in which the introduction of charged residues lowers the barrier.
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9
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Fındık V, Varınca Gerçik BT, Sinek Ö, Erdem SS, Ruiz-López MF. Mechanistic Investigation of Lysine-Targeted Covalent Inhibition of PI3Kδ via ONIOM QM:QM Computations. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6775-6787. [PMID: 35980989 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) enzymes are important drug targets, especially in oncology, and several inhibitors are currently under investigation in clinical trials for the treatment of lymphocytic leukemia, follicular lymphoma, breast, thyroid, colorectal, and lung cancer. Targeted covalent inhibitors hold significant promise for drug discovery research especially for kinases. Targeting the lysine residues attracts attention as a new strategy in designing targeted covalent inhibitors, since the lysine residue provides several advantages over the traditional cysteine residue. Recently, new highly selective covalent inhibitors of PI3Kδ with activated ester warheads, targeting the conserved Lys779 residue, were reported. Based on the observed kinetics, a covalent inhibition mechanism was proposed, but the atomistic details of the reaction are still not understood. Therefore, in the present work, we have conducted quantum chemical ONIOM M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p):PM6 calculations on the active site cluster structure of PI3Kδ to elucidate the microscopic details of the mechanism of the aminolysis reaction between Lys779 and the ester inhibitors. Our calculations clearly discriminate the noncovalent methyl ester inhibitor and the covalent inhibitors with activated phenolic esters. For the representative p-NO2, p-F, p-H, and p-OCH3 phenolic esters, the Gibbs free energy profiles of alternative mechanistic paths through either Asp782 or Asp911 demonstrate the modulatory role of active site aspartate residues. The most plausible path alters depending on the electron-withdrawing/donating nature of the p-substituted phenolate leaving group. Inhibitors with sufficiently strong electron-withdrawing group prefer direct dissociation of the leaving group from the tetrahedral zwitterion intermediate, while the ones with electron-donating group favor the formation of a neutral tetrahedral intermediate prior to the dissociation. The relative Gibbs free energy barriers of p-NO2 < p-F < p-H < p-OCH3 substituted phenyl esters display the same qualitative trend as the experimentally measured kinact/KI values. Our results provide in depth insight into the mechanism, which can pave the way for optimizing the inhibitor efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volkan Fındık
- LPCT, UMR 7019, University of Lorraine, CNRS, 54000, Nancy, France.,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Öykü Sinek
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Safiye Sağ Erdem
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
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10
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Zhang Y, Luo M, Wu P, Wu S, Lee TY, Bai C. Application of Computational Biology and Artificial Intelligence in Drug Design. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:13568. [PMID: 36362355 PMCID: PMC9658956 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional drug design requires a great amount of research time and developmental expense. Booming computational approaches, including computational biology, computer-aided drug design, and artificial intelligence, have the potential to expedite the efficiency of drug discovery by minimizing the time and financial cost. In recent years, computational approaches are being widely used to improve the efficacy and effectiveness of drug discovery and pipeline, leading to the approval of plenty of new drugs for marketing. The present review emphasizes on the applications of these indispensable computational approaches in aiding target identification, lead discovery, and lead optimization. Some challenges of using these approaches for drug design are also discussed. Moreover, we propose a methodology for integrating various computational techniques into new drug discovery and design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Warshel Institute for Computational Biology, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Mengqi Luo
- School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
- South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, China
| | - Peng Wu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Song Wu
- South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, China
| | - Tzong-Yi Lee
- School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
- Warshel Institute for Computational Biology, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Chen Bai
- School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
- Warshel Institute for Computational Biology, Shenzhen 518172, China
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11
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Neves RPP, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. Role of Enzyme and Active Site Conformational Dynamics in the Catalysis by α-Amylase Explored with QM/MM Molecular Dynamics. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3638-3650. [PMID: 35880954 PMCID: PMC9778734 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
We assessed enzyme:substrate conformational dynamics and the rate-limiting glycosylation step of a human pancreatic α-amylase:maltopentose complex. Microsecond molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the distance of the catalytic Asp197 nucleophile to the anomeric carbon of the buried glucoside is responsible for most of the enzyme active site fluctuations and that both Asp197 and Asp300 interact the most with the buried glucoside unit. The buried glucoside binds either in a 4C1 chair or 2SO skew conformations, both of which can change to TS-like conformations characteristic of retaining glucosidases. Starting from four distinct enzyme:substrate complexes, umbrella sampling quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations (converged within less than 1 kcal·mol-1 within a total simulation time of 1.6 ns) indicated that the reaction occurrs with a Gibbs barrier of 13.9 kcal·mol -1, in one asynchronous concerted step encompassing an acid-base reaction with Glu233 followed by a loose SN2-like nucleophilic substitution by the Asp197. The transition state is characterized by a 2H3 half-chair conformation of the buried glucoside that quickly changes to the E3 envelope conformation preceding the attack of the anomeric carbon by the Asp197 nucleophile. Thermodynamic analysis of the reaction supported that a water molecule tightly hydrogen bonded to the glycosidic oxygen of the substrate at the reactant state (∼1.6 Å) forms a short hydrogen bond with Glu233 at the transition state (∼1.7 Å) and lowers the Gibbs barrier in over 5 kcal·mol-1. The resulting Asp197-glycosyl was mostly found in the 4C1 conformation, although the more endergonic B3,O conformation was also observed. Altogether, the combination of short distances for the acid-base reaction with the Glu233 and for the nucleophilic attack by the Asp197 nucleophile and the availability of water within hydrogen bonding distance of the glycosidic oxygen provides a reliable criteria to identify reactive conformations of α-amylase complexes.
