■ Abstract Apoptosis is a genetically programmed, morphologically distinct form of cell death that can be triggered by a variety of physiological and pathological stimuli. Studies performed over the past 10 years have demonstrated that proteases play critical roles in initiation and execution of this process. The caspases, a family of cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases, are prominent among the death proteases. Caspases are synthesized as relatively inactive zymogens that become activated by scaffold-mediated transactivation or by cleavage via upstream proteases in an intracellular cascade. Regulation of caspase activation and activity occurs at several different levels: ( a) Zymogen gene transcription is regulated; ( b) antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family and other cellular polypeptides block proximity-induced activation of certain procaspases; and ( c) certain cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) can bind to and inhibit active caspases. Once activated, caspases cleave a variety of intracellular polypeptides, including major structural elements of the cytoplasm and nucleus, components of the DNA repair machinery, and a number of protein kinases. Collectively, these scissions disrupt survival pathways and disassemble important architectural components of the cell, contributing to the stereotypic morphological and biochemical changes that characterize apoptotic cell death.

Mammalian caspases: structure ,a ctivation ,s ubstrates, and functions during apoptosis

Pharmaceutical research has successfully incorporated a wealth of molecular modeling methods, within a variety of drug discovery programs, to study complex biological and chemical systems. The integration of computational and experimental strategies has been of great value in the identification and development of novel promising compounds. Broadly used in modern drug design, molecular docking methods explore the ligand conformations adopted within the binding sites of macromolecular targets. This approach also estimates the ligand-receptor binding free energy by evaluating critical phenomena involved in the intermolecular recognition process. Today, as a variety of docking algorithms are available, an understanding of the advantages and limitations of each method is of fundamental importance in the development of effective strategies and the generation of relevant results. The purpose of this review is to examine current molecular docking strategies used in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry, exploring the advances in the field and the role played by the integration of structure- and ligand-based methods.

Molecular Docking and Structure-Based Drug Design Strategies

F. Vinyl Sulfones and Other Michael Acceptors 4683 G. Azodicarboxamides 4695 IV. Acylating Agents 4695 A. Aza-peptides 4695 B. Carbamates 4699 C. Peptidyl Acyl Hydroxamates 4700 D. â-Lactams and Related Inhibitors 4704 E. Heterocyclic Inhibitors 4714 1. Isocoumarins 4715 2. Benzoxazinones 4722 3. Saccharins 4725 4. Miscellaneous Heterocyclic Inhibitors 4728 V. Phosphonylation Agents 4728 A. Peptide Phosphonates 4728 B. Phosphonyl Fluorides 4734 VI. Sulfonylating Agents 4735 A. Sulfonyl Fluorides 4735 VII. Miscellaneous Inhibitors 4736 VIII. Summary and Perspectives 4737 IX. Acknowledgments 4740 X. Note Added in Proof 4740 XI. References 4740

Irreversible inhibitors of serine, cysteine, and threonine proteases.

Understanding the ruling principles whereby protein receptors recognize, interact, and associate with molecular substrates and inhibitors is of paramount importance in drug discovery efforts. Protein-ligand docking aims to predict and rank the structure(s) arising from the association between a given ligand and a target protein of known 3D structure. Despite the breathtaking advances in the field over the last decades and the widespread application of docking methods, several downsides still exist. In particular, protein flexibility-a critical aspect for a thorough understanding of the principles that guide ligand binding in proteins-is a major hurdle in current protein-ligand docking efforts that needs to be more efficiently accounted for. In this review the key concepts of protein-ligand docking methods are outlined, with major emphasis being given to the general strengths and weaknesses that presently characterize this methodology. Despite the size of the field, the principal types of search algorithms and scoring functions are reviewed and the most popular docking tools are briefly depicted. Recent advances that aim to address some of the traditional limitations associated with molecular docking are also described. A selection of hand-picked examples is used to illustrate these features.

Protein-ligand docking: current status and future challenges.

Molecular docking is an invaluable tool in modern drug discovery. This review focuses on methodological developments relevant to the field of molecular docking. The forces important in molecular recognition are reviewed and followed by a discussion of how different scoring functions account for these forces. More recent applications of computational chemistry tools involve library design and database screening. Last, we summarize several critical methodological issues that must be addressed in future developments.

Molecular Recognition and Docking Algorithms

Farnesyltransferase (FT) inhibitors can suppress tumor cell proliferation without substantially interfering with normal cell growth, thus holding promise for cancer treatment. A structure-based approach to the design of improved FT inhibitors relies on knowledge of the conformational flexibility of the zinc-containing active site of FT. Although several X-ray structures of FT have been reported, detailed information regarding the active site conformational flexibility of the enzyme is still not available. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of FT can offer the requisite information, but have not been applied due to a lack of effective methods for simulating the four-ligand coordination of zinc in proteins. Here, we report in detail the problems that occurred in the conventional MD simulations of the zinc-bound FT and a solution to these problems by employing a simple method that uses cationic dummy atoms to impose orientational requirement for zinc ligands. A successful 1.0 ns (1.0 fs time step) MD simulation of zinc-bound FT suggests that nine conserved residues (Asn127alpha, Gln162alpha, Asn165alpha, Gln195alpha, His248beta, Lys294beta, Leu295beta, Lys353beta, and Ser357beta) in the active site of mammalian FT are relatively mobile. Some of these residues might be involved in the ligand-induced active site conformational rearrangement upon binding and deserve attention in screening and design of improved FT inhibitors for cancer chemotherapy.

Successful molecular dynamics simulation of the zinc-bound farnesyltransferase using the cationic dummy atom approach

The completion of the Human Genome Project, the growing effort on proteomics, and the Structural Genomics Initiative have recently intensified the attention being paid to reliable computer docking programs able to identify molecules that can affect the function of a macromolecule through molecular complexation. We report herein an automated computer docking program, EUDOC, for prediction of ligand-receptor complexes from 3D receptor structures, including metalloproteins, and for identification of a subset enriched in drug leads from chemical databases. This program was evaluated from the standpoints of force field and sampling issues using 154 experimentally determined ligand-receptor complexes and four "real-life" applications of the EUDOC program. The results provide evidence for the reliability and accuracy of the EUDOC program. In addition, key principles underlying molecular recognition, and the effects of structural water molecules in the active site and different atomic charge models on docking results are discussed. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 1750-1771, 2001

EUDOC: a computer program for identification of drug interaction sites in macromolecules and drug leads from chemical databases.

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/S0014-5793%2801%2902672-2

Kun Xu

Papers

Successful molecular dynamics simulation of the zinc-bound farnesyltransferase using the cationic dummy atom approach

EUDOC: a computer program for identification of drug interaction sites in macromolecules and drug leads from chemical databases.

Discovery of a new inhibitor lead of adenovirus proteinase: steps toward selective, irreversible inhibitors of cysteine proteinases