Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Institute, Health Sector, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Sep 21;25(18):10139. doi: 10.3390/ijms251810139.
Protein three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction is one of the most challenging issues in the field of computational biochemistry, which has overwhelmed scientists for almost half a century. A significant breakthrough in structural biology has been established by developing the artificial intelligence (AI) system AlphaFold2 (AF2). The AF2 system provides a state-of-the-art prediction of protein structures from nearly all known protein sequences with high accuracy. This study examined the reliability of AF2 models compared to the experimental structures in drug discovery, focusing on one of the most common protein drug-targeted classes known as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) class A. A total of 32 representative protein targets were selected, including experimental structures of X-ray crystallographic and Cryo-EM structures and their corresponding AF2 models. The quality of AF2 models was assessed using different structure validation tools, including the pLDDT score, RMSD value, MolProbity score, percentage of Ramachandran favored, QMEAN Z-score, and QMEANDisCo Global. The molecular docking was performed using the Genetic Optimization for Ligand Docking (GOLD) software. The AF2 models' reliability in virtual drug screening was determined by their ability to predict the ligand binding poses closest to the native binding pose by assessing the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) metric and docking scoring function. The quality of the docking and scoring function was evaluated using the enrichment factor (EF). Furthermore, the capability of using AF2 models in molecular docking to identify hits with key protein-ligand interactions was analyzed. The posing power results showed that the AF2 models successfully predicted ligand binding poses (RMSD < 2 Å). However, they exhibited lower screening power, with average EF values of 2.24, 2.42, and 1.82 for X-ray, Cryo-EM, and AF2 structures, respectively. Moreover, our study revealed that molecular docking using AF2 models can identify competitive inhibitors. In conclusion, this study found that AF2 models provided docking results comparable to experimental structures, particularly for certain GPCR targets, and could potentially significantly impact drug discovery.
蛋白质三维(3D)结构预测是计算生物化学领域最具挑战性的问题之一,近半个世纪以来一直困扰着科学家。人工智能(AI)系统 AlphaFold2(AF2)的发展为结构生物学带来了重大突破。AF2 系统能够高精度地从几乎所有已知的蛋白质序列中预测蛋白质结构,达到了目前的技术水平。本研究在药物发现中考察了 AF2 模型与实验结构的可靠性,重点研究了最常见的蛋白质药物靶标之一 G 蛋白偶联受体(GPCR)A 类。共选择了 32 个代表性的蛋白质靶标,包括 X 射线晶体学和 Cryo-EM 结构的实验结构及其相应的 AF2 模型。使用不同的结构验证工具评估 AF2 模型的质量,包括 pLDDT 评分、RMSD 值、MolProbity 评分、Ramachandran 优势百分比、QMEAN Z 分数和 QMEANDisCo Global。使用遗传优化配体对接(GOLD)软件进行分子对接。通过评估 Root Mean Square Deviation(RMSD)度量和对接评分函数,考察 AF2 模型预测与天然结合构象最接近的配体结合构象的能力,确定其在虚拟药物筛选中的可靠性。通过使用富集因子(EF)评估对接和评分函数的质量。此外,还分析了使用 AF2 模型进行分子对接识别具有关键蛋白-配体相互作用的命中的能力。构象能力结果表明,AF2 模型成功预测了配体结合构象(RMSD<2 Å)。然而,它们的筛选能力较低,X 射线、Cryo-EM 和 AF2 结构的平均 EF 值分别为 2.24、2.42 和 1.82。此外,我们的研究表明,使用 AF2 模型进行分子对接可以识别竞争性抑制剂。总之,本研究发现,AF2 模型提供的对接结果与实验结构相当,特别是对于某些 GPCR 靶标,可能会对药物发现产生重大影响。
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