1
|
Cannariato M, Zizzi EA, Tuszynski JA, Deriu MA. Multiscale Computational Analysis of the Effect of Taxol on Microtubule Mechanics. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024. [PMID: 39166920 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c00847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) are widely recognized as targets for cancer therapies. They are directly related to unique mechanical properties, closely dependent on MT architecture and tubulin molecular features. Taxol is known to affect tubulin interactions resulting in the stabilization of the MT lattice, and thus the hierarchical organization stability, mechanics, and function. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which taxol modulates intertubulin interactions in the MT lattice, and consequently, its stability and mechanical response is crucial to characterize how MT properties are regulated by environmental factors, such as interacting ligands. In this study, a computational analysis of the effect of taxol on the MT was performed at different scales, combining molecular dynamics simulation, dynamical network analysis, and elastic network modeling. The results show that the taxol-induced conformational differences at the M-loop region increase the stability of the lateral interactions and the amount of surface in contact between laterally coupled tubulins. Moreover, the conformational rearrangements in the taxane binding site result in a different structural communication pattern. Finally, the different conformation of the tubulin heterodimers and the stabilized lateral interactions resulted in a tendency toward higher deformation of the vibrating MT in the presence of taxol. Overall, this work provides additional insights into taxol-induced stabilization and relates the conformational changes at the tubulin level to the MT mechanics. Besides providing useful insights into taxol effect on MT mechanics, a methodological framework that could be used to characterize the effects of other MT stabilizing agents is presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Cannariato
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin 10129, Italy
| | - Eric A Zizzi
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin 10129, Italy
| | - Jacek A Tuszynski
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin 10129, Italy
| | - Marco A Deriu
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin 10129, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gonzales J, Kim I, Hwang W, Cho JH. Evolutionary rewiring of the dynamic network underpinning allosteric epistasis in NS1 of influenza A virus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.24.595776. [PMID: 38826371 PMCID: PMC11142230 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.24.595776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Viral proteins frequently mutate to evade or antagonize host innate immune responses, yet the impact of these mutations on the molecular energy landscape remains unclear. Epistasis, the intramolecular communications between mutations, often renders the combined mutational effects unpredictable. Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a major virulence factor of the influenza A virus (IAV) that activates host PI3K by binding to its p85β subunit. Here, we present the deep analysis for the impact of evolutionary mutations in NS1 that emerged between the 1918 pandemic IAV strain and its descendant PR8 strain. Our analysis reveal how the mutations rewired inter-residue communications which underlies long-range allosteric and epistatic networks in NS1. Our findings show that PR8 NS1 binds to p85β with approximately 10-fold greater affinity than 1918 NS1 due to allosteric mutational effects. Notably, these mutations also exhibited long-range epistatic effects. NMR chemical shift perturbation and methyl-axis order parameter analyses revealed that the mutations induced long-range structural and dynamic changes in PR8 NS1, enhancing its affinity to p85β. Complementary MD simulations and graph-based network analysis uncover how these mutations rewire dynamic residue interaction networks, which underlies the long-range epistasis and allosteric effects on p85β-binding affinity. Significantly, we find that conformational dynamics of residues with high betweenness centrality play a crucial role in communications between network communities and are highly conserved across influenza A virus evolution. These findings advance our mechanistic understanding of the allosteric and epistatic communications between distant residues and provides insight into their role in the molecular evolution of NS1.
Collapse
|
3
|
Manrique PD, Leus IV, López CA, Mehla J, Malloci G, Gervasoni S, Vargiu AV, Kinthada RK, Herndon L, Hengartner NW, Walker JK, Rybenkov VV, Ruggerone P, Zgurskaya HI, Gnanakaran S. Predicting permeation of compounds across the outer membrane of P. aeruginosa using molecular descriptors. Commun Chem 2024; 7:84. [PMID: 38609430 PMCID: PMC11015012 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01161-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability Gram-negative pathogens have at adapting and protecting themselves against antibiotics has increasingly become a public health threat. Data-driven models identifying molecular properties that correlate with outer membrane (OM) permeation and growth inhibition while avoiding efflux could guide the discovery of novel classes of antibiotics. Here we evaluate 174 molecular descriptors in 1260 antimicrobial compounds and study their correlations with antibacterial activity in Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The descriptors are derived from traditional approaches quantifying the compounds' intrinsic physicochemical properties, together with, bacterium-specific from ensemble docking of compounds targeting specific MexB binding pockets, and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in different subregions of the OM model. Using these descriptors and the measured inhibitory concentrations, we design a statistical protocol to identify predictors of OM permeation/inhibition. We find consistent rules across most of our data highlighting the role of the interaction between the compounds and the OM. An implementation of the rules uncovered in our study is shown, and it demonstrates the accuracy of our approach in a set of previously unseen compounds. Our analysis sheds new light on the key properties drug candidates need to effectively permeate/inhibit P. aeruginosa, and opens the gate to similar data-driven studies in other Gram-negative pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro D Manrique
- Physics Department, George Washington University, Washington, 20052, DC, USA.
