Fundamental reaction mechanism for cocaine hydrolysis in human butyrylcholinesterase

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)-cocaine binding and the fundamental pathway for BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of cocaine have been studied by molecular modeling, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and ab initio calculations. Modeling and simulations indicate that the structures of the prereactive BChE/substrate complexes for (-)-cocaine and (+)-cocaine are all similar to that of the corresponding prereactive BChE/butyrylcholine (BCh) complex. The overall binding of BChE with (-)-cocaine and (+)-cocaine is also similar to that proposed with butyrylthiocholine and succinyldithiocholine, i.e., (-)- or (+)-cocaine first slides down the substrate-binding gorge to bind to Trp-82 and stands vertically in the gorge between Asp-70 and Trp-82 (nonprereactive complex) and then rotates to a position in the catalytic site within a favorable distance for nucleophilic attack and hydrolysis by Ser-198 (prereactive complex). In the prereactive complex, cocaine lies horizontally at the bottom of the gorge. The fundamental catalytic hydrolysis pathway, consisting of acylation and deacylation stages similar to those for ester hydrolysis by other serine hydrolases, was proposed on the basis of the simulated prereactive complex and confirmed theoretically by ab initio reaction coordinate calculations. Both the acylation and deacylation follow a double-proton-transfer mechanism. The calculated energetic results show that within the chemical reaction process the highest energy barrier and Gibbs free energy barrier are all associated with the first step of deacylation. The calculated ratio of the rate constant (k(cat)) for the catalytic hydrolysis to that (k(0)) for the spontaneous hydrolysis is approximately 9.0 x 10(7). The estimated k(cat)/k(0) value of approximately 9.0 x 10(7) is in excellent agreement with the experimentally derived k(cat)/k(0) value of approximately 7.2 x 10(7) for (+)-cocaine, whereas it is approximately 2000 times larger than the experimentally derived k(cat)/k(0) value of approximately 4.4 x 10(4) for (-)-cocaine. All of the results suggest that the rate-determining step of the BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of (+)-cocaine is the first step of deacylation, whereas for (-)-cocaine the change from the nonprereactive complex to the prereactive complex is rate-determining and has a Gibbs free energy barrier higher than that for the first step of deacylation by approximately 4 kcal/mol. A further analysis of the structural changes from the nonprereactive complex to the prereactive complex reveals specific amino acid residues hindering the structural changes, providing initial clues for the rational design of BChE mutants with improved catalytic activity for (-)-cocaine.     

Free energy perturbation (FEP) simulation on the transition states of cocaine hydrolysis catalyzed by human butyrylcholinesterase and its mutants

A novel computational protocol based on free energy perturbation (FEP) simulations on both the free enzyme and transition state structures has been developed and tested to predict the mutation-caused shift of the free energy change from the free enzyme to the rate-determining transition state for human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of (-)-cocaine. The calculated shift, denoted by DeltaDeltaG(1 --> 2), of such kind of free energy change determines the catalytic efficiency (kcat/KM) change caused by the simulated mutation transforming enzyme 1 to enzyme 2. By using the FEP-based computational protocol, the DeltaDeltaG(1 --> 2) values for the mutations A328W/Y332A --> A328W/Y332G and A328W/Y332G --> A328W/Y332G/A199S were calculated to be -0.22 and -1.94 kcal/mol, respectively. The calculated DeltaDeltaG(1 --> 2) values predict that the change from the A328W/Y332A mutant to the A328W/Y332G mutant should slightly improve the catalytic efficiency and that the change from the A328W/Y332G mutant to the A328W/Y332G/A199S mutant should significantly improve the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme for the (-)-cocaine hydrolysis. The predicted catalytic efficiency increases are supported by the experimental data showing that kcat/KM = 8.5 x 10(6), 1.4 x 10(7), and 7.2 x 10(7) min(-1) M(-1) for the A328W/Y332A, A328W/Y332G, and A328W/Y332G/A199S mutants, respectively. The qualitative agreement between the computational and experimental data suggests that the FEP simulations may provide a promising protocol for rational design of high-activity mutants of an enzyme. The general computational strategy of the FEP simulation on a transition state can be used to study the effects of a mutation on the activation free energy for any enzymatic reaction.     

