Understanding the recognition mechanism of protein-RNA complexes using energy based approach

Protein-RNA interactions perform diverse functions within the cell. Understanding the recognition mechanism of protein-RNA complexes is a challenging task in molecular and computational biology. In this work, we have developed an energy based approach for identifying the binding sites and important residues for binding in protein-RNA complexes. The new approach considers the repulsive interactions as well as the effect of distance between the atoms in protein and RNA in terms of interaction energy, which are not considered in traditional distance based methods to identify the binding sites. We found that the positively charged, polar and aromatic residues are important for binding. These residues influence to form electrostatic, hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions. Our observation has been verified with the experimental binding specificity of protein-RNA complexes and found good agreement with experiments. Further, the propensities of residues/nucleotides in the binding sites of proteins/RNA and their atomic contributions have been derived. Based on these results we have proposed a novel mechanism for the recognition of protein-RNA complexes: the charged and polar residues in proteins initiate recognition with RNA by making electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions between them; the aromatic side chains tend to form aromatic-aromatic interactions and the hydrophobic residues aid to stabilize the complex.     

An overview of protein-DNA and protein-RNA interactions

In this review the fundamental question of how does protein-DNA or protein-RNA interactions affect the structures and dynamics of DNA, RNA, and protein is addressed. Two models of human serum albumin (HSA) bindings to calf-thymus DNA and transfer RNA (tRNA) are presented here. In these models the binding sites, stability and structural aspects of DNA-protein and RNA-protein are discussed. Electrostatic binding of DNA or RNA via backbone phosphate group to the positively charged amino acids on the surface of protein is prevailing. Two binding sites with K₁ = 4.8 × 10⁵ M^?1 and K₂ = 6.1 × 10⁴ M^?1 for protein-DNA and one binding affinity with K = 1.45 × 10⁴ M^?1 for protein-RNA are observed. A partial B to A-DNA transition is observed for protein-DNA complexes, while tRNA remains in A-family structure upon protein interaction.     

Role of hydrogen bonds in protein-DNA recognition: effect of nonplanar amino groups

Amino groups are one of the various types of hydrogen bond donors, abundantly found in protein main chains, protein side chains, and DNA bases. The polar hydrogen atoms of these groups exhibit short ranged, specific, and directional hydrogen bonds, which play a decisive role in the specificity and stability of protein-DNA complexes. To date, planar amino groups are only considered for the analysis of protein-DNA interfacial hydrogen bonds. This assumption regarding hydrogen atom positions possibly failed to establish the expected role of hydrogen bonds in protein-DNA recognition. We have performed ab initio quantum chemical studies on amino acid side chains and DNA bases containing amino groups as well as on specific hydrogen bonded residue pairs selected from high-resolution protein-DNA complex crystal structures. Our results suggest that occurrences of pyramidal amino groups are more probable in comparison with the usually adopted planar geometry. This increases the quality of the existing hydrogen bonds in almost all cases. Further, detailed analysis of protein-DNA interfacial hydrogen bonds in 107 crystal structures using the in-house program "pyrHBfind" indicates that consideration of energetically more preferred nonplanar amino groups improves the geometry of hydrogen bonds and also gives rise to new contacts amounting to nearly 14.5% of the existing interactions. Large improvements have been observed specifically for the amino groups of guanine, which faces the DNA minor groove and thus helps to resolve the problem of insufficient directional contacts observed in many minor groove binding complexes. Apart from guanine, improvement observed for asparagine, glutamine, adenine, or cytosine also indicates that the consideration of nonplanar amino groups leads to a more realistic scenario of hydrogen bonds occurring between protein and DNA residues.     

