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The conformational behaviour of complexes of alpha-cyclodextrin with p-chlorophenol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid in water as studied by molecular dynamics simulations.

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to obtain information about the conformational behaviour and stabilization of alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha CD) complexes in water. Simulations of p-chlorophenol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid in alpha CD showed that the complex is a very flexible system. The guest compound rotates inside the cavity and partly moves in and out. alpha CD continuously adapts its conformation to the orientation of the guest compound (or vice versa): the hexagon of the glycosidic oxygen atoms is stretched parallel to the plane of the aromatic ring of the guest compound during 80% of the simulation. This suggests that Van der Waals interactions play an important role in the stabilization of the complex. Each intramolecular hydrogen bond between neighbouring glucose units is formed during 30-80% of the simulation. Hydrogen bonds between alpha CD and the guest compound, on the other hand, are rarely formed. Thus, intermolecular hydrogen bonding seems to play a minor role in the stabilization of alpha CD complexes.

Chlorophenols

Cholesterol in model membranes. A molecular dynamics simulation.

Molecular dynamics simulations of a model membrane with inserted cholesterol molecules have been performed to study the perturbing influence of cholesterol. In the fluid phase of a lipid bilayer at 13 mol% concentration of cholesterol, local ordering of the hydrocarbon chains is induced. This perturbation decays with the distance from the cholesterol, and the effect extends 1.25 nm. It can be monitored in several ways, e.g., by an order parameter corresponding to deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance quadrupolar splittings, by the fraction of gauche bonds, or by the local bilayer thickness. At constant surface density, the local ordering is accompanied by disordering of the bulk phase, and, consequently, the net ordering effect is small. After compressing the system laterally in accordance with experimentally known surface areas, the bulk order parameters agree with those of a pure system, and the average order parameters are in accordance with experimental data. The necessity for this lateral compression is supported by calculated lateral pressures. At lower cholesterol concentration (3%), no direct perturbing effect is observed. A smaller lateral pressure than in a pure system indicates that the system with cholesterol is expected to have a smaller surface area, which would result in an increase of the order parameters, thus accounting for the experimental observations. The lack of spatial variation is, however, puzzling and may indicate a cooperative ordering effect.

Cholesterol

Cooperative ligand reorientations in cytochrome c3: a molecular dynamics simulation.

Molecular dynamics simulations of a tetraheme cytochrome c3 were performed to investigate dynamic aspects of the motion of the axial heme iron ligands. It was found that persistent transitions between alternate axial imidazole orientations of the histidine incorporated in the CXXCH heme binding sequence occurred via correlated motions. The correlated motions involved virtually all of the atoms comprising the polypeptide backbone of the heme binding sequence as well as the histidine imidazole side-chain.

Amino Acid Sequence

Application of restrained minimization, simulated annealing and molecular dynamics simulations for the conformational analysis of oligosaccharides.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the confidence with which the small number of 1H NMR nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) distance constraints measurable across glycosidic linkages in oligosaccharides could be used for solution conformational analysis. This was assessed by use of these constraints in restrained molecular mechanical minimization of the tetrasaccharide Gal beta 1----4(Fuc alpha 1----3)Glc-NAc beta 1----3Gal, a model compound of the Lewis-X antigenic determinant. This presents a particularly severe test case in view of extreme resonance overlap and a dearth of inter-residue distance constraints. It is concluded that these constraints, when used in conventional restrained minimization, result in the generation of 'virtual conformations' and local minima about glycosidic linkages. However, these restraints are nevertheless found to be useful in the initial stages of a conformational analysis strategy involving restrained minimization combined with dynamical simulated annealing to define more accurately the global minimum energy configuration, together with molecular dynamics simulation to explore conformational mobility about this minimum. Theoretical ROE values calculated over the time course of the MD simulation, using a formalism appropriate for the time scale of the internal motion, are compared with those obtained experimentally in the oligosaccharide.

Carbohydrate Conformation

Characterization of "native" apomyoglobin by molecular dynamics simulation.

