Molecular simulation of protein adsorption and desorption on hydroxyapatite surfaces

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as a controlled-release carrier of BMP-2: absorption and release kinetics in vitro

Recently, nanoparticles have been extensively developed as controlled-release carriers; however, there has been little research on hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs) and their potential applications. In this study, HANPs were investigated as a controlled-release carrier of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), the absorption and release kinetics of which were analyzed in vitro. Different concentrations of BMP-2 solution were used to evaluate the adsorptive properties of HANPs. It was observed that the amount of BMP-2 adsorbed onto HANPs could be as high as 70 mug/mg and that adsorption rate was highly correlated with the concentration of BMP-2 solution used. After absorption, the suspension of HANPs absorbed BMP-2 (HANPs/BMP-2) was incubated at 37 degrees C for 15 days and the release kinetics of BMP-2 from HANPs/BMP-2 was determined daily. The release profile showed sustained release of BMP-2 over the period of the investigation. Collectively, these results suggest that HANPs has the potential to function as a carrier for drug delivery systems and as a scaffold material in bone tissue engineering.

Biofunctionalization of dispense-plotted hydroxyapatite scaffolds with peptides: quantification and cellular response

Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramic is a widely used synthetic bone substitute material for the regeneration of bone defects. We manufactured HA scaffolds with adjustable pore sizes and pore geometry by dispense-plotting. In addition, we attached peptides covalently onto the HA surface and are able to simultaneously quantify the amount of covalently attached and adsorbed peptide down to the picomolar range with a novel fluorescence-based detection method. In cell culture assays with stromal bone marrow cells, we observed a positive effect of biofunctionalization on cell differentiation after 21 days of culture when comparing the scaffold functionalized with the RGD motif containing adhesion peptide to an unmodified scaffold.

Molecular mechanism for conformation mobility of the active center of glucose oxidase adsorbed on single wall carbon nanotubes

A critical issue in bioelectrochemical applications, that use electrodes modified by nanomaterials, like enzyme sensor modified by Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs), is to ensure high activity of the active center of an immobilized enzyme protein. Since Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD) along with other amino residues, including His559, Glu412 and His516, constitute the active center of the catalytic site conformation of which could determine the activity of enzyme, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism of their mobility and the potential impact on the catalytic activity while GOx is immobilized on SWCNTs. However, this dynamic mechanism still remains blurry at the atomic level due to the active center being embedded in the apo-GOx and the limitations of appropriate experimental methods. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, as a successful approach for exploring some interaction details between protein and nanomaterials, was performed to investigate the mobility mechanism of the active center and the consequence for the possible change of catalytic activity in this study. The trajectory and bond distance clearly indicate that the adsorption of GOx onto SWCNTs with different orientations bring observable different interaction properties in the conformational mobility in active center. These results would help us understand some substantial factors for the activity of biomacromolecule while immobilized on nanomaterials.

Roles of electrostatics and conformation in protein-crystal interactions

In vitro studies have shown that the phosphoprotein osteopontin (OPN) inhibits the nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA) and other biominerals. In vivo, OPN is believed to prevent the calcification of soft tissues. However, the nature of the interaction between OPN and HA is not understood. In the computational part of the present study, we used molecular dynamics simulations to predict the adsorption of 19 peptides, each 16 amino acids long and collectively covering the entire sequence of OPN, to the {100} face of HA. This analysis showed that there is an inverse relationship between predicted strength of adsorption and peptide isoelectric point (P<0.0001). Analysis of the OPN sequence by PONDR (Predictor of Naturally Disordered Regions) indicated that OPN sequences predicted to adsorb well to HA are highly disordered. In the experimental part of the study, we synthesized phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated peptides corresponding to OPN sequences 65–80 (pSHDHMDDDDDDDDDGD) and 220–235 (pSHEpSTEQSDAIDpSAEK). In agreement with the PONDR analysis, these were shown by circular dichroism spectroscopy to be largely disordered. A constant-composition/seeded growth assay was used to assess the HA-inhibiting potencies of the synthetic peptides. The phosphorylated versions of OPN65-80 (IC₅₀ = 1.93 µg/ml) and OPN220-235 (IC₅₀ = 1.48 µg/ml) are potent inhibitors of HA growth, as is the nonphosphorylated version of OPN65-80 (IC₅₀ = 2.97 µg/ml); the nonphosphorylated version of OPN220-235 has no measurable inhibitory activity. These findings suggest that the adsorption of acidic proteins to Ca²⁺-rich crystal faces of biominerals is governed by electrostatics and is facilitated by conformational flexibility of the polypeptide chain.