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12
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Viegas MF, Neves RPP, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. QM/MM Study of the Reaction Mechanism of Thermophilic Glucuronoyl Esterase for Biomass Treatment. Chemphyschem 2022; 23:e202200269. [PMID: 35925549 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202200269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, composed of a lignin-carbohydrate-complex (LCC) matrix, is critical for producing bioethanol from glucose. However, current methods for LCC processing require costly and polluting processes. The fungal Thermothelomyces thermophila glucuronoyl esterase (TtGE) is a promising thermophilic enzyme that hydrolyses LCC ester bonds. This study describes the TtGE catalytic mechanism using QM/MM methods. Two nearly-degenerate rate-determining transition states were found, with barriers of 16 and 17 kcal ⋅ mol-1 , both with a zwitterionic nature that results from a proton interplay from His346 to either the Ser213-hydroxyl or the lignin leaving group and the rehybridisation of the ester moiety of the substrate to an alkoxide. An oxyanion hole, characteristic of esterases, was provided by the conserved Arg214 through its backbone and sidechain. Our work further suggests that a mutation of Glu267 to a non-negative residue will decrease the energetic barrier in ca. -5 kcal ⋅ mol-1 , improving the catalytic rate of TtGE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde F Viegas
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui P P Neves
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J Ramos
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Fernandes
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
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13
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Coimbra JTS, Neves RPP, Cunha AV, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Different Enzyme Conformations Induce Different Mechanistic Traits in HIV‐1 Protease. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202201066. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202201066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- João T. S. Coimbra
- LAQV/REQUIMTE Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Rui P. P. Neves
- LAQV/REQUIMTE Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Ana V. Cunha
- Scientific Computing Group Oak Ridge National Laboratory 1 Bethel Valley Rd 37831-6373 Oak Ridge TN USA
- Presnt address: Department of Chemistry University of Antwerp Groenenborgerlaan 171 2020 Antwerp Belgium
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- LAQV/REQUIMTE Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- LAQV/REQUIMTE Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
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14
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Teixeira LC, Coimbra JT, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 Proteolytic Cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein: A Mechanistic Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Study to Inspire the Design of New Drugs To Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:2510-2521. [PMID: 35549216 PMCID: PMC9113003 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite the development of vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, there is an urgent need for efficient drugs to treat infected patients. An attractive drug target is the human transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) because of its vital role in the viral infection mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 by activation of the virus spike protein (S protein). Having in mind that the information derived from quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) studies could be an important tool in the design of transition-state (TS) analogue inhibitors, we resorted to adiabatic QM/MM calculations to determine the mechanism of the first step (acylation) of proteolytic cleavage of the S protein with atomistic details. Acylation occurred in two stages: (i) proton transfer from Ser441 to His296 concerted with the nucleophilic attack of Ser441 to the substrate's P1-Arg and (ii) proton transfer from His296 to the P1'-Ser residue concerted with the cleavage of the ArgP1-SerP1' peptide bond, with a Gibbs activation energy of 17.1 and 15.8 kcal mol-1, relative to the reactant. An oxyanion hole composed of two hydrogen bonds stabilized the rate-limiting TS by 8 kcal mol-1. An analysis of the TMPRSS2 interactions with the high-energy, short-lived tetrahedral intermediate highlighted the limitations of current clinical inhibitors and pointed out specific ways to develop higher-affinity TS analogue inhibitors. The results support the development of more efficient drugs against SARS-CoV-2 using a human target, free from resistance development.
