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Blanco-González A, Wurl A, Mendes Ferreira T, Piñeiro Á, Garcia-Fandino R. Simulating Bacterial Membrane Models at the Atomistic Level: A Force Field Comparison. J Chem Theory Comput 2024. [PMID: 39226695 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are currently an indispensable tool to understand both the dynamic and nanoscale organization of cell membrane models. A large number of quantitative parameters can be extracted from these simulations, but their reliability is determined by the quality of the employed force field and the simulation parameters. Much of the work on parametrizing and optimizing force fields for biomembrane modeling has been focused on homogeneous bilayers with a single phospholipid type. However, these may not perform effectively or could even be unsuitable for lipid mixtures commonly employed in membrane models. This work aims to fill this gap by comparing MD simulation results of several bacterial membrane models using different force fields and simulation parameters, namely, CHARMM36, Slipids, and GROMOS-CKP. Furthermore, the hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) method, combined with GROMOS-CKP (GROMOS-H2Q), was also tested to check for the impact of this acceleration strategy on the performance of the force field. A common set of simulation parameters was employed for all of the force fields in addition to those corresponding to the original parametrization of each of them. Furthermore, new experimental order parameter values determined from NMR of several lipid mixtures are also reported to compare them with those determined from MD simulations. Our results reveal that most of the calculated physical properties of bacterial membrane models from MD simulations are substantially force field and lipid composition dependent. Some lipid mixtures exhibit nearly ideal behaviors, while the interaction of different lipid types in other mixtures is highly synergistic. None of the employed force fields seem to be clearly superior to the other three, each having its own strengths and weaknesses. Slipids are notably effective at replicating the order parameters for all acyl chains, including those in lipid mixtures, but they offer the least accurate results for headgroup parameters. Conversely, CHARMM provides almost perfect estimates for the order parameters of the headgroups but tends to overestimate those of the lipid tails. The GROMOS parametrizations deliver reasonable order parameters for entire lipid molecules, including multicomponent bilayers, although they do not reach the accuracy of Slipids for tails or CHARMM for headgroups. Importantly, GROMOS-H2Q stands out for its computational efficiency, being at least 3 times faster than GROMOS, which is already faster than both CHARMM and Slipids. In turn, GROMOS-H2Q yields much higher compressibilities compared to all other parametrizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Blanco-González
- Facultad de Física, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Singular Research Centre in Chemical Biology and Molecular Materials, (CIQUS), Organic Chemistry Department, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- MD.USE Innovations S.L, Edificio Emprendia, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Anika Wurl
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences II, Betty-Heimann-Str. 7, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Tiago Mendes Ferreira
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences II, Betty-Heimann-Str. 7, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Ángel Piñeiro
- Facultad de Física, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Rebeca Garcia-Fandino
- Singular Research Centre in Chemical Biology and Molecular Materials, (CIQUS), Organic Chemistry Department, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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2
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Li S, Wang Z, Song S, Tang Y, Zhou J, Liu X, Zhang X, Chang M, Wang K, Peng Y. Membrane-Active All-Hydrocarbon-Stapled α-Helical Amphiphilic Tat Peptides: Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Activity and Low Incidence of Drug Resistance. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1839-1855. [PMID: 38725407 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00173] [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] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Multidrug resistance against conventional antibiotics has dramatically increased the difficulty of treatment and accelerated the need for novel antibacterial agents. The peptide Tat (47-57) is derived from the transactivating transcriptional activator of human immunodeficiency virus 1, which is well-known as a cell-penetrating peptide in mammalian cells. However, it is also reported that the Tat peptide (47-57) has antifungal activity. In this study, a series of membrane-active hydrocarbon-stapled α-helical amphiphilic peptides were synthesized and evaluated as antibacterial agents against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains. The impact of hydrocarbon staple, the position of aromatic amino acid residue in the hydrophobic face, the various types of aromatic amino acids, and the hydrophobicity on bioactivity were also investigated and discussed in this study. Among those synthesized peptides, analogues P3 and P10 bearing a l-2-naphthylalanine (Φ) residue at the first position and a Tyr residue at the eighth position demonstrated the highest antimicrobial activity and negligible hemolytic toxicity. Notably, P3 and P10 showed obviously enhanced antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria, low drug resistance, high cell selectivity, extended half-life in plasma, and excellent performance against biofilm. The antibacterial mechanisms of P3 and P10 were also preliminarily investigated in this effort. In conclusion, P3 and P10 are promising antimicrobial alternatives for the treatment of the antimicrobial-resistance crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Li
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic Phytomedicine Resources Ministry of Education, Shihezi University College of Pharmacy, Shihezi 832003, Xinjiang, P. R. China
| | - Zhaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Shibo Song