We have used molecular dynamics simulation methods to study the structure and fluctuations of "native" apomyoglobin in aqueous solution for a period of greater than 0.5 nanosecond. This work was motivated by the recent attempts of Hughson et al. to characterize the structure and motion of both this molecule and the less compact, acid stabilized I stage, using methods of pulsed H/2H exchange. The study of these systems provides new insights into protein folding intermediates and our simulation has yielded a detailed model for structure and fluctuations in apomyoglobin which complements the experimental studies. We find that local (short-time) fluctuations agree well with fluctuations observed for the holoprotein in aqueous solution, as well as results from the crystallographic B-factors. In addition, the structural features we observe for native apomyoglobin are very similar to the holoprotein, in basic agreement with the findings of Hughson et al. By examining larger-scale motions, developing only over timescales in excess of a 100 picoseconds, we are able to identify conformationally "labile" and "non-labile" regions within native apomyoglobin. These regions correspond extremely well to those identified in the nuclear magnetic resonance experiments as unstable and stable "folding subdomains" in the I state of apomyoglobin. Overall we find that helices A, B, E, G and H show the least amount of motion and helices C, D and F move substantially over the timescales examined. The major motions, and the primary difference between the holo and apo structures as we have observed them, are due to the shifting motion of helices C, D and F into the vacant heme cavity. We also find that motions at the interface of helical segments can be large, with one important exception being the chain segment connecting helices G and H. This segment of chain interacts with the conformationally "non-labile" helix A to form a relatively rigid subdomain composed of helices A, G and H. We believe that these findings provide direct support for the suggestion of Hughson et al. that helices A, G and H constitute a compact subdomain that remains in a native-like conformation as the protein begins to unfold in environments of decreasing pH.

Apoproteins

Validating the potential mechanism and therapeutic effect of Qinlian Jiangxia decoction in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with hyperlipidemia through network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, andexperiments.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of action of Qinlian Jiangxia decoction (, QLJXD) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated by hyperlipidemia using network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and in vivo experiments. METHODS: Drug components, targets and disease targets were identified using databases such as TCM systems pharmacology database and analysis platform and GeneCards. The intersecting targets were subjected to protein-protein interaction analysis using the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins database. Subsequently, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis of the intersecting targets were conducted using the Metascape platform to identify core components and targets. The results were validated using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: QLJXD contains 76 active ingredients and 136 disease targets. The core ingredients are quercetin, β-sitosterol, wogonin and baicalein, while the core targets are fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and peroxisome proliferative activated receptor gamma (PPARG). Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the core ingredients bound well to the core targets. Animal experiments demonstrated that QLJXD effectively inhibited the expression of FABP4 and increased the expression of PPARG, thereby enhancing disorders of glycolipid metabolism. CONCLUSION: The putative therapeutic efficacy of QLJXD in the management of T2DM complicated with hyperlipidemia may be ascribed to the synergistic actions of multiple components, such as quercetin, β-sitosterol, wogonin, and baicalein, which collectively modulate FABP4 and PPARG molecular targets.

Molecular Docking Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations of the whey protein beta-lactoglobulin.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to model the motions and conformational behavior of the whey protein bovine beta-lactoglobulin. Simulations were performed for the protein by itself and complexed to a single retinol ligand located in a putative interior binding pocket. In the absence of the retinol ligand, the backbone loops around the opening of this interior pocket shifted inward to partially close off this cavity, similar to the shifts observed in previously reported molecular dynamics simulations of the uncomplexed form of the homologous retinol binding protein. The protein complexed with retinol does not exhibit the same conformational shifts. Conformational changes of this type could serve as a recognition signal allowing in vivo discrimination between the free and retinol complexed forms of the beta-lactoglobulin molecule. The unusual bending of the single alpha-helix observed in the simulations of retinol binding protein were not observed in the present calculations.

Animals

Molecular dynamics simulation on a network of workstations using a machine-independent parallel programming language.

