Andrea Coletta

Structural and dynamical effects induced by the anticancer drug topotecan on the human topoisomerase I - DNA complex

Background Human topoisomerase I catalyzes the relaxation of DNA supercoils in fundamental cell processes like transcription, replication and chromosomal segregation. It is the only target of the camptothecin family of anticancer drugs. Among these, topotecan has been used to treat lung and ovarian carcinoma for several years. Camptothecins reversibly binds to the covalent intermediate DNA-enzyme, stabilizing the cleavable complex and reducing the religation rate. The stalled complex then collides with the progression of the replication fork, producing lethal double strand DNA breaks and eventually cell death. Methodology/Principal Findings Long lasting molecular dynamics simulations of the DNA-topoisomerase I binary complex and of the DNA-topoisomerase-topotecan ternary complex have been performed and compared. The conformational space sampled by the binary complex is reduced by the presence of the drug, as observed by principal component and cluster analyses. This conformational restraint is mainly due to the reduced flexibility of residues 633–643 (the region connecting the linker to the core domain) that causes an overall mobility loss in the ternary complex linker domain. During the simulation, DNA/drug stacking interactions are fully maintained, and hydrogen bonds are maintained with the enzyme. Topotecan keeps the catalytic residue Lys532 far from the DNA, making it unable to participate to the religation reaction. Arg364 is observed to interact with both the B and E rings of topotecan with two stable direct hydrogen bonds. An interesting constrain exerted by the protein on the geometrical arrangement of topotecan is also observed. Conclusions/Significance Atomistic-scale understanding of topotecan interactions with the DNA-enzyme complex is fundamental to the explaining of its poisonous effect and of the drug resistance observed in several single residue topoisomerase mutants. We observed significant alterations due to topotecan in both short-range interactions and long-range protein domain communications.

Molecular mechanism of the camptothecin resistance of Glu710Gly topoisomerase IB mutant analyzed in vitro and in silico

BackgroundDNA topoisomerases are key enzymes that modulate the topological state of DNA through the breaking and rejoining of DNA strands. Human topoisomerase IB can be inhibited by several compounds that act through different mechanisms, including clinically used drugs, such as the derivatives of the natural compound camptothecin that reversibly bind the covalent topoisomerase-DNA complex, slowing down the religation of the cleaved DNA strand, thus inducing cell death. Three enzyme mutations, which confer resistance to irinotecan in an adenocarcinoma cell line, were recently identified but the molecular mechanism of resistance was unclear.MethodsThe three resistant mutants have been investigated in S. cerevisiae model system following their viability in presence of increasing amounts of camptothecin. A systematical analysis of the different catalytic steps has been made for one of these mutants (Glu710Gly) and has been correlated with its structural-dynamical properties studied by classical molecular dynamics simulation.ResultsThe three mutants display a different degree of camptothecin resistance in a yeast cell viability assay. Characterization of the different steps of the catalytic cycle of the Glu710Gly mutant indicated that its resistance is related to a high religation rate that is hardly affected by the presence of the drug. Analysis of the dynamic properties through simulation indicate that the mutant displays a much lower degree of correlation in the motion between the different protein domains and that the linker almost completely loses its correlation with the C-terminal domain, containing the active site tyrosine.ConclusionsThese results indicate that a fully functional linker is required to confer camptothecin sensitivity to topoisomerase I since the destabilization of its structural-dynamical properties is correlated to an increase of religation rate and drug resistance.

Role of the protein in the DNA sequence specificity of the cleavage site stabilized by the camptothecin topoisomerase IB inhibitor: a metadynamics study

Camptothecin (CPT) is a topoisomerase IB (TopIB) selective inhibitor whose derivatives are currently used in cancer therapy. TopIB cleaves DNA at any sequence, but in the presence of CPT the only stabilized protein–DNA covalent complex is the one having a thymine in position −1 with respect to the cleavage site. A metadynamics simulation of two TopIB–DNA–CPT ternary complexes differing for the presence of a thymine or a cytosine in position −1 indicates the occurrence of two different drug’s unbinding pathways. The free-energy difference between the bound state and the transition state is large when a thymine is present in position −1 and is strongly reduced in presence of a cytosine, in line with the different drug stabilization properties of the two systems. Such a difference is strictly related to the changes in the hydrogen bond network between the protein, the DNA and the drug in the two systems, indicating a direct role of the protein in determining the specificity of the cleavage site sequence stabilized by the CPT. Calculations carried out in presence of one compound of the indenoisoquinoline family (NSC314622) indicate a comparable energy difference between the bound and the transition state independently of the presence of a thymine or a cytosine in position −1, in line with the experimental results.