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yuanyuan Tang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jingjing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xiaojing Liu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xingjiao Zhang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Min Chang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Kairong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yali Peng
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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3
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Alpízar-Pedraza D, Roque-Diaz Y, Garay-Pérez H, Rosenau F, Ständker L, Montero-Alejo V. Insights into the Adsorption Mechanisms of the Antimicrobial Peptide CIDEM-501 on Membrane Models. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:167. [PMID: 38391553 PMCID: PMC10886324 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13020167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
CIDEM-501 is a hybrid antimicrobial peptide rationally designed based on the structure of panusin and panulirin template peptides. The new peptide exhibits significant antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens (MIC = 2-4 μM) while conserving no toxicity in human cell lines. We conducted molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the CHARMM-36 force field to explore the CIDEM-501 adsorption mechanism with different membrane compositions. Several parameters that characterize these interactions were analyzed to elucidate individual residues' structural and thermodynamic contributions. The membrane models were constructed using CHARMM-GUI, mimicking the bacterial and eukaryotic phospholipid compositions. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted over 500 ns, showing rapid and highly stable peptide adsorption to bacterial lipids components rather than the zwitterionic eucaryotic model membrane. A predominant peptide orientation was observed in all models dominated by an electric dipole. The peptide remained parallel to the membrane surface with the center loop oriented to the lipids. Our findings shed light on the antibacterial activity of CIDEM-501 on bacterial membranes and yield insights valuable for designing potent antimicrobial peptides targeting multi- and extreme drug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Ave. 26 # 1605, Nuevo Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 10400, Cuba
| | - Yessica Roque-Diaz
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Ave. 26 # 1605, Nuevo Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 10400, Cuba
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Hilda Garay-Pérez
- Peptide Synthesis Group, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave. 31 e/158 y 190, Playa, Habana 11600, Cuba
| | - Frank Rosenau
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ludger Ständker
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Vivian Montero-Alejo
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Ave. 26 # 1605, Nuevo Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 10400, Cuba
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4
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Moral R, Paul S. Exploring Cyclic Peptide Nanotube Stability Across Diverse Lipid Bilayers and Unveiling Water Transport Dynamics. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:882-895. [PMID: 38134046 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic Peptide Nanotubes (CPNTs) have emerged as compelling candidates for various applications, particularly as nanochannels within lipid bilayers. In this study, the stability of two CPNTs, namely 8 × [(Cys-Gly-Met-Gly)2] and 8 × [(Gly-Leu)4], are comprehensively investigated across different lipid bilayers, including 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), a mixed model membrane (POPE/POPG), and a realistic yeast model membrane. The results demonstrate that both CPNTs maintain their tubular structures in all lipid bilayers, with [(Cys-Gly-Met-Gly)2] showing increased stability over an extended period in these lipid membranes. The insertion of CPNTs shows negligible impact on lipid bilayer properties, including area per lipid, volume per lipid, and bilayer thickness. The study demonstrates that the CPNT preserves its two-line water movement pattern within all the lipid membranes, reaffirming their potential as water channels. The MSD curves further reveal that the dynamics of water molecules inside the nanotube are similar for all the bilayer systems with minor differences that arise due to different lipid environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rimjhim Moral
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Sandip Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
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Putri RA, Rohman MS, Swasono RT, Raharjo TJ. A novel synthetic peptide analog enhanced antibacterial activity of the frog-derived skin peptide wuchuanin-A1. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-11. [PMID: 37968993 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2281633] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the development of novel antibacterial compounds for clinical applications, such as antimicrobial peptide (AMP). Among the developed AMP, wuchuanin-A1, a coil-shaped bioactive peptide derived from Odorrana wuchuanensis frog skin, has been reported to exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activity, but there are limited studies on its potential as an antibacterial agent. Therefore, this study aims to molecularly modify the sequence of wuchuanin-A1 to enhance its antibacterial properties. The interaction of both the native and analog peptide with bacterial inner membranes was initially assessed using computational methods. Specific amino acid substitutions were then used to enhance the modified peptide's antibacterial efficacy, followed by several preliminary tests to evaluate its activity. This study bridges the gap in exploring the potential of wuchuanin-A1 for antibacterial purposes, providing insights into the design of effective antimicrobial agents.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tri Joko Raharjo
- Department of Chemistry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Bulaksumur, Indonesia
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6
