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Sun T, Minhas V, Korolev N, Mirzoev A, Lyubartsev AP, Nordenskiöld L. Bottom-Up Coarse-Grained Modeling of DNA. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:645527. [PMID: 33816559 PMCID: PMC8010198 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.645527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in methodology enable effective coarse-grained modeling of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) based on underlying atomistic force field simulations. The so-called bottom-up coarse-graining practice separates fast and slow dynamic processes in molecular systems by averaging out fast degrees of freedom represented by the underlying fine-grained model. The resulting effective potential of interaction includes the contribution from fast degrees of freedom effectively in the form of potential of mean force. The pair-wise additive potential is usually adopted to construct the coarse-grained Hamiltonian for its efficiency in a computer simulation. In this review, we present a few well-developed bottom-up coarse-graining methods, discussing their application in modeling DNA properties such as DNA flexibility (persistence length), conformation, "melting," and DNA condensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiedong Sun
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vishal Minhas
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nikolay Korolev
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alexander Mirzoev
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alexander P. Lyubartsev
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Nordenskiöld
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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2
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Prajapati JD, Kleinekathöfer U, Winterhalter M. How to Enter a Bacterium: Bacterial Porins and the Permeation of Antibiotics. Chem Rev 2021; 121:5158-5192. [PMID: 33724823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Despite tremendous successes in the field of antibiotic discovery seen in the previous century, infectious diseases have remained a leading cause of death. More specifically, pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria have become a global threat due to their extraordinary ability to acquire resistance against any clinically available antibiotic, thus urging for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. One major challenge is to design new antibiotics molecules able to rapidly penetrate Gram-negative bacteria in order to achieve a lethal intracellular drug accumulation. Protein channels in the outer membrane are known to form an entry route for many antibiotics into bacterial cells. Up until today, there has been a lack of simple experimental techniques to measure the antibiotic uptake and the local concentration in subcellular compartments. Hence, rules for translocation directly into the various Gram-negative bacteria via the outer membrane or via channels have remained elusive, hindering the design of new or the improvement of existing antibiotics. In this review, we will discuss the recent progress, both experimentally as well as computationally, in understanding the structure-function relationship of outer-membrane channels of Gram-negative pathogens, mainly focusing on the transport of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mathias Winterhalter
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen 28759, Germany
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3
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Ionic transport through a protein nanopore: a Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15740. [PMID: 31673049 PMCID: PMC6823379 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51942-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The MARTINI coarse-grained (CG) force field is used to test the ability of CG models to simulate ionic transport through protein nanopores. The ionic conductivity of CG ions in solution was computed and compared with experimental results. Next, we studied the electrostatic behavior of a solvated CG lipid bilayer in salt solution under an external electric field. We showed this approach correctly describes the experimental conditions under a potential bias. Finally, we performed CG molecular dynamics simulations of the ionic transport through a protein nanopore (α-hemolysin) inserted in a lipid bilayer, under different electric fields, for 2-3 microseconds. The resulting I - V curve is qualitatively consistent with experiments, although the computed current is one order of magnitude smaller. Current saturation was observed for potential biases over ±350 mV. We also discuss the time to reach a stationary regime and the role of the protein flexibility in our CG simulations.
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4
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Volgin IV, Larin SV, Lyulin SV. Diffusion of Nanoparticles in Polymer Systems. POLYMER SCIENCE SERIES C 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s1811238218020212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Noskov SY, Rostovtseva TK, Chamberlin AC, Teijido O, Jiang W, Bezrukov SM. Current state of theoretical and experimental studies of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC). BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2016; 1858:1778-90. [PMID: 26940625 PMCID: PMC4877207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), the major channel of the mitochondrial outer membrane provides a controlled pathway for respiratory metabolites in and out of the mitochondria. In spite of the wealth of experimental data from structural, biochemical, and biophysical investigations, the exact mechanisms governing selective ion and metabolite transport, especially the role of titratable charged residues and interactions with soluble cytosolic proteins, remain hotly debated in the field. The computational advances hold a promise to provide a much sought-after solution to many of the scientific disputes around solute and ion transport through VDAC and hence, across the mitochondrial outer membrane. In this review, we examine how Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy, and Brownian Dynamics simulations of the large β-barrel channel, VDAC, advanced our understanding. We will provide a short overview of non-conventional techniques and also discuss examples of how the modeling excursions into VDAC biophysics prospectively aid experimental efforts. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Proteins edited by J.C. Gumbart and Sergei Noskov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Yu Noskov
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Molecular Simulation, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N1N4, Canada.
