1
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Dong Q, Cui Z, Wu X, Li L, Lu F, Liu F. Natural flavonoid hesperetin blocks amyloid β-protein fibrillogenesis, depolymerizes preformed fibrils and alleviates cytotoxicity caused by amyloids. Food Funct 2024; 15:4233-4245. [PMID: 38517352 DOI: 10.1039/d3fo05566c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides to form amyloid plaques is one of the primary hallmarks for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Dietary flavonoid supplements containing hesperetin have an ability to decline the risk of developing AD, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this work, hesperetin, a flavanone abundant in citrus fruits, has been proven to prevent the formation of Aβ aggregates and depolymerized preformed fibrils in a concentration-dependent fashion. Hesperetin inhibited the conformational conversion from the natural structure to a β-sheet-rich conformation. It was found that hesperetin significantly reduced the cytotoxicity and relieved oxidative stress eventuated by Aβ aggregates in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, the beneficial effects of hesperetin were confirmed in Caenorhabditis elegans, including the inhibition of the formation and deposition of Aβ aggregates and extension of their lifespan. Finally, the results of molecular dynamics simulations showed that hesperetin directly interacted with an Aβ42 pentamer mainly through strong non-polar and electrostatic interactions, which destroyed the structural stability of the preformed pentamer. To summarize, hesperetin exhibits great potential as a prospective dietary supplement for preventing and improving AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinchen Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
| | - Zhan Cui
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
| | - Xinming Wu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
| | - Li Li
- College of Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China
| | - Fuping Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
| | - Fufeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
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2
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Yan Y, Shetty M, Harding HP, George G, Zyryanova A, Labbé K, Mafi A, Hao Q, Sidrauski C, Ron D. Substrate recruitment via eIF2γ enhances catalytic efficiency of a holophosphatase that terminates the integrated stress response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320013121. [PMID: 38547060 PMCID: PMC10998612 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320013121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Dephosphorylation of pSer51 of the α subunit of translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2αP) terminates signaling in the integrated stress response (ISR). A trimeric mammalian holophosphatase comprised of a protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) catalytic subunit, the conserved C-terminally located ~70 amino acid core of a substrate-specific regulatory subunit (PPP1R15A/GADD34 or PPP1R15B/CReP) and G-actin (an essential cofactor) efficiently dephosphorylate eIF2αP in vitro. Unlike their viral or invertebrate counterparts, with whom they share the conserved 70 residue core, the mammalian PPP1R15s are large proteins of more than 600 residues. Genetic and cellular observations point to a functional role for regions outside the conserved core of mammalian PPP1R15A in dephosphorylating its natural substrate, the eIF2 trimer. We have combined deep learning technology, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, X-ray crystallography, and biochemistry to uncover binding of the γ subunit of eIF2 to a short helical peptide repeated four times in the functionally important N terminus of human PPP1R15A that extends past its conserved core. Binding entails insertion of Phe and Trp residues that project from one face of an α-helix formed by the conserved repeats of PPP1R15A into a hydrophobic groove exposed on the surface of eIF2γ in the eIF2 trimer. Replacing these conserved Phe and Trp residues with Ala compromises PPP1R15A function in cells and in vitro. These findings suggest mechanisms by which contacts between a distant subunit of eIF2 and elements of PPP1R15A distant to the holophosphatase active site contribute to dephosphorylation of eIF2αP by the core PPP1R15 holophosphatase and to efficient termination of the ISR in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahui Yan
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Maithili Shetty
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Heather P. Harding
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Ginto George
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Alisa Zyryanova
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Qi Hao
- Calico Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA94080
| | | | - David Ron
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 0XY, United Kingdom
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3
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Seaton WB, Burke SJ, Fisch AR, Schilletter WA, Beck MGA, Cassagne GA, Harvey I, Fontenot MS, Collier JJ, Campagna SR. Channel Expansion in the Ligand-Binding Domain of the Glucocorticoid Receptor Contributes to the Activity of Highly Potent Glucocorticoid Analogues. Molecules 2024; 29:1546. [PMID: 38611825 PMCID: PMC11013598 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29071546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) act through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and are commonly used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant medications. Chronic GC use has been linked with unwanted complications such as steroid-induced diabetes mellitus (SIDM), although the mechanisms for these effects are not completely understood. Modification of six GC parent molecules with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole resulted in consistently less promoter activity in transcriptional activation assays using a 3xGRE reporter construct while constantly reducing inflammatory pathway activity. The most selective candidate, DX1, demonstrated a significant reduction (87%) in transactivation compared to commercially available dexamethasone. DX1 also maintained 90% of the anti-inflammatory potential of dexamethasone while simultaneously displaying a reduced toxicity profile. Additionally, two novel and highly potent compounds, DX4 and PN4, were developed and shown to elicit similar mRNA expression at attomolar concentrations that dexamethasone exhibits at nanomolar dosages. To further explain these results, Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations were performed to examine structural changes in the ligand-binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor in response to docking with the top ligands. Differing interactions with the transcriptional activation function 2 (AF-2) region of the GR may be responsible for lower transactivation capacity in DX1. DX4 and PN4 lose contact with Arg611 due to a key interaction changing from a stronger hydrophilic to a weaker hydrophobic one, which leads to the formation of an unoccupied channel at the location of the deacylcortivazol (DAC)-expanded binding pocket. These findings provide insights into the structure-function relationships important for regulating anti-inflammatory activity, which has implications for clinical utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley B. Seaton
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; (W.B.S.)
| | - Susan J. Burke
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA (J.J.C.)
| | - Alexander R. Fisch
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; (W.B.S.)
| | | | - Mary Grace A. Beck
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA (J.J.C.)
| | | | - Innocence Harvey
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA (J.J.C.)
| | - Molly S. Fontenot
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA (J.J.C.)
| | - J. Jason Collier
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA (J.J.C.)
| | - Shawn R. Campagna
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; (W.B.S.)