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Mani H, Chang CC, Hsu HJ, Yang CH, Yen JH, Liou JW. Comparison, Analysis, and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Structures of a Viral Protein Modeled Using Various Computational Tools. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:1004. [PMID: 37760106 PMCID: PMC10525864 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10091004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The structural analysis of proteins is a major domain of biomedical research. Such analysis requires resolved three-dimensional structures of proteins. Advancements in computer technology have led to progress in biomedical research. In silico prediction and modeling approaches have facilitated the construction of protein structures, with or without structural templates. In this study, we used three neural network-based de novo modeling approaches-AlphaFold2 (AF2), Robetta-RoseTTAFold (Robetta), and transform-restrained Rosetta (trRosetta)-and two template-based tools-the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) and iterative threading assembly refinement (I-TASSER)-to construct the structure of a viral capsid protein, hepatitis C virus core protein (HCVcp), whose structure have not been fully resolved by laboratory techniques. Templates with sufficient sequence identity for the homology modeling of complete HCVcp are currently unavailable. Therefore, we performed domain-based homology modeling for MOE simulations. The templates for each domain were obtained through sequence-based searches on NCBI and the Protein Data Bank. Then, the modeled domains were assembled to construct the complete structure of HCVcp. The full-length structure and two truncated forms modeled using various computational tools were compared. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to refine the structures. The root mean square deviation of backbone atoms, root mean square fluctuation of Cα atoms, and radius of gyration were calculated to monitor structural changes and convergence in the simulations. The model quality was evaluated through ERRAT and phi-psi plot analysis. In terms of the initial prediction for protein modeling, Robetta and trRosetta outperformed AF2. Regarding template-based tools, MOE outperformed I-TASSER. MD simulations resulted in compactly folded protein structures, which were of good quality and theoretically accurate. Thus, the predicted structures of certain proteins must be refined to obtain reliable structural models. MD simulation is a promising tool for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemalatha Mani
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Chun Chang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Jen Hsu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Hao Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Hung Yen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Je-Wen Liou
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
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7
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Yang P, Guo W, Ramamoorthy A, Chen Z. Conformation and Orientation of Antimicrobial Peptides MSI-594 and MSI-594A in a Lipid Membrane. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:5352-5363. [PMID: 37017985 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
There is significant interest in the development of antimicrobial compounds to overcome the increasing bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics. Studies have shown that naturally occurring and de novo-designed antimicrobial peptides could be promising candidates. MSI-594 is a synthetic linear, cationic peptide that has been reported to exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. Investigation into how MSI-594 disrupts the cell membrane is important for better understanding the details of this antimicrobial peptide (AMP)'s action against bacterial cells. In this study, we used two different synthetic lipid bilayers: zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and anionic 7:3 POPC/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho(1'-rac-glycerol) (POPG). Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were used to determine the orientations of MSI-594 and its analogue MSI-594A associated with zwitterionic POPC and anionic 7:3 POPC/POPG lipid bilayers. The simulated ATR-FTIR and SFG spectra using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-determined structures were compared with experimental spectra to optimize the bent angle between the N- (1-11) and C- (12-24) termini helices and the membrane orientations of the helices; since the NMR structure of the peptide was determined from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) micelles, the optimization was needed to find the most suitable conformation and orientation in lipid bilayers. The reported experimental results indicate that the optimized MSI-594 helical hairpin structure adopts a complete lipid bilayer surface-bound orientation (denoted "face-on") in both POPC and 7:3 POPC/POPG lipid bilayers. The analogue peptide, MSI-584A, on the other hand, exhibited a larger bent angle between the N- (1-11) and C- (12-24) termini helices with the hydrophobic C-terminal helix inserted into the hydrophobic region of the bilayer (denoted "membrane-inserted") when interacting with both POPC and 7:3 POPC/POPG lipid bilayers. These experimental findings on the membrane orientations suggest that both peptides are likely to disrupt the cell membrane through the carpet mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Yang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Wen Guo
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
- Department of Biophysics, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Zhan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
- Department of Biophysics, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
