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Anesthetic interaction with ketosteroid isomerase: insights from molecular dynamics simulations.

The nature and the sites of interactions between anesthetic halothane and homodimeric Delta5-3-ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) are characterized by flexible ligand docking and confirmed by 1H-15N NMR. The dynamics consequence of halothane interaction and the implication of the dynamic changes to KSI function are studied by multiple 5-ns molecular dynamics simulations in the presence and absence of halothane. Both docking and MD simulations show that halothane prefer the amphiphilic dimeric interface to the hydrophobic active site of KSI. Halothane occupancy at the dimer interface disrupted the intersubunit hydrogen bonding formed either directly through side chains of polar residues or indirectly through the mediation of the interfacial water molecules. Moreover, in the presence of halothane, the exchange rate of the bound waters with bulk water was increased. Halothane perturbation to the dimer interface affected the overall flexibility of the active site. This action is likely to contribute to the halothane-induced reduction of the KSI activity. The allosteric halothane modulation of the dynamics-function relationship of KSI without direct competition at the enzymatic active sites may be generalized to offer a unifying explanation of anesthetic action on a diverse range of multidomain neuronal proteins that are potentially relevant to clinical general anesthesia.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗

Experimental validation of the docking orientation of Cdc25 with its Cdk2-CycA protein substrate.

Cdc25 phosphatases are key activators of the eukaryotic cell cycle and compelling anticancer targets because their overexpression has been associated with numerous cancers. However, drug discovery targeting these phosphatases has been hampered by the lack of structural information about how Cdc25s interact with their native protein substrates, the cyclin-dependent kinases. Herein, we predict a docked orientation for Cdc25B with its Cdk2-pTpY-CycA protein substrate by a rigid-body docking method and refine the docked models with full-scale molecular dynamics simulations and minimization. We validate the stable ensemble structure experimentally by a variety of in vitro and in vivo techniques. Specifically, we compare our model with a crystal structure of the substrate-trapping mutant of Cdc25B. We identify and validate in vivo a novel hot-spot residue on Cdc25B (Arg492) that plays a central role in protein substrate recognition. We identify a hot-spot residue on the substrate Cdk2 (Asp206) and confirm its interaction with hot-spot residues on Cdc25 using hot-spot swapping and double mutant cycles to derive interaction energies. Our experimentally validated model is consistent with previous studies of Cdk2 and its interaction partners and initiates the opportunity for drug discovery of inhibitors that target the remote binding sites of this protein-protein interaction.

Binding Sites↗

A model of the human M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.

The M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor belongs to the family of rhodopsin like G-Protein Coupled Receptors. This subtype of muscarinic receptors is of special interest because it bears, aside from an orthosteric binding site, also an allosteric binding site. Based on the X-ray structure of bovine rhodopsin a complete homology model of the human M2 receptor was developed. For the orthosteric binding site point mutations and binding studies with different agonists and antagonists are available. This knowledge was utilized for an initial verification of the M2 model. Allosteric modulation of activity is mediated by structurally different ligands such as gallamine, caracurine V salts or W84 (a hexamethonium-derivative). Caracurine V derivatives with different affinities to M2 were docked using GRID-fields. Subsequent molecular dynamics simulations yielded different binding energies based on diverse electrostatic and lipophilic interactions. The calculated affinities are in good agreement to experimentally determined affinities.

Allosteric Site↗

Computational identification of potential antifungal targets against Claviceps purpurea via MD simulation and MM/GBSA.

Ergot alkaloids produced by the fungus Claviceps purpurea pose significant risks to agriculture and human health. This study systematically investigates the pathogenicity of C. purpurea, analyzing five strains for their proteomic profiles, which revealed genetic variability in size and GC content. We identified proteins localized in various cellular compartments, contributing to our understanding of essential cellular processes. A focus on potential drug targets led to the identification of Alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase, a hydrolase with significant mass and functional relevance, despite not matching a UniProt entry. The 3D structure prediction confirmed its integrity, making it a suitable target for further analysis. Molecular docking identified ligands CID:51,535,944 and CID:145,242,255 with strong binding affinities to Alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase, highlighting interactions with key residues like TRP138, ARG651. Molecular docking interactions were validated and showed consistency through MD simulation analyses with greater RMSD, RMSF and PL contacts. This research enhances our understanding of C. purpurea, offering insights into its genetic diversity and cellular mechanisms while identifying promising therapeutic targets. The findings contribute to strategies for mitigating the economic and health impacts of C. purpurea infections, paving the way for innovative interventions in sustainable agriculture.

