Thermodynamics of binding of di- and tetrasubstituted naphthalene diimide ligands to DNA G-quadruplex

Combining the Fragment Molecular Orbital and GRID Approaches for the Prediction of Ligand-Metalloenzyme Binding Affinity: The Case Study of hCA II Inhibitors

Polarization and charge-transfer interactions play an important role in ligand-receptor complexes containing metals, and only quantum mechanics methods can adequately describe their contribution to the binding energy. In this work, we selected a set of benzenesulfonamide ligands of human Carbonic Anhydrase II (hCA II)-an important druggable target containing a Zn2+ ion in the active site-as a case study to predict the binding free energy in metalloprotein-ligand complexes and designed specialized computational methods that combine the ab initio fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method and GRID approach. To reproduce the experimental binding free energy in these systems, we adopted a machine-learning approach, here named formula generator (FG), considering different FMO energy terms, the hydrophobic interaction energy (computed by GRID) and logP. The main advantage of the FG approach is that it can find nonlinear relations between the energy terms used to predict the binding free energy, explicitly showing their mathematical relation. This work showed the effectiveness of the FG approach, and therefore, it might represent an important tool for the development of new scoring functions. Indeed, our scoring function showed a high correlation with the experimental binding free energy (R2 = 0.76-0.95, RMSE = 0.34-0.18), revealing a nonlinear relation between energy terms and highlighting the relevant role played by hydrophobic contacts. These results, along with the FMO characterization of ligand-receptor interactions, represent important information to support the design of new and potent hCA II inhibitors.

The FMO2 analysis of the ligand-receptor binding energy: the Biscarbene-Gold(I)/DNA G-Quadruplex case study

In this work, the ab initio fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method was applied to calculate and analyze the binding energy of two biscarbene-Au(I) derivatives, [Au(9-methylcaffein-8-ylidene)₂]⁺ and [Au(1,3-dimethylbenzimidazol-2-ylidene)₂]⁺, to the DNA G-Quadruplex structure. The FMO2 binding energy considers the ligand-receptor complex as well as the isolated forms of energy-minimum state of ligand and receptor, providing a better description of ligand-receptor affinity compared with simple pair interaction energies (PIE). Our results highlight important features of the binding process of biscarbene-Au(I) derivatives to DNA G-Quadruplex, indicating that the total deformation-polarization energy and desolvation penalty of the ligands are the main terms destabilizing the binding. The pair interaction energy decomposition analysis (PIEDA) between ligand and nucleobases suggest that the main interaction terms are electrostatic and charge-transfer energies supporting the hypothesis that Au(I) ion can be involved in π-cation interactions further stabilizing the ligand-receptor complex. Moreover, the presence of polar groups on the carbene ring, as C = O, can improve the charge-transfer interaction with K⁺ ion. These findings can be employed to design new powerful biscarbene-Au(I) DNA-G quadruplex binders as promising anticancer drugs. The procedure described in this work can be applied to investigate any ligand-receptor system and is particularly useful when the binding process is strongly characterized by polarization, charge-transfer and dispersion interactions, properly evaluated by ab initio methods.

Naphthalene Diimides Carrying Two β-Cyclodextrins Prefer Telomere RNA G-Quadruplex Recognition

Newly synthesized naphthalene diimide carrying two β-cyclodextrins (NDI-β-CyDs) showed improved specificity for the parallel G-quadruplex structure alongside the hybrid G-quadruplex structure. Specifically, the highest binding affinity of NDI-β-CyDs for the telomere RNA G-quadruplex was observed. The binding simulation indicated that β-cyclodextrins might be available for loop nucleobase inclusion under its complex.

Disentangling the Structure-Activity Relationships of Naphthalene Diimides as Anticancer G-Quadruplex-Targeting Drugs

In the context of developing efficient anticancer therapies aimed at eradicating any sort of tumors, G-quadruplexes represent excellent targets. Small molecules able to interact with G-quadruplexes can interfere with cell pathways specific of tumors and common to all cancers. Naphthalene diimides (NDIs) are among the most promising, putative anticancer G-quadruplex-targeting drugs, due to their ability to simultaneously target multiple G-quadruplexes and their strong, selective in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity. Here, all the available biophysical, biological, and structural data concerning NDIs targeting G-quadruplexes were systematically analyzed. Structure–activity correlations were obtained by analyzing biophysical data of their interactions with G-quadruplex targets and control duplex structures, in parallel to biological data concerning the antiproliferative activity of NDIs on cancer and normal cells. In addition, NDI binding modes to G-quadruplexes were discussed in consideration of the structures and properties of NDIs by in-depth analysis of the available structural models of G-quadruplex/NDI complexes.

