Assessment of new anti-HER2 ligands using combined docking,QM/MM scoring and MD simulation

In the development of new anti-cancer drugs to tackle the problem of resistance to current chemotherapeutic agents, a new series of anti-HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptors 2) agents has been synthesized and investigated using different computational methods. Although non-selective, the most active inhibitor in the new series shows higher activity toward HER2 than EGFR. The induced fit docking protocol (IFD) is performed to find possible binding poses of the new inhibitors in the active site of the HER2 receptor. Molecular dynamic simulations of the inhibitor–protein complexes for the two most active compounds from the new series are carried out. Simulations stability is checked using different stability parameters. Different scoring functions are employed.     

Insight into analysis of interactions of saquinavir with HIV-1 protease in comparison between the wild-type and G48V and G48V/L90M mutants based on QM and QM/MM calculations

Saquinavir (SQV) was the first HIV-1 PR inhibitor licensed for clinical use and widely used for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) therapy. Its effectiveness, however, has been hindered by the emergence of resistant mutations. The two most important HIV-1 PR mutants are G48V and G48V/L90M. Inhibition studies of SQV on these mutants demonstrated 13.5- and 419-fold reductions of susceptibility, respectively. In this study, an analysis of energetic binding affinity between saquinavir and the HIV-1 PR wild-type and these two mutants has been performed in detail based on density functional theory and the hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations. We have found that the interaction of SQV with flap residue 48 of the mutants is significantly perturbed, as shown by the reduced stability of binding between SQV and residue 48 for the G48V and G48V/L90M mutants over the wild-type. This was associated with conformational changes of the inhibitor and the enzyme, leading to the loss of hydrogen bonding between the binding subsite P2 and the backbone carbonyl of residue 48. Moreover, the G48V/L90M mutations cause the repositioning of the residues close to residues 48 and 90, at important locations as a part of the flap and catalytic regions, respectively. The repositioning of these residues consequently perturbed the binding affinity of SQV in the pocket as indicated by the decreasing interaction energies. In addition to the loss of inhibitor/enzyme binding, it is interesting to observe that the mutation leads significantly to an increase of the stability of the enzyme.     

Insight into analysis of interactions of GW9508 to wild-type and H86F and H137F GPR40: a combined QM/MM study and pharmacophore modeling

GPR40 is a novel potential target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In this work, a two-layered ONIOM based QM/MM approach was employed to study the interactions between GW9508 and GPR40: wild-type, H86F, and H137F mutated systems. The calculated results clearly indicated that His137 is directly involved in ligand recognition through the NH-π interaction with the GW9508. In contrast, His86 is not interacting with the GW9508 in the NH-π interaction. The interaction energies, calculated at the MP2/6-31(d, p) level, were performed to gain more insight into the energetic differences of the wild-type and two mutated systems at the atomistic level. In addition, the obtained pharmacophore model was well consistent with structure-functional requirements for the binding of GPR40 agonists and with per-residue energy decomposition of the ONIOM calculations.     

Effect of allosteric molecules on structure and drug affinity of HIV-1 protease by molecular dynamics simulations

Recent experiments show that small molecules can bind onto the allosteric sites of HIV-1 protease (PR), which provides a starting point for developing allosteric inhibitors. However, the knowledge of the effect of such binding on the structural dynamics and binding free energy of the active site inhibitor and PR is still lacking. Here, we report 200 ns long molecular dynamics simulation results to gain insight into the influences of two allosteric molecules (1H-indole-6-carboxylic acid, 1F1 and 2-methylcyclohexano, 4D9). The simulations demonstrate that both allosteric molecules change the PR conformation and stabilize the structures of PR and the inhibitor; the residues of the flaps are sensitive to the allosteric molecules and the flexibility of the residues is pronouncedly suppressed; the additions of the small molecules to the allosteric sites strengthen the binding affinities of 3TL-PR by about 12–15 kal/mol in the binding free energy, which mainly arises from electrostatic term. Interestingly, it is found that the action mechanisms of 1F1 and 4D9 are different, the former behaviors like a doorman that keeps the inhibitor from escape and makes the flaps (door) partially open; the latter is like a wedge that expands the allosteric space and meanwhile closes the flaps. Our data provide a theoretical support for designing the allosteric inhibitor.     

O(N) parallel tight binding molecular dynamics simulation of carbon nanotubes

We report an O(N) parallel tight binding molecular dynamics simulation study of (10×10) structured carbon nanotubes (CNT) at 300 K. We converted a sequential O(N³) TBMD simulation program into an O(N) parallel code, utilizing the concept of parallel virtual machines (PVM). The code is tested in a distributed memory system consisting of a cluster with 8 PC's that run under Linux (Slackware 2.2.13 kernel). Our results on the speed up, efficiency and system size are given.     

