1
|
Liu H, Yang X, Huang B, Liu H. A universal approach for synthesis of copper nanoclusters templated by G-rich oligonucleotide sequences and their applications in sensing. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 297:122740. [PMID: 37080047 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.122740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Herein, five common G4 sequences have been selected, including three different length of telomere DNA, hemin aptamer, and thrombin aptamer, to synthesize Cu nanoclusters (Cu NCs) in-situ. All G4s are proper templates for Cu NCs with low temperature treatment. The particles (G4-Cu NCs) smaller than 3 nm in diameter were obtained and showed light green fluorescence. This is the first report of metal clusters templated by G4s in-situ. As proof of the concept, hemin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were used as the targets to test whether the system can monitor the interaction between G4s and its substrate. The results suggest that G4-Cu NCs can indicate the behavior of G4 and its interaction with hemin, and sensing ALP is achieved with the aid of ATP. The linear ranges of hemin and ALP are 300-4000 nM and 10-500 U/L, respectively, and the corresponding limits of detection as low as 97 nM for hemin and 2.8 U/L for ALP. Moreover, this present system has been successfully applied for the detection of ALP in human serum samples with satisfactory recoveries. This synthesis approach is universal, and it can be easily extended to evaluating the formation of G4, or monitoring the interaction between G4 and its substrate, or selective targeting individual G4, or sensitive detection of other important biomarkers by changing template G4 sequence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Liu
- Department of Head and Neck Cancer Center, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital &Chongqing Cancer Institute, Chongqing 400000, China
| | - Xuliang Yang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chongqing City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400000, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chongqing City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400000, China
| | - Hongxiang Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chongqing City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Biver T. Discriminating between Parallel, Anti-Parallel and Hybrid G-Quadruplexes: Mechanistic Details on Their Binding to Small Molecules. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134165. [PMID: 35807410 PMCID: PMC9268745 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4) are now extensively recognised as a peculiar non-canonical DNA geometry that plays a prime importance role in processes of biological relevance whose number is increasing continuously. The same is true for the less-studied RNA G4 counterpart. G4s are stable structures; however, their geometrical parameters may be finely tuned not only by the presence of particular sequences of nucleotides but also by the salt content of the medium or by a small molecule that may act as a peculiar topology inducer. As far as the interest in G4s increases and our knowledge of these species deepens, researchers do not only verify the G4s binding by small molecules and the subsequent G4 stabilisation. The most innovative studies now aim to elucidate the mechanistic details of the interaction and the ability of a target species (drug) to bind only to a peculiar G4 geometry. In this focused review, we survey the advances in the studies of the binding of small molecules of medical interest to G4s, with particular attention to the ability of these species to bind differently (intercalation, lateral binding or sitting atop) to different G4 topologies (parallel, anti-parallel or hybrid structures). Some species, given the very high affinity with some peculiar G4 topology, can first bind to a less favourable geometry and then induce its conversion. This aspect is also considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tarita Biver
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Adhikari P, Jawad B, Rao P, Podgornik R, Ching WY. Delta Variant with P681R Critical Mutation Revealed by Ultra-Large Atomic-Scale Ab Initio Simulation: Implications for the Fundamentals of Biomolecular Interactions. Viruses 2022; 14:465. [PMID: 35336872 PMCID: PMC8955942 DOI: 10.3390/v14030465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is emerging as a globally dominant strain. Its rapid spread and high infection rate are attributed to a mutation in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 allowing for the virus to invade human cells much faster and with an increased efficiency. In particular, an especially dangerous mutation P681R close to the furin cleavage site has been identified as responsible for increasing the infection rate. Together with the earlier reported mutation D614G in the same domain, it offers an excellent instance to investigate the nature of mutations and how they affect the interatomic interactions in the spike protein. Here, using ultra large-scale ab initio computational modeling, we study the P681R and D614G mutations in the SD2-FP domain, including the effect of double mutation, and compare the results with the wild type. We have recently developed a method of calculating the amino-acid-amino-acid bond pairs (AABP) to quantitatively characterize the details of the interatomic interactions, enabling us to explain the nature of mutation at the atomic resolution. Our most significant finding is that the mutations reduce the AABP value, implying a reduced bonding cohesion between interacting residues and increasing the flexibility of these amino acids to cause the damage. The possibility of using this unique mutation quantifiers in a machine learning protocol could lead to the prediction of emerging mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (P.A.); (B.J.)
| | - Bahaa Jawad
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (P.A.); (B.J.)
