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Sharma S, Pandey KM. Computational Bio prospecting of Phyto - constituents as potential inhibitors for Peptide deformylase from Streptococcus oralis: an opportunistic pathogen. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024:110079. [PMID: 38969195 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.110079] [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: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Streptococcus oralis an opportunistic bacterium has been reported to be involved in various blood borne infections like subacute bacterial endocarditis, septicaemia, bacterial meningitis and in some cases dental caries too. Among various targets the peptide deformylase, of S.oralis appears to be most potent druggable target as it is involved in protein synthesis is opted for the current study. Due to unavailability of PDB structure of peptide deformylase from S. oralis the study initiates with homology modelling of the protein and 6OW2 of S pneumoniae is considered as the template. Thereafter, Molecular docking, Molecular dynamic simulation, ADME analysis, and MMPBSA analysis was carried out to explore the inhibitory potential of phyto-constituents as potential inhibitors for Peptide deformylase from S.oralis. Actinonin was considered as reference drug. Among 2370 phyto compounds the best observations were recorded for A1-Barrigenol (IMPHY010984) with binding affinity of -8.5kcal/mol. Calculated RMSD, RMSF, Binding Free Energy for IMPHY010984 averaged at about 0.10±0.03nm, 0.08±0.05nm, 131±21kJ/mol respectively whereas the RMSD, RMSF, Binding Free Energy recorded for reference drug averaged at about 0.19±0.04nm, 0.11±0.08nm, -94±18kJ/mol respectively. Based on in silico observations IMPHY010984 is proved out as superior candidate over reference drug. The study reflects the potential of IMPHY010984 as prophylactic therapeutics for S.oralis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shrutika Sharma
- Department of Biological Science & Engineering, MANIT, Bhopal.
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2
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Singh PK, Stan RC. Self-inhibition of HER2 and HER3 at fever temperatures may prevent their hetero-dimerization. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:5470-5473. [PMID: 37342980 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2227700] [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: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
HER2 and HER3 receptors dimerize into potent pro-oncogenic complexes involved in various aggressive and recurrent tumors. The role of febrile temperatures on the formation of HER2:HER3 complexes is unknown. To this end, molecular dynamics simulations of HER2 and HER3 were performed in the 37 °C-40 °C range. HER2 and ligand-free HER32 display inactive conformers that cannot form complexes at 40 °C, while maintaining their extended conformations able to dimerize in the 37 °C-39 °C range. Thermal therapy at particular fever points may complement existing therapy options for HER2-relevant cancers.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puneet Kumar Singh
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Razvan C Stan
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
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3
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Weigle AT, Shukla D. Interplay between phosphorylation and oligomerization tunes the conformational ensemble of SWEET transporters. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.12.598708. [PMID: 38915650 PMCID: PMC11195267 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.12.598708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
SWEET sugar transporters are desirable biotechnological targets for improving plant growth. One engineering strategy includes modulating how SWEET transporters are regulated. Phosphorylation and oligomerization have been shown to positively regulate SWEET function, leading to increased sugar transport activity. However, constitutive phosphorylation may not be beneficial to plant health under basal conditions. Structural and mechanistic understanding of the interplay between phosphorylation and oligomerization in functional regulation of SWEETs remains limited. Using extensive molecular dynamics simulations coupled with Markov state models, we demonstrate the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of SWEET phosphorylation and oligomerization using OsSWEET2b as a model. We report that the beneficial effects of these SWEET regulatory mechanisms bias outward-facing states and improved extracellular gating, which complement published experimental findings. Our results offer molecular insights to SWEET regulation and may guide engineering strategies throughout the SWEET transport family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin T. Weigle
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Diwakar Shukla
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
- Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
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4
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Aguado M, Carvalho S, Valdés-Tresanco ME, Lin D, Padilla-Mejia N, Corpas-Lopez V, Tesařová M, Lukeš J, Gray D, González-Bacerio J, Wyllie S, Field MC. Identification and Validation of Compounds Targeting Leishmania major Leucyl-Aminopeptidase M17. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:2002-2017. [PMID: 38753953 PMCID: PMC11184559 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00009] [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: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease; there is currently no vaccine and treatment is reliant upon a handful of drugs suffering from multiple issues including toxicity and resistance. There is a critical need for development of new fit-for-purpose therapeutics, with reduced toxicity and targeting new mechanisms to overcome resistance. One enzyme meriting investigation as a potential drug target in Leishmania is M17 leucyl-aminopeptidase (LAP). Here, we aimed to chemically validate LAP as a drug target in L. major through identification of potent and selective inhibitors. Using RapidFire mass spectrometry, the compounds DDD00057570 and DDD00097924 were identified as selective inhibitors of recombinant Leishmania major LAP activity. Both compounds inhibited in vitro growth of L. major and L. donovani intracellular amastigotes, and overexpression of LmLAP in L. major led to reduced susceptibility to DDD00057570 and DDD00097924, suggesting that these compounds specifically target LmLAP. Thermal proteome profiling revealed that these inhibitors thermally stabilized two M17 LAPs, indicating that these compounds selectively bind to enzymes of this class. Additionally, the selectivity of the inhibitors to act on LmLAP and not against the human ortholog was demonstrated, despite the high sequence similarities LAPs of this family share. Collectively, these data confirm LmLAP as a promising therapeutic target for Leishmania spp. that can be selectively inhibited by drug-like small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirtha
E. Aguado
- Center
for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, 10400 Havana, Cuba
| | - Sandra Carvalho
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
| | | | - De Lin
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
| | - Norma Padilla-Mejia
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
| | - Victoriano Corpas-Lopez
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
| | - Martina Tesařová
- Institute
of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy
of Sciences, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute
of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy
of Sciences, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty
of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České
Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - David Gray
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
| | - Jorge González-Bacerio
- Center
for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, 10400 Havana, Cuba
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
| | - Mark C. Field
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infective Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland, U.K.
- Institute
of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy
of Sciences, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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5
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Gutkin E, Gusev F, Gentile F, Ban F, Koby SB, Narangoda C, Isayev O, Cherkasov A, Kurnikova MG. In silico screening of LRRK2 WDR domain inhibitors using deep docking and free energy simulations. Chem Sci 2024; 15:8800-8812. [PMID: 38873063 PMCID: PMC11168082 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc06880c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The Critical Assessment of Computational Hit-Finding Experiments (CACHE) Challenge series is focused on identifying small molecule inhibitors of protein targets using computational methods. Each challenge contains two phases, hit-finding and follow-up optimization, each of which is followed by experimental validation of the computational predictions. For the CACHE Challenge #1, the Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) WD40 Repeat (WDR) domain was selected as the target for in silico hit-finding and optimization. Mutations in LRRK2 are the most common genetic cause of the familial form of Parkinson's disease. The LRRK2 WDR domain is an understudied drug target with no known molecular inhibitors. Herein we detail the first phase of our winning submission to the CACHE Challenge #1. We developed a framework for the high-throughput structure-based virtual screening of a chemically diverse small molecule space. Hit identification was performed using the large-scale Deep Docking (DD) protocol followed by absolute binding free energy (ABFE) simulations. ABFEs were computed using an automated molecular dynamics (MD)-based thermodynamic integration (TI) approach. 4.1 billion ligands from Enamine REAL were screened with DD followed by ABFEs computed by MD TI for 793 ligands. 76 ligands were prioritized for experimental validation, with 59 compounds successfully synthesized and 5 compounds identified as hits, yielding a 8.5% hit rate. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of the combined DD and ABFE approaches for hit identification for a target with no previously known hits. This approach is widely applicable for the efficient screening of ultra-large chemical libraries as well as rigorous protein-ligand binding affinity estimation leveraging modern computational resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny Gutkin
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Filipp Gusev
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Francesco Gentile
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Fuqiang Ban
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - S Benjamin Koby
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Chamali Narangoda
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Olexandr Isayev
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Artem Cherkasov
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Maria G Kurnikova
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
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Hunter Wilson R, Damodaran AR, Bhagi-Damodaran A. Machine learning guided rational design of a non-heme iron-based lysine dioxygenase improves its total turnover number. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597480. [PMID: 38895203 PMCID: PMC11185610 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Highly selective C-H functionalization remains an ongoing challenge in organic synthetic methodologies. Biocatalysts are robust tools for achieving these difficult chemical transformations. Biocatalyst engineering has often required directed evolution or structure-based rational design campaigns to improve their activities. In recent years, machine learning has been integrated into these workflows to improve the discovery of beneficial enzyme variants. In this work, we combine a structure-based machine-learning algorithm with classical molecular dynamics simulations to down select mutations for rational design of a non-heme iron-dependent lysine dioxygenase, LDO. This approach consistently resulted in functional LDO mutants and circumvents the need for extensive study of mutational activity before-hand. Our rationally designed single mutants purified with up to 2-fold higher yields than WT and displayed higher total turnover numbers (TTN). Combining five such single mutations into a pentamutant variant, LPNYI LDO, leads to a 40% improvement in the TTN (218±3) as compared to WT LDO (TTN = 160±2). Overall, this work offers a low-barrier approach for those seeking to synergize machine learning algorithms with pre-existing protein engineering strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Hunter Wilson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
| | - Anoop R Damodaran
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
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7
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Rehman AU, Zhao C, Wu Y, Zhu Q, Luo R. Targeting SHP2 Cryptic Allosteric Sites for Effective Cancer Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6201. [PMID: 38892388 PMCID: PMC11172685 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116201] [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: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
SHP2, a pivotal component downstream of both receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases, has been underscored in the progression of various human cancers and neurodevelopmental disorders. Allosteric inhibitors have been proposed to regulate its autoinhibition. However, oncogenic mutations, such as E76K, convert SHP2 into its open state, wherein the catalytic cleft becomes fully exposed to its ligands. This study elucidates the dynamic properties of SHP2 structures across different states, with a focus on the effects of oncogenic mutation on two known binding sites of allosteric inhibitors. Through extensive modeling and simulations, we further identified an alternative allosteric binding pocket in solution structures. Additional analysis provides insights into the dynamics and stability of the potential site. In addition, multi-tier screening was deployed to identify potential binders targeting the potential site. Our efforts to identify a new allosteric site contribute to community-wide initiatives developing therapies using multiple allosteric inhibitors to target distinct pockets on SHP2, in the hope of potentially inhibiting or slowing tumor growth associated with SHP2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ray Luo
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; (A.U.R.)
