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Bartoš L, Drabinová M, Vácha R. Optimizing properties of translocation-enhancing transmembrane proteins. Biophys J 2024; 123:1240-1252. [PMID: 38615194 PMCID: PMC11140465 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell membranes act as semi-permeable barriers, often restricting the entry of large or hydrophilic molecules. Nonetheless, certain amphiphilic molecules, such as antimicrobial and cell-penetrating peptides, can cross these barriers. In this study, we demonstrate that specific properties of transmembrane proteins/peptides can enhance membrane permeation of amphiphilic peptides. Using coarse-grained molecular dynamics with free-energy calculations, we identify key translocation-enhancing attributes of transmembrane proteins/peptides: a continuous hydrophilic patch, charged residues preferably in the membrane center, and aromatic hydrophobic residues. By employing both coarse-grained and atomistic simulations, complemented by experimental validation, we show that these properties not only enhance peptide translocation but also speed up lipid flip-flop. The enhanced flip-flop reinforces the idea that proteins such as scramblases and insertases not only share structural features but also operate through identical biophysical mechanisms enhancing the insertion and translocation of amphiphilic molecules. Our insights offer guidelines for the designing of translocation-enhancing proteins/peptides that could be used in medical and biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladislav Bartoš
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Drabinová
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Vácha
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
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2
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Bartoš L, Vácha R. Peptide translocation across asymmetric phospholipid membranes. Biophys J 2024; 123:693-702. [PMID: 38356262 PMCID: PMC10995401 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The transport of molecules across cell membranes is vital for proper cell function and effective drug delivery. While most cell membranes naturally possess an asymmetric lipid composition, research on membrane transport predominantly uses symmetric lipid membranes. The permeation through the asymmetric membrane is then calculated as a sum of the inverse permeabilities of leaflets from symmetric bilayers. In this study, we examined how two types of amphiphilic molecules translocate across both asymmetric and symmetric membranes. Using computer simulations with both coarse-grained and atomistic force fields, we calculated the free energy profiles for the passage of model amphiphilic peptides and a lipid across various membranes. Our results consistently demonstrate that while the free energy profiles for asymmetric membranes with a small differential stress concur with symmetric ones in the region of lipid headgroups, the profiles differ around the center of the membrane. In this region, the free energy for the asymmetric membrane transitions between the profiles for two symmetric membranes. In addition, we show that peptide permeability through an asymmetric membrane cannot always be predicted from the permeabilities of the symmetric membranes. This indicates that using symmetric membranes falls short in providing an accurate depiction of peptide translocation across asymmetric membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladislav Bartoš
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Vácha
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
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3
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Ermakova EA, Kurbanov RK. Interaction of Uperin Peptides with Model Membranes: Molecular Dynamics Study. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:370. [PMID: 37103797 PMCID: PMC10146956 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13040370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The interaction of antimicrobial and amyloid peptides with cell membranes is a critical step in their activities. Peptides of the uperin family obtained from the skin secretion of Australian amphibians demonstrate antimicrobial and amyloidogenic properties. All-atomic molecular dynamics and an umbrella sampling approach were used to study the interaction of uperins with model bacterial membrane. Two stable configurations of peptides were found. In the bound state, the peptides in helical form were located right under the head group region in parallel orientation with respect to the bilayer surface. Stable transmembrane configuration was observed for wild-type uperin and its alanine mutant in both alpha-helical and extended unstructured forms. The potential of mean force characterized the process of peptide binding from water to the lipid bilayer and its insertion into the membrane, and revealed that the transition of uperins from the bound state to the transmembrane position was accompanied by the rotation of peptides and passes through the energy barrier of 4-5 kcal/mol. Uperins have a weak effect on membrane properties.
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4
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S100 Proteins as Novel Therapeutic Targets in Psoriasis and Other Autoimmune Diseases. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27196640. [PMID: 36235175 PMCID: PMC9572071 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Psoriasis is one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases affecting about 1-3% of the population. One of the characteristic abnormalities in psoriasis is the excessive production of antimicrobial peptides and proteins, which play an essential role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Antimicrobial peptides and proteins can be expressed differently in normal and diseased skin, reflecting their usefulness as diagnostic biomarkers. Moreover, due to their very important functions in innate immunity, members of host defense peptides and proteins are currently considered to be promising new therapeutic targets for many inflammatory diseases. Koebnerisin (S100A15) belongs to an S100 family of antimicrobial proteins, which constitute the multigenetic group of calcium-binding proteins involved in ion-dependent cellular functions and regulation of immune mechanisms. S100A15 was first discovered to be overexpressed in 'koebnerized' psoriatic skin, indicating its involvement in the disease phenotype and the same promising potential as a new therapeutic target. This review describes the involvement of antimicrobial peptides and proteins in inflammatory diseases' development and therapy. The discussion focuses on S100 proteins, especially koebnerisin, which may be involved in the underlying mechanism of the Köebner phenomenon in psoriasis, as well as other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases described in the last decade.
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5
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Miyazaki Y, Shinoda W. Cooperative antimicrobial action of melittin on lipid membranes: A coarse-grained molecular dynamics study. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2022; 1864:183955. [PMID: 35526599 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.183955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a series of coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations to investigate the complicated actions of melittin, which is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) derived from honey bee venom, on a lipid membrane. To accurately simulate the AMP action, we developed and used a protein CG model as an extension of the pSPICA force field (FF), which was designed to reproduce several thermodynamic quantities and structural properties. At a low peptide-to-lipid (P/L) ratio (1/102), no defect was detected. At P/L = 1/51, toroidal pore formation was observed due to collective insertion of multiple melittin peptides from the N-termini. The pore formation was initiated by a local increase in membrane curvature in the vicinity of the peptide aggregate. At a higher P/L ratio (1/26), two more modes were detected, seemingly not controlled by the P/L ratio but by a local arrangement of melittin peptides: 1. Pore formation accompanied by lipid extraction by melittin peptides:a detergent-like mechanism. 2. A rapidly formed large pore in a significantly curved membrane: bursting. Thus, we observed three pore formation modes (toroidal pore formation, lipid extraction, and bursting) depending on the peptide concentration and local arrangement. These observations were consistent with experimental observations and hypothesized melittin modes. Through this study, we found that the local arrangements and population of melittin peptides and the area expansion rate by membrane deformation were key to the initiation of and competition among the multiple pore formation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Miyazaki
- Department of Materials Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan; Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Wataru Shinoda
- Department of Materials Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan; Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.
