1
|
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 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] [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
|
2
|
Oliva M, Gago F, Kamimura S, Díaz JF. Alternative Approaches to Understand Microtubule Cap Morphology and Function. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:3540-3550. [PMID: 36743020 PMCID: PMC9893253 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) are essential cellular machines built from concatenated αβ-tubulin heterodimers. They are responsible for two central and opposite functions from the dynamic point of view: scaffolding (static filaments) and force generation (dynamic MTs). These roles engage multiple physiological processes, including cell shape, polarization, division and movement, and intracellular long-distance transport. At the most basic level, the MT regulation is chemical because GTP binding and hydrolysis have the ability to promote assembly and disassembly in the absence of any other constraint. Due to the stochastic GTP hydrolysis, a chemical gradient from GTP-bound to GDP-bound tubulin is created at the MT growing end (GTP cap), which is translated into a cascade of structural regulatory changes known as MT maturation. This is an area of intense research, and several models have been proposed based on information mostly gathered from macromolecular crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy studies. However, these classical structural biology methods lack temporal resolution and can be complemented, as shown in this mini-review, by other approaches such as time-resolved fiber diffraction and computational modeling. Together with studies on structurally similar tubulins from the prokaryotic world, these inputs can provide novel insights on MT assembly, dynamics, and the GTP cap.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María
Ángela Oliva
- Unidad
de Desarrollo de Fármacos Biológicos, Inmunológicos
y Químicos, Centro de Investigaciones
Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Científicas, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Federico Gago
- Department
of Biomedical Sciences and IQM-UAH Associate Unit, University of Alcalá, E-28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Shinji Kamimura
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 112-8551 Tokyo, Japan
| | - J. Fernando Díaz
- Unidad
de Desarrollo de Fármacos Biológicos, Inmunológicos
y Químicos, Centro de Investigaciones
Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Científicas, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Estévez-Gallego J, Álvarez-Bernad B, Pera B, Wullschleger C, Raes O, Menche D, Martínez JC, Lucena-Agell D, Prota AE, Bonato F, Bargsten K, Cornelus J, Giménez-Abián JF, Northcote P, Steinmetz MO, Kamimura S, Altmann KH, Paterson I, Gago F, Van der Eycken J, Díaz JF, Oliva MÁ. Chemical modulation of microtubule structure through the laulimalide/peloruside site. Structure 2023; 31:88-99.e5. [PMID: 36462501 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Taxanes are microtubule-stabilizing agents used in the treatment of many solid tumors, but they often involve side effects affecting the peripheral nervous system. It has been proposed that this could be related to structural modifications on the filament upon drug binding. Alternatively, laulimalide and peloruside bind to a different site also inducing stabilization, but they have not been exploited in clinics. Here, we use a combination of the parental natural compounds and derived analogs to unravel the stabilization mechanism through this site. These drugs settle lateral interactions without engaging the M loop, which is part of the key and lock involved in the inter-protofilament contacts. Importantly, these drugs can modulate the angle between protofilaments, producing microtubules of different diameters. Among the compounds studied, we have found some showing low cytotoxicity and able to induce stabilization without compromising microtubule native structure. This opens the window of new applications for microtubule-stabilizing agents beyond cancer treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Estévez-Gallego
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Beatriz Álvarez-Bernad
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Benet Pera
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Christoph Wullschleger
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences - ETH Zurich, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Raes
- Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Dirk Menche
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | | | - Daniel Lucena-Agell
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Andrea E Prota
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen 5232, Switzerland
| | - Francesca Bonato
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Katja Bargsten
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen 5232, Switzerland
| | - Jelle Cornelus
- Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Juan Francisco Giménez-Abián
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Peter Northcote
- Ferrier Research Institute, University of Wellington, Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand
| | - Michel O Steinmetz
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen 5232, Switzerland; University of Basel, Biozentrum, Basel 4056, Switzerland
| | - Shinji Kamimura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, Tokyo 192-0393, Japan
| | - Karl-Heinz Altmann
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences - ETH Zurich, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
| | - Ian Paterson
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Federico Gago
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Associated Unit IQM-UAH, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
| | - Johan Van der Eycken
- Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - J Fernando Díaz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - María Ángela Oliva
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28040, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sperti M, Malavolta M, Ciniero G, Borrelli S, Cavaglià M, Muscat S, Tuszynski JA, Afeltra A, Margiotta DPE, Navarini L. JAK inhibitors in immune-mediated rheumatic diseases: From a molecular perspective to clinical studies. J Mol Graph Model 2021; 104:107789. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2020.107789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
5
|
Zha J, Zhang Y, Xia K, Gräter F, Xia F. Coarse-Grained Simulation of Mechanical Properties of Single Microtubules With Micrometer Length. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 7:632122. [PMID: 33659274 PMCID: PMC7917235 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.632122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Microtubules are one of the most important components in the cytoskeleton and play a vital role in maintaining the shape and function of cells. Because single microtubules are some micrometers long, it is difficult to simulate such a large system using an all-atom model. In this work, we use the newly developed convolutional and K-means coarse-graining (CK-CG) method to establish an ultra-coarse-grained (UCG) model of a single microtubule, on the basis of the low electron microscopy density data of microtubules. We discuss the rationale of the micro-coarse-grained microtubule models of different resolutions and explore microtubule models up to 12-micron length. We use the devised microtubule model to quantify mechanical properties of microtubules of different lengths. Our model allows mesoscopic simulations of micrometer-level biomaterials and can be further used to study important biological processes related to microtubule function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinyin Zha