| | - Tatiana K Rostovtseva
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | | | - Oscar Teijido
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Medical Epigenetics, Institute of Medical Sciences and Genomic Medicine, EuroEspes Sta. Marta de Babío S/N, 15165 Bergondo, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Wei Jiang
- Leadership Computing Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700S Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Sergey M Bezrukov
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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6
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De Biase PM, Ervin EN, Pal P, Samoylova O, Markosyan S, Keehan MG, Barrall GA, Noskov SY. What controls open-pore and residual currents in the first sensing zone of alpha-hemolysin nanopore? Combined experimental and theoretical study. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:11571-11579. [PMID: 27210516 DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00164e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The electrophoretic transport of single-stranded DNA through biological nanopores such as alpha-hemolysin (αHL) is a promising and cost-effective technology with the potential to revolutionize genomics. The rational design of pores with the controlled polymer translocation rates and high contrast between different nucleotides could improve significantly nanopore sequencing applications. Here, we apply a combination of theoretical and experimental methods in an attempt to elucidate several selective modifications in the pore which were proposed to be central for the effective discrimination between purines and pyrimidines. Our nanopore test set includes the wild type αHL and six mutants (E111N/M113X/K147N) in which the cross-section and chemical functionality of the first constriction zone of the pore are modified. Electrophysiological recordings were combined with all-atom Molecular Dynamics simulations (MD) and a recently developed Brownian Dynamics (BROMOC) protocol to investigate residual ion currents and pore-DNA interactions for two homo-polymers e.g. poly(dA)40 or poly(dC)40 blocking the pore. The calculated residual currents and contrast in the poly(dA)40/poly(dC)40 blocked pore are in qualitative agreement with the experimental recordings. We showed that a simple structural metric allows rationalization of key elements in the emergent contrast between purines and pyrimidines in the modified αHL mutants. The shape of the pore and its capacity for hydrogen bonding to a translocated polynucleotide are two essential parameters for contrast optimization. To further probe the impact of these two factors in the ssDNA sensing, we eliminated the effect of the primary constriction using serine substitutions (i.e. E111S/M113S/T145S/K147S) and increased the hydrophobic volume of the central residue in the secondary constriction (L135I). This pore modification sharply increased the contrast between Adenine (A) and Cytosine (C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo M De Biase
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB T2N 2N4, Canada.
| | - Eric N Ervin
- Electronic BioSciences, 5754 Pacific Center Blvd., Ste. 204, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
| | - Prithwish Pal
- Electronic BioSciences, 5754 Pacific Center Blvd., Ste. 204, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
| | - Olga Samoylova
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB T2N 2N4, Canada.
| | - Suren Markosyan
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB T2N 2N4, Canada.
| | - Michael G Keehan
- Electronic BioSciences, 5754 Pacific Center Blvd., Ste. 204, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
| | - Geoffrey A Barrall
- Electronic BioSciences, 5754 Pacific Center Blvd., Ste. 204, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
| | - Sergei Yu Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB T2N 2N4, Canada.
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Comer J, Aksimentiev A. DNA sequence-dependent ionic currents in ultra-small solid-state nanopores. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:9600-13. [PMID: 27103233 PMCID: PMC4860951 DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01061j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Measurements of ionic currents through nanopores partially blocked by DNA have emerged as a powerful method for characterization of the DNA nucleotide sequence. Although the effect of the nucleotide sequence on the nanopore blockade current has been experimentally demonstrated, prediction and interpretation of such measurements remain a formidable challenge. Using atomic resolution computational approaches, here we show how the sequence, molecular conformation, and pore geometry affect the blockade ionic current in model solid-state nanopores. We demonstrate that the blockade current from a DNA molecule is determined by the chemical identities and conformations of at least three consecutive nucleotides. We find the blockade currents produced by the nucleotide triplets to vary considerably with their nucleotide sequences despite having nearly identical molecular conformations. Encouragingly, we find blockade current differences as large as 25% for single-base substitutions in ultra small (1.6 nm × 1.1 nm cross section; 2 nm length) solid-state nanopores. Despite the complex dependence of the blockade current on the sequence and conformation of the DNA triplets, we find that, under many conditions, the number of thymine bases is positively correlated with the current, whereas the number of purine bases and the presence of both purines and pyrimidines in the triplet are negatively correlated with the current. Based on these observations, we construct a simple theoretical model that relates the ion current to the base content of a solid-state nanopore. Furthermore, we show that compact conformations of DNA in narrow pores provide the greatest signal-to-noise ratio for single base detection, whereas reduction of the nanopore length increases the ionic current noise. Thus, the sequence dependence of the nanopore blockade current can be theoretically rationalized, although the predictions will likely need to be customized for each nanopore type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Comer
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, P-213 Mosier Hall, 1800 Denison Ave, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Aleksei Aksimentiev
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 1110 W Green St, Urbana, IL, USA.
