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Molecular dynamics, database screening, density functional and docking studies of novel RAR ligands in cancer chemotherapy.

Due to the major challenge which cancer treatment and cure still imposes after many decades to the international scientific community, there is actually considerable interest in new ligands with increased bioactivity. We have focused on the retinoid acid receptor, which is considered an interesting target for drug design. In this work, we have carried out density functional geometry optimizations and different docking procedures. We have performed screening in a large database (hundreds of thousands of molecules which we optimized at the AM1 level) yielding a set of potential bioactive ligands. Two new ligands were selected and optimized at B3LYP/6-31G* level. A flexible docking program was used to investigate the interactions between the receptor and the new ligands. Molecular dynamics were performed in order to investigate the stability of the two ligands as well as the crystallographic RAR ligand inside the RAR active site. We also investigated the stability of all the main protein-ligand contacts. The parameters of the Rule of Five were investigated. The result of this work is compared with a crystallographic ligand of RAR. One of our theoretically bioactive new ligands indicates stronger and more polar and hydrophobic interactions with the receptor.

Algorithms↗

Docking studies of nickel-peptide deformylase (PDF) inhibitors: exploring the new binding pockets.

The binding modes of a series of known activity inhibitors docking to Peptide deformylase (PDF) have been studied using molecular docking software AutoDock3.0.5. In this study, good correlation (R(2)=0.894) between calculated binding energies and experimental inhibitory activities is obtained. We find that some shallow pockets near the known active pocket are very important which can accommodate the side-chains of the inhibitor. Moreover, a new binding pocket is also explored. All these may provide something useful for designing the potent inhibitors.

Amidohydrolases↗

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-docking sites in MAPK kinases function as tethers that are crucial for MAPK regulation in vivo.

Docking sites on targets of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) facilitate accurate and efficient substrate phosphorylation. MAPK/ERK kinases (MEKs, or MKKs), the upstream regulators of MAPKs, also contain N-terminal MAPK-docking sites, or 'D-sites'; however, the in vivo functions of MEK D-sites are incompletely understood. Here we found that the ability of constitutively-active human MEK1 and MEK2 to stimulate ERK phosphorylation and to induce the neoplastic transformation of NIH 3T3 cells required the integrity of the D-site. In addition, D-site mutants of otherwise wild-type MEK1/2 were unable to anchor unphosphorylated ERK2 in the cytoplasm. ERK activation, cytoplasmic anchoring and release were completely retained in 'swap' mutants in which MEK2's D-site was replaced with the D-site of MEK1 or yeast Ste7. Furthermore, these abilities were significantly retained when MEK2's D-site was moved to its C-terminus, or replaced by an unrelated MAPK-binding domain taken from the Ets-1 transcription factor. We conclude that the D-sites in MEKs are crucial for the activation of their cognate MAPKs in vivo, and that their primary function is to tether their cognate MAPKs near the MEK's kinase domain. This proximity effect is sufficient to explain the contribution that the D-site interaction makes to several biologically important signaling events.

Animals↗

Structural analysis of the protein phosphatase 1 docking motif: molecular description of binding specificities identifies interacting proteins.

The interplay between kinases and phosphatases represents a fundamental regulatory mechanism in biological systems. Being less numerous than kinases, phosphatases increase their diversity by the acquisition of a variety of binding partners, thereby forming a large number of holoenzymes. Proteins interacting with protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) often bind via a so-called docking motif to regulate its enzymatic activity, substrate specificity, and subcellular localization. Here, we systematically determined structural elements that mediate the binding specificity of PP1 interacting proteins, and propose a refined consensus sequence for high-affinity PP1 ligands. Applying this pattern to database searches, we predicted and experimentally confirmed several previously unknown PP1 interactors. Thus, the suggested PP1 docking motif enables a highly specific prediction of PP1 binding partners, thereby facilitating the genome-wide identification of PP1 interactors.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Antagonist binding in the rat muscarinic receptor A study by docking and X-ray crystallography.

