Study of conformations of the adenosine phosphates. II: Adenosine tri- and diphosphate (ATP,ADP)

Using extended Hückel theory (EHT), a theoretical study of the preferred conformations of ATP and ADP are compared with the experimentally observed structures, as the second of a set of studies on the molecular conformations of AMP, ATP and ADP. Results show that EHT yields a minimum energy ATP configuration that corresponds to the observed structure when atoms from the crystal are included in the calculations. Eight torsional angles were examined for ATP and six for ADP with all atoms included in the calculations. Results indicate that torsional rotations involving the adenosine part of the molecule show well-defined local minima. The predominant feature of the pyrophosphate section, however, is a low energy profile enabling the molecule to adapt its conformation to the environmental conditions.     

Conformational analysis of Amphotericin B

Within a theoretical approach to the problem of antifungal action of Amphotericin B (AmB), a conformational analysis of the neutral and zwitterionic form of this antibiotic in vacuo was performed by the MM2P and AM1 methods. The analysis was carried out with regard to the mutual orientation of the macrolidic and glycosidic fragments of the molecule, which is defined by the phi and psi steric angles. This orientation defines the overall shape of the molecule and is postulated to be important for the antifungal action of the drug. As a result of the MM2P calculations, phi, psi steric energy and population maps were prepared. Several conformers were found on these maps but only two of them (one each for the zwitterionic and the neutral forms of the antibiotic) were previously observed experimentally for isolated molecules. Our other calculated conformers were not observed experimentally but we propose that they may also appear in the AmB channel structure. The results of our conformational analysis were compared with experimental NMR data (nuclear Overhauser effects between selected hydrogen atoms) obtained previously. New structural information obtained for AmB in the present work will be useful for building a molecular model of AmB-target interactions as well as for designing new derivatives of AmB.     

A molecular dynamics study of thermodynamic and structural aspects of the hydration of cavities in proteins.

The structure and activity of a protein molecule are strongly influenced by the extent of hydration of its cavities. This is, in turn, related to the free energy change on transfer of a water molecule from bulk solvent into a cavity. Such free energy changes have been calculated for two cavities in a sulfate-binding protein. One of these cavities contains a crystallographically observed water molecule while the other does not. Thermodynamic integration and perturbation methods were used to calculate free energies of hydration for each of the cavities from molecular dynamics simulations of two separate events: the removal of a water molecule from pure water, and the introduction of a water molecule into each protein cavity. From the simulations for the pure water system, the excess chemical potential of water was computed to be -6.4 +/- 0.4 kcal/mol, in accord with experiment and with other recent theoretical calculations. For the protein cavity containing an experimentally observed water molecule, the free energy change on hydrating it with one water molecule was calculated as -10.0 +/- 1.3 kcal/mol, indicating the high probability that this cavity is occupied by a water molecule. By contrast, for the cavity in which no water molecules were experimentally observed, the free energy change on hydrating it with one water molecule was calculated as 0.2 +/- 1.5 kcal/mol, indicating its low occupancy by water. The agreement of these results with experiment suggests that thermodynamic simulation methods may become useful for the prediction and analysis of internal hydration in proteins.     

Continuum electrostatic analysis of preferred solvation sites around proteins in solution

To understand water-protein interactions in solution, the electrostatic field is calculated by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, and the free energy surface of water is mapped by translating and rotating an explicit water molecule around the protein. The calculation is applied to T4 lysozyme with data available on the conservation of solvent binding sites in 18 crystallographically independent molecules. The free energy maps around the ordered water sites provide information on the relationship between water positions in crystal structure and in solution. Results show that almost all conserved sites and the majority of nonconserved sites are within 1.3 A of local free energy minima. This finding is in sharp contrast to the behavior of randomly placed water molecules in the boundary layer, which, on the average, must travel more than 3 A to the nearest free energy minimum. Thus, the solvation sites are at least partially determined by protein-water interactions rather than by crystal packing alone. The characteristic water residence times, obtained from the free energies at the local minima, are in good agreement with nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. Only about half of the potential sites show up as ordered water in the 1.7 A resolution X-ray structure. Crystal packing interactions can stabilize weak or mobile potential sites (in fact, some ordered water positions are not close to free energy minima) or can prevent water from occupying certain sites. Apart from a few buried water molecules that are strong binders, the free energies are not very different for conserved and nonconserved sites. We show that conservation of a water site between two crystals occurs if the positions of protein atoms, primarily contributing to the free energy at the local minimum, do not substantially change from one structure to the other. This requirement can be correlated with the nature of the side chain contacting the water molecule in the site.     

