1
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Song P, Huang Q, Li W, Li M, Liu Z. Decomposition of Forces in Protein: Methodology and General Properties. J Chem Inf Model 2024. [PMID: 39262153 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
In contrast to the central role played by the structure of biomolecules, the complementary force-based view has received little attention in past studies. Here, we proposed a simple method for the force decomposition of multibody interactions and provided some techniques to analyze and visualize the general behavior of forces in proteins. It was shown that atomic forces fluctuate at a magnitude of about 3000 pN, which is huge in the context of cell biology. Remarkably, the average scalar product between atomic force and displacement universally approximates -3kBT. This is smaller by an order of magnitude than the simple product of their fluctuation magnitudes due to the unexpectedly weak correlation between the directions of force and displacement. The pairwise forces are highly anisotropic, with elongated fluctuation ellipsoids. Residue-residue forces can be attractive or repulsive (despite being more likely to be attractive), forming some kind of tensegrity structure stabilized by a complicated network of forces. Being able to understand and predict the interaction network provides a basis for rational drug design and uncovering molecular recognition mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Song
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiaojing Huang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenyu Li
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Maodong Li
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Zhirong Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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2
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Babbitt GA, Rajendran M, Lynch ML, Asare-Bediako R, Mouli LT, Ryan CJ, Srivastava H, Rynkiewicz P, Phadke K, Reed ML, Moore N, Ferran MC, Fokoue EP. ATOMDANCE: Kernel-based denoising and choreographic analysis for protein dynamic comparison. Biophys J 2024; 123:2705-2715. [PMID: 38515299 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Comparative methods in molecular evolution and structural biology rely heavily upon the site-wise analysis of DNA sequence and protein structure, both static forms of information. However, it is widely accepted that protein function results from nanoscale nonrandom machine-like motions induced by evolutionarily conserved molecular interactions. Comparisons of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations conducted between homologous sites representative of different functional or mutational states can potentially identify local effects on binding interaction and protein evolution. In addition, comparisons of different (i.e., nonhomologous) sites within MD simulations could be employed to identify functional shifts in local time-coordinated dynamics indicative of logic gating within proteins. However, comparative MD analysis is challenged by the large fraction of protein motion caused by random thermal noise in the surrounding solvent. Therefore, properly denoised MD comparisons could reveal functional sites involving these machine-like dynamics with good accuracy. Here, we introduce ATOMDANCE, a user-interfaced suite of comparative machine learning-based denoising tools designed for identifying functional sites and the patterns of coordinated motion they can create within MD simulations. ATOMDANCE-maxDemon4.0 employs Gaussian kernel functions to compute site-wise maximum mean discrepancy between learned features of motion, thereby assessing denoised differences in the nonrandom motions between functional or evolutionary states (e.g., ligand bound versus unbound, wild-type versus mutant). ATOMDANCE-maxDemon4.0 also employs maximum mean discrepancy to analyze potential random amino acid replacements allowing for a site-wise test of neutral versus nonneutral evolution on the divergence of dynamic function in protein homologs. Finally, ATOMDANCE-Choreograph2.0 employs mixed-model analysis of variance and graph network to detect regions where time-synchronized shifts in dynamics occur. Here, we demonstrate ATOMDANCE's utility for identifying key sites involved in dynamic responses during functional binding interactions involving DNA, small-molecule drugs, and virus-host recognition, as well as understanding shifts in global and local site coordination occurring during allosteric activation of a pathogenic protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Babbitt
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York.
| | - Madhusudan Rajendran
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Miranda L Lynch
- Hauptmann Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, New York
| | - Richmond Asare-Bediako
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Leora T Mouli
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Cameron J Ryan
- McQuaid Jesuit High School Computer Club, Rochester, New York
| | | | - Patrick Rynkiewicz
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Kavya Phadke
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Makayla L Reed
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Nadia Moore
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Maureen C Ferran
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Ernest P Fokoue
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York.
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3
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Gong S, Li C, Chu Q, Gao W, Su P, Cui G, Tang J, Qu G, Sun Z, Guo J, Huang L. Rationally Engineered Novel Glycosyltransferase UGT74DD1 from Siraitia grosvenorii Catalyzes the Generation of the Sweetener Mogroside III. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:18214-18224. [PMID: 39101349 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c04235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Mogrosides are natural compounds highly valued in the food sector for their exceptional sweetness. Here, we report a novel O-glycosyltransferase (UGT74DD1) from Siraitia grosvenorii that catalyzes the conversion of mogrol to mogroside IIE. Site-directed mutagenesis yielded the UGT74DD1-W351A mutant, which exhibited the new capability to transform mogroside IIE into the valuable sweetener mogroside III, but with low catalytic activity. Subsequently, using structure-guided directed evolution with combinatorial active-site saturation testing, the superior mutant M6 (W351A/Q373 K/E49H/Q335W/S278C/D17F) were obtained, which showed a 46.1-fold increase in catalytic activity compared to UGT74DD1-W351A. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the enhanced activity and extended substrate profiles of M6 are due to its enlarged substrate-binding pocket and strengthened enzyme-substrate hydrogen bonding interactions. Overall, we redesigned UGT74DD1, yielding mutants that catalyze the conversion of mogrol into mogroside III. This study thus broadens the toolbox of UGTs capable of catalyzing the formation of valuable polyglycoside compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shukun Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
| | - Congcong Li
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West Seventh Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Qi Chu
- School of Food Engineering, Yantai Key Laboratory of Nanoscience and Technology for Prepared Food, Yantai Engineering Research Center of Green Food Processing and Quality Control, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, Shandong, China
| | - Wei Gao
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Ping Su
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
| | - Guanghong Cui
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
| | - Jinfu Tang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
| | - Ge Qu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West Seventh Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Zhoutong Sun
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West Seventh Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Juan Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
| | - Luqi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
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4
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Yue X, Li Y, Wei M, Duan Y, Yang L, Chen FE. Rational redesign of the loop dynamics of carbonyl reductase LfSDR1 to improve the stereoselectivity for asymmetric synthesis of bulky chiral alcohols. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 274:133345. [PMID: 38944066 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Engineering biocatalysts with enhanced stereoselectivity is highly desirable, and active-site loop dynamics play an important role in its regulation. However, knowledge of their precise roles in catalysis and evolution is limited. Here, we used the strategy of Rosetta enzyme design combined molecular dynamic simulations (MDs) to reprogram the landscapes of the key active-site loop dynamics of the carbonyl reductase LfSDR1 to improve stereoselectivity. The key flexible loop in the active site showed the potential to regulate the catalytic properties. A library of virtual variants was produced using the Rosetta design and assessed dynamic effect of the loop with the aid of MDs. A potential candidate was obtained with significant stereoselectivity (ee > 99 %) compared to the wild-type (ee = 42 %) without loss of catalytic activity or thermostability. The molecular basis of the catalytic property enhancement was flanked by MDs, which revealed the role of the G92L mutation in regulating loop dynamics to stabilize the environment of the active site. Finally, a series of the challenge bulky substrate derivatives were assessed using the G92L variant, and all showed improved stereoselectivity ee > 99 %. This study provides novel insights for improving stereoselectivity through rational engineering of the loop dynamics of biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Yue
- Engineering Center of Catalysis and Synthesis for Chiral Molecules, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shanghai Engineering Center of Industrial Catalysis for Chiral Drugs, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; School of Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Yitong Li
- Engineering Center of Catalysis and Synthesis for Chiral Molecules, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shanghai Engineering Center of Industrial Catalysis for Chiral Drugs, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Mankun Wei
- School of life science, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Yu Duan
- School of life science, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Lin Yang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
| | - Fen-Er Chen
- Engineering Center of Catalysis and Synthesis for Chiral Molecules, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shanghai Engineering Center of Industrial Catalysis for Chiral Drugs, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; School of Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
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5
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Rubina, Moin ST, Haider S. Identification of a Cryptic Pocket in Methionine Aminopeptidase-II Using Adaptive Bandit Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Markov State Models. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:28534-28545. [PMID: 38973915 PMCID: PMC11223136 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c02516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Methionine aminopeptidase-II (MetAP-II) is a metalloprotease, primarily responsible for the cotranslational removal of the N-terminal initiator methionine from the nascent polypeptide chain during protein synthesis. MetAP-II has been implicated in angiogenesis and endothelial cell proliferation and is therefore considered a validated target for cancer therapeutics. However, there is no effective drug available against MetAP-II. In this study, we employ Adaptive Bandit molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structural dynamics of the apo and ligand-bound MetAP-II. Our results focus on the dynamic behavior of the disordered loop that is not resolved in most of the crystal structures. Further analysis of the conformational flexibility of the disordered loop reveals a hidden cryptic pocket that is predicted to be potentially druggable. The network analysis indicates that the disordered loop region has a direct signaling route to the active site. These findings highlight a new way to target MetAP-II by designing inhibitors for the allosteric site within this disordered loop region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubina
- Third
World Center for Science and Technology, H.E.J. Research Institute
of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Syed Tarique Moin
- Third
World Center for Science and Technology, H.E.J. Research Institute
of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Shozeb Haider
- UCL
School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, U.K.
- UCL
Centre for Advanced Research Computing, University College London, London WC1H 9RN, U.K.
