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Deng J, Cui Q. Efficient Sampling of Cavity Hydration in Proteins with Nonequilibrium Grand Canonical Monte Carlo and Polarizable Force Fields. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:1897-1911. [PMID: 38417108 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00013] [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: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Prediction of the hydration levels of protein cavities and active sites is important to both mechanistic analysis and ligand design. Due to the unique microscopic environment of these buried water molecules, a polarizable model is expected to be crucial for an accurate treatment of protein internal hydration in simulations. Here we adapt a nonequilibrium candidate Monte Carlo approach for conducting grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations with the Drude polarizable force field. The GPU implementation enables the efficient sampling of internal cavity hydration levels in biomolecular systems. We also develop an enhanced sampling approach referred to as B-walking, which satisfies detailed balance and readily combines with grand canonical integration to efficiently calculate quantitative binding free energies of water to protein cavities. Applications of these developments are illustrated in a solvent box and the polar ligand binding site in trypsin. Our simulation results show that including electronic polarization leads to a modest but clear improvement in the description of water position and occupancy compared to the crystal structure. The B-walking approach enhances the range of water sampling in different chemical potential windows and thus improves the accuracy of water binding free energy calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Deng
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Qiang Cui
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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2
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Beck TL, Carloni P, Asthagiri DN. All-Atom Biomolecular Simulation in the Exascale Era. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:1777-1782. [PMID: 38382017 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c01276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Exascale supercomputers have opened the door to dynamic simulations, facilitated by AI/ML techniques, that model biomolecular motions over unprecedented length and time scales. This new capability holds the potential to revolutionize our understanding of fundamental biological processes. Here we report on some of the major advances that were discussed at a recent CECAM workshop in Pisa, Italy, on the topic with a primary focus on atomic-level simulations. First, we highlight examples of current large-scale biomolecular simulations and the future possibilities enabled by crossing the exascale threshold. Next, we discuss challenges to be overcome in optimizing the usage of these powerful resources. Finally, we close by listing several grand challenge problems that could be investigated with this new computer architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L Beck
- National Center for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
| | - Paolo Carloni
- INM-9/IAS-5 Computational Biomedicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-54245 Jülich, Germany
- Department of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, D-52078 Aachen, Germany
| | - Dilipkumar N Asthagiri
- National Center for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
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3
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Stevens MJ, Rempe SLB. Insight into the K channel's selectivity from binding of K +, Na + and water to N-methylacetamide. Faraday Discuss 2024; 249:195-209. [PMID: 37846738 DOI: 10.1039/d3fd00110e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
In potassium channels that conduct K+ selectively over Na+, which sites are occupied by K+ or water and the mechanism of selectivity are unresolved questions. The combination of the energetics and the constraints imposed by the protein structure yield the selective permeation and occupancy. To gain insight into the combination of structure and energetics, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations of multiple N-methyl acetamide (NMA) ligands binding to K+ and Na+, relative to hydrated K+ and Na+. NMA is an analogue of the amino acid backbone and provides the carbonyl binding to the ions that occurs in most binding sites of the K+ channel. Unconstrained optimal structures are obtained through geometry optimization calculations of the NMA ligand binding. The complexes formed by 8 NMA binding to the cations have the O atoms positioned in nearly identical locations as the O atoms in the selectivity filter. The transfer free energies between bulk water and K+ or Na+ bound to 8 NMA are almost identical, implying there is no selectivity by a single site. For water optimized with 8 NMA, binding is weak and O atoms are not positioned as in the K+ channel selectivity filter, suggesting that the ions are much more favored than water. Optimal structures of 8 NMA binding with two cations (K+ or Na+) are stable and have lower binding free energy than the optimal structures with just one cation. However, in the Na+ case, the optimal structure deforms and does not match the K+ channel; that is, two bound Na+ are destabilizing. In contrast, the two K+ structure is stabilized and the selectivity free energy favors K+. Overall, this study shows that binding site occupancy and the mechanism for K+ selectivity involves multiple K+ binding in multiple neighboring layers or sites of the K+ channel selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Stevens
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA.
| | - Susan L B Rempe
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA.
