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Mihalovits LM, Kollár L, Bajusz D, Knez D, Bozovičar K, Imre T, Ferenczy GG, Gobec S, Keserű GM. Molecular Mechanism of Labelling Functional Cysteines by Heterocyclic Thiones. Chemphyschem 2024; 25:e202300596. [PMID: 37888491 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202300596] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Heterocyclic thiones have recently been identified as reversible covalent warheads, consistent with their mild electrophilic nature. Little is known so far about their mechanism of action in labelling nucleophilic sidechains, especially cysteines. The vast number of tractable cysteines promotes a wide range of target proteins to examine; however, our focus was put on functional cysteines. We chose the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 harboring Cys145 at the active site that is a structurally characterized and clinically validated target of covalent inhibitors. We screened an in-house, cysteine-targeting covalent inhibitor library which resulted in several covalent fragment hits with benzoxazole, benzothiazole and benzimidazole cores. Thione derivatives and Michael acceptors were selected for further investigations with the objective of exploring the mechanism of inhibition of the thiones and using the thoroughly characterized Michael acceptors for benchmarking our studies. Classical and hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics simulations were carried out that revealed a new mechanism of covalent cysteine labelling by thione derivatives, which was supported by QM and free energy calculations and by a wide range of experimental results. Our study shows that the molecular recognition step plays a crucial role in the overall binding of both sets of molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levente M Mihalovits
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Levente Kollár
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., 1111, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dávid Bajusz
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Damijan Knez
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Krištof Bozovičar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tímea Imre
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- MS Metabolomics Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - György G Ferenczy
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Stanislav Gobec
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - György M Keserű
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., 1111, Budapest, Hungary
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Shabanpour Y, Sajjadi S, Behmard E, Abdolmaleki P, Keihan AH. The structural, dynamic, and thermodynamic basis of darunavir resistance of a heavily mutated HIV-1 protease using molecular dynamics simulation. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:927373. [PMID: 36046605 PMCID: PMC9420863 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.927373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease (HIV-1 PR) is an important enzyme in the life cycle of the HIV virus. It cleaves inactive pre-proteins of the virus and changes them into active proteins. Darunavir (DRV) suppresses the wild-type HIV-1 PR (WT-Pr) activity but cannot inhibit some mutant resistant forms (MUT-Pr). Increasing knowledge about the resistance mechanism can be helpful for designing more effective inhibitors. In this study, the mechanism of resistance of a highly MUT-Pr strain against DRV was investigated. For this purpose, complexes of DRV with WT-Pr (WT-Pr-D) and MUT-Pr (MUT-Pr-D) were studied by all-atom molecular dynamics simulation in order to extract the dynamic and energetic properties. Our data revealed that mutations increased the flap-tip flexibility due to the reduction of the flap-flap hydrophobic interactions. So, the protease’s conformation changed from a closed state to a semi-open state that can facilitate the disjunction of DRV from the active site. On the other hand, energy analysis limited to the final basins of the energy landscape indicated that the entropy of binding of DRV to MUT-Pr was more favorable than that of WT-Pr. However, the enthalpy penalty overcomes it and makes binding more unfavorable relative to the WT-Pr. The unfavorable interaction of DRV with R8, I50, I84, D25′, and A28′ residues in MUT-Pr-D relative to WT-Pr-D is the reason for this enthalpy penalty. Thus, mutations drive resistance to DRV. The hydrogen bond analysis showed that compared with WT-Pr, the hydrogen bonds between DRV and the active-site residues of MUT-Pr were disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaser Shabanpour
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sharareh Sajjadi
- Department of Biology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran
| | - Esmaeil Behmard
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Parviz Abdolmaleki
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Homayoun Keihan
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- *Correspondence: Amir Homayoun Keihan, ,
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3
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Ahsan M, Pindi C, Senapati S. Mechanism of darunavir binding to monomeric HIV-1 protease: a step forward in the rational design of dimerization inhibitors. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:7107-7120. [PMID: 35262154 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00024e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
