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Lutsyk V, Wolski P, Plazinski W. The Conformation of Glycosidic Linkages According to Various Force Fields: Monte Carlo Modeling of Polysaccharides Based on Extrapolation of Short-Chain Properties. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:6350-6368. [PMID: 38985993 PMCID: PMC11270825 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
The conformational features of the glycosidic linkage are the most important variable to consider when studying di-, oligo-, and polysaccharide molecules using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The accuracy of the theoretical model describing this degree of freedom influences the quality of the results obtained from MD calculations based on this model. This article focuses on the following two issues related to the conformation of the glycosidic linkage. First, we describe the results of a comparative analysis of the predictions of three carbohydrate-dedicated classical force fields for MD simulations, namely, CHARMM, GLYCAM, and GROMOS, in the context of different parameters of structural and energetic nature related to the conformation of selected types of glycosidic linkages, α(1 → 4), β(1 → 3), and β(1 → 4), connecting glucopyranose units. This analysis revealed several differences, mainly concerning the energy levels of the secondary and tertiary conformers and the linkage flexibility within the dominant exo-syn conformation for α(1 → 4) and β(1 → 3) linkages. Some aspects of the comparative analysis also included the newly developed, carbohydrate-dedicated Martini 3 coarse-grained force field. Second, to overcome the time-scale problem associated with sampling slow degrees of freedom in polysaccharide chains during MD simulations, we developed a coarse-grained (CG) model based on the data from MD simulations and designed for Monte Carlo modeling. This model (CG MC) is based on information from simulations of short saccharide chains, effectively sampled in atomistic MD simulations, and is capable of extrapolating local conformational properties to the case of polysaccharides of arbitrary length. The CG MC model has the potential to estimate the conformations of very long polysaccharide chains, taking into account the influence of secondary and tertiary conformations of glycosidic linkages. With respect to the comparative analysis of force fields, the application of CG MC modeling showed that relatively small differences in the predictions of individual force fields with respect to a single glycosidic linkage accumulate when considering their effect on the structure of longer chains, leading to drastically different predictions with respect to parameters describing the polymer conformation, such as the persistence length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery Lutsyk
- Jerzy
Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland
| | - Pawel Wolski
- Jerzy
Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland
| | - Wojciech Plazinski
- Jerzy
Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland
- Department
of Biopharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Chodzki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
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2
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Yao ZY, Gong JS, Jiang JY, Su C, Zhao WH, Xu ZH, Shi JS. Unraveling the intricacies of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis: Decoding the molecular symphony in understanding complex polysaccharide assembly. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 75:108416. [PMID: 39033835 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are extensively utilized in clinical, cosmetic, and healthcare field, as well as in the treatment of thrombosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatism, and cancer. The biological production of GAGs is a strategy that has garnered significant attention due to its numerous advantages over traditional preparation methods. In this review, we embark on a journey to decode the intricate molecular symphony that orchestrates the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans. By unraveling the complex interplay of related enzymes and thorough excavation of the intricate metabolic cascades involved, GAGs chain aggregation and transportation, which efficiently and controllably modulate GAGs sulfation patterns involved in biosynthetic pathway, we endeavor to offer a thorough comprehension of how these remarkable GAGs are intricately assembled and pushes the boundaries of our understanding in GAGs biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Yuan Yao
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China; National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China
| | - Jin-Song Gong
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China; Institute of Future Food Technology, JITRI, Yixing 214200, PR China.
| | - Jia-Yu Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China
| | - Chang Su
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China; Institute of Future Food Technology, JITRI, Yixing 214200, PR China
| | - Wen-Han Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China
| | - Zheng-Hong Xu
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China; Institute of Future Food Technology, JITRI, Yixing 214200, PR China; College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China
| | - Jin-Song Shi
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, PR China; Institute of Future Food Technology, JITRI, Yixing 214200, PR China.
