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Silva MP, Rodrigues CG, Machado DC, Nogueira RA. Long-term memory in Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin ion channel kinetics. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2023; 52:661-671. [PMID: 37542583 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-023-01675-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
The kinetics of an ion channel are classically understood as a random process. However, studies have shown that in complex ion channels, formed by multiple subunits, this process can be deterministic, presenting long-term memory. Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin (α-HL) is a toxin that acts as the major factor in Staphylococcus aureus virulence. α-HL is a water-soluble protein capable of forming ion channels into lipid bilayers, by insertion of an amphipathic β-barrel. Here, the α-HL was used as an experimental model to study memory in ion channel kinetics. We applied the approximate entropy (ApEn) approach to analyze randomness and the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) to investigate the existence of long memory in α-HL channel kinetics. Single-channel currents were measured through experiments with α-HL channels incorporated in planar lipid bilayers. All experiments were carried out under the following conditions: 1 M NaCl solution, pH 4.5; transmembrane potential of + 40 mV and temperature 25 ± 1 °C. Single-channel currents were recorded in real-time in the memory of a microcomputer coupled to an A/D converter and a patch-clamp amplifier. The conductance value of the α-HL channels was 0.82 ± 0.0025 nS (n = 128). The DFA analysis showed that the kinetics of α-HL channels presents long-term memory ([Formula: see text] = 0.63 ± 0.04). The ApEn outcomes showed low complexity to dwell times when open (ApEno = 0.5514 ± 0.28) and closed (ApEnc = 0.1145 ± 0.08), corroborating the results of the DFA method.
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Affiliation(s)
- M P Silva
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - C G Rodrigues
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - D C Machado
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - R A Nogueira
- Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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2
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Dessaux D, Mathé J, Ramirez R, Basdevant N. Current Rectification and Ionic Selectivity of α-Hemolysin: Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4189-4199. [PMID: 35657610 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In order to understand the physical processes of nanopore experiments at the molecular level, microscopic information from molecular dynamics is greatly needed. Coarse-grained models are a good alternative to classical all-atom models since they allow longer and faster simulations. We performed coarse-grained molecular dynamics of the ionic transport through the α-hemolysin protein nanopore, inserted into a lipid bilayer surrounded by solvent and ions. For this purpose, we used the MARTINI coarse-grained force field and its polarizable water solvent (PW). Moreover, the electric potential difference applied experimentally was mimicked by the application of an electric field to the system. We present, in this study, the results of 1.5 μs long-molecular dynamics simulations of 12 different systems for which different charged amino acids were neutralized, each of them in the presence of nine different electric fields ranging between ±0.04 V/nm (a total of around 100 simulations). We were able to observe several specific features of this pore, current asymmetry and anion selectivity, in agreement with previous studies and experiments, and we identified the charged amino acids responsible for these current behaviors, therefore validating our coarse-grain approach to study ionic transport through nanopores. We also propose a microscopic explanation of these ionic current features using ionic density maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Dessaux
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
| | - Jérôme Mathé
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
| | - Rosa Ramirez
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
| | - Nathalie Basdevant
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
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3
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Diederichs T, Ahmad K, Burns JR, Nguyen QH, Siwy ZS, Tornow M, Coveney PV, Tampé R, Howorka S. Principles of Small-Molecule Transport through Synthetic Nanopores. ACS NANO 2021; 15:16194-16206. [PMID: 34596387 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c05139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic nanopores made from DNA replicate the key biological processes of transporting molecular cargo across lipid bilayers. Understanding transport across the confined lumen of the nanopores is of fundamental interest and of relevance to their rational design for biotechnological applications. Here we reveal the transport principles of organic molecules through DNA nanopores by synergistically combining experiments and computer simulations. Using a highly parallel nanostructured platform, we synchronously measure the kinetic flux across hundreds of individual pores to obtain rate constants. The single-channel transport kinetics are close to the theoretical maximum, while selectivity is determined by the interplay of cargo charge and size, the pores' sterics and electrostatics, and the composition of the surrounding lipid bilayer. The narrow distribution of transport rates implies a high structural homogeneity of DNA nanopores. The molecular passageway through the nanopore is elucidated via coarse-grained constant-velocity steered molecular dynamics simulations. The ensemble simulations pinpoint with high resolution and statistical validity the selectivity filter within the channel lumen and determine the energetic factors governing transport. Our findings on these synthetic pores' structure-function relationship will serve to guide their rational engineering to tailor transport selectivity for cell biological research, sensing, and drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Diederichs
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/M., 60438, Germany
| | - Katya Ahmad
- Centre for Computational Science, University College London, London, WC1H0AJ, England, U.K
| | - Jonathan R Burns
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, WC1H0AJ, England, U.K
| | - Quoc Hung Nguyen
- Molecular Electronics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, 80333, Germany
