Molecular determinants of antiviral potency of paramyxovirus entry inhibitors.

Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) constitute the Henipavirus genus of paramyxoviruses, both fatal in humans and with the potential for subversion as agents of bioterrorism. Binding of the HeV/NiV attachment protein (G) to its receptor triggers a series of conformational changes in the fusion protein (F), ultimately leading to formation of a postfusion six-helix bundle (6HB) structure and fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. The ectodomain of paramyxovirus F proteins contains two conserved heptad repeat regions, the first (the N-terminal heptad repeat [HRN]) adjacent to the fusion peptide and the second (the C-terminal heptad repeat [HRC]) immediately preceding the transmembrane domain. Peptides derived from the HRN and HRC regions of F are proposed to inhibit fusion by preventing activated F molecules from forming the 6HB structure that is required for fusion. We previously reported that a human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV3) F peptide effectively inhibits infection mediated by the HeV glycoproteins in pseudotyped-HeV entry assays more effectively than the comparable HeV-derived peptide, and we now show that this peptide inhibits live-HeV and -NiV infection. HPIV3 F peptides were also effective in inhibiting HeV pseudotype virus entry in a new assay that mimics multicycle replication. This anti-HeV/NiV efficacy can be correlated with the greater potential of the HPIV3 C peptide to interact with the HeV F N peptide coiled-coil trimer, as evaluated by thermal unfolding experiments. Furthermore, replacement of a buried glutamic acid (glutamic acid 459) in the C peptide with valine enhances antiviral potency and stabilizes the 6HB conformation. Our results strongly suggest that conserved interhelical packing interactions in the F protein fusion core are important determinants of C peptide inhibitory activity and offer a strategy for the development of more-potent analogs of F peptide inhibitors.

Inhibition of hendra virus fusion.

Hendra virus (HeV) is a recently identified paramyxovirus that is fatal in humans and could be used as an agent of bioterrorism. The HeV receptor-binding protein (G) is required in order for the fusion protein (F) to mediate fusion, and analysis of the triggering/activation of HeV F by G should lead to strategies for interfering with this key step in viral entry. HeV F, once triggered by the receptor-bound G, by analogy with other paramyxovirus F proteins, undergoes multistep conformational changes leading to a six-helix bundle (6HB) structure that accomplishes fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. The ectodomain of paramyxovirus F proteins contains two conserved heptad repeat regions (HRN and HRC) near the fusion peptide and the transmembrane domains, respectively. Peptides derived from the HRN and HRC regions of F are proposed to inhibit fusion by preventing F, after the initial triggering step, from forming the 6HB structure that is required for fusion. HeV peptides have previously been found to be effective at inhibiting HeV fusion. However, we found that a human parainfluenza virus 3 F-peptide is more effective at inhibiting HeV fusion than the comparable HeV-derived peptide.

Irreversible inhibition of CYP2D6 by (-)-chloroephedrine, a possible impurity in methamphetamine.

(+)- and (-)-Chloroephedrine, and their respective aziridines, cis- and trans-1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylaziridine, have been reported present in clandestinely synthesized methamphetamine. Since methamphetamine and structurally related compounds are potential substrates for human liver CYP2D6, the possible interaction of the chloroephedrines with human liver CYP2D6 was evaluated. Computational methods (using Flexidock and HINT in SYBYL) were used to determine the feasibility of (+)- or (-)-chloroephedrine and cis- or trans-1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylaziridine binding in the active site of a three dimensional CYP2D6 molecular model. Although modeling indicates both (+)- and (-)-chloroephedrine would bind comparably to methamphetamine, the binding energies of cis- or trans-1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylaziridine products indicate a preference for trans-1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylaziridine, the product formed from (-)-chloroephedrine. The effects of (+)- and (-)-chloroephedrine on the metabolism of dextromethorphan in human liver microsomes were then experimentally evaluated. (+)-Chloroephedrine (50 micro M) had no effect on human CYP2D6. (-)-Chloroephedrine appeared to be selective for human CYP2D6 versus CYP1A2 and CYP3A4/5. The inhibition of CYP2D6 was time-dependent, not dependent on metabolic activation, and irreversible. It appeared to bind at the active site of CYP2D6 with an apparent K(i) of 226 micro M, with a k(int) of 0.039 min(-1), and a t(1/2) of 23 min. Due to the irreversible nature of this inhibition, this impurity in clandestinely synthesized methamphetamine may be important and warrant further study.