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Riopedre-Fernandez M, Biriukov D, Dračínský M, Martinez-Seara H. Hyaluronan-arginine enhanced and dynamic interaction emerges from distinctive molecular signature due to electrostatics and side-chain specificity. Carbohydr Polym 2024; 325:121568. [PMID: 38008475 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121568] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Hyaluronan is a natural carbohydrate polymer with a negative charge that fosters gel-like conditions crucial for its cellular functions and industrial applications. As a recognized ligand for proteins, understanding their mutual interactions provides solid ground to tune hyaluronan's gel properties using biocompatible peptides. This work employs NMR and molecular dynamics simulations to identify molecular motifs relevant to hyaluronan-peptide interactions using arginine, lysine, and glycine oligopeptides. Arginine-rich peptides exhibit the strongest binding to hyaluronan according to chemical shift perturbation measurements, followed distantly by the similarly charged lysine. This difference highlights the significance of electrostatics and the peculiarities of the guanidinium side chain in arginine, capable of non-polar interactions that further stabilize the binding. Additional nuclear Overhauser effect measurements do not show stable interaction partners, precluding strong and well-defined complexes. Finally, molecular simulations support our findings and show an extended but significant interaction region, especially for arginine, responsible for the observed enhanced binding, which can also promote cross-linking of hyaluronan polymers. Our findings pave the way for optimizing biocompatible peptides to alter hyaluronan gels' properties efficiently and also explain why hyaluronan-protein interaction typically involves positively charged arginine-rich regions also capable of forming hydrogen bonds and non-polar interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Riopedre-Fernandez
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, Prague 6 16000, Czech Republic
| | - Denys Biriukov
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, Prague 6 16000, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Dračínský
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, Prague 6 16000, Czech Republic
| | - Hector Martinez-Seara
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, Prague 6 16000, Czech Republic.
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4
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Dhurua S, Jana M. Sulfation Effects of Chondroitin Sulfate to Bind a Chemokine in Aqueous Medium: Conformational Heterogeneity and Dynamics from Molecular Simulation. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:5660-5675. [PMID: 37611186 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
The sulfation patterns and degree of sulfation of chondroitin sulfate (CS), an important class of glycosaminoglycans (GAG), and their interactions with chemokines are accountable for various diseases. To realize the underlying mechanism of such complex biological phenomena at a molecular level and their application in rational drug design, a study on conformations and dynamics of CSs is necessary. To explore this, in this study, we performed a series of atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with different sulfated variants of octadecasaccharide CS, like CS-C, CS-E, and CS-T, in their free forms and when bound to the protein chemokine CXCL8 dimer in an aqueous medium. The calculated binding free energy of CSs with the CXCL8 dimer is favorable, and the degree of sulfation favors the complexation process further with prominent hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonded interactions. We find that the recognition is associated with the configurational entropy loss of the CS molecules as calculated from the Gaussian mixture approach, which supports that the degree of sulfation regulates the process. Cluster analysis through the k-means algorithm and end-to-end distance measurement revealed that although the free CS molecules adopted linear conformations, the nonlinear conformations during binding with protein were noted. Adaptation of nonlinear forms in the bound forms is noteworthy for the less-sulfated CS-C and CS-E. Apart from favorable 4C1 conformations, the occasional appearance of skew-boat forms from the free-energy map of ring pucker for the GlcUA unit was observed, which remains unaffected by the sulfation. We find that during recognition, the average relaxation time of intra-CS and inter-CS-CXCL8 hydrogen bonds (HBs) is about a magnitude lesser than that of CS-water HBs, most prominent on the involvement of higher sulfated CS-T analogues. The translational motion of surrounded water molecules in CSs exhibited sublinear diffusion, and the degree of sublinearity increases around the heavily sulfated molecules due to the hindrance created by them as well as the presence of the chemokine and exhibited markedly slow heterogeneous diffusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakuntala Dhurua
- Molecular Simulation Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India
| | - Madhurima Jana
- Molecular Simulation Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India
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Pągielska M, Samsonov SA. Molecular Dynamics-Based Comparative Analysis of Chondroitin and Dermatan Sulfates. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13020247. [PMID: 36830616 PMCID: PMC9953526 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a class of linear anionic periodic polysaccharides containing disaccharide repetitive units. These molecules interact with a variety of proteins in the extracellular matrix and so participate in biochemically crucial processes such as cell signalling affecting tissue regeneration as well as the onset of cancer, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases. Due to their flexibility, periodicity and chemical heterogeneity, often termed "sulfation code", GAGs are challenging molecules both for experiments and computation. One of the key questions in the GAG research is the specificity of their intermolecular interactions. In this study, we make a step forward to deciphering the "sulfation code" of chondroitin sulfates-4,6 (CS4, CS6, where the numbers correspond to the position of sulfation in NAcGal residue) and dermatan sulfate (DS), which is different from CSs by the presence of IdoA acid instead of GlcA. We rigorously investigate two sets of these GAGs in dimeric, tetrameric and hexameric forms with molecular dynamics-based descriptors. Our data clearly suggest that CS4, CS6 and DS are substantially different in terms of their structural, conformational and dynamic properties, which contributes to the understanding of how these molecules can be different when they bind proteins, which could have practical implications for the GAG-based drug design strategies in the regenerative medicine.
