Download MendeleyFat or flat? The impact of dipole moment vectors on non-covalent interactions between aromatic tags and macromolecules.
Holub, J., Jilkova, A., Lemke, C., Cianni, L., Spiwokova, P., Horn, M., Breuer, C., Leontovyc, A., Brynda, J., Mertlikova-Kaiserova, H., Chanova, M., Dos Reis Rocho, F., Montanari, C.A., El-Sakkary, N., Caffrey, C.R., Gutschow, M., Hnyk, D., Mares, M., Fanfrlik, J.(2025) Inorg Chem Front
- PubMed: 41127420
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5qi01546d
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9FZV - PubMed Abstract:
The closo -1,2-C 2 B 10 H 12 carborane is a recognized 3D aromatic icosahedral building block, with an electron distribution governed by the outer hydridic BH and acidic CH vertices. We attached the carborane cage to a peptidomimetic scaffold to generate an active-site inhibitor of SmCB1, a protease drug target in the Schistosoma pathogen. The carborane-tagged compound exhibited superior inhibitor affinity and bioactivity compared to its conventional 2D aromatic phenyl analog. Quantum mechanical computations, based on the crystal structure of the protease-inhibitor complex, revealed that the carborane tag contributed to inhibitor binding not only through nonpolar interactions but also via a key hydrogen bond between its CH vertex and a negatively charged residue in the binding site. This interaction, driven by the large dipole moment of the carborane cage, resulted in a more favorable energy contribution than that of the phenyl group in the 2D analog. The carborane pharmacophore boosted affinity for SmCB1 and conferred specific anti-schistosomal activity, highlighting its potential in protein ligand design.
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences Husinec-Řež 250 68 Czech Republic hnyk@iic.cas.cz.
Organizational Affiliation:
