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Gao J, Hou R, Hu W, Weikl TR, Hu J. Which Coverages of Arc-Shaped Proteins Are Required for Membrane Tubulation? J Phys Chem B 2024. [PMID: 38706129 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Arc-shaped BIN/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain proteins generate curvature by binding to membranes and induce membrane tubulation at sufficiently large protein coverages. For the amphiphysin N-BAR domain, Le Roux et al., Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 6550, measured a threshold coverage of 0.44 ± 0.097 for nanotubules emerging from the supported lipid bilayer. In this article, we systematically investigate membrane tubulation induced by arc-shaped protein-like particles with coarse-grained modeling and simulations and determine the threshold coverages at different particle-particle interaction strengths and membrane spontaneous curvatures. In our simulations, the binding of arc-shaped particles induces a membrane shape transition from spherical vesicles to tubules at a particle threshold coverage of about 0.5, which is rather robust to variations of the direct attractive particle interactions or spontaneous membrane curvature in the coarse-grained model. Our study suggests that threshold coverages of around or slightly below 0.5 are a general requirement for membrane tubulation by arc-shaped BAR domain proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Gao
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Material and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ruihan Hou
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Material and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wenbing Hu
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Material and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Thomas R Weikl
- Department of Bio-Molecular Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Science Park Golm, 14424 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jinglei Hu
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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2
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Kumar G, Srivastava A. Membrane Remodeling Due to a Mixture of Multiple Types of Curvature Proteins. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:5659-5671. [PMID: 35981766 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We present an extension of the Monte Carlo based mesoscopic membrane model, where the membrane is represented as a dynamically triangulated surface and the proteins are modeled as anisotropic inclusions formulated as in-plane nematic field variables adhering to the deformable elastic sheet. In the extended model, we have augmented the Hamiltonian to study membrane deformation due to a mixture of multiple types of curvature generating proteins. This feature opens the door for understanding how multiple kinds of curvature-generating proteins may be working in a coordinated manner to induce desired membrane morphologies. For example, among other things, we study membrane deformations and tubulation due to a mixture of positive and negative curvature proteins as mimics of various proteins from BAR domain family. We also study the effect of membrane anisotropy that manifests as differential binding affinity and organization of curvature proteins, leading to insights into the tightly regulated cargo sorting and transport processes. Our simulation results show different morphology of deformed vesicles that depend on membrane tension, the curvatures and number of the participating proteins as well as on protein-protein and membrane-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Kumar
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore, C. V. Raman Road, Bangalore, KA 560012, India
| | - Anand Srivastava
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore, C. V. Raman Road, Bangalore, KA 560012, India
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3
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Norris MJ, Husby ML, Kiosses WB, Yin J, Saxena R, Rennick LJ, Heiner A, Harkins SS, Pokhrel R, Schendel SL, Hastie KM, Landeras-Bueno S, Salie ZL, Lee B, Chapagain PP, Maisner A, Duprex WP, Stahelin RV, Saphire EO. Measles and Nipah virus assembly: Specific lipid binding drives matrix polymerization. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn1440. [PMID: 35857835 PMCID: PMC9299542 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Measles virus, Nipah virus, and multiple other paramyxoviruses cause disease outbreaks in humans and animals worldwide. The paramyxovirus matrix (M) protein mediates virion assembly and budding from host cell membranes. M is thus a key target for antivirals, but few high-resolution structures of paramyxovirus M are available, and we lack the clear understanding of how viral M proteins interact with membrane lipids to mediate viral assembly and egress that is needed to guide antiviral design. Here, we reveal that M proteins associate with phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] at the plasma membrane. Using x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that PI(4,5)P2 binding induces conformational and electrostatic changes in the M protein surface that trigger membrane deformation, matrix layer polymerization, and virion assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Norris
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Monica L. Husby
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - William B. Kiosses
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jieyun Yin
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Roopashi Saxena
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Linda J. Rennick
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Anja Heiner
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie S. Harkins
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Rudramani Pokhrel
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Sharon L. Schendel
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kathryn M. Hastie
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sara Landeras-Bueno
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Zhe Li Salie
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Benhur Lee
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Prem P. Chapagain
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Andrea Maisner
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - W. Paul Duprex