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6
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Lee W. Mechanistic Insight into how β-Ketoacyl ACP Synthase I (KasA) Recognizes the Fatty Acid Chain Length of its Substrate. Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300568. [PMID: 37983623 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
β-ketoacyl ACP synthase I (KasA) has been considered as a promising drug target against Tuberculosis because it is known to play a pivotal role in the survival of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, a causative agent of Tuberculosis. KasA catalyzes the reaction elongating only the acyl chain that is 16 carbon atoms in length or longer, but the molecular details of how KasA selectively recognizes only the substrate longer than a certain length still remain unknown. In the present study, this challenging subject is addressed, and to this end, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and free energy calculations for actual substrate binding process are carried out. The results illustrate that the substrate specificity of KasA is highly linked to its cooperativity and this cooperativity is realized through the activation of catalytic residues. Through these results, the mechanistic details of how KasA can be selectively activated only by the substrate with a proper length are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wook Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Korea
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7
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Grausenburger R, Herek P, Shariat SF, Englinger B. Recent contributions of single-cell and spatial profiling to the understanding of bladder cancer. Curr Opin Urol 2024; 34:236-243. [PMID: 38650456 PMCID: PMC11155276 DOI: 10.1097/mou.0000000000001183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Current risk stratification and treatment decision-making for bladder cancer informed by histopathology as well as molecular diagnostics face limitations. This review summarizes recent advancements in single-cell and spatial omics methodologies for understanding bladder cancer biology and their potential impact on development of novel therapeutic strategies. RECENT FINDINGS Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial omics techniques offer unprecedented insights into various aspects of tumor microenvironment (TME), bladder cancer heterogeneity, cancer stemness, and cellular plasticity. Studies have identified multiple malignant cell subpopulations within tumors, revealing diverse transcriptional states and clonal evolution. Additionally, intratumor heterogeneity has been linked to tumor progression and therapeutic response. Immune cell composition analysis has revealed immunosuppressive features in the TME, impacting treatment response. Furthermore, studies have elucidated the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts and endothelial cells in shaping the tumor immune landscape and response to therapy. SUMMARY Single-cell and spatial omics technologies have revolutionized our understanding of bladder cancer biology, uncovering previously unseen complexities. These methodologies provide valuable insights into tumor heterogeneity and microenvironmental interactions, with implications for therapeutic development. However, challenges remain in translating research findings into clinical practice and implementing personalized treatment strategies. Continued interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation are essential for overcoming these challenges and leveraging the full potential of single-cell and spatial omics in improving bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Grausenburger
- Department of Urology and Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Center for Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Paula Herek
- Department of Urology and Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Center for Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shahrokh F. Shariat
- Department of Urology and Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
- Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Department of Urology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Division of Urology, Department of Special Surgery, Jordan University Hospital, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
- Research Center for Evidence Medicine, Urology Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Karl Landsteiner Institute of Urology and Andrology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernhard Englinger
- Department of Urology and Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Center for Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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8
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Yu X, Duan G, Pei P, Chen L, Gu R, Hu W, Zhang H, Wang YD, Gong L, Liu L, Chu TT, Li JP, Luo SZ. Heparan sulfate-dependent phase separation of CCL5 and its chemotactic activity. eLife 2024; 13:RP93871. [PMID: 38949655 PMCID: PMC11216747 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Secreted chemokines form concentration gradients in target tissues to control migratory directions and patterns of immune cells in response to inflammatory stimulation; however, how the gradients are formed is much debated. Heparan sulfate (HS) binds to chemokines and modulates their activities. In this study, we investigated the roles of HS in the gradient formation and chemoattractant activity of CCL5 that is known to bind to HS. CCL5 and heparin underwent liquid-liquid phase separation and formed gradient, which was confirmed using CCL5 immobilized on heparin-beads. The biological implication of HS in CCL5 gradient formation was established in CHO-K1 (wild-type) and CHO-677 (lacking HS) cells by Transwell assay. The effect of HS on CCL5 chemoattractant activity was further proved by Transwell assay of human peripheral blood cells. Finally, peritoneal injection of the chemokines into mice showed reduced recruitment of inflammatory cells either by mutant CCL5 (lacking heparin-binding sequence) or by addition of heparin to wild-type CCL5. Our experimental data propose that co-phase separation of CCL5 with HS establishes a specific chemokine concentration gradient to trigger directional cell migration. The results warrant further investigation on other heparin-binding chemokines and allows for a more elaborate insight into disease process and new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Guangfei Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Pengfei Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Long Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Renji Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Wenrui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Hongli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Yan-Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
| | - Lili Gong
- Institute of Medical Science, China-Japan Friendship HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Lihong Liu
- Institute of Medical Science, China-Japan Friendship HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Ting-Ting Chu
- Greater Bay Biomedical InnoCenter, Shenzhen Bay LaboratoryShenzhenChina
| | - Jin-Ping Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of UppsalaUppsalaSweden
| | - Shi-Zhong Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijingChina
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9
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Gampp O, Kadavath H, Riek R. NMR tools to detect protein allostery. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 86:102792. [PMID: 38428364 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Allostery is a fundamental mechanism of cellular homeostasis by intra-protein communication between distinct functional sites. It is an internal process of proteins to steer interactions not only with each other but also with other biomolecules such as ligands, lipids, and nucleic acids. In addition, allosteric regulation is particularly important in enzymatic activities. A major challenge in structural and molecular biology today is unraveling allosteric sites in proteins, to elucidate the detailed mechanism of allostery and the development of allosteric drugs. Here we summarize the recently developed tools and approaches which enable the elucidation of regulatory hotspots and correlated motion in biomolecules, focusing primarily on solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). These tools open an avenue towards a rational understanding of the mechanism of allostery and provide essential information for the design of allosteric drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Gampp
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Harindranath Kadavath
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, 38105 Memphis, Tennessee, USA. https://twitter.com/harijik
| | - Roland Riek
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
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10
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Bernetti M, Bosio S, Bresciani V, Falchi F, Masetti M. Probing allosteric communication with combined molecular dynamics simulations and network analysis. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 86:102820. [PMID: 38688074 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the allosteric mechanisms within biomolecules involved in diseases is of paramount importance for drug discovery. Indeed, characterizing communication pathways and critical hotspots in signal transduction can guide a rational approach to leverage allosteric modulation for therapeutic purposes. While the atomistic signatures of allosteric processes are difficult to determine experimentally, computational methods can be a remarkable resource. Network analysis built on Molecular Dynamics simulation data is particularly suited in this respect and is gradually becoming of routine use. Herein, we collect the recent literature in the field, discussing different aspects and available options for network construction and analysis. We further highlight interesting refinements and extensions, eventually providing our perspective on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Bernetti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Computational and Chemical Biology, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
| | - Stefano Bosio
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Computational and Chemical Biology, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy. https://twitter.com/Stefano__Bosio
| | - Veronica Bresciani
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Computational and Chemical Biology, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy. https://twitter.com/V_Bresciani
| | - Federico Falchi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Computational and Chemical Biology, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Matteo Masetti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
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11
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Yu T, Sudhakar N, Okafor CD. Illuminating ligand-induced dynamics in nuclear receptors through MD simulations. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2024; 1867:195025. [PMID: 38614450 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2024.195025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) regulate gene expression in critical physiological processes, with their functionality finely tuned by ligand-induced conformational changes. While NRs may sometimes undergo significant conformational motions in response to ligand-binding, these effects are more commonly subtle and challenging to study by traditional structural or biophysical methods. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a powerful tool to bridge the gap between static protein-ligand structures and dynamical changes that govern NR function. Here, we summarize a handful of recent studies that apply MD simulations to study NRs. We present diverse methodologies for analyzing simulation data with a detailed examination of the information each method can yield. By delving into the strengths, limitations and unique contributions of these tools, this review provides guidance for extracting meaningful data from MD simulations to advance the goal of understanding the intricate mechanisms by which ligands orchestrate a range of functional outcomes in NRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nishanti Sudhakar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - C Denise Okafor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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12
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Zhang W, Liu Y, Jang H, Nussinov R. CDK2 and CDK4: Cell Cycle Functions Evolve Distinct, Catalysis-Competent Conformations, Offering Drug Targets. JACS AU 2024; 4:1911-1927. [PMID: 38818077 PMCID: PMC11134382 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), particularly CDK4 and CDK2, are crucial for cell cycle progression from the Gap 1 (G1) to the Synthesis (S) phase by phosphorylating targets such as the Retinoblastoma Protein (Rb). CDK4, paired with cyclin-D, operates in the long G1 phase, while CDK2 with cyclin-E, manages the brief G1-to-S transition, enabling DNA replication. Aberrant CDK signaling leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation, which is a hallmark of cancer. Exactly how they accomplish their catalytic phosphorylation actions with distinct efficiencies poses the fundamental, albeit overlooked question. Here we combined available experimental data and modeling of the active complexes to establish their conformational functional landscapes to explain how the two cyclin/CDK complexes differentially populate their catalytically competent states for cell cycle progression. Our premise is that CDK catalytic efficiencies could be more important for cell cycle progression than the cyclin-CDK biochemical binding specificity and that efficiency is likely the prime determinant of cell cycle progression. We observe that CDK4 is more dynamic than CDK2 in the ATP binding site, the regulatory spine, and the interaction with its cyclin partner. The N-terminus of cyclin-D acts as an allosteric regulator of the activation loop and the ATP-binding site in CDK4. Integrated with a suite of experimental data, we suggest that the CDK4 complex is less capable of remaining in the active catalytically competent conformation, and may have a lower catalytic efficiency than CDK2, befitting their cell cycle time scales, and point to critical residues and motifs that drive their differences. Our mechanistic landscape may apply broadly to kinases, and we propose two drug design strategies: (i) allosteric Inhibition by conformational stabilization for targeting allosteric CDK4 regulation by cyclin-D, and (ii) dynamic entropy-optimized targeting which leverages the dynamic, entropic aspects of CDK4 to optimize drug binding efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wengang Zhang