Modeling effects of oxyanion hole on the ester hydrolysis catalyzed by human cholinesterases

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and hydrogen bonding energy (HBE) calculations have been performed on the prereactive enzyme-substrate complexes (ES), transition states (TS1), and intermediates (INT1) for acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of ACh, and BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of (+)/(-)-cocaine to examine the protein environmental effects on the catalytic reactions. The hydrogen bonding of cocaine with the oxyanion hole of BChE is found to be remarkably different from that of ACh with AChE/BChE. Whereas G121/G116, G122/G117, and A204/A199 of AChE/BChE all can form hydrogen bonds with ACh to stabilize the transition state during the ACh hydrolysis, BChE only uses G117 and A199 to form hydrogen bonds with cocaine. The change of the estimated total HBE from ES to TS1 is ca. -5.4/-4.4 kcal/mol for AChE/BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of ACh and ca. -1.7/-0.8 kcal/mol for BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of (+)/(-)-cocaine. The remarkable difference of approximately 3 to 5 kcal/mol reveals that the oxyanion hole of AChE/BChE can lower the energy barrier of the ACh hydrolysis significantly more than that of BChE for the cocaine hydrolysis. These results help to understand why the catalytic activity of AChE against ACh is considerably higher than that of BChE against cocaine and provides valuable clues on how to improve the catalytic activity of BChE against cocaine.     

Rational design of an enzyme mutant for anti-cocaine therapeutics

(-)-Cocaine is a widely abused drug and there is no available anti-cocaine therapeutic. The disastrous medical and social consequences of cocaine addiction have made the development of an effective pharmacological treatment a high priority. An ideal anti-cocaine medication would be to accelerate (-)-cocaine metabolism producing biologically inactive metabolites. The main metabolic pathway of cocaine in body is the hydrolysis at its benzoyl ester group. Reviewed in this article is the state-of-the-art computational design of high-activity mutants of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) against (-)-cocaine. The computational design of BChE mutants have been based on not only the structure of the enzyme, but also the detailed catalytic mechanisms for BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of (-)-cocaine and (+)-cocaine. Computational studies of the detailed catalytic mechanisms and the structure-and-mechanism-based computational design have been carried out through the combined use of a variety of state-of-the-art techniques of molecular modeling. By using the computational insights into the catalytic mechanisms, a recently developed unique computational design strategy based on the simulation of the rate-determining transition state has been employed to design high-activity mutants of human BChE for hydrolysis of (-)-cocaine, leading to the exciting discovery of BChE mutants with a considerably improved catalytic efficiency against (-)-cocaine. One of the discovered BChE mutants (i.e., A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G) has a approximately 456-fold improved catalytic efficiency against (-)-cocaine. The encouraging outcome of the computational design and discovery effort demonstrates that the unique computational design approach based on the transition-state simulation is promising for rational enzyme redesign and drug discovery.     

Promiscuity in alkaline phosphatase superfamily. Unraveling evolution through molecular simulations

We here present a theoretical study of the alkaline hydrolysis of a phosphodiester (methyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate or MpNPP) in the active site of Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase (AP), a monoesterase that also presents promiscuous activity as a diesterase. The analysis of our simulations, carried out by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) potentials, shows that the reaction takes place through a D(N)A(N) or dissociative mechanism, the same mechanism employed by AP in the hydrolysis of monoesters. The promiscuous activity observed in this superfamily can be then explained on the basis of a conserved reaction mechanism. According to our simulations the specialization in the hydrolysis of phosphomonoesters or phosphodiesters, developed in different members of the superfamily, is a consequence of the interactions established between the protein and the oxygen atoms of the phosphate group and, in particular, with the oxygen atom that bears the additional alkyl group when the substrate is a diester. A water molecule, belonging to the coordination shell of the Mg(2+) ion, and residue Lys328 seem to play decisive roles stabilizing a phosphomonoester substrate, but the latter contributes to increase the energy barrier for the hydrolysis of phosphodiesters. Then, mutations affecting the nature or positioning of Lys328 lead to an increased diesterase activity in AP. Finally, the capacity of this enzymatic family to catalyze the reaction of phosphoesters having different leaving groups, or substrate promiscuity, is explained by the ability of the enzyme to stabilize different charge distributions in the leaving group using different interactions involving either one of the zinc centers or residues placed on the outer side of the catalytic site.     

