{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T15:52:36Z","timestamp":1768492356833,"version":"3.49.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,1]]},"group-title":"Biophysics","reference-count":41,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,1]],"date-time":"2020-11-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1604188800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a key role in renin-angiotensin system regulation and amino acid homeostasis. Human ACE2 acts as the receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. ACE2 is also widely expressed in epithelial cells of lungs, heart, kidney and pancreas. It is considered an important drug target for treating SARS-CoV-2, as well as pulmonary diseases, heart failure, hypertension, renal diseases and diabetes. Despite the critical importance, the mechanism of ligand binding to the human ACE2 receptor remains unknown. Here, we address this challenge through all-atom simulations using a novel ligand Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (LiGaMD) method. Microsecond LiGaMD simulations have successfully captured both binding and unbinding of the MLN-4760 inhibitor in the ACE2 receptor. In the ligand unbound state, the ACE2 receptor samples distinct Open, Partially Open and Closed conformations. Ligand binding biases the receptor conformational ensemble towards the Closed state. The LiGaMD simulations thus suggest a conformational selection mechanism for ligand recognition by the ACE2 receptor. Our simulation findings are expected to facilitate rational drug design of ACE2 against coronaviruses and other related human diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1101\/2020.10.30.362749","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,1]],"date-time":"2020-11-01T21:45:10Z","timestamp":1604267110000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Mechanism of ligand recognition by human ACE2 receptor"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Apurba","family":"Bhattarai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shristi","family":"Pawnikar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yinglong","family":"Miao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10822-007-9159-2"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bpj.2018.02.038"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.3","unstructured":"Case, D. , Belfon, K. , Ben-Shalom, I. , Brozell, S. , Cerutti, D. , Cheatham, T. , Cruzeiro Iii, V. , Darden, T. , Duke, R. , and Giambasi, G. 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University of California, San Francisco."},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jcc.20290"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jcc.20290"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.6","first-page":"2309","article-title":"A second generation force field for the simulation of proteins, nucleic acids, and organic molecules (vol 117, pg 5179, 1995)","volume":"118","year":"1996","journal-title":"Journal of the American Chemical Society"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/ja0277226"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1161\/01.RES.87.5.e1"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1104614108"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jcc.10349"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1456","DOI":"10.1161\/CIRCRESAHA.120.317015","article-title":"Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2: SARS-CoV-2 receptor and regulator of the renin-angiotensin system: celebrating the 20th anniversary of the discovery of ACE2","volume":"126","year":"2020","journal-title":"Circulation research"},{"key":"2024080422052432000_2020.10.30.362749v1.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gross, L.Z.F. , Sacerdoti, M. , Piiper, A. , Zeuzem, S. , Leroux, A.E. , and Biondi, R.M. 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