Guillaume Patient, Corentin Bedart, Naim A Khan, Nicolas Renault, Amaury Farce
{"title":"Distinct binding hotspots for natural and synthetic agonists of FFA4 from in silico approaches.","authors":"Guillaume Patient, Corentin Bedart, Naim A Khan, Nicolas Renault, Amaury Farce","doi":"10.1002/minf.202400046","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>FFA4 has gained interest in recent years since its deorphanization in 2005 and the characterization of the Free Fatty Acids receptors family for their therapeutic potential in metabolic disorders. The expression of FFA4 (also known as GPR120) in numerous organs throughout the human body makes this receptor a highly potent target, particularly in fat sensing and diet preference. This offers an attractive approach to tackle obesity and related metabolic diseases. Recent cryo-EM structures of the receptor have provided valuable information for a potential active state although the previous studies of FFA4 presented diverging information. We performed molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations of four agonist ligands, TUG-891, Linoleic acid, α-Linolenic acid, and Oleic acid, based on a homology model. Our simulations, which accumulated a total of 2 μs of simulation, highlighted two binding hotspots at Arg99<sup>2.64</sup> and Lys293 (ECL3). The results indicate that the residues are located in separate areas of the binding pocket and interact with various types of ligands, implying different potential active states of FFA4 and a highly adaptable binding intra-receptor pocket. This article proposes additional structural characteristics and mechanisms for agonist binding that complement the experimental structures.</p>","PeriodicalId":18853,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Informatics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Molecular Informatics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/minf.202400046","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/24 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
FFA4 has gained interest in recent years since its deorphanization in 2005 and the characterization of the Free Fatty Acids receptors family for their therapeutic potential in metabolic disorders. The expression of FFA4 (also known as GPR120) in numerous organs throughout the human body makes this receptor a highly potent target, particularly in fat sensing and diet preference. This offers an attractive approach to tackle obesity and related metabolic diseases. Recent cryo-EM structures of the receptor have provided valuable information for a potential active state although the previous studies of FFA4 presented diverging information. We performed molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations of four agonist ligands, TUG-891, Linoleic acid, α-Linolenic acid, and Oleic acid, based on a homology model. Our simulations, which accumulated a total of 2 μs of simulation, highlighted two binding hotspots at Arg992.64 and Lys293 (ECL3). The results indicate that the residues are located in separate areas of the binding pocket and interact with various types of ligands, implying different potential active states of FFA4 and a highly adaptable binding intra-receptor pocket. This article proposes additional structural characteristics and mechanisms for agonist binding that complement the experimental structures.
期刊介绍:
Molecular Informatics is a peer-reviewed, international forum for publication of high-quality, interdisciplinary research on all molecular aspects of bio/cheminformatics and computer-assisted molecular design. Molecular Informatics succeeded QSAR & Combinatorial Science in 2010.
Molecular Informatics presents methodological innovations that will lead to a deeper understanding of ligand-receptor interactions, macromolecular complexes, molecular networks, design concepts and processes that demonstrate how ideas and design concepts lead to molecules with a desired structure or function, preferably including experimental validation.
The journal''s scope includes but is not limited to the fields of drug discovery and chemical biology, protein and nucleic acid engineering and design, the design of nanomolecular structures, strategies for modeling of macromolecular assemblies, molecular networks and systems, pharmaco- and chemogenomics, computer-assisted screening strategies, as well as novel technologies for the de novo design of biologically active molecules. As a unique feature Molecular Informatics publishes so-called "Methods Corner" review-type articles which feature important technological concepts and advances within the scope of the journal.