Abstract

A major concern in the development of acetyl-CoA carboxylase-inhibiting (ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) herbicides is the emergence of resistance as a result of the selection of distinct mutations within the CT domain. Mutations associated with resistance have been demonstrated to include both active sites and non-active sites, including Ile-1781-Leu, Trp- 2027-Cys, Ile-2041-Asn, Asp-2078-Gly, and Gly-2096-Ala (numbered according to the Alopecurus myosuroides plastid ACCase). In the present study, extensive computational simulations, including molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) calculations, were carried out to compare the molecular mechanisms of active site mutation (I388N) and non-active site mutation (D425G) in Alopecurus myosuroides resistance to some commercial herbicides targeting ACCase, including haloxyfop (HF), diclofop (DF) and fenoxaprop (FR). All of the computational model and energetic results indicated that both I388N and D425G mutations have effects on the conformational change of the binding pocket. The π-π interaction between ligand and Phe377 and Tyr161 residues, which make an important contribution to the binding affinity, was decreased after mutation. As a result, the mutant-type ACCase has a lower affinity for the inhibitor than the wild-type enzyme, which accounts for the molecular basis of herbicidal resistance. The structural and mechanistic insights obtained from the present study will deepen our understanding of the interactions between ACCase and herbicides, which provides a molecular basis for the future design of a promising inhibitor with low resistance risk.

Keywords: Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, resistance mechanism, computational simulations, MD simulations, molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) calculations, binding affinity, wild-type enzyme, molecular dynamics, binding free energy, linear correlation