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4
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Wang JCK, Baddock HT, Mafi A, Foe IT, Bratkowski M, Lin TY, Jensvold ZD, Preciado López M, Stokoe D, Eaton D, Hao Q, Nile AH. Structure of the p53 degradation complex from HPV16. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1842. [PMID: 38418456 PMCID: PMC10902388 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45920-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant contributor to the global cancer burden, and its carcinogenic activity is facilitated in part by the HPV early protein 6 (E6), which interacts with the E3-ligase E6AP, also known as UBE3A, to promote degradation of the tumor suppressor, p53. In this study, we present a single-particle cryoEM structure of the full-length E6AP protein in complex with HPV16 E6 (16E6) and p53, determined at a resolution of ~3.3 Å. Our structure reveals extensive protein-protein interactions between 16E6 and E6AP, explaining their picomolar binding affinity. These findings shed light on the molecular basis of the ternary complex, which has been pursued as a potential therapeutic target for HPV-driven cervical, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers over the last two decades. Understanding the structural and mechanistic underpinnings of this complex is crucial for developing effective therapies to combat HPV-induced cancers. Our findings may help to explain why previous attempts to disrupt this complex have failed to generate therapeutic modalities and suggest that current strategies should be reevaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C K Wang
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Hannah T Baddock
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Amirhossein Mafi
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Ian T Foe
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Matthew Bratkowski
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Ting-Yu Lin
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Zena D Jensvold
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - David Stokoe
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Dan Eaton
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Qi Hao
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
| | - Aaron H Nile
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
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5
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Huang Y, Chandran Suja V, Yang M, Malkovskiy AV, Tandon A, Colom A, Qin J, Fuller GG. Interfacial stresses on droplet interface bilayers using two photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 653:1196-1204. [PMID: 37793246 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.09.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Response of lipid bilayers to external mechanical stimuli is an active area of research with implications for fundamental and synthetic cell biology. Developing novel tools for systematically imposing mechanical strains and non-invasively mapping out interfacial (membrane) stress distributions on lipid bilayers can accelerate research in this field. EXPERIMENTS We report a miniature platform to manipulate model cell membranes in the form of droplet interface bilayers (DIBs), and non-invasively measure spatio-temporally resolved interfacial stresses using two photon fluorescence lifetime imaging of an interfacially active molecular flipper (Flipper-TR). We established the effectiveness of the developed framework by investigating interfacial stresses accompanying three key processes associated with DIBs: thin film drainage between lipid monolayer coated droplets, bilayer formation, and bilayer separation. FINDINGS The measurements revealed fundamental aspects of DIBs including the existence of a radially decaying interfacial stress distribution post bilayer formation, and the simultaneous build up and decay of stress respectively at the bilayer corner and center during bilayer separation. Finally, utilizing interfacial rheology measurements and MD simulations, we also reveal that the tested molecular flipper is sensitive to membrane fluidity that changes with interfacial stress - expanding the scientific understanding of how molecular flippers sense stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaoqi Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Vineeth Chandran Suja
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, MA - 02138, USA.
| | - Menghao Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrey V Malkovskiy
- Carnegie Institute for Science, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Arnuv Tandon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Adai Colom
- Biofisika Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Campus Universitario, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Jian Qin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gerald G Fuller
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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6
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Sridar J, Mafi A, Judge RA, Xu J, Kong KA, Wang JCK, Stoll VS, Koukos G, Simon RJ, Eaton D, Bratkowski M, Hao Q. Cryo-EM structure of human PAPP-A2 and mechanism of substrate recognition. Commun Chem 2023; 6:234. [PMID: 37898658 PMCID: PMC10613257 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-023-01032-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein A isoforms, PAPP-A and PAPP-A2, are metalloproteases that cleave insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) to modulate insulin-like growth factor signaling. The structures of homodimeric PAPP-A in complex with IGFBP5 anchor peptide, and inhibitor proteins STC2 and proMBP have been recently reported. Here, we present the single-particle cryo-EM structure of the monomeric, N-terminal LG, MP, and the M1 domains (with the exception of LNR1/2) of human PAPP-A2 to 3.13 Å resolution. Our structure together with functional studies provides insight into a previously reported patient mutation that inactivates PAPP-A2 in a distal region of the protein. Using a combinational approach, we suggest that PAPP-A2 recognizes IGFBP5 in a similar manner as PAPP-A and show that PAPP-A2 cleaves IGFBP5 less efficiently due to differences in the M2 domain. Overall, our studies characterize the cleavage mechanism of IGFBP5 by PAPP-A2 and shed light onto key differences with its paralog PAPP-A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janani Sridar
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | | | - Jun Xu
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Kailyn A Kong
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - John C K Wang
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - Georgios Koukos
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Reyna J Simon
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Dan Eaton
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - Qi Hao
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
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7
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Javanainen M, Heftberger P, Madsen JJ, Miettinen MS, Pabst G, Ollila OHS. Quantitative Comparison against Experiments Reveals Imperfections in Force Fields' Descriptions of POPC-Cholesterol Interactions. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:6342-6352. [PMID: 37616238 PMCID: PMC10536986 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Cholesterol is a central building block in biomembranes, where it induces orientational order, slows diffusion, renders the membrane stiffer, and drives domain formation. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have played a crucial role in resolving these effects at the molecular level; yet, it has recently become evident that different MD force fields predict quantitatively different behavior. Although easily neglected, identifying such limitations is increasingly important as the field rapidly progresses toward simulations of complex membranes mimicking the in vivo conditions: pertinent multicomponent simulations must capture accurately the interactions between their fundamental building blocks, such as phospholipids and cholesterol. Here, we define quantitative quality measures for simulations of binary lipid mixtures in membranes against the C-H bond order parameters and lateral diffusion coefficients from NMR spectroscopy as well as the form factors from X-ray scattering. Based on these measures, we perform a systematic evaluation of the ability of commonly used force fields to describe the structure and dynamics of binary mixtures of palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) and cholesterol. None of the tested force fields clearly outperforms the others across the tested properties and conditions. Still, the Slipids parameters provide the best overall performance in our tests, especially when dynamic properties are included in the evaluation. The quality evaluation metrics introduced in this work will, particularly, foster future force field development and refinement for multicomponent membranes using automated approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti Javanainen