HIV protease (HIVPR) is a key target in AIDS therapeutics. All ten FDA-approved drugs that compete with substrates in binding to this dimeric enzyme's active site have become ineffective due to the emergence of drug resistant mutants. Blocking the dimerization interface of HIVPR is thus being explored as an alternate strategy. The latest drug, darunavir (DRV), which exhibited a high genetic barrier to viral resistance, is said to have a dual mode of action - (i) binding to the dimeric active site, and (ii) preventing the dimerization by binding to the HIVPR monomer. Despite several reports on DRV complexation with dimeric HIVPR, the mode and mechanism of the binding of DRV to the HIVPR monomer are poorly understood. In this study, we utilized all-atomic MD simulations and umbrella sampling techniques to identify the best possible binding mode of DRV to the monomeric HIVPR and its mechanism of association. The results suggest that DRV binds between the active site and the flap of the monomer, and the flap plays a crucial role in directing the drug to bind and driving the other protein domains to undergo induced fit changes for stronger complexation. The obtained binding mode of DRV was validated by comparing with various mutational data from clinical isolates to reported in vitro mutations. The identified binding pose was also able to successfully reproduce the experimental Ki value in the picomolar range. The residue-level information extracted from this study could accelerate the structure-based drug designing approaches targeting HIVPR dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Ahsan
- Department of Biotechnology and BJM School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
| | - Chinmai Pindi
- Department of Biotechnology and BJM School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
| | - Sanjib Senapati
- Department of Biotechnology and BJM School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
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4
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Sherry D, Worth R, Sayed Y. Elasticity-Associated Functionality and Inhibition of the HIV Protease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1371:79-108. [PMID: 34351572 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2021_655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
HIV protease plays a critical role in the life cycle of the virus through the generation of mature and infectious virions. Detailed knowledge of the structure of the enzyme and its substrate has led to the development of protease inhibitors. However, the development of resistance to all currently available protease inhibitors has contributed greatly to the decreased success of antiretroviral therapy. When therapy failure occurs, multiple mutations are found within the protease sequence starting with primary mutations, which directly impact inhibitor binding, which can also negatively impact viral fitness and replicative capacity by decreasing the binding affinity of the natural substrates to the protease. As such, secondary mutations which are located outside of the active site region accumulate to compensate for the recurrently deleterious effects of primary mutations. However, the resistance mechanism of these secondary mutations is not well understood, but what is known is that these secondary mutations contribute to resistance in one of two ways, either through increasing the energetic penalty associated with bringing the protease into the closed conformation, or, through decreasing the stability of the protein/drug complex in a manner that increases the dissociation rate of the drug, leading to diminished inhibition. As a result, the elasticity of the enzyme-substrate complex has been implicated in the successful recognition and catalysis of the substrates which may be inferred to suggest that the elasticity of the enzyme/drug complex plays a role in resistance. A realistic representation of the dynamic nature of the protease may provide a more powerful tool in structure-based drug design algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Sherry
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Roland Worth
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Yasien Sayed
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Chatzigoulas A, Cournia Z. Rational design of allosteric modulators: Challenges and successes. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexios Chatzigoulas
- Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens Athens Greece
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Zoe Cournia
- Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens Athens Greece
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Mavian C, Coman RM, Zhang X, Pomeroy S, Ostrov DA, Dunn BM, Sleasman JW, Goodenow MM. Molecular Docking-Based Screening for Novel Inhibitors of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Protease that Effectively Reduce the Viral Replication in Human Cells. JOURNAL OF AIDS & CLINICAL RESEARCH 2021; 12:841. [PMID: 34950525 PMCID: PMC8694022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Therapeutic pressure by protease inhibitors (PIs) contributes to accumulation of mutations in the HIV type 1 (HIV-1) protease (PR) leading to development of drug resistance with subsequent therapy failure. Current PIs target the active site of PR in a competitive manner. Identification of molecules that exploit non-active site mechanisms of inhibition is essential to overcome resistance to current PIs. Potential non-active site HIV-1 protease (PR) inhibitors (PI) were identified by in silico screening of almost 140,000 molecules targeting the hinge region of PR. Inhibitory activity of best docking compounds was tested in an in vitro PR inhibition biochemical assay. Five compounds inhibited PR from multiple HIV-1 sub-types in vitro and reduced replicative capacity by PI-sensitive or multi-PI resistant HIV-1 variants in human cells ex vivo. Antiviral activity was boosted when combined with Ritonavir, potentially diminishing development of drug resistance, while providing effective treatment for drug resistant HIV-1 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Mavian