- Cancer
Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Yonglan Liu
- Cancer
Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Computational
Structural Biology Section, Frederick National
Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Computational
Structural Biology Section, Frederick National
Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Department
of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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13
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Guidarelli Mattioli F, Saltalamacchia A, Magistrato A. Tracing Allostery in the Spliceosome Ski2-like RNA Helicase Brr2. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:3502-3508. [PMID: 38517341 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03538] [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: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
RNA ATPases/helicases remodel substrate RNA-protein complexes in distinct ways. The different RNA ATPases/helicases, taking part in the spliceosome complex, reshape the RNA/RNA-protein contacts to enable premature-mRNA splicing. Among them, the bad response to refrigeration 2 (Brr2) helicase promotes U4/U6 small nuclear (sn)RNA unwinding via ATP-driven translocation of the U4 snRNA strand, thus playing a pivotal role during the activation, catalytic, and disassembly phases of splicing. The plastic Brr2 architecture consists of an enzymatically active N-terminal cassette (N-cassette) and a structurally similar but inactive C-terminal cassette (C-cassette). The C-cassette, along with other allosteric effectors and regulators, tightly and timely controls Brr2's function via an elusive mechanism. Here, microsecond-long molecular dynamics simulations, dynamical network theory, and community network analysis are combined to elucidate how allosteric effectors/regulators modulate the Brr2 function. We unexpectedly reveal that U4 snRNA itself acts as an allosteric regulator, amplifying the cross-talk of distal Brr2 domains and triggering a conformational reorganization of the protein. Our findings offer fundamental understanding into Brr2's mechanism of action and broaden our knowledge on the sophisticated regulatory mechanisms by which spliceosome ATPases/helicases control gene expression. This includes their allosteric regulation exerted by client RNA strands, a mechanism that may be broadly applicable to other RNA-dependent ATPases/helicases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Saltalamacchia
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandra Magistrato
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Material Foundry at International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
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14
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Iljina M, Mazal H, Dayananda A, Zhang Z, Stan G, Riven I, Haran G. Single-molecule FRET probes allosteric effects on protein-translocating pore loops of a AAA+ machine. Biophys J 2024; 123:374-388. [PMID: 38196191 PMCID: PMC10870172 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
AAA+ proteins (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) comprise a family of powerful ring-shaped ATP-dependent translocases that carry out numerous vital substrate-remodeling functions. ClpB is a AAA+ protein disaggregation machine that forms a two-tiered hexameric ring, with flexible pore loops protruding into its center and binding to substrate proteins. It remains unknown whether these pore loops contribute only passively to substrate-protein threading or have a more active role. Recently, we have applied single-molecule FRET spectroscopy to directly measure the dynamics of substrate-binding pore loops in ClpB. We have reported that the three pore loops of ClpB (PL1-3) undergo large-scale fluctuations on the microsecond timescale that are likely to be mechanistically important for disaggregation. Here, using single-molecule FRET, we study the allosteric coupling between the pore loops and the two nucleotide-binding domains of ClpB (NBD1-2). By mutating the conserved Walker B motifs within the NBDs to abolish ATP hydrolysis, we demonstrate how the nucleotide state of each NBD tunes pore-loop dynamics. This effect is surprisingly long-ranged; in particular, PL2 and PL3 respond differentially to a Walker B mutation in either NBD1 or NBD2, as well as to mutations in both. We characterize the conformational dynamics of pore loops and the allosteric paths connecting NBDs to pore loops by molecular dynamics simulations and find that both principal motions and allosteric paths can be altered by changing the ATPase state of ClpB. Remarkably, PL3, which is highly conserved in AAA+ machines, is found to favor an upward conformation when only NBD1 undergoes ATP hydrolysis but a downward conformation when NBD2 is active. These results explicitly demonstrate a significant long-range allosteric effect of ATP hydrolysis sites on pore-loop dynamics. Pore loops are therefore established as active participants that undergo ATP-dependent conformational changes to translocate substrate proteins through the central pores of AAA+ machines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Iljina
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Hisham Mazal
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ashan Dayananda
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Zhaocheng Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - George Stan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
| | - Inbal Riven
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gilad Haran
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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15
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Madhu MK, Shewani K, Murarka RK. Biased Signaling in Mutated Variants of β 2-Adrenergic Receptor: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:449-469. [PMID: 38194225 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01481] [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: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The molecular basis of receptor bias in G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) caused by mutations that preferentially activate specific intracellular transducers over others remains poorly understood. Two experimentally identified biased variants of β2-adrenergic receptors (β2AR), a prototypical GPCR, are a triple mutant (T68F, Y132A, and Y219A) and a single mutant (Y219A); the former bias the receptor toward the β-arrestin pathway by disfavoring G protein engagement, while the latter induces G protein signaling explicitly due to selection against GPCR kinases (GRKs) that phosphorylate the receptor as a prerequisite of β-arrestin binding. Though rigorous characterizations have revealed functional implications of these mutations, the atomistic origin of the observed transducer selectivity is not clear. In this study, we investigated the allosteric mechanism of receptor bias in β2AR using microseconds of all-atom Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) simulations. Our observations reveal distinct rearrangements in transmembrane helices, intracellular loop 3, and critical residues R1313.50 and Y3267.53 in the conserved motifs D(E)RY and NPxxY for the mutant receptors, leading to their specific transducer interactions. Moreover, partial dissociation of G protein from the receptor core is observed in the simulations of the triple mutant in contrast to the single mutant and wild-type receptor. The reorganization of allosteric communications from the extracellular agonist BI-167107 to the intracellular receptor-transducer interfaces drives the conformational rearrangements responsible for receptor bias in the single and triple mutants. The molecular insights into receptor bias of β2AR presented here could improve the understanding of biased signaling in GPCRs, potentially opening new avenues for designing novel therapeutics with fewer side-effects and superior efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Midhun K Madhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Kunal Shewani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
| | - Rajesh K Murarka
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India
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16
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Jang H, Chen J, Iakoucheva LM, Nussinov R. Cancer and Autism: How PTEN Mutations Degrade Function at the Membrane and Isoform Expression in the Human Brain. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168354. [PMID: 37935253 PMCID: PMC10842829 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Mutations causing loss of PTEN lipid phosphatase activity can promote cancer, benign tumors (PHTS), and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Exactly how they preferentially trigger distinct phenotypic outcomes has been puzzling. Here, we demonstrate that PTEN mutations differentially allosterically bias P loop dynamics and its connection to the catalytic site, affecting catalytic activity. NDD-related mutations are likely to sample conformations of the functional wild-type state, while sampled conformations for the strong, cancer-related driver mutation hotspots favor catalysis-primed conformations, suggesting that NDD mutations are likely to be weaker, and our large-scale simulations show why. Prenatal PTEN isoform expression data suggest exons 5 and 7, which harbor NDD mutations, as cancer-risk carriers. Since cancer requires more than a single mutation, our conformational and genomic analysis helps discover how same protein mutations can foster different clinical manifestations, articulates a role for co-occurring background latent driver mutations, and uncovers relationships of splicing isoform expression to life expectancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Jiaye Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Lilia M Iakoucheva
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
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17
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Klem H, Alegre-Requena JV, Paton RS. Catalytic Effects of Active Site Conformational Change in the Allosteric Activation of Imidazole Glycerol Phosphate Synthase. ACS Catal 2023; 13:16249-16257. [PMID: 38125975 PMCID: PMC10729027 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c04176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase (IGPS) is a class-I glutamine amidotransferase (GAT) that hydrolyzes glutamine. Ammonia is produced and transferred to a second active site, where it reacts with N1-(5'-phosphoribosyl)-formimino-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (PrFAR) to form precursors to purine and histidine biosynthesis. Binding of PrFAR over 25 Å away from the active site increases glutaminase efficiency by ∼4500-fold, primarily altering the glutamine turnover number. IGPS has been the focus of many studies on allosteric communication; however, atomic details for how the glutamine hydrolysis rate increases in the presence of PrFAR are lacking. We present a density functional theory study on 237-atom active site cluster models of IGPS based on crystallized structures representing the inactive and allosterically active conformations and investigate the multistep reaction leading to thioester formation and ammonia production. The proposed mechanism is supported by similar, well-studied enzyme mechanisms, and the corresponding energy profile is consistent with steady-state kinetic studies of PrFAR + IGPS. Additional active site models are constructed to examine the relationship between active site structural change and transition-state stabilization via energy decomposition schemes. The results reveal that the inactive IGPS conformation does not provide an adequately formed oxyanion hole structure and that repositioning of the oxyanion strand relative to the substrate is vital for a catalysis-competent oxyanion hole, with or without the hVal51 dihedral flip. These findings are valuable for future endeavors in modeling the IGPS allosteric mechanism by providing insight into the atomistic changes required for rate enhancement that can inform suitable reaction coordinates for subsequent investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Klem
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Juan V Alegre-Requena
- Dpto.de Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH), CSIC, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50009, Spain
| | - Robert S Paton
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
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18
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Mu X, Yuan S, Zhang D, Lai R, Liao C, Li G. Selective modulation of alkali metal ions on acetylcholinesterase. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:30308-30318. [PMID: 37934509 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02887a] [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: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an important hydrolase in cholinergic synapses and a candidate target in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The lithium treatment widely used in neurological disorders can alter the AChE activity, yet the underlying mechanism of how the ion species regulate the enzymatic activity remains unclear. In this work, we performed combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and well-tempered metadynamics to understand the modulation of human AChE (hAChE) activity using three alkali metal ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) in different concentrations. Our simulations show that the binding affinity and catalytic activity are affected by different ion species through allosteric ion coordination geometries on the hAChE complex and distant electrostatic screening effect. A Li+ cluster involving D330, E393, and D397 residues and three Li+ ions was found to be highly conserved and can be critical to the enzyme activity. Binding energy calculations indicate that the electrostatic screening from allosterically bound cations can affect the key residues at the catalytic site and active-site gorge, including E199. Furthermore, an increase in ion concentration can lead to lower reactivity, especially for Li+ ions, which exhibit more cation-hAChE contacts than Na+ and K+. The selective ion binding and their preferred modulation on hAChE are highly related to ion species. This work provides a molecular perspective on selective modulation by different ion species of the enzyme catalytic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
| | - Shengwei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dinglin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
| | - Rui Lai
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
| | - Chenyi Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
| | - Guohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China.
