Structural and thermodynamic characterization of allosteric transitions in human serum albumin with metadynamics simulations.

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most prominent protein in blood plasma, responsible for the maintenance of blood viscosity and transport of endogenous and exogenous molecules. Fatty acids (FA) are the most common ligands of HSA and their binding can modify the protein's structure. The protein can assume two well-defined conformations, referred to as 'Neutral' and 'Basic'. The Neutral (N) state occurs at pH close to 7.0 and in the absence of bound FA. The Basic (B) state occurs at pH higher than 8.0 or when the protein is bound to long-chain FA. HSA's allosteric behaviour is dependent on the number on FA bound to the structure. However, the mechanism of this allosteric regulation is not clear. To understand how albumin changes its conformation, we compared a series of HSA structures deposited in the protein data bank to identify the minimum amount of FA bound to albumin, which is enough to drive the allosteric transition. Thereafter, non-biased molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to track protein's dynamics. Surprisingly, running an ensemble of relatively short MD simulations, we observed rapid transition from the B to the N state. These simulations revealed differences in the mobilities of the protein's subdomains, with one domain unable to fully complete its transition. To track the transition dynamics in full, we used these results to choose good geometrical collective variables for running metadynamics simulations. The metadynamics calculations showed that there was a low energy barrier for the transition from the B to the N state, while a higher energy barrier was observed for the N to the B transition. These calculations also offered valuable insights into the transition process.

Resistance to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor mediated by changes to the conformation space of the kinase.

Gilteritinib is a highly selective and effective inhibitor of the FLT3/ITD mutated protein, and is used successfully in treating acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Unfortunately, tumour cells gradually develop resistance to gilteritinib due to mutations in the molecular drug target. The atomistic details behind this observed resistance are not clear, since the protein structure of the complex is only available in the inactive state, while the drug binds better to the active state. To overcome this limitation, we used a computer-aided approach where we docked gilteritinib to the active site of FLT3/ITD and calculated the Gibbs free energy difference between the binding energies of the parental and mutant enzymes. These calculations agreed with experimental estimations for one mutation (F691L) but not the other (D698N). To further understand how these mutations operate, we used metadynamics simulations to study the conformational landscape of the activation process. Both mutants show a lower activation energy barrier which suggests that they are more likely to adopt an active state until inhibited, making the mutant enzymes more active. This suggests that a higher efficiency of tyrosine kinases contributes to resistance not only against type 2 but also against type 1 kinase inhibitors.

Methyl 3-[(1-benzyl-4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)formamido]-propano-ate: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational chemistry.

The title compound, C20H20N4O3, is constructed about a tri-substituted 1,2,3-triazole ring, with the substituent at one C atom flanked by the C and N atoms being a substituted amide group, and with the adjacent C and N atoms bearing phenyl and benzyl groups, respectively; the dihedral angle between the pendant phenyl rings is 81.17 (12)°, indicative of an almost orthogonal disposition. In the crystal, pairwise amide-N-H⋯O(carbon-yl) hydrogen bonds lead to a centrosymmetric dimer incorporating methyl-ene-C-H⋯π(benzene) inter-actions. The dimers are linked into a supra-molecular layer in the ab plane via methyl-ene-C-H⋯N(azo) and benzene-C-H⋯O(amide) inter-actions; the layers stack along the c-axis direction without directional inter-actions between them. The above-mentioned inter-molecular contacts are apparent in the analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surface, which also provides evidence for short inter-layer H⋯C contacts with a significant dispersion energy contribution.

4-Nitro-benzyl 3,4-bis-(acet-yloxy)-2-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxyl-ate: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational chemistry.

