Using Homology Modeling, Molecular Dynamics and Molecular Docking Techniques to Identify Inhibitor Binding Regions of Somatostatin Receptor 1

The G protein coupled receptor(GPCR), one of the members in the superfamily, which consists of thousands of integral membrane proteins, exerts a wide variety of physiological functions and responses to a large portion of the drug targets. The 3D structure of somatostatin receptor 1(SSTR1) was modeled and refined by means of homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulation. This model was assessed by Verify-3D and Vadar, which confirmed the reliability of the refined model. The interaction between the inhibitor cysteamine, somatostatin(SST) and SSTR1 was investigated by a molecular docking program, Affinity. The binding module not only showed the crucial residues involved in the interaction, but also provided important information about the interaction between SSTR1 on the one hand and ligands on the other, which might be the significant evidence for the structure-based design.     

结合QSAR、分子对接和动力学模拟剖析小分子与不同受体的结合亲和力

本文从三种不同的角度分析小分子与受体的结合情况,互相补充,为探讨不同类型结合模式提供有用的信息和研究手段。利用比较分子相似性指数法(CoMSIA)和分子全息定量构效关系法(HQSAR),建立一系列小分子与不同受体(AhR和TTR)亲和力活性数据的定量构效关系预测模型。结果表明模型均具有较高稳定性和预测能力(q~20.55,r~20.85)。同时,根据CoMSIA模型的等值线图和HQSAR模型的原子贡献图得出BDE154和BDE019与受体之间的结合作用方式,主要为疏水作用,带羟基基团化合物不利于与受体结合。此外,分子对接结果表明模型的结合力类型分别为疏水作用和π-π堆积作用。而分子动力学模拟的结果表明,随着小分子的加入,受体的二级结构发生转变。     

用分子对接方法预测HIV-1整合酶与金精三羧酸抑制剂的相互作用

用分子对接方法(Docking)研究了HIV-1整合酶与其抑制剂金精三羧酸的结合过程.为弄清金属离子在结合中所起的作用,选择含有一个Mg+2或不含Mg+2的两种不同的整合酶受体分别与金精三羧酸对接.结果表明, Mg+2对稳定配体与受体的结合起了重要作用. 金精三羧酸配体与含有一个金属Mg+2的整合酶受体对接,最优结合自由能为-45.19 kJ/mol. 当Mg+2失去后,整合酶的活性中心构象将发生变化,使金精三羧酸抑制剂与整合酶的结合自由能(-24.35 kJ/mol)明显增加. 预测了未知的HIV-1整合酶与其抑制剂金精三羧酸的复合物结构, 并可对基于结构的抗HIV-1整合酶的药物设计提供重要信息.     

水溶性聚合物与方解石晶体相互作用的MD模拟

用分子动力学(MD)方法, 模拟计算了三种水溶性聚合物阻垢剂[聚丙烯酸(PAA)、聚甲基丙烯酸(PMAA)、丙烯酸-丙烯酸甲酯共聚物(AA-MA)]与方解石晶体的作用. 结果表明, 聚合物与方解石两晶面结合能的大小均为PAA ＞ AA-MA ＞ PMAA, 聚合物与(1 0)面的相互作用远比与(104)面的作用强. 对体系各种相互作用以及对关联函数g(r)的分析表明, 结合能主要由库仑作用决定. 与方解石晶面结合的聚合物发生扭曲变形, (1 0)面上的形变能约为(104)面上的2倍, 但均远小于相应的非键作用能. 聚合物中不同位置羧基的动力学行为差别很大, 链端羧基的运动翻转比链中部羧基剧烈得多, 后者与方解石晶体的结合比前者牢固而能更有效地抑制垢晶体生长.     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation on Scale Inhibition Mechanism of Polyepoxysuccinic Acid to Calcium Sulphate

