Molecular basis for the affinity and specificity in the binding of five-membered iminocyclitols with glycosidases: an experimental and theoretical synergy

Abstract

An unusual substituent dictated complementarity in the inhibition of amino-modified five-membered iminocyclitols toward various glycosidases was reported by us. These intriguing results encouraged us to seek a molecular level explanation for the observation that may facilitate the design of specific iminocyclitol inhibitors against glycosidases of choice. We present here a detailed theoretical account that is substantiated with some new experimental investigations on the molecular origins of the differential affinities of iminocyclitols with various glycosidases. The studies involve docking/scoring, molecular dynamics simulations followed by syntheses of a few novel five-membered iminocyclitols and their in vitro binding assays. Directional hydrogen bonds and snug fit of the ligands are implicated as contributory to the observed selectivities. The observed synergy between the computations and experiment is likely to spur further research in the design of novel iminocyclitols with specific inhibitory activities.