PITOMBA: Parameter Interface for Oligosaccharide Molecules Based on Atoms.

A novel four-bead coarse-grained (CG) model for carbohydrates denoted PITOMBA was devised using a bottom-up approach based on the atomistic GROMOS 53A6GLYC force field and on experimental thermodynamical data. The model was developed to be used in conjunction with the SPC CG water model (J. Chem.

A marine analgesic peptide, Contulakin-G, and neurotensin are distinct agonists for neurotensin receptors: uncovering structural determinants of desensitization properties.

Neurotensin receptors have been studied as molecular targets for the treatment of pain, schizophrenia, addiction, or cancer. Neurotensin (NT) and Contulakin-G, a glycopeptide isolated from a predatory cone snail Conus geographus, share a sequence similarity at the C-terminus, which is critical for activation of neurotensin receptors. Both peptides are potent analgesics, although affinity and agonist potency of Contulakin-G toward neurotensin receptors are significantly lower, as compared to those for NT.

Coarse-Graining of TIP4P/2005, TIP4P-Ew, SPC/E, and TIP3P to Monatomic Anisotropic Water Models Using Relative Entropy Minimization.

Coarse-grained models are becoming a competitive alternative for modeling processes that occur over time and length scales beyond the reach of fully atomistic molecular simulations. Ideally, coarse-grained models should not only achieve high computational efficiency but also provide accurate predictions and fundamental insight into the role of molecular interactions, the characteristic behavior, and properties of the system they model. In this work we derive a series of monatomic coarse-grained water models mX(REM) from the most popular atomistic water models X = TIP3P, SPC/E, TIP4P-Ew, and TIP4P/2005, using the relative entropy minimization (REM) method.

BCR-ABL1 compound mutations combining key kinase domain positions confer clinical resistance to ponatinib in Ph chromosome-positive leukemia.

Ponatinib is the only currently approved tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that suppresses all BCR-ABL1 single mutants in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph(+)) leukemia, including the recalcitrant BCR-ABL1(T315I) mutant. However, emergence of compound mutations in a BCR-ABL1 allele may confer ponatinib resistance. We found that clinically reported BCR-ABL1 compound mutants center on 12 key positions and confer varying resistance to imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, ponatinib, rebastinib, and bosutinib.

Epigenetic molecular recognition: a biomolecular modeling perspective.

The abnormal regulation of epigenetic protein families is associated with the onset and progression of various human diseases. However, epigenetic processes remain relatively obscure at the molecular level, thus preventing the rational design of chemical therapeutics. An array of robust computational and modeling approaches can complement experiments to shed light on the complex mechanisms of epigenetic molecular recognition and can guide medicinal chemists in designing selective and potent drug molecules.

MDWiZ: a platform for the automated translation of molecular dynamics simulations.

A variety of popular molecular dynamics (MD) simulation packages were independently developed in the last decades to reach diverse scientific goals. However, such non-coordinated development of software, force fields, and analysis tools for molecular simulations gave rise to an array of software formats and arbitrary conventions for routine preparation and analysis of simulation input and output data. Different formats and/or parameter definitions are used at each stage of the modeling process despite largely contain redundant information between alternative software tools.

Molecular dynamics simulations indicate an induced-fit mechanism for LSD1/CoREST-H3-histone molecular recognition.

Background: Lysine Specific Demethylase (LSD1 or KDM1A) in complex with its co-repressor protein CoREST catalyzes the demethylation of the H3 histone N-terminal tail and is currently one of the most promising epigenetic targets for drug discovery against cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Models of non-covalent binding, such as lock and key, induced-fit, and conformational selection could help explaining the molecular mechanism of LSD1/CoREST-H3-histone association, thus guiding drug discovery and design efforts. Here, we quantify the extent to which LSD1/CoREST substrate binding is consistent with these hypothetical models using LSD1/CoREST conformational ensembles obtained through extensive explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

Variational Implicit-Solvent Modeling of Host-Guest Binding: A Case Study on Cucurbit[7]uril|.