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4
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Stevens MJ, Rempe SLB. Binding of carboxylate and water to monovalent cations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:29881-29893. [PMID: 37889481 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04200f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The interactions of carboxylate anions with water and cations are important for a wide variety of systems, both biological and synthetic. To gain insight on properties of the local complexes, we apply density functional theory, to treat the complex electrostatic interactions, and investigate mixtures with varied numbers of carboxylate anions (acetate) and waters binding to monovalent cations, Li+, Na+ and K+. The optimal structure with overall lowest free energy contains two acetates and two waters such that the cation is four-fold coordinated, similar to structures found earlier for pure water or pure carboxylate ligands. More generally, the complexes with two acetates have the lowest free energy. In transitioning from the overall optimal state, exchanging an acetate for water has a lower free energy barrier than exchanging water for an acetate. In most cases, the carboxylates are monodentate and in the first solvation shell. As water is added to the system, hydrogen bonding between waters and carboxylate O atoms further stabilizes monodentate structures. These structures, which have strong electrostatic interactions that involve hydrogen bonds of varying strength, are significantly polarized, with ChelpG partial charges that vary substantially as the bonding geometry varies. Overall, these results emphasize the increasing importance of water as a component of binding sites as the number of ligands increases, thus affecting the preferential solvation of specific metal ions and clarifying Hofmeister effects. Finally, structural analysis correlated with free energy analysis supports the idea that binding to more than the preferred number of carboxylates under architectural constraints are a key to ion transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Stevens
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA.
| | - Susan L B Rempe
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA.
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5
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Foley CD, Allen CD, Au K, Lee C, Rempe SB, Ren P, Sibert EL, Zwier TS. Molecular Cage Reports on Its Contents: Spectroscopic Signatures of Cryo-Cooled K +- and Ba 2+-Benzocryptand Complexes. J Phys Chem A 2023. [PMID: 37478410 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c03457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
UV photofragment spectroscopy and IR-UV double resonance methods are used to determine the structure and spectroscopic responses of a three-dimensional [2.2.2]-benzocryptand cage to the incorporation of a single K+ or Ba2+ imbedded inside it (labeled as K+-BzCrypt, Ba2+-BzCrypt). We studied the isolated ion-cryptand complex under cryo-cooled conditions, brought into the gas phase by nano-electrospray ionization. Incorporation of a phenyl ring in place of the central ethyl group in one of the three N-CH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH2-N chains provides a UV chromophore whose S0-S1 transition we probe. K+-BzCrypt and Ba2+-BzCrypt have their S0-S1 origin transitions at 35,925 and 36,446 cm-1, respectively, blue-shifted by 174 and 695 cm-1 from that of 1,2-dimethoxybenzene. These origins are used to excite a single conformation of each complex selectively and record their IR spectra using IR-UV dip spectroscopy. The alkyl CH stretch region (2800-3000 cm-1) is surprisingly sensitive to the presence and nature of the encapsulated ion. We carried out an exhaustive conformational search of cage conformations for K+-BzCrypt and Ba2+-BzCrypt, identifying two conformations (A and B) that lie below all others in energy. We extend our local mode anharmonic model of the CH stretch region to these strongly bound ion-cage complexes to predict conformation-specific alkyl CH stretch spectra, obtaining quantitative agreement with experiment for conformer A, the gas-phase global minimum. The large electrostatic effect of the charge on the O- and N-lone pairs affects the local mode frequencies of the CH2 groups adjacent to these atoms. The localized CH2 scissors modes are pushed up in frequency by the adjacent O/N-atoms so that their overtones have little effect on the alkyl CH stretch region. However, the localized CH2 wags are nearly degenerate and strongly coupled to one another, producing an array of delocalized wag normal modes, whose highest frequency members reach up above 1400 cm-1. As such, their overtones mix significantly with the CH stretch modes, most notably involving the CH2 symmetric stretch fundamentals of the central ethyl groups in the all-alkyl chains and the CH stretches adjacent to the N-atoms and antiperiplanar to the nitrogen lone pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey D Foley
- Gas Phase Chemical Physics, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Cole D Allen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Kendrew Au
- Gas Phase Chemical Physics, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Chin Lee
- Gas Phase Chemical Physics, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Susan B Rempe
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Edwin L Sibert
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Timothy S Zwier
- Gas Phase Chemical Physics, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550, United States
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6