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6
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Zhang J, Gu S, Zhang T, Wu Y, Ma J, Zhao L, Li X, Zhang J. Characterization and antibacterial modes of action of bacteriocins from Bacillus coagulans CGMCC 9951 against Listeria monocytogenes. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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7
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Chng CP, Cho NJ, Hsia KJ, Huang C. Role of Membrane Stretch in Adsorption of Antiviral Peptides onto Lipid Membranes and Membrane Pore Formation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:13390-13398. [PMID: 34724382 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many medically important viruses are enveloped viruses, which are surrounded by a structurally conserved, host-derived lipid membrane coating. Agents that target and disrupt this membrane coating could potentially function as broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. The amphipathic α-helical (AH) peptide derived from the N-terminus of the hepatitis C virus NS5A protein is one such candidate and has been demonstrated to be able to selectively rupture lipid vesicles in the size range of viruses (<160 nm diameter). However, the mechanism underlying this membrane curvature selectivity remains elusive. In this study, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the binding of the AH peptide to model membranes that are stretched to resemble the looser lipid headgroup packing present on highly curved outer membranes of nanoscale vesicles. We found that the AH peptide binds more favorably to membranes that are stretched. In addition, a tetrameric placement of peptides across the membrane induced stable pore formation in the stretched membrane. Thus, our results suggest that the AH peptide senses the high curvature of nanoscale vesicles via the enhanced exposure of lipid packing defects induced by membrane area strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choon-Peng Chng
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Nam-Joon Cho
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637553, Republic of Singapore
- China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute (CSIJRI), Guangzhou 510000, P. R. China
| | - K Jimmy Hsia
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637459, Republic of Singapore
| | - Changjin Huang
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore
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8
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Róg T, Girych M, Bunker A. Mechanistic Understanding from Molecular Dynamics in Pharmaceutical Research 2: Lipid Membrane in Drug Design. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:1062. [PMID: 34681286 PMCID: PMC8537670 DOI: 10.3390/ph14101062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the use of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation as a drug design tool in the context of the role that the lipid membrane can play in drug action, i.e., the interaction between candidate drug molecules and lipid membranes. In the standard "lock and key" paradigm, only the interaction between the drug and a specific active site of a specific protein is considered; the environment in which the drug acts is, from a biophysical perspective, far more complex than this. The possible mechanisms though which a drug can be designed to tinker with physiological processes are significantly broader than merely fitting to a single active site of a single protein. In this paper, we focus on the role of the lipid membrane, arguably the most important element outside the proteins themselves, as a case study. We discuss work that has been carried out, using MD simulation, concerning the transfection of drugs through membranes that act as biological barriers in the path of the drugs, the behavior of drug molecules within membranes, how their collective behavior can affect the structure and properties of the membrane and, finally, the role lipid membranes, to which the vast majority of drug target proteins are associated, can play in mediating the interaction between drug and target protein. This review paper is the second in a two-part series covering MD simulation as a tool in pharmaceutical research; both are designed as pedagogical review papers aimed at both pharmaceutical scientists interested in exploring how the tool of MD simulation can be applied to their research and computational scientists interested in exploring the possibility of a pharmaceutical context for their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Róg
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
| | - Mykhailo Girych
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
| | - Alex Bunker
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
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9
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Gan BH, Gaynord J, Rowe SM, Deingruber T, Spring DR. The multifaceted nature of antimicrobial peptides: current synthetic chemistry approaches and future directions. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:7820-7880. [PMID: 34042120 PMCID: PMC8689412 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00729c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial infections caused by 'superbugs' are increasing globally, and conventional antibiotics are becoming less effective against these bacteria, such that we risk entering a post-antibiotic era. In recent years, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have gained significant attention for their clinical potential as a new class of antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance. In this review, we discuss several facets of AMPs including their diversity, physicochemical properties, mechanisms of action, and effects of environmental factors on these features. This review outlines various chemical synthetic strategies that have been applied to develop novel AMPs, including chemical modifications of existing peptides, semi-synthesis, and computer-aided design. We will also highlight novel AMP structures, including hybrids, antimicrobial dendrimers and polypeptides, peptidomimetics, and AMP-drug conjugates and consider recent developments in their chemical synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bee Ha Gan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - Josephine Gaynord
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - Sam M Rowe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - Tomas Deingruber
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - David R Spring
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
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10
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Bartoš L, Kabelka I, Vácha R. Enhanced translocation of amphiphilic peptides across membranes by transmembrane proteins. Biophys J 2021; 120:2296-2305. [PMID: 33864790 PMCID: PMC8390799 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell membranes are phospholipid bilayers with a large number of embedded transmembrane proteins. Some of these proteins, such as scramblases, have properties that facilitate lipid flip-flop from one membrane leaflet to another. Scramblases and similar transmembrane proteins could also affect the translocation of other amphiphilic molecules, including cell-penetrating or antimicrobial peptides. We studied the effect of transmembrane proteins on the translocation of amphiphilic peptides through the membrane. Using two very different models, we consistently demonstrate that transmembrane proteins with a hydrophilic patch enhance the translocation of amphiphilic peptides by stabilizing the peptide in the membrane. Moreover, there is an optimum amphiphilicity because the peptide could become overstabilized in the transmembrane state, in which the peptide-protein dissociation is hampered, limiting the peptide translocation. The presence of scramblases and other proteins with similar properties could be exploited for more efficient transport into cells. The described principles could also be utilized in the design of a drug-delivery system by the addition of a translocation-enhancing peptide that would integrate into the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladislav Bartoš
- Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ivo Kabelka
- Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Vácha
- Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská, Brno, Czech Republic.
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11
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Li J, Lu X, Ma W, Chen Z, Sun S, Wang Q, Yuan B, Yang K. Cholesterols Work as a Molecular Regulator of the Antimicrobial Peptide-Membrane Interactions. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:638988. [PMID: 33634166 PMCID: PMC7902056 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.638988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The existing cholesterols (Chols) in animal cell membranes play key roles in many fundamental cellular processes, which also promise the possibility to modulate the bioactivity of various membrane-active biomacromolecules. Here, combining dynamic giant unilamellar vesicle leakage experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, the inhibitory effect of Chols on the membrane poration activity of melittin (Mel), a typical natural antimicrobial peptide, is demonstrated. Molecular details of the Mel-Chol interactions in membrane show that, for a Chol-contained lipid membrane, Mel exposure would perturb the symmetric bilayer structure of the membrane and specifically influence the location and orientation distributions of Chol molecules to an asymmetric state between the two leaflets; moreover, the Mel-Chol interactions are significantly influenced by the membrane environment such as unsaturation degree of the lipid components. Such inhibitory effect is normally ascribed to an accumulation of Chol molecules around the membrane-bound peptide chains and formation of Chol-Mel complexes in the membrane, which hinder the further insertion of peptides into the membrane. This work clarifies the molecular interactions between membrane-active peptides and Chol-contained membranes, and suggest the possibility to develop targeted drugs due to the membrane component specificity between bacterial and animal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Li
- Electric and Informative Engineering School, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China
| | - Xuemei Lu
- Wenzheng College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wendong Ma
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhonglan Chen
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shuqing Sun
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qinghui Wang
- Electric and Informative Engineering School, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China
| | - Bing Yuan
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Kai Yang
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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12
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Remington JM, Liao C, Sharafi M, Marie ES, Ferrell JB, Hondal R, Wargo MJ, Schneebeli ST, Li J. Aggregation State of Synergistic Antimicrobial Peptides. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:9501-9506. [PMID: 33108730 PMCID: PMC8299379 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
By integrating various simulation and experimental techniques, we discovered that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may achieve synergy at an optimal concentration and ratio, which can be caused by aggregation of the synergistic peptides. On multiple time and length scales, our studies obtain novel evidence of how peptide coaggregation in solution can affect the disruption of membranes by synergistic AMPs. Our findings provide crucial details about the complex molecular origins of AMP synergy, which will help guide the future development of synergistic AMPs as well as applications of anti-infective peptide cocktail therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chenyi Liao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Mona Sharafi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Emma Ste. Marie