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Solano CJF, Pothula KR, Prajapati JD, De Biase PM, Noskov SY, Kleinekathöfer U. BROMOCEA Code: An Improved Grand Canonical Monte Carlo/Brownian Dynamics Algorithm Including Explicit Atoms. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:2401-17. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b01196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J. F. Solano
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Karunakar R. Pothula
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Jigneshkumar D. Prajapati
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Pablo M. De Biase
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sergei Yu. Noskov
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
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Pothula KR, Solano CJF, Kleinekathöfer U. Simulations of outer membrane channels and their permeability. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2015; 1858:1760-71. [PMID: 26721326 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2015.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Channels in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria provide essential pathways for the controlled and unidirectional transport of ions, nutrients and metabolites into the cell. At the same time the outer membrane serves as a physical barrier for the penetration of noxious substances such as antibiotics into the bacteria. Most antibiotics have to pass through these membrane channels to either reach cytoplasmic bound targets or to further cross the hydrophobic inner membrane. Considering the pharmaceutical significance of antibiotics, understanding the functional role and mechanism of these channels is of fundamental importance in developing strategies to design new drugs with enhanced permeation abilities. Due to the biological complexity of membrane channels and experimental limitations, computer simulations have proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the structure, dynamics and interactions of membrane channels. Considerable progress has been made in computer simulations of membrane channels during the last decade. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the computational techniques and their roles in modeling the transport across outer membrane channels. A special emphasis is put on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations employed to better understand the transport of molecules. Moreover, recent molecular simulations of ion, substrate and antibiotics translocation through membrane pores are briefly summarized. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Proteins edited by J.C. Gumbart and Sergei Noskov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karunakar R Pothula
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Carlos J F Solano
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
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10
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Abstract
We present a general coarse-grained model of sodium, magnesium, spermidine, and chlorine in implicit solvent. The effective potentials between ions are systematically parametrized using a relative entropy coarse-graining approach [Carmichael, S. P. and M. S. Shell, J. Phys. Chem. B, 116, 8383-93 (2012)] that maximizes the information retained in a coarse-grained model. We describe the local distribution of ions in the vicinity of a recently published coarse-grained DNA model and demonstrate a dependence of persistence length on ionic strength that differs from that predicted by Odijk-Skolnick-Fixman theory. Consistent with experimental observations, we show that spermidine induces DNA condensation whereas magnesium and sodium do not. This model can be used alongside any coarse-grained DNA model that has explicit charges and an accurate reproduction of the excluded volume of dsDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Hinckley
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Juan J de Pablo
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Materials Science Division Argonne National Laboratory , Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
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11
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Pederson ED, Barbalas J, Drown BS, Culbertson MJ, Keranen Burden LM, Kasianowicz JJ, Burden DL. Proximal Capture Dynamics for a Single Biological Nanopore Sensor. J Phys Chem B 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b04955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan Barbalas
- Chemistry
Department, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, United States
| | - Bryon S. Drown
- Chemistry
Department, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, United States
| | | | | | - John J. Kasianowicz
- Semiconductor
Electronics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8120, United States
| | - Daniel L. Burden
- Chemistry
Department, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, United States
