Hyperfine-shifted 13C resonance assignments in an iron-sulfur protein with quantum chemical verification: aliphatic C-H···S 3-center-4-electron interactions

Machine Learning-Enhanced Quantum Chemistry-Assisted Refinement of the Active Site Structure of Metalloproteins

Understanding the fine structural details of inhibitor binding at the active site of metalloenzymes can have a profound impact on the rational drug design targeted to this broad class of biomolecules. Structural techniques such as NMR, cryo-EM, and X-ray crystallography can provide bond lengths and angles, but the uncertainties in these measurements can be as large as the range of values that have been observed for these quantities in all the published structures. This uncertainty is far too large to allow for reliable calculations at the quantum chemical (QC) levels for developing precise structure-activity relationships or for improving the energetic considerations in protein-inhibitor studies. Therefore, the need arises to rely upon computational methods to refine the active site structures well beyond the resolution obtained with routine application of structural methods. In a recent paper, we have shown that it is possible to refine the active site of cobalt(II)-substituted MMP12, a metalloprotein that is a relevant drug target, by matching to the experimental pseudocontact shifts (PCS) those calculated using multireference ab initio QC methods. The computational cost of this methodology becomes a significant bottleneck when the starting structure is not sufficiently close to the final one, which is often the case with biomolecular structures. To tackle this problem, we have developed an approach based on a neural network (NN) and a support vector regression (SVR) and applied it to the refinement of the active site structure of oxalate-inhibited human carbonic anhydrase 2 (hCAII), another prototypical metalloprotein target. The refined structure gives a remarkably good agreement between the QC-calculated and the experimental PCS. This study not only contributes to the knowledge of CAII but also demonstrates the utility of combining machine learning (ML) algorithms with QC calculations, offering a promising avenue for investigating other drug targets and complex biological systems in general.

Room-temperature dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced NMR spectroscopy of small biological molecules in water

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful and popular technique for probing the molecular structures, dynamics and chemical properties. However the conventional NMR spectroscopy is bottlenecked by its low sensitivity. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) boosts NMR sensitivity by orders of magnitude and resolves this limitation. In liquid-state this revolutionizing technique has been restricted to a few specific non-biological model molecules in organic solvents. Here we show that the carbon polarization in small biological molecules, including carbohydrates and amino acids, can be enhanced sizably by in situ Overhauser DNP (ODNP) in water at room temperature and at high magnetic field. An observed connection between ODNP 13C enhancement factor and paramagnetic 13C NMR shift has led to the exploration of biologically relevant heterocyclic compound indole. The QM/MM MD simulation underscores the dynamics of intermolecular hydrogen bonds as the driving force for the scalar ODNP in a long-living radical-substrate complex. Our work reconciles results obtained by DNP spectroscopy, paramagnetic NMR and computational chemistry and provides new mechanistic insights into the high-field scalar ODNP.

Biomolecular NMR: Past and future

The editors of this special volume suggested this topic, presumably because of the perspective lent by our combined >90-year association with biomolecular NMR. What follows is our personal experience with the evolution of the field, which we hope will illustrate the trajectory of change over the years. As for the future, one can confidently predict that it will involve unexpected advances. Our narrative is colored by our experience in using the NMR Facility for Biomedical Studies at Carnegie-Mellon University (Pittsburgh) and in developing similar facilities at Purdue (1977-1984) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1984-). We have enjoyed developing NMR technology and making it available to collaborators and users of these facilities. Our group's association with the Biological Magnetic Resonance data Bank (BMRB) and with the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) has also been rewarding. Of course, many groups contributed to the early growth and development of biomolecular NMR, and our brief personal account certainly omits many important milestones.

Water bridges anchored by a C–H⋯O hydrogen bond: the role of weak interactions in molecular solvation

Hydrogen-bonded water bridges are re-directed from a polar NH bond to a weakly activated C(2)–H bond upon N-methylation. Infrared spectra, supported by ab initio calculations, provide direct evidence of the role of the C(2)–H donor in the solvation of the imidazole ring.

The unique functional role of the C–H⋯S hydrogen bond in the substrate specificity and enzyme catalysis of type 1 methionine aminopeptidase

Unique C–H⋯S hydrogen bonding interactions allow nature to attain recognition specificity between molecular interfaces where there is no apparent scope for classical hydrogen bonding or polar interactions.

