Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Deciphering the Structural Effects of Activating EGFR Somatic Mutations with Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Published on: May 20, 2020
Deciphering the interactions of phytochemicals with alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (ADH1) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a
Umesh1, Vijayanand Suryakant Moholkar1,2
1School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India.
Abstract:
The present study has investigated the interactions of the phytochemicals present in sugarcane bagasse (SCB) with alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1) enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using molecular simulations. ADH1 catalyzes the reduction of acetaldehyde to ethanol. The metabolic hindrance induced by phytochemicals can adversely affect kinetics and yield of ethanol fermentation. The phytochemicals in SCB biomass were detected using LC-ESI-MS/QTOF analysis after dilute acid/alkali pretreatment and extraction using methanol and acetonitrile. Molecular docking simulation revealed high binding affinity of four phytochemicals for ADH1 enzyme due to low binding energies and inhibition constants: chlorogenic acid (-8.64 kcal/mol, 0.464 μM), apigenin (-7.72 kcal/mol, 2.2 μM), diosmetin (-7.47 kcal/mol, 3.37 μM), and caffeic acid (-7.03 kcal/mol, 7.07 μM). The molecular dynamics simulations showed that root mean square deviation (RMSD) values of the complexes of chlorogenic acid (0.22 nm) and apigenin (0.27 nm) were significantly smaller than apoprotein (0.37 nm), which indicates their stability. The root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) value of active site residues of the phytochemical complexes (chlorogenic acid = 0.15 nm, apigenin = 0.13 nm) was also smaller than that of apoprotein (0.17 nm). These results clearly indicate that phytochemicals can hinder metabolic pathway of S. cerevisiae due to preferential binding to ADH1.
Related Concept Videos
Molecular Models
Molecular Orbital Theory I
Molecular and Ionic Solids
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
Oxidation of Alcohols
The process of oxidation in a chemical reaction is observed in any of the three forms:
Molecular Orbital Theory II
Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.

