scholarly journals Sunitinib inhibits RNase L by destabilizing its active dimer conformation

2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (17) ◽  
pp. 3387-3399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinle Tang ◽  
Yingjie Wang ◽  
Huan Zhou ◽  
Yuxin Ye ◽  
Manisha Talukdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Ribonuclease Activity ◽  
Atp Binding ◽  
Rnase L ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Repeat Domain ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

The pseudokinase (PK) RNase L is a functional ribonuclease and plays important roles in human innate immunity. The ribonuclease activity of RNase L can be regulated by the kinase inhibitor sunitinib. The combined use of oncolytic virus and sunitinib has been shown to exert synergistic effects in anticancer therapy. In this study, we aimed to uncover the mechanism of action through which sunitinib inhibits RNase L. We solved the crystal structures of RNase L in complex with sunitinib and its analogs toceranib and SU11652. Our results showed that sunitinib bound to the ATP-binding pocket of RNase L. Unexpectedly, the αA helix linking the ankyrin repeat-domain and the PK domain affected the binding mode of sunitinib and resulted in an unusual flipped orientation relative to other structures in PDB. Molecular dynamics simulations and dynamic light scattering results support that the binding of sunitinib in the PK domain destabilized the dimer conformation of RNase L and allosterically inhibited its ribonuclease activity. Our study suggested that dimer destabilization could be an effective strategy for the discovery of RNase L inhibitors and that targeting the ATP-binding pocket in the PK domain of RNase L was an efficient approach for modulating its ribonuclease activity.

scholarly journals Comparing Fragment Binding Poses Prediction Using HSP90 as a Key Study: When Bound Water Makes the Difference

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (20) ◽  
pp. 4651
Author(s):  
Giovanni Bolcato ◽  
Maicol Bissaro ◽  
Mattia Sturlese ◽  
Stefano Moro
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Bound Water ◽  
Computational Prediction ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Correct Prediction ◽  
Water Molecules ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Hsp 90

Fragment-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD) approaches have gained popularity not only in industry but also in academic research institutes. However, the computational prediction of the binding mode adopted by fragment-like molecules within a protein binding site is still a very challenging task. One of the most crucial aspects of fragment binding is related to the large amounts of bound waters in the targeted binding pocket. The binding affinity of fragments may not be sufficient to displace the bound water molecules. In the present work, we confirmed the importance of the bound water molecules in the correct prediction of the fragment binding mode. Moreover, we investigate whether the use of methods based on explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations can improve the accuracy of fragment posing. The protein chosen for this study is HSP-90.

Clustering and Sampling of the c-Met Conformational Space: A Computational Drug Discovery Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 635-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Korosh Mashayekh ◽  
Shahrzad Sharifi ◽  
Tahereh Damghani ◽  
Maryam Elyasi ◽  
Mohammad S. Avestan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Docking Studies ◽  
Conformational Space ◽  
Hydrogen Bond Interactions ◽  
Docking Program ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Computational Drug Discovery ◽  
Dynamic Ensembles

Background: c-Met kinase plays a critical role in a myriad of human cancers, and a massive scientific work was devoted to design more potent inhibitors. Objective: In this study, 16 molecular dynamics simulations of different complexes of potent c-Met inhibitors with U-shaped binding mode were carried out regarding the dynamic ensembles to design novel potent inhibitors. Methods: A cluster analysis was performed, and the most representative frame of each complex was subjected to the structure-based pharmacophore screening. The GOLD docking program investigated the interaction energy and pattern of output hits from the virtual screening. The most promising hits with the highest scoring values that showed critical interactions with c-Met were presented for ADME/Tox analysis. Results: The screening yielded 45,324 hits that all of them were subjected to the docking studies and 10 of them with the highest-scoring values having diverse structures were presented for ADME/Tox analyses. Conclusion: The results indicated that all the hits shared critical Pi-Pi stacked and hydrogen bond interactions with Tyr1230 and Met1160 respectively.

scholarly journals The Repurposed Drugs Suramin and Quinacrine Cooperatively Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro In Vitro

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 873
Author(s):  
Raphael J. Eberle ◽  
Danilo S. Olivier ◽  
Marcos S. Amaral ◽  
Ian Gering ◽  
Dieter Willbold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Mode ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
Ic50 Values ◽  
Repurposed Drugs ◽  
Antiparasitic Drugs ◽  
Inhibitory Potential ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Micromolar Range