Simulations of DNA topoisomerase 1B bound to supercoiled DNA reveal changes in the flexibility pattern of the enzyme and a secondary protein–DNA binding site

Human topoisomerase 1B has been simulated covalently bound to a negatively supercoiled DNA minicircle, and its behavior compared to the enzyme bound to a simple linear DNA duplex. The presence of the more realistic supercoiled substrate facilitates the formation of larger number of protein–DNA interactions when compared to a simple linear duplex fragment. The number of protein–DNA hydrogen bonds doubles in proximity to the active site, affecting all of the residues in the catalytic pentad. The clamp over the DNA, characterized by the salt bridge between Lys369 and Glu497, undergoes reduced fluctuations when bound to the supercoiled minicircle. The linker domain of the enzyme, which is implicated in the controlled relaxation of superhelical stress, also displays an increased number of contacts with the minicircle compared to linear DNA. Finally, the more complex topology of the supercoiled DNA minicircle gives rise to a secondary DNA binding site involving four residues located on subdomain III. The simulation trajectories reveal significant changes in the interactions between the enzyme and the DNA for the more complex DNA topology, which are consistent with the experimental observation that the protein has a preference for binding to supercoiled DNA.

Binding of an Indenoisoquinoline to the Topoisomerase-DNA Complex Induces Reduction of Linker Mobility and Strengthening of Protein-DNA Interaction

Long-duration comparative molecular dynamics simulations of the DNA-topoisomerase binary and DNA-topoisomerase-indenoisoquinoline ternary complexes have been carried out. The analyses demonstrated the role of the drug in conformationally stabilizing the protein-DNA interaction. In detail, the protein lips, clamping the DNA substrate, interact more tightly in the ternary complex than in the binary one. The drug also reduces the conformational space sampled by the protein linker domain through an increased interaction with the helix bundle proximal to the active site. A similar alteration of linker domain dynamics has been observed in a precedent work for topotecan but the molecular mechanisms were different if compared to those described in this work. Finally, the indenoisoquinoline keeps Lys532 far from the DNA, making it unable to participate in the religation reaction, indicating that both short- and long-range interactions contribute to the drug poisoning effect.

Isoniazid Inhibits the Heme-Based Reactivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Truncated Hemoglobin N

Isoniazid represents a first-line anti-tuberculosis medication in prevention and treatment. This prodrug is activated by a mycobacterial catalase-peroxidase enzyme called KatG in Mycobacterium tuberculosis), thereby inhibiting the synthesis of mycolic acid, required for the mycobacterial cell wall. Moreover, isoniazid activation by KatG produces some radical species (e.g., nitrogen monoxide), that display anti-mycobacterial activity. Remarkably, the ability of mycobacteria to persist in vivo in the presence of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species implies the presence in these bacteria of (pseudo-)enzymatic detoxification systems, including truncated hemoglobins (trHbs). Here, we report that isoniazid binds reversibly to ferric and ferrous M. tuberculosis trHb type N (or group I; Mt-trHbN(III) and Mt-trHbN(II), respectively) with a simple bimolecular process, which perturbs the heme-based spectroscopic properties. Values of thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for isoniazid binding to Mt-trHbN(III) and Mt-trHbN(II) are K = (1.1±0.1)×10−4 M, k on = (5.3±0.6)×103 M−1 s−1 and k off = (4.6±0.5)×10−1 s−1; and D = (1.2±0.2)×10−3 M, d on = (1.3±0.4)×103 M−1 s−1, and d off = 1.5±0.4 s−1, respectively, at pH 7.0 and 20.0°C. Accordingly, isoniazid inhibits competitively azide binding to Mt-trHbN(III) and Mt-trHbN(III)-catalyzed peroxynitrite isomerization. Moreover, isoniazid inhibits Mt-trHbN(II) oxygenation and carbonylation. Although the structure of the Mt-trHbN-isoniazid complex is not available, here we show by docking simulation that isoniazid binding to the heme-Fe atom indeed may take place. These data suggest a direct role of isoniazid to impair fundamental functions of mycobacteria, e.g. scavenging of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, and metabolism.

