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Zhu Q, Luo R. Recent Advances in Biomolecular Recognition. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098310. [PMID: 37176015 PMCID: PMC10179535 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Living cells are extremely complicated systems and composed of hundreds of thousands of diverse biomolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Zhu
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Ray Luo
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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2
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Zhao Z, Huang Y, Liu C, Zhu D, Gao S, Liu S, Peng R, Zhang Y, Huang X, Qi J, Wong CCL, Zhang X, Wang P, Qin Q, Gao GF. Near-atomic architecture of Singapore grouper iridovirus and implications for giant virus assembly. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2050. [PMID: 37041173 PMCID: PMC10090177 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37681-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), one of the nucleocytoviricota viruses (NCVs), is a highly pathogenic iridovirid. SGIV infection results in massive economic losses to the aquaculture industry and significantly threatens global biodiversity. In recent years, high morbidity and mortality in aquatic animals have been caused by iridovirid infections worldwide. Effective control and prevention strategies are urgently needed. Here, we present a near-atomic architecture of the SGIV capsid and identify eight types of capsid proteins. The viral inner membrane-integrated anchor protein colocalizes with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), supporting the hypothesis that the biogenesis of the inner membrane is associated with the ER. Additionally, immunofluorescence assays indicate minor capsid proteins (mCPs) could form various building blocks with major capsid proteins (MCPs) before the formation of a viral factory (VF). These results expand our understanding of the capsid assembly of NCVs and provide more targets for vaccine and drug design to fight iridovirid infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhennan Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Youhua Huang
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- Cryo-EM Center, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Institute for Hepatology, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518112, China
| | - Dongjie Zhu
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Shuaixin Gao
- Clinical Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
- Department of Human Sciences & James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210, USA
| | - Sheng Liu
- Cryo-EM Center, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Ruchao Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Ya Zhang
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Xiaohong Huang
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, 102209, China.
| | - Catherine C L Wong
- Clinical Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Xinzheng Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Peiyi Wang
- Cryo-EM Center, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Qiwei Qin
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
| | - George F Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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3
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Electrostatics in Computational Biophysics and Its Implications for Disease Effects. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810347. [PMID: 36142260 PMCID: PMC9499338 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This review outlines the role of electrostatics in computational molecular biophysics and its implication in altering wild-type characteristics of biological macromolecules, and thus the contribution of electrostatics to disease mechanisms. The work is not intended to review existing computational approaches or to propose further developments. Instead, it summarizes the outcomes of relevant studies and provides a generalized classification of major mechanisms that involve electrostatic effects in both wild-type and mutant biological macromolecules. It emphasizes the complex role of electrostatics in molecular biophysics, such that the long range of electrostatic interactions causes them to dominate all other forces at distances larger than several Angstroms, while at the same time, the alteration of short-range wild-type electrostatic pairwise interactions can have pronounced effects as well. Because of this dual nature of electrostatic interactions, being dominant at long-range and being very specific at short-range, their implications for wild-type structure and function are quite pronounced. Therefore, any disruption of the complex electrostatic network of interactions may abolish wild-type functionality and could be the dominant factor contributing to pathogenicity. However, we also outline that due to the plasticity of biological macromolecules, the effect of amino acid mutation may be reduced, and thus a charge deletion or insertion may not necessarily be deleterious.
