STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF G2032R MUTATION IN ROS1 – A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Objective: Drug resistance is an imperative issue in the treatment of patients with lung cancer. In this work, investigation of the drug resistance mechanism of G2032R mutation in ROS1 is carried out using computational simulation techniques.Methods: Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach have been utilized to uncover the mechanism behind crizotinib resistance in ROS1 at a molecular level. Normal mode analysis was carried out using ElNemo server which examines the movements and conformational changes in the protein structure. ArgusLab, PEARLS, and Autodock were employed for the docking analysis, whereas GROMACS package 4.5.3 was used for MD simulation approach.Results: The results from our analysis indicates that wild-type ROS1 (Protein Data Bank Code 3ZBF) could be more crucial for the crizotinib binding as it indicates largest binding affinity, minimum number of H-bonds, and higher flexibility than mutant-type ROS1. Moreover, the theoretical basis for the cause of drug insensitivity is the differences in the electrostatic properties of binding site residues between the wild and mutant ROS1 structures. Our analysis theoretically suggests that E-2027 is a key residue responsible for the ROS1 drug selectivity.Conclusion: Molecular docking and MD simulation results provide an explanation of the resistance caused by G2032R and may give a key clue for the drug design to encounter drug resistance.Keywords: ROS1, Crizotinib resistance, Molecular docking, Normal mode analysis, Molecular dynamic simulation.