Molecular dynamics simulations investigate local and global motion in molecules. Several parallel computing approaches have been taken to attack the most computationally expensive phase of molecular simulations, the evaluation of long range interactions. This paper develops a straightforward but effective algorithm for molecular dynamics simulations using the machine-independent parallel programming language, Linda. The algorithm was run both on a shared memory parallel computer and on a network of high performance Unix workstations. Performance benchmarks were performed on both systems using two proteins. This algorithm offers a portable cost-effective alternative for molecular dynamics simulations. In view of the increasing numbers of networked workstations, this approach could help make molecular dynamics simulations more easily accessible to the research community.

Algorithms

Molecular dynamics simulation on a network of workstations using a machine-independent parallel programming language.

Molecular dynamics simulations investigate local and global motion in molecules. Several parallel computing approaches have been taken to attack the most computationally expensive phase of molecular simulations, the evaluation of long range interactions. This paper reviews these approaches and develops a straightforward but effective algorithm using the machine-independent parallel programming language, Linda. The algorithm was run both on a shared memory parallel computer and on a network of high performance Unix workstations. Performance benchmarks were performed on both systems using two proteins. This algorithm offers a portable cost-effective alternative for molecular dynamics simulations. In view of the increasing numbers of networked workstations, this approach could help make molecular dynamics simulations more easily accessible to the research community.

Algorithms

Mass-weighted molecular dynamics simulation of the protein-ligand complex of rhizopuspepsin and inhibitor.

The mass-weighted molecular dynamics simulation method was developed previously for sampling the multidimensional conformational space of linear and cyclic polypeptides and studying their conformational flexibility. Herein results from molecular dynamics simulations of the protein-ligand complex of the aspartyl protease rhizopuspepsin and a polypeptide inhibitor are reported. The dihedral conformational space sampling for the linear peptide inhibitor in situ was found to be increased in the mass-weighted simulation as in other molecular systems previously studied. More significantly, the physical space of the enzyme binding pocket was also sampled efficiently in the simulations and multiple binding sites were identified for the inhibitor. These results suggest that it may be possible now to study, by computer simulations, the putative initial enzyme-inhibitor complex suggested experimentally from the time-dependent kinetics of enzyme inhibition by slow-binding inhibitors (Morrison, J. F., and C. T. Walsh. 1988. Adv. Enzymol. 61:201), and/or conformational substates in protein-ligand complexes suggested in the study of reassociation dynamics of myoglobin and carbon monoxide following photolysis (Austin, R. H., K. W. Beeson, L. Eisenstein, H. Frauenfelder, and I. C. Gunsalus. 1975. Biochemistry. 14:5355). Moreover, the intermediate binding steps and the molecular flexibility of the inhibitor shown in the MWMD simulation may have crucial roles in the ligand binding process.

Amino Acid Sequence

Molecular dynamics simulation of trp-aporepressor in a solvent.

Molecular dynamics simulations of Escherichia coli trp-aporepressor were carried out in the absence and presence of explicit water molecules. The vacuum simulations resulted in significant deformation of the initial X-ray structure. A solvated simulation with a nonbonded cut-off radius of 9 A gave a better result, and the most satisfactory result was obtained when electrostatic interactions within a cut-off radius of 18 A were considered by a twin-range method. The trajectory from the last simulation was used to analyze the dynamical properties of the aporepressor. The root-mean-square fluctuations of the residues showed the rigidity of the central core and the flexibility of the DNA-binding sites, consistent with the X-ray temperature factors. The dynamical cross-correlation map indicated a significant negative correlation between the central core and the two DNA-binding sites, and thus reproduced the three-domain format (a central core and two DNA-binding heads) from a dynamical point of view. The core region showed weak, but many, intra- and inter-molecular correlations, while the helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motifs were free from correlations with other regions.

Apoproteins

Studies on somatostatin with time-resolved spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

Somatostatin was studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and by molecular dynamics simulations. The results obtained indicate the existence of mainly one conformation in DMSO, and the existence of several conformations in other solvents. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the most important region for activity (residue 7-9) is also the most flexible region in the peptide.