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Roxana M Coman
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Xinrui Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Steve Pomeroy
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - David A. Ostrov
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Ben M Dunn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - John W. Sleasman
- Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Maureen M Goodenow
- Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, USA,Address for Correspondence: Maureen M Goodenow, Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, USA, Tel: + 3522132304;
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7
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Asiri YI, Alsayari A, Muhsinah AB, Mabkhot YN, Hassan MZ. Benzothiazoles as potential antiviral agents. J Pharm Pharmacol 2020; 72:1459-1480. [PMID: 32705690 PMCID: PMC7405065 DOI: 10.1111/jphp.13331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The recent viral pandemic poses a unique challenge for healthcare providers. Despite the remarkable progress, the number of novel antiviral agents in the pipeline is woefully inadequate against the evolving virulence and drug resistance of current viruses. This highlights the urgent need for new and improved vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutic agents to obviate the viral pandemic. KEY FINDINGS Benzothiazole plays a pivotal role in the design and development of antiviral drugs. This is evident from the fact that it comprises many clinically useful agents. The current review is aimed to provide an insight into the recent development of benzothiazole-based antiviral agents, with a special focus on their structure-activity relationships and lead optimisation. One hundred and five articles were initially identified, and from these studies, 64 potential novel lead molecules and main findings were highlighted in this review. SUMMARY We hope this review will provide a logical perspective on the importance of improving the future designs of novel broad-spectrum benzothiazole-based antiviral agents to be used against emerging viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahya I Asiri
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrhman Alsayari
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullatif B Muhsinah
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yahia N Mabkhot
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Z Hassan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
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8
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Inhibition of the activity of HIV-1 protease through antibody binding and mutations probed by molecular dynamics simulations. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5501. [PMID: 32218488 PMCID: PMC7098958 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62423-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease is an essential enzyme in the life cycle of the HIV-1 virus. The conformational dynamics of the flap region of the protease is critical for the ligand binding mechanism, as well as for the catalytic activity. The monoclonal antibody F11.2.32 raised against HIV-1 protease inhibits its activity on binding. We have studied the conformational dynamics of protease in its free, inhibitor ritonavir and antibody bound forms using molecular dynamics simulations. We find that upon Ab binding to the epitope region (residues 36-46) of protease, the overall flexibility of the protease is decreased including the flap region and the active site, which is similar to the decrease in flexibility observed by inhibitor binding to the protease. This suggests an allosteric mechanism to inhibit protease activity. Further, the protease mutants G40E and G40R are known to have decreased activity and were also subjected to MD simulations. We find that the loss of flexibility in the mutants is similar to that observed in the protease bound to the Ab/inhibitor. These insights highlight the role played by dynamics in the function of the protease and how control of flexibility through Ab binding and site specific mutations can inhibit protease activity.
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9
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The Determination of HIV-1 RT Mutation Rate, Its Possible Allosteric Effects, and Its Implications on Drug Resistance. Viruses 2020; 12:v12030297. [PMID: 32182845 PMCID: PMC7150816 DOI: 10.3390/v12030297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The high mutation rate of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) plays a major role in treatment resistance, from the development of vaccines to therapeutic drugs. In addressing the crux of the issue, various attempts to estimate the mutation rate of HIV-1 resulted in a large range of 10−5–10−3 errors/bp/cycle due to the use of different types of investigation methods. In this review, we discuss the different assay methods, their findings on the mutation rates of HIV-1 and how the locations of mutations can be further analyzed for their allosteric effects to allow for new inhibitor designs. Given that HIV is one of the fastest mutating viruses, it serves as a good model for the comprehensive study of viral mutations that can give rise to a more horizontal understanding towards overall viral drug resistance as well as emerging viral diseases.