A series of agonists to the rat muscarinic receptor have been docked computationally to the active site of a homology model of rat M1 muscarinic receptor. The agonists were modelled on the X-ray crystal structure of atropine, which is reported here and the docking studies are shown to reproduce correctly the order of experimental binding affinities for the agonists as well as indicate where there appear to be inconsistencies in the experimental data. The crystal and molecular structure of atropine (tropine tropate; alpha-[hydroxymethyl]benzeneacetic acid 8-methyl[3.2.1]oct-3-yl ester C17H23NO3) has been determined by X-ray crystallography using an automated Patterson search method, and refined by full-matrix least-squares to a final R of 0.0452 for 2701 independent observed reflections and 192 parameters using Mo Kalpha radiation, lambda=0.71073A at 150K. The compound crystallises in space group Fdd2 with Z=16 molecules per unit cell.

Animals↗

Synthesis, dopamine D2 receptor binding studies and docking analysis of 5-[3-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)propyl]-1H-benzimidazole, 5-[2-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)ethoxy]-1H-benzimidazole and their analogs.

5-[3-(4-Arylpiperazin-1-yl)propyl]-1H-benzimidazoles and 5-[2-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)ethoxy]-1H-benzimidazoles were synthesized and their affinity for the D1, D2 and 5-HT1A receptors examined. They expressed a rather high affinity for the D2 dopamine receptor. The main features of ligand-D2 receptor interactions revealed by docking analyses were: salt bridge between piperazine ring protonated N1 and Asp 86, hydrogen bonds of ligand bezimidazole part with Ser 141, Ser 122 and His 189, edge-to-face interactions of arylpiperazine aromatic ring with Phe 178, Tyr 216 and Trp 182 and hydrogen bond between ethereal oxygen in ethylenoxy ligands and hydrogen of Phe 185 or Trp 115. The most active 5-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-piperazin-1-yl]ethoxy]-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazole-2-thione (27) has a maximal number of attractive interactions. A satisfactory correlation between docking of the compounds into the D2 receptor and competition binding results was observed.

Animals↗

Docking of 6-chloropyridazin-3-yl derivatives active on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors into molluscan acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP).

The crystal structure of Acetylcholine Binding Protein (AChBP), homolog of the ligand binding domain of nAChR, has been used as model for computational investigations on the ligand-receptor interactions of derivatives of 6-chloropyridazine substituted at C3 with 3,8-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane, 2,5-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane and with piperazine and homopiperazine, substituted or not at N4. The ligand-receptor complexes have been analyzed by docking techniques using the binding site of HEPES complexed with AChBP as template. The good relationship between the observed binding affinity and the calculated docking energy confirms that this model provides a good starting point for understanding the binding domain of neuronal nicotinic receptors. An analysis of the possible factors significant for the ligand recognition has evidenced, besides the cation-pi interaction, the distance between the chlorine atom of the pyridazinyl group and the carbonylic oxygen of Leu B112 as an important parameter in the modulation of the binding energy.

Animals↗

Blind docking of drug-sized compounds to proteins with up to a thousand residues.

Blind docking was introduced for the detection of possible binding sites and modes of peptide ligands by scanning the entire surface of protein targets. In the present study, the method is tested on a group of drug-sized compounds and proteins with up to a thousand amino acid residues. Both proteins from complex structures and ligand-free proteins were used as targets. Robustness, limitations and future perspectives of the method are discussed. It is concluded that blind docking can be used for unbiased mapping of the binding patterns of drug candidates.

Binding Sites↗

Prediction of multimolecular assemblies by multiple docking.

The majority of proteins function when associated in multimolecular assemblies. Yet, prediction of the structures of multimolecular complexes has largely not been addressed, probably due to the magnitude of the combinatorial complexity of the problem. Docking applications have traditionally been used to predict pairwise interactions between molecules. We have developed an algorithm that extends the application of docking to multimolecular assemblies. We apply it to predict quaternary structures of both oligomers and multi-protein complexes. The algorithm predicted well a near-native arrangement of the input subunits for all cases in our data set, where the number of the subunits of the different target complexes varied from three to ten. In order to simulate a more realistic scenario, unbound cases were tested. In these cases the input conformations of the subunits are either unbound conformations of the subunits or a model obtained by a homology modeling technique. The successful predictions of the unbound cases, where the input conformations of the subunits are different from their conformations within the target complex, suggest that the algorithm is robust. We expect that this type of algorithm should be particularly useful to predict the structures of large macromolecular assemblies, which are difficult to solve by experimental structure determination.