Molecular Docking Simulation↗

Modeling the structure of the StART domains of MLN64 and StAR proteins in complex with cholesterol.

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein-related lipid transfer (StART) domains are ubiquitously involved in intracellular lipid transport and metabolism and other cell-signaling events. In this work, we use a flexible docking algorithm, comparative modeling, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to generate plausible three-dimensional atomic models of the StART domains of human metastatic lymph node 64 (MLN64) and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) proteins in complex with cholesterol. Our results show that cholesterol can adopt a similar conformation in the binding cavity in both cases and that the main contribution to the protein-ligand interaction energy derives from hydrophobic contacts. However, hydrogen-bonding and water-mediated interactions appear to be important in the fine-tuning of the binding affinity and the position of the ligand. To gain insights into the mechanism of binding, we carried out steered MD simulations in which cholesterol was gradually extracted from within the StAR model. These simulations indicate that a transient opening of loop Omega1 may be sufficient for uptake and release, and they also reveal a pathway of intermediate states involving residues known to be crucial for StAR activity. Based on these observations, we suggest specific mutagenesis targets for binding studies of cholesterol and its derivatives that could improve our understanding of the structural determinants for ligand binding by sterol carrier proteins.

Algorithms↗

Prediction of HIV-1 integrase/viral DNA interactions in the catalytic domain by fast molecular docking.

This study details the separate analyses of binding specificity of HIV-1 integrase (IN) and viral B-DNA forms through ligand-receptor docking studies by means of a fast molecular docking method. The application of solvated electrostatics with the University of Houston Brownian Dynamics Program (UHBD) and configurational sampling by the Daughter of Turnip (DOT) docking program resulted in the computation of energies of more than 113 billion configurations for each ligand-receptor docking study, a procedure considered computationally intractable a few years ago. A specific binding pattern of viral DNA to the IN catalytic domain region has been predicted as a result of these calculations. In a representative docked configuration, we observe the 3'-hydroxyl of the conserved deoxyadenosine to be close to one of the two divalent metal ions that are necessary for catalysis. A superimposition of our energy-minimized docked complex on representative structures from a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a crystallographically resolved IN/inhibitor complex revealed an overlap of viral DNA with the inhibitor, indicating that the bound inhibitor might operate by blocking substrate binding. The DOT docking calculation also identified a second, adjacent DNA-binding site, which we believe is the nonspecific host DNA binding site. The binding pattern predicted by DOT complements previous electrostatics, MD simulation, photo-cross-linking, and mutagenesis studies and also provides a further refinement of the IN/viral DNA binding interaction as a basis for new structure-based design efforts.

Catalytic Domain↗

Modeling of angiogenin - 3-NMP complex.

Angiogenin belongs to the Ribonuclease superfamily and has a weak enzymatic activity that is crucial for its biological function of stimulating blood vessel growth. Structural studies on ligand bound Angiogenin will go a long way in understanding the mechanism of the protein as well as help in designing drugs against it. In this study we present the first available structure of nucleotide ligand bound Angiogenin obtained by computer modeling. The importance of this study in itself notwithstanding, is a precursor to modeling a full dinucleotide substrate onto Angiogenin. Bovine Angiogenin, the structure of which has been solved at a high resolution, was earlier subjected to Molecular Dynamics simulations for a nanosecond. The MD structures offer better starting points for docking as they offer lesser obstruction than the crystal structure to ligand binding. The MD structure with the least serious short contacts was modeled to obtain a steric free Angiogenin - 3' mononucleotide complex structure. The structures were energetically minimized and subjected to a brief spell of Molecular Dynamics. The results of the simulation show that all the ligand-Angiogenin interactions and hydrogen bonds are retained, redeeming the structure and docking procedure. Further, following ligand - protein interactions in the case of the ligands 3'-CMP and 3'-UMP we were able to speculate on how Angiogenin, a predominantly prymidine specific ribonuclease prefers Cytosine to Uracil in the first base position.

