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Zuo K, Kranjc A, Capelli R, Rossetti G, Nechushtai R, Carloni P. Metadynamics simulations of ligands binding to protein surfaces: a novel tool for rational drug design. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:13819-13824. [PMID: 37184538 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp01388j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Structure-based drug design protocols may encounter difficulties to investigate poses when the biomolecular targets do not exhibit typical binding pockets. In this study, by providing two concrete examples from our labs, we suggest that the combination of metadynamics free energy methods (validated against affinity measurements), along with experimental structural information (by X-ray crystallography and NMR), can help to identify the poses of ligands on protein surfaces. The simulation workflow proposed here was implemented in a widely used code, namely GROMACS, and it could straightforwardly be applied to various drug-design campaigns targeting ligands' binding to protein surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Zuo
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany.
- Department of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Agata Kranjc
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany.
| | - Riccardo Capelli
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany.
- Jülich Supercomputing Center (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Rachel Nechushtai
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Paolo Carloni
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany.
- Department of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
- JARA Institute: Molecular Neuroscience and Imaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-11, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
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2
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Zuo K, Capelli R, Rossetti G, Nechushtai R, Carloni P. Predictions of the Poses and Affinity of a Ligand over the Entire Surface of a NEET Protein: The Case of Human MitoNEET. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:643-654. [PMID: 36623826 PMCID: PMC9875805 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Human NEET proteins contain two [2Fe-2S] iron-sulfur clusters, bound to three Cys residues and one His residue. They exist in two redox states. Recently, these proteins have revealed themselves as attractive drug targets for mitochondrial dysfunction-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, Wolfram syndrome 2, and cancers. Unfortunately, the lack of information and mechanistic understanding of ligands binding to the whole functional, cytoplasmatic domain has limited rational drug design approaches. Here, we use an enhanced sampling technique, volume-based metadynamics, recently developed by a team involving some of us, to predict the poses and affinity of the 2-benzamido-4-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)-thiophene-3-carboxylate ligand to the entire surface of the cytoplasmatic domain of the human NEET protein mitoNEET (mNT) in an aqueous solution. The calculations, based on the recently published X-ray structure of the complex, are consistent with the measured affinity. The calculated free energy landscape revealed that the ligand can bind in multiple sites and with poses other than the one found in the X-ray. This difference is likely to be caused by crystal packing effects that allow the ligand to interact with multiple adjacent NEET protein copies. Such extra contacts are of course absent in the solution; therefore, the X-ray pose is only transient in our calculations, where the binding free energy correlates with the number of contacts. We further evaluated how the reduction and protonation of the Fe-bound histidine, as well as temperature, can affect ligand binding. Both such modifications introduce the possibility for the ligand to bind in an area of the protein other than the one observed in the X-ray, with no or little impact on affinity. Overall, our study can provide insights on the molecular recognition mechanisms of ligand binding to mNT in different oxidative conditions, possibly helping rational drug design of NEET ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Zuo
- The
Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
- Department
of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- Computational
Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute
of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum
Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Department
of Physics, Università di Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Riccardo Capelli
- Department
of Biosciences, Università degli
Studi di Milano, Via
Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- Computational
Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute
of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum
Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Jülich
Supercomputing Center (JSC), Forschungszentrum
Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Department
of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH
Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Rachel Nechushtai
- The
Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Paolo Carloni
- Department
of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- Computational
Biomedicine, Institute of Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute
of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum
Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- JARA
Institute: Molecular Neuroscience and Imaging, Institute of Neuroscience
and Medicine INM-11, Forschungszentrum Jülich
GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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3
