Cited by 166Protein Degradation and InhibitorsComputational Drug Discovery MethodsChemical Synthesis and Analysis

Improved Accuracy for Modeling PROTAC-Mediated Ternary Complex Formation and Targeted Protein Degradation via New In Silico Methodologies

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Drummond, Michael L., Henry, Andrew, Li, Huifang, Williams, Christopher I.·2020·Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

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Abstract

Extending upon our previous publication [Drummond, M. ; et al.J. Chem. Inf. Model.2019, 59, 1634−1644], two additional computational methods are presented to model PROTAC-mediated ternary complex structures, which are then used to predict the efficacy of any accompanying protein degradation. Method 4B, an extension to one of our previous approaches, incorporates a clustering procedure uniquely suited for considering ternary complexes. Method 4B yields the highest proportion to date of crystal-like poses in modeled ternary complex ensembles, nearing 100% in two cases and always giving a hit rate of at least 10%. Techniques to further improve this performance for particularly troublesome cases are suggested and validated. This demonstrated ability to reliably reproduce known crystallographic ternary complex structures is further established through modeling of a newly released crystal structure. Moreover, for the far more common scenario where the structure of the ternary complex intermediate is unknown, the methods detailed in this work nonetheless consistently yield results that reliably follow experimental protein degradation trends, as established through seven retrospective case studies. These various case studies cover challenging yet common modeling situations, such as when the precise orientation of the PROTAC binding moiety in one (or both) of the protein pockets has not been experimentally established. Successful results are presented for one PROTAC targeting many proteins, for different PROTACs targeting the same protein, and even for degradation effected by an E3 ligase that has not been structurally characterized in a ternary complex. Overall, the computational modeling approaches detailed in this work should greatly facilitate PROTAC screening and design efforts, so that the many advantages of a PROTAC-based degradation approach can be effectively utilized both rapidly and at reduced cost.

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  • Drummond and Williams proposed four methods combining linker conformational searches with protein-protein docking, leading to virtual models of ternary complexes resembling known crystal structures.

    “Soon after, Drummond and Williams proposed four methods that combined linker conformational searches with protein-protein docking, leading to virtual models of ternary complexes that resembled known crystal structures.174,175”

    From Chasing molecular glue degraders: screening approaches (2022) · cites this paper as [174]

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  1. [54](54) Gadd, M. S.; Testa, A.; Lucas, X.; Chan, K. H.; Chen, W.; Lamont, D. J.; Zengerle, M.; Ciulli, A. Structural Basis of PROTAC Cooperative Recognition for Selective Protein Degradation. Nat. Chem. Biol. 2017 , 13 (5), 514 -521. -

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Authors
Drummond, M. L., Henry, A., Li, H., & Williams, C. I.
Affiliations
  • Chemical Computing Group , , ,
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
Corresponding author
Drummond, Michael L.
Venue
Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
Published
2020-09-24
Volume
60
Issue
10
Pages
5234-5254
ISSN
  • 1549-9596 (ISSN-L)
  • 1549-960X
OpenAlex
W3088011183
Cited by
166
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 1
FWCI
5.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Degradation and Inhibitors
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Computational Drug Discovery Methods
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Chemical Synthesis and Analysis
Keywords
PROTACs, targeted protein degradation, E3 ubiquitin ligase, protein-protein interaction, protein structure prediction, clustering, PROTAC design
MeSH terms
Computer Simulation, Retrospective Studies, Small Molecule Libraries, Proteolysis

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