Structural study and thermodynamic characterization of inhibitor binding to lumazine synthase from Bacillus anthracis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morgunova, Ekaterina [Karolinska Institutet NOVUM, Center of Structural Biochemistry, Hälsovägen 7-9, 141 57 Huddinge (Sweden); Illarionov, Boris; Saller, Sabine [Institut für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg (Germany); Popov, Aleksander [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, F-38043 Grenoble CEDEX 09 (France); Sambaiah, Thota [Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University (United States); Bacher, Adelbert [Chemistry Department, Technical University of Munich, 85747 Garching (Germany); Cushman, Mark [Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University (United States); Fischer, Markus [Institut für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg (Germany); Ladenstein, Rudolf, E-mail: rudolf.ladenstein@ki.se [Karolinska Institutet NOVUM, Center of Structural Biochemistry, Hälsovägen 7-9, 141 57 Huddinge (Sweden)

2010-09-01

Crystallographic studies of lumazine synthase, the penultimate enzyme of the riboflavin-biosynthetic pathway in B. anthracis, provide a structural framework for the design of antibiotic inhibitors, together with calorimetric and kinetic investigations of inhibitor binding. The crystal structure of lumazine synthase from Bacillus anthracis was solved by molecular replacement and refined to R{sub cryst} = 23.7% (R{sub free} = 28.4%) at a resolution of 3.5 Å. The structure reveals the icosahedral symmetry of the enzyme and specific features of the active site that are unique in comparison with previously determined orthologues. The application of isothermal titration calorimetry in combination with enzyme kinetics showed that three designed pyrimidine derivatives bind to lumazine synthase with micromolar dissociation constants and competitively inhibit the catalytic reaction. Structure-based modelling suggested the binding modes of the inhibitors in the active site and allowed an estimation of the possible contacts formed upon binding. The results provide a structural framework for the design of antibiotics active against B. anthracis.

Binding of the Inhibitor Protein IF1 to Bovine F1-ATPase

Science.gov (United States)

Bason, John V.; Runswick, Michael J.; Fearnley, Ian M.; Walker, John E.

2011-01-01

In the structure of bovine F1-ATPase inhibited with residues 1–60 of the bovine inhibitor protein IF1, the α-helical inhibitor interacts with five of the nine subunits of F1-ATPase. In order to understand the contributions of individual amino acid residues to this complex binding mode, N-terminal deletions and point mutations have been introduced, and the binding properties of each mutant inhibitor protein have been examined. The N-terminal region of IF1 destabilizes the interaction of the inhibitor with F1-ATPase and may assist in removing the inhibitor from its binding site when F1Fo-ATPase is making ATP. Binding energy is provided by hydrophobic interactions between residues in the long α-helix of IF1 and the C-terminal domains of the βDP-subunit and βTP-subunit and a salt bridge between residue E30 in the inhibitor and residue R408 in the C-terminal domain of the βDP-subunit. Several conserved charged amino acids in the long α-helix of IF1 are also required for establishing inhibitory activity, but in the final inhibited state, they are not in contact with F1-ATPase and occupy aqueous cavities in F1-ATPase. They probably participate in the pathway from the initial interaction of the inhibitor and the enzyme to the final inhibited complex observed in the structure, in which two molecules of ATP are hydrolysed and the rotor of the enzyme turns through two 120° steps. These findings contribute to the fundamental understanding of how the inhibitor functions and to the design of new inhibitors for the systematic analysis of the catalytic cycle of the enzyme. PMID:21192948

Structure-guided approach identifies a novel class of HIV-1 ribonuclease H inhibitors: binding mode insights through magnesium complexation and site-directed mutagenesis studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poongavanam, Vasanthanathan; Corona, Angela; Steinmann, Casper

2018-01-01

is a long and expensive process that can be speeded up by in silico methods. In the present study, a structure-guided screening is coupled with a similarity-based search on the Specs database to identify a new class of HIV-1 RNase H inhibitors. Out of the 45 compounds selected for experimental testing, 15...... inhibited the RNase H function below 100 μM with three hits exhibiting IC50 values active compound, AA, inhibits HIV-1 RNase H with an IC50 of 5.1 μM and exhibits a Mg-independent mode of inhibition. Site-directed mutagenesis studies provide valuable insight into the binding mode of newly...

Overlapping binding sites for trypsin and papain on a Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor from Prosopis juliflora.

Science.gov (United States)

Franco, Octávio L; Grossi de Sá, Maria F; Sales, Maurício P; Mello, Luciane V; Oliveira, Adeliana S; Rigden, Daniel J

2002-11-15

Proteinase inhibitors are among the most promising candidates for expression by transgenic plants and consequent protection against insect predation. However, some insects can respond to the threat of the proteinase inhibitor by the production of enzymes insensitive to inhibition. Inhibitors combining more than one favorable activity are therefore strongly favored. Recently, a known small Kunitz trypsin inhibitor from Prosopis juliflora (PTPKI) has been shown to possess unexpected potent cysteine proteinase inhibitory activity. Here we show, by enzyme assay and gel filtration, that, unlike other Kunitz inhibitors with dual activities, this inhibitor is incapable of simultaneous inhibition of trypsin and papain. These data are most readily interpreted by proposing overlapping binding sites for the two enzymes. Molecular modeling and docking experiments favor an interaction mode in which the same inhibitor loop that interacts in a canonical fashion with trypsin can also bind into the papain catalytic site cleft. Unusual residue substitutions at the proposed interface can explain the relative rarity of twin trypsin/papain inhibition. Other changes seem responsible for the relative low affinity of PTPKI for trypsin. The predicted coincidence of trypsin and papain binding sites, once confirmed, would facilitate the search, by phage display for example, for mutants highly active against both proteinases. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Exhaustive sampling of docking poses reveals binding hypotheses for propafenone type inhibitors of P-glycoprotein.

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Freya Klepsch

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Overexpression of the xenotoxin transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp represents one major reason for the development of multidrug resistance (MDR, leading to the failure of antibiotic and cancer therapies. Inhibitors of P-gp have thus been advocated as promising candidates for overcoming the problem of MDR. However, due to lack of a high-resolution structure the concrete mode of interaction of both substrates and inhibitors is still not known. Therefore, structure-based design studies have to rely on protein homology models. In order to identify binding hypotheses for propafenone-type P-gp inhibitors, five different propafenone derivatives with known structure-activity relationship (SAR pattern were docked into homology models of the apo and the nucleotide-bound conformation of the transporter. To circumvent the uncertainty of scoring functions, we exhaustively sampled the pose space and analyzed the poses by combining information retrieved from SAR studies with common scaffold clustering. The results suggest propafenone binding at the transmembrane helices 5, 6, 7 and 8 in both models, with the amino acid residue Y307 playing a crucial role. The identified binding site in the non-energized state is overlapping with, but not identical to, known binding areas of cyclic P-gp inhibitors and verapamil. These findings support the idea of several small binding sites forming one large binding cavity. Furthermore, the binding hypotheses for both catalytic states were analyzed and showed only small differences in their protein-ligand interaction fingerprints, which indicates only small movements of the ligand during the catalytic cycle.

Discovery of Highly Selective and Nanomolar Carbamate-Based Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors by Rational Investigation into Their Inhibition Mode.

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Sawatzky, Edgar; Wehle, Sarah; Kling, Beata; Wendrich, Jan; Bringmann, Gerhard; Sotriffer, Christoph A; Heilmann, Jörg; Decker, Michael

2016-03-10

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is a promising target for the treatment of later stage cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. A set of pseudo-irreversible BChE inhibitors with high selectivity over hAChE was synthesized based on carbamates attached to tetrahydroquinazoline scaffolds with the 2-thiophenyl compound 2p as the most potent inhibitor of eqBChE (KC = 14.3 nM) and also of hBChE (KC = 19.7 nM). The inhibitors transfer the carbamate moiety onto the active site under release of the phenolic tetrahydroquinazoline scaffolds that themselves act as neuroprotectants. By combination of kinetic data with molecular docking studies, a plausible binding model was probed describing how the tetrahydroquinazoline scaffold guides the carbamate into a close position to the active site. The model explains the influence of the carrier scaffold onto the affinity of an inhibitor just before carbamate transfer. This strategy can be used to utilize the binding mode of other carbamate-based inhibitors.

Structures of human Golgi-resident glutaminyl cyclase and its complexes with inhibitors reveal a large loop movement upon inhibitor binding.

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Huang, Kai-Fa; Liaw, Su-Sen; Huang, Wei-Lin; Chia, Cho-Yun; Lo, Yan-Chung; Chen, Yi-Ling; Wang, Andrew H-J

2011-04-08

Aberrant pyroglutamate formation at the N terminus of certain peptides and proteins, catalyzed by glutaminyl cyclases (QCs), is linked to some pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer disease. Recently, a glutaminyl cyclase (QC) inhibitor, PBD150, was shown to be able to reduce the deposition of pyroglutamate-modified amyloid-β peptides in brain of transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer disease, leading to a significant improvement of learning and memory in those transgenic animals. Here, we report the 1.05-1.40 Å resolution structures, solved by the sulfur single-wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing method, of the Golgi-luminal catalytic domain of the recently identified Golgi-resident QC (gQC) and its complex with PBD150. We also describe the high-resolution structures of secretory QC (sQC)-PBD150 complex and two other gQC-inhibitor complexes. gQC structure has a scaffold similar to that of sQC but with a relatively wider and negatively charged active site, suggesting a distinct substrate specificity from sQC. Upon binding to PBD150, a large loop movement in gQC allows the inhibitor to be tightly held in its active site primarily by hydrophobic interactions. Further comparisons of the inhibitor-bound structures revealed distinct interactions of the inhibitors with gQC and sQC, which are consistent with the results from our inhibitor assays reported here. Because gQC and sQC may play different biological roles in vivo, the different inhibitor binding modes allow the design of specific inhibitors toward gQC and sQC.

New insight into the binding modes of TNP-AMP to human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xinya; Huang, Yunyuan; Zhang, Rui; Xiao, San; Zhu, Shuaihuan; Qin, Nian; Hong, Zongqin; Wei, Lin; Feng, Jiangtao; Ren, Yanliang; Feng, Lingling; Wan, Jian

2016-08-05

Human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) contains two binding sites, a substrate fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) active site and an adenosine monophosphate (AMP) allosteric site. The FBP active site works by stabilizing the FBPase, and the allosteric site impairs the activity of FBPase through its binding of a nonsubstrate molecule. The fluorescent AMP analogue, 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine 5'-monophosphate (TNP-AMP) has been used as a fluorescent probe as it is able to competitively inhibit AMP binding to the AMP allosteric site and, therefore, could be used for exploring the binding modes of inhibitors targeted on the allosteric site. In this study, we have re-examined the binding modes of TNP-AMP to FBPase. However, our present enzyme kinetic assays show that AMP and FBP both can reduce the fluorescence from the bound TNP-AMP through competition for FBPase, suggesting that TNP-AMP binds not only to the AMP allosteric site but also to the FBP active site. Mutagenesis assays of K274L (located in the FBP active site) show that the residue K274 is very important for TNP-AMP to bind to the active site of FBPase. The results further prove that TNP-AMP is able to bind individually to the both sites. Our present study provides a new insight into the binding mechanism of TNP-AMP to the FBPase. The TNP-AMP fluorescent probe can be used to exam the binding site of an inhibitor (the active site or the allosteric site) using FBPase saturated by AMP and FBP, respectively, or the K247L mutant FBPase. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural insights into the binding mechanism of IDO1 with hydroxylamidine based inhibitor INCB14943

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, You; Xu, Tingting; Liu, Jinsong; Ding, Ke; Xu, Jinxin

2017-01-01

IDO1 (indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase 1), a well characterized immunosuppressive enzyme, has attracted growing attention as a potential target for cancer immunotherapy. Hydroxylamidine compounds INCB024360 and INCB14943 (INCB024360 analogue) are highly effective IDO1 inhibitors. INCB024360 is undergoing clinical trials for treatment of various types of human cancer. Here, we determined the co-crystal structure of IDO1 and INCB14943, and elucidate the detailed binding mode. INCB14943 binds to heme iron in IDO1 protein through the oxime nitrogen. Further analysis also reveals that a halogen bonding interaction between the chlorine atom (3-Cl) of INCB14943 and the sulphur atom of C129 significantly improves the inhibition activity against IDO1. Comparing with the other reported inhibitors, the oxime nitrogen and halogen bond interaction are identified as the unique features of INCB14943 among the IDO1 inhibitors. Thus, our study provides novel insights into the interaction between a small molecule inhibitor INCB14943 and IDO1 protein. The structural information will facilitate future IDO1 inhibitor design. - Highlights: • This is the first co-crystal structure of IDO1 with hydroxylamidine compound. • INCB14943 binds to heme iron through oxime nitrogen instead of imidazole nitrogen. • Halogen bond interaction with C129 is another unique feature of INCB14943.

Structural insights into substrate and inhibitor binding sites in human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis-Ballester, Ariel; Pham, Khoa N.; Batabyal, Dipanwita; Karkashon, Shay; Bonanno, Jeffrey B.; Poulos, Thomas L.; Yeh, Syun-Ru (Einstein); (UCI)

2017-11-22

Human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (hIDO1) is an attractive cancer immunotherapeutic target owing to its role in promoting tumoral immune escape. However, drug development has been hindered by limited structural information. Here, we report the crystal structures of hIDO1 in complex with its substrate, Trp, an inhibitor, epacadostat, and/or an effector, indole ethanol (IDE). The data reveal structural features of the active site (Sa) critical for substrate activation; in addition, they disclose a new inhibitor-binding mode and a distinct small molecule binding site (Si). Structure-guided mutation of a critical residue, F270, to glycine perturbs the Si site, allowing structural determination of an inhibitory complex, where both the Sa and Si sites are occupied by Trp. The Si site offers a novel target site for allosteric inhibitors and a molecular explanation for the previously baffling substrate-inhibition behavior of the enzyme. Taken together, the data open exciting new avenues for structure-based drug design.

Binding of indomethacin methyl ester to cyclooxygenase-2. A computational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sárosi, Menyhárt-Botond

2018-06-05

Inhibitors selective towards the second isoform of prostaglandin synthase (cyclooxygenase, COX-2) are promising nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antitumor medications. Methylation of the carboxylate group in the relatively nonselective COX inhibitor indomethacin confers significant COX-2 selectivity. Several other modifications converting indomethacin into a COX-2 selective inhibitor have been reported. Earlier experimental and computational studies on neutral indomethacin derivatives suggest that the methyl ester derivative likely binds to COX-2 with a similar binding mode as that observed for the parent indomethacin. However, docking studies followed by molecular dynamics simulations revealed two possible binding modes in COX-2 for indomethacin methyl ester, which differs from the experimental binding mode found for indomethacin. Both alternative binding modes might explain the observed COX-2 selectivity of indomethacin methyl ester. Graphical abstract Binding of indomethacin methyl ester to cyclooxygenase-2.

Molecular modeling study on the allosteric inhibition mechanism of HIV-1 integrase by LEDGF/p75 binding site inhibitors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiwei Xue

Full Text Available HIV-1 integrase (IN is essential for the integration of viral DNA into the host genome and an attractive therapeutic target for developing antiretroviral inhibitors. LEDGINs are a class of allosteric inhibitors targeting LEDGF/p75 binding site of HIV-1 IN. Yet, the detailed binding mode and allosteric inhibition mechanism of LEDGINs to HIV-1 IN is only partially understood, which hinders the structure-based design of more potent anti-HIV agents. A molecular modeling study combining molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and binding free energy calculation were performed to investigate the interaction details of HIV-1 IN catalytic core domain (CCD with two recently discovered LEDGINs BI-1001 and CX14442, as well as the LEDGF/p75 protein. Simulation results demonstrated the hydrophobic domain of BI-1001 and CX14442 engages one subunit of HIV-1 IN CCD dimer through hydrophobic interactions, and the hydrophilic group forms hydrogen bonds with HIV-1 IN CCD residues from other subunit. CX14442 has a larger tert-butyl group than the methyl of BI-1001, and forms better interactions with the highly hydrophobic binding pocket of HIV-1 IN CCD dimer interface, which can explain the stronger affinity of CX14442 than BI-1001. Analysis of the binding mode of LEDGF/p75 with HIV-1 IN CCD reveals that the LEDGF/p75 integrase binding domain residues Ile365, Asp366, Phe406 and Val408 have significant contributions to the binding of the LEDGF/p75 to HIV1-IN. Remarkably, we found that binding of BI-1001 and CX14442 to HIV-1 IN CCD induced the structural rearrangements of the 140 s loop and oration displacements of the side chains of the three conserved catalytic residues Asp64, Asp116, and Glu152 located at the active site. These results we obtained will be valuable not only for understanding the allosteric inhibition mechanism of LEDGINs but also for the rational design of allosteric inhibitors of HIV-1 IN targeting LEDGF/p75 binding site.

Dihydroquinazolines as a novel class of Trypanosoma brucei trypanothione reductase inhibitors: discovery, synthesis, and characterization of their binding mode by protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Stephen; Alphey, Magnus S; Jones, Deuan C; Shanks, Emma J; Street, Ian P; Frearson, Julie A; Wyatt, Paul G; Gilbert, Ian H; Fairlamb, Alan H

2011-10-13

Trypanothione reductase (TryR) is a genetically validated drug target in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei , the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis. Here we report the discovery, synthesis, and development of a novel series of TryR inhibitors based on a 3,4-dihydroquinazoline scaffold. In addition, a high resolution crystal structure of TryR, alone and in complex with substrates and inhibitors from this series, is presented. This represents the first report of a high resolution complex between a noncovalent ligand and this enzyme. Structural studies revealed that upon ligand binding the enzyme undergoes a conformational change to create a new subpocket which is occupied by an aryl group on the ligand. Therefore, the inhibitor, in effect, creates its own small binding pocket within the otherwise large, solvent exposed active site. The TryR-ligand structure was subsequently used to guide the synthesis of inhibitors, including analogues that challenged the induced subpocket. This resulted in the development of inhibitors with improved potency against both TryR and T. brucei parasites in a whole cell assay.

Structural analysis of substrate recognition by glucose isomerase in Mn2+ binding mode at M2 site in S. rubiginosus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Ji-Eun; Hwang, Kwang Yeon; Nam, Ki Hyun

2018-06-16

Glucose isomerase (GI) catalyzes the reversible enzymatic isomerization of d-glucose and d-xylose to d-fructose and d-xylulose, respectively. This is one of the most important enzymes in the production of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and biofuel. We recently determined the crystal structure of GI from S. rubiginosus (SruGI) complexed with a xylitol inhibitor in one metal binding mode. Although we assessed inhibitor binding at the M1 site, the metal binding at the M2 site and the substrate recognition mechanism for SruGI remains the unclear. Here, we report the crystal structure of the two metal binding modes of SruGI and its complex with glucose. This study provides a snapshot of metal binding at the SruGI M2 site in the presence of Mn 2+ , but not in the presence of Mg 2+ . Metal binding at the M2 site elicits a configuration change at the M1 site. Glucose molecule can only bind to the M1 site in presence of Mn 2+ at the M2 site. Glucose and Mn 2+ at the M2 site were bridged by water molecules using a hydrogen bonding network. The metal binding geometry of the M2 site indicates a distorted octahedral coordination with an angle of 55-110°, whereas the M1 site has a relatively stable octahedral coordination with an angle of 85-95°. We suggest a two-step sequential process for SruGI substrate recognition, in Mn 2+ binding mode, at the M2 site. Our results provide a better understanding of the molecular role of the M2 site in GI substrate recognition. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Acyl-CoA-binding protein/diazepam-binding inhibitor gene and pseudogenes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mandrup, S; Hummel, R; Ravn, S

1992-01-01

Acyl-CoA-binding protein (ACBP) is a 10 kDa protein isolated from bovine liver by virtue of its ability to bind and induce the synthesis of medium-chain acyl-CoA esters. Surprisingly, it turned out to be identical to a protein named diazepam-binding Inhibitor (DBI) claimed to be an endogenous mod...... have molecularly cloned and characterized the ACBP/DBI gene family in rat. The rat ACBP/DBI gene family comprises one expressed gene and four processed pseudogenes of which one was shown to exist in two allelic forms. The expressed gene is organized into four exons and three introns...

Identification of a polyoxometalate inhibitor of the DNA binding activity of Sox2.

Science.gov (United States)

Narasimhan, Kamesh; Pillay, Shubhadra; Bin Ahmad, Nor Rizal; Bikadi, Zsolt; Hazai, Eszter; Yan, Li; Kolatkar, Prasanna R; Pervushin, Konstantin; Jauch, Ralf

2011-06-17

Aberrant expression of transcription factors is a frequent cause of disease, yet drugs that modulate transcription factor protein-DNA interactions are presently unavailable. To this end, the chemical tractability of the DNA binding domain of the stem cell inducer and oncogene Sox2 was explored in a high-throughput fluorescence anisotropy screen. The screening revealed a Dawson polyoxometalate (K(6)[P(2)Mo(18)O(62)]) as a direct and nanomolar inhibitor of the DNA binding activity of Sox2. The Dawson polyoxometalate (Dawson-POM) was found to be selective for Sox2 and related Sox-HMG family members when compared to unrelated paired and zinc finger DNA binding domains. [(15)N,(1)H]-Transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy (TROSY) experiments coupled with docking studies suggest an interaction site of the POM on the Sox2 surface that enabled the rationalization of its inhibitory activity. The unconventional molecular scaffold of the Dawson-POM and its inhibitory mode provides strategies for the development of drugs that modulate transcription factors.

The binding mechanism of a peptidic cyclic serine protease inhibitor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Longguang; Svane, Anna Sigrid P.; Sørensen, Hans Peter

2011-01-01

Serine proteases are classical objects for studies of catalytic and inhibitory mechanisms as well as interesting as therapeutic targets. Since small-molecule serine protease inhibitors generally suffer from specificity problems, peptidic inhibitors, isolated from phage-displayed peptide libraries......, have attracted considerable attention. Here, we have investigated the mechanism of binding of peptidic inhibitors to serine protease targets. Our model is upain-1 (CSWRGLENHRMC), a disulfide-bond-constrained competitive inhibitor of human urokinase-type plasminogen activator with a noncanonical...... inhibitory mechanism and an unusually high specificity. Using a number of modified variants of upain-1, we characterised the upain-1-urokinase-type plasminogen activator complex using X-ray crystal structure analysis, determined a model of the peptide in solution by NMR spectroscopy, and analysed binding...

Nonspecific DNA Binding and Bending by HUαβ: Interfaces of the Three Binding Modes Characterized by Salt Dependent Thermodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Junseock; Shkel, Irina; Saecker, Ruth M.; Record, M. Thomas

2011-01-01

Previous ITC and FRET studies demonstrated that Escherichia coli HUαβ binds nonspecifically to duplex DNA in three different binding modes: a tighter-binding 34 bp mode which interacts with DNA in large (>34 bp) gaps between bound proteins, reversibly bending it 140° and thereby increasing its flexibility, and two weaker, modestly cooperative small-site-size modes (10 bp, 6 bp) useful for filling gaps between bound proteins shorter than 34 bp. Here we use ITC to determine the thermodynamics of these binding modes as a function of salt concentration, and deduce that DNA in the 34 bp mode is bent around but not wrapped on the body of HU, in contrast to specific binding of IHF. Analyses of binding isotherms (8, 15, 34 bp DNA) and initial binding heats (34, 38, 160 bp DNA) reveal that all three modes have similar log-log salt concentration derivatives of the binding constants (Ski) even though their binding site sizes differ greatly; most probable values of Ski on 34 bp or larger DNA are − 7.5 ± 0.5. From the similarity of Ski values, we conclude that binding interfaces of all three modes involve the same region of the arms and saddle of HU. All modes are entropy-driven, as expected for nonspecific binding driven by the polyelectrolyte effect. The bent-DNA 34 bp mode is most endothermic, presumably because of the cost of HU-induced DNA bending, while the 6 bp mode is modestly exothermic at all salt concentrations examined. Structural models consistent with the observed Ski values are proposed. PMID:21513716

Effect of cobratoxin binding on the normal mode vibration within acetylcholine binding protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertaccini, Edward J; Lindahl, Erik; Sixma, Titia; Trudell, James R

2008-04-01

Recent crystal structures of the acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP) have revealed surprisingly small structural alterations upon ligand binding. Here we investigate the extent to which ligand binding may affect receptor dynamics. AChBP is a homologue of the extracellular component of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs). We have previously used an elastic network normal-mode analysis to propose a gating mechanism for the LGICs and to suggest the effects of various ligands on such motions. However, the difficulties with elastic network methods lie in their inability to account for the modest effects of a small ligand or mutation on ion channel motion. Here, we report the successful application of an elastic network normal mode technique to measure the effects of large ligand binding on receptor dynamics. The present calculations demonstrate a clear alteration in the native symmetric motions of a protein due to the presence of large protein cobratoxin ligands. In particular, normal-mode analysis revealed that cobratoxin binding to this protein significantly dampened the axially symmetric motion of the AChBP that may be associated with channel gating in the full nAChR. The results suggest that alterations in receptor dynamics could be a general feature of ligand binding.

CW EPR parameters reveal cytochrome P450 ligand binding modes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockart, Molly M; Rodriguez, Carlo A; Atkins, William M; Bowman, Michael K

2018-06-01

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) monoxygenses utilize heme cofactors to catalyze oxidation reactions. They play a critical role in metabolism of many classes of drugs, are an attractive target for drug development, and mediate several prominent drug interactions. Many substrates and inhibitors alter the spin state of the ferric heme by displacing the heme's axial water ligand in the resting enzyme to yield a five-coordinate iron complex, or they replace the axial water to yield a nitrogen-ligated six-coordinate iron complex, which are traditionally assigned by UV-vis spectroscopy. However, crystal structures and recent pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies find a few cases where molecules hydrogen bond to the axial water. The water-bridged drug-H 2 O-heme has UV-vis spectra similar to nitrogen-ligated, six-coordinate complexes, but are closer to "reverse type I" complexes described in older liteature. Here, pulsed and continuous wave (CW) EPR demonstrate that water-bridged complexes are remarkably common among a range of nitrogenous drugs or drug fragments that bind to CYP3A4 or CYP2C9. Principal component analysis reveals a distinct clustering of CW EPR spectral parameters for water-bridged complexes. CW EPR reveals heterogeneous mixtures of ligated states, including multiple directly-coordinated complexes and water-bridged complexes. These results suggest that water-bridged complexes are under-represented in CYP structural databases and can have energies similar to other ligation modes. The data indicates that water-bridged binding modes can be identified and distinguished from directly-coordinated binding by CW EPR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inhibitors of the Hepatitis C Virus Polymerase; Mode of Action and Resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Eltahla, Auda A; Luciani, Fabio; White, Peter A; Lloyd, Andrew R; Bull, Rowena A

2015-09-29

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a pandemic human pathogen posing a substantial health and economic burden in both developing and developed countries. Controlling the spread of HCV through behavioural prevention strategies has met with limited success and vaccine development remains slow. The development of antiviral therapeutic agents has also been challenging, primarily due to the lack of efficient cell culture and animal models for all HCV genotypes, as well as the large genetic diversity between HCV strains. On the other hand, the use of interferon-α-based treatments in combination with the guanosine analogue, ribavirin, achieved limited success, and widespread use of these therapies has been hampered by prevalent side effects. For more than a decade, the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) has been targeted for antiviral development, and direct-acting antivirals (DAA) have been identified which bind to one of at least six RdRp inhibitor-binding sites, and are now becoming a mainstay of highly effective and well tolerated antiviral treatment for HCV infection. Here we review the different classes of RdRp inhibitors and their mode of action against HCV. Furthermore, the mechanism of antiviral resistance to each class is described, including naturally occurring resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in different viral strains and genotypes. Finally, we review the impact of these RAVs on treatment outcomes with the newly developed regimens.

Prediction of the binding mode and resistance profile for a dual-target pyrrolyl diketo acid scaffold against HIV-1 integrase and reverse-transcriptase-associated ribonuclease H.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Fengyuan; Zheng, Guoxun; Fu, Tingting; Li, Xiaofeng; Tu, Gao; Li, Ying Hong; Yao, Xiaojun; Xue, Weiwei; Zhu, Feng

2018-06-27

The rapid emergence of drug-resistant variants is one of the most common causes of highly active antiretroviral therapeutic (HAART) failure in patients infected with HIV-1. Compared with the existing HAART, the recently developed pyrrolyl diketo acid scaffold targeting both HIV-1 integrase (IN) and reverse transcriptase-associated ribonuclease H (RNase H) is an efficient approach to counteract the failure of anti-HIV treatment due to drug resistance. However, the binding mode and potential resistance profile of these inhibitors with important mechanistic principles remain poorly understood. To address this issue, an integrated computational method was employed to investigate the binding mode of inhibitor JMC6F with HIV-1 IN and RNase H. By using per-residue binding free energy decomposition analysis, the following residues: Asp64, Thr66, Leu68, Asp116, Tyr143, Gln148 and Glu152 in IN, Asp443, Glu478, Trp536, Lys541 and Asp549 in RNase H were identified as key residues for JMC6F binding. And then computational alanine scanning was carried to further verify the key residues. Moreover, the resistance profile of the currently known major mutations in HIV-1 IN and 2 mutations in RNase H against JMC6F was predicted by in silico mutagenesis studies. The results demonstrated that only three mutations in HIV-1 IN (Y143C, Q148R and N155H) and two mutations in HIV-1 RNase H (Y501R and Y501W) resulted in a reduction of JMC6F potency, thus indicating their potential role in providing resistance to JMC6F. These data provided important insights into the binding mode and resistance profile of the inhibitors with a pyrrolyl diketo acid scaffold in HIV-1 IN and RNase H, which would be helpful for the development of more effective dual HIV-1 IN and RNase H inhibitors.

Retro-binding thrombin active site inhibitors: identification of an orally active inhibitor of thrombin catalytic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwanowicz, Edwin J; Kimball, S David; Lin, James; Lau, Wan; Han, W-C; Wang, Tammy C; Roberts, Daniel G M; Schumacher, W A; Ogletree, Martin L; Seiler, Steven M

2002-11-04

A series of retro-binding inhibitors of human alpha-thrombin was prepared to elucidate structure-activity relationships (SAR) and optimize in vivo performance. Compounds 9 and 11, orally active inhibitors of thrombin catalytic activity, were identified to be efficacious in a thrombin-induced lethality model in mice.

Structure of Bacillus subtilis γ-glutamyltranspeptidase in complex with acivicin: diversity of the binding mode of a classical and electrophilic active-site-directed glutamate analogue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ida, Tomoyo [Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan); Suzuki, Hideyuki [Kyoto Institute of Technology, Goshokaido-cho, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585 (Japan); Fukuyama, Keiichi [Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan); Hiratake, Jun [Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Wada, Kei, E-mail: keiwada@med.miyazaki-u.ac.jp [University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-1692 (Japan); Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan)

2014-02-01

The binding modes of acivicin, a classical and an electrophilic active-site-directed glutamate analogue, to bacterial γ-glutamyltranspeptidases were found to be diverse. γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) is an enzyme that plays a central role in glutathione metabolism, and acivicin is a classical inhibitor of GGT. Here, the structure of acivicin bound to Bacillus subtilis GGT determined by X-ray crystallography to 1.8 Å resolution is presented, in which it binds to the active site in a similar manner to that in Helicobacter pylori GGT, but in a different binding mode to that in Escherichia coli GGT. In B. subtilis GGT, acivicin is bound covalently through its C3 atom with sp{sup 2} hybridization to Thr403 O{sup γ}, the catalytic nucleophile of the enzyme. The results show that acivicin-binding sites are common, but the binding manners and orientations of its five-membered dihydroisoxazole ring are diverse in the binding pockets of GGTs.

Structure of Bacillus subtilis γ-glutamyltranspeptidase in complex with acivicin: diversity of the binding mode of a classical and electrophilic active-site-directed glutamate analogue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ida, Tomoyo; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Fukuyama, Keiichi; Hiratake, Jun; Wada, Kei

2014-01-01

The binding modes of acivicin, a classical and an electrophilic active-site-directed glutamate analogue, to bacterial γ-glutamyltranspeptidases were found to be diverse. γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) is an enzyme that plays a central role in glutathione metabolism, and acivicin is a classical inhibitor of GGT. Here, the structure of acivicin bound to Bacillus subtilis GGT determined by X-ray crystallography to 1.8 Å resolution is presented, in which it binds to the active site in a similar manner to that in Helicobacter pylori GGT, but in a different binding mode to that in Escherichia coli GGT. In B. subtilis GGT, acivicin is bound covalently through its C3 atom with sp 2 hybridization to Thr403 O γ , the catalytic nucleophile of the enzyme. The results show that acivicin-binding sites are common, but the binding manners and orientations of its five-membered dihydroisoxazole ring are diverse in the binding pockets of GGTs

Exploiting Chemical Libraries, Structure, and Genomics in the Search for Kinase Inhibitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gray, Nathanael S.; Wodicka, Lisa; Thunnissen, Andy-Mark W.H.; Norman, Thea C.; Kwon, Soojin; Espinoza, F. Hernan; Morgan, David O.; Barnes, Georjana; LeClerc, Sophie; Meijer, Laurent; Kim, Sung-Hou; Lockhart, David J.; Schultz, Peter G.

1998-01-01

Selective protein kinase inhibitors were developed on the basis of the unexpected binding mode of 2,6,9-trisubstituted purines to the adenosine triphosphate-binding site of the human cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2). By iterating chemical library synthesis and biological screening, potent inhibitors

Characterization of the allosteric binding pocket of human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by protein crystallography and inhibitor activity studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Iversen, L F; Brzozowski, M; Hastrup, S; Hubbard, R; Kastrup, J S; Larsen, I K; Naerum, L; Nørskov-Lauridsen, L; Rasmussen, P B; Thim, L; Wiberg, F C; Lundgren, K

1997-05-01

The structures of three complexes of human fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FB) with the allosteric inhibitor AMP and two AMP analogues have been determined and all fully refined. The data used for structure determination were collected at cryogenic temperature (110 K), and with the use of synchrotron radiation. The structures reveal a common mode of binding for AMP and formycine monophosphate (FMP). 5-Amino-4-carboxamido-1 beta-D-5-phosphate-ribofuranosyl-1H-imidazole (AICAR-P) shows an unexpected mode of binding to FB, different from that of the other two ligands. The imidazole ring of AICAR-P is rotated 180 degrees compared to the AMP and FMP bases. This rotation results in a slightly different hydrogen bonding pattern and minor changes in the water structure in the binding pocket. Common features of binding are seen for the ribose and phosphate moieties of all three compounds. Although binding in a different mode, AICAR-P is still capable of making all the important interactions with the residues building the allosteric binding pocket. The IC50 values of AMP, FMP, and AICAR-P were determined to be 1.7, 1.4, and 20.9 microM, respectively. Thus, the approximately 10 times lower potency of AICAR-P is difficult to explain solely from the variations observed in the binding pocket. Only one water molecule in the allosteric binding pocket was found to be conserved in all four subunits in all three structures. This water molecule coordinates to a phosphate oxygen atom and the N7 atom of the AMP molecule, and to similarly situated atoms in the FMP and AICAR-P complexes. This implies an important role of the conserved water molecule in binding of the ligand.

CORRELATION BETWEEN ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITORS LIPOPHILICITY AND PROTEIN BINDING DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasna Trbojević-Stanković

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE inhibitors represent a significant group of drugs primarily used in the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure. In this research, seven ACE inhibitors (enalapril, quinapril, fosinopril, lisinopril, cilazapril, ramipril, benazepril were studied to evaluate the relationship between their protein binding and calculated (logP values or ultra-high performance liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS and reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RP-TLC lipophilicity data (ϕ0, CHI or C0 parameters, respectively. Their protein binding data varied from negligible (lisinopril to 99% (fosinopril, while calculated logPKOWWINvalues ranged from -0.94 (lisinopril to 6.61 (fosinopril. The good correlations were established between protein binding values and logPKOWWIN data (R2=0.7520 as well as between protein binding and chromatographic hydrophobicity data, ϕ0, CHI or C0parameters (R2 were 0.6160, 0.6242 and 0.6547, respectively. The possible application of hydrophobicity data in drugs protein binding evaluation can be of great importance in drug bioavailability.

Intrinsic thermodynamics of inhibitor binding to human carbonic anhydrase IX.

Science.gov (United States)

Linkuvienė, Vaida; Matulienė, Jurgita; Juozapaitienė, Vaida; Michailovienė, Vilma; Jachno, Jelena; Matulis, Daumantas

2016-04-01

Human carbonic anhydrase 9th isoform (CA IX) is an important marker of numerous cancers and is increasingly interesting as a potential anticancer drug target. Various synthetic aromatic sulfonamide-bearing compounds are being designed as potent inhibitors of CA IX. However, sulfonamide compound binding to CA IX is linked to several reactions, the deprotonation of the sulfonamide amino group and the protonation of the CA active site Zn(II)-bound hydroxide. These linked reactions significantly affect the affinities and other thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpies and entropies of binding. The observed and intrinsic affinities of compound binding to CA IX were determined by the fluorescent thermal shift assay. The enthalpies and entropies of binding were determined by the isothermal titration calorimetry. The pKa of CA IX was determined to be 6.8 and the enthalpy of CA IX-Zn(II)-bound hydroxide protonation was -24 kJ/mol. These values enabled the analysis of intrinsic thermodynamics of a library of compounds binding to CA IX. The most strongly binding compounds exhibited the intrinsic affinity of 0.01 nM and the observed affinity of 2 nM. The intrinsic thermodynamic parameters of compound binding to CA IX helped to draw the compound structure to thermodynamics relationship. It is important to distinguish the intrinsic from observed parameters of any disease target protein interaction with its inhibitors as drug candidates when drawing detailed compound structure to thermodynamics correlations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seeking for Non-Zinc-Binding MMP-2 Inhibitors: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Modelling Studies

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Alessandra Ammazzalorso

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs are an important family of zinc-containing enzymes with a central role in many physiological and pathological processes. Although several MMP inhibitors have been synthesized over the years, none reached the market because of off-target effects, due to the presence of a zinc binding group in the inhibitor structure. To overcome this problem non-zinc-binding inhibitors (NZIs have been recently designed. In a previous article, a virtual screening campaign identified some hydroxynaphtyridine and hydroxyquinoline as MMP-2 non-zinc-binding inhibitors. In the present work, simplified analogues of previously-identified hits have been synthesized and tested in enzyme inhibition assays. Docking and molecular dynamics studies were carried out to rationalize the activity data.

Switch control pocket inhibitors of p38-MAP kinase. Durable type II inhibitors that do not require binding into the canonical ATP hinge region.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Yu Mi; Clare, Michael; Ensinger, Carol L; Hood, Molly M; Lord, John W; Lu, Wei-Ping; Miller, David F; Patt, William C; Smith, Bryan D; Vogeti, Lakshminarayana; Kaufman, Michael D; Petillo, Peter A; Wise, Scott C; Abendroth, Jan; Chun, Lawrence; Clark, Robin; Feese, Michael; Kim, Hidong; Stewart, Lance; Flynn, Daniel L

2010-10-01

Switch control pocket inhibitors of p38-alpha kinase are described. Durable type II inhibitors were designed which bind to arginines (Arg67 or Arg70) that function as key residues for mediating phospho-threonine 180 dependant conformational fluxing of p38-alpha from an inactive type II state to an active type I state. Binding to Arg70 in particular led to potent inhibitors, exemplified by DP-802, which also exhibited high kinase selectivity. Binding to Arg70 obviated the requirement for binding into the ATP Hinge region. X-ray crystallography revealed that DP-802 and analogs induce an enhanced type II conformation upon binding to either the unphosphorylated or the doubly phosphorylated form of p38-alpha kinase. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase: Binding determinants for 5'-phospho-alpha-d-ribosyl-1'-pyrophosphate (PRPP) and the implications for inhibitor design.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Genevieve L; Furkert, Daniel P; Abermil, Nacim; Kundu, Preeti; de Lange, Katrina M; Parker, Emily J; Brimble, Margaret A; Baker, Edward N; Lott, J Shaun

2018-02-01

Phosphoribosyltransferases (PRTs) bind 5'-phospho-α-d-ribosyl-1'-pyrophosphate (PRPP) and transfer its phosphoribosyl group (PRib) to specific nucleophiles. Anthranilate PRT (AnPRT) is a promiscuous PRT that can phosphoribosylate both anthranilate and alternative substrates, and is the only example of a type III PRT. Comparison of the PRPP binding mode in type I, II and III PRTs indicates that AnPRT does not bind PRPP, or nearby metals, in the same conformation as other PRTs. A structure with a stereoisomer of PRPP bound to AnPRT from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) suggests a catalytic or post-catalytic state that links PRib movement to metal movement. Crystal structures of Mtb-AnPRT in complex with PRPP and with varying occupancies of the two metal binding sites, complemented by activity assay data, indicate that this type III PRT binds a single metal-coordinated species of PRPP, while an adjacent second metal site can be occupied due to a separate binding event. A series of compounds were synthesized that included a phosphonate group to probe PRPP binding site. Compounds containing a "bianthranilate"-like moiety are inhibitors with IC 50 values of 10-60μM, and K i values of 1.3-15μM. Structures of Mtb-AnPRT in complex with these compounds indicate that their phosphonate moieties are unable to mimic the binding modes of the PRib or pyrophosphate moieties of PRPP. The AnPRT structures presented herein indicated that PRPP binds a surface cleft and becomes enclosed due to re-positioning of two mobile loops. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of the Flexible Regions of the Oncoprotein Mouse Double Minute X on Inhibitor Binding Affinity.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Lingyun; Liu, Huili; Chen, Rong; Zhou, Jingjing; Cheng, Xiyao; Chen, Yao; Huang, Yongqi; Su, Zhengding

2017-11-07

The oncoprotein MdmX (mouse double minute X) is highly homologous to Mdm2 (mouse double minute 2) in terms of their amino acid sequences and three-dimensional conformations, but Mdm2 inhibitors exhibit very weak affinity for MdmX, providing an excellent model for exploring how protein conformation distinguishes and alters inhibitor binding. The intrinsic conformation flexibility of proteins plays pivotal roles in determining and predicting the binding properties and the design of inhibitors. Although the molecular dynamics simulation approach enables us to understand protein-ligand interactions, the mechanism underlying how a flexible binding pocket adapts an inhibitor has been less explored experimentally. In this work, we have investigated how the intrinsic flexible regions of the N-terminal domain of MdmX (N-MdmX) affect the affinity of the Mdm2 inhibitor nutlin-3a using protein engineering. Guided by heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser effect measurements, we identified the flexible regions that affect inhibitor binding affinity around the ligand-binding pocket on N-MdmX. A disulfide engineering mutant, N-MdmX C25-C110/C76-C88 , which incorporated two staples to rigidify the ligand-binding pocket, allowed an affinity for nutlin-3a higher than that of wild-type N-MdmX (K d ∼ 0.48 vs K d ∼ 20.3 μM). Therefore, this mutant provides not only an effective protein model for screening and designing of MdmX inhibitors but also a valuable clue for enhancing the intermolecular interactions of the pharmacophores of a ligand with pronounced flexible regions. In addition, our results revealed an allosteric ligand-binding mechanism of N-MdmX in which the ligand initially interacts with a compact core, followed by augmenting intermolecular interactions with intrinsic flexible regions. This strategy should also be applicable to many other protein targets to accelerate drug discovery.

Determination of human serum alpha1-acid glycoprotein and albumin binding of various marketed and preclinical kinase inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zsila, Ferenc; Fitos, Ilona; Bencze, Gyula; Kéri, György; Orfi, László

2009-01-01

There are about 380 protein kinase inhibitors in drug development as of today and 15 drugs have been marketed already for the treatment of cancer. This time 139 validated kinase targets are in the focus of drug research of pharmaceutical companies and big efforts are made for the development of new, druglike kinase inhibitors. Plasma protein binding is an important factor of the ADME profiling of a drug compound. Human serum albumin (HSA) and alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AAG) are the most relevant drug carriers in blood plasma. Since previous literature data indicated that AAG is the principal plasma binding component of some kinase inhibitors the present work focuses on the comprehensive evaluation of AAG binding of a series of marketed and experimental kinase inhibitors by using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy approach. HSA binding was also evaluated by affinity chromatography. Protein binding interactions of twenty-six kinase inhibitors are characterized. The contribution of AAG and HSA binding data to the pharmacokinetic profiles of the investigated therapeutic agents is discussed. Structural, biological and drug binding properties of AAG as well as the applicability of the CD method in studying drug-protein binding interactions are also briefly reviewed.

Characterization of the differences in the cyclopiazonic acid binding mode to mammalian and P. Falciparum Ca2+ pumps: a computational study.

KAUST Repository

Di Marino, Daniele

2015-03-01

Despite the investments in malaria research, an effective vaccine has not yet been developed and the causative parasites are becoming increasingly resistant to most of the available drugs. PfATP6, the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump (SERCA) of P. falciparum, has been recently genetically validated as a potential antimalarial target and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) has been found to be a potent inhibitor of SERCAs in several organisms, including P. falciparum. In position 263, PfATP6 displays a leucine residue, whilst the corresponding position in the mammalian SERCA is occupied by a glutamic acid. The PfATP6 L263E mutation has been studied in relation to the artemisinin inhibitory effect on P. falciparum and recent studies have provided evidence that the parasite with this mutation is more susceptible to CPA. Here, we characterized, for the first time, the interaction of CPA with PfATP6 and its mammalian counterpart to understand similarities and differences in the mode of binding of the inhibitor to the two Ca2+ pumps. We found that, even though CPA does not directly interact with the residue in position 263, the presence of a hydrophobic residue in this position in PfATP6 rather than a negatively charged one, as in the mammalian SERCA, entails a conformational arrangement of the binding pocket which, in turn, determines a relaxation of CPA leading to a different binding mode of the compound. Our findings highlight differences between the plasmodial and human SERCA CPA-binding pockets that may be exploited to design CPA derivatives more selective toward PfATP6.

Characterization of the differences in the cyclopiazonic acid binding mode to mammalian and P. Falciparum Ca2+ pumps: a computational study.

KAUST Repository

Di Marino, Daniele; D'Annessa, Ilda; Coletta, Andrea; Via, Allegra; Tramontano, Anna

2015-01-01

Despite the investments in malaria research, an effective vaccine has not yet been developed and the causative parasites are becoming increasingly resistant to most of the available drugs. PfATP6, the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump (SERCA) of P. falciparum, has been recently genetically validated as a potential antimalarial target and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) has been found to be a potent inhibitor of SERCAs in several organisms, including P. falciparum. In position 263, PfATP6 displays a leucine residue, whilst the corresponding position in the mammalian SERCA is occupied by a glutamic acid. The PfATP6 L263E mutation has been studied in relation to the artemisinin inhibitory effect on P. falciparum and recent studies have provided evidence that the parasite with this mutation is more susceptible to CPA. Here, we characterized, for the first time, the interaction of CPA with PfATP6 and its mammalian counterpart to understand similarities and differences in the mode of binding of the inhibitor to the two Ca2+ pumps. We found that, even though CPA does not directly interact with the residue in position 263, the presence of a hydrophobic residue in this position in PfATP6 rather than a negatively charged one, as in the mammalian SERCA, entails a conformational arrangement of the binding pocket which, in turn, determines a relaxation of CPA leading to a different binding mode of the compound. Our findings highlight differences between the plasmodial and human SERCA CPA-binding pockets that may be exploited to design CPA derivatives more selective toward PfATP6.

Multiple binding modes of ibuprofen in human serum albumin identified by absolute binding free energy calculations

KAUST Repository

Evoli, Stefania

2016-11-10

Human serum albumin possesses multiple binding sites and transports a wide range of ligands that include the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. A complete map of the binding sites of ibuprofen in albumin is difficult to obtain in traditional experiments, because of the structural adaptability of this protein in accommodating small ligands. In this work, we provide a set of predictions covering the geometry, affinity of binding and protonation state for the pharmaceutically most active form (S-isomer) of ibuprofen to albumin, by using absolute binding free energy calculations in combination with classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular docking. The most favorable binding modes correctly reproduce several experimentally identified binding locations, which include the two Sudlow\\'s drug sites (DS2 and DS1) and the fatty acid binding sites 6 and 2 (FA6 and FA2). Previously unknown details of the binding conformations were revealed for some of them, and formerly undetected binding modes were found in other protein sites. The calculated binding affinities exhibit trends which seem to agree with the available experimental data, and drastically degrade when the ligand is modeled in a protonated (neutral) state, indicating that ibuprofen associates with albumin preferentially in its charged form. These findings provide a detailed description of the binding of ibuprofen, help to explain a wide range of results reported in the literature in the last decades, and demonstrate the possibility of using simulation methods to predict ligand binding to albumin.

Molecular Determinants Underlying Binding Specificities of the ABL Kinase Inhibitors: Combining Alanine Scanning of Binding Hot Spots with Network Analysis of Residue Interactions and Coevolution.

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Amanda Tse

Full Text Available Quantifying binding specificity and drug resistance of protein kinase inhibitors is of fundamental importance and remains highly challenging due to complex interplay of structural and thermodynamic factors. In this work, molecular simulations and computational alanine scanning are combined with the network-based approaches to characterize molecular determinants underlying binding specificities of the ABL kinase inhibitors. The proposed theoretical framework unveiled a relationship between ligand binding and inhibitor-mediated changes in the residue interaction networks. By using topological parameters, we have described the organization of the residue interaction networks and networks of coevolving residues in the ABL kinase structures. This analysis has shown that functionally critical regulatory residues can simultaneously embody strong coevolutionary signal and high network centrality with a propensity to be energetic hot spots for drug binding. We have found that selective (Nilotinib and promiscuous (Bosutinib, Dasatinib kinase inhibitors can use their energetic hot spots to differentially modulate stability of the residue interaction networks, thus inhibiting or promoting conformational equilibrium between inactive and active states. According to our results, Nilotinib binding may induce a significant network-bridging effect and enhance centrality of the hot spot residues that stabilize structural environment favored by the specific kinase form. In contrast, Bosutinib and Dasatinib can incur modest changes in the residue interaction network in which ligand binding is primarily coupled only with the identity of the gate-keeper residue. These factors may promote structural adaptability of the active kinase states in binding with these promiscuous inhibitors. Our results have related ligand-induced changes in the residue interaction networks with drug resistance effects, showing that network robustness may be compromised by targeted mutations

Molecular Determinants Underlying Binding Specificities of the ABL Kinase Inhibitors: Combining Alanine Scanning of Binding Hot Spots with Network Analysis of Residue Interactions and Coevolution

Science.gov (United States)

Tse, Amanda; Verkhivker, Gennady M.

2015-01-01

Quantifying binding specificity and drug resistance of protein kinase inhibitors is of fundamental importance and remains highly challenging due to complex interplay of structural and thermodynamic factors. In this work, molecular simulations and computational alanine scanning are combined with the network-based approaches to characterize molecular determinants underlying binding specificities of the ABL kinase inhibitors. The proposed theoretical framework unveiled a relationship between ligand binding and inhibitor-mediated changes in the residue interaction networks. By using topological parameters, we have described the organization of the residue interaction networks and networks of coevolving residues in the ABL kinase structures. This analysis has shown that functionally critical regulatory residues can simultaneously embody strong coevolutionary signal and high network centrality with a propensity to be energetic hot spots for drug binding. We have found that selective (Nilotinib) and promiscuous (Bosutinib, Dasatinib) kinase inhibitors can use their energetic hot spots to differentially modulate stability of the residue interaction networks, thus inhibiting or promoting conformational equilibrium between inactive and active states. According to our results, Nilotinib binding may induce a significant network-bridging effect and enhance centrality of the hot spot residues that stabilize structural environment favored by the specific kinase form. In contrast, Bosutinib and Dasatinib can incur modest changes in the residue interaction network in which ligand binding is primarily coupled only with the identity of the gate-keeper residue. These factors may promote structural adaptability of the active kinase states in binding with these promiscuous inhibitors. Our results have related ligand-induced changes in the residue interaction networks with drug resistance effects, showing that network robustness may be compromised by targeted mutations of key mediating

Identification of halosalicylamide derivatives as a novel class of allosteric inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yaya; Donner, Pamela L; Pratt, John K; Jiang, Wen W; Ng, Teresa; Gracias, Vijaya; Baumeister, Steve; Wiedeman, Paul E; Traphagen, Linda; Warrior, Usha; Maring, Clarence; Kati, Warren M; Djuric, Stevan W; Molla, Akhteruzzaman

2008-06-01

Halosalicylamide derivatives were identified from high-throughput screening as potent inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. The subsequent structure and activity relationship revealed the absolute requirement of the salicylamide moiety for optimum activity. Methylation of either the hydroxyl group or the amide group of the salicylamide moiety abolished the activity while the substitutions on both phenyl rings are acceptable. The halosalicylamide derivatives were shown to be non-competitive with respect to elongation nucleotide and demonstrated broad genotype activity against genotype 1-3 HCV NS5B polymerases. Inhibitor competition studies indicated an additive binding mode to the initiation pocket that is occupied by the thiadiazine class of compounds and an additive binding mode to the elongation pocket that is occupied by diketoacids, but a mutually exclusive binding mode with respect to the allosteric thumb pocket that is occupied by the benzimidazole class of inhibitors. Therefore, halosalicylamides represent a novel class of allosteric inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase.

A novel, "double-clamp" binding mode for human heme oxygenase-1 inhibition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mona N Rahman

Full Text Available The development of heme oxygenase (HO inhibitors is critical in dissecting and understanding the HO system and for potential therapeutic applications. We have established a program to design and optimize HO inhibitors using structure-activity relationships in conjunction with X-ray crystallographic analyses. One of our previous complex crystal structures revealed a putative secondary hydrophobic binding pocket which could be exploited for a new design strategy by introducing a functional group that would fit into this potential site. To test this hypothesis and gain further insights into the structural basis of inhibitor binding, we have synthesized and characterized 1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl-4,4-diphenyl-2-butanone (QC-308. Using a carbon monoxide (CO formation assay on rat spleen microsomes, the compound was found to be ∼15 times more potent (IC(50 = 0.27±0.07 µM than its monophenyl analogue, which is already a potent compound in its own right (QC-65; IC(50 = 4.0±1.8 µM. The crystal structure of hHO-1 with QC-308 revealed that the second phenyl group in the western region of the compound is indeed accommodated by a definitive secondary proximal hydrophobic pocket. Thus, the two phenyl moieties are each stabilized by distinct hydrophobic pockets. This "double-clamp" binding offers additional inhibitor stabilization and provides a new route for improvement of human heme oxygenase inhibitors.

A novel, "double-clamp" binding mode for human heme oxygenase-1 inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Mona N; Vlahakis, Jason Z; Vukomanovic, Dragic; Lee, Wallace; Szarek, Walter A; Nakatsu, Kanji; Jia, Zongchao

2012-01-01

The development of heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitors is critical in dissecting and understanding the HO system and for potential therapeutic applications. We have established a program to design and optimize HO inhibitors using structure-activity relationships in conjunction with X-ray crystallographic analyses. One of our previous complex crystal structures revealed a putative secondary hydrophobic binding pocket which could be exploited for a new design strategy by introducing a functional group that would fit into this potential site. To test this hypothesis and gain further insights into the structural basis of inhibitor binding, we have synthesized and characterized 1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-4,4-diphenyl-2-butanone (QC-308). Using a carbon monoxide (CO) formation assay on rat spleen microsomes, the compound was found to be ∼15 times more potent (IC(50) = 0.27±0.07 µM) than its monophenyl analogue, which is already a potent compound in its own right (QC-65; IC(50) = 4.0±1.8 µM). The crystal structure of hHO-1 with QC-308 revealed that the second phenyl group in the western region of the compound is indeed accommodated by a definitive secondary proximal hydrophobic pocket. Thus, the two phenyl moieties are each stabilized by distinct hydrophobic pockets. This "double-clamp" binding offers additional inhibitor stabilization and provides a new route for improvement of human heme oxygenase inhibitors.

Using model complexes to augment and advance metalloproteinase inhibitor design.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobsen, Faith E; Cohen, Seth M

2004-05-17

The tetrahedral zinc complex [(Tp(Ph,Me))ZnOH] (Tp(Ph,Me) = hydrotris(3,5-phenylmethylpyrazolyl)borate) was combined with 2-thenylmercaptan, ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate, salicylic acid, salicylamide, thiosalicylic acid, thiosalicylamide, methyl salicylate, methyl thiosalicyliate, and 2-hydroxyacetophenone to form the corresponding [(Tp(Ph,Me))Zn(ZBG)] complexes (ZBG = zinc-binding group). X-ray crystal structures of these complexes were obtained to determine the mode of binding for each ZBG, several of which had been previously studied with SAR by NMR (structure-activity relationship by nuclear magnetic resonance) as potential ligands for use in matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors. The [(Tp(Ph,Me))Zn(ZBG)] complexes show that hydrogen bonding and donor atom acidity have a pronounced effect on the mode of binding for this series of ligands. The results of these studies give valuable insight into how ligand protonation state and intramolecular hydrogen bonds can influence the coordination mode of metal-binding proteinase inhibitors. The findings here suggest that model-based approaches can be used to augment drug discovery methods applied to metalloproteins and can aid second-generation drug design.

The structure and binding mode of citrate in the stabilization of gold nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Al-Johani, Hind; Abou-Hamad, Edy; Jedidi, Abdesslem; Widdifield, Cory M.; Viger-Gravel, Jasmine; Sangaru, Shiv; Gajan, David; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Ould-Chikh, Samy; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Gurinov, Andrei; Kelly, Michael J.; El Eter, Mohamad; Cavallo, Luigi; Basset, Jean-Marie; Basset, Jean-Marie

2017-01-01

Elucidating the binding mode of carboxylate-containing ligands to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is crucial to understand their stabilizing role. A detailed picture of the three-dimensional structure and coordination modes of citrate, acetate, succinate and glutarate to AuNPs is obtained by 13C and 23Na solid-state NMR in combination with computational modelling and electron microscopy. The binding between the carboxylates and the AuNP surface is found to occur in three different modes. These three modes are simultaneously present at low citrate to gold ratios, while a monocarboxylate monodentate (1κO1) mode is favoured at high citrate:gold ratios. The surface AuNP atoms are found to be predominantly in the zero oxidation state after citrate coordination, although trace amounts of Auδ+ are observed. 23Na NMR experiments show that Na+ ions are present near the gold surface, indicating that carboxylate binding occurs as a 2e− L-type interaction for each oxygen atom involved. This approach has broad potential to probe the binding of a variety of ligands to metal nanoparticles.

The structure and binding mode of citrate in the stabilization of gold nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Al-Johani, Hind

2017-03-27

Elucidating the binding mode of carboxylate-containing ligands to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is crucial to understand their stabilizing role. A detailed picture of the three-dimensional structure and coordination modes of citrate, acetate, succinate and glutarate to AuNPs is obtained by 13C and 23Na solid-state NMR in combination with computational modelling and electron microscopy. The binding between the carboxylates and the AuNP surface is found to occur in three different modes. These three modes are simultaneously present at low citrate to gold ratios, while a monocarboxylate monodentate (1κO1) mode is favoured at high citrate:gold ratios. The surface AuNP atoms are found to be predominantly in the zero oxidation state after citrate coordination, although trace amounts of Auδ+ are observed. 23Na NMR experiments show that Na+ ions are present near the gold surface, indicating that carboxylate binding occurs as a 2e− L-type interaction for each oxygen atom involved. This approach has broad potential to probe the binding of a variety of ligands to metal nanoparticles.

Methods Of Using Chemical Libraries To Search For New Kinase Inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Nathanael S. , Schultz, Peter , Wodicka, Lisa , Meijer, Laurent , Lockhart, David J.

2003-06-03

The generation of selective inhibitors for specific protein kinases would provide new tools for analyzing signal transduction pathways and possibly new therapeutic agents. We have invented an approach to the development of selective protein kinase inhibitors based on the unexpected binding mode of 2,6,9-trisubstituted purines to the ATP binding site of human CDK2. The most potent inhibitor, purvalanol B (IC.sub.50 =6 nM), binds with a 30-fold greater affinity than the known CDK2 inhibitor, flavopiridol. The cellular effects of this class of compounds were examined and compared to those of flavopiridol by monitoring changes in mRNA expression levels for all genes in treated cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using high-density oligonucleotide probe arrays.

1-Methyl-beta-carboline (harmane), a potent endogenous inhibitor of benzodiazepine receptor binding.

Science.gov (United States)

Rommelspacher, H; Nanz, C; Borbe, H O; Fehske, K J; Müller, W E; Wollert, U

1980-10-01

The interaction of several beta-carbolines with specific [3H]-flunitrazepam binding to benzodiazepine receptors in rat brain membranes was investigated. Out of the investigated compounds, harmane and norharmane were the most potent inhibitors of specific [3H]-flunitrazepam binding, with IC50-values in the micromolar range. All other derivatives, including harmine, harmaline, and several tetrahydroderivatives were at least ten times less potent. Harmane has been previously found in rat brain and human urine, so it is the most potent endogenous inhibitor of specific [3H]-flunitrazepam binding known so far, with a several fold higher affinity for the benzodiazepine receptor than inosine and hypoxanthine. Thus, we suggest that harmane or other related beta-carbolines could be potential candidates as endogenous ligands of the benzodiazepine receptor.

