Quantification of Solvent Contribution to the Stability of Noncovalent Complexes

We introduce an indirect approach to estimate the solvation contributions to the thermodynamics of noncovalent complex formation through molecular dynamics simulation. This estimation is demonstrated by potential of mean force and entropy calculations on the binding process between β-cyclodextrin (host) and four drug molecules puerarin, daidzin, daidzein, and nabumetone (guest) in explicit water, followed by a stepwise extraction of individual enthalpy (Δ<i>H</i>) and entropy (Δ<i>S</i>) terms from the total free energy. Detailed analysis on the energetics of the host–guest complexation demonstrates that flexibility of the binding partners and solvation-related Δ<i>H</i> and Δ<i>S</i> need to be included explicitly for accurate estimation of the binding thermodynamics. From this, and our previous work on the solvent dependency of binding energies (Zhang et al. <i>J. Phys. Chem. B</i> <b>2012</b>, <i>116</i>, 12684–12693), it follows that calculations neglecting host or guest flexibility, or those employing implicit solvent, will not be able to systematically predict binding free energies. The approach presented here can be readily adopted for obtaining a deeper understanding of the mechanisms governing noncovalent associations in solution

Exploration of Interfacial Hydration Networks of Target–Ligand Complexes

Interfacial hydration strongly influences interactions between biomolecules. For example, drug–target complexes are often stabilized by hydration networks formed between hydrophilic residues and water molecules at the interface. Exhaustive exploration of hydration networks is challenging for experimental as well as theoretical methods due to high mobility of participating water molecules. In the present study, we introduced a tool for determination of the complete, void-free hydration structures of molecular interfaces. The tool was applied to 31 complexes including histone proteins, a HIV-1 protease, a G-protein-signaling modulator, and peptide ligands of various lengths. The complexes contained 344 experimentally determined water positions used for validation, and excellent agreement with these was obtained. High-level cooperation between interfacial water molecules was detected by a new approach based on the decomposition of hydration networks into static and dynamic network regions (subnets). Besides providing hydration structures at the atomic level, our results uncovered hitherto hidden networking fundaments of integrity and stability of complex biomolecular interfaces filling an important gap in the toolkit of drug design and structural biochemistry. The presence of continuous, static regions of the interfacial hydration network was found necessary also for stable complexes of histone proteins participating in chromatin assembly and epigenetic regulation

Cooperative Binding of Cyclodextrin Dimers to Isoflavone Analogues Elucidated by Free Energy Calculations

Dimerization of cyclodextrin (CD) molecules is an elementary step in the construction of CD-based nanostructured materials. Cooperative binding of CD cavities to guest molecules facilitates the dimerization process and, consequently, the overall stability and assembly of CD nanostructures. In the present study, all three dimerization modes (head-to-head, head-to-tail, and tail-to-tail) of β-CD molecules and their binding to three isoflavone drug analogues (puerarin, daidzin, and daidzein) were investigated in explicit water surrounding using molecular dynamics simulations. Total and individual contributions from the binding partners and solvent environment to the thermodynamics of these binding reactions are quantified in detail using free energy calculations. Cooperative drug binding to two CD cavities gives an enhanced binding strength for daidzin and daidzein, whereas for puerarin no obvious enhancement is observed. Head-to-head dimerization yields the most stable complexes for inclusion of the tested isoflavones (templates) and may be a promising building block for construction of template-stabilized CD nanostructures. Compared to the case of CD monomers, the desolvation of CD dimers and entropy changes upon complexation prove to be influential factors of cooperative binding. Our results shed light on key points of the design of CD-based supramolecular assemblies. We also show that structure-based calculation of binding thermodynamics can quantify stabilization caused by cooperative effects in building blocks of nanostructured materials

DYNLL2 Dynein Light Chain Binds to an Extended Linear Motif of Myosin 5a Tail That Has Structural Plasticity

LC8 dynein light chains (DYNLL) are conserved homodimeric eukaryotic hub proteins that participate in diverse cellular processes. Among the binding partners of DYNLL2, myosin 5a (myo5a) is a motor protein involved in cargo transport. Here we provide a profound characterization of the DYNLL2 binding motif of myo5a in free and DYNLL2-bound form by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations. In the free form, the DYNLL2 binding region, located in an intrinsically disordered domain of the myo5a tail, has a nascent helical character. The motif becomes structured and folds into a β-strand upon binding to DYNLL2. Despite differences of the myo5a sequence from the consensus binding motif, one peptide is accommodated in each of the parallel DYNLL2 binding grooves, as for all other known partners. Interestingly, while the core motif shows a similar interaction pattern in the binding groove as seen in other complexes, the flanking residues make several additional contacts, thereby lengthening the binding motif. The N-terminal extension folds back and partially blocks the free edge of the β-sheet formed by the binding motif itself. The C-terminal extension contacts the dimer interface and interacts with symmetry-related residues of the second myo5a peptide. The involvement of flanking residues of the core binding site of myo5a could modify the quaternary structure of the full-length myo5a and affect its biological functions. Our results deepen the knowledge of the diverse partner recognition of DYNLL proteins and provide an example of a Janus-faced linear motif

DYNLL2 Dynein Light Chain Binds to an Extended Linear Motif of Myosin 5a Tail That Has Structural Plasticity

LC8 dynein light chains (DYNLL) are conserved homodimeric eukaryotic hub proteins that participate in diverse cellular processes. Among the binding partners of DYNLL2, myosin 5a (myo5a) is a motor protein involved in cargo transport. Here we provide a profound characterization of the DYNLL2 binding motif of myo5a in free and DYNLL2-bound form by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations. In the free form, the DYNLL2 binding region, located in an intrinsically disordered domain of the myo5a tail, has a nascent helical character. The motif becomes structured and folds into a β-strand upon binding to DYNLL2. Despite differences of the myo5a sequence from the consensus binding motif, one peptide is accommodated in each of the parallel DYNLL2 binding grooves, as for all other known partners. Interestingly, while the core motif shows a similar interaction pattern in the binding groove as seen in other complexes, the flanking residues make several additional contacts, thereby lengthening the binding motif. The N-terminal extension folds back and partially blocks the free edge of the β-sheet formed by the binding motif itself. The C-terminal extension contacts the dimer interface and interacts with symmetry-related residues of the second myo5a peptide. The involvement of flanking residues of the core binding site of myo5a could modify the quaternary structure of the full-length myo5a and affect its biological functions. Our results deepen the knowledge of the diverse partner recognition of DYNLL proteins and provide an example of a Janus-faced linear motif

Drug Effect Prediction by Polypharmacology-Based Interaction Profiling

Most drugs exert their effects via multitarget interactions, as hypothesized by polypharmacology. While these multitarget interactions are responsible for the clinical effect profiles of drugs, current methods have failed to uncover the complex relationships between them. Here, we introduce an approach which is able to relate complex drug–protein interaction profiles with effect profiles. Structural data and registered effect profiles of all small-molecule drugs were collected, and interactions to a series of nontarget protein binding sites of each drug were calculated. Statistical analyses confirmed a close relationship between the studied 177 major effect categories and interaction profiles of ca. 1200 FDA-approved small-molecule drugs. On the basis of this relationship, the effect profiles of drugs were revealed in their entirety, and hitherto uncovered effects could be predicted in a systematic manner. Our results show that the prediction power is independent of the composition of the protein set used for interaction profile generation