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of Technology, Baghdad 10066, Iraq
| | - Praveen Rao
- Department of Health Management and Informatics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65212, USA;
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- School of Physical Sciences and Kavli Institute of Theoretical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100090, China
- Wenzhou Institute of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (P.A.); (B.J.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Debbarma S, Acharya PC. Targeting G-Quadruplex Dna For Cancer Chemotherapy. Curr Drug Discov Technol 2022; 19:e140222201110. [PMID: 35156574 DOI: 10.2174/1570163819666220214115408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The self-association of DNA formed by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding comprises several layers of four guanine or G-tetrads or G4s. The distinct feature of G4s, such as the G-tetrads and loops, qualify structure-selective recognition by small molecules and various ligands and can act as potential anticancer therapeutic molecules. The G4 selective-ligands, can influence gene expression by targeting a nucleic acid structure rather than sequence. Telomere G4 can be targeted for cancer treatment by small molecules inhibiting the telomerase activity whereas c-MYC is capable of controlling transcription, can be targeted to influence transcription. The k-RAS is one of the most frequently encountered oncogenic driver mutations in pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. The k-RAS oncogene plays important role in acquiring and increasing the drug resistance and can also be directly targeted by small molecules to combat k-RAS mutant tumors. Modular G4 ligands with different functional groups, side chains and rotatable bonds as well as conformation affect the binding affinity/selectivity in cancer chemotherapeutic interventions. These modular G4 ligands act by targeting the diversity of G4 loops and groves and assists to develop more drug-like compounds with selectivity. In this review, we present the recent research on synthetic G4 DNA-interacting ligands as an approach toward the discovery of target specific anticancer chemotherapeutic agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sumanta Debbarma
- Department of Pharmacy, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar-799022, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Baral K, Adhikari P, Jawad B, Podgornik R, Ching WY. Solvent Effect on the Structure and Properties of RGD Peptide (1FUV) at Body Temperature (310 K) Using Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3434. [PMID: 34641249 PMCID: PMC8512769 DOI: 10.3390/polym13193434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure and properties of the arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) sequence of the 1FUV peptide at 0 K and body temperature (310 K) are systematically investigated in a dry and aqueous environment using more accurate ab initio molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations. The fundamental properties, such as electronic structure, interatomic bonding, partial charge distribution, and dielectric response function at 0 and 310 K are analyzed, comparing them in dry and solvated models. These accurate microscopic parameters determined from highly reliable quantum mechanical calculations are useful to define the range and strength of complex molecular interactions occurring between the RGD peptide and the integrin receptor. The in-depth bonding picture analyzed using a novel quantum mechanical metric, the total bond order (TBO), quantifies the role played by hydrogen bonds in the internal cohesion of the simulated structures. The TBO at 310 K decreases in the dry model but increases in the solvated model. These differences are small but extremely important in the context of conditions prevalent in the human body and relevant for health issues. Our results provide a new level of understanding of the structure and properties of the 1FUV peptide and help in advancing the study of RGD containing other peptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khagendra Baral
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (K.B.); (P.A.); (B.J.)
| | - Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (K.B.); (P.A.); (B.J.)
| | - Bahaa Jawad
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (K.B.); (P.A.); (B.J.)
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- School of Physical Sciences, Kavli Institute of Theoretical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100090, China
- Wenzhou Institute of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (K.B.); (P.A.); (B.J.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Adhikari P, Podgornik R, Jawad B, Ching WY. First-Principles Simulation of Dielectric Function in Biomolecules. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 14:5774. [PMID: 34640170 PMCID: PMC8510404 DOI: 10.3390/ma14195774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The dielectric spectra of complex biomolecules reflect the molecular heterogeneity of the proteins and are particularly important for the calculations of electrostatic (Coulomb) and electrodynamic (van der Waals) interactions in protein physics. The dielectric response of the proteins can be decomposed into different components depending on the size, structure, composition, locality, and environment of the protein in general. We present a new robust simulation method anchored in rigorous ab initio quantum mechanical calculations of explicit atomistic models, without any indeterminate parameters to compute and gain insight into the dielectric spectra of small proteins under different conditions. We implement this methodology to a polypeptide RGD-4C (1FUV) in different environments, and the SD1 domain in the spike protein of SARS-COV-2. Two peaks at 5.2-5.7 eV and 14.4-15.2 eV in the dielectric absorption spectra are observed for 1FUV and SD1 in vacuum as well as in their solvated and salted models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (P.A.); (B.J.)
