Conformational Properties of alpha- or beta-(1 -> 6)-Linked Oligosaccharides : Hamiltonian Replica Exchange MD Simulations and NMR Experiments

Conformational sampling for a set of 10 alpha- or beta-(1 -&gt; 6)-linked oligosaccharides has been studied using explicit solvent Hamiltonian replica exchange (HREX) simulations and NMR spectroscopy techniques. Validation of the force field and simulation methodology is done by comparing calculated transglycosidic J coupling constants and proton-proton distances with the corresponding NMR data. Initial calculations showed poor agreement, for example, with &gt;3 Hz deviation of the calculated (3)J(H5,H6R) values from the experimental data, prompting optimization of the omega torsion angle parameters associated with (1 -&gt; 6)-linkages. The resulting force field is in overall good agreement (i.e., within similar to 0.5 Hz deviation) from experimental (3)J(H5,H6R) values, although some small limitations are evident. Detailed hydrogen bonding analysis indicates that most of the compounds lack direct intramolecular H-bonds between the two monosaccharides; however, minor sampling of the O6 center dot center dot center dot HO2' hydrogen bond is present in three compounds. The results verify the role of the gauche effect between O5 and O6 atoms in gluco- and manno-configured pyranosides causing the omega torsion angle to sample an equilibrium between the gt and gg rotamers. Conversely, galacto-configured pyranosides sample a population distribution in equilibrium between gt and tg rotamers, while the gg rotamer populations are minor. Water radial distribution functions suggest decreased accessibility to the O6 atom in the (1 -&gt; 6)-linkage as compared to the O6' atom in the nonreducing sugar. The role of bridging water molecules between two sugar moieties on the distributions of omega torsion angles in oligosaccharides is also explored.AuthorCount:5;</p

Conformational Dynamics of the Lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli O91 Revealed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Molecular Simulations

The outer leaflet of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria contains lipopolysaccharides (LPS) as a major component, and the outer membrane provides a physical barrier and protection against hostile environments. The enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli of serogroup O91 has an O-antigen polysaccharide (PS) with five sugar residues in the repeating unit (RU), and the herein studied O-antigen PS contains similar to 10 RUs. H-1-C-13 HSQC-NOESY experiments on a 1-C-13-labeled PS were employed to deduce H-1-H-1 cross-relaxation rates and transglycosidic (3)J(CH) related to the psi torsional angles were obtained by H-1-H-1 NOESY experiments. Dynamical parameters were calculated from the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the PS in solution and compared to those from C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation studies. Importantly, the MD simulations can reproduce the dynamical behavior of internal correlation times along the PS chain. Two-dimensional free energy surfaces of glycosidic torsion angles delineate the conformational space available to the O-antigen. Although similar with respect to populated states in solution, the O-antigen in LPS bilayers has more extended chains as a result of spatial limitations due to close packing. Calcium ions are highly abundant in the phosphate-containing core region mediating LPS LPS association that is crucial for maintaining bilayer integrity, and the negatively charged O-antigen promotes a high concentration of counterbalancing potassium ions. The ensemble of structures present for the PS in solution is captured by the NMR experiments, and the similarities between the O-antigen on its own and as a constituent of the full LPS in a bilayer environment make it possible to realistically describe the LPS conformation and dynamics from the MD simulations

Divalent N(I) Character in 2‑(Thiazol-2-yl)guanidine: An Electronic Structure Analysis

Several medicinally important compounds carry a 2-(thiazol-2-yl)­guanidine unit. These species are generally (erroneously) represented as 1-(thiazol-2-yl)­guanidine species. Quantum chemical studies were performed to identify the appropriate tautomeric state of this class of compounds. B3LYP/6-31+G­(d) calculations indicate the preferred tautomeric state of these species is associated with the 2-(thiazol-2-yl)­guanidine structure rather than the 1-(thiazol-2-yl)­guanidine structure. G2MP2 calculations on the model system were carried out to study the electronic structure, electron delocalization, and protonation energy; MESP, ELF, HOMA, AIM, and NBO analyses were also carried out. The results indicate that this class of compounds may be treated as species with hidden ::N­(←L)­R character. Upon protonation of the thiazole ring nitrogen, these systems show the electronic structure as in ::N­(←L)₂^⊕ systems with divalent N­(I) oxidation state