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Lin YC, Ren P, Webb LJ. AMOEBA Force Field Predicts Accurate Hydrogen Bond Counts of Nitriles in SNase by Revealing Water-Protein Interaction in Vibrational Absorption Frequencies. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:5609-5619. [PMID: 37339399 PMCID: PMC10851345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c02060] [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: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Precisely quantifying the magnitude and direction of electric fields in proteins has long been an outstanding challenge in understanding biological functions. Nitrile vibrational Stark effect probes have been shown to be minimally disruptive to the protein structure and can be better direct reporters of local electrostatic field in the native state of a protein than other measures such as pKa shifts of titratable residues. However, interpretations of the connection between measured vibrational energy and electric field rely on the accurate molecular understanding of interactions of the nitrile group and its environment, particularly from hydrogen bonding. In this work, we compared the extent of hydrogen bonding calculated in two common force fields, the fixed charge force field Amber03 and polarizable force field AMOEBA, at 10 locations of cyanocysteine (CNC) in staphylococcal nuclease (SNase) against the experimental nitrile absorption frequency in terms of full width at half-maximum (FWHM) and frequency temperature line slope (FTLS). We observed that the number of hydrogen bonds correlated well in AMOEBA trajectories with respect to both the FWHM (r = 0.88) and the FTLS (r = -0.85), whereas the correlation of Amber03 trajectories was less reliable because the Amber03 force field predicted more hydrogen bonds in some mutants. Moreover, we demonstrated that contributions from the interactions between CNC and nearby water molecules were significant in AMOEBA trajectories but were not predicted by Amber03. We conclude that although the nitrile absorption peak shape could be qualitatively predicted by the fixed charge Amber03 force field, the detailed electrostatic environment measured by the nitrile probe in terms of the extent of hydrogen bonding could only be accurately observed in the AMOEBA trajectories, where the permanent dipole, quadrupole, and dipole-induced-dipole polarizable interactions were all taken into account. The significance of this finding to the goal of accurately predicting electric fields in complex biomolecular environments is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chun Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Program, The University of Texas at Austin, 105 E 24th St. STOP A5300, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Lauren J. Webb
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Program, The University of Texas at Austin, 105 E 24th St. STOP A5300, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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7
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Wait EE, Gourary J, Liu C, Spoerke ED, Rempe SB, Ren P. Development of AMOEBA Polarizable Force Field for Rare-Earth La 3+ Interaction with Bioinspired Ligands. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:1367-1375. [PMID: 36735638 PMCID: PMC9957963 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Rare-earth metals (REMs) are crucial for many important industries, such as power generation and storage, in addition to cancer treatment and medical imaging. One promising new REM refinement approach involves mimicking the highly selective and efficient binding of REMs observed in relatively recently discovered proteins. However, realizing any such bioinspired approach requires an understanding of the biological recognition mechanisms. Here, we developed a new classical polarizable force field based on the AMOEBA framework for modeling a lanthanum ion (La3+) interacting with water, acetate, and acetamide, which have been found to coordinate the ion in proteins. The parameters were derived by comparing to high-level ab initio quantum mechanical (QM) calculations that include relativistic effects. The AMOEBA model, with advanced atomic multipoles and electronic polarization, is successful in capturing both the QM distance-dependent La3+-ligand interaction energies and experimental hydration free energy. A new scheme for pairwise polarization damping (POLPAIR) was developed to describe the polarization energy in La3+ interactions with both charged and neutral ligands. Simulations of La3+ in water showed water coordination numbers and ion-water distances consistent with previous experimental and theoretical findings. Water residence time analysis revealed both fast and slow kinetics in water exchange around the ion. This new model will allow investigation of fully solvated lanthanum ion-protein systems using GPU-accelerated dynamics simulations to gain insights on binding selectivity, which may be applied to the design of synthetic analogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth E. Wait
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Justin Gourary
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Erik D. Spoerke
- Electronic, Optical, and Nano Materials Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
| | - Susan B. Rempe
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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8
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Lin YC, Ren P, Webb LJ. AMOEBA Force Field Trajectories Improve Predictions of Accurate p Ka Values of the GFP Fluorophore: The Importance of Polarizability and Water Interactions. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7806-7817. [PMID: 36194474 PMCID: PMC10851343 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03642] [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: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Precisely quantifying the magnitude, direction, and biological functions of electric fields in proteins has long been an outstanding challenge in the field. The most widely implemented experimental method to measure such electric fields at a particular residue in a protein has been through changes in pKa of titratable residues. While many computational strategies exist to predict these values, it has been difficult to do this accurately or connect predicted results to key structural or mechanistic features of the molecule. Here, we used experimentally determined pKa values of the fluorophore in superfolder green fluorescent protein (GFP) with amino acid mutations made at position Thr 203 to evaluate the pKa prediction