A quantum mechanic/molecular mechanic study of the wild-type and N155S mutant HIV-1 integrase complexed with diketo acid

Antiviral Activity of Acetylsalicylic Acid against Bunyamwera Virus in Cell Culture

The Bunyavirales order is a large group of RNA viruses that includes important pathogens for humans, animals and plants. With high-throughput screening of clinically tested compounds we have looked for potential inhibitors of the endonuclease domain of a bunyavirus RNA polymerase. From a list of fifteen top candidates, five compounds were selected and their antiviral properties studied with Bunyamwera virus (BUNV), a prototypic bunyavirus widely used for studies about the biology of this group of viruses and to test antivirals. Four compounds (silibinin A, myricetin, L-phenylalanine and p-aminohippuric acid) showed no antiviral activity in BUNV-infected Vero cells. On the contrary, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) efficiently inhibited BUNV infection with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 2.02 mM. In cell culture supernatants, ASA reduced viral titer up to three logarithmic units. A significant dose-dependent reduction of the expression levels of Gc and N viral proteins was also measured. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy showed that ASA protects the Golgi complex from the characteristic BUNV-induced fragmentation in Vero cells. Electron microscopy showed that ASA inhibits the assembly of Golgi-associated BUNV spherules that are the replication organelles of bunyaviruses. As a consequence, the assembly of new viral particles is also significantly reduced. Considering its availability and low cost, the potential usability of ASA to treat bunyavirus infections deserves further investigation.

Machine learning-based predictive models for identifying high active compounds against HIV-1 integrase

HIV-integrase is an important drug target because it catalyzes chromosomal integration of proviral DNA towards establishing latent infection. Computer-aided drug design has immensely contributed to identifying and developing novel antiviral drugs. We have developed various machine learning-based predictive models for identifying high activity compounds against HIV-integrase. Multiclass models were built using support vector machine with reasonable accuracy on the test and evaluation sets. The developed models were evaluated by rigorous validation approaches and the best features were selected by Boruta method. As compared to the model developed from all descriptors set, a slight improvement was observed among the selected descriptors. Validated models were further used for virtual screening of potential compounds from ChemBridge library. Of the six high active compounds predicted from selected models, compounds 9103124, 6642917 and 9082952 showed the most reasonable binding-affinity and stable-interaction with HIV-integrase active-site residues Asp64, Glu152 and Asn155. This was in agreement with previous reports on the essentiality of these residues against a wide range of inhibitors. We therefore highlight the rigorosity of validated classification models for accurate prediction and ranking of high active lead drugs against HIV-integrase.

Computing Metal-Binding Proteins for Therapeutic Benefit

Over one third of biomolecules rely on metal ions to exert their cellular functions. Metal ions can play a structural role by stabilizing the structure of biomolecules, a functional role by promoting a wide variety of biochemical reactions, and a regulatory role by acting as messengers upon binding to proteins regulating cellular metal-homeostasis. These diverse roles in biology ascribe critical implications to metal-binding proteins in the onset of many diseases. Hence, it is of utmost importance to exhaustively unlock the different mechanistic facets of metal-binding proteins and to harness this knowledge to rationally devise novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or cure pathological states associated with metal-dependent cellular dysfunctions. In this compendium, we illustrate how the use of a computational arsenal based on docking, classical, and quantum-classical molecular dynamics simulations can contribute to extricate the minutiae of the catalytic, transport, and inhibition mechanisms of metal-binding proteins at the atomic level. This knowledge represents a fertile ground and an essential prerequisite for selectively targeting metal-binding proteins with small-molecule inhibitors aiming to (i) abrogate deregulated metal-dependent (mis)functions or (ii) leverage metal-dyshomeostasis to selectively trigger harmful cells death.

Quantum mechanics implementation in drug-design workflows: does it really help?

The pharmaceutical industry is progressively operating in an era where development costs are constantly under pressure, higher percentages of drugs are demanded, and the drug-discovery process is a trial-and-error run. The profit that flows in with the discovery of new drugs has always been the motivation for the industry to keep up the pace and keep abreast with the endless demand for medicines. The process of finding a molecule that binds to the target protein using in silico tools has made computational chemistry a valuable tool in drug discovery in both academic research and pharmaceutical industry. However, the complexity of many protein-ligand interactions challenges the accuracy and efficiency of the commonly used empirical methods. The usefulness of quantum mechanics (QM) in drug-protein interaction cannot be overemphasized; however, this approach has little significance in some empirical methods. In this review, we discuss recent developments in, and application of, QM to medically relevant biomolecules. We critically discuss the different types of QM-based methods and their proposed application to incorporating them into drug-design and -discovery workflows while trying to answer a critical question: are QM-based methods of real help in drug-design and -discovery research and industry?