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Won T, Mohid SA, Choi J, Kim M, Krishnamoorthy J, Biswas I, Bhunia A, Lee D. The role of hydrophobic patches of de novo designed MSI-78 and VG16KRKP antimicrobial peptides on fragmenting model bilayer membranes. Biophys Chem 2023; 296:106981. [PMID: 36871366 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2023.106981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with cell membrane lysing capability are considered potential candidates for the development of the next generation of antibiotics. Designing novel AMPs requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of action of the peptides. In this work, we used various biophysical techniques including 31P solid-state NMR to examine the interaction of model membranes with amphipathic de novo-designed peptides. Two such peptides, MSI-78 and VG16KRKP, were designed with different hydrophobicity and positive charges. The model lipid membranes were constituted by mixing lipids of varying degrees of 'area per lipid' (APL), which directly affected the packing properties of the membrane. The observed emergence of the isotropic peak in 31P NMR spectra as a function of time is a consequence of the fragmentation of the membrane mediated by the peptide interaction. The factors such as the charges, overall hydrophilicity of the AMPs, as well as lipid membrane packing, contributed to the kinetics of membrane fragmentation. Furthermore, we anticipate the designed AMPs follow the carpet and toroidal pore mechanisms when lysing the cell membrane. This study highlights the significance of the effect of the overall charges and the hydrophobicity of the novel AMPs designed for antimicrobial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- TaeJun Won
- Department of Fine Chemistry, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of Korea
| | - Sk Abdul Mohid
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, Unified Academic Campus, Bidhan Nagar EN 80, Kolkata 700 091, India
| | - JiHye Choi
- Department of Fine Chemistry, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of Korea
| | - MinSoo Kim
- Department of Fine Chemistry, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Indranil Biswas
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Anirban Bhunia
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, Unified Academic Campus, Bidhan Nagar EN 80, Kolkata 700 091, India.
| | - DongKuk Lee
- Department of Fine Chemistry, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of Korea.
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9
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Oliveira GSD, Nascimento AMDS, Luz ABS, Aguiar AJFC, Lima MSR, Matias LLR, Amado IR, Passos TS, Damasceno KSFDSC, Monteiro NDKV, Moreira SMG, Pastrana L, Morais AHDA. Prospecting in silico antibacterial activity of a peptide from trypsin inhibitor isolated from tamarind seed. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:67-83. [PMID: 36305291 PMCID: PMC9621272 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2134997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial infections have become a global concern, stimulating the growing demand for natural and biologically safe therapeutic agents with antibacterial action. This study was evaluated the genotoxicity of the trypsin inhibitor isolated from tamarind seeds (TTI) and the antibacterial effect of TTI theoric model, number 56, and conformation number 287 (TTIp 56/287) and derived peptides in silico. TTI (0.3 and 0.6 mg.mL−1) did not cause genotoxicity in cells (p > 0.05). In silico, a greater interaction of TTIp 56/287 with the Gram-positive membrane (GP) was observed, with an interaction potential energy (IPE) of −1094.97 kcal.mol−1. In the TTIp 56/287-GP interaction, the Arginine, Threonine (Thr), and Lysine residues presented lower IPE. In molecular dynamics (MD), Peptidotrychyme59 (TVSQTPIDIPIGLPVR) showed an IPE of −518.08 kcal.mol−1 with the membrane of GP bacteria, and the Thr and Arginine residues showed the greater IPE. The results highlight new perspectives on TTI and its derived peptides antibacterial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerciane Silva de Oliveira
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Anna Beatriz Santana Luz
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Ana Júlia Felipe Camelo Aguiar
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Mayara Santa Rosa Lima
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Lídia Leonize Rodrigues Matias
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Thais Souza Passos
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Nutrition Department, University Center of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | | | - Susana Margarida Gomes Moreira
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- The Doctoral Program of Northeast Network in Biotechnology (RENORBIO), Natal, Brazil
| | - Lorenzo Pastrana
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana Heloneida de Araújo Morais
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Nutrition Department, University Center of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
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10
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Ouyang J, Sheng Y, Wang W. Recent Advances of Studies on Cell-Penetrating Peptides Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Cells 2022; 11:cells11244016. [PMID: 36552778 PMCID: PMC9776715 DOI: 10.3390/cells11244016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
With the ability to transport cargo molecules across cell membranes with low toxicity, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have become promising candidates for next generation peptide-based drug delivery vectors. Over the past three decades since the first CPP was discovered, a great deal of work has been done on the cellular uptake mechanisms and the applications for the delivery of therapeutic molecules, and significant advances have been made. But so far, we still do not have a precise and unified understanding of the structure-activity relationship of the CPPs. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide a method to reveal peptide-membrane interactions at the atomistic level and have become an effective complement to experiments. In this paper, we review the progress of the MD simulations on CPP-membrane interactions, including the computational methods and technical improvements in the MD simulations, the research achievements in the CPP internalization mechanism, CPP decoration and coupling, and the peptide-induced membrane reactions during the penetration process, as well as the comparison of simulated and experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Ouyang
- School of Public Courses, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233030, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yuebiao Sheng
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- High Performance Computing Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Correspondence: (Y.S.); (W.W.)