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy
of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 16000 Prague 6, Czech Republic
- Institute
of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Peter Heftberger
- Biophysics,
Institute of Molecular Biosciences, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Jesper J. Madsen
- Global
and Planetary Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
- Center
for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public
Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
- Department
of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Markus S. Miettinen
- Fachbereich
Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
- Computational
Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Georg Pabst
- Biophysics,
Institute of Molecular Biosciences, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed-Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
- Field of Excellence
BioHealth—University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - O. H. Samuli Ollila
- Institute
of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 02150 Espoo, Finland
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8
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Pandey P, MacKerell AD. Combining SILCS and Artificial Intelligence for High-Throughput Prediction of the Passive Permeability of Drug Molecules. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:5903-5915. [PMID: 37682640 PMCID: PMC10603762 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Membrane permeability of drug molecules plays a significant role in the development of new therapeutic agents. Accordingly, methods to predict the passive permeability of drug candidates during a medicinal chemistry campaign offer the potential to accelerate the drug design process. In this work, we combine the physics-based site identification by ligand competitive saturation (SILCS) method and data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) to create a high-throughput predictive model for the passive permeability of druglike molecules. In this study, we present a comparative analysis of four regression models to predict membrane permeabilities of small druglike molecules; of the tested models, Random Forest was the most predictive yielding an R2 of 0.81 for the independent data set. The input feature vector used to train the developed prediction model includes absolute free energy profiles of ligands through a POPC-cholesterol bilayer based on ligand grid free energy (LGFE) profiles obtained from the SILCS approach. The use of the membrane free energy profiles from SILCS offers information on the physical forces contributing to ligand permeability, while the use of AI yields a more predictive model trained on experimental PAMPA permeability data for a collection of 229 molecules. This combination allows for rapid estimations of ligand permeability at a level of accuracy beyond currently available predictive models while offering insights into the contributions of the functional groups in the ligands to the permeability barrier, thereby offering quantitative information to facilitate rational ligand design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Pandey
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 Penn St., HSF II-633, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Alexander D MacKerell
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 Penn St., HSF II-633, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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9
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Stachowicz-Kuśnierz A, Korchowiec B, Korchowiec J. Nucleoside Analog Reverse-Transcriptase Inhibitors in Membrane Environment: Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Molecules 2023; 28:6273. [PMID: 37687102 PMCID: PMC10488468 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The behavior of four drugs from the family of nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (zalcitabine, stavudine, didanosine, and apricitabine) in a membrane environment was traced using molecular dynamics simulations. The simulation models included bilayers and monolayers composed of POPC and POPG phospholipids. It was demonstrated that the drugs have a higher affinity towards POPG membranes than POPC membranes due to attractive long-range electrostatic interactions. The results obtained for monolayers were consistent with those obtained for bilayers. The drugs accumulated in the phospholipid polar headgroup region. Two adsorption modes were distinguished. They differed in the degree of penetration of the hydrophilic headgroup region. Hydrogen bonds between drug molecules and phospholipid heads were responsible for adsorption. It was shown that apricitabine penetrated the hydrophilic part of the POPC and POPG membranes more effectively than the other drugs. Van der Waals interactions between S atoms and lipids were responsible for this.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jacek Korchowiec
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; (A.S.-K.); (B.K.)
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10
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Kuang Y, Shen W, Ma X, Wang Z, Xu R, Rao Q, Yang S. In silico identification of natural compounds against SARS-CoV-2 main protease from Chinese herbal medicines. Future Sci OA 2023; 9:FSO873. [PMID: 37485448 PMCID: PMC10357396 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2023-0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims To determine natural compounds with inhibitory effects toward SARS-CoV-2 Mpro from Chinese herbal medicines. Materials & methods ∼1200 natural compounds from 19 Chinese herbal medicines were collected. Computational methods including molecular docking, drug-likeness assessment, molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area analysis were combined to obtain potent inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Results Top 20 compounds mainly originated from Ranunculus ternatus and Picrasma quassioides exhibited low binding free energies which below -9.0 kcal/mol. Compounds Japonicone G and Picrasidine T were obtained with favorable drug-likeness. Moreover, the complex of Japonicone G and Mpro had prominent stability. Conclusion Natural compound Japonicone G is highly promising as a potent inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2 for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Kuang
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenjing Shen
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziwei Wang
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rui Xu
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qingqing Rao
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shengxiang Yang
- College of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China
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11
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Wacha AF, Lemkul JA. charmm2gmx: An Automated Method to Port the CHARMM Additive Force Field to GROMACS. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:4246-4252. [PMID: 37399236 PMCID: PMC10369483 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
CHARMM is one of the most widely used biomolecular force fields. Although developed in close connection with a dedicated molecular simulation engine of the same name, it is also usable with other codes. GROMACS is a well-established, highly optimized, and multipurpose software for molecular dynamics, versatile enough to accommodate many different force field potential functions and the associated algorithms. Due to conceptional differences related to software design and the large amount of numeric data inherent to residue topologies and parameter sets, conversion from one software format to another is not straightforward. Here, we present an automated and validated means to port the CHARMM force field to a format read by the GROMACS engine, harmonizing the different capabilities of the two codes in a self-documenting and reproducible way with a bare minimum of user interaction required. Being based entirely on the upstream data files, the presented approach does not involve any hard-coded data, in contrast with previous attempts to solve the same problem. The heuristic approach used for perceiving the local internal geometry is directly applicable for analogous transformations of other force fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- András F. Wacha
- Institute
of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural
Sciences, Eötvös Loránd
Research Network, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Justin A. Lemkul
- Department
of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, 111 Engel Hall, 340 West Campus
Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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12
