{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T03:38:07Z","timestamp":1791517087136,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The selective detection of small, highly hydrophilic metabolites differing only in stereochemistry represents a major challenge in biosensor development. Here, we present a computational investigation to elucidate the molecular basis of the experimentally observed selectivity of a protein-based electrochemical biosensor toward myo-inositol over D-chiro-inositol. Although the two stereoisomers differ only in the orientation of a single hydroxyl group, they induce distinct dynamic effects on the protein recognition element. Molecular docking revealed comparable binding regions and similar affinity scores, indicating that selectivity does not arise from differences in binding site or docking energy. To investigate dynamic contributions, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were performed in triplicate (3 \u00d7 100 ns) using the AMBER99SB force field and explicit TIP3P water. Trajectory analyses showed that myo-inositol forms a more persistent hydrogen bond network, resulting in reduced residue-level flexibility, more stable ligand\u2013protein interactions, and enhanced local structural stabilization. Overall, these findings support a dynamic model of stereoselective recognition in which ligand-induced modulation of protein conformational ensembles, rather than static affinity, governs biosensor performance. This work highlights the value of molecular dynamics simulations in the rational design of biosensors targeting structurally similar analytes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s26123765","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T05:59:47Z","timestamp":1781503187000},"page":"3765","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Molecular Dynamics Analysis of the Stereoselective Recognition of Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro-Inositol in a Protein-Based Biosensor"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2191-3311","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Flavio","family":"Rizzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4524-4423","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enrico","family":"De Smaele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea M.","family":"Isidori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1811","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biochi.2013.05.011","article-title":"Potential role and therapeutic interests of myo-inositol in metabolic diseases","volume":"95","author":"Croze","year":"2013","journal-title":"Biochimie"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.1038\/nrm2334","article-title":"Inositol derivatives: Evolution and functions","volume":"9","author":"Michell","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nat. 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