The title compound, C23H24N2O9, is a tetra-substituted pyrrolidine derivative with a twisted conformation, with the twist evident in the C-C bond bearing the adjacent acet-yloxy substituents. These are flanked on one side by a C-bound 4-meth-oxy-phen-yl group and on the other by a methyl-ene group. The almost sp 2-N atom [sum of angles = 357°] bears a 4-nitro-benzyl-oxycarbonyl substituent. In the crystal, ring-methyl-ene-C-H⋯O(acet-yloxy-carbon-yl) and methyl-ene-C-H⋯O(carbon-yl) inter-actions lead to supra-molecular layers lying parallel to (01); the layers stack without directional inter-actions between them. The analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surfaces indicates the combined importance of H⋯H (42.3%), H⋯O/O⋯H (37.3%) and H⋯C/C⋯H (14.9%) surface contacts. Further, the inter-action energies, largely dominated by the dispersive term, point to the stabilizing influence of H⋯H and O⋯O contacts in the inter-layer region.

1-Ethyl 2-methyl 3,4-bis-(acet-yloxy)pyrrolidine-1,2-di-carboxyl-ate: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational chemistry.

The title compound, C13H19NO8, is based on a tetra-substituted pyrrolidine ring, which has a twisted conformation about the central C-C bond; the Cm-Ca-Ca-Cme torsion angle is 38.26 (15)° [m = methyl-carboxyl-ate, a = acet-yloxy and me = methyl-ene]. While the N-bound ethyl-carboxyl-ate group occupies an equatorial position, the remaining substituents occupy axial positions. In the crystal, supra-molecular double-layers are formed by weak methyl- and methyl-ene-C-H⋯O(carbon-yl) inter-actions involving all four carbonyl-O atoms. The two-dimensional arrays stack along the c axis without directional inter-actions between them. The Hirshfeld surface is dominated by H⋯H (55.7%) and H⋯C/C⋯H (37.0%) contacts; H⋯H contacts are noted in the inter-double-layer region. The inter-action energy calculations point to the importance of the dispersion energy term in the stabilization of the crystal.

Is breaking of a hydrogen bond enough to lead to drug resistance?

Drug resistance is a serious problem in cancer, viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases. Examination of crystal structures of protein-drug complexes is often not enough to explain why a certain mutation leads to drug resistance. As an example, the crystal structure of the kinase inhibitor dasatinib bound to the Abl1 kinase shows a hydrogen bond between the drug and residue Thr315 and very few contacts between the drug and residues Val299 and Phe317, yet mutations in those residues lead to drug resistance. In the first case, it is tempting to suggest that the loss of a hydrogen bond leads to drug resistance, whereas in the other two cases it is not known why mutations lead to drug resistance in the first place. We carried out extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and free energy calculations to explain drug resistance to dasatinib from a molecular point of view and show that resistance is due to a multitude of subtle effects. Importantly, our calculations could reproduce the experimental values for the binding energies upon mutations in all three cases and shed light on their origin.

Ethyl 3,4-bis-(acet-yloxy)-2-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)pyrrol-idine-1-carboxyl-ate.

The title pyrrolidine compound, C18H23NO7, is a tetra-substituted species in which the five-membered ring has a twisted conformation with the twist occurring in the C-C bond bearing the adjacent acet-yloxy substituents; the Cm-Ca-Ca-Cp torsion angle is -40.76 (18)° [m = methyl-ene, a = acet-yloxy and p = phen-yl]. The N atom, which is sp 2-hybridized [sum of bond angles = 359.4°], bears an ethyl-carboxyl-ate substitutent and is connected to a methyl-ene-C atom on one side and a carbon atom bearing a 4-meth-oxy-phenyl group on the other side. Minor disorder is noted in the ethyl-carboxyl-ate substituent as well as in one of the acet-yloxy groups; the major components of the disorder have site occupancies of 0.729 (9) and 0.62 (3), respectively. The most notable feature of the mol-ecular packing is the formation of helical, supra-molecular chains aligned along the b-axis direction whereby the carbonyl-O atom not involved in a disordered residue accepts C-H⋯O inter-actions from methyl-ene-H and two-C atom separated methine-H atoms to form a six-membered {⋯HCCCH⋯O} synthon.

2-[(4-Bromo-phen-yl)sulfan-yl]-2-meth-oxy-1-phenyl-ethan-1-one: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational chemistry.

