Molecular recognition at the active site of factor Xa: cation-π interactions, stacking on planar peptide surfaces, and replacement of structural water

Factor Xa, a serine protease from the blood coagulation cascade, is an ideal enzyme for molecular recognition studies, as its active site is highly shape-persistent and features distinct, concave sub-pockets. We developed a family of non-peptidic, small-molecule inhibitors with a central tricyclic core orienting a neutral heterocyclic substituent into the S1 pocket and a quaternary ammonium ion into the aromatic box in the S4 pocket. The substituents were systematically varied to investigate cation-π interactions in the S4 pocket, optimal heterocyclic stacking on the flat peptide walls lining the S1 pocket, and potential water replacements in both the S1 and the S4 pockets. Structure-activity relationships were established to reveal and quantify contributions to the binding free enthalpy, resulting from single-atom replacements or positional changes in the ligands. A series of high-affinity ligands with inhibitory constants down to K(i)=2 nM were obtained and their proposed binding geometries confirmed by X-ray co-crystal structures of protein-ligand complexes.     

Limiting the Number of Potential Binding Modes by Introducing Symmetry into Ligands: Structure‐Based Design of Inhibitors for Trypsin‐Like Serine Proteases

In the absence of X‐ray data, the exploration of compound binding modes continues to be a challenging task. For structure‐based design, specific features of active sites in different targets play a major role in rationalizing ligand binding characteristics. For example, dibasic compounds have been reported as potent inhibitors of various trypsin‐like serine proteases, the active sites of which contain several binding pockets that can be targeted by cationic moieties. This results in several possible orientations within the active site, complicating the binding mode prediction of such compounds by docking tools. Therefore, we introduced symmetry in bi‐ and tribasic compounds to reduce conformational space in docking calculations and to simplify binding mode selection by limiting the number of possible pocket occupations. Asymmetric bisbenzamidines were used as starting points for a multistage and structure‐guided optimization. A series of 24 final compounds with either two or three benzamidine substructures was ultimately synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of five serine proteases, leading to potent symmetric inhibitors for the pharmaceutical drug targets matriptase, matriptase‐2, thrombin and factor Xa. This study underlines the relevance of ligand symmetry for chemical biology.     

Design,Synthesis and Biological Activity of Benzimidazole and Aminophenol Based Factor Xa Inhibitors

The serine protease factor Xa (FXa) is a key enzyme in the blood coagulation cascade, acting at the convergent point of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. The serine protease factor Xa (FXa) is a key enzyme in the blood coagulation cascade, acting at the convergent point of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. In our search for Fxa inhibitors as novel anticoagulants we identified the active isomer of the published FXa inhibitor, 2,7-bis-(4-amidinobenzilidine)-cycloheptan-l-one (BABCH), as the (Z, Z) isomer (ZK-805412, FXa Ki=0.66 nM). This photochemically labile (Z, Z) isomer has served as a conformationally rigid template for the development of distinct classes of potent, selective and orally active FXa inhibitors. Template evolution, in vitro SAR studies as well as our efforts to optimize in vivo parameters will be discussed.     

Structure-based drug design: exploring the proper filling of apolar pockets at enzyme active sites

The proper filling of apolar pockets at enzyme active sites is central for increasing binding activity and selectivity of hits and leads in medicinal chemistry. In our structure-based design approach toward the generation of potent enzyme inhibitors, we encountered a variety of challenges in gaining suitable binding affinity from the occupation of such pockets. We summarize them here for the first time. A fluorine scan of tricyclic thrombin inhibitors led to the discovery of favorable orthogonal dipolar C-F...CO interactions. Efficient cation-pi interactions were established in the S4 pocket of factor Xa, another serine protease from the blood coagulation cascade. Changing from mono- to bisubstrate inhibitors of catechol O-methyltransferase, a target in the L-Dopa-based treatment of Parkinson's disease, enabled the full exploitation of a previously unexplored hydrophobic pocket. Conformational preorganization of a pocket at an enzyme active site is crucial for harvesting binding affinity. This is demonstrated for two enzymes from the nonmevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis, IspE and IspF, which are pursued as antimalarial targets. Disrupting crystallographically defined water networks on the way into a pocket might cost all of the binding free enthalpy gained from its occupation, as revealed in studies with tRNA-guanine transglycosylase, a target against shigellosis. Investigations of the active site of plasmepsin II, another antimalarial target, showed that principles for proper apolar cavity filling, originally developed for synthetic host-guest systems, are also applicable to enzyme environments.     