Shape, flexibility and packing of proteins and nucleic acids in complexes

Determining the change in topological properties like shape, flexibility and packing of proteins and nucleic acids on complexation is important in characterizing the role of induced structural changes and various interactions which control the functional specificity of proteins and nucleic acids. To this end, we have analyzed and compared the three dimensional structures of several protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-RNA complexes available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and the Nucleic Acid Data Bank (NDB). The size of complexed proteins and nucleic acids, as measured by the radius of gyration, follows Flory's scaling law. The change in the scaling exponents for proteins, RNA and DNA reflects the changes in their respective sizes due to complexation. The anisotropy in the shape of proteins, DNA and RNA in complexes is measured by considering the asphericity and shape parameter, which are calculated from the eigenvalues of the moment of inertia tensor. The distribution of asphericity and shape shows that complexed proteins are mostly spherically symmetrical, while DNA and RNA in complexed states are largely prolate and considerably more aspherical compared to the proteins. Persistence length characterizes the intrinsic flexibility/rigidity of proteins and nucleic acids. The flexibility of all biomolecules decreases with the chain length. For small DNA molecules (6-147 base pairs), persistence length is larger compared to RNA and proteins in protein-protein and protein-RNA complexes. The flexibility of DNA increases, while RNA decreases, in their respective complexed states as compared to that of proteins which remain almost unchanged. The two body contact analysis confirms that the side-chain-backbone contacts are predominant compared to sidechain-sidechain and backbone-backbone contacts in the complexed proteins. The average packing density of proteins decreases in their complexed states, which is measured by the mean value of the contact density of their alpha carbon atoms. The average number of hydrogen bonds are found to be less in the interface region of protein-protein complexes compared to that in protein-DNA and protein-RNA complexes.     

蛋白质-RNA相互作用界面预测与设计

蛋白质-RNA之间的相互作用是蛋白质在细胞里面行使功能的重要方式之一. 结构生物学家利用实验手段可以得到蛋白质-RNA复合物的三维结构, 通过原子水平的晶体结构来解释蛋白质与RNA的识别过程. 但实验取得蛋白质-RNA的复合物结构非常困难, 耗钱、耗时, 同时受限于其相互作用强度. 因而利用理论的方法对蛋白质-RNA相互作用界面进行预测与设计在生物医学研究中十分重要. 本文主要综述了近期蛋白质-RNA相互作用界面预测与设计方面的进展, 包括以下几个方面: (1) 蛋白质-RNA分子对接算法以及对接前后存在的构象变化的处理; (2) 蛋白质-RNA 识别机制的研究; (3) 基于蛋白质-RNA 相互作用界面的分子设计. 蛋白质-RNA分子对接算法逐步完善将有助于我们对大量未知功能的蛋白质与RNA进行功能注释, 而基于生物大分子相互作用界面的分子设计将在药物设计领域中有广阔的应用前景.     

Free-energy component analysis of 40 protein-DNA complexes: a consensus view on the thermodynamics of binding at the molecular level

Noncovalent association of proteins to specific target sites on DNA--a process central to gene expression and regulation--has thus far proven to be idiosyncratic and elusive to generalizations on the nature of the driving forces. The spate of structural information on protein--DNA complexes sets the stage for theoretical investigations on the molecular thermodynamics of binding aimed at identifying forces responsible for specific macromolecular recognition. Computation of absolute binding free energies for systems of this complexity transiting from structural information is a stupendous task. Adopting some recent progresses in treating atomic level interactions in proteins and nucleic acids including solvent and salt effects, we have put together an energy component methodology cast in a phenomenological mode and amenable to systematic improvements and developed a computational first atlas of the free energy contributors to binding in approximately 40 protein-DNA complexes representing a variety of structural motifs and functions. Illustrating vividly the compensatory nature of the free energy components contributing to the energetics of recognition for attaining optimal binding, our results highlight unambiguously the roles played by packing, electrostatics including hydrogen bonds, ion and water release (cavitation) in protein-DNA binding. Cavitation and van der Waals contributions without exception favor complexation. The electrostatics is marginally unfavorable in a consensus view. Basic residues on the protein contribute favorably to binding despite the desolvation expense. The electrostatics arising from the acidic and neutral residues proves unfavorable to binding. An enveloping mode of binding to short stretches of DNA makes for a strong unfavorable net electrostatics but a highly favorable van der Waals and cavitation contribution. Thus, noncovalent protein-DNA association is a system-specific fine balancing act of these diverse competing forces. With the advances in computational methods as applied to macromolecular recognition, the challenge now seems to be to correlate the differential (initial vs. final) energetics to substituent effects in drug design and to move from affinity to specificity.     