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4
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Poveda-Cuevas SA, Etchebest C, da Silva FLB. Self-association features of NS1 proteins from different flaviviruses. Virus Res 2022; 318:198838. [PMID: 35662566 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.198838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Flaviviruses comprise a large group of arboviral species that are distributed in several countries of the tropics, neotropics, and some temperate zones. Since they can produce neurological pathologies or vascular damage, there has been intense research seeking better diagnosis and treatments for their infections in the last decades. The flavivirus NS1 protein is a relevant clinical target because it is involved in viral replication, immune evasion, and virulence. Being a key factor in endothelial and tissue-specific modulation, NS1 has been largely studied to understand the molecular mechanisms exploited by the virus to reprogram host cells. A central part of the viral maturation processes is the NS1 oligomerization because many stages rely on these protein-protein assemblies. In the present study, the self-associations of NS1 proteins from Zika, Dengue, and West Nile viruses are examined through constant-pH coarse-grained biophysical simulations. Free energies of interactions were estimated for different oligomeric states and pH conditions. Our results show that these proteins can form both dimers and tetramers under conditions near physiological pH even without the presence of lipids. Moreover, pH plays an important role mainly controlling the regimes where van der Waals interactions govern their association. Finally, despite the similarity at the sequence level, we found that each flavivirus has a well-characteristic protein-protein interaction profile. These specific features can provide new hints for the development of binders both for better diagnostic tools and the formulation of new therapeutic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Poveda-Cuevas
- Universidade de São Paulo, Programa Interunidades em Bioinformática, Rua do Matão, 1010, BR-05508-090 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Ciências Biomoleculares, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus da USP, BR-14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; University of São Paulo and Université de Paris International Laboratory in Structural Bioinformatics, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus da USP, Bloco B, BR-14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Catherine Etchebest
- Université Paris Cité, Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge, Equipe 2, INSERM, F-75015 Paris, France; University of São Paulo and Université de Paris International Laboratory in Structural Bioinformatics, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus da USP, Bloco B, BR-14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando L Barroso da Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Programa Interunidades em Bioinformática, Rua do Matão, 1010, BR-05508-090 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Ciências Biomoleculares, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus da USP, BR-14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; University of São Paulo and Université de Paris International Laboratory in Structural Bioinformatics, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus da USP, Bloco B, BR-14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil..
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5
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Pabbathi A, Coleman L, Godar S, Paul A, Garlapati A, Spencer M, Eller J, Alper JD. Long-range electrostatic interactions significantly modulate the affinity of dynein for microtubules. Biophys J 2022; 121:1715-1726. [PMID: 35346642 PMCID: PMC9117880 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynein family of microtubule minus-end-directed motor proteins drives diverse functions in eukaryotic cells, including cell division, intracellular transport, and flagellar beating. Motor protein processivity, which characterizes how far a motor walks before detaching from its filament, depends on the interaction between its microtubule-binding domain (MTBD) and the microtubule. Dynein's MTBD switches between high- and low-binding affinity states as it steps. Significant structural and functional data show that specific salt bridges within the MTBD and between the MTBD and the microtubule govern these affinity state shifts. However, recent computational work suggests that nonspecific, long-range electrostatic interactions between the MTBD and the microtubule may also play an important role in the processivity of dynein. To investigate this hypothesis, we mutated negatively charged amino acids remote from the dynein MTBD-microtubule-binding interface to neutral residues and measured the binding affinity using microscale thermophoresis and optical tweezers. We found a significant increase in the binding affinity of the mutated MTBDs for microtubules. Furthermore, we found that charge screening by free ions in solution differentially affected the binding and unbinding rates of MTBDs to microtubules. Together, these results demonstrate a significant role for long-range electrostatic interactions in regulating dynein-microtubule affinity. Moreover, these results provide insight into the principles that potentially underlie the biophysical differences between molecular motors with various processivities and protein-protein interactions more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashok Pabbathi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Lawrence Coleman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Subash Godar
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Apurba Paul
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina; Eukaryotic Pathogen Innovations Center, Clemson, University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Aman Garlapati
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Matheu Spencer
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Jared Eller
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina; Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Joshua Daniel Alper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina; Eukaryotic Pathogen Innovations Center, Clemson, University, Clemson, South Carolina; Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
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6
