scholarly journals Theoretical and computational modeling of peptide-lipid bilayer interaction studied by dynamic force spectroscopy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Milica Utjesanovic
Keyword(s):  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Dynamic Force ◽  
Detachment Rate

This thesis consists of three interrelated theoretical and computational modeling projects that investigate different aspects of peptide-lipid membrane interactions. (1) A general theoretical approach is formulated for the quantitative description of the detachment force distribution, P(F), and the corresponding force dependent detachment rate, k(F), of a peptide from a lipid bilayer, by assuming that peptide detachment from lipid membranes occurs stochastically along a few dominant diffusive pathways. Besides providing a consistent interpretation of the experimental data, the new method also predicts that k(F) exhibits catch-bond behavior (when, counter intuitively, the detachment rate decreases with increasing force). (2) The proposed multiple detachment pathways method is tested and validated for a particular peptide (SecA2-11) interacting with both zwitterionic POPC lipid and polar E. Coli membranes. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to explored the conformational dynamics of SecA2-11 during its interaction with both POPC and anionic POPG lipid bilayers. (3) Finally, MD simulations are used to explore the conformational dynamics and energetics of the peptide melittin (MWT) and its diastereomer (MD4) interacting with POPC and POPG lipid bilayers. The obtained results provide further insight into the role of secondary structure in peptide-lipid bilayer interactions.

scholarly journals Sequential water and headgroup merger: Membrane poration paths and energetics from MD simulations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Bubnis ◽  
Helmut Grubmüller
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Nucleation Mechanism ◽  
Membrane Topology ◽  
Atomistic Simulations ◽  
Cellular Transport ◽  
Membrane Pore ◽  
Reaction Coordinates

Membrane topology changes such as poration, stalk formation, and hemi-fusion rupture are essential to cellular function, but their molecular details, energetics, and kinetics are still not fully understood. Here we present a unified energetic and mechanistic picture of metastable pore defects in tensionless lipid membranes. We used an exhaustive committor analysis to test and select optimal reaction coordinates and also to determine the nucleation mechanism. These reaction coordinates were used to calculate free energy landscapes that capture the full process and end states. The identified barriers agree with the committor analysis. To enable sufficient sampling of the complete transition path for our atomistic simulations, we developed a novel “gizmo” potential biasing scheme. The simulations suggest that the essential step in the nucleation is the initial merger of lipid head-groups at the nascent pore center. To facilitate this event, an indentation pathway is energetically preferred to a hydrophobic defect. Continuous water columns that span the indentation were determined to be on-path transients that precede the nucleation barrier. This study gives a quantitative description of the nucleation mechanism and energetics of small metastable pores and illustrates a systematic approach to uncover the mechanisms of diverse cellular membrane remodeling processes.STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCEThe primary steps and nucleation of lipid membrane pore formation are key to membrane fusion, viral infection, and vesicular cellular transport. Despite decades experimental and theoretical studies, the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood at the atomic level. Using a committor-based reaction coordinate and atomistic simulations, we report new structural and energetics insight into the full poration process. We find that the pore nucleates via an elastic indentation rather than by forming a hydrophobic defect. Subsequently, water pierces the thinned slab as a prerequisite for the following axial merger of the first lipid headgroups from opposite monolayers, which precedes and best characterizes the transition state. We also identify a metastable prepore basin, thereby explaining previous indirect experimental evidence.

scholarly journals Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Interaction Between Benzanthrone Dye and Model Lipid Membranes

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Molecular Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Fluorescent Dyes ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Membrane Composition ◽  
Model Lipid Membranes

The benzanthrone fluorescent dyes are known as environmentally-sensitive reporters for exploring the physicochemical properties and structural alterations of lipid membranes. In the present work the 100-ns molecular dynamics simulation (MD) was used to characterize the bilayer location and the nature of interactions between the benzanthrone fluorescent dye ABM and the model lipid membranes composed of the zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and its mixtures with the anionic lipid phosphatidylglycerol (PG20) and sterol cholesterol (Chol30). The MD simulations were performed in the CHARMM36m force field using the GROMACS package. The ABM molecule, which was initially placed at a distance of 30 Å from the midplane of the lipid bilayer, after 10 ns of simulation was found to be completely incorporated into the membrane interior and remained within the lipid bilayer for the rest of the simulation time. The analysis of the MD simulation results showed that the lipid bilayer location of the benzanthrone dye ABM depends on the membrane composition, with the distance from bilayer center being gradually shifted from 0.78 nm in the neat PC bilayer to 0.95 nm and 1.5 nm in the PG- and Chol-containing membranes, respectively. In addition, the partitioning of the ABM into the neat PC bilayer was followed by the probe translocation from the outer membrane leaflet to the inner one. A separate series of MD simulations was aimed at examining the ABM influence on the lipid bilayer structure. It was found that ABM partitioning into the lipid bilayers of various composition has no significant effect on the orientation of the fatty acid chains and leads only to a small increase of the deuterium order parameter for the carbon atoms 5-to-8 in the sn-2 acyl chains of the neat PC membranes. In addition, the interaction of the ABM with the model lipid membranes caused the slight decrease of the surface area per lipid pointing to the slight increase of the packing density of lipid molecules in the presence of ABM. The results obtained provide a basis for deeper understanding of the membrane interactions of benzanthrone dyes and may be useful for the design of the novel fluorescent probes for membrane studies.

