Paige, MikellJoshi, Reva2020-01-292020-01-29https://hdl.handle.net/1920/11650Osteoarthritis affects millions of people worldwide each year. The inflammatory signaling pathway associated with osteoarthritis contains a possible novel drug target, the IL-1β ternary complex. IL-1β interacts with two associated proteins, IL-1RI and IL-1RAcP, to exert downstream inflammatory effects. Experimental studies of this complex have identified residue Arg-286 of IL-1RAcP as a “hot spot” of interaction. This paper aimed to computationally study the IL-1β complex with molecular mechanical and quantum mechanical methods. The study found Arg-286 of IL-1RAcP to be the hot spot, participating in a hydrogen bond with Asp-54 of IL- 1β. In agreement with previous experimental studies, Arg-286 was identified as a possible target for drug discovery aimed at inhibiting IL-1β complex and its ultimate downstream inflammatory effects.enMolecular dynamicsFragment Molecular Orbital MethodAmber MDInterleukin-1ßThesis