Hydrolysis of chemically distinct sites of human serum albumin by polyoxometalate: A hybrid QM/MM (ONIOM) study

In this study, mechanisms of hydrolysis of all four chemically diverse cleavage sites of human serum albumin (HSA) by [Zr(OH)(PW₁₁O₃₉)]⁴⁻ (ZrK) have been investigated using the hybrid two-layer QM/MM (ONIOM) method. These reactions have been proposed to occur through the following two mechanisms: internal attack (IA) and water assisted (WA). In both mechanisms, the cleavage of the peptide bond in the Cys392-Glu393 site of HSA is predicted to occur in the rate-limiting step of the mechanism. With the barrier of 27.5 kcal/mol for the hydrolysis of this site, the IA mechanism is found to be energetically more favorable than the WA mechanism (barrier = 31.6 kcal/mol). The energetics for the IA mechanism are in line with the experimentally measured values for the cleavage of a wide range of dipeptides. These calculations also suggest an energetic preference (Cys392-Glu393, Ala257-Asp258, Lys313-Asp314, and Arg114-Leu115) for the hydrolysis of all four sites of HSA. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

应用QM与ABEEM/MM结合的方法研究NAMI-A的结构性质

应用量子力学(QM)与ABEEM浮动电荷力场(ABEEM/MM)相结合的方法研究了抗癌药物NAMI-A在水溶液中的结构性质. 所有的结构优化都是在DFT的B3LYP方法下采用6-31G(d,p)和LanL2DZ基组完成的, 没有加入任何限制性条件. 结果表明, 优化得到的NAMI-A构型受不同环境及方法的影响均有变化. 与气相中得到的构型相比, QM/MM迭代优化得到构型要比PCM的构型变化更明显. QM/MM (ABEEM/MM)迭代优化得到的NAMI-A构型比QM/MM (OPLS-AA)的变化要小. 总之, 溶剂通过极化效应对NAMI-A结构、电荷分布及径向分布函数等性质均有影响, 客观地处理极化效应才能正确地反映QM区的性质.     

Contributions of pauli repulsions to the energetics and physical properties computed in QM/MM methods

Conventional combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods lack explicit treatment of Pauli repulsions between the quantum‐mechanical and molecular‐mechanical subsystems. Instead, classical Lennard‐Jones (LJ) potentials between QM and MM nuclei are used to model electronic Pauli repulsion and long‐range London dispersion, despite the fact that the latter two are inherently of quantum nature. Use of the simple LJ potential in QM/MM methods can reproduce minimal geometries and energies of many molecular clusters reasonably well, as compared to full QM calculations. However, we show here that the LJ potential cannot correctly describe subtle details of the electron density of the QM subsystem because of the neglect of Pauli repulsions between the QM and MM subsystems. The inaccurate electron density subsequently affects the calculation of electronic and magnetic properties of the QM subsystem. To explicitly consider Pauli interactions with QM/MM methods, we propose a method to use empirical effective potentials on the MM atoms. The test case of the binding energy and magnetic properties of a water dimer shows promising results for the general application of effective potentials to mimic Pauli repulsions in QM/MM calculations. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical studies on the hydrolysis of phosphate diesters in the gas phase,solution, and RNase A

Density functional theory, polarizable continuum models and semiempirical hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations were applied to the hydrolysis of phosphate diesters in the gas phase, in solution, and in the enzyme RNase A. Neutralization of the negative charge of the pentacovalent phosphorane intermediates provides a substantial stabilization of the transition‐state structures in the gas phase. Inclusion of solvent effects on the phosphate/phosphorane species was critical to reproducing the trends in reactivity observed experimentally. Finally, the catalytic mechanism for the hydrolysis of uridine 2′,3′‐cyclic phosphate by RNase A was studied by QM/MM calculations. Our results suggest that the rate‐limiting transition state of the reaction corresponds to the approach of a water molecule to the phosphate and its activation by His119. Thus, His119 acts as a generalized base for the reaction. The water attack leads to a pentacovalent phosphorane transition state of formal charge ?2; this excess of negative charge in the transition state is stabilized by a number of positively charged residues including His12 and Lys41. In the second stage of the reaction, the phosphorane is converted into products. This part of the reaction proceeds without a detectable barrier, and it is facilitated by a proton transfer from Lys41 to the departing O_2′. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001     

Origin of the solvent effects on the barrier to amide isomerization from the combined QM/MM Monte Carlo simulations

The origin of the solvent effects on the free energy of activation for the isomerization of N,N-dimethylformamide in water, CHCl₃ and CCl₄ has been investigated through statistical mechanical simulations using the combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical AM1/OPLS potential. The differential solvations between the ground state and transition state in various solvents can be attributed to the differences in molecular dipole moments in solution, and to the solvent polarization effects. In polar solvents, DMF is polarized more favorably in the ground state than in the rotated conformers, leading to greater solvent contributions. The modest solvent effects in CCl₄ are a reflection of its much smaller dielectric constant.     