Importance of Chiral Recognition in Designing Metal-Free Ligands for G-Quadruplex DNA

Four pairs of amino acid-functionalized naphthalenediimide enantiomers (d- and l-lysine derived NDIs) were screened toward G-quadruplex forming sequences in telomeres (h-TELO) and oncogene promoters: c-KIT1, c-KIT2, k-RAS and BCL-2. This is the first study to address the effect of point chirality toward G-quadruplex DNA stabilization using purely small organic molecules. Enantioselective behavior toward the majority of ligands was observed, particularly in the case of parallel conformations of c-KIT2 and k-RAS. Additionally, N_ε-Boc-l-Lys-NDI and N_ε-Boc-d-Lys-NDI discriminate between quadruplexes with parallel and hybrid topologies, which has not previously been observed with enantiomeric ligands.

Fragment Molecular Orbital Calculations with Implicit Solvent Based on the Poisson-Boltzmann Equation: II. Protein and Its Ligand-Binding System Studies

In this study, the electronic properties of bioactive proteins were analyzed using an ab initio fragment molecular orbital (FMO) methodology in solution: coupling with an implicit solvent model based on the Poisson-Boltzmann surface area called as FMO-PBSA. We investigated the solvent effects on practical and heterogeneous targets with uneven exposure to solvents unlike deoxyribonucleic acid analyzed in our recent study. Interfragment interaction energy (IFIE) and its decomposition analyses by FMO-PBSA revealed solvent-screening mechanisms that affect local stability inside ubiquitin protein: the screening suppresses excessiveness in bare charge-charge interactions and enables an intuitive IFIE analysis. The electrostatic character and associated solvation free energy also give consistent results as a whole to previous studies on the explicit solvent model. Moreover, by using the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) protein bound to ligands, we elucidated the importance of specific interactions that depend on the electric charge and activatability as agonism/antagonism of the ligand while estimating the influences of the implicit solvent on the ligand and helix-12 bindings. The predicted ligand-binding affinities of bioactive compounds to ERα also show a good correlation with their in vitro activities. The FMO-PBSA approach would thus be a promising tool both for biological and pharmaceutical research targeting proteins.

Ligand-induced conformational preorganization of loops of c-MYC G-quadruplex DNA and its implications in structure-specific drug design

Stabilization of a G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structure in the proto-oncogene c-MYC using small molecule ligands has emerged as an attractive strategy for the development of anticancer therapeutics. To understand the subtle structural changes in the G4 structure upon ligand binding, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of c-MYC G4 DNA were carried out in a complex with six different potent ligands: 3AQN, 6AQN, 3APN, 360A, Nap-Et, and Nap-Pr. The results show that the ligands 3AQN, 6AQN, 3APN, and 360A stabilize the G4 structure by making stacking interactions with the top quartet. On the other hand, Nap-Et and Nap-Pr bind at the groove of the G4 structure. These groove binding ligands make crucial H-bond contacts with the guanines and electrostatic interactions with the phosphate backbone. Two-dimensional dynamic correlation maps unraveled the ligand-induced correlated motions between the guanines in the quartet and a di-nucleotide present in the propeller loop-2 of the G4 structure. Cluster analysis and ONIOM calculations revealed the structural dynamics in the loop of the quadruplex upon ligand binding. Overall, the results from the present study suggest that engineering specific contacts with the propeller loop can be an efficient way to design c-MYC G4-specific ligands.

Naphthalenediimide-Linked Bisbenzimidazole Derivatives as Telomeric G-Quadruplex-Stabilizing Ligands with Improved Anticancer Activity

Human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA stabilization has emerged as an exciting novel approach for anticancer drug development. In the present study, we have designed and synthesized three C₂-symmetric bisubstituted bisbenzimidazole naphthalenediimide (NDI) ligands, ALI-C₃ , BBZ-ARO, and BBZ-AROCH₂ , which stabilize human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA with high affinity. Herein, we have studied the binding affinities and thermodynamic contributions of each of these molecules with G-quadruplex DNA and compared the same to those of the parent NDI analogue, BMSG-SH-3. Results of fluorescence resonance energy transfer and surface plasmon resonance demonstrate that these ligands have a higher affinity for G₄-DNA over duplex DNA and induce the formation of a G-quadruplex. The binding equilibrium constants obtained from the microcalorimetry studies of BBZ-ARO, ALI-C₃ , and BBZ-AROCH₂ were 8.47, 6.35, and 3.41 μM, respectively, with h-telo 22-mer quadruplex. These showed 10 and 100 times lower binding affinity with h-telo 12-mer and duplex DNA quadruplexes, respectively. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters obtained from the microcalorimetry study suggests that interactions were most favorable for BBZ-ARO among all of the synthesized compounds. The ΔG_free obtained from molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area calculations of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies suggest that BBZ-ARO interacted strongly with G₄-DNA. MD simulation results showed the highest hydrogen bond occupancy and van der Waals interactions were between the side chains of BBZ-ARO and the DNA grooves. A significant inhibition of telomerase activity (IC₅₀ = 4.56 μM) and induced apoptosis in cancer cell lines by BBZ-ARO suggest that this molecule has the potential to be developed as an anticancer agent.