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Gandini A, Gonçalves AE, Strocchi S, Albertini C, Janočková J, Tramarin A, Grifoni D, Poeta E, Soukup O, Muñoz-Torrero D, Monti B, Sabaté R, Bartolini M, Legname G, Bolognesi ML. Discovery of Dual Aβ/Tau Inhibitors and Evaluation of Their Therapeutic Effect on a Drosophila Model of Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:3314-3329. [PMID: 36445009 PMCID: PMC9732823 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common type of dementia, currently represents an extremely challenging and unmet medical need worldwide. Amyloid-β (Aβ) and Tau proteins are prototypical AD hallmarks, as well as validated drug targets. Accumulating evidence now suggests that they synergistically contribute to disease pathogenesis. This could not only help explain negative results from anti-Aβ clinical trials but also indicate that therapies solely directed at one of them may have to be reconsidered. Based on this, herein, we describe the development of a focused library of 2,4-thiazolidinedione (TZD)-based bivalent derivatives as dual Aβ and Tau aggregation inhibitors. The aggregating activity of the 24 synthesized derivatives was tested in intact Escherichia coli cells overexpressing Aβ42 and Tau proteins. We then evaluated their neuronal toxicity and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), together with the in vitro interaction with the two isolated proteins. Finally, the most promising (most active, nontoxic, and BBB-permeable) compounds 22 and 23 were tested in vivo, in a Drosophila melanogaster model of AD. The carbazole derivative 22 (20 μM) showed extremely encouraging results, being able to improve both the lifespan and the climbing abilities of Aβ42 expressing flies and generating a better outcome than doxycycline (50 μM). Moreover, 22 proved to be able to decrease Aβ42 aggregates in the brains of the flies. We conclude that bivalent small molecules based on 22 deserve further attention as hits for dual Aβ/Tau aggregation inhibition in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annachiara Gandini
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy,Department
of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, I-34136Trieste, Italy
| | - Ana Elisa Gonçalves
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy,Pharmaceutical
Sciences Postgraduate Program, Center of Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, Rua Uruguai 458, 88302-202Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Silvia Strocchi
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudia Albertini
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy
| | - Jana Janočková
- Biomedical
Research Center, University Hospital Hradec
Kralove, 500 00Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Tramarin
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniela Grifoni
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy,Department
of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, Coppito II, 67100L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Eleonora Poeta
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy
| | - Ondrej Soukup
- Biomedical
Research Center, University Hospital Hradec
Kralove, 500 00Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Diego Muñoz-Torrero
- Laboratory
of Medicinal Chemistry (CSIC Associated Unit), Faculty of Pharmacy
and Food Sciences, and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona (UB), Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, E-08028Barcelona, Spain
| | - Barbara Monti
- Pharmaceutical
Sciences Postgraduate Program, Center of Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, Rua Uruguai 458, 88302-202Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Raimon Sabaté
- Department
of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry,
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University
of Barcelona, Av Joan
XXIII 27-31, E-08028Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuela Bartolini
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department
of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, I-34136Trieste, Italy
| | - Maria Laura Bolognesi
- Department
of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater
Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126Bologna, Italy,. Tel: +39 0512099718
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4
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Staderini M, Vanni S, Baldeschi AC, Giachin G, Zattoni M, Celauro L, Ferracin C, Bistaffa E, Moda F, Pérez DI, Martínez A, Martín MA, Martín-Cámara O, Cores Á, Bianchini G, Kammerer R, Menéndez JC, Legname G, Bolognesi ML. Bifunctional carbazole derivatives for simultaneous therapy and fluorescence imaging in prion disease murine cell models. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 245:114923. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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5
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Hoang LG, Goßen J, Capelli R, Nguyen TT, Sun Z, Zuo K, Schulz JB, Rossetti G, Carloni P. Multiple Poses and Thermodynamics of Ligands Targeting Protein Surfaces: The Case of Furosemide Binding to mitoNEET in Aqueous Solution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:886568. [PMID: 35557955 PMCID: PMC9086288 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.886568] [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: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human NEET proteins, such as NAF-1 and mitoNEET, are homodimeric, redox iron-sulfur proteins characterized by triple cysteine and one histidine-coordinated [2Fe-2S] cluster. They exist in an oxidized and reduced state. Abnormal release of the cluster is implicated in a variety of diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. The computer-aided and structure-based design of ligands affecting cluster release is of paramount importance from a pharmaceutical perspective. Unfortunately, experimental structural information so far is limited to only one ligand/protein complex. This is the X-ray structure of furosemide bound to oxidized mitoNEET. Here we employ an enhanced sampling approach, Localized Volume-based Metadynamics, developed by some of us, to identify binding poses of furosemide to human mitoNEET protein in solution. The binding modes show a high variability within the same shallow binding pocket on the protein surface identified in the X-ray structure. Among the different binding conformations, one of them is in agreement with the crystal structure’s one. This conformation might have been overstabilized in the latter because of the presence of crystal packing interactions, absent in solution. The calculated binding affinity is compatible with experimental data. Our protocol can be used in a straightforward manner in drug design campaigns targeting this pharmaceutically important family of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linh Gia Hoang