Stereochemical criteria for polypeptides and proteins. IV. Standard dimensions for the cis-peptide unit and conformation of cis-polypeptides

Using potential energy formulas for variation of bond angles and for ω-distortion, the conformation of minimum energy for the cisform of the petide unit has been worked out. This agrees very well with the corresponding set of atoms in the crystal structure of Leu-Pro-Gly and the dimensions of a standard cispeptide unit are given based on these. The conformational (?,Ψ) map for a cispeptide unit has been worked out from contact criteria, both for a pair of linked units as well as for-helices having constant (?,Ψ). The small allowed region of the helical map contains the conformation experimentally observed for poly-L -proline I .     

Concentration effect of cimetidine with POPC bilayer: a molecular dynamics simulation study

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on cimetidine in the presence of a palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayer. The free energy profile of a single cimetidine molecule passing across POPC bilayer displays a minimum at the interface of bilayer and water. Ten cimetidine molecules were inserted into POPC bilayer to obtain an 8 mol % drug model, and molecular dynamics results showed that cimetidine molecules reside at the polar region of POPC bilayer with sulphur atoms directing to the hydrophobic region. By comparing the one drug model with 8 mol % drug model, one can see that the central barrier to cross the membrane increases while the free energy in bulk water decreases, indicating that the ability of cimetidine passing across the POPC bilayer weakens at increased concentration. In addition, the free energy minimum shifts closer to the hydrophobic core. Our results indicate that with the increased drug concentration, it is more difficult for cimetidine to enter and pass across POPC bilayer.     

Insights into scFv:drug binding using the molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculation

Molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculation have been performed to study how the single-chain variable fragment (scFv) binds methamphetamine (METH) and amphetamine (AMP). The structures of the scFv:METH and the scFv:AMP complexes are analyzed by examining the time-dependence of their RMSDs, by analyzing the distance between some key atoms of the selected residues, and by comparing the averaged structures with their corresponding crystallographic structures. It is observed that binding an AMP to the scFv does not cause significant changes to the binding pocket of the scFv:ligand complex. The binding free energy of scFv:AMP without introducing an extra water into the binding pocket is much stronger than scFv:METH. This is against the first of the two scenarios postulated in the experimental work of Celikel et al. (Protein Science 18, 2336 (2009)). However, adding a water to the AMP (at the position of the methyl group of METH), the binding free energy of the scFv:AMP-H2O complex, is found to be significantly weaker than scFv:METH. This is consistent with the second of the two scenarios given by Celikel et al. Decomposition of the binding energy into ligand-residue pair interactions shows that two residues (Tyr175 and Tyr177) have nearly-zero interactions with AMP in the scFv:AMP-H2O complex, whereas their interactions with METH in the scFv:METH complex are as large as -0.8 and -0.74 kcal mol^-1. The insights gained from this study may be helpful in designing more potent antibodies in treating METH abuse.     

Conformational analysis of the 3'-5'-cyclic dinucleotide d less than pApA greater than by means of molecular mechanics

The conformational properties of the cyclic dinucleotide d less than pApA greater than were studied by means of molecular mechanics calculations in which a multiconformation analysis was combined with minimum energy calculations. In this approach models of possible conformers are built by varying the torsion angles of the molecule systematically. These models are then subjected to energy minimization; in the present investigation use was made of the AMBER Force field. It followed that the lowest energy conformer has a pseudo-two-fold axis of symmetry. In this conformer the deoxyribose sugars adopt a N-type conformation. The conformation of the sugar-phosphate backbone is determined by the following torsion angles: alpha +, beta t, gamma +, epsilon t and zeta +. The conformation of this ringsystem corresponds to the structure derived earlier by means of NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The observation of a preference for N-type sugar conformations in this molecule can be explained by the steric hindrance induced between opposite H3' atoms when one sugar is switched from N- to S-type puckers. The sugars can in principle switch from N- to S-type conformations, but this requires at least the transition of gamma + to gamma -. In this process the molecule obtains an extended shape in which the bases switch from a pseudo-axial to a pseudo-equatorial position. The calculations demonstrate that, apart from the results obtained for the lowest energy conformation, the 180 degrees change in the propagation direction of the phosphate backbone can be achieved by several different combinations of the backbone torsion angles. It appeared that in the low energy conformers five higher order correlations are found. The combination of torsion angles which are involved in changes in the propagation direction of the sugar-phosphate backbone in DNA-hairpin loops and in tRNA, are found in the dataset obtained for cyclic d less than pApA greater than. It turns out, that in the available examples, 180 degrees changes in the backbone direction are localized between two adjacent nucleotides.     