Molecular dynamics simulation has been performed to simulate the interaction between PESA and the (001) face of anhydrite crystal CaSO₄ at different temperatures with the presence of various number of H₂O molecules. The results show that PESA can effectively prevent the growth of CaSO₄ scale at 323-343 K. At the same temperature, the binding energy between PESA and the (001) face of CaSO₄ for systems with various number of H₂O has the order of E_bind(0H₂O)>E_bind(200-400H₂O)>E_bind(100H₂O). For the same system at different temperatures the binding energies are close and are mainly contributed from the Coulomb interaction, including ionic bonds. The bonds are formed between the calcium atoms of anhydrite scale crystal and the oxygen atoms of the carboxyl group of PESA. Hydrogen bonds are formed between the O atoms of the carboxyl group of PESA and the H atoms of H2O. van der Waals interaction is conducive to the stability of the system of PESA, H₂O, and CaSO₄. The radial distribution functions of O(carbonyl of PESA)-H(H₂O),O(CaSO₄)-H(H₂O), and O(CaSO₄)-H(PESA) imply that solvents have effects on the anti-scale performance of PESA to CaSO₄.     

Characterization of Gallic Acid Interaction with Human Serum Albumin by Spectral and Molecular Modeling Methods

The binding of drugs with human serum albumin(HSA)is a crucial factor influencing the distribution and bioactivity of drugs in the body.To understand the action mechanisms between gallic acid(GA,3,4,5-...     

拟南芥TIR1与生长素IAA相互作用的分子对接及分子动力学研究

基于最新得到的拟南芥运输抑制剂响应蛋白质1(TIR1)与吲哚乙酸(IAA)复合物的晶体结构, 使用分子对接方法和分子动力学方法对TIR1与生长素IAA相互作用的方式进行了研究. 分子对接结果表明, 通过逐级考察辅酶InsP₆和中心水分子的影响, 发现辅酶InsP₆和中心水分子对生长素IAA正确结合到活性位点有重要作用. 分子动力学结果表明, 复合物体系在整个模拟过程中较为稳定, 2个水分子相继作为中心水分子与生长素IAA形成了稳定的氢键作用, IAA与活性位点处残基的相互作用与晶体结构相比略有差异.     

禽流感病毒HA蛋白与人受体的分子对接

血凝素(hemagglutinin,HA)是位于禽流感病毒表面的糖蛋白。在病毒感染过程中,HA与禽类宿主细胞表面受体结合,介导病毒膜与宿主核内体膜的融合,在传染过程中发挥关键作用。自然界中的禽流感病毒处于不断演化之中,其HA的禽受体结合位点常常发生氨基酸变异。因此,当HA变异体与人受体结合能力较强时,禽流感病毒往往会发生跨种传播而感染人。为预防禽流感的跨种传播,人们迫切需要发展大规模快速检测或预测HA变异体与人受体结合亲和力的方法,以评估各种新发禽流感病毒的跨种传播能力,提前筛选出有潜在危险的病毒株。针对此问题,本研究以H7N9亚型的HA蛋白H7为研究对象,发展了一种运用分子对接的计算方法,预测HA变异体与人受体的结合亲和力。该方法的计算结果表明,H7与人受体的结合亲和力普遍弱于有较强传染人能力的H1,说明H7N9亚型病毒的跨种传播能力普遍较弱;但是,计算分析也揭示,部分新发的H7N9毒株的HA有强的人受体结合亲和力,提示在自然演化过程中,H7N9病毒有可能演化出具有较强的感染人能力的新毒株,这与2013年禽流感疫情的实际发生情况相一致。因此,本文所发展的计算方法可用于快速预测新发禽流感病毒HA与人受体的结合亲和力,为新发禽流感病毒的跨种传播风险评估提供理论依据。     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Interaction between Calcite Crystal and Phosphonic Acid Molecules