The synthetic host cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) binds aromatic guests or metal complexes with ultrahigh affinity compared with that typically displayed in protein-ligand binding. Due to its small size, CB[7] serves as an ideal receptor-ligand system for developing computational methods for molecular recognition. Here, we apply the recently developed variational implicit-solvent model (VISM), numerically evaluated by the level-set method, to study hydration effects in the high-affinity binding of the B2 bicyclo[2.

Substrate selection influences molecular recognition in a screen for lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors.

Assay design is an important variable that influences the outcome of an inhibitor screen. Here, we have investigated the hypothesis that protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors with improved biological activity could be identified from a screen by using a biologically relevant peptide substrate, rather than traditional phosphotyrosine mimetic substrates. A 2000-member library of drugs and drug-like compounds was screened for inhibitors of lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase (LYP) by using both a peptide substrate (Ac-ARLIEDNE-pCAP-TAREG-NH₂, peptide 1) and a small-molecule phosphotyrosine mimetic substrate (difluoromethyl umbelliferyl phosphate, DiFMUP).

Expanding the druggable space of the LSD1/CoREST epigenetic target: new potential binding regions for drug-like molecules, peptides, protein partners, and chromatin.

Lysine specific demethylase-1 (LSD1/KDM1A) in complex with its corepressor protein CoREST is a promising target for epigenetic drugs. No therapeutic that targets LSD1/CoREST, however, has been reported to date. Recently, extended molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that LSD1/CoREST nanoscale clamp dynamics is regulated by substrate binding and highlighted key hinge points of this large-scale motion as well as the relevance of local residue dynamics.

Thiuram disulfides as pseudo-irreversible inhibitors of lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase.

We screened a small library of thiuram disulfides for inhibition of lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase (LYP) activity. The parent thiuram disulfide, disulfiram, inhibited LYP activity in vitro and in Jurkat T cells, whereas diethyldithiocarbamate failed to inhibit LYP at the concentrations tested. Compound 13, an N-(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) analogue, was found to be the most potent LYP inhibitor in this series, with an IC50 value of 3 μM.

Protein recognition by short peptide reversible inhibitors of the chromatin-modifying LSD1/CoREST lysine demethylase.

The combinatorial assembly of protein complexes is at the heart of chromatin biology. Lysine demethylase LSD1(KDM1A)/CoREST beautifully exemplifies this concept. The active site of the enzyme tightly associates to the N-terminal domain of transcription factors of the SNAIL1 family, which therefore can competitively inhibit the binding of the N-terminal tail of the histone substrate.

Molecular recognition and ligand association.

We review recent developments in our understanding of molecular recognition and ligand association, focusing on two major viewpoints: (a) studies that highlight new physical insight into the molecular recognition process and the driving forces determining thermodynamic signatures of binding and (b) recent methodological advances in applications to protein-ligand binding. In particular, we highlight the challenges posed by compensating enthalpic and entropic terms, competing solute and solvent contributions, and the relevance of complex configurational ensembles comprising multiple protein, ligand, and solvent intermediate states. As more complete physics is taken into account, computational approaches increase their ability to complement experimental measurements, by providing a microscopic, dynamic view of ensemble-averaged experimental observables.

On the Role of Dewetting Transitions in Host-Guest Binding Free Energy Calculations.

We use thermodynamic integration (TI) and explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to estimate the absolute free energy of host-guest binding. In the unbound state, water molecules visit all of the internally accessible volume of the host, which is fully hydrated on all sides. Upon binding of an apolar guest, the toroidal host cavity is fully dehydrated; thus, during the intermediate λ stages along the integration, the hydration of the host fluctuates between hydrated and dehydrated states.

Solvent fluctuations in hydrophobic cavity-ligand binding kinetics.

