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Papadourakis M, Sinenka H, Matricon P, Hénin J, Brannigan G, Pérez-Benito L, Pande V, van Vlijmen H, de Graaf C, Deflorian F, Tresadern G, Cecchini M, Cournia Z. Alchemical Free Energy Calculations on Membrane-Associated Proteins. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:7437-7458. [PMID: 37902715 PMCID: PMC11017255 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Membrane proteins have diverse functions within cells and are well-established drug targets. The advances in membrane protein structural biology have revealed drug and lipid binding sites on membrane proteins, while computational methods such as molecular simulations can resolve the thermodynamic basis of these interactions. Particularly, alchemical free energy calculations have shown promise in the calculation of reliable and reproducible binding free energies of protein-ligand and protein-lipid complexes in membrane-associated systems. In this review, we present an overview of representative alchemical free energy studies on G-protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, transporters as well as protein-lipid interactions, with emphasis on best practices and critical aspects of running these simulations. Additionally, we analyze challenges and successes when running alchemical free energy calculations on membrane-associated proteins. Finally, we highlight the value of alchemical free energy calculations calculations in drug discovery and their applicability in the pharmaceutical industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michail Papadourakis
- Biomedical
Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Hryhory Sinenka
- Institut
de Chimie de Strasbourg, UMR7177, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, F-67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - Pierre Matricon
- Sosei
Heptares, Steinmetz Building,
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United
Kingdom
| | - Jérôme Hénin
- Laboratoire
de Biochimie Théorique UPR 9080, CNRS and Université Paris Cité, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Grace Brannigan
- Center
for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University−Camden, Camden, New Jersey 08103, United States of America
- Department
of Physics, Rutgers University−Camden, Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
of America
| | - Laura Pérez-Benito
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Vineet Pande
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Herman van Vlijmen
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Chris de Graaf
- Sosei
Heptares, Steinmetz Building,
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United
Kingdom
| | - Francesca Deflorian
- Sosei
Heptares, Steinmetz Building,
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United
Kingdom
| | - Gary Tresadern
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Marco Cecchini
- Institut
de Chimie de Strasbourg, UMR7177, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, F-67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - Zoe Cournia
- Biomedical
Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527 Athens, Greece
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Keller F, Alavizargar A, Wedlich-Söldner R, Heuer A. The impact of bilayer composition on the dimerization properties of the Slg1 stress sensor TMD from a multiscale analysis. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:1299-1309. [PMID: 36533706 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03497b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The impact of mutual interactions between the transmembrane domains of membrane proteins and lipids on bilayer properties has gained major attraction. Most simulation studies of membranes rely on the Martini force field, which has proven extremely helpful in providing molecular insights into realistic systems. Accordingly, an evaluation of the accuracy of the Martini force field is crucial to be able to correctly interpret the reported data. In this study, we combine atomistic and coarse-grained Martini simulations to investigate the properties of transmembrane domains (TMDs) in a model yeast membrane. The results show that the TMD binding state (monomeric and dimeric with positive or negative crossing angle) and the membrane composition significantly influence the properties around the TMDs and change TMD-TMD and TMD-lipid affinities. Furthermore, ergosterol (ERG) exhibits a strong affinity to TMD dimers. Importantly, the right-handed TMD dimer configuration is stabilized via TMD-TMD contacts by the addition of asymmetric anionic phosphatidylserine (PS). The coarse-grained simulations corroborate many of these findings, with two notable exceptions: a systematic overestimation of TMD-ERG interaction and lack of stabilization of the right-handed TMD dimers with the addition of PS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Keller
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Corrensstraße 28, Münster, Germany.
| | | | | | - Andreas Heuer
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Corrensstraße 28, Münster, Germany.
