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Ngo VA, Queralt-Martín M, Khan F, Bergdoll L, Abramson J, Bezrukov SM, Rostovtseva TK, Hoogerheide DP, Noskov SY. The Single Residue K12 Governs the Exceptional Voltage Sensitivity of Mitochondrial Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel Gating. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:14564-14577. [PMID: 35925797 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c03316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is a β-barrel channel of the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) that passively transports ions, metabolites, polypeptides, and single-stranded DNA. VDAC responds to a transmembrane potential by "gating," i.e. transitioning to one of a variety of low-conducting states of unknown structure. The gated state results in nearly complete suppression of multivalent mitochondrial metabolite (such as ATP and ADP) transport, while enhancing calcium transport. Voltage gating is a universal property of β-barrel channels, but VDAC gating is anomalously sensitive to transmembrane potential. Here, we show that a single residue in the pore interior, K12, is responsible for most of VDAC's voltage sensitivity. Using the analysis of over 40 μs of atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we explore correlations between motions of charged residues inside the VDAC pore and geometric deformations of the β-barrel. Residue K12 is bistable; its motions between two widely separated positions along the pore axis enhance the fluctuations of the β-barrel and augment the likelihood of gating. Single channel electrophysiology of various K12 mutants reveals a dramatic reduction of the voltage-induced gating transitions. The crystal structure of the K12E mutant at a resolution of 2.6 Å indicates a similar architecture of the K12E mutant to the wild type; however, 60 μs of atomistic MD simulations using the K12E mutant show restricted motion of residue 12, due to enhanced connectivity with neighboring residues, and diminished amplitude of barrel motions. We conclude that β-barrel fluctuations, governed particularly by residue K12, drive VDAC gating transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van A Ngo
- Center for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.,Advanced Computing for Life Sciences and Engineering, Computing and Computational Sciences, National Center for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
| | - María Queralt-Martín
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States.,Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Farha Khan
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Lucie Bergdoll
- LISM UMR 7255, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille cedex 20, 13402, France
| | - Jeff Abramson
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Sergey M Bezrukov
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Tatiana K Rostovtseva
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - David P Hoogerheide
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Sergei Yu Noskov
- Center for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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2
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Cholko T, Kaushik S, Wu KY, Montes R, Chang CEA. GeomBD3: Brownian Dynamics Simulation Software for Biological and Engineered Systems. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:2257-2263. [PMID: 35549473 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
GeomBD3 is a robust Brownian dynamics simulation package designed to easily handle natural or engineered systems in diverse environments and arrangements. The software package described herein allows users to design, execute, and analyze BD simulations. The simulations use all-atom, rigid molecular models that diffuse according to overdamped Langevin dynamics and interact through electrostatic, Lennard-Jones, and ligand desolvation potentials. The program automatically calculates molecular association rates, surface residence times, and association statistics for any number of user-defined association criteria. Users can also extract molecular association pathways, diffusion coefficients, intermolecular interaction energies, intermolecular contact probability maps, and more using the provided supplementary analysis scripts. We detail the use of the package from start to finish and apply it to a protein-ligand system and a large nucleic acid biosensor. GeomBD3 provides a versatile tool for researchers from various disciplines that can aid in rational design of engineered systems or play an explanatory role as a complement to experiments. GeomBD version 3 is available on our website at http://chemcha-gpu0.ucr.edu/geombd3/ and KBbox at https://kbbox.h-its.org/toolbox/methods/molecular-simulation/geombd/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Cholko
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Shivansh Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Kingsley Y Wu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ruben Montes
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Chia-En A Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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3
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Kaushik S, Chang CEA. Molecular Mechanics Study of Flow and Surface Influence in Ligand-Protein Association. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:659687. [PMID: 34041265 PMCID: PMC8142692 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.659687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ligand–protein association is the first and critical step for many biological and chemical processes. This study investigated the molecular association processes under different environments. In biology, cells have different compartments where ligand–protein binding may occur on a membrane. In experiments involving ligand–protein binding, such as the surface plasmon resonance and continuous flow biosynthesis, a substrate flow and surface are required in experimental settings. As compared with a simple binding condition, which includes only the ligand, protein, and solvent, the association rate and processes may be affected by additional ligand transporting forces and other intermolecular interactions between the ligand and environmental objects. We evaluated these environmental factors by using a ligand xk263 binding to HIV protease (HIVp) with atomistic details. Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we modeled xk263 and HIVp association time and probability when a system has xk263 diffusion flux and a non-polar self-assembled monolayer surface. We also examined different protein orientations and accessible surfaces for xk263. To allow xk263 to access to the dimer interface of immobilized HIVp, we simulated the system by placing the protein 20Å above the surface because immobilizing HIVp on a surface prevented xk263 from contacting with the interface. The non-specific interactions increased the binding probability while the association time remained unchanged. When the xk263 diffusion flux increased, the effective xk263 concentration around HIVp, xk263–HIVp association time and binding probability decreased non-linearly regardless of interacting with the self-assembled monolayer surface or not. The work sheds light on the effects of the solvent flow and surface environment on ligand–protein associations and provides a perspective on experimental design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivansh Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chemistry, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Chia-En A Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chemistry, Riverside, CA, United States
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4
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Willems K, Ruić D, L R Lucas F, Barman U, Verellen N, Hofkens J, Maglia G, Van Dorpe P. Accurate modeling of a biological nanopore with an extended continuum framework. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:16775-16795. [PMID: 32780087 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr03114c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite the broad success of biological nanopores as powerful instruments for the analysis of proteins and nucleic acids at the single-molecule level, a fast simulation methodology to accurately model their nanofluidic properties is currently unavailable. This limits the rational engineering of nanopore traits and makes the unambiguous interpretation of experimental results challenging. Here, we present a continuum approach that can faithfully reproduce the experimentally measured ionic conductance of the biological nanopore Cytolysin A (ClyA) over a wide range of ionic strengths and bias potentials. Our model consists of the extended Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes (ePNP-NS) equations and a computationally efficient 2D-axisymmetric representation for the geometry and charge distribution of the nanopore. Importantly, the ePNP-NS equations achieve this accuracy by self-consistently considering the finite size of the ions and the influence of both the ionic strength and the nanoscopic scale of the pore on the local properties of the electrolyte. These comprise the mobility and diffusivity of the ions, and the density, viscosity and relative permittivity of the solvent. Crucially, by applying our methodology to ClyA, a biological nanopore used for single-molecule enzymology studies, we could directly quantify several nanofluidic characteristics difficult to determine experimentally. These include the ion selectivity, the ion concentration distributions, the electrostatic potential landscape, the magnitude of the electro-osmotic flow field, and the internal pressure distribution. Hence, this work provides a means to obtain fundamental new insights into the nanofluidic properties of biological nanopores and paves the way towards their rational engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kherim Willems
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemistry, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
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5
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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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7
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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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8
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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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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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