The interactions between calcite crystal and seven kinds of phosphonic acids, nitrilotris(methylphosphonic acid) (NTMP), nitrilo‐methyl‐bis(methylphosphonic acid) (NMBMP), N,N‐glycine‐bis(methylphosphonic acid) (GBMP), 1‐ hydroxy‐1,1‐ethylenebis(phosphonic acid) (HEBP), 1‐amino‐1,1‐ethylenebis(phosphonic acid) (AEBP), 1,2‐ethylenediamine‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetrakis(methylphosphonic acid) (EDATMP), and 1,6‐hexylenediamine‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetrakis‐ (methylphosphonic acid) (HDATMP) have been simulated by a molecular dynamics method. The results showed that the binding energy of each scale inhibitor with the (1l?0) (1l?0) face of calcite crystal was higher than that with (104) face, which has been approved by the analysis of pair correlation functions. The sequence of scale inhibition efficiencies for phosphonic acids against calcite scale is as follows: EDATMP>HDATMP>HEBP>NTMP>GBMP>HEBP>NMBMP, and the growth inhibition on the (1l?0) face of calcite was at the leading status. Phosphonic acids deformed during the binding process, and electrovalent bonds formed between the phosphoryl oxygen atoms in phosphonic acids and the calcium ions on calcite crystal.     

Characterization and Three-dimensional Structural Modeling of Humic Acid via Molecular Mechanics and Molecular Dynamic Simulation

The humic acid（HA） sample obtained from the alluvial soil was characterized by elemental composition, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（Py-GC-MS） and solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance （13C NMR） spectroscopy. There is high fat content and a few nitrogen-containing functional groups in HA. Py-GC-MS demonstrates the characterization and structural identification of HA. One long list of identified pyrolysis products was proposed for the construction of conceptual model of HA. Solid-state 13C NMR data indicate there are higher values of alkyl-C, O-alkyl-C and aryl-C in HA. The elemental composition, structural carbon distribution and L3C NMR spectroscopy of simulated HA are consistent with those of experimental HA. HyperChem was used to simulate the three-dimensional molecular structure of the monomer, which was optimized by the molecular mechanics of the optimized potential for liquid simulations（OPLS） force field and molecular dynamics simulation to get the stable and balanced conformation. The deprotonation process study depicts that the degree of ionization of HA gets deeper, while the electronegativity of HA and the energy of van der Waals（vdW） increase. Moreover, the 3D structure of humic acid with -4 charges is the most stable. The deprotonation process is an endothermic process.     

The Dynamics of the Neuropeptide Y Receptor Type 1 Investigated by Solid-State NMR and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

We report data on the structural dynamics of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) type 1 (Y1R), a typical representative of class A peptide ligand GPCRs, using a combination of solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. First, the equilibrium dynamics of Y1R were studied using ¹⁵N-NMR and quantitative determination of ¹H-¹³C order parameters through the measurement of dipolar couplings in separated-local-field NMR experiments. Order parameters reporting the amplitudes of the molecular motions of the C-H bond vectors of Y1R in DMPC membranes are 0.57 for the Cα sites and lower in the side chains (0.37 for the CH₂ and 0.18 for the CH₃ groups). Different NMR excitation schemes identify relatively rigid and also dynamic segments of the molecule. In monounsaturated membranes composed of longer lipid chains, Y1R is more rigid, attributed to a higher hydrophobic thickness of the lipid membrane. The presence of an antagonist or NPY has little influence on the amplitude of motions, whereas the addition of agonist and arrestin led to a pronounced rigidization. To investigate Y1R dynamics with site resolution, we conducted extensive all-atom MD simulations of the apo and antagonist-bound state. In each state, three replicas with a length of 20 μs (with one exception, where the trajectory length was 10 μs) were conducted. In these simulations, order parameters of each residue were determined and showed high values in the transmembrane helices, whereas the loops and termini exhibit much lower order. The extracellular helix segments undergo larger amplitude motions than their intracellular counterparts, whereas the opposite is observed for the loops, Helix 8, and termini. Only minor differences in order were observed between the apo and antagonist-bound state, whereas the time scale of the motions is shorter for the apo state. Although these relatively fast motions occurring with correlation times of ns up to a few µs have no direct relevance for receptor activation, it is believed that they represent the prerequisite for larger conformational transitions in proteins.     