Algorithms↗

Site-directed spin labeling studies reveal solution conformational changes in a GAAA tetraloop receptor upon Mg(2+)-dependent docking of a GAAA tetraloop.

The Mg(2+)-dependent GAAA tetraloop interaction with its 11 nucleotide receptor is one of the most frequently occurring long-range tertiary interactions in RNAs. To explore conformational changes in the receptor during tetraloop docking, nitroxide spin labels were attached at each of four uridine bases, one at a time, within an RNA molecule containing the receptor sequence. In the presence of Mg2+ and the tetraloop, the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of one of the labeled bases reflected a large increase in mobility, indicating unstacking of the base upon tetraloop docking. This provides direct evidence that base unstacking is an intrinsic feature of the solution tetraloop-receptor complex formed in the presence of Mg2+. Additional evidence suggests that in solution the bound receptor conformation is similar to that observed in the crystal structure of a group I intron ribozyme domain. In Mg2+ alone, a receptor conformation with an unstacked base was not detectable, suggesting that this conformation is of higher standard state free energy than that of the free receptor. This leads to the conclusion that the extensive RNA-RNA interactions observed in the crystal structure of the tetraloop-receptor complex provide larger interaction energy than the measured apparent affinity between the tetraloop and the free receptor. This is compatible with a high specificity of the tetraloop-receptor interaction.

Base Sequence↗

Chelerythrine and sanguinarine dock at distinct sites on BclXL that are not the classic BH3 binding cleft.

The ratio of the levels of pro-survival and pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 protein family is thought to be an important regulatory factor for determining the sensitivity of the mammalian cells to apoptotic stimuli. High levels of expression of pro-survival members such as Bcl(XL) in human cancers were frequently found to be a good prognostic indicator predicting poor response to chemotherapy. The pro-survival members of the Bcl-2 family mediate their effects through heterodimerization with the BH3 region of the pro-apoptotic members. Structural analyses of the binding complex of the BH3 peptide and Bcl(XL) showed that a hydrophobic groove termed the BH3 binding cleft is the docking site for the BH3 region. Chemical mimetics of the BH3 region such as BH3I-1 that target the BH3 binding cleft indeed exhibit pro-apoptotic activities. Chelerythrine (CHE) and sanguinarine (SAN) are natural benzophenanthridine alkaloids that are structurally homologous to each other. CHE was previously identified as an inhibitor of Bcl(XL) function from a high-throughput screen of natural products, but its mode of interaction with Bcl(XL) is not known. By determining the effect of site-directed mutagenesis on ligand binding and using saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments, we have verified locations of these docked ligands. Surprisingly, CHE and SAN bind separately at the BH groove and BH1 region of Bcl(XL) respectively, different from the BH3 binding cleft where other known inhibitors of Bcl(XL) target. Interestingly, certain residues on the flexible loop between helices alpha1 and alpha2 of Bcl(XL) are also perturbed upon CHE, but not SAN or BH3I-1 binding. Although CHE and SAN are similarly effective as BH3I-1 in displacing bound BH3 peptide, they are much more effective in inducing apoptosis, raising the possibility that CHE and SAN might be able to antagonize other pro-survival mechanisms in addition to the one that involves BH3 region binding.

Alkaloids↗

Conformational analyses and docking studies of a series of 5-nitrofuran- and 5-nitrothiophen-semicarbazone derivatives in three possible binding sites of trypanothione and glutathione reductases.

To explore three possible binding sites of trypanothione and glutathione reductase, namely, the active, the dimer interface and the coenzyme NADPH binding site, a series of eight compounds, nitrofurans and nitrothiophenes derivatives, were docked, using their crystallographic and modeled conformations. Docking results showed that, for both families and both enzymes, compounds are more likely to bind in the interface site, even though there is some probability of binding in the active site. These studies are in agreement with experimental data, which suggest that these class of compounds can act either as uncompetitive or mixed type inhibitors, and also with the finding that there is an alpha-helix which connects the active with the interface site, thus allowing charge transference between them.