The title compound, C15H13BrO2S, comprises three different substituents bound to a central (and chiral) methine-C atom, i.e. (4-bromo-phen-yl)sulfanyl, benzaldehyde and meth-oxy residues: crystal symmetry generates a racemic mixture. A twist in the mol-ecule is evident about the methine-C-C(carbon-yl) bond as evidenced by the O-C-C-O torsion angle of -20.8 (7)°. The dihedral angle between the bromo-benzene and phenyl rings is 43.2 (2)°, with the former disposed to lie over the oxygen atoms. The most prominent feature of the packing is the formation of helical supra-molecular chains as a result of methyl- and methine-C-H⋯O(carbon-yl) inter-actions. The chains assemble into a three-dimensional architecture without directional inter-actions between them. The nature of the weak points of contacts has been probed by a combination of Hirshfeld surface analysis, non-covalent inter-action plots and inter-action energy calculations. These point to the importance of weaker H⋯H and C-H⋯C inter-actions in the consolidation of the structure.

2-Methyl-4-(4-nitro-phen-yl)but-3-yn-2-ol: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational chemistry study.

The di-substituted acetyl-ene residue in the title compound, C11H11NO3, is capped at either end by di-methyl-hydroxy and 4-nitro-benzene groups; the nitro substituent is close to co-planar with the ring to which it is attached [dihedral angle = 9.4 (3)°]. The most prominent feature of the mol-ecular packing is the formation, via hy-droxy-O-H⋯O(hy-droxy) hydrogen bonds, of hexa-meric clusters about a site of symmetry . The aggregates are sustained by 12-membered {⋯OH}6 synthons and have the shape of a flattened chair. The clusters are connected into a three-dimensional architecture by benzene-C-H⋯O(nitro) inter-actions, involving both nitro-O atoms. The aforementioned inter-actions are readily identified in the calculated Hirshfeld surface. Computational chemistry indicates there is a significant energy, primarily electrostatic in nature, associated with the hy-droxy-O-H⋯O(hy-droxy) hydrogen bonds. Dispersion forces are more important in the other identified but, weaker inter-molecular contacts.

2-[(4-Chloro-phen-yl)sulfan-yl]-2-meth-oxy-1-phenyl-ethan-1-one: crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis.

The title compound, C15H13ClO2S, comprises (4-chloro-phen-yl)sulfanyl, benzaldehyde and meth-oxy residues linked at a chiral methine-C atom (the crystal is racemic). A twist in the methine-C-C(carbon-yl) bond [O-C-C-O torsion angle = 19.3 (7)°] leads to a dihedral angle of 22.2 (5)° between the benzaldehyde and methine+meth-oxy residues. The chloro-benzene ring is folded to lie over the O atoms, with the dihedral angle between the benzene rings being 42.9 (2)°. In the crystal, the carbonyl-O atom accepts two C-H⋯O inter-actions with methyl- and methine-C-H atoms being the donors. The result is an helical supra-molecular chain aligned along the c axis; chains pack with no directional inter-actions between them. An analysis of the Hirshfeld surface points to the important contributions of weak H⋯H and C⋯C contacts to the mol-ecular packing.

Synthesis of α-amino-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds via Ugi flow chemistry reaction: access to functionalized 1,2,3-triazoles.

The Ugi multicomponent reaction has been used as an important synthetic route to obtain compounds with potential biological activity. We present the rapid and efficient synthesis of [Formula: see text]-amino-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in moderate to good yields via Ugi flow chemistry reactions performed with a continuous flow reactor. Such [Formula: see text]-amino-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds can act as precursors for the production of [Formula: see text]-amino acids via hydrolysis of the ethyl ester group as well as building blocks for the synthesis of novel compounds with the 1,2,3-triazole ring. The [Formula: see text]-amino acid derivatives of the Ugi flow chemistry reaction products were then used for dipeptide synthesis.

Induction of axial chirality in divanillin by interaction with bovine serum albumin.