scholarly journals Theoretical and computational modeling of the dynamics of multicellular and lipid membrane systems

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Matthew McCune
Keyword(s):  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Free Standing ◽  
Silica Substrate

This dissertation presents two research projects that apply theoretical and computational modeling to (1) describe and predict the formation and shape evolution of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted tissue constructs, and (2) investigate the effect of a silica substrate on the structural and dynamic properties of a single fully hydrated lipid bilayer. (1) Bioprinting, a novel tissue engineering technique, has the ultimate goal of using 3D printers with bioink made from a person’s own cells to create tissues in the laboratory for transplantation or drug testing. The outcome of the post-bioprinting process, where the bioink particles fuse to form the desired 3D tissue construct, is difficult to predict and experimental techniques have generally been optimized through trial and error. To address this shortcoming, by employing theoretical modeling and computer simulations, we have developed and implemented an effective procedure that is capable of describing and predicting the shape dynamics during post-printing structure formation in 3D bioprinting. In particular, we have explained and demonstrated that the post-printing fusion process is considerably faster when using cylindrical instead of spheroidal bioink particles, a result that has considerable practical implication for extrusion bioprinting. (2) The study of lipid bilayers using neutron scattering experiments requires samples that contain a large stack of membranes. The analysis and computer simulation of such systems is challenging mainly due to the unknown amount of water separating the membranes. To overcome this difficulty, more recent experiments place single lipid membranes onto a support and stack about a hundred of them together. In this project we use molecular dynamics simulations of both free-standing and hydrated single-supported lipid bilayers to investigate the effect of the silica substrate on the structural and dynamical properties of the lipids and hydration waters. Our results may provide useful information in interpreting some recent neutron scattering experiments.

scholarly journals The Structural Integrity of the Model Lipid Membrane during Induced Lipid Peroxidation: The Role of Flavonols in the Inhibition of Lipid Peroxidation

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Sadžak ◽  
Janez Mravljak ◽  
Nadica Maltar-Strmečki ◽  
Zoran Arsov ◽  
Goran Baranović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Peroxidation ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Structural Reorganization ◽  
Unsaturated Lipids ◽  
Oxidative Attack

The structural integrity, elasticity, and fluidity of lipid membranes are critical for cellular activities such as communication between cells, exocytosis, and endocytosis. Unsaturated lipids, the main components of biological membranes, are particularly susceptible to the oxidative attack of reactive oxygen species. The peroxidation of unsaturated lipids, in our case 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), induces the structural reorganization of the membrane. We have employed a multi-technique approach to analyze typical properties of lipid bilayers, i.e., roughness, thickness, elasticity, and fluidity. We compared the alteration of the membrane properties upon initiated lipid peroxidation and examined the ability of flavonols, namely quercetin (QUE), myricetin (MCE), and myricitrin (MCI) at different molar fractions, to inhibit this change. Using Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), we identified various carbonyl products and examined the extent of the reaction. From Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Force Spectroscopy (FS), Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS), and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) experiments, we concluded that the membranes with inserted flavonols exhibit resistance against the structural changes induced by the oxidative attack, which is a finding with multiple biological implications. Our approach reveals the interplay between the flavonol molecular structure and the crucial membrane properties under oxidative attack and provides insight into the pathophysiology of cellular oxidative injury.

scholarly journals Molecular simulations of lipid membrane partitioning and translocation by bacterial quorum sensing modulators

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246187
Author(s):  
Tianyi Jin ◽  
Samarthaben J. Patel ◽  
Reid C. Van Lehn
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Umbrella Sampling ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Free Energies ◽  
Membrane Partitioning ◽  
Solvent Model

Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial communication process mediated by both native and non-native small-molecule quorum sensing modulators (QSMs), many of which have been synthesized to disrupt QS pathways. While structure-activity relationships have been developed to relate QSM structure to the activation or inhibition of QS receptors, less is known about the transport mechanisms that enable QSMs to cross the lipid membrane and access intracellular receptors. In this study, we used atomistic MD simulations and an implicit solvent model, called COSMOmic, to analyze the partitioning and translocation of QSMs across lipid bilayers. We performed umbrella sampling at atomistic resolution to calculate partitioning and translocation free energies for a set of naturally occurring QSMs, then used COSMOmic to screen the water-membrane partition and translocation free energies for 50 native and non-native QSMs that target LasR, one of the LuxR family of quorum-sensing receptors. This screening procedure revealed the influence of systematic changes to head and tail group structures on membrane partitioning and translocation free energies at a significantly reduced computational cost compared to atomistic MD simulations. Comparisons with previously determined QSM activities suggest that QSMs that are least likely to partition into the bilayer are also less active. This work thus demonstrates the ability of the computational protocol to interrogate QSM-bilayer interactions which may help guide the design of new QSMs with engineered membrane interactions.

Selective arrangement of vesicles on artificial lipid membrane by biotin-avidin interaction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Hashino ◽  
Daiya Mombayashi ◽  
Yuto Nakatani ◽  
Azusa Oshima ◽  
Masumi Yamaguchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Unsaturated Lipid ◽  
Si Substrates ◽  
Phase Domain ◽  
Unsaturated Lipids ◽  
Lipid Mixtures ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Lipid bilayers suspended over microwells on Si substrates are promising platforms for nanobiodevices that mimic cell membranes. Using the biotin-avidin interaction, we have succeeded in selectively arranging vesicles on the freestanding region of a lipid bilayer. When ternary lipid mixtures of saturated lipid, unsaturated lipid, and cholesterol are used, they separate into liquid-order (Lo) and liquid-crystalline (Lα) domains. A freestanding lipid bilayer prefers the Lα-phase over the Lo-phase because of the difference in their flexibility. In addition, the type of biotinylated lipid determines whether it is localized in the Lα-phase domain or the Lo-phase domain. As a result, the biotinylated unsaturated lipids localized in the Lα-phase domain aggregate in the freestanding lipid bilayer, and vesicles labeled with biotin selectively bind to the freestanding lipid bilayer by the biotin-avidin interaction. This technique helps to introduce biomolecules into the freestanding lipid bilayer of nanobiodevices via vesicles.

scholarly journals Structure and Dynamics of Glycosphingolipids in Lipid Bilayers: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronak Y. Patel ◽  
Petety V. Balaji
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Membrane Structure ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Biological Membranes ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Atomic Level ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Hydrogen Bonding Interactions ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Glycolipids are important constituents of biological membranes, and understanding their structure and dynamics in lipid bilayers provides insights into their physiological and pathological roles. Experimental techniques have provided details into their behavior at model and biological membranes; however, computer simulations are needed to gain atomic level insights. This paper summarizes the insights obtained from MD simulations into the conformational and orientational dynamics of glycosphingolipids and their exposure, hydration, and hydrogen-bonding interactions in membrane environment. The organization of glycosphingolipids in raft-like membranes and their modulation of lipid membrane structure are also reviewed.

Pore Formation of Thermostable Direct Hemolysin Secreted from Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Lipid Bilayers

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 409-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Takahashi ◽  
Chiyo Yamamoto ◽  
Toshio Kodama ◽  
Kanami Yamashita ◽  
Nagakatsu Harada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Ion Selectivity ◽  
Ion Permeability ◽  
Lower Extent ◽  
Thermostable Direct Hemolysin ◽  
Mutant Toxin

Vibrio parahaemolyticus secretes thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH), a major virulence factor. Earlier studies report that TDH is a pore-forming toxin. However, the characteristics of pores formed by TDH in the lipid bilayer, which is permeable to small ions, remain to be elucidated. Ion channel-like activities were observed in lipid bilayers containing TDH. Three types of conductance were identified. All the channels displayed relatively low ion selectivity, and similar ion permeability. The Cl− channel inhibitors, DIDS, glybenclamide, and NPPB, did not affect the channel activity of pores formed by TDH. R7, a mutant toxin of TDH, also forms pores with channel-like activity in lipid bilayers. The ion permeability of these channels is similar to that of TDH. R7 binds cultured cells and liposomes to a lower extent, compared to TDH. R7 does not display significant hemolytic activity and cell cytotoxicity, possibly owing to the difficulty of insertion into lipid membranes. Once R7 is assembled within lipid membranes, it may assume the same structure as TDH. The authors propose that the single glycine at position 62, substituted with serine in the R7 mutant toxin, plays an important role in TDH insertion into the lipid bilayer.