Hybrid dynamics simulation engine for metalloproteins

Quality computational description of metalloproteins is a great challenge due to the vast span of time- and lengthscales characteristic of their existence. We present an efficient new method that allows for robust characterization of metalloproteins. It combines quantum mechanical (QM) description of the metal-containing active site, and extensive dynamics of the protein captured by discrete molecular dynamics (DMD) (QM/DMD). DMD samples the entire protein, including the backbone, and most of the active site, except for the immediate coordination region of the metal. QM operates on the part of the protein of electronic and chemical significance, which may include tens to hundreds of atoms. The breathing quantum-classical boundary provides a continuous mutual feedback between the two machineries. We test QM/DMD using the Fe-containing electron transporter protein, rubredoxin, and its three mutants as a model. QM/DMD can provide a reliable balanced description of metalloproteins' structure, dynamics, and electronic structure in a reasonable amount of time. As an illustration of QM/DMD capabilities, we then predict the structure of the Ca(2+) form of the enzyme catechol O-methyl transferase, which, unlike the native Mg(2+) form, is catalytically inactive. The Mg(2+) site is ochtahedral, but the Ca(2+) is 7-coordinate and features the misalignment of the reacting parts of the system. The change is facilitated by the backbone adjustment. QM/DMD is ideal and fast for providing this level of structural insight.

Carbon-oxygen hydrogen bonding in biological structure and function

Carbon-oxygen (CH···O) hydrogen bonding represents an unusual category of molecular interactions first documented in biological structures over 4 decades ago. Although CH···O hydrogen bonding has remained generally underappreciated in the biochemical literature, studies over the last 15 years have begun to yield direct evidence of these interactions in biological systems. In this minireview, we provide a historical context of biological CH···O hydrogen bonding and summarize some major advancements from experimental studies over the past several years that have elucidated the importance, prevalence, and functions of these interactions. In particular, we examine the impact of CH···O bonds on protein and nucleic acid structure, molecular recognition, and enzyme catalysis and conclude by exploring overarching themes and unresolved questions regarding unconventional interactions in biomolecular structure.

Quantum-mechanical study of lead coordination in sulfur-rich proteins: mode and structure recognition in UV resonance Raman spectra

Resonance Raman spectra are computed applying the weighted gradient methodology with CIS and DFT gradients to determine the characteristic spectral patterns for Hg(II) and Pb(II) loaded sulfur-rich proteins while excited to a characteristic LMCT electronic transition band. A framework of structure-spectrum relationships is established to assess lead coordination modes via vibrational spectroscopy. Illustrative calculations on Hg(II) complexes agree with experimental data demonstrating reliability and accuracy of the applied methodology. In contrast to Hg(II) complexes, a unique 3-center-4-electron hypervalent C(β)H···S interaction present in lead-sulfur complexes was established and suggested to play a key role in the strong preference for lead versus other metal ions in lead specific proteins such as PbrR691. The characteristic Pb-S symmetric stretching bands, predicted without additional refinements such as scaling of a force field or frequencies, are found around 238 cm(-1) for 3-coordinated lead-sulfur domains and around 228 cm(-1) for 4-coordinated lead-sulfur domains. These results present an experimental challenge for clear detection of lead coordination via solely UVRR spectroscopy. In addition to predicted UVRR spectra, UVRR excitation profiles for relevant vibrational bands of lead-sulfur domains are presented.

Structural basis for methyl transfer by a radical SAM enzyme

The radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzymes RlmN and Cfr methylate 23S ribosomal RNA, modifying the C2 or C8 position of adenosine 2503. The methyl groups are installed by a two-step sequence involving initial methylation of a conserved Cys residue (RlmN Cys(355)) by SAM. Methyl transfer to the substrate requires reductive cleavage of a second equivalent of SAM. Crystal structures of RlmN and RlmN with SAM show that a single molecule of SAM coordinates the [4Fe-4S] cluster. Residue Cys(355) is S-methylated and located proximal to the SAM methyl group, suggesting the SAM that is involved in the initial methyl transfer binds at the same site. Thus, RlmN accomplishes its complex reaction with structural economy, harnessing the two most important reactivities of SAM within a single site.