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Hyun J, Matsunami H, Kim TG, Wolf M. Assembly mechanism of the pleomorphic immature poxvirus scaffold. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1704. [PMID: 35361762 PMCID: PMC8971458 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29305-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In Vaccinia virus (VACV), the prototype poxvirus, scaffold protein D13 forms a honeycomb-like lattice on the viral membrane that results in formation of the pleomorphic immature virion (IV). The structure of D13 is similar to those of major capsid proteins that readily form icosahedral capsids in nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs). However, the detailed assembly mechanism of the nonicosahedral poxvirus scaffold has never been understood. Here we show the cryo-EM structures of the D13 trimer and scaffold intermediates produced in vitro. The structures reveal that the displacement of the short N-terminal α-helix is critical for initiation of D13 self-assembly. The continuous curvature of the IV is mediated by electrostatic interactions that induce torsion between trimers. The assembly mechanism explains the semiordered capsid-like arrangement of D13 that is distinct from icosahedral NCLDVs. Our structures explain how a single protein can self-assemble into different capsid morphologies and represent a local exception to the universal Caspar-Klug theory of quasi-equivalence. Immature poxviruses are characterized by nonicosahedral semiordered protein scaffolds critical for morphogenesis. Here, the authors use cryo-EM structures of Vaccinia virus D13 scaffold intermediates to explain their assembly mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaekyung Hyun
- Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, 904-0495, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan. .,Department of Convergence Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, 50612, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnamdo, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hideyuki Matsunami
- Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, 904-0495, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Tae Gyun Kim
- Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, 904-0495, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan.,Center for Vaccine Commercialization, R&D Planning Team, Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio Industry, 36618, Andong-si, Gyeongsanbukdo, Republic of Korea
| | - Matthias Wolf
- Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, 904-0495, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan. .,Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road Sec. 2, 115, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Heo L, Sugita Y, Feig M. Protein assembly and crowding simulations. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 73:102340. [PMID: 35219215 PMCID: PMC8957576 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Proteins encounter frequent molecular interactions in biological environments. Computer simulations have become an increasingly important tool in providing mechanistic insights into how such interactions in vivo relate to their biological function. The review here focuses on simulations describing protein assembly and molecular crowding effects as two important aspects that are distinguished mainly by how specific and long-lived protein contacts are. On the topic of crowding, recent simulations have provided new insights into how crowding affects protein folding and stability, modulates enzyme activity, and affects diffusive properties. Recent studies of assembly processes focus on assembly pathways, especially for virus capsids, amyloid aggregation pathways, and the role of multivalent interactions leading to phase separation. Also, discussed are technical challenges in achieving increasingly realistic simulations of interactions in cellular environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lim Heo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. https://twitter.com/huhlim
| | - Yuji Sugita
- Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Laboratory for Biomolecular Function Simulation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-1 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Computational Biophysics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 6-7-1 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Michael Feig
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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The pH Effects on SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins in the Process of Binding to hACE2. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11020238. [PMID: 35215181 PMCID: PMC8879864 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11020238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 has been threatening human health since the late 2019, and has a significant impact on human health and economy. Understanding SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses is important to develop effective treatments for COVID-19 and other coronavirus-caused diseases. In this work, we applied multi-scale computational approaches to study the electrostatic features of spike (S) proteins for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. From our results, we found that SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 have similar charge distributions and electrostatic features when binding with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). Energy pH-dependence calculations revealed that the complex structures of hACE2 and the S proteins of SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 are stable at pH values ranging from 7.5 to 9. Three independent 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed using NAMD to investigate the hydrogen bonds between S proteins RBD and hACE2 RBD. From MD simulations, we found that SARS-CoV-2 forms 19 pairs (average of three simulations) of hydrogen bonds with high occupancy (>50%) to hACE2, compared to 16 pairs between SARS-CoV and hACE2. Additionally, SARS-CoV viruses prefer sticking to the same hydrogen bond pairs, while SARS-CoV-2 tends to have a larger range of selections on hydrogen bonds acceptors. We also labelled key residues involved in forming the top five hydrogen bonds that were found in all three independent 100 ns simulations. This identification is important to potential drug designs for COVID-19 treatments. Our work will shed the light on current and future coronavirus-caused diseases.