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Interaction of Chondroitin and Hyaluronan Glycosaminoglycans with Surfaces of Carboxylated Carbon Nanotubes Studied Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 28:molecules28020826. [PMID: 36677880 PMCID: PMC9861662 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Interaction of β-D-glucopyranuronic acid (GlcA), N-acetyl-β-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc), N-acetyl-β-D-galactosamine (GalNAc) and two natural decameric glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid (HA) and Chondroitin (Ch) with carboxylated carbon nanotubes, were studied using molecular dynamics simulations in a condensed phase. The force field used for carbohydrates was the GLYCAM-06j version, while functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNT) were described using version two of the general amber force field. We found a series of significant differences in carbohydrate-fCNT adsorption strength depending on the monosaccharide molecule and protonation state of surface carboxyl groups. GlcNAc and GalNAc reveal a strong adsorption on fCNT with deprotonated carboxyl groups, and a slightly weaker adsorption on the fCNT with protonated carboxyl groups. On the contrary, GlcA weakly adsorbs on fCNT. The change in protonation state of surface carboxyl groups leads to the reversal orientation of GlcNAc and GalNAc in reference to the fCNT surface, while GlcA is not sensitive to that factor. Adsorption of decameric oligomers on the surface of fCNT weakens with the increasing number of monosaccharide units. Chondroitin adsorbs weaker than hyaluronic acid and incorporation of four Ch molecules leads to partial detachment of them from the fCNT surface. The glycan-fCNT interactions are strong enough to alter the conformation of carbohydrate backbone; the corresponding conformational changes act toward a more intensive contact of glycan with the fCNT surface. Structural and energetic features of the adsorption process suggest the CH-π interaction-driven mechanism.
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Guvench O. Atomic-Resolution Experimental Structural Biology and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Hyaluronan and Its Complexes. Molecules 2022; 27:7276. [PMID: 36364098 PMCID: PMC9658939 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This review summarizes the atomic-resolution structural biology of hyaluronan and its complexes available in the Protein Data Bank, as well as published studies of atomic-resolution explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations on these and other hyaluronan and hyaluronan-containing systems. Advances in accurate molecular mechanics force fields, simulation methods and software, and computer hardware have supported a recent flourish in such simulations, such that the simulation publications now outnumber the structural biology publications by an order of magnitude. In addition to supplementing the experimental structural biology with computed dynamic and thermodynamic information, the molecular dynamics studies provide a wealth of atomic-resolution information on hyaluronan-containing systems for which there is no atomic-resolution structural biology either available or possible. Examples of these summarized in this review include hyaluronan pairing with other hyaluronan molecules and glycosaminoglycans, with ions, with proteins and peptides, with lipids, and with drugs and drug-like molecules. Despite limitations imposed by present-day computing resources on system size and simulation timescale, atomic-resolution explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations have been able to contribute significant insight into hyaluronan's flexibility and capacity for intra- and intermolecular non-covalent interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olgun Guvench
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration, School of Pharmacy, Westbrook College of Health Professions, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, USA
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8
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Lutsyk V, Wolski P, Plazinski W. Extending the Martini 3 Coarse-Grained Force Field to Carbohydrates. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:5089-5107. [PMID: 35904547 PMCID: PMC9367002 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Carbohydrates play an essential role in a large number of chemical and biochemical processes. High structural diversity and conformational heterogeneity make it problematic to link their measurable properties to molecular features. Molecular dynamics simulations carried out at the level of classical force fields are routinely applied to study the complex processes occurring in carbohydrate-containing systems, while the usefulness of such simulations relies on the accuracy of the underlying theoretical model. In this article, we present the coarse-grained force field dedicated to glucopyranose-based carbohydrates and compatible with the recent version of the Martini force field (v. 3.0). The parameterization was based on optimizing bonded and nonbonded parameters with a reference to the all-atom simulation results and the experimental data. Application of the newly developed coarse-grained carbohydrate model to oligosaccharides curdlan and cellulose displays spontaneous formation of aggregates of experimentally identified features. In contact with other biomolecules, the model is capable of recovering the protective effect of glucose monosaccharides on a lipid bilayer and correctly identifying the binding pockets in carbohydrate-binding proteins. The features of the newly proposed model make it an excellent candidate for further extensions, aimed at modeling more complex, functionalized, and biologically relevant carbohydrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery Lutsyk
