Paying the Price of Desolvation in Solvent-Exposed Protein Pockets: Impact of Distal Solubilizing Groups on Affinity and Binding Thermodynamics in a Series of Thermolysin Inhibitors
Cramer J, Krimmer S, Heine A, Klebe G. Paying the Price of Desolvation in Solvent-Exposed Protein Pockets: Impact of Distal Solubilizing Groups on Affinity and Binding Thermodynamics in a Series of Thermolysin Inhibitors. Journal Of Medicinal Chemistry 2017, 60: 5791-5799. PMID: 28590130, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00490.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPolar groupsThermolysin inhibitorsProtein pocketFirst hydration shellProtein-ligand complexesProtein-solvent interfaceProspective binding sitesWater moleculesHydration shellSolvent effectsAmmonium groupsPartial desolvationSolvent-exposed positionsBinding thermodynamicsWater reorganizationThermodynamic fingerprintLead optimizationInhibitor scaffoldsHydrophobic analoguesDesolvationPharmacokinetic propertiesOpen pocket