Phospholipid Binding Protein C Inhibitor (PCI) Is Present on Microparticles Generated In Vitro and In Vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Einfinger, Katrin; Badrnya, Sigrun; Furtmüller, Margareta; Handschuh, Daniela; Lindner, Herbert; Geiger, Margarethe

2015-01-01

Protein C inhibitor is a secreted, non-specific serine protease inhibitor with broad protease reactivity. It binds glycosaminoglycans and anionic phospholipids, which can modulate its activity. Anionic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine are normally localized to the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, but are exposed on activated and apoptotic cells and on plasma membrane-derived microparticles. In this report we show by flow cytometry that microparticles derived from cultured cells and activated platelets incorporated protein C inhibitor during membrane blebbing. Moreover, protein C inhibitor is present in/on microparticles circulating in normal human plasma as judged from Western blots, ELISAs, flow cytometry, and mass spectrometry. These plasma microparticles are mainly derived from megakaryocytes. They seem to be saturated with protein C inhibitor, since they do not bind added fluorescence-labeled protein C inhibitor. Heparin partially removed microparticle-bound protein C inhibitor, supporting our assumption that protein C inhibitor is bound via phospholipids. To assess the biological role of microparticle-bound protein C inhibitor we performed protease inhibition assays and co-precipitated putative binding partners on microparticles with anti-protein C inhibitor IgG. As judged from amidolytic assays microparticle-bound protein C inhibitor did not inhibit activated protein C or thrombin, nor did microparticles modulate the activity of exogenous protein C inhibitor. Among the proteins co-precipitating with protein C inhibitor, complement factors, especially complement factor 3, were most striking. Taken together, our data do not support a major role of microparticle-associated protein C inhibitor in coagulation, but rather suggest an interaction with proteins of the complement system present on these phospholipid vesicles. PMID:26580551

Structural Mechanism of the Pan-BCR-ABL Inhibitor Ponatinib (AP24534): Lessons for Overcoming Kinase Inhibitor Resistance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Tianjun; Commodore, Lois; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Wang, Yihan; Thomas, Mathew; Keats, Jeff; Xu, Qihong; Rivera, Victor M.; Shakespeare, William C.; Clackson, Tim; Dalgarno, David C.; Zhu, Xiaotian (ARIAD)

2012-01-20

The BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. However, drug resistance caused by kinase domain mutations has necessitated the development of new mutation-resistant inhibitors, most recently against the T315I gatekeeper residue mutation. Ponatinib (AP24534) inhibits both native and mutant BCR-ABL, including T315I, acting as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor. Here, we undertook a combined crystallographic and structure-activity relationship analysis on ponatinib to understand this unique profile. While the ethynyl linker is a key inhibitor functionality that interacts with the gatekeeper, virtually all other components of ponatinib play an essential role in its T315I inhibitory activity. The extensive network of optimized molecular contacts found in the DFG-out binding mode leads to high potency and renders binding less susceptible to disruption by single point mutations. The inhibitory mechanism exemplified by ponatinib may have broad relevance to designing inhibitors against other kinases with mutated gatekeeper residues.

Characterization of the binding of 3H-norzimeldine, a 5-HT uptake inhibitor, to rat brain homogenates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, H.

1984-01-01

The binding of radiolabelled norzimeldine, a potent selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, to rat brain homogenates is described. 3 H-Norzimeldine binds to a site with high affinity (Ksub(D) = 10.5 nM) in a saturable manner (Bsub(max) = 15.4 pmol/g wet weight in the cerebral cortex). The number of binding sites in the various regions of the brain parallels the capacity of the 5-HT reuptake mechanism. Drugs that inhibit the reuptake of 5-HT are also potent inhibitors of the 3 H-norzimeldine binding, as are the tricyclic antidepressants, which are non-specific inhibitors of the noradrenaline and the 5-HT reuptake. Lesioning experiments using DSP4 (a NA neurotoxin) and p-chloroamphetamine (a 5-HT neurotoxin) suggest that the binding site is located on the presynaptic 5-HT nerve terminal, although a small component of the binding may be to noradrenergic uptake sites as well.(author)

Conformational Dynamics and Binding Free Energies of Inhibitors of BACE-1: From the Perspective of Protonation Equilibria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Olivia Kim

2015-10-01

Full Text Available BACE-1 is the β-secretase responsible for the initial amyloidogenesis in Alzheimer's disease, catalyzing hydrolytic cleavage of substrate in a pH-sensitive manner. The catalytic mechanism of BACE-1 requires water-mediated proton transfer from aspartyl dyad to the substrate, as well as structural flexibility in the flap region. Thus, the coupling of protonation and conformational equilibria is essential to a full in silico characterization of BACE-1. In this work, we perform constant pH replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations on both apo BACE-1 and five BACE-1-inhibitor complexes to examine the effect of pH on dynamics and inhibitor binding properties of BACE-1. In our simulations, we find that solution pH controls the conformational flexibility of apo BACE-1, whereas bound inhibitors largely limit the motions of the holo enzyme at all levels of pH. The microscopic pKa values of titratable residues in BACE-1 including its aspartyl dyad are computed and compared between apo and inhibitor-bound states. Changes in protonation between the apo and holo forms suggest a thermodynamic linkage between binding of inhibitors and protons localized at the dyad. Utilizing our recently developed computational protocol applying the binding polynomial formalism to the constant pH molecular dynamics (CpHMD framework, we are able to obtain the pH-dependent binding free energy profiles for various BACE-1-inhibitor complexes. Our results highlight the importance of correctly addressing the binding-induced protonation changes in protein-ligand systems where binding accompanies a net proton transfer. This work comprises the first application of our CpHMD-based free energy computational method to protein-ligand complexes and illustrates the value of CpHMD as an all-purpose tool for obtaining pH-dependent dynamics and binding free energies of biological systems.

A Novel, “Double-Clamp” Binding Mode for Human Heme Oxygenase-1 Inhibition

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Mona N.; Vlahakis, Jason Z.; Vukomanovic, Dragic; Lee, Wallace; Szarek, Walter A.; Nakatsu, Kanji; Jia, Zongchao

2012-01-01

The development of heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitors is critical in dissecting and understanding the HO system and for potential therapeutic applications. We have established a program to design and optimize HO inhibitors using structure-activity relationships in conjunction with X-ray crystallographic analyses. One of our previous complex crystal structures revealed a putative secondary hydrophobic binding pocket which could be exploited for a new design strategy by introducing a functional group that would fit into this potential site. To test this hypothesis and gain further insights into the structural basis of inhibitor binding, we have synthesized and characterized 1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-4,4-diphenyl-2-butanone (QC-308). Using a carbon monoxide (CO) formation assay on rat spleen microsomes, the compound was found to be ∼15 times more potent (IC50 = 0.27±0.07 µM) than its monophenyl analogue, which is already a potent compound in its own right (QC-65; IC50 = 4.0±1.8 µM). The crystal structure of hHO-1 with QC-308 revealed that the second phenyl group in the western region of the compound is indeed accommodated by a definitive secondary proximal hydrophobic pocket. Thus, the two phenyl moieties are each stabilized by distinct hydrophobic pockets. This “double-clamp” binding offers additional inhibitor stabilization and provides a new route for improvement of human heme oxygenase inhibitors. PMID:22276118

Impact of Stereochemistry on Ligand Binding: X-ray Crystallographic Analysis of an Epoxide-Based HIV Protease Inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Benedetti, Fabio; Berti, Federico; Campaner, Pietro; Fanfoni, Lidia; Demitri, Nicola; Olajuyigbe, Folasade M; De March, Matteo; Geremia, Silvano

2014-09-11

A new pseudopeptide epoxide inhibitor, designed for irreversible binding to HIV protease (HIV-PR), has been synthesized and characterized in solution and in the solid state. However, the crystal structure of the complex obtained by inhibitor-enzyme cocrystallization revealed that a minor isomer, with inverted configuration of the epoxide carbons, has been selected by HIV-PR during crystallization. The structural characterization of the well-ordered pseudopeptide, inserted in the catalytic channel with its epoxide group intact, provides deeper insights into inhibitor binding and HIV-PR stereoselectivity, which aids development of future epoxide-based HIV inhibitors.

RVX-297- a novel BD2 selective inhibitor of BET bromodomains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kharenko, Olesya A., E-mail: olesya@zenithepigenetics.com [Zenith Epigenetics, Suite 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3E 6L1 (Canada); Gesner, Emily M.; Patel, Reena G.; Norek, Karen [Zenith Epigenetics, Suite 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3E 6L1 (Canada); White, Andre; Fontano, Eric; Suto, Robert K. [Xtal BioStructures, Inc., 12 Michigan Dr., Natick, MA 01760 (United States); Young, Peter R.; McLure, Kevin G.; Hansen, Henrik C. [Zenith Epigenetics, Suite 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3E 6L1 (Canada)

2016-08-12

Bromodomains are epigenetic readers that specifically bind to the acetyl lysine residues of histones and transcription factors. Small molecule BET bromodomain inhibitors can disrupt this interaction which leads to potential modulation of several disease states. Here we describe the binding properties of a novel BET inhibitor RVX-297 that is structurally related to the clinical compound RVX-208, currently undergoing phase III clinical trials for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, but is distinctly different in its biological and pharmacokinetic profiles. We report that RVX-297 preferentially binds to the BD2 domains of the BET bromodomain and Extra Terminal (BET) family of protein. We demonstrate the differential binding modes of RVX-297 in BD1 and BD2 domains of BRD4 and BRD2 using X-ray crystallography, and describe the structural differences driving the BD2 selective binding of RVX-297. The isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data illustrate the related differential thermodynamics of binding of RVX-297 to single as well as dual BET bromodomains. - Highlights: • A novel inhibitor of BET bromodomains, RVX-297 is described. • The differential binding modes of RVX-297 in BD1 and BD2 domains of BRD4 and BRD2 using X-ray crystallography are described. • RVX-297 preferentially binds to the BD2 domains of the BET bromodomains. • The structural and thermodynamic properties of the BD2 selective binding of RVX-297 are characterized.

Tyrosine sulfation modulates activity of tick-derived thrombin inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Robert E.; Liu, Xuyu; Ripoll-Rozada, Jorge; Alonso-García, Noelia; Parker, Benjamin L.; Pereira, Pedro José Barbosa; Payne, Richard J.

2017-09-01

Madanin-1 and chimadanin are two small cysteine-free thrombin inhibitors that facilitate blood feeding in the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis. Here, we report a post-translational modification—tyrosine sulfation—of these two proteins that is critical for potent anti-thrombotic and anticoagulant activity. Inhibitors produced in baculovirus-infected insect cells displayed heterogeneous sulfation of two tyrosine residues within each of the proteins. One-pot ligation-desulfurization chemistry enabled access to homogeneous samples of all possible sulfated variants of the proteins. Tyrosine sulfation of madanin-1 and chimadanin proved crucial for thrombin inhibitory activity, with the doubly sulfated variants three orders of magnitude more potent than the unmodified inhibitors. The three-dimensional structure of madanin-1 in complex with thrombin revealed a unique mode of inhibition, with the sulfated tyrosine residues binding to the basic exosite II of the protease. The importance of tyrosine sulfation within this family of thrombin inhibitors, together with their unique binding mode, paves the way for the development of anti-thrombotic drug leads based on these privileged scaffolds.

Inhibitors of serotonin reuptake and specific imipramine binding in human blood plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brusov, O.S.; Fomenko, A.M.; Katasonov, A.B.; Lidemann, R.R.

1985-01-01

This paper describes a method of extraction of endogenous inhibitors of specific IMI binding and of 5-HT reuptake, from human blood plasma and the heterogeneity of these compounds is demonstrated. Specific binding was determined as the difference between binding of 3 H-IMI in the absence and in the presence of 50 microM IMI. Under these conditions, specific binding amounted to 70-80% of total binding of 3 H-IMI. It is shown that extract obtained from human blood contains a material which inhibits dose-dependently both 5-HT reuptake and specific binding of 3 H-IMI. Gel-chromatography of extracts of human blood plasma on Biogel P-2 is also shown

Comparative studies on the human serum albumin binding of the clinically approved EGFR inhibitors gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib, osimertinib and the investigational inhibitor KP2187.

Science.gov (United States)

Dömötör, Orsolya; Pelivan, Karla; Borics, Attila; Keppler, Bernhard K; Kowol, Christian R; Enyedy, Éva A

2018-05-30

Binding interactions between human serum albumin (HSA) and four approved epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors gefitinib (GEF), erlotinib (ERL), afatinib (AFA), osimertinib (OSI), as well as the experimental drug KP2187, were investigated by means of spectrofluorometric and molecular modelling methods. Steady-state and time resolved spectrofluorometric techniques were carried out, including direct quenching of protein fluorescence and site marker displacement measurements. Proton dissociation processes and solvent dependent fluorescence properties were investigated as well. The EGFR inhibitors were predominantly presented in their single protonated form (HL + ) at physiological pH except ERL, which is charge-neutral. Significant solvent dependent fluorescence properties were found for GEF, ERL and KP2187, namely their emission spectra show strong dependence on the polarity and the hydrogen bonding ability of the solvents. The inhibitors proved to be bound at site I of HSA (in subdomain IIA) in a weak-to-moderate fashion (logK' 3.9-4.9) using spectrofluorometry. OSI (logK' 4.3) and KP2187 can additionally bind in site II (in subdomain IIIA), while GEF, ERL and AFA clearly show no interaction here. Docking methods qualitatively confirmed binding site preferences of compounds GEF and KP2187, and indicated that they probably bind to HSA in their neutral forms. Binding constants calculated on the basis of the various experimental data indicate a weak-to-moderate binding on HSA, only OSI exhibits somewhat higher affinity towards this protein. However, model calculations performed at physiological blood concentrations of HSA resulted in high (ca. 90%) bound fractions for the inhibitors, highlighting the importance of plasma protein binding. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Importance of the Extracellular Loop 4 in the Human Serotonin Transporter for Inhibitor Binding and Substrate Translocation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rannversson, Hafsteinn; Wilson, Pamela; Kristensen, Kristina Birch

2015-01-01

) in the extracellular loop 4 (EL4) of human SERT, which induced a remarkable gain-of-potency (up to >40-fold) for a range of SERT inhibitors. The effects were highly specific for L406E relative to six other mutations in the same position, including the closely related L406D mutation, showing that the effects induced...... to favor a more outward-facing conformation of SERT can explain the reduced turnover rate and increased association rate of inhibitor binding we found for L406E. Together, our findings show that EL4 allosterically can modulate inhibitor binding within the central binding site, and substantiates that EL4...

Structural insight into exosite binding and discovery of novel exosite inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A through in silico screening

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xin; Legler, Patricia M.; Southall, Noel; Maloney, David J.; Simeonov, Anton; Jadhav, Ajit

2014-07-01

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) is the most lethal toxin among the Tier 1 Select Agents. Development of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors against BoNT/A zinc metalloprotease remains a challenging problem due to its exceptionally large substrate binding surface and conformational plasticity. The exosites of the catalytic domain of BoNT/A are intriguing alternative sites for small molecule intervention, but their suitability for inhibitor design remains largely unexplored. In this study, we employed two recently identified exosite inhibitors, D-chicoric acid and lomofungin, to probe the structural features of the exosites and molecular mechanisms of synergistic inhibition. The results showed that D-chicoric acid favors binding at the α-exosite, whereas lomofungin preferentially binds at the β-exosite by mimicking the substrate β-sheet binding interaction. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding interaction analysis of the exosite inhibitors with BoNT/A revealed key elements and hotspots that likely contribute to the inhibitor binding and synergistic inhibition. Finally, we performed database virtual screening for novel inhibitors of BoNT/A targeting the exosites. Hits C1 and C2 showed non-competitive inhibition and likely target the α- and β-exosites, respectively. The identified exosite inhibitors may provide novel candidates for structure-based development of therapeutics against BoNT/A intoxication.

Characterization of the binding of /sup 3/H-norzimeldine, a 5-HT uptake inhibitor, to rat brain homogenates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, H. (Department of Biochemical Neuropharmacology, Research and Development Laboratories, Astra Laekemedel, Soedertaelje, Sweden)

1984-01-01

The binding of radiolabelled norzimeldine, a potent selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, to rat brain homogenates is described. /sup 3/H-Norzimeldine binds to a site with high affinity (Ksub(D) = 10.5 nM) in a saturable manner (Bsub(max) = 15.4 pmol/g wet weight in the cerebral cortex). The number of binding sites in the various regions of the brain parallels the capacity of the 5-HT reuptake mechanism. Drugs that inhibit the reuptake of 5-HT are also potent inhibitors of the /sup 3/H-norzimeldine binding, as are the tricyclic antidepressants, which are non-specific inhibitors of the noradrenaline and the 5-HT reuptake. Lesioning experiments using DSP4 (a NA neurotoxin) and p-chloroamphetamine (a 5-HT neurotoxin) suggest that the binding site is located on the presynaptic 5-HT nerve terminal, although a small component of the binding may be to noradrenergic uptake sites as well.

Vitual screening and binding mode elucidation of curcumin analogues on Cyclooxygenase-2 using AYO_COX2_V1.1 protocol

Science.gov (United States)

Mulatsari, E.; Mumpuni, E.; Herfian, A.

2017-05-01

Curcumin is yellow colored phenolic compounds contained in Curcuma longa. Curcumin is known to have biological activities as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-infective agent [1]. Synthesis of curcumin analogue compounds has been done and some of them had biological activity like curcumin. In this research, the virtual screening of curcumin analogue compounds has been conducted. The purpose of this research was to determine the activity of these compounds as selective Cyclooxygenase-2inhibitors in in-silico. Binding mode elucidation was made by active and inactive representative compounds to see the interaction of the amino acids in the binding site of the compounds. This research used AYO_COX2_V.1.1, a structure-based virtual screening protocol (SBVS) that has been validated by Mumpuni E et al, 2014 [2]. AYO_COX2_V.1.1 protocol using a variety of integrated applications such as SPORES, PLANTS, BKchem, OpenBabel and PyMOL. The results of virtual screening conducted on 49 curcumin analogue compounds obtained 8 compounds with 4 active amino acid residues (GLY340, ILE503, PHE343, and PHE367) that were considered active as COX-2 inhibitor.

Investigation of naphthofuran moiety as potential dual inhibitor against BACE-1 and GSK-3β: molecular dynamics simulations, binding energy, and network analysis to identify first-in-class dual inhibitors against Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Akhil; Srivastava, Gaurava; Srivastava, Swati; Verma, Seema; Negi, Arvind S; Sharma, Ashok

2017-08-01

BACE-1 and GSK-3β are potential therapeutic drug targets for Alzheimer's disease. Recently, both the targets received attention for designing dual inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease. Until now, only two-scaffold triazinone and curcumin have been reported as BACE-1 and GSK-3β dual inhibitors. Docking, molecular dynamics, clustering, binding energy, and network analysis of triazinone derivatives with BACE-1 and GSK-3β was performed to get molecular insight into the first reported dual inhibitor. Further, we designed and evaluated a naphthofuran series for its ability to inhibit BACE-1 and GSK-3β with the computational approaches. Docking study of naphthofuran series showed a good binding affinity towards both the targets. Molecular dynamics, binding energy, and network analysis were performed to compare their binding with the targets and amino acids responsible for binding. Naphthofuran series derivatives showed good interaction within the active site residues of both of the targets. Hydrogen bond occupancy and binding energy suggested strong binding with the targets. Dual-inhibitor binding was mostly governed by the hydrophobic interactions for both of the targets. Per residue energy decomposition and network analysis identified the key residues involved in the binding and inhibiting BACE-1 and GSK-3β. The results indicated that naphthofuran series derivative 11 may be a promising first-in-class dual inhibitor against BACE-1 and GSK-3β. This naphthofuran series may be further explored to design better dual inhibitors. Graphical abstract Naphthofuran derivative as a dual inhibitor for BACE-1 and GSK-3β.

Interaction of the N-(3-Methylpyridin-2-ylamide Derivatives of Flurbiprofen and Ibuprofen with FAAH: Enantiomeric Selectivity and Binding Mode.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Karlsson

Full Text Available Combined fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH and cyclooxygenase (COX inhibition is a promising approach for pain-relief. The Flu-AM1 and Ibu-AM5 derivatives of flurbiprofen and ibuprofen retain similar COX-inhibitory properties and are more potent inhibitors of FAAH than the parent compounds. However, little is known as to the nature of their interaction with FAAH, or to the importance of their chirality. This has been explored here.FAAH inhibitory activity was measured in rat brain homogenates and in lysates expressing either wild-type or FAAH(T488A-mutated enzyme. Molecular modelling was undertaken using both docking and molecular dynamics. The (R- and (S-enantiomers of Flu-AM1 inhibited rat FAAH with similar potencies (IC50 values of 0.74 and 0.99 μM, respectively, whereas the (S-enantiomer of Ibu-AM5 (IC50 0.59 μM was more potent than the (R-enantiomer (IC50 5.7 μM. Multiple inhibition experiments indicated that both (R-Flu-AM1 and (S-Ibu-AM5 inhibited FAAH in a manner mutually exclusive to carprofen. Computational studies indicated that the binding site for the Flu-AM1 and Ibu-AM5 enantiomers was located between the acyl chain binding channel and the membrane access channel, in a site overlapping the carprofen binding site, and showed a binding mode in line with that proposed for carprofen and other non-covalent ligands. The potency of (R-Flu-AM1 was lower towards lysates expressing FAAH mutated at the proposed carprofen binding area than in lysates expressing wild-type FAAH.The study provides kinetic and structural evidence that the enantiomers of Flu-AM1 and Ibu-AM5 bind in the substrate channel of FAAH. This information will be useful in aiding the design of novel dual-action FAAH: COX inhibitors.

Unexpected Binding Mode of a Potent Indeno[1,2-b]indole-Type Inhibitor of Protein Kinase CK2 Revealed by Complex Structures with the Catalytic Subunit CK2α and Its Paralog CK2α′

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Hochscherf

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Protein kinase CK2, a member of the eukaryotic protein kinase superfamily, is associated with cancer and other human pathologies and thus an attractive drug target. The indeno[1,2-b]indole scaffold is a novel lead structure to develop ATP-competitive CK2 inhibitors. Some indeno[1,2-b]indole-based CK2 inhibitors additionally obstruct ABCG2, an ABC half transporter overexpressed in breast cancer and co-responsible for drug efflux and resistance. Comprehensive derivatization studies revealed substitutions of the indeno[1,2-b]indole framework that boost either the CK2 or the ABCG2 selectivity or even support the dual inhibition potential. The best indeno[1,2-b]indole-based CK2 inhibitor described yet (IC50 = 25 nM is 5-isopropyl-4-(3-methylbut-2-enyl-oxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10-dione (4p. Herein, we demonstrate the membrane permeability of 4p and describe co-crystal structures of 4p with CK2α and CK2α′, the paralogs of human CK2 catalytic subunit. As expected, 4p occupies the narrow, hydrophobic ATP site of CK2α/CK2α′, but surprisingly with a unique orientation: its hydrophobic substituents point towards the solvent while its two oxo groups are hydrogen-bonded to a hidden water molecule. An equivalent water molecule was found in many CK2α structures, but never as a critical mediator of ligand binding. This unexpected binding mode is independent of the interdomain hinge/helix αD region conformation and of the salt content in the crystallization medium.

Binding of ethidium to the nucleosome core particle. 2. Internal and external binding modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMurray, C.T.; Small, E.W.; van Holde, K.E.

1991-01-01

The authors have previously reported that the binding of ethidium bromide to the nucleosome core particle results in a stepwise dissociation of the structure which involves the initial release of one copy each of H2A and H2B. In this report, they have examined the absorbance and fluorescence properties of intercalated and outside bound forms of ethidium bromide. From these properties, they have measured the extent of external, electrostatic binding of the dye versus internal, intercalation binding to the core particle, free from contribution by linker DNA. They have established that dissociation is induced by the intercalation mode of binding to DNA within the core particle DNA, and not by binding to the histones or by nonintercalative binding to DNA. The covalent binding of [ 3 H]-8-azidoethidium to the core particle clearly shows that < 1.0 adduct is formed per histone octamer over a wide range of input ratios. Simultaneously, analyses of steady-state fluorescence enhancement and fluorescence lifetime data from bound ethidium complexes demonstrate extensive intercalation binding. Combined analyses from steady-state fluorescence intensity with equilibrium dialysis or fluorescence lifetime data revealed that dissociation began when ∼14 ethidium molecules are bound by intercalation to each core particle and < 1.0 nonintercalated ion pair was formed per core particle

Computational revelation of binding mechanisms of inhibitors to endocellular protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B using molecular dynamics simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Fangfang; Liu, Xinguo; Zhang, Shaolong; Su, Jing; Zhang, Qinggang; Chen, Jianzhong

2017-11-06

Endocellular protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is one of the most promising target for designing and developing drugs to cure type-II diabetes and obesity. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) and solvated interaction energy methods were applied to study binding differences of three inhibitors (ID: 901, 941, and 968) to PTP1B, the calculated results show that the inhibitor 901 has the strongest binding ability to PTP1B among the current inhibitors. Principal component (PC) analysis was also carried out to investigate the conformational change of PTP1B, and the results indicate that the associations of inhibitors with PTP1B generate a significant effect on the motion of the WPD-loop. Free energy decomposition method was applied to study the contributions of individual residues to inhibitor bindings, it is found that three inhibitors can generate hydrogen bonding interactions and hydrophobic interactions with different residues of PTP1B, which provide important forces for associations of inhibitors with PTP1B. This research is expected to give a meaningfully theoretical guidance to design and develop of effective drugs curing type-II diabetes and obesity.

Navigating into the binding pockets of the HER family protein kinases: discovery of novel EGFR inhibitor as antitumor agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Ning, Jin-Feng; Meng, Qing-Wei; Hu, Jing; Zhao, Yan-Bin; Liu, Chao; Cai, Li

2015-01-01

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family has been validated as a successful antitumor drug target for decades. Known EGFR inhibitors were exposed to distinct drug resistance against the various EGFR mutants within non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly the T790M mutation. Although so far a number of studies have been reported on the development of third-generation EGFR inhibitors for overcoming the resistance issue, the design procedure largely depends on the intuition of medicinal chemists. Here we retrospectively make a detailed analysis of the 42 EGFR family protein crystal complexes deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Based on the analysis of inhibitor binding modes in the kinase catalytic cleft, we identified a potent EGFR inhibitor (compound A-10) against drug-resistant EGFR through fragment-based drug design. This compound showed at least 30-fold more potency against EGFR T790M than the two control molecules erlotinib and gefitinib in vitro. Moreover, it could exhibit potent HER2 inhibitory activities as well as tumor growth inhibitory activity. Molecular docking studies revealed a structural basis for the increased potency and mutant selectivity of this compound. Compound A-10 may be selected as a promising candidate in further preclinical studies. In addition, our findings could provide a powerful strategy to identify novel selective kinase inhibitors on the basis of detailed kinase-ligand interaction space in the PDB.

Ibrutinib targets mutant-EGFR kinase with a distinct binding conformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Aoli; Yan, Xiao-E; Wu, Hong; Wang, Wenchao; Hu, Chen; Chen, Cheng; Zhao, Zheng; Zhao, Peng; Li, Xixiang; Wang, Li; Wang, Beilei; Ye, Zi; Wang, Jinhua; Wang, Chu; Zhang, Wei; Gray, Nathanael S; Weisberg, Ellen L; Chen, Liang; Liu, Jing; Yun, Cai-Hong; Liu, Qingsong

2016-10-25

Ibrutinib, a clinically approved irreversible BTK kinase inhibitor for Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) etc, has been reported to be potent against EGFR mutant kinase and currently being evaluated in clinic for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Through EGFR wt/mutant engineered isogenic BaF3 cell lines we confirmed the irreversible binding mode of Ibrutinib with EGFR wt/mutant kinase via Cys797. However, comparing to typical irreversible EGFR inhibitor, such as WZ4002, the washing-out experiments revealed a much less efficient covalent binding for Ibrutinib. The biochemical binding affinity examination in the EGFR L858R/T790M kinase revealed that, comparing to more efficient irreversible inhibitor WZ4002 (Kd: 0.074 μM), Ibrutinib exhibited less efficient binding (Kd: 0.18 μM). An X-ray crystal structure of EGFR (T790M) in complex with Ibrutinib exhibited a unique DFG-in/c-Helix-out inactive binding conformation, which partially explained the less efficiency of covalent binding and provided insight for further development of highly efficient irreversible binding inhibitor for the EGFR mutant kinase. These results also imply that, unlike the canonical irreversible inhibitor, sustained effective concentration might be required for Ibrutinib in order to achieve the maximal efficacy in the clinic application against EGFR driven NSCLC.

The binding cavity of mouse major urinary protein is optimised for a variety of ligand binding modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pertinhez, Thelma A.; Ferrari, Elena; Casali, Emanuela [Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39, 43100 Parma (Italy); Patel, Jital A. [Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QR (United Kingdom); Spisni, Alberto, E-mail: alberto.spisni@unipr.it [Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39, 43100 Parma (Italy); Smith, Lorna J., E-mail: lorna.smith@chem.ox.ac.uk [Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QR (United Kingdom)

2009-12-25

{sup 15}N and {sup 1}HN chemical shift data and {sup 15}N relaxation studies have been used to characterise the binding of N-phenyl-naphthylamine (NPN) to mouse major urinary protein (MUP). NPN binds in the {beta}-barrel cavity of MUP, hydrogen bonding to Tyr120 and making extensive non-bonded contacts with hydrophobic side chains. In contrast to the natural pheromone 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole, NPN binding gives no change to the overall mobility of the protein backbone of MUP. Comparison with 11 different ligands that bind to MUP shows a range of binding modes involving 16 different residues in the {beta}-barrel cavity. These finding justify why MUP is able to adapt to allow for many successful binding partners.

An Investigation of Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamic Simulation on Imidazopyridines as B-Raf Kinase Inhibitors

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Huiding Xie

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In the recent cancer treatment, B-Raf kinase is one of key targets. Nowadays, a group of imidazopyridines as B-Raf kinase inhibitors have been reported. In order to investigate the interaction between this group of inhibitors and B-Raf kinase, molecular docking, molecular dynamic (MD simulation and binding free energy (ΔGbind calculation were performed in this work. Molecular docking was carried out to identify the key residues in the binding site, and MD simulations were performed to determine the detail binding mode. The results obtained from MD simulation reveal that the binding site is stable during the MD simulations, and some hydrogen bonds (H-bonds in MD simulations are different from H-bonds in the docking mode. Based on the obtained MD trajectories, ΔGbind was computed by using Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA, and the obtained energies are consistent with the activities. An energetic analysis reveals that both electrostatic and van der Waals contributions are important to ΔGbind, and the unfavorable polar solvation contribution results in the instability of the inhibitor with the lowest activity. These results are expected to understand the binding between B-Raf and imidazopyridines and provide some useful information to design potential B-Raf inhibitors.

Plasmin substrate binding site cooperativity guides the design of potent peptide aldehyde inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Swedberg, Joakim E; Harris, Jonathan M

2011-10-04

Perioperative bleeding is a cause of major blood loss and is associated with increased rates of postoperative morbidity and mortality. To combat this, antifibrinolytic inhibitors of the serine protease plasmin are commonly used to reduce bleeding during surgery. The most effective and previously widely used of these is the broad range serine protease inhibitor aprotinin. However, adverse clinical outcomes have led to use of alternative serine lysine analogues to inhibit plasmin. These compounds suffer from low selectivity and binding affinity. Consequently, a concerted effort to discover potent and selective plasmin inhibitors has developed. This study used a noncombinatorial peptide library to define plasmin's extended substrate specificity and guide the design of potent transition state analogue inhibitors. The various substrate binding sites of plasmin were found to exhibit a higher degree of cooperativity than had previously been appreciated. Peptide sequences capitalizing on these features produced high-affinity inhibitors of plasmin. The most potent of these, Lys-Met(sulfone)-Tyr-Arg-H [KM(O(2))YR-H], inhibited plasmin with a K(i) of 3.1 nM while maintaining 25-fold selectivity over plasma kallikrein. Furthermore, 125 nM (0.16 μg/mL) KM(O(2))YR-H attenuated fibrinolysis in vitro with an efficacy similar to that of 15 nM (0.20 μg/mL) aprotinin. To date, this is the most potent peptide inhibitor of plasmin that exhibits selectivity against plasma kallikrein, making this compound an attractive candidate for further therapeutic development.

Importance of the Extracellular Loop 4 in the Human Serotonin Transporter for Inhibitor Binding and Substrate Translocation*

Science.gov (United States)

Rannversson, Hafsteinn; Wilson, Pamela; Kristensen, Kristina Birch; Sinning, Steffen; Kristensen, Anders Skov; Strømgaard, Kristian; Andersen, Jacob

2015-01-01

The serotonin transporter (SERT) terminates serotonergic neurotransmission by performing reuptake of released serotonin, and SERT is the primary target for antidepressants. SERT mediates the reuptake of serotonin through an alternating access mechanism, implying that a central substrate site is connected to both sides of the membrane by permeation pathways, of which only one is accessible at a time. The coordinated conformational changes in SERT associated with substrate translocation are not fully understood. Here, we have identified a Leu to Glu mutation at position 406 (L406E) in the extracellular loop 4 (EL4) of human SERT, which induced a remarkable gain-of-potency (up to >40-fold) for a range of SERT inhibitors. The effects were highly specific for L406E relative to six other mutations in the same position, including the closely related L406D mutation, showing that the effects induced by L406E are not simply charge-related effects. Leu406 is located >10 Å from the central inhibitor binding site indicating that the mutation affects inhibitor binding in an indirect manner. We found that L406E decreased accessibility to a residue in the cytoplasmic pathway. The shift in equilibrium to favor a more outward-facing conformation of SERT can explain the reduced turnover rate and increased association rate of inhibitor binding we found for L406E. Together, our findings show that EL4 allosterically can modulate inhibitor binding within the central binding site, and substantiates that EL4 has an important role in controlling the conformational equilibrium of human SERT. PMID:25903124

Distinct ubiquitin binding modes exhibited by SH3 domains: molecular determinants and functional implications.

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Jose L Ortega Roldan

Full Text Available SH3 domains constitute a new type of ubiquitin-binding domains. We previously showed that the third SH3 domain (SH3-C of CD2AP binds ubiquitin in an alternative orientation. We have determined the structure of the complex between first CD2AP SH3 domain and ubiquitin and performed a structural and mutational analysis to decipher the determinants of the SH3-C binding mode to ubiquitin. We found that the Phe-to-Tyr mutation in CD2AP and in the homologous CIN85 SH3-C domain does not abrogate ubiquitin binding, in contrast to previous hypothesis and our findings for the first two CD2AP SH3 domains. The similar alternative binding mode of the SH3-C domains of these related adaptor proteins is characterised by a higher affinity to C-terminal extended ubiquitin molecules. We conclude that CD2AP/CIN85 SH3-C domain interaction with ubiquitin constitutes a new ubiquitin-binding mode involved in a different cellular function and thus changes the previously established mechanism of EGF-dependent CD2AP/CIN85 mono-ubiquitination.

Structural and functional analysis of cyclin D1 reveals p27 and substrate inhibitor binding requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shu; Bolger, Joshua K; Kirkland, Lindsay O; Premnath, Padmavathy N; McInnes, Campbell

2010-12-17

An alternative strategy for inhibition of the cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) in antitumor drug discovery is afforded through the substrate recruitment site on the cyclin positive regulatory subunit. Critical CDK substrates such as the Rb and E2F families must undergo cyclin groove binding before phosphorylation, and hence inhibitors of this interaction also block substrate specific kinase activity. This approach offers the potential to generate highly selective and cell cycle specific CDK inhibitors and to reduce the inhibition of transcription mediated through CDK7 and 9, commonly observed with ATP competitive compounds. While highly potent peptide and small molecule inhibitors of CDK2/cyclin A, E substrate recruitment have been reported, little information has been generated on the determinants of inhibitor binding to the cyclin groove of the CDK4/cyclin D1 complex. CDK4/cyclin D is a validated anticancer drug target and continues to be widely pursued in the development of new therapeutics based on cell cycle blockade. We have therefore investigated the structural basis for peptide binding to its cyclin groove and have examined the features contributing to potency and selectivity of inhibitors. Peptidic inhibitors of CDK4/cyclin D of pRb phosphorylation have been synthesized, and their complexes with CDK4/cyclin D1 crystal structures have been generated. Based on available structural information, comparisons of the cyclin grooves of cyclin A2 and D1 are presented and provide insights into the determinants for peptide binding and the basis for differential binding and inhibition. In addition, a complex structure has been generated in order to model the interactions of the CDKI, p27(KIP)¹, with cyclin D1. This information has been used to shed light onto the endogenous inhibition of CDK4 and also to identify unique aspects of cyclin D1 that can be exploited in the design of cyclin groove based CDK inhibitors. Peptidic and nonpeptidic compounds have been

Energetics of dendrimer binding to HIV-1 gp120-CD4 complex and mechanismic aspects of its role as an entry-inhibitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saurabh, Suman; Sahoo, Anil Kumar; Maiti, Prabal K.

2016-01-01

Experiments and computational studies have established that de-protonated dendrimers (SPL7013 and PAMAM) act as entry-inhibitors of HIV. SPL7013 based Vivagel is currently under clinical development. The dendrimer binds to gp120 in the gp120-CD4 complex, destabilizes it by breaking key contacts between gp120 and CD4 and prevents viral entry into target cells. In this work, we provide molecular details and energetics of the formation of the SPL7013-gp120-CD4 ternary complex and decipher modes of action of the dendrimer in preventing viral entry. It is also known from experiments that the dendrimer binds weakly to gp120 that is not bound to CD4. It binds even more weakly to the CD4-binding region of gp120 and thus cannot directly block gp120-CD4 complexation. In this work, we examine the feasibility of dendrimer binding to the gp120-binding region of CD4 and directly blocking gp120-CD4 complex formation. We find that the process of the dendrimer binding to CD4 can compete with gp120-CD4 binding due to comparable free energy change for the two processes, thus creating a possibility for the dendrimer to directly block gp120-CD4 complexation by binding to the gp120-binding region of CD4. (paper)

Energetics of dendrimer binding to HIV-1 gp120-CD4 complex and mechanismic aspects of its role as an entry-inhibitor

Science.gov (United States)

Saurabh, Suman; Sahoo, Anil Kumar; Maiti, Prabal K.

2016-10-01

Experiments and computational studies have established that de-protonated dendrimers (SPL7013 and PAMAM) act as entry-inhibitors of HIV. SPL7013 based Vivagel is currently under clinical development. The dendrimer binds to gp120 in the gp120-CD4 complex, destabilizes it by breaking key contacts between gp120 and CD4 and prevents viral entry into target cells. In this work, we provide molecular details and energetics of the formation of the SPL7013-gp120-CD4 ternary complex and decipher modes of action of the dendrimer in preventing viral entry. It is also known from experiments that the dendrimer binds weakly to gp120 that is not bound to CD4. It binds even more weakly to the CD4-binding region of gp120 and thus cannot directly block gp120-CD4 complexation. In this work, we examine the feasibility of dendrimer binding to the gp120-binding region of CD4 and directly blocking gp120-CD4 complex formation. We find that the process of the dendrimer binding to CD4 can compete with gp120-CD4 binding due to comparable free energy change for the two processes, thus creating a possibility for the dendrimer to directly block gp120-CD4 complexation by binding to the gp120-binding region of CD4.

Binding and Inhibition of Spermidine Synthase from Plasmodium falciparum and Implications for In Vitro Inhibitor Testing.

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Janina Sprenger

Full Text Available The aminopropyltransferase spermidine synthase (SpdS is a promising drug target in cancer and in protozoan diseases including malaria. Plasmodium falciparum SpdS (PfSpdS transfers the aminopropyl group of decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine (dcAdoMet to putrescine or to spermidine to form spermidine or spermine, respectively. In an effort to understand why efficient inhibitors of PfSpdS have been elusive, the present study uses enzyme activity assays and isothermal titration calorimetry with verified or predicted inhibitors of PfSpdS to analyze the relationship between binding affinity as assessed by KD and inhibitory activity as assessed by IC50. The results show that some predicted inhibitors bind to the enzyme with high affinity but are poor inhibitors. Binding studies with PfSpdS substrates and products strongly support an ordered sequential mechanism in which the aminopropyl donor (dcAdoMet site must be occupied before the aminopropyl acceptor (putrescine site can be occupied. Analysis of the results also shows that the ordered sequential mechanism adequately accounts for the complex relationship between IC50 and KD and may explain the limited success of previous efforts at structure-based inhibitor design for PfSpdS. Based on PfSpdS active-site occupancy, we suggest a classification of ligands that can help to predict the KD-IC50 relations in future design of new inhibitors. The present findings may be relevant for other drug targets that follow an ordered sequential mechanism.

Importance of the Extracellular Loop 4 in the Human Serotonin Transporter for Inhibitor Binding and Substrate Translocation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rannversson, Hafsteinn; Wilson, Pamela; Kristensen, Kristina Birch; Sinning, Steffen; Kristensen, Anders Skov; Strømgaard, Kristian; Andersen, Jacob

2015-06-05

The serotonin transporter (SERT) terminates serotonergic neurotransmission by performing reuptake of released serotonin, and SERT is the primary target for antidepressants. SERT mediates the reuptake of serotonin through an alternating access mechanism, implying that a central substrate site is connected to both sides of the membrane by permeation pathways, of which only one is accessible at a time. The coordinated conformational changes in SERT associated with substrate translocation are not fully understood. Here, we have identified a Leu to Glu mutation at position 406 (L406E) in the extracellular loop 4 (EL4) of human SERT, which induced a remarkable gain-of-potency (up to >40-fold) for a range of SERT inhibitors. The effects were highly specific for L406E relative to six other mutations in the same position, including the closely related L406D mutation, showing that the effects induced by L406E are not simply charge-related effects. Leu(406) is located >10 Å from the central inhibitor binding site indicating that the mutation affects inhibitor binding in an indirect manner. We found that L406E decreased accessibility to a residue in the cytoplasmic pathway. The shift in equilibrium to favor a more outward-facing conformation of SERT can explain the reduced turnover rate and increased association rate of inhibitor binding we found for L406E. Together, our findings show that EL4 allosterically can modulate inhibitor binding within the central binding site, and substantiates that EL4 has an important role in controlling the conformational equilibrium of human SERT. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Structure based design of 11β-HSD1 inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Suresh; Tice, Colin

2010-11-01

Controlling elevated tissue-specific levels of cortisol may provide a novel therapeutic approach for treating metabolic syndrome. This concept has spurred large scale medicinal chemistry efforts in the pharmaceutical industry for the design of 11β-HSD1 inhibitors. High resolution X-ray crystal structures of inhibitors in complex with the enzyme have facilitated the structure-based design of diverse classes of molecules. A summary of binding modes, trends in structure-activity relationships, and the pharmacodynamic data of inhibitors from each class is presented.

Carbon- versus sulphur-based zinc binding groups for carbonic anhydrase inhibitors?

Science.gov (United States)

Supuran, Claudiu T

2018-12-01

A set of compounds incorporating carbon-based zinc-binding groups (ZBGs), of the type PhX (X = COOH, CONH 2 , CONHNH 2 , CONHOH, CONHOMe), and the corresponding derivatives with sulphur(VI)-based ZBGs (X = SO 3 H, SO 2 NH 2 , SO 2 NHNH 2 , SO 2 NHOH, SO 2 NHOMe) were tested as inhibitors of all mammalian isoforms of carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1), CA I-XV. Three factors connected with the ZBG influenced the efficacy as CA inhibitor (CAI) of the investigated compounds: (i) the pKa of the ZBG; (ii) its geometry (tetrahedral, i.e. sulphur-based, versus trigonal, i.e. carbon-based ZBGs), and (iii) orientation of the organic scaffold induced by the nature of the ZBG. Benzenesulphonamide was the best inhibitor of all isoforms, but other ZBGs led to interesting inhibition profiles, although with an efficacy generally reduced when compared to the sulphonamide. The nature of the ZBG also influenced the CA inhibition mechanism. Most of these derivatives were zinc binders, but some of them (sulfonates, carboxylates) may interact with the enzyme by anchoring to the zinc-coordinated water molecule or by other inhibition mechanisms (occlusion of the active site entrance, out of the active site binding, etc.). Exploring structurally diverse ZBGs may lead to interesting new developments in the field of CAIs.

Design of multiligand inhibitors for the swine flu H1N1 neuraminidase binding site

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Narayanan MM

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Manoj M Narayanan,1,2 Chandrasekhar B Nair,2 Shilpa K Sanjeeva,2 PV Subba Rao,2 Phani K Pullela,1,2 Colin J Barrow11Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia; 2Bigtec Pvt Ltd, Rajajinagar, Bangalore, IndiaAbstract: Viral neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir and zanamivir prevent early virus multiplication by blocking sialic acid cleavage on host cells. These drugs are effective for the treatment of a variety of influenza subtypes, including swine flu (H1N1. The binding site for these drugs is well established and they were designed based on computational docking studies. We show here that some common natural products have moderate inhibitory activity for H1N1 neuraminidase under docking studies. Significantly, docking studies using AutoDock for biligand and triligand forms of these compounds (camphor, menthol, and methyl salicylate linked via methylene bridges indicate that they may bind in combination with high affinity to the H1N1 neuraminidase active site. These results also indicate that chemically linked biligands and triligands of these natural products could provide a new class of drug leads for the prevention and treatment of influenza. This study also highlights the need for a multiligand docking algorithm to understand better the mode of action of natural products, wherein multiple active ingredients are present.Keywords: neuraminidase, influenza, H1N1, multiligand, binding energy, molecular docking, virus

Molecular docking and NMR binding studies to identify novel inhibitors of human phosphomevalonate kinase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boonsri, Pornthip [Chemical Proteomics Facility at Marquette, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States); Department of Chemistry, NANOTEC Center of Nanotechnology, National Nanotechnology Center, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900 (Thailand); Neumann, Terrence S.; Olson, Andrew L.; Cai, Sheng [Chemical Proteomics Facility at Marquette, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States); Herdendorf, Timothy J.; Miziorko, Henry M. [Division of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Hannongbua, Supa [Department of Chemistry, NANOTEC Center of Nanotechnology, National Nanotechnology Center, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900 (Thailand); Sem, Daniel S., E-mail: daniel.sem@cuw.edu [Chemical Proteomics Facility at Marquette, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States)

2013-01-04

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Natural and synthetic inhibitors of human phosphomevalonate kinase identified. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Virtual screening yielded a hit rate of 15%, with inhibitor K{sub d}'s of 10-60 {mu}M. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer NMR studies indicate significant protein conformational changes upon binding. -- Abstract: Phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK) phosphorylates mevalonate-5-phosphate (M5P) in the mevalonate pathway, which is the sole source of isoprenoids and steroids in humans. We have identified new PMK inhibitors with virtual screening, using autodock. Promising hits were verified and their affinity measured using NMR-based {sup 1}H-{sup 15}N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) chemical shift perturbation and fluorescence titrations. Chemical shift changes were monitored, plotted, and fitted to obtain dissociation constants (K{sub d}). Tight binding compounds with K{sub d}'s ranging from 6-60 {mu}M were identified. These compounds tended to have significant polarity and negative charge, similar to the natural substrates (M5P and ATP). HSQC cross peak changes suggest that binding induces a global conformational change, such as domain closure. Compounds identified in this study serve as chemical genetic probes of human PMK, to explore pharmacology of the mevalonate pathway, as well as starting points for further drug development.

Understanding binding affinity : A combined isothermal titration calorimetry/molecular dynamics study of the binding of a series of hydrophobically modified benzamidinium chloride inhibitors to trypsin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Talhout, Reinskje; Villa, Alessandra; Mark, AE; Engberts, JBFN

2003-01-01

The binding of a series of p-alkylbenzamidinium chloride inhibitors to the serine proteinase trypsin over a range of temperatures has been studied using isothermal titration (micro)calorimetry and molecular dynamics simulation techniques. The inhibitors have small structural variations at the para

Carboxamide SIRT1 inhibitors block DBC1 binding via an acetylation-independent mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, Basil P; Loh, Christine; Gomes, Ana P; Li, Jun; Lu, Quinn; Doyle, Taylor LG; Disch, Jeremy S; Armour, Sean M; Ellis, James L; Vlasuk, George P; Sinclair, David A

2013-01-01

SIRT1 is an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that counteracts multiple disease states associated with aging and may underlie some of the health benefits of calorie restriction. Understanding how SIRT1 is regulated in vivo could therefore lead to new strategies to treat age-related diseases. SIRT1 forms a stable complex with DBC1, an endogenous inhibitor. Little is known regarding the biochemical nature of SIRT1-DBC1 complex formation, how it is regulated and whether or not it is possible to block this interaction pharmacologically. In this study, we show that critical residues within the catalytic core of SIRT1 mediate binding to DBC1 via its N-terminal region, and that several carboxamide SIRT1 inhibitors, including EX-527, can completely block this interaction. We identify two acetylation sites on DBC1 that regulate its ability to bind SIRT1 and suppress its activity. Furthermore, we show that DBC1 itself is a substrate for SIRT1. Surprisingly, the effect of EX-527 on SIRT1-DBC1 binding is independent of DBC1 acetylation. Together, these data show that protein acetylation serves as an endogenous regulatory mechanism for SIRT1-DBC1 binding and illuminate a new path to developing small-molecule modulators of SIRT1. PMID:23892437

Mechanism-based Inhibitors of the Human Sirtuin 5 Deacylase: Structure-Activity Relationship, Biostructural, and Kinetic Insight

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rajabi, Nima; Auth, Marina; Troelsen, Kathrin Rentzius

2017-01-01

to date. We provide rationalization of the mode of binding by solving co-crystal structures of selected inhibitors in complex with both human and zebrafish SIRT5, which provide insight for future optimization of inhibitors with more "drug-like" properties. Importantly, enzyme kinetic evaluation revealed...

Discovery and X-ray crystallographic analysis of a spiropiperidine iminohydantoin inhibitor of beta-secretase.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrow, James C; Stauffer, Shaun R; Rittle, Kenneth E; Ngo, Phung L; Yang, ZhiQiang; Selnick, Harold G; Graham, Samuel L; Munshi, Sanjeev; McGaughey, Georgia B; Holloway, M Katharine; Simon, Adam J; Price, Eric A; Sankaranarayanan, Sethu; Colussi, Dennis; Tugusheva, Katherine; Lai, Ming-Tain; Espeseth, Amy S; Xu, Min; Huang, Qian; Wolfe, Abigail; Pietrak, Beth; Zuck, Paul; Levorse, Dorothy A; Hazuda, Daria; Vacca, Joseph P

2008-10-23

A high-throughput screen at 100 microM inhibitor concentration for the BACE-1 enzyme revealed a novel spiropiperidine iminohydantoin aspartyl protease inhibitor template. An X-ray cocrystal structure with BACE-1 revealed a novel mode of binding whereby the inhibitor interacts with the catalytic aspartates via bridging water molecules. Using the crystal structure as a guide, potent compounds with good brain penetration were designed.

Characterization of the mode of action of a potent dengue virus capsid inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Scaturro, Pietro; Trist, Iuni Margaret Laura; Paul, David; Kumar, Anil; Acosta, Eliana G; Byrd, Chelsea M; Jordan, Robert; Brancale, Andrea; Bartenschlager, Ralf

2014-10-01

Dengue viruses (DV) represent a significant global health burden, with up to 400 million infections every year and around 500,000 infected individuals developing life-threatening disease. In spite of attempts to develop vaccine candidates and antiviral drugs, there is a lack of approved therapeutics for the treatment of DV infection. We have previously reported the identification of ST-148, a small-molecule inhibitor exhibiting broad and potent antiviral activity against DV in vitro and in vivo (C. M. Byrd et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 57:15-25, 2013, doi:10 .1128/AAC.01429-12). In the present study, we investigated the mode of action of this promising compound by using a combination of biochemical, virological, and imaging-based techniques. We confirmed that ST-148 targets the capsid protein and obtained evidence of bimodal antiviral activity affecting both assembly/release and entry of infectious DV particles. Importantly, by using a robust bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based assay, we observed an ST-148-dependent increase of capsid self-interaction. These results were corroborated by molecular modeling studies that also revealed a plausible model for compound binding to capsid protein and inhibition by a distinct resistance mutation. These results suggest that ST-148-enhanced capsid protein self-interaction perturbs assembly and disassembly of DV nucleocapsids, probably by inducing structural rigidity. Thus, as previously reported for other enveloped viruses, stabilization of capsid protein structure is an attractive therapeutic concept that also is applicable to flaviviruses. Dengue viruses are arthropod-borne viruses representing a significant global health burden. They infect up to 400 million people and are endemic to subtropical and tropical areas of the world. Currently, there are neither vaccines nor approved therapeutics for the prophylaxis or treatment of DV infections, respectively. This study reports the characterization of the

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase: high affinity tetrahydrophthalimide radioligand for the inhibitor/herbicide-binding site in mouse liver mitochondria.

Science.gov (United States)

Birchfield, N B; Casida, J E

1996-01-01

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox), the last common enzyme in heme and chlorophyll biosynthesis, is the target of several classes of herbicides acting as inhibitors in both plants and mammals. N-(4-Chloro-2-fluoro-5-(propargyloxy)phenyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro phthalimide (a potent protox inhibitor referred to as THP) was synthesized as a candidate radioligand ([3H]-THP) by selective catalytic reduction of 3,6-dihydrophthalic anhydride (DHPA) with tritium gas followed by condensation in 45% yield with 4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-(propargyloxy)aniline. Insertion of tritium at the 3 and 6 carbons of DHPA as well as the expected 4 and 5 carbons resulted in high specific activity [3H]THP (92 Ci/mmol). This radioligand undergoes rapid, specific, saturable, and reversible binding to the inhibitor/herbicide binding site of the protox component of cholate-solubilized mouse liver mitochondria with an apparent Kd of 0.41 nM and Bmax of 0.40 pmol/mg of protein. In the standard assay, mouse preparation (150 micrograms of protein) and [3H]THP (0.5 nM) are incubated in 500 microL of phosphate buffer at pH 7.2 for 15 min at 25 degrees C followed by addition of ammonium sulfate and filtration with glass fiber filters. The potencies of five nitrodiphenyl ethers and two other herbicides as inhibitors of [3H]THP binding correlate well with those for inhibition of protox activity (r2 = 0.97, n = 7), thus validating the binding assay as relevant to enzyme inhibition. It is also suitable to determine in vivo block as illustrated by an approximately 50% decrease in [3H]THP binding in liver mitochondria from mice treated ip with oxyfluorfen at 4 mg/kg. This is the first report of a binding assay for protox in mammals. The high affinity and specific activity of [3H]THP facilitate quantitation of protox and therefore research on a sensitive inhibition site for porphyrin biosynthesis.

Computational Characterization of Small Molecules Binding to the Human XPF Active Site and Virtual Screening to Identify Potential New DNA Repair Inhibitors Targeting the ERCC1-XPF Endonuclease

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Francesco Gentile

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The DNA excision repair protein ERCC-1-DNA repair endonuclease XPF (ERCC1-XPF is a heterodimeric endonuclease essential for the nucleotide excision repair (NER DNA repair pathway. Although its activity is required to maintain genome integrity in healthy cells, ERCC1-XPF can counteract the effect of DNA-damaging therapies such as platinum-based chemotherapy in cancer cells. Therefore, a promising approach to enhance the effect of these therapies is to combine their use with small molecules, which can inhibit the repair mechanisms in cancer cells. Currently, there are no structures available for the catalytic site of the human ERCC1-XPF, which performs the metal-mediated cleavage of a DNA damaged strand at 5′. We adopted a homology modeling strategy to build a structural model of the human XPF nuclease domain which contained the active site and to extract dominant conformations of the domain using molecular dynamics simulations followed by clustering of the trajectory. We investigated the binding modes of known small molecule inhibitors targeting the active site to build a pharmacophore model. We then performed a virtual screening of the ZINC Is Not Commercial 15 (ZINC15 database to identify new ERCC1-XPF endonuclease inhibitors. Our work provides structural insights regarding the binding mode of small molecules targeting the ERCC1-XPF active site that can be used to rationally optimize such compounds. We also propose a set of new potential DNA repair inhibitors to be considered for combination cancer therapy strategies.

Resistance Patterns Associated with HCV NS5A Inhibitors Provide Limited Insight into Drug Binding

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Moheshwarnath Issur

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs have significantly improved the treatment of infection with the hepatitis C virus. A promising class of novel antiviral agents targets the HCV NS5A protein. The high potency and broad genotypic coverage are favorable properties. NS5A inhibitors are currently assessed in advanced clinical trials in combination with viral polymerase inhibitors and/or viral protease inhibitors. However, the clinical use of NS5A inhibitors is also associated with new challenges. HCV variants with decreased susceptibility to these drugs can emerge and compromise therapy. In this review, we discuss resistance patterns in NS5A with focus prevalence and implications for inhibitor binding.

Subnanomolar indazole-5-carboxamide inhibitors of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) continued: indications of iron binding, experimental evidence for optimised solubility and brain penetration.

Science.gov (United States)

Tzvetkov, Nikolay T; Antonov, Liudmil

2017-12-01

Pharmacological and physicochemical studies of N-unsubstituted indazole-5-carboxamides (subclass I) and their structurally optimised N1-methylated analogues (subclass II), initially developed as drug and radioligand candidates for the treatment and diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD), are presented. The compounds are highly brain permeable, selective, reversible, and competitive monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors with improved water-solubility and subnanomolar potency (pIC 50  >8.8). Using a well-validated, combined X-ray/modelling technology platform, we performed a semi-quantitative analysis of the binding modes of all compounds and investigated the role of the indazole N1 position for their MAO-B inhibitory activity. Moreover, compounds NTZ-1006, 1032, and 1441 were investigated for their ability to bind Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ ions using UV-visible spectroscopy.

Discovery of MK-8718, an HIV Protease Inhibitor Containing a Novel Morpholine Aspartate Binding Group

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bungard, Christopher J.; Williams, Peter D.; Ballard, Jeanine E.; Bennett, David J.; Beaulieu, Christian; Bahnck-Teets, Carolyn; Carroll, Steve S.; Chang, Ronald K.; Dubost, David C.; Fay, John F.; Diamond, Tracy L.; Greshock, Thomas J.; Hao, Li; Holloway, M. Katharine; Felock, Peter J.; Gesell, Jennifer J.; Su, Hua-Poo; Manikowski, Jesse J.; McKay, Daniel J.; Miller, Mike; Min, Xu; Molinaro, Carmela; Moradei, Oscar M.; Nantermet, Philippe G.; Nadeau, Christian; Sanchez, Rosa I.; Satyanarayana, Tummanapalli; Shipe, William D.; Singh, Sanjay K.; Truong, Vouy Linh; Vijayasaradhi, Sivalenka; Wiscount, Catherine M.; Vacca, Joseph P.; Crane, Sheldon N.; McCauley, John A. (Merck); (Albany MR)

2016-07-14

A novel HIV protease inhibitor was designed using a morpholine core as the aspartate binding group. Analysis of the crystal structure of the initial lead bound to HIV protease enabled optimization of enzyme potency and antiviral activity. This afforded a series of potent orally bioavailable inhibitors of which MK-8718 was identified as a compound with a favorable overall profile.

Potent radiolabeled human renin inhibitor, [3H]SR42128: enzymatic, kinetic, and binding studies to renin and other aspartic proteases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cumin, F.; Nisato, D.; Gagnol, J.P.; Corvol, P.

1987-01-01

The in vitro binding of [ 3 H]SR42128 (Iva-Phe-Nle-Sta-Ala-Sta-Arg), a potent inhibitor of human renin activity, to purified human renin and a number of other aspartic proteases was examined. SR42128 was found to be a competitive inhibitor of human renin, with a K/sub i/ of 0.35 nM at pH 5.7 and 2.0 nM at pH 7.4; it was thus more effective at pH 5.7 than at pH 7.4. Scatchard analysis of the interaction binding of [ 3 H]SR42128 to human renin indicated that binding was reversible and saturable at both pH 5.7 and pH 7.4. There was a single class of binding sites, and the K/sub D/ was 0.9 nM at pH 5.7 and 1 nM at pH 7.4. The association rate was 10 times more rapid at pH 5.7 than at pH 7.4, but there was no difference between the rates of dissociation of the enzyme-inhibitor complex at the two pHs. The effect of pH on the binding of [ 3 H]SR42128 to human renin, cathepsin D, pepsin, and gastricsin was also examined over the pH range 3-8. All the aspartic proteases had a high affinity for the inhibitor at low pH. However, at pH 7.4, [ 3 H]SR42128 was bound only to human renin and to none of the other aspartic proteases. Competitive binding studies with [ 3 H]SR42128 and a number of other inhibitors on human renin or cathepsin D were used to examine the relationships between structure and activity in these systems. The study as a whole indicates that pH plays a major role in the binding of [ 3 H]SR42128 to aspartic proteases and that the nature of the inhibitor residue reacting with the renin S 2 subsites is of critical importance for the specificity of the renin-inhibitor interaction

Comparative analyses of lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and endothelial lipase, and their binding properties with known inhibitors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziyun Wang

Full Text Available The triglyceride lipase gene subfamily plays a central role in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. There are three members of this subfamily: lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and endothelial lipase. Although these lipases are implicated in the pathophysiology of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis, their structures have not been fully solved. In the current study, we established homology models of these three lipases, and carried out analysis of their activity sites. In addition, we investigated the kinetic characteristics for the catalytic residues using a molecular dynamics simulation strategy. To elucidate the molecular interactions and determine potential key residues involved in the binding to lipase inhibitors, we analyzed the binding pockets and binding poses of known inhibitors of the three lipases. We identified the spatial consensus catalytic triad "Ser-Asp-His", a characteristic motif in all three lipases. Furthermore, we found that the spatial characteristics of the binding pockets of the lipase molecules play a key role in ligand recognition, binding poses, and affinities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that systematically builds homology models of all the triglyceride lipase gene subfamily members. Our data provide novel insights into the molecular structures of lipases and their structure-function relationship, and thus provides groundwork for functional probe design towards lipase-based therapeutic inhibitors for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.