ability of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using a polarizable force field, AMOEBA. Structure ensembles from AMOEBA were used to calculate pKa values of the GFP fluorophore. The calculated pKa values were then compared to trajectories using a conventional fixed charge force field (Amber03 ff). We found that the position of water molecules included in the pKa calculation had opposite effects on the pKa values between the trajectories from AMOEBA and Amber03 force fields. In AMOEBA trajectories, the inclusion of water molecules within 35 Å of the fluorophore decreased the difference between the predicted and experimental values, resulting in calculated pKa values that were within an average of 0.8 pKa unit from the experimental results. On the other hand, in Amber03 trajectories, including water molecules that were more than 5 Å from the fluorophore increased the differences between the calculated and experimental pKa values. The inaccuracy of pKa predictions determined from Amber03 trajectories was caused by a significant stabilization of the deprotonated chromophore's free energy compared to the result in AMOEBA. We rationalize the cutoffs for explicit water molecules when calculating pKa to better predict the electrostatic environment surrounding the fluorophore buried in GFP. We discuss how the results from this work will assist the prospective prediction of pKa values or other electrostatic effects in a wide variety of folded proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chun Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Program, The University of Texas at Austin, 105 E 24th St. STOP A5300, Austin, TX 78712-1224
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Program, The University of Texas at Austin, 105 E 24th St. STOP A5300, Austin, TX 78712-1224
| | - Lauren J. Webb
- Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute, and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Program, The University of Texas at Austin, 105 E 24th St. STOP A5300, Austin, TX 78712-1224
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9
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Chung MKJ, Wang Z, Rackers JA, Ponder JW. Classical Exchange Polarization: An Anisotropic Variable Polarizability Model. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7579-7594. [PMID: 36166814 PMCID: PMC10868659 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04237] [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: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Polarizability, or the tendency of the electron distribution to distort under an electric field, often depends on the local chemical environment. For example, the polarizability of a chloride ion is larger in gas phase compared to a chloride ion solvated in water. This effect is due to the restriction the Pauli exclusion principle places on the allowed electron states. Because no two electrons can occupy the same state, when a highly polarizable atom comes in close contact with other atoms or molecules, the space of allowed states can dramatically decrease. This constraint suggests that an accurate molecular mechanics polarizability model should depend on the radial distance between neighboring atoms. This paper introduces a variable polarizability model within the framework of the HIPPO (Hydrogen-like Intermolecular Polarizable Potential) force field, by damping the polarizability as a function of the orbital overlap of two atoms. This effectively captures the quantum mechanical exchange polarization effects, without explicit utilization of antisymmetrized wave functions. We show that the variable polarizability model remarkably improves the two-body polarization energies and three-body energies of ion-ion and ion-water systems. Under this model, no manual tuning of atomic polarizabilities for monatomic ions is required; the gas-phase polarizability can be used because an appropriate damping function is able to correct the polarizability at short range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses K. J. Chung
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Zhi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Joshua A. Rackers
- Center for Computing Research, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
| | - Jay W. Ponder
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
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10
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Stevens MJ, Rempe SLB. Carboxylate binding prefers two cations to one. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:22198-22205. [PMID: 36093927 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03561h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Almost all studies of specific ion binding by carboxylates (-COO-) have considered only a single cation, but clustering of ions and ligands is a common phenomenon. We apply density functional theory to investigate how variations in the number of acetate ligands in binding to two monovalent cations affects ion binding preferences. We study a series of monovalent (Li+, Na+, K+, Cs+) ions relevant to experimental work on many topics, including ion channels, battery storage, water purification and solar cells. We find that the preferred optimal structure has 3 acetates except for Cs+, which has 2 acetates. The optimal coordination of the cation by the carboxylate O atoms is 4 for both Na+ and K+, and 3 for Li+ and Cs+. There is a 4-fold coordination minimum just a few kcal mol-1 higher than the optimal 3-fold structure for Li+. For two cations, multiple minima occur in the vicinity of the lowest free energy state. We find that, for Li, Na and K, the preferred optimal structure with two cations is favored over a mixture of single cation complexes, providing a basis for understanding ionic cluster formation that is relevant for engineering proteins and other materials for rapid, selective ion transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Stevens
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA.
| | - Susan L B Rempe
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA. .,CBRN Defense and Energy Technologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA.