Direct observation of enhanced translocation of a homeodomain between DNA cognate sites by NMR exchange spectroscopy

A novel approach is presented for studying the kinetics of specific protein-DNA interactions by NMR exchange spectroscopy. The experimental design involves the direct observation of translocation of a homeodomain between cognate sites on two oligonucleotide duplexes, differing by only a single base pair at the edge of the DNA recognition sequence. The single base-pair change perturbs the 1H-15N correlation spectrum of a number of residues, while leaving the affinity for the DNA unchanged. The exchange process has apparent rate constants in the 5-20 s-1 range which are linearly dependent upon the concentration of free DNA. These rates are about 3 orders of magnitude larger than the dissociation rate constant determined by gel shift assays at nanomolar DNA concentrations. The complete NMR exchange data set, comprising auto- and cross-peak intensities as a function of mixing time at five concentrations of free DNA, can be fit simultaneously to a simple model in which protein translocation between DNA duplexes occurs via a second-order process (with rate constants of approximately 6 x 104 M-1 s-1) involving direct collision of a protein-DNA complex with free DNA. This is akin to intersegmental transfer, and a physical model for the process is discussed. Rapid translocation at high concentrations of free DNA observed directly by NMR exchange spectroscopy reconciles the long half-lives of protein-DNA complexes measured by biochemical analysis in vitro with the highly dynamic behavior of such complexes observed in vivo. The relevance of this mechanism to the kinetics of protein-DNA interactions within the cell is discussed.     

Synthetic non-peptide mimetics of alpha-helices

Proteins in nature fold into native conformations in which combinations of peripherally projected aliphatic, aromatic and ionic functionalities direct a wide range of properties. Alpha-helices, one of the most common protein secondary structures, serve as important recognition regions on protein surfaces for numerous protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-RNA interactions. These interactions are characterized by conserved structural features within the alpha-helical domain. Rational design of structural mimetics of these domains with synthetic small molecules has proven an effective means to modulate such protein functions. In this tutorial review we discuss strategies that utilize synthetic small-molecule antagonists to selectively target essential protein-protein interactions involved in certain diseases. We also evaluate some of the protein-protein interactions that have been or are potential targets for alpha-helix mimetics.     

Structural models of protein-DNA complexes based on interface prediction and docking

Protein-DNA interactions are the physical basis of gene expression and DNA modification. Structural models that reveal these interactions are essential for their understanding. As only a limited number of structures for protein-DNA complexes have been determined by experimental methods, computation methods provide a potential way to fill the need. We have developed the DISPLAR method to predict DNA binding sites on proteins. Predicted binding sites have been used to assist the building of structural models by docking, either by guiding the docking or by selecting near-native candidates from the docked poses. Here we applied the DISPLAR method to predict the DNA binding sites for 20 DNA-binding proteins, which have had their DNA binding sites characterized by NMR chemical shift perturbation. For two of these proteins, the structures of their complexes with DNA have also been determined. With the help of the DISPLAR predictions, we built structural models for these two complexes. Evaluations of both the DNA binding sites for 20 proteins and the structural models of the two protein-DNA complexes against experimental results demonstrate the significant promise of our model-building approach.     

Nonspecific protein-DNA interactions: complexation of alpha-chymotrypsin with a genomic DNA

In this contribution, we report studies on nonspecific protein-DNA interactions of an enzyme protein bovine pancreatic alpha-chymotrypsin (CHT) with genomic DNA (from salmon testes) using two biologically common fluorescent probes: 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS) and 2,6-p-toluidinonaphthalene sulfonate (TNS). TNS molecules that are nonspecifically bound to positively charged basic residues at the surface sites, not in the hydrophobic cavities of the protein, are preferentially displaced upon complexation of TNS-labeled CHT with DNA. The time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of TNS molecules bound to hydrophobic cavities/clefts of CHT reveals that global tumbling motion of the protein is almost frozen in the protein-DNA complex. A control study on TNS-labeled human serum albumin (HSA) upon interaction with DNA clearly indicates that the ligands in the deep pockets of the protein cannot be displaced by interaction with DNA. We have also found that ANS, which binds to a specific surface site of CHT, is not displaced by DNA. The intactness of the ANS binding in CHT upon complexation with DNA offers the opportunity to measure the distance between the ANS binding site and the contact point of the ethidium bromide (EB)-labeled DNA using the F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique. Enzymatic activity studies on CHT on a substrate (Ala-Ala-Phe 7-amido-4-methyl coumarin) reveal that the active site of the enzyme remains open for the substrate even in the protein-DNA complex. Circular dichroism (CD) studies on CHT upon complexation with DNA confirm the structural integrity of CHT in the complex. Our studies have attempted to explore an application of nonspecific protein-DNA interactions in the characterization of ligand binding of a protein in solution.     