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15
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Neves RPP, Cunha AV, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. Towards the Accurate Thermodynamic Characterization of Enzyme Reaction Mechanisms. Chemphyschem 2022; 23:e202200159. [PMID: 35499146 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202200159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We employed QM/MM molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize the rate-limiting step of the glycosylation reaction of pancreatic α-amylase with combined DFT/molecular dynamics methods (PBE/def2-SVP:AMBER). Upon careful choice of four starting active site conformations based on thorough reactivity criteria, Gibbs energy profiles were calculated with umbrella sampling simulations within a statistical convergence of 1-2 kcal⋅mol -1 . Nevertheless, Gibbs activation barriers and reaction energies still varied from 11.0 to 16.8 kcal⋅mol -1 and -6.3 to +3.8 kcal⋅mol -1 depending on the starting conformations, showing that despite significant state-of-the-art QM/MM MD sampling (0.5 ns/profile) the result still depends on the starting structure. The results supported the one step dissociative mechanism of Asp197 glycosylation preceded by an acid-base reaction by the Glu233, which are qualitatively similar to those from multi-PES QM/MM studies, and thus support the use of the latter to determine enzyme reaction mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui P P Neves
- Universidade do Porto, Quimica e Bioquimica, PORTUGAL
| | - Ana V Cunha
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Campus Etterbeek: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Chemistry, BELGIUM
| | | | - Maria Joao Ramos
- Faculty of Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry, Rua Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007, Porto, PORTUGAL
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16
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Zhou S, Wei WJ, Liao RZ. QM/MM Study of the Mechanism of the Noncanonical S-Cγ Bond Scission in S-Adenosylmethionine Catalyzed by the CmnDph2 Radical Enzyme. Top Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11244-021-01420-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Bím D, Navrátil M, Gutten O, Konvalinka J, Kutil Z, Culka M, Navrátil V, Alexandrova AN, Bařinka C, Rulíšek L. Predicting Effects of Site-Directed Mutagenesis on Enzyme Kinetics by QM/MM and QM Calculations: A Case of Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:132-143. [PMID: 34978450 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c09240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Quantum and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and QM-only (cluster model) modeling techniques represent the two workhorses in mechanistic understanding of enzyme catalysis. One of the stringent tests for QM/MM and/or QM approaches is to provide quantitative answers to real-world biochemical questions, such as the effect of single-point mutations on enzyme kinetics. This translates into predicting the relative activation energies to 1-2 kcal·mol-1 accuracy; such predictions can be used for the rational design of novel enzyme variants with desired/improved characteristics. Herein, we employ glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), a dizinc metallopeptidase, also known as the prostate specific membrane antigen, as a model system. The structure and activity of this major cancer antigen have been thoroughly studied, both experimentally and computationally, which makes it an ideal model system for method development. Its reaction mechanism is quite well understood: the reaction coordinate comprises a "tetrahedral intermediate" and two transition states and experimental activation Gibbs free energy of ∼17.5 kcal·mol-1 can be inferred for the known kcat ≈ 1 s-1. We correlate experimental kinetic data (including the E424H variant, newly characterized in this work) for various GCPII mutants (kcat = 8.6 × 10-5 s-1 to 2.7 s-1) with the energy profiles calculated by QM/MM and QM-only (cluster model) approaches. We show that the near-quantitative agreement between the experimental values and the calculated activation energies (ΔH⧧) can be obtained and recommend the combination of the two protocols: QM/MM optimized structures and cluster model (QM) energetics. The trend in relative activation energies is mostly independent of the QM method (DFT functional) used. Last but not least, a satisfactory correlation between experimental and theoretical data allows us to provide qualitative and fairly simple explanations of the observed kinetic effects which are thus based on a rigorous footing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Bím
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Michal Navrátil
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Gutten
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Konvalinka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic.,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Hlavova 2030, 2120 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zsófia Kutil
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průmyslová 595, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Culka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Navrátil
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Anastassia N Alexandrova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Cyril Bařinka
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průmyslová 595, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Lubomír Rulíšek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Praha 6, Czech Republic
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18
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Sousa JPM, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Modern strategies for the diversification of the supply of natural compounds - the case of alkaloid painkillers. Chembiochem 2021; 23:e202100623. [PMID: 34971022 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100623] [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: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Plant-derived natural compounds are used for treating diseases since the beginning of humankind. The supply of many plant-derived natural compounds for medicinal purposes, such as thebaine, morphine, and codeine, is, nowadays, majorly dependent on opium poppy crop harvesting. This dependency puts an extra risk factor in ensuring the supply chain because crops are highly susceptible to environmental factors. Emerging technologies, such as biocatalysis, might help to solve this problem, by diversifying the sources of supply of these compounds. Here we review the first committed step in the production of alkaloid painkillers, the production of S-norcoclaurine, and the enzymes involved. The improvement of these enzymes can be carried out by experimental directed evolution and rational design strategies, supported by computational methods, to create variants that produce the S-norcoclaurine precursor for alkaloid painkillers in heterologous organisms, meeting the pharmaceutical industry standards and needs without depending on opium poppy crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Pedro Marques Sousa
- REQUIMTE LAQV Porto, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, PORTUGAL
| | - Maria J Ramos
- FCUP: Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciencias, Chemistry and Biochemistry, PORTUGAL
| | - Pedro A Fernandes