Computer Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulation of Lewis blood groups and related oligosaccharides.

Molecular dynamics simulations without explicit inclusion of solvent molecules have been performed to study the motions of Lewisa and Lewisb blood group oligosaccharides, and two blood group A tetrasaccharides having type I and type II core chains. The blood group H trisaccharide has also been studied and compared with the blood group A type II core chain. The potential energy surface developed by Rasmussen and co-workers was used with the molecular mechanics code CHARMM. The lowest energy minima of the component disaccharide fragments were obtained from conformational energy mapping. The lowest energy minima of these disaccharide fragments were used to build the tri- and tetrasaccharides that were further minimized before the actual heating/equilibration and dynamics simulations. The trajectories of the disaccharide fragments, e.g., Fuc alpha- (1----4)GlcNAc, Gal beta-(1----4)GlcNAc, etc., show transitions among various minima. However, the oligosaccharides were found to be dynamically stable and no transitions to other minimum energy conformations were observed in the time series of the glycosidic dihedral angles even during trajectories as long as 300 ps. The stable conformations of the glycosidic linkages in the oligosaccharides are not necessarily the same as the minimum energy conformation of the corresponding isolated disaccharides. The average fluctuations of the glycosidic angles in the oligosaccharides were well within the range of +/- 15 degrees. The results of these trajectory calculations were consistent with the relatively rigid single-conformation models derived for these oligosaccharides from 1H-nmr data.

Carbohydrate Conformation

Molecular dynamics simulation in vacuo and in solution of [Aib5,6-D-Ala8] cyclolinopeptide A: a conformational and comparative study.

The conformation of a Cyclolinopeptide A analogue, c-(Pro-Pro-Phe-Phe-Aib-Aib-Ile-D-Ala-Val), has been investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations, in various molecular environments. The molecular dynamics results are compared with that obtained for Cyclolinopeptide A and a detailed analysis of the different behaviour for the two compounds is reported. A complete analysis of hydrogen bonds is presented.

Amino Acid Sequence

Molecular dynamics simulations of dinucleoside and dinucleoside-drug crystal hydrates.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on the dinucleoside monophosphates rGpC and dCpG, the latter in its intercalation complex with the acridine drug proflavine. The simulations were performed on the crystal structures, with crystallographically-located solvent molecules. It was found that satisfactory results were best obtained with restraints placed on the movements of the water molecules. Motions of individual atoms have been examined in terms of rms fluctuations and anisotropy and correlation functions. Relative motions of groups (phosphates, sugars, bases and proflavine molecules) have been analysed.

Computer Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulation of the aqueous solvation of sugars.

Recently, several molecular dynamics simulations of the aqueous solvation of carbohydrates have been reported. These studies represent the first theoretical picture available of the microscopic character of sugar solutions, and may provide explanations of the unusual and complex behavior of this class of molecules in solution. This paper will discuss two MD simulations of D-glucopyranose, including a free energy perturbation calculation of the anomeric free energy difference. Solvation was found to have little effect upon the mean conformational structure of the pyranoid rings, but the presence of solvent significantly affected the motions and orientations of the exocyclic groups. Adjacent functional groups of the sugar rings were found to mutually perturb one another's hydration, depending upon the local stereochemistry, which may prove to play a part in the observed anomeric preferences of the sugars. From a component analysis of the free energy of solvation of the two anomers of D-glucopyranose, it was found that a large solvation term favors the beta anomer, which is the form found to be preferred in aqueous solution.