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | | | - Robert Hondal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Matthew J. Wargo
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | | | - Jianing Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
- Corresponding Author Jianing Li ()
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13
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Ma W, Sun S, Li W, Zhang Z, Lin Z, Xia Y, Yuan B, Yang K. Individual Roles of Peptides PGLa and Magainin 2 in Synergistic Membrane Poration. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:7190-7199. [PMID: 32529830 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Synergy between antimicrobial peptides PGLa and Magainin 2 (MAG2) provides an efficient way to enhance their antimicrobial ability. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of such synergy, especially the individual roles of each peptide, remains poorly understood. We combined a giant unilamellar vesicle leakage assay, in situ interfacial photovoltage testing, and molecular dynamics to investigate membrane poration under the action of PGLa, MAG2, or a PGLa/MAG2 mixture. Our results clearly show the different membrane action modes of the three systems and demonstrate the importance of forming PGLa-MAG2 heterodimers in the membrane poration process. PGLa inserted into and extracted from a membrane rapidly and continually with minimal aggregation and produced only transient, small pores. In contrast, MAG2 peptides tended to aggregate together on the membrane surface or only shallowly embed in the membrane. Additionally, the PGLa and MAG2 residues were well integrated into the membrane via the formation of PGLa-MAG2 heterodimers. The membrane defect produced by the rapid insertion of PGLa was stabilized by MAG2, which further recruited other peptides for the formation of PGLa-MAG2 heterodimers and even heterodimer clusters. Growth in pore size then occurred in a step-by-step process involving the formation and assembly of heterodimer clusters within the membrane. Our results provide insight into the complicated synergy that occurs between PGLa and MAG2 during membrane poration and will assist in the design of new antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendong Ma
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Shuqing Sun
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Wenwen Li
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Zhihong Zhang
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Zhao Lin
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Yu Xia
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Bing Yuan
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
| | - Kai Yang
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China
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14
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Ting DSJ, Beuerman RW, Dua HS, Lakshminarayanan R, Mohammed I. Strategies in Translating the Therapeutic Potentials of Host Defense Peptides. Front Immunol 2020; 11:983. [PMID: 32528474 PMCID: PMC7256188 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The golden era of antibiotics, heralded by the discovery of penicillin, has long been challenged by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Host defense peptides (HDPs), previously known as antimicrobial peptides, are emerging as a group of promising antimicrobial candidates for combatting AMR due to their rapid and unique antimicrobial action. Decades of research have advanced our understanding of the relationship between the physicochemical properties of HDPs and their underlying antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial functions, including immunomodulatory, anti-biofilm, and wound healing properties. However, the mission of translating novel HDP-derived molecules from bench to bedside has yet to be fully accomplished, primarily attributed to their intricate structure-activity relationship, toxicity, instability in host and microbial environment, lack of correlation between in vitro and in vivo efficacies, and dwindling interest from large pharmaceutical companies. Based on our previous experience and the expanding knowledge gleaned from the literature, this review aims to summarize the novel strategies that have been employed to enhance the antimicrobial efficacy, proteolytic stability, and cell selectivity, which are all crucial factors for bench-to-bedside translation of HDP-based treatment. Strategies such as residues substitution with natural and/or unnatural amino acids, hybridization, L-to-D heterochiral isomerization, C- and N-terminal modification, cyclization, incorporation with nanoparticles, and "smart design" using artificial intelligence technology, will be discussed. We also provide an overview of HDP-based treatment that are currently in the development pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren Shu Jeng Ting
- Larry A. Donoso Laboratory for Eye Research, Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Anti-infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Roger W Beuerman
- Anti-infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Harminder S Dua
- Larry A. Donoso Laboratory for Eye Research, Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rajamani Lakshminarayanan
- Anti-infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Imran Mohammed
- Larry A. Donoso Laboratory for Eye Research, Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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15
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Clifton LA, Campbell RA, Sebastiani F, Campos-Terán J, Gonzalez-Martinez JF, Björklund S, Sotres J, Cárdenas M. Design and use of model membranes to study biomolecular interactions using complementary surface-sensitive techniques. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 277:102118. [PMID: 32044469 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2020.102118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cellular membranes are complex structures and simplified analogues in the form of model membranes or biomembranes are used as platforms to understand fundamental properties of the membrane itself as well as interactions with various biomolecules such as drugs, peptides and proteins. Model membranes at the air-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces can be studied using a range of complementary surface-sensitive techniques to give a detailed picture of both the structure and physicochemical properties of the membrane and its resulting interactions. In this review, we will present the main planar model membranes used in the field to date with a focus on monolayers at the air-liquid interface, supported lipid bilayers at the solid-liquid interface and advanced membrane models such as tethered and floating membranes. We will then briefly present the principles as well as the main type of information on molecular interactions at model membranes accessible using a Langmuir trough, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, Brewster angle microscopy, Infrared spectroscopy, and neutron and X-ray reflectometry. A consistent example for following biomolecular interactions at model membranes is used across many of the techniques in terms of the well-studied antimicrobial peptide Melittin. The overall objective is to establish an understanding of the information accessible from each technique, their respective advantages and limitations, and their complementarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke A Clifton
- ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 OQX, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A Campbell
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Federica Sebastiani
- Department of Biomedical Science and Biofilms - Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, 20506 Malmö, Sweden
| | - José Campos-Terán
- Departamento de Procesos y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Cuajimalpa, Av. Vasco de Quiroga 4871, Col. Santa Fe, Delegación Cuajimalpa de Morelos, 05348, Mexico; Lund Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science, Lund University, Scheelevägen 19, 223 70 Lund, Sweden
| | - Juan F Gonzalez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical Science and Biofilms - Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, 20506 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Björklund
- Department of Biomedical Science and Biofilms - Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, 20506 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Javier Sotres
- Department of Biomedical Science and Biofilms - Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, 20506 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Marité Cárdenas
- Department of Biomedical Science and Biofilms - Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, 20506 Malmö, Sweden.
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16
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Sabapathy T, Deplazes E, Mancera RL. Revisiting the Interaction of Melittin with Phospholipid Bilayers: The Effects of Concentration and Ionic Strength. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E746. [PMID: 31979376 PMCID: PMC7037773 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21030746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Melittin is an anti-microbial peptide (AMP) and one of the most studied membrane-disrupting peptides. There is, however, a lack of accurate measurements of the concentration-dependent kinetics and affinity of binding of melittin to phospholipid membranes. In this study, we used surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy to determine the concentration-dependent effect on the binding of melittin to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayers in vesicles. Three concentration ranges were considered, and when combined, covered two orders of magnitudes (0.04 µM to 8 µM), corresponding to concentrations relevant to the membrane-disrupting and anti-microbial activities of melittin. Binding kinetics data were analysed using a 1:1 Langmuir-binding model and a two-state reaction model. Using in-depth quantitative analysis, we characterised the effect of peptide concentration, the addition of NaCl at physiological ionic strength and the choice of kinetic binding model on the reliability of the calculated kinetics and affinity of binding parameters. The apparent binding affinity of melittin for POPC bilayers was observed to decrease with increasing peptide/lipid (P/L) ratio, primarily due to the marked decrease in the association rate. At all concentration ranges, the two-state reaction model provided a better fit to the data and, thus, a more reliable estimate of binding affinity. Addition of NaCl significantly reduced the signal response during the association phase; however, no substantial effect on the binding affinity of melittin to the POPC bilayers was observed. These findings based on POPC bilayers could have important implications for our understanding of the mechanism of action of melittin on more complex model cell membranes of higher physiological relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiru Sabapathy
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia; (T.S.); (E.D.)
| | - Evelyne Deplazes
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia; (T.S.); (E.D.)
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Ricardo L. Mancera
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia; (T.S.); (E.D.)