Characterization of the allosteric binding pocket of human liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by protein crystallography and inhibitor activity studies.

The structures of three complexes of human fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FB) with the allosteric inhibitor AMP and two AMP analogues have been determined and all fully refined. The data used for structure determination were collected at cryogenic temperature (110 K), and with the use of synchrotron radiation. The structures reveal a common mode of binding for AMP and formycine monophosphate (FMP). 5-Amino-4-carboxamido-1 beta-D-5-phosphate-ribofuranosyl-1H-imidazole (AICAR-P) shows an unexpected mode of binding to FB, different from that of the other two ligands. The imidazole ring of AICAR-P is rotated 180 degrees compared to the AMP and FMP bases. This rotation results in a slightly different hydrogen bonding pattern and minor changes in the water structure in the binding pocket. Common features of binding are seen for the ribose and phosphate moieties of all three compounds. Although binding in a different mode, AICAR-P is still capable of making all the important interactions with the residues building the allosteric binding pocket. The IC50 values of AMP, FMP, and AICAR-P were determined to be 1.7, 1.4, and 20.9 microM, respectively. Thus, the approximately 10 times lower potency of AICAR-P is difficult to explain solely from the variations observed in the binding pocket. Only one water molecule in the allosteric binding pocket was found to be conserved in all four subunits in all three structures. This water molecule coordinates to a phosphate oxygen atom and the N7 atom of the AMP molecule, and to similarly situated atoms in the FMP and AICAR-P complexes. This implies an important role of the conserved water molecule in binding of the ligand.     

Prediction of the native conformation of a polypeptide by a statistical-mechanical procedure. I. Backbone structure of enkephalin

A new methodology for theoretically predicting the native, three-dimensional structure of a polypeptide is presented. Based on equilibrium statistical mechanics, an algorithm has been designed to determine the probable conformation of a polypeptide by calculating conditional free-energy maps for each residue of the macromolecule. The conditional free-energy map of each residue is computed from a set of probability integrals, obtained by summing over the interaction energies of all pairs of nonbonded atoms of the whole molecule. By locating the region(s) of lowest free energy for each map, the probable conformation for each residue can be identified. The native structure of the polypeptide is assumed to be the combination of the probable conformations of the individual residues. All multidimensional probability integrals are evaluated by an adaptive Monte Carlo algorithm (SMAPPS —Statistical-Mechanical Algorithm for Predicting Protein Structure). The Monte Carlo algorithm searches the entire conformational space, adjusting itself automatically to concentrate its sampling in regions where the magnitude of the integrand is largest (“importance sampling”). No assumptions are made about the native conformation. The only prior knowledge necessary for the prediction of the native conformation is the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide. To test the effectiveness of the algorithm, SMAPPS was applied to the prediction of the native conformation of the backbone of Met-enkephalin, a pentapeptide. In the calculations, only the backbone dihedral angles (? and ψ) were allowed to vary; all side-chain (χ) and peptide-bond (ω) dihedral angles were kept fixed at the values corresponding to the alleged global minimum energy previously determined by direct energy minimization. For each conformation generated randomly by the Monte Carlo algorithm, the total conformational energy of the polypeptide was obtained from established empirical potential energy functions. Solvent effects were not included in the computations. With this initial application of SMAPPS , three distinct low-free-energy β-bend structures of Met-enkephalin were found. In particular, one of the structures has a conformation remarkably similar to the one associated with the previously alleged global minimum energy. The two additional structures of the pentapeptide have conformational energies lower than the previously computed low-energy structure. However, the Monte Carlo results are in agreement with an improved energy-minimization procedure. These initial results on the backbone structure of Met-enkephalin indicate that an equilibrium statistical-mechanical procedure, coupled with an adaptive Monte Carlo algorithm, can overcome many of the problems associated with the standard methods of direct energy minimization.     

Empirical solvation models can be used to differentiate native from near-native conformations of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor.