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19
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Abstract
A survey of protein databases indicates that the majority of enzymes exist in oligomeric forms, with about half of those found in the UniProt database being homodimeric. Understanding why many enzymes are in their dimeric form is imperative. Recent developments in experimental and computational techniques have allowed for a deeper comprehension of the cooperative interactions between the subunits of dimeric enzymes. This review aims to succinctly summarize these recent advancements by providing an overview of experimental and theoretical methods, as well as an understanding of cooperativity in substrate binding and the molecular mechanisms of cooperative catalysis within homodimeric enzymes. Focus is set upon the beneficial effects of dimerization and cooperative catalysis. These advancements not only provide essential case studies and theoretical support for comprehending dimeric enzyme catalysis but also serve as a foundation for designing highly efficient catalysts, such as dimeric organic catalysts. Moreover, these developments have significant implications for drug design, as exemplified by Paxlovid, which was designed for the homodimeric main protease of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Wei Chen
- Lab of Computional Chemistry and Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tian-Yu Sun
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
| | - Yun-Dong Wu
- Lab of Computional Chemistry and Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
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20
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Corbella M, Pinto GP, Kamerlin SCL. Loop dynamics and the evolution of enzyme activity. Nat Rev Chem 2023; 7:536-547. [PMID: 37225920 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-023-00495-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In the early 2000s, Tawfik presented his 'New View' on enzyme evolution, highlighting the role of conformational plasticity in expanding the functional diversity of limited repertoires of sequences. This view is gaining increasing traction with increasing evidence of the importance of conformational dynamics in both natural and laboratory evolution of enzymes. The past years have seen several elegant examples of harnessing conformational (particularly loop) dynamics to successfully manipulate protein function. This Review revisits flexible loops as critical participants in regulating enzyme activity. We showcase several systems of particular interest: triosephosphate isomerase barrel proteins, protein tyrosine phosphatases and β-lactamases, while briefly discussing other systems in which loop dynamics are important for selectivity and turnover. We then discuss the implications for engineering, presenting examples of successful loop manipulation in either improving catalytic efficiency, or changing selectivity completely. Overall, it is becoming clearer that mimicking nature by manipulating the conformational dynamics of key protein loops is a powerful method of tailoring enzyme activity, without needing to target active-site residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Corbella
- Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gaspar P Pinto
- Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Cortex Discovery GmbH, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Shina C L Kamerlin
- Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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21
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Sora V, Tiberti M, Beltrame L, Dogan D, Robbani SM, Rubin J, Papaleo E. PyInteraph2 and PyInKnife2 to Analyze Networks in Protein Structural Ensembles. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:4237-4245. [PMID: 37437128 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00574] [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: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Due to the complex nature of noncovalent interactions and their long-range effects, analyzing protein conformations using network theory can be enlightening. Protein Structure Networks (PSNs) provide a convenient formalism to study protein structures in relation to essential properties such as key residues for structural stability, allosteric communication, and the effects of modifications of the protein. PSNs can be defined according to very different principles, and the available tools have limitations in input formats, supported models, and version control. Other outstanding problems are related to the definition of network cutoffs and the assessment of the stability of the network properties. The protein science community could benefit from a common framework to carry out these analyses and make them easier to reproduce, reuse, and evaluate. We here provide two open-source software packages, PyInteraph2 and PyInKnife2, to implement and analyze PSNs in a reproducible and documented manner. PyInteraph2 interfaces with multiple formats for protein ensembles and incorporates different network models with the possibility of integrating them into a macronetwork and performing various downstream analyses, including hubs, connected components, and several other centrality measures, and visualizes the networks or further analyzes them thanks to compatibility with Cytoscape.PyInKnife2 that supports the network models implemented in PyInteraph2. It employs a jackknife resampling approach to estimate the convergence of network properties and streamline the selection of distance cutoffs. We foresee that the modular structure of the code and the supported version control system will promote the transition to a community-driven effort, boost reproducibility, and establish common protocols in the PSN field. As developers, we will guarantee the introduction of new functionalities and maintenance, assistance, and training of new contributors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sora
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Cancer Systems Biology, Section of Bioinformatics, Department of Health and Technology, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Matteo Tiberti
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ludovica Beltrame
- Cancer Systems Biology, Section of Bioinformatics, Department of Health and Technology, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Deniz Dogan
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shahriyar Mahdi Robbani
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Joshua Rubin
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elena Papaleo
- Cancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Cancer Systems Biology, Section of Bioinformatics, Department of Health and Technology, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
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22
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Konovalov KA, Wu CG, Qiu Y, Balakrishnan VK, Parihar PS, O’Connor MS, Xing Y, Huang X. Disease mutations and phosphorylation alter the allosteric pathways involved in autoinhibition of protein phosphatase 2A. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:215101. [PMID: 37260014 PMCID: PMC10238128 DOI: 10.1063/5.0150272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) are connected to intellectual disability and cancer. It has been hypothesized that these mutations might disrupt the autoinhibition and phosphorylation-induced activation of PP2A. Since they are located far from both the active and substrate binding sites, it is unclear how they exert their effect. We performed allosteric pathway analysis based on molecular dynamics simulations and combined it with biochemical experiments to investigate the autoinhibition of PP2A. In the wild type (WT), the C-arm of the regulatory subunit B56δ obstructs the active and substrate binding sites exerting a dual autoinhibition effect. We find that the disease mutant, E198K, severely weakens the allosteric pathways that stabilize the C-arm in the WT. Instead, the strongest allosteric pathways in E198K take a different route that promotes exposure of the substrate binding site. To facilitate the allosteric pathway analysis, we introduce a path clustering algorithm for lumping pathways into channels. We reveal remarkable similarities between the allosteric channels of E198K and those in phosphorylation-activated WT, suggesting that the autoinhibition can be alleviated through a conserved mechanism. In contrast, we find that another disease mutant, E200K, which is in spatial proximity of E198, does not repartition the allosteric pathways leading to the substrate binding site; however, it may still induce exposure of the active site. This finding agrees with our biochemical data, allowing us to predict the activity of PP2A with the phosphorylated B56δ and provide insight into how disease mutations in spatial proximity alter the enzymatic activity in surprisingly different mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill A. Konovalov
- Department of Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - Yunrui Qiu
- Department of Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Vijaya Kumar Balakrishnan
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA
| | - Pankaj Singh Parihar
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA
| | - Michael S. O’Connor
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Yongna Xing
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
| | - Xuhui Huang
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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23
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Kelly MS, Macke AC, Kahawatte S, Stump JE, Miller AR, Dima RI. The quaternary question: Determining allostery in spastin through dynamics classification learning and bioinformatics. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:125102. [PMID: 37003743 DOI: 10.1063/5.0139273] [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: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The nanomachine from the ATPases associated with various cellular activities superfamily, called spastin, severs microtubules during cellular processes. To characterize the functionally important allostery in spastin, we employed methods from evolutionary information, to graph-based networks, to machine learning applied to atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of spastin in its monomeric and the functional hexameric forms, in the presence or absence of ligands. Feature selection, using machine learning approaches, for transitions between spastin states recognizes all the regions that have been proposed as allosteric or functional in the literature. The analysis of the composition of the Markov State Model macrostates in the spastin monomer, and the analysis of the direction of change in the top machine learning features for the transitions, indicate that the monomer favors the binding of ATP, which primes the regions involved in the formation of the inter-protomer interfaces for binding to other protomer(s). Allosteric path analysis of graph networks, built based on the cross-correlations between residues in simulations, shows that perturbations to a hub specific for the pre-hydrolysis hexamer propagate throughout the structure by passing through two obligatory regions: the ATP binding pocket, and pore loop 3, which connects the substrate binding site to the ATP binding site. Our findings support a model where the changes in the terminal protomers due to the binding of ligands play an active role in the force generation in spastin. The secondary structures in spastin, which are found to be highly degenerative within the network paths, are also critical for feature transitions of the classification models, which can guide the design of allosteric effectors to enhance or block allosteric signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria S Kelly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
| | - Amanda C Macke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
| | - Shehani Kahawatte
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
| | - Jacob E Stump
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
| | - Abigail R Miller
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
| | - Ruxandra I Dima
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
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24
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Jang H, Chen J, Iakoucheva LM, Nussinov R. How PTEN mutations degrade function at the membrane and life expectancy of carriers of mutations in the human brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.26.525746. [PMID: 36747841 PMCID: PMC9900933 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.26.525746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
PTEN dysfunction, caused by loss of lipid phosphatase activity or deletion, promotes pathologies, cancer, benign tumors, and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Despite efforts, exactly how the mutations trigger distinct phenotypic outcomes, cancer or NDD, has been puzzling. It has also been unclear how to distinguish between mutations harbored by isoforms, are they cancer or NDDs-related. Here we address both. We demonstrate that PTEN mutations differentially allosterically bias P-loop dynamics and its connection to the catalytic site, affecting catalytic activity. NDD-related mutations are likely to sample conformations present in the wild-type, while sampled conformations sheltering cancer-related hotspots favor catalysis-prone conformations, suggesting that NDD mutations are weaker. Analysis of isoform expression data indicates that if the transcript has NDD-related mutations, alone or in combination with cancer hotspots, there is high prenatal expression. If no mutations within the measured days, low expression levels. Cancer mutations promote stronger signaling and cell proliferation; NDDs' are weaker, influencing brain cell differentiation. Further, exon 5 is impacted by NDD or non-NDD mutations, while exon 7 is exclusively impacted by NDD mutations. Our comprehensive conformational and genomic analysis helps discover how same allele mutations can foster different clinical manifestations and uncovers correlations of splicing isoform expression to life expectancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, U.S.A
| | - Jiaye Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Lilia M Iakoucheva
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, U.S.A
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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25