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10
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Optimizing ligand conformations in flexible protein targets: a multi-objective strategy. Soft comput 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00500-019-04575-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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11
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Characterization of HIV-2 Protease Structure by Studying Its Asymmetry at the Different Levels of Protein Description. Symmetry (Basel) 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/sym10110644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-2 protease (PR2) is a homodimer, which is an important target in the treatment of the HIV-2 infection. In this study, we developed an in silico protocol to analyze and characterize the asymmetry of the unbound PR2 structure using three levels of protein description by comparing the conformation, accessibility, and flexibility of each residue in the two PR2 chains. Our results showed that 65% of PR2 residues have at least one of the three studied asymmetries (structural, accessibility, or flexibility) with 10 positions presenting the three asymmetries in the same time. In addition, we noted that structural and flexibility asymmetries are linked indicating that the structural asymmetry of some positions result from their large flexibility. By comparing the structural asymmetry of the crystallographic and energetically minimized structures of the unbound PR2, we confirmed that the structural asymmetry of unbound PR2 is an intrinsic property of this protein with an important role for the PR2 deformation upon ligand binding. This analysis also allowed locating asymmetries corresponding to crystallization artefacts. This study provides insight that will help to better understand the structural deformations of PR2 and to identify key positions for ligand binding.
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12
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Chen J, Peng C, Wang J, Zhu W. Exploring molecular mechanism of allosteric inhibitor to relieve drug resistance of multiple mutations in HIV-1 protease by enhanced conformational sampling. Proteins 2018; 86:1294-1305. [PMID: 30260044 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recently, allosteric regulations of HIV-1 protease (PR) are suggested as a promising approach to relieve drug resistance of mutations toward inhibitors targeting the active site of PR. Replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations and normal mode analysis (NMA) are integrated to enhance conformational sampling of PR. Molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) method was applied to calculate binding free energies of three inhibitors APV, DRV, and NIT to the wild-type (WT) and multidrug resistance (MDR) PRs. The results suggest that binding free energies of APV and DRV are decreased in the MDR PR relative to the WT PR, suggesting drug resistance of mutations on these two inhibitors. However, the binding ability of the allosteric inhibitor NIT is not impaired in the MDR PR. In addition, internal dynamics analysis based on REMD simulations proves that mutations hardly produce obvious effect on the conformation of the MDR PR in comparison to the WT PR. Scanning of hydrophobic contacts and hydrogen bond contacts of inhibitors with residues of PRs on the concatenated trajectories of REMD demonstrates that mutations change the symmetric interaction networks of APV and DRV with PR, but do not generate obvious influence on the asymmetric interaction network of NIT with PR. In summary, allosteric inhibitor NIT can adapt the MDR PR better than those inhibitors toward the active site of PR, thus allosteric inhibitors of PR may be a possible channel to overcome drug resistance of PR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhong Chen
- School of Science, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China.,Drug Discovery and Design Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,School of Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinan Wang
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiliang Zhu
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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13
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Luchi A, Angelina E, Bogado L, Forli S, Olson A, Peruchena N. Flap-site Fragment Restores Back Wild-type Behaviour in Resistant Form of HIV Protease. Mol Inform 2018; 37:e1800053. [PMID: 30051611 DOI: 10.1002/minf.201800053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