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuwei Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kelin Xia
- Division of Mathematical Sciences, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Frauke Gräter
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS), Schloβ-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35, Heidelberg, Germany.,Max Planck School Matter to Life, Jahnstraβe 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Fei Xia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, NYU-ECNU Center for Computational Chemistry at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Thackston KA, Deheyn DD, Sievenpiper DF. Limitations on electromagnetic communication by vibrational resonances in biological systems. Phys Rev E 2020; 101:062401. [PMID: 32688526 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.101.062401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Previous research in biology and physics speculates that high-frequency electromagnetic fields may be an unexplored method of cellular and subcellular communication. The predominant theory for generating electric fields in the cell is mechanical vibration of charged or polar biomolecules such as cell membranes or microtubules. The challenge to this theory is explaining how high-frequency vibrations would not be overdamped by surrounding biological media. As many of these suspected resonators are too large for atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, accurately modeling biological resonators remains an ongoing challenge. While many resonators have been studied and simulated, the general limitations on communication imposed by energy transfer arguments have not been considered. Starting with energy transfer expressions from coupled-mode theory, we derive expressions for the minimum quality factor (Q factor) required to sustain communication for both near- and far-field interactions. We compare previous simulation studies and our theory. We determine the flexing mode of microtubules as an identified resonance in the literature which meets our criteria. Our results suggest the major obstacle to meeting our criteria for effective electromagnetic communication is the trade-off between the Q factor and the plasma frequency: Resonators must be large enough to have a large Q factor, but small enough to resonate at frequencies greater than the plasma frequency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A Thackston
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California 92161, USA
| | - Dimitri D Deheyn
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Daniel F Sievenpiper
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California 92161, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Stojceski F, Grasso G, Pallante L, Danani A. Molecular and Coarse-Grained Modeling to Characterize and Optimize Dendrimer-Based Nanocarriers for Short Interfering RNA Delivery. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:2978-2986. [PMID: 32095720 PMCID: PMC7033960 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Dendrimer nanocarriers are unique hyper-branched polymers with biomolecule-like properties, representing a promising prospect as a nucleic acid delivery system. The design of effective dendrimer-based gene carriers requires considering several parameters, such as carrier morphology, size, molecular weight, surface chemistry, and flexibility/rigidity. In detail, the rational design of the dendrimer surface chemistry has been ascertained to play a crucial role on the efficiency of interaction with nucleic acids. Within this framework, advances in the field of organic chemistry have allowed us to design dendrimers with even small difference in the chemical structure of their surface terminals. In this study, we have selected two different cationic phosphorus dendrimers of generation 3 functionalized, respectively, with pyrrolidinium (DP) and morpholinium (DM) surface groups, which have demonstrated promising potential for short interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. Despite DP and DM differing only for one atom in their chemical structure, in vitro and in vivo experiments have highlighted several differences between them in terms of siRNA complexation properties. In this context, we have employed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation techniques to shed light on the supramolecular characteristics of dendrimer-siRNA complexation, the so-called dendriplex formations. Our data provide important information on self-assembly dynamics driven by surface chemistry and competition mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Filip Stojceski
- Istituto
Dalle Molle di Studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera
Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno CH-6928, Switzerland
| | - Gianvito Grasso
- Istituto
Dalle Molle di Studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera
Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno CH-6928, Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Pallante
- PolitoBIOMed
Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Danani
- Istituto
Dalle Molle di Studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera
Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno CH-6928, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Microtubule Biomechanics and the Effect of Degradation of Elastic Moduli. LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 2020. [PMCID: PMC7304723 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-50433-5_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The present study aims at quantifying the effect of mechanical degradation of microtubules on their electro-elastic response. A three-dimensional continuum-based hollow cylindrical domain of a microtubule has been considered in this work. A fully coupled electro-mechanical model has been developed for conducting the comparative analysis considering three different cases, viz., no degradation, 50% degradation and 90% degradation of elastic modulus of the microtubule. The microtubule has been subjected to dynamic forces adopted from the commonly used loading-unloading conditions in nanoindentation experiments. The results show that the degradation of microtubules significantly influences their electro-elastic response when subjected to externally applied forces. The transient response of the model in terms of induced displacement, electric potential and volumetric strain has also been analyzed for different magnitudes of mechanical degradation. The modelling study presented here represents a more accurate electro-mechanical model compared to the classical mechanical model for quantifying the effects of mechanical transductions on microtubules biomechanics.
