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Yu T, Sudhakar N, Okafor CD. Illuminating ligand-induced dynamics in nuclear receptors through MD simulations. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2024; 1867:195025. [PMID: 38614450 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2024.195025] [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: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) regulate gene expression in critical physiological processes, with their functionality finely tuned by ligand-induced conformational changes. While NRs may sometimes undergo significant conformational motions in response to ligand-binding, these effects are more commonly subtle and challenging to study by traditional structural or biophysical methods. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a powerful tool to bridge the gap between static protein-ligand structures and dynamical changes that govern NR function. Here, we summarize a handful of recent studies that apply MD simulations to study NRs. We present diverse methodologies for analyzing simulation data with a detailed examination of the information each method can yield. By delving into the strengths, limitations and unique contributions of these tools, this review provides guidance for extracting meaningful data from MD simulations to advance the goal of understanding the intricate mechanisms by which ligands orchestrate a range of functional outcomes in NRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nishanti Sudhakar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - C Denise Okafor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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2
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Guercia E, Berti F, De Zorzi R, Navarini L, Geremia S, Medagli B, De Conto M, Cassetta A, Forzato C. On the Cholesterol Raising Effect of Coffee Diterpenes Cafestol and 16- O-Methylcafestol: Interaction with Farnesoid X Receptor. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6096. [PMID: 38892285 PMCID: PMC11173301 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116096] [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: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The diterpene cafestol represents the most potent cholesterol-elevating compound known in the human diet, being responsible for more than 80% of the effect of coffee on serum lipids, with a mechanism still not fully clarified. In the present study, the interaction of cafestol and 16-O-methylcafestol with the stabilized ligand-binding domain (LBD) of the Farnesoid X Receptor was evaluated by fluorescence and circular dichroism. Fluorescence quenching was observed with both cafestol and 16-O-methylcafestol due to an interaction occurring in the close environment of the tryptophan W454 residue of the protein, as confirmed by docking and molecular dynamics. A conformational change of the protein was also observed by circular dichroism, particularly for cafestol. These results provide evidence at the molecular level of the interactions of FXR with the coffee diterpenes, confirming that cafestol can act as an agonist of FXR, causing an enhancement of the cholesterol level in blood serum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Guercia
- Aromalab, illycaffè S.p.A., Area Science Park, Località Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (E.G.); (L.N.)
| | - Federico Berti
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.B.); (S.G.); (B.M.); (M.D.C.)
| | - Rita De Zorzi
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.B.); (S.G.); (B.M.); (M.D.C.)
| | - Luciano Navarini
- Aromalab, illycaffè S.p.A., Area Science Park, Località Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (E.G.); (L.N.)
| | - Silvano Geremia
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.B.); (S.G.); (B.M.); (M.D.C.)
| | - Barbara Medagli
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.B.); (S.G.); (B.M.); (M.D.C.)
| | - Marco De Conto
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.B.); (S.G.); (B.M.); (M.D.C.)
| | - Alberto Cassetta
- CNR-Institute of Crystallography, Area Science Park, SS. 14, Km 163.5, Basovizza, 34149 Trieste, Italy;
| | - Cristina Forzato
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.B.); (S.G.); (B.M.); (M.D.C.)