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11
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Suzuki Y, Hirata K, Lisy JM, Ishiuchi SI, Fujii M. A bottom-up approach to the ion recognition mechanism of K + channels from laser spectroscopy of hydrated partial peptide-alkali metal ion complexes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:20803-20812. [PMID: 36000593 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01667b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
K+ channels allow selective permeation of K+, but not physiologically abundant Na+, at almost diffusion limit rates. The conduction mechanism of K+ channels is still controversial, with experimental and computation studies supporting two distinct conduction mechanisms: either with or without water inside the channel. Here, we employ a bottom-up approach on hydrated alkali metal complexes of a model peptide of K+ channels, Ac-Tyr-NHMe, to characterize metal-peptide, metal-water, and water-peptide interactions that govern the selectivity of K+ channels at a molecular level. Both the extension to the series of alkali metal ions and to temperature-dependent studies (approaching physiological values) have revealed the clear difference between permeable and non-permeable ions in the spectral features of the ion complexes. Furthermore, the impact of hydration is discussed in relation to the K+ channels by comparisons of the non-hydrated and hydrated complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukina Suzuki
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. .,School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
| | - Keisuke Hirata
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. .,Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.,Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan.
| | - James M Lisy
- Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. .,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Shun-Ichi Ishiuchi
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. .,Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.,Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan.
| | - Masaaki Fujii
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. .,School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan.,Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan.
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12
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Gomez DT, Pratt LR, Asthagiri DN, Rempe SB. Hydrated Anions: From Clusters to Bulk Solution with Quasi-Chemical Theory. Acc Chem Res 2022; 55:2201-2212. [PMID: 35829622 PMCID: PMC9386901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00078] [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] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The interactions of hydrated ions with molecular and macromolecular solution and interface partners are strong on a chemical energy scale. Here, we recount the foremost ab initio theory for the evaluation of the hydration free energies of ions, namely, quasi-chemical theory (QCT). We focus on anions, particularly halides but also the hydroxide anion, because they have been outstanding challenges for all theories. For example, this work supports understanding the high selectivity for F- over Cl- in fluoride-selective ion channels despite the identical charge and the size similarity of these ions. QCT is built by the identification of inner-shell clusters, separate treatment of those clusters, and then the integration of those results into the broader-scale solution environment. Recent work has focused on a close comparison with mass-spectrometric measurements of ion-hydration equilibria. We delineate how ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations on ion-hydration clusters, elementary statistical thermodynamics, and electronic structure calculations on cluster structures sampled from the AIMD calculations obtain just the free energies extracted from the cluster experiments. That theory-experiment comparison has not been attempted before the work discussed here, but the agreement is excellent with moderate computational effort. This agreement reinforces both theory and experiment and provides a numerically accurate inner-shell contribution to QCT. The inner-shell complexes involving heavier halides display strikingly asymmetric hydration clusters. Asymmetric hydration structures can be problematic for the evaluation of the QCT outer-shell contribution with the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Nevertheless, QCT provides a favorable setting for the exploitation of PCM when the inner-shell material shields the ion from the outer solution environment. For the more asymmetrically hydrated, and thus less effectively shielded, heavier halide ions clustered with waters, the PCM is less satisfactory. We therefore investigate an inverse procedure in which the inner-shell structures are sampled from readily available AIMD calculations on the bulk solutions. This inverse procedure is a remarkable improvement; our final results are in close agreement with a standard tabulation of hydration free energies, and the final composite results are independent of the coordination number on the chemical energy scale of relevance, as they should be. Finally, a comparison of anion hydration structure in clusters and bulk solutions from AIMD simulations emphasize some differences: the asymmetries of bulk solution inner-shell structures are moderated compared with clusters but are still present, and inner hydration shells fill to slightly higher average coordination numbers in bulk solution than in clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego T. Gomez
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States,
| | - Lawrence R. Pratt
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States,
| | - Dilipkumar N. Asthagiri
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States,
| | - Susan B. Rempe
- Center
for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia
National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States,
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13
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Zhu Z, Deng Z, Wang Q, Wang Y, Zhang D, Xu R, Guo L, Wen H. Simulation and Machine Learning Methods for Ion-Channel Structure Determination, Mechanistic Studies and Drug Design. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:939555. [PMID: 35837274 PMCID: PMC9275593 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.939555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are expressed in almost all living cells, controlling the in-and-out communications, making them ideal drug targets, especially for central nervous system diseases. However, owing to their dynamic nature and the presence of a membrane environment, ion channels remain difficult targets for the past decades. Recent advancement in cryo-electron microscopy and computational methods has shed light on this issue. An explosion in high-resolution ion channel structures paved way for structure-based rational drug design and the state-of-the-art simulation and machine learning techniques dramatically improved the efficiency and effectiveness of computer-aided drug design. Here we present an overview of how simulation and machine learning-based methods fundamentally changed the ion channel-related drug design at different levels, as well as the emerging trends in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengdan Zhu