Molecular Dynamics Insights into Polyamine-DNA Binding Modes: Implications for Cross-Link Selectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bignon, Emmanuelle; Chan, Chen-Hui; Morell, Christophe; Monari, Antonio; Ravanat, Jean-Luc; Dumont, Elise

2017-09-18

Biogenic polyamines, which play a role in DNA condensation and stabilization, are ubiquitous and are found at millimolar concentration in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The interaction modes of three polyamines-putrescine (Put), spermine (Spm), and spermidine (Spd)-with a self-complementary 16 base pair (bp) duplex, are investigated by all-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics. The length of the amine aliphatic chain leads to a change of the interaction mode from minor groove binding to major groove binding. Through all-atom dynamics, noncovalent interactions that stabilize the polyamine-DNA complex and prefigure the reactivity, leading to the low-barrier formation of deleterious DNA-polyamine cross-links, after one-electron oxidation of a guanine nucleobase, are unraveled. The binding strength is quantified from the obtained trajectories by molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area post-processing (MM-GBSA). The values of binding free energies provide the same affinity order, Putbinding modes and carbon-nitrogen distances along the series of polyamines illustrate the selectivity towards deleterious DNA-polyamine cross-link formation through the extraction of average approaching distances between the C8 atom of guanines and the ammonium group. These results imply that the formation of DNA-polyamine cross-links involves deprotonation of the guanine radical cation to attack the polyamines, which must be positively charged to lie in the vicinity of the B-helix. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Characterization of the PB2 Cap Binding Domain Accelerates Inhibitor Design

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Amanda E. Constantinides

2018-01-01

Full Text Available X-ray crystallographic structural determinations of the PB2 cap binding domain (PB2cap have improved the conformational characterization of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase machinery (PA, PB2, and PB1 of the influenza virus. Geometrically, the catalytic PB1 subunit resembles the palm of a human hand. PA lies near the thumb region, and PB2 lies near the finger region. PB2 binds the cap moiety in the pre-mRNA of the host cell, while the endonuclease of PA cleaves the pre-mRNA 10–13 nucleotides downstream. The truncated RNA piece performs as a primer for PB1 to synthesize the viral mRNA. Precisely targeting PB2cap with a small molecule inhibitor will halt viral proliferation via interference of the cap-snatching activity. Wild-type and mutant PB2cap from A/California/07/2009 H1N1 were expressed in Escherichia coli, purified by nickel affinity and size exclusion chromatography, crystallized, and subjected to X-ray diffraction experiments. The crystal of mutant PB2cap liganded with m7GTP was prepared by co-crystallization. Structures were solved by the molecular replacement method, refined, and deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB. Structural determination and comparative analyses of these structures revealed the functions of Glu361, Lys376, His357, Phe404, Phe323, Lys339, His432, Asn429, Gln406, and Met401 in PB2cap, and the dissociation of the influenza A PB2cap C-terminal subdomain (residues 446–479 upon ligand binding. Understanding the role of these residues will aid in the ultimate development of a small-molecule inhibitor that binds both Influenza A and B virus PB2cap.

Novel N-allyl/propargyl tetrahydroquinolines: Synthesis via Three-component Cationic Imino Diels-Alder Reaction, Binding Prediction, and Evaluation as Cholinesterase Inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Yeray A; Gutiérrez, Margarita; Ramírez, David; Alzate-Morales, Jans; Bernal, Cristian C; Güiza, Fausto M; Romero Bohórquez, Arnold R

2016-10-01

New N-allyl/propargyl 4-substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines derivatives were efficiently synthesized using acid-catalyzed three components cationic imino Diels-Alder reaction (70-95%). All compounds were tested in vitro as dual acetylcholinesterase and butyryl-cholinesterase inhibitors and their potential binding modes, and affinity, were predicted by molecular docking and binding free energy calculations (∆G) respectively. The compound 4af (IC50 = 72 μm) presented the most effective inhibition against acetylcholinesterase despite its poor selectivity (SI = 2), while the best inhibitory activity on butyryl-cholinesterase was exhibited by compound 4ae (IC50 = 25.58 μm) with considerable selectivity (SI = 0.15). Molecular docking studies indicated that the most active compounds fit in the reported acetylcholinesterase and butyryl-cholinesterase active sites. Moreover, our computational data indicated a high correlation between the calculated ∆G and the experimental activity values in both targets. © 2016 The Authors Chemical Biology & Drug Design Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Machine Learning Reveals a Non-Canonical Mode of Peptide Binding to MHC class II Molecules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreatta, Massimo; Jurtz, Vanessa Isabell; Kaever, Thomas

2017-01-01

binding motif with a non-canonical binding core of length different from nine. This previously undescribed mode of peptide binding to MHCII molecules gives a more complete picture of peptide presentation by MHCII and allows us to model more accurately this event. This article is protected by copyright...

Structural variation and inhibitor binding in polypeptide deformylase from four different bacterial species.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Kathrine J; Petit, Chantal M; Aubart, Kelly; Smyth, Martin; McManus, Edward; Jones, Jo; Fosberry, Andrew; Lewis, Ceri; Lonetto, Michael; Christensen, Siegfried B

2003-02-01

Polypeptide deformylase (PDF) catalyzes the deformylation of polypeptide chains in bacteria. It is essential for bacterial cell viability and is a potential antibacterial drug target. Here, we report the crystal structures of polypeptide deformylase from four different species of bacteria: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Escherichia coli. Comparison of these four structures reveals significant overall differences between the two Gram-negative species (E. coli and H. influenzae) and the two Gram-positive species (S. pneumoniae and S. aureus). Despite these differences and low overall sequence identity, the S1' pocket of PDF is well conserved among the four enzymes studied. We also describe the binding of nonpeptidic inhibitor molecules SB-485345, SB-543668, and SB-505684 to both S. pneumoniae and E. coli PDF. Comparison of these structures shows similar binding interactions with both Gram-negative and Gram-positive species. Understanding the similarities and subtle differences in active site structure between species will help to design broad-spectrum polypeptide deformylase inhibitor molecules.

In silico simulations of STAT1 and STAT3 inhibitors predict SH2 domain cross-binding specificity.

Science.gov (United States)

Szelag, Malgorzata; Sikorski, Krzysztof; Czerwoniec, Anna; Szatkowska, Katarzyna; Wesoly, Joanna; Bluyssen, Hans A R

2013-11-15

Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) comprise a family of transcription factors that are structurally related and which participate in signaling pathways activated by cytokines, growth factors and pathogens. Activation of STAT proteins is mediated by the highly conserved Src homology 2 (SH2) domain, which interacts with phosphotyrosine motifs for specific contacts between STATs and receptors and for STAT dimerization. By generating new models for human (h)STAT1, hSTAT2 and hSTAT3 we applied comparative in silico docking to determine SH2-binding specificity of the STAT3 inhibitor stattic, and of fludarabine (STAT1 inhibitor). Thus, we provide evidence that by primarily targeting the highly conserved phosphotyrosine (pY+0) SH2 binding pocket stattic is not a specific hSTAT3 inhibitor, but is equally effective towards hSTAT1 and hSTAT2. This was confirmed in Human Micro-vascular Endothelial Cells (HMECs) in vitro, in which stattic inhibited interferon-α-induced phosphorylation of all three STATs. Likewise, fludarabine inhibits both hSTAT1 and hSTAT3 phosphorylation, but not hSTAT2, by competing with the highly conserved pY+0 and pY-X binding sites, which are less well-preserved in hSTAT2. Moreover we observed that in HMECs in vitro fludarabine inhibits cytokine and lipopolysaccharide-induced phosphorylation of hSTAT1 and hSTAT3 but does not affect hSTAT2. Finally, multiple sequence alignment of STAT-SH2 domain sequences confirmed high conservation between hSTAT1 and hSTAT3, but not hSTAT2, with respect to stattic and fludarabine binding sites. Together our data offer a molecular basis that explains STAT cross-binding specificity of stattic and fludarabine, thereby questioning the present selection strategies of SH2 domain-based competitive small inhibitors. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H Homolog Glorund Uses Two Distinct RNA-Binding Modes to Diversify Target Recognition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamayo, Joel V.; Teramoto, Takamasa; Chatterjee, Seema; Hall, Traci M. Tanaka; Gavis, Elizabeth R. (Princeton); (NIH)

2017-04-01

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H homolog, Glorund (Glo), regulates nanos mRNA translation by interacting with a structured UA-rich motif in the nanos 3' untranslated region. Glo regulates additional RNAs, however, and mammalian homologs bind G-tract sequences to regulate alternative splicing, suggesting that Glo also recognizes G-tract RNA. To gain insight into how Glo recognizes both structured UA-rich and G-tract RNAs, we used mutational analysis guided by crystal structures of Glo’s RNA-binding domains and identified two discrete RNA-binding surfaces that allow Glo to recognize both RNA motifs. By engineering Glo variants that favor a single RNA-binding mode, we show that a subset of Glo’s functions in vivo is mediated solely by the G-tract binding mode, whereas regulation of nanos requires both recognition modes. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the evolution of dual RNA motif recognition in Glo that may be applied to understanding the functional diversity of other RNA-binding proteins.

Synthesis of Sulochrin-125I and Its Binding Affinity as α-Glucosidase Inhibitor using Radioligand Binding Assay (RBA Method

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W. Lestari

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Most of diabetics patients have type 2 diabetes mellitus or non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Treatment type 2 diabetes mellitus can be done by inhibiting α-glucosidase enzyme which converts carbohydrates into glucose. Sulochrin is one of the potential compounds which can inhibit the function of α-glucosidase enzyme. This study was carried out to obtain data of sulochrin binding with α-glucosidase enzyme as α-glucosidase inhibitor using Radioligand Binding Assay (RBA method. Primary reagent required in RBA method is labeled radioactive ligand (radioligand. In this study, the radioligand was sulochrin-125I and prior to sulochrin-125I synthesis, the sulochrin-I was synthesized. Sulochrin-I and sulochrin-125I were synthesized and their bindings were studied using Radioligand Binding Assay method. Sulochrin-I was synthesized with molecular formula C17H15O7I and molecular weight 457.9940. Sulochrin-125I was synthesized from sulochrin-I by isotope exchange method. From the RBA method, dissociation constant (Kd and maximum binding (Bmax were obtained 26.316 nM and Bmax 9.302 nM respectively. This low Kd indicated that sulochrin was can bind to α-glucosidase

2-(Hetero(aryl)methylene)hydrazine-1-carbothioamides as potent urease inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Saeed, Aamer; Imran, Aqeel; Channar, Pervaiz A; Shahid, Mohammad; Mahmood, Wajahat; Iqbal, Jamshed

2015-02-01

A small series of 2-(hetero(aryl)methylene) hydrazine-1-carbothioamides including two aryl derivatives was synthesized and tested for their inhibitory activity against urease. Compound (E)-2-(Furan-2-ylmethylene) hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (3f), having a furan ring, was the most potent inhibitor of urease with an IC50 value of 0.58 μM. Molecular modeling was carried out through docking the designed compounds into the urease binding site to predict whether these derivatives have analogous binding mode to the urease inhibitors. The study revealed that all of the tested compounds bind with both metal atoms at the active site of the enzyme. The aromatic ring of the compounds forms ionic interactions with the residues, Ala(440), Asp(494), Ala(636), and Met(637). © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

An Unusual Dimeric Inhibitor of Acetylcholinesterase: Cooperative Binding of Crystal Violet

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Anders Allgardsson

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Acetylcholinesterase (AChE is an essential enzyme that terminates cholinergic transmission by a rapid hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. AChE is an important target for treatment of various cholinergic deficiencies, including Alzheimer’s disease and myasthenia gravis. In a previous high throughput screening campaign, we identified the dye crystal violet (CV as an inhibitor of AChE. Herein, we show that CV displays a significant cooperativity for binding to AChE, and the molecular basis for this observation has been investigated by X-ray crystallography. Two monomers of CV bind to residues at the entrance of the active site gorge of the enzyme. Notably, the two CV molecules have extensive intermolecular contacts with each other and with AChE. Computational analyses show that the observed CV dimer is not stable in solution, suggesting the sequential binding of two monomers. Guided by the structural analysis, we designed a set of single site substitutions, and investigated their effect on the binding of CV. Only moderate effects on the binding and the cooperativity were observed, suggesting a robustness in the interaction between CV and AChE. Taken together, we propose that the dimeric cooperative binding is due to a rare combination of chemical and structural properties of both CV and the AChE molecule itself.

A metal-based inhibitor of NEDD8-activating enzyme.

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Hai-Jing Zhong

Full Text Available A cyclometallated rhodium(III complex [Rh(ppy(2(dppz](+ (1 (where ppy=2-phenylpyridine and dppz=dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine dipyridophenazine has been prepared and identified as an inhibitor of NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE. The complex inhibited NAE activity in cell-free and cell-based assays, and suppressed the CRL-regulated substrate degradation and NF-κB activation in human cancer cells with potency comparable to known NAE inhibitor MLN4924. Molecular modeling analysis suggested that the overall binding mode of 1 within the binding pocket of the APPBP1/UBA3 heterodimer resembled that for MLN4924. Complex 1 is the first metal complex reported to suppress the NEDDylation pathway via inhibition of the NEDD8-activating enzyme.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate the Binding Mode of the Natural Product Liphagal with Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase α

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Yanjuan Gao

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase α (PI3Kα is an attractive target for anticancer drug design. Liphagal, isolated from the marine sponge Aka coralliphaga, possesses the special “liphagane” meroterpenoid carbon skeleton and has been demonstrated as a PI3Kα inhibitor. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to explore the dynamic behaviors of PI3Kα binding with liphagal, and free energy calculations and energy decomposition analysis were carried out by use of molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann (generalized Born surface area (MM/PB(GBSA methods. The results reveal that the heteroatom rich aromatic D-ring of liphagal extends towards the polar region of the binding site, and the D-ring 15-hydroxyl and 16-hydroxyl form three hydrogen bonds with Asp810 and Tyr836. The cyclohexyl A-ring projects up into the upper pocket of the lipophilic region, and the hydrophobic/van der Waals interactions with the residues Met772, Trp780, Ile800, Ile848, Val850, Met922, Phe930, Ile932 could be the key interactions for the affinity of liphagal to PI3Kα. Thus, a new strategy for the rational design of more potent analogs of liphagal against PI3Kα is provided. Our proposed PI3Kα/liphagal binding mode would be beneficial for the discovery of new active analogs of liphagal against PI3Kα.

Discovery of amido-benzisoxazoles as potent c-Kit inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunz, Roxanne K.; Rumfelt, Shannon; Chen, Ning; Zhang, Dawei; Tasker, Andrew S.; Bürli, Roland; Hungate, Randall; Yu, Violeta; Nguyen, Yen; Whittington, Douglas A.; Meagher, Kristin L.; Plant, Matthew; Tudor, Yanyan; Schrag, Michael; Xu, Yang; Ng, Gordon Y.; Hu, Essa (Amgen)

2010-01-12

Deregulation of the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit is associated with an increasing number of human diseases, including certain cancers and mast cell diseases. Interference of c-Kit signaling with multi-kinase inhibitors has been shown clinically to successfully treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors and mastocytosis. Targeted therapy of c-Kit activity may provide therapeutic advantages against off-target effects for non-oncology applications. A new structural class of c-Kit inhibitors is described, including in vitro c-Kit potency, kinase selectivity, and the observed binding mode.

Identification of a D-amino acid decapeptide HIV-1 entry inhibitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boggiano, Cesar; Jiang Shibo; Lu Hong; Zhao Qian; Liu Shuwen; Binley, James; Blondelle, Sylvie E.

2006-01-01

Entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virion into host cells involves three major steps, each being a potential target for the development of entry inhibitors: gp120 binding to CD4, gp120-CD4 complex interacting with a coreceptor, and gp41 refolding to form a six-helix bundle. Using a D-amino acid decapeptide combinatorial library, we identified peptide DC13 as having potent HIV-1 fusion inhibitory activity, and effectively inhibiting infection by several laboratory-adapted and primary HIV-1 strains. While DC13 did not block binding of gp120 to CD4, nor disrupt the gp41 six-helix bundle formation, it effectively blocked the binding of an anti-CXCR4 monoclonal antibody and chemokine SDF-1α to CXCR4-expressing cells. However, because R5-using primary viruses were also neutralized, the antiviral activity of DC13 implies additional mode(s) of action. These results suggest that DC13 is a useful HIV-1 coreceptor antagonist for CXCR4 and, due to its biostability and simplicity, may be of value for developing a new class of HIV-1 entry inhibitors

In silico screening for inhibitors of p-glycoprotein that target the nucleotide binding domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewer, Frances K; Follit, Courtney A; Vogel, Pia D; Wise, John G

2014-12-01

Multidrug resistances and the failure of chemotherapies are often caused by the expression or overexpression of ATP-binding cassette transporter proteins such as the multidrug resistance protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp). P-gp is expressed in the plasma membrane of many cell types and protects cells from accumulation of toxins. P-gp uses ATP hydrolysis to catalyze the transport of a broad range of mostly hydrophobic compounds across the plasma membrane and out of the cell. During cancer chemotherapy, the administration of therapeutics often selects for cells which overexpress P-gp, thereby creating populations of cancer cells resistant to a variety of chemically unrelated chemotherapeutics. The present study describes extremely high-throughput, massively parallel in silico ligand docking studies aimed at identifying reversible inhibitors of ATP hydrolysis that target the nucleotide-binding domains of P-gp. We used a structural model of human P-gp that we obtained from molecular dynamics experiments as the protein target for ligand docking. We employed a novel approach of subtractive docking experiments that identified ligands that bound predominantly to the nucleotide-binding domains but not the drug-binding domains of P-gp. Four compounds were found that inhibit ATP hydrolysis by P-gp. Using electron spin resonance spectroscopy, we showed that at least three of these compounds affected nucleotide binding to the transporter. These studies represent a successful proof of principle demonstrating the potential of targeted approaches for identifying specific inhibitors of P-gp. Copyright © 2014 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H Homolog Glorund Uses Two Distinct RNA-Binding Modes to Diversify Target Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamayo, Joel V; Teramoto, Takamasa; Chatterjee, Seema; Hall, Traci M Tanaka; Gavis, Elizabeth R

2017-04-04

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H homolog, Glorund (Glo), regulates nanos mRNA translation by interacting with a structured UA-rich motif in the nanos 3' untranslated region. Glo regulates additional RNAs, however, and mammalian homologs bind G-tract sequences to regulate alternative splicing, suggesting that Glo also recognizes G-tract RNA. To gain insight into how Glo recognizes both structured UA-rich and G-tract RNAs, we used mutational analysis guided by crystal structures of Glo's RNA-binding domains and identified two discrete RNA-binding surfaces that allow Glo to recognize both RNA motifs. By engineering Glo variants that favor a single RNA-binding mode, we show that a subset of Glo's functions in vivo is mediated solely by the G-tract binding mode, whereas regulation of nanos requires both recognition modes. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the evolution of dual RNA motif recognition in Glo that may be applied to understanding the functional diversity of other RNA-binding proteins. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H Homolog Glorund Uses Two Distinct RNA-Binding Modes to Diversify Target Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel V. Tamayo

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The Drosophila hnRNP F/H homolog, Glorund (Glo, regulates nanos mRNA translation by interacting with a structured UA-rich motif in the nanos 3′ untranslated region. Glo regulates additional RNAs, however, and mammalian homologs bind G-tract sequences to regulate alternative splicing, suggesting that Glo also recognizes G-tract RNA. To gain insight into how Glo recognizes both structured UA-rich and G-tract RNAs, we used mutational analysis guided by crystal structures of Glo’s RNA-binding domains and identified two discrete RNA-binding surfaces that allow Glo to recognize both RNA motifs. By engineering Glo variants that favor a single RNA-binding mode, we show that a subset of Glo’s functions in vivo is mediated solely by the G-tract binding mode, whereas regulation of nanos requires both recognition modes. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the evolution of dual RNA motif recognition in Glo that may be applied to understanding the functional diversity of other RNA-binding proteins.

Structural Analysis of DFG-in and DFG-out Dual Src-Abl Inhibitors Sharing a Common Vinyl Purine Template

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Tianjun; Commodore, Lois; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Wang, Yihan; Sawyer, Tomi K.; Shakespeare, William C.; Clackson, Tim; Zhu, Xiaotian; Dalgarno, David C. (ARIAD)

2010-09-30

Bcr-Abl is the oncogenic protein tyrosine kinase responsible for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Treatment of the disease with imatinib (Gleevec) often results in drug resistance via kinase mutations at the advanced phases of the disease, which has necessitated the development of new mutation-resistant inhibitors, notably against the T315I gatekeeper mutation. As part of our efforts to discover such mutation resistant Abl inhibitors, we have focused on optimizing purine template kinase inhibitors, leading to the discovery of potent DFG-in and DFG-out series of Abl inhibitors that are also potent Src inhibitors. Here we present crystal structures of Abl bound by two such inhibitors, based on a common N9-arenyl purine, and that represent both DFG-in and -out binding modes. In each structure the purine template is bound deeply in the adenine pocket and the novel vinyl linker forms a non-classical hydrogen bond to the gatekeeper residue, Thr315. Specific template substitutions promote either a DFG-in or -out binding mode, with the kinase binding site adjusting to optimize molecular recognition. Bcr-Abl T315I mutant kinase is resistant to all currently marketed Abl inhibitors, and is the focus of intense drug discovery efforts. Notably, our DFG-out inhibitor, AP24163, exhibits modest activity against this mutant, illustrating that this kinase mutant can be inhibited by DFG-out class inhibitors. Furthermore our DFG-out inhibitor exhibits dual Src-Abl activity, absent from the prototypical DFG-out inhibitor, imatinib as well as its analog, nilotinib. The data presented here provides structural guidance for the further design of novel potent DFG-out class inhibitors against Src, Abl and Abl T315I mutant kinases.

Structural Plasticity of Malaria Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Allows Selective Binding of Diverse Chemical Scaffolds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Xiaoyi; Gujjar, Ramesh; El Mazouni, Farah; Kaminsky, Werner; Malmquist, Nicholas A.; Goldsmith, Elizabeth J.; Rathod, Pradipsinh K.; Phillips, Margaret A.

2009-01-01

Malaria remains a major global health burden and current drug therapies are compromised by resistance. Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH) was validated as a new drug target through the identification of potent and selective triazolopyrimidine-based DHODH inhibitors with anti-malarial activity in vivo. Here we report x-ray structure determination of PfDHODH bound to three inhibitors from this series, representing the first of the enzyme bound to malaria specific inhibitors. We demonstrate that conformational flexibility results in an unexpected binding mode identifying a new hydrophobic pocket on the enzyme. Importantly this plasticity allows PfDHODH to bind inhibitors from different chemical classes and to accommodate inhibitor modifications during lead optimization, increasing the value of PfDHODH as a drug target. A second discovery, based on small molecule crystallography, is that the triazolopyrimidines populate a resonance form that promotes charge separation. These intrinsic dipoles allow formation of energetically favorable H-bond interactions with the enzyme. The importance of delocalization to binding affinity was supported by site-directed mutagenesis and the demonstration that triazolopyrimidine analogs that lack this intrinsic dipole are inactive. Finally, the PfDHODH-triazolopyrimidine bound structures provide considerable new insight into species-selective inhibitor binding in this enzyme family. Together, these studies will directly impact efforts to exploit PfDHODH for the development of anti-malarial chemotherapy.

L1198F Mutation Resensitizes Crizotinib to ALK by Altering the Conformation of Inhibitor and ATP Binding Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Li

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The efficacy of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC treatment with small molecule inhibitors is greatly challenged by acquired resistance. A recent study reported the newest generation inhibitor resistant mutation L1198F led to the resensitization to crizotinib, which is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA approved drug for the treatment of ALK-positive NSCLC. It is of great importance to understand how this extremely rare event occurred for the purpose of overcoming the acquired resistance of such inhibitors. In this study, we exploited molecular dynamics (MD simulation to dissect the molecular mechanisms. Our MD results revealed that L1198F mutation of ALK resulted in the conformational change at the inhibitor site and altered the binding affinity of ALK to crizotinib and lorlatinib. L1198F mutation also affected the autoactivation of ALK as supported by the identification of His1124 and Tyr1278 as critical amino acids involved in ATP binding and phosphorylation. Our findings are valuable for designing more specific and potent inhibitors for the treatment of ALK-positive NSCLC and other types of cancer.

Structures of Trypanosoma brucei methionyl-tRNA synthetase with urea-based inhibitors provide guidance for drug design against sleeping sickness.

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Cho Yeow Koh

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Methionyl-tRNA synthetase of Trypanosoma brucei (TbMetRS is an important target in the development of new antitrypanosomal drugs. The enzyme is essential, highly flexible and displaying a large degree of changes in protein domains and binding pockets in the presence of substrate, product and inhibitors. Targeting this protein will benefit from a profound understanding of how its structure adapts to ligand binding. A series of urea-based inhibitors (UBIs has been developed with IC50 values as low as 19 nM against the enzyme. The UBIs were shown to be orally available and permeable through the blood-brain barrier, and are therefore candidates for development of drugs for the treatment of late stage human African trypanosomiasis. Here, we expand the structural diversity of inhibitors from the previously reported collection and tested for their inhibitory effect on TbMetRS and on the growth of T. brucei cells. The binding modes and binding pockets of 14 UBIs are revealed by determination of their crystal structures in complex with TbMetRS at resolutions between 2.2 Å to 2.9 Å. The structures show binding of the UBIs through conformational selection, including occupancy of the enlarged methionine pocket and the auxiliary pocket. General principles underlying the affinity of UBIs for TbMetRS are derived from these structures, in particular the optimum way to fill the two binding pockets. The conserved auxiliary pocket might play a role in binding tRNA. In addition, a crystal structure of a ternary TbMetRS•inhibitor•AMPPCP complex indicates that the UBIs are not competing with ATP for binding, instead are interacting with ATP through hydrogen bond. This suggests a possibility that a general 'ATP-engaging' binding mode can be utilized for the design and development of inhibitors targeting tRNA synthetases of other disease-causing pathogen.

Structure-Activity Relationships of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Maturation Inhibitor PF-46396.

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Murgatroyd, Christopher; Pirrie, Lisa; Tran, Fanny; Smith, Terry K; Westwood, Nicholas J; Adamson, Catherine S

2016-09-15

HIV-1 maturation inhibitors are a novel class of antiretroviral compounds that consist of two structurally distinct chemical classes: betulinic acid derivatives and the pyridone-based compound PF-46396. It is currently believed that both classes act by similar modes of action to generate aberrant noninfectious particles via inhibition of CA-SP1 cleavage during Gag proteolytic processing. In this study, we utilized a series of novel analogues with decreasing similarity to PF-46396 to determine the chemical groups within PF-46396 that contribute to antiviral activity, Gag binding, and the relationship between these essential properties. A spectrum of antiviral activity (active, intermediate, and inactive) was observed across the analogue series with respect to CA-SP1 cleavage and HIV-1 (NL4-3) replication kinetics in Jurkat T cells. We demonstrate that selected inactive analogues are incorporated into wild-type (WT) immature particles and that one inactive analogue is capable of interfering with PF-46396 inhibition of CA-SP1 cleavage. Mutations that confer PF-46396 resistance can impose a defective phenotype on HIV-1 that can be rescued in a compound-dependent manner. Some inactive analogues retained the capacity to rescue PF-46396-dependent mutants (SP1-A3V, SP1-A3T, and CA-P157S), implying that they can also interact with mutant Gag. The structure-activity relationships observed in this study demonstrate that (i) the tert-butyl group is essential for antiviral activity but is not an absolute requirement for Gag binding, (ii) the trifluoromethyl group is optimal but not essential for antiviral activity, and (iii) the 2-aminoindan group is important for antiviral activity and Gag binding but is not essential, as its replacement is tolerated. Combinations of antiretroviral drugs successfully treat HIV/AIDS patients; however, drug resistance problems make the development of new mechanistic drug classes an ongoing priority. HIV-1 maturation inhibitors are novel as they

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and a Novel Mammary Derived Growth Inhibitor Fatty Acid Binding Protein MRG in Suppression of Mammary Tumor

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Liu, Yiliang

2001-01-01

We have previously identified and characterized a novel tumor growth inhibitor and a fatty acid binding protein in human mammary gland and named it as Mammary derived growth inhibitor Related Gene MRG...

Isolation, cloning and structural characterisation of boophilin, a multifunctional Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor from the cattle tick.

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Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro

Full Text Available Inhibitors of coagulation factors from blood-feeding animals display a wide variety of structural motifs and inhibition mechanisms. We have isolated a novel inhibitor from the cattle tick Boophilus microplus, one of the most widespread parasites of farm animals. The inhibitor, which we have termed boophilin, has been cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Mature boophilin is composed of two canonical Kunitz-type domains, and inhibits not only the major procoagulant enzyme, thrombin, but in addition, and by contrast to all other previously characterised natural thrombin inhibitors, significantly interferes with the proteolytic activity of other serine proteinases such as trypsin and plasmin. The crystal structure of the bovine alpha-thrombin.boophilin complex, refined at 2.35 A resolution reveals a non-canonical binding mode to the proteinase. The N-terminal region of the mature inhibitor, Q16-R17-N18, binds in a parallel manner across the active site of the proteinase, with the guanidinium group of R17 anchored in the S(1 pocket, while the C-terminal Kunitz domain is negatively charged and docks into the basic exosite I of thrombin. This binding mode resembles the previously characterised thrombin inhibitor, ornithodorin which, unlike boophilin, is composed of two distorted Kunitz modules. Unexpectedly, both boophilin domains adopt markedly different orientations when compared to those of ornithodorin, in its complex with thrombin. The N-terminal boophilin domain rotates 9 degrees and is displaced by 6 A, while the C-terminal domain rotates almost 6 degrees accompanied by a 3 A displacement. The reactive-site loop of the N-terminal Kunitz domain of boophilin with its P(1 residue, K31, is fully solvent exposed and could thus bind a second trypsin-like proteinase without sterical restraints. This finding explains the formation of a ternary thrombin.boophilin.trypsin complex, and suggests a mechanism for prothrombinase inhibition in vivo.

Design and Development of a Series of Potent and Selective Type II Inhibitors of CDK8

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Using Sorafenib as a starting point, a series of potent and selective inhibitors of CDK8 was developed. When cocrystallized with CDK8 and cyclin C, these compounds exhibit a Type-II (DMG-out) binding mode. PMID:27326333

Navigating into the binding pockets of the HER family protein kinases: discovery of novel EGFR inhibitor as antitumor agent

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Liu W

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Wei Liu,1,* Jin-Feng Ning,2,* Qing-Wei Meng,1 Jing Hu,1 Yan-Bin Zhao,1 Chao Liu,3 Li Cai11The Fourth Department of Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 2The Thoracic Surgery Department, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, People’s Republic of China; 3General Surgery Department, Mudanjiang Guanliju Central Hospital, Mishan, Heilongjiang Province, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR family has been validated as a successful antitumor drug target for decades. Known EGFR inhibitors were exposed to distinct drug resistance against the various EGFR mutants within non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC, particularly the T790M mutation. Although so far a number of studies have been reported on the development of third-generation EGFR inhibitors for overcoming the resistance issue, the design procedure largely depends on the intuition of medicinal chemists. Here we retrospectively make a detailed analysis of the 42 EGFR family protein crystal complexes deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB. Based on the analysis of inhibitor binding modes in the kinase catalytic cleft, we identified a potent EGFR inhibitor (compound A-10 against drug-resistant EGFR through fragment-based drug design. This compound showed at least 30-fold more potency against EGFR T790M than the two control molecules erlotinib and gefitinib in vitro. Moreover, it could exhibit potent HER2 inhibitory activities as well as tumor growth inhibitory activity. Molecular docking studies revealed a structural basis for the increased potency and mutant selectivity of this compound. Compound A-10 may be selected as a promising candidate in further preclinical studies. In addition, our findings could provide a powerful strategy to identify novel selective kinase inhibitors on the basis of detailed kinase–ligand interaction space in the PDB.Keywords: EGFR, kinase

The Azaindole Framework in the Design of Kinase Inhibitors

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Jean-Yves Mérour

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This review article illustrates the growing use of azaindole derivatives as kinase inhibitors and their contribution to drug discovery and innovation. The different protein kinases which have served as targets and the known molecules which have emerged from medicinal chemistry and Fragment-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD programs are presented. The various synthetic routes used to access these compounds and the chemical pathways leading to their synthesis are also discussed. An analysis of their mode of binding based on X-ray crystallography data gives structural insights for the design of more potent and selective inhibitors.

Binding Mode and Structure-Activity Relationships of ITE as an Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) Agonist.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolciami, Daniela; Gargaro, Marco; Cerra, Bruno; Scalisi, Giulia; Bagnoli, Luana; Servillo, Giuseppe; Fazia, Maria Agnese Della; Puccetti, Paolo; Quintana, Francisco J; Fallarino, Francesca; Macchiarulo, Antonio

2018-02-06

Discovered as a modulator of the toxic response to environmental pollutants, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has recently gained attention for its involvement in various physiological and pathological pathways. AhR is a ligand-dependent transcription factor activated by a large array of chemical compounds, which include metabolites of l-tryptophan (l-Trp) catabolism as endogenous ligands of the receptor. Among these, 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE) has attracted interest in the scientific community, being endowed with nontoxic, immunomodulatory, and anticancer AhR-mediated functions. So far, no information about the binding mode and interactions of ITE with AhR is available. In this study, we used docking and molecular dynamics to propose a putative binding mode of ITE into the ligand binding pocket of AhR. Mutagenesis studies were then instrumental in validating the proposed binding mode, identifying His 285 and Tyr 316 as important key residues for ligand-dependent receptor activation. Finally, a set of ITE analogues was synthesized and tested to further probe molecular interactions of ITE to AhR and characterize the relevance of specific functional groups in the chemical structure for receptor activity. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Maltose-Binding Protein Fusion Construct Yields a Robust Crystallography Platform for MCL1.

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Matthew C Clifton

Full Text Available Crystallization of a maltose-binding protein MCL1 fusion has yielded a robust crystallography platform that generated the first apo MCL1 crystal structure, as well as five ligand-bound structures. The ability to obtain fragment-bound structures advances structure-based drug design efforts that, despite considerable effort, had previously been intractable by crystallography. In the ligand-independent crystal form we identify inhibitor binding modes not observed in earlier crystallographic systems. This MBP-MCL1 construct dramatically improves the structural understanding of well-validated MCL1 ligands, and will likely catalyze the structure-based optimization of high affinity MCL1 inhibitors.

Thermodynamics parameters for binding of halogenated benzotriazole inhibitors of human protein kinase CK2α.

Science.gov (United States)

Winiewska, Maria; Kucińska, Katarzyna; Makowska, Małgorzata; Poznański, Jarosław; Shugar, David

2015-10-01

The interaction of human CK2α (hCK2α) with nine halogenated benzotriazoles, TBBt and its analogues representing all possible patterns of halogenation on the benzene ring of benzotriazole, was studied by biophysical methods. Thermal stability of protein-ligand complexes, monitored by calorimetric (DSC) and optical (DSF) methods, showed that the increase in the mid-point temperature for unfolding of protein-ligand complexes (i.e. potency of ligand binding to hCK2α) follow the inhibitory activities determined by biochemical assays. The dissociation constant for the ATP-hCK2α complex was estimated with the aid of microscale thermophoresis (MST) as 4.3±1.8 μM, and MST-derived dissociation constants determined for halogenated benzotriazoles, when converted according to known ATP concentrations, perfectly reconstruct IC50 values determined by the biochemical assays. Ligand-dependent quenching of tyrosine fluorescence, together with molecular modeling and DSC-derived heats of unfolding, support the hypothesis that halogenated benzotriazoles bind in at least two alternative orientations, and those that are efficient hCK2α inhibitors bind in the orientation which TBBt adopts in its complex with maize CK2α. DSC-derived apparent heat for ligand binding (ΔΔHbind) is driven by intermolecular electrostatic interactions between Lys68 and the triazole ring of the ligand, as indicated by a good correlation between ΔΔHbind and ligand pKa. Overall results, additionally supported by molecular modeling, confirm that a balance of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions contribute predominantly (~40 kJ/mol), relative to possible intermolecular halogen/hydrogen bonding (less than 10 kJ/mol), in binding of halogenated benzotriazoles to the ATP-binding site of hCK2α. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Inhibitors of Protein Kinases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Kinetic and structural studies reveal a unique binding mode of sulfite to the nickel center in urease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzei, Luca; Cianci, Michele; Benini, Stefano; Bertini, Leonardo; Musiani, Francesco; Ciurli, Stefano

2016-01-01

Urease is the most efficient enzyme known to date, and catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea using two Ni(II) ions in the active site. Urease is a virulence factor in several human pathogens, while causing severe environmental and agronomic problems. Sporosarcina pasteurii urease has been used extensively in the structural characterization of the enzyme. Sodium sulfite has been widely used as a preservative in urease solutions to prevent oxygen-induced oxidation, but its role as an inhibitor has also been suggested. In the present study, isothermal titration microcalorimetry was used to establish sulfite as a competitive inhibitor for S. pasteurii urease, with an inhibition constant of 0.19mM at pH7. The structure of the urease-sulfite complex, determined at 1.65Å resolution, shows the inhibitor bound to the dinuclear Ni(II) center of urease in a tridentate mode involving bonds between the two Ni(II) ions in the active site and all three oxygen atoms of the inhibitor, supporting the observed competitive inhibition kinetics. This coordination mode of sulfite has never been observed, either in proteins or in small molecule complexes, and could inspire synthetic coordination chemists as well as biochemists to develop urease inhibitors based on this chemical moiety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel hypothesis for the binding mode of HERG channel blockers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choe, Han; Nah, Kwang Hoon; Lee, Soo Nam; Lee, Han Sam; Lee, Hui Sun; Jo, Su Hyun; Leem, Chae Hun; Jang, Yeon Jin

2006-01-01

We present a new docking model for HERG channel blockade. Our new model suggests three key interactions such that (1) a protonated nitrogen of the channel blocker forms a hydrogen bond with the carbonyl oxygen of HERG residue T623; (2) an aromatic moiety of the channel blocker makes a π-π interaction with the aromatic ring of HERG residue Y652; and (3) a hydrophobic group of the channel blocker forms a hydrophobic interaction with the benzene ring of HERG residue F656. The previous model assumes two interactions such that (1) a protonated nitrogen of the channel blocker forms a cation-π interaction with the aromatic ring of HERG residue Y652; and (2) a hydrophobic group of the channel blocker forms a hydrophobic interaction with the benzene ring of HERG residue F656. To test these models, we classified 69 known HERG channel blockers into eight binding types based on their plausible binding modes, and further categorized them into two groups based on the number of interactions our model would predict with the HERG channel (two or three). We then compared the pIC 5 value distributions between these two groups. If the old hypothesis is correct, the distributions should not differ between the two groups (i.e., both groups show only two binding interactions). If our novel hypothesis is correct, the distributions should differ between Groups 1 and 2. Consistent with our hypothesis, the two groups differed with regard to pIC 5 , and the group having more predicted interactions with the HERG channel had a higher mean pIC 5 value. Although additional work will be required to further validate our hypothesis, this improved understanding of the HERG channel blocker binding mode may help promote the development of in silico predictions methods for identifying potential HERG channel blockers

Binding Mode and Induced Fit Predictions for Prospective Computational Drug Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Grebner, Christoph; Iegre, Jessica; Ulander, Johan; Edman, Karl; Hogner, Anders; Tyrchan, Christian

2016-04-25

Computer-aided drug design plays an important role in medicinal chemistry to obtain insights into molecular mechanisms and to prioritize design strategies. Although significant improvement has been made in structure based design, it still remains a key challenge to accurately model and predict induced fit mechanisms. Most of the current available techniques either do not provide sufficient protein conformational sampling or are too computationally demanding to fit an industrial setting. The current study presents a systematic and exhaustive investigation of predicting binding modes for a range of systems using PELE (Protein Energy Landscape Exploration), an efficient and fast protein-ligand sampling algorithm. The systems analyzed (cytochrome P, kinase, protease, and nuclear hormone receptor) exhibit different complexities of ligand induced fit mechanisms and protein dynamics. The results are compared with results from classical molecular dynamics simulations and (induced fit) docking. This study shows that ligand induced side chain rearrangements and smaller to medium backbone movements are captured well in PELE. Large secondary structure rearrangements, however, remain challenging for all employed techniques. Relevant binding modes (ligand heavy atom RMSD PELE method within a few hours of simulation, positioning PELE as a tool applicable for rapid drug design cycles.

Exploring the water-binding pocket of the type II dehydroquinase enzyme in the structure-based design of inhibitors.

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Blanco, Beatriz; Sedes, Antía; Peón, Antonio; Otero, José M; van Raaij, Mark J; Thompson, Paul; Hawkins, Alastair R; González-Bello, Concepción

2014-04-24

Structural and computational studies to explore the WAT1 binding pocket in the structure-based design of inhibitors against the type II dehydroquinase (DHQ2) enzyme are reported. The crystal structures of DHQ2 from M. tuberculosis in complex with four of the reported compounds are described. The electrostatic interaction observed between the guanidinium group of the essential arginine and the carboxylate group of one of the inhibitors in the reported crystal structures supports the recently suggested role of this arginine as the residue that triggers the release of the product from the active site. The results of the structural and molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed that the inhibitory potency is favored by promoting interactions with WAT1 and the residues located within this pocket and, more importantly, by avoiding situations where the ligands occupy the WAT1 binding pocket. The new insights can be used to advantage in the structure-based design of inhibitors.

Natural flavonoids as antidiabetic agents. The binding of gallic and ellagic acids to glycogen phosphorylase b.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyriakis, Efthimios; Stravodimos, George A; Kantsadi, Anastassia L; Chatzileontiadou, Demetra S M; Skamnaki, Vassiliki T; Leonidas, Demetres D

2015-07-08

We present a study on the binding of gallic acid and its dimer ellagic acid to glycogen phosphorylase (GP). Ellagic acid is a potent inhibitor with Kis of 13.4 and 7.5 μM, in contrast to gallic acid which displays Kis of 1.7 and 3.9 mM for GPb and GPa, respectively. Both compounds are competitive inhibitors with respect to the substrate, glucose-1-phoshate, and non-competitive to the allosteric activator, AMP. However, only ellagic acid functions with glucose in a strongly synergistic mode. The crystal structures of the GPb-gallic acid and GPb-ellagic acid complexes were determined at high resolution, revealing that both ligands bind to the inhibitor binding site of the enzyme and highlight the structural basis for the significant difference in their inhibitory potency. Copyright © 2015 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystallographic Study of a Novel Sub-Nanomolar Inhibitor Provides Insight on the Binding Interactions of Alkenyldiarylmethanes with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) Reverse Transcriptase†

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, Matthew D.; Ho, William C.; Bauman, Joseph D.; Das, Kalyan; Arnold, Eddy; Hartman, Tracy L.; Watson, Karen M.; Buckheit, Robert W.; Pannecouque, Christophe; De Clercq, Erik; Cushman, Mark

2009-01-01

Two crystal structures have been solved for separate complexes of alkenyldiarylmethane (ADAM) non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) 3 and 4 with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). The structures reveal inhibitor binding is exclusively hydrophobic in nature and the shape of the inhibitor-bound NNRTI binding pocket is unique among other reported inhibitor-RT crystal structures. Primarily, ADAMs 3 and 4 protrude from a large gap in the backside of the binding pocket, placing portions of the inhibitors unusually close to the polymerase active site and allowing 3 to form a weak hydrogen bond with Lys223. The lack of additional stabilizing interactions, beyond the observed hydrophobic surface contacts, between 4 and RT is quite perplexing given the extreme potency of the compound (IC50 ≤ nM). ADAM 4 was designed to be hydrolytically stable in blood plasma, and an investigation of its hydrolysis in rat plasma demonstrated it has a significantly prolonged half-life in comparison to ADAM lead compounds 1 and 2. PMID:19775161

Fragment growing and linking lead to novel nanomolar lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohlmann, Anna; Zech, Stephan G; Li, Feng; Zhou, Tianjun; Squillace, Rachel M; Commodore, Lois; Greenfield, Matthew T; Lu, Xiaohui; Miller, David P; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Qi, Jiwei; Thomas, R Mathew; Wang, Yihan; Zhang, Sen; Dodd, Rory; Liu, Shuangying; Xu, Rongsong; Xu, Yongjin; Miret, Juan J; Rivera, Victor; Clackson, Tim; Shakespeare, William C; Zhu, Xiaotian; Dalgarno, David C

2013-02-14

Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A) catalyzes the interconversion of lactate and pyruvate in the glycolysis pathway. Cancer cells rely heavily on glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. The inhibition of LDH-A by small molecules is therefore of interest for potential cancer treatments. We describe the identification and optimization of LDH-A inhibitors by fragment-based drug discovery. We applied ligand based NMR screening to identify low affinity fragments binding to LDH-A. The dissociation constants (K(d)) and enzyme inhibition (IC(50)) of fragment hits were measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and enzyme assays, respectively. The binding modes of selected fragments were investigated by X-ray crystallography. Fragment growing and linking, followed by chemical optimization, resulted in nanomolar LDH-A inhibitors that demonstrated stoichiometric binding to LDH-A. Selected molecules inhibited lactate production in cells, suggesting target-specific inhibition in cancer cell lines.

Determination of the binding mode for anti-inflammatory natural product xanthohumol with myeloid differentiation protein 2

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Fu W

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Weitao Fu,1,* Lingfeng Chen,1,* Zhe Wang,1 Chengwei Zhao,1 Gaozhi Chen,1 Xing Liu,1 Yuanrong Dai,2 Yuepiao Cai,1 Chenglong Li,1,3 Jianmin Zhou,1 Guang Liang1 1Chemical Biology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: It is recognized that myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD-2, a coreceptor of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 for innate immunity, plays an essential role in activation of the lipopolysaccharide signaling pathway. MD-2 is known as a neoteric and suitable therapeutical target. Therefore, there is great interest in the development of a potent MD-2 inhibitor for anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Several studies have reported that xanthohumol (XN, an anti-inflammatory natural product from hops and beer, can block the TLR4 signaling by binding to MD-2 directly. However, the interaction between MD-2 and XN remains unknown. Herein, our work aims at characterizing interactions between MD-2 and XN. Using a combination of experimental and theoretical modeling analysis, we found that XN can embed into the hydrophobic pocket of MD-2 and form two stable hydrogen bonds with residues ARG-90 and TYR-102 of MD-2. Moreover, we confirmed that ARG-90 and TYR-102 were two necessary residues during the recognition process of XN binding to MD-2. Results from this study identified the atomic interactions between the MD-2 and XN, which will contribute to future structural design of novel MD-2-targeting molecules for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Keywords: myeloid differentiation 2, xanthohumol, binding mode, inflammation, molecular dynamics simulation 

Three-dimensional structures of Plasmodium falciparum spermidine synthase with bound inhibitors suggest new strategies for drug design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprenger, Janina; Svensson, Bo; Hålander, Jenny; Carey, Jannette; Persson, Lo; Al-Karadaghi, Salam

2015-01-01

In this work, X-ray crystallography was used to examine ligand complexes of spermidine synthase from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (PfSpdS). The enzymes of the polyamine-biosynthesis pathway have been proposed to be promising drug targets in the treatment of malaria. Spermidine synthase (SpdS; putrescine aminopropyltransferase) catalyzes the transfer of the aminopropyl moiety from decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine to putrescine, leading to the formation of spermidine and 5′-methylthioadenosine (MTA). In this work, X-ray crystallography was used to examine ligand complexes of SpdS from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (PfSpdS). Five crystal structures were determined of PfSpdS in complex with MTA and the substrate putrescine, with MTA and spermidine, which was obtained as a result of the enzymatic reaction taking place within the crystals, with dcAdoMet and the inhibitor 4-methylaniline, with MTA and 4-aminomethylaniline, and with a compound predicted in earlier in silico screening to bind to the active site of the enzyme, benzimidazol-(2-yl)pentan-1-amine (BIPA). In contrast to the other inhibitors tested, the complex with BIPA was obtained without any ligand bound to the dcAdoMet-binding site of the enzyme. The complexes with the aniline compounds and BIPA revealed a new mode of ligand binding to PfSpdS. The observed binding mode of the ligands, and the interplay between the two substrate-binding sites and the flexible gatekeeper loop, can be used in the design of new approaches in the search for new inhibitors of SpdS

Three-dimensional structures of Plasmodium falciparum spermidine synthase with bound inhibitors suggest new strategies for drug design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sprenger, Janina [Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden); Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund (Sweden); Svensson, Bo [Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden); SARomics Biostructures AB, Box 724, SE-220 07 Lund (Sweden); Hålander, Jenny [Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden); Carey, Jannette [Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (United States); Persson, Lo [Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund (Sweden); Al-Karadaghi, Salam, E-mail: salam.al-karadaghi@biochemistry.lu.se [Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden)

2015-03-01

In this work, X-ray crystallography was used to examine ligand complexes of spermidine synthase from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (PfSpdS). The enzymes of the polyamine-biosynthesis pathway have been proposed to be promising drug targets in the treatment of malaria. Spermidine synthase (SpdS; putrescine aminopropyltransferase) catalyzes the transfer of the aminopropyl moiety from decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine to putrescine, leading to the formation of spermidine and 5′-methylthioadenosine (MTA). In this work, X-ray crystallography was used to examine ligand complexes of SpdS from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (PfSpdS). Five crystal structures were determined of PfSpdS in complex with MTA and the substrate putrescine, with MTA and spermidine, which was obtained as a result of the enzymatic reaction taking place within the crystals, with dcAdoMet and the inhibitor 4-methylaniline, with MTA and 4-aminomethylaniline, and with a compound predicted in earlier in silico screening to bind to the active site of the enzyme, benzimidazol-(2-yl)pentan-1-amine (BIPA). In contrast to the other inhibitors tested, the complex with BIPA was obtained without any ligand bound to the dcAdoMet-binding site of the enzyme. The complexes with the aniline compounds and BIPA revealed a new mode of ligand binding to PfSpdS. The observed binding mode of the ligands, and the interplay between the two substrate-binding sites and the flexible gatekeeper loop, can be used in the design of new approaches in the search for new inhibitors of SpdS.

A fragment-based approach leading to the discovery of a novel binding site and the selective CK2 inhibitor CAM4066.

Science.gov (United States)

De Fusco, Claudia; Brear, Paul; Iegre, Jessica; Georgiou, Kathy Hadje; Sore, Hannah F; Hyvönen, Marko; Spring, David R

2017-07-01

Recently we reported the discovery of a potent and selective CK2α inhibitor CAM4066. This compound inhibits CK2 activity by exploiting a pocket located outside the ATP binding site (αD pocket). Here we describe in detail the journey that led to the discovery of CAM4066 using the challenging fragment linking strategy. Specifically, we aimed to develop inhibitors by linking a high-affinity fragment anchored in the αD site to a weakly binding warhead fragment occupying the ATP site. Moreover, we describe the remarkable impact that molecular modelling had on the development of this novel chemical tool. The work described herein shows potential for the development of a novel class of CK2 inhibitors. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Covalent docking of selected boron-based serine beta-lactamase inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Sgrignani, Jacopo; Novati, Beatrice; Colombo, Giorgio; Grazioso, Giovanni

2015-05-01

AmpC β-lactamase is a hydrolytic enzyme conferring resistance to β-lactam antibiotics in multiple Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, identification of non-β-lactam compounds able to inhibit the enzyme is crucial for the development of novel antibacterial therapies. In general, AmpC inhibitors have to engage the highly solvent-exposed catalytic site of the enzyme. Therefore, understanding the implications of ligand-protein induced-fit and water-mediated interactions behind the inhibitor-enzyme recognition process is fundamental for undertaking structure-based drug design process. Here, we focus on boronic acids, a promising class of beta-lactamase covalent inhibitors. First, we optimized a docking protocol able to reproduce the experimentally determined binding mode of AmpC inhibitors bearing a boronic group. This goal was pursued (1) performing rigid and flexible docking calculations aiming to establish the role of the side chain conformations; and (2) investigating the role of specific water molecules in shaping the enzyme active site and mediating ligand protein interactions. Our calculations showed that some water molecules, conserved in the majority of the considered X-ray structures, are needed to correctly predict the binding pose of known covalent AmpC inhibitors. On this basis, we formalized our findings in a docking and scoring protocol that could be useful for the structure-based design of new boronic acid AmpC inhibitors.

Inhibitors for human glutaminyl cyclase by structure based design and bioisosteric replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchholz, Mirko; Hamann, Antje; Aust, Susanne; Brandt, Wolfgang; Böhme, Livia; Hoffmann, Torsten; Schilling, Stephan; Demuth, Hans-Ulrich; Heiser, Ulrich

2009-11-26

The inhibition of human glutaminyl cyclase (hQC) has come into focus as a new potential approach for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The hallmark of this principle is the prevention of the formation of Abeta(3,11(pE)-40,42), as these Abeta-species were shown to be of elevated neurotoxicity and likely to act as a seeding core leading to an accelerated formation of Abeta-oligomers and fibrils. Starting from 1-(3-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)propyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)thiourea, bioisosteric replacements led to the development of new classes of inhibitors. The optimization of the metal-binding group was achieved by homology modeling and afforded a first insight into the probable binding mode of the inhibitors in the hQC active site. The efficacy assessment of the hQC inhibitors was performed in cell culture, directly monitoring the inhibition of Abeta(3,11(pE)-40,42) formation.

Stereochemical determinants of C-terminal specificity in PDZ peptide-binding domains: a novel contribution of the carboxylate-binding loop.

Science.gov (United States)

Amacher, Jeanine F; Cushing, Patrick R; Bahl, Christopher D; Beck, Tobias; Madden, Dean R

2013-02-15

PDZ (PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1) binding domains often serve as cellular traffic engineers, controlling the localization and activity of a wide variety of binding partners. As a result, they play important roles in both physiological and pathological processes. However, PDZ binding specificities overlap, allowing multiple PDZ proteins to mediate distinct effects on shared binding partners. For example, several PDZ domains bind the cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), an epithelial ion channel mutated in CF. Among these binding partners, the CFTR-associated ligand (CAL) facilitates post-maturational degradation of the channel and is thus a potential therapeutic target. Using iterative optimization, we previously developed a selective CAL inhibitor peptide (iCAL36). Here, we investigate the stereochemical basis of iCAL36 specificity. The crystal structure of iCAL36 in complex with the CAL PDZ domain reveals stereochemical interactions distributed along the peptide-binding cleft, despite the apparent degeneracy of the CAL binding motif. A critical selectivity determinant that distinguishes CAL from other CFTR-binding PDZ domains is the accommodation of an isoleucine residue at the C-terminal position (P(0)), a characteristic shared with the Tax-interacting protein-1. Comparison of the structures of these two PDZ domains in complex with ligands containing P(0) Leu or Ile residues reveals two distinct modes of accommodation for β-branched C-terminal side chains. Access to each mode is controlled by distinct residues in the carboxylate-binding loop. These studies provide new insights into the primary sequence determinants of binding motifs, which in turn control the scope and evolution of PDZ interactomes.

[Ala12]MCD peptide: a lead peptide to inhibitors of immunoglobulin E binding to mast cell receptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Buku, A; Condie, B A; Price, J A; Mezei, M

2005-09-01

An effort was made to discover mast cell degranulating (MCD) peptide analogs that bind with high affinity to mast cell receptors without triggering secretion of histamine or other mediators of the allergic reaction initiated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) after mast cell activation. Such compounds could serve as inhibitors of IgE binding to mast cell receptors. An alanine scan of MCD peptide reported previously showed that the analog [Ala12]MCD was 120-fold less potent in histamine-releasing activity and fivefold more potent in binding affinity to mast cell receptors than the parent MCD peptide. Because this analog showed marginal intrinsic activity and good binding affinity it was subsequently tested in the present study as an IgE inhibitor. In contrast to MCD peptide, [Ala12]MCD showed a 50% inhibition of IgE binding to the Fc epsilon RI alpha mast cell receptor by using rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) mast cells and fluorescence polarization. Furthermore, in a beta-hexosaminidase secretory assay, the peptide also showed a 50% inhibition of the secretion of this enzyme caused by IgE. An attempt was made to relate structural changes and biologic differences between the [Ala12]MCD analog and the parent MCD peptide. The present results show that [Ala12]MCD may provide a base for designing agents to prevent IgE/Fc epsilon RI alpha interactions and, consequently, allergic conditions.

Expression, purification and DNA-binding activities of two putative ModE proteins of Herbaspirillum seropedicae (Burkholderiales, Oxalobacteraceae

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André L.F. Souza

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In prokaryotes molybdenum is taken up by a high-affinity ABC-type transporter system encoded by the modABC genes. The endophyte β-Proteobacterium Herbaspirillum seropedicae has two modABC gene clusters and two genes encoding putative Mo-dependent regulator proteins (ModE1 and ModE2. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of the ModE1 protein of H. seropedicae revealed the presence of an N-terminal domain containing a DNA-binding helix-turn-helix motif (HTH and a C-terminal domain with a molybdate-binding motif. The second putative regulator protein, ModE2, contains only the helix-turn-helix motif, similar to that observed in some sequenced genomes. We cloned the modE1 (810 bp and modE2 (372 bp genes and expressed them in Escherichia coli as His-tagged fusion proteins, which we subsequently purified. The over-expressed recombinant His-ModE1 was insoluble and was purified after solubilization with urea and then on-column refolded during affinity chromatography. The His-ModE2 was expressed as a soluble protein and purified by affinity chromatography. These purified proteins were analyzed by DNA band-shift assays using the modA2 promoter region as probe. Our results indicate that His-ModE1 and His-ModE2 are able to bind to the modA2 promoter region, suggesting that both proteins may play a role in the regulation of molybdenum uptake and metabolism in H. seropedicae.

Identification of the hot spot residues for pyridine derivative inhibitor CCT251455 and ATP substrate binding on monopolar spindle 1 (MPS1) kinase by molecular dynamic simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kai; Duan, Wenxiu; Han, Qianqian; Sun, Xuan; Li, Wenqian; Hu, Shuangyun; Wan, Jiajia; Wu, Jiang; Ge, Yushu; Liu, Dan

2018-03-08

Protein kinase monopolar spindle 1 plays an important role in spindle assembly checkpoint at the onset of mitosis. Over expression of MPS1 correlated with a wide range of human tumors makes it an attractive target for finding an effective and specific inhibitor. In this work, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of protein MPS1 itself as well as protein bound systems with the inhibitor and natural substrate based on crystal structures. The reported orally bioavailable 1 h-pyrrolo [3,2-c] pyridine inhibitors of MPS1 maintained stable binding in the catalytic site, while natural substrate ATP could not stay. Comparative study of stability and flexibility of three systems reveals position shifting of β-sheet region within the catalytic site, which indicates inhibition mechanism was through stabilizing the β-sheet region. Binding free energies calculated with MM-GB/PBSA method shows different binding affinity for inhibitor and ATP. Finally, interactions between protein and inhibitor during molecular dynamic simulations were measured and counted. Residue Gly605 and Leu654 were suggested as important hot spots for stable binding of inhibitor by molecular dynamic simulation. Our results reveal an important position shifting within catalytic site for non-inhibited proteins. Together with hot spots found by molecular dynamic simulation, the results provide important information of inhibition mechanism and will be referenced for designing novel inhibitors.

Comparisons of Prostate Cancer Inhibitors Abiraterone and TOK-001 Binding with CYP17A1 through Molecular Dynamics

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Fei Xiao

2015-01-01

However, biology-driven inhibitor development of prostate cancer is poorly elucidated. The aims of this study are to address structural differences at atomic-level between CYP17A1 and inhibitors i.e., abiraterone and TOK-001, and further investigate the effect of point mutation of CYP17A1 on the active site stability and the local interactions that are hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding throughout molecular dynamics (MD simulation. After performing multiple comparisons among four different complexes across CYP17A1 and inhibitors, interestingly TOK-001 oriented toward the active pocket and formed larger volume with I-helix of CYP17A1 than abiraterone, whereas abiraterone showed tighter binding and more active site stability. Considering on the effect of hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding between abiraterone and CYP17A1, the key residues of Phe114, Ile371, Val482, and Asn202 were identified. This contributes into tight binding interactions; however abiraterone is effectively weakened along with the global conformation mobility increased in A105L mutation. Surprisingly, overall conformation of the CYP17A1 remained stable when bound to TOK-001. This basic knowledge can guide future experiments on design of efficient inhibitors for CYP17A1, which provides theoretical basis of androgen-dependent disease therapy.

Molecular docking guided structure based design of symmetrical N,N'-disubstituted urea/thiourea as HIV-1 gp120-CD4 binding inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivan, Sree Kanth; Vangala, Radhika; Manga, Vijjulatha

2013-08-01

Induced fit molecular docking studies were performed on BMS-806 derivatives reported as small molecule inhibitors of HIV-1 gp120-CD4 binding. Comprehensive study of protein-ligand interactions guided in identification and design of novel symmetrical N,N'-disubstituted urea and thiourea as HIV-1 gp120-CD4 binding inhibitors. These molecules were synthesized in aqueous medium using microwave irradiation. Synthesized molecules were screened for their inhibitory ability by HIV-1 gp120-CD4 capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Designed compounds were found to inhibit HIV-1 gp120-CD4 binding in micromolar (0.013-0.247 μM) concentrations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Binding characteristics of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor to streptococcal surface collagen-like proteins A and B

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seron, Mercedes Valls; Plug, Tom; Marquart, J. Arnoud; Marx, Pauline F.; Herwald, Heiko; de Groot, Philip G.; Meijers, Joost C. M.

2011-01-01

Streptococcus pyogenes is the causative agent in a wide range of diseases in humans. Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) binds to collagen-like proteins ScIA and ScIB at the surface of S. pyogenes. Activation of TAFI at this surface redirects inflammation from a transient to chronic

A FRET-based high throughput screening assay to identify inhibitors of anthrax protective antigen binding to capillary morphogenesis gene 2 protein.

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Michael S Rogers

Full Text Available Anti-angiogenic therapies are effective for the treatment of cancer, a variety of ocular diseases, and have potential benefits in cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and psoriasis. We have previously shown that anthrax protective antigen (PA, a non-pathogenic component of anthrax toxin, is an inhibitor of angiogenesis, apparently as a result of interaction with the cell surface receptors capillary morphogenesis gene 2 (CMG2 protein and tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8. Hence, molecules that bind the anthrax toxin receptors may be effective to slow or halt pathological vascular growth. Here we describe development and testing of an effective homogeneous steady-state fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET high throughput screening assay designed to identify molecules that inhibit binding of PA to CMG2. Molecules identified in the screen can serve as potential lead compounds for the development of anti-angiogenic and anti-anthrax therapies. The assay to screen for inhibitors of this protein-protein interaction is sensitive and robust, with observed Z' values as high as 0.92. Preliminary screens conducted with a library of known bioactive compounds identified tannic acid and cisplatin as inhibitors of the PA-CMG2 interaction. We have confirmed that tannic acid both binds CMG2 and has anti-endothelial properties. In contrast, cisplatin appears to inhibit PA-CMG2 interaction by binding both PA and CMG2, and observed cisplatin anti-angiogenic effects are not mediated by interaction with CMG2. This work represents the first reported high throughput screening assay targeting CMG2 to identify possible inhibitors of both angiogenesis and anthrax intoxication.

Pregnenolone biosynthesis in C6-2B glioma cell mitochondria: regulation by a mitochondrial diazepam binding inhibitor receptor.

OpenAIRE

Papadopoulos, V; Guarneri, P; Kreuger, K E; Guidotti, A; Costa, E

1992-01-01

The C6-2B glioma cell line, rich in mitochondrial receptors that bind with high affinity to benzodiazepines, imidazopyridines, and isoquinolinecarboxamides (previously called peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors), was investigated as a model to study the significance of the polypeptide diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) and the putative DBI processing products on mitochondrial receptor-regulated steroidogenesis. DBI and its naturally occurring fragments have been found to be present in high...

