PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Martin J Field

Publications and source records attributed to Martin J Field.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

A comparative QM/MM simulation study of the reaction mechanisms of human and Plasmodium falciparum HG(X)PRTases.

QM/MM hybrid potential free-energy simulations are performed to compare the reaction mechanisms of human hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRTase) and the corresponding enyzme from Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), hypoxanthine guanine xanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGXPRTase). These enzymes share 44% of sequence identity but display very different affinities for xanthine. The calculations show that in both enzymes phosphoribosyl transfer proceeds via a dissociative mechanism from an anionic form of the substrate. Nevertheless, there are significant differences in the geometries of critical structures along the reaction paths which it may be possible to exploit for the design of specific inhibitors against the Pf enzyme.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A computational study of the deacylation mechanism of human butyrylcholinesterase.

To investigate the mechanism of the deacylation reaction in the active site of human butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), we carried out quantum mechanical (QM) calculations on cluster models of the active site built from a crystallographic structure. The models consisted of the substrate butyrate moiety, the catalytic triad of residues (Ser198, Glu325, and His438), the "oxy-anion hole" (Gly116, Gly117, and Ala199), the side chain of Glu197, four water molecules, the side chain of Ser225, and the peptide linkage between Val321 and Asn322. Analyses of the equilibrium geometries, electronic properties, and energies of the QM models gave insights into the catalytic mechanism. In addition, the QM calculations provided the data required to build a molecular mechanics representation of the reactive BuChE region that was employed in molecular dynamics simulations followed by molecular-mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann (MM-PB) calculations. Subsequently, we combined the QM energies with average MM-PB energies to estimate the free energy of the reactive structures in the enzyme. The rate-determining step corresponds to the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate with a free-energy barrier of approximately 14.0 kcal/mol. The modulation of the BuChE activity, exerted by either neutral molecules (glycerol, GOL) or a second butyrylcholine (CHO) molecule bound to the cation-pi site, does not involve any significant allosteric effect. Interestingly, the presence of GOL or CHO stabilizes a product complex formed between a butyric acid molecule and BuChE. These results are in consonance with the crystallographic structure of BuChE, in which the catalytic Ser198 interacts with a butyric fragment, while the cation-pi site is occupied by one GOL molecule.

Acylation↗
PubMed2005

An implementation of the nudged elastic band algorithm and application to the reaction mechanism of HGXPRTase from Plasmodium falciparum.

The understanding of transition processes, such as chemical reactions, is a central topic in theoretical molecular science. A common approach for investigating such processes is to calculate paths between reactant and product structures that are representative of the transition. Many approaches have been proposed to determine such paths but, in this paper, we examine the nudged elastic band algorithm which was recently introduced by Jónsson and co-workers and has been used to study a wide range of transition problems. We describe our implementation of the method in the simulation program Dynamo and some modifications to the original algorithm that we found improve its efficiency. The use of the method is illustrated by an application to the reaction mechanism of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine-xanthine phosphoribosyltransferase from Plasmodium falciparum.

Alanine↗
PubMed2005

Molecular dynamics simulations of human butyrylcholinesterase.

Herein, we present results from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the human butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzyme in aqueous solution. Two configurations of the unbound form of BuChE differing in the presence or absence of a sodium ion inside the protein gorge were simulated for 10 and 5 ns, respectively. Besides complementing the structural information provided by X-ray data, the MD simulations give insight into the structure of the native BuChE enzyme. For example, it is shown that: the nucleophilic Ser(198) residue and the various binding subsites in the BuChE catalytic cavity are readily accessible from the exterior of the protein; the presence of the sodium ion dynamically explores two different binding sites in the gorge leading to the active site and stabilizes the productive conformation of the Glu(325)/His(438)/Ser(198) catalytic triad; several long-lived water bridges are fully integrated into the architecture of the active site; the positions of the residues at the rim of the gorge region display large deviations with respect to the crystal structure; and two side doors, constituted by residues situated at the tip of the acyl- and Omega-loops, respectively, open wide enough to allow the passage of water molecules. In conclusion, we compare our theoretical results with those from previous work on mouse acetylcholinesterase and discuss their implications for substrate binding and catalysis in BuChE.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A quantum chemical study of the reaction mechanism of acetyl-coenzyme a synthase.