- INM-11, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany.,Key Laboratory for Multiscale Simulations of Complex Systems, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Jonas Goßen
- IAS-5/INM-9, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany.,Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Riccardo Capelli
- Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Toan T Nguyen
- Key Laboratory for Multiscale Simulations of Complex Systems, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Zhaoxi Sun
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Zuo
- IAS-5/INM-9, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany.,The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jörg B Schulz
- INM-11, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Aachen (UKA), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- IAS-5/INM-9, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Aachen (UKA), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany
| | - Paolo Carloni
- INM-11, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany.,Key Laboratory for Multiscale Simulations of Complex Systems, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam.,IAS-5/INM-9, Forschungszentrum, Jülich, Germany
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6
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Provasi D. Ligand-Binding Calculations with Metadynamics. METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.) 2019; 2022:233-253. [PMID: 31396906 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9608-7_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
All-atom molecular dynamics simulations can capture the dynamic degrees of freedom that characterize molecular recognition, the knowledge of which constitutes the cornerstone of rational approaches to drug design and optimization. In particular, enhanced sampling algorithms, such as metadynamics, are powerful tools to dramatically reduce the computational cost required for a mechanistic description of the binding process. Here, we describe the essential details characterizing these simulation strategies, focusing on the critical step of identifying suitable reaction coordinates, as well as on the different analysis algorithms to estimate binding affinity and residence times. We conclude with a survey of published applications that provides explicit examples of successful simulations for several targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Provasi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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7
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Kurkinen ST, Lätti S, Pentikäinen OT, Postila PA. Getting Docking into Shape Using Negative Image-Based Rescoring. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:3584-3599. [PMID: 31290660 PMCID: PMC6750746 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The failure of default scoring functions to ensure virtual screening enrichment is a persistent problem for the molecular docking algorithms used in structure-based drug discovery. To remedy this problem, elaborate rescoring and postprocessing schemes have been developed with a varying degree of success, specificity, and cost. The negative image-based rescoring (R-NiB) has been shown to improve the flexible docking performance markedly with a variety of drug targets. The yield improvement is achieved by comparing the alternative docking poses against the negative image of the target protein's ligand-binding cavity. In other words, the shape and electrostatics of the binding pocket is directly used in the similarity comparison to rank the explicit docking poses. Here, the PANTHER/ShaEP-based R-NiB methodology is tested with six popular docking softwares, including GLIDE, PLANTS, GOLD, DOCK, AUTODOCK, and AUTODOCK VINA, using five validated benchmark sets. Overall, the results indicate that R-NiB outperforms the default docking scoring consistently and inexpensively, demonstrating that the methodology is ready for wide-scale virtual screening usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami T Kurkinen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacy , University of Turku , FI-20520 Turku , Finland
| | - Sakari Lätti
- Institute of Biomedicine, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacy , University of Turku , FI-20520 Turku , Finland
| | - Olli T Pentikäinen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacy , University of Turku , FI-20520 Turku , Finland.,Aurlide Ltd. , FI-21420 Lieto , Finland
| | - Pekka A Postila
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science , University of Jyvaskyla , P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyvaskyla , Finland
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8
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Role of Extracellular Loops and Membrane Lipids for Ligand Recognition in the Neuronal Adenosine Receptor Type 2A: An Enhanced Sampling Simulation Study. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23102616. [PMID: 30322034 PMCID: PMC6222423 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23102616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Human G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important targets for pharmaceutical intervention against neurological diseases. Here, we use molecular simulation to investigate the key step in ligand recognition governed by the extracellular domains in the neuronal adenosine receptor type 2A (hA2AR), a target for neuroprotective compounds. The ligand is the high-affinity antagonist (4-(2-(7-amino-2-(furan-2-yl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-5-ylamino)ethyl)phenol), embedded in a neuronal membrane mimic environment. Free energy calculations, based on well-tempered metadynamics, reproduce the experimentally measured binding affinity. The results are consistent with the available mutagenesis studies. The calculations identify a vestibular binding site, where lipids molecules can actively participate to stabilize ligand binding. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that such vestibular binding site and, in particular, the second extracellular loop, might drive the ligand toward the orthosteric binding pocket, possibly by allosteric modulation. Taken together, these findings point to a fundamental role of the interaction between extracellular loops and membrane lipids for ligands’ molecular recognition and ligand design in hA2AR.