Computational drug designing of fungal pigments as potential aromatase inhibitors

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Nighat Fatima

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The existing aromatase inhibitors produced unwelcome effects impose the discovery of novel drugs with privileged selectivity, a reduced amount of toxicity and humanizing potency. In this study, we illuminate the binding mode of polyketide azaphilanoid pigments monascin, ankaflavin, monascorubrin and monascorubramine isolated from Monascus fungus to the aromatase by molecular docking. The 3-dimensional structure of aromatase enzyme (PDB: 4KQ8 was obtained from the Protein Data Bank. PatchDock docking software was used to analyze structural complexes of the aromatase with monascus pigments. Comparatively, the AutoGrid model presented the most briskly constructive binding mode of monascin to aromatase. Docked energies in kcal/mol are: monascin;-13.2; monascorubramine:-12.8, monascorubrin:-12.3; ankaflavin: -10.5. These outcomes exposed these ligands could be potential drugs to treat hormone dependent breast cancer.

Prediction of consensus binding mode geometries for related chemical series of positive allosteric modulators of adenosine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakkal, Leon A; Rajkowski, Kyle Z; Armen, Roger S

2017-06-05

Following insights from recent crystal structures of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, binding modes of Positive Allosteric Modulators (PAMs) were predicted under the assumption that PAMs should bind to the extracellular surface of the active state. A series of well-characterized PAMs for adenosine (A 1 R, A 2A R, A 3 R) and muscarinic acetylcholine (M 1 R, M 5 R) receptors were modeled using both rigid and flexible receptor CHARMM-based molecular docking. Studies of adenosine receptors investigated the molecular basis of the probe-dependence of PAM activity by modeling in complex with specific agonist radioligands. Consensus binding modes map common pharmacophore features of several chemical series to specific binding interactions. These models provide a rationalization of how PAM binding slows agonist radioligand dissociation kinetics. M 1 R PAMs were predicted to bind in the analogous M 2 R PAM LY2119620 binding site. The M 5 R NAM (ML-375) was predicted to bind in the PAM (ML-380) binding site with a unique induced-fit receptor conformation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Binding modes and pathway of RHPS4 to human telomeric G-quadruplex and duplex DNA probed by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations with explicit solvent.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulholland, Kelly; Siddiquei, Farzana; Wu, Chun

2017-07-19

RHPS4, a potent binder to human telomeric DNA G-quadruplex, shows high efficacy in tumor cell growth inhibition. However, it's preferential binding to DNA G-quadruplex over DNA duplex (about 10 fold) remains to be improved toward its clinical application. A high resolution structure of the single-stranded telomeric DNA G-quadruplexes, or B-DNA duplex, in complex with RHPS4 is not available yet, and the binding nature of this ligand to these DNA forms remains to be elusive. In this study, we carried out 40 μs molecular dynamics binding simulations with a free ligand to decipher the binding pathway of RHPS4 to a DNA duplex and three G-quadruplex folders (parallel, antiparallel and hybrid) of the human telomeric DNA sequence. The most stable binding mode identified for the duplex, parallel, antiparallel and hybrid G-quadruplexes is an intercalation, bottom stacking, top intercalation and bottom intercalation mode, respectively. The intercalation mode with similar binding strength to both the duplex and the G-quadruplexes, explains the lack of binding selectivity of RHPS4 to the G-quadruplex form. Therefore, a ligand modification that destabilizes the duplex intercalation mode but stabilizes the G-quadruplex intercalation mode will improve the binding selectivity toward G-quadruplex. The intercalation mode of RHPS4 to both the duplex and the antiparallel and the hybrid G-quadruplex follows a base flipping-insertion mechanism rather than an open-insertion mechanism. The groove binding, the side binding and the intercalation with flipping out of base were observed to be intermediate states before the full intercalation state with paired bases.

Thermodynamic parameters for binding of some halogenated inhibitors of human protein kinase CK2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winiewska, Maria; Makowska, Małgorzata; Maj, Piotr; Wielechowska, Monika; Bretner, Maria; Poznański, Jarosław; Shugar, David

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Two new compounds being potential human CK2a inhibitors are studied. • Their IC50 values were determined in vitro. • The heats of binding and kbind were estimated using DSC. • The increased stability of protein–ligand complexes was followed by fluorescence. • Methylated TBBt derivative (MeBr3Br) is almost as active as TBBt. - Abstract: The interaction of human CK2α with a series of tetrabromobenzotriazole (TBBt) and tetrabromobenzimidazole (TBBz) analogs, in which one of the bromine atoms proximal to the triazole/imidazole ring is replaced by a methyl group, was studied by biochemical (IC 50 ) and biophysical methods (thermal stability of protein–ligand complex monitored by DSC and fluorescence). Two newly synthesized tri-bromo derivatives display inhibitory activity comparable to that of the reference compounds, TBBt and TBBz, respectively. DSC analysis of the stability of protein–ligand complexes shows that the heat of ligand binding (H bind ) is driven by intermolecular electrostatic interactions involving the triazole/imidazole ring, as indicated by a strong correlation between H bind and ligand pK a . Screening, based on fluorescence-monitored thermal unfolding of protein–ligand complexes, gave comparable results, clearly identifying ligands that most strongly bind to the protein. Overall results, additionally supported by molecular modeling, confirm that a balance of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions contribute predominantly, relative to possible intermolecular halogen bonding, in binding of the ligands to the CK2α ATP-binding site

Thermodynamic parameters for binding of some halogenated inhibitors of human protein kinase CK2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winiewska, Maria; Makowska, Małgorzata [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Warszawa (Poland); Maj, Piotr [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Warszawa (Poland); Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, Warszawa (Poland); Wielechowska, Monika; Bretner, Maria [Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Warszawa (Poland); Poznański, Jarosław, E-mail: jarek@ibb.waw.pl [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Warszawa (Poland); Shugar, David [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Warszawa (Poland)

2015-01-02

Highlights: • Two new compounds being potential human CK2a inhibitors are studied. • Their IC50 values were determined in vitro. • The heats of binding and kbind were estimated using DSC. • The increased stability of protein–ligand complexes was followed by fluorescence. • Methylated TBBt derivative (MeBr3Br) is almost as active as TBBt. - Abstract: The interaction of human CK2α with a series of tetrabromobenzotriazole (TBBt) and tetrabromobenzimidazole (TBBz) analogs, in which one of the bromine atoms proximal to the triazole/imidazole ring is replaced by a methyl group, was studied by biochemical (IC{sub 50}) and biophysical methods (thermal stability of protein–ligand complex monitored by DSC and fluorescence). Two newly synthesized tri-bromo derivatives display inhibitory activity comparable to that of the reference compounds, TBBt and TBBz, respectively. DSC analysis of the stability of protein–ligand complexes shows that the heat of ligand binding (H{sub bind}) is driven by intermolecular electrostatic interactions involving the triazole/imidazole ring, as indicated by a strong correlation between H{sub bind} and ligand pK{sub a}. Screening, based on fluorescence-monitored thermal unfolding of protein–ligand complexes, gave comparable results, clearly identifying ligands that most strongly bind to the protein. Overall results, additionally supported by molecular modeling, confirm that a balance of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions contribute predominantly, relative to possible intermolecular halogen bonding, in binding of the ligands to the CK2α ATP-binding site.

Epistatic mutations in PUMA BH3 drive an alternate binding mode to potently and selectively inhibit anti-apoptotic Bfl-1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jenson, Justin M.; Ryan, Jeremy A.; Grant, Robert A.; Letai, Anthony; Keating, Amy E. (DFCI); (MIT)

2017-06-08

Overexpression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins contributes to cancer progression and confers resistance to chemotherapy. Small molecules that target Bcl-2 are used in the clinic to treat leukemia, but tight and selective inhibitors are not available for Bcl-2 paralog Bfl-1. Guided by computational analysis, we designed variants of the native BH3 motif PUMA that are > 150-fold selective for Bfl-1 binding. The designed peptides potently trigger disruption of the mitochondrial outer membrane in cells dependent on Bfl-1, but not in cells dependent on other anti-apoptotic homologs. High-resolution crystal structures show that designed peptide FS2 binds Bfl-1 in a shifted geometry, relative to PUMA and other binding partners, due to a set of epistatic mutations. FS2 modified with an electrophile reacts with a cysteine near the peptide-binding groove to augment specificity. Designed Bfl-1 binders provide reagents for cellular profiling and leads for developing enhanced and cell-permeable peptide or small-molecule inhibitors.

Turning a Substrate Peptide into a Potent Inhibitor for the Histone Methyltransferase SETD8

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Judge, Russell A.; Zhu, Haizhong; Upadhyay, Anup K.; Bodelle, Pierre M.; Hutchins, Charles W.; Torrent, Maricel; Marin, Violeta L.; Yu, Wenyu; Vedadi, Masoud; Li, Fengling; Brown, Peter J.; Pappano, William N.; Sun, Chaohong; Petros, Andrew M.

2016-12-08

SETD8 is a histone H4–K20 methyltransferase that plays an essential role in the maintenance of genomic integrity during mitosis and in DNA damage repair, making it an intriguing target for cancer research. While some small molecule inhibitors for SETD8 have been reported, the structural binding modes for these inhibitors have not been revealed. Using the complex structure of the substrate peptide bound to SETD8 as a starting point, different natural and unnatural amino acid substitutions were tested, and a potent (Ki 50 nM, IC50 0.33 μM) and selective norleucine containing peptide inhibitor has been obtained.

Molecular modeling reveals the novel inhibition mechanism and binding mode of three natural compounds to staphylococcal α-hemolysin.

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Jiazhang Qiu

Full Text Available α-Hemolysin (α-HL is a self-assembling, channel-forming toxin that is produced as a soluble monomer by Staphylococcus aureus strains. Until now, α-HL has been a significant virulence target for the treatment of S. aureus infection. In our previous report, we demonstrated that some natural compounds could bind to α-HL. Due to the binding of those compounds, the conformational transition of α-HL from the monomer to the oligomer was blocked, which resulted in inhibition of the hemolytic activity of α-HL. However, these results have not indicated how the binding of the α-HL inhibitors influence the conformational transition of the whole protein during the oligomerization process. In this study, we found that three natural compounds, Oroxylin A 7-O-glucuronide (OLG, Oroxin A (ORA, and Oroxin B (ORB, when inhibiting the hemolytic activity of α-HL, could bind to the "stem" region of α-HL. This was completed using conventional Molecular Dynamics (MD simulations. By interacting with the novel binding sites of α-HL, the ligands could form strong interactions with both sides of the binding cavity. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA indicated that because of the inhibitors that bind to the "stem" region of α-HL, the conformational transition of α-HL from the monomer to the oligomer was restricted. This caused the inhibition of the hemolytic activity of α-HL. This novel inhibition mechanism has been confirmed by both the steered MD simulations and the experimental data obtained from a deoxycholate-induced oligomerization assay. This study can facilitate the design of new antibacterial drugs against S. aureus.

Geissoschizine methyl ether, a corynanthean-type indole alkaloid from Uncaria rhynchophylla as a potential acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhong-Duo; Duan, Dong-Zhu; Du, Juan; Yang, Ming-Jun; Li, Shuo; Yao, Xiao-Jun

2012-01-01

Geissoschizine methyl ether (1), a newly discovered strong acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, along with six weakly active alkaloids, vallesiachotamine (2), hisuteine (3), hirsutine (4), isorhynchophylline (5), cisocorynoxeine (6) and corynoxeine (7) have been isolated from Uncaria rhynchophylla. Geissoschizine methyl ether (1) inhibited 50% of AChE activity at concentrations of 3.7 ± 0.3 µg mL(-1) while the IC(50) value of physostigmine as a standard was 0.013 ± 0.002 µg mL(-1). The mode of AChE inhibition by 1 was reversible and non-competitive. In addition, molecular modelling was performed to explore the binding mode of inhibitor 1 at the active site of AChE.

Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering Study of the Binding Modes of a Dibenzotetraaza[14]annulene Derivative with DNA/RNA Polynucleotides

OpenAIRE

Miljanić, Snežana; Dijanošić, Adriana; Kalac, Matea; Radić Stojković, Marijana; Piantanida, Ivo; Pawlica, Dariusz; Eilmes, Julita

2012-01-01

Binding modes of a dibenzotetraaza14annulene (DBTAA) derivative with synthetic nucleic acids were studied using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Changes in SERS intensity and appearance of new bands in spectra were attributed to different complexes formed between the DBTAA molecules and DNA/RNA polynucleotides. A decrease in intensity pointed to intercalation as the dominant binding mode of the annulene derivative with poly dGdC-poly dGdC and poly rA-poly rU, whereas new bands in...

Fluoroquinolone-gyrase-DNA complexes: two modes of drug binding.

Science.gov (United States)

Mustaev, Arkady; Malik, Muhammad; Zhao, Xilin; Kurepina, Natalia; Luan, Gan; Oppegard, Lisa M; Hiasa, Hiroshi; Marks, Kevin R; Kerns, Robert J; Berger, James M; Drlica, Karl

2014-05-02

DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV control bacterial DNA topology by breaking DNA, passing duplex DNA through the break, and then resealing the break. This process is subject to reversible corruption by fluoroquinolones, antibacterials that form drug-enzyme-DNA complexes in which the DNA is broken. The complexes, called cleaved complexes because of the presence of DNA breaks, have been crystallized and found to have the fluoroquinolone C-7 ring system facing the GyrB/ParE subunits. As expected from x-ray crystallography, a thiol-reactive, C-7-modified chloroacetyl derivative of ciprofloxacin (Cip-AcCl) formed cross-linked cleaved complexes with mutant GyrB-Cys(466) gyrase as evidenced by resistance to reversal by both EDTA and thermal treatments. Surprisingly, cross-linking was also readily seen with complexes formed by mutant GyrA-G81C gyrase, thereby revealing a novel drug-gyrase interaction not observed in crystal structures. The cross-link between fluoroquinolone and GyrA-G81C gyrase correlated with exceptional bacteriostatic activity for Cip-AcCl with a quinolone-resistant GyrA-G81C variant of Escherichia coli and its Mycobacterium smegmatis equivalent (GyrA-G89C). Cip-AcCl-mediated, irreversible inhibition of DNA replication provided further evidence for a GyrA-drug cross-link. Collectively these data establish the existence of interactions between the fluoroquinolone C-7 ring and both GyrA and GyrB. Because the GyrA-Gly(81) and GyrB-Glu(466) residues are far apart (17 Å) in the crystal structure of cleaved complexes, two modes of quinolone binding must exist. The presence of two binding modes raises the possibility that multiple quinolone-enzyme-DNA complexes can form, a discovery that opens new avenues for exploring and exploiting relationships between drug structure and activity with type II DNA topoisomerases.

An induced pocket for the binding of potent fusion inhibitor CL-385319 with H5N1 influenza virus hemagglutinin.

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Runming Li

Full Text Available The influenza glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA plays crucial roles in the early stage of virus infection, including receptor binding and membrane fusion. Therefore, HA is a potential target for developing anti-influenza drugs. Recently, we characterized a novel inhibitor of highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus, CL-385319, which specifically inhibits HA-mediated viral entry. Studies presented here identified the critical binding residues for CL-385319, which clustered in the stem region of the HA trimer by site-directed mutagenesis. Extensive computational simulations, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM_GBSA calculations, charge density and Laplacian calculations, have been carried out to uncover the detailed molecular mechanism that underlies the binding of CL-385319 to H5N1 influenza virus HA. It was found that the recognition and binding of CL-385319 to HA proceeds by a process of "induced fit" whereby the binding pocket is formed during their interaction. Occupation of this pocket by CL-385319 stabilizes the neutral pH structure of hemagglutinin, thus inhibiting the conformational rearrangements required for membrane fusion. This "induced fit" pocket may be a target for structure-based design of more potent influenza fusion inhibitors.

Evolution of inhibitor-resistant natural mutant forms of HIV-1 protease probed by pre-steady state kinetic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakharova, Maria Yu; Kuznetsova, Alexandra A; Kaliberda, Elena N; Dronina, Maria A; Kolesnikov, Alexander V; Kozyr, Arina V; Smirnov, Ivan V; Rumsh, Lev D; Fedorova, Olga S; Knorre, Dmitry G; Gabibov, Alexander G; Kuznetsov, Nikita A

2017-11-01

Pre-steady state kinetic analysis of mechanistic features of substrate binding and processing is crucial for insight into the evolution of inhibitor-resistant forms of HIV-1 protease. These data may provide a correct vector for rational drug design assuming possible intrinsic dynamic effects. These data should also give some clues to the molecular mechanism of protease action and resistance to inhibitors. Here we report pre-steady state kinetics of the interaction of wild type or mutant forms of HIV-1 protease with a FRET-labeled peptide. The three-stage "minimal" kinetic scheme with first and second reversible steps of substrate binding and with following irreversible peptide cleavage step adequately described experimental data. For the first time, a set of "elementary" kinetic parameters of wild type HIV-1 protease and its natural mutant inhibitor-resistant forms MDR-HM, ANAM-11 and prDRV4 were compared. Inhibitors of the first and second generation were used to estimate the inhibitory effects on HIV-1 protease activity. The resulting set of kinetic data supported that the mutant forms are kinetically unaffected by inhibitors of the first generation, proving their functional resistance to these compounds. The second generation inhibitor darunavir inhibited mutant forms MDR-HM and ANAM-11, but was ineffective against prDRV4. Our kinetic data revealed that these inhibitors induced different conformational changes in the enzyme and, thereby they have different mode of binding in the enzyme active site. These data confirmed hypothesis that the driving force of the inhibitor-resistance evolution is disruption of enzyme-inhibitor complex by changing of the contact network in the inhibitor binding site. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

Human serum albumin binding assay based on displacement of a non selective fluorescent inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorarensen, Atli; Sarver, Ronald W; Tian, Fang; Ho, Andrea; Romero, Donna L; Marotti, Keith R

2007-08-15

In this paper, we describe a fluorescent antibacterial analog, 6, with utility as a competition probe to determine affinities of other antibacterial analogs for human serum albumin (HSA). Analog 6 bound to HSA with an affinity of 400+/-100 nM and the fluorescence was environmentally sensitive. With 370 nm excitation, environmental sensitivity was indicated by a quenching of the 530 nm emission when the probe bound to HSA. Displacement of dansylsarcosine from HSA by 6 indicated it competed with compounds that bound at site II (ibuprofen binding site) on HSA. Analog 6 also shifted the NMR peaks of an HSA bound oleic acid molecule that itself was affected by compounds that bound at site II. In addition to binding at site II, 6 interacted at site I (warfarin binding site) as indicated by displacement of dansylamide and the shifting of NMR peaks of an HSA bound oleic acid molecule affected by warfarin site binding. Additional evidence for multiple site interaction was discovered when a percentage of 6 could be displaced by either ibuprofen or phenylbutazone. A competition assay was established using 6 to determine relative affinities of other antibacterial inhibitors for HSA.

Estrogen Receptor Folding Modulates cSrc Kinase SH2 Interaction via a Helical Binding Mode.

Science.gov (United States)

Nieto, Lidia; Tharun, Inga M; Balk, Mark; Wienk, Hans; Boelens, Rolf; Ottmann, Christian; Milroy, Lech-Gustav; Brunsveld, Luc

2015-11-20

The estrogen receptors (ERs) feature, next to their transcriptional role, important nongenomic signaling actions, with emerging clinical relevance. The Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain mediated interaction between cSrc kinase and ER plays a key role in this; however the molecular determinants of this interaction have not been elucidated. Here, we used phosphorylated ER peptide and semisynthetic protein constructs in a combined biochemical and structural study to, for the first time, provide a quantitative and structural characterization of the cSrc SH2-ER interaction. Fluorescence polarization experiments delineated the SH2 binding motif in the ER sequence. Chemical shift perturbation analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) together with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations allowed us to put forward a 3D model of the ER-SH2 interaction. The structural basis of this protein-protein interaction has been compared with that of the high affinity SH2 binding sequence GpYEEI. The ER features a different binding mode from that of the "two-pronged plug two-hole socket" model in the so-called specificity determining region. This alternative binding mode is modulated via the folding of ER helix 12, a structural element directly C-terminal of the key phosphorylated tyrosine. The present findings provide novel molecular entries for understanding nongenomic ER signaling and targeting the corresponding disease states.

Novel Bacterial Topoisomerase Inhibitors Exploit Asp83 and the Intrinsic Flexibility of the DNA Gyrase Binding Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Franco-Ulloa

2018-02-01

Full Text Available DNA gyrases are enzymes that control the topology of DNA in bacteria cells. This is a vital function for bacteria. For this reason, DNA gyrases are targeted by widely used antibiotics such as quinolones. Recently, structural and biochemical investigations identified a new class of DNA gyrase inhibitors called NBTIs (i.e., novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors. NBTIs are particularly promising because they are active against multi-drug resistant bacteria, an alarming clinical issue. Structural data recently demonstrated that these NBTIs bind tightly to a newly identified pocket at the dimer interface of the DNA–protein complex. In the present study, we used molecular dynamics (MD simulations and docking calculations to shed new light on the binding of NBTIs to this site. Interestingly, our MD simulations demonstrate the intrinsic flexibility of this binding site, which allows the pocket to adapt its conformation and form optimal interactions with the ligand. In particular, we examined two ligands, AM8085 and AM8191, which induced a repositioning of a key aspartate (Asp83B, whose side chain can rotate within the binding site. The conformational rearrangement of Asp83B allows the formation of a newly identified H-bond interaction with an NH on the bound NBTI, which seems important for the binding of NBTIs having such functionality. We validated these findings through docking calculations using an extended set of cognate oxabicyclooctane-linked NBTIs derivatives (~150, in total, screened against multiple target conformations. The newly identified H-bond interaction significantly improves the docking enrichment. These insights could be helpful for future virtual screening campaigns against DNA gyrase.

A matrix-focused structure-activity and binding site flexibility study of quinolinol inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrell, William A; Vieira, Rebecca C; Ensel, Susan M; Montgomery, Vicki; Guernieri, Rebecca; Eccard, Vanessa S; Campbell, Yvette; Roxas-Duncan, Virginia; Cardellina, John H; Webb, Robert P; Smith, Leonard A

2017-02-01

Our initial discovery of 8-hydroxyquinoline inhibitors of BoNT/A and separation/testing of enantiomers of one of the more active leads indicated considerable flexibility in the binding site. We designed a limited study to investigate this flexibility and probe structure-activity relationships; utilizing the Betti reaction, a 36 compound matrix of quinolinol BoNT/A LC inhibitors was developed using three 8-hydroxyquinolines, three heteroaromatic amines, and four substituted benzaldehydes. This study has revealed some of the most effective quinolinol-based BoNT/A inhibitors to date, with 7 compounds displaying IC 50 values ⩽1μM and 11 effective at ⩽2μM in an ex vivo assay. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Scaffold-hopping from xanthines to tricyclic guanines: A case study of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pissarnitski, Dmitri A.; Zhao, Zhiqiang; Cole, David; Wu, Wen-Lian; Domalski, Martin; Clader, John W.; Scapin, Giovanna; Voigt, Johannes; Soriano, Aileen; Kelly, Theresa; Powles, Mary Ann; Yao, Zuliang; Burnett, Duane A. (Merck)

2016-11-01

Molecular modeling of unbound tricyclic guanine scaffolds indicated that they can serve as effective bioisosteric replacements of xanthines. This notion was further confirmed by a combination of X-ray crystallography and SAR studies, indicating that tricyclic guanine DPP4 inhibitors mimic the binding mode of xanthine inhibitors, exemplified by linagliptin. Realization of the bioisosteric relationship between these scaffolds potentially will lead to a wider application of cyclic guanines as xanthine replacements in drug discovery programs for a variety of biological targets. Newly designed DPP4 inhibitors achieved sub-nanomolar potency range and demonstrated oral activity in vivo in mouse glucose tolerance test.

Binding modes and functional surface of anti-mammalian scorpion α-toxins to sodium channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Rong; Chung, Shin-Ho

2012-10-02

Scorpion α-toxins bind to the voltage-sensing domains of voltage-gated sodium (Na(V)) channels and interfere with the inactivation mechanisms. The functional surface of α-toxins has been shown to contain an NC-domain consisting of the five-residue turn (positions 8-12) and the C-terminus (positions 56-64) and a core-domain centered on the residue 18. The NC- and core-domains are interconnected by the linker-domain (positions 8-18). Here with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we examine the binding modes between two α-toxins, the anti-mammalian AahII and the anti-insect LqhαIT, and the voltage-sensing domain of rat Na(V)1.2, a subtype of Na(V) channels expressed in nerve cells. Both toxins are docked to the extracellular side of the voltage-sensing domain of Na(V)1.2 using molecular dynamics simulations, with the linker-domain assumed to wedge into the binding pocket. Several salt bridges and hydrophobic clusters are observed to form between the NC- and core-domains of the toxins and Na(V)1.2 and stabilize the toxin-channel complexes. The binding modes predicted are consistent with available mutagenesis data and can readily explain the relative affinities of AahII and LqhαIT for Na(V)1.2. The dissociation constants for the two toxin-channel complexes are derived, which compare favorably with experiment. Our models demonstrate that the functional surface of anti-mammalian scorpion α-toxins is centered on the linker-domain, similar to that of β-toxins.

Structural characterization of nonactive site, TrkA-selective kinase inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Hua-Poo; Rickert, Keith; Burlein, Christine; Narayan, Kartik; Bukhtiyarova, Marina; Hurzy, Danielle M.; Stump, Craig A.; Zhang, Xufang; Reid, John; Krasowska-Zoladek, Alicja; Tummala, Srivanya; Shipman, Jennifer M.; Kornienko, Maria; Lemaire, Peter A.; Krosky, Daniel; Heller, Amanda; Achab, Abdelghani; Chamberlin, Chad; Saradjian, Peter; Sauvagnat, Berengere; Yang, Xianshu; Ziebell, Michael R.; Nickbarg, Elliott; Sanders, John M.; Bilodeau, Mark T.; Carroll, Steven S.; Lumb, Kevin J.; Soisson, Stephen M.; Henze, Darrell A.; Cooke, Andrew J. (Merck)

2016-12-30

Current therapies for chronic pain can have insufficient efficacy and lead to side effects, necessitating research of novel targets against pain. Although originally identified as an oncogene, Tropomyosin-related kinase A (TrkA) is linked to pain and elevated levels of NGF (the ligand for TrkA) are associated with chronic pain. Antibodies that block TrkA interaction with its ligand, NGF, are in clinical trials for pain relief. Here, we describe the identification of TrkA-specific inhibitors and the structural basis for their selectivity over other Trk family kinases. The X-ray structures reveal a binding site outside the kinase active site that uses residues from the kinase domain and the juxtamembrane region. Three modes of binding with the juxtamembrane region are characterized through a series of ligand-bound complexes. The structures indicate a critical pharmacophore on the compounds that leads to the distinct binding modes. The mode of interaction can allow TrkA selectivity over TrkB and TrkC or promiscuous, pan-Trk inhibition. This finding highlights the difficulty in characterizing the structure-activity relationship of a chemical series in the absence of structural information because of substantial differences in the interacting residues. These structures illustrate the flexibility of binding to sequences outside of—but adjacent to—the kinase domain of TrkA. This knowledge allows development of compounds with specificity for TrkA or the family of Trk proteins.

Novel structural hybrids of pyrazolobenzothiazines with benzimidazoles as cholinesterase inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Aslam, Sana; Zaib, Sumera; Ahmad, Matloob; Gardiner, John M; Ahmad, Aqeel; Hameed, Abdul; Furtmann, Norbert; Gütschow, Michael; Bajorath, Jürgen; Iqbal, Jamshed

2014-05-06

Two series of novel pyrazolobenzothiazine-based hybrid compounds were efficiently synthesized starting from saccharin sodium salt. Pyrazolo[4,3-c][1,2]benzothiazine scaffolds were N-arylated by using p-fluorobenzaldehyde, followed by the incorporation of a benzimidazole or similar ring systems by treatment with arylenediamines. These phenylene-connected hybrid compounds were investigated as potential inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Compounds 12d and 12k were the most potent AChE inhibitors with IC50 values of 11 and 13 nM, respectively, while 6j (IC50 = 17 nM) proved to be the most active inhibitor against BuChE with remarkable selectivity for BuChE over AChE. Molecular docking studies were also performed on human AChE and BuChE to suggest possible binding modes in which the inhibitor's extended structure is accommodated along the active site gorge of both enzymes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Structures of a bi-functional Kunitz-type STI family inhibitor of serine and aspartic proteases: Could the aspartic protease inhibition have evolved from a canonical serine protease-binding loop?

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra, Yasel; Valiente, Pedro A; Pons, Tirso; Berry, Colin; Rudiño-Piñera, Enrique

2016-08-01

Bi-functional inhibitors from the Kunitz-type soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) family are glycosylated proteins able to inhibit serine and aspartic proteases. Here we report six crystal structures of the wild-type and a non-glycosylated mutant of the bifunctional inhibitor E3Ad obtained at different pH values and space groups. The crystal structures show that E3Ad adopts the typical β-trefoil fold of the STI family exhibiting some conformational changes due to pH variations and crystal packing. Despite the high sequence identity with a recently reported potato cathepsin D inhibitor (PDI), three-dimensional structures obtained in this work show a significant conformational change in the protease-binding loop proposed for aspartic protease inhibition. The E3Ad binding loop for serine protease inhibition is also proposed, based on structural similarity with a novel non-canonical conformation described for the double-headed inhibitor API-A from the Kunitz-type STI family. In addition, structural and sequence analyses suggest that bifunctional inhibitors of serine and aspartic proteases from the Kunitz-type STI family are more similar to double-headed inhibitor API-A than other inhibitors with a canonical protease-binding loop. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Specific CLK inhibitors from a novel chemotype for regulation of alternative splicing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fedorov, Oleg; Huber, Kilian; Eisenreich, Andreas

2011-01-01

There is a growing recognition of the importance of protein kinases in the control of alternative splicing. To define the underlying regulatory mechanisms, highly selective inhibitors are needed. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of the dichloroindolyl enaminonitrile KH-CB19......, a potent and highly specific inhibitor of the CDC2-like kinase isoforms 1 and 4 (CLK1/CLK4). Cocrystal structures of KH-CB19 with CLK1 and CLK3 revealed a non-ATP mimetic binding mode, conformational changes in helix aC and the phosphate binding loop and halogen bonding to the kinase hinge region. KH-CB19...... effectively suppressed phosphorylation of SR (serine/arginine) proteins in cells, consistent with its expected mechanism of action. Chemical inhibition of CLK1/CLK4 generated a unique pattern of splicing factor dephosphorylation and had at low nM concentration a profound effect on splicing of the two tissue...

Improving binding mode and binding affinity predictions of docking by ligand-based search of protein conformations: evaluation in D3R grand challenge 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xianjin; Yan, Chengfei; Zou, Xiaoqin

2017-08-01

The growing number of protein-ligand complex structures, particularly the structures of proteins co-bound with different ligands, in the Protein Data Bank helps us tackle two major challenges in molecular docking studies: the protein flexibility and the scoring function. Here, we introduced a systematic strategy by using the information embedded in the known protein-ligand complex structures to improve both binding mode and binding affinity predictions. Specifically, a ligand similarity calculation method was employed to search a receptor structure with a bound ligand sharing high similarity with the query ligand for the docking use. The strategy was applied to the two datasets (HSP90 and MAP4K4) in recent D3R Grand Challenge 2015. In addition, for the HSP90 dataset, a system-specific scoring function (ITScore2_hsp90) was generated by recalibrating our statistical potential-based scoring function (ITScore2) using the known protein-ligand complex structures and the statistical mechanics-based iterative method. For the HSP90 dataset, better performances were achieved for both binding mode and binding affinity predictions comparing with the original ITScore2 and with ensemble docking. For the MAP4K4 dataset, although there were only eight known protein-ligand complex structures, our docking strategy achieved a comparable performance with ensemble docking. Our method for receptor conformational selection and iterative method for the development of system-specific statistical potential-based scoring functions can be easily applied to other protein targets that have a number of protein-ligand complex structures available to improve predictions on binding.

Chemical Editing of Macrocyclic Natural Products and Kinetic Profiling Reveal Slow, Tight-Binding Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors with Picomolar Affinities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kitir, Betül; Maolanon, Alex R.; Ohm, Ragnhild G.

2017-01-01

medicines. Therefore, detailed mechanistic information and precise characterization of the chemical probes used to investigate the effects of HDAC enzymes are vital. We interrogated Nature's arsenal of macrocyclic nonribosomal peptide HDAC inhibitors by chemical synthesis and evaluation of more than 30...... natural products and analogues. This furnished surprising trends in binding affinities for the various macrocycles, which were then exploited for the design of highly potent class I and IIb HDAC inhibitors. Furthermore, thorough kinetic investigation revealed unexpected inhibitory mechanisms of important...

Unprecedented Binding Mode of Hydroxamate-Based Inhibitors of Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II: Structural Characterization and Biological Activity

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nováková, Zora; Wozniak, K.; Jančařík, Andrej; Rais, R.; Wu, Y.; Pavlíček, Jiří; Ferraris, D.; Havlínová, Barbora; Ptáček, Jakub; Vávra, Jan; Hin, N.; Rojas, C.; Majer, Pavel; Slusher, B. S.; Tsukamoto, T.; Bařinka, Cyril

2016-01-01

Roč. 59, č. 10 (2016), s. 4539-4550 ISSN 0022-2623 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0109; GA ČR GAP301/12/1513 Institutional support: RVO:86652036 ; RVO:61388963 Keywords : LINKED ACIDIC DIPEPTIDASE * N-ACETYLASPARTYLGLUTAMATE NAAG * THIOL-BASED INHIBITORS Subject RIV: FR - Pharmacology ; Medidal Chemistry ; CC - Organic Chemistry (UOCHB-X) Impact factor: 6.259, year: 2016

AgI -Induced Switching of DNA Binding Modes via Formation of a Supramolecular Metallacycle.

Science.gov (United States)

Basak, Shibaji; Léon, J Christian; Ferranco, Annaleizle; Sharma, Renu; Hebenbrock, Marian; Lough, Alan; Müller, Jens; Kraatz, Heinz-Bernhard

2018-03-12

The histidine derivative L1 of the DNA intercalator naphthalenediimide (NDI) forms a triangular Ag I complex (C2). The interactions of L1 and of C2 with DNA were studied by circular dichroism (CD) and UV/Vis spectroscopy and by viscosity studies. Different binding modes were observed for L1 and for C2, as the Ag I complex C2 is too large in size to act as an intercalator. If Ag I is added to the NDI molecule that is already intercalated into a duplex, higher order complexes are formed within the DNA duplex and cause disruptions in the helical duplex structure, which leads to a significant decrease in the characteristic CD features of B-DNA. Thus, via addition of a metal we show how a classic and well-known organic intercalator unit can be turned into a partial metallo insertor. We also show how electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) can be used to probe DNA binding modes on DNA films that are immobilized on gold surfaces. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the SOX18 Transcription Factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontaine, Frank; Overman, Jeroen; Moustaqil, Mehdi; Mamidyala, Sreeman; Salim, Angela; Narasimhan, Kamesh; Prokoph, Nina; Robertson, Avril A B; Lua, Linda; Alexandrov, Kirill; Koopman, Peter; Capon, Robert J; Sierecki, Emma; Gambin, Yann; Jauch, Ralf; Cooper, Matthew A; Zuegg, Johannes; Francois, Mathias

2017-03-16

Pharmacological modulation of transcription factors (TFs) has only met little success over the past four decades. This is mostly due to standard drug discovery approaches centered on blocking protein/DNA binding or interfering with post-translational modifications. Recent advances in the field of TF biology have revealed a central role of protein-protein interaction in their mode of action. In an attempt to modulate the activity of SOX18 TF, a known regulator of vascular growth in development and disease, we screened a marine extract library for potential small-molecule inhibitors. We identified two compounds, which inspired a series of synthetic SOX18 inhibitors, able to interfere with the SOX18 HMG DNA-binding domain, and to disrupt HMG-dependent protein-protein interaction with RBPJ. These compounds also perturbed SOX18 transcriptional activity in a cell-based reporter gene system. This approach may prove useful in developing a new class of anti-angiogenic compounds based on the inhibition of TF activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new class of HIV-1 protease inhibitor: the crystallographic structure, inhibition and chemical synthesis of an aminimide peptide isostere.

Science.gov (United States)

Rutenber, E E; McPhee, F; Kaplan, A P; Gallion, S L; Hogan, J C; Craik, C S; Stroud, R M

1996-09-01

The essential role of HIV-1 protease (HIV-1 PR) in the viral life cycle makes it an attractive target for the development of substrate-based inhibitors that may find efficacy as anti-AIDS drugs. However, resistance has arisen to potent peptidomimetic drugs necessitating the further development of novel chemical backbones for diversity based chemistry focused on probing the active site for inhibitor interactions and binding modes that evade protease resistance. AQ148 is a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 PR and represents a new class of transition state analogues incorporating an aminimide peptide isostere. A 3-D crystallographic structure of AQ148, a tetrapeptide isostere, has been determined in complex with its target HIV-1 PR to a resolution of 2.5 A and used to evaluate the specific structural determinants of AQ148 potency and to correlate structure-activity relationships within the class of related compounds. AQ148 is a competitive inhibitor of HIV-1 PR with a Ki value of 137 nM. Twenty-nine derivatives have been synthesized and chemical modifications have been made at the P1, P2, P1', and P2' sites. The atomic resolution structure of AQ148 bound to HIV-1 PR reveals both an inhibitor binding mode that closely resembles that of other peptidomimetic inhibitors and specific protein/inhibitor interactions that correlate with structure-activity relationships. The structure provides the basis for the design, synthesis and evaluation of the next generation of hydroxyethyl aminimide inhibitors. The aminimide peptide isostere is a scaffold with favorable biological properties well suited to both the combinatorial methods of peptidomimesis and the rational design of potent and specific substrate-based analogues.

Scaffold protein enigma homolog 1 overcomes the repression of myogenesis activation by inhibitor of DNA binding 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakatani, Miyuki [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Ito, Jumpei [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, 102-0083 (Japan); Koyama, Riko [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Iijima, Masumi; Yoshimoto, Nobuo [The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0047 (Japan); Niimi, Tomoaki [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Kuroda, Shun' ichi [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0047 (Japan); Maturana, Andrés D., E-mail: maturana@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan)

2016-05-27

Enigma Homolog 1 (ENH1) is a scaffold protein for signaling proteins and transcription factors. Previously, we reported that ENH1 overexpression promotes the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the role of ENH1 in the C2C12 cells differentiation remains elusive. ENH1 was shown to inhibit the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells by sequestering Inhibitor of DNA binding protein 2 (Id2) in the cytosol. Id2 is a repressor of basic Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factors activity and prevents myogenesis. Here, we found that ENH1 overcome the Id2 repression of C2C12 cells myogenic differentiation and that ENH1 overexpression promotes mice satellite cells activation, the first step toward myogenic differentiation. In addition, we show that ENH1 interacted with Id2 in C2C12 cells and mice satellite cells. Collectively, our results suggest that ENH1 plays an important role in the activation of myogenesis through the repression of Id2 activity. -- Highlights: •Enigma Homolog 1 (ENH1) is a scaffold protein. •ENH1 binds to inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2) in myoblasts. •ENH1 overexpression overcomes the Id2's repression of myogenesis. •The Id2-ENH1 complex play an important role in the activation of myogenesis.

Targeting S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis with a novel allosteric inhibitor of Mat2A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quinlan, Casey L.; Kaiser, Stephen E.; Bolaños, Ben; Nowlin, Dawn; Grantner, Rita; Karlicek-Bryant, Shannon; Feng, Jun Li; Jenkinson, Stephen; Freeman-Cook, Kevin; Dann, Stephen G.; Wang, Xiaoli; Wells, Peter A.; Fantin, Valeria R.; Stewart, Al E.; Grant, Stephan K. (Pfizer)

2017-05-29

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is an enzyme cofactor used in methyl transfer reactions and polyamine biosynthesis. The biosynthesis of SAM from ATP and L-methionine is performed by the methionine adenosyltransferase enzyme family (Mat; EC 2.5.1.6). Human methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (Mat2A), the extrahepatic isoform, is often deregulated in cancer. We identified a Mat2A inhibitor, PF-9366, that binds an allosteric site on Mat2A that overlaps with the binding site for the Mat2A regulator, Mat2B. Studies exploiting PF-9366 suggested a general mode of Mat2A allosteric regulation. Allosteric binding of PF-9366 or Mat2B altered the Mat2A active site, resulting in increased substrate affinity and decreased enzyme turnover. These data support a model whereby Mat2B functions as an inhibitor of Mat2A activity when methionine or SAM levels are high, yet functions as an activator of Mat2A when methionine or SAM levels are low. The ramification of Mat2A activity modulation in cancer cells is also described.

Discovery of DPP IV inhibitors by pharmacophore modeling and QSAR analysis followed by in silico screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Masri, Ihab M; Mohammad, Mohammad K; Taha, Mutasem O

2008-11-01

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) deactivates the natural hypoglycemic incretin hormones. Inhibition of this enzyme should restore glucose homeostasis in diabetic patients making it an attractive target for the development of new antidiabetic drugs. With this in mind, the pharmacophoric space of DPP IV was explored using a set of 358 known inhibitors. Thereafter, genetic algorithm and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to select an optimal combination of pharmacophoric models and physicochemical descriptors that yield selfconsistent and predictive quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) (r(2) (287)=0.74, F-statistic=44.5, r(2) (BS)=0.74, r(2) (LOO)=0.69, r(2) (PRESS) against 71 external testing inhibitors=0.51). Two orthogonal pharmacophores (of cross-correlation r(2)=0.23) emerged in the QSAR equation suggesting the existence of at least two distinct binding modes accessible to ligands within the DPP IV binding pocket. Docking experiments supported the binding modes suggested by QSAR/pharmacophore analyses. The validity of the QSAR equation and the associated pharmacophore models were established by the identification of new low-micromolar anti-DPP IV leads retrieved by in silico screening. One of our interesting potent anti-DPP IV hits is the fluoroquinolone gemifloxacin (IC(50)=1.12 muM). The fact that gemifloxacin was recently reported to potently inhibit the prodiabetic target glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) suggests that gemifloxacin is an excellent lead for the development of novel dual antidiabetic inhibitors against DPP IV and GSK-3beta.

Dual Binding Site and Selective Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Derived from Integrated Pharmacophore Models and Sequential Virtual Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shikhar Gupta

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, we have employed in silico methodology combining double pharmacophore based screening, molecular docking, and ADME/T filtering to identify dual binding site acetylcholinesterase inhibitors that can preferentially inhibit acetylcholinesterase and simultaneously inhibit the butyrylcholinesterase also but in the lesser extent than acetylcholinesterase. 3D-pharmacophore models of AChE and BuChE enzyme inhibitors have been developed from xanthostigmine derivatives through HypoGen and validated using test set, Fischer’s randomization technique. The best acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors pharmacophore hypotheses Hypo1_A and Hypo1_B, with high correlation coefficient of 0.96 and 0.94, respectively, were used as 3D query for screening the Zinc database. The screened hits were then subjected to the ADME/T and molecular docking study to prioritise the compounds. Finally, 18 compounds were identified as potential leads against AChE enzyme, showing good predicted activities and promising ADME/T properties.

Unbinding Kinetics of a p38 MAP Kinase Type II Inhibitor from Metadynamics Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Casasnovas, Rodrigo; Limongelli, Vittorio; Tiwary, Pratyush; Carloni, Paolo; Parrinello, Michele

2017-04-05

Understanding the structural and energetic requisites of ligand binding toward its molecular target is of paramount relevance in drug design. In recent years, atomistic free energy calculations have proven to be a valid tool to complement experiments in characterizing the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of protein/ligand interaction. Here, we investigate, through a recently developed metadynamics-based protocol, the unbinding mechanism of an inhibitor of the pharmacologically relevant target p38 MAP kinase. We provide a thorough description of the ligand unbinding pathway identifying the most stable binding mode and other thermodynamically relevant poses. From our simulations, we estimated the unbinding rate as k off = 0.020 ± 0.011 s -1 . This is in good agreement with the experimental value (k off = 0.14 s -1 ). Next, we developed a Markov state model that allowed identifying the rate-limiting step of the ligand unbinding process. Our calculations further show that the solvation of the ligand and that of the active site play crucial roles in the unbinding process. This study paves the way to investigations on the unbinding dynamics of more complex p38 inhibitors and other pharmacologically relevant inhibitors in general, demonstrating that metadynamics can be a powerful tool in designing new drugs with engineered binding/unbinding kinetics.

Binding mode and free energy prediction of fisetin/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bodee Nutho

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In the present study, our aim is to investigate the preferential binding mode and encapsulation of the flavonoid fisetin in the nano-pore of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD at the molecular level using various theoretical approaches: molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD simulations and binding free energy calculations. The molecular docking suggested four possible fisetin orientations in the cavity through its chromone or phenyl ring with two different geometries of fisetin due to the rotatable bond between the two rings. From the multiple MD results, the phenyl ring of fisetin favours its inclusion into the β-CD cavity, whilst less binding or even unbinding preference was observed in the complexes where the larger chromone ring is located in the cavity. All MM- and QM-PBSA/GBSA free energy predictions supported the more stable fisetin/β-CD complex of the bound phenyl ring. Van der Waals interaction is the key force in forming the complexes. In addition, the quantum mechanics calculations with M06-2X/6-31G(d,p clearly showed that both solvation effect and BSSE correction cannot be neglected for the energy determination of the chosen system.

QSAR, molecular docking studies of thiophene and imidazopyridine derivatives as polo-like kinase 1 inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Shandong

2012-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to develop in silico models allowing for a reliable prediction of polo-like kinase inhibitors based on a large diverse dataset of 136 compounds. As an effective method, quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) was applied using the comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA). The proposed QSAR models showed reasonable predictivity of thiophene analogs (Rcv2=0.533, Rpred2=0.845) and included four molecular descriptors, namely IC3, RDF075m, Mor02m and R4e+. The optimal model for imidazopyridine derivatives (Rcv2=0.776, Rpred2=0.876) was shown to perform good in prediction accuracy, using GATS2m and BEHe1 descriptors. Analysis of the contour maps helped to identify structural requirements for the inhibitors and served as a basis for the design of the next generation of the inhibitor analogues. Docking studies were also employed to position the inhibitors into the polo-like kinase active site to determine the most probable binding mode. These studies may help to understand the factors influencing the binding affinity of chemicals and to develop alternative methods for prescreening and designing of polo-like kinase inhibitors.

Design and synthesis of novel chalcones as potent selective monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammuda, Arwa; Shalaby, Raed; Rovida, Stefano; Edmondson, Dale E; Binda, Claudia; Khalil, Ashraf

2016-05-23

A novel series of substituted chalcones were designed and synthesized to be evaluated as selective human MAO-B inhibitors. A combination of either methylsulfonyl or trifluoromethyl substituents on the aromatic ketone moiety with a benzodioxol ring on the other end of the chalcone scaffold was investigated. The compounds were tested for their inhibitory activities on both human MAO-A and B. All compounds appeared to be selective MAO-B inhibitors with Ki values in the micromolar to submicromolar range. Molecular modeling studies have been performed to get insight into the binding mode of the synthesized compounds to human MAO-B active site. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Novel gaseous ethylene binding inhibitor prevents ethylene effects in potted flowering plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serek, M.; Reid, M.S. (Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Environmental Horticulture); Sisler, E.C. (North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry)

1994-11-01

A 6-hour fumigation of flowering Begonia xelatior hybrida Fotsch. Najada' and Rosa', B. xtuberhybrida Voss. Non-Stop', Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln. Tropicana', and Rosa hybrida L. Victory Parade' plants with 1-MCP, (formerly designated as SIS-X), a gaseous nonreversible ethylene binding inhibitor, strongly inhibited exogenous ethylene effects such as bud and flower drop, leaf abscission, and accelerated flower senescence. The inhibitory effects of 1-MCP increased linearly with concentration, and at 20 nl-liter[sup [minus]1] this compound gave equal protection to that afforded by spraying the plants with a 0.5 STS mM solution. Chemical names used: 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), silver thiosulfate (STS).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of guanylhydrazone coactivator binding inhibitors for the estrogen receptor.

Science.gov (United States)

LaFrate, Andrew L; Gunther, Jillian R; Carlson, Kathryn E; Katzenellenbogen, John A

2008-12-01

Most patients with hormone-responsive breast cancer eventually develop resistance to traditional antiestrogens such as tamoxifen, and this has become a major obstacle in their treatment. We prepared and characterized the activity of a series of 16 guanylhydrazone small molecules that are designed to block estrogen receptor (ER) activity through a non-traditional mechanism, by directly interfering with coactivator binding to agonist-liganded ER. The inhibitory activity of these compounds was determined in cell-based transcription assays using ER-responsive reporter gene and mammalian two-hybrid assays. Several of the compounds gave IC(50) values in the low micromolar range. Two secondary assays were used to confirm that these compounds were acting through the proposed non-traditional mode of estrogen inhibitory action and not as conventional antagonists at the ligand binding site.

Spectroscopic and Computational Investigations of Ligand Binding to IspH: Discovery of Non-diphosphate Inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Dowd, Bing [Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana IL 61801 USA; Williams, Sarah [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA; Wang, Hongxin [Department of Chemistry, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue Davis CA 95616 USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road Berkeley CA 94720 USA; No, Joo Hwan [Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, Urbana, IL (United States); Rao, Guodong [Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana IL 61801 USA; Wang, Weixue [Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, Urbana, IL (United States); McCammon, J. Andrew [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA; National Biomedical Computation Resource, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA; Cramer, Stephen P. [Department of Chemistry, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue Davis CA 95616 USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road Berkeley CA 94720 USA; Oldfield, Eric [Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana IL 61801 USA

2017-04-07

Isoprenoid biosynthesis is an important area for anti-infective drug development. One isoprenoid target described is (E)-1-hydroxy-2-methyl-but-2-enyl 4-diphosphate (HMBPP) reductase (IspH), which forms isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate from HMBPP in a 2H + /2e - reduction. IspH contains a 4 Fe-4 S cluster, and in this work, we first investigated how small molecules bound to the cluster by using HYSCORE and NRVS spectroscopies. The results of these, as well as other structural and spectroscopic investigations, led to the conclusion that, in most cases, ligands bound to IspH 4 Fe-4 S clusters by η 1 coordination, forming tetrahedral geometries at the unique fourth Fe, ligand side chains preventing further ligand (e.g., H 2 O, O 2 ) binding. Based on these ideas, we used in silico methods to find drug-like inhibitors that might occupy the HMBPP substrate binding pocket and bind to Fe, leading to the discovery of a barbituric acid analogue with a K i value of ≈500 nm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa IspH.

Two modes of interaction of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein of bacteriophage T7 with the DNA polymerase-thioredoxin complex

KAUST Repository

Ghosh, Sharmistha; Hamdan, Samir; Richardson, Charles C.

2010-01-01

The DNA polymerase encoded by bacteriophage T7 has low processivity. Escherichia coli thioredoxin binds to a segment of 76 residues in the thumb subdomain of the polymerase and increases the processivity. The binding of thioredoxin leads to the formation of two basic loops, loops A and B, located within the thioredoxin-binding domain (TBD). Both loops interact with the acidic C terminus of the T7 helicase. A relatively weak electrostatic mode involves the C-terminal tail of the helicase and the TBD, whereas a high affinity interaction that does not involve the C-terminal tail occurs when the polymerase is in a polymerization mode. T7 gene 2.5 single-stranded DNA-binding protein (gp2.5) also has an acidic C-terminal tail. gp2.5 also has two modes of interaction with the polymerase, but both involve the C-terminal tail of gp2.5. An electrostatic interaction requires the basic residues in loops A and B, and gp2.5 binds to both loops with similar affinity as measured by surface plasmon resonance. When the polymerase is in a polymerization mode, the C terminus of gene 2.5 protein interacts with the polymerase in regions outside the TBD.gp2.5 increases the processivity of the polymerase-helicase complex during leading strand synthesis. When loop B of the TBD is altered, abortive DNA products are observed during leading strand synthesis. Loop B appears to play an important role in communication with the helicase and gp2.5, whereas loop A plays a stabilizing role in these interactions. © 2010 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Two modes of interaction of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein of bacteriophage T7 with the DNA polymerase-thioredoxin complex

KAUST Repository

Ghosh, Sharmistha

2010-04-06

The DNA polymerase encoded by bacteriophage T7 has low processivity. Escherichia coli thioredoxin binds to a segment of 76 residues in the thumb subdomain of the polymerase and increases the processivity. The binding of thioredoxin leads to the formation of two basic loops, loops A and B, located within the thioredoxin-binding domain (TBD). Both loops interact with the acidic C terminus of the T7 helicase. A relatively weak electrostatic mode involves the C-terminal tail of the helicase and the TBD, whereas a high affinity interaction that does not involve the C-terminal tail occurs when the polymerase is in a polymerization mode. T7 gene 2.5 single-stranded DNA-binding protein (gp2.5) also has an acidic C-terminal tail. gp2.5 also has two modes of interaction with the polymerase, but both involve the C-terminal tail of gp2.5. An electrostatic interaction requires the basic residues in loops A and B, and gp2.5 binds to both loops with similar affinity as measured by surface plasmon resonance. When the polymerase is in a polymerization mode, the C terminus of gene 2.5 protein interacts with the polymerase in regions outside the TBD.gp2.5 increases the processivity of the polymerase-helicase complex during leading strand synthesis. When loop B of the TBD is altered, abortive DNA products are observed during leading strand synthesis. Loop B appears to play an important role in communication with the helicase and gp2.5, whereas loop A plays a stabilizing role in these interactions. © 2010 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Acquisition of complement inhibitor serine protease factor I and its cofactors C4b-binding protein and factor H by Prevotella intermedia.

Science.gov (United States)

Malm, Sven; Jusko, Monika; Eick, Sigrun; Potempa, Jan; Riesbeck, Kristian; Blom, Anna M

2012-01-01

Infection with the Gram-negative pathogen Prevotella intermedia gives rise to periodontitis and a growing number of studies implies an association of P. intermedia with rheumatoid arthritis. The serine protease Factor I (FI) is the central inhibitor of complement degrading complement components C3b and C4b in the presence of cofactors such as C4b-binding protein (C4BP) and Factor H (FH). Yet, the significance of complement inhibitor acquisition in P. intermedia infection and FI binding by Gram-negative pathogens has not been addressed. Here we show that P. intermedia isolates bound purified FI as well as FI directly from heat-inactivated human serum. FI bound to bacteria retained its serine protease activity as shown in degradation experiments with (125)I-labeled C4b. Since FI requires cofactors for its activity we also investigated the binding of purified cofactors C4BP and FH and found acquisition of both proteins, which retained their activity in FI mediated degradation of C3b and C4b. We propose that FI binding by P. intermedia represents a new mechanism contributing to complement evasion by a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen associated with chronic diseases.

Tris-amidoximate uranyl complexes via η2 binding mode coordinated in aqueous solution shown by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Linjuan; Qie, Meiying; Su, Jing; Zhang, Shuo; Zhou, Jing; Li, Jiong; Wang, Yu; Yang, Shitong; Wang, Shuao; Li, Jingye; Wu, Guozhong; Wang, Jian Qiang

2018-03-01

The present study sheds some light on the long-standing debate concerning the coordination properties between uranyl ions and the amidoxime ligand, which is a key ingredient for achieving efficient extraction of uranium. Using X-ray absorption fine structure combined with theoretical simulation methods, the binding mode and bonding nature of a uranyl-amidoxime complex in aqueous solution were determined for the first time. The results show that in a highly concentrated amidoxime solution the preferred binding mode between UO 2 2+ and the amidoxime ligand is η 2 coordination with tris-amidoximate species. In such a uranyl-amidoximate complex with η 2 binding motif, strong covalent interaction and orbital hybridization between U 5f/6d and (N, O) 2p should be responsible for the excellent binding ability of the amidoximate ligand to uranyl. The study was performed directly in aqueous solution to avoid the possible binding mode differences caused by crystallization of a single-crystal sample. This work also is an example of the simultaneous study of local structure and electronic structure in solution systems using combined diagnostic tools.

Protein C Inhibitor (PCI) Binds to Phosphatidylserine Exposing Cells with Implications in the Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells and Activated Platelets

Science.gov (United States)

Rieger, Daniela; Assinger, Alice; Einfinger, Katrin; Sokolikova, Barbora; Geiger, Margarethe

2014-01-01

Protein C Inhibitor (PCI) is a secreted serine protease inhibitor, belonging to the family of serpins. In addition to activated protein C PCI inactivates several other proteases of the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, suggesting a regulatory role in hemostasis. Glycosaminoglycans and certain negatively charged phospholipids, like phosphatidylserine, bind to PCI and modulate its activity. Phosphatidylerine (PS) is exposed on the surface of apoptotic cells and known as a phagocytosis marker. We hypothesized that PCI might bind to PS exposed on apoptotic cells and thereby influence their removal by phagocytosis. Using Jurkat T-lymphocytes and U937 myeloid cells, we show here that PCI binds to apoptotic cells to a similar extent at the same sites as Annexin V, but in a different manner as compared to live cells (defined spots on ∼10–30% of cells). PCI dose dependently decreased phagocytosis of apoptotic Jurkat cells by U937 macrophages. Moreover, the phagocytosis of PS exposing, activated platelets by human blood derived monocytes declined in the presence of PCI. In U937 cells the expression of PCI as well as the surface binding of PCI increased with time of phorbol ester treatment/macrophage differentiation. The results of this study suggest a role of PCI not only for the function and/or maturation of macrophages, but also as a negative regulator of apoptotic cell and activated platelets removal. PMID:25000564

Comparisons of Prostate Cancer Inhibitors Abiraterone and TOK-001 Binding with CYP17A1 through Molecular Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Fei; Yang, Maohua; Xu, Youjun; Vongsangnak, Wanwipa

2015-01-01

Cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) is associated in the steroid hormone biosynthesis in human. As cell proliferation of prostate cancer in response to androgen steroid, an inhibition of CYP17A1 becomes an alternative approach to inhibit biosynthesis of androgen and support treatment of prostate cancer. However, biology-driven inhibitor development of prostate cancer is poorly elucidated. The aims of this study are to address structural differences at atomic-level between CYP17A1 and inhibitors i.e., abiraterone and TOK-001, and further investigate the effect of point mutation of CYP17A1 on the active site stability and the local interactions that are hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding throughout molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. After performing multiple comparisons among four different complexes across CYP17A1 and inhibitors, interestingly TOK-001 oriented toward the active pocket and formed larger volume with I-helix of CYP17A1 than abiraterone, whereas abiraterone showed tighter binding and more active site stability. Considering on the effect of hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding between abiraterone and CYP17A1, the key residues of Phe114, Ile371, Val482, and Asn202 were identified. This contributes into tight binding interactions; however abiraterone is effectively weakened along with the global conformation mobility increased in A105L mutation. Surprisingly, overall conformation of the CYP17A1 remained stable when bound to TOK-001. This basic knowledge can guide future experiments on design of efficient inhibitors for CYP17A1, which provides theoretical basis of androgen-dependent disease therapy.

Single-molecule supercoil-relaxation assay as a screening tool to determine the mechanism and efficacy of human topoisomerase IB inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Seol, Yeonee; Zhang, Hongliang; Agama, Keli; Lorence, Nicholas; Pommier, Yves; Neuman, Keir C.

2015-01-01

Human nuclear type IB topoisomerase (Top1) inhibitors are widely used and powerful anti-cancer agents. In this study, we introduce and validate a single-molecule supercoil relaxation assay as a molecular pharmacology tool for characterizing therapeutically relevant Top1 inhibitors. Using this assay, we determined the effects on Top1 supercoil relaxation activity of four Top1 inhibitors; three clinically relevant: camptothecin, LMP-400, LMP-776 (both indenoisoquinoline derivatives), and one natural product in preclinical development, lamellarin-D. Our results demonstrate that Top1 inhibitors have two distinct effects on Top1 activity: a decrease in supercoil relaxation rate and an increase in religation inhibition. The type and magnitude of the inhibition mode depend both on the specific inhibitor and on the topology of the DNA substrate. In general, the efficacy of inhibition is significantly higher with supercoiled than with relaxed DNA substrates. Comparing single-molecule inhibition with cell growth inhibition (IC50) measurements showed a correlation between the binding time of the Top1 inhibitors and their cytotoxic efficacy, independent of the mode of inhibition. This study demonstrates that the single-molecule supercoil relaxation assay is a sensitive method to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of Top1 inhibitors and is relevant for the cellular efficacy of Top1 inhibitors. PMID:26351326

Immunological properties of prolactin and studies on a gonadotropin binding inhibitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.S.

1985-01-01

The physiological role of prolactin in horses has not yet been well defined. With the availability of highly purified ePRL for inducing antibody formation in rabbits and for radiolabeling with Na 125 I, a very sensitive (0.4-0.6 ng/ml) and highly specific homologous RIA for ePRL was developed. A heterologous RIA using 125 I-labeled ovine PRL and anti-ePRL antiserum was also developed and compared to the homologous RIA for ePRL. Of the two systems, it is concluded that this homologous RIA system is more suitable and more reliable for measuring prolactin concentration in horse serum samples. Until now, biochemical information on PRL has not been available for reptilian species. Sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) prolactin was purified from pituitary extracts by selective precipitation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography and gel filtration. Similar to other species of PRL, sea turtle PRL is a 22,000-24,000 daltons protein and contains a high content of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine and leucine, the N-terminal amino acid residue. Gonadotropin (FSH) binding inhibitor was partially purified from sheep testes by ammonium sulfate fractionation and ion exchange chromatography. The FSH-BI (molecular weight: 50,000 daltons, estimated by gel filtration) contains a protein moiety necessary for binding inhibitory activity. The inhibition of the binding of 125 I-labeled ovine FSH to its receptor by the FSH-BI is not competitive. Both in vivo and in vitro biological studies of FSH-BI preparations in rats indicated various effects on FSH and LH activities at the gonadal level. These findings suggest a physiological role for FSH-BI in the regulation of reproduction

Computational Studies of a Mechanism for Binding and Drug Resistance in the Wild Type and Four Mutations of HIV-1 Protease with a GRL-0519 Inhibitor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guodong Hu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Drug resistance of mutations in HIV-1 protease (PR is the most severe challenge to the long-term efficacy of HIV-1 PR inhibitor in highly active antiretroviral therapy. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of drug resistance associated with mutations (D30N, I50V, I54M, and V82A and inhibitor (GRL-0519 complexes, we have performed five molecular dynamics (MD simulations and calculated the binding free energies using the molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA method. The ranking of calculated binding free energies is in accordance with the experimental data. The free energy spectra of each residue and inhibitor interaction for all complexes show a similar binding model. Analysis based on the MD trajectories and contribution of each residues show that groups R2 and R3 mainly contribute van der Waals energies, while groups R1 and R4 contribute electrostatic interaction by hydrogen bonds. The drug resistance of D30N can be attributed to the decline in binding affinity of residues 28 and 29. The size of Val50 is smaller than Ile50 causes the residue to move, especially in chain A. The stable hydrophobic core, including the side chain of Ile54 in the wild type (WT complex, became unstable in I54M because the side chain of Met54 is flexible with two alternative conformations. The binding affinity of Ala82 in V82A decreases relative to Val82 in WT. The present study could provide important guidance for the design of a potent new drug resisting the mutation inhibitors.

