The conformations of four β-amino acids in a model peptide environment were investigated using Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods in gas phase and with solvation. Initial structures were ob...The conformations of four β-amino acids in a model peptide environment were investigated using Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods in gas phase and with solvation. Initial structures were obtained by varying dihedral angles in increments of 45° in the range 0° - 360°. Stable geometries were optimized at both levels of theory with the correlation consistent double-zeta basis set with polarization functions (cc-pVDZ). The results suggest that solvation generally stabilizes the conformations relative to the gas phase and that intramolecular hydrogen bonding may play an important role in the stability of the conformations. The β3 structures, in which the R-group of the amino acid is located on the carbon atom next to the N-terminus, are somewhat more stable relative to each other than the β2 structures which have the R-group on the carbon next to the carbonyl.展开更多
Development of new antimalarial drugs continues to be of great importance due to the resistance of the malaria parasite to currently used drugs. Glycolytic enzymes have emerged as potential targets for the development...Development of new antimalarial drugs continues to be of great importance due to the resistance of the malaria parasite to currently used drugs. Glycolytic enzymes have emerged as potential targets for the development of new drugs due to the reliance of the parasite on glycolysis for energy. In this study, molecular docking was used to study the binding of some quinoline-based drugs to the glycolytic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. The docking studies identified two potential binding sites for each ligand, one of them being the cofactor-binding site. For all ligands studied, there was the comparable binding to the cofactor-binding site as well as the secondary binding site when the cofactor was absent. All ligands showed significantly lower binding affinity than NADH for the cofactor binding site. The alternative site was the site of preference when docking was done in the presence of the cofactor. While binding to the cofactor site may support other studies suggesting potential for competitive inhibition, the fact that the binding affinities of all the ligands are significantly lower than that for NADH in this site suggests that these ligands will be ineffective competitive inhibitors. The identification of an alternative binding site with comparable affinity that is not affected by the presence of the cofactor may suggest the possibility of non-competitive inhibition that requires further exploration.展开更多
文摘The conformations of four β-amino acids in a model peptide environment were investigated using Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods in gas phase and with solvation. Initial structures were obtained by varying dihedral angles in increments of 45° in the range 0° - 360°. Stable geometries were optimized at both levels of theory with the correlation consistent double-zeta basis set with polarization functions (cc-pVDZ). The results suggest that solvation generally stabilizes the conformations relative to the gas phase and that intramolecular hydrogen bonding may play an important role in the stability of the conformations. The β3 structures, in which the R-group of the amino acid is located on the carbon atom next to the N-terminus, are somewhat more stable relative to each other than the β2 structures which have the R-group on the carbon next to the carbonyl.
文摘Development of new antimalarial drugs continues to be of great importance due to the resistance of the malaria parasite to currently used drugs. Glycolytic enzymes have emerged as potential targets for the development of new drugs due to the reliance of the parasite on glycolysis for energy. In this study, molecular docking was used to study the binding of some quinoline-based drugs to the glycolytic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. The docking studies identified two potential binding sites for each ligand, one of them being the cofactor-binding site. For all ligands studied, there was the comparable binding to the cofactor-binding site as well as the secondary binding site when the cofactor was absent. All ligands showed significantly lower binding affinity than NADH for the cofactor binding site. The alternative site was the site of preference when docking was done in the presence of the cofactor. While binding to the cofactor site may support other studies suggesting potential for competitive inhibition, the fact that the binding affinities of all the ligands are significantly lower than that for NADH in this site suggests that these ligands will be ineffective competitive inhibitors. The identification of an alternative binding site with comparable affinity that is not affected by the presence of the cofactor may suggest the possibility of non-competitive inhibition that requires further exploration.