1
|
Johnson TG, Langton MJ. Molecular Machines For The Control Of Transmembrane Transport. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:27167-27184. [PMID: 38062763 PMCID: PMC10740008 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Nature embeds some of its molecular machinery, including ion pumps, within lipid bilayer membranes. This has inspired chemists to attempt to develop synthetic analogues to exploit membrane confinement and transmembrane potential gradients, much like their biological cousins. In this perspective, we outline the various strategies by which molecular machines─molecular systems in which a nanomechanical motion is exploited for function─have been designed to be incorporated within lipid membranes and utilized to mediate transmembrane ion transport. We survey molecular machines spanning both switches and motors, those that act as mobile carriers or that are anchored within the membrane, mechanically interlocked molecules, and examples that are activated in response to external stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Toby G. Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry
Research Laboratory, University of Oxford Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J. Langton
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry
Research Laboratory, University of Oxford Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen BB, Liu ML, Zou HY, Liu Y, Li YF, Swihart MT, Huang CZ. In Situ Imaging of Ion Motion in a Single Nanoparticle: Structural Transformations in Selenium Nanoparticles. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202210313. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.202210313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Bin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University) Ministry of Education College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Southwest University Chongqing 400715 P.R. China
- School of Science and Engineering Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen 2001 Longxiang Boulevard, Longgang District, Shenzhen City Guangdong 518172 China
| | - Meng Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University) Ministry of Education College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Southwest University Chongqing 400715 P.R. China
- Department of The Second Affiliated Hospital School of Medicine The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Guangdong, 518172 P. R. China
- Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen P. R. China
| | - Hong Yan Zou
- Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University) Ministry of Education College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Southwest University Chongqing 400715 P.R. China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Materials Science Fudan University Shanghai 200433 China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo Buffalo New York 14260-4200 USA
| | - Yuan Fang Li
- Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Real-Time Analytical System Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Southwest University Chongqing 400715 P.R. China
| | - Mark T Swihart
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University at Buffalo Buffalo New York 14260-4200 USA
| | - Cheng Zhi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University) Ministry of Education College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Southwest University Chongqing 400715 P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen BB, Liu ML, Zou HY, Liu Y, Li YF, Swihart MT, Huang CZ. In‐Situ Imaging of Ion Motion in a Single Nanoparticle: Structural Transformations in Selenium Nanoparticles. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202210313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Bin Chen
- Southwest Univesity College of Pharmaceutical Sciences CHINA
| | - Meng Li Liu
- Southwest University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences CHINA
| | - Hong Yan Zou
- Southwest University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences CHINA
| | - Yang Liu
- Fudan University Department of Materials Science CHINA
| | - Yuan Fang Li
- Southwest Unniversity College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineeing CHINA
| | - Mark T. Swihart
- University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Cheng Zhi Huang
- Southwest University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences No 2, Tiansheng Rd. 400715 Beibei, Chongqing CHINA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu H, Fu H, Chipot C, Shao X, Cai W. Accurate Description of Solvent-Exposed Salt Bridges with a Non-polarizable Force Field Incorporating Solvent Effects. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3863-3873. [PMID: 35920605 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The strength of salt bridges resulting from the interaction of cations and anions is modulated by their environment. However, polarization of the solvent molecules by the charged moieties makes the accurate description of cation-anion interactions in an aqueous solution by means of a pairwise additive potential energy function and classical combination rules particularly challenging. In this contribution, aiming at improving the representation of solvent-exposed salt-bridge interactions with an all-atom non-polarizable force field, we put forth here a parametrization strategy. First, the interaction of a cation and an anion is characterized by hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) potential of mean force (PMF) calculations, whereby constantly exchanging solvent molecules around the ions are treated at the quantum mechanical level. The Lennard-Jones (LJ) parameters describing the salt-bridge ion pairs are then optimized to match the reference QM/MM PMFs through the so-called nonbonded FIX, or NBFIX, feature of the CHARMM force field. We apply the new set of parameters, coined CHARMM36m-SBFIX, to the calculation of association constants for the ammonium-acetate and guanidinium-acetate complexes, the osmotic pressures for glycine zwitterions, guanidinium, and acetate ions, and to the simulation of both folded