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute of Big Data Research, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenfeng Deng
- DP Technology, Beijing, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - Duo Zhang
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- DP Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Ruihan Xu
- DP Technology, Beijing, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Visual Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Han Wen
- DP Technology, Beijing, China
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14
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Phan LX, Lynch CI, Crain J, Sansom MS, Tucker SJ. Influence of effective polarization on ion and water interactions within a biomimetic nanopore. Biophys J 2022; 121:2014-2026. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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15
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El Khoury L, Jing Z, Cuzzolin A, Deplano A, Loco D, Sattarov B, Hédin F, Wendeborn S, Ho C, El Ahdab D, Jaffrelot Inizan T, Sturlese M, Sosic A, Volpiana M, Lugato A, Barone M, Gatto B, Macchia ML, Bellanda M, Battistutta R, Salata C, Kondratov I, Iminov R, Khairulin A, Mykhalonok Y, Pochepko A, Chashka-Ratushnyi V, Kos I, Moro S, Montes M, Ren P, Ponder JW, Lagardère L, Piquemal JP, Sabbadin D. Computationally driven discovery of SARS-CoV-2 M pro inhibitors: from design to experimental validation. Chem Sci 2022; 13:3674-3687. [PMID: 35432906 PMCID: PMC8966641 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc05892d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a fast-track computationally driven discovery of new SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibitors whose potency ranges from mM for the initial non-covalent ligands to sub-μM for the final covalent compound (IC50 = 830 ± 50 nM). The project extensively relied on high-resolution all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and absolute binding free energy calculations performed using the polarizable AMOEBA force field. The study is complemented by extensive adaptive sampling simulations that are used to rationalize the different ligand binding poses through the explicit reconstruction of the ligand–protein conformation space. Machine learning predictions are also performed to predict selected compound properties. While simulations extensively use high performance computing to strongly reduce the time-to-solution, they were systematically coupled to nuclear magnetic resonance experiments to drive synthesis and for in vitro characterization of compounds. Such a study highlights the power of in silico strategies that rely on structure-based approaches for drug design and allows the protein conformational multiplicity problem to be addressed. The proposed fluorinated tetrahydroquinolines open routes for further optimization of Mpro inhibitors towards low nM affinities. The dominant binding mode of the QUB-00006-Int-07 main protease inhibitor during absolute binding free energy simulations.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa El Khoury
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
| | - Zhifeng Jing
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
| | - Alberto Cuzzolin
- Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A, Nuovo Centro Ricerche Largo Belloli 11a 43122 Parma Italy
| | - Alessandro Deplano
- Pharmacelera, Torre R, 4a planta Despatx A05, Parc Cientific de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 8 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Daniele Loco
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
| | - Boris Sattarov
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
| | - Florent Hédin
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
| | - Sebastian Wendeborn
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of LifeSciences Hofackerstrasse 30 CH-4132 Muttenz Switzerland
| | - Chris Ho
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
| | - Dina El Ahdab
- Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS 75005 Paris France
| | - Theo Jaffrelot Inizan
- Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS 75005 Paris France
| | - Mattia Sturlese
- Molecular Modeling Section, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua via F. Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Alice Sosic
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova via Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Martina Volpiana
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova via Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Angela Lugato
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova via Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Marco Barone
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova via Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Barbara Gatto
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova via Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Maria Ludovica Macchia
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova via Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Massimo Bellanda
- Department of Chemistry, University of Padova via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Roberto Battistutta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Padova via Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Cristiano Salata
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua via Gabelli 63 35121 Padova Italy
| | | | - Rustam Iminov
- Enamine Ltd 78 Chervonotkats'ka Str. Kyiv 02094 Ukraine
| | | | | | | | | | - Iaroslava Kos
- Enamine Ltd 78 Chervonotkats'ka Str. Kyiv 02094 Ukraine
| | - Stefano Moro
- Molecular Modeling Section, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua via F. Marzolo 5 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Matthieu Montes
- Laboratoire GBCM, EA7528, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Hesam Université 2 Rue Conte 75003 Paris France
| | - Pengyu Ren
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Biomedical Engineering TX 78712 USA
| | - Jay W Ponder
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in Saint Louis MO 63130 USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine MO 63110 USA
| | - Louis Lagardère
- Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS 75005 Paris France
| | - Jean-Philip Piquemal
- Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS 75005 Paris France .,Institut Universitaire de France 75005 Paris France
