scholarly journals An implicit lipid model for efficient reaction-diffusion simulations of protein binding to surfaces of arbitrary topology

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiben Fu ◽  
Osman N. Yogurtcu ◽  
Ruchita Kothari ◽  
Gudrun Thorkelsdottir ◽  
Alexander J. Sodt ◽  
...  

AbstractLocalization of proteins to a membrane is an essential step in a broad range of biological processes such as signaling, virion formation, and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The strength and specificity of proteins binding to a membrane depend on the lipid composition. Single-particle reaction-diffusion methods offer a powerful tool for capturing lipid-specific binding to membrane surfaces by treating lipids explicitly as individual diffusible binding sites. However, modeling lipid particle populations is expensive. Here we present an algorithm for reversible binding of proteins to continuum surfaces with implicit lipids, providing dramatic speed-ups to many body simulations. Our algorithm can be readily integrated into most reaction-diffusion software packages. We characterize changes to kinetics that emerge from explicit versus implicit lipids as well as surface adsorption models, showing excellent agreement between our method and the full explicit lipid model. Compared to models of surface adsorption, which couple together binding affinity and lipid concentration, our implicit lipid model decouples them to provide more flexibility for controlling surface binding properties and lipid inhomogeneity, and thus reproducing binding kinetics and equilibria. Crucially, we demonstrate our method’s application to membranes of arbitrary curvature and topology, modeled via a subdivision limit surface, again showing excellent agreement with explicit lipid simulations. Unlike adsorption models, our method retains the ability to bind lipids after proteins are localized to the surface (through e.g. a protein-protein interaction), which can greatly increase stability of multi-protein complexes on the surface. Our method will enable efficient cell-scale simulations involving proteins localizing to realistic membrane models, which is a critical step for predictive modeling and quantification of in vitro and in vivo dynamics.

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (40) ◽  
pp. E8333-E8342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian G. Plach ◽  
Florian Semmelmann ◽  
Florian Busch ◽  
Markus Busch ◽  
Leonhard Heizinger ◽  
...  

Cells contain a multitude of protein complexes whose subunits interact with high specificity. However, the number of different protein folds and interface geometries found in nature is limited. This raises the question of how protein–protein interaction specificity is achieved on the structural level and how the formation of nonphysiological complexes is avoided. Here, we describe structural elements called interface add-ons that fulfill this function and elucidate their role for the diversification of protein–protein interactions during evolution. We identified interface add-ons in 10% of a representative set of bacterial, heteromeric protein complexes. The importance of interface add-ons for protein–protein interaction specificity is demonstrated by an exemplary experimental characterization of over 30 cognate and hybrid glutamine amidotransferase complexes in combination with comprehensive genetic profiling and protein design. Moreover, growth experiments showed that the lack of interface add-ons can lead to physiologically harmful cross-talk between essential biosynthetic pathways. In sum, our complementary in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analysis argues that interface add-ons are a practical and widespread evolutionary strategy to prevent the formation of nonphysiological complexes by specializing protein–protein interactions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Santabarbara ◽  
Ilaria Cazzalini ◽  
Andrea Rivadossi ◽  
Flavio M. Garlaschi ◽  
Giuseppe Zucchelli ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 950-960
Author(s):  
Soghra Farzipour ◽  
Seyed Jalal Hosseinimehr

Tumor-targeting peptides have been generally developed for the overexpression of tumor specific receptors in cancer cells. The use of specific radiolabeled peptide allows tumor visualization by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) tools. The high affinity and specific binding of radiolabeled peptide are focusing on tumoral receptors. The character of the peptide itself, in particular, its complex molecular structure and behaviors influence on its specific interaction with receptors which are overexpressed in tumor. This review summarizes various strategies which are applied for the expansion of radiolabeled peptides for tumor targeting based on in vitro and in vivo specific tumor data and then their data were compared to find any correlation between these experiments. With a careful look at previous studies, it can be found that in vitro unblock-block ratio was unable to correlate the tumor to muscle ratio and the success of radiolabeled peptide for in vivo tumor targeting. The introduction of modifiers’ approaches, nature of peptides, and type of chelators and co-ligands have mixed effect on the in vitro and in vivo specificity of radiolabeled peptides.


Author(s):  
Thu Hang Lai ◽  
Magali Toussaint ◽  
Rodrigo Teodoro ◽  
Sladjana Dukić-Stefanović ◽  
Daniel Gündel ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The adenosine A2A receptor has emerged as a therapeutic target for multiple diseases, and thus the non-invasive imaging of the expression or occupancy of the A2A receptor has potential to contribute to diagnosis and drug development. We aimed at the development of a metabolically stable A2A receptor radiotracer and report herein the preclinical evaluation of [18F]FLUDA, a deuterated isotopologue of [18F]FESCH. Methods [18F]FLUDA was synthesized by a two-step one-pot approach and evaluated in vitro by autoradiographic studies as well as in vivo by metabolism and dynamic PET/MRI studies in mice and piglets under baseline and blocking conditions. A single-dose toxicity study was performed in rats. Results [18F]FLUDA was obtained with a radiochemical yield of 19% and molar activities of 72–180 GBq/μmol. Autoradiography proved A2A receptor–specific accumulation of [18F]FLUDA in the striatum of a mouse and pig brain. In vivo evaluation in mice revealed improved stability of [18F]FLUDA compared to that of [18F]FESCH, resulting in the absence of brain-penetrant radiometabolites. Furthermore, the radiometabolites detected in piglets are expected to have a low tendency for brain penetration. PET/MRI studies confirmed high specific binding of [18F]FLUDA towards striatal A2A receptor with a maximum specific-to-non-specific binding ratio in mice of 8.3. The toxicity study revealed no adverse effects of FLUDA up to 30 μg/kg, ~ 4000-fold the dose applied in human PET studies using [18F]FLUDA. Conclusions The new radiotracer [18F]FLUDA is suitable to detect the availability of the A2A receptor in the brain with high target specificity. It is regarded ready for human application.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Merricka C. Livingstone ◽  
Alexis A. Bitzer ◽  
Alish Giri ◽  
Kun Luo ◽  
Rajeshwer S. Sankhala ◽  
...  