Structure-and-mechanism-based design and discovery of therapeutics for cocaine overdose and addiction

(-)-Cocaine is a widely abused drug and there is currently no available anti-cocaine therapeutic. Promising agents, such as anti-cocaine catalytic antibodies and high-activity mutants of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), for therapeutic treatment of cocaine overdose have been developed through structure-and-mechanism-based design and discovery. In particular, a unique computational design strategy based on the modeling and simulation of the rate-determining transition state has been developed and used to design and discover desirable high-activity mutants of BChE. One of the discovered high-activity mutants of BChE has a approximately 456-fold improved catalytic efficiency against (-)-cocaine. The encouraging outcome of the structure-and-mechanism-based design and discovery effort demonstrates that the unique computational design approach based on transition state modeling and simulation is promising for rational enzyme redesign and drug discovery. The general approach of the structure-and-mechanism-based design and discovery may be used to design high-activity mutants of any enzyme or catalytic antibody.     

Microscopic binding of butyrylcholinesterase with quinazolinimine derivatives and the structure–activity correlation

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is not only an important protein for development of anti-cocaine medication but also an established drug target to develop new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The molecular basis of interaction of a new series of quinazolinimine derivatives as BChE inhibitors has been studied by molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The molecular docking and MD simulations revealed that all of these inhibitors bind with BChE in similar binding mode. Based on the similar binding mode, we have carried out three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies on these inhibitors using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA), to understand the structure–activity correlation of this series of inhibitors and to develop predictive models that could be used in the design of new inhibitors of BChE. The study has resulted in satisfactory 3D-QSAR models. We have also developed ligand-based 3D-QSAR models. The contour maps obtained from the 3D-QSAR models in combination with the simulated binding structures help to better interpret the structure–activity relationship and is consistent with available experimental activity data. The satisfactory 3D-QSAR models strongly suggest that the determined BChE-inhibitor binding modes are reasonable. The identified binding modes and developed 3D-QSAR models for these BChE inhibitors are expected to be valuable for rational design of new BChE inhibitors that may be valuable in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.     

Computational design of a thermostable mutant of cocaine esterase via molecular dynamics simulations

Cocaine esterase (CocE) has been known as the most efficient native enzyme for metabolizing naturally occurring cocaine. A major obstacle to the clinical application of CocE is the thermoinstability of native CocE with a half-life of only ～11 min at physiological temperature (37 °C). It is highly desirable to develop a thermostable mutant of CocE for therapeutic treatment of cocaine overdose and addiction. To establish a structure-thermostability relationship, we carried out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at 400 K on wild-type CocE and previously known thermostable mutants, demonstrating that the thermostability of the active form of the enzyme correlates with the fluctuation (characterized as the root-mean square deviation and root-mean square fluctuation of atomic positions) of the catalytic residues (Y44, S117, Y118, H287, and D259) in the simulated enzyme. In light of the structure-thermostability correlation, further computational modelling including MD simulations at 400 K predicted that the active site structure of the L169K mutant should be more thermostable. The prediction has been confirmed by wet experimental tests showing that the active form of the L169K mutant had a half-life of 570 min at 37 °C, which is significantly longer than those of the wild-type and previously known thermostable mutants. The encouraging outcome suggests that the high-temperature MD simulations and the structure-thermostability relationship may be considered as a valuable tool for the computational design of thermostable mutants of an enzyme.     

