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Kim Y, Chang H, Yoon T, Park W, Choi H, Na S. Nano-fishnet formation of silk controlled by Arginine density. Acta Biomater 2021; 128:201-208. [PMID: 33862282 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Silk fiber is renowned for its superb mechanical properties, such as over 7 times the toughness of Kevlar 49 Fibre. As the spider silk is tougher than any man-made fiber, there is a lot to be learned from spider silk. Recently, it has been reported that a large portion of the properties of silk is from naturally formed nano-fishnet structures of silk, but neither its formation mechanism nor its formation condition has been explained. Here, we show how the formation and disappearance of nano-fishnet of silk is determined by humidity, and how the humidity-dependency of nano-fishnet formation can be overcome by changing density of Arginine through sequence mutation. We demonstrate that the nano-fishnet-structured silk exhibits higher strength and toughness than its counterparts. This information on controllable nano-fishnet formation of silk is expected to pave the way for development of protein and synthetic fiber design. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Silk fibers are a very interesting material in that it exhibits superb mechanical properties such as 7 times the toughness of Kevlar 49 Fibre, despite being only composed of proteins. Therefore, it is important that we understand the principle of its high mechanical properties so that it may be applied in designing synthetic fibers. Recently, it has been reported that a large portion of its mechanical property comes from its nano-fishnet structures, but no detailed explanation on the condition or mechanism of formation. Through molecular dynamic simulations, we simulated the nano-fishnet formation of silk and analyzed the condition and mechanism behind it, and showed how the formation of nano-fishnet structures could be controlled by changing the density of Arginine residues. Our study provides information on fiber enhancement mechanism that could be applied to synthetic and protein fiber design.
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Chang HJ, Choi H, Na S. Predicting the self-assembly film structure of class II hydrophobin NC2 and estimating its structural characteristics. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2020; 195:111269. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.111269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Choi H, Lee W, Lee G, Yoon DS, Na S. The Formation Mechanism of Segmented Ring-Shaped Aβ Oligomers and Protofibrils. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:3830-3838. [PMID: 31313912 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A clear understanding of amyloid formation with diverse morphologies is critical to overcoming the fatal disease amyloidosis. Studies have revealed that monomer concentration is a crucial factor for determining amyloid morphologies, such as protofibrils, annular, or spherical oligomers. However, gaining a complete understanding of the mechanism of formation of the various amyloid morphologies has been limited by the lack of experimental devices and insufficient knowledge. In this study, we demonstrate that the monomer concentration is an essential factor in determining the morphology of beta-amyloid (Aβ) oligomers or protofibrils. By computational and experimental approaches, we investigated the strategies for structural stabilization of amyloid protein, the morphological changes, and amyloid aggregation. In particular, we found unprecedented conformations, e.g., single bent oligomers and segmented ring-shaped protofibrils, the formation of which was explained by the computational analysis. Our findings provide insight into the structural features of amyloid molecules formed at low concentrations of monomer, which will help determine the clinical targets (in therapy) to effectively inhibit amyloid formation in the early stages of the amyloid growth phase.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wonseok Lee
- Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering , Korea University , Sejong 30019 , Republic of Korea
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Capping effects on polymorphic Aβ 16-21 amyloids depend on their size: A molecular dynamics simulation study. Biophys Chem 2017; 232:1-11. [PMID: 29046256 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Understanding Aβ amyloid oligomers associated with neuro-degenerative diseases is needed due to their toxic characteristics and mediation of amyloid fibril growth. Depending on various physiological circumstances such as ionic strength, metal ion, and point-residue mutation, oligomeric amyloids exhibit polymorphic behavior and structural stabilities, i.e. showing different conformation and stabilities. Specifically, experimental and computational researchers have found that the capping modulates the physical and chemical properties of amyloids by preserving electrostatic energy interactions, which is one of the dominant factors for amyloid stability. Still, there is no detailed knowledge for the polymorphic amyloids with reflecting the terminal capping effects. In the present study, we investigated the role of terminal capping (i.e. N-terminal acetylation and C-terminal amidation) on polymorphic Aβ16-21 amyloid oligomer and protofibrils via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We found that the capping effects have differently altered the conformation of polymorphic antiparallel-homo and -hetero Aβ16-21 amyloid oligomer, but not Aβ16-21 amyloid protofibrils. However, regardless of polymorphic composition of the amyloids, the capping induces the thermodynamic instabilities of Aβ16-21 amyloid oligomers, but does not show any distinct affect on Aβ16-21 amyloid protofibrils. Specifically, among the molecular mechanic factors, electrostatic energy dominantly contributes the thermodynamic stability of the Aβ16-21 amyloids. We hope that our computation study about the role of the capping effects on the polymorphic amyloids will facilitate additional efforts to enhance degradation of amyloids and to design a selective drug in the future.