Very empirical treatment of solvation and entropy: a force field derived from log Po/w.

A non-covalent interaction force field model derived from the partition coefficient of 1-octanol/water solubility is described. This model, HINT for Hydropathic INTeractions, is shown to include, in very empirical and approximate terms, all components of biomolecular associations, including hydrogen bonding, Coulombic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, entropy and solvation/desolvation. Particular emphasis is placed on: (1) demonstrating the relationship between the total empirical HINT score and free energy of association, deltaGinteraction; (2) showing that the HINT hydrophobic-polar interaction sub-score represents the energy cost of desolvation upon binding for interacting biomolecules; and (3) a new methodology for treating constrained water molecules as discrete independent small ligands. An example calculation is reported for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) bound with methotrexate (MTX). In that case the observed very tight binding, deltaGinteraction < or = -13.6 kcal mol(-1), is largely due to ten hydrogen bonds between the ligand and enzyme with estimated strength ranging between -0.4 and -2.3 kcal mol(-1). Four water molecules bridging between DHFR and MTX contribute an additional -1.7 kcal mol(-1) stability to the complex. The HINT estimate of the cost of desolvation is +13.9 kcal mol(-1).

Which aminoglycoside ring is most important for binding? A hydropathic analysis of gentamicin, paromomycin, and analogues.

The NMR structures of gentamicin and paromomycin in complex with the A-site of Escherichia coli 16S ribosomal RNA were modified with molecular modeling to 12 analogues. The intermolecular interactions between these molecules and RNA were examined using the HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions) computational model to obtain interaction scores that have been shown previously to be related to free energy. The calculations correlated well with experimental binding data, and the interaction scores were used to analyze the specific structural features of each aminoglycoside that contribute to the overall binding with the 16S rRNA. Our calculations indicate that, while ring I binds to the main binding pocket of the rRNA A-site, ring IV of paromomycin-based aminoglycosides contributes significantly to the overall binding.

Computationally accessible method for estimating free energy changes resulting from site-specific mutations of biomolecules: systematic model building and structural/hydropathic analysis of deoxy and oxy hemoglobins.

A practical computational method for the molecular modeling of free-energy changes associated with protein mutations is reported. The de novo generation, optimization, and thermodynamic analysis of a wide variety of deoxy and oxy hemoglobin mutants are described in detail. Hemoglobin is shown to be an ideal candidate protein for study because both the native deoxy and oxy states have been crystallographically determined, and a large and diverse population of its mutants has been thermodynamically characterized. Noncovalent interactions for all computationally generated hemoglobin mutants are quantitatively examined with the molecular modeling program HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions). HINT scores all biomolecular noncovalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, acid-base, hydrophobic-hydrophobic, acid-acid, base-base, and hydrophobic-polar, to generate dimer-dimer interface "scores" that are translated into free-energy estimates. Analysis of 23 hemoglobin mutants, in both deoxy and oxy states, indicates that the effects of mutant residues on structurally bound waters (and visa versa) are important for generating accurate free-energy estimates. For several mutants, the addition/elimination of structural waters is key to understanding the thermodynamic consequences of residue mutation. Good agreement is found between calculated and experimental data for deoxy hemoglobin mutants (r = 0.79, slope = 0.78, standard error = 1.4 kcal mol(-1), n = 23). Less accurate estimates were initially obtained for oxy hemoglobin mutants (r = 0.48, slope = 0.47, standard error = 1.4 kcal mol(-1), n = 23). However, the elimination of three outliers from this data set results in a better correlation of r = 0.87 (slope = 0.72, standard error = 0.75, n = 20). These three mutations may significantly perturb the hemoglobin quaternary structure beyond the scope of our structural optimization procedure. The method described is also useful in the examination of residue ionization states in protein structures. Specifically, we find an acidic residue within the native deoxy hemoglobin dimer-dimer interface that may be protonated at physiological pH. The final analysis is a model design of novel hemoglobin mutants that modify cooperative free energy (deltaGc)--the energy barrier between the allosteric transition from deoxy to oxy hemoglobin.