Hydration of T-antigen Gal beta(1-3)GalNAc and the isomer Gal beta(1-3)GlcNAc by molecular dynamics simulations

We present a 250 ps molecular dynamics simulation of the T-antigen Gal beta(1-3)GalNAc and its isomer Gal beta(1-3)GlcNAc in the classic Gibbs Ensemble, Number of particles, Pressure and Temperature (NPT) with explicit representation of 432 water molecules. We computed the radial distribution function, equilibrium conformation, intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and water residence time to characterize the hydration pattern of these sugars, which are not very different and exhibit hydrophilic behavior. Based on hydration dynamics, it was concluded that these sugars should be classified as negative hydrated. Formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the ring oxygen atom O5 of the first unit and the OH4' group of glycoside of the second unit might influence interaction with the antigenic receptor and could explain the main difference of affinities between them.     

Exploring the potential of complex formation between a mutant DNA and the wild type protein counterpart: a MM and MD simulation approach

We have demonstrated that the methods of molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulation might be used to assess whether a specific mutation in the DNA would destabilize a known DNA-protein complex. The approach is based on probing the changes in the interaction that would be induced into the complex if within the already formed wild type complex the mutation could be introduced. We have used Hoxc8-DNA complex as a test system where it is known that the Hoxc8 binding affinity of the DNA is completely lost upon mutation of the DNA by replacing TAAT stretch to GCCG. Mutation was obtained by changing the relevant base pairs into the DNA of the model of the corresponding wild type complex developed by homology modeling and MD simulation in water for 2.0 ns. Comparison of the structure, dynamics and interactions between the hypothetical mutant model with those of the similarly refined wild type model shows that the loss of affinity of the mutant DNA to Hoxc8 has two different origins: (i) loss of several strong H-bonds as the direct consequences of mutation and (ii) reduced H-bonds in the common parts due to a net loss or inferior H-bonding geometry induced by the mutation as indirect effects. The net change in the interaction energy between the DNA and the protein in the best possible configuration indicated the experimentally observed destabilization effects. No significant change in the groove width was observed and no correlation was found between the water-bridges and the loss of affinity.     

Structural and dynamical properties of different protonated states of mutant HIV-1 protease complexed with the saquinavir inhibitor studied by molecular dynamics simulations

To understand the basis of drug resistance, particularly of the HIV-1 PR, three molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of HIV-1 PR mutant species, G48V, complexed with saquinavir (SQV) in explicit aqueous solution with three protonation states, diprotonation on Asp25 and Asp25' (Di-pro) and monoprotonation on each Asp residue (Mono-25 and Mono-25'). For all three states, H-bonds between saquinavir and HIV-1 PR were formed only in the two regions, flap and active site. It was found that conformation of P2 subsite of SQV in the Mono-25 state differs substantially from the other two states. The rotation about 177 degrees from the optimal structure of the wild type was observed, the hydrogen bond between P2 and the flap residue (Val48) was broken and indirect hydrogen bonds with the three residues (Asp29, Gly27, and Asp30) were found instead. In terms of complexation energies, interaction energy of -37.3 kcal/mol for the Mono-25 state is significantly lower than those of -30.7 and -10.7kcal/mol for the Mono-25' and Di-pro states, respectively. It was found also that protonation at the Asp25 leads to a better arrangement in the catalytic dyad, i.e., the Asp25-Asp25' interaction energy of -8.8 kcal/mol of the Mono-25 is significantly lower than that of -2.6kcal/mol for the Mono-25' state. The above data suggest us to conclude that interaction in the catalytic area should be used as criteria to enhance capability in drug designing and drug screening instead of using the total inhibitor/enzyme interaction.     

铜配合物[Cu(AFO)2]2(SO4)的合成、结构和量子化学研究

硫酸铜与4,5-二氮芴-9-酮(AFO)反应合成四配位铜配合物[Cu(AFO)2]2(SO4),并经元素分析、IR和X-射线衍射表征分子结构,该化合物晶体学参数:单斜晶系,空间群P2(1)/c,晶体学数据:a=0.78885(14)nm,b=1.3358(2)nm,c=1.9292(3)nm,β=96.179(3)°,V=1.7096(3)nm3,Z=4,Dc=1.722 g/cm3,μ(MoKa)=1.236 cm-1,F(000)=1060,R1=0.0437,wR2=0.1225[对I＞2o(1)的衍射]和R1=0.0634,wR2=0.1362(对所有的衍射).共收集10795个数据,其中独立衍射点3576个,可观察衍射[1＞2o(1)]点2553个用于结构精修.配合物的铜原子关于配基原子形成变形平面四方型.利用量子化学G98W软件,在Lan12dz基组对配合物的稳定性、前沿分子轨道组成及能量进行了研究.     