Vanillin is a plant secondary metabolite and has numerous beneficial health applications. Divanillin is the homodimer of vanillin and used as a taste enhancer compound and also a promissory anticancer drug. Here, divanillin was synthesized and studied in the context of its interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA). We found that divanillin acquires axial chirality when complexed with BSA. This chiroptical property was demonstrated by a strong induced circular dichroism (ICD) signal. In agreement with this finding, the association constant between BSA and divanillin (3.3 x 105 mol-1L) was higher compared to its precursor vanillin (7.3 x 104 mol-1L). The ICD signal was used for evaluation of the association constant, demonstration of the reversibility of the interaction and determination of the binding site, revealing that divanillin has preference for Sudlow's site I in BSA. This property was confirmed by displacement of the fluorescent markers warfarin (site I) and dansyl-L-proline (site II). Molecular docking simulation confirmed the higher affinity of divanillin to site I. The highest scored conformation obtained by docking (dihedral angle 242°) was used for calculation of the circular dichroism spectrum of divanillin using Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT). The theoretical spectrum showed good similarity with the experimental ICD. In summary, we have demonstrated that by interacting with the chiral cavities in BSA, divanillin became a atropos biphenyl, i.e., the free rotation around the single bound that links the aromatic rings was impeded. This phenomenon can be explained considering the interactions of divanillin with amino acid residues in the binding site of the protein. This chiroptical property can be very useful for studying the effects of divanillin in biological systems. Considering the potential pharmacological application of divanillin, these findings will be helpful for researchers interested in the pharmacological properties of this compound.

Palbociclib can overcome mutations in cyclin dependent kinase 6 that break hydrogen bonds between the drug and the protein.

Inhibition of cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) 4 and 6 prevent cells from entering the synthesis phase of the cell cycle. CDK4 and 6 are therefore important drug targets in various cancers. The selective CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib is approved for the treatment of breast cancer and has shown activity in a cellular model of mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL)-rearranged acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). We studied the interactions of palbociclib and CDK6 using molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of the simulations suggested several interactions that stabilized the drug in its binding site and that were not observed in the crystal structure of the protein-drug complex. These included a hydrogen bond to His 100 that was hitherto not reported and several hydrophobic contacts. Evolutionary-based bioinformatic analysis was used to suggest two mutants, D163G and H100L that would potentially yield drug resistance, as they lead to loss of important protein-drug interactions without hindering the viability of the protein. One of the mutants involved a change in the glycine of the well-conserved DFG motif of the kinase. Interestingly, CDK6-dependent human AML cells stably expressing either mutant retained sensitivity to palbociclib, indicating that the protein-drug interactions are not affected by these. Furthermore, the cells were proliferative in the absence of palbociclib, indicating that the Asp to Gly mutation in the DFG motif did not interfere with the catalytic activity of the protein.

Crystal structure of 3-hy-droxy-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-isoquinolin-1-one.

In the title compound, C10H11NO2, two independent but virtually superimposable mol-ecules, A and B, comprise the asymmetric unit. The heterocyclic ring in each mol-ecule has a screw-boat conformation, and the methyl-hydroxyl group occupies a position to one side of this ring with N-C-C-O torsion angles of -55.30 (15) (mol-ecule A) and -55.94 (16)° (mol-ecule B). In the crystal, O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding leads to 11-membered {⋯HNCO⋯HO⋯HNC2O} heterosynthons, involving three different mol-ecules, which are edge-shared to generate a supra-molecular chain along the a axis. Inter-actions of the type C-H⋯O provide additional stability to the chains, and link these into a three-dimensional architecture.

Crystal structure of 1-benzyl-2-hy-droxy-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl acetate.

In the title compound, C13H15NO4, the oxopyrrolidin-3-yl ring has an envelope conformation, with the C atom bearing the acetate group being the flap. The acetate and phenyl groups are inclined with respect to the central ring, forming dihedral angles of 50.20 (12) and 87.40 (9)°, respectively, with the least-squares plane through the ring. The dihedral angle between the acetate group and the phenyl ring is 63.22 (8)°, indicating a twisted conformation in the mol-ecule. In the crystal, supra-molecular chains along the b axis are formed by (hy-droxy)O-H⋯O(ring carbon-yl) hydrogen bonds. The chains are consolidated into the three-dimensional architecture by C-H⋯O inter-actions.

Crystal structure of 2-meth-oxy-2-[(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)sulfan-yl]-1-phenyl-ethanone.