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Rozza R, Saltalamacchia A, Orrico C, Janoš P, Magistrato A. All-Atom Simulations Elucidate the Impact of U2AF2 Cancer-Associated Mutations on Pre-mRNA Recognition. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6691-6703. [PMID: 36040856 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The U2AF2 splicing factor, made of two tandem RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) joined by a flexible linker, selects the intronic polypyrimidine sequence of premature mRNA, thus ensuring splicing fidelity. Increasing evidence links mutations of key splicing factors, including U2AF2, to a variety of cancers. Nevertheless, the impact of U2AF2 cancer-associated mutations on polypyrimidine recognition remains unclear. Here, we combined extensive (18 μs-long) all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and dynamical network theory analysis (NWA) of U2AF2, in its wild-type form and in the presence of the six most frequent cancer-associated mutations, bound to a poly-U strand. Our results reveal that the selected mutations affect the pre-mRNA binding at two hot spot regions, irrespectively of where these mutants are placed on the distinct U2AF2 domains. Complementarily, NWA traced the existence of cross-communication pathways, connecting each mutation site to these recognition hot spots, whose strength is altered by the mutations. Our outcomes suggest the existence of a structural/dynamical interplay of the two U2AF2's RRMs underlying the recognition of the polypyrimidine tract and reveal that the cancer-associated mutations affect the polypyrimidine selection by altering the RRMs' cooperativity. This mechanism may be shared by other RNA binding proteins hallmarked, like U2AF2, by multidomain architecture and high plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Rozza
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR)-IOM c/o International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Andrea Saltalamacchia
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Clarissa Orrico
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Pavel Janoš
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR)-IOM c/o International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandra Magistrato
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR)-IOM c/o International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
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26
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Kaczor AA, Wróbel TM, Bartuzi D. Allosteric Modulators of Dopamine D 2 Receptors for Fine-Tuning of Dopaminergic Neurotransmission in CNS Diseases: Overview, Pharmacology, Structural Aspects and Synthesis. Molecules 2022; 28:molecules28010178. [PMID: 36615372 PMCID: PMC9822192 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Allosteric modulation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is nowadays a hot topic in medicinal chemistry. Allosteric modulators, i.e., compounds which bind in a receptor site topologically distinct from orthosteric sites, exhibit a number of advantages. They are more selective, safer and display a ceiling effect which prevents overdosing. Allosteric modulators of dopamine D2 receptor are potential drugs against a number of psychiatric and neurological diseases, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. In this review, an insightful summary of current research on D2 receptor modulators is presented, ranging from their pharmacology and structural aspects of ligand-receptor interactions to their synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka A. Kaczor
- Department of Synthesis and Chemical Technology of Pharmaceutical Substances with Computer Modeling Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 4A Chodźki St., PL-20093 Lublin, Poland
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-81-448-72-73
| | - Tomasz M. Wróbel
- Department of Synthesis and Chemical Technology of Pharmaceutical Substances with Computer Modeling Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 4A Chodźki St., PL-20093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Damian Bartuzi
- Department of Synthesis and Chemical Technology of Pharmaceutical Substances with Computer Modeling Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 4A Chodźki St., PL-20093 Lublin, Poland
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
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27
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Yang T, Han L, Huo S. Dynamics and Allosteric Information Pathways of Unphosphorylated c-Cbl. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6148-6159. [PMID: 36442893 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human c-Cbl is a RING-type ligase and plays a central role in the protein degradation cascade. To elucidate its conformational changes related to substrate binding, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of different variants/states of c-Cbl for a cumulative time of 68 μs. Our simulations demonstrate that before the substrate binds, the RING domain samples a broad set of conformational states at a biologically relevant salt concentration, including the closed, partially open, and fully open states, whereas substrate binding leads to a restricted conformational sampling. Phe378 and the C-terminal region play an essential role in stabilizing the partially open state. To visualize the allosteric signal transmission pathways from the substrate-binding site to the 40 Å apart RING domain and identify the critical residues for allostery, we have created a subgraph from the optimal and suboptimal paths. Redundant paths are seen in the SH2 domain where the substrate binds, while the major bottlenecks are found at the junction between the SH2 domain and the linker helix region as well as that between the SH2 domain and the 4H bundle. These bottlenecks separate the paths into two overall routes. The nodes/residues at the bottlenecks on the subgraph are considered allosteric hot spots. This subgraph approach provides a general tool for network visualization and determination of critical residues for allostery. The structurally and allosterically critical residues identified in our work are testable and would provide valuable insights into the emerging strategies for drug discovery, such as targeted protein degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Yang
- Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Li Han
- Department of Computer Science, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Shuanghong Huo
- Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
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28
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Long-range allostery mediates the regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 by cell adhesion factor vitronectin. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102652. [PMID: 36444882 PMCID: PMC9731859 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) spontaneously undergoes a massive structural change from a metastable and active conformation, with a solvent-accessible reactive center loop (RCL), to a stable, inactive, or latent conformation, with the RCL inserted into the central β-sheet. Physiologically, conversion to the latent state is regulated by the binding of vitronectin, which hinders the latency transition rate approximately twofold. The molecular mechanisms leading to this rate change are unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of vitronectin on the PAI-1 latency transition using all-atom path sampling simulations in explicit solvent. In simulated latency transitions of free PAI-1, the RCL is quite mobile as is the gate, the region that impedes RCL access to the central β-sheet. This mobility allows the formation of a transient salt bridge that facilitates the transition; this finding rationalizes existing mutagenesis results. Vitronectin binding reduces RCL and gate mobility by allosterically rigidifying structural elements over 40 Å away from the binding site, thus blocking transition to the latent conformation. The effects of vitronectin are propagated by a network of dynamically correlated residues including a number of conserved sites that were previously identified as important for PAI-1 stability. Simulations also revealed a transient pocket populated only in the vitronectin-bound state, corresponding to a cryptic drug-binding site identified by crystallography. Overall, these results shed new light on PAI-1 latency transition regulation by vitronectin and illustrate the potential of path sampling simulations for understanding functional protein conformational changes and for facilitating drug discovery.
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29
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Periwal N, Rathod SB, Sarma S, Johar GS, Jain A, Barnwal RP, Srivastava KR, Kaur B, Arora P, Sood V. Time Series Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes and Correlations among Highly Prevalent Mutations. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0121922. [PMID: 36069583 PMCID: PMC9603882 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01219-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The efforts of the scientific community to tame the recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seem to have been diluted by the emergence of new viral strains. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the effect of mutations on viral evolution. We performed a time series analysis on 59,541 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from around the world to gain insights into the kinetics of the mutations arising in the viral genomes. These 59,541 genomes were grouped according to month (January 2020 to March 2021) based on the collection date. Meta-analysis of these data led us to identify significant mutations in viral genomes. Pearson correlation of these mutations led us to the identification of 16 comutations. Among these comutations, some of the individual mutations have been shown to contribute to viral replication and fitness, suggesting a possible role of other unexplored mutations in viral evolution. We observed that the mutations 241C>T in the 5' untranslated region (UTR), 3037C>T in nsp3, 14408C>T in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and 23403A>G in spike are correlated with each other and were grouped in a single cluster by hierarchical clustering. These mutations have replaced the wild-type nucleotides in SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Additionally, we employed a suite of computational tools to investigate the effects of T85I (1059C>T), P323L (14408C>T), and Q57H (25563G>T) mutations in nsp2, RdRp, and the ORF3a protein of SARS-CoV-2, respectively. We observed that the mutations T85I and Q57H tend to be deleterious and destabilize the respective wild-type protein, whereas P323L in RdRp tends to be neutral and has a stabilizing effect. IMPORTANCE We performed a meta-analysis on SARS-CoV-2 genomes categorized by collection month and identified several significant mutations. Pearson correlation analysis of these significant mutations identified 16 comutations having absolute correlation coefficients of >0.4 and a frequency of >30% in the genomes used in this study. The correlation results were further validated by another statistical tool called hierarchical clustering, where mutations were grouped in clusters on the basis of their similarity. We identified several positive and negative correlations among comutations in SARS-CoV-2 isolates from around the world which might contribute to viral pathogenesis. The negative correlations among some of the mutations in SARS-CoV-2 identified in this study warrant further investigations. Further analysis of mutations such as T85I in nsp2 and Q57H in ORF3a protein revealed that these mutations tend to destabilize the protein relative to the wild type, whereas P323L in RdRp is neutral and has a stabilizing effect. Thus, we have identified several comutations which can be further characterized to gain insights into SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Periwal
- Department of Biochemistry, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Shravan B. Rathod
- Department of Chemistry, Smt. S. M. Panchal Science College, Talod, Gujarat, India
| | - Sankritya Sarma
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Avantika Jain
- Department of Biochemistry, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
- Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ravi P. Barnwal
- Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Baljeet Kaur
- Department of Computer Science, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Pooja Arora
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Vikas Sood
- Department of Biochemistry, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
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30
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Borišek J, Aupič J, Magistrato A. Establishing the catalytic and regulatory mechanism of
RNA
‐based machineries. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jure Borišek
- Theory Department National Institute of Chemistry Ljubljana Slovenia
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31
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Sun B, Kekenes-Huskey PM. Calmodulin's Interdomain Linker Is Optimized for Dynamics Signal Transmission and Calcium Binding. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:4210-4221. [PMID: 35994621 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Linkers are ubiquitous in multidomain proteins. These linkers are integral to protein functions, and accumulating evidence suggests that the linkers' versatile roles are encoded in their sequences. However, a molecular picture of how amino acid differences in the linker influence protein function is still lacking. By using extensive Gaussian-accelerated MD coupled with dynamic network analysis, we reveal the molecular bases underlying the linker's role in Calmodulin (CaM), a highly conserved Ca2+-signaling hub in eukaryotes. Three CaM constructs comprising a wild-type linker, a flexible linker (four glycines at position D78-S81), and a rigid linker (four prolines at position D78-S81) were simulated. We show that the flexible linker resembles the wild type in allowing CaM to sample a large ensemble of conformations while the rigid linker confines the sampling. Our simulations recapture experimental observations that target binding enhances the Ca2+ affinity to CaM's EF-hand sites at the N-domain. However, only the wild-type linker can both correctly capture the Ca2+ binding order and maintain the α-helical structure of the domain. The other two constructs either bind Ca2+ in an incorrect order or exhibit unfolding of an N-domain helix. We demonstrate that the wild-type linker achieves these outcomes by transmitting interdomain dynamics efficiently. This was evidenced by stronger (anti)correlations among the linker residues, decoupling of the hydrogen bonds between A1-A15 and V35-E45, and structuring of the N-domain for Ca2+ binding. This decoupling was not evident for the other two constructs. Lastly, we show that the wild-type linker's optimal transmission stems from its thermodynamically favorable strain and solvation relative to the other two constructs. Our results show how the linker sequence tunes CaM function, suggesting possible mechanisms for changes in linker properties such as mutations or post-translational modifications to modulate protein/substrate binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Sun
- Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Peter M Kekenes-Huskey
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois 60153, United States
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32
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Brissos V, Borges P, Núñez-Franco R, Lucas MF, Frazão C, Monza E, Masgrau L, Cordeiro TN, Martins LO. Distal Mutations Shape Substrate-Binding Sites during Evolution of a Metallo-Oxidase into a Laccase. ACS Catal 2022; 12:5022-5035. [PMID: 36567772 PMCID: PMC9775220 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c00336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Laccases are in increasing demand as innovative solutions in the biorefinery fields. Here, we combine mutagenesis with structural, kinetic, and in silico analyses to characterize the molecular features that cause the evolution of a hyperthermostable metallo-oxidase from the multicopper oxidase family into a laccase (k cat 273 s-1 for a bulky aromatic substrate). We show that six mutations scattered across the enzyme collectively modulate dynamics to improve the binding and catalysis of a bulky aromatic substrate. The replacement of residues during the early stages of evolution is a stepping stone for altering the shape and size of substrate-binding sites. Binding sites are then fine-tuned through high-order epistasis interactions by inserting distal mutations during later stages of evolution. Allosterically coupled, long-range dynamic networks favor catalytically competent conformational states that are more suitable for recognizing and stabilizing the aromatic substrate. This work provides mechanistic insight into enzymatic and evolutionary molecular mechanisms and spots the importance of iterative experimental and computational analyses to understand local-to-global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vânia Brissos
- Instituto
de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Patrícia
T. Borges
- Instituto
de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | | | - Carlos Frazão
- Instituto
de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Emanuele Monza
- Zymvol
Biomodeling, Carrer Roc
Boronat, 117, 08018 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Masgrau
- Zymvol
Biomodeling, Carrer Roc
Boronat, 117, 08018 Barcelona, Spain,Department
of Chemistry, Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Tiago N. Cordeiro
- Instituto
de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Lígia O. Martins
- Instituto
de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal,
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33
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Calvó-Tusell C, Maria-Solano MA, Osuna S, Feixas F. Time Evolution of the Millisecond Allosteric Activation of Imidazole Glycerol Phosphate Synthase. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:7146-7159. [PMID: 35412310 PMCID: PMC9052757 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Deciphering the molecular
mechanisms of enzymatic allosteric regulation
requires the structural characterization of functional states and
also their time evolution toward the formation of the allosterically
activated ternary complex. The transient nature and usually slow millisecond
time scale interconversion between these functional states hamper
their experimental and computational characterization. Here, we combine
extensive molecular dynamics simulations, enhanced sampling techniques,
and dynamical networks to describe the allosteric activation of imidazole
glycerol phosphate synthase (IGPS) from the substrate-free form to
the active ternary complex. IGPS is a heterodimeric bienzyme complex
whose HisH subunit is responsible for hydrolyzing glutamine and delivering
ammonia for the cyclase activity in HisF. Despite significant advances
in understanding the underlying allosteric mechanism, essential molecular
details of the long-range millisecond allosteric activation of IGPS
remain hidden. Without using a priori information
of the active state, our simulations uncover how IGPS, with the allosteric
effector bound in HisF, spontaneously captures glutamine in a catalytically
inactive HisH conformation, subsequently attains a closed HisF:HisH
interface, and finally forms the oxyanion hole in HisH for efficient
glutamine hydrolysis. We show that the combined effector and substrate
binding dramatically decreases the conformational barrier associated
with oxyanion hole formation, in line with the experimentally observed
4500-fold activity increase in glutamine hydrolysis. The allosteric
activation is controlled by correlated time-evolving dynamic networks
connecting the effector and substrate binding sites. This computational
strategy tailored to describe millisecond events can be used to rationalize
the effect of mutations on the allosteric regulation and guide IGPS
engineering efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Calvó-Tusell
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, c/Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Miguel A Maria-Solano
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, c/Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.,Global AI Drug Discovery Center, College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Ewha Womans University, 03760 Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sílvia Osuna
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, c/Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ferran Feixas
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, c/Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
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34
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Zhang Q, Chen Y, Ni D, Huang Z, Wei J, Feng L, Su JC, Wei Y, Ning S, Yang X, Zhao M, Qiu Y, Song K, Yu Z, Xu J, Li X, Lin H, Lu S, Zhang J. Targeting a cryptic allosteric site of SIRT6 with small-molecule inhibitors that inhibit the migration of pancreatic cancer cells. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:876-889. [PMID: 35256952 PMCID: PMC8897208 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
SIRT6 belongs to the conserved NAD+-dependent deacetylase superfamily and mediates multiple biological and pathological processes. Targeting SIRT6 by allosteric modulators represents a novel direction for therapeutics, which can overcome the selectivity problem caused by the structural similarity of orthosteric sites among deacetylases. Here, developing a reversed allosteric strategy AlloReverse, we identified a cryptic allosteric site, Pocket Z, which was only induced by the bi-directional allosteric signal triggered upon orthosteric binding of NAD+. Based on Pocket Z, we discovered an SIRT6 allosteric inhibitor named JYQ-42. JYQ-42 selectively targets SIRT6 among other histone deacetylases and effectively inhibits SIRT6 deacetylation, with an IC50 of 2.33 μmol/L. JYQ-42 significantly suppresses SIRT6-mediated cancer cell migration and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. JYQ-42, to our knowledge, is the most potent and selective allosteric SIRT6 inhibitor. This study provides a novel strategy for allosteric drug design and will help in the challenging development of therapeutic agents that can selectively bind SIRT6.
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Key Words
- ADPr, ADP-ribose
- Allosteric inhibitor
- BSA, bull serum albumin
- CCK-8, Cell Counting Kit-8
- Cell migration
- Cytokine production
- DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide
- FBS, fetal bovine serum
- FDL, Fluor de Lys
- H3K18, histone 3 lysine 18
- H3K56, histone 3 lysine 56
- H3K9, histone 3 lysine 9
- HDAC, histone deacetylase
- HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography
- IC50, half-maximum inhibitory concentration
- IPTG, isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactoside
- MD, molecular dynamics
- Molecular dynamics simulations
- NAD+, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
- NAM, nicotinamide
- PBS, phosphate buffer saline
- PMA, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate
- PMSF, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride
- Pancreatic cancer
- RMSD, root-mean-square deviation
- RT-qPCR, real-time quantitative PCR
- Reversed allostery
- SDS-PAGE, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
- SIRT6
- SIRT6, sirtuin 6
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35
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Yao XQ, Hamelberg D. Residue–Residue Contact Changes during Functional Processes Define Allosteric Communication Pathways. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:1173-1187. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Qiu Yao
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3965, United States
| | - Donald Hamelberg
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3965, United States
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36
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Nguyen TT, Lee HS, Burt BM, Wu J, Zhang J, Amos CI, Cheng C. A lepidic gene signature predicts patient prognosis and sensitivity to immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma. Genome Med 2022; 14:5. [PMID: 35016696 PMCID: PMC8753834 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-01010-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, has a high level of morphologic heterogeneity and is composed of tumor cells of multiple histological subtypes. It has been reported that immune cell infiltration significantly impacts clinical outcomes of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. However, it is unclear whether histologic subtyping can reflect the tumor immune microenvironment, and whether histologic subtyping can be applied for therapeutic stratification of the current standard of care. METHODS We inferred immune cell infiltration levels using a histological subtype-specific gene expression dataset. From differential gene expression analysis between different histological subtypes, we developed two gene signatures to computationally determine the relative abundance of lepidic and solid components (denoted as the L-score and S-score, respectively) in lung adenocarcinoma samples. These signatures enabled us to investigate the relationship between histological composition and clinical outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma using previously published datasets. RESULTS We found dramatic immunological differences among histological subtypes. Differential gene expression analysis showed that the lepidic and solid subtypes could be differentiated based on their gene expression patterns while the other subtypes shared similar gene expression patterns. Our results indicated that higher L-scores were associated with prolonged survival, and higher S-scores were associated with shortened survival. L-scores and S-scores were also correlated with global genomic features such as tumor mutation burdens and driver genomic events. Interestingly, we observed significantly decreased L-scores and increased S-scores in lung adenocarcinoma samples with EGFR gene amplification but not in samples with EGFR gene mutations. In lung cancer cell lines, we observed significant correlations between L-scores and cell sensitivity to a number of targeted drugs including EGFR inhibitors. Moreover, lung cancer patients with higher L-scores were more likely to benefit from immune checkpoint blockade therapy. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provided further insights into evaluating histology composition in lung adenocarcinoma. The established signatures reflected that lepidic and solid subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma would be associated with prognosis, genomic features, and responses to targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The signatures therefore suggested potential clinical translation in predicting patient survival and treatment responses. In addition, our framework can be applied to other types of cancer with heterogeneous histological subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thinh T Nguyen
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Hyun-Sung Lee
- Division of General Thoracic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Bryan M Burt
- Division of General Thoracic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jia Wu
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Christopher I Amos
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Chao Cheng
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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37