| | - Davide Sabbadin
- Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Incubateur Paris Biotech Santé 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 Paris France
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16
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Interactions between Artificial Channel Protein, Water Molecules, and Ions Based on Theoretical Approaches. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14040691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Contemporary techniques of molecular modeling allow for rational design of several specific classes of artificial proteins. Transmembrane channels are among these classes. A recent successful synthesis of self-assembling, highly symmetrical 12- or 16-helix channels by David Baker’s group prompted us to study interactions between one of these proteins, TMHC6, and low-molecular-weight components of the environment: water molecules and ions. To examine protein stability in a polar environment, molecular dynamics (MD) with classical force fields of the AMBER family was employed. Further characteristics of the chosen interactions were obtained using interaction energy calculations with usage of partially polarizable GFN-FF force field of Spicher and Grimme, symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) and atoms in molecules (AIM) approaches for models of residues from the channel entry, crucial for interactions with water molecules and ions. The comparison of the interaction energy values between the gas phase and solvent reaction field gives the quantitative estimation of the strength of the interactions. The energy decomposition via the SAPT method showed that the electrostatics forces play a dominant role in the substructure stabilization. An application of the AIM theory enabled a description of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds and other noncovalent interactions.
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17
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Khalid S, Schroeder C, Bond PJ, Duncan AL. What have molecular simulations contributed to understanding of Gram-negative bacterial cell envelopes? MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35294337 PMCID: PMC9558347 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial cell envelopes are compositionally complex and crowded and while highly dynamic in some areas, their molecular motion is very limited, to the point of being almost static in others. Therefore, it is no real surprise that studying them at high resolution across a range of temporal and spatial scales requires a number of different techniques. Details at atomistic to molecular scales for up to tens of microseconds are now within range for molecular dynamics simulations. Here we review how such simulations have contributed to our current understanding of the cell envelopes of Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syma Khalid
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Cyril Schroeder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Peter J Bond
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*STAR), Singapore 138671, Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Anna L Duncan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
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18
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Deng J, Cui Q. Electronic Polarization Is Essential for the Stabilization and Dynamics of Buried Ion Pairs in Staphylococcal Nuclease Mutants. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:4594-4610. [PMID: 35239338 PMCID: PMC9616648 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Buried charged residues play important roles in the modulation of protein stabilities and conformational dynamics and make crucial contributions to protein functions. Considering the generally nonpolar nature of protein interior, a key question concerns the contribution of electronic polarization to the stabilization and properties of buried charges. We answer this question by conducting free energy simulations using the latest polarizable CHARMM force field based on Drude oscillators for a series of Staphylococcal nuclease mutants that involve a buried Glu-Lys pair in different titration states and orientations. While a nonpolarizable model suggests that the ionized form of the buried Glu-Lys pair is more than 40 kcal/mol less stable than the charge-neutral form, the two titration states are comparable in stability when electronic polarization is included explicitly, a result better reconcilable with available experimental data. Analysis of free energy components suggests that additional stabilization of the ionized Glu-Lys pair has contributions from both the enhanced salt-bridge strength and stronger interaction between the ion-pair and surrounding protein residues and penetrated water. Despite the stronger direct interaction between Glu and Lys, the ion-pair exhibits considerably larger and faster structural fluctuations when polarization is included, due to compensation of interactions in the cavity. Collectively, observations from this work provide compelling evidence that electronic polarization is essential to the stability, hydration, dynamics, and therefore function of buried charges in proteins. Therefore, our study advocates for the explicit consideration of electronic polarization for mechanistic and engineering studies that implicate buried charged residues, such as enzymes and ion transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Deng
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Qiang Cui
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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19
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Ion permeation, selectivity, and electronic polarization in fluoride channels. Biophys J 2022; 121:1336-1347. [PMID: 35151630 PMCID: PMC9034187 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluoride channels (Flucs) export toxic F- from the cytoplasm. Crystallography and mutagenesis have identified several conserved residues crucial for fluoride transport, but the permeation mechanism at the molecular level has remained elusive. Herein, we have applied constant-pH molecular dynamics and free-energy-sampling methods to investigate fluoride permeation through a Fluc protein from Escherichia coli. We find that fluoride is facile to permeate in its charged form, i.e., F-, by traversing through a non-bonded network. The extraordinary F- selectivity is gained by the hydrogen-bonding capability of the central binding site and the Coulombic filter at the channel entrance. The F- permeation rate calculated using an electronically polarizable force field is significantly more accurate compared with the experimental value than that calculated using a more standard additive force field, suggesting an essential role for electronic polarization in the F--Fluc interactions.
