scholarly journals Molecular Analysis of AFP and HSA Interactions with PTEN Protein

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyue Zhu ◽  
Bo Lin ◽  
Peng Zhou ◽  
Mengsen Li

Human cytoplasmic alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been classified as a member of the albuminoid gene family. The protein sequence of AFP has significant homology to that of human serum albumin (HSA), but its biological characteristics are vastly different from HSA. The AFP functions as a regulator in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway, but HSA plays a key role as a transport protein. To probe their molecular mechanisms, we have applied colocalization, coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP), and molecular docking approaches to analyze the differences between AFP and HSA. The data from colocalization and co-IP displayed a strong interaction between AFP and PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog), demonstrating that AFP did bind to PTEN, but HSA did not. The molecular docking study further showed that the AFP domains I and III could contact with PTEN.In siliconsubstitutions of AFP binding site residues at position 490M/K and 105L/R corresponding to residues K490 and R105 in HSA resulted in steric clashes with PTEN residues R150 and K46, respectively. These steric clashes may explain the reason why HSA cannot bind to PTEN. Ultimately, the experimental results and the molecular modeling data from the interactions of AFP and HSA with PTEN will help us to identify targets for designing drugs and vaccines against human hepatocellular carcinoma.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingxu Zhang ◽  
Jiawei Yang ◽  
Xiulan Zhao ◽  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Siquan Zhu

AbstractDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally. Qidengmingmu Capsule (QC) is a Chinese patent medicine used to treat DR, but the molecular mechanism of the treatment remains unknown. In this study, we identified and validated potential molecular mechanisms involved in the treatment of DR with QC via network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. The results of Ingredient-DR Target Network showed that 134 common targets and 20 active ingredients of QC were involved. According to the results of enrichment analysis, 2307 biological processes and 40 pathways were related to the treatment effects. Most of these processes and pathways were important for cell survival and were associated with many key factors in DR, such as vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA), hypoxia-inducible factor-1A (HIF-1Α), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα). Based on the results of the PPI network and KEGG enrichment analyses, we selected AKT1, HIF-1α, VEGFA, TNFα and their corresponding active ingredients for molecular docking. According to the molecular docking results, several key targets of DR (including AKT1, HIF-1α, VEGFA, and TNFα) can form stable bonds with the corresponding active ingredients of QC. In conclusion, through network pharmacology methods, we found that potential biological mechanisms involved in the alleviation of DR by QC are related to multiple biological processes and signaling pathways. The molecular docking results also provide us with sound directions for further experiments.


Tumor Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 101042831769552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebubekir Dirican ◽  
Mustafa Akkiprik

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Turkey and worldwide. It is considered a heterogeneous disease and has different subtypes. Moreover, breast cancer has different molecular characteristics, behaviors, and responses to treatment. Advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms implicated in breast cancer progression have led to the identification of many potential therapeutic gene targets, such as Breast Cancer 1/2, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha, and tumor protein 53. The aim of this review is to summarize the roles of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 (alpha) (alias p85α) and phosphatase and tensin homolog in breast cancer progression and the molecular mechanisms involved. Phosphatase and tensin homolog is a tumor suppressor gene and protein. Phosphatase and tensin homolog antagonizes the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway that plays a key role in cell growth, differentiation, and survival. Loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog expression, detected in about 20%–30% of cases, is known to be one of the most common tumor changes leading to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway activation in breast cancer. Instead, the regulatory subunit p85α is a significant component of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, and it has been proposed that a reduction in p85α protein would lead to decreased negative regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and hyperactivation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 protein has also been reported to be a positive regulator of phosphatase and tensin homolog via the stabilization of this protein. A functional genetic alteration of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 that results in reduced p85α protein expression and increased insulin receptor substrate 1 binding would lead to enhanced phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling and hence cancer development. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 underexpression was observed in 61.8% of breast cancer samples. Therefore, expression/alternations of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 and phosphatase and tensin homolog genes have crucial roles for breast cancer progression. This review will summarize the biological roles of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 and phosphatase and tensin homolog in breast cancer, with an emphasis on recent findings and the potential of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 and phosphatase and tensin homolog as a therapeutic target for breast cancer therapy.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Samo Lešnik ◽  
Urban Bren

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) represents a medicinal plant known for its various health-promoting properties. Its extracts and essential oils exhibit antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial activities. The main compounds responsible for these effects are the diterpenes carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmanol, as well as the phenolic acid ester rosmarinic acid. However, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the pharmacological activities of rosemary and its compounds. To discern these mechanisms, we performed a large-scale inverse molecular docking study to identify their potential protein targets. Listed compounds were separately docked into predicted binding sites of all non-redundant holo proteins from the Protein Data Bank and those with the top scores were further examined. We focused on proteins directly related to human health, including human and mammalian proteins as well as proteins from pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The observed interactions of rosemary compounds indeed confirm the beforementioned activities, whereas we also identified their potential for anticoagulant and antiparasitic actions. The obtained results were carefully checked against the existing experimental findings from the scientific literature as well as further validated using both redocking procedures and retrospective metrics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Mecca ◽  
Ileana Giambanco ◽  
Rosario Donato ◽  
Cataldo Arcuri