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Wang N, Carlozo MN, Marin-Rimoldi E, Befort BJ, Dowling AW, Maginn EJ. Machine Learning-Enabled Development of Accurate Force Fields for Refrigerants. J Chem Theory Comput 2023. [PMID: 37307414 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants with zero ozone-depleting potential have replaced chlorofluorocarbons and are now ubiquitous. However, some HFCs have high global warming potential, which has led to calls by governments to phase out these HFCs. Technologies to recycle and repurpose these HFCs need to be developed. Therefore, thermophysical properties of HFCs are needed over a wide range of conditions. Molecular simulations can help understand and predict the thermophysical properties of HFCs. The prediction capability of a molecular simulation is directly tied to the accuracy of the force field. In this work, we applied and refined a machine learning-based workflow to optimize the Lennard-Jones parameters of classical HFC force fields for HFC-143a (CF3CH3), HFC-134a (CH2FCF3), R-50 (CH4), R-170 (C2H6), and R-14 (CF4). Our workflow involves liquid density iterations with molecular dynamics simulations and vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) iterations with Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. Support vector machine classifiers and Gaussian process surrogate models save months of simulation time and can efficiently select optimal parameters from half a million distinct parameter sets. Excellent agreement as evidenced by low mean absolute percent errors (MAPEs) of simulated liquid density (ranging from 0.3% to 3.4%), vapor density (ranging from 1.4% to 2.6%), vapor pressure (ranging from 1.3% to 2.8%), and enthalpy of vaporization (ranging from 0.5% to 2.7%) relative to experiments was obtained for the recommended parameter set of each refrigerant. The performance of each new parameter set was superior or similar to the best force field in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Montana N Carlozo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Eliseo Marin-Rimoldi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Bridgette J Befort
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Alexander W Dowling
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Edward J Maginn
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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13
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Yu Y, Venable RM, Thirman J, Chatterjee P, Kumar A, Pastor RW, Roux B, MacKerell AD, Klauda JB. Drude Polarizable Lipid Force Field with Explicit Treatment of Long-Range Dispersion: Parametrization and Validation for Saturated and Monounsaturated Zwitterionic Lipids. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:2590-2605. [PMID: 37071552 PMCID: PMC10404126 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Accurate empirical force fields of lipid molecules are a critical component of molecular dynamics simulation studies aimed at investigating properties of monolayers, bilayers, micelles, vesicles, and liposomes, as well as heterogeneous systems, such as protein-membrane complexes, bacterial cell walls, and more. While the majority of lipid force field-based simulations have been performed using pairwise-additive nonpolarizable models, advances have been made in the development of the polarizable force field based on the classical Drude oscillator model. In the present study, we undertake further optimization of the Drude lipid force field, termed Drude2023, including improved treatment of the phosphate and glycerol linker region of PC and PE headgroups, additional optimization of the alkene group in monounsaturated lipids, and inclusion of long-range Lennard-Jones interactions using the particle-mesh Ewald method. Initial optimization targeted quantum mechanical (QM) data on small model compounds representative of the linker region. Subsequent optimization targeted QM data on larger model compounds, experimental data, and dihedral potentials of mean force from the CHARMM36 additive lipid force field using a parameter reweighting protocol. The use of both experimental and QM target data during the reweighting protocol is shown to produce physically reasonable parameters that reproduce a collection of experimental observables. Target data for optimization included surface area/lipid for DPPC, DSPC, DMPC, and DLPC bilayers and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) order parameters for DPPC bilayers. Validation data include prediction of membrane thickness, scattering form factors, electrostatic potential profiles, compressibility moduli, surface area per lipid, water permeability, NMR T1 relaxation times, diffusion constants, and monolayer surface tensions for a variety of saturated and unsaturated lipid mono- and bilayers. Overall, the agreement with experimental data is quite good, though the results are less satisfactory for the NMR T1 relaxation times for carbons near the ester groups. Notable improvements compared to the additive C36 force field were obtained for membrane dipole potentials, lipid diffusion coefficients, and water permeability with the exception of monounsaturated lipid bilayers. It is anticipated that the optimized polarizable Drude2023 force field will help generate more accurate molecular simulations of pure bilayers and heterogeneous systems containing membranes, advancing our understanding of the role of electronic polarization in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalun Yu
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Richard M Venable
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Jonathan Thirman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Payal Chatterjee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Anmol Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Richard W Pastor
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Benoît Roux
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Alexander D MacKerell
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Jeffery B Klauda
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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14
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Wurl A, M. Ferreira T. Atomistic MD Simulations of
n
‐Alkanes in a Phospholipid Bilayer: CHARMM36 versus Slipids. MACROMOL THEOR SIMUL 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/mats.202200078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anika Wurl
- NMR group ‐ Institute for Physics Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Betty‐Heimann‐Str. 7 06120 Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - Tiago M. Ferreira
- NMR group ‐ Institute for Physics Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Betty‐Heimann‐Str. 7 06120 Halle (Saale) Germany
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15
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Dong J, Wang X. Identification of novel BRD4 inhibitors by pharmacophore screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. J Mol Struct 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.134363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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16
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Niitsu A, Sugita Y. Towards de novo design of transmembrane α-helical assemblies using structural modelling and molecular dynamics simulation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:3595-3606. [PMID: 36647771 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03972a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Computational de novo protein design involves iterative processes consisting of amino acid sequence design, structural modelling and scoring, and design validation by synthesis and experimental characterisation. Recent advances in protein structure prediction and modelling methods have enabled the highly efficient and accurate design of water-soluble proteins. However, the design of membrane proteins remains a major challenge. To advance membrane protein design, considering the higher complexity of membrane protein folding, stability, and dynamic interactions between water, ions, lipids, and proteins is an important task. For introducing explicit solvents and membranes to these design methods, all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of designed proteins provide useful information that cannot be obtained experimentally. In this review, we first describe two major approaches to designing transmembrane α-helical assemblies, consensus and de novo design. We further illustrate recent MD studies of membrane protein folding related to protein design, as well as advanced treatments in molecular models and conformational sampling techniques in the simulations. Finally, we discuss the possibility to introduce MD simulations after the existing static modelling and screening of design decoys as an additional step for refinement of the design, which considers membrane protein folding dynamics and interactions with explicit membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ai Niitsu
- Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Yuji Sugita
- Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. .,Computational Biophysics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 7-1-26 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.,Laboratory for Biomolecular Function Simulation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-1 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
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17
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Gonçalves YMH, Horta BAC. gmak: A Parameter-Space Mapping Strategy for Force-Field Calibration. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:605-618. [PMID: 36634285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In the context of classical molecular simulations, the accuracy of a force field is highly influenced by the values of the relevant simulation parameters. In this work, a parameter-space mapping (PSM) workflow is proposed to aid in the calibration of force-field parameters, based mainly on the following features: (i) regular-grid discretization of the search space; (ii) partial sampling of the search-space grid; (iii) training of surrogate models to predict the estimates of the target properties for nonsampled parameter sets; (iv) post hoc interpretation of the results in terms of multiobjective optimization concepts; (v) attenuation of statistical errors achieved via empiric extension of the duration of the simulations; (vi) iterative search-space translation according to a user-defined scalar objective function that measures the accuracy of the force field (e.g., the weighted root-mean-square deviation of the target properties relative to the reference data). This combination of features results in a hybrid of a single- and a multiobjective optimization strategy, allowing for the approximate determination of both a local minimum of the chosen objective function and its neighboring Pareto efficient points. The PSM workflow is implemented in the extensible Python program gmak, which is made available in the Git repository at http://github.com/mssm-labmmol/gmak. Using this implementation, the PSM workflow was tested in a proof-of-concept fashion in the recalibration of the Lennard-Jones parameters of the 3-point Optimal Point Charge (OPC3) water model for compatibility with the GROMOS treatment of nonbonded interactions. The recalibrated model reproduces typical pure-liquid properties with an accuracy similar to the original OPC3 model and represents a significant improvement relative to the Simple Point Charge (SPC) model, which is the official recommendation for simulations using GROMOS force fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan M H Gonçalves
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, Brazil
- Peers Consulting & Technology, Av. Ibirapuera, 1753-18° andar, Moema, São Paulo, São Paulo 04029-90, Brazil
| | - Bruno A C Horta
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, Brazil
- Peers Consulting & Technology, Av. Ibirapuera, 1753-18° andar, Moema, São Paulo, São Paulo 04029-90, Brazil
- Laboratory of Applied Intelligence, University of Vale do Itajaí, Itajaí, Santa Catarina 88302-901, Brazil
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18
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Pedersen KB, Flores-Canales JC, Schiøtt B. Predicting molecular properties of α-synuclein using force fields for intrinsically disordered proteins. Proteins 2023; 91:47-61. [PMID: 35950933 PMCID: PMC10087257 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Independent force field validation is an essential practice to keep track of developments and for performing meaningful Molecular Dynamics simulations. In this work, atomistic force fields for intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP) are tested by simulating the archetypical IDP α-synuclein in solution for 2.5 μs. Four combinations of protein and water force fields were tested: ff19SB/OPC, ff19SB/TIP4P-D, ff03CMAP/TIP4P-D, and a99SB-disp/TIP4P-disp, with four independent repeat simulations for each combination. We compare our simulations to the results of a 73 μs simulation using the a99SB-disp/TIP4P-disp combination, provided by D. E. Shaw Research. From the trajectories, we predict a range of experimental observations of α-synuclein and compare them to literature data. This includes protein radius of gyration and hydration, intramolecular distances, NMR chemical shifts, and 3 J-couplings. Both ff19SB/TIP4P-D and a99SB-disp/TIP4P-disp produce extended conformational ensembles of α-synuclein that agree well with experimental radius of gyration and intramolecular distances while a99SB-disp/TIP4P-disp reproduces a balanced α-synuclein secondary structure content. It was found that ff19SB/OPC and ff03CMAP/TIP4P-D produce overly compact conformational ensembles and show discrepancies in the secondary structure content compared to the experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Birgit Schiøtt
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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19
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Kurki M, Poso A, Bartos P, Miettinen MS. Structure of POPC Lipid Bilayers in OPLS3e Force Field. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6462-6474. [PMID: 36044537 PMCID: PMC9795559 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
It is crucial for molecular dynamics simulations of biomembranes that the force field parameters give a realistic model of the membrane behavior. In this study, we examined the OPLS3e force field for the carbon-hydrogen order parameters SCH of POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine) lipid bilayers at varying hydration conditions and ion concentrations. The results show that OPLS3e behaves similarly to the CHARMM36 force field and relatively accurately follows the experimentally measured SCH for the lipid headgroup, the glycerol backbone, and the acyl tails. Thus, OPLS3e is a good choice for POPC bilayer simulations under many biologically relevant conditions. The exception are systems with an abundancy of ions, as similarly to most other force fields OPLS3e strongly overestimates the membrane-binding of cations, especially Ca2+. This leads to undesirable positive charge of the membrane surface and drastically lowers the concentration of Ca2+ in the surrounding solvent, which might cause issues in systems sensitive to correct charge distribution profiles across the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milla Kurki
- School
of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus, Yliopistonranta 1
C, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Antti Poso
- School
of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus, Yliopistonranta 1
C, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Piia Bartos
- School
of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus, Yliopistonranta 1
C, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland,
| | - Markus S. Miettinen
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway,Computational
Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
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20
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Predicting Deleterious Non-Synonymous Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (nsSNPs) of HRAS Gene and In Silico Evaluation of Their Structural and Functional Consequences towards Diagnosis and Prognosis of Cancer. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11111604. [DOI: 10.3390/biology11111604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The Harvey rat sarcoma (HRAS) proto-oncogene belongs to the RAS family and is one of the pathogenic genes that cause cancer. Deleterious nsSNPs might have adverse consequences at the protein level. This study aimed to investigate deleterious nsSNPs in the HRAS gene in predicting structural alterations associated with mutants that disrupt normal protein–protein interactions. Functional and structural analysis was employed in analyzing the HRAS nsSNPs. Putative post-translational modification sites and the changes in protein–protein interactions, which included a variety of signal cascades, were also investigated. Five different bioinformatics tools predicted 33 nsSNPs as “pathogenic” or “harmful”. Stability analysis predicted rs1554885139, rs770492627, rs1589792804, rs730880460, rs104894227, rs104894227, and rs121917759 as unstable. Protein–protein interaction analysis revealed that HRAS has a hub connecting three clusters consisting of 11 proteins, and changes in HRAS might cause signal cascades to dissociate. Furthermore, Kaplan–Meier bioinformatics analyses indicated that the HRAS gene deregulation affected the overall survival rate of patients with breast cancer, leading to prognostic significance. Thus, based on these analyses, our study suggests that the reported nsSNPs of HRAS may serve as potential targets for different proteomic studies, diagnoses, and therapeutic interventions focusing on cancer.
