scholarly journals Structural basis of negative cooperativity in transthyretin.

2001 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Neumann ◽  
V Cody ◽  
A Wojtczak
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Negative Cooperativity ◽  
Channel Diameter ◽  
Interatomic Distances ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Site Binding ◽  
Made In

A comparison of the AC and BD binding sites of transthyretin (TTR) was made in terms of the interatomic distances between the Ca atoms of equivalent amino acids, measured across the tetramer channel in each binding site. The comparison of the channel diameter for apo TTR from different sources revealed that in the unliganded transthyretin tetramers the distances between the A, D and H beta-strands are consistently larger, while the distances between the G beta-strands are smaller in one site than in the other. These differences might be described to have a 'wave' character. An analogous analysis performed for transthyretin complexes reveals that the shape of the plot is similar, although the amplitudes of the changes are smaller. The analysis leads us to a model of the changes in the binding sites caused by ligand binding. The sequence of events includes ligand binding in the first site, followed by a slight collapse of this site and concomitant opening of the second site, binding of the second molecule and collapse of the second site. The following opening of the first, already occupied site upon ligand binding in the second site is smaller because of the bridging interactions already formed by the first ligand. This explains the negative cooperativity (NC) effect observed for many ligands in transthyretin.

scholarly journals The structure of binding curves and practical identifiability of equilibrium ligand-binding parameters

2016 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Middendorf ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Association Constants ◽  
Binding Parameters ◽  
Parameter Identifiability ◽  
Binding Parameter ◽  
Binding Data ◽  
Binding Curve ◽  
Site Binding ◽  
Binding Curves

A critical but often overlooked question in the study of ligands binding to proteins is whether the parameters obtained from analyzing binding data are practically identifiable (PI), i.e., whether the estimates obtained from fitting models to noisy data are accurate and unique. Here we report a general approach to assess and understand binding parameter identifiability, which provides a toolkit to assist experimentalists in the design of binding studies and in the analysis of binding data. The partial fraction (PF) expansion technique is used to decompose binding curves for proteins with n ligand-binding sites exactly and uniquely into n components, each of which has the form of a one-site binding curve. The association constants of the PF component curves, being the roots of an n-th order polynomial, may be real or complex. We demonstrate a fundamental connection between binding parameter identifiability and the nature of these one-site association constants: all binding parameters are identifiable if the constants are all real and distinct; otherwise, at least some of the parameters are not identifiable. The theory is used to construct identifiability maps from which the practical identifiability of binding parameters for any two-, three-, or four-site binding curve can be assessed. Instructions for extending the method to generate identifiability maps for proteins with more than four binding sites are also given. Further analysis of the identifiability maps leads to the simple rule that the maximum number of structurally identifiable binding parameters (shown in the previous paper to be equal to n) will also be PI only if the binding curve line shape contains n resolved components.

Reversibly Sampling Conformations and Binding Modes Using Molecular Darting

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel C. Gill ◽  
David Mobley
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Hiv Integrase ◽  
Binding Modes ◽  
System A ◽  
Multiple Binding ◽  
Internal Degrees Of Freedom

<div>Sampling multiple binding modes of a ligand in a single molecular dynamics simulation is difficult. A given ligand may have many internal degrees of freedom, along with many different ways it might orient itself a binding site or across several binding sites, all of which might be separated by large energy barriers. We have developed a novel Monte Carlo move called Molecular Darting (MolDarting) to reversibly sample between predefined binding modes of a ligand. Here, we couple this with nonequilibrium candidate Monte Carlo (NCMC) to improve acceptance of moves.</div><div>We apply this technique to a simple dipeptide system, a ligand binding to T4 Lysozyme L99A, and ligand binding to HIV integrase in order to test this new method. We observe significant increases in acceptance compared to uniformly sampling the internal, and rotational/translational degrees of freedom in these systems.</div>

scholarly journals Putative ligand binding sites of two functionally characterized bark beetle odorant receptors

