Bitopic Ligands Support the Presence of a Metastable Binding Site at the β Adrenergic Receptor.

Metastable binding sites (MBS) have been observed in a multitude of molecular dynamics simulations and can be considered low affinity allosteric binding sites (ABS) that function as stepping stones as the ligand moves toward the orthosteric binding site (OBS). Herein, we show that MBS can be utilized as ABS in ligand design, resulting in ligands with improved binding kinetics. Four homobivalent bitopic ligands (-) were designed by molecular docking of ()-alprenolol (()-ALP) in the cocrystal structure of the β adrenergic receptor (βAR) bound to the antagonist ALP.

Fortuitous Compound Degradation Produces a Tractable Hit against Dethiobiotin Synthetase: A Cautionary Tale of What Goes In Does Not Always Come Out.

We previously reported potent ligands and inhibitors of dethiobiotin synthetase (DTBS), a promising target for antituberculosis drug development (Schumann et al., . 2021, , 2339-2347); here, the unconventional origin of the fragment compound they were derived from is described for the first time.

Inhibition of Dethiobiotin Synthase (DTBS): Toward Next-Generation Antituberculosis Agents.

dethiobiotin synthase (DTBS) is a crucial enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of biotin in the causative agent of tuberculosis, . Here, we report a binder of DTBS, cyclopentylacetic acid ( = 3.4 ± 0.

Probing the Existence of a Metastable Binding Site at the β-Adrenergic Receptor with Homobivalent Bitopic Ligands.

Herein, we report the development of bitopic ligands aimed at targeting the orthosteric binding site (OBS) and a metastable binding site (MBS) within the same receptor unit. Previous molecular dynamics studies on ligand binding to the β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) suggested that ligands pause at transient, less-conserved MBSs. We envisioned that MBSs can be regarded as allosteric binding sites and targeted by homobivalent bitopic ligands linking two identical pharmacophores.

Bitopic Ligands and Metastable Binding Sites: Opportunities for G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Medicinal Chemistry.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) belong to a large superfamily of membrane receptors mediating a variety of physiological functions. As such they are attractive targets for drug therapy. However, it remains a challenge to develop subtype selective GPCR ligands due to the high conservation of orthosteric binding sites.