Subunit rotation models activation of serotonin 5-HT<Subscript>3AB</Subscript> receptors by agonists

The N-terminal extracellular regions of heterooligomeric 3AB-type human 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors (5-HT3ABR) were modelled based on the crystal structure of snail acetylcholine binding protein AChBP. Stepwise rotation of subunit A by 5 degrees was performed between -10 degrees and 15 degrees to mimic agonist binding and receptor activation. Anticlockwise rotation reduced the size of the binding cavity in interface AB and reorganised the network of hydrogen bonds along the interface. AB subunit dimers with different rotations were applied for docking of ligands with different efficacies: 5-HT, m-chlorophenylbiguanide, SR 57227, quinolinyl piperazine and lerisetron derivatives. All ligands were docked into the dimer with -10 degrees rotation representing ligand-free, open binding cavities similarly, without pharmacological discrimination. Their ammonium ions were in hydrogen bonding distance to the backbone carbonyl of W183. Anticlockwise rotation and contraction of the binding cavity led to distinctive docking interactions of agonists with E129 and cation-pi interactions of their ammonium ions. Side chains of several further amino acids participating in docking (Y143, Y153, Y234 and E236) are in agreement with the effects of point mutations in the binding loops. Our model postulates that 5-HT binds to W183 in a hydrophobic cleft as well as to E236 in a hydrophilic vestibule. Then it elicits anticlockwise rotation to draw in loop C via pi-cation-pi interactions of its ammonium ion with W183 and Y234. Finally, closure of the binding cavity might end in rebinding of 5-HT to E129 in the hydrophilic vestibule.     

Understanding product specificity of protein lysine methyltransferases from QM/MM molecular dynamics and free energy simulations: the effects of mutation on SET7/9 beyond the Tyr/Phe switch

The results of hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) free energy (potential of mean force) simulations for methyl-transfer processes in SET7/9 and its Y245A mutant are compared to address the question concerning the change of the product specificity as well as catalytic efficiency due to the mutation. One of the key questions is whether or not the free energy profiles of methyl transfers may be used to predict the change of the product specificity as a result of the mutations for the residues that are not located at the Tyr/Phe switch position. The simulations show that while the wild-type SET7/9 is a monomethylase, the Y245→A mutation increases the ability of the enzyme to add more methyl groups on the target lysine (i.e., acting as a trimethylase). However, the first methyl-transfer process seems to become less efficient in the mutant compared to that in wild-type. All these results are consistent with experimental observations concerning the effects of the mutation on the product specificity and catalytic efficiency. Thus, the previous suggestion that the energetics of the methyl-transfer reactions may determine the product specificity, at least in some cases, is confirmed by the present work. Moreover, the dynamic information of the reactant complexes obtained from the QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations shows that the ability of the reactant complexes to form the reactive transition-state-like configurations may be used as an important indicator for the prediction of the product specificity of PKMTs, consistent with previous computational studies.     

The pyrroloquinoline quinone biosynthesis pathway revisited: A structural approach

Background

Vibrio carchariae chitinase A (EC3.2.1.14) is a family-18 glycosyl hydrolase and comprises three distinct structural domains: i) the amino terminal chitin binding domain (ChBD); ii) the (α/β)₈ TIM barrel catalytic domain (CatD); and iii) the α + β insertion domain. The predicted tertiary structure of V. carchariae chitinase A has located the residues Ser33 & Trp70 at the end of ChBD and Trp231 & Tyr245 at the exterior of the catalytic cleft. These residues are surface-exposed and presumably play an important role in chitin hydrolysis.

Results

Point mutations of the target residues of V. carchariae chitinase A were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. With respect to their binding activity towards crystalline α-chitin and colloidal chitin, chitin binding assays demonstrated a considerable decrease for mutants W70A and Y245W, and a notable increase for S33W and W231A. When the specific hydrolyzing activity was determined, mutant W231A displayed reduced hydrolytic activity, whilst Y245W showed enhanced activity. This suggested that an alteration in the hydrolytic activity was not correlated with a change in the ability of the enzyme to bind to chitin polymer. A mutation of Trp70 to Ala caused the most severe loss in both the binding and hydrolytic activities, which suggested that it is essential for crystalline chitin binding and hydrolysis. Mutations varied neither the specific hydrolyzing activity against pNP-[GlcNAc]₂, nor the catalytic efficiency against chitohexaose, implying that the mutated residues are not important in oligosaccharide hydrolysis.