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9
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Matthes F, Massari S, Bochicchio A, Schorpp K, Schilling J, Weber S, Offermann N, Desantis J, Wanker E, Carloni P, Hadian K, Tabarrini O, Rossetti G, Krauss S. Reducing Mutant Huntingtin Protein Expression in Living Cells by a Newly Identified RNA CAG Binder. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:1399-1408. [PMID: 29506378 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Expanded CAG trinucleotide repeats in Huntington's disease (HD) are causative for neurotoxicity. The mutant CAG repeat RNA encodes neurotoxic polyglutamine proteins and can lead to a toxic gain of function by aberrantly recruiting RNA-binding proteins. One of these is the MID1 protein, which induces aberrant Huntingtin (HTT) protein translation upon binding. Here we have identified a set of CAG repeat binder candidates by in silico methods. One of those, furamidine, reduces the level of binding of HTT mRNA to MID1 and other target proteins in vitro. Metadynamics calculations, fairly consistent with experimental data measured here, provide hints about the binding mode of the ligand. Importantly, furamidine also decreases the protein level of HTT in a HD cell line model. This shows that small molecules masking RNA-MID1 interactions may be active against mutant HTT protein in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Matthes
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Serena Massari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Anna Bochicchio
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Kenji Schorpp
- Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Judith Schilling
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Stephanie Weber
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Nina Offermann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jenny Desantis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Erich Wanker
- Neuroproteomics, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paolo Carloni
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- JARA-HPC, Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Kamyar Hadian
- Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Oriana Tabarrini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sybille Krauss
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
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10
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Pagadala NS, Syed K, Bhat R. In silico strategies on prion pathogenic conversion and inhibition from PrPC–PrPSc. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2017; 12:241-248. [DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2017.1287171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nataraj S. Pagadala
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 6-020 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Khajamohiddin Syed
- Unit for Drug Discovery Research, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Rakesh Bhat
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 6-020 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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11
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Sattin S, Tao J, Vettoretti G, Moroni E, Pennati M, Lopergolo A, Morelli L, Bugatti A, Zuehlke A, Moses M, Prince T, Kijima T, Beebe K, Rusnati M, Neckers L, Zaffaroni N, Agard DA, Bernardi A, Colombo G. Activation of Hsp90 Enzymatic Activity and Conformational Dynamics through Rationally Designed Allosteric Ligands. Chemistry 2015; 21:13598-608. [PMID: 26286886 PMCID: PMC5921052 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201502211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone of pivotal importance for multiple cell pathways. ATP-regulated internal dynamics are critical for its function and current pharmacological approaches block the chaperone with ATP-competitive inhibitors. Herein, a general approach to perturb Hsp90 through design of new allosteric ligands aimed at modulating its functional dynamics is proposed. Based on the characterization of a first set of 2-phenylbenzofurans showing stimulatory effects on Hsp90 ATPase and conformational dynamics, new ligands were developed that activate Hsp90 by targeting an allosteric site, located 65 Å from the active site. Specifically, analysis of protein responses to first-generation activators was exploited to guide the design of novel derivatives with improved ability to stimulate ATP hydrolysis. The molecules' effects on Hsp90 enzymatic, conformational, co-chaperone and client-binding properties were characterized through biochemical, biophysical and cellular approaches. These designed probes act as allosteric activators of the chaperone and affect the viability of cancer cell lines for which proper functioning of Hsp90 is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sattin
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano via Golgi, 19, 20133, Milan (Italy)
| | - Jiahui Tao
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, 94158 (USA)
| | - Gerolamo Vettoretti
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR via Mario Bianco, 9, 20131, Milan (Italy)
| | - Elisabetta Moroni
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR via Mario Bianco, 9, 20131, Milan (Italy)
| | - Marzia Pennati
- Dept. Experimental Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori via Amadeo, 42, 20133 Milano (Italy)
| | - Alessia Lopergolo
- Dept. Experimental Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori via Amadeo, 42, 20133 Milano (Italy)
| | - Laura Morelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano via Golgi, 19, 20133, Milan (Italy)
| | - Antonella Bugatti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia (Italy)
| | - Abbey Zuehlke
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (USA)
| | - Mike Moses
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (USA)
| | - Thomas Prince
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (USA)
| | - Toshiki Kijima
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (USA)
| | - Kristin Beebe
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (USA)
| | - Marco Rusnati
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia (Italy)
| | - Len Neckers
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (USA)
| | - Nadia Zaffaroni
- Dept. Experimental Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori via Amadeo, 42, 20133 Milano (Italy)
| | - David A Agard
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, 94158 (USA)
| | - Anna Bernardi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano via Golgi, 19, 20133, Milan (Italy)
| | - Giorgio Colombo
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR via Mario Bianco, 9, 20131, Milan (Italy).
