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research article

On the role of water density fluctuations in the inhibition of a proton channel

Gianti, Eleonora
•
Delemotte, Lucie
•
Klein, Michael L.
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2016
Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America (PNAS)

Hv1 is a transmembrane four-helix bundle that transports protons in a voltage-controlled manner. Its crucial role in many pathological conditions, including cancer and ischemic brain damage, makes Hv1 a promising drug target. Starting from the recently solved crystal structure of Hv1, we used structural modeling and molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the channel's most relevant conformations along the activation cycle. We then performed computational docking of known Hv1 inhibitors, 2-guanidinobenzimidazole (2GBI) and analogs. Although salt-bridge patterns and electrostatic potential profiles are well-defined and distinctive features of activated versus nonactivated states, the water distribution along the channel lumen is dynamic and reflects a conformational heterogeneity inherent to each state. In fact, pore waters assemble into intermittent hydrogen-bonded clusters that are replaced by the inhibitor moieties upon ligand binding. The entropic gain resulting from releasing these conformationally restrained waters to the bulk solvent is likely a major contributor to the binding free energy. Accordingly, we mapped the water density fluctuations inside the pore of the channel and identified the regions of maximum fluctuation within putative binding sites. Two sites appear as outstanding: One is the already known binding pocket of 2GBI, which is accessible to ligands from the intracellular side; the other is a site located at the exit of the proton permeation pathway. Our analysis of the waters confined in the hydrophobic cavities of Hv1 suggests a general strategy for drug discovery that can be applied to any ion channel.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1609964114
Web of Science ID

WOS:000391090800001

Author(s)
Gianti, Eleonora
Delemotte, Lucie
Klein, Michael L.
Carnevale, Vincenzo
Date Issued

2016

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences

Published in
Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America (PNAS)
Volume

113

Issue

52

Start page

E8359

End page

E8368

Subjects

Hv1

•

drug design

•

pore waters

•

binding site discovery

•

confined waters

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
ISIC  
Available on Infoscience
January 24, 2017
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/133499
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