Conclusion

Our data provide direct evidence that the binding as well as hydrolytic activities of V. carchariae chitinase A to insoluble chitin are greatly influenced by Trp70 and less influenced by Ser33. Though Trp231 and Tyr245 are involved in chitin hydrolysis, they do not play a major role in the binding process of crystalline chitin and the guidance of the chitin chain into the substrate binding cleft of the enzyme.     

酶催化过程的全程模拟

酶催化包括底物到活性区的输运、选择催化化学反应及产物释放等复杂过程,由于复杂的蛋白质环境效应,任一化学和非化学过程都有可能是决定酶活性的关键步骤。为了全面认识酶催化活性,我们对几类酶催化过程进行了广泛的组合量子/分子力学(QM/MM)和经典分子力学(MM)动力学模拟(MD)研究,详细地讨论了整个酶催化过程的分子机制、关键残基的作用和蛋白质环境效应,丰富了对酶催化活性的认识。随着多尺度模型和计算模拟方法的进一步完善与发展,有望实现超大复杂生物酶催化过程的全程模拟研究,为酶工程领域的相关研究提供支持。     

A double point mutation in PCL-��1 (Y509A/F510A) enhances Y783 phosphorylation and inositol phospholipid-hydrolyzing activity upon EGF stimulation

Growth factor stimulation induces Y783 phosphorylation of phosphoinositide-specific PLC-γ1, and the subsequent activation of this enzyme in a cellular signaling cascade. Previously, we showed that a double point mutation, Y509A/F510A, of PLC-γ1, abolished interactions with translational elongation factor 1-α. Here, we report that the Y509A/F510A mutant PLC-γ1 displayed extremely high levels of Y783 phosphorylation and enhanced catalytic activity, compared to wild-type PLC-γ1, upon treatment of COS7 cells with EGF. In quiescent COS7 cells, the Y509A/F510A mutant PLC-γ1 exhibited a constitutive hydrolytic activity, whereas the wild-type counterpart displayed a basal level of activity. Upon treatment of COS7 cells with EGF, the Y783F mutation in Y509A/F510A PLC-γ1 (Y509A/F510A/Y783F triple mutant) cells also led to an enhanced catalytic activity, whereas Y783F mutation alone displayed a basal level of activity. Our results collectively suggest that the Y509A/F510A mutant is more susceptible to receptor tyrosine kinase-induced Y783 phosphorylation than is wild-type PLC-γ1, but no longer requires Y783 phosphorylation step for the Y509A/F510A mutant PLC-γ1 activation in vivo.     

分子动力学研究F1-ATP合酶对三磷酸腺苷的稳定和定位作用

F₁-ATP合酶通过与ATP之间建立广泛的相互作用,实现对ATP的位置进行精确的定位.这些相互作用为ATP的合成/水解创造了稳定的环境.理解这些相互作用是理解ATP的合成/水解机理的基础.我们通过分子动力学模拟方法研究这些相互作用,找出在稳定化过程中起到重要作用的残基.通过检测ATP和F₁-ATP合酶之间的非键相互作用,发现残基段158-164所形成的loop区域及残基R189, Y345对ATP存在显著相互作用.其中,该loop区域对ATP的三磷酸部分形成一个半包围结构,封闭活性位点区域,并通过氢键网络约束ATP三磷酸的运动,为ATP合成/水解创造稳定的环境.此外,关键残基Y345通过π-π叠加相互作用对ATP的碱基进行约束,但是ATP的碱基可以在平行于Y345芳香环的平面内进行滑动,我们推断这种滑动运动有利于促进ATP的水解.     