Several hydration models for peptides and proteins based on solvent accessible surface area have been proposed previously. We have evaluated some of these models as well as four new ones in the context of near-native conformations of a protein. In addition, we propose an empirical site-site distance-dependent correction that can be used in conjunction with any of these models. The set of near-native structures consisted of 39 conformations of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) each of which was a local minimum of an empirical energy function (ECEPP) in the absence of solvent. Root-mean-square (rms) deviations from the crystallographically determined structure were in the following ranges: 1.06-1.94 A for all heavy atoms, 0.77-1.36 A for all backbone heavy atoms, 0.68-1.33 A for all alpha-carbon atoms, and 1.41-2.72 A for all side-chain heavy atoms. We have found that there is considerable variation among the solvent models when evaluated in terms of concordance between the solvation free energy and the rms deviations from the crystallographically determined conformation. The solvation model for which the best concordance (0.939) with the rms deviations of the C alpha atoms was found was derived from NMR coupling constants of peptides in water combined with an exponential site-site distance dependence of the potential of mean force. Our results indicate that solvation free energy parameters derived from nonpeptide free energies of hydration may not be transferrable to peptides. Parameters derived from peptide and protein data may be more applicable to conformational analysis of proteins. A general approach to derive parameters for free energy of hydration from ensemble-averaged properties of peptides in solution is described.     

Prediction of the native conformation of a polypeptide by a statistical-mechanical procedure. II. Average backbone structure of enkephalin

The average conformation of Met-enkephalin was determined by using an adaptive, importance-sampling Monte Carlo algorithm (SMAPPS—Statistical Mechanical Algorithm for Predicting Protein Structure). In the calculation, only the backbone dihedral angles (? and ψ) were allowed to vary; i.e., all side-chain (χ) and peptide-bond (ω) dihedral angles were kept fixed at the values corresponding to a low-energy structure of the pentapeptide. The total conformational energy for each randomly generated structure of the polypeptide was obtained by summing over the interaction energies of all pairs of nonbonded atoms of the whole molecule. The interaction energies were computed by the program ECEPP/2 (Empirical Conformational Energy Program for Peptides). Solvent effects were not included in the computation. The calculation was repeated until a total of 10 independent average conformations were established. The regions of conformational space occupied by the average structures were compared with the regions of low conditional free energy obtained by SMAPPS in the first paper of this series. Such a comparison provides an analysis of the capacity of SMAPPS to adjust the Monte Carlo search to regions of highest probability. The results demonstrate that the ability of SMAPPS to focus the Monte Carlo search is excellent. Finally, the 10 independent average conformations and the mean of the 10 average structures were utilized as the initial conformations for a direct energy minimization of the pentapeptide. Of the 11 final energy-minimized structures, three of the conformations were found to be equivalent to the conformation of lowest energy determined previously. In addition, all but two of the remaining energy-minimized structures were found to correspond to one of the two other conformations of high probability obtained in the first paper of this series. These results indicate that a set of independent average conformations can provide a rational, unbiased choice for the initial conformation, to be used in a direct energy minimization of a polypeptide. The final energy-minimized structures consequently constitute a set of low-energy conformations, which include the global energy minimum.     

Higher-order structure of the 5.8 S rRNA sequence within the yeast 35 S precursor ribosomal RNA synthesized in vitro

Dimethylsulfate, 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)-carbodiimide metho-p-toluene-sulfonate, RNase T1 and RNase V1 have been used as structure-sensitive probes to examine the higher-order structure of the 5.8 S rRNA sequence within the yeast 35 S precursor ribosomal RNA molecule. Data produced have been used to evaluate several theoretical structure models for the 5.8 S rRNA sequence within the precursor rRNA. These models are generated by minimum free energy calculations. A model is proposed that accommodates 83% of the residues experimentally shown to be in either base-paired or single-stranded structure in the correct configuration. Several alternative suboptimal secondary structures have been evaluated. Moreover, the chemical reactivities of several residues within the 5.8 S rRNA sequence in the precursor rRNA molecule differ from those of the corresponding residues in the mature rRNA molecule. This finding provides experimental evidence to support the notion that the 5.8 S rRNA sequence within the precursor rRNA undergoes structural reorganization following rRNA processing.     

Disaccharide conformational flexibility. II. Molecular dynamics simulations of sucrose

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study the motions in vacuum of the disaccharide sucrose. Ensembles of trajectories were calculated for each of the five local minimum energy conformations identified in the adiabatic conformational energy mapping of this molecule. The model sucrose molecules were found to exhibit a variety of motions, although the global minimum energy conformation was found to be dynamically stable, and no transitions away from this structure were observed to occur spontaneously. In all but one of these vacuum trajectories, the intramolecular hydrogen bond between residues was maintained, in accord with recent nmr studies of this molecule in aqueous solution. Considerable flexibility of the furanoid ring was found in the trajectories. No "flips" to the opposite puckering for this ring were found in the simulations starting from the global minimum, although such a transition was observed for a trajectory initiated with one of the higher local minimum energy conformations. Overall, the observed structural fluctuations were consistent with the experimental picture of sucrose as a relatively rigid molecule.     