Insights into the mechanism of oxidation of dihydroorotate to orotate catalysed by human class 2 dihydroorotate dehydrogenase: a QM/MM free energy study

The dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOD) enzyme catalyzes the unique redox reaction in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. In this reaction, the oxidation of dihydroorotate (DHO) to orotate (OA) and reduction of the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor is catalysed by DHOD. The class 2 DHOD, to which the human enzyme belongs, was experimentally shown to follow a stepwise mechanism but the data did not allow the determination of the order of bond-breaking in a stepwise oxidation of DHO. The goal of this study is to understand the reaction mechanism at the molecular level of class 2 DHOD, which may aid in the design of inhibitors that selectively impact the activity of only certain members of the enzyme family. In this paper, the catalytic mechanism of oxidation of DHO to OA in human DHOD was studied using a hybrid Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical (QM/MM) approach and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The free energy barriers calculated reveal that the mechanism in human DHOD occurs via a stepwise reaction pathway. In the first step, a proton is abstracted from the C5 of DHO to the deprotonated Ser215 side chain. Whereas, in the second step, the transfer of the hydride or hydride equivalent from the C6 of DHO to the N5 of FMN, where free energy barrier calculated by the DFT/MM level is 10.84 kcal mol(-1). Finally, a residual decomposition analysis was carried out in order to elucidate the influence of the catalytic region residues during DHO oxidation.

A QM/MM free energy study of the oxidation mechanism of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (class 1A) from Lactococcus lactis

The dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOD) class 1A enzyme catalyzes is the only redox enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway (de novo) of pyrimidines where dihydroorotate (DHO) is oxidized to orotate (OA) coupled to reduction of a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor. The rupture of two DHO C-H bonds can proceed in a concerted or stepwise way. Herein, the catalytic mechanism of DHOD from Lactococcus lactis involving DHO oxidation (first half-reaction) was described using a hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach and molecular dynamics simulations. The free energy profile obtained from self-consistent charge-density functional tight binding/molecular mechanics calculations (corrected by DFT/MM) reveals that this occurs with the proton abstraction from DHO C5 to Cys130 deprotonated and DHO H6 is transferred to FMN N5 in a concerted mechanism with a very low barrier of 5.64 kcal/mol. Finally, through a residual decomposition analysis, the residues that have the main influence on the redox reaction were identified.

Mutagenesis of Lysines 156 and 159 in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Integrase (IN) Reveals Differential Interactions between these Residues and Different IN Inhibitors

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 integrase (IN) active site, and viral DNA-binding residues K156 and K159 are predicted to interact both with strand transfer-selective IN inhibitors (STI), e.g. L-731,988, Elvitegravir (EVG), and the FDA-approved IN inhibitor, Raltegravir (RGV), and strand transfer non-selective inhibitors, e.g. dicaffeoyltartaric acids (DCTAs), e.g. L-chicoric acid (L-CA). To test posited roles for these two lysine residues in inhibitor action we assayed the potency of L-CA and several STI against a panel of K156 and K159 mutants. Mutagenesis of K156 conferred resistance to L-CA and mutagenesis of either K156 or K159 conferred resistance to STI indicating that the cationic charge at these two viral DNA-binding residues is important for inhibitor potency. IN K156N, a reported polymorphism associated with resistance to RGV, conferred resistance to L-CA and STI as well. To investigate the apparent preference L-CA exhibits for interactions with K156, we assayed the potency of several hybrid inhibitors containing combinations of DCTA and STI pharmacophores against recombinant IN K156A or K159A. Although K156A conferred resistance to diketo acid-branched bis-catechol hybrid inhibitors, neither K156A nor K159A conferred resistance to their monocatechol counterparts, suggesting that bis-catechol moieties direct DCTAs toward K156. In contrast, STI were more promiscuous in their interaction with K156 and K159. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that DCTAs interact with IN in a manner different than that of STI and suggest that DCTAs are an attractive candidate chemotype for development into drugs potent against STI-resistant IN.