Inhibition Mechanism of Hydroxyproline-like Small Inhibitors to Disorder HIF-VHL Interaction by Molecular Dynamic Simulations and Binding Free Energy Calculations

Protein-protein interactions are vital for a wide range of biological processes. The interactions between the hypoxia-inducible factor and von Hippel Lindau (VHL) are attractive drug targets for ischemic heart disease. In order to disrupt this interaction, the strategy to target VHL binding site using a hydroxyproline-like (pro-like) small molecule has been reported. In this study, we focused on the inhibition mechanism between the pro-like inhibitors and the VHL protein, which were investigated via molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations. It was found that pro-like inhibitors showed a strong binding affinity toward VHL. Binding free energy calculations and free energy decompositions suggested that the modification of various regions of pro-like inhibitors may provide useful information for future drug design.     

柠檬酸色谱分离的动力学模拟

报道一种在考虑柱床空隙率变化的条件下变温色谱动力学研究和参数测定的方法.以柠檬酸的提纯分离为实验例子,在分析柱上测定各模型参数,用这些热力学参数加入到平衡分散模型中,模拟在大型生产柱上的动力学行为,取得了非常满意的结果.     

Spectroscopic and Molecular Docking Approaches for Investigation of Interaction of Phellopterin with Human Serum Albumin

The mechanism of interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and natural product phellopterin (PL) from Angelica dahurica was investigated by spectroscopic techniques with molecular docking under simulated physiological conditions. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence of HSA was regularly quenched by PL, and the quenching constants (K_SV) decreased with increasing temperature, which indicated that the quenching mechanism was a static quenching procedure. The binding constants (K_A) were larger than 10^?5 M^?1 and the number of binding sites (n) was approximate to 1 at different temperatures, which indicated that the binding affinity was hige and there was just one main binding site in HSA for PL. According to thermodynamic parameters from Van't Hoff equation, the binding process of PL with HSA was spontaneous and exothermic process due to ΔG < 0, and the electrostatic force played major role in the binding between PL and HSA according to ΔH < 0 and ΔS > 0. The binding distance (r) was calculated to be about 3.35 nm, which implied that the energy transfer from HSA to PL occurred with high possibility according to the theory of Förster's non-radiation energy transfer. The microenvironment and conformation of HSA changed with the addition of PL based on the results of synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence methods. The molecular docking analysis revealed the binding locus of PL to HSA in subdomain IIIA (Sudlow's site II).     

辛味中药与嗅觉受体相互作用的分子模拟

采用分子模拟的方法, 在Schrdinger软件平台上, 用同源模建的方法构建了嗅觉受体OR1D2, OR7D4和OR51E1的三维结构模型. 运用分子动力学模块Desmond将与激动剂以及抑制剂分别对接的嗅觉受体复合物置于磷脂双膜中进行模拟. 最后将辛味中药的小分子分别对接到嗅觉受体中, 并与苦味中药的对接结果相对照, 依据实验结果, 讨论辛味中药发挥作用的分子机制. 该研究着重于同源模建、分子动力学和分子对接技术的综合应用, 探讨辛味中药化学成分与嗅觉受体的相互作用及其分子机理, 为从分子层面揭示辛味中药的药效物质基础提供帮助, 也为中药药性的研究提供了新的思路和方法.     

Dynamics of a Spreading Nanodroplet: A Molecular Dynamic Simulation

The spreading of polymer nanodroplets upon a sudden change from partial to complete wetting on an ideally flat and structureless solid substrate has been studied by molecular dynamic simulations using a coarse‐grained bead‐spring model of flexible macromolecules. Tanner's law for the growth of the lateral droplet radius {R(t) ∝ t^0.1} is found to hold as long as the droplet does not disintegrate into individually moving chains. The data for the contact angle θ following from Tanner's law correspond to a dependence on time {θ(t) ∝ t^−0.3}. Our analysis of the mean square displacements of the polymer centers of mass reveals several dynamic regimes during the process of spreading. PACS numbers: 68.10.Gw, 05.70.Ln, 61.20.Ja, 8.45.Gd.

Molecular dynamics results for the average mean square displacement of all polymer chains plotted vs. time for a broad range of values for ε_wall.     

