Binding of Beta-site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1 (BACE1) Inhibitor Aminoquinoline (68K) for Possible Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Authors

Juhi Dalal, Farquhar Honors CollegeFollow
Shreya Averineni, Farquhar Honors CollegeFollow
Pranav Madadi, Farquhar Honors CollegeFollow
Emily S. Lavin, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences
Arthur Sikora, Nova Southeastern University

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Submission Date

2022

Abstract

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), affecting approximately 24 million people worldwide, is characterized by the formation of amyloid-β plaques within the brain. Alzheimer’s research has been focused on limiting amyloid-β production through developing inhibitors for the enzymes needed within the amyloid cascade. This project focuses on the aminoquinoline class of inhibitors, of which 68K (PDB: 5i3Y) is the most effective because of its strong Kd and IC50 values. The students of the Honors Protein Modeling class at Nova Southeastern University modeled the interaction between Beta-site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1 (BACE-1) and 68K. Using Jmol a model was developed, and 3D printed to show how the inhibitor (68K) fit into the enzyme’s active site. This model highlights important aspects of the interactions between the ligand and the BACE-1 enzyme. 68K has strong interactions with 32 amino acid residues in BACE1, some of which are intertwined with one another. For example, BACE-1’s residues Val69, Pro70, and Tyr71 are known collectively as “the flap”. “The flap” is a β-hairpin loop structure that is positioned directly over BACE-1’s catalytic dyad, a group of amino acids within the active site of the enzyme. “The flap” is also responsible for regulating access to the enzyme’s catalytic dyad (Asp 32 and Asp 228) by a given substrate (or inhibitor). Researchers found the inhibitor 68K to have interactions with the flap which maximizes the strength of the interaction with BACE-1 residues, thus minimizing the distance between the inhibitor’s various functional groups and accommodating their specific polarities. Being able to visualize the protein structure using a 3D model aids in the understanding of how the ligand inhibits this enzyme leading to the progression of AD.

Recommended Citation

Dalal, Juhi; Averineni, Shreya; Madadi, Pranav; Lavin, Emily S.; and Sikora, Arthur, "Binding of Beta-site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1 (BACE1) Inhibitor Aminoquinoline (68K) for Possible Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease" (2022). Protein Modeling Reports. 11.
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/protein_modeling_reports/11