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21
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Mirza AH. Study of trioleoylglycerol two-layer and adiposome cross-section mimicking four-layer systems through atomic-level simulations. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2022; 9:064701. [PMID: 36484071 PMCID: PMC9726221 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Adiposomes are artificially prepared lipid droplet (LD)-mimetic structures, which, unlike LDs, do not harbor proteins. The dynamics of interaction between triacylglycerols (TAGs), drug molecule, and phospholipids in adiposomes is currently not well-established. Trioleoylglycerol (TOG) molecule was divided into three parts: two oleoyl tails and one 2-monooleoylglycerol (MOG). Forcefield parameters for two oleoyl tails were adopted from the AMBER18 repository while that of the MOG forcefield was taken from the literature. Charge correction was performed on the MOG forcefield before its utilization. After charge correction, the resulting TOG molecule had zero charge. TOG bilayer (2L) and tetralayer (4L) systems were prepared and simulated. TOG bilayer (2L) systems-modeled from two different initial conformations, the TOG3 conformation and the TOG2:1 conformation-showed that TOG2:1 conformation was more prevailing irrespective of the starting conformation and was subsequently used in further simulations. The hydrated TOG 2L system showed TOG-water solution solubility of 0.051 mol L-1 which is near experimental values. This validated the correct parameterization of the TOG molecule. The simulations of 4L systems showed stable membrane behaviors toward the end of simulations. It was also observed that in the 4L system, the TOG molecules showed the formation of micelles with the drug molecule. Almost six TOGs remained continuously in contact with the drug molecule throughout the simulation. The availability of charge-corrected TOG parameterization is expected to equip future studies with a framework for molecular dynamics simulations of adiposomes and/or LDs at the atomic level.
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22
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In Silico Screening of Novel TMPRSS2 Inhibitors for Treatment of COVID-19. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134210. [PMID: 35807455 PMCID: PMC9268035 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19, a pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, has spread globally, necessitating the search for antiviral compounds. Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is a cell surface protease that plays an essential role in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, researchers are searching for TMPRSS2 inhibitors that can be used for the treatment of COVID-19. As such, in this study, based on the crystal structure, we targeted the active site of TMPRSS2 for virtual screening of compounds in the FDA database. Then, we screened lumacaftor and ergotamine, which showed strong binding ability, using 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations to study the stability of the protein–ligand binding process, the flexibility of amino acid residues, and the formation of hydrogen bonds. Subsequently, we calculated the binding free energy of the protein–ligand complex by the MM-PBSA method. The results show that lumacaftor and ergotamine interact with residues around the TMPRSS2 active site, and reached equilibrium in the 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations. We think that lumacaftor and ergotamine, which we screened through in silico studies, can effectively inhibit the activity of TMPRSS2. Our findings provide a basis for subsequent in vitro experiments, having important implications for the development of effective anti-COVID-19 drugs.
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23
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Antila HS, Kav B, Miettinen MS, Martinez-Seara H, Jungwirth P, Ollila OHS. Emerging Era of Biomolecular Membrane Simulations: Automated Physically-Justified Force Field Development and Quality-Evaluated Databanks. J Phys Chem B 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanne S. Antila
- Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Batuhan Kav
- Institute of Biological Information Processing, Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum
Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Str., 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Markus S. Miettinen
- Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, 5008 Bergen, Norway
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Hector Martinez-Seara
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nam. 2, 16000 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Jungwirth
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nam. 2, 16000 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - O. H. Samuli Ollila
- Institute of Biotechonology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
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24
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Kim S, Chung J, Arlt H, Pak AJ, Farese RV, Walther TC, Voth GA. Seipin transmembrane segments critically function in triglyceride nucleation and lipid droplet budding from the membrane. eLife 2022; 11:75808. [PMID: 35583926 PMCID: PMC9122495 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid droplets (LDs) are organelles formed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to store triacylglycerol (TG) and sterol esters. The ER protein seipin is key for LD biogenesis. Seipin forms a cage-like structure, with each seipin monomer containing a conserved hydrophobic helix and two transmembrane (TM) segments. How the different parts of seipin function in TG nucleation and LD budding is poorly understood. Here, we utilized molecular dynamics simulations of human seipin, along with cell-based experiments, to study seipin’s functions in protein–lipid interactions, lipid diffusion, and LD maturation. An all-atom simulation indicates that seipin TM segment residues and hydrophobic helices residues located in the phospholipid tail region of the bilayer attract TG. Simulating larger, growing LDs with coarse-grained models, we find that the seipin TM segments form a constricted neck structure to facilitate conversion of a flat oil lens into a budding LD. Using cell experiments and simulations, we also show that conserved, positively charged residues at the end of seipin’s TM segments affect LD maturation. We propose a model in which seipin TM segments critically function in TG nucleation and LD growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyoung Kim
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Jeeyun Chung
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States.,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Henning Arlt
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States.,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States
| | - Alexander J Pak
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, United States
| | - Robert V Farese
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States.,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, United States
| | - Tobias C Walther
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States.,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, United States
| | - Gregory A Voth
- Department of Chemistry, Chicago Center for Theoretical Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
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25
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Tempra C, Ollila OHS, Javanainen M. Accurate Simulations of Lipid Monolayers Require a Water Model with Correct Surface Tension. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:1862-1869. [PMID: 35133839 PMCID: PMC8908734 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Lipid monolayers provide our lungs and eyes their functionality and serve as proxy systems in biomembrane research. Therefore, lipid monolayers have been studied intensively including using molecular dynamics simulations, which are able to probe their lateral structure and interactions with, e.g., pharmaceuticals or nanoparticles. However, such simulations have struggled in describing the forces at the air-water interface. Particularly, the surface tension of water and long-range van der Waals interactions have been considered critical, but their importance in monolayer simulations has been evaluated only separately. Here, we combine the recent C36/LJ-PME lipid force field that includes long-range van der Waals forces with water models that reproduce experimental surface tensions to elucidate the importance of these contributions in monolayer simulations. Our results suggest that a water model with correct surface tension is necessary to reproduce experimental surface pressure-area isotherms and monolayer phase behavior. The latter includes the liquid expanded and liquid condensed phases, their coexistence, and the opening of pores at the correct area per lipid upon expansion. Despite these improvements of the C36/LJ-PME with certain water models, the standard cutoff-based CHARMM36 lipid model with the 4-point OPC water model still provides the best agreement with experiments. Our results emphasize the importance of using high-quality water models in applications and parameter development in molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo Tempra
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 542/2, 160 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - O H Samuli Ollila
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Javanainen
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 542/2, 160 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
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26
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Hsieh MK, Yu Y, Klauda JB. All-Atom Modeling of Complex Cellular Membranes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:3-17. [PMID: 34962814 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Cell membranes are composed of a variety of lipids and proteins where they interact with each other to fulfill their roles. The first step in modeling these interactions in molecular simulations is to have reliable mimetics of the membrane's lipid environment. This Feature Article presents our recent efforts to model complex cellular membranes using all-atom force fields. A short review of the CHARMM36 (C36) lipid force field and its recent update to incorporate the long-range dispersion is presented. Key examples of model membranes mimicking various species and organelles are given. These include single-celled organisms such as bacteria (E. coli., chlamydia, and P. aeruginosa) and yeast (plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, and trans-Golgi network) and more advanced ones such as plants (soybean and Arabidopsis thaliana) and mammals (ocular lens, stratum corneum, and peripheral nerve myelin). Leaflet asymmetry in composition has also been applied to some of these models. With the increased lipid diversity in the C36 lipid FF, these complex models can better reflect the structural, mechanical, and dynamic properties of realistic membranes and open an opportunity to study biological processes involving other molecules.