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8
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Koçer İ, Çelik E. In silico analysis of the different variable domain oriented single-chain variable fragment antibody-antigen complexes. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:4699-4709. [PMID: 37288797 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2222191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies hold great potential as diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents, especially for tumor cells. Since these applications require their production with improved properties, the design strategy of scFvs is crucial for their active, soluble, and high yield expression with high affinity towards their antigens. The order of VL and VH domains is one of the important parameters that affect the expression and binding affinity properties of scFvs. In addition, the optimum order of VL and VH domains could change for each scFv. In the present study, we used computer simulation tools to evaluate the effect of variable domain orientation on structure, stability, interacting residues of scFvs, and binding free energies of scFv-antigen complexes. We selected anti-HER2 scFv, which is specific for human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) overexpressed in breast cancer, and anti-IL-1β scFv against IL-1β which is an important inflammatory biomarker, as model scFvs. Molecular dynamics simulations of the scFv-antigen complexes for 100 ns resulted in stability and compactness for both scFv constructs. Interaction and binding free energies calculated by the Molecular Mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) approach suggested that the relative binding energies of anti-HER2 scFv-VLVH and anti-HER2 scFv-VHVL constructs had similar binding affinity towards HER2, while a relatively more negative binding free energy obtained between anti-IL-1β scFv-VHVL and IL-1β pointed to a higher binding affinity. The in silico approach and the results obtained here could be applied as a guide for future experimental interaction studies for highly specific scFvs used as biotechnological tools.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- İlkay Koçer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
- Institute of Science, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Eda Çelik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
- Institute of Science, Division of Bioengineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
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9
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Bayarsaikhan B, Zsidó BZ, Börzsei R, Hetényi C. Efficient Refinement of Complex Structures of Flexible Histone Peptides Using Post-Docking Molecular Dynamics Protocols. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5945. [PMID: 38892133 PMCID: PMC11172440 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115945] [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: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Histones are keys to many epigenetic events and their complexes have therapeutic and diagnostic importance. The determination of the structures of histone complexes is fundamental in the design of new drugs. Computational molecular docking is widely used for the prediction of target-ligand complexes. Large, linear peptides like the tail regions of histones are challenging ligands for docking due to their large conformational flexibility, extensive hydration, and weak interactions with the shallow binding pockets of their reader proteins. Thus, fast docking methods often fail to produce complex structures of such peptide ligands at a level appropriate for drug design. To address this challenge, and improve the structural quality of the docked complexes, post-docking refinement has been applied using various molecular dynamics (MD) approaches. However, a final consensus has not been reached on the desired MD refinement protocol. In this present study, MD refinement strategies were systematically explored on a set of problematic complexes of histone peptide ligands with relatively large errors in their docked geometries. Six protocols were compared that differ in their MD simulation parameters. In all cases, pre-MD hydration of the complex interface regions was applied to avoid the unwanted presence of empty cavities. The best-performing protocol achieved a median of 32% improvement over the docked structures in terms of the change in root mean squared deviations from the experimental references. The influence of structural factors and explicit hydration on the performance of post-docking MD refinements are also discussed to help with their implementation in future methods and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bayartsetseg Bayarsaikhan
- Pharmacoinformatics Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti út 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; (B.B.); (B.Z.Z.); (R.B.)
| | - Balázs Zoltán Zsidó
- Pharmacoinformatics Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti út 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; (B.B.); (B.Z.Z.); (R.B.)
| | - Rita Börzsei
- Pharmacoinformatics Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti út 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; (B.B.); (B.Z.Z.); (R.B.)
| | - Csaba Hetényi
- Pharmacoinformatics Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti út 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; (B.B.); (B.Z.Z.); (R.B.)
- National Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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10
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Liang JJ, Pitsillou E, Lau HLY, Mccubbery CP, Gan H, Hung A, Karagiannis TC. Utilization of the EpiMed Coronabank Chemical Collection to identify potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals: in silico studies targeting the nsp14 ExoN domain and PL pro naphthalene binding site. J Mol Graph Model 2024; 131:108803. [PMID: 38815531 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2024.108803] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome encodes 29 proteins including four structural, 16 nonstructural (nsps), and nine accessory proteins (https://epimedlab.org/sars-cov-2-proteome/). Many of these proteins contain potential targetable sites for the development of antivirals. Despite the widespread use of vaccinations, the emergence of variants necessitates the investigation of new therapeutics and antivirals. Here, the EpiMed Coronabank Chemical Collection (https://epimedlab.org/crl/) was utilized to investigate potential antivirals against the nsp14 exoribonuclease (ExoN) domain. Molecular docking was performed to evaluate the binding characteristics of our chemical library against the nsp14 ExoN site. Based on the initial screen, trisjuglone, ararobinol, corilagin, and naphthofluorescein were identified as potential lead compounds. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were subsequently performed, with the results highlighting the stability of the lead compounds in the nsp14 ExoN site. Protein-RNA docking revealed the potential for the lead compounds to disrupt the interaction with RNA when bound to the ExoN site. Moreover, hypericin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and rutin were previously identified as lead compounds targeting the papain-like protease (PLpro) naphthalene binding site. Through performing MD simulations, the stability and interactions of lead compounds with PLpro were further examined. Overall, given the critical role of the exonuclease activity of nsp14 in ensuring viral fidelity and the multifunctional role of PLpro in viral pathobiology and replication, these nsps represent important targets for antiviral drug development. Our databases can be utilized for in silico studies, such as the ones performed here, and this approach can be applied to other potentially druggable SARS-CoV-2 protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia J Liang
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED Polytechnic, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia; School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia; Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease Program, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Prahran, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Eleni Pitsillou
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED Polytechnic, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia; School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Hannah L Y Lau
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED Polytechnic, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Cian P Mccubbery
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED Polytechnic, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Hockxuen Gan
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED Polytechnic, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew Hung
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Tom C Karagiannis
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED Polytechnic, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia; Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease Program, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Prahran, VIC, 3004, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia; Department of Clinical Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
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11
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Sadineni K, Reddy Basireddy S, Rao Allaka T, Yatam S, Bhoomandla S, Muvvala V, Babu Haridasyam S. Design, Synthesis and In vitro Antitubercular Effect of New Chalcone Derivatives Coupled with 1,2,3-Triazoles: A Computational Docking Techniques. Chem Biodivers 2024; 21:e202400389. [PMID: 38457745 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202400389] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
A very interesting foundation for this study is the creation of new methods for modifying compounds with a 1,2,3-triazole and chalcone scaffolds, as these compounds are significant in organic synthesis, particularly in the synthesis of bioactive organic compounds. To contribute to the development of an efficient method for the conversion of antimicrobial and antituberculosis heterocyclics, a novel series of cyclohepta pyridinone fused 1,2,3-triazolyl chalcones were designed and synthesized. All the newly prepared scaffolds were characterized by FT-IR, NMR (1H & 13C) and mass spectrometry. Among the tested compounds, hybrids 8b, 8d, and 8f exhibited exceptional antibacterial susceptibilities with zone of inhibition 27.84±0.04, 32.27±0.02, and 38.26±0.01 mm against the tested E. faecalis bacteria, whereas 8d had better antitubercular potency against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain with MIC value 5.25 μg/mL, compared to Streptomycin [MIC=5.01 μg/mL]. All the synthesized compounds were initially assessed in silico against the targeted protein i. e., DprE1 that indicated compound 8d, 8f and 8h along with several other 1,2,3-triazole compounds as possible inhibitors. Based on docking results, 8d showed that the amino acids His74(A), Lys76(A), Cys332(A), Asp331(A), Val307(A), Tyr357(A), Met226(A), Gln276(A), Gly75(A), Peo58(A), Leu259(A), and Lys309(A) exhibited highly stable binding to DprE1 receptor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (PDB: 4G3 U). Moreover, these scaffolds physicochemical characteristics, filtration molecular properties, assessment of toxicity, and bioactivity scores were assessed in relation to ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumaraswamy Sadineni
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Gitam deemed to be University, Hyderabad campus, Rudraram, Hyderabad-502329, Telangana, India
| | - Sravanthi Reddy Basireddy
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Dundigal, Hyderabad, Telangana-500043, India
- Department of Chemistry, GITAM Institute of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Gandhi Nagar, Rushikonda, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, 530045, India
| | - Tejeswara Rao Allaka
- Centre for Chemical Sciences and Technology, University College of Engineering, Science and Technology Hyderabad, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana-500085, India
| | - Satyanarayana Yatam
- A1Biochem Labs (India) Pvt LTD, Pragathi Nagar, Kukatpally, Hyderabad-500072, Telangana, India
| | - Srinu Bhoomandla
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Gitam deemed to be University, Hyderabad campus, Rudraram, Hyderabad-502329, Telangana, India
- Department of Chemistry, Geethanjali College of Engineering and Technology (Autonomous), Cheeryal, Medchal-501301, Telangana, India
| | - Venkatanaryana Muvvala
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Gitam deemed to be University, Hyderabad campus, Rudraram, Hyderabad-502329, Telangana, India
| | - Sharath Babu Haridasyam
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Gitam deemed to be University, Hyderabad campus, Rudraram, Hyderabad-502329, Telangana, India
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12
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Joshi O, Skóra T, Yarema A, Rabbitt RD, Bidone TC. Contributions of the individual domains of α IIbβ 3 integrin to its extension: Insights from multiscale modeling. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 38682753 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The platelet integrin αIIbβ3 undergoes long-range conformational transitions between bent and extended conformations to regulate platelet aggregation during hemostasis and thrombosis. However, how exactly αIIbβ3 transitions between conformations remains largely elusive. Here, we studied how transitions across bent and extended-closed conformations of αIIbβ3 integrin are regulated by effective interactions between its functional domains. We first carried out μs-long equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of full-length αIIbβ3 integrins in bent and intermediate conformations, the latter characterized by an extended headpiece and closed legs. Then, we built heterogeneous elastic network models, perturbed inter-domain interactions, and evaluated their relative contributions to the energy barriers between conformations. Results showed that integrin extension emerges from: (i) changes in interfaces between functional domains; (ii) allosteric coupling of the head and upper leg domains with flexible lower leg domains. Collectively, these results provide new insights into integrin conformational activation based on short- and long-range interactions between its functional domains and highlight the importance of the lower legs in the regulation of integrin allostery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onkar Joshi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Tomasz Skóra
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Anna Yarema
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Richard D Rabbitt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Tamara C Bidone
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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13
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Aydin F, Katkar HH, Morganthaler A, Harker AJ, Kovar DR, Voth GA. Prediction of the essential intermolecular contacts for side-binding of VASP on F-actin. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 38647032 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) family proteins play a crucial role in mediating the actin network architecture in the cytoskeleton. The Ena/VASP homology 2 (EVH2) domain in each of the four identical arms of the tetrameric VASP consists of a loading poly-Pro region, a G-actin-binding domain (GAB), and an F-actin-binding domain (FAB). Together, the poly-Pro, GAB, and FAB domains allow VASP to bind to sides of actin filaments in a bundle, and recruit profilin-G-actin to processively elongate the filaments. The atomic resolution structure of the ternary complex, consisting of the loading poly-Pro region and GAB domain of VASP with profilin-actin, has been solved over a decade ago; however, a detailed structure of the FAB-F-actin complex has not been resolved to date. Experimental insights, based on homology of the FAB domain with the C region of WASP, have been used to hypothesize that the FAB domain binds to the cleft between subdomains 1 and 3 of F-actin. Here, in order to develop our understanding of the VASP-actin complex, we first augment known structural information about the GAB domain binding to actin with the missing FAB domain-actin structure, which we predict using homology modeling and docking simulations. In earlier work, we used mutagenesis and kinetic modeling to study the role of domain-level binding-unbinding kinetics of Ena/VASP on actin filaments in a bundle, specifically on the side of actin filaments. We further look at the nature of the side-binding of the FAB domain of VASP at the atomistic level using our predicted structure, and tabulate effective mutation sites on the FAB domain that would disrupt the VASP-actin complex. We test the binding affinity of Ena with mutated FAB domain using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy experiments. The binding affinity of VASP is affected significantly for the mutant, providing additional support for our predicted structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fikret Aydin
- Department of Chemistry, The James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Harshwardhan H Katkar
- Department of Chemistry, The James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alisha Morganthaler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alyssa J Harker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - David R Kovar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Gregory A Voth
- Department of Chemistry, The James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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14
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Bradshaw WJ, Kennedy EC, Moreira T, Smith LA, Chalk R, Katis VL, Benesch JLP, Brennan PE, Murphy EJ, Gileadi O. Regulation of inositol 5-phosphatase activity by the C2 domain of SHIP1 and SHIP2. Structure 2024; 32:453-466.e6. [PMID: 38309262 PMCID: PMC10997489 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.01.005] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
SHIP1, an inositol 5-phosphatase, plays a central role in cellular signaling. As such, it has been implicated in many conditions. Exploiting SHIP1 as a drug target will require structural knowledge and the design of selective small molecules. We have determined apo, and magnesium and phosphate-bound structures of the phosphatase and C2 domains of SHIP1. The C2 domains of SHIP1 and the related SHIP2 modulate the activity of the phosphatase domain. To understand the mechanism, we performed activity assays, hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, and molecular dynamics on SHIP1 and SHIP2. Our findings demonstrate that the influence of the C2 domain is more pronounced for SHIP2 than SHIP1. We determined 91 structures of SHIP1 with fragments bound, with some near the interface between the two domains. We performed a mass spectrometry screen and determined four structures with covalent fragments. These structures could act as starting points for the development of potent, selective probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Bradshaw
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.
| | - Emma C Kennedy
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Tiago Moreira
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Luke A Smith
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Rod Chalk
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Vittorio L Katis
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Justin L P Benesch
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Paul E Brennan
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Emma J Murphy
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Opher Gileadi
- ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.
