scholarly journals Insights into the binding mode of MEK type-III inhibitors. A step towards discovering and designing allosteric kinase inhibitors across the human kinome

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Zhao ◽  
Lei Xie ◽  
Philip E. Bourne

AbstractProtein kinases are critical drug targets for treating a large variety of human diseases. Type-I and type-II kinase inhibitors frequently exhibit off-target toxicity or lead to mutation acquired resistance. Two highly specific allosteric type-III MEK-targeted drugs, Trametinib and Cobimetinib, offer a new approach. Thus, understanding the binding mechanism of existing type-III kinase inhibitors will provide insights for designing new type-III kinase inhibitors. In this work we have systematically studied the binding mode of MEK-targeted type-III inhibitors using structural systems pharmacology and molecular dynamics simulation. Our studies provide detailed sequence, structure, interaction-fingerprint, pharmacophore and binding-site information on the binding characteristics of MEK type-III kinase inhibitors. We propose that the helix-folding activation loop is a hallmark allosteric binding site for type-III inhibitors. Subsequently we screened and predicted allosteric binding sites across the human kinome, suggesting other kinases as potential targets suitable for type-III inhibitors. Our findings will provide new insights into the design of potent and selective kinases inhibitors.Author SummaryHuman protein kinases represent a large protein family relevant to many diseases, especially cancers, and have become important drug targets. However, developing the desired selective kinase-targeted inhibitors remain challenging. Kinase allosteric inhibitors provide that opportunity, but, to date, few have been designed other than MEK inhibitors. To more efficiently develop kinase allosteric inhibitors, we systematically studied the binding mode of the MEK type-III allosteric kinase inhibitors using structural system pharmacology and molecular dynamics approaches. New insights into the binding mode and mechanism of type-III inhibitors were revealed that may facilitate the design of new prospective type-III kinase inhibitors.

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1059-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raju Dash ◽  
Md. Arifuzzaman ◽  
Sarmistha Mitra ◽  
Md. Abdul Hannan ◽  
Nurul Absar ◽  
...  

Background: Although protein kinase D1 (PKD1) has been proved to be an efficient target for anticancer drug development, lack of structural details and substrate binding mechanisms are the main obstacles for the development of selective inhibitors with therapeutic benefits. Objective: The present study described the in silico dynamics behaviors of PKD1 in binding with selective and non-selective inhibitors and revealed the critical binding site residues for the selective kinase inhibition. Methods: Here, the three dimensional model of PKD1 was initially constructed by homology modeling along with binding site characterization to explore the non-conserved residues. Subsequently, two known inhibitors were docked to the catalytic site and the detailed ligand binding mechanisms and post binding dyanmics were investigated by molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculations. Results: According to the binding site analysis, PKD1 serves several non-conserved residues in the G-loop, hinge and catalytic subunits. Among them, the residues including Leu662, His663, and Asp665 from hinge region made polar interactions with selective PKD1 inhibitor in docking simulation, which were further validated by the molecular dynamics simulation. Both inhibitors strongly influenced the structural dynamics of PKD1 and their computed binding free energies were in accordance with experimental bioactivity data. Conclusion: The identified non-conserved residues likely to play critical role on molecular reorganization and inhibitor selectivity. Taken together, this study explained the molecular basis of PKD1 specific inhibition, which may help to design new selective inhibitors for better therapies to overcome cancer and PKD1 dysregulated disorders.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Neumann ◽  
Viktor Engel ◽  
Andhika B. Mahardhika ◽  
Clara T. Schoeder ◽  
Vigneshwaran Namasivayam ◽  
...  

GPR18 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) expressed in cells of the immune system. It is activated by the cannabinoid receptor (CB) agonist ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Several further lipids have been proposed to act as GPR18 agonists, but these results still require unambiguous confirmation. In the present study, we constructed a homology model of the human GPR18 based on an ensemble of three GPCR crystal structures to investigate the binding modes of the agonist THC and the recently reported antagonists which feature an imidazothiazinone core to which a (substituted) phenyl ring is connected via a lipophilic linker. Docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies were performed. As a result, a hydrophobic binding pocket is predicted to accommodate the imidazothiazinone core, while the terminal phenyl ring projects towards an aromatic pocket. Hydrophobic interaction of Cys251 with substituents on the phenyl ring could explain the high potency of the most potent derivatives. Molecular dynamics simulation studies suggest that the binding of imidazothiazinone antagonists stabilizes transmembrane regions TM1, TM6 and TM7 of the receptor through a salt bridge between Asp118 and Lys133. The agonist THC is presumed to bind differently to GPR18 than to the distantly related CB receptors. This study provides insights into the binding mode of GPR18 agonists and antagonists which will facilitate future drug design for this promising potential drug target.


Author(s):  
Jayashree Biswal ◽  
Prajisha Jayaprakash ◽  
Suresh Kumar Rayala ◽  
Ganesh Venkatraman ◽  
Raghu Rangasamy ◽  
...  