BMC Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jothi K. Yuvaraj ◽  
Rebecca E. Roberts ◽  
Yonathan Sonntag ◽  
Xiao-Qing Hou ◽  
Ewald Grosse-Wilde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Odorant Receptors ◽  
Functional Evolution ◽  
General Importance ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Background Bark beetles are major pests of conifer forests, and their behavior is primarily mediated via olfaction. Targeting the odorant receptors (ORs) may thus provide avenues towards improved pest control. Such an approach requires information on the function of ORs and their interactions with ligands, which is also essential for understanding the functional evolution of these receptors. Hence, we aimed to identify a high-quality complement of ORs from the destructive spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) and analyze their antennal expression and phylogenetic relationships with ORs from other beetles. Using 68 biologically relevant test compounds, we next aimed to functionally characterize ecologically important ORs, using two systems for heterologous expression. Our final aim was to gain insight into the ligand-OR interaction of the functionally characterized ORs, using a combination of computational and experimental methods. Results We annotated 73 ORs from an antennal transcriptome of I. typographus and report the functional characterization of two ORs (ItypOR46 and ItypOR49), which are responsive to single enantiomers of the common bark beetle pheromone compounds ipsenol and ipsdienol, respectively. Their responses and antennal expression correlate with the specificities, localizations, and/or abundances of olfactory sensory neurons detecting these enantiomers. We use homology modeling and molecular docking to predict their binding sites. Our models reveal a likely binding cleft lined with residues that previously have been shown to affect the responses of insect ORs. Within this cleft, the active ligands are predicted to specifically interact with residues Tyr84 and Thr205 in ItypOR46. The suggested importance of these residues in the activation by ipsenol is experimentally supported through site-directed mutagenesis and functional testing, and hydrogen bonding appears key in pheromone binding. Conclusions The emerging insight into ligand binding in the two characterized ItypORs has a general importance for our understanding of the molecular and functional evolution of the insect OR gene family. Due to the ecological importance of the characterized receptors and widespread use of ipsenol and ipsdienol in bark beetle chemical communication, these ORs should be evaluated for their potential use in pest control and biosensors to detect bark beetle infestations.

scholarly journals Cryptic-site binding mechanism of medium-sized Bcl-xL inhibiting compounds elucidated by McMD-based dynamic docking simulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert-Jan Bekker ◽  
Ikuo Fukuda ◽  
Junichi Higo ◽  
Yoshifumi Fukunishi ◽  
Narutoshi Kamiya
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Hydrophobic Interactions ◽  
Binding Mechanism ◽  
Docking Simulations ◽  
Large Conformational Change ◽  
Binding Pockets ◽  
Dynamic Docking ◽  
Site Binding ◽  
Apo State

AbstractWe have performed multicanonical molecular dynamics (McMD) based dynamic docking simulations to study and compare the binding mechanism between two medium-sized inhibitors (ABT-737 and WEHI-539) that bind to the cryptic site of Bcl-xL, by exhaustively sampling the conformational and configurational space. Cryptic sites are binding pockets that are transiently formed in the apo state or are induced upon ligand binding. Bcl-xL, a pro-survival protein involved in cancer progression, is known to have a cryptic site, whereby the shape of the pocket depends on which ligand is bound to it. Starting from the apo-structure, we have performed two independent McMD-based dynamic docking simulations for each ligand, and were able to obtain near-native complex structures in both cases. In addition, we have also studied their interactions along their respective binding pathways by using path sampling simulations, which showed that the ligands form stable binding configurations via predominantly hydrophobic interactions. Although the protein started from the apo state, both ligands modulated the pocket in different ways, shifting the conformational preference of the sub-pockets of Bcl-xL. We demonstrate that McMD-based dynamic docking is a powerful tool that can be effectively used to study binding mechanisms involving a cryptic site, where ligand binding requires a large conformational change in the protein to occur.

scholarly journals Diversity in the structures and ligand-binding sites of nematode fatty acid and retinol-binding proteins revealed by Na-FAR-1 from Necator americanus

2015 ◽  
Vol 471 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Florencia Rey-Burusco ◽  
Marina Ibáñez-Shimabukuro ◽  
Mads Gabrielsen ◽  
Gisela R. Franchini ◽  
Andrew J. Roe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Tissue Distribution ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Retinol Binding Protein ◽  
Internal Cavity ◽  
Binding Characteristics ◽  
Necator Americanus ◽  
Ligand Binding Sites