HINT predictive analysis of binding between retinol binding protein and hydrophobic ligands.

The interaction between the retinol binding protein and four ligands was evaluated using HINT, a software based on experimental LogP values of individual atoms. A satisfactory correlation was found between the HINT scores and the experimental dissociation constants of three of the ligands, fenretinide, N-ethylretinamide and all-trans retinol, despite their hydrophobic nature. A prediction is made for the binding affinity of the fourth ligand, axerophtene, not yet determined in solution.

Structure-based design modifications of the paullone molecular scaffold for cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition.

A congeneric series of paullones were characterized using a 3-D QSAR with cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) inhibition data. A homology model of CDK1-cyclin B was developed from the crystal structure of CDK2-cyclin A, which subsequently served as the basis for the structure-based design. Paullones were docked into the ATP binding site of the CDK1-cylin B models and were optimized with molecular mechanics. Hydropathic analyses of the paullone-CDK1 complexes were performed after the atom types were assigned based on each ligand's electronic properties calculated from quantum mechanics. Hydropathic descriptors formed a significant multiple regression equation that predicts paullone IC50 data. The results indicate that the combination of hydropathic descriptors with molecular mechanics geometries are sufficient to design overt steric and chemical complementarity of the ligands. However, the electronic properties derived from quantum mechanics helped direct synthetic chemistry efforts to produce ligands that promote better charge transfer and strengthen hydrogen bonding as facilitated by resonance stabilization. Compounds with low affinity for CDK1 were poor charge acceptors and made less than ideal hydrogen bonding arrangements with the receptor. These considerations led to the prediction that structures such as 9-cyanopaullone would be considerably more potent than the parent compound, a finding supported by enzyme inhibition data. Also, 9-nitropaullone emerged as a paullone which also had similar potency in enzyme inhibition as well as a favorable anti-proliferative activity profile in living cells.

Computational methodology for estimating changes in free energies of biomolecular association upon mutation. The importance of bound water in dimer-tetramer assembly for beta 37 mutant hemoglobins.

The computational modeling program HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions), an empirical hydropathic force field that includes hydrogen bonding, Coulombic, and hydrophobic terms, was used to model the free energy of dimer-tetramer association in a series of deoxy hemoglobin beta 37 double mutants. Five of the analyzed mutants (beta 37W --> Y, beta 37W --> A, beta 37W --> G, beta 37W --> E, and beta 37W --> R) have been solved crystallographically and characterized thermodynamically and subsequently made a good test set for the calibration of our method as a tool for free energy prediction. Initial free energy estimates for these mutants were conducted without the inclusion of crystallographically conserved water molecules and systematically underestimated the experimentally calculated loss in free energy observed for each mutant dimer-tetramer association. However, the inclusion of crystallographic waters, interacting at the dimer-dimer interface of each mutant, resulted in HINT free energy estimates that were more accurate with respect to experimental data. To evaluate the ability of our method to predict free energies for de novo protein models, the same beta 37 mutants were computationally generated from native deoxy hemoglobin and similarly analyzed. Our theoretical models were sufficiently robust to accurately predict free energy changes in a localized region around the mutated residue. However, our method did not possess the capacity to generate the long-range secondary structural effects observed in crystallographically solved mutant structures. Final method analysis involved the computational generation of structurally and/or thermodynamically uncharacterized beta 37 deoxy hemoglobin mutants. HINT analysis of these structures revealed that free energy predictions for dimer-tetramer association in these models agreed well with previously observed energy predictions for structurally and thermodynamically characterized beta 37 deoxy hemoglobin mutants.