Animals↗

Glucocorticoid receptor interactions with glucocorticoids: evaluation by molecular modeling and functional analysis of glucocorticoid receptor mutants.

In the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases, there are some glucocorticoid (GC) double esters combining pronounced antiinflammatory activity and minor atrophogenic side effects. The reason, however, is only poorly understood. To investigate interactions of GCs with the ligand-binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), we measured receptor-binding potency of a series of GC esters including their metabolites and performed a molecular modeling study using progesterone receptor crystal structure data. Ligand docking to the GR-binding pocket showed good fitting of GC 17-esters corresponding to their high receptor-binding affinity, and unfavorable sterical interactions for GC 21-esters with substituents larger than propionate. Molecular dynamics simulations served to visualize induced fit procedures. Ligand docked GC conformations after dynamics simulations were used for generation of a 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship model. Using a set of 11 steroids, this model showed a correlation coefficient (r(2)) of 0.98, a leave-one-out cross validation (q(2)) of 0.79 and was able to predict binding affinity of further six ligands with a standard error of prediction of 0.33. Moreover, interactions of Asn-564 and Met-639 with the steroids were investigated by studying GR mutants of these amino acids. Met-639 participates in hydrophobic interactions mainly with GC side chains, while Asn-564 forms a hydrogen bond to the C11-OH group of the steroid. Asn-564 is shown to be very important for ligand binding and even more for target gene activation and transcription factor repression.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Simulation of the interaction between ScyTx and small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel by docking and MM-PBSA.

Computational methods are employed to simulate interaction of scorpion toxin ScyTx in complex with the small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel rsk2. All of available 25 structures of ScyTx in the Protein Data Bank determined by NMR were considered for improving performance of rigid protein docking of ZDOCK. Four main binding modes were found among a large number of predicted complexes by using clustering analysis, screening with expert knowledge, energy minimization, and molecular dynamics simulations. The quality and validity of the resulting complexes were further evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations with the generalized Born solvation model and by calculation of relative binding free energies with the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) in the AMBER 7 suit of programs. The complex formed by the 22nd structure of the ScyTx and rsk2 channel was identified as the most favorable complex by using a combination of computational methods, which contain further introduction of flexibility without restraining residue side chain. From the resulted spatial structure of the ScyTx and rsk2 channel, ScyTx associates the mouth of the rsk2 channel with alpha-helix rather than beta-sheet. Structural analysis first revealed that Arg(13) played a novel and vital role of blocking the pore of the rsk2 channel, whose role is remarkably different from that of highly homologous scorpion toxin P05. Between the interfaces in the ScyTx-rsk2 complex, strong electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonds exist between Arg(13) of ScyTx and Gly-Tyr-Gly-Asp sequential residues located in the four symmetrical chains of the pore region. Simultaneously, five hydrogen bonds between Arg(6) of ScyTx and Asp(341)(C), Val(366)(C), and Pro(367)(C), and electrostatic interaction between Arg(6) of ScyTx and Asp(364)(B) and Asp(341)(C) are also found by structural analysis. In addition, His(31) located at the C-terminal of ScyTx is surrounded by Val(342)(A), Asp(364)(A), Met(365)(A), Pro(367)(B), and Asn(366)(B) within a contact distance of 4.0 A. These simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data and can effectively explain the binding phenomena between ScyTx and the potassium channel at the level of molecular spatial structure. The consistency between results of molecular modeling and experimental data strongly suggests that our spatial structure model of the ScyTx-rsk2 complex is reasonable. Therefore, molecular docking combined with molecular dynamics simulations followed by molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area analysis is an attractive approach for modeling scorpion toxin-potassium channel complexes a priori for further biological studies.

Animals↗

Integrated computational and experimental benchmarking of Bacillus phage endolysins reveals the relationship between peptidoglycan-fragment recognition descriptors and antibacterial performance.