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15
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Papadopoulou D, Mavrikaki V, Charalampous F, Tzaferis C, Samiotaki M, Papavasileiou KD, Afantitis A, Karagianni N, Denis MC, Sanchez J, Lane JR, Faidon Brotzakis Z, Skretas G, Georgiadis D, Matralis AN, Kollias G. Discovery of the First-in-Class Inhibitors of Hypoxia Up-Regulated Protein 1 (HYOU1) Suppressing Pathogenic Fibroblast Activation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202319157. [PMID: 38339863 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202319157] [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: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Fibroblasts are key regulators of inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer. Targeting their activation in these complex diseases has emerged as a novel strategy to restore tissue homeostasis. Here, we present a multidisciplinary lead discovery approach to identify and optimize small molecule inhibitors of pathogenic fibroblast activation. The study encompasses medicinal chemistry, molecular phenotyping assays, chemoproteomics, bulk RNA-sequencing analysis, target validation experiments, and chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET)/pharmacokinetic (PK)/in vivo evaluation. The parallel synthesis employed for the production of the new benzamide derivatives enabled us to a) pinpoint key structural elements of the scaffold that provide potent fibroblast-deactivating effects in cells, b) discriminate atoms or groups that favor or disfavor a desirable ADMET profile, and c) identify metabolic "hot spots". Furthermore, we report the discovery of the first-in-class inhibitor leads for hypoxia up-regulated protein 1 (HYOU1), a member of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family often associated with cellular stress responses, particularly under hypoxic conditions. Targeting HYOU1 may therefore represent a potentially novel strategy to modulate fibroblast activation and treat chronic inflammatory and fibrotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra Papadopoulou
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Mavrikaki
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Vari, 16672, Athens, Greece
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Athens, Greece
| | - Filippos Charalampous
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
| | - Christos Tzaferis
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
| | - Martina Samiotaki
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
| | - Konstantinos D Papavasileiou
- Department of ChemoInformatics, Novamechanics Ltd., 1070, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Department of Chemoinformatics, Novamechanics MIKE, 18545, Piraeus, Greece
- Division of Data Driven Innovation, Entelos Institute, 6059, Larnaca, Cyprus
| | - Antreas Afantitis
- Department of ChemoInformatics, Novamechanics Ltd., 1070, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Department of Chemoinformatics, Novamechanics MIKE, 18545, Piraeus, Greece
- Division of Data Driven Innovation, Entelos Institute, 6059, Larnaca, Cyprus
| | | | | | - Julie Sanchez
- Division of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, NG7 2UH, Nottingham, U.K
- Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors, Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham, NG2 7AG, Midlands, U.K
| | - J Robert Lane
- Division of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, NG7 2UH, Nottingham, U.K
- Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors, Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham, NG2 7AG, Midlands, U.K
| | - Zacharias Faidon Brotzakis
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
| | - Georgios Skretas
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
- Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 11635, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexios N Matralis
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
| | - George Kollias
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Greece
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527, Athens, Greece
- Research Institute of New Biotechnologies and Precision Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527, Athens, Greece
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16
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Khan K, Albalawi K, Abbas MN, Burki S, Musad Saleh EA, Al Mouslem A, Alsaiari AA, A Zaki ME, Khan AU, Alotaibi G, Jalal K. Pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness of anti-cancer traditional Chinese medicine: molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:3295-3306. [PMID: 37279114 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2216758] [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: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
MCM7 (Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 7) is a component of the DNA replication licensing factor, which controls DNA replication. The MCM7 protein is linked to tumor cell proliferation and has a function in the development of several human cancers. Several types of cancer may be treated by inhibiting the protein, as it is strongly produced throughout this process. Significantly, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has a long history of clinical adjuvant use against cancer, is rapidly gaining traction as a valuable medical resource for the development of novel cancer therapies, including immunotherapy. Therefore, the goal of the research was to find small molecular therapeutic candidates against the MCM7 protein that may be used to treat human cancers. A computational-based virtual screening of 36,000 natural TCM libraries is carried out for this goal using a molecular docking and dynamic simulation technique. Thereby, ∼8 novel potent compounds i.e., ZINC85542762, ZINC95911541, ZINC85542617, ZINC85542646, ZINC85592446, ZINC85568676, ZINC85531303, and ZINC95914464 were successfully shortlisted, each having the capacity to penetrate the cell as potent inhibitors for MCM7 to curb this disorder. These selected compounds were found to have high binding affinities compared to the reference (AGS compound) i.e. < -11.0 kcal/mol. ADMET and pharmacological properties showed that none of these 8 compounds poses any toxic property (carcinogenicity) and have anti-metastatic, and anticancer activity. Additionally, MD simulations were run to assess the compounds' stability and dynamic behavior with the MCM7 complex for about 100 ns. Finally, ZINC95914464, ZINC95911541, ZINC85568676, ZINC85592446, ZINC85531303, and ZINC85542646 are identified as highly stable within the complex throughout the 100 ns simulations. Moreover, the results of binding free energy suggested that the selected virtual hits significantly bind to the MCM7 which implied these compounds may act as a potential MCM7 inhibitor. However, in vitro testing protocols are required to further support these results. Further, assessment through various lab-based trial methods can assist with deciding the action of the compound that will give options in contrast to human cancer immunotherapy.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanwal Khan
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Karma Albalawi
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Samiullah Burki
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jinnah Sindh medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Ebraheem Abdu Musad Saleh
- Chemistry Department, College of Arts & Science, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Al-Dawasir, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Al Mouslem
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahad Amer Alsaiari
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Magdi E A Zaki
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Afaq Ullah Khan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, PR China
| | - Ghallab Alotaibi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Shaqra University, Shaqra, KSA
| | - Khurshid Jalal
- HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
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17
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Cioffi MD, Husby ML, Gerstman BS, Stahelin RV, Chapagain PP. Role of phosphatidic acid lipids on plasma membrane association of the Ebola virus matrix protein VP40. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2024; 1869:159464. [PMID: 38360201 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2024.159464] [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: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The Ebola virus matrix protein VP40 is responsible for the formation of the viral matrix by localizing at the inner leaflet of the human plasma membrane (PM). Various lipid types, including PI(4,5)P2 (i.e. PIP2) and phosphatidylserine (PS), play active roles in this process. Specifically, the negatively charged headgroups of both PIP2 and PS interact with the basic residues of VP40 and stabilize it at the membrane surface, allowing for eventual egress. Phosphatidic acid (PA), resulting from the enzyme phospholipase D (PLD), is also known to play an active role in viral development. In this work, we performed a biophysical and computational analysis to investigate the effects of the presence of PA on the membrane localization and association of VP40. We used coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to quantify VP40 hexamer interactions with the inner leaflet of the PM. Analysis of the local distribution of lipids shows enhanced lipid clustering when PA is abundant in the membrane. We observed that PA lipids have a similar role to that of PS lipids in VP40 association due to the geometry and charge. Complementary experiments performed in cell culture demonstrate competition between VP40 and a canonical PA-binding protein for the PM. Also, inhibition of PA synthesis reduced the detectable budding of virus-like particles. These computational and experimental results provide new insights into the early stages of Ebola virus budding and the role that PA lipids have on the VP40-PM association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Cioffi
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Monica L Husby
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Bernard S Gerstman
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Robert V Stahelin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; The Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
| | - Prem P Chapagain
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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18
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Cheng Y, Ouyang W, Liu L, Tang L, Zhang Z, Yue X, Liang L, Hu J, Luo T. Molecular recognition of ITIM/ITSM domains with SHP2 and their allosteric effect. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:9155-9169. [PMID: 38165855 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03923d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Src homology 2-domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2) is a non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase that is widely expressed in a variety of cells and regulates the immune response of T cells through the PD-1 pathway. However, the activation mechanism and allosteric effects of SHP2 remain unclear, hindering the development of small molecule inhibitors. For the first time, in this study, the complex structure formed by the intact PD-1 tail and SHP2 was modeled. The molecular recognition and conformational changes of inactive/active SHP2 versus ITIM/ITSM were compared based on prolonged MD simulations. The relative flexibility of the two SH2 domains during MD simulations contributes to the recruitment of ITIM/ITSM and supports the subsequent conformational change of SHP2. The binding free energy calculation shows that inactive SHP2 has a higher affinity for ITIM/ITSM than active SHP2, mainly because the former's N-SH2 refers to the α-state. In addition, a significant decrease in the contribution to the binding energy of certain residues (e.g., R32, S34, K35, T42, and K55) of conformationally transformed SHP2 contributes to the above result. These detailed changes during conformational transition will provide theoretical guidance for the molecular design of subsequent novel anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Cheng
- Breast Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610000, China.
- Multi-omics Laboratory of Breast Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Collaborative, Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Weiwei Ouyang
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ling Liu
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources, Development of Sichuan Education Department, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lingkai Tang
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources, Development of Sichuan Education Department, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources, Development of Sichuan Education Department, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinru Yue
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources, Development of Sichuan Education Department, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Liang
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources, Development of Sichuan Education Department, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianping Hu
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources, Development of Sichuan Education Department, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Luo
- Breast Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610000, China.
- Multi-omics Laboratory of Breast Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Collaborative, Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
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19
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Manori B, Vaknin A, Vaňková P, Nitzan A, Zaidel-Bar R, Man P, Giladi M, Haitin Y. Chloride intracellular channel (CLIC) proteins function as fusogens. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2085. [PMID: 38453905 PMCID: PMC10920813 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46301-z] [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: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Chloride Intracellular Channel (CLIC) family members uniquely transition between soluble and membrane-associated conformations. Despite decades of extensive functional and structural studies, CLICs' function as ion channels remains debated, rendering our understanding of their physiological role incomplete. Here, we expose the function of CLIC5 as a fusogen. We demonstrate that purified CLIC5 directly interacts with the membrane and induces fusion, as reflected by increased liposomal diameter and lipid and content mixing between liposomes. Moreover, we show that this activity is facilitated by acidic pH, a known trigger for CLICs' transition to a membrane-associated conformation, and that increased exposure of the hydrophobic inter-domain interface is crucial for this process. Finally, mutation of a conserved hydrophobic interfacial residue diminishes the fusogenic activity of CLIC5 in vitro and impairs excretory canal extension in C. elegans in vivo. Together, our results unravel the long-sought physiological role of these enigmatic proteins.
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Grants
- 1721/16 Israel Science Foundation (ISF)
- 1653/21 Israel Science Foundation (ISF)
- 3308/20 Israel Science Foundation (ISF)
- 01214 Israel Cancer Research Fund (Israel Cancer Research Fund, Inc.)
- 19202 Israel Cancer Research Fund (Israel Cancer Research Fund, Inc.)
- 20230029 Israel Cancer Association (ICA)
- CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0109 Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic)
- 731077 EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020)
- The Claire and Amedee Maratier Institute for the Study of Blindness and Visual Disorders, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University.
- The Czech Infrastructure for Integrative Structural Biology (CIISB) grant (LM2023042).