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17
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Chirality-Dependent Adsorption between Amphipathic Peptide and POPC Membrane. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20194760. [PMID: 31557910 PMCID: PMC6801444 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20194760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions between chiral molecules and cell membranes have attracted more and more attention in recent decades, due to their importance in molecular science and medical applications. It is observed that some peptides composed of different chiral amino acids may have distinct interactions with a membrane. How does the membrane exhibit a selective behavior related to the chirality of the peptides? Microscopically, the interactions between the peptides and the membrane are poorly understood. In this work, we study the interactions between an amphipathic peptide (C6) and POPC membrane with simulations. The kinetics and thermodynamics of peptide enantiomers during the adsorption to the membrane are characterized with direct simulations and umbrella sampling. It is observed that there are slow kinetics for the peptide composed of D-type amino acids. Along the observed pathways, the free energy landscapes are determined with umbrella sampling techniques. A free-energy barrier for the peptide composed of D-amino acids is observed, which is consistent with the kinetic observations. The results indicate the concurrent adsorption and rotation of the peptide helix. The local interactions between the peptides and the membrane are examined in detail, including the contact interactions between the peptides and the membrane, and the distributions of the lipids around the peptide. There are observable differences of the local interactions for the cases related to different peptide enantiomers. These results further demonstrate the importance of the rotation of peptide helix during the adsorption. More interestingly, all these kinetic differences between peptide enantiomers can be explained based on the conformations of the residue Trp and interactions between Trp and lipid molecules. These results give us a molecular understanding of the mechanism of the chirality-dependent peptide-membrane interactions, and may provide clues to designing systems which are sensitive to the chirality of membranes.
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18
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Shaw P, Kumar N, Hammerschmid D, Privat-Maldonado A, Dewilde S, Bogaerts A. Synergistic Effects of Melittin and Plasma Treatment: A Promising Approach for Cancer Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11081109. [PMID: 31382579 PMCID: PMC6721819 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11081109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Melittin (MEL), a small peptide component of bee venom, has been reported to exhibit anti-cancer effects in vitro and in vivo. However, its clinical applicability is disputed because of its non-specific cytotoxicity and haemolytic activity in high treatment doses. Plasma-treated phosphate buffered saline solution (PT-PBS), a solution rich in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) can disrupt the cell membrane integrity and induce cancer cell death through oxidative stress-mediated pathways. Thus, PT-PBS could be used in combination with MEL to facilitate its access into cancer cells and to reduce the required therapeutic dose. The aim of our study is to determine the reduction of the effective dose of MEL required to eliminate cancer cells by its combination with PT-PBS. For this purpose, we have optimised the MEL threshold concentration and tested the combined treatment of MEL and PT-PBS on A375 melanoma and MCF7 breast cancer cells, using in vitro, in ovo and in silico approaches. We investigated the cytotoxic effect of MEL and PT-PBS alone and in combination to reveal their synergistic cytological effects. To support the in vitro and in ovo experiments, we showed by computer simulations that plasma-induced oxidation of the phospholipid bilayer leads to a decrease of the free energy barrier for translocation of MEL in comparison with the non-oxidized bilayer, which also suggests a synergistic effect of MEL with plasma induced oxidation. Overall, our findings suggest that MEL in combination with PT-PBS can be a promising combinational therapy to circumvent the non-specific toxicity of MEL, which may help for clinical applicability in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Shaw
- Research Group PLASMANT, Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, BE-2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Naresh Kumar
- Research Group PLASMANT, Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, BE-2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Dietmar Hammerschmid
- Laboratory of Protein Science, Proteomics & Epigenetic Signaling, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, BE-2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Angela Privat-Maldonado
- Research Group PLASMANT, Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, BE-2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sylvia Dewilde
- Laboratory of Protein Science, Proteomics & Epigenetic Signaling, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, BE-2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Bogaerts
- Research Group PLASMANT, Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, BE-2610 Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium.
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19
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Hong J, Lu X, Deng Z, Xiao S, Yuan B, Yang K. How Melittin Inserts into Cell Membrane: Conformational Changes, Inter-Peptide Cooperation, and Disturbance on the Membrane. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24091775. [PMID: 31067828 PMCID: PMC6539814 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24091775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as a key component of the immune defense systems of organisms, are a promising solution to the serious threat of drug-resistant bacteria to public health. As one of the most representative and extensively studied AMPs, melittin has exceptional broad-spectrum activities against microorganisms, including both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Unfortunately, the action mechanism of melittin with bacterial membranes, especially the underlying physics of peptide-induced membrane poration behaviors, is still poorly understood, which hampers efforts to develop melittin-based drugs or agents for clinical applications. In this mini-review, we focus on recent advances with respect to the membrane insertion behavior of melittin mostly from a computational aspect. Membrane insertion is a prerequisite and key step for forming transmembrane pores and bacterial killing by melittin, whose occurrence is based on overcoming a high free-energy barrier during the transition of melittin molecules from a membrane surface-binding state to a transmembrane-inserting state. Here, intriguing simulation results on such transition are highlighted from both kinetic and thermodynamic aspects. The conformational changes and inter-peptide cooperation of melittin molecules, as well as melittin-induced disturbances to membrane structure, such as deformation and lipid extraction, are regarded as key factors influencing the insertion of peptides into membranes. The associated intermediate states in peptide conformations, lipid arrangements, membrane structure, and mechanical properties during this process are specifically discussed. Finally, potential strategies for enhancing the poration ability and improving the antimicrobial performance of AMPs are included as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Hong
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
| | - Xuemei Lu
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
| | - Zhixiong Deng
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
| | - Shufeng Xiao
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
| | - Bing Yuan
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
| | - Kai Yang
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
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20
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Miyazaki Y, Okazaki S, Shinoda W. Free energy analysis of membrane pore formation process in the presence of multiple melittin peptides. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1861:1409-1419. [PMID: 30885804 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying pore formation in lipid membranes by antimicrobial peptides is of great importance in biological sciences as well as in drug design applications. Melittin has been widely studied as a pore forming peptide, though the molecular mechanism for pore formation is still illusive. We examined the free energy barrier for the creation of a pore in lipid membranes with and without multiple melittin peptides. It was found that six melittin peptides significantly stabilized a pore, though a small barrier (a few kBT) for the formation still existed. With five melittin peptides or fewer, the pore formation barrier was much higher, though the established pore was in a local energy minimum. Although seven melittins effectively reduced the free energy barrier, a single melittin peptide left the pore after a long time MD simulation probably because of the overcrowded environment around the bilayer pore. Thus, it is highly selective for the number of melittin peptides to stabilize the membrane pore, as was also suggested by the line tension evaluations. The free energy cost required to insert a single melittin into the membrane is too high to explain the one-by-one insertion mechanism for pore formation, which also supports the collective melittin mechanism for pore formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Miyazaki
- Department of Materials Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Susumu Okazaki
- Department of Materials Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Wataru Shinoda
- Department of Materials Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan.