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9
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Guo W, Sun S, Sanchez JE, Lopez-Hernandez AE, Ale TA, Chen J, Afrin T, Qiu W, Xie Y, Li L. Using a comprehensive approach to investigate the interaction between Kinesin-5/Eg5 and the microtubule. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:4305-4314. [PMID: 36051882 PMCID: PMC9396395 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Kinesins are microtubule-based motor proteins that play important roles ranging from intracellular transport to cell division. Human Kinesin-5 (Eg5) is essential for mitotic spindle assembly during cell division. By combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with other multi-scale computational approaches, we systematically studied the interaction between Eg5 and the microtubule. We find the electrostatic feature on the motor domains of Eg5 provides attractive interactions to the microtubule. Additionally, the folding and binding energy analysis reveals that the Eg5 motor domain performs its functions best when in a weak acidic environment. Molecular dynamics analyses of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges demonstrate that, on the binding interfaces of Eg5 and the tubulin heterodimer, salt bridges play the most significant role in holding the complex. The salt bridge residues on the binding interface of Eg5 are mostly positive, while salt bridge residues on the binding interface of tubulin heterodimer are mostly negative. Such salt bridge residue distribution is consistent with electrostatic potential calculations. In contrast, the interface between α and β-tubulins is dominated by hydrogen bonds rather than salt bridges. Compared to the Eg5/α-tubulin interface, the Eg5/β-tubulin interface has a greater number of salt bridges and higher occupancy for salt bridges. This asymmetric salt bridge distribution may play a significant role in Eg5′s directionality. The residues involved in hydrogen bonds and salt bridges are identified in this work and may be helpful for anticancer drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhan Guo
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Shengjie Sun
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Jason E. Sanchez
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | | | - Tolulope A. Ale
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Jiawei Chen
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Tanjina Afrin
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Weihong Qiu
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Yixin Xie
- Department of Information Technology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
- Corresponding author.
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10
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Xie Y, Guo W, Lopez-Hernadez A, Teng S, Li L. The pH Effects on SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins in the Process of Binding to hACE2. RESEARCH SQUARE 2021:rs.3.rs-871118. [PMID: 34518836 PMCID: PMC8437318 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-871118/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 has been threatening human health since the late 2019, which has significant impact on human health and economy. Understanding the SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses is important to develop effective treatments for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses-caused diseases. In this work, we applied multi-scale computational approaches to study the electrostatic features of spike (S) proteins for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. From our results, we found thatSARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 have similar charge distributions and electrostatic features when binding with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). The energy pH-dependence calculation srevealed that the complex structures of hACE2 and the S proteins of SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 are stable at pH values ranging from 7.5 to 9. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed using NAMD to investigate the hydrogen bonds between S proteins and hACE2. From the MD simulations it was found that SARS-CoV-2 has four pairsof essential hydrogenbonds (high occupancy, >80%), while SARS-CoV has three pairs, which indicates the SARS-CoV-2 S protein has relatively more robust binding strategy than SARS-CoVS protein.Four key residues forming essential hydrogen bonds from SARS-CoV-2 are identified, which are potential drug targets for COVID-19 treatments. The findings in this study shed lights on the current and future treatments for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses-caused diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Wenhan Guo
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | | | - Shaolei Teng
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, D.C
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
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11
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Xie Y, Karki CB, Chen J, Liu D, Li L. Computational Study on DNA Repair: The Roles of Electrostatic Interactions Between Uracil-DNA Glycosylase (UDG) and DNA. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:718587. [PMID: 34422909 PMCID: PMC8377759 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.718587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) is one of the most important base excision repair (BER) enzymes involved in the repair of uracil-induced DNA lesion by removing uracil from the damaged DNA. Uracil in DNA may occur due to cytosine deamination or deoxy uridine monophosphate (dUMP) residue misincorporation during DNA synthesis. Medical evidences show that an abnormal expression of UDG is related to different types of cancer, including colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer. Therefore, the research of UDG is crucial in cancer treatment and prevention as well as other clinical activities. Here we applied multiple computational methods to study UDG in several perspectives: Understanding the stability of the UDG enzyme in different pH conditions; studying the differences in charge distribution between the pocket side and non-pocket side of UDG; analyzing the field line distribution at the interfacial area between UDG and DNA; and performing electrostatic binding force analyses of the special region of UDG (pocket area) and the target DNA base (uracil) as well as investigating the charged residues on the UDG binding pocket and binding interface. Our results show that the whole UDG binding interface, and not the UDG binding pocket area alone, provides the binding attractive force to the damaged DNA at the uracil base.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Chitra B Karki