- The Kahn Foundation's Orion project, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel. The Claire and Amedee Maratier Institute for the Study of Blindness and Visual Disorders, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bar Manori
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Alisa Vaknin
- School of Chemistry, Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Pavla Vaňková
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Division BioCeV, Prumyslova 595, 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Anat Nitzan
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Ronen Zaidel-Bar
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Petr Man
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Division BioCeV, Prumyslova 595, 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Moshe Giladi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 6997801, Israel.
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
| | - Yoni Haitin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 6997801, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.
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20
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Paul R, Kasahara K, Sasaki J, Pérez JF, Matsunaga R, Hashiguchi T, Kuroda D, Tsumoto K. Unveiling the affinity-stability relationship in anti-measles virus antibodies: a computational approach for hotspots prediction. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 10:1302737. [PMID: 38495738 PMCID: PMC10941800 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1302737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent years have seen an uptick in the use of computational applications in antibody engineering. These tools have enhanced our ability to predict interactions with antigens and immunogenicity, facilitate humanization, and serve other critical functions. However, several studies highlight the concern of potential trade-offs between antibody affinity and stability in antibody engineering. In this study, we analyzed anti-measles virus antibodies as a case study, to examine the relationship between binding affinity and stability, upon identifying the binding hotspots. We leverage in silico tools like Rosetta and FoldX, along with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional in vitro mutagenesis. We introduced a pattern in identifying key residues in pairs, shedding light on hotspots identification. Experimental physicochemical analysis validated the predicted key residues by confirming significant decrease in binding affinity for the high-affinity antibodies to measles virus hemagglutinin. Through the nature of the identified pairs, which represented the relative hydropathy of amino acid side chain, a connection was proposed between affinity and stability. The findings of the study enhance our understanding of the interactions between antibody and measles virus hemagglutinin. Moreover, the implications of the observed correlation between binding affinity and stability extend beyond the field of anti-measles virus antibodies, thereby opening doors for advancements in antibody research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rimpa Paul
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Center of Drug and Vaccine Development, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kasahara
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jiei Sasaki
- Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jorge Fernández Pérez
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Matsunaga
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takao Hashiguchi
- Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kuroda
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Center of Drug and Vaccine Development, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kouhei Tsumoto
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Muthukumar VC. Escherichia coli FtsZ molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:2653-2666. [PMID: 37158088 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2206917] [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: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Earlier molecular dynamics studies of the FtsZ protein revealed that the protein has high intrinsic flexibility which the crystal structures cannot reveal. However, the input structure in these simulation studies was based on the available crystal structure data and therefore, the effect of the C-terminal Intrinsically Disordered Region (IDR) of FtsZ could not be observed in any of these studies. Recent investigations have revealed that the C-terminal IDR is crucial for FtsZ assembly in vitro and Z ring formation in vivo. Therefore, in this study, we simulated FtsZ with the IDR. Simulations of the FtsZ monomer in different nucleotide bound forms (without nucleotide, GTP, GDP) were performed. In the conformations of FtsZ monomer with GTP, GTP binds variably with the protein. Such a variable interaction with the monomer has not been observed in any previous simulation studies of FtsZ and not observed in crystal structures. We found that central helix bends towards the C-terminal domain in the GTP bound form, hence, making way for polymerization. A nucleotide dependent shift/rotation of the C-terminal domain was observed in simulation time averaged structures.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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22
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Larsen AH, Perozzo AM, Biggin PC, Bowie D, Kastrup JS. Recovery from desensitization in GluA2 AMPA receptors is affected by a single mutation in the N-terminal domain interface. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105717. [PMID: 38311178 PMCID: PMC10909779 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105717] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPARs) are central to various neurological processes, including memory and learning. They assemble as homo- or heterotetramers of GluA1, GluA2, GluA3, and GluA4 subunits, each consisting of an N-terminal domain (NTD), a ligand-binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and a C-terminal domain. While AMPAR gating is primarily controlled by reconfiguration in the ligand-binding domain layer, our study focuses on the NTDs, which also influence gating, yet the underlying mechanism remains enigmatic. In this investigation, we employ molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the NTD interface strength in GluA1, GluA2, and NTD mutants GluA2-H229N and GluA1-N222H. Our findings reveal that GluA1 has a significantly weaker NTD interface than GluA2. The NTD interface of GluA2 can be weakened by a single point mutation in the NTD dimer-of-dimer interface, namely H229N, which renders GluA2 more GluA1-like. Electrophysiology recordings demonstrate that this mutation also leads to slower recovery from desensitization. Moreover, we observe that lowering the pH induces more splayed NTD states and enhances desensitization in GluA2. We hypothesized that H229 was responsible for this pH sensitivity; however, GluA2-H229N was also affected by pH, meaning that H229 is not solely responsible and that protons exert their effect across multiple domains of the AMPAR. In summary, our work unveils an allosteric connection between the NTD interface strength and AMPAR desensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amanda M Perozzo
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Philip C Biggin
- Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Derek Bowie
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jette Sandholm Kastrup
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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23
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Konno Y, Uriu K, Chikata T, Takada T, Kurita JI, Ueda MT, Islam S, Yang Tan BJ, Ito J, Aso H, Kumata R, Williamson C, Iwami S, Takiguchi M, Nishimura Y, Morita E, Satou Y, Nakagawa S, Koyanagi Y, Sato K. Two-step evolution of HIV-1 budding system leading to pandemic in the human population. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113697. [PMID: 38294901 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113697] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The pandemic HIV-1, HIV-1 group M, emerged from a single spillover event of its ancestral lentivirus from a chimpanzee. During human-to-human spread worldwide, HIV-1 diversified into multiple subtypes. Here, our interdisciplinary investigation mainly sheds light on the evolutionary scenario of the viral budding system of HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C), a most successfully spread subtype. Of the two amino acid motifs for HIV-1 budding, the P(T/S)AP and YPxL motifs, HIV-1C loses the YPxL motif. Our data imply that HIV-1C might lose this motif to evade immune pressure. Additionally, the P(T/S)AP motif is duplicated dependently of the level of HIV-1 spread in the human population, and >20% of HIV-1C harbored the duplicated P(T/S)AP motif. We further show that the duplication of the P(T/S)AP motif is caused by the expansion of the CTG triplet repeat. Altogether, our results suggest that HIV-1 has experienced a two-step evolution of the viral budding process during human-to-human spread worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoriyuki Konno
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan
| | - Keiya Uriu
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan; Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1130033, Japan; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Aomori 0368561, Japan
| | - Takayuki Chikata
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 8608556, Japan
| | - Toru Takada
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8128581, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Kurita
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa 2300045, Japan
| | - Mahoko Takahashi Ueda
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa 2591193, Japan
| | - Saiful Islam
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 8608556, Japan
| | - Benjy Jek Yang Tan
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 8608556, Japan
| | - Jumpei Ito
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Aso
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan; Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068507, Japan; Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068501, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Kumata
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan
| | - Carolyn Williamson
- Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Shingo Iwami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8128581, Japan; MIRAI, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 3320012, Japan
| | - Masafumi Takiguchi
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 8608556, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Nishimura
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa 2300045, Japan
| | - Eiji Morita
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Aomori 0368561, Japan
| | - Yorifumi Satou
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 8608556, Japan
| | - So Nakagawa
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa 2591193, Japan
| | - Yoshio Koyanagi
- Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068507, Japan; Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068501, Japan
| | - Kei Sato
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan; Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1130033, Japan; International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan; International Vaccine Design Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 2778561, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 3320012, Japan.
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24
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Poddar S, Roy R, Kar P. The conformational dynamics of Hepatitis C Virus E2 glycoprotein with the increasing number of N-glycosylation unraveled by molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-16. [PMID: 38393644 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2319679] [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: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), responsible for causing hepatitis and a significant contributor to liver disorders, presents a challenge for treatment due to its high genetic variability. Despite efforts, there is still no effective medication available for this virus. One of the promising targets for drug development involves targeting glycoprotein E2. However, our understanding of the dynamic behavior of E2 and its associated glycans remains limited. In this study, we investigated the dynamic characteristics of E2 with varying degrees of glycosylation using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. We also explored glycan's interactions with the protein and among themselves. An overall increase in correlation between the vital protein regions was observed with an increase in glycan number. The protein dynamics is followed by the analysis of glycan dynamics, where the flexibility of the individual glycans was analyzed in their free and bound state, which revealed a decrease in their fluctuation in some cases. Furthermore, we generated the free energy landscape of individual N-glycan linkages in both free and bound states and observed both increases and decreases in flexibility, which can be attributed to the formation and breakage of hydrogen bonds with amino acids. Finally, we found that for a high glycosylation system, glycans interact with glycoprotein and form hydrogen bonds among themselves. Moreover, the hydrogen bond profiles of a given glycan can vary when influenced by other glycans. In summary, our study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of the core region of HCV E2 glycoprotein and its associated glycans.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayan Poddar
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Rajarshi Roy
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Parimal Kar
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
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25
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Zhang Y, Wu K, Li Y, Wu S, Warshel A, Bai C. Predicting Mutational Effects on Ca 2+-Activated Chloride Conduction of TMEM16A Based on a Simulation Study. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:4665-4679. [PMID: 38319142 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The dysfunction and defects of ion channels are associated with many human diseases, especially for loss-of-function mutations in ion channels such as cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mutations in cystic fibrosis. Understanding ion channels is of great current importance for both medical and fundamental purposes. Such an understanding should include the ability to predict mutational effects and describe functional and mechanistic effects. In this work, we introduce an approach to predict mutational effects based on kinetic information (including reaction barriers and transition state locations) obtained by studying the working mechanism of target proteins. Specifically, we take the Ca2+-activated chloride channel TMEM16A as an example and utilize the computational biology model to predict the mutational effects of key residues. Encouragingly, we verified our predictions through electrophysiological experiments, demonstrating a 94% prediction accuracy regarding mutational directions. The mutational strength assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient is -0.80 between our calculations and the experimental results. These findings suggest that the proposed methodology is reliable and can provide valuable guidance for revealing functional mechanisms and identifying key residues of the TMEM16A channel. The proposed approach can be extended to a broad scope of biophysical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Warshel Institute for Computational Biology, School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, China
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Kang Wu
- South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, China
| | - Yuqing Li
- South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, China
| | - Song Wu
- South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, China
| | - Arieh Warshel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1062, United States
| | - Chen Bai
- Warshel Institute for Computational Biology, School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, China
- Chenzhu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 310005, China
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26
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Lou H, Zhang Y, Kuczera K, Hageman MJ, Schöneich C. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of an Iron(III) Binding Site on the Fc Domain of IgG1 Relevant for Visible Light-Induced Protein Fragmentation. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:501-512. [PMID: 38128475 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00612] [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] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the interaction between Fe(III) and an iron-binding site composed of THR259, ASP252, and GLU261 on the Fc domain of an IgG1. The goal was to provide microscopic mechanistic information for the photochemical, iron-dependent site-specific oxidative fragmentation of IgG1 at THR259 reported in our previous paper. The distance between Fe(III) and residues of interest as well as the binding pocket size was examined for both protonated and deprotonated THR259. The Fe(III) binding free energy (ΔG) was estimated by using an umbrella sampling approach. The pKa shift of the THR259 hydroxyl group caused by the presence of nearby Fe(III) was estimated based on a thermodynamic cycle. The simulation results show that Fe(III) resides inside the proposed binding pocket and profoundly changes the pocket configuration. The ΔG values indicate that the pocket possesses a strong binding affinity for Fe(III). Furthermore, Fe(III) profoundly lowers the pKa value of the THR259 hydroxyl group by 5.4 pKa units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Lou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
- Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Optimization Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Yilue Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Krzysztof Kuczera
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States
| | - Michael J Hageman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
- Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Optimization Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Christian Schöneich
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
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27
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Truong DH, Nguyen TLA, Alharzali N, Al Rawas HK, Taamalli S, Ribaucour M, Nguyen HL, El Bakali A, Ngo TC, Černušák I, Louis F, Dao DQ. Theoretical insights into the HO ●-induced oxidation of chlorpyrifos pesticide: Mechanism, kinetics, ecotoxicity, and cholinesterase inhibition of degradants. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 350:141085. [PMID: 38163466 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.141085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The oxidation of the common pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) initiated by HO● radical and the risks of its degradation products were studied in the gaseous and aqueous phases via computational approaches. Oxidation mechanisms were investigated, including H-, Cl-, CH3- abstraction, HO●-addition, and single electron transfer. In both phases, HO●-addition at the C of the pyridyl ring is the most energetically favorable and spontaneous reaction, followed by H-abstraction reactions at methylene groups (i.e., at H19/H21 in the gas phase and H22/H28 in water). In contrast, other abstractions and electron transfer reactions are unfavorable. However, regarding the kinetics, the significant contribution to the oxidation of CPF is made from H-abstraction channels, mostly at the hydrogens of the methylene groups. CPF can be decomposed in a short time (5-8 h) in the gas phase, and it is more persistent in natural water with a lifetime between 24 days and 66 years, depending on the temperature and HO● concentration. Subsequent oxidation of the essential radical products with other oxidizing reagents, i.e., HO●, NO2●, NO●, and 3O2, gave primary neutral products P1-P15. Acute and chronic toxicity calculations estimate very toxic levels for CPF and two degradation products, P7w and P12w, in aquatic systems. The neurotoxicity of these products was investigated by docking and molecular dynamics. P7w and P12w show the most significant binding scores with acetylcholinesterases, while P8w and P13w are with butyrylcholinesterase enzyme. Finally, molecular dynamics illustrate stable interactions between CPF degradants and cholinesterase enzyme over a 100 ns time frame and determine P7w as the riskiest degradant to the neural developmental system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinh Hieu Truong
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam; School of Engineering and Technology, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam
| | - Thi Le Anh Nguyen
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam; School of Engineering and Technology, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam.
