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Cervera J, Ramirez P, Nasir S, Ali M, Ensinger W, Siwy ZS, Mafe S. Cation pumping against a concentration gradient in conical nanopores characterized by load capacitors. Bioelectrochemistry 2023; 152:108445. [PMID: 37086711 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2023.108445] [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: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
We study the cation transport against an external concentration gradient (cation pumping) that occurs in conical nanopores when zero-average oscillatory and white noise potentials are externally applied. This pumping, based on the electrically asymmetric nanostructure, is characterized here by a load capacitor arrangement. In the case of white noise signals, the conical nanopore acts as an electrical valve that allows extraction of order from chaos. No molecular carriers, specific ion pumps, and competitive ion-binding phenomena are required. The nanopore conductance on/off states mimic those of the voltage-gated ion channels in the cell membrane. These channels allow modulating membrane potentials and ionic concentration gradients along oscillatory pulses in circadian rhythms and the cell cycle. We show that the combination of asymmetric nanostructures with load capacitors can be useful for the understanding of nanofluidic processes based on bioelectrochemical gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Departament de Física de la Terra i Termodinàmica, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain.
| | - Patricio Ramirez
- Departament de Física Aplicada, Universitat Politècnica de València, E-46022 València, Spain
| | - Saima Nasir
- Materials Research Department, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany; Department of Material- and Geo-Sciences, Technische Universität Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Mubarak Ali
- Materials Research Department, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany; Department of Material- and Geo-Sciences, Technische Universität Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Ensinger
- Department of Material- and Geo-Sciences, Technische Universität Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Zuzanna S Siwy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Departament de Física de la Terra i Termodinàmica, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain.
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Perini DA, Parra-Ortiz E, Varó I, Queralt-Martín M, Malmsten M, Alcaraz A. Surface-Functionalized Polystyrene Nanoparticles Alter the Transmembrane Potential via Ion-Selective Pores Maintaining Global Bilayer Integrity. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:14837-14849. [PMID: 36417698 PMCID: PMC9974068 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Although nanoplastics have well-known toxic effects toward the environment and living organisms, their molecular toxicity mechanisms, including the nature of nanoparticle-cell membrane interactions, are still under investigation. Here, we employ dynamic light scattering, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, and electrophysiology to investigate the interaction between polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) and phospholipid membranes. Our results show that PS NPs adsorb onto lipid bilayers creating soft inhomogeneous films that include disordered defects. PS NPs form an integral part of the generated channels so that the surface functionalization and charge of the NP determine the pore conductive properties. The large difference in size between the NP diameter and the lipid bilayer thickness (∼60 vs ∼5 nm) suggests a particular and complex lipid-NP assembly that is able to maintain overall membrane integrity. In view of this, we suggest that NP-induced toxicity in cells could operate in more subtle ways than membrane disintegration, such as inducing lipid reorganization and transmembrane ionic fluxes that disrupt the membrane potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Aurora Perini
- Laboratory
of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071Castellón, Spain
| | - Elisa Parra-Ortiz
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inmaculada Varó
- Institute
of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS-CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes, 12595Castellón, Spain
| | - María Queralt-Martín
- Laboratory
of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071Castellón, Spain
| | - Martin Malmsten
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department
of Physical Chemistry 1, University of Lund, SE-22100Lund, Sweden
| | - Antonio Alcaraz
- Laboratory
of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071Castellón, Spain
- . Tel.: +34 964 72 8044
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3
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González-Magaña A, Altuna J, Queralt-Martín M, Largo E, Velázquez C, Montánchez I, Bernal P, Alcaraz A, Albesa-Jové D. The P. aeruginosa effector Tse5 forms membrane pores disrupting the membrane potential of intoxicated bacteria. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1189. [PMID: 36335275 PMCID: PMC9637101 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04140-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa injects effector proteins into neighbouring competitors and host cells, providing a fitness advantage that allows this opportunistic nosocomial pathogen to persist and prevail during the onset of infections. However, despite the high clinical relevance of P. aeruginosa, the identity and mode of action of most P. aeruginosa T6SS-dependent effectors remain to be discovered. Here, we report the molecular mechanism of Tse5-CT, the toxic auto-proteolytic product of the P. aeruginosa T6SS exported effector Tse5. Our results demonstrate that Tse5-CT is a pore-forming toxin that can transport ions across the membrane, causing membrane depolarisation and bacterial death. The membrane potential regulates a wide range of essential cellular functions; therefore, membrane depolarisation is an efficient strategy to compete with other microorganisms in polymicrobial environments. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type 6 secretion effector Tse5 forms pores in the cytoplasmic membrane when ectopically produced and hence has a bacteriolytic effect by depolarising the inner membrane potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaia González-Magaña
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia/Biofisika Bizkaia Fundazioa (FBB) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Jon Altuna
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia/Biofisika Bizkaia Fundazioa (FBB) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - María Queralt-Martín
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, University Jaume I, 12071, Castellón, Spain
| | - Eneko Largo
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia/Biofisika Bizkaia Fundazioa (FBB) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain.,Departamento de Inmunología, Microbiología y Parasitología, University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Carmen Velázquez
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia/Biofisika Bizkaia Fundazioa (FBB) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Itxaso Montánchez
- Departamento de Inmunología, Microbiología y Parasitología, University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Patricia Bernal
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Antonio Alcaraz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, University Jaume I, 12071, Castellón, Spain
| | - David Albesa-Jové
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia/Biofisika Bizkaia Fundazioa (FBB) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain. .,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013, Bilbao, Spain.