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Jiawei Chen
- Computer Science Program, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA, United States
| | - Dongfang Liu
- Department of Computer Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States.,Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
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12
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Guo W, Xie Y, Lopez-Hernandez AE, Sun S, Li L. Electrostatic features for nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2021; 18:2372-2383. [PMID: 33892550 PMCID: PMC8279046 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2021120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is increasingly affecting human health and global economy. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly demanded to develop treatments for COVID-19. SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 share 92.06% identity in their N protein RBDs' sequences, which results in very similar structures. However, the SARS-CoV-2 is more easily to spread. Utilizing multi-scale computational approaches, this work studied the fundamental mechanisms of the nucleocapsid (N) proteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, including their stabilities and binding strengths with RNAs at different pH values. Electrostatic potential on the surfaces of N proteins show that both the N proteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 have dominantly positive potential to attract RNAs. The binding forces between SARS-CoV N protein and RNAs at different distances are similar to that of SARS-CoV-2, both in directions and magnitudes. The electric filed lines between N proteins and RNAs are also similar for both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. The folding energy and binding energy dependence on pH revealed that the best environment for N proteins to perform their functions with RNAs is the weak acidic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhan Guo
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | | | - Shengjie Sun
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
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13
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Xian Y, Xie Y, Silva SM, Karki CB, Qiu W, Li L. StructureMan: A Structure Manipulation Tool to Study Large Scale Biomolecular Interactions. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 7:627087. [PMID: 33505991 PMCID: PMC7831659 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.627087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying biomolecular interactions is a crucial but challenging task. Due to their large scales, many biomolecular interactions are difficult to be simulated via all atom models. An effective approach to investigate the biomolecular interactions is highly demanded in many areas. Here we introduce a Structure Manipulation (StructureMan) program to operate the structures when studying the large-scale biomolecular interactions. This novel StructureMan tool provides comprehensive operations which can be utilized to study the interactions in various large biological systems. Combining with electrostatic calculation programs such as DelPhi and DelPhiForce, StructureMan was implemented to reveal the detailed electrostatic features in two large biological examples, the viral capsid and molecular motor-microtubule complexes. Applications on these two examples revealed interesting binding mechanisms in the viral capsid and molecular motor. Such applications demonstrated that the StructureMan can be widely used when studying the biomolecular interactions in large scale biological problems. This novel tool provides an alternative approach to efficiently study the biomolecular interactions, especially for large scale biology systems. The StructureMan tool is available at our website: http://compbio.utep.edu/static/downloads/script-for-munipulation2.zip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Sebastian Miki Silva
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Chitra B Karki
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Weihong Qiu
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States.,Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States.,Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
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14
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Xie Y, Karki CB, Du D, Li H, Wang J, Sobitan A, Teng S, Tang Q, Li L. Spike Proteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Utilize Different Mechanisms to Bind With Human ACE2. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:591873. [PMID: 33363207 PMCID: PMC7755986 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.591873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 has been a serious threat to human health worldwide. The virus SARS-CoV-2 initiates its infection to the human body via the interaction of its spike (S) protein with the human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) of the host cells. Therefore, understanding the fundamental mechanisms of how SARS-CoV-2 S protein receptor binding domain (RBD) binds to ACE2 is highly demanded for developing treatments for COVID-19. Here we implemented multi-scale computational approaches to study the binding mechanisms of human ACE2 and S proteins of both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Electrostatic features, including electrostatic potential, electric field lines, and electrostatic forces of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 were calculated and compared in detail. The results demonstrate that SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 