In:
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Frontiers Media SA, Vol. 9 ( 2022-7-7)
Abstract:
Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulates various cellular functions. Given its broad influence on metabolic activities, it has been the target of drug discovery for decades. However, how drugs induce conformational changes in GR has remained elusive. Herein, we used five GR agonists (dex, AZ938, pred, cor, and dibC) with different efficacies to investigate which aspect of the ligand induced the differences in efficacy. We performed molecular dynamics simulations on the five systems (dex-, AZ938-, pred-, cor-, and dibC-bound systems) and observed a distinct discrepancy in the conformation of the cofactor TIF2. Moreover, we discovered ligand-induced differences regarding the level of conformational changes posed by the binding of cofactor TIF2 and identified a pair of essential residues D590 and T39. We further found a positive correlation between the efficacies of ligands and the interaction of the two binding pockets’ domains, where D590 and T739 were involved, implying their significance in the participation of allosteric communication. Using community network analysis, two essential communities containing D590 and T739 were identified with their connectivity correlating to the efficacy of ligands. The potential communication pathways between these two residues were revealed. These results revealed the underlying mechanism of allosteric communication between the ligand-binding and cofactor-binding pockets and identified a pair of important residues in the allosteric communication pathway, which can serve as a guide for future drug discovery.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2296-889X
DOI:
10.3389/fmolb.2022.933676
DOI:
10.3389/fmolb.2022.933676.s001
DOI:
10.3389/fmolb.2022.933676.s002
Language:
Unknown
Publisher:
Frontiers Media SA
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2814330-9
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