| | - Zuzanna S Siwy
- School of Physical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Marc Tornow
- Molecular Electronics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, 80333, Germany
- Fraunhofer Research Institution for Microsystems and Solid State Technologies (EMFT), Munich, 80686, Germany
- Center of NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, 80539, Germany
| | - Peter V Coveney
- Centre for Computational Science, University College London, London, WC1H0AJ, England, U.K
- Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1090 GH, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Tampé
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/M., 60438, Germany
| | - Stefan Howorka
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, WC1H0AJ, England, U.K
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4
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Pore-forming proteins: From defense factors to endogenous executors of cell death. Chem Phys Lipids 2020; 234:105026. [PMID: 33309552 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2020.105026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Pore-forming proteins (PFPs) and small antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a large family of molecules with the common ability to punch holes in cell membranes to alter their permeability. They play a fundamental role as infectious bacteria's defensive tools against host's immune system and as executors of endogenous machineries of regulated cell death in eukaryotic cells. Despite being highly divergent in primary sequence and 3D structure, specific folds of pore-forming domains have been conserved. In fact, pore formation is considered an ancient mechanism that takes place through a general multistep process involving: membrane partitioning and insertion, oligomerization and pore formation. However, different PFPs and AMPs assemble and form pores following different mechanisms that could end up either in the formation of protein-lined or protein-lipid pores. In this review, we analyze the current findings in the mechanism of action of different PFPs and AMPs that support a wide role of membrane pore formation in nature. We also provide the newest insights into the development of state-of-art techniques that have facilitated the characterization of membrane pores. To understand the physiological role of these peptides/proteins or develop clinical applications, it is essential to uncover the molecular mechanism of how they perforate membranes.
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Raila T, Ambrulevičius F, Penkauskas T, Jankunec M, Meškauskas T, Vanderah DJ, Valincius G. Clusters of protein pores in phospholipid bilayer membranes can be identified and characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrochim Acta 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2020.137179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Guros NB, Balijepalli A, Klauda JB. Microsecond-timescale simulations suggest 5-HT-mediated preactivation of the 5-HT 3A serotonin receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:405-414. [PMID: 31871207 PMCID: PMC6955379 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908848117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aided by efforts to improve their speed and efficiency, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide an increasingly powerful tool to study the structure-function relationship of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs). However, accurate reporting of the channel state and observation of allosteric regulation by agonist binding with MD remains difficult due to the timescales necessary to equilibrate pLGICs from their artificial and crystalized conformation to a more native, membrane-bound conformation in silico. Here, we perform multiple all-atom MD simulations of the homomeric 5-hydroxytryptamine 3A (5-HT3A) serotonin receptor for 15 to 20 μs to demonstrate that such timescales are critical to observe the equilibration of a pLGIC from its crystalized conformation to a membrane-bound conformation. These timescales, which are an order of magnitude longer than any previous simulation of 5-HT3A, allow us to observe the dynamic binding and unbinding of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (i.e., serotonin) to the binding pocket located on the extracellular domain (ECD) and allosteric regulation of the transmembrane domain (TMD) from synergistic 5-HT binding. While these timescales are not long enough to observe complete activation of 5-HT3A, the allosteric regulation of ion gating elements by 5-HT binding is indicative of a preactive state, which provides insight into molecular mechanisms that regulate channel activation from a resting state. This mechanistic insight, enabled by microsecond-timescale MD simulations, will allow a careful examination of the regulation of pLGICs at a molecular level, expanding our understanding of their function and elucidating key structural motifs that can be targeted for therapeutic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B Guros
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
- Biophysics Group, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
| | - Arvind Balijepalli
- Biophysics Group, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
| | - Jeffery B Klauda
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742;
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Ionic transport through a protein nanopore: a Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15740. [PMID: 31673049 PMCID: PMC6823379 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51942-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The MARTINI coarse-grained (CG) force field is used to test the ability of CG models to simulate ionic transport through protein nanopores. The ionic conductivity of CG ions in solution was computed and compared with experimental results. Next, we studied the electrostatic behavior of a solvated CG lipid bilayer in salt solution under an external electric field. We showed this approach correctly describes the experimental conditions under a potential bias. Finally, we performed CG molecular dynamics simulations of the ionic transport through a protein nanopore (α-hemolysin) inserted in a lipid bilayer, under different electric fields, for 2-3 microseconds. The resulting I - V curve is qualitatively consistent with experiments, although the computed current is one order of magnitude smaller. Current saturation was observed for potential biases over ±350 mV. We also discuss the time to reach a stationary regime and the role of the protein flexibility in our CG simulations.