Collapse
|
9
|
Thackston KA, Deheyn DD, Sievenpiper DF. Simulation of electric fields generated from microtubule vibrations. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:022410. [PMID: 31574607 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.022410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules are tubular proteins that form part of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells. Because of their unique mechanical properties, many studies have theorized microtubules could show high-frequency mechanical vibrations. Others have further suggested these vibrations of the electrically polar microtubules could be a source of electric fields inside the cell that could serve some biological function, such as a role in organizing mitosis or also possibly in cell-to-cell communication. In this work, we use a transient method to simulate the electric fields that would be generated from a single microtubule supposing they could sustain vibrations. We evaluate the biological significance of the electric fields and the potential energy microtubules might exert on one another. Our simulation method allows us to evaluate vibrational modes that have not previously been studied. The simulations suggest the acoustic branch flexing mode would actually be the most electrically active. Our results suggest a single vibrating microtubule could potentially exert significant forces (those that exceed thermal energy) on biological dipoles or charges at distances larger then the Debye length, on the order of 10nm from the surface of the microtubule, but interaction is not likely at greater distances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A Thackston
- Electrical Engineering Department, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, USA
| | - Dimitri D Deheyn
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, USA
| | - Daniel F Sievenpiper
- Electrical Engineering Department, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Tubulin response to intense nanosecond-scale electric field in molecular dynamics simulation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10477. [PMID: 31324834 PMCID: PMC6642143 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46636-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intense pulsed electric fields are known to act at the cell membrane level and are already being exploited in biomedical and biotechnological applications. However, it is not clear if electric pulses within biomedically-attainable parameters could directly influence intra-cellular components such as cytoskeletal proteins. If so, a molecular mechanism of action could be uncovered for therapeutic applications of such electric fields. To help clarify this question, we first identified that a tubulin heterodimer is a natural biological target for intense electric fields due to its exceptional electric properties and crucial roles played in cell division. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we then demonstrated that an intense - yet experimentally attainable - electric field of nanosecond duration can affect the bβ-tubulin’s C-terminus conformations and also influence local electrostatic properties at the GTPase as well as the binding sites of major tubulin drugs site. Our results suggest that intense nanosecond electric pulses could be used for physical modulation of microtubule dynamics. Since a nanosecond pulsed electric field can penetrate the tissues and cellular membranes due to its broadband spectrum, our results are also potentially significant for the development of new therapeutic protocols.
Collapse
|
11
|
Facchin F, Canaider S, Tassinari R, Zannini C, Bianconi E, Taglioli V, Olivi E, Cavallini C, Tausel M, Ventura C. Physical energies to the rescue of damaged tissues. World J Stem Cells 2019; 11:297-321. [PMID: 31293714 PMCID: PMC6600852 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v11.i6.297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic oscillatory patterns sustain cellular dynamics, driving the concerted action of regulatory molecules, microtubules, and molecular motors. We describe cellular microtubules as oscillators capable of synchronization and swarming, generating mechanical and electric patterns that impact biomolecular recognition. We consider the biological relevance of seeing the inside of cells populated by a network of molecules that behave as bioelectronic circuits and chromophores. We discuss the novel perspectives disclosed by mechanobiology, bioelectromagnetism, and photobiomodulation, both in term of fundamental basic science and in light of the biomedical implication of using physical energies to govern (stem) cell fate. We focus on the feasibility of exploiting atomic force microscopy and hyperspectral imaging to detect signatures of nanomotions and electromagnetic radiation (light), respectively, generated by the stem cells across the specification of their multilineage repertoire. The chance is reported of using these signatures and the diffusive features of physical waves to direct specifically the differentiation program of stem cells in situ, where they already are resident in all the tissues of the human body. We discuss how this strategy may pave the way to a regenerative and precision medicine without the needs for (stem) cell or tissue transplantation. We describe a novel paradigm based upon boosting our inherent ability for self-healing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federica Facchin
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), School of Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna 40100, Italy
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Silvia Canaider
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), School of Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna 40100, Italy
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Riccardo Tassinari
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Chiara Zannini
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Eva Bianconi
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Valentina Taglioli