Necator americanus fatty acid and retinol-binding protein-1 (Na-FAR-1) is an abundantly expressed FAR from a parasitic hookworm. The present work describes its tissue distribution, structure and ligand-binding characteristics and shows that Na-FAR-1 expands to transport multiple FA molecules in its internal cavity.

scholarly journals Adenosine Receptors of Cerebral Microvessels and Choroid Plexus

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh N. Kalaria ◽  
Sami I. Harik
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Choroid Plexus ◽  
Adenosine Receptors ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Cerebral Microvessels ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Receptor Sites ◽  
Ligand Binding Sites

We studied, by ligand binding methods, the two adenosine receptors, A, and A2, in rat and pig cerebral microvessels and pig choroid plexus. Ligand binding to cerebral microvessels was compared with that to membranes of the cerebral cortex. [3H]Cyclohexyladenosine and [3H]l-phenylisopropyladenosine were the ligands used for A1-receptors, and [3H]5'- N-ethylcarboxamide adenosine ([3H]NECA) was used to assess A2-receptors. We report that cerebral microvessels and choroid plexus exhibit specific [3H]NECA binding, but have no appreciable A1-receptor ligand binding sites. Specific binding of [3H]NECA to cerebral microvessels, choroid plexus, and cerebral cortex was saturable and suggested the existence of two classes of A2-receptor sites: high-affinity ( Kd ∼ 250 n M) and low-affinity ( Kd ∼ 1–2 μ M) sites. The Kd and Bmax of NECA binding to cerebral microvessels and cerebral cortex were similar within each species. Our results, indicating the existence of A2-receptors in cerebral microvessels, are consistent with results of increased adenylate cyclase activity by adenosine and some of its analogues in these microvessels.

A naturally occurring Tyr143HisαIIb mutation abolishes αIIbβ3 function for soluble ligands but retains its ability for mediating cell adhesion and clot retraction: comparison with other mutations causing ligand-binding defects

Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 101 (9) ◽  
pp. 3485-3491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teruo Kiyoi ◽  
Yoshiaki Tomiyama ◽  
Shigenori Honda ◽  
Seiji Tadokoro ◽  
Morio Arai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Adhesion ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Clot Retraction ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Binding Function ◽  
293 Cells ◽  
Ligand Binding Sites ◽  
Functional Defect ◽  
And Function

The molecular basis for the interaction between a prototypic non–I-domain integrin, αIIbβ3, and its ligands remains to be determined. In this study, we have characterized a novel missense mutation (Tyr143His) in αIIb associated with a variant of Glanzmann thrombasthenia. Osaka-12 platelets expressed a substantial amount of αIIbβ3(36%-41% of control) but failed to bind soluble ligands, including a high-affinity αIIbβ3-specific peptidomimetic antagonist. Sequence analysis revealed that Osaka-12 is a compound heterozygote for a single 521T>C substitution leading to a Tyr143His substitution in αIIb and for the null expression of αIIb mRNA from the maternal allele. Given that Tyr143 is located in the W3 4-1 loop of the β-propeller domain of αIIb, we examined the effects of Tyr143His or Tyr143Ala substitution on the expression and function of αIIbβ3 and compared them with KO (Arg-Thr insertion between 160 and 161 residues of αIIb) and with the Asp163Ala mutation located in the same loop by using 293 cells. Each of them abolished the binding function of αIIbβ3 for soluble ligands without disturbing αIIbβ3 expression. Because immobilized fibrinogen and fibrin are higher affinity/avidity ligands for αIIbβ3, we performed cell adhesion and clot retraction assays. In sharp contrast to KO mutation and Asp163AlaαIIbβ3, Tyr143HisαIIbβ3-expressing cells still had some ability for cell adhesion and clot retraction. Thus, the functional defect induced by Tyr143HisαIIb is likely caused by its allosteric effect rather than by a defect in the ligand-binding site itself. These detailed structure–function analyses provide better understanding of the ligand-binding sites in integrins.

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