Identification of potential HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitors: in silico virtual screening and QM/MM docking studies

HIV-1 integrase (IN) is a retroviral enzyme that catalyses integration of the reverse-transcribed viral DNA into the host genome, which is necessary for efficient viral replication. In this study, we have performed an in silico virtual screening for the identification of potential HIV-1 IN strand transfer (ST) inhibitors. Pharmacophore modelling and atom-based 3D-QSAR studies were carried out for a series of compounds belonging to 3-Hydroxypyrimidine-2,4-diones. Based on the ligand-based pharmacophore model, we obtained a five-point pharmacophore with two hydrogen bond acceptors (A), one hydrogen bond donor (D), one hydrophobic group (H) and one aromatic ring (R) as pharmacophoric features. The pharmacophore hypothesis AADHR was used as a 3D query in a sequential virtual screening study to filter small molecule databases Maybridge, ChemBridge and Asinex. Hits matching with pharmacophore hypothesis AADHR were retrieved and passed progressively through Lipinski's rule of five filtering, molecular docking and hierarchical clustering. The five compounds with best hits with novel and diverse chemotypes were subjected to QM/MM docking, which showed improved docking accuracy. We further performed molecular dynamics simulation and found three compounds that form stable interactions with key residues. These compounds could be used as a leads for further drug development and rational design of HIV-1 IN inhibitors.

Protein-ligand interaction study of CpOGA in complex with GlcNAcstatin

The GlcNAcstatin is a potent inhibitor of O-glycoprotein 2-acetamino-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosidase, which has been related with type II diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. Herein, hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics simulations, and potential of mean force were employed to study the interactions established between GlcNAcstatin and a bacterial O-GlcNAcase enzyme from Clostridium perfringens. The results reveal that the imidazole nitrogen atom of GlcNAcstatin has shown a better interaction with the active site of Clostridium perfringens in its protonated form, which is compatible with a substrate-assisted reaction mechanism involving two conserved aspartate residues (297 and 298). Furthermore, the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics-molecular dynamics simulations appointed a strong interaction between Asp401, Asp298, and Asp297 residues and the GlcNAcstatin inhibitor, which is in accordance with experimental data. Lastly, these results may contribute to understand the molecular mechanism of inhibition of Clostridium perfringens by GlcNAcstatin inhibitor and, consequently, this study might be useful to design new molecules with more interesting inhibitory activity.

Homology modeling, molecular dynamics and QM/MM study of the regulatory protein PhoP from Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a facultatively intracellular Gram-positive bacterium that causes caseous lymphadenitis, principally in sheep and goats, though sometimes in other species of animals, leading to considerable economic losses. This pathogen has a TCS known as PhoPR, which consists of a sensory histidine kinase protein (PhoR) and an intracellular response regulator protein (PhoP). This system is involved in the regulation of proteins present in various processes, including virulence. The regulation is activated by PhoP protein phosphorylation, an event that requires a magnesium (Mg(2+)) ion. Here we describe the 3D structure of the regulatory response protein (PhoP) of C. pseudotuberculosis through molecular modeling by homology. The model generated provides the first structural information on a full-length member of the OmpR/PhoP subfamily. Classical molecular dynamics was used to investigate the stability of the model. In addition, we used quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical techniques to perform (internal, potential) energy optimizations to determine the interaction energy between the Mg(2+) ion and the structure of the PhoP protein. Analysis of the interaction energy residue by residue shows that Asp-16 and Asp-59 play an important role in the protein-Mg(2+) ion interactions. These results may be useful for the future development of a new vaccine against tuberculosis based on genetic attenuation via a point mutation that results in the polar residue Asp-16 and/or Asp-59 being replaced with a nonpolar residue in the DNA-binding domain of PhoP of C. pseudotuberculosis.

Binding modes of diketo-acid inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase: a comparative molecular dynamics simulation study

HIV-1 integrase (IN) has become an attractive target since drug resistance against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease (PR) has appeared. Diketo acid (DKA) inhibitors are potent and selective inhibitors of HIV-1 IN: however the action mechanism is not well understood. Here, to study the inhibition mechanism of DKAs we performed 10 ns comparative molecular dynamics simulations on HIV-1 IN bound with three most representative DKA inhibitors: Shionogi inhibitor, S-1360 and two Merck inhibitors L-731,988 and L-708,906. Our simulations show that the acidic part of S-1360 formed salt bridge and cation-π interactions with Lys159. In addition, the catalytic Glu152 in S-1360 was pushed away from the active site to form an ion-pair interaction with Arg199. The Merck inhibitors can maintain either one or both of these ion-pair interaction features. The difference in potencies of the DKA inhibitors is thus attributed to the different binding modes at the catalytic site. Such structural information at atomic level, not only demonstrates the action modes of DKA inhibitors but also provides a novel starting point for structural-based design of HIV-1 IN inhibitors.