Carbohydrates

Elucidating the Mechanism of Xiaoqinglong Decoction in Chronic Urticaria Treatment: An Integrated Approach of Network Pharmacology, Bioinformatics Analysis, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

INTRODUCTION: Xiaoqinglong Decoction (XQLD) is a traditional Chinese medicinal formula commonly used to treat chronic urticaria (CU). However, its underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain incompletely characterized. This study employed an integrated approach combining network pharmacology, bioinformatics, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations to identify the active components, potential targets, and related signaling pathways involved in XQLD's therapeutic action against CU, thereby providing a mechanistic foundation for its clinical application. METHODS: The active components of XQLD and their corresponding targets were identified using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. CU-related targets were retrieved from the OMIM and GeneCards databases. Subsequently, core components and targets were determined via protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and component-target-pathway network construction. Topological analyses were performed using Cytoscape software to prioritize core nodes within these networks. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted via the DAVID database to identify enriched biological processes and signaling pathways. Molecular docking was performed to evaluate binding interactions between key components and core targets, while molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to assess the stability of the component-target complexes with the lowest binding energy. Finally, CU-related targets of XQLD were validated using datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. RESULTS: A total of 135 active components and 249 potential targets of XQLD were identified, alongside 1,711 CU-related targets. Core components, such as quercetin, kaempferol, beta-sitosterol, naringenin, stigmasterol, and luteolin, exhibited high degree values in the constructed networks. The core targets identified included AKT1, TNF, IL6, TP53, PTGS2, CASP3, BCL2, ESR1, PPARG, and MAPK3. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway as a central regulatory mechanism. Molecular docking studies demonstrated strong binding affinities between active components and core targets, with the stigmasterol-AKT1 complex exhibiting the lowest binding energy (-11.4 kcal/mol) and high stability in MD simulations. Validation using GEO datasets identified 12 core genes shared between CU-related targets and XQLD-associated targets, including PTGS2 and IL6, which were also prioritized as core targets in the network pharmacology analyses. DISCUSSION: This study comprehensively integrates multidisciplinary approaches to clarify the potential molecular mechanisms of XQLD in treating CU, highlighting its multitarget and multipathway synergistic effects. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations confirm the stable interaction between stigmasterol and the core target AKT1. Additionally, GEO dataset analysis verifies the pathogenic relevance of targets such as PTGS2 and IL6, significantly enhancing the credibility of our findings. These results provide a modern scientific basis for the traditional therapeutic effects of XQLD on CU and have important implications for developing multitarget treatments for this condition. However, this study mainly relies on database mining and computational simulations. Further in vitro and in vivo experimental validations are needed to confirm the predicted component-target-pathway interactions. CONCLUSION: This study identifies the active components, potential targets, and pathways through which XQLD exerts therapeutic effects on CU. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for further mechanistic studies and support their clinical application in the treatment of CU.

Molecular Docking Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations of opioid peptide analogs containing multiple conformational restrictions.

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed on the potent and slightly mu-receptor selective cyclic dermorphin analog H-Tyr-D-Orn-Phe-Glu-NH2 as well as on analogs containing a conformationally restricted phenylalanine derivative in place of Phe in the 3 position of the peptide sequence. Peptides studied included the potent and highly mu-selective analogs H-Tyr-D-Orn-Aic-Glu-NH2 (Aic = 2-aminoindan-2-carboxylic acid), H-Tyr-D-Orn-Atc-Glu-NH2 (Atc = 2-aminotetralin-2-carboxylic acid) and H-Tyr-D-Orn-D-Atc-Glu-NH2, and the weakly active analog H-Tyr-D-Orn-Tic-Glu-NH2 (Tic = tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid). Four different starting conformations were chosen for each peptide, and after equilibration each simulation was allowed to proceed for 100 picoseconds at 600 degrees K. The 14-membered ring structures in the Phe-, Aic-, L- and D-Atc-containing analogs showed moderate structural flexibility, while the peptide ring in the Tic-containing analog was more rigid. As theoretically predicted, the phi 3 and psi 3 angles of the Aic-, L- and D-Atc-containing analogs were limited to values of either about +50 degrees or -50 degrees during almost the entire period of the simulations. In the Tic-containing analog the phi 3 and psi 3 angles were 0 degrees and 90 degrees, respectively, and did not change for the entire duration of the simulation. The side chains of the constrained amino acids showed limited movement, but transitions between the allowed conformations did occur on the time scale of the simulations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Computer Simulation