Cited by 54thermodynamics and calorimetric analysesComputational Drug Discovery MethodsProtein Structure and Dynamics

Paying the Price of desolvation in solvent-exposed protein pockets: impact of distal solubilizing groups on affinity and binding thermodynamics in a series of thermolysin inhibitors.

Cramer, Jonathan, Krimmer, Stefan G., Heine, Andreas, Klebe, Gerhard·2017·Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

Abstract

In lead optimization, open, solvent-exposed protein pockets are often disregarded as prospective binding sites. Because of bulk-solvent proximity, researchers are instead enticed to attach charged polar groups at inhibitor scaffolds to improve solubility and pharmacokinetic properties. It is rarely considered that solvent effects from water reorganization in the first hydration shell of protein–ligand complexes can have a significant impact on binding. We investigate the thermodynamic fingerprint of thermolysin inhibitors featuring terminal charged ammonium groups that are gradually pulled from a distal, solvent-exposed position into the flat, bowl-shaped S 2 ′ pocket. Even for the most remote attachment, costs for partial desolvation of the polar group next to the protein–solvent interface are difficult to compensate by interactions with the protein or surrounding water molecules. Through direct comparison with hydrophobic analogues, a significant 180-fold affinity loss was recorded, which questions popular strategies to attach polar ligand-solubilizing groups at the exposed terminus of substituents accommodated in flat open pockets.

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Crossref · 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00490

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33 of 33 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The unfavorable desolvation effect from burying polar groups after ligand binding plays an important role in the binding event, but it is commonly neglected by most scoring functions.

    “The unfavorable desolvation effect from burying polar groups after ligand binding also plays an important role in the binding event, but it is commonly neglected by most scoring functions (Kar et al., 2013; Li et al., 2014c; Cramer et al., 2017).”

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Authors
Cramer, J., Krimmer, S. G., Heine, A., & Klebe, G.
Affiliations
Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Klebe, Gerhard
Venue
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Published
2017-06-22
Volume
60
Issue
13
Pages
5791-5799
ISSN
  • 0022-2623 (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-4804
OpenAlex
W2624137165
Cited by
50
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 7
FWCI
5.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • edoc (University of Basel) (submittedVersion)
  • HZB Repository (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH (HZB)) (submittedVersion)
Funders
FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (268145)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Physical and Theoretical Chemistry › thermodynamics and calorimetric analyses
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Computational Drug Discovery Methods
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Structure and Dynamics
Keywords
desolvation, binding affinity, binding thermodynamics, lead optimization, first hydration shell, S2 pocket
MeSH terms
Bacillus, Enzyme Inhibitors, Solubility, Thermodynamics, Thermolysin, Crystallography, X-Ray

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