光谱法研究噻菁染料与血清蛋白的相互作用

本文通过吸收和荧光光谱法研究了一种噻菁染料与人血清蛋白及牛血清蛋白的相互作用。吸收光谱数据表明,与血清蛋白结合后,噻菁染料单体的吸收峰发生红移,同时强度也有很大变化;还通过吸收光谱计算确定了噻菁染料与血清蛋白的结合位点数（ n ）。与人血清蛋白或牛血清蛋白结合后,噻菁染料的荧光量子产率增加。分析噻菁染料的荧光强度随溶液中血清蛋白浓度的变化得到了二者反应的表观结合常数（ K _a）和自由能变化（ ΔG ）。根据表观结合常数（ K _a）可以判断,人血清蛋白比牛血清蛋白与噻菁染料的结合更强。     

QM/MM study of catalytic methyl transfer by the N5-glutamine SAM-dependent methyltransferase and its inhibition by the nitrogen analogue of coenzyme

The combined density functional quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) approach has been used to investigate methyl-transfer reactions catalyzed by the N(5)-glutamine S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferase (HemK) and the coenzyme-modified HemK with the replacement of SAM by a nitrogen analogue. Calculations reveal that the catalytic methyl transfer by HemK is an energy-favored process with an activation barrier of 15.7 kcal/mol and an exothermicity of 12.0 kcal/mol, while the coenzyme-modified HemK is unable to catalyze the methyl transfer because of a substantial barrier of 20.6 kcal/mol and instability of the product intermediate. The results lend support to the experimental proposal that the nitrogen analogue of the SAM coenzyme should be a practicable inhibitor for the catalytic methyl transfer by HemK. Comparative QM/MM calculations show that the protein environment, especially the residues Asn197 and Pro198 in the active site, plays a pivotal role in stabilizing the transition state and regulating the positioning of reactive groups.     

Near IR Fluorescent Polystyrene/Albumin Core/Shell Nanoparticles for Specific Targeting of Colonic Neoplasms

Previous studies have shown that albumin has a high affinity towards tumours, and, as a result, many drug/albumin conjugates, as well as albumin nanoparticles, have been studied as antineoplastic drug carriers. Numerous studies have also shown the high affinity of cyanine dyes for albumin. This work combines the former and the latter for the preparation of NIR fluorescent and photostable nanoparticles as diagnostic biomaterials. Tumour‐specific labelling by NIR fluorescent polystyrene/albumin core/shell nanoparticles is demonstrated, without the presence of additional targeting moieties, and they possess great potential for clinical applications.

     

Comment on “A stationary‐wave model of enzyme catalysis” by Carlo Canepa

Energy barriers for enzyme‐catalyzed reactions calculated with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and empirical valence bond (EVB) methods can be in excellent agreement with activation energies derived from experiments, supporting the applicability of transition state theory for enzymic reactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

QM/MM study of aqueous solvation of the uranyl fluoride [UO2F4(2-)] complex

The aqueous solvation of the uranylfluoride complex [UO(2)F(4) (2-)] was studied using full quantum mechanical (QM) and hybrid QM/molecular mechanics (MM) methods. Inclusion of a complete first solvation shell was found necessary to reproduce the experimentally observed heptacoordination of uranium. An efficient and accurate computational model is proposed that consists of structure optimization of the coordinated uranium complex as QM region, followed by single-point full QM calculations to compute relative energies. This method is proven feasible for studies of large solvated actinide complexes.     

Comment on “a minimal implementation of the AMBER–GAUSSIAN interface for Ab Initio QM/MM‐MD simulation”

We comment upon the recent critique of use of the Program for User Package Interfacing and Linking (PUPIL) system for linking AMBER and GAUSSIAN in a multiscale quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulation (Okamoto et al., J. Comput. Chem. 2011 , 32, 932). Specifically, their method for computing forces on the MM particles from the QM region via the GAUSSIAN‐03 electrical field was already implemented in PUPIL version 1.3, publicly available beginning December 2009. Some other doubtful characterizations of PUPIL are discussed briefly in the context of current awareness of open‐source codes more generally. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