scholarly journals Lipid flip-flop and desorption from supported lipid bilayers is independent of curvature

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244460
Author(s):  
Haoyuan Jing ◽  
Yanbin Wang ◽  
Parth Rakesh Desai ◽  
Kumaran S. Ramamurthi ◽  
Siddhartha Das
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Packing Fraction ◽  
Membrane Curvature ◽  
Supported Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Flip Flop ◽  
Lipid Molecule ◽  
Membrane Asymmetry ◽  
Cell Shapes

Flip-flop of lipids of the lipid bilayer (LBL) constituting the plasma membrane (PM) plays a crucial role in a myriad of events ranging from cellular signaling and regulation of cell shapes to cell homeostasis, membrane asymmetry, phagocytosis, and cell apoptosis. While extensive research has been conducted to probe the lipid flip flop of planar lipid bilayers (LBLs), less is known regarding lipid flip-flop for highly curved, nanoscopic LBL systems despite the vast importance of membrane curvature in defining the morphology of cells and organelles and in maintaining a variety of cellular functions, enabling trafficking, and recruiting and localizing shape-responsive proteins. In this paper, we conduct molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the energetics, structure, and configuration of a lipid molecule undergoing flip-flop and desorption in a highly curved LBL, represented as a nanoparticle-supported lipid bilayer (NPSLBL) system. We compare our findings against those of a planar substrate supported lipid bilayer (PSSLBL). Our MD simulation results reveal that despite the vast differences in the curvature and other curvature-dictated properties (e.g., lipid packing fraction, difference in the number of lipids between inner and outer leaflets, etc.) between the NPSLBL and the PSSLBL, the energetics of lipid flip-flop and lipid desorption as well as the configuration of the lipid molecule undergoing lipid flip-flop are very similar for the NPSLBL and the PSSLBL. In other words, our results establish that the curvature of the LBL plays an insignificant role in lipid flip-flop and desorption.

scholarly journals Manipulation of a spider peptide toxin alters its affinity for lipid bilayers and potency and selectivity for voltage-gated sodium channel subtype 1.7

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (15) ◽  
pp. 5067-5080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akello J. Agwa ◽  
Poanna Tran ◽  
Alexander Mueller ◽  
Hue N. T. Tran ◽  
Jennifer R. Deuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Surface Profile ◽  
Voltage Gated Sodium Channel ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Gating Modifier ◽  
Peptide Toxin

Huwentoxin-IV (HwTx-IV) is a gating modifier peptide toxin from spiders that has weak affinity for the lipid bilayer. As some gating modifier toxins have affinity for model lipid bilayers, a tripartite relationship among gating modifier toxins, voltage-gated ion channels, and the lipid membrane surrounding the channels has been proposed. We previously designed an HwTx-IV analogue (gHwTx-IV) with reduced negative charge and increased hydrophobic surface profile, which displays increased lipid bilayer affinity and in vitro activity at the voltage-gated sodium channel subtype 1.7 (NaV1.7), a channel targeted in pain management. Here, we show that replacements of the positively-charged residues that contribute to the activity of the peptide can improve gHwTx-IV's potency and selectivity for NaV1.7. Using HwTx-IV, gHwTx-IV, [R26A]gHwTx-IV, [K27A]gHwTx-IV, and [R29A]gHwTx-IV variants, we examined their potency and selectivity at human NaV1.7 and their affinity for the lipid bilayer. [R26A]gHwTx-IV consistently displayed the most improved potency and selectivity for NaV1.7, examined alongside off-target NaVs, compared with HwTx-IV and gHwTx-IV. The lipid affinity of each of the three novel analogues was weaker than that of gHwTx-IV, but stronger than that of HwTx-IV, suggesting a possible relationship between in vitro potency at NaV1.7 and affinity for lipid bilayers. In a murine NaV1.7 engagement model, [R26A]gHwTx-IV exhibited an efficacy comparable with that of native HwTx-IV. In summary, this study reports the development of an HwTx-IV analogue with improved in vitro selectivity for the pain target NaV1.7 and with an in vivo efficacy similar to that of native HwTx-IV.

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