| | - Wei Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Correspondence: (Y.S.); (W.W.)
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11
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Allsopp R, Pavlova A, Cline T, Salyapongse AM, Gillilan RE, Di YP, Deslouches B, Klauda JB, Gumbart JC, Tristram-Nagle S. Antimicrobial Peptide Mechanism Studied by Scattering-Guided Molecular Dynamics Simulation. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:6922-6935. [PMID: 36067064 PMCID: PMC10392866 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In an effort to combat rising antimicrobial resistance, our labs have rationally designed cationic, helical, amphipathic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as alternatives to traditional antibiotics since AMPs incur bacterial resistance in weeks, rather than days. One highly positively charged AMP, WLBU2 (+13e), (RRWV RRVR RWVR RVVR VVRR WVRR), has been shown to be effective in killing both Gram-negative (G(-)) and Gram-positive (G(+)) bacteria by directly perturbing the bacterial membrane nonspecifically. Previously, we used two equilibrium experimental methods: synchrotron X-ray diffuse scattering (XDS) providing lipid membrane thickness and neutron reflectometry (NR) providing WLBU2 depth of penetration into three lipid model membranes (LMMs). The purpose of the present study is to use the results from the scattering experiments to guide molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the detailed biophysics of the interactions of WLBU2 with LMMs of Gram-negative outer and inner membranes, and Gram-positive cell membranes, to elucidate the mechanisms of bacterial killing. Instead of coarse-graining, backmapping, or simulating without bias for several microseconds, all-atom (AA) simulations were guided by the experimental results and then equilibrated for ∼0.5 μs. Multiple replicas of the inserted peptide were run to probe stability and reach a combined time of at least 1.2 μs for G(-) and also 2.0 μs for G(+). The simulations with experimental comparisons help rule out certain structures and orientations and propose the most likely set of structures, orientations, and effects on the membrane. The simulations revealed that water, phosphates, and ions enter the hydrocarbon core when WLBU2 is positioned there. For an inserted peptide, the three types of amino acids, arginine, tryptophan, and valine (R, W, V), are arranged with the 13 Rs extending from the hydrocarbon core to the phosphate group, Ws are located at the interface, and Vs are more centrally located. For a surface state, R, W, and V are positioned relative to the bilayer interface as expected from their hydrophobicities, with Rs closest to the phosphate group, Ws close to the interface, and Vs in between. G(-) and G(+) LMMs are thinned ∼1 Å by the addition of WLBU2. Our results suggest a dual anchoring mechanism for WLBU2 both in the headgroup and in the hydrocarbon region that promotes a defect region where water and ions can flow across the slightly thinned bacterial cell membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Allsopp
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Anna Pavlova
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Tyler Cline
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Aria M Salyapongse
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Richard E Gillilan
- Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Y Peter Di
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Jeffery B Klauda
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - James C Gumbart
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Stephanie Tristram-Nagle
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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12
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Furtado AA, Daniele-Silva A, Resende de Oliveira IR, Mendes RFV, Gomes dos Santos EC, de Carvalho E, Damasceno IZ, e Silva Parente AM, da Fonseca Ribeiro de Sena KX, da Silva-Júnior AA, Ximenes RM, Vieira DS, de Freitas Fernandes-Pedrosa M. In silico and in vitro structure-stability-function relationship of analog peptides of Stigmurin and its antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. Pharmacol Res 2022; 181:106245. [DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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13
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Atomic-Resolution Structures and Mode of Action of Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094558. [PMID: 35562950 PMCID: PMC9100274 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Global rise of infections and deaths caused by drug-resistant bacterial pathogens are among the unmet medical needs. In an age of drying pipeline of novel antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are proven to be valid therapeutics modalities. Direct in vivo applications of many AMPs could be challenging; however, works are demonstrating encouraging results for some of them. In this review article, we discussed 3-D structures of potent AMPs e.g., polymyxin, thanatin, MSI, protegrin, OMPTA in complex with bacterial targets and their mode of actions. Studies on human peptide LL37 and de novo-designed peptides are also discussed. We have focused on AMPs which are effective against drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Since treatment options for the infections caused by super bugs of Gram-negative bacteria are now extremely limited. We also summarize some of the pertinent challenges in the field of clinical trials of AMPs.