S proteins are both attractive to ACE2 by electrostatic forces even at different distances. However, the residues contributing to the electrostatic features are quite different due to the mutations between SARS-CoV S protein and SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Such differences are analyzed comprehensively. Compared to SARS-CoV, the SARS-CoV-2 binds with ACE2 using a more robust strategy: The electric field line related residues are distributed quite differently, which results in a more robust binding strategy of SARS-CoV-2. Also, SARS-CoV-2 has a higher electric field line density than that of SARS-CoV, which indicates stronger interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2, compared to that of SARS-CoV. Key residues involved in salt bridges and hydrogen bonds are identified in this study, which may help the future drug design against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Chitra B. Karki
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Dan Du
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Haotian Li
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Adebiyi Sobitan
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Shaolei Teng
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Qiyi Tang
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States,Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States,*Correspondence: Lin Li
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15
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Xian Y, Avila R, Pant A, Yang Z, Xiao C. The Role of Tape Measure Protein in Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Virus Capsid Assembly. Viral Immunol 2020; 34:41-48. [PMID: 33074779 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2020.0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) are a group of large viruses that infect a wide range of hosts, from animals to protists. These viruses are grouped together in NCLDV based on genomic sequence analyses. They share a set of essential genes for virion morphogenesis and replication. Most NCLDVs generally have large physical sizes while their morphologies vary in different families, such as icosahedral, brick, or oval shape, raising the question of the possible regulatory factor on their morphogenesis. The capsids of icosahedral NCLDVs are assembled from small building blocks, named capsomers, which are the trimeric form of the major capsid proteins. Note that the capsids of immature poxvirus are spherical even though they are assembled from capsomers that share high structural conservation with those icosahedral NCLDVs. The recently published high resolution structure of NCLDVs, Paramecium bursaria Chlorella virus 1 and African swine fever virus, described the intensive network of minor capsid proteins that are located underneath the capsomers. Among these minor proteins is the elongated tape measure protein (TmP) that spans from one icosahedral fivefold vertex to another. In this study, we focused on the critical roles that TmP plays in the assembly of icosahedral NCLDV capsids, answering a question raised in a previously proposed spiral mechanism. Interestingly, basic local alignment search on the TmPs showed no significant hits in poxviruses, which might be the factor that differentiates poxviruses and icosahedral NCLDVs in their morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Ricardo Avila
- Bioinformatics Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Anil Pant
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Zhilong Yang
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Chuan Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
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16
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Xian Y, Xiao C. Current capsid assembly models of icosahedral nucleocytoviricota viruses. Adv Virus Res 2020; 108:275-313. [PMID: 33837719 PMCID: PMC8328511 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Nucleocytoviricota viruses (NCVs) belong to a newly established phylum originally grouped as Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. NCVs are unique because of their large and complicated genomes that contain cellular genes with homologs from all kingdoms of life, raising intensive debates on their evolutional origins. Many NCVs pack their genomes inside massive icosahedral capsids assembled from thousands of proteins. Studying the assembly mechanism of such capsids has been challenging until breakthroughs from structural studies. Subsequently, several models of the capsid assembly were proposed, which provided some interesting insights on this elaborate process. In this review, we discuss three of the most recent assembly models as well as supporting experimental observations. Furthermore, we propose a new model that combines research developments from multiple sources. Investigation of the assembly process of these vast NCV capsids will facilitate future deciphering of the molecular mechanisms driving the formation of similar supramolecular complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States
| | - Chuan Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States.
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17
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Xie Y, Du D, Karki CB, Guo W, Lopez-Hernandez AE, Sun S, Juarez BY, Li H, Wang J, Li L. Revealing the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding with ACE2. Comput Sci Eng 2020; 22:21-29. [PMID: 33762895 PMCID: PMC7983027 DOI: 10.1109/mcse.2020.3015511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A large population in the world has been infected by COVID-19. Understanding the mechanisms of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is important for the management and treatment of COVID-19. When it comes to the infection process, one of the most important proteins in SARS-CoV-2 is the spike (S) protein, which is able to bind to human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and initializes the entry of the host cell. In this study, we implemented multiscale computational approaches to study the electrostatic features of the interfaces of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein receptor binding domain and ACE2. The simulations and analyses were performed on high-performance computing resources in the Texas Advanced Computing Center. Our study identified key residues on SARS-CoV-2, which can be used as targets for future drug design. The results shed light on future drug design and therapeutic targets for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Dan Du