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Campomanes P, Prabhu J, Zoni V, Vanni S. Recharging your fats: CHARMM36 parameters for neutral lipids triacylglycerol and diacylglycerol. BIOPHYSICAL REPORTS 2021; 1:None. [PMID: 34939045 PMCID: PMC8651513 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpr.2021.100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Neutral lipids (NLs) are an abundant class of cellular lipids. They are characterized by the total lack of charged chemical groups in their structure, and, as a consequence, they play a major role in intracellular lipid storage. NLs that carry a glycerol backbone, such as triacylglycerols (TGs) and diacylglycerols (DGs), are also involved in the biosynthetic pathway of cellular phospholipids, and they have recently been the subject of numerous structural investigations by means of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. However, conflicting results on the physicochemical behavior of NLs were observed depending on the nature of the atomistic force field used. Here, we show that current phospholipid-derived CHARMM36 parameters for DGs and TGs cannot adequately reproduce interfacial properties of these NLs because of excessive hydrophilicity at the glycerol-ester region. By following a CHARMM36-consistent parameterization strategy, we develop improved parameters for both TGs and DGs that are compatible with both cutoff-based and particle mesh Ewald schemes for the treatment of Lennard-Jones interactions. We show that our improved parameters can reproduce interfacial properties of NLs and their behavior in more complex lipid assemblies. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of intracellular lipid storage and NLs’ cellular activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Campomanes
- Chemin du Musée 10, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Janak Prabhu
- Chemin du Musée 10, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Valeria Zoni
- Chemin du Musée 10, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Vanni
- Chemin du Musée 10, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Simple Does Not Mean Trivial: Behavior of Phosphatidic Acid in Lipid Mono- and Bilayers. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111523. [PMID: 34768953 PMCID: PMC8584262 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphatidic acid (PA) is one of the simplest membrane phospholipids, yet it plays a crucial role in various biologically relevant processes that take place in cells. Since PA generation may be triggered by a variety of factors, very often of antagonistic character, the specific nature of physiological responses driven by PA is not clear. In order to shed more light on these issues, we carried out a systematic characterization of membranes containing one of the three biologically significant PA molecular species. The effect of these molecules on the properties of membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine and/or cholesterol was assessed in a multidisciplinary approach, including molecular dynamic simulations, flicker noise spectroscopy, and Langmuir monolayer isotherms. The first enables the determination of various macroscopic and microscopic parameters such as lateral diffusion, membrane thickness, and defect analysis. The obtained data revealed a strong interaction between unsaturated PA species and phosphatidylcholine. On the other hand, the behavior of saturated PA was greatly influenced by cholesterol. Additionally, a strong effect on mechanical properties was observed in the case of three-component systems, which could not be explained by the simple extrapolation of parameters of the corresponding two-component systems. Our data show that various PA species are not equivalent in terms of their influence on lipid mono- and bilayers and that membrane composition/properties, particularly those related to the presence of cholesterol, may strongly modulate PA behavior.