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12
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Bochicchio A, Rossetti G, Tabarrini O, Krauβ S, Carloni P. Molecular view of ligands specificity for CAG repeats in anti-Huntington therapy. J Chem Theory Comput 2015; 11:4911-22. [PMID: 26574279 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a fatal and devastating neurodegenerative genetic disorder for which there is currently no cure. It is characterized by Huntingtin protein's mRNA transcripts with 36 or more CAG repeats. Inhibiting the formation of pathological complexes between these expanded transcripts and target proteins may be a valuable strategy against the disease. Yet, the rational design of molecules specifically targeting the expanded CAG repeats is limited by the lack of structural information. Here, we use well-tempered metadynamics-based free energy calculations to investigate pose and affinity of two ligands targeting CAG repeats for which affinities have been previously measured. The first consists of two 4-guanidinophenyl rings linked by an ester group. It is the most potent ligand identified so far, with Kd = 60(30) nM. The second consists of a 4-phenyl dihydroimidazole and 4-1H-indole dihydroimidazole connected by a C-C bond (Kd = 700(80) nM). Our calculations reproduce the experimental affinities and uncover the recognition pattern between ligands' and their RNA target. They also provide a molecular basis for the markedly different affinity of the two ligands for CAG repeats as observed experimentally. These findings may pave the way for a structure-based hit-to-lead optimization to further improve ligand selectivity toward CAG repeat-containing mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, RWTH Aachen University , D-52074 Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Oriana Tabarrini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università di Perugia , Via del Liceo 1, I-06123 Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Sybille Krauβ
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, D-53127 Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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13
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Galvelis R, Sugita Y. Replica state exchange metadynamics for improving the convergence of free energy estimates. J Comput Chem 2015; 36:1446-55. [DOI: 10.1002/jcc.23945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raimondas Galvelis
- RIKEN Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory; 2-1 Hirosawa Wako Saitama 351-0198 Japan
- RIKEN Advance Institute for Computational Science; 7-1-26 Minatojimaminamimachi Chuo-ku Kobe Hyogo 650-0047 Japan
| | - Yuji Sugita
- RIKEN Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory; 2-1 Hirosawa Wako Saitama 351-0198 Japan
- RIKEN Advance Institute for Computational Science; 7-1-26 Minatojimaminamimachi Chuo-ku Kobe Hyogo 650-0047 Japan
- RIKEN iTHES; 2-1 Hirosawa Wako Saitama 351-0198 Japan
- RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center; IMDA 6F, 1-6-5 Minatojimaminamimachi Chuo-ku Kobe Hyogo 650-0047 Japan
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14
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Nguyen TH, Rossetti G, Arnesano F, Ippoliti E, Natile G, Carloni P. Molecular Recognition of Platinated DNA from Chromosomal HMGB1. J Chem Theory Comput 2014; 10:3578-84. [PMID: 26588321 DOI: 10.1021/ct500402e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Cisplatin cures testicular and ovarian cancers with unprecedented potency. It induces its beneficial activity by covalently binding to DNA. Repair enzymes, which remove the platinated lesions from DNA, cause drug resistance. Chromosomal High Mobility Group Box proteins (HMGB) may interfere with this process by binding to platinated DNA. Using 8 μs multiple-walker well-tempered metadynamics simulations, here, we investigated the structural and the energetic determinants of one of the HMGB proteins (HMGB1A) in complex with the platinated oligonucleotide [Pt(NH3)2](2+)-d(CCUCTCTG*G*ACCTTCC)-d(GGAGAGACCTGGAAGG) (*G are platinated guanines), for which experimental structural information is available. The calculated affinity is in good agreement