HIV-1 protease (HIV-PR) performs a vital step in the virus life cycle which makes it an excellent target for drug therapy. However, due to the error-prone of HIV reverse transcriptase, mutations in HIV-PR often occur, inducing drug-resistance to inhibitors. Some HIV-PR mutations can make the flaps of the enzyme more flexible thus increasing the flaps opening rate and inhibitor releasing. It has been shown that by targeting novel binding sites on HIV-PR with small molecules, it is possible to alter the equilibrium of flap conformational states. A previous fragment-based crystallographic screen have found two novel binding sites for small fragments in the inhibited, closed form of HIV-PR, termed flap and exo sites. While these experiments were performed in wild type HIV-PR, it still remains to be proven whether these small fragments can stabilize the closed conformation of flaps in resistant forms of the enzyme. Here we performed Molecular Dynamics simulations of wild type and mutant form of HIV-PR bound to inhibitor TL-3. Simulations show that on going from wild type to 6X mutant the equilibrium shifts from closed to semi-open conformation of flaps. However, when fragment Br6 is placed at flap site of mutant form, the enzyme is restored back to closed conformation. This finding supports the hypothesis that allosteric inhibitors, together with active site inhibitors could increase the number of point mutations necessary for appreciable clinical resistance to AIDS therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Luchi
- Lab. Estructura Molecular y Propiedades, IQUIBA-NEA, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, CONICET, FACENA, Av. Libertad 5470, Corrientes, 3400, Argentina
| | - Emilio Angelina
- Lab. Estructura Molecular y Propiedades, IQUIBA-NEA, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, CONICET, FACENA, Av. Libertad 5470, Corrientes, 3400, Argentina
| | - Lucrecia Bogado
- Lab. Estructura Molecular y Propiedades, IQUIBA-NEA, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, CONICET, FACENA, Av. Libertad 5470, Corrientes, 3400, Argentina
| | - Stefano Forli
- Molecular Graphics Lab, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, MB-112, the Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California, 92037-1000
| | - Arthur Olson
- Molecular Graphics Lab, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, MB-112, the Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California, 92037-1000
| | - Nélida Peruchena
- Lab. Estructura Molecular y Propiedades, IQUIBA-NEA, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, CONICET, FACENA, Av. Libertad 5470, Corrientes, 3400, Argentina
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14
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Cabrero-Antonino JR, Adam R, Papa V, Holsten M, Junge K, Beller M. Unprecedented selective homogeneous cobalt-catalysed reductive alkoxylation of cyclic imides under mild conditions. Chem Sci 2017; 8:5536-5546. [PMID: 28970933 PMCID: PMC5618770 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc01175j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The first general and efficient non-noble metal-catalysed reductive C2-alkoxylation of cyclic imides (phthalimides and succinimides) is presented. Crucial for the success is the use of [Co(BF4)2·6H2O/triphos (L1)] combination and no external additives are required.
The first general and efficient non-noble metal-catalysed reductive C2-alkoxylation of cyclic imides (phthalimides and succinimides) is presented. Crucial for the success is the use of [Co(BF4)2·6H2O/triphos (L1)] combination and no external additives are required. Using the optimal cobalt-system, the hydrogenation of the aromatic ring of the parent phthalimide is avoided and only one of the carbonyl groups is selectively functionalized. The resulting products, N- and aryl-ring substituted 3-alkoxy-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindolin-1-one and N-substituted 3-alkoxy-pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives, are prepared under mild conditions in good to excellent isolated yields. Intramolecular reductive couplings can also be performed affording tricyclic compounds in a one-step process. The present protocol opens the way to the development of new base-metal processes for the straightforward synthesis of functionalized N-heterocyclic compounds of pharmaceutical and biological interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose R Cabrero-Antonino
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany .
| | - Rosa Adam
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany .
| | - Veronica Papa
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany .
| | - Mattes Holsten
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany .
| | - Kathrin Junge
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany .
| | - Matthias Beller
- Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse e.V. an der Universität Rostock , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany .