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland
| | - Pawel Wolski
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland
| | - Wojciech Plazinski
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland.,Department of Biopharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Chodzki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
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Holmes SG, Nagarajan B, Desai UR. 3- O-Sulfation induces sequence-specific compact topologies in heparan sulfate that encode a dynamic sulfation code. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:3884-3898. [PMID: 35891779 PMCID: PMC9309406 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Heparan sulfate (HS) is arguably the most diverse linear biopolymer that is known to modulate hundreds of proteins. Whereas the configurational and conformational diversity of HS is well established in terms of varying sulfation patterns and iduronic acid (IdoA) puckers, a linear helical topology resembling a cylindrical rod is the only topology thought to be occupied by the biopolymer. We reasoned that 3-O-sulfation, a rare modification in natural HS, may induce novel topologies that contribute to selective recognition of proteins. In this work, we studied a library of 24 distinct HS hexasaccharides using molecular dynamics (MD). We discovered novel compact (C) topologies that are populated significantly by a unique group of 3-O-sulfated sequences containing IdoA residues. 3-O-sulfated sequences containing glucuronic acid (GlcA) residue and sequences devoid of 3-O-sulfate groups did not exhibit high levels of the C topology and primarily exhibited only the canonical linear (L) form. The C topology arises under dynamical conditions due to rotation around an IdoA → GlcN glycosidic linkage, especially in psi (Ψ) torsion. At an atomistic level, the L → C transformation is a multi-factorial phenomenon engineered to reduce like-charge repulsion, release one or more HS-bound water molecules, and organize a bi-dentate "IdoA-cation-IdoA" interaction. These forces also drive an L → C transformation in a 3-O-sulfated octasaccharide, which has shown evidence of the unique C topology in the co-crystallized state. The 3-O-sulfate-based generation of unique, sequence-specific, compact topologies indicate that natural HS encodes a dynamic sulfation code that could be exploited for selective recognition of target proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G. Holmes
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - Balaji Nagarajan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - Umesh R. Desai
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
- Corresponding author at: Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery, and Development, 800 E. Leigh Street, Suite 212, Richmond, VA 23219, USA.
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Molecular dynamics simulations to understand glycosaminoglycan interactions in the free- and protein-bound states. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 74:102356. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Roy R, Jonniya NA, Kar P. Effect of Sulfation on the Conformational Dynamics of Dermatan Sulfate Glycosaminoglycan: A Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics Study. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:3852-3866. [PMID: 35594147 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are anionic biopolymers present on cell surfaces as a part of proteoglycans. The biological activities of GAGs depend on the sulfation pattern. In our study, we have considered three octadecasaccharide dermatan sulfate (DS) chains with increasing order of sulfation (dp6s, dp7s, and dp12s) to illuminate the role of sulfation on the GAG units and its chain conformation through 10 μs-long Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics simulations. DS is composed of repeating disaccharide units of iduronic acid (IdoA) and N-acetylgalactosamine (N-GalNAc). Here, N-GalNAc is linked to IdoA via β(1-4), while IdoA is linked to N-GalNAc through α(1-3). With the increase in sulfation, the DS structure becomes more rigid and linear, as is evident from the distribution of root-mean-square deviations (RMSDs) and end-to-end distances. The tetrasaccharide linker region of the main chain shows a rigid conformation in terms of the glycosidic linkage. We have observed that upon sulfation (i.e., dp12s), the ring flip between two chair forms vanished for IdoA. The dynamic cross-correlation analysis reveals that the anticorrelation motions in dp12s are reduced significantly compared to dp6s or dp7s. An increase in sulfation generates relatively more stable hydrogen-bond networks, including water bridging with the neighboring monosaccharides. Despite the favorable linear structures of the GAG chains, our study also predicts few significant bendings related to the different puckering states, which may play a notable role in the function of the DS. The relation between the global conformation with the micro-level parameters such as puckering and water-mediated hydrogen bonds shapes the overall conformational space of GAGs. Overall, atomistic details of the DS chain provided in this study will help understand their functional and mechanical roles, besides developing new biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajarshi Roy