Binding Sites↗

A theory of mode of action of azolylalkylquinolines as DNA binding agents using automated flexible ligand docking.

Azolylalkylquinolines (AAQs) are a family of quinolines with varying degrees of cytotoxic activity (comparable or moderately superior to adriamycin in some cases) developed in the past decade in our group where their exact mode of action is still unclear. In this study the most probable DNA binding mode of AAQs was investigated employing a novel flexible ligand docking approach by using AutoDock 3.0. Forty-nine AAQs with known experimental inhibitory activity were docked onto d(CGCAAATTTGCG)(2), d(CGATCG)(2) and d(CGCG)(2) oligonucleotides retrieved from the Protein Data Bank (PDB IDs: 102D, 1D12 and 1D32, respectively) as the representatives of the three plausible models of interactions between chemotherapeutic agents and DNA (groove binding, groove binding plus intercalation and bisintercalation, respectively). Good correlation (r(2)=0.64) between calculated binding energies and experimental inhibitory activities was obtained using groove binding plus intercalation model for phenyl-azolylalkylquinoline (PAAQ) series. Our findings show that the most probable mode of action of PAAQs as DNA binding agents is via intercalation of quinolinic moiety between CG base pairs with linker chain and azole moiety binding to the minor groove.

Binding Sites↗

Docking studies of agonists and antagonists suggest an activation pathway of the A3 adenosine receptor.

Structural determinants of ligand efficacy in the human A(3) adenosine receptor (AR) were studied using pharmacophore and docking analyses of various categories of A(3) selective ligands: inverse agonist, neutral antagonist (nonnucleoside and nucleoside), and agonist (partial and full). The homology modeling of GPCRs was adapted to provide two templates: the rhodopsin-based resting state for antagonist binding and a putative Meta I state, conformationally altered at a key residue (W6.48), for agonist binding. The preferential binding domains and/or local conformational changes associated with docking of three high affinity A(3)AR ligands were compared: inverse agonist PSB-11 1 ((R)-8-ethyl-4-methyl-2-phenyl-imidazo[2,1-i]purin-5-one); neutral antagonist MRE-3008F20 7 (5-[[(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]carbonyl]amino-8-methyl-2-(2-furyl)pyra-zolo[4,3-e]1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine), and full agonist Cl-IB-MECA 21 (2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine) to define a distinct recognition mode for each. Ribose-containing agonists were more hydrophilic than nonnucleoside antagonists, and H-bonding ability at the ribose 3'- and 5'-positions was required for agonism. From the receptor perspective, common requirements for activation included the destabilization of H-bond networks at W6.48 and H7.43, the specific interactions of the ribose moiety in its putative hydrophilic pocket at T3.36, S7.42, and H7.43, the stabilization of the complex by inward movement of F5.43, and the characteristic rotation of W6.48. By analogy, outward rotation of the W6.48 side-chain upon activation of an internally-crosslinking mutant M(3) muscarinic receptor was indicated by constrained molecular dynamics (MD). Our results are consistent with an anti-clockwise rotation (from the extracellular view) of transmembrane domains 3, 5, 6, and 7, as proposed for other Family A GPCRs. Thus, the putative conformational changes associated with A(3)AR activation indicate a shared mechanism of GPCR activation similar to rhodopsin.

Adenosine↗

Exploring the molecular basis of the enantioselective binding of penicillin G acylase towards a series of 2-aryloxyalkanoic acids: a docking and molecular dynamics study.

In the present paper, molecular modeling studies were undertaken in order to shed light on the molecular basis of the observed enantioselectivity of penicillin G acylase (PGA), a well known enzyme for its industrial applications, towards 16 racemic 2-aryloxyalkanoic acids, which have been reported to affect several biological systems. With this intention docking calculations and MD simulations were performed. Docking results indicated that the (S)-enantiomers establish several electrostatic interactions with SerB1, SerB386 and ArgB263 of PGA. Conversely, the absence of specific polar interactions between the (R)-enantiomers and ArgB263 seems to be the main reason for the different binding affinities observed between the two enantiomers. Results of molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that polar interactions are responsible for both the ligand affinity and PGA enantiospecificity. Modeling calculations provided possible explanations for the observed enantioselectivity of the enzyme that rationalize available experimental data and could be the basis for future protein engineering efforts.