- Universidade do Porto, Department of Chemistry Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Group, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007, Porto, PORTUGAL
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19
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Medina FE, Jaña GA. QM/MM Study of a VIM-1 Metallo-β-Lactamase Enzyme: The Catalytic Reaction Mechanism. ACS Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c04786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola E. Medina
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Autopista Concepción-Talcahuano, 7100 Talcahuano, Chile
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, 4051381 Concepción, Chile
| | - Gonzalo A. Jaña
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Autopista Concepción-Talcahuano, 7100 Talcahuano, Chile
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20
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Romero-Téllez S, Cruz A, Masgrau L, González-Lafont À, Lluch JM. Accounting for the instantaneous disorder in the enzyme-substrate Michaelis complex to calculate the Gibbs free energy barrier of an enzyme reaction. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:13042-13054. [PMID: 34100037 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp01338f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Many enzyme reactions present instantaneous disorder. These dynamic fluctuations in the enzyme-substrate Michaelis complexes generate a wide range of energy barriers that cannot be experimentally observed, but that determine the measured kinetics of the reaction. These individual energy barriers can be calculated using QM/MM methods, but then the problem is how to deal with this dispersion of energy barriers to provide kinetic information. So far, the most usual procedure has implied the so-called exponential average of the energy barriers. In this paper, we discuss the foundations of this method, and we use the free energy perturbation theory to derive an alternative equation to get the Gibbs free energy barrier of the enzyme reaction. In addition, we propose a practical way to implement it. We have chosen four enzyme reactions as examples. In particular, we have studied the hydrolysis of a glycosidic bond catalyzed by the enzyme Thermus thermophilus β-glycosidase, and the mutant Y284P Ttb-gly, and the hydrogen abstraction reactions from C13 and C7 of arachidonic acid catalyzed by the enzyme rabbit 15-lipoxygenase-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Romero-Téllez
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Cruz
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Masgrau
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Zymvol Biomodeling, Carrer Roc Boronat, 117, 08018 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Àngels González-Lafont
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José M Lluch
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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21
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Elsässer B, Goettig P. Mechanisms of Proteolytic Enzymes and Their Inhibition in QM/MM Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3232. [PMID: 33810118 PMCID: PMC8004986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental evidence for enzymatic mechanisms is often scarce, and in many cases inadvertently biased by the employed methods. Thus, apparently contradictory model mechanisms can result in decade long discussions about the correct interpretation of data and the true theory behind it. However, often such opposing views turn out to be special cases of a more comprehensive and superior concept. Molecular dynamics (MD) and the more advanced molecular mechanical and quantum mechanical approach (QM/MM) provide a relatively consistent framework to treat enzymatic mechanisms, in particular, the activity of proteolytic enzymes. In line with this, computational chemistry based on experimental structures came up with studies on all major protease classes in recent years; examples of aspartic, metallo-, cysteine, serine, and threonine protease mechanisms are well founded on corresponding standards. In addition, experimental evidence from enzyme kinetics, structural research, and various other methods supports the described calculated mechanisms. One step beyond is the application of this information to the design of new and powerful inhibitors of disease-related enzymes, such as the HIV protease. In this overview, a few examples demonstrate the high potential of the QM/MM approach for sophisticated pharmaceutical compound design and supporting functions in the analysis of biomolecular structures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Goettig
- Structural Biology Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Billrothstrasse 11, 5020 Salzburg, Austria;
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22
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Medina FE, Prejanò M. Water Molecules Allow the Intramolecular Activation of the Thiamine Di-Phosphate Cofactor in Human Transketolase: Mechanistic Insights into a Famous Proposal. ACS Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c05414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola E. Medina
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Autopista Concepción-Talcahuano, Talcahuano 7100, Chile
| | - Mario Prejanò
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
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23
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Ahsan M, Pindi C, Senapati S. Hydrogen bonding catalysis by water in epoxide ring opening reaction. J Mol Graph Model 2021; 105:107894. [PMID: 33725641 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2021.107894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Water can act as catalyst is perhaps the most intriguing property reported of this molecule in the last decade. However, despite being an integral part of many enzyme structures, the role of water in catalyzing enzymatic reactions remains sparsely studied. In a recent study, we have shown that the epoxide ring opening in aspartate proteases follows a two-step process involving water. In this work, we attempt to unravel the electronic basis of the co-catalytic role of water in the epoxide ring opening reaction by employing high-level quantum mechanical calculations at M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p) level of accuracy. Our computed electron density and its reduced gradient show that water anchor the reactant molecules through strong H-bond bridges. In addition, the strong ionizing power of water allows better charge delocalization to stabilize the transition states and oxyanion intermediate. Electrostatic analyses suggest greater charge transfer from the aspartates to the epoxide in the transition state, which is found to be exergonic in nature rendering a low-barrier reaction compared to a control system where water was omitted in the reaction field. This elucidated mechanism at electronic level could promote further research to search for the co-catalytic role of water in other enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Ahsan
- Department of Biotechnology and BJM School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India
| | - Chinmai Pindi
- Department of Biotechnology and BJM School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India
| | - Sanjib Senapati
- Department of Biotechnology and BJM School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India.