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Robert V. Stahelin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Erica Ollmann Saphire
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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4
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Zhu Y, Sharma A, Spangler EJ, Laradji M. Modes of adhesion of two Janus nanoparticles on the outer or inner side of lipid vesicles. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4689-4698. [PMID: 35702934 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00306f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Using molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model, in conjunction with the weighted histogram analysis method, the adhesion modes of two spherical Janus nanoparticles (NPs) on the outer or inner side of lipid vesicles are explored. In particular, the effects of the area fraction, J, of the NPs that interact attractively with lipid head groups, the adhesion strength and the size of the NPs on their adhesion modes are investigated. The NPs are found to exhibit two main modes of adhesion when adhered to the outer side of the vesicle. In the first mode, which occurs at relatively low values of J, the NPs are apart from each other. In the second mode, which occurs at higher values of J, the NPs form an in-plane dimer. Janus NPs, which adhere to the inner side of the vesicle, are always found to be apart from each other, regardless of the value of J and their diameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhu
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Abash Sharma
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Eric J Spangler
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Mohamed Laradji
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
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5
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Gao J, Hou R, Li L, Hu J. Membrane-Mediated Interactions Between Protein Inclusions. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:811711. [PMID: 35004858 PMCID: PMC8727768 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.811711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Integral or peripheral membrane proteins, or protein oligomers often get close to each other on cell membranes and carry out biological tasks in a collective manner. In addition to electrostatic and van der Waals interactions, those proteins also experience membrane-mediated interactions, which may be necessary for their functionality. The membrane-mediated interactions originate from perturbation of lipid membranes by the presence of protein inclusions, and have been the subject of intensive research in membrane biophysics. Here we review both theoretical and numerical studies of such interactions for membrane proteins and for nanoparticles bound to lipid membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Gao
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ruihan Hou
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Long Li
- State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM) and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinglei Hu
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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6
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Dynamic mechanochemical feedback between curved membranes and BAR protein self-organization. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6550. [PMID: 34772909 PMCID: PMC8589976 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26591-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In many physiological situations, BAR proteins reshape membranes with pre-existing curvature (templates), contributing to essential cellular processes. However, the mechanism and the biological implications of this reshaping process remain unclear. Here we show, both experimentally and through modelling, that BAR proteins reshape low curvature membrane templates through a mechanochemical phase transition. This phenomenon depends on initial template shape and involves the co-existence and progressive transition between distinct local states in terms of molecular organization (protein arrangement and density) and membrane shape (template size and spherical versus cylindrical curvature). Further, we demonstrate in cells that this phenomenon enables a mechanotransduction mode, in which cellular stretch leads to the mechanical formation of membrane templates, which are then reshaped into tubules by BAR proteins. Our results demonstrate the interplay between membrane mechanics and BAR protein molecular organization, integrating curvature sensing and generation in a comprehensive framework with implications for cell mechanical responses.
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7
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Tozzi C, Walani N, Le Roux AL, Roca-Cusachs P, Arroyo M. A theory of ordering of elongated and curved proteins on membranes driven by density and curvature. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:3367-3379. [PMID: 33644786 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01733g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cell membranes interact with a myriad of curvature-active proteins that control membrane morphology and are responsible for mechanosensation and mechanotransduction. Some of these proteins, such as those containing BAR domains, are curved and elongated, and hence may adopt different states of orientational order, from isotropic to maximize entropy to nematic as a result of crowding or to adapt to the curvature of the underlying membrane. Here, extending the classical work of Onsager for ordering in hard particle systems and that of [E. S. Nascimento et al., Phys. Rev. E, 2017, 96, 022704], we develop a mean-field density functional theory to predict the orientational order and evaluate the free energy of ensembles of elongated and curved objects on curved membranes. This theory depends on the microscopic properties of the particles and explains how a density-dependent isotropic-to-nematic transition is modified by anisotropic curvature. We also examine the coexistence of isotropic and nematic phases. This theory predicts how ordering depends on geometry but we assume here that the geometry is fixed. It also lays the ground to understand the interplay between membrane reshaping by BAR proteins and molecular order, examined by [Le Roux et al., submitted, 2020].
