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Updated: May 15, 2026

Modeling Ligands into Maps Derived from Electron Cryomicroscopy
Published on: July 19, 2024
Structural insight into the ligand-receptor interaction between glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and the high-mobility group
Hideaki Yamaguchi1, Yumi Kidachi, Katsuyoshi Kamiie
1Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, 150 Yagotoyama, Tenpaku, Nagoya 468-8503, Japan.
Unlabelled:
Structural analysis of the high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1)-DNA complex and a docking simulation between glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and the HMGB1-DNA complex were performed with a software package the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE). An HMGB1-DNA (PDB code: 2GZK) was selected for the 3D structure modeling of the HMGB1-DNA complex. The Site Finder module of the MOE identified 16 possible ligand-binding sites in the modeled HMGB1-DNA complex. The docking simulation revealed that GA possibly inhibits functions of HMGB1 interfering with Lys(90), Arg(91), Ser(101), Tyr(149), C(230) and C(231) in the HMGB1-DNA complex. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an HMGB1-DNA complex with GA, and our data verify that the GA-HMGB1-DNA model can be utilized for application to target HMGB1 for the development of antitumor drugs.
Abbreviations:
ASE-Dock - alpha sphere and excluded volume-based ligand-protein docking, CNS - central nervous system, GA - glycyrrhetinic acid, GL - glycyrrhizin, HMGB1 - high-mobility group protein B1, LBS - ligand-biding site, MOE - Molecular Operating Environment, SRY - sex-determining region on the Y chromosome.
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