Binding isotope effects as a tool for distinguishing hydrophobic and hydrophilic binding sites of HIV-1 RT

The current treatment for HIV-1 infected patients consists of a cocktail of inhibitors, in an attempt to improve the potency of the drugs by adding the possible effects of each supplied compound. In this contribution, nine different inhibitors of HIV-1 RT, one of the three key proteins responsible for the virus replication, have been selected to develop and test a computational protocol that allows getting a deep insight into the inhibitors' binding mechanism. The interaction between the inhibitors and the protein have been quantified by computing binding free energies through FEP calculations, while a more detailed characterization of the kind of inhibitor-protein interactions is based on frequency analysis of the ligands in the initial and final state, i.e. in solution and binding the protein. QM/MM calculation of heavy atoms ((13)C, (15)N, and (18)O) binding isotope effects (BIE) have been used to identify the binding sites of the different inhibitors. Specific interactions between the isotopically labeled atoms of the inhibitors and polar residues and magnesium cations on the hydrophilic pocket of the protein are responsible for the frequencies shifting that can be detected when comparing the IR spectra of the compounds in solution and in the protein. On the contrary, it seems that changes in vdW interactions from solution to the final state when the ligand is interacting with residues of the hydrophobic cavity, does not influence frequency modes and then no BIE are observed. Our results suggest that a proper computational protocol can be a valuable tool which in turn can be used to increase the efficiency of anti AIDS drugs.