Identification and hydropathic characterization of structural features affecting sequence specificity for doxorubicin intercalation into DNA double-stranded polynucleotides.

The computer molecular modeling program HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions), an empirical hydropathic force field function that includes hydrogen bonding, coulombic and hydrophobic terms, was used to study sequence-selective doxorubicin binding/intercalation in the 64 unique CAxy, CGxy, TAxy, TGxy base pair quartet combinations. The CAAT quartet sequence is shown to have the highest binding score of the 64 combinations. Of the two regularly alternating polynucleotides, d(CGCGCG)2and d(TATATA)2, the HINT calculated binding scores reveal doxorubicin binds preferentially to d(TATATA)2. Although interactions of the chromophore with the DNA base pairs defining the intercalation site [I-1] [I+1] and the neighboring [I+2] base pair are predominant, the results obtained with HINT indicate that the base pair [I+3] contributes significantly to the sequence selectivity of doxorubicin by providing an additional hydrogen bonding opportunity for the N3' ammonium of the daunosamine sugar moiety in approximately 25% of the sequences. This observation, that interactions involving a base pair [I+3] distal to the intercalation site play a significant role in stabilizing/destabilizing the intercalation of doxorubicin into the various DNA sequences, has not been previously reported. In general terms, this work shows that molecular modeling and careful analysis of molecular interactions can have a significant role in designing and evaluating nucleotides and antineoplastic agents.

Use of 3D QSAR methodology for data mining the National Cancer Institute Repository of Small Molecules: application to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition.

A three-dimensional (3D) stereoelectronic pharmacophore developed from a 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) investigation formed the basis of the development of a two-phase data-mining methodology to uncover novel leads to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase at the nonnucleoside binding site. The database searching phase employed a field search for ligand requirements (such as log P, molecular volume) that were accessible from the database keys. Next, a 3D database search was performed that used an automated fitting procedure and the calculation of several binding parameters. These binding parameters were used to test the hits by a discriminant function that was previously trained to recognize active from inactive analogs. During the structural evaluation phase of the methodology, conformational properties and complementary receptor features of the hits were examined by 2D and 3D evaluations, which were followed by molecular modeling investigations. When this method was applied to a test database, an improvement from 6.4% to 100% active analogs was achieved.

Hydropathic analysis of the non-covalent interactions between molecular subunits of structurally characterized hemoglobins.

The software program, HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions), which characterizes non-polar-non-polar, polar-polar, and non-polar-polar interactions, has been used to examine subunit interface associations involved in the hemoglobin allosteric transition at a residue and atomic level. HINT differs from many other computational programs in that it is based not on a statistical method or a force-field but employs parameters experimentally determined from solvent transfer experiments. The main focus of this study is to compare HINT scores that are based upon experimentally and thermodynamically derived measurements with experimentally determined thermodynamic results. The HINT analysis yields a good first-order approximation of experimentally measured energies for these interactions as determined by free energies of dimer-tetramer assembly for mutant hemoglobins. The results provide a framework for understanding subunit stabilities based upon individual atom interactions and repulsions. HINT, in agreement with previous analyses, indicates that: (1) the alpha1beta1 and alpha2beta2 subunit contacts are stabilized via several polar and many hydrophobic interactions with few repulsive contact areas in both the T (deoxyhemoglobin) and R (oxyhemoglobin) structures; (2) the alpha1alpha2 subunit contacts are primarily stabilized by polar salt bridge linkages in both T and R states; and (3) the alpha1beta2 and alpha2beta1 contacts have both strong positive and negative interactions in both T and R states with few hydrophobic interactions. The HINT scoring methodology provides a quantitative characterization of the major role of the alpha1beta2 and alpha2beta1 interfaces in the T-->R quaternary transition. HINT also confirms the stronger hydrogen bond formation in mutant Hb Rothschild (Trp 37beta-->Arg) with Asp94alpha1 that gives rise to a low-affinity (deoxy) hemoglobin. HINT shows that the stabilization of the alpha1beta2 interface with mutant Hb Ypsilanti (Asp99alpha-->Tyr) produces a high-affinity (oxy) hemoglobin by reducing hydrophobic-polar contacts in the R state. HINT interaction maps also identified specific sites for mutagenesis at the alpha1beta2 interface that can be explored to shift the allosteric equilibrium in either direction. In addition, the HINT program provides useful diagnostic data for checking the quality of refined crystallographic structures.