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21
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Fox SJ, Lakshminarayanan R, Beuerman RW, Li J, Verma CS. Conformational Transitions of Melittin between Aqueous and Lipid Phases: Comparison of Simulations with Experiments. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:8698-8705. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b06781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J. Fox
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*Star), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - Rajamani Lakshminarayanan
- Eye ACP, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore 168751, Singapore
| | - Roger W. Beuerman
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore 168751, Singapore
| | - Jianguo Li
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*Star), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
- Eye ACP, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore 168751, Singapore
| | - Chandra S. Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*Star), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 4 Singapore 637551, Singapore
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22
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Lyu Y, Xiang N, Zhu X, Narsimhan G. Potential of mean force for insertion of antimicrobial peptide melittin into a pore in mixed DOPC/DOPG lipid bilayer by molecular dynamics simulation. J Chem Phys 2018; 146:155101. [PMID: 28433027 DOI: 10.1063/1.4979613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) inactivate microorganisms by forming transmembrane pores in a cell membrane through adsorption and aggregation. Energetics of addition of an AMP to a transmembrane pore is important for evaluation of its formation and growth. Such information is essential for the characterization of pore forming ability of peptides in cell membranes. This study quantifies the potential of mean force through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation for the addition of melittin, a naturally occurring AMP, into a DOPC/DOPG mixed bilayer, a mimic of bacterial membrane, for different extents of insertion into either a bilayer or a pore consisting of three to six transmembrane peptides. The energy barrier for insertion of a melittin molecule into the bilayer was highest in the absence of transmembrane peptides and decreased for the number of transmembrane peptides from three to six, eventually approaching zero. The decrease in free energy for complete insertion of peptide was found to be higher for larger pore size. Water channel formation occurred only for insertion into pores consisting of three or more transmembrane peptides with the radius of water channel being larger for a larger number of transmembrane peptides. The structure of the pore was found to be paraboloid. The estimated free energy barrier for insertion of melittin into an ideal paraboloid pore accounting for different intermolecular interactions was consistent with MD simulation results. The results reported in this manuscript will be useful for the development of a model for nucleation of pores and a rational methodology for selection of synthetic antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lyu
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Ning Xiang
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Xiao Zhu
- Research Computing, Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Ganesan Narsimhan
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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23
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Catte A, Wilson MR, Walker M, Oganesyan VS. Antimicrobial action of the cationic peptide, chrysophsin-3: a coarse-grained molecular dynamics study. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:2796-2807. [PMID: 29595197 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm02152f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small cationic proteins that are able to destabilize a lipid bilayer structure through one or more modes of action. In this study, we investigate the processes of peptide aggregation and pore formation in lipid bilayers and vesicles by the highly cationic AMP, Chrysophsin-3 (chrys-3), using coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations and potential of mean force calculations. We study long 50 μs simulations of chrys-3 at different concentrations, both at the surface of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayers, and also interacting within the interior of the lipid membrane. We show that aggregation of peptides at the surface, leads to pronounced deformation of lipid bilayers, leading in turn to lipid protrusions for peptide : ligand ratios > 1 : 12. In addition, aggregation of chrys-3 peptides within the centre of a lipid bilayer leads to spontaneous formation of pores and aggregates. Both mechanisms of interaction are consistent with previously reported experimental data for chrys-3. Similar results are observed also in POPC vesicles and mixed lipid bilayers composed of the zwitterionic lipid palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (POPE) and the negatively charged lipid palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol (POPG). The latter are employed as models of the bacterial membrane of Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Catte
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
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24
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Folding a viral peptide in different membrane environments: pathway and sampling analyses. J Biol Phys 2018; 44:195-209. [PMID: 29644513 DOI: 10.1007/s10867-018-9490-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Flock House virus (FHV) is a well-characterized model system to study infection mechanisms in non-enveloped viruses. A key stage of the infection cycle is the disruption of the endosomal membrane by a component of the FHV capsid, the membrane active γ peptide. In this study, we perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of the 21 N-terminal residues of the γ peptide interacting with membranes of differing compositions. We carry out umbrella sampling calculations to study the folding of the peptide to a helical state in homogenous and heterogeneous membranes consisting of neutral and anionic lipids. From the trajectory data, we evaluate folding energetics and dissect the mechanism of folding in the different membrane environments. We conclude the study by analyzing the extent of configurational sampling by performing time-lagged independent component analysis.
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25
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Lipkin R, Lazaridis T. Computational studies of peptide-induced membrane pore formation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018. [PMID: 28630158 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of peptides induce pores in biological membranes; the most common ones are naturally produced antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are small, usually cationic, and defend diverse organisms against biological threats. Because it is not possible to observe these pores directly on a molecular scale, the structure of AMP-induced pores and the exact sequence of steps leading to their formation remain uncertain. Hence, these questions have been investigated via molecular modelling. In this article, we review computational studies of AMP pore formation using all-atom, coarse-grained, and implicit solvent models; evaluate the results obtained and suggest future research directions to further elucidate the pore formation mechanism of AMPs.This article is part of the themed issue 'Membrane pores: from structure and assembly, to medicine and technology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Lipkin
- Department of Chemistry, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA.,Graduate Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Themis Lazaridis
- Department of Chemistry, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA
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26
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Deplazes E. Molecular simulations of venom peptide-membrane interactions: Progress and challenges. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Evelyne Deplazes
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Bentley, Perth WA 6102 Australia
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27
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Kyung H, Kim H, Lee H, Lee SJ. Enhanced intracellular delivery of macromolecules by melittin derivatives mediated cellular uptake. J IND ENG CHEM 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2017.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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28
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Furuki T, Sakurai M. Physicochemical Aspects of the Biological Functions of Trehalose and Group 3 LEA Proteins as Desiccation Protectants. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1081:271-286. [PMID: 30288715 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-1244-1_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we first focus on the mechanism by which the larva of the sleeping chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki, survives an extremely dehydrated state and describe how trehalose and probably late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins work as desiccation protectants. Second, we summarize the solid-state and solution properties of trehalose and discuss why trehalose works better than other disaccharides as a desiccation protectant. Third, we describe the structure and function of two model peptides based on group 3 LEA proteins after a short introduction of native LEA proteins themselves. Finally, we present our conclusions and a perspective on the application of trehalose and LEA model peptides to the long-term storage of biological materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao Furuki
- Center for Biological Resources and Informatics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Minoru Sakurai
- Center for Biological Resources and Informatics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.
