Cyclosporin A: Conformational Complexity and Chameleonicity.

The chameleonic behavior of cyclosporin A (CsA) was investigated through conformational ensembles employing multicanonical molecular dynamics simulations that could sample the cis and trans isomers of N-methylated amino acids; these assessments were conducted in explicit water, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, methanol, chloroform, cyclohexane (CHX), and n-hexane (HEX) using AMBER ff03, AMBER10:EHT, AMBER12:EHT, and AMBER14:EHT force fields. The conformational details were discussed employing the free-energy landscapes (FELs) at T = 300 K; it was observed that the experimentally determined structures of CsA were only a part of the conformational space. Comparing the ROESY measurements in CHX-d12 and HEX-d14, the major conformations in those apolar solvents were essentially the same as that in CDCl3 except for the observation of some sidechain rotamers. The effects of the metal ions on the conformations, including the cis/trans isomerization, were also investigated. Based on the analysis of FELs, it was concluded that the AMBER ff03 force field best described the experimentally derived conformations, indicating that CsA intrinsically formed membrane-permeable conformations and that the metal ions might be the key to the cis/trans isomerization of N-methylated amino acids before binding a partner protein.

Conformation and Permeability: Cyclic Hexapeptide Diastereomers.

Conformational ensembles of eight cyclic hexapeptide diastereomers in explicit cyclohexane, chloroform, and water were analyzed by multicanonical molecular dynamics (McMD) simulations. Free-energy landscapes (FELs) for each compound and solvent were obtained from the molecular shapes and principal component analysis at T = 300 K; detailed analysis of the conformational ensembles and flexibility of the FELs revealed that permeable compounds have different structural profiles even for a single stereoisomeric change. The average solvent-accessible surface area (SASA) in cyclohexane showed excellent correlation with the cell permeability, whereas this correlation was weaker in chloroform. The average SASA in water correlated with the aqueous solubility. The average polar surface area did not correlate with cell permeability in these solvents. A possible strategy for designing permeable cyclic peptides from FELs obtained from McMD simulations is proposed.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Cyclopentaquinoline Derivatives as Nonsteroidal Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonists.

The steroidal glucocorticoid antagonist mifepristone has been reported to improve the symptoms of depression. We report the discovery of 6-(3,5-dimethylisoxazol-4-yl)-2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9-hexahydro-1H-cyclopenta[h]quinolin-3-one 3d (QCA-1093) as a novel nonsteroidal glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. The compound displayed potent in vitro activity, high selectivity over other steroid hormone receptors, and significant antidepressant-like activity in vivo.

Structural insight into nucleotide recognition in tau-protein kinase I/glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta.

Human tau-protein kinase I (TPK I; also known as glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta; GSK3 beta) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that participates in Alzheimer's disease. Here, binary complex structures of full-length TPK I/GSK3 beta with the ATP analogues ADP and AMPPNP solved by the X-ray diffraction method at 2.1 and 1.8 A resolution, respectively, are reported. TPK I/GSK3 beta is composed of three domains: an N-terminal domain consisting of a closed beta-barrel structure, a C-terminal domain containing a 'kinase fold' structure and a small extra-domain subsequent to the C-terminal domain. The catalytic site is between the two major domains and has an ATP-analogue molecule in its ATP-binding site. The adenine ring is buried in the hydrophobic pocket and interacts specifically with the main-chain atoms of the hinge loop. The overall structure and substrate-binding residues are similar to those observed in other Ser/Thr protein kinases, while Arg141 (which is not conserved among other Ser/Thr protein kinases) is one of the key residues for specific ATP/ADP recognition by TPK I/GSK3 beta. No residues are phosphorylated, while the orientation of the activation loop in TPK I/GSK3 beta is similar to that in phosphorylated CDK2 and ERK2, suggesting that TPK I/GSK3 beta falls into a conformation that enables it to be constitutively active.