| | - Inga V Leus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, OK, USA
| | - César A López
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545, NM, USA
| | - Jitender Mehla
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, OK, USA
| | - Giuliano Malloci
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, 20052, CA, Italy
| | - Silvia Gervasoni
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, 20052, CA, Italy
| | - Attilio V Vargiu
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, 20052, CA, Italy
| | - Rama K Kinthada
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, 63103, MO, USA
| | - Liam Herndon
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545, NM, USA
| | - Nicolas W Hengartner
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545, NM, USA
| | - John K Walker
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, 63103, MO, USA
| | - Valentin V Rybenkov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, OK, USA
| | - Paolo Ruggerone
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, 20052, CA, Italy
| | - Helen I Zgurskaya
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, OK, USA
| | - S Gnanakaran
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 87545, NM, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cannariato M, Zizzi EA, Pallante L, Miceli M, Deriu MA. Mechanical communication within the microtubule through network-based analysis of tubulin dynamics. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2024; 23:569-579. [PMID: 38060156 PMCID: PMC10963519 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01792-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The identification of the mechanisms underlying the transfer of mechanical vibrations in protein complexes is crucial to understand how these super-assemblies are stabilized to perform specific functions within the cell. In this context, the study of the structural communication and the propagation of mechanical stimuli within the microtubule (MT) is important given the pivotal role of the latter in cell viability. In this study, we employed molecular modelling and the dynamical network analysis approaches to analyse the MT. The results highlight that β -tubulin drives the transfer of mechanical information between protofilaments (PFs), which is altered at the seam due to a different interaction pattern. Moreover, while the key residues involved in the structural communication along the PF are generally conserved, a higher diversity was observed for amino acids mediating the lateral communication. Taken together, these results might explain why MTs with different PF numbers are formed in different organisms or with different β -tubulin isotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Cannariato
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Eric A Zizzi
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pallante
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Marcello Miceli
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco A Deriu
- PolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Parsons RJ, Acharya P. Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113444. [PMID: 37979169 PMCID: PMC10782855 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern, first identified in November 2021, rapidly spread worldwide and diversified into several subvariants. The Omicron spike (S) protein accumulated an unprecedented number of sequence changes relative to previous variants. In this review, we discuss how Omicron S protein structural features modulate host cell receptor binding, virus entry, and immune evasion and highlight how these structural features differentiate Omicron from previous variants. We also examine how key structural properties track across the still-evolving Omicron subvariants and the importance of continuing surveillance of the S protein sequence evolution over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth J Parsons
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Manoussopoulos Y, Anastassopoulou C, Ioannidis JPA, Tsakris A. Paired associated SARS-CoV-2 spike variable positions: a network analysis approach to emerging variants. mSystems 2023; 8:e0044023. [PMID: 37432011 PMCID: PMC10469592 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00440-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Amino acids in variable positions of proteins may be correlated, with potential structural and functional implications. Here, we apply exact tests of independence in R × C contingency tables to examine noise-free associations between variable positions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, using as a paradigm sequences from Greece deposited in GISAID (N = 6,683/1,078 full length) for the period 29 February 2020 to 26 April 2021 that essentially covers the first three pandemic waves. We examine the fate and complexity of these associations by network analysis, using associated positions (exact P ≤ 0.001 and Average Product Correction ≥ 2) as links and the corresponding positions as nodes. We found a temporal linear increase of positional differences and a gradual expansion of the number of position associations over time, represented by a temporally evolving intricate web, resulting in a non-random complex network of 69 nodes and 252 links. Overconnected nodes corresponded to the most adapted variant positions in the population, suggesting a direct relation between network degree and position functional importance. Modular analysis revealed 25 k-cliques comprising 3 to 11 nodes. At different k-clique resolutions, one to four communities were formed, capturing epistatic associations of circulating variants (Alpha, Beta, B.1.1.318), but also Delta, which dominated the evolutionary landscape later in the pandemic. Cliques of aminoacidic positional associations tended to occur in single sequences, enabling the recognition of epistatic positions in real-world virus populations. Our findings provide a novel way of understanding epistatic relationships in viral proteins with potential applications in the design of virus control procedures. IMPORTANCE Paired positional associations of adapted amino acids in virus proteins may provide new insights for understanding virus evolution and variant formation. We investigated potential intramolecular relationships between variable SARS-CoV-2 spike positions by exact tests of independence in R × C contingency tables, having applied Average Product Correction (APC) to eliminate background noise. Associated positions (exact P ≤ 0.001 and APC ≥ 2) formed a non-random, epistatic network of 25 cliques and 1-4 communities at different clique resolutions, revealing evolutionary ties between variable positions of circulating variants and a predictive potential of previously unknown network positions. Cliques of different sizes represented theoretical combinations of changing residues in sequence space, allowing the identification of significant aminoacidic combinations in single sequences of real-world populations. Our analytic approach that links network structural aspects to mutational aminoacidic combinations in the spike sequence population offers a novel way to understand virus epidemiology and evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiannis Manoussopoulos
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- ELGO-Demeter, Plant Protection Division of Patras, Laboratory of Virology, Patras, Greece
| | - Cleo Anastassopoulou
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - John P. A. Ioannidis
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Athanasios Tsakris
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| |
Collapse
|