Water plays a crucial part in virtually all protein-ligand binding processes in and out of equilibrium. Here, we investigate the role of water in the binding kinetics of a ligand to a prototypical hydrophobic pocket by explicit-water molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and implicit diffusional approaches. The concave pocket in the unbound state exhibits wet/dry hydration oscillations whose magnitude and time scale are significantly amplified by the approaching ligand.

Water structure, dynamics, and spectral signatures: changes upon model cavity-ligand recognition.

It is becoming increasingly evident that water plays an active role in noncovalent receptor-ligand association. In this study, hydrophobic cavity-ligand association in a model system is characterized through the analysis of the structure, dynamics, and corresponding spectral signatures of water at different stages of the binding process. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the reorientation of the water molecules around the ligand becomes faster as the receptor-ligand distance reduces, which is correlated with the decrease in number of water-water hydrogen bonds within the ligand hydration shells.

Water-Driven Cavity-Ligand Binding: Comparison of Thermodynamic Signatures from Coarse-Grained and Atomic-Level Simulations.

The role of water (thermo)dynamics is crucial in molecular recognition and self-assembly. Here, we study a prototype cavity-ligand system as a model for hydrophobic noncovalent binding. Two alternative molecular dynamics simulation resolutions are employed and the resulting structural, dynamic, and thermodynamic properties compared: first, a coarse-grained (CG) resolution based on the previously reported and validated methane-like M solute and mW water models; second, an atomic-level (AL) resolution based on the popular OPLS united atom methane and the TIP4P water models.

LSD1/CoREST is an allosteric nanoscale clamp regulated by H3-histone-tail molecular recognition.

The complex of lysine-specific demethylase-1 (LSD1/KDM1A) with its corepressor protein CoREST is an exceptionally relevant target for epigenetic drugs. Here, we provide insight into the local and global changes of LSD1/CoREST conformational dynamics that occur upon H3 binding on the basis of a total cumulative time of one microsecond molecular dynamics simulation. The LSD1/CoREST complex functions as an allosteric nanoscale-binding clamp, which is regulated by substrate binding.

LSD1/CoREST reversible opening-closing dynamics: discovery of a nanoscale clamp for chromatin and protein binding.

LSD1 associated with its corepressor protein CoREST is an exceptionally relevant target for epigenetic drugs. Hypotheses for the role of LSD1/CoREST as a multidocking site for chromatin and protein binding would require significant molecular flexibility, and LSD1/CoREST large-amplitude conformational dynamics is currently unknown. Here, molecular dynamics simulation reveals that the LSD1/CoREST complex in solution functions as a reversible nanoscale binding clamp.

Independent-Trajectory Thermodynamic Integration: a practical guide to protein-drug binding free energy calculations using distributed computing.

The Independent-Trajectory Thermodynamic Integration (IT-TI) approach for free energy calculation with distributed computing is described. IT-TI utilizes diverse conformational sampling obtained from multiple, independent simulations to obtain more reliable free energy estimates compared to single TI predictions. The latter may significantly under- or over-estimate the binding free energy due to finite sampling.

On the use of molecular dynamics receptor conformations for virtual screening.

Receptors are inherently dynamic and this flexibility is important to consider when constructing a model of molecular association. Conformations from molecular dynamics simulations, a well-established method for examining protein dynamics, can be used in virtual screening to account for flexibility in structure-based drug discovery. Different receptor configurations influence docking results.

Effects of Biomolecular Flexibility on Alchemical Calculations of Absolute Binding Free Energies.

The independent trajectory thermodynamic integration (IT-TI) approach (Lawrenz et. al J. Chem.

Predictive power of molecular dynamics receptor structures in virtual screening.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a well-established method for understanding protein dynamics. Conformations from unrestrained MD simulations have yet to be assessed for blind virtual screening (VS) by docking. This study presents a critical analysis of the predictive power of MD snapshots to this regard, evaluating two well-characterized systems of varying flexibility in ligand-bound and unbound configurations.