目的睾丸特异性含溴结构域的蛋白(BRDT)在睾丸中特异表达,参与精子生成的染色质重组过程。本文虚拟筛选基于结构的人BRDT小分子抑制剂。方法从PDB(Protein Data Bank)下载BRDT核心结构域与小分子抑制剂JQ1结合结构域的晶体结构(PDB ID:4...目的睾丸特异性含溴结构域的蛋白(BRDT)在睾丸中特异表达,参与精子生成的染色质重组过程。本文虚拟筛选基于结构的人BRDT小分子抑制剂。方法从PDB(Protein Data Bank)下载BRDT核心结构域与小分子抑制剂JQ1结合结构域的晶体结构(PDB ID:4FLP),利用分子模拟软件Discovery Studio 3.0,构建了其活性位点抑制剂的药效团模型。运用最佳药效团模型对10 000个化合物的数据库进行初筛,随后运用Libdock分子对接方式对初筛得到的潜在目标化合物进行复筛;最后运用BRDT Bromodomain TR-FRET Assay方法,对虚拟筛选得到的化合物进行实物筛选。结果运用虚拟筛选和蛋白水平筛选相结合的方法,从40 000个化合物中最终得到1个对BRDT有较高抑制作用的小分子抑制剂T480。结论利用一种基于结构的集合虚拟筛选与蛋白水平筛选的BRDT抑制剂的高通量筛选方法,筛选到BRDT的一个小分子抑制剂。展开更多
Agonist binding of A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) shows protective effects against inflammatory and immune. Efforts are exerted in understanding the general mechanism and developing A2AAR selectively binding agonist...Agonist binding of A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) shows protective effects against inflammatory and immune. Efforts are exerted in understanding the general mechanism and developing A2AAR selectively binding agonists. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simula- tions, we have studied the interactions between A2AAR and its agonist (adenosine), and analyzed the induced dynamic behaviors of the receptor. Key residues interacting with adenosine are identified: A63^2.61,I66^2.64,V84^3.32,L85^3.33,T88^3.36,F168^5.29,M177^5.38,L249^6.51,H250^6.52 and N253^6.55 interacting with adenosine with affinities larger than 0.5 kcal/mol. Moreover, no interaction between adenosine and L167^5.28 is observed, which supports our previous findings that L1675^5.28 is an antagonist specific binding reside. The dynamic be- haviors of agonist bound A2AAR are found to be different from apo-A2AAR in three typical functional switches: (i) tight "ionic lock" forms in adenosine-A2AAR, but it is in equilibrium between formation and breakage in apo-A2AAR; (ii) the "rotamer toggle switch", T88^3.36/F242^6.44/W246^6.48, adopted different rotameric conformations in adenosin-A2AAR and apo-A2AAR; (iii) adenosine-A2AAR has a flexible intracellular loop 2 (IC2) and s-helical IC3, while apo-A2AAR preferred s-helical IC2 and flexible IC3. Our results indicate that agonist binding induced different conformational rearrangements of these characteristic functional switches in adenosine-A2AAR and apo-A2AAR.展开更多
Histone lysine methylation can be removed by JmjC domain-containing proteins in a sequence- and methylationstate-specific manner. However, how substrate specificity is determined and how the enzymes are regulated were...Histone lysine methylation can be removed by JmjC domain-containing proteins in a sequence- and methylationstate-specific manner. However, how substrate specificity is determined and how the enzymes are regulated were largely unknown. We recently found that ceKDM7A, a PHD- and JmjC domain-containing protein, is a histone demethylase specific for H3K9me2 and H3K27me2, and the PHD finger binding to H3K4me3 guides the demethylation activity in vivo. To provide structural insight into the molecular mechanisms for the enzymatic activity and the function of the PHD finger, we solved six crystal structures of the enzyme in apo form and in complex with single or two peptides containing various combinations of H3K4me3, H3K9me2, and H3K27me2 modifications. The structures indicate that H3Kgme2 and H3K27me2 interact with ceKDMTA in a similar fashion, and that the peptide-binding specificity is determined by a network of specific interactions. The geometrical measurement of the structures also revealed that H3K4me3 associated with the PHD finger and H3K9me2 bound to the JmjC domain are from two separate molecules, suggesting a trans-histone peptide-binding mechanism. Thus, our systemic structural studies reveal not only the substrate recognition by the catalytic domain but also more importantly, the molecular mechanism of dual specifieity of ceDKM7A for both H3K9me2 and H3K27me2.展开更多
文摘Agonist binding of A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) shows protective effects against inflammatory and immune. Efforts are exerted in understanding the general mechanism and developing A2AAR selectively binding agonists. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simula- tions, we have studied the interactions between A2AAR and its agonist (adenosine), and analyzed the induced dynamic behaviors of the receptor. Key residues interacting with adenosine are identified: A63^2.61,I66^2.64,V84^3.32,L85^3.33,T88^3.36,F168^5.29,M177^5.38,L249^6.51,H250^6.52 and N253^6.55 interacting with adenosine with affinities larger than 0.5 kcal/mol. Moreover, no interaction between adenosine and L167^5.28 is observed, which supports our previous findings that L1675^5.28 is an antagonist specific binding reside. The dynamic be- haviors of agonist bound A2AAR are found to be different from apo-A2AAR in three typical functional switches: (i) tight "ionic lock" forms in adenosine-A2AAR, but it is in equilibrium between formation and breakage in apo-A2AAR; (ii) the "rotamer toggle switch", T88^3.36/F242^6.44/W246^6.48, adopted different rotameric conformations in adenosin-A2AAR and apo-A2AAR; (iii) adenosine-A2AAR has a flexible intracellular loop 2 (IC2) and s-helical IC3, while apo-A2AAR preferred s-helical IC2 and flexible IC3. Our results indicate that agonist binding induced different conformational rearrangements of these characteristic functional switches in adenosine-A2AAR and apo-A2AAR.
文摘Histone lysine methylation can be removed by JmjC domain-containing proteins in a sequence- and methylationstate-specific manner. However, how substrate specificity is determined and how the enzymes are regulated were largely unknown. We recently found that ceKDM7A, a PHD- and JmjC domain-containing protein, is a histone demethylase specific for H3K9me2 and H3K27me2, and the PHD finger binding to H3K4me3 guides the demethylation activity in vivo. To provide structural insight into the molecular mechanisms for the enzymatic activity and the function of the PHD finger, we solved six crystal structures of the enzyme in apo form and in complex with single or two peptides containing various combinations of H3K4me3, H3K9me2, and H3K27me2 modifications. The structures indicate that H3Kgme2 and H3K27me2 interact with ceKDMTA in a similar fashion, and that the peptide-binding specificity is determined by a network of specific interactions. The geometrical measurement of the structures also revealed that H3K4me3 associated with the PHD finger and H3K9me2 bound to the JmjC domain are from two separate molecules, suggesting a trans-histone peptide-binding mechanism. Thus, our systemic structural studies reveal not only the substrate recognition by the catalytic domain but also more importantly, the molecular mechanism of dual specifieity of ceDKM7A for both H3K9me2 and H3K27me2.