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de Carvalho Matias EG, Bezerra KS, Costa AHL, Clemente Junior WS, Oliveira JIN, Ribeiro Junior LA, Galvão DS, Fulco UL. Quantum biochemical analysis of the TtgR regulator and effectors. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8519. [PMID: 38609407 PMCID: PMC11015042 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58441-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The recent expansion of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens poses significant challenges in treating healthcare-associated infections. Although antibacterial resistance occurs by numerous mechanisms, active efflux of the drugs is a critical concern. A single species of efflux pump can produce a simultaneous resistance to several drugs. One of the best-studied efflux pumps is the TtgABC: a tripartite resistance-nodulation-division (RND) efflux pump implicated in the intrinsic antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E. The expression of the TtgABC gene is down-regulated by the HTH-type transcriptional repressor TtgR. In this context, by employing quantum chemistry methods based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) within the Molecular Fragmentation with Conjugate Caps (MFCC) approach, we investigate the coupling profiles of the transcriptional regulator TtgR in complex with quercetin (QUE), a natural polyphenolic flavonoid, tetracycline (TAC), and chloramphenicol (CLM), two broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. Our quantum biochemical computational results show the: [i] convergence radius, [ii] total binding energy, [iii] relevance (energetically) of the ligands regions, and [iv] most relevant amino acids residues of the TtgR-QUE/TAC/CLM complexes, pointing out distinctions and similarities among them. These findings improve the understanding of the binding mechanism of effectors and facilitate the development of new chemicals targeting TtgR, helping in the battle against the rise of resistance to antimicrobial drugs. These advances are crucial in the ongoing fight against rising antimicrobial drug resistance, providing hope for a future where healthcare-associated infections can be more beneficially treated.
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Affiliation(s)
- E G de Carvalho Matias
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil
| | - K S Bezerra
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil
| | - A H Lima Costa
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil
| | - W S Clemente Junior
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil
| | - J I N Oliveira
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil
| | - L A Ribeiro Junior
- Institute of Physics, University of Brasília, Brasília, 70919-970, Brazil.
| | - D S Galvão
- Applied Physics Department, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - U L Fulco
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil
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Vianna JF, Bezerra KS, Lima Costa AH, Barbosa ED, Lima Neto JX, Oliveira JIN, Freire VN, Fulco UL. New ethionamide boosters and EthR2: structural and energetic analysis. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:23233-23241. [PMID: 34623361 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02853g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Ethionamide (ETH) is a high-profile drug for the treatment of patients with multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and, in order to produce its inhibitory effects, it needs to be bioactivated by monooxygenase EthA. This process is under the control of the transcriptional repressors EthR and EthR2, so that their inhibition results in the boosting of ethionamide activation. Herein, through crystallographic data and computer simulations, we calculated the interaction binding energies of four inhibitors with improved in vitro potency, namely BDM76060 (PDB ID: 6HS1), BDM72201 (PDB ID: 6HRX), BDM76150 (PDB ID: 6HS2) and BDM72719 (PDB ID: 6HRY), in complexes with the transcriptional repressor EthR2, using density functional theory (DFT) within the molecular fractionation with conjugated caps (MFCC) approach. It was observed that these ligands share the same binding site within a 10.0 Å radius of the EthR2 protein; however, their structural particularities have a significant impact on the global energies of systems. The BDM72201 and BDM72719 components are weakly attached to the binding site, while BDM76060 and BDM76150 components produce stronger bonds, corroborating with experimental studies demonstrating that BDM76060 and BDM76150 are more successful in producing inhibitory effects. BDM76060 and BDM76150 have many functional groups that increase the contact surface with the protein and attract a more significant number of amino acid residues, being able to produce polarities that generate stronger interactions. In the current scenario of a growing number of cases of bacterial resistance, the obtained data can be used to guide clinical trials of these inhibitors and other inhibitors that act on the alternative EthR2 pathway, focusing on improving the activity of ethionamide, its effectiveness, a reduction in the treatment time and exposure to cytotoxic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Vianna
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - K S Bezerra
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - A H Lima Costa
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - E D Barbosa
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - J X Lima Neto
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - J I N Oliveira
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - V N Freire
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, 60455-760, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - U L Fulco
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
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Reinholdt P, Jørgensen FK, Kongsted J, Olsen JMH. Polarizable Density Embedding for Large Biomolecular Systems. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:5999-6006. [PMID: 32991163 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
We present an efficient and robust fragment-based quantum-classical embedding model capable of accurately capturing effects from complex environments such as proteins and nucleic acids. This is realized by combining the molecular fractionation with conjugate caps (MFCC) procedure with the polarizable density embedding (PDE) model at the level of Fock matrix construction. The PDE contributions to the Fock matrix of the core region are constructed using the local molecular basis of the individual fragments rather than the supermolecular basis of the entire system. Thereby, we avoid complications associated with the application of the MFCC procedure on environment quantities such as electronic densities and molecular-orbital energies. Moreover, the computational cost associated with solving self-consistent field (SCF) equations of the core region remains unchanged from that of purely classical polarized embedding models. We analyze the performance of the resulting model in terms of the reproduction of the electrostatic potential of an insulin monomer protein and further in the context of solving problems related to electron spill-out. Finally, we showcase the model for the calculation of one- and two-photon properties of the Nile red molecule in a protein environment. Based on our analyses, we find that the combination of the MFCC approach with the PDE model is an efficient, yet accurate approach for calculating molecular properties of molecules embedded in structured biomolecular environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Reinholdt
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Frederik Kamper Jørgensen
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jacob Kongsted
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jógvan Magnus Haugaard Olsen
- Hylleraas Centre for Quantum Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Lima Neto JX, Soares-Rachetti VP, Albuquerque EL, Manzoni V, Fulco UL. Outlining migrainous through dihydroergotamine–serotonin receptor interactions using quantum biochemistry. NEW J CHEM 2018. [DOI: 10.1039/c7nj03645k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We present the electronic structure of the complex dihydroergotamine–serotonin receptor to unveil new medications to treat migraine and related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José X. Lima Neto
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
- Natal-RN
- Brazil
| | | | | | - Vinicius Manzoni
- Instituto de Física
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas
- Maceio-AL
- Brazil
| | - Umberto L. Fulco
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
- Natal-RN
- Brazil
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Shrestha K, Jakubikova E. Ground-State Electronic Structure of RC-LH1 and LH2 Pigment Assemblies of Purple Bacteria via the EBF-MO Method. J Phys Chem A 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b05644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kushal Shrestha
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Elena Jakubikova
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
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