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29
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Shelley MY, Selvan ME, Zhao J, Babin V, Liao C, Li J, Shelley JC. A New Mixed All-Atom/Coarse-Grained Model: Application to Melittin Aggregation in Aqueous Solution. J Chem Theory Comput 2017; 13:3881-3897. [PMID: 28636825 PMCID: PMC5551643 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.7b00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We introduce a new mixed resolution, all-atom/coarse-grained approach (AACG), for modeling peptides in aqueous solution and apply it to characterizing the aggregation of melittin. All of the atoms in peptidic components are represented, while a single site is used for each water molecule. With the full flexibility of the peptide retained, our AACG method achieves speedups by a factor of 3-4 for CPU time reduction and another factor of roughly 7 for diffusion. An Ewald treatment permits the inclusion of long-range electrostatic interactions. These characteristics fit well with the requirements for studying peptide association and aggregation, where the system sizes and time scales require considerable computational resources with all-atom models. In particular, AACG is well suited for biologics since changes in peptide shape and long-range electrostatics may play an important role. The application of AACG to melittin, a 26-residue peptide with a well-known propensity to aggregate in solution, serves as an initial demonstration of this technology for studying peptide aggregation. We observed the formation of melittin aggregates during our simulations and characterized the time-evolution of aggregate size distribution, buried surface areas, and residue contacts. Key interactions including π-cation and π-stacking involving TRP19 were also examined. Our AACG simulations demonstrated a clear salt effect and a moderate temperature effect on aggregation and support the molten globule model of melittin aggregates. As a showcase, this work illustrates the useful role for AACG in investigations of peptide aggregation and its potential to guide formulation and design of biologics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mee Y. Shelley
- Schrödinger,
Inc., 101 SW Main Street,
Suite 1300, Portland, Oregon 97204, United States
| | - Myvizhi Esai Selvan
- Schrödinger,
Inc., 120 W. 45th Street,
17th Floor, New York, New
York 10036, United
States
| | - Jun Zhao
- Cancer
and Inflammation Program, National Cancer
Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United
States
| | - Volodymyr Babin
- Schrödinger,
Inc., 101 SW Main Street,
Suite 1300, Portland, Oregon 97204, United States
| | - Chenyi Liao
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, United States
| | - Jianing Li
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, United States
| | - John C. Shelley
- Schrödinger,
Inc., 101 SW Main Street,
Suite 1300, Portland, Oregon 97204, United States
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30
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Das D, Pal SK. Liquid Crystal Unveiled Interactions between Melittin and Phospholipids at Aqueous-Liquid Crystal Interface. ChemistrySelect 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201700604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dibyendu Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali (IISERM), Sector-81, SAS Nagar, Knowledge City; Manauli- 140306 India
| | - Santanu Kumar Pal
- Department of Chemical Sciences; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali (IISERM), Sector-81, SAS Nagar, Knowledge City; Manauli- 140306 India
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31
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Nangia S, May ER. Influence of membrane composition on the binding and folding of a membrane lytic peptide from the non-enveloped flock house virus. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1859:1190-1199. [PMID: 28395954 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Using a combination of coarse-grained and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations we have investigated the membrane binding and folding properties of the membrane lytic peptide of Flock House virus (FHV). FHV is an animal virus and an excellent model system for studying cell entry mechanisms in non-enveloped viruses. FHV undergoes a maturation event where the 44 C-terminal amino acids are cleaved from the major capsid protein, forming the membrane lytic (γ) peptides. Under acidic conditions, γ is released from the capsid interior allowing the peptides to bind and disrupt membranes. The first 21 N-terminal residues of γ, termed γ1, have been resolved in the FHV capsid structure and γ1 has been the subject of in vitro studies. γ1 is structurally dynamic as it adopts helical secondary structure inside the capsid and on membranes, but it is disordered in solution. In vitro studies have shown the binding free energies to POPC or POPG membranes are nearly equivalent, but binding to POPC is enthalpically driven, while POPG binding is entropically driven. Through coarse-grained and multiple microsecond all-atom simulations the membrane binding and folding properties of γ1 are investigated against homogeneous and heterogeneous bilayers to elucidate the dependence of the microenvironment on the structural properties of γ1. Our studies provide a rationale for the thermodynamic data and suggest binding of γ1 to POPG bilayers occurs in a disordered state, but γ1 must adopt a helical conformation when binding POPC bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivangi Nangia
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States
| | - Eric R May
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States.
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32
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Norisada K, Javkhlantugs N, Mishima D, Kawamura I, Saitô H, Ueda K, Naito A. Dynamic Structure and Orientation of Melittin Bound to Acidic Lipid Bilayers, As Revealed by Solid-State NMR and Molecular Dynamics Simulation. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:1802-1811. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b11207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazushi Norisada
- Graduate
School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Namsrai Javkhlantugs
- Graduate
School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
- School
of Engineering and Applied Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 14201, Mongolia
| | - Daisuke Mishima
- Graduate
School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Izuru Kawamura
- Graduate
School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Hazime Saitô
- Department
of Life Science, University of Hyogo, Harima Science Garden City, Kamigori, Hyogo 678-1297, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Ueda
- Graduate
School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Akira Naito
- Graduate
School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
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33
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King MJ, Bennett AL, Almeida PF, Lee HS. Coarse-grained simulations of hemolytic peptide δ-lysin interacting with a POPC bilayer. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:3182-3194. [PMID: 27720634 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Revised: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
δ-lysin, secreted by a Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, is a 26-residue membrane active peptide that shares many common features with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). However, it possesses a few unique features that differentiate itself from typical AMPs. In particular, δ-lysin has zero net charge, even though it has many charged residues, and it preferentially lyses eukaryotic cells over bacterial cells. Here, we present the results of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of δ-lysin interacting with a zwitterionic membrane over a wide range of peptide concentrations. When the peptides concentration is low, spontaneous dimerization of peptides is observed on the membrane surface, but deep insertion of peptides or pore formation was not observed. However, the calculated free energy of peptide insertion suggests that a small fraction of peptides is likely to be present inside the membrane at the peptide concentrations typically seen in dye efflux experiments. When the simulations with multiple peptides are carried out with a single pre-inserted transmembrane peptide, spontaneous pore formation occurs with a peptide-to-lipid ratio (P/L) as low as P/L=1:42. Inter-peptide salt bridges among the transmembrane peptides seem to play a role in creating compact pores with very low level of hydration. More importantly, the transmembrane peptides making up the pore are constantly pushed to the opposite side of the membrane when the mass imbalance between the two sides of membrane is significant. Thus, the pore is very dynamic, allowing multiple peptides to translocate across the membrane simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariah J King
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, United States
| | - Ashley L Bennett
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, United States
| | - Paulo F Almeida
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, United States
| | - Hee-Seung Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, United States.
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34
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Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M, Baczynski K, Markiewicz M, Murzyn K. Computer modelling studies of the bilayer/water interface. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2305-2321. [PMID: 26825705 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Revised: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
This review summarises high resolution studies on the interface of lamellar lipid bilayers composed of the most typical lipid molecules which constitute the lipid matrix of biomembranes. The presented results were obtained predominantly by computer modelling methods. Whenever possible, the results were compared with experimental results obtained for similar systems. The first and main section of the review is concerned with the bilayer-water interface and is divided into four subsections. The first describes the simplest case, where the interface consists only of lipid head groups and water molecules and focuses on interactions between the lipid heads and water molecules; the second describes the interface containing also mono- and divalent ions and concentrates on lipid-ion interactions; the third describes direct inter-lipid interactions. These three subsections are followed by a discussion on the network of direct and indirect inter-lipid interactions at the bilayer interface. The second section summarises recent computer simulation studies on the interactions of antibacterial membrane active compounds with various models of the bacterial outer membrane. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biosimulations edited by Ilpo Vattulainen and Tomasz Róg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pasenkiewicz-Gierula
- Department of Computational Biophysics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Krzysztof Baczynski
- Department of Computational Biophysics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Michal Markiewicz
- Department of Computational Biophysics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Murzyn
- Department of Computational Biophysics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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35
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Mura M, Wang J, Zhou Y, Pinna M, Zvelindovsky AV, Dennison SR, Phoenix DA. The effect of amidation on the behaviour of antimicrobial peptides. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL: EBJ 2016; 45:195-207. [PMID: 26745958 PMCID: PMC4796345 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-015-1094-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Aurein 2.6-COOH and aurein 3.1-COOH were studied along with their naturally occurring C-terminally amidated analogues. Circular dichroism (CD) and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to study the effects of amidation on the interaction of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with lipid bilayers. CD measurements and MD analysis suggested that both peptide analogues were predominantly random coil and adopted low levels of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\alpha$$\end{document}α-helical structure in solution (<30 %) and in the presence of a lipid bilayer the peptides formed a stable \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\alpha$$\end{document}α-helical structure. In general, amidated analogues have a greater propensity than the non-amidated peptides to form a \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\alpha$$\end{document}α-helical structure. MD simulations predicted that aurein 2.6-COOH and aurein 3.1-CHOOH destabilised lipid bilayers from 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine via angled bilayer penetration. They also showed that aurein 2.6-CONH\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Mura
- Computational Physics Group, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, UK.
