3D Structure, Dimerization Modeling, and Lead Discovery by Ligand-protein Interaction Analysis of p60 Transcription Regulator Protein (p60TRP)

Abstract

The p60 transcription regulator protein (p60TRP) is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain-containing neuroprotective protein and a member of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-associated sorting protein (GPRASP) family. In the present study, multiple theoretical physico-chemical methods (e. g. Modeller v.9.13, I-TASSER, PROCHECK and ClusPro v2.0 with PIPER) were applied to unveil the three-dimensional (3D) protein structure of the p60TRP homodimer protein and explore potential ligand-protein interactions. Our results suggest a Mg2+-containing 3D p60TRP dimer protein that potentially interacts with 5-(1-aziridinyl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide (CB1954) and [2-(3-dodecylimidazolidin-1-yl)-1-phosphonoethyl] phosphonic acid (B73). The discovery of CB1954 and B73 may serve as a potential lead for further drug screening tests to normalize the p60TRP signaling pathway in neurodegenerative diseases. Interference with p60TRP signaling via CB1954/B73-related molecules might be a novel option for modifying neurodegenerative signaling pathways (e. g. RIN1, PP2A, RanBP5, CREB and SYNJ1) to treat various brain diseases.