Protein-based antibacterials such as bacteriophage endolysins offer a targeted therapeutic strategy against Gram-positive pathogens. However, prioritizing the most effective candidates from the large sequence diversity available remains a significant challenge. Here we present a standardized computational-experimental benchmarking framework that evaluates seven phage-derived endolysin variants (E1, E2, E3, E7, E10, E12, and E15) identified from Bacillus genomes. We combined molecular docking and residue-level interaction mapping against muramyl dipeptide (MDP), a minimal conserved peptidoglycan motif, with 1000-ns molecular dynamics simulations, MM/PBSA binding free-energy estimation, and matched functional inhibition assays against Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. Computational analyses revealed generally favorable MDP recognition across variants, albeit with notable differences in contact patterns and complex stability profiles. Experimental screening identified E2 as the most potent antibacterial agent against both species, while E7 and E1 performed strongly in selected computational metrics. Integrated analysis showed only modest correlations between computational descriptors of fragment recognition/stability and observed antibacterial performance. This study establishes a practical comparative benchmarking platform for endolysin candidate prioritization, nominates E2 and E7 as promising candidates for further development, and highlights E1 as a potential structural scaffold for rational engineering, while explicitly demonstrating both the utility and the current limitations of using minimal peptidoglycan fragments as proxies for full cell-wall recognition in lysin benchmarking.

Endopeptidases↗

Prediction of binding for a kind of non-peptic HCV NS3 serine protease inhibitors from plants by molecular docking and MM-PBSA method.

In the study, molecular dynamics simulations combined with MM-PBSA (Molecular Mechanics and Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area) technique were applied to predict the binding mode of the polyphenol inhibitor in the binding pocket of the HCV NS3 serine protease for which the ligand-protein crystal structure is not available. The most favorable geometry of three candidates from molecular docking had a binding free energy about 3 and 6kcal/mol more favorable than the other two candidates, respectively, and was identified as the correct binding mode. In the mode, the correlation of the calculated and experimental binding affinities of all five polyphenol compounds is satisfactory indicated by r(2)=0.92. The most favorable binding mode suggests that two galloyl residues at 3 and 4 positions of the glucopyranose ring of the inhibitors interact with SER139, GLY137, ALA157, and ASP81 by hydrogen bond interaction and with ALA156 and HIE57 by hydrophobic interaction and are essential for the activities of the studied inhibitors.

Binding Sites↗

Molecular docking reveals a novel binding site model for fentanyl at the mu-opioid receptor.

The ligand binding modes of a series of fentanyl derivatives are examined using a combination of conformational analysis and molecular docking to the mu-opioid receptor. Condensed-phase molecular dynamics simulations are applied to evaluate potential relationships between ligand conformation and fentanyl substitution and to generate probable "bioactive" structures for the ligand series. Automated docking of the largely populated solution conformers identified a common binding site orientation that places the N-phenethyl group of fentanyl deep in a crevice between transmembrane (TM) helices II and III while the N-phenylpropanamide group projected toward a pocket formed by TM-III, -VI, and -VII domains. An analysis of the binding modes indicates the most potent fentanyl derivatives adopt an extended conformation both in solution and in the bound state, suggesting binding affinity may depend on the conformational preferences of the ligands. The results are consistent with ligand binding data derived from chimeric and mutant receptor studies as well as structure-activity relationship data reported on a wide range of fentanyl analogues. The binding site model is also compared to that of N-phenethylnormorphine. An overlay of the bound conformation of the opiate and cis-3-methylfentanyl shows the N-phenethyl groups occupy equivalent binding domains in the receptor. While the cationic amines of both ligand classes were found docked to an established anchor site (D149 in TM-III), no overlap was observed between the N-phenylpropanamide group and the remaining components of the opiate scaffold. The unique binding mode(s) proposed for the fentanyl series may, in part, explain the difficulties encountered in defining models of recognition at the mu-receptor and suggest opioid receptors may display multiple binding epitopes. Furthermore, the results provide new insight to the design of experiments aimed at understanding the structural basis to the differential selectivities of ligands at the mu-, delta-, and kappa-opioid receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homology model of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor: sites critical for nonclassical cannabinoid agonist interaction.