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- School of Physical Sciences, Kavli Institute of Theoretical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100090, China
- Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bahaa Jawad
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (P.A.); (B.J.)
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; (P.A.); (B.J.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jawad B, Adhikari P, Podgornik R, Ching WY. Key Interacting Residues between RBD of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 Receptor: Combination of Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Density Functional Calculation. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4425-4441. [PMID: 34428371 PMCID: PMC8409146 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds to the ACE2 receptor via its receptor-binding domain (RBD), with the RBD-ACE2 complex presenting an essential molecular target for vaccine development to stall the virus infection proliferation. The computational analyses at molecular, amino acid (AA), and atomic levels have been performed systematically to identify the key interacting AAs in the formation of the RBD-ACE2 complex for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 with its Alpha and Beta variants. Our study uses the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) method to predict the binding free energy (BFE) and to determine the actual interacting AAs, as well as two ab initio quantum chemical protocols based on the density functional theory (DFT) implementation. Based on MD results, Q493, Y505, Q498, N501, T500, N487, Y449, F486, K417, Y489, F456, Y495, and L455 have been identified as hotspots in SARS-CoV-2 RBD, while those in ACE2 are K353, K31, D30, D355, H34, D38, Q24, T27, Y83, Y41, and E35. RBD with Alpha and Beta variants has slightly different interacting AAs due to N501Y mutation. Both the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions are the main driving force to form the AA-AA binding pairs. We confirm that Q493, Q498, N501, F486, K417, and F456 in RBD are the key residues responsible for the tight binding of SARS-CoV-2 with ACE2 compared to SARS-CoV. RBD with the Alpha variant binds with ACE2 stronger than the wild-type RBD or Beta. In the Beta variant, K417N reduces the binding, E484K slightly enhances it, and N501Y significantly increases it as in Alpha. The DFT results reveal that N487, Q493, Y449, T500, G496, G446, and G502 in RBD of SARS2 form pairs via specific hydrogen bonding with Q24, H34, E35, D38, Y41, Q42, and K353 in ACE2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bahaa Jawad
- Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
64110, United States
| | - Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
64110, United States
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- Wenzhou Institute of the University of
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000,
China
- School of Physical Sciences and Kavli Institute of
Theoretical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Beijing 100049, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics,
Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
100090, China
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and
Physics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana,
Slovenia
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
64110, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Desai N, Shah V, Datta B. Assessing G4-Binding Ligands In Vitro and in Cellulo Using Dimeric Carbocyanine Dye Displacement Assay. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26051400. [PMID: 33807659 PMCID: PMC7961521 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26051400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4) are the most actively studied non-canonical secondary structures formed by contiguous repeats of guanines in DNA or RNA strands. Small molecule mediated targeting of G-quadruplexes has emerged as an attractive tool for visualization and stabilization of these structures inside the cell. Limited number of DNA and RNA G4-selective assays have been reported for primary ligand screening. A combination of fluorescence spectroscopy, AFM, CD, PAGE, and confocal microscopy have been used to assess a dimeric carbocyanine dye B6,5 for screening G4-binding ligands in vitro and in cellulo. The dye B6,5 interacts with physiologically relevant DNA and RNA G4 structures, resulting in fluorescence enhancement of the molecule as an in vitro readout for G4 selectivity. Interaction of the dye with G4 is accompanied by quadruplex stabilization that extends its use in primary screening of G4 specific ligands. The molecule is cell permeable and enables visualization of quadruplex dominated cellular regions of nucleoli using confocal microscopy. The dye is displaced by quarfloxin in live cells. The dye B6,5 shows remarkable duplex to quadruplex selectivity in vitro along with ligand-like stabilization of DNA G4 structures. Cell permeability and response to RNA G4 structures project the dye with interesting theranostic potential. Our results validate that B6,5 can serve the dual purpose of visualization of DNA and RNA G4 structures and screening of G4 specific ligands, and adds to the limited number of probes with such potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nakshi Desai
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar 382355, India; (N.D.); (V.S.)
| | - Viraj Shah
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar 382355, India; (N.D.); (V.S.)
| | - Bhaskar Datta
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar 382355, India; (N.D.); (V.S.)