Effects of hydrated water on protein unfolding

The conformational stability of a protein in aqueous solution is described in terms of the thermodynamic properties such as unfolding Gibbs free energy, which is the difference in the free energy (Gibbs function) between the native and random conformations in solution. The properties are composed of two contributions, one from enthalpy due to intramolecular interactions among constituent atoms and chain entropy of the backbone and side chains, and the other from the hydrated water around a protein molecule. The hydration free energy and enthalpy at a given temperature for a protein of known three-dimensional structure can be calculated from the accessible surface areas of constituent atoms according to a method developed recently. Since the hydration free energy and enthalpy for random conformations are computed from those for an extended conformation, the thermodynamic properties of unfolding are evaluated quantitatively. The evaluated hydration properties for proteins of known transition temperature (Tm) and unfolding enthalpy (delta Hm) show an approximately linear dependence on the number of constituent heavy atoms. Since the unfolding free energy is zero at Tm, the enthalpy originating from interatomic interactions of a polypeptide chain and the chain entropy are evaluated from an experimental value of delta Hm and computed properties due to the hydrated water around the molecule at Tm. The chain enthalpy and entropy thus estimated are largely compensated by the hydration enthalpy and entropy, respectively, making the unfolding free energy and enthalpy relatively small. The computed temperature dependences of the unfolding free energy and enthalpy for RNase A, T4 lysozyme, and myoglobin showed a good agreement with the experimental ones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ab initio computational study of beta-cellobiose conformers using B3LYP/6-311++G**

The molecular structure of 27 conformers of beta-cellobiose were studied in vacuo through gradient geometry optimization using B3LYP density functionals and the 6-311++G** basis set. The conformationally dependent geometry changes and energies were explored as well as the hydrogen-bonding network. The lowest electronic energy structures found were not those suggested from available crystallographic and NMR solution data, where the glycosidic dihedral angles fall in the region (phi, psi) approximately (40 degrees, -20 degrees ). Rather, 'flipped' conformations in which the dihedral angles are in the range (phi, psi) approximately (180 degrees, 0 degrees ) are energetically more stable by approximately 2.5 kcal/mol over the 'experimentally accepted' structure. Further, when the vibrational free energy, deltaG, obtained from the calculated frequencies, is compared throughout the series, structures with (phi, psi) in the experimentally observed range still have higher free energy ( approximately 2.0 kcal/mol) than 'flipped' forms. The range of bridging dihedral angles of the 'normal' conformers, resulting from the variance in the phi dihedral is larger than that found in the 'flipped' forms. Due to this large flat energy surface for the normal conformations, we surmise that the summation of populations of these conformations will favor the 'normal' conformations, although evidence suggests that polar solvent effects may play the dominant role in providing stability for the 'normal' forms. Even though some empirical studies previously found the 'flipped' conformations to be lowest in energy, these studies have been generally discredited because they were in disagreement with experimental results. Most of the DFT/ab initio conformations reported here have not been reported previously in the ab initio literature, in part because the use of less rigorous theoretical methods, i.e. smaller basis sets, have given results in general agreement with experimental data, that is, they energetically favored the 'normal' forms. These are the first DFT/ab initio calculations at this level of theory, apparently because of the length and difficulty of carrying out optimizations at these high levels.     

Influence of environment on the antifolate drug trimethoprim: energy minimization studies

Environmental effects on trimethoprim (TMP), an inhibitor of bacterial dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), were investigated with energy minimizations in vacuo, in the crystal, and in aqueous solution. The conformations, harmonic dynamics, and energetics of the antibacterial drug calculated in these environments were compared with each other and with those of two enzyme-bound drugs. Valence and torsion angles and their energies and overall intra- and intermolecular energies compensated one another in the minimized TMP structures. The conformations of the isolated and aqueous molecules were similar to that of TMP bound to chicken liver DHFR, while the structures from the TMP crystal and from the Escherichia coli DHFR complex were unique. Since neither the small-molecule crystal nor a local minimum of the isolated molecule gave the conformation of TMP bound to the bacterial enzyme, a combination of several experimental and theoretical techniques may be necessary to probe accessible conformations of a molecule.     

Stereochemistry of the interaction between methionine sulfur and the protein core.

The stereochemical features of the interaction between the sulfur atom of methionine residues and surrounding atoms are examined on a large set of known protein crystal structures. It appears that the minimum energy conformations observed in small molecule crystals are not observed within the protein core. This suggests that these interactions are either of little intensity, though they might contribute to regulate the protein physiological behavior, or physicochemically different from their counterpart in small molecule crystals.