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Tozzi
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
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8
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Bonazzi F, Hall CK, Weikl TR. Membrane morphologies induced by mixtures of arc-shaped particles with opposite curvature. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:268-275. [PMID: 32270169 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02476j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biological membranes are shaped by various proteins that either generate inward or outward membrane curvature. In this article, we investigate the membrane morphologies induced by mixtures of arc-shaped particles with coarse-grained modeling and simulations. The particles bind to the membranes either with their inward, concave side or their outward, convex side and, thus, generate membrane curvature of opposite sign. We find that small fractions of convex-binding particles can stabilize three-way junctions of membrane tubules, as suggested for the protein lunapark in the endoplasmic reticulum of cells. For comparable fractions of concave-binding and convex-binding particles, we observe lines of particles of the same type, and diverse membrane morphologies with grooves and bulges induced by these particle lines. The alignment and segregation of the particles is driven by indirect, membrane-mediated interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Bonazzi
- Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
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9
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Rode S, Elgeti J, Gompper G. Chiral-filament self-assembly on curved manifolds. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10548-10557. [PMID: 33078824 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01339k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Rod-like and banana-shaped proteins, like BAR-domain proteins and MreB proteins, adsorb on membranes and regulate the membrane curvature. The formation of large filamentous complexes of these proteins plays an important role in cellular processes like membrane trafficking, cytokinesis and cell motion. We propose a simplified model to investigate such curvature-dependent self-assembly processes. Anisotropic building blocks, modeled as trimer molecules, which have a preferred binding site, interact via pair-wise Lennard-Jones potentials. When several trimers assemble, they form an elastic ribbon with an intrinsic curvature and twist, controlled by bending and torsional rigidity. For trimer self-assembly on the curved surface of a cylindrical membrane, this leads to a preferred spatial orientation of the ribbon. We show that these interactions can lead to the formation of helices with several windings around the cylinder. The emerging helix angle and pitch depend on the rigidities and the intrinsic curvature and twist values. In particular, a well-defined and controllable helix angle emerges in the case of equal bending and torsional rigidity. The dynamics of filament growth is characterized by three regimes, in which filament length increases with the power laws tz in time, with z≃ 3/4, z = 1/2, and z = 0 for short, intermediate, and long times, respectively. A comparison with the solutions of the Smoluchowski aggregation equation allows the identification of the underlying mechanism in the short-time regime as a crossover from size-independent to diffusion-limited aggregation. Thus, helical structures, as often observed in biology, can arise by self-assembly of anisotropic and chiral proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Rode
- Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
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10
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Royes J, Biou V, Dautin N, Tribet C, Miroux B. Inducible intracellular membranes: molecular aspects and emerging applications. Microb Cell Fact 2020; 19:176. [PMID: 32887610 PMCID: PMC7650269 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-020-01433-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane remodeling and phospholipid biosynthesis are normally tightly regulated to maintain the shape and function of cells. Indeed, different physiological mechanisms ensure a precise coordination between de novo phospholipid biosynthesis and modulation of membrane morphology. Interestingly, the overproduction of certain membrane proteins hijack these regulation networks, leading to the formation of impressive intracellular membrane structures in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The proteins triggering an abnormal accumulation of membrane structures inside the cells (or membrane proliferation) share two major common features: (1) they promote the formation of highly curved membrane domains and (2) they lead to an enrichment in anionic, cone-shaped phospholipids (cardiolipin or phosphatidic acid) in the newly formed membranes. Taking into account the available examples of membrane proliferation upon protein overproduction, together with the latest biochemical, biophysical and structural data, we explore the relationship between protein synthesis and membrane biogenesis. We propose a mechanism for the formation of these non-physiological intracellular membranes that shares similarities with natural inner membrane structures found in α-proteobacteria, mitochondria and some viruses-infected cells, pointing towards a conserved feature through evolution. We hope that the information discussed in this review will give a better grasp of the biophysical mechanisms behind physiological and induced intracellular membrane proliferation, and inspire new applications, either for academia (high-yield membrane protein production and nanovesicle production) or industry (biofuel production and vaccine preparation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Royes
- Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-Chimique des Protéines Membranaires, Université de Paris, LBPC-PM, CNRS, UMR7099, 75005, Paris, France. .,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild pour le Développement de la Recherche Scientifique, 75005, Paris, France. .,Département de Chimie, École Normale Supérieure, PASTEUR, PSL University, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Valérie Biou
- Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-Chimique des Protéines Membranaires, Université de Paris, LBPC-PM, CNRS, UMR7099, 75005, Paris, France.,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild pour le Développement de la Recherche Scientifique, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Dautin
- Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-Chimique des Protéines Membranaires, Université de Paris, LBPC-PM, CNRS, UMR7099, 75005, Paris, France.,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild pour le Développement de la Recherche Scientifique, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Tribet
- Département de Chimie, École Normale Supérieure, PASTEUR, PSL University, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Miroux
- Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-Chimique des Protéines Membranaires, Université de Paris, LBPC-PM, CNRS, UMR7099, 75005, Paris, France. .,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild pour le Développement de la Recherche Scientifique, 75005, Paris, France.
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11
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Bahrami A, Bahrami AH. Vesicle constriction by rings of Janus nanoparticles and aggregates of curved proteins. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 30:345101. [PMID: 31048566 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab1ed5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Membrane constriction and associated scission by proteins and nano structures are crucial to many processes in cellular and synthetic biology. We report mechanical constriction of vesicles by rings of adsorbed Janus nanoparticles that represent synthetic nano structures and mimic contractile proteins, and by aggregates of curved crescents that mimic scaffold proteins. Membrane energetics from Monte Carlo simulations and simulated annealing of the elastic membrane model confirms spontaneous vesicle constriction by aggregates of sufficiently-curved crescents of various lengths and by rings of Janus nanoparticles with a variety of ring lengths, particle sizes, and particle area fractions. We show that shorter rings of smaller particles with higher area fractions reinforce the constriction by increasing the energetic drive towards the constricted vesicle with smaller constriction radius. We demonstrate that vesicle constriction by crescent aggregates strongly depends on the crescent curvature. In contrast to aggregates of sufficiently-curved crescents that are capable of inducing full vesicle constriction, those of near flat crescents with negligible curvature leave the vesicle unconstricted. Our results offer promising perspectives for designing membrane-constricting nano structures such as nanoparticle aggregates and clusters of synthetic curved proteins such as DNA origami scaffolds with applications in synthetic biology. Our findings reveal the significant contribution of highly-curved F-BAR domains to cell division and explain how contractile protein rings such as dynamin GTPase, actomyosin rings, and endosomal sorting complexes required for transport constrict the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Bahrami
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, North Kargar St., 14399-57131 Tehran, Iran
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12
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Hafner AE, Krausser J, Šarić A. Minimal coarse-grained models for molecular self-organisation in biology. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 58:43-52. [PMID: 31226513 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The molecular machinery of life is largely created via self-organisation of individual molecules into functional assemblies. Minimal coarse-grained models, in which a whole macromolecule is represented by a small number of particles, can be of great value in identifying the main driving forces behind self-organisation in cell biology. Such models can incorporate data from both molecular and continuum scales, and their results can be directly compared to experiments. Here we review the state of the art of models for studying the formation and biological function of macromolecular assemblies in living organisms. We outline the key ingredients of each model and their main findings. We illustrate the contribution of this class of simulations to identifying the physical mechanisms behind life and diseases, and discuss their future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E Hafner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Johannes Krausser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Anđela Šarić
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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