Trp[superscript 2313]-His[superscript 2315] of Factor VIII C2 Domain Is Involved in Membrane Binding Structure of a Complex Between the C[subscript 2] Domain and an Inhibitor of Membrane Binding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Zhuo; Lin, Lin; Yuan, Cai; Nicolaes, Gerry A.F.; Chen, Liqing; Meehan, Edward J.; Furie, Bruce; Furie, Barbara; Huang, Mingdong (Harvard-Med); (UAH); (Maastricht); (Chinese Aca. Sci.)

2010-11-03

Factor VIII (FVIII) plays a critical role in blood coagulation by forming the tenase complex with factor IXa and calcium ions on a membrane surface containing negatively charged phospholipids. The tenase complex activates factor X during blood coagulation. The carboxyl-terminal C2 domain of FVIII is the main membrane-binding and von Willebrand factor-binding region of the protein. Mutations of FVIII cause hemophilia A, whereas elevation of FVIII activity is a risk factor for thromboembolic diseases. The C2 domain-membrane interaction has been proposed as a target of intervention for regulation of blood coagulation. A number of molecules that interrupt FVIII or factor V (FV) binding to cell membranes have been identified through high throughput screening or structure-based design. We report crystal structures of the FVIII C2 domain under three new crystallization conditions, and a high resolution (1.15 {angstrom}) crystal structure of the FVIII C2 domain bound to a small molecular inhibitor. The latter structure shows that the inhibitor binds to the surface of an exposed {beta}-strand of the C2 domain, Trp{sup 2313}-His{sup 2315}. This result indicates that the Trp{sup 2313}-His{sup 2315} segment is an important constituent of the membrane-binding motif and provides a model to understand the molecular mechanism of the C2 domain membrane interaction.

Switch in Site of Inhibition: A Strategy for Structure-Based Discovery of Human Topoisomerase IIα Catalytic Inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

A study of structure-based modulation of known ligands of hTopoIIα, an important enzyme involved in DNA processes, coupled with synthesis and in vitro assays led to the establishment of a strategy of rational switch in mode of inhibition of the enzyme’s catalytic cycle. 6-Arylated derivatives of known imidazopyridine ligands were found to be selective inhibitors of hTopoIIα, while not showing TopoI inhibition and DNA binding. Interestingly, while the parent imidazopyridines acted as ATP-competitive inhibitors, arylated derivatives inhibited DNA cleavage similar to merbarone, indicating a switch in mode of inhibition from ATP-hydrolysis to the DNA-cleavage stage of catalytic cycle of the enzyme. The 6-aryl-imidazopyridines were relatively more cytotoxic than etoposide in cancer cells and less toxic to normal cells. Such unprecedented strategy will encourage research on “choice-based change” in target-specific mode of action for rapid drug discovery. PMID:25941559

Using docking and alchemical free energy approach to determine the binding mechanism of eEF2K inhibitors and prioritizing the compound synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiantao; Edupuganti, Ramakrishna; Tavares, Clint D J; Dalby, Kevin N; Ren, Pengyu

2015-01-01

A-484954 is a known eEF2K inhibitor with submicromolar IC50 potency. However, the binding mechanism and the crystal structure of the kinase remains unknown. Here, we employ a homology eEF2K model, docking and alchemical free energy simulations to probe the binding mechanism of eEF2K, and in turn, guide the optimization of potential lead compounds. The inhibitor was docked into the ATP-binding site of a homology model first. Three different binding poses, hypothesis 1, 2, and 3, were obtained and subsequently applied to molecular dynamics (MD) based alchemical free energy simulations. The calculated relative binding free energy of the analogs of A-484954 using the binding pose of hypothesis 1 show a good correlation with the experimental IC50 values, yielding an r (2) coefficient of 0.96 after removing an outlier (compound 5). Calculations using another two poses show little correlation with experimental data, (r (2) of less than 0.5 with or without removing any outliers). Based on hypothesis 1, the calculated relative free energy suggests that bigger cyclic groups, at R1 e.g., cyclobutyl and cyclopentyl promote more favorable binding than smaller groups, such as cyclopropyl and hydrogen. Moreover, this study also demonstrates the ability of the alchemical free energy approach in combination with docking and homology modeling to prioritize compound synthesis. This can be an effective means of facilitating structure-based drug design when crystal structures are not available.

Peptide-Based Selective Inhibitors of Matrix Metalloproteinase-Mediated Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret W. Ndinguri

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs exhibit a broad array of activities, some catalytic and some non-catalytic in nature. An overall lack of selectivity has rendered small molecule, active site targeted MMP inhibitors problematic in execution. Inhibitors that favor few or individual members of the MMP family often take advantage of interactions outside the enzyme active site. We presently focus on peptide-based MMP inhibitors and probes that do not incorporate conventional Zn2+ binding groups. In some cases, these inhibitors and probes function by binding only secondary binding sites (exosites, while others bind both exosites and the active site. A myriad of MMP mediated-activities beyond selective catalysis can be inhibited by peptides, particularly cell adhesion, proliferation, motility, and invasion. Selective MMP binding peptides comprise highly customizable, unique imaging agents. Areas of needed improvement for MMP targeting peptides include binding affinity and stability.

Desethylamiodarone is a competitive inhibitor of the binding of thyroid hormone to the thyroid hormone alpha 1-receptor protein

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Beeren, H. C.; Bakker, O.; Wiersinga, W. M.

1995-01-01

Desethylamiodarone (DEA), the major metabolite of the potent antiarrythmic drug amiodarone, is a non-competitive inhibitor of the binding of thyroid hormone (T3) to the beta 1-thyroid hormone receptor (T3R). In the present study, we investigated whether DEA acts in a similar way with respect to the

Structure-based prediction of free energy changes of binding of PTP1B inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Ling Chan, Shek; Ramnarayan, Kal

2003-08-01

The goals were (1) to understand the driving forces in the binding of small molecule inhibitors to the active site of PTP1B and (2) to develop a molecular mechanics-based empirical free energy function for compound potency prediction. A set of compounds with known activities was docked onto the active site. The related energy components and molecular surface areas were calculated. The bridging water molecules were identified and their contributions were considered. Linear relationships were explored between the above terms and the binding free energies of compounds derived based on experimental inhibition constants. We found that minimally three terms are required to give rise to a good correlation (0.86) with predictive power in five-group cross-validation test (q2 = 0.70). The dominant terms are the electrostatic energy and non-electrostatic energy stemming from the intra- and intermolecular interactions of solutes and from those of bridging water molecules in complexes.

A Combined Molecular Docking/Dynamics Approach to Probe the Binding Mode of Cancer Drugs with Cytochrome P450 3A4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suresh Panneerselvam

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Cytarabine, daunorubicin, doxorubicin and vincristine are clinically used for combinatorial therapies of cancers in different combinations. However, the knowledge about the interaction of these drugs with the metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 is limited. Therefore, we utilized computational methods to predict and assess the drug-binding modes. In this study, we performed docking, MD simulations and free energy landscape analysis to understand the drug-enzyme interactions, protein domain motions and the most populated free energy minimum conformations of the docked protein-drug complexes, respectively. The outcome of docking and MD simulations predicted the productive, as well as the non-productive binding modes of the selected drugs. Based on these interaction studies, we observed that S119, R212 and R372 are the major drug-binding residues in CYP3A4. The molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area analysis revealed the dominance of hydrophobic forces in the CYP3A4-drug association. Further analyses predicted the residues that may contain favorable drug-specific interactions. The probable binding modes of the cancer drugs from this study may extend the knowledge of the protein-drug interaction and pave the way to design analogs with reduced toxicity. In addition, they also provide valuable insights into the metabolism of the cancer drugs.

A structural insight into the inhibitory mechanism of an orally active PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, PKI-179 using computational approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohd Rehan

2015-11-01

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway has been identified as an important target for cancer therapy. Attempts are increasingly made to design the inhibitors against the key proteins of this pathway for anti-cancer therapy. The PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors have proved more effective than the inhibitors against only single protein targets. Recently discovered PKI-179, an orally effective compound, is one such dual inhibitor targeting both PI3K and mTOR. This anti-cancer compound is efficacious both in vitro and in vivo. However, the binding mechanisms and the molecular interactions of PKI-179 with PI3K and mTOR are not yet available. The current study investigated the exact binding mode and the molecular interactions of PKI-179 with PI3Kγ and mTOR using molecular docking and (un)binding simulation analyses. The study identified PKI-179 interacting residues of both the proteins and their importance in binding was ranked by the loss in accessible surface area, number of molecular interactions of the residue, and consistent appearance of the residue in (un)binding simulation analysis. The key residues involved in binding of PKI-179 were Ala-805 in PI3Kγ and Ile-2163 in mTOR as they have lost maximum accessible surface area due to binding. In addition, the residues which played a role in binding of the drug but were away from the catalytic site were also identified using (un)binding simulation analyses. Finally, comparison of the interacting residues in the respective catalytic sites was done for the difference in the binding of the drug to the two proteins. Thus, the pairs of the residues falling at the similar location with respect to the docked drug were identified. The striking similarity in the interacting residues of the catalytic site explains the concomitant inhibition of both proteins by a number of inhibitors. In conclusion, the docking and (un)binding simulation analyses of dual inhibitor PKI-179 with PI3K and mTOR will provide a suitable multi-target model for

A fluorescence polarization binding assay to identify inhibitors of flavin-dependent monooxygenases.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Jun; Kizjakina, Karina; Robinson, Reeder; Tolani, Karishma; Sobrado, Pablo

2012-06-01

N-Hydroxylating monooxygenases (NMOs) are essential for pathogenesis in fungi and bacteria. NMOs catalyze the hydroxylation of sine and ornithine in the biosynthesis of hydroxamate-containing siderophores. Inhibition of kynurenine monooxygenase (KMO), which catalyzes the conversion of kynurenine to 3-hydroxykynurenine, alleviates neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases and brain infections caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. These enzymes are examples of flavin-dependent monooxygenases, which are validated drug targets. Here, we describe the development and optimization of a fluorescence polarization assay to identify potential inhibitors of flavin-dependent monooxygenases. Fluorescently labeled ADP molecules were synthesized and tested. An ADP-TAMRA chromophore bound to KMO with a K(d) value of 0.60 ± 0.05 μM and to the NMOs from Aspergillus fumigatus and Mycobacterium smegmatis with K(d) values of 2.1 ± 0.2 and 4.0 ± 0.2 μM, respectively. The assay was tested in competitive binding experiments with substrates and products of KMO and an NMO. Furthermore, we show that this assay can be used to identify inhibitors of NMOs. A Z' factor of 0.77 was calculated, and we show that the assay exhibits good tolerance to temperature, incubation time, and dimethyl sulfoxide concentration. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Active site - a site of binding of affinity inhibitors in baker's yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svyato, I.E.; Sklyankina, V.A.; Avaeva, S.M.

1986-01-01

The interaction of the enzyme-substrate complex with methyl phosphate, O-phosphoethanolamine, O-phosphopropanolamine, N-acetylphosphoserine, and phosphoglyolic acid, as well as pyrophosphatase, modified by monoesters of phosphoric acid, with pyrophosphate and tripolyphosphate, was investigated. It was shown that the enzyme containing the substrate in the active site does not react with monophosphates, but modified pyrophosphatase entirely retains the ability to bind polyanions to the regulatory site. It is concluded that the inactivation of baker's yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase by monoesters of phosphoric acid, which are affinity inhibitors of it, is the result of modification of the active site of the enzyme

Molecular modeling of human acidic mammalian chitinase in complex with the natural-product cyclopentapeptide chitinase inhibitor argifin.

Science.gov (United States)

Gouda, Hiroaki; Terashima, Shinichi; Iguchi, Kanami; Sugawara, Akihiro; Saito, Yoshifumi; Yamamoto, Tsuyoshi; Hirose, Tomoyasu; Shiomi, Kazuro; Sunazuka, Toshiaki; Omura, Satoshi; Hirono, Shuichi

2009-09-01

Human acidic mammalian chitinase (hAMCase) is an attractive target for developing anti-asthma medications. We used a variety of computational methods to investigate the interaction between hAMCase and the natural-product cyclopentapeptide chitinase inhibitor argifin. The three-dimensional structure of hAMCase was first constructed using homology modeling. The interaction mode and binding free energy between argifin and hAMCase were then examined by the molecular-docking calculation and the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method combined with molecular dynamics simulation, respectively. The results suggested that argifin binds to hAMCase in a similar fashion to the interaction mode observed in the crystal structure of argifin-human chitotriosidase complex, and possesses inhibitory activity against hAMCase in the micromolar range. We further designed argifin derivatives expected to be selective for hAMCase.

Theoretical study on the interaction of pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives as LIMK2 inhibitors: insight into structure-based inhibitor design.

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Shen, Mingyun; Zhou, Shunye; Li, Youyong; Li, Dan; Hou, Tingjun

2013-10-01

LIM kinases (LIMKs), downstream of Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs) and p21-activated protein kinases (PAKs), are shown to be promising targets for the treatment of cancers. In this study, the inhibition mechanism of 41 pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives as LIMK2 inhibitors was explored through a series of theoretical approaches. First, a model of LIMK2 was generated through molecular homology modeling, and the studied inhibitors were docked into the binding active site of LIMK2 by the docking protocol, taking into consideration the flexibility of the protein. The binding poses predicted by molecular docking for 17 selected inhibitors with different bioactivities complexed with LIMK2 underwent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and the binding free energies for the complexes were predicted by using the molecular mechanics/generalized born surface area (MM/GBSA) method. The predicted binding free energies correlated well with the experimental bioactivities (r(2) = 0.63 or 0.62). Next, the free energy decomposition analysis was utilized to highlight the following key structural features related to biological activity: (1) the important H-bond between Ile408 and pyrrolopyrimidine, (2) the H-bonds between the inhibitors and Asp469 and Gly471 which maintain the stability of the DFG-out conformation, and (3) the hydrophobic interactions between the inhibitors and several key residues (Leu337, Phe342, Ala345, Val358, Lys360, Leu389, Ile408, Leu458 and Leu472). Finally, a variety of LIMK2 inhibitors with a pyrrolopyrimidine scaffold were designed, some of which showed improved potency according to the predictions. Our studies suggest that the use of molecular docking with MD simulations and free energy calculations could be a powerful tool for understanding the binding mechanism of LIMK2 inhibitors and for the design of more potent LIMK2 inhibitors.

Identification of novel inhibitors for Pim-1 kinase using pharmacophore modeling based on a novel method for selecting pharmacophore generation subsets

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Shahin, Rand; Swellmeen, Lubna; Shaheen, Omar; Aboalhaija, Nour; Habash, Maha

2016-01-01

Targeting Proviral integration-site of murine Moloney leukemia virus 1 kinase, hereafter called Pim-1 kinase, is a promising strategy for treating different kinds of human cancer. Headed for this a total list of 328 formerly reported Pim-1 kinase inhibitors has been explored and divided based on the pharmacophoric features of the most active molecules into 10 subsets projected to represent potential active binding manners accessible to ligands within the binding pocket of Pim-1 kinase. Discovery Studio 4.1 (DS 4.1) was employed to detect potential pharmacophoric active binding manners anticipated by Pim-1 Kinase inhibitors. The pharmacophoric models were then allowed to compete within Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) framework with other 2D descriptors. Accordingly Genetic algorithm and multiple linear regression investigation were engaged to find the finest QSAR equation that has the best predictive power r 262 2 = 0.70, F = 119.14, r LOO 2 = 0.693, r PRESS 2 against 66 external test inhibitors = 0.71 q2 = 0.55. Three different pharmacophores appeared in the successful QSAR equation this represents three different binding modes for inhibitors within the Pim-1 kinase binding pocket. Pharmacophoric models were later used to screen compounds within the National Cancer Institute database. Several low micromolar Pim-1 Kinase inhibitors were captured. The most potent hits show IC50 values of 0.77 and 1.03 µM. Also, upon analyzing the successful QSAR Equation we found that some polycyclic aromatic electron-rich structures namely 6-Chloro-2-methoxy-acridine can be considered as putative hits for Pim-1 kinase inhibition.

IspE inhibitors identified by a combination of in silico and in vitro high-throughput screening.

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Naomi Tidten-Luksch

Full Text Available CDP-ME kinase (IspE contributes to the non-mevalonate or deoxy-xylulose phosphate (DOXP pathway for isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis found in many species of bacteria and apicomplexan parasites. IspE has been shown to be essential by genetic methods and since it is absent from humans it constitutes a promising target for antimicrobial drug development. Using in silico screening directed against the substrate binding site and in vitro high-throughput screening directed against both, the substrate and co-factor binding sites, non-substrate-like IspE inhibitors have been discovered and structure-activity relationships were derived. The best inhibitors in each series have high ligand efficiencies and favourable physico-chemical properties rendering them promising starting points for drug discovery. Putative binding modes of the ligands were suggested which are consistent with established structure-activity relationships. The applied screening methods were complementary in discovering hit compounds, and a comparison of both approaches highlights their strengths and weaknesses. It is noteworthy that compounds identified by virtual screening methods provided the controls for the biochemical screens.

Novel chemical scaffolds of the tumor marker AKR1B10 inhibitors discovered by 3D QSAR pharmacophore modeling.

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Kumar, Raj; Son, Minky; Bavi, Rohit; Lee, Yuno; Park, Chanin; Arulalapperumal, Venkatesh; Cao, Guang Ping; Kim, Hyong-ha; Suh, Jung-keun; Kim, Yong-seong; Kwon, Yong Jung; Lee, Keun Woo

2015-08-01

Recent evidence suggests that aldo-keto reductase family 1 B10 (AKR1B10) may be a potential diagnostic or prognostic marker of human tumors, and that AKR1B10 inhibitors offer a promising choice for treatment of many types of human cancers. The aim of this study was to identify novel chemical scaffolds of AKR1B10 inhibitors using in silico approaches. The 3D QSAR pharmacophore models were generated using HypoGen. A validated pharmacophore model was selected for virtual screening of 4 chemical databases. The best mapped compounds were assessed for their drug-like properties. The binding orientations of the resulting compounds were predicted by molecular docking. Density functional theory calculations were carried out using B3LYP. The stability of the protein-ligand complexes and the final binding modes of the hit compounds were analyzed using 10 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The best pharmacophore model (Hypo 1) showed the highest correlation coefficient (0.979), lowest total cost (102.89) and least RMSD value (0.59). Hypo 1 consisted of one hydrogen-bond acceptor, one hydrogen-bond donor, one ring aromatic and one hydrophobic feature. This model was validated by Fischer's randomization and 40 test set compounds. Virtual screening of chemical databases and the docking studies resulted in 30 representative compounds. Frontier orbital analysis confirmed that only 3 compounds had sufficiently low energy band gaps. MD simulations revealed the binding modes of the 3 hit compounds: all of them showed a large number of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with the active site and specificity pocket residues of AKR1B10. Three compounds with new structural scaffolds have been identified, which have stronger binding affinities for AKR1B10 than known inhibitors.

Accurate calculation of mutational effects on the thermodynamics of inhibitor binding to p38α MAP kinase: a combined computational and experimental study.

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Zhu, Shun; Travis, Sue M; Elcock, Adrian H

2013-07-09

A major current challenge for drug design efforts focused on protein kinases is the development of drug resistance caused by spontaneous mutations in the kinase catalytic domain. The ubiquity of this problem means that it would be advantageous to develop fast, effective computational methods that could be used to determine the effects of potential resistance-causing mutations before they arise in a clinical setting. With this long-term goal in mind, we have conducted a combined experimental and computational study of the thermodynamic effects of active-site mutations on a well-characterized and high-affinity interaction between a protein kinase and a small-molecule inhibitor. Specifically, we developed a fluorescence-based assay to measure the binding free energy of the small-molecule inhibitor, SB203580, to the p38α MAP kinase and used it measure the inhibitor's affinity for five different kinase mutants involving two residues (Val38 and Ala51) that contact the inhibitor in the crystal structure of the inhibitor-kinase complex. We then conducted long, explicit-solvent thermodynamic integration (TI) simulations in an attempt to reproduce the experimental relative binding affinities of the inhibitor for the five mutants; in total, a combined simulation time of 18.5 μs was obtained. Two widely used force fields - OPLS-AA/L and Amber ff99SB-ILDN - were tested in the TI simulations. Both force fields produced excellent agreement with experiment for three of the five mutants; simulations performed with the OPLS-AA/L force field, however, produced qualitatively incorrect results for the constructs that contained an A51V mutation. Interestingly, the discrepancies with the OPLS-AA/L force field could be rectified by the imposition of position restraints on the atoms of the protein backbone and the inhibitor without destroying the agreement for other mutations; the ability to reproduce experiment depended, however, upon the strength of the restraints' force constant

Discovery of aminofurazan-azabenzimidazoles as inhibitors of Rho-kinase with high kinase selectivity and antihypertensive activity.

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Stavenger, Robert A; Cui, Haifeng; Dowdell, Sarah E; Franz, Robert G; Gaitanopoulos, Dimitri E; Goodman, Krista B; Hilfiker, Mark A; Ivy, Robert L; Leber, Jack D; Marino, Joseph P; Oh, Hye-Ja; Viet, Andrew Q; Xu, Weiwei; Ye, Guosen; Zhang, Daohua; Zhao, Yongdong; Jolivette, Larry J; Head, Martha S; Semus, Simon F; Elkins, Patricia A; Kirkpatrick, Robert B; Dul, Edward; Khandekar, Sanjay S; Yi, Tracey; Jung, David K; Wright, Lois L; Smith, Gary K; Behm, David J; Doe, Christopher P; Bentley, Ross; Chen, Zunxuan X; Hu, Erding; Lee, Dennis

2007-01-11

The discovery, proposed binding mode, and optimization of a novel class of Rho-kinase inhibitors are presented. Appropriate substitution on the 6-position of the azabenzimidazole core provided subnanomolar enzyme potency in vitro while dramatically improving selectivity over a panel of other kinases. Pharmacokinetic data was obtained for the most potent and selective examples and one (6n) has been shown to lower blood pressure in a rat model of hypertension.

Alpha-amylase inhibitor, CS-1036 binds to serum amylase in a concentration-dependent and saturable manner.

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Honda, Tomohiro; Kaneno-Urasaki, Yoko; Ito, Takashi; Kimura, Takako; Matsushima, Nobuko; Okabe, Hiromi; Yamasaki, Atsushi; Izumi, Takashi

2014-03-01

(2R,3R,4R)-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidin-3-yl 4-O-(6-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-α-D-glucopyranoside (CS-1036), which is an α-amylase inhibitor, exhibited biphasic and sustained elimination with a long t1/2 (18.4-30.0 hours) in rats and monkeys, but exhibited a short t1/2 (3.7-7.9 hours) in humans. To clarify the species differences in the t1/2, the plasma protein binding of CS-1036 was evaluated by ultrafiltration. A concentration-dependent and saturable plasma protein binding of CS-1036 was observed in rats and monkeys with the dissociation rate constant (KD) of 8.95 and 27.2 nM, and maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of 52.8 and 22.1 nM, respectively. By the assessments of the recombinant amylase and immunoprecipitation, the major binding protein of CS-1036 in rats was identified as salivary amylase (KD 5.64 nM). CS-1036 also showed concentration-dependent and saturable binding to human salivary and pancreatic amylase, with similar binding affinity in rats. However, the protein binding of CS-1036 was constant in human plasma (≤10.2%) due to the lower serum amylase level compared with rats and monkeys. From the calculation of the unbound fraction (fu) in plasma based on in vitro KD and Bmax, the dose-dependent increase in fu after oral administration is speculated to lead to a dose-dependent increase in total body clearance and a high area under the curve/dose at lower doses, such as 0.3 mg/kg in rats.

Structural characterization of human heme oxygenase-1 in complex with azole-based inhibitors.

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Rahman, Mona N; Vlahakis, Jason Z; Roman, Gheorghe; Vukomanovic, Dragic; Szarek, Walter A; Nakatsu, Kanji; Jia, Zongchao

2010-03-01

The development of inhibitors specific for heme oxygenases (HO) aims to provide powerful tools in understanding the HO system. Based on the lead structure (2S, 4S)-2-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-2-[(1H-imidazol-1-yl)methyl]-4-[((4-aminophenyl)thio)methyl]-1,3-dioxolane (azalanstat, QC-1) we have synthesized structural modifications to develop novel and selective HO inhibitors. The structural study of human HO-1 (hHO-1) in complex with a select group of the inhibitors was initiated using X-ray crystallographic techniques. Comparison of the structures of four such compounds each in complex with hHO-1 revealed a common binding mode, despite having different structural fragments. The compounds bind to the distal side of heme through an azole "anchor" which coordinates with the heme iron. An expansion of the distal pocket, mainly due to distal helix flexibility, allows accommodation of the compounds without displacing heme or the critical Asp140 residue. Rather, binding displaces a catalytically critical water molecule and disrupts an ordered hydrogen-bond network involving Asp140. The presence of a triazole "anchor" may provide further stability via a hydrogen bond with the protein. A hydrophobic pocket acts to stabilize the region occupied by the phenyl or adamantanyl moieties of these compounds. Further, a secondary hydrophobic pocket is formed via "induced fit" to accommodate bulky substituents at the 4-position of the dioxolane ring. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Docking based 3d-QSAR studies applied at the BRAF inhibitors to understand the binding mechanism

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Mahmood, U.; Haq, Z.U.

2011-01-01

BRAF is a great therapeutic target in a wide variety of human cancers. It is the member of Ras Activating Factor (RAF) family of serine/throenine kinase. The mutated form of the BRAF has diverted all the attention towards itself because of increase severity and elevated kinase activity. The RAF signal transduction cascade is a conserved protein pathway that is involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis. The ERK regulates phosphorylation of different proteins either in cytosol or in nucleus but disorders in ERK signaling pathway cause mutation in BRAF. This cascade in these cells may provide selection of mutated BRAF in which valine is substituted with glutamatic acid at position 600. This mutation occurs in activation loop. A number of inhibitors reported to target different members of RAF, some of them have potential to target the BRAF as well. Major reason for failure of previously reported inhibitors was due to the highly conserved sequence and confirmation of catalytic cleft which is always a center of consideration for binding of inhibitors to suppress the kinase activity. This is the first attempt to study and understand the BARF inhibitors - protein interactions in detail by utilizing 3D-QSAR and molecular docking techniques. Most reliable techniques of 3D QSAR i.e Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) were applied for three different data sets. The data sets selected for better evaluation of BRAF inhibitors belongs to 2, 6-Disubstituted Pyrazine, Pyridoimidazolones and its derivatives. Our models would offer help to better understand the structure-activity relationships that exist for these classes of compounds and also facilitate the design of novel inhibitors with good chemical diversity. (Author)

Alternative Binding Modes Identified for Growth and Differentiation Factor-associated Serum Protein (GASP) Family Antagonism of Myostatin*

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Walker, Ryan G.; Angerman, Elizabeth B.; Kattamuri, Chandramohan; Lee, Yun-Sil; Lee, Se-Jin; Thompson, Thomas B.

2015-01-01

Myostatin, a member of the TGF-β family of ligands, is a strong negative regulator of muscle growth. As such, it is a prime therapeutic target for muscle wasting disorders. Similar to other TGF-β family ligands, myostatin is neutralized by binding one of a number of structurally diverse antagonists. Included are the antagonists GASP-1 and GASP-2, which are unique in that they specifically antagonize myostatin. However, little is known from a structural standpoint describing the interactions of GASP antagonists with myostatin. Here, we present the First low resolution solution structure of myostatin-free and myostatin-bound states of GASP-1 and GASP-2. Our studies have revealed GASP-1, which is 100 times more potent than GASP-2, preferentially binds myostatin in an asymmetrical 1:1 complex, whereas GASP-2 binds in a symmetrical 2:1 complex. Additionally, C-terminal truncations of GASP-1 result in less potent myostatin inhibitors that form a 2:1 complex, suggesting that the C-terminal domains of GASP-1 are the primary mediators for asymmetric complex formation. Overall, this study provides a new perspective on TGF-β antagonism, where closely related antagonists can utilize different ligand-binding strategies. PMID:25657005

Structural Basis for Inhibitor-Induced Hydrogen Peroxide Production by Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase.

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Kim, Hyun Tae; Na, Byeong Kwan; Chung, Jiwoung; Kim, Sulhee; Kwon, Sool Ki; Cha, Hyunju; Son, Jonghyeon; Cho, Joong Myung; Hwang, Kwang Yeon

2018-04-19

Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) inhibitors have been developed for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. The mechanisms of flavin reduction and hydrogen peroxide production by KMO inhibitors are unknown. Herein, we report the structure of human KMO and crystal structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (sc) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (pf) KMO with Ro 61-8048. Proton transfer in the hydrogen bond network triggers flavin reduction in p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase, but the mechanism triggering flavin reduction in KMO is different. Conformational changes via π-π interactions between the loop above the flavin and substrate or non-substrate effectors lead to disorder of the C-terminal α helix in scKMO and shifts of domain III in pfKMO, stimulating flavin reduction. Interestingly, Ro 61-8048 has two different binding modes. It acts as a competitive inhibitor in scKMO and as a non-substrate effector in pfKMO. These findings provide understanding of the catalytic cycle of KMO and insight for structure-based drug design of KMO inhibitors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crystal structures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase in ternary complex with substrate and inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reddy, Manchi C.M.; Kuppan, Gokulan; Shetty, Nishant D.; Owen, Joshua L.; Ioerger, Thomas R.; Sacchettini, James C. (TAM)

2009-12-01

S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) is a ubiquitous enzyme that plays a central role in methylation-based processes by maintaining the intracellular balance between S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) and S-adenosylmethionine. We report the first prokaryotic crystal structure of SAHH, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), in complex with adenosine (ADO) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Structures of complexes with three inhibitors are also reported: 3{prime}-keto aristeromycin (ARI), 2-fluoroadenosine, and 3-deazaadenosine. The ARI complex is the first reported structure of SAHH complexed with this inhibitor, and confirms the oxidation of the 3{prime} hydroxyl to a planar keto group, consistent with its prediction as a mechanism-based inhibitor. We demonstrate the in vivo enzyme inhibition activity of the three inhibitors and also show that 2-fluoradenosine has bactericidal activity. While most of the residues lining the ADO-binding pocket are identical between Mtb and human SAHH, less is known about the binding mode of the homocysteine (HCY) appendage of the full substrate. We report the 2.0 {angstrom} resolution structure of the complex of SAHH cocrystallized with SAH. The most striking change in the structure is that binding of HCY forces a rotation of His363 around the backbone to flip out of contact with the 5{prime} hydroxyl of the ADO and opens access to a nearby channel that leads to the surface. This complex suggests that His363 acts as a switch that opens up to permit binding of substrate, then closes down after release of the cleaved HCY. Differences in the entrance to this access channel between human and Mtb SAHH are identified.

Analysis of binding properties and specificity through identification of the interface forming residues (IFR for serine proteases in silico docked to different inhibitors

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da Silveira Carlos H

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Enzymes belonging to the same super family of proteins in general operate on variety of substrates and are inhibited by wide selection of inhibitors. In this work our main objective was to expand the scope of studies that consider only the catalytic and binding pocket amino acids while analyzing enzyme specificity and instead, include a wider category which we have named the Interface Forming Residues (IFR. We were motivated to identify those amino acids with decreased accessibility to solvent after docking of different types of inhibitors to sub classes of serine proteases and then create a table (matrix of all amino acid positions at the interface as well as their respective occupancies. Our goal is to establish a platform for analysis of the relationship between IFR characteristics and binding properties/specificity for bi-molecular complexes. Results We propose a novel method for describing binding properties and delineating serine proteases specificity by compiling an exhaustive table of interface forming residues (IFR for serine proteases and their inhibitors. Currently, the Protein Data Bank (PDB does not contain all the data that our analysis would require. Therefore, an in silico approach was designed for building corresponding complexes The IFRs are obtained by "rigid body docking" among 70 structurally aligned, sequence wise non-redundant, serine protease structures with 3 inhibitors: bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI, ecotine and ovomucoid third domain inhibitor. The table (matrix of all amino acid positions at the interface and their respective occupancy is created. We also developed a new computational protocol for predicting IFRs for those complexes which were not deciphered experimentally so far, achieving accuracy of at least 0.97. Conclusions The serine proteases interfaces prefer polar (including glycine residues (with some exceptions. Charged residues were found to be uniquely prevalent at the

Analysis of binding properties and specificity through identification of the interface forming residues (IFR) for serine proteases in silico docked to different inhibitors.

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Ribeiro, Cristina; Togawa, Roberto C; Neshich, Izabella A P; Mazoni, Ivan; Mancini, Adauto L; Minardi, Raquel C de Melo; da Silveira, Carlos H; Jardine, José G; Santoro, Marcelo M; Neshich, Goran

2010-10-20

Enzymes belonging to the same super family of proteins in general operate on variety of substrates and are inhibited by wide selection of inhibitors. In this work our main objective was to expand the scope of studies that consider only the catalytic and binding pocket amino acids while analyzing enzyme specificity and instead, include a wider category which we have named the Interface Forming Residues (IFR). We were motivated to identify those amino acids with decreased accessibility to solvent after docking of different types of inhibitors to sub classes of serine proteases and then create a table (matrix) of all amino acid positions at the interface as well as their respective occupancies. Our goal is to establish a platform for analysis of the relationship between IFR characteristics and binding properties/specificity for bi-molecular complexes. We propose a novel method for describing binding properties and delineating serine proteases specificity by compiling an exhaustive table of interface forming residues (IFR) for serine proteases and their inhibitors. Currently, the Protein Data Bank (PDB) does not contain all the data that our analysis would require. Therefore, an in silico approach was designed for building corresponding complexes. The IFRs are obtained by "rigid body docking" among 70 structurally aligned, sequence wise non-redundant, serine protease structures with 3 inhibitors: bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), ecotine and ovomucoid third domain inhibitor. The table (matrix) of all amino acid positions at the interface and their respective occupancy is created. We also developed a new computational protocol for predicting IFRs for those complexes which were not deciphered experimentally so far, achieving accuracy of at least 0.97. The serine proteases interfaces prefer polar (including glycine) residues (with some exceptions). Charged residues were found to be uniquely prevalent at the interfaces between the "miscellaneous-virus" subfamily

Synthesis and Activity of a New Series of(Z-3-Phenyl-2-benzoylpropenoic Acid Derivatives as Aldose Reductase Inhibitors

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Shao-Jie Wang

2007-04-01

Full Text Available During the course of studies directed towards the discovery of novel aldose reductase inhibitors for the treatment of diabetic complications, we synthesized a series of new (Z-3-phenyl-2-benzoylpropenoic acid derivatives and tested their in vitro inhibitory activities on rat lens aldose reductase. Of these compounds, (Z-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-2-(4-methylbenzoylpropenoicacid(3k was identified as the most potent inhibitor, with an IC50 of 0.49μM. The theoretical binding mode of 3k was obtained by simulation of its docking into the active site of the human aldose reductase crystal structure.

Modeling of arylamide helix mimetics in the p53 peptide binding site of hDM2 suggests parallel and anti-parallel conformations are both stable.

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Jonathan C Fuller

Full Text Available The design of novel α-helix mimetic inhibitors of protein-protein interactions is of interest to pharmaceuticals and chemical genetics researchers as these inhibitors provide a chemical scaffold presenting side chains in the same geometry as an α-helix. This conformational arrangement allows the design of high affinity inhibitors mimicking known peptide sequences binding specific protein substrates. We show that GAFF and AutoDock potentials do not properly capture the conformational preferences of α-helix mimetics based on arylamide oligomers and identify alternate parameters matching solution NMR data and suitable for molecular dynamics simulation of arylamide compounds. Results from both docking and molecular dynamics simulations are consistent with the arylamides binding in the p53 peptide binding pocket. Simulations of arylamides in the p53 binding pocket of hDM2 are consistent with binding, exhibiting similar structural dynamics in the pocket as simulations of known hDM2 binders Nutlin-2 and a benzodiazepinedione compound. Arylamide conformations converge towards the same region of the binding pocket on the 20 ns time scale, and most, though not all dihedrals in the binding pocket are well sampled on this timescale. We show that there are two putative classes of binding modes for arylamide compounds supported equally by the modeling evidence. In the first, the arylamide compound lies parallel to the observed p53 helix. In the second class, not previously identified or proposed, the arylamide compound lies anti-parallel to the p53 helix.

Small Molecule Microarrays Enable the Identification of a Selective, Quadruplex-Binding Inhibitor of MYC Expression.

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Felsenstein, Kenneth M; Saunders, Lindsey B; Simmons, John K; Leon, Elena; Calabrese, David R; Zhang, Shuling; Michalowski, Aleksandra; Gareiss, Peter; Mock, Beverly A; Schneekloth, John S

2016-01-15

The transcription factor MYC plays a pivotal role in cancer initiation, progression, and maintenance. However, it has proven difficult to develop small molecule inhibitors of MYC. One attractive route to pharmacological inhibition of MYC has been the prevention of its expression through small molecule-mediated stabilization of the G-quadruplex (G4) present in its promoter. Although molecules that bind globally to quadruplex DNA and influence gene expression are well-known, the identification of new chemical scaffolds that selectively modulate G4-driven genes remains a challenge. Here, we report an approach for the identification of G4-binding small molecules using small molecule microarrays (SMMs). We use the SMM screening platform to identify a novel G4-binding small molecule that inhibits MYC expression in cell models, with minimal impact on the expression of other G4-associated genes. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and thermal melt assays demonstrated that this molecule binds reversibly to the MYC G4 with single digit micromolar affinity, and with weaker or no measurable binding to other G4s. Biochemical and cell-based assays demonstrated that the compound effectively silenced MYC transcription and translation via a G4-dependent mechanism of action. The compound induced G1 arrest and was selectively toxic to MYC-driven cancer cell lines containing the G4 in the promoter but had minimal effects in peripheral blood mononucleocytes or a cell line lacking the G4 in its MYC promoter. As a measure of selectivity, gene expression analysis and qPCR experiments demonstrated that MYC and several MYC target genes were downregulated upon treatment with this compound, while the expression of several other G4-driven genes was not affected. In addition to providing a novel chemical scaffold that modulates MYC expression through G4 binding, this work suggests that the SMM screening approach may be broadly useful as an approach for the identification of new G4-binding small

Structural and mechanistic basis of differentiated inhibitors of the acute pancreatitis target kynurenine-3-monooxygenase

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Hutchinson, Jonathan P.; Rowland, Paul; Taylor, Mark R. D.; Christodoulou, Erica M.; Haslam, Carl; Hobbs, Clare I.; Holmes, Duncan S.; Homes, Paul; Liddle, John; Mole, Damian J.; Uings, Iain; Walker, Ann L.; Webster, Scott P.; Mowat, Christopher G.; Chung, Chun-Wa

2017-06-01

Kynurenine-3-monooxygenase (KMO) is a key FAD-dependent enzyme of tryptophan metabolism. In animal models, KMO inhibition has shown benefit in neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's. Most recently it has been identified as a target for acute pancreatitis multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (AP-MODS); a devastating inflammatory condition with a mortality rate in excess of 20%. Here we report and dissect the molecular mechanism of action of three classes of KMO inhibitors with differentiated binding modes and kinetics. Two novel inhibitor classes trap the catalytic flavin in a previously unobserved tilting conformation. This correlates with picomolar affinities, increased residence times and an absence of the peroxide production seen with previous substrate site inhibitors. These structural and mechanistic insights culminated in GSK065(C1) and GSK366(C2), molecules suitable for preclinical evaluation. Moreover, revising the repertoire of flavin dynamics in this enzyme class offers exciting new opportunities for inhibitor design.

Structural Insights into TMB-1 and the Role of Residues 119 and 228 in Substrate and Inhibitor Binding.

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Skagseth, Susann; Christopeit, Tony; Akhter, Sundus; Bayer, Annette; Samuelsen, Ørjan; Leiros, Hanna-Kirsti S

2017-08-01

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) threaten the effectiveness of β-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems, and are a concern for global public health. β-Lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations active against class A and class D carbapenemases are used, but no clinically useful MBL inhibitor is currently available. Tripoli metallo-β-lactamase-1 (TMB-1) and TMB-2 are members of MBL subclass B1a, where TMB-2 is an S228P variant of TMB-1. The role of S228P was studied by comparisons of TMB-1 and TMB-2, and E119 was investigated through the construction of site-directed mutants of TMB-1, E119Q, E119S, and E119A (E119Q/S/A). All TMB variants were characterized through enzyme kinetic studies. Thermostability and crystallization analyses of TMB-1 were performed. Thiol-based inhibitors were investigated by determining the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) and binding using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for analysis of TMB-1. Thermostability measurements found TMB-1 to be stabilized by high NaCl concentrations. Steady-state enzyme kinetics analyses found substitutions of E119, in particular, substitutions associated with the penicillins, to affect hydrolysis to some extent. TMB-2 with S228P showed slightly reduced catalytic efficiency compared to TMB-1. The IC 50 levels of the new thiol-based inhibitors were 0.66 μM (inhibitor 2a) and 0.62 μM (inhibitor 2b), and the equilibrium dissociation constant ( K D ) of inhibitor 2a was 1.6 μM; thus, both were more potent inhibitors than l-captopril (IC 50 = 47 μM; K D = 25 μM). The crystal structure of TMB-1 was resolved to 1.75 Å. Modeling of inhibitor 2b in the TMB-1 active site suggested that the presence of the W64 residue results in T-shaped π-π stacking and R224 cation-π interactions with the phenyl ring of the inhibitor. In sum, the results suggest that residues 119 and 228 affect the catalytic efficiency of TMB-1 and that inhibitors 2a and 2b are more potent inhibitors for TMB-1 than l-captopril. Copyright

Molecular dynamics-assisted pharmacophore modeling of caspase-3-isatin sulfonamide complex: Recognizing essential intermolecular contacts and features of sulfonamide inhibitor class for caspase-3 binding.

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Kumar, Sivakumar Prasanth; Patel, Chirag N; Jha, Prakash C; Pandya, Himanshu A

2017-12-01

The identification of isatin sulfonamide as a potent small molecule inhibitor of caspase-3 had fuelled the synthesis and characterization of the numerous sulfonamide class of inhibitors to optimize for potency. Recent works that relied on the ligand-based approaches have successfully shown the regions of optimizations for sulfonamide scaffold. We present here molecular dynamics-based pharmacophore modeling of caspase-3-isatin sulfonamide crystal structure, to elucidate the essential non-covalent contacts and its associated pharmacophore features necessary to ensure caspase-3 optimal binding. We performed 20ns long dynamics of this crystal structure to extract global conformation states and converted into structure-based pharmacophore hypotheses which were rigorously validated using an exclusive focussed library of experimental actives and inactives of sulfonamide class by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) statistic. Eighteen structure-based pharmacophore hypotheses with better sensitivity and specificity measures (>0.6) were chosen which collectively showed the role of pocket residues viz. Cys163 (S 1 sub-site; required for covalent and H bonding with Michael acceptor of inhibitors), His121 (S 1 ; π stack with bicyclic isatin moiety), Gly122 (S 1 ; H bond with carbonyl oxygen) and Tyr204 (S 2 ; π stack with phenyl group of the isatin sulfonamide molecule) as stringent binding entities for enabling caspase-3 optimal binding. The introduction of spatial pharmacophore site points obtained from dynamics-based pharmacophore models in a virtual screening strategy will be helpful to screen and optimize molecules belonging to sulfonamide class of caspase-3 inhibitors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LIGAND-BINDING SITES ON THE MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS UREASE

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Lisnyak Yu. V.

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis that remains a serious medical and social health problem. Despite intensive efforts have been made in the past decade, there are no new efficient anti-tuberculosis drugs today, and that need is growing due to the spread of drug-resistant strains of M.tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis urease (MTU, being an important factor of the bacterium viability and virulence, is an attractive target for anti-tuberculosis drugs acting by inhibition of urease activity. However, the commercially available urease inhibitors are toxic and unstable, that prevent their clinical use. Therefore, new more potent anti-tuberculosis drugs inhibiting new targets are urgently needed. A useful tool for the search of novel inhibitors is a computational drug design. The inhibitor design is significantly easier if binding sites on the enzyme are identified in advance. This paper aimed to determine the probable ligand binding sites on the surface of M. tuberculosis urease. Methods. To identify ligand binding sites on MTU surface, сomputational solvent mapping method FTSite was applied by the use of MTU homology model we have built earlier. The method places molecular probes (small organic molecules containing various functional groups on a dense grid defined around the enzyme, and for each probe finds favorable positions. The selected poses are refined by free energy minimization, the low energy conformations are clustered, and the clusters are ranked on the basis of the average free energy. FTSite server outputs the protein residues delineating a binding sites and the probe molecules representing each cluster. To predict allosteric pockets on MTU, AlloPred and AlloSite servers were applied. AlloPred uses the normal mode analysis (NMA and models how the dynamics of a protein would be altered in the presence of a modulator at a specific pocket. Pockets on the enzyme are predicted using the Fpocket

Transition-state characterization: a new approach combining inhibitor analogues and variation in enzyme structure.

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Phillips, M A; Kaplan, A P; Rutter, W J; Bartlett, P A

1992-02-04

A new strategy of potentially broad application for probing transition-state (TS) analogy in enzymatic systems is described in this paper. The degree to which a series of phosphonate inhibitors act as TS analogues of rat carboxypeptidase A1 has been determined for the wild-type enzyme, for the R127K, R127M, and R127A mutants, and for the R127A mutant in the presence of 0.5 M guanidine hydrochloride. The impact that the mutations have on the inverse second-order rate constants (Km/kcat) for substrate hydrolysis is mirrored by the effect on the inhibition constants (Ki) for the corresponding phosphonate inhibitors. These results demonstrate that the phosphonate moiety mimics some of the electronic as well as the geometric characteristics of the TS. A similar but distinctly separate correlation is observed for tripeptide analogues in comparison to analogues of the dipeptide Cbz-Gly-Phe, reflecting an anomalous mode of binding for the latter system. The selective rate increases and corresponding enhancement in inhibitor binding observed on addition of 0.5 M guanidine hydrochloride to the R127A mutant indicate that the exogenous cation can assume the role played by Arg-127 in stabilizing the TS and in providing substrate selectivity at the P2 position.

Discovery of novel urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) inhibitors using ligand-based modeling and virtual screening followed by in vitro analysis.

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Al-Sha'er, Mahmoud A; Khanfar, Mohammad A; Taha, Mutasem O

2014-01-01

Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA)-a serine protease-is thought to play a central role in tumor metastasis and angiogenesis and, therefore, inhibition of this enzyme could be beneficial in treating cancer. Toward this end, we explored the pharmacophoric space of 202 uPA inhibitors using seven diverse sets of inhibitors to identify high-quality pharmacophores. Subsequently, we employed genetic algorithm-based quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis as a competition arena to select the best possible combination of pharmacophoric models and physicochemical descriptors that can explain bioactivity variation within the training inhibitors (r (2) 162 = 0.74, F-statistic = 64.30, r (2) LOO = 0.71, r (2) PRESS against 40 test inhibitors = 0.79). Three orthogonal pharmacophores emerged in the QSAR equation suggesting the existence of at least three binding modes accessible to ligands within the uPA binding pocket. This conclusion was supported by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses of the QSAR-selected pharmacophores. Moreover, the three pharmacophores were comparable with binding interactions seen in crystallographic structures of bound ligands within the uPA binding pocket. We employed the resulting pharmacophoric models and associated QSAR equation to screen the national cancer institute (NCI) list of compounds. The captured hits were tested in vitro. Overall, our modeling workflow identified new low micromolar anti-uPA hits.

Alternative binding modes identified for growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein (GASP) family antagonism of myostatin.

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Walker, Ryan G; Angerman, Elizabeth B; Kattamuri, Chandramohan; Lee, Yun-Sil; Lee, Se-Jin; Thompson, Thomas B

2015-03-20

Myostatin, a member of the TGF-β family of ligands, is a strong negative regulator of muscle growth. As such, it is a prime therapeutic target for muscle wasting disorders. Similar to other TGF-β family ligands, myostatin is neutralized by binding one of a number of structurally diverse antagonists. Included are the antagonists GASP-1 and GASP-2, which are unique in that they specifically antagonize myostatin. However, little is known from a structural standpoint describing the interactions of GASP antagonists with myostatin. Here, we present the First low resolution solution structure of myostatin-free and myostatin-bound states of GASP-1 and GASP-2. Our studies have revealed GASP-1, which is 100 times more potent than GASP-2, preferentially binds myostatin in an asymmetrical 1:1 complex, whereas GASP-2 binds in a symmetrical 2:1 complex. Additionally, C-terminal truncations of GASP-1 result in less potent myostatin inhibitors that form a 2:1 complex, suggesting that the C-terminal domains of GASP-1 are the primary mediators for asymmetric complex formation. Overall, this study provides a new perspective on TGF-β antagonism, where closely related antagonists can utilize different ligand-binding strategies. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of N-phenyl thiosemicarbazones as urease inhibitors.

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Hameed, Abdul; Khan, Khalid Mohammed; Zehra, Syeda Tazeen; Ahmed, Ramasa; Shafiq, Zahid; Bakht, Syeda Mahwish; Yaqub, Muhammad; Hussain, Mazhar; de la Vega de León, Antonio; Furtmann, Norbert; Bajorath, Jürgen; Shad, Hazoor Ahmad; Tahir, Muhammad Nawaz; Iqbal, Jamshed

2015-08-01

Urease is an important enzyme which breaks urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide during metabolic processes. However, an elevated activity of urease causes various complications of clinical importance. The inhibition of urease activity with small molecules as inhibitors is an effective strategy for therapeutic intervention. Herein, we have synthesized a series of 19 benzofurane linked N-phenyl semithiocarbazones (3a-3s). All the compounds were screened for enzyme inhibitor activity against Jack bean urease. The synthesized N-phenyl thiosemicarbazones had varying activity levels with IC50 values between 0.077 ± 0.001 and 24.04 ± 0.14 μM compared to standard inhibitor, thiourea (IC50 = 21 ± 0.11 μM). The activities of these compounds may be due to their close resemblance of thiourea. A docking study with Jack bean urease (PDB ID: 4H9M) revealed possible binding modes of N-phenyl thiosemicarbazones. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Virtual screening filters for the design of type II p38 MAP kinase inhibitors: a fragment based library generation approach.

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Badrinarayan, Preethi; Sastry, G Narahari

2012-04-01

In this work, we introduce the development and application of a three-step scoring and filtering procedure for the design of type II p38 MAP kinase leads using allosteric fragments extracted from virtual screening hits. The design of the virtual screening filters is based on a thorough evaluation of docking methods, DFG-loop conformation, binding interactions and chemotype specificity of the 138 p38 MAP kinase inhibitors from Protein Data Bank bound to DFG-in and DFG-out conformations using Glide, GOLD and CDOCKER. A 40 ns molecular dynamics simulation with the apo, type I with DFG-in and type II with DFG-out forms was carried out to delineate the effects of structural variations on inhibitor binding. The designed docking-score and sub-structure filters were first tested on a dataset of 249 potent p38 MAP kinase inhibitors from seven diverse series and 18,842 kinase inhibitors from PDB, to gauge their capacity to discriminate between kinase and non-kinase inhibitors and likewise to selectively filter-in target-specific inhibitors. The designed filters were then applied in the virtual screening of a database of ten million (10⁷) compounds resulting in the identification of 100 hits. Based on their binding modes, 98 allosteric fragments were extracted from the hits and a fragment library was generated. New type II p38 MAP kinase leads were designed by tailoring the existing type I ATP site binders with allosteric fragments using a common urea linker. Target specific virtual screening filters can thus be easily developed for other kinases based on this strategy to retrieve target selective compounds. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How to deal with multiple binding poses in alchemical relative protein-ligand binding free energy calculations.

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Kaus, Joseph W; Harder, Edward; Lin, Teng; Abel, Robert; McCammon, J Andrew; Wang, Lingle

2015-06-09

Recent advances in improved force fields and sampling methods have made it possible for the accurate calculation of protein–ligand binding free energies. Alchemical free energy perturbation (FEP) using an explicit solvent model is one of the most rigorous methods to calculate relative binding free energies. However, for cases where there are high energy barriers separating the relevant conformations that are important for ligand binding, the calculated free energy may depend on the initial conformation used in the simulation due to the lack of complete sampling of all the important regions in phase space. This is particularly true for ligands with multiple possible binding modes separated by high energy barriers, making it difficult to sample all relevant binding modes even with modern enhanced sampling methods. In this paper, we apply a previously developed method that provides a corrected binding free energy for ligands with multiple binding modes by combining the free energy results from multiple alchemical FEP calculations starting from all enumerated poses, and the results are compared with Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations. From these calculations, the dominant ligand binding mode can also be predicted. We apply this method to a series of ligands that bind to c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1) and obtain improved free energy results. The dominant ligand binding modes predicted by this method agree with the available crystallography, while both Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations incorrectly predict the binding modes for some ligands. The method also helps separate the force field error from the ligand sampling error, such that deviations in the predicted binding free energy from the experimental values likely indicate possible inaccuracies in the force field. An error in the force field for a subset of the ligands studied was identified using this method, and improved free energy results were obtained by correcting the partial charges assigned to the

How To Deal with Multiple Binding Poses in Alchemical Relative Protein–Ligand Binding Free Energy Calculations

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Recent advances in improved force fields and sampling methods have made it possible for the accurate calculation of protein–ligand binding free energies. Alchemical free energy perturbation (FEP) using an explicit solvent model is one of the most rigorous methods to calculate relative binding free energies. However, for cases where there are high energy barriers separating the relevant conformations that are important for ligand binding, the calculated free energy may depend on the initial conformation used in the simulation due to the lack of complete sampling of all the important regions in phase space. This is particularly true for ligands with multiple possible binding modes separated by high energy barriers, making it difficult to sample all relevant binding modes even with modern enhanced sampling methods. In this paper, we apply a previously developed method that provides a corrected binding free energy for ligands with multiple binding modes by combining the free energy results from multiple alchemical FEP calculations starting from all enumerated poses, and the results are compared with Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations. From these calculations, the dominant ligand binding mode can also be predicted. We apply this method to a series of ligands that bind to c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1) and obtain improved free energy results. The dominant ligand binding modes predicted by this method agree with the available crystallography, while both Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations incorrectly predict the binding modes for some ligands. The method also helps separate the force field error from the ligand sampling error, such that deviations in the predicted binding free energy from the experimental values likely indicate possible inaccuracies in the force field. An error in the force field for a subset of the ligands studied was identified using this method, and improved free energy results were obtained by correcting the partial charges assigned to the

Molecular Modeling Studies of 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Inhibitors through Receptor-Based 3D-QSAR and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

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Qian, Haiyan; Chen, Jiongjiong; Pan, Youlu; Chen, Jianzhong

2016-09-19

11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) is a potential target for the treatment of numerous human disorders, such as diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. In this work, molecular modeling studies combining molecular docking, 3D-QSAR, MESP, MD simulations and free energy calculations were performed on pyridine amides and 1,2,4-triazolopyridines as 11β-HSD1 inhibitors to explore structure-activity relationships and structural requirement for the inhibitory activity. 3D-QSAR models, including CoMFA and CoMSIA, were developed from the conformations obtained by docking strategy. The derived pharmacophoric features were further supported by MESP and Mulliken charge analyses using density functional theory. In addition, MD simulations and free energy calculations were employed to determine the detailed binding process and to compare the binding modes of inhibitors with different bioactivities. The binding free energies calculated by MM/PBSA showed a good correlation with the experimental biological activities. Free energy analyses and per-residue energy decomposition indicated the van der Waals interaction would be the major driving force for the interactions between an inhibitor and 11β-HSD1. These unified results may provide that hydrogen bond interactions with Ser170 and Tyr183 are favorable for enhancing activity. Thr124, Ser170, Tyr177, Tyr183, Val227, and Val231 are the key amino acid residues in the binding pocket. The obtained results are expected to be valuable for the rational design of novel potent 11β-HSD1 inhibitors.

Molecular Modeling Studies of 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Inhibitors through Receptor-Based 3D-QSAR and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

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Haiyan Qian

2016-09-01

Full Text Available 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1 is a potential target for the treatment of numerous human disorders, such as diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. In this work, molecular modeling studies combining molecular docking, 3D-QSAR, MESP, MD simulations and free energy calculations were performed on pyridine amides and 1,2,4-triazolopyridines as 11β-HSD1 inhibitors to explore structure-activity relationships and structural requirement for the inhibitory activity. 3D-QSAR models, including CoMFA and CoMSIA, were developed from the conformations obtained by docking strategy. The derived pharmacophoric features were further supported by MESP and Mulliken charge analyses using density functional theory. In addition, MD simulations and free energy calculations were employed to determine the detailed binding process and to compare the binding modes of inhibitors with different bioactivities. The binding free energies calculated by MM/PBSA showed a good correlation with the experimental biological activities. Free energy analyses and per-residue energy decomposition indicated the van der Waals interaction would be the major driving force for the interactions between an inhibitor and 11β-HSD1. These unified results may provide that hydrogen bond interactions with Ser170 and Tyr183 are favorable for enhancing activity. Thr124, Ser170, Tyr177, Tyr183, Val227, and Val231 are the key amino acid residues in the binding pocket. The obtained results are expected to be valuable for the rational design of novel potent 11β-HSD1 inhibitors.

Structural Basis for the Inhibition of RNase H Activity of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase by RNase H Active Site-Directed Inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Hua-Poo; Yan, Youwei; Prasad, G. Sridhar; Smith, Robert F.; Daniels, Christopher L.; Abeywickrema, Pravien D.; Reid, John C.; Loughran, H. Marie; Kornienko, Maria; Sharma, Sujata; Grobler, Jay A.; Xu, Bei; Sardana, Vinod; Allison, Timothy J.; Williams, Peter D.; Darke, Paul L.; Hazuda, Daria J.; Munshi, Sanjeev (Merck)

2010-09-02

HIV/AIDS continues to be a menace to public health. Several drugs currently on the market have successfully improved the ability to manage the viral burden in infected patients. However, new drugs are needed to combat the rapid emergence of mutated forms of the virus that are resistant to existing therapies. Currently, approved drugs target three of the four major enzyme activities encoded by the virus that are critical to the HIV life cycle. Although a number of inhibitors of HIV RNase H activity have been reported, few inhibit by directly engaging the RNase H active site. Here, we describe structures of naphthyridinone-containing inhibitors bound to the RNase H active site. This class of compounds binds to the active site via two metal ions that are coordinated by catalytic site residues, D443, E478, D498, and D549. The directionality of the naphthyridinone pharmacophore is restricted by the ordering of D549 and H539 in the RNase H domain. In addition, one of the naphthyridinone-based compounds was found to bind at a second site close to the polymerase active site and non-nucleoside/nucleotide inhibitor sites in a metal-independent manner. Further characterization, using fluorescence-based thermal denaturation and a crystal structure of the isolated RNase H domain reveals that this compound can also bind the RNase H site and retains the metal-dependent binding mode of this class of molecules. These structures provide a means for structurally guided design of novel RNase H inhibitors.

Glycosaminoglycans are interactants of Langerin: comparison with gp120 highlights an unexpected calcium-independent binding mode.

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Chabrol, Eric; Nurisso, Alessandra; Daina, Antoine; Vassal-Stermann, Emilie; Thepaut, Michel; Girard, Eric; Vivès, Romain R; Fieschi, Franck

2012-01-01

Langerin is a C-type lectin specifically expressed in Langerhans cells. As recently shown for HIV, Langerin is thought to capture pathogens and mediate their internalisation into Birbeck Granules for elimination. However, the precise functions of Langerin remain elusive, mostly because of the lack of information on its binding properties and physiological ligands. Based on recent reports that Langerin binds to sulfated sugars, we conducted here a comparative analysis of Langerin interaction with mannose-rich HIV glycoprotein gp120 and glycosaminoglycan (GAGs), a family of sulfated polysaccharides expressed at the surface of most mammalian cells. Our results first revealed that Langerin bound to these different glycans through very distinct mechanisms and led to the identification of a novel, GAG-specific binding mode within Langerin. In contrast to the canonical lectin domain, this new binding site showed no Ca(2+)-dependency, and could only be detected in entire, trimeric extracellular domains of Langerin. Interestingly binding to GAGs, did not simply rely on a net charge effect, but rather on more discrete saccharide features, such as 6-O-sulfation, or iduronic acid content. Using molecular modelling simulations, we proposed a model of Langerin/heparin complex, which located the GAG binding site at the interface of two of the three Carbohydrate-recognition domains of the protein, at the edge of the a-helix coiled-coil. To our knowledge, the binding properties that we have highlighted here for Langerin, have never been reported for C-type lectins before. These findings provide new insights towards the understanding of Langerin biological functions.