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Jiang W, Lin YC, Luo YL. Mechanical properties of anionic asymmetric bilayers from atomistic simulations. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:224701. [PMID: 34241213 DOI: 10.1063/5.0048232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanotransduction, the biological response to mechanical stress, is often initiated by activation of mechanosensitive (MS) proteins upon mechanically induced deformations of the cell membrane. A current challenge in fully understanding this process is in predicting how lipid bilayers deform upon the application of mechanical stress. In this context, it is now well established that anionic lipids influence the function of many proteins. Here, we test the hypothesis that anionic lipids could indirectly modulate MS proteins by alteration of the lipid bilayer mechanical properties. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we computed the bilayer bending rigidity (KC), the area compressibility (KA), and the surface shear viscosity (ηm) of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PC) lipid bilayers with and without phosphatidylserine (PS) or phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2) at physiological concentrations in the lower leaflet. Tensionless leaflets were first checked for each asymmetric bilayer model, and a formula for embedding an asymmetric channel in an asymmetric bilayer is proposed. Results from two different sized bilayers show consistently that the addition of 20% surface charge in the lower leaflet of the PC bilayer with PIP2 has minimal impact on its mechanical properties, while PS reduced the bilayer bending rigidity by 22%. As a comparison, supplementing the PIP2-enriched PC membrane with 30% cholesterol, a known rigidifying steroid lipid, produces a significant increase in all three mechanical constants. Analysis of pairwise splay moduli suggests that the effect of anionic lipids on bilayer bending rigidity largely depends on the number of anionic lipid pairs formed during simulations. The potential implication of bilayer bending rigidity is discussed in the framework of MS piezo channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Jiang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91766, USA
| | - Yi-Chun Lin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91766, USA
| | - Yun Lyna Luo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91766, USA
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Xu Y, Huang J. Validating the CHARMM36m protein force field with LJ-PME reveals altered hydrogen bonding dynamics under elevated pressures. Commun Chem 2021; 4:99. [PMID: 36697521 PMCID: PMC9814493 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00537-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The pressure-temperature phase diagram is important to our understanding of the physics of biomolecules. Compared to studies on temperature effects, studies of the pressure dependence of protein dynamic are rather limited. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with fine-tuned force fields (FFs) offer a powerful tool to explore the influence of thermodynamic conditions on proteins. Here we evaluate the transferability of the CHARMM36m (C36m) protein force field at varied pressures compared with NMR data using ubiquitin as a model protein. The pressure dependences of J couplings for hydrogen bonds and order parameters for internal motion are in good agreement with experiment. We demonstrate that the C36m FF combined with the Lennard-Jones particle-mesh Ewald (LJ-PME) method is suitable for simulations in a wide range of temperature and pressure. As the ubiquitin remains stable up to 2500 bar, we identify the mobility and stability of different hydrogen bonds in response to pressure. Based on those results, C36m is expected to be applied to more proteins in the future to further investigate protein dynamics under elevated pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Xu
- grid.494629.40000 0004 8008 9315Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China ,Westlake AI Therapeutics Lab, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China ,grid.494629.40000 0004 8008 9315Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Jing Huang
- grid.494629.40000 0004 8008 9315Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China ,Westlake AI Therapeutics Lab, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China ,grid.494629.40000 0004 8008 9315Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
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Kim S, Voth GA. Physical Characterization of Triolein and Implications for Its Role in Lipid Droplet Biogenesis. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:6874-6888. [PMID: 34139844 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Lipid droplets (LDs) are neutral lipid-storing organelles surrounded by a phospholipid (PL) monolayer. At present, how LDs are formed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) bilayer is poorly understood. In this study, we present a revised all-atom (AA) triolein (TG) model, the main constituent of the LD core, and characterize its properties in a bilayer membrane to demonstrate the implications of its behavior in LD biogenesis. In bilayer simulations, TG resides at the surface, adopting PL-like conformations (denoted in this work as SURF-TG). Free energy sampling simulation results estimate the barrier for TG relocating from the bilayer surface to the bilayer center to be ∼2 kcal/mol in the absence of an oil lens. SURF-TG is able to modulate membrane properties by increasing PL ordering, decreasing bending modulus, and creating local negative curvature. The other neutral lipid, dioleoyl-glycerol (DAG), also reduces the membrane bending modulus and populates negative curvature regions. A phenomenological coarse-grained (CG) model is also developed to observe larger-scale SURF-TG-mediated membrane deformation. CG simulations confirm that TG nucleates between the bilayer leaflets at a critical concentration when SURF-TG is evenly distributed. However, when one monolayer contains more SURF-TG, the membrane bends toward the other leaflet, followed by TG nucleation if a concentration is higher than the critical threshold. The central conclusion of this study is that SURF-TG is a negative curvature inducer, as well as a membrane modulator. To this end, a model is proposed in which the accumulation of SURF-TG in the luminal leaflet bends the ER bilayer toward the cytosolic side, followed by TG nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyoung Kim
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Gregory A Voth
- Department of Chemistry, Chicago Center for Theoretical Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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Abstract
Molecular simulations of biological molecules require an accurate description of molecular interactions through a force field (FF). The focus of this Perspective is on all-atom lipid FFs. Recent additions to the CHARMM36 lipid FF continue to expand a researcher's ability to probe membrane structure and function with a wide variety of biologically important lipids. Currently, there is an effort to reduce the assumptions in all-atom lipid FFs. The inclusion of long-range dispersion interaction through particle-mesh Ewald is allowing for more accurate descriptions of lipid bilayer and monolayer properties without additional computational cost. Soon, simulations with lipid FFs will no longer depend on short-range cutoffs and will accurately represent long-range dispersion. This requires efficient FF parametrization with an automated approach due to FF complexity. In addition, polarizable FFs for lipids will be important for the next generation of simulations that accurately represent how molecule interactions respond to a varied environment.
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Yu Y, Krämer A, Venable RM, Brooks BR, Klauda JB, Pastor RW. CHARMM36 Lipid Force Field with Explicit Treatment of Long-Range Dispersion: Parametrization and Validation for Phosphatidylethanolamine, Phosphatidylglycerol, and Ether Lipids. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:1581-1595. [PMID: 33620194 PMCID: PMC8130185 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Long-range Lennard-Jones (LJ) interactions have been incorporated into the CHARMM36 (C36) lipid force field (FF) using the LJ particle-mesh Ewald (LJ-PME) method in order to remove the inconsistency of bilayer and monolayer properties arising from the exclusion of long-range dispersion [Yu, Y.; Semi-automated Optimization of the CHARMM36 Lipid Force Field to Include Explicit Treatment of Long-Range Dispersion. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2021, 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01326. (preceding article in this issue)]. The new FF is denoted C36/LJ-PME. While the first optimization was based on three phosphatidylcholines (PCs), this work extends the validation and parametrization to more lipids including PC, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), and ether lipids. The agreement with experimental structure data is excellent for PC, PE, and ether lipids. C36/LJ-PME also compares favorably with scattering data of PG bilayers but less so with NMR deuterium order parameters of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (DMPG) at 303.15 K, indicating a need for future optimization regarding PG-specific parameters. Frequency dependence of NMR T1 spin-lattice relaxation times is well-described by C36/LJ-PME, and the overall agreement with experiment is comparable to C36. Lipid diffusion is slower than C36 due to the added long-range dispersion causing a higher viscosity, although it is still too fast compared to experiment after correction for periodic boundary conditions. When using a 10 Å real-space cutoff, the simulation speed of C36/LJ-PME is roughly equal to C36. While more lipids will be incorporated into the FF in the future, C36/LJ-PME can be readily used for common lipids and extends the capability of the CHARMM FF by supporting monolayers and eliminating the cutoff dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalun Yu
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Andreas Krämer
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Richard M Venable
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Bernard R Brooks
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Jeffery B Klauda
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Richard W Pastor
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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