Aim: This study aims to develop and establish a computational model that can identify potent molecules for p21-activating kinase 1 (PAK1). Background: PAK1 is a well-established drug target that has been explored for various therapeutic interventions. Control of this protein requires an indispensable inhibitor to curb the structural changes and subsequent activation of signalling effectors responsible for the progression of diseases, such as cancer, inflammatory, viral, and neurological disorders. Objective: To establish a computational model that could identify active molecules which will further provide a platform for developing potential PAK1 inhibitors. Method: A congeneric series of 27 compounds was considered for this study with Ki (nm) covering a minimum of 3 log range. The compounds were developed based on a previously reported Group-I PAK inhibitor, namely G-5555. The 27 compounds were subjected to the SP and XP mode of docking, to understand the binding mode, its conformation and interaction patterns. To understand the relevance of biological activity from computational approaches, the compounds were scored against generated water maps to obtain WM/MM ΔG binding energy. Moreover, molecular dynamics analysis was performed for the highly active compound, to understand the conformational variability and complex’s stability. We then evaluate the predictable binding pose obtained from the docking studies. Result: From the SP and XP modes of docking, the common interaction pattern with the amino acid residues Arg299 (cation-π), Glu345 (Aromatic hydrogen bond), hinge region Leu347, salt bridges Asp393 and Asp407 was observed, among the congeneric compounds. The interaction pattern was compared with the co-crystal inhibitor FRAX597 of the PAK1 crystal structure (PDB id: 4EQC). The correlation with different docking parameters in the SP and XP modes was insignificant and thereby revealed that the SP and XP’s scoring functions could not predict the active compounds. This was due to the limitations in the docking methodology that neglected the receptor flexibility and desolvation parameters. Hence, to recognise the desolvation and explicit solvent effects, as well as to study the Structure-Activity Relationships (SARs) extensively, WaterMap (WM) calculations were performed on the congeneric compounds. Based on displaceable unfavourable hydration sites (HS) and their associated thermodynamic properties, the WM calculations facilitated to understand the significance of correlation in the folds of activity of highly (19 and 17), moderate (16 and 21) and less active (26 and 25) compounds. Furthermore, the scoring function from WaterMap, namely WM/MM, led to a significant R2 value of 0.72, due to a coupled conjunction with MM treatment and displaced unfavourable waters at the binding site. To check the “optimal binding conformation”, molecular dynamics simulation was carried out with the highly active compound 19 to explain the binding mode, stability, interactions, solvent accessible area, etc., which could support the predicted conformation with bioactive conformation. Conclusion: This study determined the best scoring function, established SARs and predicted active molecules through a computational model. This will contribute towards development of the most potent PAK1 inhibitors.


1998 ◽  
Vol 282 (5) ◽  
pp. 921-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Wriggers ◽  
Jay X. Tang ◽  
Toshifumi Azuma ◽  
Peter W. Marks ◽  
Paul A. Janmey

Molecules ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 387
Author(s):  
Xiangcong Wang ◽  
Moxuan Zhang ◽  
Ranran Zhu ◽  
Zhongshan Wu ◽  
Fanhong Wu ◽  
...  

PI3Kα is one of the potential targets for novel anticancer drugs. In this study, a series of 2-difluoromethylbenzimidazole derivatives were studied based on the combination of molecular modeling techniques 3D-QSAR, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics. The results showed that the best comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) model had q2 = 0.797 and r2 = 0.996 and the best comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) model had q2 = 0.567 and r2 = 0.960. It was indicated that these 3D-QSAR models have good verification and excellent prediction capabilities. The binding mode of the compound 29 and 4YKN was explored using molecular docking and a molecular dynamics simulation. Ultimately, five new PI3Kα inhibitors were designed and screened by these models. Then, two of them (86, 87) were selected to be synthesized and biologically evaluated, with a satisfying result (22.8 nM for 86 and 33.6 nM for 87).


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11171
Author(s):  
Neha Srivastava ◽  
Prekshi Garg ◽  
Prachi Srivastava ◽  
Prahlad Kishore Seth

Background & Objectives The massive outbreak of Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has turned out to be a serious global health issue worldwide. Currently, no drugs or vaccines are available for the treatment of COVID-19. The current computational study was attempted to identify a novel therapeutic inhibitor against novel SARS-CoV-2 using in silico drug discovery pipeline. Methods In the present study, the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor was the target for the designing of drugs against the deadly virus. The 3D structure of the receptor was modeled & validated using a Swiss-model, Procheck & Errat server. A molecular docking study was performed between a group of natural & synthetic compounds having proven anti-viral activity with ACE2 receptor using Autodock tool 1.5.6. The molecular dynamics simulation study was performed using Desmond v 12 to evaluate the stability and interaction of the ACE2 receptor with a ligand. Results Based on the lowest binding energy, confirmation, and H-bond interaction, cinnamic acid (−5.20 kcal/mol), thymoquinone (−4.71 kcal/mol), and andrographolide (Kalmegh) (−4.00 kcal/mol) were screened out showing strong binding affinity to the active site of ACE2 receptor. MD simulations suggest that cinnamic acid, thymoquinone, and andrographolide (Kalmegh) could efficiently activate the biological pathway without changing the conformation in the binding site of the ACE2 receptor. The bioactivity and drug-likeness properties of compounds show their better pharmacological property and safer to use. Interpretation & Conclusions The study concludes the high potential of cinnamic acid, thymoquinone, and andrographolide against the SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 receptor protein. Thus, the molecular docking and MD simulation study will aid in understanding the molecular interaction between ligand and receptor binding site, thereby leading to novel therapeutic intervention.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e72402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo de Almeida ◽  
Izabela M. D. Bastos ◽  
Bergmann M. Ribeiro ◽  
Bernard Maigret ◽  
Jaime M. Santana

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document