In the title ß-thio-carbonyl compound, C16H16O3S, the adjacent meth-oxy and carbonyl O atoms are synperiplanar [the O-C-C-O torsion angle is 19.8 (4)°] and are separated by 2.582 (3) Å. The dihedral angle between the rings is 40.11 (16)°, and the meth-oxy group is coplanar with the benzene ring to which it is connected [the C-C-O-C torsion angle is 179.1 (3)°]. The most notable feature of the crystal packing is the formation of methine and methyl C-H⋯O(carbon-yl) inter-actions that lead to a supra-molecular chain with a zigzag topology along the c axis. Chains pack with no specific inter-molecular inter-actions between them.

Crystal structure of 7-[(2E)-2-benzyl-idene-3-oxobut-oxy]-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one.

Two independent mol-ecules (A and B) comprise the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C21H18O4. There are significant conformational differences between the mol-ecules relating in particular to the relative orientation of the 3-oxo-2-(phenyl-methyl-idene)but-oxy substituent with respect to the superimposable chromen-2-one residues. To a first approximation, the substituents are mirror images; both are approximately perpendicular to the chromen-2-one fused ring system with dihedral angles of 88.50 (7) (A) and 81.96 (7)° (B). Another difference between the independent mol-ecules is noted in the dihedral angles between the adjacent phenyl and but-3-en-2-one groups of 8.72 (12) (A) and 27.70 (10)° (B). The conformation about the ethene bond in both mol-ecules is E. The crystal packing features C-H⋯O, C-H⋯π(ar-yl) and π-π [Cg⋯Cg = 3.6657 (8) and 3.7778 (8) Å] stacking inter-actions, which generate a three-dimensional network.

Crystal structure of 3-[2-(thio-phen-3-yl)ethyn-yl]-2H-chromen-2-one.

In the title compound, C15H8O2S, the coumarin moiety is approximately planar (r.m.s. deviation of the 11 non-H atoms = 0.025 Å) and is slightly inclined with respect to the plane of the thio-phen-3-yl ring, forming a dihedral angle of 11.75 (8)°. In the crystal, the three-dimensional architecture features a combination of coumarin-thio-phene C-H⋯π and π-π [inter-centroid distance = 3.6612 (12) Å] inter-actions.

Crystal structure of 5-(1,3-di-thian-2-yl)-2H-1,3-benzodioxole.

In the title compound, C11H12O2S2, two independent but virtually superimposable mol-ecules, A and B, comprise the asymmetric unit. In each mol-ecule, the 1,3-di-thiane ring has a chair conformation with the 1,4-disposed C atoms being above and below the plane through the remaining four atoms. The substituted benzene ring occupies an equatorial position in each case and forms dihedral angles of 85.62 (9) (mol-ecule A) and 85.69 (8)° (mol-ecule B) with the least-squares plane through the 1,3-di-thiane ring. The difference between the mol-ecules rests in the conformation of the five-membered 1,3-dioxole ring which is an envelope in mol-ecule A (the methyl-ene C atom is the flap) and almost planar in mol-ecule B (r.m.s. deviation = 0.046 Å). In the crystal, mol-ecules of A self-associate into supra-molecular zigzag chains (generated by glide symmetry along the c axis) via methyl-ene C-H⋯π inter-actions. Mol-ecules of B form similar chains. The chains pack with no specific directional inter-molecular inter-actions between them.

Crystal structure of 2-(3-nitro-phen-yl)-1,3-di-thiane.

In the title compound, C10H11NO2S2, the 1,3-di-thiane ring has a chair conformation with the 1,4-disposed C atoms being above and below the remaining four atoms. The nitro-benzene substituent occupies an equatorial position and forms a dihedral angle of 88.28 (5)° with the least-squares plane through the 1,3-di-thiane ring. The nitro group is twisted out of the plane of the benzene ring to which it is connected, forming a dihedral angle of 10.12 (3)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules aggregate into supra-molecular zigzag chains (glide symmetry along the c axis) via nitro-benzene N-O⋯π [N-O⋯Cg(benzene) = 3.4279 (18) Šand angle at O = 93.95 (11)°] inter-actions. The chains pack with no specific inter-molecular inter-actions between them.