Since the first report of a new pneumonia disease in December 2019 (Wuhan, China) the WHO reported more than 148 million confirmed cases and 3.1 million losses globally up to now. The causative agent of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide, resulting in a pandemic of unprecedented magnitude. To date, several clinically safe and efficient vaccines (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines) as well as drugs for emergency use have been approved. However, increasing numbers of SARS-Cov-2 variants make it imminent to identify an alternative way to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. A well-known strategy to identify molecules with inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 proteins is repurposing clinically developed drugs, e.g., antiparasitic drugs. The results described in this study demonstrated the inhibitory potential of quinacrine and suramin against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CLpro). Quinacrine and suramin molecules presented a competitive and noncompetitive inhibition mode, respectively, with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments demonstrated that quinacrine and suramin alone possessed a moderate or weak affinity with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro but suramin binding increased quinacrine interaction by around a factor of eight. Using docking and molecular dynamics simulations, we identified a possible binding mode and the amino acids involved in these interactions. Our results suggested that suramin, in combination with quinacrine, showed promising synergistic efficacy to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. We suppose that the identification of effective, synergistic drug combinations could lead to the design of better treatments for the COVID-19 disease and repurposable drug candidates offer fast therapeutic breakthroughs, mainly in a pandemic moment.

scholarly journals Crizotinib acts as ABL1 inhibitor combining ATP-binding with allosteric inhibition and is active against native BCR-ABL1 and its resistance and compound mutants BCR-ABL1T315I and BCR-ABL1T315I-E255K

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afsar Ali Mian ◽  
Isabella Haberbosch ◽  
Hazem Khamaisie ◽  
Abed Agbarya ◽  
Larissa Pietsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Philadelphia Chromosome ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Atp Binding ◽  
Atp Binding Site ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients

AbstractResistance remains the major clinical challenge for the therapy of Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) leukemia. With the exception of ponatinib, all approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are unable to inhibit the common “gatekeeper” mutation T315I. Here we investigated the therapeutic potential of crizotinib, a TKI approved for targeting ALK and ROS1 in non-small cell lung cancer patients, which inhibited also the ABL1 kinase in cell-free systems, for the treatment of advanced and therapy-resistant Ph+ leukemia. By inhibiting the BCR-ABL1 kinase, crizotinib efficiently suppressed growth of Ph+ cells without affecting growth of Ph− cells. It was also active in Ph+ patient-derived long-term cultures (PD-LTCs) independently of the responsiveness/resistance to other TKIs. The efficacy of crizotinib was confirmed in vivo in syngeneic mouse models of BCR-ABL1- or BCR-ABL1T315I-driven chronic myeloid leukemia–like disease and in BCR-ABL1-driven acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Although crizotinib binds to the ATP-binding site, it also allosterically affected the myristol binding pocket, the binding site of GNF2 and asciminib (former ABL001). Therefore, crizotinib has a seemingly unique double mechanism of action, on the ATP-binding site and on the myristoylation binding pocket. These findings strongly suggest the clinical evaluation of crizotinib for the treatment of advanced and therapy-resistant Ph+ leukemia.

scholarly journals A Molecular Modeling Approach to Identify Potential Antileishmanial Compounds Against the Cell Division Cycle (cdc)-2-Related Kinase 12 (CRK12) Receptor of Leishmania donovani

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 458
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Broni ◽  
Samuel K. Kwofie ◽  
Seth O. Asiedu ◽  
Whelton A. Miller ◽  
Michael D. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Leishmania Donovani ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Cell Division Cycle ◽  
World Health ◽  
Atp Binding ◽  
African Flora