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Nisha Amarnath Jonniya
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Parimal Kar
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Khandwa Road, Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
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12
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Molecular dynamics simulation: A new way to understand the functionality of the endothelial glycocalyx. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 73:102330. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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13
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In-Depth Molecular Dynamics Study of All Possible Chondroitin Sulfate Disaccharides Reveals Key Insight into Structural Heterogeneity and Dynamism. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12010077. [PMID: 35053225 PMCID: PMC8773825 DOI: 10.3390/biom12010077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
GAGs exhibit a high level of conformational and configurational diversity, which remains untapped in terms of the recognition and modulation of proteins. Although GAGs are suggested to bind to more than 800 biologically important proteins, very few therapeutics have been designed or discovered so far. A key challenge is the inability to identify, understand and predict distinct topologies accessed by GAGs, which may help design novel protein-binding GAG sequences. Recent studies on chondroitin sulfate (CS), a key member of the GAG family, pinpointing its role in multiple biological functions led us to study the conformational dynamism of CS building blocks using molecular dynamics (MD). In the present study, we used the all-atom GLYCAM06 force field for the first time to explore the conformational space of all possible CS building blocks. Each of the 16 disaccharides was solvated in a TIP3P water box with an appropriate number of counter ions followed by equilibration and a production run. We analyzed the MD trajectories for torsional space, inter- and intra-molecular H-bonding, bridging water, conformational spread and energy landscapes. An in-house phi and psi probability density analysis showed that 1→3-linked sequences were more flexible than 1→4-linked sequences. More specifically, phi and psi regions for 1→4-linked sequences were held within a narrower range because of intra-molecular H-bonding between the GalNAc O5 atom and GlcA O3 atom, irrespective of sulfation pattern. In contrast, no such intra-molecular interaction arose for 1→3-linked sequences. Further, the stability of 1→4-linked sequences also arose from inter-molecular interactions involving bridged water molecules. The energy landscape for both classes of CS disaccharides demonstrated increased ruggedness as the level of sulfation increased. The results show that CS building blocks present distinct conformational dynamism that offers the high possibility of unique electrostatic surfaces for protein recognition. The fundamental results presented here will support the development of algorithms that help to design longer CS chains for protein recognition.
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14
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Guvench O, Martin D, Greene M. Pyranose Ring Puckering Thermodynamics for Glycan Monosaccharides Associated with Vertebrate Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:473. [PMID: 35008898 PMCID: PMC8745717 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The conformational properties of carbohydrates can contribute to protein structure directly through covalent conjugation in the cases of glycoproteins and proteoglycans and indirectly in the case of transmembrane proteins embedded in glycolipid-containing bilayers. However, there continue to be significant challenges associated with experimental structural biology of such carbohydrate-containing systems. All-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations provide a direct atomic resolution view of biomolecular dynamics and thermodynamics, but the accuracy of the results depends on the quality of the force field parametrization used in the simulations. A key determinant of the conformational properties of carbohydrates is ring puckering. Here, we applied extended system adaptive biasing force (eABF) all-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the ring puckering thermodynamics of the ten common pyranose monosaccharides found in vertebrate biology (as represented by the CHARMM carbohydrate force field). The results, along with those for idose, demonstrate that the CHARMM force field reliably models ring puckering across this diverse set of molecules, including accurately capturing the subtle balance between 4C1 and 1C4 chair conformations in the cases of iduronate and of idose. This suggests the broad applicability of the force field for accurate modeling of carbohydrate-containing vertebrate biomolecules such as glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycolipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olgun Guvench
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, USA; (D.M.); (M.G.)
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, 5775 Stodder Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Devon Martin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, USA; (D.M.); (M.G.)
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, 5775 Stodder Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Megan Greene
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, USA; (D.M.); (M.G.)
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