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar 382355, India
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +91-79-2395-2427; Fax: +91-79-2397-2622
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ching WY, Adhikari P, Jawad B, Podgornik R. Ultra-large-scale ab initio quantum chemical computation of bio-molecular systems: The case of spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1288-1301. [PMID: 33623641 PMCID: PMC7893244 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a severe threat to human health with an unprecedented social and economic disruption. Spike (S) glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is pivotal in understanding the virus anatomy, since it initiates the first contact with the ACE2 receptor in the human cell. We report results of ab initio computation of the spike protein, the largest ab initio quantum chemical computation to date on any bio-molecular system, using a divide and conquer strategy by focusing on individual structural domains. In this approach we divided the S-protein into seven structural domains: N-terminal domain (NTD), receptor binding domain (RBD), subdomain 1 (SD1), subdomain 2 (SD2), fusion peptide (FP), heptad repeat 1 with central helix (HR1-CH) and connector domain (CD). The entire Chain A has 14,488 atoms including the hydrogen atoms but excluding the amino acids with missing coordinates based on the PDB data (ID: 6VSB). The results include structural refinement, ab initio calculation of intra-molecular bonding mechanism, 3- dimensional non-local inter-amino acid interaction with implications for the inter-domain interaction. Details of the electronic structure, interatomic bonding, partial charge distribution and the role played by hydrogen bond network are discussed. In the interaction among structural domains, we present new insights for crucial hinge-like movement and fusion process. Extension of such calculation to the interface between the S-protein binding domain and ACE2 receptor can provide a pathway for computational understanding of mutations and the design of therapeutic drugs to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Bahaa Jawad
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- School of Physical Sciences and Kavli Institute of Theoretical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100090, China
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gratal PB, Quero JG, Pérez-Redondo A, Gándara Z, Gude L. PhenQE8, a Novel Ligand of the Human Telomeric Quadruplex. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:E749. [PMID: 33451070 PMCID: PMC7828518 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel quadruplex ligand based on 1,10-phenanthroline and incorporating two guanyl hydrazone functionalities, PhenQE8, is reported herein. Synthetic access was gained in a two-step procedure with an overall yield of 61%. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that PhenQE8 can adopt an extended conformation that may be optimal to favor recognition of quadruplex DNA. DNA interactions with polymorphic G-quadruplex telomeric structures were studied by different techniques, such as Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) DNA melting assays, circular dichroism and equilibrium dialysis. Our results reveal that the novel ligand PhenQE8 can efficiently recognize the hybrid quadruplex structures of the human telomeric DNA, with high binding affinity and quadruplex/duplex selectivity. Moreover, the compound shows significant cytotoxic activity against a selected panel of cultured tumor cells (PC-3, HeLa and MCF-7), whereas its cytotoxicity is considerably lower in healthy human cells (HFF-1 and RPWE-1).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Zoila Gándara
- Departamento de Química Orgánica y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación Química “Andrés M. del Río” (IQAR), Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (P.B.G.); (J.G.Q.); (A.P.-R.)
| | - Lourdes Gude
- Departamento de Química Orgánica y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación Química “Andrés M. del Río” (IQAR), Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (P.B.G.); (J.G.Q.); (A.P.-R.)