Cooperativity and allostery in haemoglobin function

Tetrameric haemoglobins display a cooperative ligand binding behaviour, which has been attributed to the functional interrelationship between multiple ligand binding sites. The quantitative description of this feature was initially carried out with a phenomenological approach, which was limited to the functional effect of the occupancy by a ligand molecule of a binding site on further binding steps. However, subsequent development of structural–functional models for the description of the cooperativity in haemoglobin brought about a much deeper information on the interrelationships between ligand binding at the heme and structural variations occurring in the surrounding free subunits. This approach opened the way to the evolution of the concept of allostery, which is intended as the structural–functional effect exerted by the presence of a ligand in a binding site on other binding sites present in the same molecule. This concept can be applied to either sites for the same ligand (homotropic allostery) and for sites of different ligands (heterotropic allostery). Several models trying to take into account the continuous building up of structural and functional information on the physicochemical properties of haemoglobin have been developed along this line.

Characterization of the differences in the cyclopiazonic acid binding mode to mammalian and P. Falciparum Ca2+ pumps: A computational study

Despite the investments in malaria research, an effective vaccine has not yet been developed and the causative parasites are becoming increasingly resistant to most of the available drugs. PfATP6, the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump (SERCA) of P. falciparum, has been recently genetically validated as a potential antimalarial target and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) has been found to be a potent inhibitor of SERCAs in several organisms, including P. falciparum. In position 263, PfATP6 displays a leucine residue, whilst the corresponding position in the mammalian SERCA is occupied by a glutamic acid. The PfATP6 L263E mutation has been studied in relation to the artemisinin inhibitory effect on P. falciparum and recent studies have provided evidence that the parasite with this mutation is more susceptible to CPA. Here, we characterized, for the first time, the interaction of CPA with PfATP6 and its mammalian counterpart to understand similarities and differences in the mode of binding of the inhibitor to the two Ca2+ pumps. We found that, even though CPA does not directly interact with the residue in position 263, the presence of a hydrophobic residue in this position in PfATP6 rather than a negatively charged one, as in the mammalian SERCA, entails a conformational arrangement of the binding pocket which, in turn, determines a relaxation of CPA leading to a different binding mode of the compound. Our findings highlight differences between the plasmodial and human SERCA CPA‐binding pockets that may be exploited to design CPA derivatives more selective toward PfATP6. Proteins 2015; 83:564–574.

A small organic compound enhances the religation reaction of human topoisomerase I and identifies crucial elements for the religation mechanism

The different steps of the human Top1 (topoisomerase I) catalytic cycle have been analysed in the presence of a pentacyclic-diquinoid synthetic compound. The experiments indicate that it efficiently inhibits the cleavage step of the enzyme reaction, fitting well into the catalytic site. Surprisingly the compound, when incubated with the binary topoisomerase–DNA cleaved complex, helps the enzyme to remove itself from the cleaved DNA and close the DNA gap, increasing the religation rate. The compound also induces the religation of the stalled enzyme–CPT (camptothecin)–DNA ternary complex. Analysis of the molecule docked over the binary complex, together with its chemical properties, suggests that the religation enhancement is due to the presence on the compound of two oxygen atoms that act as hydrogen acceptors. This property facilitates the deprotonation of the 5′ DNA end, suggesting that this is the limiting step in the topoisomerase religation mechanism.

Solvent Dependency of the UV-Vis Spectrum of Indenoisoquinolines: Role of Keto-Oxygens as Polarity Interaction Probes.

Indenoisoquinolines are the most promising non-campthotecins topoisomerase IB inhibitors. We present an integrated experimental/computational investigation of the UV-Vis spectra of the IQNs parental compound (NSC314622) and two of its derivatives (NSC724998 and NSC725776) currently undergoing Phase I clinical trials. In all the three compounds a similar dependence of the relative absorption intensities at 270 nm and 290 nm on solvent polarity is found. The keto-oxygens in positions 5 and 11 of the molecular scaffold of the molecule are the principal chromophores involved in this dependence. Protic interactions on these sites are also found to give rise to absorptions at wavelength <250 nm observed in water solution, due to the stabilization of highly polarized tautomers of the molecule. These results suggest that the keto-oxygens are important polarizable groups that can act as useful interactors with the molecular receptor, providing at the same time an useful fingerprint for the monitoring of the drug binding to topoisomerase IB.