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Hernández González JE, Alberca LN, Masforrol González Y, Reyes Acosta O, Talevi A, Salas-Sarduy E. Tetracycline Derivatives Inhibit Plasmodial Cysteine Protease Falcipain-2 through Binding to a Distal Allosteric Site. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 62:159-175. [PMID: 34962803 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Allosteric inhibitors regulate enzyme activity from remote and usually specific pockets. As they promise an avenue for less toxic and safer drugs, the identification and characterization of allosteric inhibitors has gained great academic and biomedical interest in recent years. Research on falcipain-2 (FP-2), the major papain-like cysteine hemoglobinase of Plasmodium falciparum, might benefit from this strategy to overcome the low selectivity against human cathepsins shown by active site-directed inhibitors. Encouraged by our previous finding that methacycline inhibits FP-2 noncompetitively, here we assessed other five tetracycline derivatives against this target and characterized their inhibition mechanism. As previously shown for methacycline, tetracycline derivatives inhibited FP-2 in a noncompetitive fashion, with Ki values ranging from 121 to 190 μM. A possible binding to the S' side of the FP-2 active site, similar to that described by X-ray crystallography (PDB: 6SSZ) for the noncompetitive inhibitor E-chalcone 48 (EC48), was experimentally discarded by kinetic analysis using a large peptidyl substrate spanning the whole active site. By combining lengthy molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that allowed methacycline to diffuse from solution to different FP-2 surface regions and free energy calculations, we predicted the most likely binding mode of the ligand. Of note, the proposed binding pose explains the low differences in Ki values observed for the tested tetracycline derivatives and the calculated binding free energies match the experimental values. Overall, this study has implications for the design of novel allosteric inhibitors against FP-2 and sets the basis for further optimization of the tetracycline scaffold to produce more potent and selective inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Enrique Hernández González
- Departamento de Física, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, Jardim Nazareth, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo CEP 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Lucas N Alberca
- Laboratory of Bioactive Compounds Research and Development (LIDeB), Department of Biological Sciences, Exact Sciences College, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata B1900ADU, Argentina
| | | | - Osvaldo Reyes Acosta
- Chemistry and Physics Department, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Alan Talevi
- Laboratory of Bioactive Compounds Research and Development (LIDeB), Department of Biological Sciences, Exact Sciences College, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata B1900ADU, Argentina
| | - Emir Salas-Sarduy
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Rodolfo Ugalde"─Universidad Nacional de San Martín─CONICET, San Martín B1650HMP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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38
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Fan J, Liu Y, Kong R, Ni D, Yu Z, Lu S, Zhang J. Harnessing Reversed Allosteric Communication: A Novel Strategy for Allosteric Drug Discovery. J Med Chem 2021; 64:17728-17743. [PMID: 34878270 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Allostery is a fundamental and extensive mechanism of intramolecular signal transmission. Allosteric drugs possess several unique pharmacological advantages over traditional orthosteric drugs, including greater selectivity, better physicochemical properties, and lower off-target toxicity. However, owing to the complexity of allosteric regulation, experimental approaches for the development of allosteric modulators are traditionally serendipitous. Recently, the reversed allosteric communication theory has been proposed, providing a feasible tool for the unbiased detection of allosteric sites. Herein, we review the latest research on the reversed allosteric communication effect using the examples of sirtuin 6, epidermal growth factor receptor, 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1, and Related to A and C kinases (RAC) serine/threonine protein kinase B and recapitulate the methodologies of reversed allosteric communication strategy. The novel reversed allosteric communication strategy greatly expands the horizon of allosteric site identification and allosteric mechanism exploration and is expected to accelerate an end-to-end framework for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jigang Fan
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 750004, China.,State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.,Zhiyuan Innovative Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yaqin Liu
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Ren Kong
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China
| | - Duan Ni
- The Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | | | - Shaoyong Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 750004, China.,State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.,Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 750004, China.,State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.,Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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39
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Aledavood E, Gheeraert A, Forte A, Vuillon L, Rivalta I, Luque FJ, Estarellas C. Elucidating the Activation Mechanism of AMPK by Direct Pan-Activator PF-739. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:760026. [PMID: 34805275 PMCID: PMC8602109 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.760026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key energy sensor regulating the cell metabolism in response to energy supply and demand. The evolutionary adaptation of AMPK to different tissues is accomplished through the expression of distinct isoforms that can form up to 12 heterotrimeric complexes, which exhibit notable differences in the sensitivity to direct activators. To comprehend the molecular factors of the activation mechanism of AMPK, we have assessed the changes in the structural and dynamical properties of β1- and β2-containing AMPK complexes formed upon binding to the pan-activator PF-739. The analysis revealed the molecular basis of the PF-739-mediated activation of AMPK and enabled us to identify distinctive features that may justify the slightly higher affinity towards the β1−isoform, such as the β1−Asn111 to β2−Asp111 substitution, which seems to be critical for modulating the dynamical sensitivity of β1- and β2 isoforms. The results are valuable in the design of selective activators to improve the tissue specificity of therapeutic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Aledavood
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aria Gheeraert
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,LAMA, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LAMA, Le Bourget du Lac, France
| | - Alessia Forte
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laurent Vuillon
- LAMA, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LAMA, Le Bourget du Lac, France
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Université de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5182, Laboratoire de Chimie, Lyon, France
| | - F Javier Luque
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carolina Estarellas
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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40
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Tekpinar M, Neron B, Delarue M. Extracting Dynamical Correlations and Identifying Key Residues for Allosteric Communication in Proteins by correlationplus. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4832-4838. [PMID: 34652149 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Extracting dynamical pairwise correlations and identifying key residues from large molecular dynamics trajectories or normal-mode analysis of coarse-grained models are important for explaining various processes like ligand binding, mutational effects, and long-distance interactions. Efficient and flexible tools to perform this task can provide new insights about residues involved in allosteric regulation and protein function. In addition, combining and comparing dynamical coupling information with sequence coevolution data can help to understand better protein function. To this aim, we developed a Python package called correlationplus to calculate, visualize, and analyze pairwise correlations. In this way, the package aids to identify key residues and interactions in proteins. The source code of correlationplus is available under LGPL version 3 at https://github.com/tekpinar/correlationplus. The current version of the package (0.2.0) can be installed with common installation methods like conda or pip in addition to source code installation. Moreover, docker images are also available for usage of the code without installation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Tekpinar
- Unit of Architecture and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, Pasteur Institute, UMR 3528 CNRS, 25 Rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Bertrand Neron
- Computational Biology Department, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, 28 Rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Marc Delarue
- Unit of Architecture and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, Pasteur Institute, UMR 3528 CNRS, 25 Rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France
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41
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Spinello A, Saltalamacchia A, Borišek J, Magistrato A. Allosteric Cross-Talk among Spike's Receptor-Binding Domain Mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 South African Variant Triggers an Effective Hijacking of Human Cell Receptor. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:5987-5993. [PMID: 34161095 PMCID: PMC8247780 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c01415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The rapid and relentless emergence of novel highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, possibly decreasing vaccine efficacy, currently represents a formidable medical and societal challenge. These variants frequently hold mutations on the Spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD), which, binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, mediates viral entry into host cells. Here, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and dynamical network theory of the wild-type and mutant RBD/ACE2 adducts disclose that while the N501Y mutation (UK variant) enhances the Spike's binding affinity toward ACE2, the concomitant N501Y, E484K, and K417N mutations (South African variant) aptly adapt to increase SARS-CoV-2 propagation via a two-pronged strategy: (i) effectively grasping ACE2 through an allosteric signaling between pivotal RBD structural elements and (ii) impairing the binding of antibodies elicited by infected or vaccinated patients. This information unlocks the molecular terms and evolutionary strategies underlying the increased virulence of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, setting the basis for developing the next-generation anti-COVID-19 therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Saltalamacchia
- International
School for Advanced Studies SISSA, via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Jure Borišek
- National
Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova ulica 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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42
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Laporte S, Magistrato A. Deciphering the Molecular Terms of Arp2/3 Allosteric Regulation from All-Atom Simulations and Dynamical Network Theory. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:5384-5389. [PMID: 34077215 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Arp2/3 molecular machine stimulates the generation of branched actin networks at the cytosolic surface of cellular membranes. Arp2/3 is thus pivotal for cell motility and migration, and its aberrant function is implicated in cancer invasion and metastasis. Here, all-atom multi μs-long molecular dynamics simulations and dynamical NetWork Analysis (NWA) unprecedentedly disclose the molecular terms of Arp2/3 regulation (activation/inhibition) by positive/negative allosteric modulators. After identifying the crucial structural elements underlying Arp2/3's conformational transition toward its active actin-polymerization-competent state, we decrypt the activating signaling paths heading from the allosteric effector (ATP) binding sites to these pivotal regions, also elucidating how small-molecule inhibitors scramble this signal-exchange. As a result, while ATP-induced signaling triggers a harmonious conformational transition toward active Arp2/3, the inhibitors disturb these information channels, desynchronizing Arp2/3 functional movements, thus hindering its activation. Our outcomes supply a conceptual basis for devising small-molecule inhibitors to block infiltrative cancer migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Laporte
- CNR-IOM at SISSA via Bonomea 265 34136, Trieste Italy
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43
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Elbahnsi A, Delemotte L. Structure and Sequence-based Computational Approaches to Allosteric Signal Transduction: Application to Electromechanical Coupling in Voltage-gated Ion Channels. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167095. [PMID: 34107281 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Allosteric signaling underlies the function of many biomolecules, including membrane proteins such as ion channels. Experimental methods have enabled specific quantitative insights into the coupling between the voltage sensing domain (VSD) and the pore gate of voltage-gated ion channels, located tens of Ångström apart from one another, as well as pinpointed specific residues and domains that participate in electromechanical signal transmission. Nevertheless, an overall atomic-level resolution picture is difficult to obtain from these methods alone. Today, thanks to the cryo-EM resolution revolution, we have access to high resolution structures of many different voltage-gated ion channels in various conformational states, putting a quantitative description of the processes at the basis of these changes within our close reach. Here, we review computational methods that build on structures to detect and characterize allosteric signaling and pathways. We then examine what has been learned so far about electromechanical coupling between VSD and pore using such methods. While no general theory of electromechanical coupling in voltage-gated ion channels integrating results from all these methods is available yet, we outline the types of insights that could be achieved in the near future using the methods that have not yet been put to use in this field of application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Elbahnsi
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lucie Delemotte
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden.