and intrinsically disordered proteins. Our findings indicate that CHARMM36m-SBFIX improves the description of solvent-exposed salt-bridge interactions, both structurally and thermodynamically. However, application of this force field to the standard binding free-energy calculation of a protein-ligand complex featuring solvent-excluded salt-bridge interactions leads to a poor reproduction of the experimental value, suggesting that the parameters optimized in an aqueous solution cannot be readily transferred to describe solvent-excluded salt-bridge interactions. Put together, owing to their sensitivity to the environment, modeling salt-bridge interactions by means of a single, universal set of LJ parameters remains a daunting theoretical challenge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.,Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Haohao Fu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.,Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Christophe Chipot
- Laboratoire International Associé CNRS and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UMR n°7019, Université de Lorraine, F-54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.,Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, Beckman Institute, and Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana 61801, Illinois, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Gordon Center for Integrative Science, The University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, Illinois, United States
| | - Xueguang Shao
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.,Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Wensheng Cai
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.,Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cui S, Zhang W, Shao X, Cai W. Do antifreeze proteins generally possess the potential to promote ice growth? Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:7901-7908. [PMID: 35311839 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05431g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The binding of antifreeze proteins (AFPs) to ice needs to be mediated by interfacial water molecules. Our previous study of the effect of AFPs on the dynamics of the interfacial water of freezing at its initial stage has shown that AFPs can promote the growth of ice before binding to it. However, whether different AFPs can promote the freezing of water molecules on the basal and the prismatic surfaces of ice still needs further study. In the present contribution, five representative natural AFPs with different structures and different activities that can be adsorbed on the basal and/or prismatic surfaces of ice are investigated at the atomic level. Our results show that the phenomenon of promoting the growth of ice crystals is not universal. Only hyperactive AFPs (hypAFPs) can promote the growth of the basal plane of ice, while moderately active AFPs cannot. Moreover, this significant promotion is not observed on the prismatic plane regardless of their activity. Further analysis indicates that this promotion may result from the thicker ice/water interface of the basal plane, and the synergy of hypAFPs with ice crystals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaoli Cui
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Weijia Zhang
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Xueguang Shao
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Wensheng Cai
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Miao M, Shao X, Cai W. Conformational Change from U- to I-Shape of Ion Transporters Facilitates K + Transport across Lipid Bilayers. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:1520-1528. [PMID: 35142530 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c09423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We have investigated, at the atomic level, the ion-fishing mechanism underlying the ion transport across membranes mediated by an artificial ion transporter composed of a hydroxyl-rich cholesterol group, a flexible alkyl chain, and a crown ether. Our results show that the transporter can spontaneously insert into the membrane and switch between the folded (U-shaped) and extended (I-shaped) conformations. The free-energy profile associated with the conformational transition indicates that compared with the U-shaped conformation of the transporter, the I-shaped one is thermodynamically more favorable. Furthermore, the free-energy profiles describing the ion translocation reveal that the transporter capturing the ion in U-shape on one side of the membrane and releasing it in I-shape on the other side constitutes a key way for the highly efficient transport of K+ ions. We present herewith a rigorous and rational framework to decipher the detailed ion-fishing mechanism of transmembrane ion transport with exceptionally high activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengyao Miao
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xueguang Shao
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Wensheng Cai
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fu H, Shao X, Cai W. Computer-aided design of molecular machines: techniques, paradigms and difficulties. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 24:1286-1299. [PMID: 34951435 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp04942a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