with experiment. The process is predicted to be enthalpy-driven, as found for other protein/DNA complexes. The Lys7 residue, whose side-chain was not resolved in the X-ray structure, is found to interact with the C4 5'-phosphate and this interaction emerges as a key facet for the molecular recognition process. In addition, our calculations provide a molecular basis for the experimentally measured decreased affinity of HMGB1A for platinated DNA, as a consequence of Cys22-Cys44 S-S bridge formation (such an oxidation cannot take place in some members of this protein family present in the testis, where the drug is particularly effective). This decrease is likely to be caused by a small yet significant rearrangement of helices H1 and H2 with consequent alteration of the Phe37 juxtaposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trung Hai Nguyen
- Computational Biophysics, German Research School for Simulation Sciences (joint venture of RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany) , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5, Computational Biomedicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Computational Biomedicine section (INM-9), Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) , 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- Computational Biophysics, German Research School for Simulation Sciences (joint venture of RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany) , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5, Computational Biomedicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Computational Biomedicine section (INM-9), Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) , 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain.,Joint IRB-BSC Program in Computational Biology, Barcelona, Spain.,Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Fabio Arnesano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bari "A. Moro" , via Edoardo Orabona 4, I-70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Emiliano Ippoliti
- Computational Biophysics, German Research School for Simulation Sciences (joint venture of RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany) , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5, Computational Biomedicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Computational Biomedicine section (INM-9), Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) , 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Giovanni Natile
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bari "A. Moro" , via Edoardo Orabona 4, I-70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Carloni
- Computational Biophysics, German Research School for Simulation Sciences (joint venture of RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany) , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5, Computational Biomedicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich , D-52425 Jülich, Germany.,Computational Biomedicine section (INM-9), Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) , 52425 Jülich, Germany
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15
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Multitarget ligands and theranostics: sharpening the medicinal chemistry sword against prion diseases. Future Med Chem 2014; 6:1017-29. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc.14.56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases (PrDs) are fatal neurodegenerative disorders, for which no effective therapeutic and diagnostic tools exist. The main pathogenic event has been identified as the misfolding of a disease-associated prion protein. Nevertheless, pathogenesis seems to involve an intricate array of concomitant processes. Thus, it may be unlikely that drugs acting on single targets can effectively control PrDs. In addition, diagnosis occurs late in the disease process, by which point it is difficult to determine a successful therapeutic intervention. In this context, multitarget ligands (MTLs) and theranostic ligands (TLs) emerge for their potential to effectively cure and diagnose PrDs. In this review, we discuss the medicinal chemistry challenges of identifying novel MTLs and TLs against PrDs, and envision their impact on prion drug discovery.