Modified Guanines as Constituents of Smart Ligands for Nucleic Acid Quadruplexes

Repetitive guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences play a crucial role in maintaining genome stability and the cell life cycle and represent potential targets for regulatory drugs. Recently, it has been demonstrated that guanine-based ligands with a porphyrin core can be used as markers of G-quadruplex assemblies in cell tissues. Herein, model systems of guanine-based ligands are explored by DFT methods. The energies of formation of modified guanine tetrads and those of modified tetrads stacked on the top of natural guanine tetrads have been calculated. The interaction energy has been decomposed into contributions from hydrogen bonding, stacking, and ion coordination and a twist-rise potential energy scan has been performed to find the individual local minima. Energy decomposition analysis reveals the impact of various substituents (F, Cl, Br, I, Me, NMe2 ) on individual energy terms. In addition, cooperative reinforcement in forming the modified and stacked tetrads, as well as the frontier orbitals participating in the hydrogen-bonding framework involving the HOMO-LUMO gap between the occupied σHOMO on the proton-accepting C=O and =N- groups and unoccupied σLUMO on the N-H groups, has been studied. The investigated systems are demonstrated to have a potential in ligand development, mainly due to stacking enhancement compared with natural guanine, which is used as a reference.

The fragment molecular orbital method combined with density-functional tight-binding and the polarizable continuum model

The electronic gap in proteins is analyzed in detail, and it is shown that FMO-DFTB/PCM is efficient and accurate in describing the molecular structure of proteins in solution.

Molecular recognition of naphthalene diimide ligands by telomeric quadruplex-DNA: the importance of the protonation state and mediated hydrogen bonds

How important are mediated hydrogen bonds in terms of molecular recognition? Compliance Constants (relaxed force constants) give the answer.

A G-quadruplex-binding compound showing anti-tumour activity in an in vivo model for pancreatic cancer

We report here that a tetra-substituted naphthalene-diimide derivative (MM41) has significant in vivo anti-tumour activity against the MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer xenograft model. IV administration with a twice-weekly 15 mg/kg dose produces ca 80% tumour growth decrease in a group of tumour-bearing animals. Two animals survived tumour-free after 279 days. High levels of MM41 are rapidly transported into cell nuclei and were found to accumulate in the tumour. MM41 is a quadruplex-interactive compound which binds strongly to the quadruplexes encoded in the promoter sequences of the BCL-2 and k-RAS genes, both of which are dis-regulated in many human pancreatic cancers. Levels of BCL-2 were reduced by ca 40% in tumours from MM41-treated animals relative to controls, consistent with BCL-2 being a target for MM41. Molecular modelling suggests that MM41 binds to a BCL-2 quadruplex in a manner resembling that previously observed in co-crystal structures with human telomeric quadruplexes. This supports the concept that MM41 (and by implication other quadruplex-targeting small molecules) can bind to quadruplex-forming promoter regions in a number of genes and down-regulate their transcription. We suggest that quadruplexes within those master genes that are up-regulated drivers for particular cancers, may be selective targets for compounds such as MM41.

A Selective G-Quadruplex DNA-Stabilizing Ligand Based on a Cyclic Naphthalene Diimide Derivative

A cyclic naphthalene diimide (cyclic NDI, 1), carrying a benzene moiety as linker chain, was synthesized and its interaction with G-quadruplex DNAs of a-core and a-coreTT as a human telomeric DNA, c-kit and c-myc as DNA sequence at promoter region, or thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) studied based on UV-VIS and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques, thermal melting temperature measurement, and FRET-melting assay. The circular dichroism spectra showed that 1 induced the formation of different types of G-quadruplex DNA structure. Compound 1 bound to these G-quadruplexes with affinities in the range of 10⁶–10⁷ M⁻¹ order and a 2:1 stoichiometry. Compound 1 showed 270-fold higher selectivity for a-core than dsDNA with a preferable a-core binding than a-coreTT, c-kit, c-myc and TBA in the presence of K⁺, which is supported by thermal melting studies. The FRET-melting assay also showed that 1 bound preferentially to human telomeric DNA. Compound 1 showed potent inhibition against telomerase activity with an IC₅₀ value of 0.9 μM and preferable binding to G-quadruplexes DNA than our previously published cyclic NDI derivative 3 carrying a benzene moiety as longer linker chain.