AbstractPlasmodium falciparum malaria contributes to a significant global disease burden. Circumsporozoite protein (CSP), the most abundant sporozoite stage antigen, is a prime vaccine candidate. Inhibitory monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against CSP map to either a short junctional sequence or the central (NPNA)n repeat region. We compared in vitro and in vivo activities of six CSP-specific mAbs derived from human recipients of a recombinant CSP vaccine RTS,S/AS01 (mAbs 317 and 311); an irradiated whole sporozoite vaccine PfSPZ (mAbs CIS43 and MGG4); or individuals exposed to malaria (mAbs 580 and 663). RTS,S mAb 317 that specifically binds the (NPNA)n epitope, had the highest affinity and it elicited the best sterile protection in mice. The most potent inhibitor of sporozoite invasion in vitro was mAb CIS43 which shows dual-specific binding to the junctional sequence and (NPNA)n. In vivo mouse protection was associated with the mAb reactivity to the NANPx6 peptide, the in vitro inhibition of sporozoite invasion activity, and kinetic parameters measured using intact mAbs or their Fab fragments. Buried surface area between mAb and its target epitope was also associated with in vivo protection. Association and disconnects between in vitro and in vivo readouts has important implications for the design and down-selection of the next generation of CSP based interventions.


Leukemia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Georgiadis ◽  
Jane Rasaiyaah ◽  
Soragia Athina Gkazi ◽  
Roland Preece ◽  
Aniekan Etuk ◽  
...  

AbstractTargeting T cell malignancies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells is hindered by ‘T v T’ fratricide against shared antigens such as CD3 and CD7. Base editing offers the possibility of seamless disruption of gene expression of problematic antigens through creation of stop codons or elimination of splice sites. We describe the generation of fratricide-resistant T cells by orderly removal of TCR/CD3 and CD7 ahead of lentiviral-mediated expression of CARs specific for CD3 or CD7. Molecular interrogation of base-edited cells confirmed elimination of chromosomal translocations detected in conventional Cas9 treated cells. Interestingly, 3CAR/7CAR co-culture resulted in ‘self-enrichment’ yielding populations 99.6% TCR−/CD3−/CD7−. 3CAR or 7CAR cells were able to exert specific cytotoxicity against leukaemia lines with defined CD3 and/or CD7 expression as well as primary T-ALL cells. Co-cultured 3CAR/7CAR cells exhibited highest cytotoxicity against CD3 + CD7 + T-ALL targets in vitro and an in vivo human:murine chimeric model. While APOBEC editors can reportedly exhibit guide-independent deamination of both DNA and RNA, we found no problematic ‘off-target’ activity or promiscuous base conversion affecting CAR antigen-specific binding regions, which may otherwise redirect T cell specificity. Combinational infusion of fratricide-resistant anti-T CAR T cells may enable enhanced molecular remission ahead of allo-HSCT for T cell malignancies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2285
Author(s):  
Thu Hang Lai ◽  
Susann Schröder ◽  
Magali Toussaint ◽  
Sladjana Dukić-Stefanović ◽  
Mathias Kranz ◽  
...  

The adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) represents a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases. Aiming at the development of a positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer to monitor changes of receptor density and/or occupancy during the A2AR-tailored therapy, we designed a library of fluorinated analogs based on a recently published lead compound (PPY). Among those, the highly affine 4-fluorobenzyl derivate (PPY1; Ki(hA2AR) = 5.3 nM) and the 2-fluorobenzyl derivate (PPY2; Ki(hA2AR) = 2.1 nM) were chosen for 18F-labeling via an alcohol-enhanced copper-mediated procedure starting from the corresponding boronic acid pinacol ester precursors. Investigations of the metabolic stability of [18F]PPY1 and [18F]PPY2 in CD-1 mice by radio-HPLC analysis revealed parent fractions of more than 76% of total activity in the brain. Specific binding of [18F]PPY2 on mice brain slices was demonstrated by in vitro autoradiography. In vivo PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in CD-1 mice revealed a reasonable high initial brain uptake for both radiotracers, followed by a fast clearance.


Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Van Doren ◽  
H.M. Ellis ◽  
J.W. Posakony

In Drosophila, a group of regulatory proteins of the helix-loop-helix (HLH) class play an essential role in conferring upon cells in the developing adult epidermis the competence to give rise to sensory organs. Proteins encoded by the daughterless (da) gene and three genes of the achaete-scute complex (AS-C) act positively in the determination of the sensory organ precursor cell fate, while the extramacrochaetae (emc) and hairy (h) gene products act as negative regulators. In the region upstream of the achaete gene of the AS-C, we have identified three ‘E box’ consensus sequences that are bound specifically in vitro by hetero-oligomeric complexes consisting of the da protein and an AS-C protein. We have used this DNA-binding activity to investigate the biochemical basis of the negative regulatory function of emc. Under the conditions of our experiments, the emc protein, but not the h protein, is able to antagonize specifically the in vitro DNA-binding activity of da/AS-C and putative da/da protein complexes. We interpret these results as follows: the heterodimerization capacity of the emc protein (conferred by its HLH domain) allows it to act in vivo as a competitive inhibitor of the formation of functional DNA-binding protein complexes by the da and AS-C proteins, thereby reducing the effective level of their transcriptional regulatory activity within the cell.


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