The huge burden of leishmaniasis caused by the trypanosomatid protozoan parasite Leishmania is well known. This illness was included in the list of neglected tropical diseases targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization. However, the increasing evidence of resistance to existing antimonial drugs has made the eradication of the disease difficult to achieve, thus warranting the search for new drug targets. We report here studies that used computational methods to identify inhibitors of receptors from natural products. The cell division cycle-2-related kinase 12 (CRK12) receptor is a plausible drug target against Leishmania donovani. This study modelled the 3D molecular structure of the L. donovani CRK12 (LdCRK12) and screened for small molecules with potential inhibitory activity from African flora. An integrated library of 7722 African natural product-derived compounds and known inhibitors were screened against the LdCRK12 using AutoDock Vina after performing energy minimization with GROMACS 2018. Four natural products, namely sesamin (NANPDB1649), methyl ellagic acid (NANPDB1406), stylopine (NANPDB2581), and sennecicannabine (NANPDB6446) were found to be potential LdCRK12 inhibitory molecules. The molecular docking studies revealed two compounds NANPDB1406 and NANPDB2581 with binding affinities of −9.5 and −9.2 kcal/mol, respectively, against LdCRK12 which were higher than those of the known inhibitors and drugs, including GSK3186899, amphotericin B, miltefosine, and paromomycin. All the four compounds were predicted to have inhibitory constant (Ki) values ranging from 0.108 to 0.587 μM. NANPDB2581, NANPDB1649 and NANPDB1406 were also predicted as antileishmanial with Pa and Pi values of 0.415 and 0.043, 0.391 and 0.052, and 0.351 and 0.071, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations coupled with molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) computations reinforced their good binding mechanisms. Most compounds were observed to bind in the ATP binding pocket of the kinase domain. Lys488 was predicted as a key residue critical for ligand binding in the ATP binding pocket of the LdCRK12. The molecules were pharmacologically profiled as druglike with inconsequential toxicity. The identified molecules have scaffolds that could form the backbone for fragment-based drug design of novel leishmanicides but warrant further studies to evaluate their therapeutic potential.

scholarly journals A survey of the kinome pharmacopeia reveals multiple scaffolds and targets for the development of novel anthelmintics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Knox ◽  
Nicolas Joly ◽  
Edmond M. Linossi ◽  
José A. Carmona-Negrón ◽  
Natalia Jura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Developmental Delay ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Drug Binding ◽  
Nematode Infection ◽  
Selective Inhibitors ◽  
C Elegans

AbstractOver one billion people are currently infected with a parasitic nematode. Symptoms can include anemia, malnutrition, developmental delay, and in severe cases, death. Resistance is emerging to the anthelmintics currently used to treat nematode infection, prompting the need to develop new anthelmintics. Towards this end, we identified a set of kinases that may be targeted in a nematode-selective manner. We first screened 2040 inhibitors of vertebrate kinases for those that impair the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. By determining whether the terminal phenotype induced by each kinase inhibitor matched that of the predicted target mutant in C. elegans, we identified 17 druggable nematode kinase targets. Of these, we found that nematode EGFR, MEK1, and PLK1 kinases have diverged from vertebrates within their drug-binding pocket. For each of these targets, we identified small molecule scaffolds that may be further modified to develop nematode-selective inhibitors. Nematode EGFR, MEK1, and PLK1 therefore represent key targets for the development of new anthelmintic medicines.

scholarly journals Betulin, a Newly Characterized Compound in Acacia auriculiformis Bark, Is a Multi-Target Protein Kinase Inhibitor

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4599
Author(s):  
Augustine Ahmadu ◽  
Claire Delehouzé ◽  
Anas Haruna ◽  
Lukman Mustapha ◽  
Bilqis Lawal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Protein Kinases ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Glycogen Synthase ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Stem Bark ◽  
Janus Kinase ◽  
Myelogenous Leukemia ◽  
Acacia Auriculiformis

The purpose of this work is to investigate the protein kinase inhibitory activity of constituents from Acacia auriculiformis stem bark. Column chromatography and NMR spectroscopy were used to purify and characterize betulin from an ethyl acetate soluble fraction of acacia bark. Betulin, a known inducer of apoptosis, was screened against a panel of 16 disease-related protein kinases. Betulin was shown to inhibit Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 (ABL1) kinase, casein kinase 1ε (CK1ε), glycogen synthase kinase 3α/β (GSK-3 α/β), Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), NIMA Related Kinase 6 (NEK6), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 kinase (VEGFR2) with activities in the micromolar range for each. The effect of betulin on the cell viability of doxorubicin-resistant K562R chronic myelogenous leukemia cells was then verified to investigate its putative use as an anti-cancer compound. Betulin was shown to modulate the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, with activity similar to that of imatinib mesylate, a known ABL1 kinase inhibitor. The interaction of betulin and ABL1 was studied by molecular docking, revealing an interaction of the inhibitor with the ABL1 ATP binding pocket. Together, these data demonstrate that betulin is a multi-target inhibitor of protein kinases, an activity that can contribute to the anticancer properties of the natural compound and to potential treatments for leukemia.

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