| | - Nissrin Alharzali
- Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 84215, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Hisham K Al Rawas
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8522, Physico-Chimie des Processus de Combustion et de L'Atmosphère - PC2A, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Sonia Taamalli
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8522, Physico-Chimie des Processus de Combustion et de L'Atmosphère - PC2A, 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Marc Ribaucour
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8522, Physico-Chimie des Processus de Combustion et de L'Atmosphère - PC2A, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Hoang Linh Nguyen
- School of Engineering and Technology, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam; Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Duy Tan University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Viet Nam
| | - Abderrahman El Bakali
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8522, Physico-Chimie des Processus de Combustion et de L'Atmosphère - PC2A, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Thi Chinh Ngo
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam; School of Engineering and Technology, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam
| | - Ivan Černušák
- Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 84215, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Florent Louis
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8522, Physico-Chimie des Processus de Combustion et de L'Atmosphère - PC2A, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Duy Quang Dao
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam; School of Engineering and Technology, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Viet Nam
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28
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Chen J, Dean TJ, Shukla D. Contribution of Signaling Partner Association to Strigolactone Receptor Selectivity. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:698-705. [PMID: 38194306 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The parasitic plant witchweed, Striga hermonthica, results in agricultural losses of billions of dollars per year. It perceives its host via plant hormones called strigolactones, which act as germination stimulants for witchweed. Strigolactone signaling involves substrate binding to the strigolactone receptor, followed by substrate hydrolysis and a conformational change from an inactive, or open state, to an active, or closed state. In the active state, the receptor associates with a signaling partner, MAX2. Recently, it was shown that this MAX2 association process acts as a strong contributor to the uniquely high signaling activity observed in ShHTL7; however, it is unknown why ShHTL7 has enhanced MAX2 association affinity. Using an umbrella sampling molecular dynamics approach, we characterized the association processes of AtD14, ShHTL7, a mutant of ShHTL7, and ShHTL6 with MAX2 homologue OsD3. From these results, we show that ShHTL7 has an enhanced standard binding free energy of OsD3 compared to those of the other receptors. Additionally, our results suggest that the overall topology of the T2/T3 helix region is likely an important modulator of MAX2 binding. Thus, differences in MAX2 association, modulated by differences in the T2/T3 helix region, are a contributor to differences in signaling activity between different strigolactone receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiming Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Tanner J Dean
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Diwakar Shukla
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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29
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Kaldis P, Zhao LN. Molecular basis of the reaction mechanism of the methyltransferase HENMT1. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293243. [PMID: 38198468 PMCID: PMC10781085 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are important for ensuring the integrity of the germline. 3'-terminal 2'-O-methylation is essential for piRNA maturation and to protect them from degradation. HENMT1 (HEN Methyltransferase 1) carries out the 2'-O-methylation, which is of key importance for piRNA stability and functionality. However, neither the structure nor the catalytic mechanism of mammalian HENMT1 have been studied. We have constructed a catalytic-competent HENMT1 complex using computational approaches, in which Mg2+ is primarily coordinated by four evolutionary conserved residues, and is further auxiliary coordinated by the 3'-O and 2'-O on the 3'-terminal nucleotide of the piRNA. Our study suggests that metal has limited effects on substrate and cofactor binding but is essential for catalysis. The reaction consists of deprotonation of the 2'-OH to 2'-O and a methyl transfer from SAM to the 2'-O. The methyl transfer is spontaneous and fast. Our in-depth analysis suggests that the 2'-OH may be deprotonated before entering the active site or it may be partially deprotonated at the active site by His800 and Asp859, which are in a special alignment that facilitates the proton transfer out of the active site. Furthermore, we have developed a detailed potential reaction scenario indicating that HENMT1 is Mg2+ utilizing but is not a Mg2+ dependent enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Kaldis
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Skåne, Sweden
- Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, Malmö, Skåne, Sweden
| | - Li Na Zhao
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Skåne, Sweden
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30
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Mikhailovskii O, Izmailov SA, Xue Y, Case DA, Skrynnikov NR. X-ray Crystallography Module in MD Simulation Program Amber 2023. Refining the Models of Protein Crystals. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:18-25. [PMID: 38147516 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
The MD simulation package Amber offers an attractive platform to refine crystallographic structures of proteins: (i) state-of-the-art force fields help to regularize protein coordinates and reconstruct the poorly diffracting elements of the structure, such as flexible loops; (ii) MD simulations restrained by the experimental diffraction data provide an effective strategy to optimize structural models of protein crystals, including explicitly modeled interstitial solvent as well as crystal contacts. Here, we present the new crystallography module xray, released as a part of the Amber 2023 package. This module contains functions to calculate and scale structure factors (including the contributions from bulk solvent), evaluate the maximum-likelihood-type crystallographic potential, and compute its derivative forces. The X-ray functionality of Amber no longer relies on external dependencies so that the full advantage of GPU acceleration can be taken. This makes it possible to refine in a short time hundreds of crystal models, including supercell models comprised of multiple unit cells. The new automated Amber-based refinement procedure leads to an appreciable improvement in Rfree (in some cases, by as much as 0.067) as well as MolProbity scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg Mikhailovskii
- Laboratory of Biomolecular NMR, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Sergei A Izmailov
- Laboratory of Biomolecular NMR, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Yi Xue
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - David A Case
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Nikolai R Skrynnikov
- Laboratory of Biomolecular NMR, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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31
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Flachsenberg F, Ehrt C, Gutermuth T, Rarey M. Redocking the PDB. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:219-237. [PMID: 38108627 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Molecular docking is a standard technique in structure-based drug design (SBDD). It aims to predict the 3D structure of a small molecule in the binding site of a receptor (often a protein). Despite being a common technique, it often necessitates multiple tools and involves manual steps. Here, we present the JAMDA preprocessing and docking workflow that is easy to use and allows fully automated docking. We evaluate the JAMDA docking workflow on binding sites extracted from the complete PDB and derive key factors determining JAMDA's docking performance. With that, we try to remove most of the bias due to manual intervention and provide a realistic estimate of the redocking performance of our JAMDA preprocessing and docking workflow for any PDB structure. On this large PDBScan22 data set, our JAMDA workflow finds a pose with an RMSD of at most 2 Å to the crystal ligand on the top rank for 30.1% of the structures. When applying objective structure quality filters to the PDBScan22 data set, the success rate increases to 61.8%. Given the prepared structures from the JAMDA preprocessing pipeline, both JAMDA and the widely used AutoDock Vina perform comparably on this filtered data set (the PDBScan22-HQ data set).
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Flachsenberg
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH - Center for Bioinformatics, Bundesstraße 43, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christiane Ehrt
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH - Center for Bioinformatics, Bundesstraße 43, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Torben Gutermuth
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH - Center for Bioinformatics, Bundesstraße 43, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Rarey
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH - Center for Bioinformatics, Bundesstraße 43, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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32
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Vander Meersche Y, Cretin G, Gheeraert A, Gelly JC, Galochkina T. ATLAS: protein flexibility description from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D384-D392. [PMID: 37986215 PMCID: PMC10767941 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Dynamical behaviour is one of the most crucial protein characteristics. Despite the advances in the field of protein structure resolution and prediction, analysis and prediction of protein dynamic properties remains a major challenge, mostly due to the low accessibility of data and its diversity and heterogeneity. To address this issue, we present ATLAS, a database of standardised all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, accompanied by their analysis in the form of interactive diagrams and trajectory visualisation. ATLAS offers a large-scale view and valuable insights on protein dynamics for a large and representative set of proteins, by combining data obtained through molecular dynamics simulations with information extracted from experimental structures. Users can easily analyse dynamic properties of functional protein regions, such as domain limits (hinge positions) and residues involved in interaction with other biological molecules. Additionally, the database enables exploration of proteins with uncommon dynamic properties conditioned by their environment such as chameleon subsequences and Dual Personality Fragments. The ATLAS database is freely available at https://www.dsimb.inserm.fr/ATLAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Vander Meersche
- Université Paris Cité and Université des Antilles and Université de la Réunion, INSERM, BIGR, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Gabriel Cretin
- Université Paris Cité and Université des Antilles and Université de la Réunion, INSERM, BIGR, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Aria Gheeraert
- Université Paris Cité and Université des Antilles and Université de la Réunion, INSERM, BIGR, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Gelly
- Université Paris Cité and Université des Antilles and Université de la Réunion, INSERM, BIGR, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Tatiana Galochkina
- Université Paris Cité and Université des Antilles and Université de la Réunion, INSERM, BIGR, F-75014 Paris, France
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33
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Aertker KM, Pilvankar MR, Prass TM, Blech M, Higel F, Kasturirangan S. Exploring molecular determinants and pharmacokinetic properties of IgG1-scFv bispecific antibodies. MAbs 2024; 16:2318817. [PMID: 38444390 PMCID: PMC10936634 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2024.2318817] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) capable of recognizing two distinct epitopes or antigens offer promising therapeutic options for various diseases by targeting multiple pathways. The favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are crucial, as they directly influence patient safety and therapeutic efficacy. For numerous mAb therapeutics, optimization of neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) interactions and elimination of unfavorable molecular properties have led to improved PK properties. However, many BsAbs exhibit unfavorable PK, which has precluded their development as drugs. In this report, we present studies on the molecular determinants underlying the distinct PK profiles of three IgG1-scFv BsAbs. Our study indicated that high levels of nonspecific interactions, elevated isoelectric point (pI), and increased number of positively charged patches contributed to the fast clearance of IgG1-scFv. FcRn chromatography results revealed specific scFv-FcRn interactions that are unique to the IgG1-scFv, which was further supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. These interactions likely stabilize the BsAb FcRn interaction at physiological pH, which in turn could disrupt FcRn-mediated BsAb recycling. In addition to the empirical observations, we also evaluated the impact of in silico properties, including pI differential between the Fab and scFv and the ratio of dipole moment to hydrophobic moment (RM) and their correlation with the observed clearance. These findings highlight that the PK properties of BsAbs may be governed by novel determinants, owing to their increased structural complexity compared to immunoglobulin G (IgG) 1 antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina M.J. Aertker
- Analytical Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | | | - Tobias M. Prass
- Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Michaela Blech
- Analytical Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Fabian Higel
- Global CMC Experts NBE, Global Quality Development, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Srinath Kasturirangan
- Biotherapeutics Discovery, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc, Ridgefield, CT, USA
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34
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Yadav P, Gupta M, Wazahat R, Islam Z, Tsutakawa SE, Kamthan M, Kumar P. Structural basis for the role of C-terminus acidic tail of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (Rad6) in E3 ligase (Bre1) mediated recognition of histones. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:127717. [PMID: 37923031 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127717] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Ubiquitination of histone H2B on chromatin is key to gene regulation. E3 ligase Bre1 and E2 Rad6 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae associate together to catalyze mono-ubiquitination at histone H2BK123. Prior studies identified the role of a highly dynamic C-terminal acidic tail of Rad6 indispensable for H2BK123 mono-ubiquitination. However, the mechanistic basis for the Rad6-acidic tail role remained elusive. Using different structural and biophysical approaches, this study for the first time uncovers the direct role of Rad6-acidic tail in interaction with the Bre1 Rad6-Binding Domain (RBD) and recognition of histones surface to facilitate histone H2B mono-ubiquitination. A combination of NMR, SAXS, ITC, site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics studies reveal that RBD domain of Bre1 interacts with Rad6 to stabilize the dynamics of acidic tail. This Bre1-RBD mediated stability in acidic tail of Rad6 could be one of the key factors for facilitating correct recognition of histone surface and ubiquitin-transfer at H2BK123. We provide biophysical evidence that Rad6-acidic tail and a positivity charged surface on histone H2B are involved in recognition of E2:Histones. Taken together, this study uncovers the mechanistic basis for the role of Rad6-acidic in Bre1-RBD mediated recognition of histone surface that ensure the histone H2B mono-ubiquitination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Yadav
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Manish Gupta
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | - Rushna Wazahat
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Zeyaul Islam
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Susan E Tsutakawa
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Mohan Kamthan
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Pankaj Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi 110062, India.