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3
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Pawar AB, Sengupta D. Role of Cholesterol in Transmembrane Dimerization of the ErbB2 Growth Factor Receptor. J Membr Biol 2021; 254:301-310. [PMID: 33506276 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-021-00168-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The association of ErbB2 growth factor receptors is critical for cell growth and potentiates tumor proliferation in several cancer types. An important aspect in ErbB2 association is the role of lipids such as cholesterol, especially since their metabolism is often reprogrammed in cancer cells. Here, we have coupled metadynamics with coarse-grain simulations to identify cholesterol effects in the transmembrane dimerization of ErbB2 receptors. Overall, cholesterol interactions are observed with the receptor that directly tunes the association energetics. Several dimer conformations are identified both in the presence and absence of cholesterol, although the dimer regime appears to be more favorable in the presence of cholesterol. We observe an overall modulation of the underlying energy profile and the symmetric active and inactive conformational states are not distinguished in the presence of cholesterol. We show that cholesterol binds to the receptor transmembrane domain at a site (CRAC motif) that overlaps with the dimer interface (SmXXXSm motif). The competition between the transmembrane interactions and cholesterol interactions decides the final conformational landscape. Our work is an important step toward characterizing cholesterol effects in ErbB2 membrane receptor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiswarya B Pawar
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Durba Sengupta
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India. .,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
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4
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Gopal SM, Pawar AB, Wassenaar TA, Sengupta D. Lipid-dependent conformational landscape of the ErbB2 growth factor receptor dimers. Chem Phys Lipids 2020; 230:104911. [PMID: 32353357 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2020.104911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Altered lipid metabolism has been linked to cancer development and progression. Several roles have been attributed to the increased saturation and length of lipid acyl tails observed in tumors, but its effect on signaling receptors is still emerging. In this work, we have analyzed the lipid dependence of the ErbB2 growth factor receptor dimerization that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. We have performed coarse-grain ensemble molecular dynamics simulations to comprehensively sample the ErbB2 monomer-dimer association. Our results indicate a dynamic dimer state with a complex conformational landscape that is modulated with increasing lipid tail length. We resolve the native N-terminal "active" and C-terminal "inactive" conformations in all membrane compositions. However, the relative population of the N-terminal and C-terminal conformers is dependent on length of the saturated lipid tails. In short-tail membranes, additional non-specific dimers are observed which are reduced or absent in long-tailed bilayers. Our results indicate that the relative population as well as the structure of the dimer state is modulated by membrane composition. We have correlated these differences to local perturbations of the membrane around the receptor. Our work is an important step in characterizing ErbB dimers in healthy and diseased states and emphasize the importance of sampling lipid dynamics in understanding receptor association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivasa M Gopal
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India; Lehrstuhl fur Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Aiswarya B Pawar
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India; AcSIR, Mathura Road, New Delhi, 110 025, India
| | - Tsjerk A Wassenaar
- Molecular Dynamics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Durba Sengupta
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India; AcSIR, Mathura Road, New Delhi, 110 025, India.
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Friedman R, Khalid S, Aponte-Santamaría C, Arutyunova E, Becker M, Boyd KJ, Christensen M, Coimbra JTS, Concilio S, Daday C, van Eerden FJ, Fernandes PA, Gräter F, Hakobyan D, Heuer A, Karathanou K, Keller F, Lemieux MJ, Marrink SJ, May ER, Mazumdar A, Naftalin R, Pickholz M, Piotto S, Pohl P, Quinn P, Ramos MJ, Schiøtt B, Sengupta D, Sessa L, Vanni S, Zeppelin T, Zoni V, Bondar AN, Domene C. Understanding Conformational Dynamics of Complex Lipid Mixtures Relevant to Biology. J Membr Biol 2018; 251:609-631. [PMID: 30350011 PMCID: PMC6244758 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-018-0050-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ran Friedman
- Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences and Centre of Excellence "Biomaterials Chemistry", Linnæus University, Kalmar, Sweden.
| | - Syma Khalid
- University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Camilo Aponte-Santamaría
- Max Planck Tandem Group in Computational Biophysics, University of Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.,Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | - Kevin J Boyd
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Mikkel Christensen
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Interdisciplinary Nanoscience center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China
| | - João T S Coimbra
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Simona Concilio
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Csaba Daday
- Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Pedro A Fernandes
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Frauke Gräter
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Konstantina Karathanou
- Department of Physics, Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Group, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - M Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | - Eric R May
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Antara Mazumdar
- GBB Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Naftalin
- Physiology and Vascular Biology Departments, King's College London School of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Mónica Pickholz
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Stefano Piotto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Peter Pohl
- Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
| | - Peter Quinn
- Biochemistry Department, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Maria J Ramos
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Birgit Schiøtt
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Interdisciplinary Nanoscience center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Durba Sengupta
- Physical Chemistry Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
| | - Lucia Sessa
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Stefano Vanni
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Talia Zeppelin
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Valeria Zoni
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Ana-Nicoleta Bondar
- Department of Physics, Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Group, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carmen Domene
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.,Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
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