No abstract

Today computational chemistry is a consolidated tool in drug lead discovery endeavors. Due to methodological developments and to the enormous advance in computer hardware, methods based on quantum mechanics (QM) have gained great attention in the last 10 years, and calculations on biomacromolecules are becoming increasingly explored, aiming to provide better accuracy in the description of protein-ligand interactions and the prediction of binding affinities. In principle, the QM formulation includes all contributions to the energy, accounting for terms usually missing in molecular mechanics force-fields, such as electronic polarization effects, metal coordination, and covalent binding; moreover, QM methods are systematically improvable, and provide a greater degree of transferability. In this mini-review we present recent applications of explicit QM-based methods in small-molecule docking and scoring, and in the calculation of binding free-energy in protein-ligand systems. Although the routine use of QM-based approaches in an industrial drug lead discovery setting remains a formidable challenging task, it is likely they will increasingly become active players within the drug discovery pipeline.

In response to nutrient deprivation, the cell mobilizes an extensive amount of membrane to form and grow the autophagosome, allowing the progression of autophagy. By providing membranes and stimulating LC3 lipidation, COPII (Coat Protein Complex II) promotes autophagosome biogenesis. Here, we show that the F-box protein FBXW5 targets SEC23B, a component of COPII, for proteasomal degradation and that this event limits the autophagic flux in the presence of nutrients. In response to starvation, ULK1 phosphorylates SEC23B on Serine 186, preventing the interaction of SEC23B with FBXW5 and, therefore, inhibiting SEC23B degradation. Phosphorylated and stabilized SEC23B associates with SEC24A and SEC24B, but not SEC24C and SEC24D, and they re-localize to the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment, promoting autophagic flux. We propose that, in the presence of nutrients, FBXW5 limits COPII-mediated autophagosome biogenesis. Inhibition of this event by ULK1 ensures efficient execution of the autophagic cascade in response to nutrient starvation.