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De Biase PM, Markosyan S, Noskov S. BROMOC suite: Monte Carlo/Brownian dynamics suite for studies of ion permeation and DNA transport in biological and artificial pores with effective potentials. J Comput Chem 2014; 36:264-71. [PMID: 25503688 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.23799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The transport of ions and solutes by biological pores is central for cellular processes and has a variety of applications in modern biotechnology. The time scale involved in the polymer transport across a nanopore is beyond the accessibility of conventional MD simulations. Moreover, experimental studies lack sufficient resolution to provide details on the molecular underpinning of the transport mechanisms. BROMOC, the code presented herein, performs Brownian dynamics simulations, both serial and parallel, up to several milliseconds long. BROMOC can be used to model large biological systems. IMC-MACRO software allows for the development of effective potentials for solute-ion interactions based on radial distribution function from all-atom MD. BROMOC Suite also provides a versatile set of tools to do a wide variety of preprocessing and postsimulation analysis. We illustrate a potential application with ion and ssDNA transport in MspA nanopore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo M De Biase
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
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Markosyan S, De Biase PM, Czapla L, Samoylova O, Singh G, Cuervo J, Tieleman DP, Noskov SY. Effect of confinement on DNA, solvent and counterion dynamics in a model biological nanopore. NANOSCALE 2014; 6:9006-9016. [PMID: 24968858 DOI: 10.1039/c3nr06559f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The application of recent advances in nanopore technology to high-throughput DNA sequencing requires a more detailed understanding of solvent, ion and DNA interactions occurring within these pores. Here we present a combination of atomistic and coarse-grained modeling studies of the dynamics of short single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) homopolymers within the alpha-hemolysin pore, for the two single-stranded homopolymers poly(dA)40 and poly(dC)40. Analysis of atomistic simulations along with the per-residue decomposition of protein-DNA interactions in these simulations gives new insight into the very complex issues that have yet to be fully addressed with detailed MD simulations. We discuss a modification of the solvent properties and ion distribution around DNA within nanopore confinement and put it into the general framework of counterion condensation theory. There is a reasonable agreement in computed properties from our all-atom simulations and the resulting predictions from analytical theories with experimental data, and our equilibrium results here support the conclusions from our previous non-equilibrium Brownian dynamics studies with a recently developed BROMOC protocol that cations are the primary charge carriers through alpha-hemolysin nanopores under an applied voltage in the presence of ssDNA. Clustering analysis led to an identification of distinct conformational states of captured polymer and depth of the current blockade. Therefore, our data suggest that confined polymer may act as a flickering gate, thus contributing to excess noise phenomena. We also discuss the extent of water structuring due to nanopore confinement and the relationship between the conformational dynamics of a captured polymer and the distribution of blocked current.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suren Markosyan
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB T2N 2N4, Canada.
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Rezzonico F. Nanopore-based instruments as biosensors for future planetary missions. ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:344-351. [PMID: 24684166 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.1120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Data from automated orbiters and landers have dashed humankind's hopes of finding complex life-forms elsewhere in the Solar System. The focus of exobiological research was thus forced to shift from the detection of life through simple visual imaging to complex biochemical experiments aimed at the detection of microbial activity. Searching for biosignatures over interplanetary distances is a formidable task and poses the dilemma of what are the proper experiments that can be performed on-site to maximize the chances of success if extraterrestrial life is present but not evident. Despite their astonishing morphological diversity, all known organisms on Earth share the same basic molecular architecture; thus the vast majority of our detection and identification techniques are b(i)ased on Terran biochemistry. There is, however, a distinct possibility that life may have emerged elsewhere by using other molecular building blocks, a fact that is likely to make the outcome of most of the current molecular biological and biochemical life-detection protocols difficult to interpret if not completely ineffective. Nanopore-based sensing devices allow the analysis of single molecules, including the sequence of informational biopolymers such as DNA or RNA, by measuring current changes across an electrically resistant membrane when the analyte flows through an embedded transmembrane protein or a solid-state nanopore. Under certain basic assumptions about their physical properties, this technology has the potential to discriminate and possibly analyze biopolymers, in particular genetic information carriers, without prior detailed knowledge of their fundamental chemistry and is sufficiently portable to be used for automated analysis in planetary exploration, all of which makes it the ideal candidate for the search for life signatures in remote watery environments such as Mars, Europa, or Enceladus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Rezzonico
- Research group Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Zurich University for Applied Sciences (ZHAW) , Wädenswil, Switzerland
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