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15
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A conformational switch high-throughput screening assay and allosteric inhibition of the flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006411. [PMID: 28542603 PMCID: PMC5462475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The flavivirus genome encodes a single polyprotein precursor requiring multiple cleavages by host and viral proteases in order to produce the individual proteins that constitute an infectious virion. Previous studies have revealed that the NS2B cofactor of the viral NS2B-NS3 heterocomplex protease displays a conformational dynamic between active and inactive states. Here, we developed a conformational switch assay based on split luciferase complementation (SLC) to monitor the conformational change of NS2B and to characterize candidate allosteric inhibitors. Binding of an active-site inhibitor to the protease resulted in a conformational change of NS2B and led to significant SLC enhancement. Mutagenesis of key residues at an allosteric site abolished this induced conformational change and SLC enhancement. We also performed a virtual screen of NCI library compounds to identify allosteric inhibitors, followed by in vitro biochemical screening of the resultant candidates. Only three of these compounds, NSC135618, 260594, and 146771, significantly inhibited the protease of Dengue virus 2 (DENV2) in vitro, with IC50 values of 1.8 μM, 11.4 μM, and 4.8 μM, respectively. Among the three compounds, only NSC135618 significantly suppressed the SLC enhancement triggered by binding of active-site inhibitor in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that it inhibits the conformational change of NS2B. Results from virus titer reduction assays revealed that NSC135618 is a broad spectrum flavivirus protease inhibitor, and can significantly reduce titers of DENV2, Zika virus (ZIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Yellow fever virus (YFV) on A549 cells in vivo, with EC50 values in low micromolar range. In contrast, the cytotoxicity of NSC135618 is only moderate with CC50 of 48.8 μM on A549 cells. Moreover, NSC135618 inhibited ZIKV in human placental and neural progenitor cells relevant to ZIKV pathogenesis. Results from binding, kinetics, Western blot, mass spectrometry and mutagenesis experiments unambiguously demonstrated an allosteric mechanism for inhibition of the viral protease by NSC135618.
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16
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Meng XM, Hu WJ, Mu YG, Sheng XH. Effect of allosteric molecules on structure and drug affinity of HIV-1 protease by molecular dynamics simulations. J Mol Graph Model 2016; 70:153-162. [PMID: 27723563 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2016.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Revised: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent experiments show that small molecules can bind onto the allosteric sites of HIV-1 protease (PR), which provides a starting point for developing allosteric inhibitors. However, the knowledge of the effect of such binding on the structural dynamics and binding free energy of the active site inhibitor and PR is still lacking. Here, we report 200ns long molecular dynamics simulation results to gain insight into the influences of two allosteric molecules (1H-indole-6-carboxylic acid, 1F1 and 2-methylcyclohexano, 4D9). The simulations demonstrate that both allosteric molecules change the PR conformation and stabilize the structures of PR and the inhibitor; the residues of the flaps are sensitive to the allosteric molecules and the flexibility of the residues is pronouncedly suppressed; the additions of the small molecules to the allosteric sites strengthen the binding affinities of 3TL-PR by about 12-15kal/mol in the binding free energy, which mainly arises from electrostatic term. Interestingly, it is found that the action mechanisms of 1F1 and 4D9 are different, the former behaviors like a doorman that keeps the inhibitor from escape and makes the flaps (door) partially open; the latter is like a wedge that expands the allosteric space and meanwhile closes the flaps. Our data provide a theoretical support for designing the allosteric inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Mei Meng
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Wei-Jun Hu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China.
| | - Yu-Guang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639815, Singapore.