Computational analysis of aspartic protease plasmepsin II complexed with EH58 inhibitor: a QM/MM MD study

Plasmepsin (PM) II is one of four enzymes in the food vacuole of Plasmodium falciparum. It has become an attractive target for combating malaria through research regarding its importance in the P. falciparum metabolism and life cycle, making it the target of choice for structure-based drug design. This paper reports the results of hybrid quantum mechanics / molecular mechanics (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations employed to study the details of the interactions established between PM II and N-(3-{(2-benzo[1, 3]dioxol-5-yl-ethyl)[3-(1-methyl-3-oxo-1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-yl) propionyl]-amino}-1-benzyl-2-(hydroxyl-propyl)-4-benzyloxy-3,5dimethoxy-benzamide (EH58), a well-known potent inhibitor for this enzyme. Electrostatic binding free energy and energy terms decomposition have been computed for PM II complexed with the EH58 inhibitor. The results reveal that there is a strong interaction between Asp34, Val78, Ser79, Tyr192 and Asp214 residues and the EH58 inhibitor. In addition, we have computed the potential of the mean force (PMF) profile in order to assign the protonation state of the two catalytic aspartates in PM II-EH58 complex. The results indicate that the protonation of Asp214 favors a stable active site structure, which is consistent with our electrostatic binding free energy calculation and with previous published works.

Communications: Electron polarization critically stabilizes the Mg2+ complex in the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 integrase

In this paper, we present a detailed dynamics study of the catalytic core domain (CCD) of HIV-1 integrase using both polarized and nonpolarized force fields. The numerical results reveal the critical role of protein polarization in stabilizing Mg(2+) coordination complex in CCD. Specifically, when nonpolarized force field is used, a remarkable drift of the Mg(2+) complex away from its equilibrium position is observed, which causes the binding site blocked by the Mg(2+) complex. In contrast, when polarized force field is employed in MD simulation, HIV-1 integrase CCD structure is stabilized and both the position of the Mg(2+) complex and the binding site are well preserved. The detailed analysis shows the transition of alpha-helix to 3(10)-helix adjacent to the catalytic loop (residues 139-147), which correlates with the dislocation of the Mg(2+) complex. The current study demonstrates the importance of electronic polarization of protein in stabilizing the metal complex in the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 integrase.

Exploring the binding of inhibitors derived from tetrabromobenzimidazole to the CK2 protein using a QM/MM-PB/SA approach

We present an adaptation of the MM-PB/SA method for the estimation of binding free energies in protein-ligand complexes simulated with QM/MM molecular dynamics. The method is applied to understand the binding of a set of tetrabromobenzimidazole inhibitors to the CK2 protein. We find that the QM/MM interaction energy alone cannot always be used as a predictor of the binding affinity, and the inclusion of solvation effects via the PB/SA method is essential in getting reliable results. In agreement with experimental observations, we show that the van der Waals interactions are the driving force for the binding, while the electrostatic interactions orient these inhibitors in the CK2 active site. Additionally a per-residue energy decomposition analysis was applied to determine the individual contributions to the protein-inhibitor interaction. Based on these results, we hypothesize that the inclusion of a sufficiently large polar group on the tetrabromobenzimidazole skeleton could increase the binding affinity. The results show that the QM/MM-PB/SA method can be successfully employed to understand complicated structure-activity relationships and to design new inhibitors.

Structural and theoretical studies of [6-bromo-1-(4-fluorophenylmethyl)-4(1H)-quinolinon-3-yl)]-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-butenoïc acid as HIV-1 integrase inhibitor

Ethyl [6-bromo-1-(4-fluorophenylmethyl)-4(1H)-quinolinon-3-yl]-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-butenoate 1 and [6-bromo-1-(4-fluorophenylmethyl)-4(1H)-quinolinon-3-yl)]-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-butenoïc acid 2 were synthesized as potential HIV-1 integrase inhibitors and evaluated for their enzymatic and antiviral activity, acidic compound 2 being more potent than ester compound 1. X-ray diffraction analyses and theoretical calculations show that the diketoacid chain of compound 2 is preferentially coplanar with the quinolinone ring (dihedral angle of 0-30 degrees ). Docking studies suggest binding modes in agreement with structure-activity relationships.