| | - Jianping Wang
- UCLan Biomedical Technology Limited (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, 518057, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuhua Zhou
- UCLan Biomedical Technology Limited (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, 518057, People's Republic of China
| | - Marco Pinna
- Computational Physics Group, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, UK
| | - Andrei V Zvelindovsky
- Computational Physics Group, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, UK
| | - Sarah R Dennison
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
- School of Applied Science, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK
| | - David A Phoenix
- School of Applied Science, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK
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36
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Liao C, Esai Selvan M, Zhao J, Slimovitch JL, Schneebeli ST, Shelley M, Shelley JC, Li J. Melittin Aggregation in Aqueous Solutions: Insight from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b03254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chenyi Liao
- Department
of Chemistry, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, United States
| | - Myvizhi Esai Selvan
- Schrödinger, Inc., 120 West 45th Street, 17th Floor, New York, New York 10036, United States
| | - Jun Zhao
- National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Jonathan L. Slimovitch
- Department
of Chemistry, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, United States
| | - Severin T. Schneebeli
- Department
of Chemistry, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, United States
| | - Mee Shelley
- Schrödinger, Inc., 101 SW Main Street, Suite 1300, Portland, Oregon 97204, United States
| | - John C. Shelley
- Schrödinger, Inc., 101 SW Main Street, Suite 1300, Portland, Oregon 97204, United States
| | - Jianing Li
- Department
of Chemistry, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, United States
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37
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Lyu Y, Zhu X, Xiang N, Narsimhan G. Molecular Dynamics Study of Pore Formation by Melittin in a 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-Di(9Z-octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1′-rac-glycerol) Mixed Lipid Bilayer. Ind Eng Chem Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.5b01217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lyu
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and ‡Research Computing,
Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Xiao Zhu
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and ‡Research Computing,
Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Ning Xiang
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and ‡Research Computing,
Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Ganesan Narsimhan
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and ‡Research Computing,
Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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38
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Setzler J, Seith C, Brieg M, Wenzel W. SLIM: an improved generalized Born implicit membrane model. J Comput Chem 2015; 35:2027-39. [PMID: 25243932 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.23717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In most implicit continuum models, membranes are represented as heterogeneous dielectric environments, but their treatment within computationally efficient generalized Born (GB) models is challenging. Despite several previous attempts, an adequate description of multiple dielectric regions in implicit GB-based membrane models that reproduce the qualitative and quantitative features of Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) electrostatics remains an unmet prerequisite of qualitatively correct implicit membrane models. A novel scheme (SLIM) to decompose one environment consisting of multiple dielectric regions into a sum of multiple environments consisting only of two dielectric regions each is proposed to solve this issue. These simpler environments can be treated with established GB methods. This approach captures qualitative features of PB electrostatic that are not present in previous models. Simulations of three membrane proteins demonstrate that this model correctly reproduces known properties of these proteins in agreement with experimental or other computational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Setzler
- Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P.O. Box 3640, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
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39
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Upadhyay SK, Wang Y, Zhao T, Ulmschneider JP. Insights from Micro-second Atomistic Simulations of Melittin in Thin Lipid Bilayers. J Membr Biol 2015; 248:497-503. [DOI: 10.1007/s00232-015-9807-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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40
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Giménez D, Sánchez-Muñoz OL, Salgado J. Direct observation of nanometer-scale pores of melittin in supported lipid monolayers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2015; 31:3146-58. [PMID: 25705986 DOI: 10.1021/la504293q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Melittin is the most studied membrane-active peptide and archetype within a large and diverse group of pore formers. However, the molecular characteristics of melittin pores remain largely unknown. Herein, we show by atomic force microscopy (AFM) that lipid monolayers in the presence of melittin are decorated with numerous regularly shaped circular pores that can be distinguished from nonspecific monolayer defects. The specificity of these pores is reinforced through a statistical evaluation of depressions found in Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers in the presence and absence of melittin, which eventually allows characterization of the melittin-induced pores at a quantitative low-resolution level. We observed that the large majority of pores exhibit near-circular symmetry and a Gaussian distribution in size, with a mean diameter of ∼8.7 nm. A distinctive feature is a ring of material found around the pores, made by, on average, three positive peaks, with a height over the level of the lipidic background of ∼0.23 nm. This protruding rim is most likely due to the presence of melittin near the pore border. Although the current resolution of the AFM images in the {x, y} plane does not allow distinction of the specific organization of the peptide molecules, these results provide an unprecedented view of melittin pores formed in lipidic interfaces and open new perspectives for future structural investigations of these and other pore-forming peptides and proteins using supported monolayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Giménez
- Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol), University of Valencia. C/Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Orlando L Sánchez-Muñoz
- Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol), University of Valencia. C/Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jesús Salgado
- Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol), University of Valencia. C/Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
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41
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Nguyen KT. Orientation determination of interfacial bent α-helical structures using Sum Frequency Generation vibrational spectroscopy. Chem Phys 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2014.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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42
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Zhang M, Zhao J, Zheng J. Molecular understanding of a potential functional link between antimicrobial and amyloid peptides. SOFT MATTER 2014; 10:7425-7451. [PMID: 25105988 DOI: 10.1039/c4sm00907j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial and amyloid peptides do not share common sequences, typical secondary structures, or normal biological activity but both the classes of peptides exhibit membrane-disruption ability to induce cell toxicity. Different membrane-disruption mechanisms have been proposed for antimicrobial and amyloid peptides, individually, some of which are not exclusive to either peptide type, implying that certain common principles may govern the folding and functions of different cytolytic peptides and associated membrane disruption mechanisms. Particularly, some antimicrobial and amyloid peptides have been identified to have dual complementary amyloid and antimicrobial properties, suggesting a potential functional link between amyloid and antimicrobial peptides. Given that some similar structural and membrane-disruption characteristics exist between the two classes of peptides, this review summarizes major findings, recent advances, and future challenges related to antimicrobial and amyloid peptides and strives to illustrate the similarities, differences, and relationships in the sequences, structures, and membrane interaction modes between amyloid and antimicrobial peptides, with a special focus on direct interactions of the peptides with the membranes. We hope that this review will stimulate further research at the interface of antimicrobial and amyloid peptides - which has been studied less intensively than either type of peptides - to decipher a possible link between both amyloid pathology and antimicrobial activity, which can guide drug design and peptide engineering to influence peptide-membrane interactions important in human health and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhen Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, USA.
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43
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Hill EH, Whitten DG, Evans DG. Computational study of bacterial membrane disruption by cationic biocides: structural basis for water pore formation. J Phys Chem B 2014; 118:9722-32. [PMID: 25011642 DOI: 10.1021/jp504297s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The development of biocides as disinfectants that do not induce bacterial resistance is crucial to health care since hospital-acquired infections afflict millions of patients every year. Recent experimental studies of a class of cationic biocides based on the phenylene ethynylene backbone, known as OPEs, have revealed that their biocidal activity is accompanied by strong morphology changes to bacterial cell membranes. In vitro studies of bacterial membrane mimics have shown changes to the lipid phase that are dependent on the length and orientation of the cationic moieties on the backbone. This study uses classical molecular dynamics to conduct a comprehensive survey of how oligomers with different chemical structures interact with each other and with a bacterial cell membrane mimic. In particular, the ability of OPEs to disrupt membrane structure is studied as a function of the length of the biocides and the orientation of their cationic moieties along the backbone of the molecule. The simulation results show that the structure of OPEs radically affects their interactions with a lipid bilayer. Biocides with branched cationic groups form trans-membrane water pores regardless of their backbone length, while only 1-1.5 nm of membrane thinning is observed with biocides with cationic groups on their terminal ends. The molecular dynamics simulations provide mechanistic details at the molecular level of the interaction of these biocidal oligomers and the lipid bilayer and corroborate experimental findings regarding observed differences in membrane disruption by OPEs with different chemical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric H Hill
- The Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering Program and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and ‡Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico , Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-1341, United States
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44
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The cooperative behaviour of antimicrobial peptides in model membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1838:2870-81. [PMID: 25046254 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A systematic analysis of the hypothesis of the antimicrobial peptides' (AMPs) cooperative action is performed by means of full atomistic molecular dynamics simulations accompanied by circular dichroism experiments. Several AMPs from the aurein family (2.5,2.6, 3.1), have a similar sequence in the first ten amino acids, are investigated in different environments including aqueous solution, trifluoroethanol (TFE), palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (POPE), and palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol (POPG) lipid bilayers. It is found that the cooperative effect is stronger in aqueous solution and weaker in TFE. Moreover, in the presence of membranes, the cooperative effect plays an important role in the peptide/lipid bilayer interaction. The action of AMPs is a competition of the hydrophobic interactions between the side chains of the peptides and the hydrophobic region of lipid molecules, as well as the intra peptide interaction. The aureins 2.5-COOH and 2.6-COOH form a hydrophobic aggregate to minimize the interaction between the hydrophobic group and the water. Once that the peptides reach the water/lipid interface the hydrophobic aggregate becomes smaller and the peptides start to penetrate into the membrane. In contrast, aurein 3.1-COOH forms only a transient aggregate which disintegrates once the peptides reached the membrane, and it shows no cooperativity in membrane penetration.