Alkanes↗

3D-QSAR and molecular docking studies on pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives as glycogen synthase kinase-3beta inhibitors.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), a serine/threonine kinase, is a fascinating enzyme with diverse biological actions in intracellular signaling systems, making it an emerging target for diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, chronic inflammation, bipolar disorders and Alzheimer's disease. It is important to inhibit GSK-3 selectively and the net effect of the GSK-3 inhibitors thus should be target specific, over other phylogenetically related kinases such as CDK-2. In the present work, we have carried out three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies on novel class of pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives as GSK-3 inhibitors reported to have improved cellular activity. Docked conformation of the most active molecule in the series, which shows desirable interactions in the receptor, was taken as template for alignment of the molecules. Statistically significant CoMFA and CoMSIA models were generated using 49 molecules in training set. By applying leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation study, r(cv)2 values of 0.53 and 0.48 for CoMFA and CoMSIA, respectively and non-cross-validated (r(ncv)2) values of 0.98 and 0.92 were obtained for CoMFA and CoMSIA models, respectively. The predictive ability of CoMFA and CoMSIA models was determined using a test set of 12 molecules which gave predictive correlation coefficients (r(pred)2) of 0.47 and 0.48, respectively, indicating good predictive power. Based upon the information derived from CoMFA and CoMSIA contour maps, we have identified some key features that explain the observed variance in the activity and have been used to design new pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives. The designed molecules showed better binding affinity in terms of estimated docking scores with respect to the already reported systems; hence suggesting that newly designed molecules can be more potent and selective towards GSK-3beta inhibition.

Binding, Competitive↗

Model structures of alpha-2 adrenoceptors in complex with automatically docked antagonist ligands raise the possibility of interactions dissimilar from agonist ligands.

Antagonist binding to alpha-2 adrenoceptors (alpha2-ARs) is not well understood. Structural models were constructed for the three human alpha2-AR subtypes based on the bovine rhodopsin X-ray structure. Twelve antagonist ligands (including covalently binding phenoxybenzamine) were automatically docked to the models. A hallmark of agonist binding is the electrostatic interaction between a positive charge on the agonist and the negatively charged side chain of D3.32. For antagonist binding, ion-pair formation would require deviations of the models from the rhodopsin structural template, e.g., a rotation of TM3 to relocate D3.32 more centrally within the binding cavity, and/or creation of new space near TM2/TM7 such that antagonists would be shifted away from TM5. Thus, except for the quinazolines, antagonist ligands automatically docked to the model structures did not form ion-pairs with D3.32. This binding mode represents a valid alternative, whereby the positive charge on the antagonists is stabilized by cation-pi interactions with aromatic residues (e.g., F6.51) and antagonists interact with D3.32 via carboxylate-aromatic interactions. This binding mode is in good agreement with maps derived from a molecular interaction library that predicts favorable atomic contacts; similar interaction environments are seen for unrelated proteins in complex with ligands sharing similarities with the alpha2-AR antagonists.

Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists↗

Conserved docking site is essential for activation of mammalian MAP kinase kinases by specific MAP kinase kinase kinases.

Mammalian mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades control various cellular events, ranging from cell growth to apoptosis, in response to external stimuli. A conserved docking site, termed DVD, is found in the mammalian MAP kinase kinases (MAPKKs) belonging to the three major subfamilies, namely MEK1, MKK4/7, and MKK3/6. The DVD sites bind to their specific upstream MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAPKKKs), including MTK1 (MEKK4), ASK1, TAK1, TAO2, MEKK1, and Raf-1. DVD site is a stretch of about 20 amino acids immediately on the C-terminal side of the MAPKK catalytic domain. Mutations in the DVD site strongly inhibited MAPKKs from binding to, and being activated by, their specific MAPKKKs, both in vitro and in vivo. DVD site mutants could not be activated by various external stimuli in vivo. Synthetic DVD oligopeptides inhibited specific MAPKK activation, both in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating the critical importance of the DVD docking in MAPK signaling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