Association of cannabimimetic compounds such as cannabinoids, aminoalkylindoles (AAIs), and arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide) with the brain cannabinoid (CB(1)) receptor activates G-proteins and relays signals to regulate neuronal functions. A CB(1) receptor homology model was constructed using the published x-ray crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin (Palczewski et al., Science, 2000, Vol. 289, pp. 739-745) in the conformation most likely to represent the "high-affinity" state for agonist binding to G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). A molecular docking approach that combined Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations was used to identify the putative binding conformations of nonclassical cannabinoid agonists, including AC-bicyclic CP47497 and CP55940, and ACD-tricyclic CP55244. Placement of these ligands was based upon the assumption of a critical hydrogen bond between the A-ring OH and the side chain N of Lys192 in transmembrane helix 3. We evaluated two alternative binding conformations, C3-in and C3-out, denoting the directionality of the ligand C3 side chain within the receptor with respect to the inside or the outside of the cell. Assuming both the C3-in or C3-out conformation, the calculated ligand-receptor binding energy (DeltaE(bind)) was correlated with the experimentally observed binding affinity (K(i)) for a series of nonclassical cannabinoid agonists. The C3-in conformation was marginally better than the alternative C3-out conformation in predicting the rank order of the tested nonclassical cannabinoid analogs. Adopting the C3-in conformation due to the greater number of receptor interactions with known pharmacophoric elements of the ligand, key residues were identified comprising the presumed hydrophobic pocket that interacts with the C3 side chain of cannabinoid agonists. Key hydrogen bonds would form between both K3.28(192) and E(258) and the A-ring OH, and between Q(261) and the C-ring C-12 hydroxypropyl. In summary, the present study represents one of the first attempts to construct a homology model of the CB(1) cannabinoid receptor based upon the published bovine rhodopsin x-ray crystal structure and to elucidate the putative ligand binding site for nonclassical cannabinoid agonists. We postulated sites of the CB(1) receptor critical for the ligand interaction, including the hydrophobic pocket interacting with the key pharmacophoric moiety, the C3 side chain. More work is needed to delineate between two alternative (and possibly other) binding conformations of the nonclassical cannabinoid ligands within the CB(1) receptor. The present study provides a consistent framework for further investigation of the CB(1) receptor-ligand interaction and for the study of CB(1) receptor activation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Design, synthesis, and computational affinity prediction of ester soft drugs as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase from Pneumocystis carinii.

A series of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors, where the methylenamino-bridge of non-classical inhibitors was replaced with an ester function, have been prepared as potential soft drugs intended for inhalation against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Several of the new ester-based inhibitors that should serve as good substrates for the ubiquitous esterases and possibly constitute safer alternatives to metabolically stable DHFR inhibitors administered orally, were found to be potent inhibitors of P. carinii DHFR (pcDHFR). Although the objectives of the present program is to achieve a favorable toxicity profile by applying the soft drug concept, a high preference for inhibition of the fungal DHFR versus the mammalian DHFR is still desirable to suppress host toxicity at the site of administration. Compounds with a slight preference for the fungal enzyme were identified. The selection of the target compounds for synthesis was partly guided by an automated docking and scoring procedure as well as molecular dynamics simulations. The modest selectivity of the synthesized inhibitors was reasonably well predicted, although a correct ranking of the relative affinities was not successful in all cases.

Drug Design↗

R-state hemoglobin bound to heterotropic effectors: models of the DPG, IHP and RSR13 binding sites.

We performed a docking study followed by a 500-ps molecular dynamics simulation of R-state human adult hemoglobin (HbA) complexed to different heterotropic effectors [2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG), inositol hexaphosphate (IHP), and 2-[4-[(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamoyl)-]methyl]-phenoxy]-2-methylpropionic acid (RSR13)) to propose a molecular basis for recently reported interactions of effectors with oxygenated hemoglobin. The simulations were carried out with counterions and explicit solvation. As reported for T-state HbA, the effector binding sites are also located in the central cavity of the R-state and differ depending on effector anionic character. DPG and IHP bind between the alpha-subunits and the RSR13 site spans the alpha1-, alpha2- and beta2-subunits. The generated models provide the first report of the molecular details of R-state HbA bound to heterotropic effectors.