Hairpin-shaped heterometallic luminescent lanthanide complexes for DNA intercalative recognition

Luminescent Ln-Pt2 metallohairpin complexes have been developed, and their intercalative recognition with DNA has been demonstrated with linear dichroism spectroscopy. The heterotrimetallic complexes were formed in a one-step reaction, by assembly of an aminopolycarboxylate ligand, a platinum terpyridine unit, and the lanthanide salt. The metallohairpin complexes bear a neutral lanthanide moiety and two positively charged platinum-containing intercalating units. The Nd(III) analogues are luminescent in the near infrared, and this near-IR luminescence is retained upon binding to DNA. The DNA recognition was demonstrated by linear dichroism spectroscopy. The linear dichroism spectra suggested that the complexes bind perpendicular to the DNA helical axis, confirming intercalative recognition accompanied by dramatic stiffening of DNA, which suggests bis-intercalation of the complex.     

Composite Aromatic Boxes for Enzymatic Transformations of Quaternary Ammonium Substrates

Cation–π interactions to cognate ligands in enzymes have key roles in ligand binding and enzymatic catalysis. We have deciphered the key functional role of both charged and aromatic residues within the choline binding subsite of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase and choline kinase from Plasmodium falciparum. Comparison of quaternary ammonium binding site structures revealed a general composite aromatic box pattern of enzyme recognition sites, well distinguished from the aromatic box recognition site of receptors.     

A new H/D exchange- and mass spectrometry-based method for thermodynamic analysis of protein-DNA interactions

The application of SUPREX (stability of unpurified proteins from rates of H/D exchange) to the thermodynamic analysis of protein-DNA complexes is described. A series of five model protein-DNA complexes involving two known DNA binding proteins, Arc repressor and CopG, were analyzed in order to determine the accuracy, precision, and generality of the SUPREX technique for quantifying the strength of protein-DNA interactions. For protein-DNA complexes that reversibly unfold in a two-state manner, we demonstrate that reasonably precise Kd values in agreement with those determined by conventional techniques can be determined by SUPREX. In the case of protein-DNA complexes that are not well modeled by a two-state unfolding mechanism, we find that relative binding affinities can be determined in the SUPREX experiment.     

Unusual halogen-bonded complex FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and hydrogen-bonded complex FBrdelta+...delta+HF formed by interactions between two positively charged atoms of different polar molecules

Using ab initio calculations, the authors' predicted for the first time that the halogen-bonded complex FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and hydrogen-bonded complex FBrdelta+...delta+HF formed by the interactions between two positively charged atoms of different polar molecules can be stable in gas phase. It shows that halogen bond or hydrogen bond not only exists between oppositely charged atoms but also between like-charged atoms. That the attraction arising from the special halogen bond or hydrogen bond can exceed the electrostatic repulsion between two contact positively charged atoms stabilizes the complex. Of course, from the point of view of physics they can consider the interactions in FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and FBrdelta+...delta+HF as mainly the sum of the long range molecular interactions, namely, electrostatic, induction, and dispersion with some short-range repulsion. They found that the intermolecular electron correlation contribution representing dispersion interaction plays a crucial role in the stabilities of seemingly repulsive complexes FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and FBrdelta+...delta+HF.     

Molecular recognition. Design of new receptors for complexation and catalysis

Abstract

In recent years there has been intense activity in the design of synthetic molecules capable of enzyme-like recognition and binding of small substrates.¹ Two fundamental approaches have been taken. The first has generally involved non-directional binding forces (such as solvophobic, π-stacking and dispersion interactions) in water-soluble cyclophane frameworks.² This approach led to extremely important quantitative insights into the hydrophobic effect and the enthalpic and entropic contributions of solvent reorganization to binding.³ However, the weakly oriented nature of the binding interactions has resulted in only moderate substrate selectivity beyond the shape recognition permitted by the cavity. In nature such selectivity is a prerequisite for the chiral recognition and catalytic activity of enzymes and is achieved by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. The second major approach to artificial receptors makes use of these more directional interactions by incorporating several hydrogen bonding groups into a cleft or cavity of defined geometry.⁴ The resulting hosts form strong and selective complexes to those substrates with complementary shape and hydrogen bonding characteristics.⁵ In these cases, however, the binding free energy is solvent dependent, diminishing to zero as the polarity of the medium increases, due to the strong solvation of the hydrogen bonding sites. A central goal in contemporary molecular recognition research must be to develop receptors that effectively use directed hydrogen bonding interactions in competitive solvents. Success will probably require combining strong (possibly charged) hydrogen bonding groups with hydrophobic sites capable not only of effective apolar association with the substrate but also of protecting the polar sites from full solvation.     