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35
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Dongola TH, Chakafana G, Middlemiss C, Mafethe O, Mokoena F, Zininga T, Shonhai A. Insertion of GGMP repeat residues of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp70-1 in the lid of DnaK adversely impacts client recognition. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 255:128070. [PMID: 37981279 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128070] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Although Hsp70 is a conserved molecular chaperone, it exhibits some degree of functional specialisation across species. Features of Hsp70 regulating its functional specialisation remain to be fully established. We previously demonstrated that E. coli Hsp70 (DnaK) exhibits functional features that distinguishes it from PfHsp70-1, a canonical cytosolic Hsp70 of Plasmodium falciparum. One of the defining features of PfHsp70-1 is that it possesses GGMP repeat residues located in its C-terminal lid segment, while DnaK lacks this motif. Previously, we demonstrated that the insertion of GGMP repeat residues of PfHsp70-1 into E. coli DnaK abrogates the chaperone activity of DnaK. However, the role of the GGMP motif in regulating Hsp70 function remains to be fully understood. To explore the function of this motif, we expressed recombinant forms of wild type DnaK and its GGMP insertion motif, DnaK-G and systematically characterised the structure-function features of the two proteins using in silico analysis, biophysical approaches and an in cellulo complementation assay. Our findings demonstrated that the GGMP inserted in DnaK compromised various functional features such as nucleotide binding, allostery, substrate binding affinity and cellular proteome client selectivity. These findings thus, highlight the GGMP motif of Hsp70 as an important functional module.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham Chakafana
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Hampton University, VA 23668-0099, USA
| | - Caitlin Middlemiss
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Hampton University, VA 23668-0099, USA
| | - Ofentse Mafethe
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North West University, Mmabatho 2790, South Africa
| | - Fortunate Mokoena
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North West University, Mmabatho 2790, South Africa
| | - Tawanda Zininga
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa; Department of Biochemistry, Stellenbosch University, 7602 Matieland, South Africa
| | - Addmore Shonhai
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa.
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36
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Murtas G, Zerbini E, Rabattoni V, Motta Z, Caldinelli L, Orlando M, Marchesani F, Campanini B, Sacchi S, Pollegioni L. Biochemical and cellular studies of three human 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase variants responsible for pathological reduced L-serine levels. Biofactors 2024; 50:181-200. [PMID: 37650587 DOI: 10.1002/biof.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
In the brain, the non-essential amino acid L-serine is produced through the phosphorylated pathway (PP) starting from the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate: among the different roles played by this amino acid, it can be converted into D-serine and glycine, the two main co-agonists of NMDA receptors. In humans, the enzymes of the PP, namely phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (hPHGDH, which catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of this pathway), 3-phosphoserine aminotransferase, and 3-phosphoserine phosphatase are likely organized in the cytosol as a metabolic assembly (a "serinosome"). The hPHGDH deficiency is a pathological condition biochemically characterized by reduced levels of L-serine in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid and clinically identified by severe neurological impairment. Here, three single-point variants responsible for hPHGDH deficiency and Neu-Laxova syndrome have been studied. Their biochemical characterization shows that V261M, V425M, and V490M substitutions alter either the kinetic (both maximal activity and Km for 3-phosphoglycerate in the physiological direction) and the structural properties (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure, favoring aggregation) of hPHGDH. All the three variants have been successfully ectopically expressed in U251 cells, thus the pathological effect is not due to hindered expression level. At the cellular level, mistargeting and aggregation phenomena have been observed in cells transiently expressing the pathological protein variants, as well as a reduced L-serine cellular level. Previous studies demonstrated that the pharmacological supplementation of L-serine in hPHGDH deficiencies could ameliorate some of the related symptoms: our results now suggest the use of additional and alternative therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Murtas
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Elena Zerbini
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Valentina Rabattoni
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Zoraide Motta
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Laura Caldinelli
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Marco Orlando
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Silvia Sacchi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Loredano Pollegioni
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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37
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Sun Z, Lin H, Hu L, Neetu N, Sankaran B, Wang J, Prasad BVV, Palzkill T. Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase variant 44 acquires ceftazidime-avibactam resistance by altering the conformation of active-site loops. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105493. [PMID: 38000656 PMCID: PMC10716778 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105493] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase 2 (KPC-2) is an important source of drug resistance as it can hydrolyze and inactivate virtually all β-lactam antibiotics. KPC-2 is potently inhibited by avibactam via formation of a reversible carbamyl linkage of the inhibitor with the catalytic serine of the enzyme. However, the use of avibactam in combination with ceftazidime (CAZ-AVI) has led to the emergence of CAZ-AVI-resistant variants of KPC-2 in clinical settings. One such variant, KPC-44, bears a 15 amino acid duplication in one of the active-site loops (270-loop). Here, we show that the KPC-44 variant exhibits higher catalytic efficiency in hydrolyzing ceftazidime, lower efficiency toward imipenem and meropenem, and a similar efficiency in hydrolyzing ampicillin, than the WT KPC-2 enzyme. In addition, the KPC-44 variant enzyme exhibits 12-fold lower AVI carbamylation efficiency than the KPC-2 enzyme. An X-ray crystal structure of KPC-44 showed that the 15 amino acid duplication results in an extended and partially disordered 270-loop and also changes the conformation of the adjacent 240-loop, which in turn has altered interactions with the active-site omega loop. Furthermore, a structure of KPC-44 with avibactam revealed that formation of the covalent complex results in further disorder in the 270-loop, suggesting that rearrangement of the 270-loop of KPC-44 facilitates AVI carbamylation. These results suggest that the duplication of 15 amino acids in the KPC-44 enzyme leads to resistance to CAZ-AVI by modulating the stability and conformation of the 270-, 240-, and omega-loops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhizeng Sun
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Hanfeng Lin
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Liya Hu
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Neetu Neetu
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Jin Wang
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - B V Venkataram Prasad
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Timothy Palzkill
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
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38
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Menchon G, Maveyraud L, Czaplicki G. Molecular Dynamics as a Tool for Virtual Ligand Screening. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2714:33-83. [PMID: 37676592 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3441-7_3] [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] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Rational drug design is essential for new drugs to emerge, especially when the structure of a target protein or nucleic acid is known. To that purpose, high-throughput virtual ligand screening campaigns aim at discovering computationally new binding molecules or fragments to modulate particular biomolecular interactions or biological activities, related to a disease process. The structure-based virtual ligand screening process primarily relies on docking methods which allow predicting the binding of a molecule to a biological target structure with a correct conformation and the best possible affinity. The docking method itself is not sufficient as it suffers from several and crucial limitations (lack of full protein flexibility information, no solvation and ion effects, poor scoring functions, and unreliable molecular affinity estimation).At the interface of computer techniques and drug discovery, molecular dynamics (MD) allows introducing protein flexibility before or after a docking protocol, refining the structure of protein-drug complexes in the presence of water, ions, and even in membrane-like environments, describing more precisely the temporal evolution of the biological complex and ranking these complexes with more accurate binding energy calculations. In this chapter, we describe the up-to-date MD, which plays the role of supporting tools in the virtual ligand screening (VS) process.Without a doubt, using docking in combination with MD is an attractive approach in structure-based drug discovery protocols nowadays. It has proved its efficiency through many examples in the literature and is a powerful method to significantly reduce the amount of required wet experimentations (Tarcsay et al, J Chem Inf Model 53:2990-2999, 2013; Barakat et al, PLoS One 7:e51329, 2012; De Vivo et al, J Med Chem 59:4035-4061, 2016; Durrant, McCammon, BMC Biol 9:71-79, 2011; Galeazzi, Curr Comput Aided Drug Des 5:225-240, 2009; Hospital et al, Adv Appl Bioinforma Chem 8:37-47, 2015; Jiang et al, Molecules 20:12769-12786, 2015; Kundu et al, J Mol Graph Model 61:160-174, 2015; Mirza et al, J Mol Graph Model 66:99-107, 2016; Moroy et al, Future Med Chem 7:2317-2331, 2015; Naresh et al, J Mol Graph Model 61:272-280, 2015; Nichols et al, J Chem Inf Model 51:1439-1446, 2011; Nichols et al, Methods Mol Biol 819:93-103, 2012; Okimoto et al, PLoS Comput Biol 5:e1000528, 2009; Rodriguez-Bussey et al, Biopolymers 105:35-42, 2016; Sliwoski et al, Pharmacol Rev 66:334-395, 2014).
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Menchon
- Inserm U1242, Oncogenesis, Stress and Signaling (OSS), Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Laurent Maveyraud
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Georges Czaplicki
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France.