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16
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Venko K, Župerl Š, Novič M. Prediction of antiprion activity of therapeutic agents with structure–activity models. Mol Divers 2013; 18:133-48. [DOI: 10.1007/s11030-013-9477-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 08/31/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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17
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Kimura T, Sako T, Siqin, Hosokawa-Muto J, Cui YL, Wada Y, Kataoka Y, Doi H, Sakaguchi S, Suzuki M, Watanabe Y, Kuwata K. Synthesis of an (11) C-labeled antiprion GN8 derivative and evaluation of its brain uptake by positron emission tomography. ChemMedChem 2013; 8:1035-9. [PMID: 23712919 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
A radiolabeled PET! A (11) C-labeled derivative of N,N'-(methylenedi-4,1-phenylene)bis[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl) acetamide] (GN8), an antiprion agent currently under development, was synthesized by palladium-catalyzed rapid methylation of aryltributylstannane and assessed for brain penetration and organ distribution in rats by positron emission tomography (PET).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsutomu Kimura
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, United Graduate School of Drug Discovery & Medical Information Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan
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18
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Lemkul JA, Bevan DR. The role of molecular simulations in the development of inhibitors of amyloid β-peptide aggregation for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2012; 3:845-56. [PMID: 23173066 DOI: 10.1021/cn300091a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 08/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic aggregation of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) is considered a hallmark of the progression of Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of senile dementia in the elderly and one of the principal causes of death in the United States. In the absence of effective therapeutics, the incidence and economic burden associated with the disease are expected to rise dramatically in the coming decades. Targeting Aβ aggregation is an attractive therapeutic approach, though structural insights into the nature of Aβ aggregates from traditional experiments are elusive, making drug design difficult. Theoretical methods have been used for several years to augment experimental work and drive progress forward in Alzheimer's drug design. In this Review, we will describe how two common techniques, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, are being applied in developing small molecules as effective therapeutics against monomeric, oligomeric, and fibrillated forms of Aβ. Recent successes and important limitations will be discussed, and we conclude by providing a perspective on the future of this field by citing recent examples of sophisticated approaches used to better characterize interactions of small molecules with Aβ and other amyloidogenic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Lemkul
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - David R. Bevan
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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19
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Abstract
Structure-based drug design has become an essential tool for rapid lead discovery and optimization. As available structural information has increased, researchers have become increasingly aware of the importance of protein flexibility for accurate description of the native state. Typical protein-ligand docking efforts still rely on a single rigid receptor, which is an incomplete representation of potential binding conformations of the protein. These rigid docking efforts typically show the best performance rates between 50 and 75%, while fully flexible docking methods can enhance pose prediction up to 80-95%. This review examines the current toolbox for flexible protein-ligand docking and receptor surface mapping. Present limitations and possibilities for future development are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina W. Lexa
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1065, USA
| | - Heather A. Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1065, USA
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20
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Branco RJF, Dias AMGC, Roque ACA. Understanding the molecular recognition between antibody fragments and protein A biomimetic ligand. J Chromatogr A 2012; 1244:106-15. [PMID: 22621885 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2012.04.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Revised: 04/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Affinity chromatography with protein A from Staphylococcus aureus (SpA) is the most widespread and accepted methodology for antibody capture during the downstream process of antibody manufacturing. A triazine based ligand (ligand 22/8) was previously developed as an inexpensive and robust alternative to SpA chromatography (Li et al. and Teng et al.). Despite the experimental success, there is no structural information on the binding modes of ligand 22/8 to antibodies, namely to Immunoglobulin G (IgG) molecules and fragments. In this work, we addressed this issue by a molecular docking approach allied to molecular dynamics simulations. Theoretical results confirmed the preference of the synthetic ligand to bind IgG through the binding site found in the crystallographic structure of the natural complex between SpA and the Fc fragment of IgG. Our studies also suggested other unknown "hot-spots" for specific binding of the affinity ligand at the hinge between V(H) and C(H)1 domains of Fab fragment. The best docking poses were further analysed by molecular dynamics studies at three different protonation states (pH 3, 7 and 11). The main interactions between ligand 22/8 and the IgG fragments found at pH 7 were weaker at pH 3 and pH 11 and in these conditions the ligand start losing tight contact with the binding site, corroborating the experimental evidence for protein elution from the chromatographic adsorbents at these pH conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo J F Branco
- REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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21
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Bottegoni G, Rocchia W, Cavalli A. Application of conformational clustering in protein-ligand docking. Methods Mol Biol 2012; 819:169-186. [PMID: 22183537 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-465-0_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Protein-Ligand docking is a powerful technique routinely employed in structure-based drug design. Despite many reported success stories, docking is not always able to provide an accurate and easily interpretable prediction of the structure of the bound complex formed by a small organic molecule and a pharmacologically relevant target. Cluster analysis can represent a versatile and readily available postprocessing tool to be employed in combination with protein-ligand docking to simplify the evaluation of the results and help to overcome present limitations of docking protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Bottegoni