Electrostatics in protein binding and function

Protein electrostatic properties stem from the proportion and distribution of polar and charged residues. Polar and charged residues regulate the electrostatic properties by forming short-range interactions, like salt-bridges and hydrogen-bonds, and by defining the over-all electrostatic environment in the protein. Electrostatics play a major role in defining the mechanisms of protein-protein complex formation, molecular recognitions, thermal stabilities, conformational adaptabilities and protein movements. For example:- Functional hinges, or flexible regions of the protein, lack short-range electrostatic interactions; Thermophilic proteins have higher electrostatic interactions than their mesophilic counter parts; Increase in binding specificity and affinity involve optimization of electrostatics; High affinity antibodies have higher, and stronger, electrostatic interactions with their antigens; Rigid parts of proteins have higher and stronger electrostatic interactions. In this review we address the significance of electrostatics in protein folding, binding and function. We discuss that the electrostatic properties are evolutionally selected by a protein to perform an specific function. We also provide bona fide examples to illustrate this. Additionally, using continuum electrostatic and molecular dynamics approaches we show that the "hot-spot" inter-molecular interactions in a very specific antibody-antigen binding are mainly established through charged residues. These "hot-spot" molecular interactions stay intact even during high temperature molecular dynamics simulations, while the other inter-molecular interactions, of lesser functional significance, disappear. This further corroborates the significance of charge-charge interactions in defining binding mechanisms. High affinity binding frequently involves "electrostatic steering". The forces emerge from over-all electrostatic complementarities and by the formation of charged and polar interactions. We demonstrate that although the high affinity binding of barnase-barstar and anti-hen egg white lysozyme (HEL) antibody-HEL complexes involve different molecular mechanisms, it is electrostatically regulated in both the cases. These observations, and several other studies, suggest that a fine tuning of local and global electrostatic properties are essential for protein binding and function.     

A designed beta-hairpin peptide for molecular recognition of ATP in water

A designed 12-residue beta-hairpin peptide with a diagonal tryptophan (Trp) pair was shown to bind ATP in water through a combination of aromatic and electrostatic interactions. The affinity for ATP was 5800 M-1 (DeltaG approximately -5.0 kcal/mol), a remarkable affinity for a short, structured peptide in water, consisting of entirely natural amino acid residues. Proton NMR measurements indicate that the adenine ring of the nucleotide is intercalated between the diagonal tryptophans in the bound state. Delineation of the contributions to ATP binding to the hairpin suggest that aromatic interactions contribute approximately -1.8 kcal/mol, while individual electrostatic interactions involving the ATP phosphates and positively charged side chains of the hairpin contribute approximately -1 kcal/mol each. The designed beta-hairpin receptor presents a novel minimalist system to investigate the energetic contributions to protein-nucleic acid recognition through the surface of a beta-sheet.     

Characterization of nonspecific protein-DNA interactions by 1H paramagnetic relaxation enhancement

Nonspecific protein-DNA interactions play an important role in a variety of contexts related to DNA packaging, nucleoprotein complex formation, and gene regulation. Biophysical characterization of nonspecific protein-DNA interactions at the atomic level poses significant challenges owing to the dynamic nature of such complexes. Although NMR spectroscopy represents a powerful tool for the analysis of dynamic systems, conventional NMR techniques have provided little information on nonspecific protein-DNA interactions. We show that intermolecular (1)H paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) arising from Mn(2+) chelated to an EDTA-group covalently attached to a thymine base (dT-EDTA-Mn(2+)) in DNA provides a unique approach for probing the global dynamics and equilibrium distribution of nonspecific protein-DNA interactions. For nonspecific DNA binding, similar intermolecular (1)H-PRE profiles are observed on the (1)H resonances of the bound protein when dT-EDTA-Mn(2+) is located at either end of a DNA oligonucleotide duplex. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach to HMG-box proteins and contrast the results obtained for nonspecific DNA binding of the A-box of HMGB-1 (HMGB-1A) with sequence-specific DNA binding of the related SRY protein. Intermolecular (1)H-PRE data demonstrate unambiguously that HMGB-1A binds to multiple sites in multiple orientations even on a DNA fragment as short as 14 base pairs. Combining the (1)H-PRE data with the crystal structure of the HMGB-1 A-box/cisplatin-modified DNA complex allows one to obtain a semiquantitative estimate of the equilibrium populations at the various sites.