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Elena Olivi
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | - Claudia Cavallini
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Ventura
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), School of Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna 40100, Italy
- National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, CNR, Bologna 40100, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Grasso G, Morbiducci U, Massai D, Tuszynski JA, Danani A, Deriu MA. Destabilizing the AXH Tetramer by Mutations: Mechanisms and Potential Antiaggregation Strategies. Biophys J 2019; 114:323-330. [PMID: 29401430 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Revised: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The AXH domain of protein Ataxin 1 is thought to play a key role in the misfolding and aggregation pathway responsible for Spinocerebellar ataxia 1. For this reason, a molecular level understanding of AXH oligomerization pathway is crucial to elucidate the aggregation mechanism, which is thought to trigger the disease. This study employs classical and enhanced molecular dynamics to identify the structural and energetic basis of AXH tetramer stability. Results of this work elucidate molecular mechanisms behind the destabilizing effect of protein mutations, which consequently affect the AXH tetramer assembly. Moreover, results of the study draw attention for the first time, to our knowledge, to the R638 protein residue, which is shown to play a key role in AXH tetramer stability. Therefore, R638 might be also implicated in the AXH oligomerization pathway and stands out as a target for future experimental studies focused on self-association mechanisms and fibril formation of full-length ATX1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gianvito Grasso
- Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi Sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Umberto Morbiducci
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Diana Massai
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Jack A Tuszynski
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andrea Danani
- Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi Sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Marco A Deriu
- Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi Sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wu YT, Adnan A. Damage and Failure of Axonal Microtubule under Extreme High Strain Rate: An In-Silico Molecular Dynamics Study. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12260. [PMID: 30115936 PMCID: PMC6095851 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29804-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
As a major cytoskeleton element of the axon, the breaking of microtubules (MTs) has been considered as a major cause of the axon degeneration. High strain rate loading is considered as one of the key factors in microtubule breaking. Due to the small size of microtubule, the real-time behavior of microtubule breaking is hard to capture. This study employs fully-atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to determine the failure modes of microtubule under different loadings conditions such as, unidirectional stretching, bending and hydrostatic expansion. For each loading conditions, MT is subjected to extreme high strain rate (108-109 s-1) loading. We argue that such level of high strain rate may be realized during cavitation bubble implosion. For each loading type, we have determined the critical energy for MT rupture. The associated rupture mechanisms are also discussed. We observed that the stretching has the lowest energy barrier to break the MT at the nanosecond time scale. Moreover, the breakage between the dimers starts at ~16% of total strain when stretched, which is much smaller compared to the reported strain-at-failure (50%) for lower strain rate loading. It suggests that MT fails at a significantly smaller strain states when loaded at higher strain rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Ting Wu
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA
| | - Ashfaq Adnan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Li S, Zhang J, Wang C, Nithiarasu P. Atomistic Modeling of F-Actin Mechanical Responses and Determination of Mechanical Properties. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2018; 4:2794-2803. [DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b00640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Si Li
- Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Swansea, Wales SA1 8EN, U.K
| | - Jin Zhang
- Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chengyuan Wang
- Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Swansea, Wales SA1 8EN, U.K
| | - Perumal Nithiarasu
- Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Swansea, Wales SA1 8EN, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Tian B, Xu S, Rogers JA, Cestellos-Blanco S, Yang P, Carvalho-de-Souza JL, Bezanilla F, Liu J, Bao Z, Hjort M, Cao Y, Melosh N, Lanzani G, Benfenati F, Galli G, Gygi F, Kautz R, Gorodetsky AA, Kim SS, Lu TK, Anikeeva P, Cifra M, Krivosudský O, Havelka D, Jiang Y. Roadmap on semiconductor-cell biointerfaces. Phys Biol 2018; 15:031002. [PMID: 29205173 PMCID: PMC6599646 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/aa9f34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This roadmap outlines the role semiconductor-based materials play in understanding the complex biophysical dynamics at multiple length scales, as well as the design and implementation of next-generation electronic, optoelectronic, and mechanical devices for biointerfaces. The roadmap emphasizes the advantages of semiconductor building blocks in interfacing, monitoring, and manipulating the activity of biological components, and discusses the possibility of using active semiconductor-cell interfaces for discovering new signaling processes in the biological world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bozhi Tian
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|