Structural basis for selectivity of a small molecule, S1-binding, submicromolar inhibitor of urokinase-type plasminogen activator

BACKGROUND: Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a protease associated with tumor metastasis and invasion. Inhibitors of uPA may have potential as drugs for prostate, breast and other cancers. Therapeutically useful inhibitors must be selective for uPA and not appreciably inhibit the related, and structurally and functionally similar enzyme, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), involved in the vital blood-clotting cascade. RESULTS: We produced mutagenically deglycosylated low molecular weight uPA and determined the crystal structure of its complex with 4-iodobenzo[b]thiophene 2-carboxamidine (K(i) = 0.21 +/- 0.02 microM). To probe the structural determinants of the affinity and selectivity of this inhibitor for uPA we also determined the structures of its trypsin and thrombin complexes, of apo-trypsin, apo-thrombin and apo-factor Xa, and of uPA, trypsin and thrombin bound by compounds that are less effective uPA inhibitors, benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamidine, thieno[2,3-b]-pyridine-2-carboxamidine and benzamidine. The K(i) values of each inhibitor toward uPA, tPA, trypsin, tryptase, thrombin and factor Xa were determined and compared. One selectivity determinant of the benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamidines for uPA involves a hydrogen bond at the S1 site to Ogamma(Ser190) that is absent in the Ala190 proteases, tPA, thrombin and factor Xa. Other subtle differences in the architecture of the S1 site also influence inhibitor affinity and enzyme-bound structure. CONCLUSIONS: Subtle structural differences in the S1 site of uPA compared with that of related proteases, which result in part from the presence of a serine residue at position 190, account for the selectivity of small thiophene-2-carboxamidines for uPA, and afford a framework for structure-based design of small, potent, selective uPA inhibitors.     

Structural determinants of CDK4 inhibition and design of selective ATP competitive inhibitors

A number of selective inhibitors of the CDK4/cyclin D1 complex have been reported recently. Due to the absence of an experimental CDK4 structure, the ligand and protein determinants contributing to CDK4 selectivity are poorly understood at present. Here, we report the use of computational methods to elucidate the characteristics of selectivity and to derive the structural basis for specific, high-affinity binding of inhibitors to the CDK4 active site. From these data, the hypothesis emerged that appropriate incorporation of an ionizable function into a CDK2 inhibitor results in more favorable binding to CDK4. This knowledge was applied to the design of compounds in the otherwise CDK2-selective 2-anilino-4-(thiazol-5-yl)pyrimidine pharmacophore that are potent and highly selective ATP antagonists of CDK4/cyclin D1. The findings of this study also have significant implications in the design of CDK4 mimic structures based on CDK2.     

TMC-95-based inhibitor design provides evidence for the catalytic versatility of the proteasome

TMC-95's natural cyclic tripeptide metabolites represent potent competitive proteasome inhibitors. The constrained conformation of TMC-95 proteasomal inhibitors provides the driving force for entropically high-affinity binding. Based on the crystal structure of the proteasome:TMC-95A complex, the synthetically challenging TMC-95 core structure was used for the design and synthesis of less demanding biphenyl-ether macrocycles, in which the biphenyl-ether moiety functions as an endocyclic clamp restricting its tripeptide backbone. These simplified analogs allowed us to identify high plasticity of the proteasomal tryptic-like specificity pocket. Biphenyl-ether compounds extended with an amide group were hydrolyzed by the proteasome, although the crystal structure of such proteasome:biphenyl-ether complexes revealed quenching of proteolysis at the acyl-enzyme intermediate. Our data reveal that biphenyl-ether derivatives bind noncovalently to the proteasomal tryptic-like active site in a reversible substrate-like manner without allosteric changes of active site residues.     