A study of the operating parameters and barrier thickness of Al_(0.08)In_(0.08)Ga_(0.84)N/Al_xIn_yGa_(1-x-y)N double quantum well laser diodes

The operating parameters such as the internal quantum efficiency (ηi),internal loss (αi) and transparent threshold current density (J0) of double quantum well laser diodes were investigated and identified using the program,Integrated System Engineering-Technical Computer Aided Design (ISE-TCAD). Various thicknesses (6,7,8,10,12 nm) of AlxInyGa1-x-yN barriers with (3 nm) Al0.08In0.08Ga0.84N wells as an active region were studied. The lowest threshold current (Ith),and the highest output power (Pop) were 116 ...     

Simulation modelling of a narrow aisle automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) serviced by rail-guided vehicles

A computer simulation model of an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) consisting of 5 storage conveyors, 5 retrieval conveyors, 2 bi-directional conveyors, 2 order-picking stations, 7 narrow-aisle cranes and 9,310 storage locations, was created in ARENA^TM version 1.1. Rail-guided vehicles move material to and from the storage racks. The computer simulation model of the AS/RS was used to examine the operational logic of the entire system in order to determine the operational deployment strategy that yields the optimal number of rail-guided vehicles (RGVs), the utilisation of the narrow-aisle crane and also the maximum throughput of the system. This paper reports on the results of running the simulation model. For example, increasing the capacity of the storage and retrieval conveyor from 1 to 2 effectively reduces the number of RGV deadlocks by about 94%. A change of the topology of the RGVs' from 1-zone to 2-zone yielded a slightly better part retrieval time and also a reduction in the optimal number of RGVs from 5 to 4. Under these conditions, the number of storages/retrievals is about 430. The maximum throughput of AS/RS is estimated to be about 33 items per hour. The best retrieval time per part is almost 1205 seconds. As it stands, the system could do with less retrieval stations and narrow-aisle cranes which are under-utilised.     

Identification of potent inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) through a pharmacophore-based virtual screening approach

DNA methylation is an epigenetic change that results in the addition of a methyl group at the carbon-5 position of cytosine residues. DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors can suppress tumour growth and have significant therapeutic value. However, the established inhibitors are limited in their application due to their substantial cytotoxicity. Additionally, the standard drugs for DNMT inhibition are non-selective cytosine analogues with considerable cytotoxic side-effects. In the present study, we have designed a workflow by integrating various ligand-based and structure-based approaches to discover new agents active against DNMT1. We have derived a pharmacophore model with the help of available DNMT1 inhibitors. Utilising this model, we performed the virtual screening of Maybridge chemical library and the identified hits were then subsequently filtered based on the Naïve Bayesian classification model. The molecules that have returned from this classification model were subjected to ensemble based docking. We have selected 10 molecules for the biological assay by inspecting the interactions portrayed by these molecules. Three out of the ten tested compounds have shown DNMT1 inhibitory activity. These compounds were also found to demonstrate potential inhibition of cellular proliferation in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. In the present study, we have utilized a multi-step virtual screening protocol to identify inhibitors of DNMT1, which offers a starting point to develop more potent DNMT1 inhibitors as anti-cancer agents.     

Nanosecond molecular dynamics simulations of Cdc25B and its complex with a 1,4-naphthoquinone inhibitor: implications for rational inhibitor design

Cdc25 phosphatases have been considered as attractive drug targets for anticancer therapies due to the correlation of their overexpression with a wide variety of cancers. To gain insight into designing new potent inhibitors, we investigate the dynamic properties of Cdc25B and its complex with a 1,4-naphtoquinone inhibitor NSC 95397 by means of molecular dynamics simulations in aqueous solution. It is shown from the calculated dynamic properties that the malleability of the residues 530–532 residing at the start of C-terminal region around the active site should be responsible for the catalytic action of Cdc25B. However, binding of the inhibitor in the active site leads to a substantial decrease in the motional amplitude of the flexible residues, due to the hydrophobic interactions with the side chain of Met531. The simulation results also indicate that at least four hydrogen bonds are involved in the enzyme-inhibitor complex. Among them, the hydrogen bond between the side chain carboxylate group of Glu478 and one of the hydroxyl groups of the inhibitor is found to be the most significant binding force stabilizing the inhibitor in the active site. This result supports the previous experimental implication that the possession of a single hydroxyl group is sufficient for the inhibitory activity of 1,4-naphthoquinone inhibitors.