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45
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Almeida PF. Membrane-active peptides: binding, translocation, and flux in lipid vesicles. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1838:2216-27. [PMID: 24769436 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recently, new and improved methods have been developed to measure translocation of membrane-active peptides (antimicrobial, cytolytic, and amphipathic cell-penetrating peptides) across lipid bilayer membranes. The hypothesis that translocation of membrane-active peptides across a lipid bilayer is determined by the Gibbs energy of insertion of the peptide into the bilayer is re-examined in the light of new experimental tests. The original hypothesis and its motivation are first revisited, examining some of the specific predictions that it generated, followed by the results of the initial tests. Translocation is understood as requiring two previous steps: binding and insertion in the membrane. The problem of peptide binding to membranes, its prediction, measurement, and calculation are addressed. Particular attention is given to understanding the reason for the need for amphipathic structures in the function of membrane-active peptides. Insertion into the membrane is then examined. Hydrophobicity scales are compared, and their influence on calculations is discussed. The relation between translocation and graded or all-or-none peptide-induced flux from or into lipid vesicles is also considered. Finally, the most recent work on translocation is examined, both experimental and from molecular dynamics simulations. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Interfacially Active Peptides and Proteins. Guest Editors: William C. Wimley and Kalina Hristova.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo F Almeida
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.
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46
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Costa PJ, Marques I, Félix V. Interaction of a calix[4]arene derivative with a DOPC bilayer: Biomolecular simulations towards chloride transport. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1838:890-901. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2013.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Revised: 11/25/2013] [Accepted: 11/26/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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47
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Zhao J, Zhao C, Liang G, Zhang M, Zheng J. Engineering antimicrobial peptides with improved antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. J Chem Inf Model 2013; 53:3280-96. [PMID: 24279498 DOI: 10.1021/ci400477e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The rapid rise of antibiotic resistance in pathogens becomes a serious and growing threat to medicine and public health. Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an important line of defense in the immune system against invading bacteria and microbial infection. In this work, we present a combined computational and experimental study of the biological activity and membrane interaction of the computationally designed Bac2A-based peptide library. We used the MARTINI coarse-grained molecular dynamics with adaptive biasing force method and the umbrella sampling technique to investigate the translocation of a total of 91 peptides with different amino acid substitutions through a mixed anionic POPE/POPG (3:1) bilayer and a neutral POPC bilayer, which mimic the bacterial inner membrane and the human red blood cell (hRBC) membrane, respectively. Potential of mean force (PMF, free energy profile) was obtained to measure the free energy barrier required to transfer the peptides from the bulk water phase to the water-membrane interface and to the bilayer interior. Different PMF profiles can indeed identify different membrane insertion scenarios by mapping out peptide-lipid energy landscapes, which are correlated with antimicrobial activity and hemolytic activity. Computationally designed peptides were further tested experimentally for their antimicrobial and hemolytic activities using bacteria growth inhibition assay and hemolysis assay. Comparison of PMF data with cell assay results reveals a good correlation of the peptides between predictive transmembrane activity and antimicrobial/hemolytic activity. Moreover, the most active mutants with the balanced substitutions of positively charged Arg and hydrophobic Trp residues at specific positions were discovered to achieve the improved antimicrobial activity while minimizing red blood cell lysis. Such substitutions provide more effective and cooperative interactions to distinguish the peptide interaction with different lipid bilayers. This work provides a useful computational tool to better understand the mechanism and energetics of membrane insertion of AMPs and to rationally design more effective AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron , Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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48
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Irudayam SJ, Pobandt T, Berkowitz ML. Free Energy Barrier for Melittin Reorientation from a Membrane-Bound State to a Transmembrane State. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:13457-63. [DOI: 10.1021/jp406328d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sheeba J. Irudayam
- Department
of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599 United States
| | - Tobias Pobandt
- Max Planck Institute of Colloids, Interfaces, Theory, Bio-Systems, Potsdam, D-14424 Germany
| | - Max L. Berkowitz
- Department
of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599 United States
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49
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Neale C, Madill C, Rauscher S, Pomès R. Accelerating Convergence in Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Solutes in Lipid Membranes by Conducting a Random Walk along the Bilayer Normal. J Chem Theory Comput 2013; 9:3686-703. [DOI: 10.1021/ct301005b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Neale
- Molecular Structure
and Function,
The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario,
M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry,
University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7,
Canada
| | - Chris Madill
- Molecular Structure
and Function,
The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario,
M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry,
University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7,
Canada
| | - Sarah Rauscher
- Molecular Structure
and Function,
The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario,
M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry,
University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7,
Canada
| | - Régis Pomès
- Molecular Structure
and Function,
The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario,
M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry,
University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7,
Canada
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50
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Santo KP, Irudayam SJ, Berkowitz ML. Melittin creates transient pores in a lipid bilayer: results from computer simulations. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:5031-42. [PMID: 23534858 DOI: 10.1021/jp312328n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To study the interaction between melittin peptides and lipid bilayer, we performed coarse-grained simulations on systems containing melittin interacting with a bilayer containing zwitterionic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and anionic palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol (POPG) phospholipids in a 7:3 ratio. Eight different systems were considered: four at low and four at high peptide to lipid (P/L) ratios. In case of low P/L ratio we did not observe any pore creation in the bilayer. In two out of four of the simulations with the high P/L ratio, appearance of transient pores in the bilayer was observed. These pores were created due to an assembly of 3-5 melittin peptides. Not all of the peptides in the pores were in a transmembrane conformation; many of them had their termini residues anchored to the same leaflet, and these peptides assumed bent, U-shaped, conformations. We propose that when an assembly of melittin peptides creates pores, such an assembly acts as a "wedge" that splits the bilayer. To get a more detailed description of melittin on the bilayer surface and in transient pores, we performed coarse-grained to united-atom scale transformations and after that performed 50 ns molecular dynamics simulations using the united atom description of the systems. While these simulations did not show much of the change in the pore structure during the 50 ns time interval, they clearly showed the presence of water in the transient pores. The appearance of transient pores together with the translocation of peptides across the membranes is consistent with the mechanism proposed to explain graded dye leakage from large vesicles in the presence of melittin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kolattukudy P Santo
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
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