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24
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Parise A, Russo N, Marino T. The platination mechanism of RNase A by arsenoplatin: insight from the theoretical study. Inorg Chem Front 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d0qi01165g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A detailed metalation process of the bovine pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase A) by a novel multitarget anti-cancer agent arsenoplatin-1, ([Pt(μ-NHC(CH3)O)2ClAs(OH)2]), performed at DFT level and using different models size is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Parise
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche
- Università della Calabria
- 87036 Arcavacata di Rende
- Italy
- Université Paris-Saclay
| | - N. Russo
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche
- Università della Calabria
- 87036 Arcavacata di Rende
- Italy
| | - T. Marino
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche
- Università della Calabria
- 87036 Arcavacata di Rende
- Italy
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25
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Aldren M. Feliciano
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Brian Gold
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
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26
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Vidossich P, Castañeda Moreno LE, Mota C, de Sanctis D, Miscione GP, De Vivo M. Functional Implications of Second-Shell Basic Residues for dUTPase DR2231 Enzymatic Specificity. ACS Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c04148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Vidossich
- COBO Computational Bio-Organic Chemistry Bogotá, Chemistry Department, Universidad de Los Andes, Cra 1 No 18A-12, 111711 Bogotá, Colombia
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Luis Eduardo Castañeda Moreno
- COBO Computational Bio-Organic Chemistry Bogotá, Chemistry Department, Universidad de Los Andes, Cra 1 No 18A-12, 111711 Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Cristiano Mota
- ESRF The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Daniele de Sanctis
- ESRF The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Gian Pietro Miscione
- COBO Computational Bio-Organic Chemistry Bogotá, Chemistry Department, Universidad de Los Andes, Cra 1 No 18A-12, 111711 Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Marco De Vivo
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
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27
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Solé-Daura A, Rodríguez-Fortea A, Poblet JM, Robinson D, Hirst JD, Carbó JJ. Origin of Selectivity in Protein Hydrolysis by Zr(IV)-Containing Metal Oxides as Artificial Proteases. ACS Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c02848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Albert Solé-Daura
- Department de Quı́mica Fı́sica i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Antonio Rodríguez-Fortea
- Department de Quı́mica Fı́sica i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Josep M. Poblet
- Department de Quı́mica Fı́sica i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - David Robinson
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry and Forensics, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D. Hirst
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Jorge J. Carbó
- Department de Quı́mica Fı́sica i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
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28
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Goossens K, Neves RP, Fernandes PA, De Winter H. A Computational and Modeling Study of the Reaction Mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus Monoglycosyltransferase Reveals New Insights on the GT51 Family of Enzymes. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:5513-5528. [PMID: 32786224 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial glycosyltransferases of the GT51 family are key enzymes in bacterial cell wall synthesis. Inhibiting cell wall synthesis is a very effective approach for development of antibiotics, as this can lead to either bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects. Even though the existence of this family has been known for over 50 years, only one potent inhibitor exists, which is an analog of the lipid IV product and derived from a natural product. Drug development focused on bacterial transglycosylase has been hampered due to little being know about its structure and reaction mechanism. In this study, Staphylococcus aureus monoglycosyltransferase was investigated at an atomistic level using computational methods. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were used to reveal information about the large-scale dynamics of the enzyme-substrate complex and the importance of magnesium in structure and function of the protein, while mixed mode quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations unveiled a novel hypothesis for the reaction mechanism. From these results, we present a new model for the binding mode of lipid II and the reaction mechanism of the GT51 glycosyltransferases. A metal-bound hydroxide catalyzed reaction mechanism yields an estimated free energy barrier of 16.1 ± 1.0 kcal/mol, which is in line with experimental values. The importance of divalent cations is also further discussed. These findings could significantly aid targeted drug design, particularly the efficient development of transition state analogues as potential inhibitors for the GT51 glycosyltransferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Goossens
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Rui Pp Neves
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Fernandes
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Hans De Winter
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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29
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Hassanzadeh P. Towards the quantum-enabled technologies for development of drugs or delivery systems. J Control Release 2020; 324:260-279. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.04.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Prejanò M, Russo N, Marino T. How Lanthanide Ions Affect the Addition–Elimination Step of Methanol Dehydrogenases. Chemistry 2020; 26:11334-11339. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202001855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Prejanò
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie ChimicheUniversità della Calabria 87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS Italy
| | - Nino Russo
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie ChimicheUniversità della Calabria 87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS Italy
| | - Tiziana Marino
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie ChimicheUniversità della Calabria 87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS Italy
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Sousa JPM, Neves RPP, Sousa SF, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Reaction Mechanism and Determinants for Efficient Catalysis by DszB, a Key Enzyme for Crude Oil Bio-desulfurization. ACS Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c03122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- João P. M. Sousa
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui P. P. Neves