- Department of Drug Discovery and Development, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
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22
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Synthesis of GN8 derivatives and evaluation of their antiprion activity in TSE-infected cells. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2011; 21:1502-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.12.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2010] [Revised: 12/27/2010] [Accepted: 12/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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23
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Biarnés X, Bongarzone S, Vargiu AV, Carloni P, Ruggerone P. Molecular motions in drug design: the coming age of the metadynamics method. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2011; 25:395-402. [PMID: 21327922 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-011-9415-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2010] [Accepted: 01/28/2011] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Metadynamics is emerging as a useful free energy method in physics, chemistry and biology. Recently, it has been applied also to investigate ligand binding to biomolecules of pharmacological interest. Here, after introducing the basic idea of the method, we review applications to challenging targets for pharmaceutical intervention. We show that this methodology, especially when combined with a variety of other computational approaches such as molecular docking and/or molecular dynamics simulation, may be useful to predict structure and energetics of ligand/target complexes even when the targets lack a deep binding cavity, such as DNA and proteins undergoing fibrillation in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, the method allows investigating the routes of molecular recognition and the associated binding energy profiles, providing a molecular interpretation to experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xevi Biarnés
- International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
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24
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Sanavio B, Scaini D, Grunwald C, Legname G, Scoles G, Casalis L. Oriented immobilization of prion protein demonstrated via precise interfacial nanostructure measurements. ACS NANO 2010; 4:6607-6616. [PMID: 20958083 DOI: 10.1021/nn101872w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Nanopatterning of biomolecules on functionalized surfaces offers an excellent route for ultrasensitive protein immobilization, for interaction measurements, and for the fabrication of devices such as protein nanoarrays. An improved understanding of the physics and chemistry underlying the device properties and the recognition process is necessary for performance optimization. This is especially important for the recognition and immobilization of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), like the prion protein (PrP), a partial IDP, whose folding and stability may be influenced by local environment and confinement. Atomic force microscopy allows for both highly controllable nanolithography and for sensitive and accurate direct detection, via precise topographic measurements on ultraflat surfaces, of protein interactions in a liquid environment, thus different environmental parameters affecting the biorecognition phenomenon can be investigated in situ. Using nanografting, a tip-induced lithographic technique, and an affinity immobilization strategy based on two different histidine tagged antibodies, with high nM affinity for two different regions of PrP, we successfully demonstrated the immobilization of recombinant mouse PrP onto nanostructured surfaces, in two different orientations. Clear discrimination of the two molecular orientations was shown by differential height (i.e., topographic) measurements, allowing for the estimation of binding parameters and the full characterization of the nanoscale biorecognition process. Our work opens the way to several high sensitivity diagnostic applications and, by controlling PrP orientation, allows for the investigation of unconventional interactions with partially folded proteins, and may serve as a platform for protein misfolding and refolding studies on PrP and other thermodynamically unstable, fibril forming, proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Sanavio
- SISSA/ELETTRA NanoInnovation Laboratory, Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., S.S.14 Km 163.5, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
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25
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Yuriev E, Agostino M, Ramsland PA. Challenges and advances in computational docking: 2009 in review. J Mol Recognit 2010; 24:149-64. [DOI: 10.1002/jmr.1077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2010] [Revised: 07/20/2010] [Accepted: 07/21/2010] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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26
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Tran HNA, Bongarzone S, Carloni P, Legname G, Bolognesi ML. Synthesis and evaluation of a library of 2,5-bisdiamino-benzoquinone derivatives as probes to modulate protein–protein interactions in prions. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2010; 20:1866-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.01.149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2009] [Revised: 01/28/2010] [Accepted: 01/29/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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27
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Cossio P, Marinelli F, Laio A, Pietrucci F. Optimizing the Performance of Bias-Exchange Metadynamics: Folding a 48-Residue LysM Domain Using a Coarse-Grained Model. J Phys Chem B 2010; 114:3259-65. [DOI: 10.1021/jp907464b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Cossio
- SISSA- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, and CNR-INFM DEMOCRITOS National Simulation Center, via Beirut 2−4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Marinelli
- SISSA- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, and CNR-INFM DEMOCRITOS National Simulation Center, via Beirut 2−4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandro Laio
- SISSA- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, and CNR-INFM DEMOCRITOS National Simulation Center, via Beirut 2−4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabio Pietrucci
- SISSA- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, and CNR-INFM DEMOCRITOS National Simulation Center, via Beirut 2−4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy
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