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) drives several physiologic and pathologic cellular processes and is frequently deregulated in different types of tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). Despite recent advancements in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in GBM biology, the survival rates of this tumor are still disappointing, primarily due to the lack of efficacious treatments. The phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mTOR pathway has emerged as a crucial player in GBM development and progression. However, to date, all the attempts to target this pathway with PI3K, AKT, or mTORC1 inhibitors failed to improve the outcome of patients with GBM. Despite these discouraging results, recent evidence pointed out that the blockade of mTORC2 might provide a useful therapeutic strategy for GBM, with the potential to overcome the limitations that mTORC1 inhibitors have shown so far. In this review, we analyzed the rationale of targeting mTOR in GBM and the available preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the choice of this therapeutic approach, highlighting the different roles of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in GBM biology.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manik Ghosh ◽  
Kamal Kant ◽  
Anoop Kumar ◽  
Padma Behera ◽  
Naresh Rangra ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Espiritu

<p>Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) are proteinaceous toxins secreted as monomers by some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that contribute to their pathogenicity. These toxins bind to either cholesterol or human CD59, leading to massive structural changes, toxin oligomerization, formation of very large pores, and ultimately cell death, making these proteins promising targets for inhibition. Myricetin, and its related flavonoids, have been previously identified as a candidate small molecule inhibitor of specific CDCs such as listeriolysin O (LLO) and suilysin (SLY), interfering with their oligomerization. In this work, molecular docking was performed to assess the interaction of myricetin with other CDCs whose crystal structures are already known. Results indicated that although myricetin bound to the hitherto identified cavity in domain 4 (D4), much more efficient and stable binding was obtained in sites along the interfacial regions of domains 1 – 3 (D1 – D3). This was common among the tested CDCs, which was primarily due to much more extensive stabilizing intermolecular interactions, as indicated by post-docking analysis. Specifically, myricetin bound to (1) the interface of the three domains in anthrolysin O (ALO), perfringolysin O (PFO), pneumolysin (PLY), SLY, and vaginolysin (VLY), (2) at/near the D1/D3 interface in LLO and streptolysin O (SLO), and (3) along the D2/D3 interface in intermedilysin (ILY). These findings provide theoretical basis on the possibility of using myricetin and its related compounds as a broad-spectrum inhibitor of CDCs to potentially address the diseases associated with these pathogens.</p>


Author(s):  
Acharya Balkrishna ◽  
Rashmi Mittal ◽  
Vedpriya Arya

Background:: COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been declared as global pandemic by WHO. Comprehensive analysis of this unprecedented outbreak may help to fight against the disease and may play a pivotal role in decreasing the mortality rate linked with it. Papain like protease (PLpro), a multifunctional polyprotein facilitates the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and evades it from the host immunological response by antagonizing cytokines, interferons and may be considered as potential drug target to combat the current pandemic. Methods:: Natural moieties obtained from medicinal plants were analysed for their potency to target PLpro of SARS-CoV-2 by molecular docking study and were compared with synthetic analogs named as remdesivir, chloroquine and favipiravir. The stability of complexes of top hits was analysed by MD Simulation and interaction energy was calculated. Furthermore, average RMSD values were computed and deepsite ligand binding pockets were predicted using Play Molecule. Drug like abilities of these moieties were determined using ADMET and bond distance between the ligand and active site was assessed to predict the strength of interaction. Results:: Nimbocinol (-7.6 Kcal/mol) and sage (-7.3 Kcal/mol) exhibited maximum BA against PLpro SARS-CoV-2 as evident from molecular docking study which was found to be even better than remdesivir (-6.1 Kcal/mol), chloroquine (-5.3 Kcal/mol) and favipiravir (-5.7 Kcal/mol). Both nimbocinol-PLpro and sage-PLpro SARS-CoV-2 complex exhibited stable conformation during MD Simulation of 101ns at 310 K and potential, kinetic and electrostatic interaction energies were computed which was observed to be concordant with results of molecular docking study. RMSD average values were found to be 0.496 ± 0.015 Å and 0.598 ± 0.023 Å for nimbocinol and sage respectively thus revealing that both the deviation and fluctuations during MD Simulation were observed to be least. Deepsite prediction disclosed that both compounds occupied cryptic pockets in receptor and non-bond distance analysis revealed the formation of hydrogen bonds during ligand-receptor interaction. ADMET exploration further validated the drug like properties of these compounds. Conclusion:: Present study revealed that active constituents of Azadirachta indica and Salvia officinalis can be potentially used to target SARS-CoV-2 by hindering its replication process.


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