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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Lawal MM, Sanusi ZK, Govender T, Maguire GE, Honarparvar B, Kruger HG. From Recognition to Reaction Mechanism: An Overview on the Interactions between HIV-1 Protease and its Natural Targets. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:2514-2549. [DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666181113122900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Current investigations on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protease (HIV-1
PR) as a druggable target towards the treatment of AIDS require an update to facilitate further
development of promising inhibitors with improved inhibitory activities. For the past two
decades, up to 100 scholarly reports appeared annually on the inhibition and catalytic mechanism
of HIV-1 PR. A fundamental literature review on the prerequisite of HIV-1 PR action
leading to the release of the infectious virion is absent. Herein, recent advances (both computationally
and experimentally) on the recognition mode and reaction mechanism of HIV-1 PR
involving its natural targets are provided. This review features more than 80 articles from
reputable journals. Recognition of the natural Gag and Gag-Pol cleavage junctions by this
enzyme and its mutant analogs was first addressed. Thereafter, a comprehensive dissect of
the enzymatic mechanism of HIV-1 PR on its natural polypeptide sequences from literature
was put together. In addition, we highlighted ongoing research topics in which in silico
methods could be harnessed to provide deeper insights into the catalytic mechanism of the
HIV-1 protease in the presence of its natural substrates at the molecular level. Understanding
the recognition and catalytic mechanism of HIV-1 PR leading to the release of an infective
virion, which advertently affects the immune system, will assist in designing mechanismbased
inhibitors with improved bioactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monsurat M. Lawal
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Zainab K. Sanusi
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Thavendran Govender
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Glenn E.M. Maguire
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Bahareh Honarparvar
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Hendrik G. Kruger
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
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Kumar M, Mandal K, Blakeley MP, Wymore T, Kent SBH, Louis JM, Das A, Kovalevsky A. Visualizing Tetrahedral Oxyanion Bound in HIV-1 Protease Using Neutrons: Implications for the Catalytic Mechanism and Drug Design. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:11605-11617. [PMID: 32478251 PMCID: PMC7254801 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 protease is indispensable for virus propagation and an important therapeutic target for antiviral inhibitors to treat AIDS. As such inhibitors are transition-state mimics, a detailed understanding of the enzyme mechanism is crucial for the development of better anti-HIV drugs. Here, we used room-temperature joint X-ray/neutron crystallography to directly visualize hydrogen atoms and map hydrogen bonding interactions in a protease complex with peptidomimetic inhibitor KVS-1 containing a reactive nonhydrolyzable ketomethylene isostere, which, upon reacting with the catalytic water molecule, is converted into a tetrahedral intermediate state, KVS-1TI. We unambiguously determined that the resulting tetrahedral intermediate is an oxyanion, rather than the gem-diol, and both catalytic aspartic acid residues are protonated. The oxyanion tetrahedral intermediate appears to be unstable, even though the negative charge on the oxyanion is delocalized through a strong n → π* hyperconjugative interaction into the nearby peptidic carbonyl group of the inhibitor. To better understand the influence of the ketomethylene isostere as a protease inhibitor, we have also examined the protease structure and binding affinity with keto-darunavir (keto-DRV), which similar to KVS-1 includes the ketomethylene isostere. We show that keto-DRV is a significantly less potent protease inhibitor than DRV. These findings shed light on the reaction mechanism of peptide hydrolysis catalyzed by HIV-1 protease and provide valuable insights into further improvements in the design of protease inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Kumar
- Protein Crystallography
Section, Radiation Biology and Health Sciences Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400085, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Kalyaneswar Mandal
- Departments of Chemistry, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Matthew P. Blakeley
- Large Scale Structures Group, Institut Laue−Langevin, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Troy Wymore
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Stephen B. H. Kent
- Departments of Chemistry, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - John M. Louis
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - Amit Das
- Protein Crystallography
Section, Radiation Biology and Health Sciences Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400085, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Andrey Kovalevsky
- Neutron Scattering
Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
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Sanusi ZK, Lawal MM, Govender T, Baijnath S, Naicker T, Maguire GEM, Honarparvar B, Kruger HG. Concerted hydrolysis mechanism of HIV-1 natural substrate against subtypes B and C-SA PR: insight through molecular dynamics and hybrid QM/MM studies. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:2530-2539. [PMID: 31942584 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05639d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that understanding the catalytic mechanism of HIV-1 PR is the rationale on which its inhibitors were developed; therefore, a better understanding of the mechanism of natural substrate hydrolysis is important. Herein, the reaction mechanism of HIV-1 natural substrates with subtypes B and common mutant in South Africa (subtype C-SA) protease were studied through transition state modelling, using a general acid-general base (GA-GB) one-step concerted process. The activation free energies of enzyme-substrate complexes were compared based on their rate of hydrolysis using a two-layered ONIOM (B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p):AMBER) method. We expanded our computational model to obtain a better understanding of the mechanism of hydrolysis as well as how the enzyme recognises or chooses the cleavage site of the scissile bonds. Using this model, a potential substrate-based inhibitor could be developed with better potency. The calculated activation energies of natural substrates in our previous study correlated well with experimental data. A similar trend was observed for the Gag and Gag-Pol natural substrates in the present work for both enzyme complexes except for the PR-RT substrate. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was also applied to determine the extent of charge transfer within the QM part of both enzymes considered and the PR-RT natural substrate. The result of this study shows that the method can be utilized as a dependable computational technique to rationalize lead compounds against specific targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zainab K Sanusi
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
| | - Monsurat M Lawal
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
| | | | - Sooraj Baijnath