CHARMM-GUI Martini Maker for modeling and simulation of complex bacterial membranes with lipopolysaccharides

A complex cell envelope, composed of a mixture of lipid types including lipopolysaccharides, protects bacteria from the external environment. Clearly, the proteins embedded within the various components of the cell envelope have an intricate relationship with their local environment. Therefore, to obtain meaningful results, molecular simulations need to mimic as far as possible this chemically heterogeneous system. However, setting up such systems for computational studies is far from trivial, and consequently the vast majority of simulations of outer membrane proteins still rely on oversimplified phospholipid membrane models. This work presents an update of CHARMM-GUI Martini Maker for coarse-grained modeling and simulation of complex bacterial membranes with lipopolysaccharides. The qualities of the outer membrane systems generated by Martini Maker are validated by simulating them in bilayer, vesicle, nanodisc, and micelle environments (with and without outer membrane proteins) using the Martini force field. We expect this new feature in Martini Maker to be a useful tool for modeling large, complicated bacterial outer membrane systems in a user-friendly manner

Inhibition of NMDA receptors through a membrane-to-channel path

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are transmembrane proteins that are activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate and are found at most excitatory vertebrate synapses. NMDAR channel blockers, an antagonist class of broad pharmacological and clinical significance, inhibit by occluding the NMDAR ion channel. A vast literature demonstrates that NMDAR channel blockers, including MK-801, phencyclidine, ketamine, and the Alzheimer's disease drug memantine, can bind and unbind only when the NMDAR channel is open. Here we use electrophysiological recordings from transfected tsA201 cells and cultured neurons, NMDAR structural modeling, and custom-synthesized compounds to show that NMDAR channel blockers can enter the channel through two routes: the well-known hydrophilic path from extracellular solution to channel through the open channel gate, and also a hydrophobic path from plasma membrane to channel through a gated fenestration ('membrane-to-channel inhibition' (MCI)). Our demonstration that ligand-gated channels are subject to MCI, as are voltage-gated channels, highlights the broad expression of this inhibitory mechanism

Design, synthesis, and in vitro and in vivo characterization of new memantine analogs for Alzheimer's disease

Currently, of the few accessible symptomatic therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD), memantine is the only N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) blocker approved by the FDA. This work further explores a series of memantine analogs featuring a benzohomoadamantane scaffold. Most of the newly synthesized compounds block NMDARs in the micromolar range, but with lower potency than previously reported hit IIc, results that were supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Subsequently, electrophysiological studies with the more potent compounds allowed classification of IIc, a low micromolar, uncompetitive, voltage-dependent, NMDAR blocker, as a memantine-like compound. The excellent in vitro DMPK properties of IIc made it a promising candidate for in vivo studies in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and in the 5XFAD mouse model of AD. Administration of IIc or memantine improved locomotion and rescues chemotaxis behavior in C. elegans. Furthermore, both compounds enhanced working memory in 5XFAD mice and modified NMDAR and CREB signaling, which may prevent synaptic dysfunction and modulate neurodegenerative progression

Protein–Ligand Binding Free-Energy Calculations with ARROWA Purely First-Principles Parameterized Polarizable Force Field

Protein–ligand binding free-energy calculations using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have emerged as a powerful tool for in silico drug design. Here, we present results obtained with the ARROW force field (FF)a multipolar polarizable and physics-based model with all parameters fitted entirely to high-level ab initio quantum mechanical (QM) calculations. ARROW has already proven its ability to determine solvation free energy of arbitrary neutral compounds with unprecedented accuracy. The ARROW FF parameterization is now extended to include coverage of all amino acids including charged groups, allowing molecular simulations of a series of protein–ligand systems and prediction of their relative binding free energies. We ensure adequate sampling by applying a novel technique that is based on coupling the Hamiltonian Replica exchange (HREX) with a conformation reservoir generated via potential softening and nonequilibrium MD. ARROW provides predictions with near chemical accuracy (mean absolute error of ∼0.5 kcal/mol) for two of the three protein systems studied here (MCL1 and Thrombin). The third protein system (CDK2) reveals the difficulty in accurately describing dimer interaction energies involving polar and charged species. Overall, for all of the three protein systems studied here, ARROW FF predicts relative binding free energies of ligands with a similar accuracy level as leading nonpolarizable force fields