With their development in the past decade, molecular machines, which achieve specific tasks by responding to external stimuli, have gradually come to be regarded as powerful tools for a wide range of applications, rather than interesting molecular toys. This conceptual change in turn motivates scientists to design molecular machines with complex architectures. Due to the lack of general principles bridging the functions and the chemical structures of molecular machines, experience-based design becomes difficult with the increase of size and complexity of the architectures. Computer-aided molecular-machine design, therefore, has attracted widespread attention on account of its ability to model and investigate complex molecular architectures without too much time and expense required for synthetic experiments. Using leading-edge numerical-simulation techniques, the mechanisms underlying achieving tasks through response to external stimuli of a large number of existing molecular machines have been successfully explored. Based on the experience of studying existing molecular machines, generalized methodologies of predicting the properties and working principles of molecular candidates have been established, paving the way for de novo computer-aided design of molecular machines. In this perspective, we introduce cutting-edge techniques that have been applied for investigating and designing molecular machines. We show paradigms of computer-aided design of molecular machines, which can serve as guidelines for the investigation of new supramolecular architectures. Moreover, we discuss the limitations and possible future developments of current techniques and methodologies in the field of computer-aided design of molecular machines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haohao Fu
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Xueguang Shao
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Wensheng Cai
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cui S, Zhang W, Shao X, Cai W. Hyperactive Antifreeze Proteins Promote Ice Growth before Binding to It. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 62:5165-5174. [PMID: 34711054 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The antifreeze mechanism of antifreeze proteins (AFPs) evolved by organisms has been widely studied. However, detailed knowledge of the synergy between AFPs and ice crystals still remains fragmentary. In the present contribution, the cooperative effect of the hyperactive insect antifreeze protein TmAFP and ice crystals on the interfacial water during the entire process of inhibiting ice growth is systematically investigated at the atomic level and compared with its low activity mutant and a nonantifreeze protein. The results indicate a significant synergy between TmAFP and ice crystals, which enables the TmAFP to promote the ice growth before adsorbing on the surfaces of the ice crystals, while the mutant and the nonantifreeze protein cannot promote the ice growth due to the lack of this synergy. When TmAFP approaches the ice surface, the interfacial water is induced by both the AFP and the ice crystals to form the anchored clathrate motif, which binds TmAFP to the ice surface, resulting in a local increase in the curvature of the ice surface, thereby inhibiting the growth of ice. In this study, three stages, namely, promotion, adsorption, and inhibition, are observed in the complete process of TmAFP inhibiting ice growth, and the synergistic mechanism between protein and ice crystals is revealed. The results are helpful for the design of antifreeze proteins and bioinspired antifreeze materials with superior performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaoli Cui
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Weijia Zhang
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xueguang Shao
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Wensheng Cai
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300071, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Riebe J, Niemeyer J. Mechanically Interlocked Molecules for Biomedical Applications. European J Org Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202100749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Riebe
- Faculty of Chemistry (Organic Chemistry) and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE) University of Duisburg-Essen Universitätsstr. 7 45141 Essen Germany
| | - Jochen Niemeyer
- Faculty of Chemistry (Organic Chemistry) and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE) University of Duisburg-Essen Universitätsstr. 7 45141 Essen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Liu H, Fu H, Chipot C, Shao X, Cai W. Accuracy of Alternate Nonpolarizable Force Fields for the Determination of Protein-Ligand Binding Affinities Dominated by Cation-π Interactions. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:3908-3915. [PMID: 34125530 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Modifying pair-specific Lennard-Jones parameters through the nonbonded FIX (NBFIX) feature of the CHARMM36 force field has proven cost-effective for improving the description of cation-π interactions in biological objects by means of pairwise additive potential energy functions. Here, two sets of newly optimized CHARMM36 force-field parameters including NBFIX corrections, coined CHARMM36m-NBF and CHARMM36-WYF, and the original force fields, namely CHARMM36m and Amber ff14SB, are used to determine the standard binding free energies of seven protein-ligand complexes containing cation-π interactions. Compared with precise experimental measurements, our results indicate that the uncorrected, original force fields significantly underestimate the binding free energies, with a mean error of 5.3 kcal/mol, while the mean errors of CHARMM36m-NBF and CHARMM36-WYF amount to 0.8 and 2.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The present study cogently demonstrates that the use of modified parameters jointly with NBFIX corrections dramatically increases the accuracy of the standard binding free energy of protein-ligand complexes dominated by cation-π interactions, most notably with CHARMM36m-NBF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, and Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Haohao Fu
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, and Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Christophe Chipot
- Laboratoire International Associé CNRS and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UMR No. 7019, Université de Lorraine, BP 70239, F-54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.,Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Xueguang Shao
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, and Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Wensheng Cai
- Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, and Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| |
Collapse
|