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Chitra B Karki
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Wenhan Guo
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | | | - Shengjie Sun
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Brenda Y Juarez
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Haotian Li
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Lin Li
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX.,Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
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18
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Karki C, Xian Y, Xie Y, Sun S, Lopez-Hernandez AE, Juarez B, Wang J, Sun J, Li L. A computational model of ESAT-6 complex in membrane. JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL & COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY 2020; 19:2040002. [PMID: 34211240 PMCID: PMC8245204 DOI: 10.1142/s0219633620400027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
One quarter of the world's population are infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is a leading death-causing bacterial pathogen. Recent evidence has demonstrated that two virulence factors, ESAT-6 and CFP-10, play crucial roles in Mtb's cytosolic translocation. Many efforts have been made to study the ESAT-6 and CFP-10 proteins. Some studies have shown that ESAT-6 has an essential role in rupturing phagosome. However, the mechanisms of how ESAT-6 interacts with the membrane have not yet been fully understood. Recent studies indicate that the ESAT-6 disassociates with CFP-10 upon their interaction with phagosome membrane, forming a membrane-spanning pore. Based on these observations, as well as the available structure of ESAT-6, ESAT-6 is hypothesized to form an oligomer for membrane insertion as well as rupturing. Such an ESAT-6 oligomer may play a significant role in the tuberculosis infection. Therefore, deeper understanding of the oligomerization of ESAT-6 will establish new directions for tuberculosis treatment. However, the structure of the oligomer of ESAT-6 is not known. Here, we proposed a comprehensive approach to model the complex structures of ESAT-6 oligomer inside a membrane. Several computational tools, including MD simulation, symmetrical docking, MM/PBSA, are used to obtain and characterize such a complex structure. Results from our studies lead to a well-supported hypothesis of the ESAT-6 oligomerization as well as the identification of essential residues in stabilizing the ESAT-6 oligomer which provide useful insights for future drug design targeting tuberculosis. The approach in this research can also be used to model and study other cross-membrane complex structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chitra Karki
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | - Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | - Yixin Xie
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | - Shengjie Sun
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | | | - Brenda Juarez
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | - Jianjun Sun
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
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19
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Xian Y, Xiao C. The Structure of ASFV Advances the Fight against the Disease. Trends Biochem Sci 2020; 45:276-278. [PMID: 32169172 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2020.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative pathogen of the recent African swine fever epidemic, with devastating impacts on economy. A recent study by Wang et al. reveals the multilayer structural details of ASFV at near-atomic resolution, which provides interesting insights about giant virus assembly and paves the way for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Chuan Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
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20
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Colla T, Bakhshandeh A, Levin Y. Osmotic stress and pore nucleation in charged biological nanoshells and capsids. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:2390-2405. [PMID: 32067009 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02532d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A model system is proposed to investigate the chemical equilibrium and mechanical stability of biological spherical-like nanoshells in contact with an aqueous solution with added dissociated electrolyte of a given concentration. The ionic chemical equilibrium across the permeable shell is investigated in the framework of an accurate Density Functional Theory (DFT) that incorporates electrostatic and hardcore correlations beyond the traditional mean-field (e.g., Poisson-Boltzmann) limit. The accuracy of the theory is tested by a direct comparison with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. A simple analytical expression is then deduced which clearly highlights the entropic, electrostatic, and self-energy contributions to the osmotic stress over the shell in terms of the calculated ionic profiles. By invoking a continuum mean-field elastic approach to account for the shell surface stress upon osmotic stretching, the mechanical equilibrium properties of the shell under a wide variety of ionic strengths and surface charges are investigated. The model is further coupled to a continuum mechanical approach similar in structure to a Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) to address the question of mechanical stability of the shells against a pore nucleation. This allows us to construct a phase diagram which delimits the mechanical stability of capsids for different ionic strengths and shell surface charges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Colla
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, CEP 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.