QM/MM calculation of solvent effects on absorption spectra of guanine

Electronic spectra of guanine in the gas phase and in water were studied by quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods. Geometries for the excited‐state calculations were extracted from ground‐state molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the self‐consistent‐charge density functional tight binding (SCC‐DFTB) method for the QM region and the TIP3P force field for the water environment. Theoretical absorption spectra were generated from excitation energies and oscillator strengths calculated for 50 to 500 MD snapshots of guanine in the gas phase (QM) and in solution (QM/MM). The excited‐state calculations used time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the DFT‐based multireference configuration interaction (DFT/MRCI) method of Grimme and Waletzke, in combination with two basis sets. Our investigation covered keto‐N7H and keto‐N9H guanine, with particular focus on solvent effects in the low‐energy spectrum of the keto‐N9H tautomer. When compared with the vertical excitation energies of gas‐phase guanine at the optimized DFT (B3LYP/TZVP) geometry, the maxima in the computed solution spectra are shifted by several tenths of an eV. Three effects contribute: the use of SCC‐DFTB‐based rather than B3LYP‐based geometries in the MD snapshots (red shift of ca. 0.1 eV), explicit inclusion of nuclear motion through the MD snapshots (red shift of ca. 0.1 eV), and intrinsic solvent effects (differences in the absorption maxima in the computed gas‐phase and solution spectra, typically ca. 0.1–0.3 eV). A detailed analysis of the results indicates that the intrinsic solvent effects arise both from solvent‐induced structural changes and from electrostatic solute–solvent interactions, the latter being dominant. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010     

Structure-breaking effects of solvated Rb(I) in dilute aqueous solution--an ab initio QM/MM MD approach

Structural properties of the hydrated Rb(I) ion have been investigated by ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at the double-zeta HF quantum mechanical level. The first shell coordination number was found to be 7.1, and several other structural parameters such as angular distribution functions, radial distribution functions and tilt- and theta-angle distributions allowed the full characterization of the hydration structure of the Rb(I) ion in dilute aqueous solution. Velocity autocorrelation functions were used to calculate librational and vibrational motions, ion-ligand motions, as well as reorientation times. Different dynamical parameters such as water reorientation, mean ligand residence time, the number of ligand exchange processes, and rate constants were also analyzed. The mean ligand residence time for the first shell was determined as tau = 2.0 ps.     

荧光法研究氢氯噻嗪与人血清白蛋白的相互作用

采用荧光光度法研究了不同酸度下,降压利尿药氢氯噻嗪(Hydrochlomthiazide)与人血清白蛋白(HSA)间的相互作用。求得不同酸度下药物与人血清白蛋白相互作用的形成常数,讨论了微量金属离子对药物与血清白蛋白形成常数的影响,并根据热力学常数确定了该药物与血清白蛋白之间的作用力类型,在此基础上依据福斯特Foerster非辐射能量转移机理探讨了氢氯噻嗪与人血清白蛋白相互结合时其给体-受体间的距离和能量转移效率。从而证实了氢氯噻嗪与人血清白蛋白结合作用为静态猝灭过程,且阐明了其猝灭机制是通过能量转移产生的。     

The role of local structure on formic acid decomposition in supercritical water: A hybrid quantum mechanics/Monte Carlo study

We explored water-assisted decompositions of formic acid in supercritical water in terms of local structure near reactant. A hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulation used in this paper includes QM part as first solvation shell members around the reactant. A present QM/MM approach can simulate supercritical water solution with a reasonable computational load while keeping the simulation preciseness because a density functional theory of B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level was iterated at every 1000 Monte Carlo solute moves. The formic acid converts mainly decarboxylation by water-assisted mechanism, and the coordinated water molecules play an important role for understanding supercritical water density dependence of the reaction. We analyzed a contour map based on the solute–solvent interaction energy along with the reaction pathway. Coordinated water molecule restricted the dehydration pathway by means of hydrogen bond with formic acid, however, the coordinated water promotes the decarboxylation pathway by means of stabilization of the transition state structure with one catalytic water molecule. The contour map of the pair interaction energy along the reaction path elucidates the role of local structure on reactions in supercritical water.     

The Impact of Retinal Configuration on the Protein–Chromophore Interactions in Bistable Jumping Spider Rhodopsin-1

Bistable rhodopsins have two stable forms that can be interconverted by light. Due to their ability to act as photoswitches, these proteins are considered as ideal candidates for applications such as optogenetics. In this work, we analyze a recently crystalized bistable rhodopsin, namely the jumping spider rhodopsin-1 (JSR1). This rhodopsin exhibits identical absorption maxima for the parent and the photoproduct form, which impedes its broad application. We performed hybrid QM/MM simulations to study three isomers of the retinal chromophore: the 9-cis, 11-cis and all-trans configurations. The main aim was to gain insight into the specific interactions of each isomer and their impact on the absorption maximum in JSR1. The absorption spectra were computed using sampled snapshots from QM/MM molecular dynamics trajectories and compared to their experimental counterparts. The chromophore–protein interactions were analyzed by visualizing the electrostatic potential of the protein and projecting it onto the chromophore. It was found that the distance between a nearby tyrosine (Y126) residue plays a larger role in the predicted absorption maximum than the primary counterion (E194). Geometric differences between the isomers were also noted, including a structural change in the polyene chain of the chromophore, as well as changes in the nearby hydrogen bonding network.