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14
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de Oliveira ECL, da Costa KS, Taube PS, Lima AH, Junior CDSDS. Biological Membrane-Penetrating Peptides: Computational Prediction and Applications. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:838259. [PMID: 35402305 PMCID: PMC8992797 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.838259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides comprise a versatile class of biomolecules that present a unique chemical space with diverse physicochemical and structural properties. Some classes of peptides are able to naturally cross the biological membranes, such as cell membrane and blood-brain barrier (BBB). Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and blood-brain barrier-penetrating peptides (B3PPs) have been explored by the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries to develop new therapeutic molecules and carrier systems. The computational prediction of peptides’ penetration into biological membranes has been emerged as an interesting strategy due to their high throughput and low-cost screening of large chemical libraries. Structure- and sequence-based information of peptides, as well as atomistic biophysical models, have been explored in computer-assisted discovery strategies to classify and identify new structures with pharmacokinetic properties related to the translocation through biomembranes. Computational strategies to predict the permeability into biomembranes include cheminformatic filters, molecular dynamics simulations, artificial intelligence algorithms, and statistical models, and the choice of the most adequate method depends on the purposes of the computational investigation. Here, we exhibit and discuss some principles and applications of these computational methods widely used to predict the permeability of peptides into biomembranes, exhibiting some of their pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewerton Cristhian Lima de Oliveira
- Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Kauê Santana da Costa, ; Ewerton Cristhian Lima de Oliveira,
| | - Kauê Santana da Costa
- Laboratory of Computational Simulation, Institute of Biodiversity, Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Kauê Santana da Costa, ; Ewerton Cristhian Lima de Oliveira,
| | - Paulo Sérgio Taube
- Laboratory of Computational Simulation, Institute of Biodiversity, Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
| | - Anderson H. Lima
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
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15
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Evaluation of transport mechanism of ascorbic acid through cyclic peptide-based nanotubes: A molecular dynamics study. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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16
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Biswas K, Bhunia A. Probing the Functional Interaction Interface of Lipopolysaccharide and Antimicrobial Peptides: A Solution-State NMR Perspective. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2548:211-231. [PMID: 36151500 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2581-1_13] [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] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been a topic of substantial research as the next-generation antibiotics. They have been extensively studied for the selectivity and action against microbial membrane lipids in imparting their targeted functioning. To determine the effectivity of the peptides against the Gram-negative pathogens, it is imperative to elucidate their role in interacting with the lipopolysaccharide moieties. Lipopolysaccharide is a major component of the outer membrane of the Gram-negative bacteria. It serves to protect the bacteria as well as govern the functionality of several antibacterial agents. It can prevent the access of the agents into the inner membrane of the bacteria, thus rendering them inactive. Several techniques have been employed to study the interaction for better designing of peptides; NMR spectroscopy is one of the most widely used techniques in determining the interactive properties of peptides with LPS as it can provide the details in atomistic level. NMR spectroscopy provides information about the structural and conformational changes as well as the dynamics of the interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anirban Bhunia
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India.