Glycosaminoglycans are interactants of Langerin: comparison with gp120 highlights an unexpected calcium-independent binding mode.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Chabrol

Full Text Available Langerin is a C-type lectin specifically expressed in Langerhans cells. As recently shown for HIV, Langerin is thought to capture pathogens and mediate their internalisation into Birbeck Granules for elimination. However, the precise functions of Langerin remain elusive, mostly because of the lack of information on its binding properties and physiological ligands. Based on recent reports that Langerin binds to sulfated sugars, we conducted here a comparative analysis of Langerin interaction with mannose-rich HIV glycoprotein gp120 and glycosaminoglycan (GAGs, a family of sulfated polysaccharides expressed at the surface of most mammalian cells. Our results first revealed that Langerin bound to these different glycans through very distinct mechanisms and led to the identification of a novel, GAG-specific binding mode within Langerin. In contrast to the canonical lectin domain, this new binding site showed no Ca(2+-dependency, and could only be detected in entire, trimeric extracellular domains of Langerin. Interestingly binding to GAGs, did not simply rely on a net charge effect, but rather on more discrete saccharide features, such as 6-O-sulfation, or iduronic acid content. Using molecular modelling simulations, we proposed a model of Langerin/heparin complex, which located the GAG binding site at the interface of two of the three Carbohydrate-recognition domains of the protein, at the edge of the a-helix coiled-coil. To our knowledge, the binding properties that we have highlighted here for Langerin, have never been reported for C-type lectins before. These findings provide new insights towards the understanding of Langerin biological functions.

An analysis of the binding of repressor protein ModE to modABCD (molybdate transport) operator/promoter DNA of Escherichia coli.

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Grunden, A M; Self, W T; Villain, M; Blalock, J E; Shanmugam, K T

1999-08-20

Expression of the modABCD operon in Escherichia coli, which codes for a molybdate-specific transporter, is repressed by ModE in vivo in a molybdate-dependent fashion. In vitro DNase I-footprinting experiments identified three distinct regions of protection by ModE-molybdate on the modA operator/promoter DNA, GTTATATT (-15 to -8; region 1), GCCTACAT (-4 to +4; region 2), and GTTACAT (+8 to +14; region 3). Within the three regions of the protected DNA, a pentamer sequence, TAYAT (Y = C or T), can be identified. DNA-electrophoretic mobility experiments showed that the protected regions 1 and 2 are essential for binding of ModE-molybdate to DNA, whereas the protected region 3 increases the affinity of the DNA to the repressor. The stoichiometry of this interaction was found to be two ModE-molybdate per modA operator DNA. ModE-molybdate at 5 nM completely protected the modABCD operator/promoter DNA from DNase I-catalyzed hydrolysis, whereas ModE alone failed to protect the DNA even at 100 nM. The apparent K(d) for the interaction between the modA operator DNA and ModE-molybdate was 0.3 nM, and the K(d) increased to 8 nM in the absence of molybdate. Among the various oxyanions tested, only tungstate replaced molybdate in the repression of modA by ModE, but the affinity of ModE-tungstate for modABCD operator DNA was 6 times lower than with ModE-molybdate. A mutant ModE(T125I) protein, which repressed modA-lac even in the absence of molybdate, protected the same region of modA operator DNA in the absence of molybdate. The apparent K(d) for the interaction between modA operator DNA and ModE(T125I) was 3 nM in the presence of molybdate and 4 nM without molybdate. The binding of molybdate to ModE resulted in a decrease in fluorescence emission, indicating a conformational change of the protein upon molybdate binding. The fluorescence emission spectra of mutant ModE proteins, ModE(T125I) and ModE(Q216*), were unaffected by molybdate. The molybdate-independent mutant ModE

Experimental and theoretical study on the binding of 2-mercaptothiazoline to bovine serum albumin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teng, Yue, E-mail: tengyue@jiangnan.edu.cn; Wang, Xiang; Zou, Luyi; Huang, Ming; Du, Xianzheng

2015-05-15

2-Mercaptothiazoline (MTZ) is widely utilized as a brightening and stabilization agent, corrosion inhibitor and antifungal reagent. The residue of MTZ in the environment is potentially hazardous to human health. In this study, the binding mode of MTZ with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using spectroscopic and molecular docking methods under physiological conditions. MTZ could spontaneously bind with BSA through hydrogen bond and van der Waals interactions with one binding site. The site marker displacement experiments and the molecular docking revealed that MTZ bound into site II (subdomain IIIA) of BSA, which further resulted in some backbone structures and microenvironmental changes of BSA. This work is helpful for understanding the transportation, distribution and toxicity effects of MTZ in blood. - Highlights: • The mechanism was explored by multiple spectroscopic and molecular docking methods. • MTZ can spontaneously bind with BSA at subdomain IIIA (site II). • MTZ can lead to some conformational changes of BSA.

Crystal Structures of the Scaffolding Protein LGN Reveal the General Mechanism by Which GoLoco Binding Motifs Inhibit the Release of GDP from Gαi *

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Min; Li, Jianchao; Zhu, Jinwei; Wen, Wenyu; Zhang, Mingjie; Wang, Wenning

2012-01-01

GoLoco (GL) motif-containing proteins regulate G protein signaling by binding to Gα subunit and acting as guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors. GLs of LGN are also known to bind the GDP form of Gαi/o during asymmetric cell division. Here, we show that the C-terminal GL domain of LGN binds four molecules of Gαi·GDP. The crystal structures of Gαi·GDP in complex with LGN GL3 and GL4, respectively, reveal distinct GL/Gαi interaction features when compared with the only high resolution structure known with GL/Gαi interaction between RGS14 and Gαi1. Only a few residues C-terminal to the conserved GL sequence are required for LGN GLs to bind to Gαi·GDP. A highly conserved “double Arg finger” sequence (RΨ(D/E)(D/E)QR) is responsible for LGN GL to bind to GDP bound to Gαi. Together with the sequence alignment, we suggest that the LGN GL/Gαi interaction represents a general binding mode between GL motifs and Gαi. We also show that LGN GLs are potent guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors. PMID:22952234

Microarray-based screening of heat shock protein inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Schax, Emilia; Walter, Johanna-Gabriela; Märzhäuser, Helene; Stahl, Frank; Scheper, Thomas; Agard, David A; Eichner, Simone; Kirschning, Andreas; Zeilinger, Carsten

2014-06-20

Based on the importance of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease or malaria, inhibitors of these chaperons are needed. Today's state-of-the-art techniques to identify HSP inhibitors are performed in microplate format, requiring large amounts of proteins and potential inhibitors. In contrast, we have developed a miniaturized protein microarray-based assay to identify novel inhibitors, allowing analysis with 300 pmol of protein. The assay is based on competitive binding of fluorescence-labeled ATP and potential inhibitors to the ATP-binding site of HSP. Therefore, the developed microarray enables the parallel analysis of different ATP-binding proteins on a single microarray. We have demonstrated the possibility of multiplexing by immobilizing full-length human HSP90α and HtpG of Helicobacter pylori on microarrays. Fluorescence-labeled ATP was competed by novel geldanamycin/reblastatin derivatives with IC50 values in the range of 0.5 nM to 4 μM and Z(*)-factors between 0.60 and 0.96. Our results demonstrate the potential of a target-oriented multiplexed protein microarray to identify novel inhibitors for different members of the HSP90 family. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Client Proteins and Small Molecule Inhibitors Display Distinct Binding Preferences for Constitutive and Stress-Induced HSP90 Isoforms and Their Conformationally Restricted Mutants.

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Thomas L Prince

Full Text Available The two cytosolic/nuclear isoforms of the molecular chaperone HSP90, stress-inducible HSP90α and constitutively expressed HSP90β, fold, assemble and maintain the three-dimensional structure of numerous client proteins. Because many HSP90 clients are important in cancer, several HSP90 inhibitors have been evaluated in the clinic. However, little is known concerning possible unique isoform or conformational preferences of either individual HSP90 clients or inhibitors. In this report, we compare the relative interaction strength of both HSP90α and HSP90β with the transcription factors HSF1 and HIF1α, the kinases ERBB2 and MET, the E3-ubiquitin ligases KEAP1 and RHOBTB2, and the HSP90 inhibitors geldanamycin and ganetespib. We observed unexpected differences in relative client and drug preferences for the two HSP90 isoforms, with HSP90α binding each client protein with greater apparent affinity compared to HSP90β, while HSP90β bound each inhibitor with greater relative interaction strength compared to HSP90α. Stable HSP90 interaction was associated with reduced client activity. Using a defined set of HSP90 conformational mutants, we found that some clients interact strongly with a single, ATP-stabilized HSP90 conformation, only transiently populated during the dynamic HSP90 chaperone cycle, while other clients interact equally with multiple HSP90 conformations. These data suggest different functional requirements among HSP90 clientele that, for some clients, are likely to be ATP-independent. Lastly, the two inhibitors examined, although sharing the same binding site, were differentially able to access distinct HSP90 conformational states.

Structural Biology and Molecular Modeling in the Design of Novel DPP-4 Inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Scapin, Giovanna

Inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) is a promising new approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. DPP-4 is the enzyme responsible for inactivating the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), two hormones that play important roles in glucose homeostasis. The potent, orally bioavailable and highly selective small molecule DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin has been approved by the FDA as novel drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The comparison between the binding mode of sitagliptin (a β-amino acid) and that of a second class of inhibitors (α-amino acid-based) initially led to the successful identification and design of structurally diverse and highly potent DPP-4 inhibitors. Further analysis of the crystal structure of sitagliptin bound to DPP-4 suggested that the central β-amino butanoyl moiety could be replaced by a rigid group. This was confirmed by molecular modeling, and the resulting cyclohexylamine analogs were synthesized and found to be potent DPP-4 inhibitors. However, the triazolopyrazine was predicted to be distorted in order to fit in the binding pocket, and the crystal structure showed that multiple conformations exist for this moiety. Additional molecular modeling studies were then used to improve potency of the cyclohexylamine series. In addition, a 3-D QSAR method was used to gain insight for reducing off-target DPP-8/9 activities. Novel compounds were thus synthesized and found to be potent DPP-4 inhibitors. Two compounds in particular were designed to be highly selective against off-target "DPP-4 Activity- and/or Structure Homologues" (DASH) enzymes while maintaining potency against DPP-4.

Recent progress in the development of protein-protein interaction inhibitors targeting androgen receptor-coactivator binding in prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Biron, Eric; Bédard, François

2016-07-01

The androgen receptor (AR) is a key regulator for the growth, differentiation and survival of prostate cancer cells. Identified as a primary target for the treatment of prostate cancer, many therapeutic strategies have been developed to attenuate AR signaling in prostate cancer cells. While frontline androgen-deprivation therapies targeting either the production or action of androgens usually yield favorable responses in prostate cancer patients, a significant number acquire treatment resistance. Known as the castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the treatment options are limited for this advanced stage. It has been shown that AR signaling is restored in CRPC due to many aberrant mechanisms such as AR mutations, amplification or expression of constitutively active splice-variants. Coregulator recruitment is a crucial regulatory step in AR signaling and the direct blockade of coactivator binding to AR offers the opportunity to develop therapeutic agents that would remain effective in prostate cancer cells resistant to conventional endocrine therapies. Structural analyses of the AR have identified key surfaces involved in protein-protein interaction with coregulators that have been recently used to design and develop promising AR-coactivator binding inhibitors. In this review we will discuss the design and development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting the AR-coactivator interactions for the treatment of prostate cancer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aluminium fluoride and magnesium, activators of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins, affect high-affinity binding of the fungal toxin fusicoccin to the fusicoccin-binding protein in oat root plasma membranes.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, A.H.; Van der Molen, G.W.; Prins, H.B.A.; Korthout, H.A.A.J.; van der Hoeven, P.C.J.

1994-01-01

The fusicoccin-binding protein was solubilised from purified oat root plasma membranes. The solubilised protein retained full binding activity, provided that protease inhibitors were included. Sodium fluoride reduced the high-affinity [H-3]fusicoccin binding to almost zero in a

Atomistic fingerprint of hyaluronan-CD44 binding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vuorio, Joni; Vattulainen, Ilpo; Martinez-Seara, Hector

2017-01-01

that hyaluronan can bind CD44 with three topographically different binding modes that in unison define an interaction fingerprint, thus providing a plausible explanation for the disagreement between the earlier studies. Our results confirm that the known crystallographic mode is the strongest of the three binding...

Determination of the binding mode for the cyclopentapeptide CXCR4 antagonist FC131 using a dual approach of ligand modifications and receptor mutagenesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thiele, Stefanie; Mungalpara, J; Steen, A

2014-01-01

have previously been suggested based on molecular docking guided by structure-activity relationship (SAR) data; however, none of these have been verified by in vitro experiments. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Heterologous (125) I-12G5-competition binding and functional assays (inhibition of CXCL12-mediated...... activation) of FC131 and three analogues were performed on wild-type CXCR4 and 25 receptor mutants. Computational modelling was used to rationalize the experimental data. KEY RESULTS: The Arg(2) and 2-Nal(3) side chains of FC131 interact with residues in TM-3 (His(113) , Asp(171) ) and TM-5 (hydrophobic......-bond in CXCR4 crystal structures and mutation of either residue to Ala abolishes CXCR4 activity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Ligand modification, receptor mutagenesis and computational modelling approaches were used to identify the binding mode of FC131 in CXCR4, which was in agreement with binding modes...

Potent and Selective BACE-1 Peptide Inhibitors Lower Brain Aβ Levels Mediated by Brain Shuttle Transport

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Nadine Ruderisch

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Therapeutic approaches to fight Alzheimer's disease include anti-Amyloidβ (Aβ antibodies and secretase inhibitors. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB limits the brain exposure of biologics and the chemical space for small molecules to be BBB permeable. The Brain Shuttle (BS technology is capable of shuttling large molecules into the brain. This allows for new types of therapeutic modalities engineered for optimal efficacy on the molecular target in the brain independent of brain penetrating properties. To this end, we designed BACE1 peptide inhibitors with varying lipid modifications with single-digit picomolar cellular potency. Secondly, we generated active-exosite peptides with structurally confirmed dual binding mode and improved potency. When fused to the BS via sortase coupling, these BACE1 inhibitors significantly reduced brain Aβ levels in mice after intravenous administration. In plasma, both BS and non-BS BACE1 inhibitor peptides induced a significant time- and dose-dependent decrease of Aβ. Our results demonstrate that the BS is essential for BACE1 peptide inhibitors to be efficacious in the brain and active-exosite design of BACE1 peptide inhibitors together with lipid modification may be of therapeutic relevance.

Use of Continuous Magnetic Extraction for removal of feedstock contaminants in flow-through mode

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paulus, Anja; Fischer, Ingo; Hobley, Timothy John

2014-01-01

for binding large amounts of product. It can also be especially interesting if obtaining a high product yield is secondary to other considerations. For example if an excess of a low value waste stream is available, it may be acceptable that some target is lost to the adsorbent during contaminant binding......During downstream processing, it may sometimes be more favorable to use adsorbents to bind the contaminants rather than the product. This so-called flow-through mode is especially useful for feed streams where contaminants are in low concentrations, because less adsorbent is required than......-Birk protease inhibitor which has an anti-carcinogenic effect. It was found that using anion exchange magnetic particles as the impurity adsorbing agent, Continuous Magnetic Extraction of contaminants led to a BBI preparation with purity approaching 97% and with yield of 55% in a 15L pilot scale system....

Multi-scaled explorations of binding-induced folding of intrinsically disordered protein inhibitor IA3 to its target enzyme.

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Jin Wang

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Biomolecular function is realized by recognition, and increasing evidence shows that recognition is determined not only by structure but also by flexibility and dynamics. We explored a biomolecular recognition process that involves a major conformational change - protein folding. In particular, we explore the binding-induced folding of IA3, an intrinsically disordered protein that blocks the active site cleft of the yeast aspartic proteinase saccharopepsin (YPrA by folding its own N-terminal residues into an amphipathic alpha helix. We developed a multi-scaled approach that explores the underlying mechanism by combining structure-based molecular dynamics simulations at the residue level with a stochastic path method at the atomic level. Both the free energy profile and the associated kinetic paths reveal a common scheme whereby IA3 binds to its target enzyme prior to folding itself into a helix. This theoretical result is consistent with recent time-resolved experiments. Furthermore, exploration of the detailed trajectories reveals the important roles of non-native interactions in the initial binding that occurs prior to IA3 folding. In contrast to the common view that non-native interactions contribute only to the roughness of landscapes and impede binding, the non-native interactions here facilitate binding by reducing significantly the entropic search space in the landscape. The information gained from multi-scaled simulations of the folding of this intrinsically disordered protein in the presence of its binding target may prove useful in the design of novel inhibitors of aspartic proteinases.

BINDING OF THE RESPIRATORY CHAIN INHIBITOR ANTIMYCIN TO THE MITOCHONDRIAL bc1 COMPLEX: A NEW CRYSTAL STRUCTURE REVEALS AN ALTERED INTRAMOLECULAR HYDROGEN-BONDING PATTERN.

OpenAIRE

Huang, Li-shar; Cobessi, David; Tung, Eric Y.; Berry, Edward A.

2005-01-01

Antimycin A (antimycin), one of the first known and most potent inhibitors of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, binds to the quinone reduction site of the cytochrome bc1 complex. Structure-activity-relationship studies have shown that the N-formylamino-salicyl-amide group is responsible for most of the binding specificity, and suggested that a low pKa for the phenolic OH group and an intramolecular H-bond between that OH and the carbonyl O of the salicylamide linkage are important. Tw...

Insight to structural subsite recognition in plant thiol protease-inhibitor complexes : Understanding the basis of differential inhibition and the role of water

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Mukhopadhayay Bishnu P

2001-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This work represents an extensive MD simulation / water-dynamics studies on a series of complexes of inhibitors (leupeptin, E-64, E-64-C, ZPACK and plant cysteine proteases (actinidin, caricain, chymopapain, calotropin DI of papain family to understand the various interactions, water binding mode, factors influencing it and the structural basis of differential inhibition. Results The tertiary structure of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes were built by visual interactive modeling and energy minimization followed by dynamic simulation of 120 ps in water environment. DASA study with and without the inhibitor revealed the potential subsite residues involved in inhibition. Though the interaction involving main chain atoms are similar, critical inspection of the complexes reveal significant differences in the side chain interactions in S2-P2 and S3-P3 pairs due to sequence differences in the equivalent positions of respective subsites leading to differential inhibition. Conclusion The key finding of the study is a conserved site of a water molecule near oxyanion hole of the enzyme active site, which is found in all the modeled complexes and in most crystal structures of papain family either native or complexed. Conserved water molecules at the ligand binding sites of these homologous proteins suggest the structural importance of the water, which changes the conventional definition of chemical geometry of inhibitor binding domain, its shape and complimentarity. The water mediated recognition of inhibitor to enzyme subsites (Pn...H2O....Sn of leupeptin acetyl oxygen to caricain, chymopapain and calotropinDI is an additional information and offer valuable insight to potent inhibitor design.

Matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10) interaction with tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases TIMP-1 and TIMP-2: binding studies and crystal structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Batra, Jyotica; Robinson, Jessica; Soares, Alexei S; Fields, Alan P; Radisky, Derek C; Radisky, Evette S

2012-05-04

Matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP-10, stromelysin-2) is a secreted metalloproteinase with functions in skeletal development, wound healing, and vascular remodeling; its overexpression is also implicated in lung tumorigenesis and tumor progression. To understand the regulation of MMP-10 by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), we have assessed equilibrium inhibition constants (K(i)) of putative physiological inhibitors TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 for the active catalytic domain of human MMP-10 (MMP-10cd) using multiple kinetic approaches. We find that TIMP-1 inhibits the MMP-10cd with a K(i) of 1.1 × 10(-9) M; this interaction is 10-fold weaker than the inhibition of the similar MMP-3 (stromelysin-1) catalytic domain (MMP-3cd) by TIMP-1. TIMP-2 inhibits the MMP-10cd with a K(i) of 5.8 × 10(-9) M, which is again 10-fold weaker than the inhibition of MMP-3cd by this inhibitor (K(i) = 5.5 × 10(-10) M). We solved the x-ray crystal structure of TIMP-1 bound to the MMP-10cd at 1.9 Å resolution; the structure was solved by molecular replacement and refined with an R-factor of 0.215 (R(free) = 0.266). Comparing our structure of MMP-10cd·TIMP-1 with the previously solved structure of MMP-3cd·TIMP-1 (Protein Data Bank entry 1UEA), we see substantial differences at the binding interface that provide insight into the differential binding of stromelysin family members to TIMP-1. This structural information may ultimately assist in the design of more selective TIMP-based inhibitors tailored for specificity toward individual members of the stromelysin family, with potential therapeutic applications.

Megalin binds and mediates cellular internalization of folate binding protein

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birn, Henrik; Zhai, Xiaoyue; Holm, Jan

2005-01-01

Folate is an essential vitamin involved in a number of biological processes. High affinity folate binding proteins (FBPs) exist both as glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked, membrane associated folate binding proteins and as soluble FBPs in plasma and some secretory fluids such as milk, saliva...... to express high levels of megalin, is inhibitable by excess unlabeled FBP and by receptor associated protein, a known inhibitor of binding to megalin. Immortalized rat yolk sac cells, representing an established model for studying megalin-mediated uptake, reveal (125)I-labeled FBP uptake which is inhibited...

Assay of phospholipases A2 and their inhibitors by kinetic analysis in the scooting mode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahendra Kumar Jain

1992-01-01

Full Text Available Several cellular processes are regulated by interfacial catalysis on biomembrane surfaces. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2 are interesting not only as prototypes for interfacial catalysis, but also because they mobilize precursors for the biosynthesis of eicosanoids and platelet activating factor, and these agents ultimately control a wide range of secretory and inflammatory processes. Since PLA2 carry out their catalytic function at membrane surfaces, the kinetics of these enzymes depends on what the enzyme ‘sees’ at the interface, and thus the observed rate is profoundly influenced by the organization and dynamics of the lipidwater interface (‘quality of the interface’. In this review we elaborate the advantages of monitoring interfacial catalysis in the scooting mode, that is, under the conditions where the enzyme remains bound to vesicles for several thousand catalytic turnover cycles. Such a highly processive catalytic turnover in the scooting mode is useful for a rigorous and quantitative characterization of the kinetics of interfacial catalysis. This analysis is now extended to provide insights into designing strategy for PLA2 assays and screens for their inhibitors.

New 5-benzylidenethiazolidin-4-one inhibitors of bacterial MurD ligase: design, synthesis, crystal structures, and biological evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zidar, Nace; Tomašić, Tihomir; Šink, Roman; Kovač, Andreja; Patin, Delphine; Blanot, Didier; Contreras-Martel, Carlos; Dessen, Andréa; Premru, Manica Müller; Zega, Anamarija; Gobec, Stanislav; Mašič, Lucija Peterlin; Kikelj, Danijel

2011-11-01

Mur ligases (MurC-MurF), a group of bacterial enzymes that catalyze four consecutive steps in the formation of cytoplasmic peptidoglycan precursor, are becoming increasingly adopted as targets in antibacterial drug design. Based on the crystal structure of MurD cocrystallized with thiazolidine-2,4-dione inhibitor I, we have designed, synthesized, and evaluated a series of improved glutamic acid containing 5-benzylidenerhodanine and 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2,4-dione inhibitors of MurD with IC(50) values up to 28 μM. Inhibitor 37, with an IC(50) of 34 μM, displays a weak antibacterial activity against S. aureus ATCC 29213 and E. faecalis ATCC 29212 with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 128 μg/mL. High-resolution crystal structures of MurD in complex with two new inhibitors (compounds 23 and 51) reveal details of their binding modes within the active site and provide valuable information for further structure-based optimization. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Envelope conformational changes induced by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 attachment inhibitors prevent CD4 binding and downstream entry events.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Hsu-Tso; Fan, Li; Nowicka-Sans, Beata; McAuliffe, Brian; Li, Chang-Ben; Yamanaka, Gregory; Zhou, Nannan; Fang, Hua; Dicker, Ira; Dalterio, Richard; Gong, Yi-Fei; Wang, Tao; Yin, Zhiwei; Ueda, Yasutsugu; Matiskella, John; Kadow, John; Clapham, Paul; Robinson, James; Colonno, Richard; Lin, Pin-Fang

2006-04-01

BMS-488043 is a small-molecule human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) CD4 attachment inhibitor with demonstrated clinical efficacy. The compound inhibits soluble CD4 (sCD4) binding to the 11 distinct HIV envelope gp120 proteins surveyed. Binding of BMS-488043 and that of sCD4 to gp120 are mutually exclusive, since increased concentrations of one can completely block the binding of the other without affecting the maximal gp120 binding capacity. Similarly, BMS-488043 inhibited virion envelope trimers from binding to sCD4-immunoglobulin G (IgG), with decreasing inhibition as the sCD4-IgG concentration increased, and BMS-488043 blocked the sCD4-induced exposure of the gp41 groove in virions. In both virion binding assays, BMS-488043 was active only when added prior to sCD4. Collectively, these results indicate that obstruction of gp120-sCD4 interactions is the primary inhibition mechanism of this compound and that compound interaction with envelope must precede CD4 binding. By three independent approaches, BMS-488043 was further shown to induce conformational changes within gp120 in both the CD4 and CCR5 binding regions. These changes likely prevent gp120-CD4 interactions and downstream entry events. However, BMS-488043 could only partially inhibit CD4 binding to an HIV variant containing a specific envelope truncation and altered gp120 conformation, despite effectively inhibiting the pseudotyped virus infection. Taken together, BMS-488043 inhibits viral entry primarily through altering the envelope conformation and preventing CD4 binding, and other downstream entry events could also be inhibited as a result of these induced conformational changes.

Cobalt (III) complexes as novel matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jiyoun

2012-01-01

We have synthesized a series of novel MMP-9 inhibitors containing cobalt(III) complexes. The synthesized cobalt(III) complexes are effective as enzyme inhibitors and the attachment of a biphenyl group enhanced the efficiency of enzyme inhibition up to 6-fold. When compared to the reported non-hydroxamate MMP inhibitors, the synthesized complexes showed comparable in vitro potency. The enzyme assay showed that the cobalt(III) complex can disrupt the zinc binding active site of MMP-9 and is proposed to work via a ligand exchange mechanism. Since histidine residues are essential for the catalytic activity of a large percentage of enzymes and zinc finger proteins, these cobalt(III) complexes can serve as a prototype inhibitor towards various zinc containing enzymes and proteins. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc binding endopeptidases that play crucial roles in various physiological processes and diseases such as embryogenic growth, angiogenesis, arthritis, skin ulceration, liver fibrosis and tumor metastasis. Because of their implications in a wide range of diseases, MMPs are considered as intriguing drug targets. The majority of MMP inhibitors are organic small molecules containing a hydroxamate functionality for the zinc binding group. This hydroxamate group binds to a zinc(II) center in a bidentate fashion and creates a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry

Cobalt (III) complexes as novel matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jiyoun [Sungshin Women' s Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2012-04-15

We have synthesized a series of novel MMP-9 inhibitors containing cobalt(III) complexes. The synthesized cobalt(III) complexes are effective as enzyme inhibitors and the attachment of a biphenyl group enhanced the efficiency of enzyme inhibition up to 6-fold. When compared to the reported non-hydroxamate MMP inhibitors, the synthesized complexes showed comparable in vitro potency. The enzyme assay showed that the cobalt(III) complex can disrupt the zinc binding active site of MMP-9 and is proposed to work via a ligand exchange mechanism. Since histidine residues are essential for the catalytic activity of a large percentage of enzymes and zinc finger proteins, these cobalt(III) complexes can serve as a prototype inhibitor towards various zinc containing enzymes and proteins. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc binding endopeptidases that play crucial roles in various physiological processes and diseases such as embryogenic growth, angiogenesis, arthritis, skin ulceration, liver fibrosis and tumor metastasis. Because of their implications in a wide range of diseases, MMPs are considered as intriguing drug targets. The majority of MMP inhibitors are organic small molecules containing a hydroxamate functionality for the zinc binding group. This hydroxamate group binds to a zinc(II) center in a bidentate fashion and creates a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry.

In silico prediction of ROCK II inhibitors by different classification approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Chuipu; Wu, Qihui; Luo, Yunxia; Ma, Huili; Shen, Jiangang; Zhang, Yongbin; Yang, Lei; Chen, Yunbo; Wen, Zehuai; Wang, Qi

2017-11-01

ROCK II is an important pharmacological target linked to central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this research is to generate ROCK II inhibitor prediction models by machine learning approaches. Firstly, four sets of descriptors were calculated with MOE 2010 and PaDEL-Descriptor, and optimized by F-score and linear forward selection methods. In addition, four classification algorithms were used to initially build 16 classifiers with k-nearest neighbors [Formula: see text], naïve Bayes, Random forest, and support vector machine. Furthermore, three sets of structural fingerprint descriptors were introduced to enhance the predictive capacity of classifiers, which were assessed with fivefold cross-validation, test set validation and external test set validation. The best two models, MFK + MACCS and MLR + SubFP, have both MCC values of 0.925 for external test set. After that, a privileged substructure analysis was performed to reveal common chemical features of ROCK II inhibitors. Finally, binding modes were analyzed to identify relationships between molecular descriptors and activity, while main interactions were revealed by comparing the docking interaction of the most potent and the weakest ROCK II inhibitors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on ROCK II inhibitors utilizing machine learning approaches that provides a new method for discovering novel ROCK II inhibitors.

Sampling protein motion and solvent effect during ligand binding

Science.gov (United States)

Limongelli, Vittorio; Marinelli, Luciana; Cosconati, Sandro; La Motta, Concettina; Sartini, Stefania; Mugnaini, Laura; Da Settimo, Federico; Novellino, Ettore; Parrinello, Michele

2012-01-01

An exhaustive description of the molecular recognition mechanism between a ligand and its biological target is of great value because it provides the opportunity for an exogenous control of the related process. Very often this aim can be pursued using high resolution structures of the complex in combination with inexpensive computational protocols such as docking algorithms. Unfortunately, in many other cases a number of factors, like protein flexibility or solvent effects, increase the degree of complexity of ligand/protein interaction and these standard techniques are no longer sufficient to describe the binding event. We have experienced and tested these limits in the present study in which we have developed and revealed the mechanism of binding of a new series of potent inhibitors of Adenosine Deaminase. We have first performed a large number of docking calculations, which unfortunately failed to yield reliable results due to the dynamical character of the enzyme and the complex role of the solvent. Thus, we have stepped up the computational strategy using a protocol based on metadynamics. Our approach has allowed dealing with protein motion and solvation during ligand binding and finally identifying the lowest energy binding modes of the most potent compound of the series, 4-decyl-pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one. PMID:22238423

Novel tetra-peptide insertion in Gag-p6 ALIX-binding motif in HIV-1 subtype C associated with protease inhibitor failure in Indian patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Neogi, Ujjwal; Rao, Shwetha D; Bontell, Irene; Verheyen, Jens; Rao, Vasudev R; Gore, Sagar C; Soni, Neelesh; Shet, Anita; Schülter, Eugen; Ekstrand, Maria L; Wondwossen, Amogne; Kaiser, Rolf; Madhusudhan, Mallur S; Prasad, Vinayaka R; Sonnerborg, Anders

2014-09-24

A novel tetra-peptide insertion was identified in Gag-p6 ALIX-binding region, which appeared in protease inhibitor failure Indian HIV-1C sequences (odds ratio=17.1, P < 0.001) but was naturally present in half of untreated Ethiopian HIV-1C sequences. The insertion is predicted to restore ALIX-mediated virus release pathway, which is lacking in HIV-1C. The clinical importance of the insertion needs to be evaluated in HIV-1C dominating regions wherein the use of protease inhibitor drugs are being scaled up.

Soaking suggests "alternative facts": Only co-crystallization discloses major ligand-induced interface rearrangements of a homodimeric tRNA-binding protein indicating a novel mode-of-inhibition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederik Rainer Ehrmann

Full Text Available For the efficient pathogenesis of Shigella, the causative agent of bacillary dysentery, full functionality of tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT is mandatory. TGT performs post-transcriptional modifications of tRNAs in the anticodon loop taking impact on virulence development. This suggests TGT as a putative target for selective anti-shigellosis drug therapy. Since bacterial TGT is only functional as homodimer, its activity can be inhibited either by blocking its active site or by preventing dimerization. Recently, we discovered that in some crystal structures obtained by soaking the full conformational adaptation most likely induced in solution upon ligand binding is not displayed. Thus, soaked structures may be misleading and suggest irrelevant binding modes. Accordingly, we re-investigated these complexes by co-crystallization. The obtained structures revealed large conformational rearrangements not visible in the soaked complexes. They result from spatial perturbations in the ribose-34/phosphate-35 recognition pocket and, consequently, an extended loop-helix motif required to prevent access of water molecules into the dimer interface loses its geometric integrity. Thermodynamic profiles of ligand binding in solution indicate favorable entropic contributions to complex formation when large conformational adaptations in the dimer interface are involved. Native MS titration experiments reveal the extent to which the homodimer is destabilized in the presence of each inhibitor. Unexpectedly, one ligand causes a complete rearrangement of subunit packing within the homodimer, never observed in any other TGT crystal structure before. Likely, this novel twisted dimer is catalytically inactive and, therefore, suggests that stabilizing this non-productive subunit arrangement may be used as a further strategy for TGT inhibition.

Chromosomal localization of the human diazepam binding inhibitor gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeBernardi, M.A.; Crowe, R.R.; Mocchetti, I.; Shows, T.B.; Eddy, R.L.; Costa, E.

1988-01-01

The authors have used in situ chromosome hybridization and human-mouse somatic cell hybrids to map the gene(s) for human diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI), an endogenous putative modulator of the γ-aminobutyric acid receptor acting at the allosteric regulatory center of this receptor that includes the benzodiazepine recognition site. In 784 chromosome spreads hybridized with human DBI cDNA, the distribution of 1,476 labeled sites revealed a significant clustering of autoradiographic grains (11.3% of total label) on the long arm of chromosome 2 (2q). Furthermore, 63.5% of the grains found on 2q were located on 2q12-21, suggesting regional mapping of DBI gene(s) to this segment. Secondary hybridization signals were frequently observed on other chromosomes and they were statistically significant mainly for chromosomes 5, 6, 11, and 14. In addition, DNA from 32 human-mouse cell hybrids was digested with BamHI and probed with human DBI cDNA. A 3.5-kilobase band, which probably represents the human DBI gene, was assigned to chromosome 2. Four higher molecular weight bands, also detected in BamHI digests, could not be unequivocally assigned. A chromosome 2 location was excluded for the 27-, 13-, and 10-kilobase bands. These results assign a human DBI gene to chromosome 2 (2q12-21) and indicate that three of the four homologous sequences detected by the human DBI probe are located on three other chromosomes

Analysis of a two-domain binding site for the urokinase-type plasminogen activator-plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex in low-density-lipoprotein-receptor-related protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, O M; Petersen, H H; Jacobsen, C; Moestrup, S K; Etzerodt, M; Andreasen, P A; Thøgersen, H C

2001-07-01

The low-density-lipoprotein-receptor (LDLR)-related protein (LRP) is composed of several classes of domains, including complement-type repeats (CR), which occur in clusters that contain binding sites for a multitude of different ligands. Each approximately 40-residue CR domain contains three conserved disulphide linkages and an octahedral Ca(2+) cage. LRP is a scavenging receptor for ligands from extracellular fluids, e.g. alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)M)-proteinase complexes, lipoprotein-containing particles and serine proteinase-inhibitor complexes, like the complex between urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). In the present study we analysed the interaction of the uPA-PAI-1 complex with an ensemble of fragments representing a complete overlapping set of two-domain fragments accounting for the ligand-binding cluster II (CR3-CR10) of LRP. By ligand blotting, solid-state competition analysis and surface-plasmon-resonance analysis, we demonstrate binding to multiple CR domains, but show a preferential interaction between the uPA-PAI-1 complex and a two-domain fragment comprising CR domains 5 and 6 of LRP. We demonstrate that surface-exposed aspartic acid and tryptophan residues at identical positions in the two homologous domains, CR5 and CR6 (Asp(958,CR5), Asp(999,CR6), Trp(953,CR5) and Trp(994,CR6)), are critical for the binding of the complex as well as for the binding of the receptor-associated protein (RAP) - the folding chaperone/escort protein required for transport of LRP to the cell surface. Accordingly, the present work provides (1) an identification of a preferred binding site within LRP CR cluster II; (2) evidence that the uPA-PAI-1 binding site involves residues from two adjacent protein domains; and (3) direct evidence identifying specific residues as important for the binding of uPA-PAI-1 as well as for the binding of RAP.

Meleagrin, a new FabI inhibitor from Penicillium chryosogenum with at least one additional mode of action.

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Chang Ji Zheng

Full Text Available Bacterial enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabI is a promising novel antibacterial target. We isolated a new class of FabI inhibitor from Penicillium chrysogenum, which produces various antibiotics, the mechanisms of some of them are unknown. The isolated FabI inhibitor was determined to be meleagrin by mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analyses, and its more active and inactive derivatives were chemically prepared. Consistent with their selective inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus FabI, meleagrin and its more active derivatives directly bound to S. aureus FabI in a fluorescence quenching assay, inhibited intracellular fatty acid biosynthesis and growth of S. aureus, and increased the minimum inhibitory concentration for fabI-overexpressing S. aureus. The compounds that were not effective against the FabK isoform, however, inhibited the growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae that contained only the FabK isoform. Additionally no resistant mutant to the compounds was obtained. Importantly, fabK-overexpressing Escherichia coli was not resistant to these compounds, but was resistant to triclosan. These results demonstrate that the compounds inhibited another target in addition to FabI. Thus, meleagrin is a new class of FabI inhibitor with at least one additional mode of action that could have potential for treating multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Bridging Binding Modes of Phosphine-Stabilized Nitrous Oxide to Zn(C6F5)2

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neu, Rebecca C.; Otten, Edwin; Stephan, Douglas W.

2009-01-01

Reaction of [tBu3PN2O(B(C6H4F)3)] with 1, 1.5, or 2 equivalents of Zn(C6F5)2 affords the species [{tBu3PN2OZn(C6F5)2}2], [{tBu3PN2OZn(C6F5)2}2Zn(C6F5)2], and [tBu3PN2O{Zn(C6F5)2}2] displaying unique binding modes of Zn to the phosphine-stabilized N2O fragment.

Water-soluble Manganese and Iron Mesotetrakis(carboxyl)porphyrin: DNA Binding, Oxidative Cleavage, and Cytotoxic Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lei; Jiang, Yi-Yu; Jiang, Tao; Yin, Wei; Yang, Jian-Ping; Cao, Man-Li; Fang, Yu-Qi; Liu, Hai-Yang

2017-06-29

Two new water-soluble metal carboxyl porphyrins, manganese (III) meso -tetrakis (carboxyl) porphyrin and iron (III) meso -tetrakis (carboxyl) porphyrin, were synthesized and characterized. Their interactions with ct-DNA were investigated by UV-Vis titration, fluorescence spectra, viscosity measurement and CD spectra. The results showed they can strongly bind to ct-DNA via outside binding mode. Electrophoresis experiments revealed that both complexes can cleave pBR322 DNA efficiently in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, albeit 2-Mn exhibited a little higher efficiency. The inhibitor tests suggest the oxidative DNA cleavage by these two complexes may involve hydroxyl radical active intermediates. Notably, 2-Mn exhibited considerable photocytotoxicity against Hep G2 cell via triggering a significant generation of ROS and causing disruption of MMP after irradiation.

Molecular modeling of cationic porphyrin-anthraquinone hybrids as DNA topoisomerase IIβ inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Arba, Muhammad; Ruslin; Ihsan, Sunandar; Tri Wahyudi, Setyanto; Tjahjono, Daryono H

2017-12-01

Human DNA Topoisomerase II has been regarded as a promising target in anticancer drug discovery. In the present study, we designed six porphyrin-anthraquinone hybrids bearing pyrazole or pyridine group as meso substituents and evaluated their potentials as DNA Topoisomerase IIβ inhibitor. First, we investigated the binding orientation of porphyrin hybrids into DNA topoisomerase IIβ employing AutoDock 4.2 and then performed 20-ns molecular dynamics simulations to see the dynamic stability of each porphyrin-Topo IIβ complex using Amber 14. We found that the binding of porphyrin hybrids occured through intercalation and groove binding mode in addition interaction with the amino acid residues constituting the active cavity of Topo IIβ. Each porphyrin-Topo IIβ complex was stabilized during 20-ns dynamics simulations. The MM-PBSA free energy calculation shows that the binding affinities of porphyrin hybrids were modified with the number of meso substituent. Interestingly, the affinity of all porphyrin hybrids to Topo IIβ was stronger than that of native ligand (EVP), indicating the potential of the designed porphyrin to be considered in experimental research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Insight into microtubule destabilization mechanism of 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl indanone derivatives using molecular dynamics simulation and conformational modes analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Shubhandra; Srivastava, Gaurava; Singh, Aastha; Prakasham, A. P.; Negi, Arvind S.; Sharma, Ashok

2018-03-01

Colchicine site inhibitors are microtubule destabilizers having promising role in cancer therapeutics. In the current study, four such indanone derivatives (t1, t9, t14 and t17) with 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl fragment (ring A) and showing significant microtubule destabilization property have been explored. The interaction mechanism and conformational modes triggered by binding of these indanone derivatives and combretastatin at colchicine binding site (CBS) of αβ-tubulin dimer were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, principle component analysis and free energy landscape analysis. In the MD results, t1 showed binding similar to colchicine interacting in the deep hydrophobic core at the CBS. While t9, t14 and t17 showed binding conformation similar to combretastatin, with ring A superficially binding at the CBS. Results demonstrated that ring A played a vital role in binding via hydrophobic interactions and got anchored between the S8 and S9 sheets, H8 helix and T7 loop at the CBS. Conformational modes study revealed that twisting and bending conformational motions (as found in the apo system) were nearly absent in the ligand bound systems. Absence of twisting motion might causes loss of lateral contacts in microtubule, thus promoting microtubule destabilization. This study provides detailed account of microtubule destabilization mechanism by indanone ligands and combretastatin, and would be helpful for designing microtubule destabilizers with higher activity.

The prototype HIV-1 maturation inhibitor, bevirimat, binds to the CA-SP1 cleavage site in immature Gag particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Albert T

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bevirimat, the prototype Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1 maturation inhibitor, is highly potent in cell culture and efficacious in HIV-1 infected patients. In contrast to inhibitors that target the active site of the viral protease, bevirimat specifically inhibits a single cleavage event, the final processing step for the Gag precursor where p25 (CA-SP1 is cleaved to p24 (CA and SP1. Results In this study, photoaffinity analogs of bevirimat and mass spectrometry were employed to map the binding site of bevirimat to Gag within immature virus-like particles. Bevirimat analogs were found to crosslink to sequences overlapping, or proximal to, the CA-SP1 cleavage site, consistent with previous biochemical data on the effect of bevirimat on Gag processing and with genetic data from resistance mutations, in a region predicted by NMR and mutational studies to have α-helical character. Unexpectedly, a second region of interaction was found within the Major Homology Region (MHR. Extensive prior genetic evidence suggests that the MHR is critical for virus assembly. Conclusions This is the first demonstration of a direct interaction between the maturation inhibitor, bevirimat, and its target, Gag. Information gained from this study sheds light on the mechanisms by which the virus develops resistance to this class of drug and may aid in the design of next-generation maturation inhibitors.

Structure-Guided Strategy for the Development of Potent Bivalent ERK Inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lechtenberg, Bernhard C. [Cancer; Mace, Peter D. [Cancer; Sessions, E. Hampton [Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute at Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida 32827, United States; Williamson, Robert [Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute at Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida 32827, United States; Stalder, Romain [Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute at Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida 32827, United States; Wallez, Yann [Cancer; Roth, Gregory P. [Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute at Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida 32827, United States; Riedl, Stefan J. [Cancer; Pasquale, Elena B. [Cancer; Pathology

2017-06-13

ERK is the effector kinase of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling cascade, which promotes cell transformation and malignancy in many cancers and is thus a major drug target in oncology. Kinase inhibitors targeting RAF or MEK are already used for the treatment of certain cancers, such as melanoma. Although the initial response to these drugs can be dramatic, development of drug resistance is a major challenge, even with combination therapies targeting both RAF and MEK. Importantly, most resistance mechanisms still rely on activation of the downstream effector kinase ERK, making it a promising target for drug development efforts. Here, we report the design and structural/functional characterization of a set of bivalent ERK inhibitors that combine a small molecule inhibitor that binds to the ATP-binding pocket with a peptide that selectively binds to an ERK protein interaction surface, the D-site recruitment site (DRS). Our studies show that the lead bivalent inhibitor, SBP3, has markedly improved potency compared to the small molecule inhibitor alone. Unexpectedly, we found that SBP3 also binds to several ERK-related kinases that contain a DRS, highlighting the importance of experimentally verifying the predicted specificity of bivalent inhibitors. However, SBP3 does not target any other kinases belonging to the same CMGC branch of the kinome. Additionally, our modular click chemistry inhibitor design facilitates the generation of different combinations of small molecule inhibitors with ERK-targeting peptides.

Discovery and Characterization of Non-ATP Site Inhibitors of the Mitogen Activated Protein (MAP) Kinases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Comess, Kenneth M.; Sun, Chaohong; Abad-Zapatero, Cele; Goedken, Eric R.; Gum, Rebecca J.; Borhani, David W.; Argiriadi, Maria; Groebe, Duncan R.; Jia, Yong; Clampit, Jill E.; Haasch, Deanna L.; Smith, Harriet T.; Wang, Sanyi; Song, Danying; Coen, Michael L.; Cloutier, Timothy E.; Tang, Hua; Cheng, Xueheng; Quinn, Christopher; Liu, Bo; Xin, Zhili; Liu, Gang; Fry, Elizabeth H.; Stoll, Vincent; Ng, Teresa I.; Banach, David; Marcotte, Doug; Burns, David J.; Calderwood, David J.; Hajduk, Philip J. (Abbott)

2012-03-02

Inhibition of protein kinases has validated therapeutic utility for cancer, with at least seven kinase inhibitor drugs on the market. Protein kinase inhibition also has significant potential for a variety of other diseases, including diabetes, pain, cognition, and chronic inflammatory and immunologic diseases. However, as the vast majority of current approaches to kinase inhibition target the highly conserved ATP-binding site, the use of kinase inhibitors in treating nononcology diseases may require great selectivity for the target kinase. As protein kinases are signal transducers that are involved in binding to a variety of other proteins, targeting alternative, less conserved sites on the protein may provide an avenue for greater selectivity. Here we report an affinity-based, high-throughput screening technique that allows nonbiased interrogation of small molecule libraries for binding to all exposed sites on a protein surface. This approach was used to screen both the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase Jnk-1 (involved in insulin signaling) and p38{alpha} (involved in the formation of TNF{alpha} and other cytokines). In addition to canonical ATP-site ligands, compounds were identified that bind to novel allosteric sites. The nature, biological relevance, and mode of binding of these ligands were extensively characterized using two-dimensional {sup 1}H/{sup 13}C NMR spectroscopy, protein X-ray crystallography, surface plasmon resonance, and direct enzymatic activity and activation cascade assays. Jnk-1 and p38{alpha} both belong to the MAP kinase family, and the allosteric ligands for both targets bind similarly on a ledge of the protein surface exposed by the MAP insertion present in the CMGC family of protein kinases and distant from the active site. Medicinal chemistry studies resulted in an improved Jnk-1 ligand able to increase adiponectin secretion in human adipocytes and increase insulin-induced protein kinase PKB phosphorylation in human hepatocytes, in

Structure of ‘linkerless’ hydroxamic acid inhibitor-HDAC8 complex confirms the formation of an isoform-specific subpocket

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Tabackman, Alexa A.; Frankson, Rochelle; Marsan, Eric S.; Perry, Kay; Cole, Kathryn E. (Ithaca); (Cornell); (Christopher Newport U)

2016-11-04

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) catalyze the hydrolysis of acetylated lysine side chains in histone and non-histone proteins, and play a critical role in the regulation of many biological processes, including cell differentiation, proliferation, senescence, and apoptosis. Aberrant HDAC activity is associated with cancer, making these enzymes important targets for drug design. In general, HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) block the proliferation of tumor cells by inducing cell differentiation, cell cycle arrest, and/or apoptosis, and comprise some of the leading therapies in cancer treatments. To date, four HDACi have been FDA approved for the treatment of cancers: suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA, Vorinostat, Zolinza®), romidepsin (FK228, Istodax®), belinostat (Beleodaq®), and panobinostat (Farydak®). Most current inhibitors are pan-HDACi, and non-selectively target a number of HDAC isoforms. Six previously reported HDACi were rationally designed, however, to target a unique sub-pocket found only in HDAC8. While these inhibitors were indeed potent against HDAC8, and even demonstrated specificity for HDAC8 over HDACs 1 and 6, there were no structural data to confirm the mode of binding. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure of Compound 6 complexed with HDAC8 to 1.98 Å resolution. We also describe the use of molecular docking studies to explore the binding interactions of the other 5 related HDACi. Our studies confirm that the HDACi induce the formation of and bind in the HDAC8-specific subpocket, offering insights into isoform-specific inhibition.

Interaction of the amyloid precursor protein-like protein 1 (APLP1) E2 domain with heparan sulfate involves two distinct binding modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahms, Sven O., E-mail: sdahms@fli-leibniz.de [Leibniz Institute for Age Research (FLI), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745 Jena (Germany); Mayer, Magnus C. [Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, Robert-Koch-Strasse 1, 17166 Teterow (Germany); Roeser, Dirk [Leibniz Institute for Age Research (FLI), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745 Jena (Germany); Multhaup, Gerd [McGill University Montreal, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6 (Canada); Than, Manuel E., E-mail: sdahms@fli-leibniz.de [Leibniz Institute for Age Research (FLI), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745 Jena (Germany)

2015-03-01

Two X-ray structures of APLP1 E2 with and without a heparin dodecasaccharide are presented, revealing two distinct binding modes of the protein to heparan sulfate. The data provide a mechanistic explanation of how APP-like proteins bind to heparan sulfates and how they specifically recognize nonreducing structures of heparan sulfates. Beyond the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, the members of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) family are essential for neuronal development and cell homeostasis in mammals. APP and its paralogues APP-like protein 1 (APLP1) and APP-like protein 2 (APLP2) contain the highly conserved heparan sulfate (HS) binding domain E2, which effects various (patho)physiological functions. Here, two crystal structures of the E2 domain of APLP1 are presented in the apo form and in complex with a heparin dodecasaccharide at 2.5 Å resolution. The apo structure of APLP1 E2 revealed an unfolded and hence flexible N-terminal helix αA. The (APLP1 E2){sub 2}–(heparin){sub 2} complex structure revealed two distinct binding modes, with APLP1 E2 explicitly recognizing the heparin terminus but also interacting with a continuous heparin chain. The latter only requires a certain register of the sugar moieties that fits to a positively charged surface patch and contributes to the general heparin-binding capability of APP-family proteins. Terminal binding of APLP1 E2 to heparin specifically involves a structure of the nonreducing end that is very similar to heparanase-processed HS chains. These data reveal a conserved mechanism for the binding of APP-family proteins to HS and imply a specific regulatory role of HS modifications in the biology of APP and APP-like proteins.

Development of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Assay for the Characterization of Small-Molecule Binding Kinetics and Mechanism of Binding to Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase.

Science.gov (United States)

Poda, Suresh B; Kobayashi, Masakazu; Nachane, Ruta; Menon, Veena; Gandhi, Adarsh S; Budac, David P; Li, Guiying; Campbell, Brian M; Tagmose, Lena

2015-10-01

Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), a pivotal enzyme in the kynurenine pathway, was identified as a potential therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. In this article, we describe a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay that delivers both kinetics and the mechanism of binding (MoB) data, enabling a detailed characterization of KMO inhibitors for the enzyme in real time. SPR assay development included optimization of the protein construct and the buffer conditions. The stability and inhibitor binding activity of the immobilized KMO were significantly improved when the experiments were performed at 10°C using a buffer containing 0.05% n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside (DDM) as the detergent. The KD values of the known KMO inhibitors (UPF648 and RO61-8048) from the SPR assay were in good accordance with the biochemical LC/MS/MS assay. Also, the SPR assay was able to differentiate the binding kinetics (k(a) and k(d)) of the selected unknown KMO inhibitors. For example, the inhibitors that showed comparable IC50 values in the LC/MS/MS assay displayed differences in their residence time (τ = 1/k(d)) in the SPR assay. To better define the MoB of the inhibitors to KMO, an SPR-based competition assay was developed, which demonstrated that both UPF648 and RO61-8048 bound to the substrate-binding site. These results demonstrate the potential of the SPR assay for characterizing the affinity, the kinetics, and the MoB profiles of the KMO inhibitors.

Elaboration of a fragment library hit produces potent and selective aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Thangavelu, Bharani; Bhansali, Pravin; Viola, Ronald E

2015-10-15

Aspartate-β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASADH) lies at the first branch point in the aspartate metabolic pathway which leads to the biosynthesis of several essential amino acids and some important metabolites. This pathway is crucial for many metabolic processes in plants and microbes like bacteria and fungi, but is absent in mammals. Therefore, the key microbial enzymes involved in this pathway are attractive potential targets for development of new antibiotics with novel modes of action. The ASADH enzyme family shares the same substrate binding and active site catalytic groups; however, the enzymes from representative bacterial and fungal species show different inhibition patterns when previously screened against low molecular weight inhibitors identified from fragment library screening. In the present study several approaches, including fragment based drug discovery (FBDD), inhibitor docking, kinetic, and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies have been used to guide ASADH inhibitor development. Elaboration of a core structure identified by FBDD has led to the synthesis of low micromolar inhibitors of the target enzyme, with high selectivity introduced between the Gram-negative and Gram-positive orthologs of ASADH. This new set of structures open a novel direction for the development of inhibitors against this validated drug-target enzyme. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous binding of sigma radioligands in the rat brain and liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, S.B.

1991-01-01

The binding of four sigma receptor ligands, 3 H-(+)-N-allyl-N-normetazocine ( 3 H-(+)-SKF 10,047), 3 H-(+)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)piperidine ( 3 H-(+)-3-PPP), 3 H-haloperidol and 3 H-N,N'-di(o-totyl)guanidine ( 3 H-DTG), and the cytochrome P450IID6 ligand and dopamine uptake inhibitor 3 H-1-[2-(diphenylmethoxy)ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine ( 3 H-GBR 12935) to membranal preparations of rat liver or whole rat brain was examined regarding kinetical properties and inhibition by various compounds with affinity for sigma binding sites or cytochrome P-450. In rat brain the density of binding sites was increased in order (+)-SKF 10,047 3 H-(+)-SKF 10,047 there were quite marked differences between the ligands studied. Multiple binding sites were also indicated by the low Hill coefficients found for most of the compounds studied. It was found that the cytochrome P-450 inhibitor proadifen (SKF 525A), like haloperidol, was a potent inhibitor of the binding of 3 H-(+)-SKF 10,047, 3 H-(+)-3-PPP and 3 H-haloperidol to the liver and brain preparations, less active in inhibiting the binding of 3 H-DTG and least effective on the binding of 3 H-GBR 12935. Another cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, L-lobeline, was particularly potent in inhibiting the binding of 3 H-DTG but was also quite potent inhibitor of the binding of the other sigma ligands. It was less potent in inhibiting the binding of 3 H-GBR 12935. The binding of the latter ligand was potently inhibited by the analogous compound GBR 12909 but of the other compounds examined only L-lobeline, proadifen, haloperidol, DTG and (+)-3-PPP had IC50 values below 10 μM. The possibility that the sigma binding sites are identical with some subforms of cytochrome P-450 is discussed. (author)

Protein C Inhibitor-A Novel Antimicrobial Agent

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Malmström, E.; Mörgelin, M.; Malmsten, M.; Johansson, L.; Norrby-Teglund, A.; Shannon, O.; Schmidtchen, A.; Meijers, J.C.M.; Herwald, H.

2009-01-01

Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is a heparin-binding serine proteinase inhibitor belonging to the family of serpin proteins. Here we describe that PCI exerts broad antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens. This ability is mediated by the interaction of PCI with lipid membranes, which

Identification of Tight-Binding Plasmepsin II and Falcipain 2 Inhibitors in Aqueous Extracts of Marine Invertebrates by the Combination of Enzymatic and Interaction-Based Assays

Science.gov (United States)

Salas-Sarduy, Emir; Guerra, Yasel; Covaleda Cortés, Giovanni; Avilés, Francesc Xavier; Chávez Planes, María A.

2017-01-01

Natural products from marine origin constitute a very promising and underexplored source of interesting compounds for modern biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. However, their evaluation is quite challenging and requires specifically designed assays to reliably identify the compounds of interest in a highly heterogeneous and interfering context. In the present study, we describe a general strategy for the confident identification of tight-binding protease inhibitors in the aqueous extracts of 62 Cuban marine invertebrates, using Plasmodium falciparum hemoglobinases Plasmepsin II and Falcipain 2 as model enzymes. To this end, we first developed a screening strategy that combined enzymatic with interaction-based assays and then validated screening conditions using five reference extracts. Interferences were evaluated and minimized. The results from the massive screening of such extracts, the validation of several hits by a variety of interaction-based assays and the purification and functional characterization of PhPI, a multifunctional and reversible tight-binding inhibitor for Plasmepsin II and Falcipain 2 from the gorgonian Plexaura homomalla, are presented. PMID:28430158

Inhibitor mechanisms in the S1 binding site of the dopamine transporter defined by multi-site molecular tethering of photoactive cocaine analogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Krout, Danielle; Pramod, Akula Bala; Dahal, Rejwi Acharya; Tomlinson, Michael J; Sharma, Babita; Foster, James D; Zou, Mu-Fa; Boatang, Comfort; Newman, Amy Hauck; Lever, John R; Vaughan, Roxanne A; Henry, L Keith

2017-10-15

Dopamine transporter (DAT) blockers like cocaine and many other abused and therapeutic drugs bind and stabilize an inactive form of the transporter inhibiting reuptake of extracellular dopamine (DA). The resulting increases in DA lead to the ability of these drugs to induce psychomotor alterations and addiction, but paradoxical findings in animal models indicate that not all DAT antagonists induce cocaine-like behavioral outcomes. How this occurs is not known, but one possibility is that uptake inhibitors may bind at multiple locations or in different poses to stabilize distinct conformational transporter states associated with differential neurochemical endpoints. Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing the pharmacological inhibition of DAT is therefore key for understanding the requisite interactions for behavioral modulation and addiction. Previously, we leveraged complementary computational docking, mutagenesis, peptide mapping, and substituted cysteine accessibility strategies to identify the specific adduction site and binding pose for the crosslinkable, photoactive cocaine analog, RTI 82, which contains a photoactive azide attached at the 2β position of the tropane pharmacophore. Here, we utilize similar methodology with a different cocaine analog N-[4-(4-azido-3-I-iodophenyl)-butyl]-2-carbomethoxy-3-(4-chlorophenyl)tropane, MFZ 2-24, where the photoactive azide is attached to the tropane nitrogen. In contrast to RTI 82, which crosslinked into residue Phe319 of transmembrane domain (TM) 6, our findings show that MFZ 2-24 adducts to Leu80 in TM1 with modeling and biochemical data indicating that MFZ 2-24, like RTI 82, occupies the central S1 binding pocket with the (+)-charged tropane ring nitrogen coordinating with the (-)-charged carboxyl side chain of Asp79. The superimposition of the tropane ring in the three-dimensional binding poses of these two distinct ligands provides strong experimental evidence for cocaine binding to DAT in the S1 site

Molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy studies of novel leads belonging to the benzofuran class inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Polyketide Synthase 13.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Jorddy N; Costa, José F S; Khayat, André S; Kuca, Kamil; Barros, Carlos A L; Neto, A M J C

2018-05-04

In this work, the binding mechanism of new Polyketide Synthase 13 (Pks13) inhibitors has been studied through molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculations. The drug Tam1 and its analogs, belonging to the benzofuran class, were submitted to 100 ns simulations, and according to the results obtained for root mean square deviation, all the simulations converged from approximately 30 ns. For the analysis of backbone flotation, the root mean square fluctuations were plotted for the Cα atoms; analysis revealed that the greatest fluctuation occurred in the residues that are part of the protein lid domain. The binding free energy value (ΔG bind ) obtained for the Tam16 lead molecule was of -51.43 kcal/mol. When comparing this result with the ΔG bind values for the remaining analogs, the drug Tam16 was found to be the highest ranked: this result is in agreement with the experimental results obtained by Aggarwal and collaborators, where it was verified that the IC 50 for Tam16 is the smallest necessary to inhibit the Pks13 (IC 50  = 0.19 μM). The energy decomposition analysis suggested that the residues which most interact with inhibitors are: Ser1636, Tyr1637, Asn1640, Ala1667, Phe1670, and Tyr1674, from which the greatest energy contribution to Phe1670 was particularly notable. For the lead molecule Tam16, a hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl of the phenol not observed in the other analogs induced a more stable molecular structure. Aggarwal and colleagues reported this hydrogen bonding as being responsible for the stability of the molecule, optimizing its physic-chemical, toxicological, and pharmacokinetic properties.

Molecular dynamics and MM/GBSA-integrated protocol probing the correlation between biological activities and binding free energies of HIV-1 TAR RNA inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Peddi, Saikiran Reddy; Sivan, Sree Kanth; Manga, Vijjulatha

2018-02-01

The interaction of HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat with its cognate transactivation response (TAR) RNA has emerged as a promising target for developing antiviral compounds and treating HIV infection, since it is a crucial step for efficient transcription and replication. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and MM/GBSA calculations have been performed on a series of neamine derivatives in order to estimate appropriate MD simulation time for acceptable correlation between ΔG bind and experimental pIC 50 values. Initially, all inhibitors were docked into the active site of HIV-1 TAR RNA. Later to explore various conformations and examine the docking results, MD simulations were carried out. Finally, binding free energies were calculated using MM/GBSA method and were correlated with experimental pIC 50 values at different time scales (0-1 to 0-10 ns). From this study, it is clear that in case of neamine derivatives as simulation time increased the correlation between binding free energy and experimental pIC 50 values increased correspondingly. Therefore, the binding energies which can be interpreted at longer simulation times can be used to predict the bioactivity of new neamine derivatives. Moreover, in this work, we have identified some plausible critical nucleotide interactions with neamine derivatives that are responsible for potent inhibitory activity. Furthermore, we also provide some insights into a new class of oxadiazole-based back bone cyclic peptides designed by incorporating the structural features of neamine derivatives. On the whole, this approach can provide a valuable guidance for designing new potent inhibitors and modify the existing compounds targeting HIV-1 TAR RNA.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 1,4-Disubstituted-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline Compounds as New Tubulin Polymerization Inhibitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling Zhang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available A series of 1,4-disubstituted-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline derivatives designed as tubulin polymerization inhibitors were synthesized. Their cytotoxic activities against the CEM leukemia cell line were evaluated. Most of them displayed moderate cytotoxic activities, and compounds 21 and 32 showed good activities with IC50 of 4.10 and 0.64 μM, respectively. The most potent compound 32 was further confirmed to be able to inhibit tubulin polymerization, and its hypothetical binding mode with tubulin was obtained by molecular docking.