光谱法结合分子模拟分析乳铁蛋白与药物恩诺沙星的互作分子机理

利用光谱实验结合计算机模拟技术研究了药物恩诺沙星(Enrofloxacin,EFLX)与牛乳铁蛋白(Bovine lactoferrin,BLF)的相互作用机理。测定反应体系的结合参数、能量转移参数及热力学函数,考察EFLX对BLF分子构象的影响,并模拟EFLX-BLF结合反应的分子模型。结果表明,药物分子与牛乳铁蛋白的相互作用表现为动态结合过程,结合强度适中,EFLX与BLF分子的结合距离r值较小,说明发生了能量转移现象。EFLX影响BLF的结构域微区构象,降低结合位域的疏水性。荧光相图技术解析出EFLX与BLF反应构象型态的变迁为"二态模型"。EFLX-BLF的热力学参数表明两者间是以氢键和范德华力为主的分子间作用。分子建模结果显示,EFLX与BLF的相互作用主要为氢键和范德华力,兼有疏水作用力。计算机分子模拟与实验测试获得了一致性结果。     

Molecular Dynamics and MM-PBSA Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 Gamma Variant in Complex with the hACE-2 Receptor

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, since its appearance in 2019, has caused millions of cases and deaths. To date, there is no effective treatment or a vaccine that is fully protective. Despite the efforts made by governments and health institutions around the globe to control its propagation, the evolution of the virus has accelerated, diverging into hundreds of variants. However, not all of them are variants of concern (VoC’s). VoC’s have appeared in different regions and throughout the two years of the pandemic they have spread around the world. Specifically, in South America, the gamma variant (previously known as P.1) appeared in early 2021, bringing with it a second wave of infections. This variant contains the N501Y, E484K and K417T mutations in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. Although these mutations have been described experimentally, there is still no clarity regarding their role in the stabilization of the complex with the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE-2) receptor. In this article we dissect the influence of mutations on the interaction with the hACE-2 receptor using molecular dynamics and estimations of binding affinity through a screened version of the molecular mechanics Poisson Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) and interaction entropy. Our results indicate that mutations E484K and K417T compensate each other in terms of binding affinity, while the mutation N501Y promotes a more convoluted effect. This effect consists in the adoption of a cis configuration in the backbone of residue Y495 within the RBD, which in turn promotes polar interactions with the hACE-2 receptor. These results not only correlate with experimental observations and complement previous knowledge, but also expose new features associated with the specific contribution of concerned mutations. Additionally, we propose a recipe to assess the residue-specific contribution to the interaction entropy.     

阴极冷却固定床电合成乙醛酸的连续过程模拟

联用反应动力学、电荷衡算和物料衡算建立阴极冷却固定床草酸电合成乙醛酸反应器模型方程.针对反应器连续化操作过程,用正交配置法数值求解该模型方程.结果表明,在连续化操作的反应初期,反应液中的乙醛酸能够较快地达到预定浓度,但继续增加反应器的长度,反应的效果不明显.该模型还模拟了分段温控和部分回流对反应的影响.结果表明,分段温控和部分回流均可较好地提高乙醛酸在阴极液中的浓度.计算结果与试验操作基本相符.该结果对阴极冷却固定床草酸电合成乙醛酸的连续化操作工艺和反应器的优化具有重要的参考意义.     

Hydrogen-Bonding Interaction in a Complex of Amino Acid with <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Dimethylformamide Studied by DFT Calculations

Theoretical studies on hydrogen-bonded complexes between amino acids (glycine, alanine and leucine) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in gas phase have been carried out using density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G** and MP2/6-311++G** theory levels. The structures, binding energy, stretching frequency and bond characteristics of the mentioned complexes were calculated. The NH₂ and COOH groups of amino acids form different types of hydrogen bonds with the DMF molecule, as well as alkyl side chains. High binding energy suggests multiple hydrogen bonds present in one complex. The nearly linear OH???O and NH???O contacts are stronger than a conventional hydrogen bond interaction with their H???O separation between 1.74 and 2.14 Å. The weaker CH???O H-bond is also discussed as being a crucial interaction in biological systems involving amino acids. The formation of this interaction results in a blue shift in the CH stretching frequency.