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Kim Y, Lee M, Choi H, Baek I, Kim JI, Na S. Mechanical features of various silkworm crystalline considering hydration effect via molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2017; 36:1360-1368. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2017.1323015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoonjung Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeongsang Lee
- Institute of Advanced Machinery Design & Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunsung Choi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Inchul Baek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae in Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungsoo Na
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
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Chang HJ, Lee M, Kim JI, Yoon G, Na S. Mechanical and vibrational characterization of amyloid-like HET-s nanosheets based on the skewed plate theory. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:11492-11501. [PMID: 28425516 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp01418j] [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
Pathological amyloidogenic prion proteins have a toxic effect on functional cells in the human cerebrum because of poor degradability and the tendency to accumulate in an uncontrolled manner under physiological conditions. HET-s, a fungal prion protein, is known to undergo conformational variations from fibrillar to nanosheet structures during a change from low to high pH conditions. It has been said that this conformational change can lead to self-propagation by nucleating on the lateral surface of singlet fibrils. Efforts have been made toward the mechanical characterization of fibrillar amyloids, but a global understanding of amyloid-like HET-s nanosheet structures is lacking. In this study, we analyzed the mechanical and vibrational characteristics of the skewed HET-s nanosheet structures that developed under neutral pH conditions by performing various molecular dynamics simulations. By applying the skewed plate theory to HET-s nanosheets for various length scales with numerous pores inside the structures, we found that the skewed HET-s nanosheet structure has mechanical properties comparable to those of previously reported biological film materials and nanomaterials. Considering the inherent characteristics of structural stability, our observation provides valuable and detailed structural information on skewed amyloid-like HET-s nanosheets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Joon Chang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
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Choi H, Chang HJ, Lee M, Na S. Characterizing Structural Stability of Amyloid Motif Fibrils Mediated by Water Molecules. Chemphyschem 2017; 18:817-827. [PMID: 28160391 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201601327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
In biological systems, structural confinements of amyloid fibrils can be mediated by the role of water molecules. However, the underlying effect of the dynamic behavior of water molecules on structural stabilities of amyloid fibrils is still unclear. By performing molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the dynamic features and the effect of interior water molecules on conformations and mechanical characteristics of various amyloid fibrils. We find that a specific mechanism induced by the dynamic properties of interior water molecules can affect diffusion of water molecules inside amyloid fibrils, inducing their different structural stabilities. The conformation of amyloid fibrils induced by interior water molecules show the fibrils' different mechanical features. We elucidate the role of confined and movable interior water molecules in structural stabilities of various amyloid fibrils. Our results offer insights not only in further understanding of mechanical features of amyloids as mediated by water molecules, but also in the fine-tuning of the functional abilities of amyloid fibrils for applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunsung Choi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Joon Chang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeongsang Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungsoo Na
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
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Lee M, Chang HJ, Baek I, Na S. Structural analysis of oligomeric and protofibrillar Aβ amyloid pair structures considering F20L mutation effects using molecular dynamics simulations. Proteins 2016; 85:580-592. [PMID: 28019690 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Aβ amyloid proteins are involved in neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and so forth. Because of its structurally stable feature under physiological conditions, Aβ amyloid protein disrupts the normal cell function. Because of these concerns, understanding the structural feature of Aβ amyloid protein in detail is crucial. There have been some efforts on lowering the structural stabilities of Aβ amyloid fibrils by decreasing the aromatic residues characteristic and hydrophobic effect. Yet, there is a lack of understanding of Aβ amyloid pair structures considering those effects. In this study, we provide the structural characteristics of wildtype (WT) and phenylalanine residue mutation to leucine (F20L) Aβ amyloid pair structures using molecular dynamics simulation in detail. We also considered the polymorphic feature of F20L and WT Aβ pair amyloids based on the facing β-strand directions between the amyloid pairs. As a result, we were able to observe the varying effects of mutation, polymorphism, and protofibril lengths on the structural stability of pair amyloids. Furthermore, we have also found that opposite structural stability exists on a certain polymorphic Aβ pair amyloids depending on its oligomeric or protofibrillar state, which can be helpful for understanding the amyloid growth mechanism via repetitive fragmentation and elongation mechanism. Proteins 2017; 85:580-592. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myeongsang Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Joon Chang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Inchul Baek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungsoo Na
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
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Baek I, Lee M, Na S. Understanding structural characteristics of out-of-register hIAPP amyloid proteins via molecular dynamics. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra19100b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated characteristics of out-of-register (OOR) hIAPP amyloids. By varying the length size of OOR hIAPP, we found 8 layers is most stable. In addition, OOR hIAPP has relative structural instability than in-register hAIPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inchul Baek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Korea University
- Seoul 02841
- Republic of Korea
| | - Myeongsang Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Korea University
- Seoul 02841
- Republic of Korea
| | - Sungsoo Na
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Korea University
- Seoul 02841
- Republic of Korea
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