Importance of inter-residue interactions in ligand—receptor binding

In the present study, the role of inter-residue interactions in ligand binding and the ligand—receptor interactions were examined. Computational chemistry methods of ligand docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the binding of β-funaltrexamine (β-FNA) and N-methyl-β-funaltrexamine (N-methyl-β-FNA) to μ- and κ-opioid receptors and to the μ-receptor with Lys3036.58Glu mutation. It was found that inter-residue interactions Lys2335.39—Glu3036.58 in the mutant receptor and Lys2275.39—Asp2235.35 in the κ-receptor are more likely to prevent covalent bond formation between β-FNA and the receptor than the ligand-receptor interactions. This emphasizes the importance of inter-residue interactions in ligand binding as well as the effects of point-mutations.