Retinoid-binding proteins: similar protein architectures bind similar ligands via completely different ways.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Ru Zhang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Retinoids are a class of compounds that are chemically related to vitamin A, which is an essential nutrient that plays a key role in vision, cell growth and differentiation. In vivo, retinoids must bind with specific proteins to perform their necessary functions. Plasma retinol-binding protein (RBP and epididymal retinoic acid binding protein (ERABP carry retinoids in bodily fluids, while cellular retinol-binding proteins (CRBPs and cellular retinoic acid-binding proteins (CRABPs carry retinoids within cells. Interestingly, although all of these transport proteins possess similar structures, the modes of binding for the different retinoid ligands with their carrier proteins are different. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this work, we analyzed the various retinoid transport mechanisms using structure and sequence comparisons, binding site analyses and molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that in the same family of proteins and subcellular location, the orientation of a retinoid molecule within a binding protein is same, whereas when different families of proteins are considered, the orientation of the bound retinoid is completely different. In addition, none of the amino acid residues involved in ligand binding is conserved between the transport proteins. However, for each specific binding protein, the amino acids involved in the ligand binding are conserved. The results of this study allow us to propose a possible transport model for retinoids. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results reveal the differences in the binding modes between the different retinoid-binding proteins.

Antidepressant Binding Site in a Bacterial Homologue of Neurotransmitter Transporters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, S.; Yamashita, A.; Gouaux, E.

2007-01-01

Sodium-coupled transporters are ubiquitous pumps that harness pre-existing sodium gradients to catalyse the thermodynamically unfavourable uptake of essential nutrients, neurotransmitters and inorganic ions across the lipid bilayer. Dysfunction of these integral membrane proteins has been implicated in glucose/galactose malabsorption, congenital hypothyroidism, Bartter's syndrome, epilepsy, depression, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sodium-coupled transporters are blocked by a number of therapeutically important compounds, including diuretics, anticonvulsants and antidepressants, many of which have also become indispensable tools in biochemical experiments designed to probe antagonist binding sites and to elucidate transport mechanisms. Steady-state kinetic data have revealed that both competitive and noncompetitive modes of inhibition exist. Antagonist dissociation experiments on the serotonin transporter (SERT) have also unveiled the existence of a low-affinity allosteric site that slows the dissociation of inhibitors from a separate high-affinity site. Despite these strides, atomic-level insights into inhibitor action have remained elusive. Here we screen a panel of molecules for their ability to inhibit LeuT, a prokaryotic homologue of mammalian neurotransmitter sodium symporters, and show that the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) clomipramine noncompetitively inhibits substrate uptake. Cocrystal structures show that clomipramine, along with two other TCAs, binds in an extracellular-facing vestibule about 11 (angstrom) above the substrate and two sodium ions, apparently stabilizing the extracellular gate in a closed conformation. Off-rate assays establish that clomipramine reduces the rate at which leucine dissociates from LeuT and reinforce our contention that this TCA inhibits LeuT by slowing substrate release. Our results represent a molecular view into noncompetitive inhibition of a sodium-coupled transporter and define principles for the rational

Antidepressant Binding Site in a Bacterial Homologue of Neurotransmitter Transporters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh,S.; Yamashita, A.; Gouaux, E.

2007-01-01

Sodium-coupled transporters are ubiquitous pumps that harness pre-existing sodium gradients to catalyse the thermodynamically unfavourable uptake of essential nutrients, neurotransmitters and inorganic ions across the lipid bilayer. Dysfunction of these integral membrane proteins has been implicated in glucose/galactose malabsorption, congenital hypothyroidism, Bartter's syndrome, epilepsy, depression, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sodium-coupled transporters are blocked by a number of therapeutically important compounds, including diuretics, anticonvulsants and antidepressants, many of which have also become indispensable tools in biochemical experiments designed to probe antagonist binding sites and to elucidate transport mechanisms. Steady-state kinetic data have revealed that both competitive and noncompetitive modes of inhibition exist. Antagonist dissociation experiments on the serotonin transporter (SERT) have also unveiled the existence of a low-affinity allosteric site that slows the dissociation of inhibitors from a separate high-affinity site. Despite these strides, atomic-level insights into inhibitor action have remained elusive. Here we screen a panel of molecules for their ability to inhibit LeuT, a prokaryotic homologue of mammalian neurotransmitter sodium symporters, and show that the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) clomipramine noncompetitively inhibits substrate uptake. Cocrystal structures show that clomipramine, along with two other TCAs, binds in an extracellular-facing vestibule about 11 {angstrom} above the substrate and two sodium ions, apparently stabilizing the extracellular gate in a closed conformation. Off-rate assays establish that clomipramine reduces the rate at which leucine dissociates from LeuT and reinforce our contention that this TCA inhibits LeuT by slowing substrate release. Our results represent a molecular view into noncompetitive inhibition of a sodium-coupled transporter and define principles for the

Non-peptidic cruzain inhibitors with trypanocidal activity discovered by virtual screening and in vitro assay.

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Helton J Wiggers

Full Text Available A multi-step cascade strategy using integrated ligand- and target-based virtual screening methods was developed to select a small number of compounds from the ZINC database to be evaluated for trypanocidal activity. Winnowing the database to 23 selected compounds, 12 non-covalent binding cruzain inhibitors with affinity values (K i in the low micromolar range (3-60 µM acting through a competitive inhibition mechanism were identified. This mechanism has been confirmed by determining the binding mode of the cruzain inhibitor Nequimed176 through X-ray crystallographic studies. Cruzain, a validated therapeutic target for new chemotherapy for Chagas disease, also shares high similarity with the mammalian homolog cathepsin L. Because increased activity of cathepsin L is related to invasive properties and has been linked to metastatic cancer cells, cruzain inhibitors from the same library were assayed against it. Affinity values were in a similar range (4-80 µM, yielding poor selectivity towards cruzain but raising the possibility of investigating such inhibitors for their effect on cell proliferation. In order to select the most promising enzyme inhibitors retaining trypanocidal activity for structure-activity relationship (SAR studies, the most potent cruzain inhibitors were assayed against T. cruzi-infected cells. Two compounds were found to have trypanocidal activity. Using compound Nequimed42 as precursor, an SAR was established in which the 2-acetamidothiophene-3-carboxamide group was identified as essential for enzyme and parasite inhibition activities. The IC50 value for compound Nequimed42 acting against the trypomastigote form of the Tulahuen lacZ strain was found to be 10.6±0.1 µM, tenfold lower than that obtained for benznidazole, which was taken as positive control. In addition, by employing the strategy of molecular simplification, a smaller compound derived from Nequimed42 with a ligand efficiency (LE of 0.33 kcal mol(-1 atom(-1

Non-peptidic cruzain inhibitors with trypanocidal activity discovered by virtual screening and in vitro assay.

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Wiggers, Helton J; Rocha, Josmar R; Fernandes, William B; Sesti-Costa, Renata; Carneiro, Zumira A; Cheleski, Juliana; da Silva, Albérico B F; Juliano, Luiz; Cezari, Maria H S; Silva, João S; McKerrow, James H; Montanari, Carlos A

2013-01-01

A multi-step cascade strategy using integrated ligand- and target-based virtual screening methods was developed to select a small number of compounds from the ZINC database to be evaluated for trypanocidal activity. Winnowing the database to 23 selected compounds, 12 non-covalent binding cruzain inhibitors with affinity values (K i) in the low micromolar range (3-60 µM) acting through a competitive inhibition mechanism were identified. This mechanism has been confirmed by determining the binding mode of the cruzain inhibitor Nequimed176 through X-ray crystallographic studies. Cruzain, a validated therapeutic target for new chemotherapy for Chagas disease, also shares high similarity with the mammalian homolog cathepsin L. Because increased activity of cathepsin L is related to invasive properties and has been linked to metastatic cancer cells, cruzain inhibitors from the same library were assayed against it. Affinity values were in a similar range (4-80 µM), yielding poor selectivity towards cruzain but raising the possibility of investigating such inhibitors for their effect on cell proliferation. In order to select the most promising enzyme inhibitors retaining trypanocidal activity for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies, the most potent cruzain inhibitors were assayed against T. cruzi-infected cells. Two compounds were found to have trypanocidal activity. Using compound Nequimed42 as precursor, an SAR was established in which the 2-acetamidothiophene-3-carboxamide group was identified as essential for enzyme and parasite inhibition activities. The IC50 value for compound Nequimed42 acting against the trypomastigote form of the Tulahuen lacZ strain was found to be 10.6±0.1 µM, tenfold lower than that obtained for benznidazole, which was taken as positive control. In addition, by employing the strategy of molecular simplification, a smaller compound derived from Nequimed42 with a ligand efficiency (LE) of 0.33 kcal mol(-1) atom(-1) (compound

Structure-activity relationships of benzimidazole-based glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors featuring a heteroaryl scaffold.

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Ramsbeck, Daniel; Buchholz, Mirko; Koch, Birgit; Böhme, Livia; Hoffmann, Torsten; Demuth, Hans-Ulrich; Heiser, Ulrich

2013-09-12

Glutaminyl cyclase (hQC) has emerged as a new potential target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The inhibition of hQC prevents of the formation of the Aβ3(pE)-40,42 species which were shown to be of elevated neurotoxicity and are likely to act as a seeding core, leading to an accelerated formation of Aβ-oligomers and fibrils. This work presents a new class of inhibitors of hQC, resulting from a pharmacophore-based screen. Hit molecules were identified, containing benzimidazole as the metal binding group connected to 1,3,4-oxadiazole as the central scaffold. The subsequent optimization resulted in benzimidazolyl-1,3,4-thiadiazoles and -1,2,3-triazoles with an inhibitory potency in the nanomolar range. Further investigation into the potential binding mode of the new compound classes combined molecular docking and site directed mutagenesis studies.

Identification of a Novel Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 Inhibitor in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer by Structure-Based Virtual Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qianqian Wang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5 is able to regulate gene transcription by catalyzing the symmetrical dimethylation of arginine residue of histone, which plays a key role in tumorigenesis. Many efforts have been taken in discovering small-molecular inhibitors against PRMT5, but very few were reported and most of them were SAM-competitive. EPZ015666 is a recently reported PRMT5 inhibitor with a new binding site, which is different from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-binding pocket. This new binding site provides a new clue for the design and discovery of potent and specific PRMT5 inhibitors. In this study, the structure-based virtual screening targeting this site was firstly performed to identify potential PRMT5 inhibitors. Then, the bioactivity of the candidate compound was studied. MTT results showed that compound T1551 decreased cell viability of A549 and H460 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. By inhibiting the methyltransferase activity of PRMT5, T1551 reduced the global level of H4R3 symmetric dimethylation (H4R3me2s. T1551 also downregulated the expression of oncogene FGFR3 and eIF4E, and disturbed the activation of related PI3K/AKT/mTOR and ERK signaling in A549 cell. Finally, we investigated the conformational spaces and identified collective motions important for description of T1551/PRMT5 complex by using molecular dynamics simulation and normal mode analysis methods. This study provides a novel non-SAM-competitive hit compound for developing small molecules targeting PRMT5 in non-small cell lung cancer.

Binding mode prediction and MD/MMPBSA-based free energy ranking for agonists of REV-ERBα/NCoR.

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Westermaier, Yvonne; Ruiz-Carmona, Sergio; Theret, Isabelle; Perron-Sierra, Françoise; Poissonnet, Guillaume; Dacquet, Catherine; Boutin, Jean A; Ducrot, Pierre; Barril, Xavier

2017-08-01

The knowledge of the free energy of binding of small molecules to a macromolecular target is crucial in drug design as is the ability to predict the functional consequences of binding. We highlight how a molecular dynamics (MD)-based approach can be used to predict the free energy of small molecules, and to provide priorities for the synthesis and the validation via in vitro tests. Here, we study the dynamics and energetics of the nuclear receptor REV-ERBα with its co-repressor NCoR and 35 novel agonists. Our in silico approach combines molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD), solvent-accessible surface area (SASA) and molecular mechanics poisson boltzmann surface area (MMPBSA) calculations. While docking yielded initial hints on the binding modes, their stability was assessed by MD. The SASA calculations revealed that the presence of the ligand led to a higher exposure of hydrophobic REV-ERB residues for NCoR recruitment. MMPBSA was very successful in ranking ligands by potency in a retrospective and prospective manner. Particularly, the prospective MMPBSA ranking-based validations for four compounds, three predicted to be active and one weakly active, were confirmed experimentally.

Chemical Proteomics Reveals Ferrochelatase as a Common Off-target of Kinase Inhibitors.

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Klaeger, Susan; Gohlke, Bjoern; Perrin, Jessica; Gupta, Vipul; Heinzlmeir, Stephanie; Helm, Dominic; Qiao, Huichao; Bergamini, Giovanna; Handa, Hiroshi; Savitski, Mikhail M; Bantscheff, Marcus; Médard, Guillaume; Preissner, Robert; Kuster, Bernhard

2016-05-20

Many protein kinases are valid drug targets in oncology because they are key components of signal transduction pathways. The number of clinical kinase inhibitors is on the rise, but these molecules often exhibit polypharmacology, potentially eliciting desired and toxic effects. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of a compound's target space is desirable for a better understanding of its biological effects. The enzyme ferrochelatase (FECH) catalyzes the conversion of protoporphyrin IX into heme and was recently found to be an off-target of the BRAF inhibitor Vemurafenib, likely explaining the phototoxicity associated with this drug in melanoma patients. This raises the question of whether FECH binding is a more general feature of kinase inhibitors. To address this, we applied a chemical proteomics approach using kinobeads to evaluate 226 clinical kinase inhibitors for their ability to bind FECH. Surprisingly, low or submicromolar FECH binding was detected for 29 of all compounds tested and isothermal dose response measurements confirmed target engagement in cells. We also show that Vemurafenib, Linsitinib, Neratinib, and MK-2461 reduce heme levels in K562 cells, verifying that drug binding leads to a loss of FECH activity. Further biochemical and docking experiments identified the protoporphyrin pocket in FECH as one major drug binding site. Since the genetic loss of FECH activity leads to photosensitivity in humans, our data strongly suggest that FECH inhibition by kinase inhibitors is the molecular mechanism triggering photosensitivity in patients. We therefore suggest that a FECH assay should generally be part of the preclinical molecular toxicology package for the development of kinase inhibitors.

In vitro binding of puroindolines to wheat starch granules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Helle Aagaard; Darlington, H.F.; Shewry, P.R.

2001-01-01

Puroindoline (pin) preparations made from flours of hard and soft wheats contained a mixture of pin-a, 0.19/0.53 alpha -amylase inhibitor, and purothionins. Starch granule preparations from the same cultivars were treated with proteinase to remove surface proteins and incubated with solutions...... of the pin preparations. Binding of pin-a and purothionins but not the 0.19/0.53 inhibitor was observed with no apparent differences between the behavior of the pin preparations or starch granule preparations from hard or soft types. No binding was observed when several other proteins (bovine serum albumin......, total albumins, a commercial preparation of wheat alpha -amylase inhibitors, and barley beta -amylase) were incubated with the starch granules under the same conditions, indicating that in vitro binding can be used to study specific starch granule and protein interactions....

Albumin-binding of diclofenac and the effect of a site II inhibitor in the aqueous humor of cataract patients with the instillation of diclofenac.

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Osaki, Takashi; Ozaki, Mineo; Takamura, Norito; Ogata, Kenji; Tokunaga, Jin; Setoguchi, Nao; Arimori, Kazuhiko

2014-05-01

Diclofenac instillation has been used widely in cataract surgery to prevent postoperative inflammation. Since diclofenac binds strongly to albumin in the circulation, it does not have a sufficient effect on patients in whom diclofenac binds strongly to albumin in the aqueous humor. A decrease in diclofenac binding and an increase in free diclofenac levels are necessary in these patients. The binding of diclofenac to albumin was investigated in the aqueous humor. In a diclofenac binding assay with albumin in the aqueous humor of individual patients, diclofenac was extracted from aliquots of the aqueous humor, and its total levels were measured using ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Free diclofenac levels were measured using ultrafiltration and UHPLC. The albumin-binding fraction of diclofenac was 0.8 or higher in the aqueous humor of some patients. Ibuprofen significantly inhibited diclofenac binding to site II of albumin in mimic aqueous humor, but not in pooled aqueous humor. This difference may have been due to the weak binding of diclofenac to site II in the pooled aqueous humor. Flurbiprofen was used instead of diclofenac. Flurbiprofen has been shown to bind more strongly than diclofenac to the same site of albumin. Thus, the inhibitory effect of ibuprofen on the binding of flurbiprofen to albumin was investigated in pooled aqueous humor. The results indicated that ibuprofen significantly inhibited the flurbiprofen binding. An effective diclofenac administration method may be established for clinical application by the instillation of an appropriate inhibitor of binding to the albumin site II. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Identification of N-ethylmethylamine as a novel scaffold for inhibitors of soluble epoxide hydrolase by crystallographic fragment screening.

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Amano, Yasushi; Tanabe, Eiki; Yamaguchi, Tomohiko

2015-05-15

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a potential target for the treatment of inflammation and hypertension. X-ray crystallographic fragment screening was used to identify fragment hits and their binding modes. Eight fragment hits were identified via soaking of sEH crystals with fragment cocktails, and the co-crystal structures of these hits were determined via individual soaking. Based on the binding mode, N-ethylmethylamine was identified as a promising scaffold that forms hydrogen bonds with the catalytic residues of sEH, Asp335, Tyr383, and Tyr466. Compounds containing this scaffold were selected from an in-house chemical library and assayed. Although the starting fragment had a weak inhibitory activity (IC50: 800μM), we identified potent inhibitors including 2-({[2-(adamantan-1-yl)ethyl]amino}methyl)phenol exhibiting the highest inhibitory activity (IC50: 0.51μM). This corresponded to a more than 1500-fold increase in inhibitory activity compared to the starting fragment. Co-crystal structures of the hit compounds demonstrate that the binding of N-ethylmethylamine to catalytic residues is similar to that of the starting fragment. We therefore consider crystallographic fragment screening to be appropriate for the identification of weak but promising fragment hits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel bis-(−)-nor-meptazinol derivatives act as dual binding site AChE inhibitors with metal-complexing property

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Zheng, Wei [Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 200032 (China); NPFPC Key Laboratory of Contraceptives and Devices, Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, 2140 Xietu Road, Shanghai 200032 (China); Li, Juan [Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025 (China); Qiu, Zhuibai [Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 200032 (China); Xia, Zheng [Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025 (China); Li, Wei [Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 200032 (China); Yu, Lining; Chen, Hailin; Chen, Jianxing [NPFPC Key Laboratory of Contraceptives and Devices, Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, 2140 Xietu Road, Shanghai 200032 (China); Chen, Yan; Hu, Zhuqin; Zhou, Wei; Shao, Biyun; Cui, Yongyao [Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025 (China); Xie, Qiong, E-mail: xiejoanxq@gmail.com [Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 200032 (China); Chen, Hongzhuan, E-mail: yaoli@shsmu.edu.cn [Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025 (China)

2012-10-01

The strategy of dual binding site acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition along with metal chelation may represent a promising direction for multi-targeted interventions in the pathophysiological processes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, two derivatives (ZLA and ZLB) of a potent dual binding site AChE inhibitor bis-(−)-nor-meptazinol (bis-MEP) were designed and synthesized by introducing metal chelating pharmacophores into the middle chain of bis-MEP. They could inhibit human AChE activity with IC{sub 50} values of 9.63 μM (for ZLA) and 8.64 μM (for ZLB), and prevent AChE-induced amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation with IC{sub 50} values of 49.1 μM (for ZLA) and 55.3 μM (for ZLB). In parallel, molecular docking analysis showed that they are capable of interacting with both the catalytic and peripheral anionic sites of AChE. Furthermore, they exhibited abilities to complex metal ions such as Cu(II) and Zn(II), and inhibit Aβ aggregation triggered by these metals. Collectively, these results suggest that ZLA and ZLB may act as dual binding site AChEIs with metal-chelating potency, and may be potential leads of value for further study on disease-modifying treatment of AD. -- Highlights: ► Two novel bis-(−)-nor-meptazinol derivatives are designed and synthesized. ► ZLA and ZLB may act as dual binding site AChEIs with metal-chelating potency. ► They are potential leads for disease-modifying treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Novel bis-(−)-nor-meptazinol derivatives act as dual binding site AChE inhibitors with metal-complexing property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Wei; Li, Juan; Qiu, Zhuibai; Xia, Zheng; Li, Wei; Yu, Lining; Chen, Hailin; Chen, Jianxing; Chen, Yan; Hu, Zhuqin; Zhou, Wei; Shao, Biyun; Cui, Yongyao; Xie, Qiong; Chen, Hongzhuan

2012-01-01

The strategy of dual binding site acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition along with metal chelation may represent a promising direction for multi-targeted interventions in the pathophysiological processes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, two derivatives (ZLA and ZLB) of a potent dual binding site AChE inhibitor bis-(−)-nor-meptazinol (bis-MEP) were designed and synthesized by introducing metal chelating pharmacophores into the middle chain of bis-MEP. They could inhibit human AChE activity with IC 50 values of 9.63 μM (for ZLA) and 8.64 μM (for ZLB), and prevent AChE-induced amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation with IC 50 values of 49.1 μM (for ZLA) and 55.3 μM (for ZLB). In parallel, molecular docking analysis showed that they are capable of interacting with both the catalytic and peripheral anionic sites of AChE. Furthermore, they exhibited abilities to complex metal ions such as Cu(II) and Zn(II), and inhibit Aβ aggregation triggered by these metals. Collectively, these results suggest that ZLA and ZLB may act as dual binding site AChEIs with metal-chelating potency, and may be potential leads of value for further study on disease-modifying treatment of AD. -- Highlights: ► Two novel bis-(−)-nor-meptazinol derivatives are designed and synthesized. ► ZLA and ZLB may act as dual binding site AChEIs with metal-chelating potency. ► They are potential leads for disease-modifying treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Desleucyl-Oritavancin with a Damaged d-Ala-d-Ala Binding Site Inhibits the Transpeptidation Step of Cell-Wall Biosynthesis in Whole Cells of Staphylococcus aureus.

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Kim, Sung Joon; Singh, Manmilan; Sharif, Shasad; Schaefer, Jacob

2017-03-14

We have used solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance to characterize the exact nature of the dual mode of action of oritavancin in preventing cell-wall assembly in Staphylococcus aureus. Measurements performed on whole cells labeled selectively in vivo have established that des-N-methylleucyl-N-4-(4-fluorophenyl)benzyl-chloroeremomycin, an Edman degradation product of [ 19 F]oritavancin, which has a damaged d-Ala-d-Ala binding aglycon, is a potent inhibitor of the transpeptidase activity of cell-wall biosynthesis. The desleucyl drug binds to partially cross-linked peptidoglycan by a cleft formed between the drug aglycon and its biphenyl hydrophobic side chain. This type of binding site is present in other oritavancin-like glycopeptides, which suggests that for these drugs a similar transpeptidase inhibition occurs.

Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthase for Prostate Cancer

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2012-05-01

compounds. For example, numerous classes of acetyl- cholinesterase inhibitors have been developed, m any with fe mtomolar binding affinities (7). This...AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-09-1-0204 TITLE: Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthase for...CONTRACT NUMBER Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthase for Prostate Cancer 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-09-1-0204 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR

Structure-Based Design and Synthesis of Potent and Selective Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 Inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jun Yong; Fuerst, Rita; Knapinska, Anna M; Taylor, Alexander B; Smith, Lyndsay; Cao, Xiaohang; Hart, P John; Fields, Gregg B; Roush, William R

2017-07-13

We describe the use of comparative structural analysis and structure-guided molecular design to develop potent and selective inhibitors (10d and (S)-17b) of matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13). We applied a three-step process, starting with a comparative analysis of the X-ray crystallographic structure of compound 5 in complex with MMP-13 with published structures of known MMP-13·inhibitor complexes followed by molecular design and synthesis of potent but nonselective zinc-chelating MMP inhibitors (e.g., 10a and 10b). After demonstrating that the pharmacophores of the chelating inhibitors (S)-10a, (R)-10a, and 10b were binding within the MMP-13 active site, the Zn 2+ chelating unit was replaced with nonchelating polar residues that bridged over the Zn 2+ binding site and reached into a solvent accessible area. After two rounds of structural optimization, these design approaches led to small molecule MMP-13 inhibitors 10d and (S)-17b, which bind within the substrate-binding site of MMP-13 and surround the catalytically active Zn 2+ ion without chelating to the metal. These compounds exhibit at least 500-fold selectivity versus other MMPs.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and docking studies of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives as inhibitors of cholinesterases.

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Sarfraz, Muhammad; Sultana, Nargis; Rashid, Umer; Akram, Muhammad Safwan; Sadiq, Abdul; Tariq, Muhammad Ilyas

2017-02-01

In search of potent inhibitors of cholinesterases, we have synthesized and evaluate a number of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives. The synthetic approach provided an efficient synthesis of the target molecules with excellent yield. All the tested compounds showed activity against both the enzymes in micromolar range. In many case, the inhibition of both enzymes are higher than or comparable to the standard drug galatamine. With the selectivity index of 2.3 for AChE, compound 5f can be considered as a potential lead compound with a feature of dual AChE/BChE inhibition with IC 50 =1.6±0.10μM (AChE) and 3.7±0.18μM (BChE). Binding modes of the synthesized compounds were explored by using GOLD (Genetic Optimization for Ligand Docking) suit v5.4.1. The computed binding modes of these compounds in the active site of AChE and BChE provide an insight into the mechanism of inhibition of these two enzyme. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mutation analysis and molecular modeling for the investigation of ligand-binding modes of GPR84.

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Nikaido, Yoshiaki; Koyama, Yuuta; Yoshikawa, Yasushi; Furuya, Toshio; Takeda, Shigeki

2015-05-01

GPR84 is a G protein-coupled receptor for medium-chain fatty acids. Capric acid and 3,3'-diindolylmethane are specific agonists for GPR84. We built a homology model of a GPR84-capric acid complex to investigate the ligand-binding mode using the crystal structure of human active-state β2-adrenergic receptor. We performed site-directed mutagenesis to subject ligand-binding sites to our model using GPR84-Giα fusion proteins and a [(35)S]GTPγS-binding assay. We compared the activity of the wild type and mutated forms of GPR84 by [(35)S]GTPγS binding to capric acid and diindolylmethane. The mutations L100D `Ballesteros-Weinstein numbering: 3.32), F101Y (3.33) and N104Q (3.36) in the transmembrane helix III and N357D (7.39) in the transmembrane helix VII resulted in reduced capric acid activity but maintained the diindolylmethane responses. Y186F (5.46) and Y186H (5.46) mutations had no characteristic effect on capric acid but with diindolylmethane they significantly affected the G protein activation efficiency. The L100D (3.32) mutant responded to decylamine, a fatty amine, instead of a natural agonist, the fatty acid capric acid, suggesting that we have identified a mutated G protein-coupled receptor-artificial ligand pairing. Our molecular model provides an explanation for these results and interactions between GPR84 and capric acid. Further, from the results of a double stimulation assay, we concluded that diindolylmethane was a positive allosteric modulator for GPR84. © The Authors 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.

Potent and specific inhibition of glycosidases by small artificial binding proteins (affitins).

Science.gov (United States)

Correa, Agustín; Pacheco, Sabino; Mechaly, Ariel E; Obal, Gonzalo; Béhar, Ghislaine; Mouratou, Barbara; Oppezzo, Pablo; Alzari, Pedro M; Pecorari, Frédéric

2014-01-01

Glycosidases are associated with various human diseases. The development of efficient and specific inhibitors may provide powerful tools to modulate their activity. However, achieving high selectivity is a major challenge given that glycosidases with different functions can have similar enzymatic mechanisms and active-site architectures. As an alternative approach to small-chemical compounds, proteinaceous inhibitors might provide a better specificity by involving a larger surface area of interaction. We report here the design and characterization of proteinaceous inhibitors that specifically target endoglycosidases representative of the two major mechanistic classes; retaining and inverting glycosidases. These inhibitors consist of artificial affinity proteins, Affitins, selected against the thermophilic CelD from Clostridium thermocellum and lysozyme from hen egg. They were obtained from libraries of Sac7d variants, which involve either the randomization of a surface or the randomization of a surface and an artificially-extended loop. Glycosidase binders exhibited affinities in the nanomolar range with no cross-recognition, with efficient inhibition of lysozyme (Ki = 45 nM) and CelD (Ki = 95 and 111 nM), high expression yields in Escherichia coli, solubility, and thermal stabilities up to 81.1°C. The crystal structures of glycosidase-Affitin complexes validate our library designs. We observed that Affitins prevented substrate access by two modes of binding; covering or penetrating the catalytic site via the extended loop. In addition, Affitins formed salt-bridges with residues essential for enzymatic activity. These results lead us to propose the use of Affitins as versatile selective glycosidase inhibitors and, potentially, as enzymatic inhibitors in general.

Potent and specific inhibition of glycosidases by small artificial binding proteins (affitins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agustín Correa

Full Text Available Glycosidases are associated with various human diseases. The development of efficient and specific inhibitors may provide powerful tools to modulate their activity. However, achieving high selectivity is a major challenge given that glycosidases with different functions can have similar enzymatic mechanisms and active-site architectures. As an alternative approach to small-chemical compounds, proteinaceous inhibitors might provide a better specificity by involving a larger surface area of interaction. We report here the design and characterization of proteinaceous inhibitors that specifically target endoglycosidases representative of the two major mechanistic classes; retaining and inverting glycosidases. These inhibitors consist of artificial affinity proteins, Affitins, selected against the thermophilic CelD from Clostridium thermocellum and lysozyme from hen egg. They were obtained from libraries of Sac7d variants, which involve either the randomization of a surface or the randomization of a surface and an artificially-extended loop. Glycosidase binders exhibited affinities in the nanomolar range with no cross-recognition, with efficient inhibition of lysozyme (Ki = 45 nM and CelD (Ki = 95 and 111 nM, high expression yields in Escherichia coli, solubility, and thermal stabilities up to 81.1°C. The crystal structures of glycosidase-Affitin complexes validate our library designs. We observed that Affitins prevented substrate access by two modes of binding; covering or penetrating the catalytic site via the extended loop. In addition, Affitins formed salt-bridges with residues essential for enzymatic activity. These results lead us to propose the use of Affitins as versatile selective glycosidase inhibitors and, potentially, as enzymatic inhibitors in general.

Mode of bindings of zinc oxide nanoparticles to myoglobin and horseradish peroxidase: A spectroscopic investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Gopa; Bhattacharya, Sudeshna; Ganguly, Tapan

2011-07-01

The interactions between two heme proteins myoglobin (HMb) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are investigated by using UV-vis absorption, steady state fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence, FT-IR, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and circular dichroism (CD) techniques under physiological condition of pH˜7.4. The presence of mainly static mode in fluorescence quenching mechanism of HMb and HRP by ZnO nanoparticle indicates the possibility of formation of ground state complex. The processes of bindings of ZnO nanoparticles with the two proteins are spontaneous molecular interaction procedures. In both cases hydrogen bonding plays a major role. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra reveal that a helicity of the proteins is reduced by increasing ZnO nanoparticle concentration although the α-helical structures of HMb and HRP retain their identity. On binding to the ZnO nanoparticles the secondary structure of HRP molecules (or HMb molecules) remains unchanged while there is a substantial change in the environment of the tyrosin active site in case of HRP molecules and tryptophan active site in case of HMb molecules. Tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied for the investigation the structure of HRP adsorbed in the environment of nanoparticles on the silicon and on the bare silicon. HRP molecules adsorb and aggregate on the mica with ZnO nanoparticle. The aggregation indicates an attractive interaction among the adsorbed molecules. The molecules are randomly distributed on the bare silicon wafer. The adsorption of HRP in the environment of ZnO nanoparticle changes drastically the domains due to a strong interaction between HRP and ZnO nanoparticles. Similar situation is observed in case of HMb molecules. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of biomedical applications of ZnO nanoparticles as well as in elucidating their mechanisms of action as drugs in both human and plant systems.

Combined HQSAR, topomer CoMFA, homology modeling and docking studies on triazole derivatives as SGLT2 inhibitors.

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Yu, Shuling; Yuan, Jintao; Zhang, Yi; Gao, Shufang; Gan, Ying; Han, Meng; Chen, Yuewen; Zhou, Qiaoqiao; Shi, Jiahua

2017-06-01

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) is a promising target for diabetes therapy. We aimed to develop computational approaches to identify structural features for more potential SGLT2 inhibitors. In this work, 46 triazole derivatives as SGLT2 inhibitors were studied using a combination of several approaches, including hologram quantitative structure-activity relationships (HQSAR), topomer comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), homology modeling, and molecular docking. HQSAR and topomer CoMFA were used to construct models. Molecular docking was conducted to investigate the interaction of triazole derivatives and homology modeling of SGLT2, as well as to validate the results of the HQSAR and topomer CoMFA models. The most effective HQSAR and topomer CoMFA models exhibited noncross-validated correlation coefficients of 0.928 and 0.891 for the training set, respectively. External predictions were made successfully on a test set and then compared with previously reported models. The graphical results of HQSAR and topomer CoMFA were proven to be consistent with the binding mode of the inhibitors and SGLT2 from molecular docking. The models and docking provided important insights into the design of potent inhibitors for SGLT2.

Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of Ribose-modified Anilinopyrimidine Derivatives as EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiuqin; Wang, Disha; Tong, Yi; Tong, Linjiang; Wang, Xia; Zhu, Lili; Xie, Hua; Li, Shiliang; Yang, You; Xu, Yufang

2017-11-01

The synthesis of a series of ribose-modified anilinopyrimidine derivatives was efficiently achieved by utilizing DBU or tBuOLi-promoted coupling of ribosyl alcohols with 2,4,5-trichloropyrimidine as key step. Preliminary biological evaluation of this type of compounds as new EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors for combating EGFR L858R/T790M mutant associated with drug resistance in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer revealed that 3-N-acryloyl-5-O-anilinopyrimidine ribose derivative 1a possessed potent and specific inhibitory activity against EGFR L858R/T790M over WT EGFR. Based upon molecular docking studies of the binding mode between compound 1a and EGFR, the distance between the Michael receptor and the pyrimidine scaffold is considered as an important factor for the inhibitory potency and future design of selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors against EGFR L858R/T790M mutants.

Discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of Dvl-CXXC5 interaction by computational approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Songling; Choi, Jiwon; Jin, Xuemei; Kim, Hyun-Yi; Yun, Ji-Hye; Lee, Weontae; Choi, Kang-Yell; No, Kyoung Tai

2018-05-01

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a significant role in the control of osteoblastogenesis and bone formation. CXXC finger protein 5 (CXXC5) has been recently identified as a negative feedback regulator of osteoblast differentiation through a specific interaction with Dishevelled (Dvl) protein. It was reported that targeting the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction could be a novel anabolic therapeutic target for osteoporosis. In this study, complex structure of Dvl PDZ domain and CXXC5 peptide was simulated with molecular dynamics (MD). Based on the structural analysis of binding modes of MD-simulated Dvl PDZ domain with CXXC5 peptide and crystal Dvl PDZ domain with synthetic peptide-ligands, we generated two different pharmacophore models and applied pharmacophore-based virtual screening to discover potent inhibitors of the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction for the anabolic therapy of osteoporosis. Analysis of 16 compounds selected by means of a virtual screening protocol yielded four compounds that effectively disrupted the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction in the fluorescence polarization assay. Potential compounds were validated by fluorescence spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. We successfully identified a highly potent inhibitor, BMD4722, which directly binds to the Dvl PDZ domain and disrupts the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction. Overall, CXXC5-Dvl PDZ domain complex based pharmacophore combined with various traditional and simple computational methods is a promising approach for the development of modulators targeting the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction, and the potent inhibitor BMD4722 could serve as a starting point to discover or design more potent and specific the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction disruptors.

Discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of Dvl-CXXC5 interaction by computational approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Songling; Choi, Jiwon; Jin, Xuemei; Kim, Hyun-Yi; Yun, Ji-Hye; Lee, Weontae; Choi, Kang-Yell; No, Kyoung Tai

2018-04-07

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a significant role in the control of osteoblastogenesis and bone formation. CXXC finger protein 5 (CXXC5) has been recently identified as a negative feedback regulator of osteoblast differentiation through a specific interaction with Dishevelled (Dvl) protein. It was reported that targeting the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction could be a novel anabolic therapeutic target for osteoporosis. In this study, complex structure of Dvl PDZ domain and CXXC5 peptide was simulated with molecular dynamics (MD). Based on the structural analysis of binding modes of MD-simulated Dvl PDZ domain with CXXC5 peptide and crystal Dvl PDZ domain with synthetic peptide-ligands, we generated two different pharmacophore models and applied pharmacophore-based virtual screening to discover potent inhibitors of the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction for the anabolic therapy of osteoporosis. Analysis of 16 compounds selected by means of a virtual screening protocol yielded four compounds that effectively disrupted the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction in the fluorescence polarization assay. Potential compounds were validated by fluorescence spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. We successfully identified a highly potent inhibitor, BMD4722, which directly binds to the Dvl PDZ domain and disrupts the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction. Overall, CXXC5-Dvl PDZ domain complex based pharmacophore combined with various traditional and simple computational methods is a promising approach for the development of modulators targeting the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction, and the potent inhibitor BMD4722 could serve as a starting point to discover or design more potent and specific the Dvl-CXXC5 interaction disruptors.

A unique bivalent binding and inhibition mechanism by the yatapoxvirus interleukin 18 binding protein.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Krumm

Full Text Available Interleukin 18 (IL18 is a cytokine that plays an important role in inflammation as well as host defense against microbes. Mammals encode a soluble inhibitor of IL18 termed IL18 binding protein (IL18BP that modulates IL18 activity through a negative feedback mechanism. Many poxviruses encode homologous IL18BPs, which contribute to virulence. Previous structural and functional studies on IL18 and IL18BPs revealed an essential binding hot spot involving a lysine on IL18 and two aromatic residues on IL18BPs. The aromatic residues are conserved among the very diverse mammalian and poxviruses IL18BPs with the notable exception of yatapoxvirus IL18BPs, which lack a critical phenylalanine residue. To understand the mechanism by which yatapoxvirus IL18BPs neutralize IL18, we solved the crystal structure of the Yaba-Like Disease Virus (YLDV IL18BP and IL18 complex at 1.75 Å resolution. YLDV-IL18BP forms a disulfide bonded homo-dimer engaging IL18 in a 2∶2 stoichiometry, in contrast to the 1∶1 complex of ectromelia virus (ECTV IL18BP and IL18. Disruption of the dimer interface resulted in a functional monomer, however with a 3-fold decrease in binding affinity. The overall architecture of the YLDV-IL18BP:IL18 complex is similar to that observed in the ECTV-IL18BP:IL18 complex, despite lacking the critical lysine-phenylalanine interaction. Through structural and mutagenesis studies, contact residues that are unique to the YLDV-IL18BP:IL18 binding interface were identified, including Q67, P116 of YLDV-IL18BP and Y1, S105 and D110 of IL18. Overall, our studies show that YLDV-IL18BP is unique among the diverse family of mammalian and poxvirus IL-18BPs in that it uses a bivalent binding mode and a unique set of interacting residues for binding IL18. However, despite this extensive divergence, YLDV-IL18BP binds to the same surface of IL18 used by other IL18BPs, suggesting that all IL18BPs use a conserved inhibitory mechanism by blocking a putative receptor-binding

A unique binding mode enables MCM2 to chaperone histones H3-H4 at replication forks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Hongda; Strømme, Caroline B; Saredi, Giulia

2015-01-01

During DNA replication, chromatin is reassembled by recycling of modified old histones and deposition of new ones. How histone dynamics integrates with DNA replication to maintain genome and epigenome information remains unclear. Here, we reveal how human MCM2, part of the replicative helicase......, chaperones histones H3-H4. Our first structure shows an H3-H4 tetramer bound by two MCM2 histone-binding domains (HBDs), which hijack interaction sites used by nucleosomal DNA. Our second structure reveals MCM2 and ASF1 cochaperoning an H3-H4 dimer. Mutational analyses show that the MCM2 HBD is required...... for MCM2-7 histone-chaperone function and normal cell proliferation. Further, we show that MCM2 can chaperone both new and old canonical histones H3-H4 as well as H3.3 and CENPA variants. The unique histone-binding mode of MCM2 thus endows the replicative helicase with ideal properties for recycling...

A unique binding mode enables MCM2 to chaperone histones H3-H4 at replication forks.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hongda; Strømme, Caroline B; Saredi, Giulia; Hödl, Martina; Strandsby, Anne; González-Aguilera, Cristina; Chen, Shoudeng; Groth, Anja; Patel, Dinshaw J

2015-08-01

During DNA replication, chromatin is reassembled by recycling of modified old histones and deposition of new ones. How histone dynamics integrates with DNA replication to maintain genome and epigenome information remains unclear. Here, we reveal how human MCM2, part of the replicative helicase, chaperones histones H3-H4. Our first structure shows an H3-H4 tetramer bound by two MCM2 histone-binding domains (HBDs), which hijack interaction sites used by nucleosomal DNA. Our second structure reveals MCM2 and ASF1 cochaperoning an H3-H4 dimer. Mutational analyses show that the MCM2 HBD is required for MCM2-7 histone-chaperone function and normal cell proliferation. Further, we show that MCM2 can chaperone both new and old canonical histones H3-H4 as well as H3.3 and CENPA variants. The unique histone-binding mode of MCM2 thus endows the replicative helicase with ideal properties for recycling histones genome wide during DNA replication.

Discovery and SAR of hydantoin TACE inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Wensheng; Guo, Zhuyan; Orth, Peter; Madison, Vincent; Chen, Lei; Dai, Chaoyang; Feltz, Robert J.; Girijavallabhan, Vinay M.; Kim, Seong Heon; Kozlowski, Joseph A.; Lavey, Brian J.; Li, Dansu; Lundell, Daniel; Niu, Xiaoda; Piwinski, John J.; Popovici-Muller, Janeta; Rizvi, Razia; Rosner, Kristin E.; Shankar, Bandarpalle B.; Shih, Neng-Yang; Siddiqui, M.A.; Sun, J.; Tong, L.; Umland, S.; Wong, M.K.; Yang, D.Y.; Zhou, G. (Merck)

2010-09-03

We disclose inhibitors of TNF-{alpha} converting enzyme (TACE) designed around a hydantoin zinc binding moiety. Crystal structures of inhibitors bound to TACE revealed monodentate coordination of the hydantoin to the zinc. SAR, X-ray, and modeling designs are described. To our knowledge, these are the first reported X-ray structures of TACE with a hydantoin zinc ligand.

Discovery of novel selenium derivatives as Pin1 inhibitors by high-throughput screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subedi, Amit; Shimizu, Takeshi; Ryo, Akihide; Sanada, Emiko; Watanabe, Nobumoto; Osada, Hiroyuki

2016-01-01

Peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerization by Pin1 regulates various oncogenic signals during cancer progression, and its inhibition through multiple approaches has established Pin1 as a therapeutic target. However, lack of simplified screening systems has limited the discovery of potent Pin1 inhibitors. We utilized phosphorylation-dependent binding of Pin1 to its specific substrate to develop a screening system for Pin1 inhibitors. Using this system, we screened a chemical library, and identified a novel selenium derivative as Pin1 inhibitor. Based on structure-activity guided chemical synthesis, we developed more potent Pin1 inhibitors that inhibited cancer cell proliferation. -- Highlights: •Novel screening for Pin1 inhibitors based on Pin1 binding is developed. •A novel selenium compound is discovered as Pin1 inhibitor. •Activity guided chemical synthesis of selenium derivatives resulted potent Pin1 inhibitors.

Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthase for Prostate Cancer. Revision

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

acetyl- cholinesterase inhibitors have been developed, many with femtomolar binding affinities (7). This body of literature also confirms that the...AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-09-1-0204 TITLE: Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthase for...May 2013 2. REPORT TYPE Revised Final 3. DATES COVERED 01 May 2009-30 Apr 2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthase for

Fragment Linking and Optimization of Inhibitors of the Aspartic Protease Endothiapepsin: Fragment‐Based Drug Design Facilitated by Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Milon; Radeva, Nedyalka; Fanlo‐Virgós, Hugo; Otto, Sijbren; Klebe, Gerhard

2016-01-01

Abstract Fragment‐based drug design (FBDD) affords active compounds for biological targets. While there are numerous reports on FBDD by fragment growing/optimization, fragment linking has rarely been reported. Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) has become a powerful hit‐identification strategy for biological targets. We report the synergistic combination of fragment linking and DCC to identify inhibitors of the aspartic protease endothiapepsin. Based on X‐ray crystal structures of endothiapepsin in complex with fragments, we designed a library of bis‐acylhydrazones and used DCC to identify potent inhibitors. The most potent inhibitor exhibits an IC50 value of 54 nm, which represents a 240‐fold improvement in potency compared to the parent hits. Subsequent X‐ray crystallography validated the predicted binding mode, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the combination of fragment linking and DCC as a hit‐identification strategy. This approach could be applied to a range of biological targets, and holds the potential to facilitate hit‐to‐lead optimization. PMID:27400756

A noncovalent class of papain-like protease/deubiquitinase inhibitors blocks SARS virus replication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratia, Kiira; Pegan, Scott; Takayama, Jun; Sleeman, Katrina; Coughlin, Melissa; Baliji, Surendranath; Chaudhuri, Rima; Fu, Wentao; Prabhakar, Bellur S.; Johnson, Michael E.; Baker, Susan C.; Ghosh, Arun K.; Mesecar, Andrew D. (Loyola); (Purdue); (UIC)

2008-10-27

We report the discovery and optimization of a potent inhibitor against the papain-like protease (PLpro) from the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). This unique protease is not only responsible for processing the viral polyprotein into its functional units but is also capable of cleaving ubiquitin and ISG15 conjugates and plays a significant role in helping SARS-CoV evade the human immune system. We screened a structurally diverse library of 50,080 compounds for inhibitors of PLpro and discovered a noncovalent lead inhibitor with an IC{sub 50} value of 20 {mu}M, which was improved to 600 nM via synthetic optimization. The resulting compound, GRL0617, inhibited SARS-CoV viral replication in Vero E6 cells with an EC{sub 50} of 15 {mu}M and had no associated cytotoxicity. The X-ray structure of PLpro in complex with GRL0617 indicates that the compound has a unique mode of inhibition whereby it binds within the S4-S3 subsites of the enzyme and induces a loop closure that shuts down catalysis at the active site. These findings provide proof-of-principle that PLpro is a viable target for development of antivirals directed against SARS-CoV, and that potent noncovalent cysteine protease inhibitors can be developed with specificity directed toward pathogenic deubiquitinating enzymes without inhibiting host DUBs.

Structure of calmodulin complexed with an olfactory CNG channel fragment and role of the central linker: Residual dipolar couplings to evaluate calmodulin binding modes outside the kinase family

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Contessa, Gian Marco; Orsale, Maria; Melino, Sonia; Torre, Vincent; Paci, Maurizio; Desideri, Alessandro; Cicero, Daniel O.

2005-01-01

The NMR high-resolution structure of calmodulin complexed with a fragment of the olfactory cyclic-nucleotide gated channel is described. This structure shows features that are unique for this complex, including an active role of the linker connecting the N- and C-lobes of calmodulin upon binding of the peptide. Such linker is not only involved in the formation of an hydrophobic pocket to accommodate a bulky peptide residue, but it also provides a positively charged region complementary to a negative charge of the target. This complex of calmodulin with a target not belonging to the kinase family was used to test the residual dipolar coupling (RDC) approach for the determination of calmodulin binding modes to peptides. Although the complex here characterized belongs to the (1--14) family, high Q values were obtained with all the 1:1 complexes for which crystalline structures are available. Reduction of the RDC data set used for the correlation analysis to structured regions of the complex allowed a clear identification of the binding mode. Excluded regions comprise calcium binding loops and loops connecting the EF-hand motifs

Cytotoxic protein from the mushroom Coprinus comatus possesses a unique mode for glycan binding and specificity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Peilan; Li, Kunhua; Yang, Guang; Xia, Changqing; Polston, Jane E; Li, Gengnan; Li, Shiwu; Lin, Zhao; Yang, Li-Jun; Bruner, Steven D; Ding, Yousong

2017-08-22

Glycans possess significant chemical diversity; glycan binding proteins (GBPs) recognize specific glycans to translate their structures to functions in various physiological and pathological processes. Therefore, the discovery and characterization of novel GBPs and characterization of glycan-GBP interactions are significant to provide potential targets for therapeutic intervention of many diseases. Here, we report the biochemical, functional, and structural characterization of a 130-amino-acid protein, Y3, from the mushroom Coprinus comatus Biochemical studies of recombinant Y3 from a yeast expression system demonstrated the protein is a unique GBP. Additionally, we show that Y3 exhibits selective and potent cytotoxicity toward human T-cell leukemia Jurkat cells compared with a panel of cancer cell lines via inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis. Screening of a glycan array demonstrated GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc (LDNF) as a specific Y3-binding ligand. To provide a structural basis for function, the crystal structure was solved to a resolution of 1.2 Å, revealing a single-domain αβα-sandwich motif. Two monomers were dimerized to form a large 10-stranded, antiparallel β-sheet flanked by α-helices on each side, representing a unique oligomerization mode among GBPs. A large glycan binding pocket extends into the dimeric interface, and docking of LDNF identified key residues for glycan interactions. Disruption of residues predicted to be involved in LDNF/Y3 interactions resulted in the significant loss of binding to Jurkat T-cells and severely impaired their cytotoxicity. Collectively, these results demonstrate Y3 to be a GBP with selective cytotoxicity toward human T-cell leukemia cells and indicate its potential use in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Binding of 45Ca2+ to particulate fractions of coleoptile tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesper, M.J.; Saftner, R.A.; Sharma, D.; Evans, M.L.

1976-01-01

Using recently developed techniques, we have investigated the binding of 45 Ca 2+ to membrane preparations from corn (Zea mays L) and oat (Avena sativa L) colcoptile tissue. Scatchard plot analysis reveals at least two Ca 2+ binding sites in each tissue, a high affinity binding site (Ksub(m)=7.7 x 10 -7 M, n=6.9 x 10 -10 mol . 0.5g f.w. -1 in corn, Ksub(m)=4.93 x 10 -6 M, n=2.29 x 10 -9 mol . 0.5g f.w. -1 in Avena) and a low affinity binding site (Ksub(m)=9.01 x 10 -5 M, n=5.4 x 10 -8 mol . 0.5g f.w. -1 in corn; Ksub(m)=1.03 x 10 -4 M, n=3.40 x 10 -8 mol . 0.5g f.w. -1 in Avena). There is also some evidence of a third, lower affinity binding site in each tissue, especially corn. More detailed studies with corn coleoptile homogenates show that they contain a potent dialyzable inhibitor of Ca 2+ binding. Monovalent cations were observed to be ineffective as inhibitors of Ca 2+ binding in corn. However, of six divalent cations tested, all were capable of strong inhibition of Ca 2+ binding and there appeared to be a relationship between size of the atomic radius of the ion and potency as an inhibitor of calcium binding. (orig.) [de

Structure prediction and binding sites analysis of curcin protein of Jatropha curcas using computational approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Mugdha; Gupta, Shishir K; Abhilash, P C; Singh, Nandita

2012-07-01

Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) are defense proteins in a number of higher-plant species that are directly targeted toward herbivores. Jatropha curcas is one of the biodiesel plants having RIPs. The Jatropha seed meal, after extraction of oil, is rich in curcin, a highly toxic RIP similar to ricin, which makes it unsuitable for animal feed. Although the toxicity of curcin is well documented in the literature, the detailed toxic properties and the 3D structure of curcin has not been determined by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy or any in silico techniques to date. In this pursuit, the structure of curcin was modeled by a composite approach of 3D structure prediction using threading and ab initio modeling. Assessment of model quality was assessed by methods which include Ramachandran plot analysis and Qmean score estimation. Further, we applied the protein-ligand docking approach to identify the r-RNA binding residue of curcin. The present work provides the first structural insight into the binding mode of r-RNA adenine to the curcin protein and forms the basis for designing future inhibitors of curcin. Cloning of a future peptide inhibitor within J. curcas can produce non-toxic varieties of J. curcas, which would make the seed-cake suitable as animal feed without curcin detoxification.

Biochemical characterization of an inhibitor of Escherichia coli UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine ligase.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehmann, David E; Demeritt, Julie E; Hull, Kenneth G; Fisher, Stewart L

2004-05-06

UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine ligase (MurC) is an essential bacterial enzyme involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis and a target for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. As a result of a high-throughput screen (HTS) against a chemical library for inhibitors of MurC, a series of benzofuran acyl-sulfonamides was identified as potential leads. One of these compounds, Compound A, inhibited Escherichia coli MurC with an IC(50) of 2.3 microM. Compound A exhibited time-dependent, partially reversible inhibition of E. coli MurC. Kinetic studies revealed a mode of inhibition consistent with the compound acting competitively with the MurC substrates ATP and UDP-N-acetyl-muramic acid (UNAM) with a K(i) of 4.5 microM against ATP and 6.3 microM against UNAM. Fluorescence binding experiments yielded a K(d) of 3.1 microM for the compound binding to MurC. Compound A also exhibited high-affinity binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as evidenced by a severe reduction in MurC inhibition upon addition of BSA. This finding is consistent with the high lipophilicity of the compound. Advancement of this compound series for further drug development will require reduction of albumin binding.

[Syk inhibitors].

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Yukihiro; Chihara, Kazuyasu; Takeuchi, Kenji; Sada, Kiyonao

2013-07-01

Non-receptor type of protein-tyrosine kinase Syk (spleen tyrosine kinase) was isolated in the University of Fukui in 1991. Syk is known to be essential for the various physiological functions, especially in hematopoietic lineage cells. Moreover, ectopic expression of Syk by epigenetic changes is reported to cause retinoblastoma. Recently, novel Syk inhibitors were developed and its usefulness has been evaluated in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. In this review, we will summarize the history, structure, and function of Syk, and then describe the novel Syk inhibitors and their current status. Furthermore, we will introduce our findings of the adaptor protein 3BP2 (c-Abl SH3 domain-binding protein-2), as a novel target of Syk.

Novel tetra-peptide insertion in Gag-p6 ALIX-binding motif in HIV-1 subtype C associated with protease inhibitor failure

Science.gov (United States)

Neogi, Ujjwal; RAO, Shwetha D; BONTELL, Irene; VERHEYEN, Jens; RAO, Vasudev R; GORE, Sagar C; SONI, Neelesh; SHET, Anita; SCHÜLTER, Eugen; EKSTRAND, Maria L.; WONDWOSSEN, Amogne; KAISER, Rolf; MADHUSUDHAN, Mallur S.; PRASAD, Vinayaka R; SONNERBORG, Anders

2014-01-01

A novel tetra-peptide insertion was identified in Gag-p6 ALIX-binding region which is appears in protease inhibitor (PI) failure Indian HIV-1C sequences (Odds Ratio 17.1, p<0.001) but naturally present in half of untreated Ethiopian sequences. The insertion will probably restore the ALIX mediated virus release pathway, which is lacking in HIV-1C. The clinical importance of such insertion need to be evaluated in HIV-1C dominating regions were PI-drugs are being scaled up as second line treatment options. PMID:25102091

Discovering Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeted to Ligand-Stimulated RAGE-DIAPH1 Signaling Transduction

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jinhong

identified as competitive inhibitors of ctRAGE interaction with DIAPH1. These compounds, which exhibit in vitro and in vivo inhibition of RAGE-dependent molecular processes, present attractive molecular scaffolds for the development of therapeutics against RAGE-induced diseases, and provide support for the feasibility of inhibition of protein-protein interaction (PPI). Among those 13 compounds, compounds 3, 4 and 11 with novel druggable structural features, strongly bound to ctRAGE with Kd values reaching to 18, 2 and 2 nM, respectively. There were 28 quinoline acetamide analogues of compound 11, and 20 carbazole/benzimidazole/indole 1,3-diamino-2-propanol analogues of compounds 3 and 4 were selected for SAR study by 15N-HSQC NMR. Native tryptophan fluorescence titration studies quantified the binding affinity and confirmed that tryptophan is involved in this interaction. The binding affinity tests found 19 compounds binding to ctRAGE with nanomolar binding affinities. They would be developed into lead compounds for in vitro and in vivo studies. The site directed mutagenesis was adopted to verify the interaction mode, in which the amino acid residues at the binding sites (Q3 and Q6) were knocked out individually and replaced with one alanine, resulting in weaker binding to the selective small molecule inhibitors across these knock-out sites. Therefore, it is confirmed that the amino acid residues of ctRAGE, Q3, and Q6, were involved in binding with R24, R102, R108, R 166, R167 and R208. Mutation modeling verified the established binding models for ctRAGE-R25 and ctRAGE-compound 3. Mapping the binding sites by NMR and CYANA calculation which established three-dimensional structure models of the ctRAGE-compound 3 complex and the ctRAGE-R25 complex, found the interactions between ctRAGE and compound 3 take place at W2, Q3 and Q6, while the interactions between ctRAGE and R25 take place W2, Q3, Q6 and E11. Their binding sites overlap the binding sites of ctRAGE-DIAPH1, which

Phenyl- and benzylurea cytokinins as competitive inhibitors of cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase: a structural study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopecný, David; Briozzo, Pierre; Popelková, Hana; Sebela, Marek; Koncitíková, Radka; Spíchal, Lukás; Nisler, Jaroslav; Madzak, Catherine; Frébort, Ivo; Laloue, Michel; Houba-Hérin, Nicole

2010-08-01

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKO) is a flavoenzyme, which irreversibly degrades the plant hormones cytokinins and thereby participates in their homeostasis. Several synthetic cytokinins including urea derivatives are known CKO inhibitors but structural data explaining enzyme-inhibitor interactions are lacking. Thus, an inhibitory study with numerous urea derivatives was undertaken using the maize enzyme (ZmCKO1) and the crystal structure of ZmCKO1 in a complex with N-(2-chloro-pyridin-4-yl)-N'-phenylurea (CPPU) was solved. CPPU binds in a planar conformation and competes for the same binding site with natural substrates like N(6)-(2-isopentenyl)adenine (iP) and zeatin (Z). Nitrogens at the urea backbone are hydrogen bonded to the putative active site base Asp169. Subsequently, site-directed mutagenesis of L492 and E381 residues involved in the inhibitor binding was performed. The crystal structures of L492A mutant in a complex with CPPU and N-(2-chloro-pyridin-4-yl)-N'-benzylurea (CPBU) were solved and confirm the importance of a stacking interaction between the 2-chloro-4-pyridinyl ring of the inhibitor and the isoalloxazine ring of the FAD cofactor. Amino derivatives like N-(2-amino-pyridin-4-yl)-N'-phenylurea (APPU) inhibited ZmCKO1 more efficiently than CPPU, as opposed to the inhibition of E381A/S mutants, emphasizing the importance of this residue for inhibitor binding. As highly specific CKO inhibitors without undesired side effects are of major interest for physiological studies, all studied compounds were further analyzed for cytokinin activity in the Amaranthus bioassay and for binding to the Arabidopsis cytokinin receptors AHK3 and AHK4. By contrast to CPPU itself, APPU and several benzylureas bind only negligibly to the receptors and exhibit weak cytokinin activity. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A structure-activity relationship study on a natural germination inhibitor, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (MVP), in wheat seeds to evaluate its mode of action.

Science.gov (United States)

Darabi, Hossein Reza; Mohandessi, Shabnam; Balavar, Yadollah; Aghapoor, Kioumars

2007-01-01

The first aim of the present study was to evaluate which structural elements of the 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (MVP) molecule (1) are responsible for its observed activity as germination inhibitor in wheat seeds. To find its mode of action, a series of compounds with varying functional moieties and substitution patterns were prepared and evaluated for their inhibitory activity. This systematic competitive inhibition study characterized two criteria for the effective increase of the inhibiting ability: (i) ortho substitution to each of the hydroxy and methoxy groups; (ii) alkene moiety on the ring. Understanding how the structure of natural compounds relates to their inhibition function is fundamentally important and may help to facilitate their application as novel inhibitors to restrain preharvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat fields. In this regard, in MVP and its natural analogues 8 and 9 as the most active inhibitors, the ortho substitution of hydroxy and methoxy groups plays a key role in their activity and, as well, the alkene moiety influences the activity significantly.

Insights on Structural Characteristics and Ligand Binding Mechanisms of CDK2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Li

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2 is a crucial regulator of the eukaryotic cell cycle. However it is well established that monomeric CDK2 lacks regulatory activity, which needs to be aroused by its positive regulators, cyclins E and A, or be phosphorylated on the catalytic segment. Interestingly, these activation steps bring some dynamic changes on the 3D-structure of the kinase, especially the activation segment. Until now, in the monomeric CDK2 structure, three binding sites have been reported, including the adenosine triphosphate (ATP binding site (Site I and two non-competitive binding sites (Site II and III. In addition, when the kinase is subjected to the cyclin binding process, the resulting structural changes give rise to a variation of the ATP binding site, thus generating an allosteric binding site (Site IV. All the four sites are demonstrated as being targeted by corresponding inhibitors, as is illustrated by the allosteric binding one which is targeted by inhibitor ANS (fluorophore 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate. In the present work, the binding mechanisms and their fluctuations during the activation process attract our attention. Therefore, we carry out corresponding studies on the structural characterization of CDK2, which are expected to facilitate the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of kinase proteins. Besides, the binding mechanisms of CDK2 with its relevant inhibitors, as well as the changes of binding mechanisms following conformational variations of CDK2, are summarized and compared. The summary of the conformational characteristics and ligand binding mechanisms of CDK2 in the present work will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the bioactivities of CDK2.