C5aR ligand peptide 3D QSAR study performed with an applied linear conformation.

A 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship study (QSAR) of binding and activation of the human C5a receptor by peptide analogs of the C-terminal binding domain of C5a anaphylatoxin is reported. Using published C5a analog affinity and activity data, this paper seeks to elucidate the pharmacophore for the high affinity C-terminal binding domain of the C5a peptide with the molecular modeling technique of comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). In order to model peptides for which there was incomplete conformational data, an arbitrary linear conformation was imposed upon the highly flexible C5a analogs. The resulting models yield a crossvalidated q2 of 0.889 and 0.787, for receptor-ligand affinity and EC50 calcium release activity, respectively, suggesting these models have good predictive ability for other test peptides.

E-state fields: applications to 3D QSAR.

The derivation of a new 3D QSAR field based on the electrotopological state (E-state) formalism is described. A complementary index and its associated field, the HE-state, describing the polarity of hydrogens is also defined. These new fields are constructed from a nonempirical index that incorporates electronegativity, the inductive influence of neighboring atoms, and the topological state into a single atomistic descriptor. The classic CoMFA steroid test data set was examined with models incorporating the E-state and HE-state fields alone and in combination with steric, electrostatic and hydropathic fields. The single best model was the E-state/HE-state combination with q2 = 0.803 (three components) and r2 = 0.979. Using the E-state and/or HE-state fields with other fields consistently produced models with improved statistics, where the E-state fields provided a significant, if not dominant, contribution.

Differences in hydropathic properties of ligand binding at four independent sites in wheat germ agglutinin-oligosaccharide crystal complexes.

The binding interactions of N-acetyl-D-neuraminic acid and N,N' diacetyl-chitobiose (GlcNAc-beta-1,4-GlcNAc), observed in crystal complexes of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) at four independent sites/monomer, were analyzed and compared with the modeling program HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions). This empirical method allows assessment of relative ligand binding strength and is particularly applicable to cases of weak binding where experimental data is absent. Although the four WGA binding sites are interrelated by a fourfold sequence repeat (eight sites/dimer), similarity extends only to the presence of an aromatic amino acid-rich pocket and a conserved serine. Strong binding requires additional interactions from a contacting domain in the second subunit. Ligand positions were either derived from crystal structures and further optimized by modeling and molecular mechanics, or from comparative modeling. Analysis of the overall HINT binding scores for the two types of ligands are consistent with the presence of two high-affinity and two low-affinity sites per monomer. Identity of these sites correlates well with crystal structure occupancies. The high-affinity sites are roughly equivalent, as predicted from solution binding studies. Binding scores for the low-affinity sites are weaker by at least a factor of two. Quantitative estimates for polar, nonpolar, and ionic interactions revealed that H-bonding makes the largest contribution to complex stabilization in the seven bound configurations, consistent with published thermodynamic data. Although the observed nonpolar interactions are small, they may play a critical role in orienting the ligand optimally.

All-atom models for the non-nucleoside binding site of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase complexed with inhibitors: a 3D QSAR approach.

Several molecular modeling techniques were used to generate an all-atom molecular model of a receptor binding site starting only from Ca atom coordinates. The model consists of 48 noncontiguous residues of the non-nucleoside binding site of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and was generated using a congeneric series of nevirapine analogs as structural probes. On the basis of the receptor-ligand atom contacts, the program HINT was used to develop a 3D quantitative structure activity relationship that predicted the rank order of binding affinities for the series of inhibitors. Electronic profiles of the ligands in their docked conformations were characterized using electrostatic potential maps and frontier orbital calculations. These results led to the development of a 3D stereoelectronic pharmacophore which was used to construct 3D queries for database searches. A search of the National Cancer Institute's open database identified a lead compound that exhibited moderate antiviral activity.