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Queralt-Martín M, Perini DA, Alcaraz A. Specific adsorption of trivalent cations in biological nanopores determines conductance dynamics and reverses ionic selectivity. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:1352-1362. [PMID: 33367433 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp04486e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Adsorption processes are central to ionic transport in industrial and biological membrane systems. Multivalent cations modulate the conductive properties of nanofluidic devices through interactions with charged surfaces that depend principally on the ion charge number. Considering that ion channels are specialized valves that demand a sharp specificity in ion discrimination, we investigate the adsorption dynamics of trace amounts of different salts of trivalent cations in biological nanopores. We consider here OmpF from Escherichia coli, an archetypical protein nanopore, to probe the specificity of biological nanopores to multivalent cations. We systematically compare the effect of three trivalent electrolytes on OmpF current-voltage relationships and characterize the degree of rectification induced by each ion. We also analyze the open channel current noise to determine the existence of equilibrium/non-equilibrium mechanisms of ion adsorption and evaluate the extent of charge inversion through selectivity measurements. We show that the interaction of trivalent electrolytes with biological nanopores occurs via ion-specific adsorption yielding differential modulation of ion conduction and selectivity inversion. We also demonstrate the existence of non-equilibrium fluctuations likely related to ion-dependent trapping-detrapping processes. Our study provides fundamental information relevant to different biological and electrochemical systems where transport phenomena involve ion adsorption in charged surfaces under nanoscale confinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Queralt-Martín
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
| | - D Aurora Perini
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
| | - Antonio Alcaraz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
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Abstract
In the 1930s, Lars Onsager published his famous 'reciprocal relations' describing free energy conversion processes. Importantly, these relations were derived on the assumption that the fluxes of the processes involved in the conversion were proportional to the forces (free energy gradients) driving them. For chemical reactions, however, this condition holds only for systems operating close to equilibrium-indeed very close; nominally requiring driving forces to be smaller than k B T. Fairly soon thereafter, however, it was quite inexplicably observed that in at least some biological conversions both the reciprocal relations and linear flux-force dependency appeared to be obeyed no matter how far from equilibrium the system was being driven. No successful explanation of how this 'paradoxical' behaviour could occur has emerged and it has remained a mystery. We here argue, however, that this anomalous behaviour is simply a gift of water, of its viscosity in particular; a gift, moreover, without which life almost certainly could not have emerged. And a gift whose appreciation we primarily owe to recent work by Prof. R. Dean Astumian who, as providence has kindly seen to it, was led to the relevant insights by the later work of Onsager himself.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Branscomb
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 3113 IGB MC 195, 128 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - M. J. Russell
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA
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Abstract
Recent developments in synthetic molecular motors and pumps have sprung from a remarkable confluence of experiment and theory. Synthetic accomplishments have facilitated the ability to design and create molecules, many of them featuring mechanically bonded components, to carry out specific functions in their environment-walking along a polymeric track, unidirectional circling of one ring about another, synthesizing stereoisomers according to an external protocol, or pumping rings onto a long rod-like molecule to form and maintain high-energy, complex, nonequilibrium structures from simpler antecedents. Progress in the theory of nanoscale stochastic thermodynamics, specifically the generalization and extension of the principle of microscopic reversibility to the single-molecule regime, has enhanced the understanding of the design requirements for achieving strong unidirectional motion and high efficiency of these synthetic molecular machines for harnessing energy from external fluctuations to carry out mechanical and/or chemical functions in their environment. A key insight is that the interaction between the fluctuations and the transition state energies plays a central role in determining the steady-state concentrations. Kinetic asymmetry, a requirement for stochastic adaptation, occurs when there is an imbalance in the effect of the fluctuations on the forward and reverse rate constants. Because of strong viscosity, the motions of the machine can be viewed as mechanical equilibrium processes where mechanical resonances are simply impossible but where the probability distributions for the state occupancies and trajectories are very different from those that would be expected at thermodynamic equilibrium.
