0000000000306434
AUTHOR
Nedra Mekni
showing 3 related works from this author
Targeting SARS-CoV-2 RBD Interface: a Supervised Computational Data-Driven Approach to Identify Potential Modulators
2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread out as a pandemic threat affecting over 2 million people. The infectious process initiates via binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein to host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The interaction is mediated by the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of S glycoprotein, promoting host receptor recognition and binding to ACE2 peptidase domain (PD), thus representing a promising target for therapeutic intervention. Herein, we present a computational study aimed at identifying small molecules potentially able to target RBD. Although targeting PPI remains a challenge in drug discovery, our investigation highlights that interaction between SARS-CoV…
Dynamic-shared Pharmacophore Approach as Tool to Design New Allosteric PRC2 Inhibitors, Targeting EED Binding Pocket.
2020
Abstract: The Polycomb Repressive complex 2 (PRC2) maintains a repressive chromatin state and silences many genes, acting as methylase on histone tails. This enzyme was found overexpressed in many types of cancer. In this work, we have set up a Computer-Aided Drug Design approach based on the allosteric modulation of PRC2. In order to minimize the possible bias derived from using a single set of coordinates within the protein-ligand complex, a dynamic workflow was developed. In details, molecular dynamic was used as tool to identify the most significant ligand-protein interactions from several crystallized protein structures. The identified features were used for the creation of dynamic pha…
In Silico Insights towards the Identification of NLRP3 Druggable Hot Spots
2019
NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing protein 3) activation has been linked to several chronic pathologies, including atherosclerosis, type-II diabetes, fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, NLRP3 represents an appealing target for the development of innovative therapeutic approaches. A few companies are currently working on the discovery of selective modulators of NLRP3 inflammasome. Unfortunately, limited structural data are available for this target. To date, MCC950 represents one of the most promising noncovalent NLRP3 inhibitors. Recently, a possible region for the binding of MCC950 to the NLRP3 protein was described but no details were …