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44
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Aledavood E, Forte A, Estarellas C, Javier Luque F. Structural basis of the selective activation of enzyme isoforms: Allosteric response to activators of β1- and β2-containing AMPK complexes. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3394-3406. [PMID: 34194666 PMCID: PMC8217686 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key energy sensor regulating the cell metabolism in response to energy supply and demand. The evolutionary adaptation of AMPK to different tissues is accomplished through the expression of distinct isoforms that can form up to 12 complexes, which exhibit notable differences in the sensitivity to allosteric activators. To shed light into the molecular determinants of the allosteric regulation of this energy sensor, we have examined the structural and dynamical properties of β1- and β2-containing AMPK complexes formed with small molecule activators A-769662 and SC4, and dissected the mechanical response leading to active-like enzyme conformations through the analysis of interaction networks between structural domains. The results reveal the mechanical sensitivity of the α2β1 complex, in contrast with a larger resilience of the α2β2 species, especially regarding modulation by A-769662. Furthermore, binding of activators to α2β1 consistently promotes the pre-organization of the ATP-binding site, favoring the adoption of activated states of the enzyme. These findings are discussed in light of the changes in the residue content of β-subunit isoforms, particularly regarding the β1Asn111 → β2Asp111 substitution as a key factor in modulating the mechanical sensitivity of β1- and β2-containing AMPK complexes. Our studies pave the way for the design of activators tailored for improving the therapeutic treatment of tissue-specific metabolic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessia Forte
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB) and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, Av. Prat de la Riba 171, Santa Coloma de Gramenet 08921, Spain
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45
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Hernández-Alvarez L, Oliveira AB, Hernández-González JE, Chahine J, Pascutti PG, de Araujo AS, de Souza FP. Computational study on the allosteric mechanism of Leishmania major IF4E-1 by 4E-interacting protein-1: Unravelling the determinants of m 7GTP cap recognition. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:2027-2044. [PMID: 33995900 PMCID: PMC8085901 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Atomistic details on perturbations induced by Lm4E-IP1 binding are described. The modulation of LmIF4E-1 affinity for the cap is confirmed by energetic analyses. Signaling paths between the allosteric and othosteric sites of LmIF4E-1 are predicted. Lm4E-IP1 binding increases the side-chain entropy of W83 and R172 of LmIF4E-1. A mechanism of dynamic allostery is proposed for the regulation mediated by Lm4E-IP1.
During their life cycle, Leishmania parasites display a fine-tuned regulation of the mRNA translation through the differential expression of isoforms of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (LeishIF4Es). The interaction between allosteric modulators such as 4E-interacting proteins (4E-IPs) and LeishIF4E affects the affinity of this initiation factor for the mRNA cap. Here, several computational approaches were employed to elucidate the molecular bases of the previously-reported allosteric modulation in L. major exerted by 4E-IP1 (Lm4E-IP1) on eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E 1 (LmIF4E-1). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and accurate binding free energy calculations (ΔGbind) were combined with network-based modeling of residue-residue correlations. We also describe the differences in internal motions of LmIF4E-1 apo form, cap-bound, and Lm4E-IP1-bound systems. Through community network calculations, the differences in the allosteric pathways of allosterically-inhibited and active forms of LmIF4E-1 were revealed. The ΔGbind values show significant differences between the active and inhibited systems, which are in agreement with the available experimental data. Our study thoroughly describes the dynamical perturbations of LmIF4E-1 cap-binding site triggered by Lm4E-IP1. These findings are not only essential for the understanding of a critical process of trypanosomatids’ gene expression but also for gaining insight into the allostery of eukaryotic IF4Es, which could be useful for structure-based design of drugs against this protein family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilian Hernández-Alvarez
- Department of Physics, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio B Oliveira
- Department of Physics, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.,Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Huston, TX, United States
| | - Jorge Enrique Hernández-González
- Department of Physics, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.,Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jorge Chahine
- Department of Physics, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro Geraldo Pascutti
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Suman de Araujo
- Department of Physics, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fátima Pereira de Souza
- Department of Physics, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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46
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Dodd T, Yao XQ, Hamelberg D, Ivanov I. Subsets of adjacent nodes (SOAN): a fast method for computing suboptimal paths in protein dynamic networks. Mol Phys 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2021.1893847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dodd
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xin-Qiu Yao
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Donald Hamelberg
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ivaylo Ivanov
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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47
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Tekpinar M, Yildirim A. Impact of dimerization and N3 binding on molecular dynamics of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:6243-6254. [PMID: 33525993 PMCID: PMC7869440 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1880481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 main protease is one of the major targets in drug development efforts against Covid-19. Even though several structures were reported to date, its dynamics is not understood well. In particular, impact of dimerization and ligand binding on the dynamics is an important issue to investigate. In this study, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases to investigate influence of dimerization on the dynamics by modeling monomeric and dimeric apo and holo forms. The dimerization causes an organization of the interdomain dynamics as well as some local structural changes. Moreover, we investigated impact of a peptide mimetic (N3) on the dynamics of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The ligand binding to the dimeric forms causes some key local changes at the dimer interface and it causes an allosteric interaction between the active sites of two protomers. Our results support the idea that only one protomer is active on SARS-CoV-2 due to this allosteric interaction. Additionally, we analyzed the molecular dynamics trajectories from graph theoretical perspective and found that the most influential residues – as measured by eigenvector centrality – are a group of residues in active site and dimeric interface of the protease. This study may form a bridge between what we know about the dynamics of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. We think that enlightening allosteric communication of the active sites and the role of dimerization in SARS-CoV-2 Mpro can contribute to development of novel drugs against this global health problem as well as other similar proteases. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Tekpinar
- Unit of Structural Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules, Pasteur Institute, UMR 3528 CNRS, Paris, France
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48
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Oliveira ASF, Ciccotti G, Haider S, Mulholland AJ. Dynamical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics reveals the structural basis for allostery and signal propagation in biomolecular systems. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. B 2021; 94:144. [PMID: 34720710 PMCID: PMC8549953 DOI: 10.1140/epjb/s10051-021-00157-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT A dynamical approach to nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (D-NEMD), proposed in the 1970s by Ciccotti et al., is undergoing a renaissance and is having increasing impact in the study of biological macromolecules. This D-NEMD approach, combining MD simulations in stationary (in particular, equilibrium) and nonequilibrium conditions, allows for the determination of the time-dependent structural response of a system using the Kubo-Onsager relation. Besides providing a detailed picture of the system's dynamic structural response to an external perturbation, this approach also has the advantage that the statistical significance of the response can be assessed. The D-NEMD approach has been used recently to identify a general mechanism of inter-domain signal propagation in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and allosteric effects in β -lactamase enzymes, for example. It complements equilibrium MD and is a very promising approach to identifying and analysing allosteric effects. Here, we review the D-NEMD approach and its application to biomolecular systems, including transporters, receptors, and enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Sofia F. Oliveira
- School of Chemistry, Centre for Computational Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS UK
- BrisSynBio, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Giovanni Ciccotti
- Institute for Applied Computing “Mauro Picone” (IAC), CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
- School of Physics, University College of Dublin, UCD-Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- Università di Roma La Sapienza, Ple. A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Shozeb Haider
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX UK
| | - Adrian J. Mulholland
- School of Chemistry, Centre for Computational Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS UK
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Botello-Smith WM, Luo YL. Concepts, Practices, and Interactive Tutorial for Allosteric Network Analysis of Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2302:311-334. [PMID: 33877635 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1394-8_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, concepts of network theory in combination with dynamical information from conformational ensembles have been widely applied to gain insights in understanding allosteric regulation in biomolecules. In this chapter, we introduce the basic theories and protocols used in protein dynamics network analysis through a series of interactive python Jupyter notebook scripts. While various network analysis methods exist in the literature, here we focus on the two popular methods based on correlated atomic motions and pairwise interaction energies. While the tutorial is based on a small prototypic protein, the workflow and protocol introduced here are optimized to handle large membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley M Botello-Smith
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA.
| | - Yun Lyna Luo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA
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Gul S, Aydin C, Ozcan O, Gurkan B, Surme S, Baris I, Kavakli IH. The Arg-293 of Cryptochrome1 is responsible for the allosteric regulation of CLOCK-CRY1 binding in circadian rhythm. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:17187-17199. [PMID: 33028638 PMCID: PMC7863883 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian circadian clocks are driven by transcription/translation feedback loops composed of positive transcriptional activators (BMAL1 and CLOCK) and negative repressors (CRYPTOCHROMEs (CRYs) and PERIODs (PERs)). CRYs, in complex with PERs, bind to the BMAL1/CLOCK complex and repress E-box-driven transcription of clock-associated genes. There are two individual CRYs, with CRY1 exhibiting higher affinity to the BMAL1/CLOCK complex than CRY2. It is known that this differential binding is regulated by a dynamic serine-rich loop adjacent to the secondary pocket of both CRYs, but the underlying features controlling loop dynamics are not known. Here we report that allosteric regulation of the serine-rich loop is mediated by Arg-293 of CRY1, identified as a rare CRY1 SNP in the Ensembl and 1000 Genomes databases. The p.Arg293His CRY1 variant caused a shortened circadian period in a Cry1-/-Cry2-/- double knockout mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line. Moreover, the variant displayed reduced repressor activity on BMAL1/CLOCK driven transcription, which is explained by reduced affinity to BMAL1/CLOCK in the absence of PER2 compared with CRY1. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the p.Arg293His CRY1 variant altered a communication pathway between Arg-293 and the serine loop by reducing its dynamicity. Collectively, this study provides direct evidence that allosterism in CRY1 is critical for the regulation of circadian rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seref Gul
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Cihan Aydin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Onur Ozcan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Berke Gurkan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Saliha Surme
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ibrahim Baris
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ibrahim Halil Kavakli
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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