Aniline Compounds↗

Monosaccharide-linked inhibitors of O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT): synthesis, molecular modeling, and structure-activity relationships.

A series of potential inhibitors of the human DNA repair protein O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) were synthesized, characterized in detail by NMR, and tested for their ability to deplete MGMT activity in vitro. The new compounds, omega-[O(6)-R-guan-9-yl]-(CH(2))(n)-beta-d-glucosides with R = benzyl or 4-bromothenyl and omega = n = 2, 4,. 12, were compared with the established inhibitors O(6)-benzylguanine (O(6)-BG), 8-aza-O(6)-benzylguanine (8-aza-BG), and O(6)-(4-bromothenyl)guanine (4-BTG), which exhibit in an in vitro assay IC(50) values of 0.62, 0.038, and 0.009 microM, respectively. Potential advantages of the glucosides are improved water solubility and selective uptake in tumor cells. The 4-BTG glucosides with n = 2, 4, 6 show moderate inhibition with an IC(50) of ca. 0.5 microM, while glucosides derived from BG and 8-aza-BG showed significantly poorer inhibition compared to the parent compounds. The 4-BTG glucosides with n = 8, 10, 12 were effective inhibitors with IC(50) values of ca. 0.03 microM. To understand this behavior, extensive molecular modeling studies were performed using the published crystal structure of MGMT (PDB entry: ). The inhibitor molecules were docked into the BG binding pocket, and molecular dynamics simulations with explicit water molecules were carried out. Stabilization energies for the interactions of specific regions of the inhibitor and individual amino acid residues were calculated. The alkyl spacer is located in a cleft along helix 6 of MGMT. With increasing spacer length there is increasing interaction with several amino acid residues which play an important role in the proposed nucleotide flipping mechanism required for DNA repair.

Cell-Free System↗

Understanding the bacterial polysaccharide antigenicity of Streptococcus agalactiae versus Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Bacterial surface capsular polysaccharides (CPS) that are similar in carbohydrate sequence may differ markedly in immunogenicity and antigenicity. The structural origin of these phenomena is poorly understood. Such a case is presented by the Gram-positive bacteria Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS) type III (GBSIII) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pn) type 14 (Pn14), which share closely related CPS sequences. Nevertheless, antibodies (Abs) against GBSIII rarely cross-react with the CPS from Pn14. To establish the origin for the variation in CPS antigenicity, models for the immune complexes of CPS fragments from GBSIII and Pn14, with the variable fragment (Fv) of a GBS-specific mAb (mAb 1B1), are presented. The complexes are generated through a combination of comparative Ab modeling and automated ligand docking, followed by explicitly solvated 10-ns molecular dynamics simulations. The relationship between carbohydrate sequence and antigenicity is further quantified through the computation of interaction energies using the Molecular Mechanics-Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA) method, augmented by conformational entropy estimates. Despite the electrostatic differences between Pn14 and GBSIII CPS, analysis indicates that entropic penalties are primarily responsible for the loss of affinity of the highly flexible Pn14 CPS for mAb 1B1. The similarity of the solution conformation of the relatively rigid GBSIII CPS with that in the immune complex characterizes the previously undescribed 3D structure of the conformational epitope. The analysis provides a comprehensive interpretation for a large body of biochemical and immunological data related to Ab recognition of bacterial polysaccharides and should be applicable to other Ab-carbohydrate interactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The X-ray crystallographic study of long chain left handed Z-DNA and polyamine complex and structural chemistry study of effection by polyamine for the Z-DNA.

We cleared the stabilization mechanism of Z-DNA by using the molecular dynamics calculation and the grid map simulated annealing docking method. Then, we clarified Z-DNA was stabilized by the metal counter ions whose electrical charge and the number of electrons are too many and by polyamine to go into the minor groove. We succeeded in stabilizing Z-DNA of the long chain by using these methods, and succeeded in the crystallization and the data collection up to 1.7 A resolution.

Crystallography, X-Ray↗