Recent experimental and theoretical studies have focused on the mechanism of the A-cluster active site of acetyl-CoA synthase that produces acetyl-CoA from a methyl group, carbon monoxide, and CoA. Several proposals have been made concerning the redox states of the (Ni-Ni) bimetallic center and the iron-sulfur cluster connected to one of the metals. Using hybrid density functional theory, we have investigated putative intermediate states from the catalytic cycle. Among our conclusions are the following: (i) the zerovalent state proposed for the proximal metal is unlikely if the charge on the iron-sulfur cluster is +2; (ii) a mononuclear mechanism in which both CO and CH(3) bind the proximal nickel is favored over the binuclear mechanism in which CO and CH(3) bind the proximal and distal nickel ions, respectively; (iii) the formation of a disulfide bond in the active site could provide the two electrons necessary for the reaction but only if methylation occurs simultaneously; and (iv) the crystallographic closed form of the active site needs to open to accommodate ligands in the equatorial site.

Acetate-CoA Ligase↗
PubMed2004

Insights into the phosphoryl-transfer mechanism of cAMP-dependent protein kinase from quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations.

To investigate the molecular details of the phosphoryl-transfer mechanism catalyzed by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, we performed quantum mechanical (QM) calculations on a cluster model of the active site and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a ternary complex of the protein with Mg(2)ATP and a 20-residue peptide substrate. Overall, our theoretical results confirm the participation of the conserved aspartic acid, Asp(166), as an acid/base catalyst in the reaction mechanism catalyzed by protein kinases. The MD simulation shows that the contact between the nucleophilic serine side chain and the carboxylate group of Asp(166) is short and dynamically stable, whereas the QM study indicates that an Asp(166)-assisted pathway is structurally and energetically feasible and is in agreement with previous experimental results.

Catalytic Domain↗
PubMed2004

Transition events in one dimension.

The instanton or stationary-phase formula has received much attention recently as a way of determining transition paths in reacting systems. In this paper, we analyze the instanton approach for some one-dimensional problems and compare the results it gives with data from a numerical simulation. We show that a proper comparison of the analytic and numerical results must take into account the boundary conditions used in the numerical simulations and also suggest values for the integration constant in the instanton formula that gives the best agreement with the simulated results.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Understanding the acylation mechanisms of active-site serine penicillin-recognizing proteins: a molecular dynamics simulation study.

Beta-lactam antibiotics inhibit enzymes involved in the last step of peptidoglycan synthesis. These enzymes, also identified as penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), form a long-lived acyl-enzyme complex with beta-lactams. Antibiotic resistance is mainly due to the production of beta-lactamases, which are enzymes that hydrolyze the antibiotics and so prevent them reaching and inactivating their targets, and to mutations of the PBPs that decrease their affinity for the antibiotics. In this study, we present a theoretical study of several penicillin-recognizing proteins complexed with various beta-lactam antibiotics. Hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical potentials in conjunction with molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to understand the role of several residues, and pK(a) calculations have also been done to determine their protonation state. We analyze the differences between the beta-lactamase TEM-1, the membrane-bound PBP2x of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and the soluble DD-transpeptidase of Streptomyces K15.

Acylation↗
PubMed2003

Initial catalytic events in class 3 aldehyde dehydrogenase: MM and QM/MM simulations.

A novel enzyme mechanism has been predicted by computer simulations for formation of the thiohemiacetal intermediate in the rat ALDH3A1 enzyme. We used molecular mechanics simulations to study the atomic details of substrate binding and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods to study the Cys-243 thiolate attack on benzaldehyde (BA) substrate. BA was found to produce more reactive conformers when aligned for formation of the tetrahedral thiohemiacetal in the R-configuration. In addition, the sulfhydryl proton was seen to be important for initial binding of the substrate. Finally, the free energy differences between forming a thiohemiacetal oxyanion intermediate versus forming a neutral thiohemiacetal intermediate where a proton is donated to the intermediate from the surroundings strongly favor the latter. Our results suggest that the proton donor is the amide proton from the Cys-243 backbone supported by interactions with Lys-235.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed2003

A computational study of the open and closed forms of the N-lobe human serum transferrin apoprotein.

Human serum transferrin tightly binds ferric ions in the blood stream but is able to release them in cells by a process involving receptor-mediated endocytosis and decrease in pH. Iron binding and release are accompanied by a large conformation change. In this study, we investigate theoretically the open and closed forms of the N-lobe human serum transferrin apoprotein by performing pKa calculations and molecular dynamics and free-energy simulations. In agreement with the hypothesis based on the x-ray crystal structures, our calculations show that there is a shift in the pKa values of the lysines forming the dilysine trigger when the conformation changes. We argue, however, that simple electrostatic repulsion between the lysines is not sufficient to trigger domain opening and, instead, propose an alternative explanation for the dilysine-trigger effect. Analysis of the molecular dynamics and free-energy results indicate that the open form is more mobile than the closed form and is much more stable at pH 5.3, in large part due to entropic effects. Despite a lower free energy, the dynamics simulation of the open form shows that it is flexible enough to sample conformations that are consistent with iron binding.

