Lead discovery for Alzheimer's disease related target protein RbAp48 from traditional Chinese medicine

Biomed Res Int. 2014:2014:764946. doi: 10.1155/2014/764946. Epub 2014 Jun 2.

Abstract

Deficiency or loss of function of Retinoblastoma-associated proteins (RbAp48) is related with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and AD disease is associated with age-related memory loss. During normal function, RbAp48 forms a complex with the peptide FOG-1 (friend of GATA-1) and has a role in gene transcription, but an unstable complex may affect the function of RbAp48. This study utilizes the world's largest traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) database and virtual screening to provide potential compounds for RbAp48 binding. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was employed to understand the variations after protein-ligand interaction. FOG1 was found to exhibit low stability after RbAp48 binding; the peptide displayed significant movement from the initial docking position, a phenomenon which matched the docking results. The protein structure of the other TCM candidates was not variable during MD simulation and had a greater stable affinity for RbAp48 binding than FOG1. Our results reveal that the protein structure does not affect ligand binding, and the top three TCM candidates Bittersweet alkaloid II, Eicosandioic acid, and Perivine might resolve the instability of the RbAp48-FOG1 complex and thus be used in AD therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / drug therapy*
  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology
  • Binding Sites
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional*
  • Memory Disorders / drug therapy
  • Memory Disorders / metabolism
  • Memory Disorders / pathology
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Multiprotein Complexes / drug effects
  • Nuclear Proteins / chemistry*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 4 / chemistry*
  • Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 4 / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / chemistry*
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • RBBP4 protein, human
  • Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 4
  • Transcription Factors
  • ZFPM1 protein, human