Pharmacophore identification, in silico screening, and virtual library design for inhibitors of the human factor Xa

Factor Xa inhibitors are innovative anticoagulant agents that provide a better safety/efficacy profile compared to other anticoagulative drugs. A chemical feature-based modeling approach was applied to identify crucial pharmacophore patterns from 3D crystal structures of inhibitors bound to human factor Xa (Pdb entries 1fjs, 1kns, 1eqz) using the software LIGANDSCOUT and CATALYST. The complex structures were selected regarding the criteria of high inhibitory potency (i.e. all ligands show K(i) values against factor Xa in the subnanomolar range) and good resolution (i.e. at least 2.2 A) in order to generate selective and high quality pharmacophore models. The resulting chemical-feature based hypotheses were used for virtual screening of commercial molecular databases such as the WDI database. Furthermore, a ligand-based molecular modeling approach was performed to obtain common-feature hypotheses that represent the relevant chemical interactions between 10 bioactive factor Xa inhibitors and the protein, respectively. In a next step a virtual combinatorial library was designed in order to generate new compounds with similar chemical and spatial properties as known inhibitors. The software tool ILIB DIVERSE was used for this procedure in order to provide new scaffolds of this group of anticoagulants. Finally we present the combination of these two techniques, hence virtual screening was performed with selective pharmacophore models in a focused virtual combinatorial database. De novo derived molecular scaffolds that were able to adequately satisfy the pharmacophore criteria are revealed and are promising templates for candidates for further development.     

In Silico Screening of Novel TMPRSS2 Inhibitors for Treatment of COVID-19

COVID-19, a pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, has spread globally, necessitating the search for antiviral compounds. Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is a cell surface protease that plays an essential role in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, researchers are searching for TMPRSS2 inhibitors that can be used for the treatment of COVID-19. As such, in this study, based on the crystal structure, we targeted the active site of TMPRSS2 for virtual screening of compounds in the FDA database. Then, we screened lumacaftor and ergotamine, which showed strong binding ability, using 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations to study the stability of the protein–ligand binding process, the flexibility of amino acid residues, and the formation of hydrogen bonds. Subsequently, we calculated the binding free energy of the protein–ligand complex by the MM-PBSA method. The results show that lumacaftor and ergotamine interact with residues around the TMPRSS2 active site, and reached equilibrium in the 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations. We think that lumacaftor and ergotamine, which we screened through in silico studies, can effectively inhibit the activity of TMPRSS2. Our findings provide a basis for subsequent in vitro experiments, having important implications for the development of effective anti-COVID-19 drugs.     

Elucidation of fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibition by potent alpha-ketoheterocycle derivatives from Monte Carlo simulations

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a serine hydrolase responsible for the degradation of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid agonist, and oleamide, a sleep-inducing lipid. Recently, Boger and co-workers reported a potent, selective, and efficacious class of reversible alpha-ketoheterocycle inhibitors of FAAH that produce analgesia in animal models (J. Med. Chem. 2005, 48, 1849-1856; Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2005, 15, 1423-1428). Key aspects of the structure-activity data are addressed here through computational analysis of FAAH inhibition using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in conjunction with free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations. The MC/FEP simulations demonstrate that incorporation of pyridine at the C5 position of the 2-keto-oxazole and 2-keto-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives significantly enhances binding affinity by formation of a hydrogen-bonded array between the pyridyl nitrogen and Lys142 and Thr236. The results also attribute the activity boost upon substitution of oxazole by oxadiazole to reduced steric interactions in the active site and a lower torsional energy penalty upon binding.     