| | - Amin Bakhshandeh
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Instituto de Física e Matemática, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Caixa Postal 354, CEP 96010-900 Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
| | - Yan Levin
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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21
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Van Etten JL, Agarkova IV, Dunigan DD. Chloroviruses. Viruses 2019; 12:E20. [PMID: 31878033 PMCID: PMC7019647 DOI: 10.3390/v12010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chloroviruses are large dsDNA, plaque-forming viruses that infect certain chlorella-like green algae; the algae are normally mutualistic endosymbionts of protists and metazoans and are often referred to as zoochlorellae. The viruses are ubiquitous in inland aqueous environments throughout the world and occasionally single types reach titers of thousands of plaque-forming units per ml of native water. The viruses are icosahedral in shape with a spike structure located at one of the vertices. They contain an internal membrane that is required for infectivity. The viral genomes are 290 to 370 kb in size, which encode up to 16 tRNAs and 330 to ~415 proteins, including many not previously seen in viruses. Examples include genes encoding DNA restriction and modification enzymes, hyaluronan and chitin biosynthetic enzymes, polyamine biosynthetic enzymes, ion channel and transport proteins, and enzymes involved in the glycan synthesis of the virus major capsid glycoproteins. The proteins encoded by many of these viruses are often the smallest or among the smallest proteins of their class. Consequently, some of the viral proteins are the subject of intensive biochemical and structural investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L. Van Etten
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0900, USA; (I.V.A.); (D.D.D.)
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22
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Salas GGS, Hernandez AEL, He J, Karki C, Xie Y, Sun S, Xian Y, Li L. Using computational approaches to study dengue virus capsid assembly. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL BIOPHYSICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/cmb-2019-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Dengue viral capsid plays a significant role in viral life cycle of dengue, especially in vial genome protection and virus-cell fusion. Revealing mechanisms of the viral capsid protein assembly may lead to the discovery of anti-viral drugs that inhibit the assembly of the viral capsid. The E and M-proteins are arranged into heterotetramers, which consists of two copies of E and M-protein. The heterotetramers are assembled into a highly ordered capsid. While many investigations of the interactions between E and M-proteins have been performed, there are very few studies on the interactions between the heterotetramers and their roles in capsid assembly. Utilizing a series of computational approaches, this study focuses on the assembly mechanism of the heterotetramers. Our electrostatic analyses lead to the identification of four binding modes between each two dengue heterotetramers that repeat periodically throughout the virus capsid. Among these four binding modes, heterotetramers in binding modes I, II and IV are attractive. But in the binding mode III the heterotetramers repel each other, making mode III a suitable target for drug design. Furthermore, MD simulations were performed following by salt bridges analysis. This study demonstrates that using computational approaches is a promising direction to study the dengue virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gicela G Saucedo Salas
- Department of Physics , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Alan E Lopez Hernandez
- Department of Physics , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Jiadi He
- Department of Physics , Oregon State University , Oregon
| | - Chitra Karki
- Department of Physics , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso
| | - Yixin Xie
- Department of Physics , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso
| | - Shengjie Sun
- Department of Physics , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso
| | - Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Physics , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso
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23
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Liu S, Luo Y, Wang Y, Li S, Zhao Z, Bi Y, Sun J, Peng R, Song H, Zhu D, Sun Y, Li S, Zhang L, Wang W, Sun Y, Qi J, Yan J, Shi Y, Zhang X, Wang P, Qiu HJ, Gao GF. Cryo-EM Structure of the African Swine Fever Virus. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 26:836-843.e3. [PMID: 31787524 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large double-stranded DNA virus with an icosahedral multilayered structure. ASFV causes a lethal swine hemorrhagic disease and is currently responsible for widespread damage to the pork industry in Asia. Neither vaccines nor antivirals are available and the molecular characterization of the ASFV particle is outstanding. Here, we describe the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the icosahedral capsid of ASFV at 4.6-Å. The ASFV particle consists of 8,280 copies of the major capsid protein p72, 60 copies of the penton protein, and at least 8,340 minor capsid proteins, of which there might be 3 different types. Like other nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses, the minor capsid proteins form a hexagonal network below the outer capsid shell, functioning as stabilizers by "gluing" neighboring capsomers together. Our findings provide a comprehensive molecular model of the ASFV capsid architecture that will contribute to the future development of countermeasures, including vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Liu
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yuzi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Yajuan Wang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shihua Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhennan Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yuhai Bi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Junqing Sun
- Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China
| | - Ruchao Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hao Song
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Dongjie Zhu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Su Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Li Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
| | - Yeping Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jinghua Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Xinzheng Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Peiyi Wang
- Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; SUSTech Cryo-EM Centre, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Hua-Ji Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
| | - George F Gao
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing 102206, China.
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