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Adhikari P, Ching WY. Amino acid interacting network in the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. RSC Adv 2020; 10:39831-39841. [PMID: 35515388 PMCID: PMC9057398 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra08222h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The relation between amino acid (AA) sequence and biologically active conformation controls the process of polypeptide chains folding into three-dimensional (3d) protein structures. The recent achievements in the resolution achieved in cryo-electron microscopy coupled with improvements in computational methodologies have accelerated the analysis of structures and properties of proteins. However, the detailed interaction between AAs has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we present a de novo method to evaluate inter-amino acid interactions based on the concept of accurately evaluating the amino acid bond pairs (AABP). The results obtained enabled the identification of complex 3d long-range interconnected AA interacting network in proteins. The method is applied to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We show that although nearest-neighbor AAs in the primary sequence have large AABP, other nonlocal AAs make substantial contribution to AABP with significant participation of both covalent and hydrogen bonding. Detailed analysis of AABP in RBD reveals the pivotal role they play in sequence conservation with profound implications on residue mutations and for therapeutic drug design. This approach could be easily applied to many other proteins of biomedical interest in life sciences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City Missouri USA
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City Missouri USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Biological activity of quinazoline analogues and molecular modeling of their interactions with G-quadruplexes. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2020; 1865:129773. [PMID: 33132199 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quinazolines 1 to 6, with an aromatic or aryl-vinyl substituent in position 2 are selected with the aim to compare their structures and biological activity. The selection includes a natural alkaloid, schizocommunin, and the synthetic 2-(2'-quinolyl)-3H-quinazolin-4-one, known to interact with guanine-quadruplex dependent enzymes, respectively telomerase and topoisomerase. METHODS Breast cancer cells of the MDA cell line have been used to study the bioactivity of the tested compounds by the method of Comet Assay and FACS analyses. We model observed effects assuming stacking interactions of studied heterocycles with a naked skeleton of G-quadruplex, consisting of guanine quartet layers and potassium ions. Interaction energies are computed using a dispersion corrected density functional theory method, and an electron-correlated molecular orbital theory method. RESULTS Selected compounds do not remarkably delay nor change the dynamics of cellular progression through the cell cycle phases, while changing significantly cell morphology. Our computational models quantify structural effects on heterocyclic G4-complex stabilization energies, which directly correlate with observed biological activity. CONCLUSION Our computational model of G-quadruplexes is an acceptable tool for the study of interaction energies of G-quadruplexes and heterocyclic ligands, predicting, and allowing design of novel structures. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Genotoxicity of quinazolin-4-one analogues on human breast cancer cells is not related to molecular metabolism but rather to their interference with G-quadruplex regulatory mechanisms. Computed stabilization energies of heterocyclic ligand complexes of G-quadruplexes might be useful in the prediction of novel telomerase / helicase, topoisomerase and NA polymerase dependent drugs.
Collapse
|
13
|
Adhikari P, Li N, Shin M, Steinmetz NF, Twarock R, Podgornik R, Ching WY. Intra- and intermolecular atomic-scale interactions in the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: implication for ACE2 receptor binding. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:18272-18283. [PMID: 32756685 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp03145c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a severe threat to human health with unprecedented social and economic disruption. Spike (S) glycoprotein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus is pivotal in understanding the virus anatomy, since it initiates the early contact with the ACE2 receptor in the human cell. The subunit S1 in chain A of S-protein has four structural domains: the receptor binding domain (RBD), the n-terminal domain (NTD) and two subdomains (SD1, SD2). We report details of the intra- and inter-molecular binding mechanism of RBD using density functional theory, including electronic structure, interatomic bonding and partial charge distribution. We identify five strong hydrogen bonds and analyze their roles in binding. This provides a pathway to a quantum-chemical understanding of the interaction between the S-protein and the ACE2 receptor with insights into the function of conserved features in the ACE2 receptor binding domain that could inform vaccine and drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Ping H, Poudel L, Xie H, Fang W, Zou Z, Zhai P, Wagermaier W, Fratzl P, Wang W, Wang H, O'Reilly P, Ching WY, Fu Z. Synthesis of monodisperse rod-shaped silica particles through biotemplating of surface-functionalized bacteria. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:8732-8741. [PMID: 32307501 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr00669f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mesoporous silica particles of controlled size and shape are potentially beneficial for many applications, but their usage may be limited by the complex procedure of fabrication. Biotemplating provides a facile approach to synthesize materials with desired shapes. Herein, a bioinspired design principle is adopted through displaying silaffin-derived 5R5 proteins on the surface of Escherichia coli by genetic manipulations. The genetically modified Escherichia coli provides a three-dimensional template to regulate the synthesis of rod-shaped silica. The silicification is initiated on the cell surface under the functionality of 5R5 proteins and subsequentially the inner space is gradually filled. Density functional theory simulation reveals the interfacial interactions between silica precursors and R5 peptides at the atomic scale. There is a large conformation change of this protein during biosilicification. Electrostatic interactions contribute to the high affinity between positively charged residues (Lys4, Arg16, Arg17) and negatively charged tetraethyl orthosilicate. Hydrogen bonds develop between Arg16 (OH), Arg17 (OH and NH), Leu19 (OH) residues and the forming silica agglomerates. In addition, the resulting rod-shaped silica copy of the bacteria can transform into mesoporous SiOx nanorods composed of carbon-coated nanoparticles after carbonization, which is shown to allow superior lithium storage performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hang Ping
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ching WY, Poudel L, San S, Baral K. Interfacial Interaction between Suolunite Crystal and Silica Binding Peptide for Novel Bioinspired Cement. ACS COMBINATORIAL SCIENCE 2019; 21:794-804. [PMID: 31710806 DOI: 10.1021/acscombsci.9b00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cement and concrete have been important construction materials throughout human history. There is an urgent need to explore novel and untraditional cementitious materials to enhance the durability of building materials and structures in response to increased infrastructure demand worldwide. We report an exploratory study on a biocomposite cement based on a large-scale computational study using density functional theory. An explicitly solvated mixture of a mineral calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) crystal suolunite (Ca2Si2O5(OH)2·H2O) and a silicon binding peptide with amino acid sequence PRO-PRO-PRO-TRP-LEU-PRO-TYR-MET-PRO-PRO-TRP-SER is constructed using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD). Detailed analysis on the interface structure, interatomic bonding, mechanical properties, and solvent effect of this model reveals a complex interplay of different types of covalent and ionic bonding, including ubiquitous hydrogen bonding which plays a crucial role in their properties. The use of the total bond order density (TBOD), a single quantum mechanical metric, for assessing the interfacial cohesion for this composite biocement is proposed. We find that the solvated model has a slightly larger TBOD than the dried one. These results could lead to a systematic search and rational design for different types of bioinspired and hybrid functional materials with other inorganic minerals and organic peptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| | - Lokendra Poudel
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| | - Saro San
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| | - Khagendra Baral
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Interaction of (G4)2 and (X4)2 DNA quadruplexes with Cu+, Ag+ and Au+ metal cations: a quantum chemical calculation on structural, energetic and electronic properties. Struct Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-019-01421-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
17
|
Atomic-Scale Understanding of Structure and Properties of Complex Pyrophosphate Crystals by First-Principles Calculations. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/app9050840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The electronic structure and mechanical and optical properties of five pyrophosphate crystals with very complex structures are studied by first principles density functional theory calculations. The results show the complex interplay of the minor differences in specific local structures and compositions can result in large differences in reactivity and interaction that are rare in other classes of inorganic crystals. These are discussed by dividing the pyrophosphate crystals into three structural units. H2P2O7 is the most important and dominating unit in pyrophosphates. The other two are the influential cationic group with metals and water molecules. The strongest P-O bond in P2O5 is the strongest bond for crystal cohesion, but O-H and N-H bonds also play an important part. Different type of bonding between O and H atoms such as O-H, hydrogen bonding, and bridging bonds are present. Metallic cations such as Mg, Zn, and Cu form octahedral bonding with O. The water molecule provides the unique H∙∙∙O bonds, and metallic elements can influence the structure and bonding to a certain extent. The two Cu-containing phosphates show the presence of narrow metallic bands near the valence band edge. All this complex bonding affects their physical properties, indicating that fundamental understanding remains an open question.