A Structure Based Study of Selective Inhibition of Factor IXa over Factor Xa

Blood coagulation is an essential physiological process for hemostasis; however, abnormal coagulation can lead to various potentially fatal disorders, generally known as thromboembolic disorders, which are a major cause of mortality in the modern world. Recently, the FDA has approved several anticoagulant drugs for Factor Xa (FXa) which work via the common pathway of the coagulation cascade. A main side effect of these drugs is the potential risk for bleeding in patients. Coagulation Factor IXa (FIXa) has recently emerged as the strategic target to ease these risks as it selectively regulates the intrinsic pathway. These aforementioned coagulation factors are highly similar in structure, functional architecture, and inhibitor binding mode. Therefore, it remains a challenge to design a selective inhibitor which may affect only FIXa. With the availability of a number of X-ray co-crystal structures of these two coagulation factors as protein–ligand complexes, structural alignment, molecular docking, and pharmacophore modeling were employed to derive the relevant criteria for selective inhibition of FIXa over FXa. In this study, six ligands (three potent, two selective, and one inactive) were selected for FIXa inhibition and six potent ligands (four FDA approved drugs) were considered for FXa. The pharmacophore hypotheses provide the distribution patterns for the principal interactions that take place in the binding site. None of the pharmacophoric patterns of the FXa inhibitors matched with any of the patterns of FIXa inhibitors. Based on pharmacophore analysis, a selectivity of a ligand for FIXa over FXa may be defined quantitatively as a docking score of lower than −8.0 kcal/mol in the FIXa-grids and higher than −7.5 kcal/mol in the FXa-grids.     

Mechanistic Insights into the Mechanism of Inhibitor Selectivity toward the Dark Kinase STK17B against Its High Homology STK17A

As a member of the death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) family, STK17B plays an important role in the regulation of cellular apoptosis and has been considered as a promising drug target for hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the highly conserved ATP-binding site of protein kinases represents a challenge to design selective inhibitors for a specific DAPK isoform. In this study, molecular docking, multiple large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and binding free energy calculations were performed to decipher the molecular mechanism of the binding selectivity of PKIS43 toward STK17B against its high homology STK17A. MD simulations revealed that STK17A underwent a significant conformational arrangement of the activation loop compared to STK17B. The binding free energy predictions suggested that the driving force to control the binding selectivity of PKIS43 was derived from the difference in the protein–ligand electrostatic interactions. Furthermore, the per-residue free energy decomposition unveiled that the energy contribution from Arg41 at the phosphate-binding loop of STK17B was the determinant factor responsible for the binding specificity of PKIS43. This study may provide useful information for the rational design of novel and potent selective inhibitors toward STK17B.     

Design and pharmacophoric identification of flavonoid scaffold-based aromatase inhibitors

Aromatase is a crucial enzyme for the catalysis of aromatization reaction at the last and rate-limiting step involved in the conversion of androgenic substrates to an estrogenic substrate. A hormone-dependent breast cancer in postmenopausal woman can be cured by inhibition of estrogen biosynthesis by the help of aromatase inhibitors (AIs). The mode of interactions of flavonones with the active site of aromatase has been studied in search of potent and selective AIs as a substitute of the natural steroidal ligand. Structure-based computational approach namely, molecular docking simulations were performed to investigate the structural features of the docked complex of aromatase and flavonoid ligands. A nonsteroidal flavonoid pharmacophore showing electrostatic and steric features for selective binding within the main pocket of the catalytic active site of aromatase has been identified as an outcome of the study. The binding affinity of quercetin and isoflavone were predicted within aromatase. Isoflavone was used as a negative control to compare its binding affinities with the selected dataset. The predicted binding affinity of negative control isoflavone was in accordance with its in vitro AI efficacy. Isoflavone showed poor binding affinity and ranked last in terms of MolDock score (−86.309 kcal/molÅ) compared to dataset molecules. The generated pharmacophoric information will be helpful for the synthetic chemist to design and synthesize selective AIs with comparable binding affinity to the natural steroidal ligand.     

Switching Demethylation Activities between AlkB Family RNA/DNA Demethylases through Exchange of Active‐Site Residues

The AlkB family demethylases AlkB, FTO, and ALKBH5 recognize differentially methylated RNA/DNA substrates, which results in their distinct biological roles. Here we identify key active‐site residues that contribute to their substrate specificity. Swapping such active‐site residues between the demethylases leads to partially switched demethylation activities. Combined evidence from X‐ray structures and enzyme kinetics suggests a role of the active‐site residues in substrate recognition. Such a divergent active‐site sequence may aid the design of selective inhibitors that can discriminate these homologue RNA/DNA demethylases.     