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
| | - Tricia Naicker
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
| | - Glenn E M Maguire
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa. and School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Bahareh Honarparvar
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
| | - Hendrik G Kruger
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
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Abstract
Quantum mechanics (QM) methods provide a fine description of receptor-ligand interactions and of chemical reactions. Their use in drug design and drug discovery is increasing, especially for complex systems including metal ions in the binding sites, for the design of highly selective inhibitors, for the optimization of bi-specific compounds, to understand enzymatic reactions, and for the study of covalent ligands and prodrugs. They are also used for generating molecular descriptors for predictive QSAR/QSPR models and for the parameterization of force fields. Thanks to the continuous increase of computational power offered by GPUs and to the development of sophisticated algorithms, QM methods are becoming part of the standard tools used in computer-aided drug design (CADD). We present the most used QM methods and software packages, and we discuss recent representative applications in drug design and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kotev
- Global Research Informatics/Cheminformatics and Drug Design, Evotec (France) SAS, Toulouse, France
| | - Laurie Sarrat
- Global Research Informatics/Cheminformatics and Drug Design, Evotec (France) SAS, Toulouse, France
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Soler J, González-Lafont À, Lluch JM. A protocol to obtain multidimensional quantum tunneling corrections derived from QM(DFT)/MM calculations for an enzyme reaction. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:27385-27393. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05265e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The multidimensional small-curvature tunneling (SCT) method with Electrostatic Embedding calculations is a compromise between an accessible computational cost and the attainment of an accurate enough estimation of tunneling for an enzyme reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Soler
- Departament de Química Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Bellaterra
- Spain
| | - Àngels González-Lafont
- Departament de Química Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Bellaterra
- Spain
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
| | - José M. Lluch
- Departament de Química Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Bellaterra
- Spain
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
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Cebrián-Prats A, González-Lafont À, Lluch JM. Understanding the Molecular Details of the Mechanism That Governs the Oxidation of Arachidonic Acid Catalyzed by Aspirin-Acetylated Cyclooxygenase-2. ACS Catal 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.9b04223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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38
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Medina FE, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Complexities of the Reaction Mechanisms of CC Double Bond Reduction in Mammalian Fatty Acid Synthase Studied with Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Calculations. ACS Catal 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.9b03531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola E. Medina
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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39
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Teixeira CSS, Ramos MJ, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. Solving the Catalytic Mechanism of Tryptophan Synthase: an Emergent Drug Target in the Treatment of Tuberculosis. ChemCatChem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201901505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carla S. Silva Teixeira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEBioSIMDepartamento de BiomedicinaFaculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Porto 4200-319 Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEDepartamento de Química e BioquímicaFaculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do Porto Porto 4169-007 Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEBioSIMDepartamento de BiomedicinaFaculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Porto 4200-319 Portugal
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEBioSIMDepartamento de BiomedicinaFaculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Porto 4200-319 Portugal
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Calixto AR, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Conformational diversity induces nanosecond-timescale chemical disorder in the HIV-1 protease reaction pathway. Chem Sci 2019; 10:7212-7221. [PMID: 31588289 PMCID: PMC6677113 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc01464k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of conformational diversity in enzyme catalysis has been a matter of analysis in recent studies. Pre-organization of the active site has been pointed out as the major source for enzymes' catalytic power. Following this line of thought, it is becoming clear that specific, instantaneous, non-rare enzyme conformations that make the active site perfectly pre-organized for the reaction lead to the lowest activation barriers that mostly contribute to the macroscopically observed reaction rate. The present work is focused on exploring the relationship between structure and catalysis in HIV-1 protease (PR) with an adiabatic mapping method, starting from different initial structures, collected from a classical MD simulation. The first, rate-limiting step of the HIV-1 PR catalytic mechanism was studied with the ONIOM QM/MM methodology (B3LYP/6-31G(d):ff99SB), with activation and reaction energies calculated at the M06-2X/6-311++G(2d,2p):ff99SB level of theory, in 19 different enzyme:substrate conformations. The results showed that the instantaneous enzyme conformations have two independent consequences on the enzyme's chemistry: they influence the barrier height, something also observed in the past in other enzymes, and they also influence the specific reaction pathway, which is something unusual and unexpected, challenging the "one enzyme-one substrate-one reaction mechanism" paradigm. Two different reaction mechanisms, with similar reactant probabilities and barrier heights, lead to the same gem-diol intermediate. Subtle nanosecond-timescale rearrangements in the active site hydrogen bonding network were shown to determine which reaction the enzyme follows. We named this phenomenon chemical disorder. The results make us realize the unexpected mechanistic consequences of conformational diversity in enzymatic reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Calixto
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE , Departamento de Química e Bioquímica , Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal .
| | - Maria João Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE , Departamento de Química e Bioquímica , Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal .
| | - Pedro Alexandrino Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE , Departamento de Química e Bioquímica , Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal .
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Sanusi ZK, Lawal MM, Govender T, Maguire GEM, Honarparvar B, Kruger HG. Theoretical Model for HIV-1 PR That Accounts for Substrate Recognition and Preferential Cleavage of Natural Substrates. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:6389-6400. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b02207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zainab K. Sanusi
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Monsurat M. Lawal
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | | | - Glenn E. M. Maguire
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Bahareh Honarparvar
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Hendrik G. Kruger
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
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42
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Windsor IW, Gold B, Raines RT. An n→ π* Interaction in the Bound Substrate of Aspartic Proteases Replicates the Oxyanion Hole. ACS Catal 2019; 9:1464-1471. [PMID: 31093467 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b04142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Aspartic proteases regulate many biological processes and are prominent targets for therapeutic intervention. Structural studies have captured intermediates along the reaction pathway, including the Michaelis complex and tetrahedral intermediate. Using a Ramachandran analysis of these structures, we discovered that residues occupying the P1 and P1' positions (which flank the scissile peptide bond) adopt the dihedral angle of an inverse γ-turn and polyproline type-II helix, respectively. Computational analyses reveal that the polyproline type-II helix engenders an n→π* interaction in which the oxygen of the scissile peptide bond is the donor. This interaction stabilizes the negative charge that develops in the tetrahedral intermediate, much like the oxyanion hole of serine proteases. The inverse γ-turn serves to twist the scissile peptide bond, vacating the carbonyl π* orbital and facilitating its hydration. These previously unappreciated interactions entail a form of substrate-assisted catalysis and offer opportunities for drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian W. Windsor
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Brian Gold
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ronald T. Raines
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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43
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Lawal MM, Sanusi ZK, Govender T, Tolufashe GF, Maguire GEM, Honarparvar B, Kruger HG. Unraveling the concerted catalytic mechanism of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease: a hybrid QM/MM study. Struct Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-018-1251-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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44
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Medina FE, Neves RPP, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. QM/MM Study of the Reaction Mechanism of the Dehydratase Domain from Mammalian Fatty Acid Synthase. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b02616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola E. Medina
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui P. P. Neves
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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45
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Fernandes HS, Ramos MJ, Cerqueira NMFSA. Catalytic Mechanism of the Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase: A Computational ONIOM QM/MM Study. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b02321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henrique S. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria João Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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46
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47
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Santos-Martins D, Calixto AR, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. A Buried Water Molecule Influences Reactivity in α-Amylase on a Subnanosecond Time Scale. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.7b04400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diogo Santos-Martins
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana R. Calixto
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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Cerqueira NMFSA, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. Protocol for Computational Enzymatic Reactivity Based on Geometry Optimisation. Chemphyschem 2018; 19:669-689. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201700339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- N. M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- REQUIMTE-UCIBIO; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - P. A. Fernandes
- REQUIMTE-UCIBIO; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - M. J. Ramos
- REQUIMTE-UCIBIO; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
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Miranda-Rojas S, Fernández I, Kästner J, Toro-Labbé A, Mendizábal F. Unraveling the Nature of the Catalytic Power of Fluoroacetate Dehalogenase. ChemCatChem 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201701517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Miranda-Rojas
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas; Universidad Andres Bello; Av. República 275 Santiago Chile
| | - Israel Fernández
- Departamento de Química Orgánica I and Centro de Innovación en, Química Avanzada (ORFEO-CINQA); Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Universidad Complutense de Madrid; 28040- Madrid Spain
| | - Johannes Kästner
- Institut für Theoretische Chemie; Universität Stuttgart; Pfaffenwaldring 55 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Alejandro Toro-Labbé
- Laboratorio de Química Teórica Computacional; Facultad de Química; Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile; Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul Santiago Chile
| | - Fernando Mendizábal
- Departamento de Química; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa Santiago Chile
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Jitonnom J, Mujika JI, van der Kamp MW, Mulholland AJ. Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Simulations Identify the Ring-Opening Mechanism of Creatininase. Biochemistry 2017; 56:6377-6388. [PMID: 29140090 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Creatininase catalyzes the conversion of creatinine (a biosensor for kidney function) to creatine via a two-step mechanism: water addition followed by ring opening. Water addition is common to other known cyclic amidohydrolases, but the precise mechanism for ring opening is still under debate. The proton donor in this step is either His178 or a water molecule bound to one of the metal ions, and the roles of His178 and Glu122 are unclear. Here, the two possible reaction pathways have been fully examined by means of combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations at the SCC-DFTB/CHARMM22 level of theory. The results indicate that His178 is the main catalytic residue for the whole reaction and explain its role as proton shuttle during the ring-opening step. In the first step, His178 provides electrostatic stabilization to the gem-diolate tetrahedral intermediate. In the second step, His178 abstracts the hydroxyl proton of the intermediate and delivers it to the cyclic amide nitrogen, leading to ring opening. The latter is the rate-limiting step with a free energy barrier of 18.5 kcal/mol, in agreement with the experiment. We find that Glu122 must be protonated during the enzyme reaction, so that it can form a stable hydrogen bond with its neighboring water molecule. Simulations of the E122Q mutant showed that this replacement disrupts the H-bond network formed by three conserved residues (Glu34, Ser78, and Glu122) and water, increasing the energy barrier. Our computational studies provide a comprehensive explanation for previous structural and kinetic observations, including why the H178A mutation causes a complete loss of activity but the E122Q mutation does not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitrayut Jitonnom
- Division of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Phayao , Phayao 56000, Thailand
| | - Jon I Mujika
- Kimika Fakultatea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea UPV/EHU, and Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) , P.K. 1072, 20080 Donostia, Euskadi, Spain
| | - Marc W van der Kamp
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol , Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K
- Centre for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Adrian J Mulholland
- Centre for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
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