Solution- and adsorbed-state structural ensembles predicted for the statherin-hydroxyapatite system

We have developed a multiscale structure prediction technique to study solution- and adsorbed-state ensembles of biomineralization proteins. The algorithm employs a Metropolis Monte Carlo-plus-minimization strategy that varies all torsional and rigid-body protein degrees of freedom. We applied the technique to fold statherin, starting from a fully extended peptide chain in solution, in the presence of hydroxyapatite (HAp) (001), (010), and (100) monoclinic crystals. Blind (unbiased) predictions capture experimentally observed macroscopic and high-resolution structural features and show minimal statherin structural change upon adsorption. The dominant structural difference between solution and adsorbed states is an experimentally observed folding event in statherin's helical binding domain. Whereas predicted statherin conformers vary slightly at three different HAp crystal faces, geometric and chemical similarities of the surfaces allow structurally promiscuous binding. Finally, we compare blind predictions with those obtained from simulation biased to satisfy all previously published solid-state NMR (ssNMR) distance and angle measurements (acquired from HAp-adsorbed statherin). Atomic clashes in these structures suggest a plausible, alternative interpretation of some ssNMR measurements as intermolecular rather than intramolecular. This work demonstrates that a combination of ssNMR and structure prediction could effectively determine high-resolution protein structures at biomineral interfaces.

Conformational Mobility of GOx Coenzyme Complex on Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

A critical issue in bioelectrochemical applications that use electrodes modified by Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) is to ensure high activity of the catalytic site of an immobilized enzyme protein interacting with nanomaterials. Since Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD), a coenzyme of glucose oxidase (GOx), is the active center of the catalytic site, conformation of which could determine the activity of enzyme, it is important to understand the dynamic mechanism of its conformational mobility while GOx is adsorbed on SWCNTs with multiple orientations. However, this dynamic mechanism still remains unclear at the atomic level due to the coenzyme being embedded in the apo-GOx and the limitations of appropriate experimental methods. In this study, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed to investigate the conformational mobility mechanism of the coenzyme. The trajectory and the interaction energy clearly indicate that the adsorption of GOx onto SWCNTs plays an important role in the conformational mobility of the coenzyme, and its mobility is greatly affected by the distribution of water molecules due to it being hydrophobic.

Control of neural stem cell adhesion and density by an electronic polymer surface switch

Adhesion is an essential parameter for stem cells. It regulates the overall cell density along the carrying surface, which further dictates the differentiation scheme of stem cells toward a more matured and specified population as well as tissue. Electronic control of the seeding density of neural stem cells (c17.2) is here reported. Thin electrode films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT):Tosylate were manufactured along the floor of cell growth dishes. As the oxidation state of the conjugated polymer electrodes was controlled, the seeding density could be varied by a factor of 2. Along the oxidized PEDOT:Tosylate-electrodes, a relatively lower density of, and less tightly bonded, human serum albumin (HSA) was observed as compared to reduced electrodes. We found that this favors adhesion of the specific stem cells studied. Surface analysis experiments, such as photoelectron spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements, were carried out to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the electronic control of the seeding density of the c17.2 neural stem cells. Further, our findings may provide an opening for electronic control of stem cell differentiation.

Additive effect of RGD coating to functionalized titanium surfaces on human osteoprogenitor cell adhesion and spreading

Titanium-based biomaterials for endosseous implants have found widespread applications in the orthopedic, maxillofacial, and dental domains. Indeed, the surface characteristics such as their chemical modification control considerably the cellular response and, subsequently, the quality and the quantity of new-formed bone around the implant. In this study, human osteoprogenitor (HOP) cell adhesion on different titanium surfaces functionalized with hydroxyapatite (HA), type I collagen, or Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-containing peptides is investigated by the quartz crystal resonators and by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for the imaging of focal contact formation. Data obtained by quartz crystal resonator technique revealed that RGD-containing peptides alone increase HOP cell adhesion in early time period of culture. Moreover, association of RGD-containing peptides with either type I collagen or with HA layers induces an additive effect on HOP cell adhesion compared to Ti-Coll or Ti-HA. CLSM shows both the area of focal contact by cell unit and the cytoskeleton network organization to differ according to the surfaces. Interestingly, association of RGD-containing peptides with HA layers induces an additive effect on focal contact formation on HOP cells compared to Ti-HA alone. These data confirm that an RGD peptide effect occurs in the early time of culture, which is beneficial for osteoblast to spreading, differentiation, and survival.