VEGFR2活性腔性质以及与抑制剂的结合模式研究

VEGFR2介导肿瘤诱导的血管生成作用, 是抑制肿瘤生长和转移的新靶点. 为深入探讨VEGFR2活性腔性质以及与抑制剂的结合模式, 采用多拷贝同时搜寻法(MCSS)研究VEGFR2活性腔的性质, 然后用分子对接方法对5个已上临床的VEGFR抑制剂与VEGFR2活性腔进行对接计算, 讨论它们的结合模式, 确定与配体结合相关的关键残基. 研究发现: 疏水腔I, II是配体结合的关键区域, 残基Glu915, Cys917是关键的氢键作用位点, Lys866, Glu883和Asp1044形成的极性区域对提高配体亲合力很重要, 疏水腔III和极性腔IV是额外增强配体结合力的区域, IV区的Arg1030可提供额外的氢键作用位点. 本研究可为全新VEGFR2抑制剂的合理药物设计提供理论依据, 为寻找新的抗肿瘤药物奠定基础.     

Exploring the active site of human factor Xa protein by NMR screening of small molecule probes

A collection of small molecules (MW < 350 Da) was screened for binding to human factor Xa using saturation transfer difference NMR spectroscopy to detect binding. The NMR screening experiments identified four hits. Binding isotherms constructed from NMR linewidth data showed that the binding affinities of the hits were all in the 30-210 microM range. Competition binding experiments showed that three of the ligands were displaced by a known microM inhibitor of factor Xa. The success of the method for identifying new ligands and the relevance of this information to the design of new factor Xa inhibitors are discussed.     

Significance of water molecules in the inhibition of cylin-dependent kinase 2 and 5 complexes

Interest in CDK2 and CDK5 has stemmed mainly from their association with cancer and neuronal migration or differentiation related diseases and the need to design selective inhibitors for these kinases. In the present paper, eight Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are carried out to examine the importance of structure and dynamics of water in the active site of both CDK2 and CDK5 complexes with roscovitine and indirubin analogues. Together with previous results, the current work shows a highly conserved water-involved hydrogen bonding (HB) network in both CDK2- and CDK5-indirubin combinations to complete information from the X-ray crystallography. The simulations suggest the importance of such a network for combining the inhibitor to the host protein as well as the significance of using an activated CDK as a template when designing new inhibitors. Different binding patterns of roscovitine in CDK2 and CDK5 are detected during the simulations because of the different binding conformations of the group on the C2 side chain, which might offer a clue toward finding highly selective inhibitors with regards to CDK2 and CDK5.     

PHOTOCOAGULATION OF HUMAN PLASMA: ACYL SERINE PROTEINASE PHOTOCHEMISTRY

Human alpha-thrombin or bovine Factor Xa was acylated at the active site serine hydroxyl with alpha-methyl-2-hydroxy-4-diethylaminocinnamic acid. These modified serine proteinase enzymes showed no plasma coagulation biological activity in the absence of light. Photolysis of the acyl serine proteinase enzymes in plasma for 1-35 s with monochromatic 366 nm light isolated from a high pressure mercury arc results in coagulation of the plasma. For example, photolysis of 3 NIH U of the acyl human alpha-thrombin for 5 s in human plasma results in a clot in 23 s. For comparison, 1 NIH U of unmodified human alpha-thrombin gave a clot in 21 s under the conditions of the assay but without photolysis. Appropriate controls showed that the coagulation is the result of the formation of active thrombin due to photodeacylation of the enzymes. The photoinduced clotting time measured is dependent on acyl thrombin concentration and photolysis time. Thus higher concentrations of acyl thrombin and longer photolysis times give a shorter clotting time. A kinetic scheme based upon Lineweaver-Burke analysis of the clotting process is developed.