Most efficient cocaine hydrolase designed by virtual screening of transition states

Cocaine is recognized as the most reinforcing of all drugs of abuse. There is no anticocaine medication available. The disastrous medical and social consequences of cocaine addiction have made the development of an anticocaine medication a high priority. It has been recognized that an ideal anticocaine medication is one that accelerates cocaine metabolism producing biologically inactive metabolites via a route similar to the primary cocaine-metabolizing pathway, i.e., cocaine hydrolysis catalyzed by plasma enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). However, wild-type BChE has a low catalytic efficiency against the abused cocaine. Design of a high-activity enzyme mutant is extremely challenging, particularly when the chemical reaction process is rate-determining for the enzymatic reaction. Here we report the design and discovery of a high-activity mutant of human BChE by using a novel, systematic computational design approach based on transition-state simulations and activation energy calculations. The novel computational design approach has led to discovery of the most efficient cocaine hydrolase, i.e., a human BChE mutant with an approximately 2000-fold improved catalytic efficiency, promising for therapeutic treatment of cocaine overdose and addiction as an exogenous enzyme in human. The encouraging discovery resulted from the computational design not only provides a promising anticocaine medication but also demonstrates that the novel, generally applicable computational design approach is promising for rational enzyme redesign and drug discovery.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the mononuclear zinc-beta-lactamase from Bacillus cereus complexed with benzylpenicillin and a quantum chemical study of the reaction mechanism

Herein, we present results from MD simulations of the Michaelis complex formed between the B. cereus zinc-beta-lactamase enzyme and benzylpenicillin. The structural and dynamical effects induced by substrate-binding, the specific role of the conserved residues, and the near attack conformers of the Michaelis complex are discussed. Quantum chemical methods (HF/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31G*) are also applied to study the hydrolysis reaction of N-methylazetidinone catalyzed by a monozinc system consisting of the side chains of the histidine residues (His86, His88, and His149) complexed with Zn-OH and the side chains of Asp90 and His210. From this model system, we built molecular-mechanics representations of the prereactive complex and transition state configurations docked into the active site. Linear-scaling semiempirical calculations coupled with a continuum solvent model were then performed on these static models. We propose that the experimental rate data for the B. cereus enzyme is compatible with a one-step mechanism for the hydrolysis of beta-lactam substrates in which His210 acts as a proton donor.     

羰基还原酶辅酶结合域位点突变对其不对称催化性能的影响

基于同源模型的比较和分析,发现羰基还原酶SCR1辅酶结合域P124和W125位点对辅酶NADPH的结合形成了一定的空间位阻效应.通过对该位点进行小侧基氨基酸的取代突变,该酶的底物专一性和立体选择性均发生了不同程度的改变,表明该位点是酶与辅酶有效结合的关键位点,而且它与辅酶结合的空间效应进一步影响了底物结合域活性中心对不同构型的底物及其对映体产物的亲和作用.在底物专一性方面,野生型酶对2-羟基苯乙酮和2-溴苯乙酮及其衍生物等底物表现出较高的催化活性,而突变株W125A,W125G,P124A/W125A和P124G/W125G对苯乙酮及其部分衍生物和2-辛酮等底物的催化活性均有所提高.对于酶的立体选择性,部分突变株发生了转化产物对映体构型反转的现象,突变株P124A/W125A和P124G/W125G催化还原2-羟基苯乙酮和4-氯乙酰乙酸乙酯均生成了(R)-型产物.     

A molecular dynamics investigation on the interaction properties of AzrC and its cofactor

In this report, the main contributions of FMN were employed in the reductive cleavage reaction of AzrC protein (as a member of azoreductase family). Molecular dynamics simulations of three models in the presence and absence of FMN and ligand were performed to gather information about the dynamic nature of active site residues of AzrC. Combination of pairwise decomposition and alanine scanning calculations provides critical information about the FMN binding sites. The MD results analyzed by alanine scanning method revealed the high negative scores for N 10 (A) A, N 12 (A) A, S 17 (A) A and Y 151 (A) A mutations, which were in agreement with pairwise decomposition analyses. Hydrogen bond analyses indicated that these residues play critical roles in establishing appropriate hydrogen bonds between AzrC and FMN. Negative energy results for nonpolar residues such as W 103 (A), M 102 (A) and F 105 (A) and binding free energy analyses of three complexes indicate that the VDW interactions could be regarded as some favorable contribution in FMN and AzrC protein and confirmed the critical role of FMN in ligand binding (35.84 %), in addition to its catalytic function. This information could be used for future experimental investigations.