Determining the Functions of HIV-1 Tat and a Second Magnesium Ion in the CDK9/Cyclin T1 Complex: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

The current paradigm of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) regulation based on the well-established CDK2 has been recently expanded. The determination of CDK9 crystal structures suggests the requirement of an additional regulatory protein, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat, to exert its physiological functions. In most kinases, the exact number and roles of the cofactor metal ions remain unappreciated, and the repertoire has thus gained increasing attention recently. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were implemented on CDK9 to explore the functional roles of HIV-1 Tat and the second Mg(2+) ion at site 1 (Mg(1) (2+)). The simulations unveiled that binding of HIV-1 Tat to CDK9 not only stabilized hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between ATP and hinge residues Asp104 and Cys106, as well as between ATP and invariant Lys48, but also facilitated the salt bridge network pertaining to the phosphorylated Thr186 at the activation loop. By contrast, these H-bonds cannot be formed in CDK9 owing to the absence of HIV-1 Tat. MD simulations further revealed that the Mg(1) (2+) ion, coupled with the Mg(2) (2+) ion, anchored to the triphosphate moiety of ATP in its catalytic competent conformation. This observation indicates the requirement of the Mg(1) (2+) ion for CDK9 to realize its function. Overall, the introduction of HIV-1 Tat and Mg(1) (2+) ion resulted in the active site architectural characteristics of phosphorylated CDK9. These data highlighted the functional roles of HIV-1 Tat and Mg(1) (2+) ion in the regulation of CDK9 activity, which contributes an important complementary understanding of CDK molecular underpinnings.