Apoproteins↗
PubMed2003

Development and testing of a de novo drug-design algorithm.

In this article we present an implementation of a de novo drug-design algorithm. The algorithm starts with a molecule placed in the binding site of a protein and then modifies it using a sequential growth approach. This involves successive cycles of suppression of randomly picked groups in the molecule and their replacement by other groups chosen from databanks of linear or cyclic fragments. The algorithm has been coupled with the DYNAMO library which allows the simulation of macromolecules using molecular mechanical and quantum chemical methods. The main body of the article describes the methodologies we use to create, characterize and evaluate putative ligands. We also consider briefly an application of the algorithm to a protein of pharmacological interest, the neuraminidase of the influenza virus, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our approach.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Reaction mechanism of the HGXPRTase from Plasmodium falciparum: a hybrid potential quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical study.

Parasites lack the ability to synthesize purines de novo. Instead, they use an enzyme, hypoxanthine-guanine-xanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGXPRTase), to salvage host purine and to construct their own nucleotides. In this paper, we investigate the reaction mechanism of the HGXPRTase from Plasmodium falciparum using free-energy simulations and a hybrid potential QM/MM description of the enzyme. The possibility of both dissociative and associative nucleophilic substitutions is discussed, as contradictory hypotheses have been postulated on the basis of crystallographic data and kinetic isotope effect experiments. The preferred pathway is predicted to be stepwise with a rapid proton transfer from the hypoxanthine to the protein followed by a rate-limiting glycosyl transfer. This latter step has a D(N)A(N) mechanism with a transition state in which the pyrophosphate leaving group is more closely bound than the attacking hypoxanthine nucleophile. The energy barrier is comparable to the experimentally observed one.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Simulating enzyme reactions: challenges and perspectives.

Elucidating how enzymes enhance the rates of the reactions that they catalyze is a major goal of contemporary biochemistry, and it is an area in which computational and theoretical techniques can make a major contribution. This article outlines some of the processes that need to be investigated if enzyme catalysis is to be understood, reviews the current state-of-the-art in enzyme simulation work, and highlights challenges for the future.

Catalysis↗
PubMed2002

Molecular dynamics study of Desulfovibrio africanus cytochrome c3 in oxidized and reduced forms.

A 5-ns molecular dynamics study of a tetraheme cytochrome in fully oxidized and reduced forms was performed using the CHARMM molecular modeling program, with explicit water molecules, Langevin dynamics thermalization, Particle Mesh Ewald long-range electrostatics, and quantum mechanical determination of heme partial charges. The simulations used, as starting points, crystallographic structures of the oxidized and reduced forms of the acidic cytochrome c(3) from Desulfovibrio africanus obtained at pH 5.6. In this paper we also report structures for the two forms obtained at pH 8. In contrast to previous cytochrome c(3) dynamics simulations, our model is stable. The simulation structures agree reasonably well with the crystallographic ones, but our models show higher flexibility and the water molecules are more labile. We have compared in detail the differences between the simulated and experimental structures of the two redox states and observe that the hydration structure is highly dependent on the redox state. We have also analyzed the interaction energy terms between the hemes, the protein residues, and water. The direct electrostatic interaction between hemes is weak and nearly insensitive to the redox state, but the remaining terms are large and contribute in a complex way to the overall potential energy differences that we see between the redox states.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parametrization of a force field for metals complexed to biomacromolecules: applications to Fe(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II).

Although techniques for the simulation of biomolecules, such as proteins and RNAs, have greatly advanced in the last decade, modeling complexes of biomolecules with metal ions remains problematic. Precise calculations can be done with quantum mechanical methods but these are prohibitive for systems the size of macromolecules. More qualitative modeling can be done with molecular mechanical potentials but the parametrization of force fields for metals is often difficult, particularly if the bonding between the metal and the groups in its coordination shell has significant covalent character. In this paper we present a method for deriving bond and bond-angle parameters for metal complexes from experimental bond and bond-angle distributions obtained from the Cambridge Structural Database. In conjunction with this method, we also introduce a non-standard energy term of gaussian form that allows us to obtain a stable description of the coordination about a metal center during a simulation. The method was evaluated on Fe(II)-porphyrin complexes, on simple Cu(II) ion complexes and a number of complexes of the Pb(II) ion.

Computer Simulation↗