Search for β2 adrenergic receptor ligands by virtual screening via grid computing and investigation of binding modes by docking and molecular dynamics simulations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qifeng Bai

Full Text Available We designed a program called MolGridCal that can be used to screen small molecule database in grid computing on basis of JPPF grid environment. Based on MolGridCal program, we proposed an integrated strategy for virtual screening and binding mode investigation by combining molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD simulations and free energy calculations. To test the effectiveness of MolGridCal, we screened potential ligands for β2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR from a database containing 50,000 small molecules. MolGridCal can not only send tasks to the grid server automatically, but also can distribute tasks using the screensaver function. As for the results of virtual screening, the known agonist BI-167107 of β2AR is ranked among the top 2% of the screened candidates, indicating MolGridCal program can give reasonable results. To further study the binding mode and refine the results of MolGridCal, more accurate docking and scoring methods are used to estimate the binding affinity for the top three molecules (agonist BI-167107, neutral antagonist alprenolol and inverse agonist ICI 118,551. The results indicate agonist BI-167107 has the best binding affinity. MD simulation and free energy calculation are employed to investigate the dynamic interaction mechanism between the ligands and β2AR. The results show that the agonist BI-167107 also has the lowest binding free energy. This study can provide a new way to perform virtual screening effectively through integrating molecular docking based on grid computing, MD simulations and free energy calculations. The source codes of MolGridCal are freely available at http://molgridcal.codeplex.com.

Thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of hydroxyethylamine β-secretase-1 inhibitors

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Mondal, Kalyani; Regnstrom, Karin; Morishige, Winse; Barbour, Robin; Probst, Gary; Xu, Ying-Zi; Artis, Dean R.; Yao, Nanhua; Beroza, Paul; Bova, Michael P., E-mail: mpbova2001@yahoo.com

2013-11-15

Highlights: •Kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of 10 hydroxyethylamine BACE-1 inhibitors. •Equilibrium binding of inhibitors was enthalpy driven for BACE-1. •Negative entropy of binding was observed towards BACE-1, but not Cathepsin-D. •Structural analysis demonstrates ligand binding induces a major conformational change. •Structural analysis and SPR analysis corroborate induced fit and negative entropy of binding. -- Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of people. β-Secretase-1 (BACE-1), an enzyme involved in the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to form Aβ, is a well validated target for AD. Herein, the authors characterize 10 randomly selected hydroxyethylamine (HEA) BACE-1 inhibitors in terms of their association and dissociation rate constants and thermodynamics of binding using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Rate constants of association (k{sub a}) measured at 25 °C ranged from a low of 2.42 × 10{sup 4} M{sup −1} s{sup −1} to the highest value of 8.3 × 10{sup 5} M{sup −1} s{sup −1}. Rate constants of dissociation (k{sub d}) ranged from 1.09 × 10{sup −4} s{sup −1} (corresponding to a residence time of close to three hours), to the fastest of 0.028 s{sup −1}. Three compounds were selected for further thermodynamic analysis where it was shown that equilibrium binding was enthalpy driven while unfavorable entropy of binding was observed. Structural analysis revealed that upon ligand binding, the BACE-1flap folds down over the bound ligand causing an induced fit. The maximal difference between alpha carbon positions in the open and closed conformations of the flap was over 5 Å. Thus the negative entropy of binding determined using SPR analysis was consistent with an induced fit observed by structural analysis.

Identification of N-phenyl-N'-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-4-yl)-oxalamides as a new class of HIV-1 entry inhibitors that prevent gp120 binding to CD4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Qian; Ma Liying; Jiang Shibo; Lu Hong; Liu Shuwen; He Yuxian; Strick, Nathan; Neamati, Nouri; Debnath, Asim Kumar

2005-01-01

We have identified two N-phenyl-N'-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-4-yl)-oxalamide analogs as a novel class of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry inhibitors that block the gp120-CD4 interaction, using database screening techniques. The lead compounds, NBD-556 and NBD-557, are small molecule organic compounds with drug-like properties. These compounds showed potent cell fusion and virus-cell fusion inhibitory activity at low micromolar levels. A systematic study showed that these compounds target viral entry by inhibiting the binding of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 to the cellular receptor CD4 but did not inhibit reverse transcriptase, integrase, or protease, indicating that they do not target the later stages of the HIV-1 life cycle to inhibit HIV-1 infection. These compounds were equally potent inhibitors of both X4 and R5 viruses tested in CXCR4 and CCR5 expressing cell lines, respectively, indicating that their anti-HIV-1 activity is not dependent on the coreceptor tropism of the virus. A surface plasmon resonance study, which measures binding affinity, clearly demonstrated that these compounds bind to unliganded HIV-1 gp120 but not to the cellular receptor CD4. NBD-556 and NBD-557 were active against HIV-1 laboratory-adapted strains including an AZT-resistant strain and HIV-1 primary isolates, indicating that these compounds can potentially be further modified to become potent HIV-1 entry inhibitors

Cytotoxic protein from the mushroom Coprinus comatus possesses a unique mode for glycan binding and specificity

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Zhang, Peilan; Yang, Guang; Xia, Changqing; Polston, Jane E.; Li, Gengnan; Li, Shiwu; Lin, Zhao; Yang, Li-jun; Bruner, Steven D.

2017-01-01

Glycans possess significant chemical diversity; glycan binding proteins (GBPs) recognize specific glycans to translate their structures to functions in various physiological and pathological processes. Therefore, the discovery and characterization of novel GBPs and characterization of glycan–GBP interactions are significant to provide potential targets for therapeutic intervention of many diseases. Here, we report the biochemical, functional, and structural characterization of a 130-amino-acid protein, Y3, from the mushroom Coprinus comatus. Biochemical studies of recombinant Y3 from a yeast expression system demonstrated the protein is a unique GBP. Additionally, we show that Y3 exhibits selective and potent cytotoxicity toward human T-cell leukemia Jurkat cells compared with a panel of cancer cell lines via inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis. Screening of a glycan array demonstrated GalNAcβ1–4(Fucα1–3)GlcNAc (LDNF) as a specific Y3-binding ligand. To provide a structural basis for function, the crystal structure was solved to a resolution of 1.2 Å, revealing a single-domain αβα-sandwich motif. Two monomers were dimerized to form a large 10-stranded, antiparallel β-sheet flanked by α-helices on each side, representing a unique oligomerization mode among GBPs. A large glycan binding pocket extends into the dimeric interface, and docking of LDNF identified key residues for glycan interactions. Disruption of residues predicted to be involved in LDNF/Y3 interactions resulted in the significant loss of binding to Jurkat T-cells and severely impaired their cytotoxicity. Collectively, these results demonstrate Y3 to be a GBP with selective cytotoxicity toward human T-cell leukemia cells and indicate its potential use in cancer diagnosis and treatment. PMID:28784797

New binding site conformations of the dengue virus NS3 protease accessed by molecular dynamics simulation.

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Hugo de Almeida

Full Text Available Dengue fever is caused by four distinct serotypes of the dengue virus (DENV1-4, and is estimated to affect over 500 million people every year. Presently, there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments for this disease. Among the possible targets to fight dengue fever is the viral NS3 protease (NS3PRO, which is in part responsible for viral processing and replication. It is now widely recognized that virtual screening campaigns should consider the flexibility of target protein by using multiple active conformational states. The flexibility of the DENV NS3PRO could explain the relatively low success of previous virtual screening studies. In this first work, we explore the DENV NS3PRO conformational states obtained from molecular dynamics (MD simulations to take into account protease flexibility during the virtual screening/docking process. To do so, we built a full NS3PRO model by multiple template homology modeling. The model comprised the NS2B cofactor (essential to the NS3PRO activation, a glycine flexible link and the proteolytic domain. MD simulations had the purpose to sample, as closely as possible, the ligand binding site conformational landscape prior to inhibitor binding. The obtained conformational MD sample was clustered into four families that, together with principal component analysis of the trajectory, demonstrated protein flexibility. These results allowed the description of multiple binding modes for the Bz-Nle-Lys-Arg-Arg-H inhibitor, as verified by binding plots and pair interaction analysis. This study allowed us to tackle protein flexibility in our virtual screening campaign against the dengue virus NS3 protease.

Interaction of amyloid inhibitor proteins with amyloid beta peptides: insight from molecular dynamics simulations.

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Payel Das

Full Text Available Knowledge of the detailed mechanism by which proteins such as human αB- crystallin and human lysozyme inhibit amyloid beta (Aβ peptide aggregation is crucial for designing treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Thus, unconstrained, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent have been performed to characterize the Aβ17-42 assembly in presence of the αB-crystallin core domain and of lysozyme. Simulations reveal that both inhibitor proteins compete with inter-peptide interaction by binding to the peptides during the early stage of aggregation, which is consistent with their inhibitory action reported in experiments. However, the Aβ binding dynamics appear different for each inhibitor. The binding between crystallin and the peptide monomer, dominated by electrostatics, is relatively weak and transient due to the heterogeneous amino acid distribution of the inhibitor surface. The crystallin-bound Aβ oligomers are relatively long-lived, as they form more extensive contact surface with the inhibitor protein. In contrast, a high local density of arginines from lysozyme allows strong binding with Aβ peptide monomers, resulting in stable complexes. Our findings not only illustrate, in atomic detail, how the amyloid inhibitory mechanism of human αB-crystallin, a natural chaperone, is different from that of human lysozyme, but also may aid de novo design of amyloid inhibitors.

Probing ligand binding modes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MurC ligase by molecular modeling, dynamics simulation and docking.

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Anuradha, C M; Mulakayala, Chaitanya; Babajan, Banaganapalli; Naveen, M; Rajasekhar, Chikati; Kumar, Chitta Suresh

2010-01-01

Multi drug resistance capacity for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-Mtb) demands the profound need for developing new anti-tuberculosis drugs. The present work is on Mtb-MurC ligase, which is an enzyme involved in biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, a component of Mtb cell wall. In this paper the 3-D structure of Mtb-MurC has been constructed using the templates 1GQQ and 1P31. Structural refinement and energy minimization of the predicted Mtb-MurC ligase model has been carried out by molecular dynamics. The streochemical check failures in the energy minimized model have been evaluated through Procheck, Whatif ProSA, and Verify 3D. Further torsion angles for the side chains of amino acid residues of the developed model were determined using Predictor. Docking analysis of Mtb-MurC model with ligands and natural substrates enabled us to identify specific residues viz. Gly125, Lys126, Arg331, and Arg332, within the Mtb-MurC binding pocket to play an important role in ligand and substrate binding affinity and selectivity. The availability of Mtb-MurC ligase built model, together with insights gained from docking analysis will promote the rational design of potent and selective Mtb-MurC ligase inhibitors as antituberculosis therapeutics.

A human transcription factor in search mode.

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Hauser, Kevin; Essuman, Bernard; He, Yiqing; Coutsias, Evangelos; Garcia-Diaz, Miguel; Simmerling, Carlos

2016-01-08

Transcription factors (TF) can change shape to bind and recognize DNA, shifting the energy landscape from a weak binding, rapid search mode to a higher affinity recognition mode. However, the mechanism(s) driving this conformational change remains unresolved and in most cases high-resolution structures of the non-specific complexes are unavailable. Here, we investigate the conformational switch of the human mitochondrial transcription termination factor MTERF1, which has a modular, superhelical topology complementary to DNA. Our goal was to characterize the details of the non-specific search mode to complement the crystal structure of the specific binding complex, providing a basis for understanding the recognition mechanism. In the specific complex, MTERF1 binds a significantly distorted and unwound DNA structure, exhibiting a protein conformation incompatible with binding to B-form DNA. In contrast, our simulations of apo MTERF1 revealed significant flexibility, sampling structures with superhelical pitch and radius complementary to the major groove of B-DNA. Docking these structures to B-DNA followed by unrestrained MD simulations led to a stable complex in which MTERF1 was observed to undergo spontaneous diffusion on the DNA. Overall, the data support an MTERF1-DNA binding and recognition mechanism driven by intrinsic dynamics of the MTERF1 superhelical topology. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Identification of STAT1 and STAT3 specific inhibitors using comparative virtual screening and docking validation.

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Malgorzata Szelag

Full Text Available Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs facilitate action of cytokines, growth factors and pathogens. STAT activation is mediated by a highly conserved SH2 domain, which interacts with phosphotyrosine motifs for specific STAT-receptor contacts and STAT dimerization. The active dimers induce gene transcription in the nucleus by binding to a specific DNA-response element in the promoter of target genes. Abnormal activation of STAT signaling pathways is implicated in many human diseases, like cancer, inflammation and auto-immunity. Searches for STAT-targeting compounds, exploring the phosphotyrosine (pTyr-SH2 interaction site, yielded many small molecules for STAT3 but sparsely for other STATs. However, many of these inhibitors seem not STAT3-specific, thereby questioning the present modeling and selection strategies of SH2 domain-based STAT inhibitors. We generated new 3D structure models for all human (hSTATs and developed a comparative in silico docking strategy to obtain further insight into STAT-SH2 cross-binding specificity of a selection of previously identified STAT3 inhibitors. Indeed, by primarily targeting the highly conserved pTyr-SH2 binding pocket the majority of these compounds exhibited similar binding affinity and tendency scores for all STATs. By comparative screening of a natural product library we provided initial proof for the possibility to identify STAT1 as well as STAT3-specific inhibitors, introducing the 'STAT-comparative binding affinity value' and 'ligand binding pose variation' as selection criteria. In silico screening of a multi-million clean leads (CL compound library for binding of all STATs, likewise identified potential specific inhibitors for STAT1 and STAT3 after docking validation. Based on comparative virtual screening and docking validation, we developed a novel STAT inhibitor screening tool that allows identification of specific STAT1 and STAT3 inhibitory compounds. This could increase our

Agrobacterium uses a unique ligand-binding mode for trapping opines and acquiring a competitive advantage in the niche construction on plant host.

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Lang, Julien; Vigouroux, Armelle; Planamente, Sara; El Sahili, Abbas; Blin, Pauline; Aumont-Nicaise, Magali; Dessaux, Yves; Moréra, Solange; Faure, Denis

2014-10-01

By modifying the nuclear genome of its host, the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens induces the development of plant tumours in which it proliferates. The transformed plant tissues accumulate uncommon low molecular weight compounds called opines that are growth substrates for A. tumefaciens. In the pathogen-induced niche (the plant tumour), a selective advantage conferred by opine assimilation has been hypothesized, but not experimentally demonstrated. Here, using genetics and structural biology, we deciphered how the pathogen is able to bind opines and use them to efficiently compete in the plant tumour. We report high resolution X-ray structures of the periplasmic binding protein (PBP) NocT unliganded and liganded with the opine nopaline (a condensation product of arginine and α-ketoglurate) and its lactam derivative pyronopaline. NocT exhibited an affinity for pyronopaline (K(D) of 0.6 µM) greater than that for nopaline (KD of 3.7 µM). Although the binding-mode of the arginine part of nopaline/pyronopaline in NocT resembled that of arginine in other PBPs, affinity measurement by two different techniques showed that NocT did not bind arginine. In contrast, NocT presented specific residues such as M117 to stabilize the bound opines. NocT relatives that exhibit the nopaline/pyronopaline-binding mode were only found in genomes of the genus Agrobacterium. Transcriptomics and reverse genetics revealed that A. tumefaciens uses the same pathway for assimilating nopaline and pyronopaline. Fitness measurements showed that NocT is required for a competitive colonization of the plant tumour by A. tumefaciens. Moreover, even though the Ti-plasmid conjugal transfer was not regulated by nopaline, the competitive advantage gained by the nopaline-assimilating Ti-plasmid donors led to a preferential horizontal propagation of this Ti-plasmid amongst the agrobacteria colonizing the plant-tumour niche. This work provided structural and genetic evidences to support the niche

Agrobacterium uses a unique ligand-binding mode for trapping opines and acquiring a competitive advantage in the niche construction on plant host.

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Julien Lang

2014-10-01

Full Text Available By modifying the nuclear genome of its host, the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens induces the development of plant tumours in which it proliferates. The transformed plant tissues accumulate uncommon low molecular weight compounds called opines that are growth substrates for A. tumefaciens. In the pathogen-induced niche (the plant tumour, a selective advantage conferred by opine assimilation has been hypothesized, but not experimentally demonstrated. Here, using genetics and structural biology, we deciphered how the pathogen is able to bind opines and use them to efficiently compete in the plant tumour. We report high resolution X-ray structures of the periplasmic binding protein (PBP NocT unliganded and liganded with the opine nopaline (a condensation product of arginine and α-ketoglurate and its lactam derivative pyronopaline. NocT exhibited an affinity for pyronopaline (K(D of 0.6 µM greater than that for nopaline (KD of 3.7 µM. Although the binding-mode of the arginine part of nopaline/pyronopaline in NocT resembled that of arginine in other PBPs, affinity measurement by two different techniques showed that NocT did not bind arginine. In contrast, NocT presented specific residues such as M117 to stabilize the bound opines. NocT relatives that exhibit the nopaline/pyronopaline-binding mode were only found in genomes of the genus Agrobacterium. Transcriptomics and reverse genetics revealed that A. tumefaciens uses the same pathway for assimilating nopaline and pyronopaline. Fitness measurements showed that NocT is required for a competitive colonization of the plant tumour by A. tumefaciens. Moreover, even though the Ti-plasmid conjugal transfer was not regulated by nopaline, the competitive advantage gained by the nopaline-assimilating Ti-plasmid donors led to a preferential horizontal propagation of this Ti-plasmid amongst the agrobacteria colonizing the plant-tumour niche. This work provided structural and genetic evidences to

Inhibition of platelet [3H]- imipramine binding by human plasma protein fractions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strijewski, A.; Chudzik, J.; Tang, S.W.

1988-01-01

Inhibition of high-affinity [ 3 H]-imipramine binding to platelet membranes by human plasma fractions and isolated plasma proteins was investigated. Several plasma proteins were found to contribute to the observed apparent inhibition and this contribution was assessed in terms of inhibitor units. Alpha 1 acid glycoprotein, high density and low density lipoprotein, IgG and α 1 -antitrypsin were identified as effective non-specific inhibitors. Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein was confirmed to be the most potent plasma protein inhibitor. Cohn fractions were evaluated for the presence of the postulated endocoid of [ 3 H]-imipramine binding site

Azidoblebbistatin, a photoreactive myosin inhibitor

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Képiró, Miklós; Várkuti, Boglárka H.; Bodor, Andrea; Hegyi, György; Drahos, László; Kovács, Mihály; Málnási-Csizmadia, András

2012-01-01

Photoreactive compounds are important tools in life sciences that allow precisely timed covalent crosslinking of ligands and targets. Using a unique technique we have synthesized azidoblebbistatin, which is a derivative of blebbistatin, the most widely used myosin inhibitor. Without UV irradiation azidoblebbistatin exhibits identical inhibitory properties to those of blebbistatin. Using UV irradiation, azidoblebbistatin can be covalently crosslinked to myosin, which greatly enhances its in vitro and in vivo effectiveness. Photo-crosslinking also eliminates limitations associated with the relatively low myosin affinity and water solubility of blebbistatin. The wavelength used for photo-crosslinking is not toxic for cells and tissues, which confers a great advantage in in vivo tests. Because the crosslink results in an irreversible association of the inhibitor to myosin and the irradiation eliminates the residual activity of unbound inhibitor molecules, azidoblebbistatin has a great potential to become a highly effective tool in both structural studies of actomyosin contractility and the investigation of cellular and physiological functions of myosin II. We used azidoblebbistatin to identify previously unknown low-affinity targets of the inhibitor (EC50 ≥ 50 μM) in Dictyostelium discoideum, while the strongest interactant was found to be myosin II (EC50 = 5 μM). Our results demonstrate that azidoblebbistatin, and potentially other azidated drugs, can become highly useful tools for the identification of strong- and weak-binding cellular targets and the determination of the apparent binding affinities in in vivo conditions. PMID:22647605

Adaptive evolution and elucidating the potential inhibitor against schizophrenia to target DAOA (G72) isoforms.

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Sehgal, Sheikh Arslan; Mannan, Shazia; Kanwal, Sumaira; Naveed, Ishrat; Mir, Asif

2015-01-01

Schizophrenia (SZ), a chronic mental and heritable disorder characterized by neurophysiological impairment and neuropsychological abnormalities, is strongly associated with D-amino acid oxidase activator (DAOA, G72). Research studies emphasized that overexpression of DAOA may be responsible for improper functioning of neurotransmitters, resulting in neurological disorders like SZ. In the present study, a hybrid approach of comparative modeling and molecular docking followed by inhibitor identification and structure modeling was employed. Screening was performed by two-dimensional similarity search against selected inhibitor, keeping in view the physiochemical properties of the inhibitor. Here, we report an inhibitor compound which showed maximum binding affinity against four selected isoforms of DAOA. Docking studies revealed that Glu-53, Thr-54, Lys-58, Val-85, Ser-86, Tyr-87, Leu-88, Glu-90, Leu-95, Val-98, Ser-100, Glu-112, Tyr-116, Lys-120, Asp-121, and Arg-122 are critical residues for receptor-ligand interaction. The C-terminal of selected isoforms is conserved, and binding was observed on the conserved region of isoforms. We propose that selected inhibitor might be more potent on the basis of binding energy values. Further analysis of this inhibitor through site-directed mutagenesis could be helpful for exploring the details of ligand-binding pockets. Overall, the findings of this study may be helpful in designing novel therapeutic targets to cure SZ.

Biological evaluation and molecular docking of baicalin and scutellarin as Helicobacter pylori urease inhibitors.

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Yu, Xiao-Dan; Zheng, Rong-Bo; Xie, Jian-Hui; Su, Ji-Yan; Huang, Xiao-Qi; Wang, Yong-Hong; Zheng, Yi-Feng; Mo, Zhi-Zhun; Wu, Xiao-Li; Wu, Dian-Wei; Liang, Ye-er; Zeng, Hui-Fang; Su, Zi-Ren; Huang, Ping

2015-03-13

Baicalin and scutellarin are the principal bioactive components of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi which has extensively been incorporated into heat-clearing and detoxification formulas for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori-related gastrointestinal disorders in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the mechanism of action remained to be defined. To explore the inhibitory effect, kinetics and mechanism of Helicobacter pylori urease (the vital pathogenetic factor for Helicobacter pylori infection) inhibition by baicalin and scutellarin, for their therapeutic potential. The ammonia formations, indicator of urease activity, were examined using modified spectrophotometric Berthelot (phenol-hypochlorite) method. The inhibitory effect of baicalin and scutellarin was characterized with IC50 values, compared to acetohydroxamic acid (AHA), a well known Helicobacter pylori urease inhibitor. Lineweaver-Burk and Dixon plots for the Helicobacter pylori urease inhibition of baicalin and scutellarin was constructed from the kinetic data. SH-blocking reagents and competitive active site Ni(2+) binding inhibitors were employed for mechanism study. Molecular docking technique was used to provide some information on binding conformations as well as confirm the inhibition mode. Moreover, cytotoxicity experiment using Gastric Epithelial Cells (GES-1) was evaluated. Baicalin and scutellarin effectively suppressed Helicobacter pylori urease in dose-dependent and time-independent manner with IC50 of 0.82±0.07 mM and 0.47±0.04 mM, respectively, compared to AHA (IC50=0.14±0.05 mM). Structure-activity relationship disclosed 4'-hydroxyl gave flavones an advantage to binding with Helicobacter pylori urease. Kinetic analysis revealed that the types of inhibition were non-competitive and reversible with inhibition constant Ki of 0.14±0.01 mM and 0.18±0.02 mM for baicalin and scutellarin, respectively. The mechanism of urease inhibition was considered to be blockage of the SH groups of

Effects of rolipram, a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, in combination with imipramine on depressive behavior, CRE-binding activity and BDNF level in learned helplessness rats.

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Itoh, Tetsuji; Tokumura, Miwa; Abe, Kohji

2004-09-13

The brain cAMP regulating system and its downstream elements play a pivotal role in the therapeutic effects of antidepressants. We previously reported the increase in activities of phosphodiesterase 4, a major phosphodiesterase isozyme hydrolyzing cAMP, in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of learned helplessness rats, an animal model for depression. The present study was undertaken to examine the combination of effects of rolipram, a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, with imipramine, a typical tricyclic antidepressant, on depressive behavior in learned helplessness rats. Concurrently, cAMP-response element (CRE)-binding activity and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels related to the therapeutic effects of antidepressants were determined. Repeated administration of imipramine (1.25-10 mg/kg, i.p.) or rolipram (1.25 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the number of escape failures in learned helplessness rats. Imipramine could not completely ameliorate the escape behavior to a level similar to that of non-stressed rats even at 10 mg/kg. However, repeated coadministration of rolipram with imipramine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively) almost completely eliminated the escape failures in learned helplessness rats. The reduction of CRE-binding activities and BDNF levels in the frontal cortex or hippocampus in learned helplessness rats were ameliorated by treatment with imipramine or rolipram alone. CRE-binding activities and/or BDNF levels of the frontal cortex and hippocampus were significantly increased by treatment with a combination of rolipram and imipramine compared to those in imipramine-treated rats. These results indicated that coadministration of phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitors with antidepressants may be more effective for depression therapy and suggest that elevation of the cAMP signal transduction pathway is involved in the antidepressive effects.

Structure-Guided, Single-Point Modifications in the Phosphinic Dipeptide Structure Yield Highly Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Neutral Aminopeptidases

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Vassiliou, Stamatia; Węglarz-Tomczak, Ewelina; Berlicki, Łukasz; Pawełczak, Małgorzata; Nocek, Bogusław; Mulligan, Rory; Joachimiak, Andrzej; Mucha, Artur

2014-10-09

Seven crystal structures of alanyl aminopeptidase from Neisseria meningitides (the etiological agent of meningitis, NmAPN) complexed with organophosphorus compounds were resolved to determine the optimal inhibitor-enzyme interactions. The enantiomeric phosphonic acid analogs of Leu and hPhe, which correspond to the P1 amino acid residues of well-processed substrates, were used to assess the impact of the absolute configuration and the stereospecific hydrogen bond network formed between the aminophosphonate polar head and the active site residues on the binding affinity. For the hPhe analog, an imperfect stereochemical complementarity could be overcome by incorporating an appropriate P1 side chain. The constitution of P1'-extended structures was rationally designed and the lead, phosphinic dipeptide hPhePψ[CH2]Phe, was modified in a single position. Introducing a heteroatom/heteroatom-based fragment to either the P1 or P1' residue required new synthetic pathways. The compounds in the refined structure were low nanomolar and subnanomolar inhibitors of N. meningitides, porcine and human APNs, and the reference leucine aminopeptidase (LAP). The unnatural phosphinic dipeptide analogs exhibited a high affinity for monozinc APNs associated with a reasonable selectivity versus dizinc LAP. Another set of crystal structures containing the NmAPN dipeptide ligand were used to verify and to confirm the predicted binding modes; furthermore, novel contacts, which were promising for inhibitor development, were identified, including a π-π stacking interaction between a pyridine ring and Tyr372.

Proadifen-sensitive high affinity binding of 3H-alaproclate to liver membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, S.B.

1987-01-01

3 H-alaproclate, a selective 5 h ydroxytryptamine uptake inhibitor, was found to bind to microsomal membranes from the rat liver with high affinity (K D -=3 nM) and large capacity (B max about 2 nmol/g liver). This binding was stereoselective since S-( - )-alaproclate was 30 times more potent than the R-( + )-enantiomer to displace the 3 H-labelled racemate. Proadifen (SKF 525A), an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450, displaced the 3 H-alaproclate binding with the same, high affinity (K i =3 nM) as alaproclate itself. Repeated treatment with phenobarbital sodium (5x75 mg/kg intraperitoneally) increased the number of alaproclate binding sites 7-8 times without changing the affinity. However, most of the phenobarbital induced 3 H-alaproclate binding was not displaceable by proadifen, showing the presence of at least two different high affinity binding sites. The possible involvement of cytochrome P-450 in the alaproclate binding is discussed. (author)

Multi-spectroscopic and molecular modeling approaches to elucidate the binding interaction between bovine serum albumin and darunavir, a HIV protease inhibitor

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Shi, Jie-Hua; Zhou, Kai-Li; Lou, Yan-Yue; Pan, Dong-Qi

2018-01-01

Darunavir (DRV), a second-generation HIV protease inhibitor, is widely used across the world as an important component of HIV therapy. The interaction of DRV with bovine serum albumin (BSA), a major carrier protein, has been studied under simulated physiological conditions (pH 7.4) by multi-spectroscopic techniques in combination with molecular modeling. Fluorescence data revealed that the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA was quenched by DRV in terms of a static quenching procedure due to the formation of the DRV-BSA complex. The results indicated the presence of single weak affinity binding site ( 103 M- 1, 310 K) on protein. The thermodynamic parameters, namely enthalpy change (ΔH0), entropy change (ΔS0) and Gibbs free energy change (ΔG0) were calculated, which signified that the binding reaction was spontaneous, the main binding forces were hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. Importantly, competitive binding experiments with three site probes, phenylbutazone (in sub-domain IIA, site I), ibuprofen (in sub-domain IIIA, site II) and artemether (in the interface between sub-domain IIA and IIB, site II'), suggested that DRV was preferentially bound to the hydrophobic cavity in site II' of BSA, and this finding was validated by the docking results. Additionally, synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence and Resonance Rayleigh Scattering (RRS) spectroscopy gave qualitative information on the conformational changes of BSA upon adding DRV, while quantitative data were obtained with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Binding Mode of Insulin Receptor and Agonist Peptide

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

Insulin is a protein hormone secreted by pancreatic β cells. One of its main functions is to keep the balance of glucose inside the body by regulating the absorption and metabolism of glucose in the periphery tissue, as well as the production and storage of hepatic glycogen. The insulin receptor is a transmembrane glycoprotein in which two α subunits with a molecular weight of 135 kD and twoβ subunits with a molecular weight of 95 kD are joined by a disulfide bond to form a β-α-α-β structure. The extracellular α subunit, especially, its three domains near the N-terminal are partially responsible for signal transduction or ligand-binding, as indicated by the experiments. The extracellular α subunits are involved in binding the ligands. The experimental results indicate that the three domains of the N-terminal of the α subunits are the main determinative parts of the insulin receptor to bind the insulin or mimetic peptide.We employed the extracellular domain (PDBID: 1IGR) of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1 R ) as the template to simulate and optimize the spatial structures of the three domains in the extracellular domain of the insulin receptor, which includes 468 residues. The work was accomplished by making use of the homology program in the Insight Ⅱ package on an Origin3800 server. The docking calculations of the insulin receptor obtained by homology with hexapeptides were carried out by means of the program Affinity. The analysis indicated that there were hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic and hydrophobic effects in the docking complex of the insulin receptor with hexapeptides.Moreover, we described the spatial orientation of a mimetic peptide with agonist activity in the docking complex. We obtained a rough model of binding of DLAPSQ or STIVYS with the insulin receptor, which provides the powerful theoretical support for designing the minimal insulin mimetic peptide with agonist activity, making it possible to develop oral small

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and docking study of 5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromene derivatives as acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors.

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Khoobi, Mehdi; Alipour, Masoumeh; Sakhteman, Amirhossein; Nadri, Hamid; Moradi, Alireza; Ghandi, Mehdi; Emami, Saeed; Foroumadi, Alireza; Shafiee, Abbas

2013-10-01

A series of fused coumarins namely 5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromenes linked to N-benzylpyridinium scaffold were synthesized and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitors. The 1-(4-fluorobenzyl)pyridinium derivative 6g showed the most potent anti-AChE activity (IC50 value=0.038 μM) and the highest AChE/BuChE selectivity (SI>48). The docking study permitted us to rationalize the observed structure-affinity relationships and to detect possible binding modes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The 'retro-design' concept for novel kinase inhibitors.

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Müller, Gerhard; Sennhenn, Peter C; Woodcock, Timothy; Neumann, Lars

2010-07-01

Protein kinases are among the most attractive therapeutic targets for a broad range of diseases. This feature review highlights and classifies the main design principles employed to generate active and selective kinase inhibitors. In particular, emphasis is focused on a fragment-based lead-generation approach, which constitutes a novel design method for developing type II kinase inhibitors with distinct binding kinetic attributes. This 'retro-design' strategy relies on a customized fragment library, and contrasts the traditional approach used in the design of type II inhibitors.

Thalassiolins A-C: new marine-derived inhibitors of HIV cDNA integrase.

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Rowley, David C; Hansen, Mark S T; Rhodes, Denise; Sotriffer, Christoph A; Ni, Haihong; McCammon, J Andrew; Bushman, Frederic D; Fenical, William

2002-11-01

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication requires integration of viral cDNA into the host genome, a process mediated by the viral enzyme integrase. We describe a new series of HIV integrase inhibitors, thalassiolins A-C (1-3), isolated from the Caribbean sea grass Thalassia testudinum. The thalassiolins are distinguished from other flavones previously studied by the substitution of a sulfated beta-D-glucose at the 7-position, a substituent that imparts increased potency against integrase in biochemical assays. The most active of these molecules, thalassiolin A (1), displays in vitro inhibition of the integrase catalyzed strand transfer reaction (IC50=0.4 microM) and an antiviral IC50 of 30 microM. Molecular modeling studies indicate a favorable binding mode is probable at the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 integrase.

Multi-spectroscopic and molecular docking studies on the interaction of darunavir, a HIV protease inhibitor with calf thymus DNA.

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Shi, Jie-Hua; Zhou, Kai-Li; Lou, Yan-Yue; Pan, Dong-Qi

2018-03-15

Molecular interaction of darunavir (DRV), a HIV protease inhibitor with calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (ct-DNA) was studied in physiological buffer (pH7.4) by multi-spectroscopic approaches hand in hand with viscosity measurements and molecular docking technique. The UV absorption and fluorescence results together revealed the formation of a DRV-ct-DNA complex having binding affinities of the order of 10 3 M -1 , which was more in keeping with the groove binding. The results that DRV bound to ct-DNA via groove binding mode was further evidenced by KI quenching studies, viscosity measurements, competitive binding investigations with EB and Rhodamine B and CD spectral analysis. The effect of ionic strength indicated the negligible involvement of electrostatic interaction between DRV and ct-DNA. The thermodynamic parameters regarding the binding interaction of DRV with ct-DNA in terms of enthalpy change (ΔH 0 ) and entropy change (ΔS 0 ) were -63.19kJ mol -1 and -141.92J mol -1 K -1 , indicating that hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces played a predominant role in the binding process. Furthermore, molecular simulation studies suggested that DRV molecule was prone to bind in the A-T rich region of the minor groove of DNA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Promiscuity and selectivity of small-molecule inhibitors across TAM receptor tyrosine kinases in pediatric leukemia.

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Liu, Mao-Hua; Chen, Shi-Bing; Yu, Juan; Liu, Cheng-Jun; Zhang, Xiao-Jing

2017-08-01

The TAM receptor tyrosine kinase family member Mer has been recognized as an attractive therapeutic target for pediatric leukemia. Beside Mer the family contains other two kinases, namely, Tyro3 and Axl, which are highly homologues with Mer and thus most existing small-molecule inhibitors show moderate or high promiscuity across the three kinases. Here, the structural basis and energetic property of selective binding of small-molecule inhibitors to the three kinases were investigated at molecular level. It is found that the selectivity is primarily determined by the size, shape and configuration of kinase's ATP-binding site; the Mer and Axl possess a small, closed active pocket as compared to the bulky, open pocket of Tyro3. The location and conformation of active-site residues of Mer and Axl are highly consistent, suggesting that small-molecule inhibitors generally have a low Mer-over-Axl selectivity and a high Mer-over-Tyro3 selectivity. We demonstrated that the difference in ATP binding potency to the three kinases is also responsible for inhibitor selectivity. We also found that the long-range interactions and allosteric effect arising from rest of the kinase's active site can indirectly influence inhibitor binding and selectivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discovery of novel inhibitors for Leishmania nucleoside diphosphatase kinase (NDK) based on its structural and functional characterization

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Mishra, Arjun K.; Singh, Nidhi; Agnihotri, Pragati; Mishra, Shikha; Singh, Saurabh P.; Kolli, Bala K.; Chang, Kwang Poo; Sahasrabuddhe, Amogh A.; Siddiqi, M. I.; Pratap, J. Venkatesh

2017-06-01

Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDKs) are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the transfer of the γ-phosphate moiety from an NTP donor to an NDP acceptor, crucial for maintaining the cellular level of nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs). The inability of trypanosomatids to synthesize purines de novo and their dependence on the salvage pathway makes NDK an attractive target to develop drugs for the diseases they cause. Here we report the discovery of novel inhibitors for Leishmania NDK based on the structural and functional characterization of purified recombinant NDK from Leishmania amazonensis. Recombinant LaNDK possesses auto-phosphorylation, phosphotransferase and kinase activities with Histidine 117 playing an essential role. LaNDK crystals were grown by hanging drop vapour diffusion method in a solution containing 18% PEG-MME 500, 100 mM Bis-Tris propane pH 6.0 and 50 mM MgCl2. It belongs to the hexagonal space group P6322 with unit cell parameters a = b = 115.18, c = 62.18 Å and α = β = 90°, γ = 120°. The structure solved by molecular replacement methods was refined to crystallographic R-factor and Rfree values of 22.54 and 26.52%, respectively. Molecular docking and dynamics simulation -based virtual screening identified putative binding compounds. Protein inhibition studies of selected hits identified five inhibitors effective at micromolar concentrations. One of the compounds showed 45% inhibition of Leishmania promastigotes proliferation. Analysis of inhibitor-NDK complexes reveals the mode of their binding, facilitating design of new compounds for optimization of activities as drugs against leishmaniasis.

Peptide aldehyde inhibitors of bacterial peptide deformylases.

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Durand, D J; Gordon Green, B; O'Connell, J F; Grant, S K

1999-07-15

Bacterial peptide deformylases (PDF, EC 3.5.1.27) are metalloenzymes that cleave the N-formyl groups from N-blocked methionine polypeptides. Peptide aldehydes containing a methional or norleucinal inhibited recombinant peptide deformylase from gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. The most potent inhibitor was calpeptin, N-CBZ-Leu-norleucinal, which was a competitive inhibitor of the zinc-containing metalloenzymes, E. coli and B. subtilis PDF with Ki values of 26.0 and 55.6 microM, respectively. Cobalt-substituted E. coli and B. subtilis deformylases were also inhibited by these aldehydes with Ki values for calpeptin of 9.5 and 12.4 microM, respectively. Distinct spectral changes were observed upon binding of calpeptin to the Co(II)-deformylases, consistent with the noncovalent binding of the inhibitor rather than the formation of a covalent complex. In contrast, the chelator 1,10-phenanthroline caused the time-dependent inhibition of B. subtilis Co(II)-PDF activity with the loss of the active site metal. The fact that calpeptin was nearly equipotent against deformylases from both gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial sources lends further support to the idea that a single deformylase inhibitor might have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Virtual screening for potential inhibitors of Mcl-1 conformations sampled by normal modes, molecular dynamics, and nuclear magnetic resonance

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Glantz-Gashai Y

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Yitav Glantz-Gashai,* Tomer Meirson,* Eli Reuveni, Abraham O Samson Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1 is often overexpressed in human cancer and is an important target for developing antineoplastic drugs. In this study, a data set containing 2.3 million lead-like molecules and a data set of all the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA-approved drugs are virtually screened for potential Mcl-1 ligands using Protein Data Bank (PDB ID 2MHS. The potential Mcl-1 ligands are evaluated and computationally docked on to three conformation ensembles generated by normal mode analysis (NMA, molecular dynamics (MD, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR, respectively. The evaluated potential Mcl-1 ligands are then compared with their clinical use. Remarkably, half of the top 30 potential drugs are used clinically to treat cancer, thus partially validating our virtual screen. The partial validation also favors the idea that the other half of the top 30 potential drugs could be used in the treatment of cancer. The normal mode-, MD-, and NMR-based conformation greatly expand the conformational sampling used herein for in silico identification of potential Mcl-1 inhibitors. Keywords: virtual screening, Mcl-1, molecular dynamics, NMR, normal modes

Fragment Linking and Optimization of Inhibitors of the Aspartic Protease Endothiapepsin: Fragment-Based Drug Design Facilitated by Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry.

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Mondal, Milon; Radeva, Nedyalka; Fanlo-Virgós, Hugo; Otto, Sijbren; Klebe, Gerhard; Hirsch, Anna K H

2016-08-01

Fragment-based drug design (FBDD) affords active compounds for biological targets. While there are numerous reports on FBDD by fragment growing/optimization, fragment linking has rarely been reported. Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) has become a powerful hit-identification strategy for biological targets. We report the synergistic combination of fragment linking and DCC to identify inhibitors of the aspartic protease endothiapepsin. Based on X-ray crystal structures of endothiapepsin in complex with fragments, we designed a library of bis-acylhydrazones and used DCC to identify potent inhibitors. The most potent inhibitor exhibits an IC50 value of 54 nm, which represents a 240-fold improvement in potency compared to the parent hits. Subsequent X-ray crystallography validated the predicted binding mode, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the combination of fragment linking and DCC as a hit-identification strategy. This approach could be applied to a range of biological targets, and holds the potential to facilitate hit-to-lead optimization. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Elucidating the structural basis for differing enzyme inhibitor potency by cryo-EM.

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Rawson, Shaun; Bisson, Claudine; Hurdiss, Daniel L; Fazal, Asif; McPhillie, Martin J; Sedelnikova, Svetlana E; Baker, Patrick J; Rice, David W; Muench, Stephen P

2018-02-20

Histidine biosynthesis is an essential process in plants and microorganisms, making it an attractive target for the development of herbicides and antibacterial agents. Imidazoleglycerol-phosphate dehydratase (IGPD), a key enzyme within this pathway, has been biochemically characterized in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae ( Sc_ IGPD) and Arabidopsis thaliana ( At_ IGPD). The plant enzyme, having been the focus of in-depth structural analysis as part of an inhibitor development program, has revealed details about the reaction mechanism of IGPD, whereas the yeast enzyme has proven intractable to crystallography studies. The structure-activity relationship of potent triazole-phosphonate inhibitors of IGPD has been determined in both homologs, revealing that the lead inhibitor (C348) is an order of magnitude more potent against Sc_ IGPD than At_ IGPD; however, the molecular basis of this difference has not been established. Here we have used single-particle electron microscopy (EM) to study structural differences between the At and Sc_ IGPD homologs, which could influence the difference in inhibitor potency. The resulting EM maps at ∼3 Å are sufficient to de novo build the protein structure and identify the inhibitor binding site, which has been validated against the crystal structure of the At_ IGPD/C348 complex. The structure of Sc _IGPD reveals that a 24-amino acid insertion forms an extended loop region on the enzyme surface that lies adjacent to the active site, forming interactions with the substrate/inhibitor binding loop that may influence inhibitor potency. Overall, this study provides insights into the IGPD family and demonstrates the power of using an EM approach to study inhibitor binding. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Hybrid Pharmacophoric Approach in the Design and Synthesis of Coumarin Linked Pyrazolinyl as Urease Inhibitors, Kinetic Mechanism and Molecular Docking.

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Saeed, Aamer; Mahesar, Parvez Ali; Channar, Pervaiz Ali; Larik, Fayaz Ali; Abbas, Qamar; Hassan, Mubashir; Raza, Hussain; Seo, Sung-Yum

2017-08-01

The current research article reports the synthesis of coumarinyl pyrazolinyl thioamide derivatives and their biological activity as inhibitors of jack bean urease. The coumarinyl pyrazolinyl thioamides were synthesized by reacting thiosemicarbazide with newly synthesized chalcones to afford the products in good yields and the synthesized compounds were purified by recrystallization. Coumarinyl pyrazolinyl thioamide derivatives 5a - 5q showed significant activity against Urease enzyme and also exhibited good antioxidant potential. The compound 3-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carbothioamide (5n) was found to be superior agent in the series with an IC 50  = 0.358 ± 0.017 μm compared to standard thiourea with an IC 50  = 4720 ± 174 μm. To undermine the binding mode of inhibition kinetic studies were performed for most potent derivative and it was found that compound 5n inhibits urease enzyme by non-competitive mode of inhibition. Molecular docking studies were carried out to delineate the binding affinity of the synthesized derivatives. © 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Characterization of a high affinity cocaine binding site in rat brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calligaro, D.; Eldefrawi, M.

1986-01-01

Binding of [ 3 H]cocaine to synaptic membranes from whole rat brain was reversible and saturable. Nonlinear regression analysis of binding isotherms indicated two binding affinities: one with k/sub d/ = 16 nM, B/sub max/ = 0.65 pmoles/mg protein and the other with K/sub d/ = 660 nM, B/sub max/ = 5.1 pmoles/mg protein. The high-affinity binding of [ 3 H]cocaine was sensitive to the actions of trypsin and chymotrypsin but not carboxypeptidase, and was eliminated by exposure of the membranes to 95 0 C for 5 min. Specific binding at 2 nM was higher at pH 8.8 than at pH 7.0. Binding of [ 3 H]cocaine (15 nM) was inhibited by increasing concentrations of Na + ions. Several cocaine analogues, neurotransmitter uptake inhibitors and local anesthetics displaced specific [ 3 H]cocaine binding at 2 nM with various potencies. The cocaine analogue (-)-norcocaine was the most potent (IC 50 = 10 nM), while the local anesthetic tetracaine was the least potent in inhibiting [ 3 H]cocaine binding. Several biogenic amine uptake inhibitors, including tricyclic antidepressants and phencyclidine, had IC 50 values below μM concentrations

A focused fragment library targeting the antibiotic resistance enzyme - Oxacillinase-48: Synthesis, structural evaluation and inhibitor design.

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Akhter, Sundus; Lund, Bjarte Aarmo; Ismael, Aya; Langer, Manuel; Isaksson, Johan; Christopeit, Tony; Leiros, Hanna-Kirsti S; Bayer, Annette

2018-02-10

β-Lactam antibiotics are of utmost importance when treating bacterial infections in the medical community. However, currently their utility is threatened by the emergence and spread of β-lactam resistance. The most prevalent resistance mechanism to β-lactam antibiotics is expression of β-lactamase enzymes. One way to overcome resistance caused by β-lactamases, is the development of β-lactamase inhibitors and today several β-lactamase inhibitors e.g. avibactam, are approved in the clinic. Our focus is the oxacillinase-48 (OXA-48), an enzyme reported to spread rapidly across the world and commonly identified in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. To guide inhibitor design, we used diversely substituted 3-aryl and 3-heteroaryl benzoic acids to probe the active site of OXA-48 for useful enzyme-inhibitor interactions. In the presented study, a focused fragment library containing 49 3-substituted benzoic acid derivatives were synthesised and biochemically characterized. Based on crystallographic data from 33 fragment-enzyme complexes, the fragments could be classified into R 1 or R 2 binders by their overall binding conformation in relation to the binding of the R 1 and R 2 side groups of imipenem. Moreover, binding interactions attractive for future inhibitor design were found and their usefulness explored by the rational design and evaluation of merged inhibitors from orthogonally binding fragments. The best inhibitors among the resulting 3,5-disubstituted benzoic acids showed inhibitory potential in the low micromolar range (IC 50  = 2.9 μM). For these inhibitors, the complex X-ray structures revealed non-covalent binding to Arg250, Arg214 and Tyr211 in the active site and the interactions observed with the mono-substituted fragments were also identified in the merged structures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Virtual Screening of Novel Glucosamine-6-Phosphate Synthase Inhibitors.

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Lather, Amit; Sharma, Sunil; Khatkar, Anurag

2018-01-01

Infections caused by microorganisms are the major cause of death today. The tremendous and improper use of antimicrobial agents leads to antimicrobial resistance. Various currently available antimicrobial drugs are inadequate to control the infections and lead to various adverse drug reactions. Efforts based on computer-aided drug design (CADD) can excavate a large number of databases to generate new, potent hits and minimize the requirement of time as well as money for the discovery of newer antimicrobials. Pharmaceutical sciences also have made development with advances in drug designing concepts. The current research article focuses on the study of various G-6-P synthase inhibitors from literature cited molecular database. Docking analysis was conducted and ADMET data of various molecules was evaluated by Schrodinger Glide and PreADMET software, respectively. Here, the results presented efficacy of various inhibitors towards enzyme G-6-P synthase. Docking scores, binding energy and ADMET data of various molecules showed good inhibitory potential toward G-6-P synthase as compared to standard antibiotics. This novel antimicrobial drug target G-6-P synthase has not so extensively been explored for its application in antimicrobial therapy, so the work done so far proved highly essential. This article has helped the drug researchers and scientists to intensively explore about this wonderful antimicrobial drug target. The Schrodinger, Inc. (New York, USA) software was utilized to carry out the computational calculations and docking studies. The hardware configuration was Intel® core (TM) i5-4210U CPU @ 2.40GHz, RAM memory 4.0 GB under 64-bit window operating system. The ADMET data was calculated by using the PreADMET tool (PreADMET ver. 2.0). All the computational work was completed in the Laboratory for Enzyme Inhibition Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, M.D. University, Rohtak, INDIA. Molecular docking studies were carried out to identify the binding

Proadifen-sensitive high affinity binding of /sup 3/H-alaproclate to liver membranes

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Ross, S.B.

1987-01-01

/sup 3/H-alaproclate, a selective 5/sub h/ydroxytryptamine uptake inhibitor, was found to bind to microsomal membranes from the rat liver with high affinity (K/sub D/-=3 nM) and large capacity (B/sub max/ about 2 nmol/g liver). This binding was stereoselective since S-( - )-alaproclate was 30 times more potent than the R-( + )-enantiomer to displace the /sup 3/H-labelled racemate. Proadifen (SKF 525A), an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450, displaced the /sup 3/H-alaproclate binding with the same, high affinity (K/sub i/=3 nM) as alaproclate itself. Repeated treatment with phenobarbital sodium (5x75 mg/kg intraperitoneally) increased the number of alaproclate binding sites 7-8 times without changing the affinity. However, most of the phenobarbital induced /sup 3/H-alaproclate binding was not displaceable by proadifen, showing the presence of at least two different high affinity binding sites. The possible involvement of cytochrome P-450 in the alaproclate binding is discussed.

Unraveling the Molecular Mechanism of Benzothiophene and Benzofuran scaffold merged compounds binding to anti-apoptotic Myeloid cell leukemia 1.

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Marimuthu, Parthiban; Singaravelu, Kalaimathy

2018-05-10

Myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl1), is an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family proteins, has gained considerable importance due to its overexpression activity prevents the oncogenic cells to undergo apoptosis. This overexpression activity of Mcl1 eventually develops strong resistance to a wide variety of anticancer agents. Therefore, designing novel inhibitors with potentials to elicit higher binding affinity and specificity to inhibit Mcl1 activity is of greater importance. Thus, Mcl1 acts as an attractive cancer target. Despite recent experimental advancement in the identification and characterization of Benzothiophene and Benzofuran scaffold merged compounds the molecular mechanisms of their binding to Mcl1 are yet to be explored. The current study demonstrates an integrated approach -pharmacophore-based 3D-QSAR, docking, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and free-energy estimation- to access the precise and comprehensive effects of current inhibitors targeting Mcl1 together with its known activity values. The pharmacophore -ANRRR.240- based 3D-QSAR model from the current study provided high confidence (R 2 =0.9154, Q 2 =0.8736, and RMSE=0.3533) values. Furthermore, the docking correctly predicted the binding mode of highly active compound 42. Additionally, the MD simulation for docked complex under explicit-solvent conditions together with free-energy estimation exhibited stable interaction and binding strength over the time period. Also, the decomposition analysis revealed potential energy contributing residues -M231, M250, V253, R265, L267, and F270- to the complex stability. Overall, the current investigation might serve as a valuable insight, either to (i) improve the binding affinity of the current compounds or (ii) discover new generation anti-cancer agents that can effectively downregulate Mcl1 activity.

Resolving dual binding conformations of cellulosome cohesin-dockerin complexes using single-molecule force spectroscopy.

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Jobst, Markus A; Milles, Lukas F; Schoeler, Constantin; Ott, Wolfgang; Fried, Daniel B; Bayer, Edward A; Gaub, Hermann E; Nash, Michael A

2015-10-31

Receptor-ligand pairs are ordinarily thought to interact through a lock and key mechanism, where a unique molecular conformation is formed upon binding. Contrary to this paradigm, cellulosomal cohesin-dockerin (Coh-Doc) pairs are believed to interact through redundant dual binding modes consisting of two distinct conformations. Here, we combined site-directed mutagenesis and single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to study the unbinding of Coh:Doc complexes under force. We designed Doc mutations to knock out each binding mode, and compared their single-molecule unfolding patterns as they were dissociated from Coh using an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever. Although average bulk measurements were unable to resolve the differences in Doc binding modes due to the similarity of the interactions, with a single-molecule method we were able to discriminate the two modes based on distinct differences in their mechanical properties. We conclude that under native conditions wild-type Doc from Clostridium thermocellum exocellulase Cel48S populates both binding modes with similar probabilities. Given the vast number of Doc domains with predicted dual binding modes across multiple bacterial species, our approach opens up new possibilities for understanding assembly and catalytic properties of a broad range of multi-enzyme complexes.

Thermodynamics of ligand binding to histone deacetylase like amidohydrolase from Bordetella/Alcaligenes.

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Meyners, Christian; Baud, Matthias G J; Fuchter, Matthew J; Meyer-Almes, Franz-Josef

2014-03-01

Thermodynamic studies on ligand-protein binding have become increasingly important in the process of drug design. In combination with structural data and molecular dynamics simulations, thermodynamic studies provide relevant information about the mode of interaction between compounds and their target proteins and therefore build a sound basis for further drug optimization. Using the example of histone deacetylases (HDACs), particularly the histone deacetylase like amidohydrolase (HDAH) from Bordetella/Alcaligenes, a novel sensitive competitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based binding assay was developed and the thermodynamics of interaction of both fluorescent ligands and inhibitors to histone deacetylase like amidohydrolase were investigated. The assay consumes only small amounts of valuable target proteins and is suitable for fast kinetic and mechanistic studies as well as high throughput screening applications. Binding affinity increased with increasing length of aliphatic spacers (n = 4-7) between the hydroxamate moiety and the dansyl head group of ligand probes. Van't Hoff plots revealed an optimum in enthalpy contribution to the free energy of binding for the dansyl-ligand with hexyl spacer. The selectivity in the series of dansyl-ligands against human class I HDAC1 but not class II HDACs 4 and 6 increased with the ratio of ΔH(0)/ΔG(0). The data clearly emphasize the importance of thermodynamic signatures as useful general guidance for the optimization of ligands or rational drug design. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multi-spectroscopic and molecular modeling approaches to elucidate the binding interaction between bovine serum albumin and darunavir, a HIV protease inhibitor.

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Shi, Jie-Hua; Zhou, Kai-Li; Lou, Yan-Yue; Pan, Dong-Qi

2018-01-05

Darunavir (DRV), a second-generation HIV protease inhibitor, is widely used across the world as an important component of HIV therapy. The interaction of DRV with bovine serum albumin (BSA), a major carrier protein, has been studied under simulated physiological conditions (pH7.4) by multi-spectroscopic techniques in combination with molecular modeling. Fluorescence data revealed that the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA was quenched by DRV in terms of a static quenching procedure due to the formation of the DRV-BSA complex. The results indicated the presence of single weak affinity binding site (~10 3 M -1 , 310K) on protein. The thermodynamic parameters, namely enthalpy change (ΔH 0 ), entropy change (ΔS 0 ) and Gibbs free energy change (ΔG 0 ) were calculated, which signified that the binding reaction was spontaneous, the main binding forces were hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. Importantly, competitive binding experiments with three site probes, phenylbutazone (in sub-domain IIA, site I), ibuprofen (in sub-domain IIIA, site II) and artemether (in the interface between sub-domain IIA and IIB, site II'), suggested that DRV was preferentially bound to the hydrophobic cavity in site II' of BSA, and this finding was validated by the docking results. Additionally, synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence and Resonance Rayleigh Scattering (RRS) spectroscopy gave qualitative information on the conformational changes of BSA upon adding DRV, while quantitative data were obtained with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Earthworm-Derived Pore-Forming Toxin Lysenin and Screening of Its Inhibitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neelanun Sukumwang

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Lysenin is a pore-forming toxin from the coelomic fluid of earthworm Eisenia foetida. This protein specifically binds to sphingomyelin and induces erythrocyte lysis. Lysenin consists of 297 amino acids with a molecular weight of 41 kDa. We screened for cellular signal transduction inhibitors of low molecular weight from microorganisms and plants. The purpose of the screening was to study the mechanism of diseases using the obtained inhibitors and to develop new chemotherapeutic agents acting in the new mechanism. Therefore, our aim was to screen for inhibitors of Lysenin-induced hemolysis from plant extracts and microbial culture filtrates. As a result, we isolated all-E-lutein from an extract of Dalbergia latifolia leaves. All-E-lutein is likely to inhibit the process of Lysenin-membrane binding and/or oligomer formation rather than pore formation. Additionally, we isolated tyrosylproline anhydride from the culture filtrate of Streptomyces as an inhibitor of Lysenin-induced hemolysis.

Crystal structures of Leishmania mexicana arginase complexed with α,α-disubstituted boronic amino-acid inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hai, Yang; Christianson, David W.

2016-03-16

Leishmaniaarginase is a potential drug target for the treatment of leishmaniasis because this binuclear manganese metalloenzyme initiatesde novopolyamine biosynthesis by catalyzing the hydrolysis of L-arginine to generate L-ornithine and urea. The product L-ornithine subsequently undergoes decarboxylation to yield putrescine, which in turn is utilized for spermidine biosynthesis. Polyamines such as spermidine are essential for the growth and survival of the parasite, so inhibition of enzymes in the polyamine-biosynthetic pathway comprises an effective strategy for treating parasitic infections. To this end, two X-ray crystal structures ofL. mexicanaarginase complexed with α,α-disubstituted boronic amino-acid inhibitors based on the molecular scaffold of 2-(S)-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid are now reported. Structural comparisons with human and parasitic arginase complexes reveal interesting differences in the binding modes of the additional α-substituents,i.e.the D side chains, of these inhibitors. Subtle differences in the three-dimensional contours of the outer active-site rims among arginases from different species lead to different conformations of the D side chains and thus different inhibitor-affinity trends. The structures suggest that it is possible to maintain affinity while fine-tuning intermolecular interactions of the D side chain of α,α-disubstituted boronic amino-acid inhibitors in the search for isozyme-specific and species-specific arginase inhibitors.

Biochemical characterization of a phosphinate inhibitor of Escherichia coli MurC.

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Marmor, S; Petersen, C P; Reck, F; Yang, W; Gao, N; Fisher, S L

2001-10-09

The bacterial UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine ligase (MurC) from Escherichia coli, an essential, cytoplasmic peptidoglycan biosynthetic enzyme, catalyzes the ATP-dependent ligation of L-alanine (Ala) and UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid (UNAM) to form UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine (UNAM-Ala). The phosphinate inhibitor 1 was designed and prepared as a multisubstrate/transition state analogue. The compound exhibits mixed-type inhibition with respect to all three enzyme substrates (ATP, UNAM, Ala), suggesting that this compound forms dead-end complexes with multiple enzyme states. Results from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies supported these findings as exothermic binding was observed under conditions with free enzyme (K(d) = 1.80-2.79 microM, 95% CI), enzyme saturated with ATP (K(d) = 0.097-0.108 microM, 95% CI), and enzyme saturated with the reaction product ADP (K(d) = 0.371-0.751 microM, 95% CI). Titrations run under conditions of saturating UNAM or the product UNAM-Ala did not show heat effects consistent with competitive compound binding to the active site. The potent binding affinity observed in the presence of ATP is consistent with the inhibitor design and the proposed Ordered Ter-Ter mechanism for this enzyme; however, the additional binding pathways suggest that the inhibitor can also serve as a product analogue.

ROS inhibitor N-acetyl-L-cysteine antagonizes the activity of proteasome inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Halasi, Marianna; Wang, Ming; Chavan, Tanmay S; Gaponenko, Vadim; Hay, Nissim; Gartel, Andrei L

2013-09-01

NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) is commonly used to identify and test ROS (reactive oxygen species) inducers, and to inhibit ROS. In the present study, we identified inhibition of proteasome inhibitors as a novel activity of NAC. Both NAC and catalase, another known scavenger of ROS, similarly inhibited ROS levels and apoptosis associated with H₂O₂. However, only NAC, and not catalase or another ROS scavenger Trolox, was able to prevent effects linked to proteasome inhibition, such as protein stabilization, apoptosis and accumulation of ubiquitin conjugates. These observations suggest that NAC has a dual activity as an inhibitor of ROS and proteasome inhibitors. Recently, NAC was used as a ROS inhibitor to functionally characterize a novel anticancer compound, piperlongumine, leading to its description as a ROS inducer. In contrast, our own experiments showed that this compound depicts features of proteasome inhibitors including suppression of FOXM1 (Forkhead box protein M1), stabilization of cellular proteins, induction of ROS-independent apoptosis and enhanced accumulation of ubiquitin conjugates. In addition, NAC, but not catalase or Trolox, interfered with the activity of piperlongumine, further supporting that piperlongumine is a proteasome inhibitor. Most importantly, we showed that NAC, but not other ROS scavengers, directly binds to proteasome inhibitors. To our knowledge, NAC is the first known compound that directly interacts with and antagonizes the activity of proteasome inhibitors. Taken together, the findings of the present study suggest that, as a result of the dual nature of NAC, data interpretation might not be straightforward when NAC is utilized as an antioxidant to demonstrate ROS involvement in drug-induced apoptosis.

Valproic Acid as a Potential Inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum Histone Deacetylase 1 (PfHDAC1: An in Silico Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed A. Abdallah Elbadawi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available A new Plasmodium falciparum histone deacetylase1 (PfHDAC1 homology model was built based on the highest sequence identity available template human histone deacetylase 2 structure. The generated model was carefully evaluated for stereochemical accuracy, folding correctness and overall structure quality. All evaluations were acceptable and consistent. Docking a group of hydroxamic acid histone deacetylase inhibitors and valproic acid has shown binding poses that agree well with inhibitor-bound histone deacetylase-solved structural interactions. Docking affinity dG scores were in agreement with available experimental binding affinities. Further, enzyme-ligand complex stability and reliability were investigated by running 5-nanosecond molecular dynamics simulations. Thorough analysis of the simulation trajectories has shown that enzyme-ligand complexes were stable during the simulation period. Interestingly, the calculated theoretical binding energies of the docked hydroxamic acid inhibitors have shown that the model can discriminate between strong and weaker inhibitors and agrees well with the experimental affinities reported in the literature. The model and the docking methodology can be used in screening virtual libraries for PfHDAC1 inhibitors, since the docking scores have ranked ligands in accordance with experimental binding affinities. Valproic acid calculated theoretical binding energy suggests that it may inhibit PfHDAC1.