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Agarwal S, Saha S, Ghosh R, Sarmadhikari D, Asthana S, Maiti TK, Khadgawat R, Guchhait P. Elevated glycosylation of CD36 in platelets is a risk factor for oxLDL-mediated platelet activation in type 2 diabetes. FEBS J 2024; 291:376-391. [PMID: 37845743 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16976] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Platelet activation and related cardiovascular complications are the hallmarks of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated the mechanism of platelet activation in T2D using MS-based identification of differentially expressed platelet proteins with a focus on glycosylated forms. Glycosylation is considered one of the common post-translational modifications in T2D, and N/O-linked glycosylation of glycoproteins (GPs)/integrins is known to play crucial roles in platelet activation. Our platelet proteome data revealed elevated levels of GPs GPIbα, GPIIbIIIa, GPIV (CD36), GPV and integrins in T2D patients. T2D platelets had elevated N-linked glycosylation of CD36 at asparagine (Asn)408,417 . Enrichment analysis revealed a close association of glycosylated CD36 with thrombospondin-1, fibrinogen and SERPINA1 in T2D platelets. The glycosylation of CD36 has previously been reported to increase cellular uptake of long-chain fatty acids. Our in silico molecular docking data also showed a favorable binding of cholesterol with glycosylated Asn417 CD36 compared to the non-glycosylated form. We further investigated the CD36:LDL cholesterol axis in T2D. Elevated levels of oxidized-low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) were found to cause significant platelet activation via CD36-mediated stimulation of Lyn-JNK signaling. Sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate, an inhibitor of CD36, effectively inhibited oxLDL-mediated platelet activation and adhesion in vitro. Our study suggests increased glycosylation of CD36 in T2D platelets as a potential route for oxLDL-mediated platelet activation. The oxLDL:CD36 axis may thus be exploited as a prospective target to develop therapeutics against thrombosis in T2D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakshi Agarwal
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Sandhini Saha
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Riya Ghosh
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Debapriyo Sarmadhikari
- Translational Health Science Technology Institute, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science Technology Institute, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Tushar K Maiti
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | | | - Prasenjit Guchhait
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, National Capital Region Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
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4
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Sadhu S, Dandotiya J, Dalal R, Khatri R, Mykytyn AZ, Batra A, Kaur M, Chandwaskar R, Singh V, Kamboj A, Srivastava M, Mani S, Asthana S, Samal S, Rizvi ZA, Salunke DB, Haagmans BL, Awasthi A. Fangchinoline inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV entry. Antiviral Res 2023; 220:105743. [PMID: 37949319 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105743] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, lead to mild to severe respiratory illness and resulted in 6.9 million deaths worldwide. Although vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19, they may not be sufficient to protect immunocompromised individuals from this respiratory illness. Moreover, novel emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 pose a risk of new COVID-19 waves. Therefore, identification of effective antivirals is critical in controlling SARS and other coronaviruses, such as MERS-CoV. We show that Fangchinoline (Fcn), a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, inhibits replication of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV in a range of in vitro assays, by blocking entry. Therapeutic use of Fcn inhibited viral loads in the lungs, and suppressed associated airway inflammation in hACE2. Tg mice and Syrian hamster infected with SARS-CoV-2. Combination of Fcn with remdesivir (RDV) or an anti-leprosy drug, Clofazimine, exhibited synergistic antiviral activity. Compared to Fcn, its synthetic derivative, MK-04-003, more effectively inhibited SARS-CoV-2 and its variants B.1.617.2 and BA.5 in mice. Taken together these data demonstrate that Fcn is a pan beta coronavirus inhibitor, which possibly can be used to combat novel emerging coronavirus diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srikanth Sadhu
- Center for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India; Immunology-Core Lab, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Jyotsna Dandotiya
- Center for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Rajdeep Dalal
- Center for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Ritika Khatri
- Infection and Immunology Center, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Anna Z Mykytyn
- Viroscience Department, Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Sophia Children's Hospital, Netherlands
| | - Aashima Batra
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India; National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccines, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Manpreet Kaur
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India; National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccines, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Virendra Singh
- Center for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Aarzoo Kamboj
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India; National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccines, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Mitul Srivastava
- Computational Biophysics and CADD Group, Computational and Mathematical Biology Center (CMBC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Shailendra Mani
- Infection and Immunology Center, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Computational Biophysics and CADD Group, Computational and Mathematical Biology Center (CMBC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Sweety Samal
- Infection and Immunology Center, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Zaigham Abbas Rizvi
- Center for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India; Immunology-Core Lab, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Deepak B Salunke
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India; National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccines, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Bart L Haagmans
- Viroscience Department, Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands
| | - Amit Awasthi
- Center for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India; Immunology-Core Lab, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India.