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Pezzato C, Cheng C, Stoddart JF, Astumian RD. Mastering the non-equilibrium assembly and operation of molecular machines. Chem Soc Rev 2018; 46:5491-5507. [PMID: 28338143 DOI: 10.1039/c7cs00068e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In mechanically interlocked compounds, such as rotaxanes and catenanes, the molecules are held together by mechanical rather than chemical bonds. These compounds can be engineered to have several well-defined mechanical states by incorporating recognition sites between the different components. The rates of the transitions between the recognition sites can be controlled by introducing steric "speed bumps" or electrostatically switchable gates. A mechanism for the absorption of energy can also be included by adding photoactive, catalytically active, or redox-active recognition sites, or even charges and dipoles. At equilibrium, these Mechanically Interlocked Molecules (MIMs) undergo thermally activated transitions continuously between their different mechanical states where every transition is as likely as its microscopic reverse. External energy, for example, light, external modulation of the chemical and/or physical environment or catalysis of an exergonic reaction, drives the system away from equilibrium. The absorption of energy from these processes can be used to favour some, and suppress other, transitions so that completion of a mechanical cycle in a direction in which work is done on the environment - the requisite of a molecular machine - is more likely than completion in a direction in which work is absorbed from the environment. In this Tutorial Review, we discuss the different design principles by which molecular machines can be engineered to use different sources of energy to carry out self-organization and the performance of work in their environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Pezzato
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, USA.
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8
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Astumian RD. Stochastic pumping of non-equilibrium steady-states: how molecules adapt to a fluctuating environment. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 54:427-444. [PMID: 29242862 DOI: 10.1039/c7cc06683j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In the absence of input energy, a chemical reaction in a closed system ineluctably relaxes toward an equilibrium state governed by a Boltzmann distribution. The addition of a catalyst to the system provides a way for more rapid equilibration toward this distribution, but the catalyst can never, in and of itself, drive the system away from equilibrium. In the presence of external fluctuations, however, a macromolecular catalyst (e.g., an enzyme) can absorb energy and drive the formation of a steady state between reactant and product that is not determined solely by their relative energies. Due to the ubiquity of non-equilibrium steady states in living systems, the development of a theory for the effects of external fluctuations on chemical systems has been a longstanding focus of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The theory of stochastic pumping has provided insight into how a non-equilibrium steady-state can be formed and maintained in the presence of dissipation and kinetic asymmetry. This effort has been greatly enhanced by a confluence of experimental and theoretical work on synthetic molecular machines designed explicitly to harness external energy to drive non-equilibrium transport and self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Astumian
- Department of Physics, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
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9
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Miranda WE, Ngo VA, Perissinotti LL, Noskov SY. Computational membrane biophysics: From ion channel interactions with drugs to cellular function. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2017; 1865:1643-1653. [PMID: 28847523 PMCID: PMC5764198 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The rapid development of experimental and computational techniques has changed fundamentally our understanding of cellular-membrane transport. The advent of powerful computers and refined force-fields for proteins, ions, and lipids has expanded the applicability of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. A myriad of cellular responses is modulated through the binding of endogenous and exogenous ligands (e.g. neurotransmitters and drugs, respectively) to ion channels. Deciphering the thermodynamics and kinetics of the ligand binding processes to these membrane proteins is at the heart of modern drug development. The ever-increasing computational power has already provided insightful data on the thermodynamics and kinetics of drug-target interactions, free energies of solvation, and partitioning into lipid bilayers for drugs. This review aims to provide a brief summary about modeling approaches to map out crucial binding pathways with intermediate conformations and free-energy surfaces for drug-ion channel binding mechanisms that are responsible for multiple effects on cellular functions. We will discuss post-processing analysis of simulation-generated data, which are then transformed to kinetic models to better understand the molecular underpinning of the experimental observables under the influence of drugs or mutations in ion channels. This review highlights crucial mathematical frameworks and perspectives on bridging different well-established computational techniques to connect the dynamics and timescales from all-atom MD and free energy simulations of ion channels to the physiology of action potentials in cellular models. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biophysics in Canada, edited by Lewis Kay, John Baenziger, Albert Berghuis and Peter Tieleman.
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Affiliation(s)
- Williams E Miranda
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Van A Ngo
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Laura L Perissinotti
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sergei Yu Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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Kalu N, Alcaraz A, Yamini G, Momben Abolfath S, Lucas L, Kenney C, Aguilella VM, Nestorovich EM. Effect of endosomal acidification on small ion transport through the anthrax toxin PA 63 channel. FEBS Lett 2017; 591:3481-3492. [PMID: 28963849 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Tight regulation of pH is critical for the structure and function of cells and organelles. The pH environment changes dramatically along the endocytic pathway, an internalization transport process that is 'hijacked' by many intracellularly active bacterial exotoxins, including the anthrax toxin. Here, we investigate the role of pH on single-channel properties of the anthrax toxin protective antigen (PA63 ). Using conductance and current noise analysis, blocker binding, ion selectivity, and poly(ethylene glycol) partitioning measurements, we show that the channel exists in two different open states ('maximum' and 'main') at pH ≥ 5.5, while only a maximum conductance state is detected at pH < 5.5. We describe two substantially distinct patterns of PA63 conductance dependence on KCl concentration uncovered at pH 6.5 and 4.5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nnanya Kalu
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Antonio Alcaraz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Goli Yamini
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Laura Lucas
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Clare Kenney
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vicente M Aguilella
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
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11
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Fluctuation-Driven Transport in Biological Nanopores. A 3D Poisson–Nernst–Planck Study. ENTROPY 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/e19030116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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