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39
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Caputa DA, Blankenship QP, Smith ZD, Huebner MM, Vetter ZA, Parks RW, Armendariz Lobera S, Leddin EM, Taylor CA, Parish CA, Miller BR. Computational drug discovery of an inhibitor of APOBEC3B as a treatment for epithelial cancers. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-14. [PMID: 38109103 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2293269] [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: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., and tumorous cancers such as cervical, lung, breast, and ovarian cancers are the most common types. APOBEC3B is a nonessential cytidine deaminase found in humans and theorized to defend against viral infection. However, overexpression of APOBEC3B is linked to cancer in humans, which makes APOBEC3B a potential cancer treatment target through competitive inhibition for several tumorous cancers. Computational studies can help reveal a small molecule inhibitor using high-throughput virtual screening of millions of candidates with relatively little cost. This study aims to narrow the field of potential APOBEC3B inhibition candidates for future in vitro assays and provide an effective scaffold for drug design studies. Another goal of this project is to provide critical amino acid targets in the active site for future drug design studies. This study simulated 7.8 million drug candidates using high-throughput virtual screening and further processed the top scoring 241 molecules from AutoDock Vina, DOCK 6, and de novo design. Using virtual screening, de novo design, and molecular dynamics simulations, a competitive inhibitor candidate was discovered with an average binding free energy score of -46.03 kcal/mol, more than 10 kcal/mol better than the substrate control (dCMP). These results indicate that this molecule (or a structural derivative) may be an effective inhibitor of APOBEC3B and prevent host genome mutagenesis resulting from protein overexpression. Another important finding is the confirmation of essential amino acid targets, such as Tyr250 and Gln213 within the active site of APOBEC3B. Therefore, study used novel computational methods to provide a theoretical scaffold for future drug design studies that may prove useful as a treatment for epithelial cancers.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic A Caputa
- Physics Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | | | - Zachary D Smith
- Chemistry Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
- Biology Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | - Molly M Huebner
- Chemistry Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | - Zoe A Vetter
- Physics Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
- Chemistry Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | - Richard W Parks
- Chemistry Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
- Biology Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | | | - Emmett M Leddin
- Chemistry Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | - Cooper A Taylor
- Department of Chemistry, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Carol A Parish
- Department of Chemistry, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Bill R Miller
- Chemistry Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA
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40
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Cordoba JJ, Mullins EA, Salay LE, Eichman BF, Chazin WJ. Flexibility and Distributive Synthesis Regulate RNA Priming and Handoff in Human DNA Polymerase α-Primase. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168330. [PMID: 37884206 PMCID: PMC10872500 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168330] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
DNA replication in eukaryotes relies on the synthesis of a ∼30-nucleotide RNA/DNA primer strand through the dual action of the heterotetrameric polymerase α-primase (pol-prim) enzyme. Synthesis of the 7-10-nucleotide RNA primer is regulated by the C-terminal domain of the primase regulatory subunit (PRIM2C) and is followed by intramolecular handoff of the primer to pol α for extension by ∼20 nucleotides of DNA. Here, we provide evidence that RNA primer synthesis is governed by a combination of the high affinity and flexible linkage of the PRIM2C domain and the surprisingly low affinity of the primase catalytic domain (PRIM1) for substrate. Using a combination of small angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopy, we found significant variability in the organization of PRIM2C and PRIM1 in the absence and presence of substrate, and that the population of structures with both PRIM2C and PRIM1 in a configuration aligned for synthesis is low. Crosslinking was used to visualize the orientation of PRIM2C and PRIM1 when engaged by substrate as observed by electron microscopy. Microscale thermophoresis was used to measure substrate affinities for a series of pol-prim constructs, which showed that the PRIM1 catalytic domain does not bind the template or emergent RNA-primed templates with appreciable affinity. Together, these findings support a model of RNA primer synthesis in which generation of the nascent RNA strand and handoff of the RNA-primed template from primase to polymerase α is mediated by the high degree of inter-domain flexibility of pol-prim, the ready dissociation of PRIM1 from its substrate, and the much higher affinity of the POLA1cat domain of polymerase α for full-length RNA-primed templates.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Cordoba
- Chemical and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elwood A Mullins
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lauren E Salay
- Chemical and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Brandt F Eichman
- Chemical and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Walter J Chazin
- Chemical and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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41
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Liang S, Zhang C, Zhu M. Ab Initio Prediction of 3-D Conformations for Protein Long Loops with High Accuracy and Applications to Antibody CDRH3 Modeling. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:7568-7577. [PMID: 38018130 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Residue-level potentials of mean force were widely used for protein backbone refinements to avoid simultaneous sampling of side-chain conformations. The interaction energy between the reduced side chains and backbone atoms was not considered explicitly. In this study, we developed novel methods to calculate the residue-atom interaction energy in combination with atomic and residue-level terms. The parameters were optimized step by step to remove the overcounting or overlap problem between different energy terms. The mixing energy functions were then used to evaluate the generated backbone conformations at the initial sampling stage of protein loop modeling (OSCAR-loop), including the interaction energy between the reduced loop residues and full atoms of the protein framework. The accuracies of top-ranked decoys were 1.18 and 2.81 Å for 8-residue and 12-residue loops, respectively. We then selected diverse decoys for side-chain modeling, backbone refinement, and energy minimization. The procedure was repeated multiple times to select one prediction with the lowest energy. Consequently, we obtained an accuracy of 0.74 Å for a prevailing test set of 12-residue loops, compared with >1.4 Å reported by other researchers. The OSCAR-loop was also effective for modeling the H3 loops of antibody complementary determining regions (CDRs) in the crystal environment. The prediction accuracy of OSCAR-loop (1.74 Å) was better than the accuracy of the Rosetta NGK method (3.11 Å) or those achieved by deep learning methods (>2.2 Å) for the CDRH3 loops of 49 targets in the Rosetta antibody benchmark. The performance of OSCAR-loop in a model environment was also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shide Liang
- Department of Computational Biology, 20n Bio Limited, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
- Department of Research and Development, Bio-Thera Solutions, Guangzhou 510530, P. R. China
| | - Chi Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
| | - Mingfu Zhu
- Department of Computational Biology, 20n Bio Limited, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
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42
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Mushtaq M, Naz S, Ashraf S, Doerksen RJ, Nur-e-Alam M, Ul-Haq Z. Exploring the viral protease inhibitor space driven by consensus scoring-based virtual screening. In Silico Pharmacol 2023; 12:2. [PMID: 38050479 PMCID: PMC10693542 DOI: 10.1007/s40203-023-00174-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue fever presents a major health concern, and the lack of an effective vaccine or definite therapeutic regimen has led the research community to identify safe-by-design potential targets for drug discovery. Since the association of the NS2B co-factor with the protease domain of NS3 is imperative for the catalytic activity of the enzyme complex, inhibitors blocking their interaction could provide an alternative strategy to combat the dengue virus. In this context, the present study is aimed at exploring computer-assisted modeling of significant physicochemical features required for the inhibition of the dengue virus protease complex. First of all, alanine scanning was utilized to map hot spot residues critical for the association of the two subunits, NS2B and NS3pro, by studying their energy profiles. Then, consensus score-based virtual screening was performed to search through the commercially available chemical datasets. After screening, 1,575 small molecules were moved forward into docking studies to investigate their interactions with crucial interfacial residues (i.e., Tyr23, Lys26, Phe46, and Leu58), with only 233 molecules passing that stage. The top 30 molecules were selected based on a detailed profile of intermolecular interactions. After that, the top five molecules were selected for detailed mechanistic studies via molecular dynamics simulations followed by subsequent binding free energy calculations, principal component analysis in conjunction with free energy landscape. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic and comprehensive investigation to identify protein-protein interaction blockers against the target protein at such a large scale, using integrated computational tools. Our results highlight the enhanced stability and good binding affinities towards the target protein of these compounds, which might act as new scaffolds for NS2B-NS3 protease inhibition. Future studies will be directed to explore the detailed atomistic-based structural and energetic framework of the mutation-induced affinity change between the protease domain of the DENV-2 NS3 protein and its cofactor NS2B. The detailed insight in turn might suggest precise and focused targeted points for the structure-based drug design but the computational cost may be a challenge. Graphical abstract Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-023-00174-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamona Mushtaq
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan
| | - Sehrish Naz
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan
| | - Sajda Ashraf
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan
| | - Robert J. Doerksen
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677 USA
| | - Mohammad Nur-e-Alam
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zaheer Ul-Haq
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan
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Rathi R. Potential inhibitors of FemC to combat Staphylococcus aureus: virtual screening, molecular docking, dynamics simulation, and MM-PBSA analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:10495-10506. [PMID: 36524526 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2157328] [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: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
FemC is a methicillin resistance factor involved in the alterations of peptidoglycan and glutamine synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. To identify the potent antibacterial agents, antibacterial molecules were screened against the predicted and validated FemC model. Based on docking scores, presence of essential interactions with active site residues of FemC, pharmacokinetic, and ADMET properties, six candidates were shortlisted and subjected to molecular dynamics to evaluate the stability of FemC-ligand complexes. Further, per residue decomposition analysis and Molecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) analysis confirmed that S15, M16, S17, R31, R43, Q47, K48 and R49 of FemC played a vital role in the formation of lower energy stable FemC-inhibitor(s) complexes. Therefore, in the present study, the reported six molecules (Z317461228, Z92241701, Z30923155, Z30202349, Z2609517102 and Z92470167) may pave the path to design the scaffold of novel potent antimicrobials against S. aureus.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Rathi
- Amity School of Applied Sciences, Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
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44
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Poli G, Demontis GC, Sodi A, Saba A, Rizzo S, Macchia M, Tuccinardi T. An in silico toolbox for the prediction of the potential pathogenic effects of missense mutations in the dimeric region of hRPE65. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2162047. [PMID: 36629452 PMCID: PMC9848331 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2162047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
hRPE65 is a fundamental enzyme of the retinoid visual cycle, and many missense mutations affecting its expression or function are associated with a wide range of diseases. Many hRPE65 missense mutations lack a clear pathogenicity classification or are labelled as VUS. In this context, we recently developed a protocol based on µs-long molecular dynamics simulations to study the potential pathogenic effect of hRPE65 missense mutations. In the present work, the structure-based protocol was integrated with a hRPE65-tailored consensus bioinformatics strategy, named ConPath, that showed high performance in predicting known pathogenic/benign hRPE65 missense mutations. The combined strategy was used to perform a multi-level evaluation of the potential pathogenicity of 13 different hRPE65 VUS, which were classified based on their likelihood of pathogenic effect. The obtained results provide information that may support the reclassification of these VUS and help clinicians evaluate the eligibility for gene therapy of patients diagnosed with such variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Poli
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Sodi
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health Eye Clinic, University of Florence, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Saba
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Molecular Medicine and of the Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stanislao Rizzo
- Ophthalmology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Catholic University Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy,Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Neuroscienze, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Macchia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Tiziano Tuccinardi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy,CONTACT Tiziano Tuccinardi Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, Pisa, 56126, Italy
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45
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De Salis SKF, Chen JZ, Skarratt KK, Fuller SJ, Balle T. Deep learning structural insights into heterotrimeric alternatively spliced P2X7 receptors. Purinergic Signal 2023:10.1007/s11302-023-09978-3. [PMID: 38032425 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-023-09978-3] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs) are membrane-bound ATP-gated ion channels that are composed of three subunits. Different subunit structures may be expressed due to alternative splicing of the P2RX7 gene, altering the receptor's function when combined with the wild-type P2X7A subunits. In this study, the application of the deep-learning method, AlphaFold2-Multimer (AF2M), for the generation of trimeric P2X7Rs was validated by comparing an AF2M-generated rat wild-type P2X7A receptor with a structure determined by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) (Protein Data Bank Identification: 6U9V). The results suggested AF2M could firstly, accurately predict the structures of P2X7Rs and secondly, accurately identify the highest quality model through the ranking system. Subsequently, AF2M was used to generate models of heterotrimeric alternatively spliced P2X7Rs consisting of one or two wild-type P2X7A subunits in combination with one or two P2X7B, P2X7E, P2X7J, and P2X7L splice variant subunits. The top-ranking models were deemed valid based on AF2M's confidence measures, stability in molecular dynamics simulations, and consistent flexibility of the conserved regions between the models. The structure of the heterotrimeric receptors, which were missing key residues in the ATP binding sites and carboxyl terminal domains (CTDs) compared to the wild-type receptor, help to explain their observed functions. Overall, the models produced in this study (available as supplementary material) unlock the possibility of structure-based studies into the heterotrimeric P2X7Rs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie K F De Salis
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
- Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Jake Zheng Chen
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
- Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Kristen K Skarratt
- The University of Sydney, Nepean Clinical School, Kingswood, NSW, 2747, Australia
| | - Stephen J Fuller
- The University of Sydney, Nepean Clinical School, Kingswood, NSW, 2747, Australia
| | - Thomas Balle
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia.
- Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia.