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20
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Lynch CI, Klesse G, Rao S, Tucker SJ, Sansom MSP. Water Nanoconfined in a Hydrophobic Pore: Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Transmembrane Protein 175 and the Influence of Water Models. ACS NANO 2021; 15:19098-19108. [PMID: 34784172 PMCID: PMC7612143 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c06443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Water molecules within biological ion channels are in a nanoconfined environment and therefore exhibit behaviors which differ from that of bulk water. Here, we investigate the phenomenon of hydrophobic gating, the process by which a nanopore may spontaneously dewet to form a "vapor lock" if the pore is sufficiently hydrophobic and/or narrow. This occurs without steric occlusion of the pore. Using molecular dynamics simulations with both rigid fixed-charge and polarizable (AMOEBA) force fields, we investigate this wetting/dewetting behavior in the transmembrane protein 175 ion channel. We examine how a range of rigid fixed-charge and polarizable water models affect wetting/dewetting in both the wild-type structure and in mutants chosen to cover a range of nanopore radii and pore-lining hydrophobicities. Crucially, we find that the rigid fixed-charge water models lead to similar wetting/dewetting behaviors, but that the polarizable water model resulted in an increased wettability of the hydrophobic gating region of the pore. This has significant implications for molecular simulations of nanoconfined water, as it implies that polarizability may need to be included if we are to gain detailed mechanistic insights into wetting/dewetting processes. These findings are of importance for the design of functionalized biomimetic nanopores (e.g., sensing or desalination) as well as for furthering our understanding of the mechanistic processes underlying biological ion channel function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte I. Lynch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK, OX1 3QU
| | - Gianni Klesse
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, UK, OX1 3PU
| | - Shanlin Rao
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK, OX1 3QU
| | - Stephen J. Tucker
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, UK, OX1 3PU
| | - Mark S. P. Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK, OX1 3QU
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21
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Gonzalez MA, Zaragoza A, Lynch CI, Sansom MSP, Valeriani C. Influence of water models on water movement through AQP1. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:154502. [PMID: 34686053 DOI: 10.1063/5.0063986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Water diffusion through membrane proteins is a key aspect of cellular function. Essential processes of cellular metabolism are driven by osmotic pressure, which depends on water channels. Membrane proteins such as aquaporins (AQPs) are responsible for enabling water permeation through the cell membrane. AQPs are highly selective, allowing only water and relatively small polar molecules to cross the membrane. Experimentally, estimation of water flux through membrane proteins is still a challenge, and hence, accurate simulations of water permeation are of particular importance. We present a numerical study of water diffusion through AQP1 comparing three water models: TIP3P, OPC, and TIP4P/2005. Bulk diffusion, diffusion permeability, and osmotic permeability are computed and compared among all models. The results show that there are significant differences between TIP3P (a particularly widespread model for simulations of biological systems) and the more recently developed TIP4P/2005 and OPC models. We demonstrate that OPC and TIP4P/2005 reproduce protein-water interactions and dynamics in very good agreement with experimental data. From this study, we find that the choice of the water model has a significant effect on the computed water dynamics as well as its molecular behavior within a biological nanopore.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alberto Zaragoza
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0850, USA
| | - Charlotte I Lynch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QU Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QU Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Chantal Valeriani
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Fícias, Departamento de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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