Evaluating docked complexes with the HINT exponential function and empirical atomic hydrophobicities.

Methods that predict geometries of ligands binding to receptor molecules can facilitate ligand discovery and yield information on the factors governing complementarity. Here, the use of atomic hydrophobicities in evaluating binding modes has been examined with four ligand-receptor complexes of known structure. In each system, hundreds of hypothetical binding orientations were generated with DOCK and evaluated using the HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions) exponential function and atomic hydrophobic constants. In three of the four systems, the experimental binding mode received the best HINT score; in the fourth system, the experimental binding mode scored only slightly lower than a similar, apparently reasonable orientation. The HINT function may be generally useful as a scoring method in molecular docking.

Effect of distamycin on chlorambucil-induced mutagenesis in pZ189: evidence of a role for minor groove alkylation at adenine N-3.

Previous work has shown that the bifunctional alkylating agent chlorambucil induces thermolabile adenine adducts and that the predominant chlorambucil-induced mutations in shuttle vector pZ189 are transversions at AT base pairs. In order to assess the role of thermolabile adducts in generating these transversions, pZ189 was treated with chlorambucil in the presence of distamycin, which specifically blocks formation of thermolabile adenine adducts. Analysis of the mutations resulting from replication of the damaged vector in human 293 cells showed that base substitutions at AT base pairs were specifically suppressed in concert with suppression of thermolabile adducts at specific sites in the supF target gene, strongly supporting a role for these adducts in mutagenesis. Since there is considerable evidence that these adducts are N-3 alkylations, a computer graphics model of such an adduct was constructed. Modeling studies indicated that the adduct could be formed with little distortion of the DNA helix. Analysis of the adduct using the HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions) program was consistent with the proposal that favorable hydrophobic interactions of the phenyl ring of chlorambucil with the wall of the minor groove may promote adenine N-3 alkylation by this drug.

The effect of physical organic properties on hydrophobic fields.

Physical organic structural properties of small molecules and macromolecules such as bond count, branching and proximity between multiple polar fragments contribute significantly to measured hydrophobicity (log P). These structural properties are encoded in the Rekker and Leo methods of calculating log P as structural-dependent factors. Regardless of the size of the atom primitive set, methods predicting log P with only atom primitives can miss subtle structural detail within series of related compounds. The HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions) model for inter- and intramolecular noncovalent interactions calculates atom-based hydrophobic constants, but uses all Leo-type factors in the calculation rather than a large set of atom primitives. Two types of applications of HINT are discussed: evaluation of the binding of an inhibitor (A74704) to HIV-1 protease, where it is shown that modeling of the protonation state (i.e., Asp25, Asp125) in the protein can strongly influence perceived substrate binding; and the use of HINT to calculate a third (hydropathic) field for CoMFA can yield a statistically enhanced and predictive model for molecular design.

KEY, LOCK, and LOCKSMITH: complementary hydropathic map predictions of drug structure from a known receptor-receptor structure from known drugs.

Three new routines (LOCK, KEY and LOCKSMITH) for the program HINT (hydrophobic interactions) are described and demonstrated. The KEY routine uses receptor structure to model the hydropathic profile of the ideal substrate for the receptor. The LOCK routine uses substrate or drug structure to model the hydropathic character of the receptor. LOCKSMITH is an algorithm designed to highlight the significant hydropathic features from a collection of agents. Ten allosteric modifiers of hemoglobin that have been characterized biologically and with X-ray diffraction to determine their protein binding sites/conformations illustrate the KEY and LOCKSMITH routines: The LOCKSMITH composite map correctly identifies the structural features and conformation of the more active modifiers. In addition, many hydropathic features of the "ideal" drug predicted by the KEY map overlap with actual structural features of the most active hemoglobin allosteric modifiers.