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Wang S, Gao J, Chu X. Residue-Specific Structural and Dynamical Coupling of Protein and Hydration Water Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Biomolecules 2025; 15:660. [PMID: 40427553 PMCID: PMC12108842 DOI: 10.3390/biom15050660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2025] [Revised: 04/29/2025] [Accepted: 04/30/2025] [Indexed: 05/29/2025] Open
Abstract
Proteins and their surrounding hydration water engage in a dynamic interplay that is critical for maintaining structural stability and functional integrity. However, the intricate coupling between protein dynamics and the structural order of hydration water remains poorly understood. Here, we employ all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to investigate this relationship across four representative proteins. Our results reveal that protein residues with greater flexibility or solvent exposure are surrounded by more disordered hydration water, akin to bulk water, whereas rigid and buried non-polar residues are associated with structurally ordered hydration shells. Due to their strong hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, charged residues exhibit the most disordered hydration water, while non-polar residues are associated with the structurally most ordered hydration water. We further uncovered a positive correlation between the relaxation dynamics of protein residues and their hydration water: slower (faster) protein relaxation is coupled with slower (faster) relaxation of the structural order of hydration water. Notably, this coupling weakens with increasing residue flexibility or solvent exposure, with non-polar residues displaying the strongest coupling, and charged residues the weakest. To further uncover their coupling mechanism, we elucidate residue-specific coupled fluctuations between protein residues and hydration water by generating scatter plots. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying protein-water interactions, offering valuable insights into the role of hydration water in protein stability, dynamics, and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (S.W.); (J.G.)
- Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, China
| | - Jun Gao
- College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (S.W.); (J.G.)
| | - Xiakun Chu
- Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, China
- Guangzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Materials Informatics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, China
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
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Ni Z, Tan J, Luo Y, Ye S. Dynamic protein hydration water mediates the aggregation kinetics of amyloid β peptides at interfaces. J Colloid Interface Sci 2025; 679:539-546. [PMID: 39467365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.10.105] [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: 07/12/2024] [Revised: 10/08/2024] [Accepted: 10/18/2024] [Indexed: 10/30/2024]
Abstract
Protein hydration water is essential for protein misfolding and amyloid formation, but how it directs the course of amyloid formation has yet to be elucidated. Here, we experimentally demonstrated that femtosecond sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) and the femtosecond IR pump-SFG probe technique can serve as powerful tools for addressing this issue. Using amyloid β(1-42) peptide as a model, we determined the transient misfolding intermediates by probing the amide band spectral features and the local hydration water changes by measuring the ultrafast vibrational dynamics of the amide I band. For the first time, we established a correlation between the dynamic change in protein hydration water and aggregation propensity. The aggregation propensity depends on the dynamic change in the hydration water, rather than the static hydration water content of the initial protein state. Water expulsion enhances the aggregation propensity and promotes amyloid formation, while protein hydration attenuates the aggregation propensity and inhibits amyloid formation. The suppression of water expulsion and protein hydration can prevent protein aggregation and stabilize proteins. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the underlying effect of hydration water on amyloid formation and protein structural stability and provide a strategy for maintaining long-term stabilization of biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijian Ni
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Junjun Tan
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China
| | - Yi Luo
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China.
| | - Shuji Ye
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China.
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Ma YH, Wang C, Yang J, Li B, Han X, Lu X. Disulfide-Driven Charge and Hydrophobicity Rearrangement of Remodeled Membrane Proteins toward Amyloid-Type Aggregation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:16145-16150. [PMID: 39054779 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
As a common pathological hallmark, protein aggregation into amyloids is a highly complicated phenomenon, attracting extensive research interest for elucidating its structural details and formation mechanisms. Membrane deposition and disulfide-driven protein misfolding play critical roles in amyloid-type aggregation, yet the underlying molecular process remains unclear. Here, we employed sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy to comprehensively investigate the remodeling process of lysozyme, as the model protein, into amyloid-type aggregates at the cell membrane interface. It was discovered that disulfide reduction concurrently induced the transition of membrane-bound lysozyme from predominantly α-helical to antiparallel β-sheet structures, under a mode switch of membrane interaction from electrostatic to hydrophobic, and subsequent oligomeric aggregation. These findings shed light on the systematic understanding of dynamic molecular mechanisms underlying membrane-interactive amyloid oligomer formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Hao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Chu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Jingjing Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Bolin Li
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics at Extreme Conditions, High Magnetic Field Laboratory, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Xiaofeng Han
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Xiaolin Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
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Pei R, Zhang J, Tan J, Luo Y, Ye S. Fermi Resonance of the N-D Stretching Mode Probing the Local Hydrogen-Bonding Environment in Proteins. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5658-5666. [PMID: 38836292 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00390] [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: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Local H-bonding interactions are crucial for proteins to undergo various structural transitions and form different secondary structures. However, identifying slight distinctions in the local H-bonding of proteins is rather challenging. Here, we demonstrate that the Fermi resonance of the N-D stretching mode can provide an effective probe for the localized H-bonding environment of proteins both at the surface/interface and in the bulk. Using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy, we established a correlation between the Fermi resonance of the N-D mode and protein secondary structures. The H-bond of N-D···C═O splits the N-D modes into two peaks (∼2410 and ∼2470 cm-1). The relative strength ratio (R) between the ∼2410 cm-1 peak and the ∼2470 cm-1 peak is very sensitive to H-bond strength and protein secondary structure. R is less than 1 for α-helical peptides, while R is greater than 1 for β-sheet peptides. For R < 2.5, both α-helical/loop structures and β-sheet structures exhibit almost identical Fermi coupling strengths (W = 28 cm-1). For R > 2.5, W decreases from 28 to 14 cm-1 and depends on the aggregation degree of the β-sheet oligomers or fibrils. The initial local H-bonding status impacts the misfolding dynamics of proteins at the lipid bilayer interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoqi Pei
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Junjun Tan
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China
| | - Yi Luo
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China
| | - Shuji Ye
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China
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