| | - Xie-Huang Sheng
- School of Chemistry, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
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17
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Ghanakota P, Carlson HA. Driving Structure-Based Drug Discovery through Cosolvent Molecular Dynamics. J Med Chem 2016; 59:10383-10399. [PMID: 27486927 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Identifying binding hotspots on protein surfaces is of prime interest in structure-based drug discovery, either to assess the tractability of pursuing a protein target or to drive improved potency of lead compounds. Computational approaches to detect such regions have traditionally relied on energy minimization of probe molecules onto static protein conformations in the absence of the natural aqueous environment. Advances in high performance computing now allow us to assess hotspots using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. MD simulations integrate protein flexibility and the complicated role of water, thereby providing a more realistic assessment of the complex kinetics and thermodynamics at play. In this review, we describe the evolution of various cosolvent-based MD techniques and highlight a myriad of potential applications for such technologies in computational drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phani Ghanakota
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan , 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1065, United States
| | - Heather A Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan , 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1065, United States
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18
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Ung PMU, Ghanakota P, Graham SE, Lexa KW, Carlson HA. Identifying binding hot spots on protein surfaces by mixed-solvent molecular dynamics: HIV-1 protease as a test case. Biopolymers 2016; 105:21-34. [PMID: 26385317 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Mixed-solvent molecular dynamics (MixMD) simulations use full protein flexibility and competition between water and small organic probes to achieve accurate hot-spot mapping on protein surfaces. In this study, we improved MixMD using human immunodeficiency virus type-1 protease (HIVp) as the test case. We used three probe-water solutions (acetonitrile-water, isopropanol-water, and pyrimidine-water), first at 50% w/w concentration and later at 5% v/v. Paradoxically, better mapping was achieved by using fewer probes; 5% simulations gave a superior signal-to-noise ratio and far fewer spurious hot spots than 50% MixMD. Furthermore, very intense and well-defined probe occupancies were observed in the catalytic site and potential allosteric sites that have been confirmed experimentally. The Eye site, an allosteric site underneath the flap of HIVp, has been confirmed by the presence of a 5-nitroindole fragment in a crystal structure. MixMD also mapped two additional hot spots: the Exo site (between the Gly16-Gly17 and Cys67-Gly68 loops) and the Face site (between Glu21-Ala22 and Val84-Ile85 loops). The Exo site was observed to overlap with crystallographic additives such as acetate and dimethyl sulfoxide that are present in different crystal forms of the protein. Analysis of crystal structures of HIVp in different symmetry groups has shown that some surface sites are common interfaces for crystal contacts, which means that they are surfaces that are relatively easy to desolvate and complement with organic molecules. MixMD should identify these sites; in fact, their occupancy values help establish a solid cut-off where "druggable" sites are required to have higher occupancies than the crystal-packing faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M U Ung
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 428 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1065
| | - Phani Ghanakota
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 428 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1065
| | - Sarah E Graham
- Department of Biophysics, College of LSA, University of Michigan, 930 N. University St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1055
| | - Katrina W Lexa
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 428 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1065
| | - Heather A Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 428 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1065.,Department of Biophysics, College of LSA, University of Michigan, 930 N. University St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1055
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19
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Abstract
It is now common knowledge that enzymes are mobile entities relying on complex atomic-scale dynamics and coordinated conformational events for proper ligand recognition and catalysis. However, the exact role of protein dynamics in enzyme function remains either poorly understood or difficult to interpret. This mini-review intends to reconcile biophysical observations and biological significance by first describing a number of common experimental and computational methodologies employed to characterize atomic-scale residue motions on various timescales in enzymes, and second by illustrating how the knowledge of these motions can be used to describe the functional behavior of enzymes and even act upon it. Two biologically relevant examples will be highlighted, namely the HIV-1 protease and DNA polymerase β enzyme systems.
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20
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Dunyak BM, Nakamura RL, Frankel AD, Gestwicki JE. Selective Targeting of Cells via Bispecific Molecules That Exploit Coexpression of Two Intracellular Proteins. ACS Chem Biol 2015; 10:2441-7. [PMID: 26322864 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.5b00426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In drug discovery, small molecules must often discriminate between healthy and diseased cells. This feat is usually accomplished by binding to a protein that is preferentially expressed in the target cell or on its surface. However, in many cases, the expression of an individual protein may not generate sufficient cyto-selectivity. Here, we demonstrate that bispecific molecules can better discriminate between similar cell types by exploiting their simultaneous affinity for two proteins. Inspired by the natural product FK506, we designed molecules that have affinity for both FKBP12 and HIV protease. Using cell-based reporters and live virus assays, we observed that these compounds preferentially accumulated in cells that express both targets, mimicking an infected lymphocyte. Treatment with FKBP12 inhibitors reversed this partitioning, while overexpression of FKBP12 protein further promoted it. The partitioning into the target cell type could be tuned by controlling the properties of the linker and the affinities for the two proteins. These results show that bispecific molecules create significantly better potential for cyto-selectivity, which might be especially important in the development of safe and effective antivirals and anticancer compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert L. Nakamura
