Docking and molecular dynamics studies of the binding between Peloruside A and tubulin

The molecular docking, MD simulation and binding free energy calculation were performed to explore the probable binding modes between PLA and tubulin. Through docking study, three possible binding sites for PLA were speculated as follows: the taxane site, the alternative site and a new site in α-tubulin. Then, 12.0 ns MD simulations show that these binding modes predicted by docking have been changed more or less, whereas the MD simulations offer more reliable binding details. The MM-PBSA binding free-energy calculations reasonably identify that the taxane site is the most favorable binding site of PLA and the alternative site is the secondary one, which can be used to explain some experimental facts. These studies theoretically resolve the priority of binding sites for PLA and offer the reliable binding modes between PLA and tubulin, and thus help to understanding the action mechanism for this kind of inhibitor.