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Barrera EE, Machado MR, Pantano S. Fat SIRAH: Coarse-Grained Phospholipids To Explore Membrane-Protein Dynamics. J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 15:5674-5688. [PMID: 31433946 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The capability to handle highly heterogeneous molecular assemblies in a consistent manner is among the greatest challenges faced when deriving simulation parameters. This is particularly the case for coarse-grained (CG) simulations in which chemical functional groups are lumped into effective interaction centers for which transferability between different chemical environments is not guaranteed. Here, we introduce the parametrization of a set of CG phospholipids compatible with the latest version of the SIRAH force field for proteins. The newly introduced lipid species include different acylic chain lengths and partial unsaturation, as well as polar and acidic head groups that show a very good reproduction of structural membrane determinants, such as areas per lipid, thickness, order parameter, etc., and their dependence with temperature. Simulation of membrane proteins showed unprecedented accuracy in the unbiased description of the thickness-dependent membrane-protein orientation in systems where this information is experimentally available (namely, the SarcoEndoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-SERCA-pump and its regulator Phospholamban). The interactions that lead to this faithful reproduction can be traced down to the single amino acid-lipid interaction level and show full agreement with biochemical data present in the literature. Finally, the present parametrization is implemented in the GROMACS and AMBER simulation packages facilitating its use by a wide portion of the biocomputing community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Exequiel E Barrera
- Biomolecular Simulations Group , Institut Pasteur de Montevideo , Mataojo 2020 , CP 11400 Montevideo , Uruguay
| | - Matías R Machado
- Biomolecular Simulations Group , Institut Pasteur de Montevideo , Mataojo 2020 , CP 11400 Montevideo , Uruguay
| | - Sergio Pantano
- Biomolecular Simulations Group , Institut Pasteur de Montevideo , Mataojo 2020 , CP 11400 Montevideo , Uruguay.,Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies , ShanghaiTech University , Shanghai 201210 , China
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9
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Corradi V, Sejdiu BI, Mesa-Galloso H, Abdizadeh H, Noskov SY, Marrink SJ, Tieleman DP. Emerging Diversity in Lipid-Protein Interactions. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5775-5848. [PMID: 30758191 PMCID: PMC6509647 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
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Membrane
lipids interact with proteins in a variety of ways, ranging
from providing a stable membrane environment for proteins to being
embedded in to detailed roles in complicated and well-regulated protein
functions. Experimental and computational advances are converging
in a rapidly expanding research area of lipid–protein interactions.
Experimentally, the database of high-resolution membrane protein structures
is growing, as are capabilities to identify the complex lipid composition
of different membranes, to probe the challenging time and length scales
of lipid–protein interactions, and to link lipid–protein
interactions to protein function in a variety of proteins. Computationally,
more accurate membrane models and more powerful computers now enable
a detailed look at lipid–protein interactions and increasing
overlap with experimental observations for validation and joint interpretation
of simulation and experiment. Here we review papers that use computational
approaches to study detailed lipid–protein interactions, together
with brief experimental and physiological contexts, aiming at comprehensive
coverage of simulation papers in the last five years. Overall, a complex
picture of lipid–protein interactions emerges, through a range
of mechanisms including modulation of the physical properties of the
lipid environment, detailed chemical interactions between lipids and
proteins, and key functional roles of very specific lipids binding
to well-defined binding sites on proteins. Computationally, despite
important limitations, molecular dynamics simulations with current
computer power and theoretical models are now in an excellent position
to answer detailed questions about lipid–protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Corradi
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Besian I Sejdiu
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Haydee Mesa-Galloso
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Haleh Abdizadeh
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Sergei Yu Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Siewert J Marrink
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - D Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
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