A molecular modeling study of inhibitors of nuclear factor kappa-B (p50) – DNA binding

Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is an inducible transcription factor of the Rel family, and is sequestered in the cytoplasm by the IκB family of proteins. NF-κB can exist in several dimeric forms, but the p50/p65 heterodimer is the predominant one. Activation of NF-κB by a range of stimuli including viral products, and oxidative stress, leads to phosphorylation and proteasome dependent degradation of IκB, leading to the release of free NF-κB. This free NF-κB then binds to its target sites (κB sites in the DNA) to initiate transcription. These κB sites are also present in the Long Terminal Repeat (LTR) of HIV-1, and hence NF-κB (p50 subunit) binding to LTR–DNA is critical in viral replication. Targeting direct p50-DNA binding, in this regard, is a novel approach to design anti-HIV gene expression inhibitors, which do not have the problem of resistance unlike in other anti-HIV strategies. The present study is a part of our search for leads for the specific inhibition of p50-DNA binding. We have been experimentally studying different types of these inhibitors, and in this work, we attempted to get a common definition of their structural mechanism onto p50-DNA binding. Using three different classes of inhibitors, we modelled their association with the DNA-Binding Region (DBR) of the p50 subunit of NF-κB. Docking studies were carried out using a genetic algorithm based program (GOLD). Further, to compare electrostatic complementarity in the association of the inhibitors with the DBR, Molecular Electrostatic Potentials (MEPs) were generated for the DBR and each inhibitor. The results of docking revealed a strong network of hydrogen bonding interactions for every active inhibitor, and the contrary for the less active ones. Further, the MEPs revealed that the DBR of p50 represents a surface of electropositive potential, and the active inhibitors represent a complementary electronegative surface. With the present modelling study we conclude that the principal properties to be possessed by the new leads against p50-DNA binding should be that of having the ability to make a strong network of hydrogen bonds with the DBR of p50, and preferably, having electronegative potentials in their peripheral surface.