- Advanced Genetic Systems, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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21
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Gowthaman R, Miller SA, Rogers S, Khowsathit J, Lan L, Bai N, Johnson DK, Liu C, Xu L, Anbanandam A, Aubé J, Roy A, Karanicolas J. DARC: Mapping Surface Topography by Ray-Casting for Effective Virtual Screening at Protein Interaction Sites. J Med Chem 2015; 59:4152-70. [PMID: 26126123 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions represent an exciting and challenging target class for therapeutic intervention using small molecules. Protein interaction sites are often devoid of the deep surface pockets presented by "traditional" drug targets, and crystal structures reveal that inhibitors typically engage these sites using very shallow binding modes. As a consequence, modern virtual screening tools developed to identify inhibitors of traditional drug targets do not perform as well when they are instead deployed at protein interaction sites. To address the need for novel inhibitors of important protein interactions, here we introduce an alternate docking strategy specifically designed for this regime. Our method, termed DARC (Docking Approach using Ray-Casting), matches the topography of a surface pocket "observed" from within the protein to the topography "observed" when viewing a potential ligand from the same vantage point. We applied DARC to carry out a virtual screen against the protein interaction site of human antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1 and found that four of the top-scoring 21 compounds showed clear inhibition in a biochemical assay. The Ki values for these compounds ranged from 1.2 to 21 μM, and each had ligand efficiency comparable to promising small-molecule inhibitors of other protein-protein interactions. These hit compounds do not resemble the natural (protein) binding partner of Mcl-1, nor do they resemble any known inhibitors of Mcl-1. Our results thus demonstrate the utility of DARC for identifying novel inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragul Gowthaman
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Sven A Miller
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Steven Rogers
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Jittasak Khowsathit
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Lan Lan
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Nan Bai
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - David K Johnson
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Chunjing Liu
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Liang Xu
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Asokan Anbanandam
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Jeffrey Aubé
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - Anuradha Roy
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
| | - John Karanicolas
- Center for Computational Biology, ‡Department of Molecular Biosciences, §Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, ∥Department of Radiation Oncology, ⊥Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, #Department of Medicinal Chemistry, and ∇High Throughput Screening Laboratory University of Kansas , 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, United States
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22
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Potempa M, Nalivaika E, Ragland D, Lee SK, Schiffer CA, Swanstrom R. A Direct Interaction with RNA Dramatically Enhances the Catalytic Activity of the HIV-1 Protease In Vitro. J Mol Biol 2015; 427:2360-78. [PMID: 25986307 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2015.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Revised: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Though the steps of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virion maturation are well documented, the mechanisms regulating the proteolysis of the Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol polyproteins by the HIV-1 protease (PR) remain obscure. One proposed mechanism argues that the maturation intermediate p15NC must interact with RNA for efficient cleavage by the PR. We investigated this phenomenon and found that processing of multiple substrates by the HIV-1 PR was enhanced in the presence of RNA. The acceleration of proteolysis occurred independently from the substrate's ability to interact with nucleic acid, indicating that a direct interaction between substrate and RNA is not necessary for enhancement. Gel-shift assays demonstrated the HIV-1 PR is capable of interacting with nucleic acids, suggesting that RNA accelerates processing reactions by interacting with the PR rather than the substrate. All HIV-1 PRs examined have this ability; however, the HIV-2 PR does not interact with RNA and does not exhibit enhanced catalytic activity in the presence of RNA. No specific sequence or structure was required in the RNA for a productive interaction with the HIV-1 PR, which appears to be principally, though not exclusively, driven by electrostatic forces. For a peptide substrate, RNA increased the kinetic efficiency of the HIV-1 PR by an order of magnitude, affecting both turnover rate (k(cat)) and substrate affinity (K(m)). These results suggest that an allosteric binding site exists on the HIV-1 PR and that HIV-1 PR activity during maturation could be regulated in part by the juxtaposition of the enzyme with virion-packaged RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Potempa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ellen Nalivaika
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Debra Ragland
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Sook-Kyung Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Celia A Schiffer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Ronald Swanstrom
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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