Collapse
|
18
|
Adhikari P, Khaoulaf R, Ez-Zahraouy H, Ching WY. Complex interplay of interatomic bonding in a multi-component pyrophosphate crystal: K 2Mg (H 2P 2O 7) 2·2H 2O. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170982. [PMID: 29308239 PMCID: PMC5750006 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The electronic structure and interatomic bonding of pyrophosphate crystal K2Mg (H2P2O7)2·2H2O are investigated for the first time showing complex interplay of different types of bindings. The existing structure from single-crystal X-ray diffraction is not sufficiently refined, resulting in unrealistic short O─H bonds which is rectified by high-precision density functional theory (DFT) calculation. K2Mg (H2P2O7)2·2H2O has a direct gap of 5.22 eV and a small electron effective mass of 0.14 me. Detailed bond analysis between every pair of atoms reveals the complexity of various covalent, ionic, hydrogen bonding and bridging bonding and their sensitive dependence on structural differences. The K--O bonds are much weaker than Mg--O bonds and contributions from the hydrogen bonds are non-negligible. Quantitative analysis of internal cohesion in terms of total bond order density and partial bond order density divulges the relative importance of different types of bonding. The calculated optical absorptions show multiple peaks and a sharp Plasmon peak at 23 eV and a refractive index of 1.44. The elastic and mechanical properties show features unique to this low-symmetry crystal. Phonon calculation gives vibrational frequencies in agreement with reported Raman spectrum. These results provide new insights indicating that acidic pyrophosphates could have a variety of unrealized applications in advanced technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Puja Adhikari
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Redouane Khaoulaf
- Department of Physics, Laboratory of Optoelectronics and Physical Chemistry of Materials, Faculty of Sciences, University lbn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco
- Laboratory of Condensed Matter and Interdisciplinary Sciences (LAMCSCI), Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Hamid Ez-Zahraouy
- Laboratory of Condensed Matter and Interdisciplinary Sciences (LAMCSCI), Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Abstract
Genomes contain rare guanine-rich sequences capable of assembling into four-stranded helical structures, termed G-quadruplexes, with potential roles in gene regulation and chromosome stability. Their mechanical unfolding has only been reported to date by all-atom simulations, which cannot dissect the major physical interactions responsible for their cohesion. Here, we propose a mesoscopic model to describe both the mechanical and thermal stability of DNA G-quadruplexes, where each nucleotide of the structure, as well as each central cation located at the inner channel, is mapped onto a single bead. In this framework we are able to simulate loading rates similar to the experimental ones, which are not reachable in simulations with atomistic resolution. In this regard, we present single-molecule force-induced unfolding experiments by a high-resolution optical tweezers on a DNA telomeric sequence capable of adopting a G-quadruplex conformation. Fitting the parameters of the model to the experiments we find a correct prediction of the rupture-force kinetics and a good agreement with previous near equilibrium measurements. Since G-quadruplex unfolding dynamics is halfway in complexity between secondary nucleic acids and tertiary protein structures, our model entails a nanoscale paradigm for non-equilibrium processes in the cell.
Collapse
|
20
|
Poudel L, Twarock R, Steinmetz NF, Podgornik R, Ching WY. Impact of Hydrogen Bonding in the Binding Site between Capsid Protein and MS2 Bacteriophage ssRNA. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:6321-6330. [PMID: 28581757 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b02569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
MS2 presents a well-studied example of a single-stranded RNA virus for which the genomic RNA plays a pivotal role in the virus assembly process based on the packaging signal-mediated mechanism. Packaging signals (PSs) are multiple dispersed RNA sequence/structure motifs varying around a central recognition motif that interact in a specific way with the capsid protein in the assembly process. Although the discovery and identification of these PSs was based on bioinformatics and geometric approaches, in tandem with sophisticated experimental protocols, we approach this problem using large-scale ab initio computation centered on critical aspects of the consensus protein-RNA interactions recognition motif. DFT calculations are carried out on two nucleoprotein complexes: wild-type and mutated (PDB IDs: 1ZDH and 5MSF ). The calculated partial charge distribution of residues and the strength of hydrogen bonding (HB) between them enabled us to locate the exact binding sites with the strongest HBs, identified to be LYS43-A-4, ARG49-C-13, TYR85-C-5, and LYS61-C-5, due to the change in the sequence of the mutated RNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lokendra Poudel
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City , Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| | - Reidun Twarock
- Department of Mathematics and Biology and York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, University of York , York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | | | - Rudolf Podgornik
- Department of Theoretical Physics, J. Stefan Institute , SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana , SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City , Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Poudel L, Podgornik R, Ching WY. The Hydration Effect and Selectivity of Alkali Metal Ions on Poly(ethylene glycol) Models in Cyclic and Linear Topology. J Phys Chem A 2017; 121:4721-4731. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.7b04061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lokendra Poudel
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- Department
of Theoretical Physics, J. Stefan Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department
of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Wai-Yim Ching
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, United States
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Tachikawa H. Effects of zero point vibration on the reaction dynamics of water dimer cations following ionization. J Comput Chem 2017; 38:1503-1508. [DOI: 10.1002/jcc.24783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroto Tachikawa
- Division of Applied Chemistry; Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University; Sapporo 060-8628 Japan
| |
Collapse
|