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Khatri R, Lohiya B, Kaur G, Maithil V, Goswami A, Sarmadhikari D, Asthana S, Samal S. Understanding the role of conserved proline and serine residues in the SARS-CoV-2 spike cleavage sites in the virus entry, fusion, and infectivity. 3 Biotech 2023; 13:323. [PMID: 37663753 PMCID: PMC10469153 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-023-03749-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The spike (S) glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to the host cell receptor and promotes the virus's entry into the target host cell. This interaction is primed by host cell proteases like furin and TMPRSS2, which act at the S1/S2 and S2´ cleavage sites, respectively. Both cleavage sites have serine or proline residues flanking either the single or polybasic region and were found to be conserved in coronaviruses. Unravelling the effects of these conserved residues on the virus entry and infectivity might facilitate the development of novel therapeutics. Here, we have investigated the role of the conserved serine and proline residues in the SARS-CoV-2 spike mediated entry, fusogenicity, and viral infectivity by using the HIV-1/spike-based pseudovirus system. A conserved serine residue mutation to alanine (S2´S-A) at the S2´ cleavage site resulted in the complete loss of spike cleavage. Exogenous treatment with trypsin or overexpression of TMPRSS2 protease could not rescue the loss of spike cleavage and biological activity. The S2´S-A mutant showed no significant responses against E-64d, TMPRSS2 or other relevant inhibitors. Taken together, serine at the S2´ site in the spike protein was indispensable for spike protein cleavage and virus infectivity. Thus, novel interventions targeting the conserved serine at the S2´ cleavage site should be explored to reduce severe disease caused by SARS-CoV-2-and novel emerging variants. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03749-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritika Khatri
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Bharat Lohiya
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Gurleen Kaur
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Vikas Maithil
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Abhishek Goswami
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Debapriyo Sarmadhikari
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
| | - Sweety Samal
- Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana 121001 India
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6
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Maddipati VC, Mittal L, Kaur J, Rawat Y, Koraboina CP, Bhattacharyya S, Asthana S, Gundla R. Discovery of non-nucleoside oxindole derivatives as potent inhibitors against dengue RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Bioorg Chem 2023; 131:106277. [PMID: 36444792 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106277] [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: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A series of thiazole linked Oxindole-5-Sulfonamide (OSA) derivatives were designed as inhibitors of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity of Dengue virus. These were synthesized and then evaluated for their efficacy in ex-vivo virus replication assay using human cell lines. Among 20 primary compounds in the series, OSA-15 was identified as a hit. A series of analogues were synthesized by replacing the difluoro benzyl group of OSA-15 with different substituted benzyl groups. The efficacy of OSA-15derivatives was less than that of the parent compound, except OSA-15-17, which has shown improved efficacy than OSA-15. The further optimization was carried out by adding dimethyl (DM) groups to both the sulfonamide and oxindole NH's to produce OSA-15-DM and OSA-15-17-DM. These two compounds were showing no detectable cytotoxicity and the latter was more efficacious. Further, both these compounds were tested for inhibition in all the serotypes of the Dengue virus using an ex-vivo assay. The EC50 of OSA-15-17-DM was observed in a low micromolar range between 2.5 and 5.0 µg/ml. Computation docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies confirmed the binding of identified hits to DENV RdRp. OSA15-17-DM blocks the RNA entrance and elongation site for their biological activity with high binding affinity. Overall, the identified oxindole derivatives are novel compounds that can inhibit Dengue replication, working as non-nucleoside inhibitors (NNI) to explore as anti-viral RdRp activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lovika Mittal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3(rd)Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Jaskaran Kaur
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3(rd)Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Yogita Rawat
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3(rd)Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Chandra Prakash Koraboina
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad, Telangana 502 329, India
| | - Sankar Bhattacharyya
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3(rd)Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India.
