The Binding Mechanism Between Inositol Phosphate (InsP) and the Jasmonate Receptor Complex: A Computational Study

Jasmonates are critical plant hormones, mediating stress response in plants and regulating plant growth and development. The jasmonate receptor is a multi-component complex, composed of Arabidopsis SKP-LIKE PROTEIN1 (ASK1), CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 (COI1), inositol phosphate (InsP), and jasmonate ZIM-domain protein (JAZ). COI1 acts as multi-component signaling hub that binds with each component. InsP is suggested to play important roles in the hormone perception. How InsP binds with COI1 and the structural changes in COI1 upon binding with InsP, JA-Ile, and JAZ are not well understood. In this study, we integrated multiple computational methods, such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, residue interaction network analysis and binding free energy calculation, to explore the effect of InsP on the dynamic behavior of COI1 and the recognition mechanism of each component of the jasmonate receptor complex. We found that upon binding with InsP, JA-Ile, and JAZ1, the structure of COI1 becomes more compact. The binding of InsP with COI1 stabilizes the conformation of COI1 and promotes the binding between JA-Ile or JAZ1 and COI1. Analysis of the network parameters led to the identification of some hub nodes in this network, including Met88, His118, Arg120, Arg121, Arg346, Tyr382, Arg409, Trp467, and Lys492. The structural and dynamic details will be helpful for understanding the recognition mechanism of each component and the discovery and design of novel jasmonate signaling pathway modulators.