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46
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Hidalgo-Gajardo A, Gutiérrez N, Lamazares E, Espinoza F, Escobar-Riquelme F, Leiva MJ, Villavicencio C, Mena-Ulecia K, Montesino R, Altamirano C, Sánchez O, Rivas CI, Ruíz Á, Toledo JR. Co-Formulation of Recombinant Porcine IL-18 Enhances the Onset of Immune Response in a New Lawsonia intracellularis Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1788. [PMID: 38140192 PMCID: PMC10747595 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11121788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Pig is one of the most consumed meats worldwide. One of the main conditions for pig production is Porcine Enteropathy caused by Lawsonia intracellularis. Among the effects of this disease is chronic mild diarrhea, which affects the weight gain of pigs, generating economic losses. Vaccines available to prevent this condition do not have the desired effect, but this limitation can be overcome using adjuvants. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 18 (IL-18), can improve an immune response, reducing the immune window of protection. In this study, recombinant porcine IL-18 was produced and expressed in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. The protein's biological activity was assessed in vitro and in vivo, and we determined that the P. pastoris protein had better immunostimulatory activity. A vaccine candidate against L. intracellularis, formulated with and without IL-18, was used to determine the pigs' cellular and humoral immune responses. Animals injected with the candidate vaccine co-formulated with IL-18 showed a significant increase of Th1 immune response markers and an earlier increase of antibodies than those vaccinated without the cytokine. This suggests that IL-18 acts as an immunostimulant and vaccine adjuvant to boost the immune response against the antigens, reducing the therapeutic window of recombinant protein-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Hidalgo-Gajardo
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
- Centro de Desarrollo e Innovación Biovacuvet SpA, VIII Región, Concepción 4090838, Chile
| | - Nicolás Gutiérrez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
- Centro de Desarrollo e Innovación Biovacuvet SpA, VIII Región, Concepción 4090838, Chile
| | - Emilio Lamazares
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - Felipe Espinoza
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
- Centro de Desarrollo e Innovación Biovacuvet SpA, VIII Región, Concepción 4090838, Chile
| | - Fernanda Escobar-Riquelme
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - María J. Leiva
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - Carla Villavicencio
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - Karel Mena-Ulecia
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, IX Región, Temuco 4813302, Chile;
| | - Raquel Montesino
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - Claudia Altamirano
- Laboratorio de Cultivos Celulares, Escuela de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, V Región, Valparaíso 2362803, Chile;
| | - Oliberto Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - Coralia I. Rivas
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
| | - Álvaro Ruíz
- Departamento de Patología y Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción, XVI Región, Chillán 3812120, Chile;
| | - Jorge R. Toledo
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biofármacos, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, VIII Región, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (A.H.-G.); (M.J.L.); (C.V.); (C.I.R.)
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Wang T, Wang L, Zhang X, Shen C, Zhang O, Wang J, Wu J, Jin R, Zhou D, Chen S, Liu L, Wang X, Hsieh CY, Chen G, Pan P, Kang Y, Hou T. Comprehensive assessment of protein loop modeling programs on large-scale datasets: prediction accuracy and efficiency. Brief Bioinform 2023; 25:bbad486. [PMID: 38171930 PMCID: PMC10764206 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad486] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein loops play a critical role in the dynamics of proteins and are essential for numerous biological functions, and various computational approaches to loop modeling have been proposed over the past decades. However, a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each method is lacking. In this work, we constructed two high-quality datasets (i.e. the General dataset and the CASP dataset) and systematically evaluated the accuracy and efficiency of 13 commonly used loop modeling approaches from the perspective of loop lengths, protein classes and residue types. The results indicate that the knowledge-based method FREAD generally outperforms the other tested programs in most cases, but encountered challenges when predicting loops longer than 15 and 30 residues on the CASP and General datasets, respectively. The ab initio method Rosetta NGK demonstrated exceptional modeling accuracy for short loops with four to eight residues and achieved the highest success rate on the CASP dataset. The well-known AlphaFold2 and RoseTTAFold require more resources for better performance, but they exhibit promise for predicting loops longer than 16 and 30 residues in the CASP and General datasets. These observations can provide valuable insights for selecting suitable methods for specific loop modeling tasks and contribute to future advancements in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyue Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Langcheng Wang
- Department of Pathology, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Xujun Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chao Shen
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Odin Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jike Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jialu Wu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ruofan Jin
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Donghao Zhou
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Shicheng Chen
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liwei Liu
- Advanced Computing and Storage Laboratory, Central Research Institute, 2012 Laboratories, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518129, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaorui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China
| | - Chang-Yu Hsieh
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guangyong Chen
- Zhejiang Lab, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Peichen Pan
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu Kang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tingjun Hou
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
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48
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Elias M, Guan X, Hudson D, Bose R, Kwak J, Petrounia I, Touah K, Mansour S, Yue P, Errasti G, Delacroix T, Ghosh A, Chakrabarti R. Evolution of Organic Solvent-Resistant DNA Polymerases. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3170-3188. [PMID: 37611245 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00515] [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] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of thermostable polymerases revolutionized the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and biotechnology. However, many GC-rich genes cannot be PCR-amplified with high efficiency in water, irrespective of temperature. Although polar organic cosolvents can enhance nucleic acid polymerization and amplification by destabilizing duplex DNA and secondary structures, nature has not selected for the evolution of solvent-tolerant polymerase enzymes. Here, we used ultrahigh-throughput droplet-based selection and deep sequencing along with computational free-energy and binding affinity calculations to evolve Taq polymerase to generate enzymes that are both stable and highly active in the presence of organic cosolvents, resulting in up to 10% solvent resistance and over 100-fold increase in stability at 97.5 °C in the presence of 1,4-butanediol, as well as tolerance to up to 10 times higher concentrations of the potent cosolvents sulfolane and 2-pyrrolidone. Using these polymerases, we successfully amplified a broad spectrum of GC-rich templates containing regions with over 90% GC content, including templates recalcitrant to amplification with existing polymerases, even in the presence of cosolvents. We also demonstrated dramatically reduced GC bias in the amplification of genes with widely varying GC content in quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). By expanding the scope of solvent systems compatible with nucleic acid polymerization, these organic solvent-resistant polymerases enable a dramatic reduction of sequence bias not achievable through thermal resistance alone, with significant implications for a wide range of applications including sequencing and synthetic biology in mixed aqueous-organic media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Elias
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Xiangying Guan
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Devin Hudson
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Rahul Bose
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Joon Kwak
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Ioanna Petrounia
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Kenza Touah
- Center for Protein Engineering & Drug Discovery, PMC Isochem SAS, 32 Rue Lavoisier, Vert-Le-Petit 91710, France
| | - Sourour Mansour
- Center for Protein Engineering & Drug Discovery, PMC Isochem SAS, 32 Rue Lavoisier, Vert-Le-Petit 91710, France
| | - Peng Yue
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
| | - Gauthier Errasti
- Center for Protein Engineering & Drug Discovery, PMC Isochem SAS, 32 Rue Lavoisier, Vert-Le-Petit 91710, France
| | - Thomas Delacroix
- Center for Protein Engineering & Drug Discovery, PMC Isochem SAS, 32 Rue Lavoisier, Vert-Le-Petit 91710, France
| | - Anisha Ghosh
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
- McGill University, 845 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Raj Chakrabarti
- Chakrabarti Advanced Technology, LLC, PMC Group Building, 1288 Route 73, Suite 110, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, United States
- Center for Protein Engineering & Drug Discovery, PMC Isochem SAS, 32 Rue Lavoisier, Vert-Le-Petit 91710, France
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49
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Nicoli A, Weber V, Bon C, Steuer A, Gustincich S, Gainetdinov RR, Lang R, Espinoza S, Di Pizio A. Structure-Based Discovery of Mouse Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 5 Antagonists. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6667-6680. [PMID: 37847527 PMCID: PMC10647090 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) were discovered in 2001 as new members of class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). With the only exception of TAAR1, TAAR members (TAAR2-9, also known as noncanonical olfactory receptors) were originally described exclusively in the olfactory epithelium and believed to mediate the innate perception of volatile amines. However, most noncanonical olfactory receptors are still orphan receptors. Given its recently discovered nonolfactory expression and therapeutic potential, TAAR5 has been the focus of deorphanization campaigns that led to the discovery of a few druglike antagonists. Here, we report four novel TAAR5 antagonists identified through high-throughput screening, which, along with the four ligands published in the literature, constituted our starting point to design a computational strategy for the identification of TAAR5 ligands. We developed a structure-based virtual screening protocol that allowed us to identify three new TAAR5 antagonists with a hit rate of 10%. Despite lacking an experimental structure, we accurately modeled the TAAR5 binding site by integrating comparative sequence- and structure-based analyses of serotonin receptors with homology modeling and side-chain optimization. In summary, we have identified seven new TAAR5 antagonists that could serve as lead candidates for the development of new treatments for depression, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Nicoli
- Leibniz
Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Chemoinformatics
and Protein Modelling, Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School
of Life Sciences, Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Verena Weber
- Leibniz
Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Institute
for Advanced Simulations (IAS)-5/Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine
(INM)-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Faculty
of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, 52062 Germany
| | - Carlotta Bon
- Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Alexandra Steuer
- Leibniz
Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Chemoinformatics
and Protein Modelling, Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School
of Life Sciences, Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | | | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- Institute
of Translational Biomedicine and Saint Petersburg University Hospital,
Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Roman Lang
- Leibniz
Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Stefano Espinoza
- Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Scienze della Salute, Università
del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Antonella Di Pizio
- Leibniz
Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Chemoinformatics
and Protein Modelling, Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School
of Life Sciences, Technical University of
Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
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50
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Joshi BP, Bhandare VV, Vankawala M, Patel P, Patel R, Vyas B, Krishnamurty R. Friedelin, a novel inhibitor of CYP17A1 in prostate cancer from Cassia tora. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:9695-9720. [PMID: 36373336 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2145497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In prostate cancer (PC), drugs targeting CYP17A1 have shown great success in regulating PC progression. However, successful drug molecules show adverse side effects and therapeutic resistance in PC. Therefore, we proposed to discover the potent phytochemical-based inhibitor against CYP17A1 using virtual screening. In this study, a phytochemicals library of ∼13800 molecules was selected to screen the best possible inhibitors against CYP17A1. A molecular modelling approach investigated detailed intermolecular interactions, their structural stability, and binding affinity. Further, in vitro and in vivo studies were performed to confirm the anticancer activity of identified potential inhibitor against CYP17A1. Friedelin from Cassia tora (CT) is identified as the best possible inhibitor from the screened library. MD simulation study reveals stable binding of Friedelin to conserved binding pocket of CYP17A1 with higher binding affinity than studied control, that is, Orteronel. Friedelin was tested on hormone-sensitive (22Rv1) and insensitive (DU145) cell lines and the IC50 value was found to be 72.025 and 81.766 µg/ml, respectively. CT extract showed a 25.28% IC50 value against 22Rv1, ∼92.6% increase in late Apoptosis/Necrosis, and three folds decrease in early apoptosis in treated cells compared to untreated cells. Further, animal studies show a marked decrease in prostate weight by 39.6% and prostate index by 36.5%, along with a reduction in serum PSA level by 71.7% and testosterone level by 92.4% compared to the testosterone group, which was further validated with histopathological studies. Thus, we propose Friedelin and CT extract as potential leads, which could be taken further for drug development in PC.[Figure: see text]Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mahima Vankawala
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Prittesh Patel
- C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Surat, Gujarat, India
| | - Rajesh Patel
- Bioinformatics and Supercomputer Lab., Department of Biosciences (UGC-SAP-DRS-II & DST-FIST-I), Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat, Gujarat, India
| | - Bhavin Vyas
- Department of Pharmacology, Maliba Pharmacy College, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Surat, Gujarat, India
| | - Ramar Krishnamurty
- C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Surat, Gujarat, India
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