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3(rd)Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India.
| | - Rambabu Gundla
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad, Telangana 502 329, India.
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Kumari A, Mittal L, Srivastava M, Pathak DP, Asthana S. Deciphering the Structural Determinants Critical in Attaining the FXR Partial Agonism. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:465-485. [PMID: 36609158 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Elucidation of structural determinants is pivotal for structure-based drug discovery. The Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a proven target for NASH; however, its full agonism causes certain clinical complications. Therefore, partial agonism (PA) appears as a viable alternative for improved therapeutics. Since the agonist and PA both share the same binding site, i.e., ligand-binding pocket (LBP), which is highly dynamic and has synergy with the substrate binding site, the selective designing of PA is challenging. The identification of structural and conformational determinants is critical for PA compared with an agonist. Furthermore, the mechanism by which PA modulates the structural dynamics of FXR at the residue level, a prerequisite for PA designing, is still elusive. Here, by using ∼4.5 μs of MD simulations and residue-wise communication network analysis, we identified the structural regions which are flexible with PA but frozen with an agonist. Also, the network analysis identified the considerable changes between an agonist and PA in biologically essential zones of FXR such as helix H10/H11 and loop L:H11/H12, which lead to the modulation of synergy between LBP and the substrate binding site. Furthermore, the thermodynamic profiling suggested the methionine residues, mainly M328, M365, and M450, seem to be responsible for the recruitment of PA. The other residues I357, Y361, L465, F308, Q316, and K321 are also identified, exclusively interacting with PA. This study offers novel structural and mechanistic insights that are critical for FXR targeted drug discovery for PA designing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Kumari
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana121001, India.,Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), New Delhi110017, India
| | - Lovika Mittal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana121001, India
| | - Mitul Srivastava
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana121001, India
| | - Dharam Pal Pathak
- Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR), New Delhi110017, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana121001, India
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Srivastava M, Mittal L, Kumari A, Agrahari AK, Singh M, Mathur R, Asthana S. Characterizing (un)binding mechanism of USP7 inhibitors to unravel the cause of enhanced binding potencies at allosteric checkpoint. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4398. [PMID: 36629250 PMCID: PMC9835771 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The ability to predict the intricate mechanistic behavior of ligands and associated structural determinants during protein-ligand (un)binding is of great practical importance in drug discovery. Ubiquitin specific protease-7 (USP7) is a newly emerging attractive cancer therapeutic target with bound allosteric inhibitors. However, none of the inhibitors have reached clinical trials, allowing opportunities to examine every aspect of allosteric modulation. The crystallographic insights reveal that these inhibitors have common properties such as chemical scaffolds, binding site and interaction fingerprinting. However, they still possess a broader range of binding potencies, ranging from 22 nM to 1,300 nM. Hence, it becomes more critical to decipher the structural determinants guiding the enhanced binding potency of the inhibitors. In this regard, we elucidated the atomic-level insights from both interacting partners, that is, protein-ligand perspective, and established the structure-activity link between USP7 inhibitors by using classical and advanced molecular dynamics simulations combined with linear interaction energy and molecular mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann surface area. We revealed the inhibitor potency differences by examining the contributions of chemical moieties and USP7 residues, the involvement of water-mediated interactions, and the thermodynamic landscape alterations. Additionally, the dissociation profiles aided in the establishment of a correlation between experimental potencies and structural determinants. Our study demonstrates the critical role of blocking loop 1 in allosteric inhibition and enhanced binding affinity. Comprehensively, our findings provide a constructive expansion of experimental outcomes and show the basis for varying binding potency using in-silico approaches. We expect this atomistic approach to be useful for effective drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitul Srivastava
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)FaridabadIndia
- Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU)New DelhiIndia
| | - Lovika Mittal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)FaridabadIndia
| | - Anita Kumari
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)FaridabadIndia
| | | | - Mrityunjay Singh
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)FaridabadIndia
| | - Rajani Mathur
- Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR)New DelhiIndia
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)FaridabadIndia
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