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17
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Koneru JK, Prakashchand DD, Dube N, Ghosh P, Mondal J. Spontaneous transmembrane pore formation by short-chain synthetic peptide. Biophys J 2021; 120:4557-4574. [PMID: 34478698 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphiphilic β-peptides, which are synthetically designed short-chain helical foldamers of β-amino acids, are established potent biomimetic alternatives of natural antimicrobial peptides. An intriguing question is how the distinct molecular architecture of these short-chain and rigid synthetic peptides translates to its potent membrane-disruption ability. Here, we address this question via a combination of all-atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of the interaction of mixed phospholipid bilayer with an antimicrobial 10-residue globally amphiphilic helical β-peptide at a wide range of concentrations. The simulation demonstrates that multiple copies of this synthetic peptide, initially placed in aqueous solution, readily self-assemble and adsorb at membrane interface. Subsequently, beyond a threshold peptide/lipid ratio, the surface-adsorbed oligomeric aggregate moves inside the membrane and spontaneously forms stable water-filled transmembrane pores via a cooperative mechanism. The defects induced by these pores lead to the dislocation of interfacial lipid headgroups, membrane thinning, and substantial water leakage inside the hydrophobic core of the membrane. A molecular analysis reveals that despite having a short architecture, these synthetic peptides, once inside the membrane, would stretch themselves toward the distal leaflet in favor of potential contact with polar headgroups and interfacial water layer. The pore formed in coarse-grained simulation was found to be resilient upon structural refinement. Interestingly, the pore-inducing ability was found to be elusive in a non-globally amphiphilic sequence isomer of the same β-peptide, indicating strong sequence dependence. Taken together, this work puts forward key perspectives of membrane activity of minimally designed synthetic biomimetic oligomers relative to the natural antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaya Krishna Koneru
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Dube Dheeraj Prakashchand
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Namita Dube
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Pushpita Ghosh
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Jagannath Mondal
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
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18
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Paul R, Paul S. Translocation of Endo-Functionalized Molecular Tubes across Different Lipid Bilayers: Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:10376-10387. [PMID: 34415773 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Various artificial receptors, such as calixarenes, cyclodextrins, cucurbit[n]urils, and their acyclic compounds, pliiar[n]arenes, deep cavitands, and molecular tweezers, can permeate the lipid membranes and they are used as drug carriers to improve the drug solubility, stability, and bioavailability. Inspired by these, we have employed atomistic molecular dynamics simulation to examine the effects of endo-functionalized molecular tubes or naphthotubes (host-1a and host-1b) on seven different types of model lipid bilayers and the permeation properties of these receptors through these model lipid bilayers. Lipid types include six model lipid bilayers (POPC, POPE, DOPC, POPG, DPPE, POPE/POPG) and one realistic membrane (Yeast). We observe that these receptors are spontaneously translocated toward these model lipid bilayer head regions and do not proceed further into these lipid bilayer tail regions (reside at the interface between lipid head and lipid tail region), except for the DPPE-containing systems. In the DPPE model lipid bilayer-containing systems (1a-dppe and 1b-dppe), receptor molecules are only adsorbed on the bilayer surface and reside at the interface between lipid head and water. This finding is also supported by the biased free-energy profiles of these translocation processes. Passive transport of these receptors may be possible through these model lipid bilayers (due to low barrier height), except for DPPE bilayer-containing systems (that have a very high energy barrier at the center). The results from these simulations provide insight into the biocompatibility of host-1a or host-1b in microscopic detail. Based on this work, more research is needed to fully comprehend the role of these synthesized receptors as a prospective drug carrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabindranath Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Sandip Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
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19
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Islam S, Mukhopadhyay C. Aggregation of Lysozyme in the Presence of a Mixed Bilayer of POPC and POPG. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:17861-17869. [PMID: 34308021 PMCID: PMC8295997 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c01145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which amyloidogenic proteins interact with membranes is a challenging task. Amyloid accumulates from many human diseases have been observed to contain membrane lipids. In this work, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations have been used to inspect hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) aggregation and membrane association in the presence of a pure POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) bilayer and a POPC and POPG (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol) mixed bilayer. It was observed that, in both cases, two HEWLs formed aggregates. In the presence of a mixed bilayer, after aggregation, the aggregated system started to interact with the membrane. It has been found that one of the lysozymes which came closer to the mixed bilayer unfolded more. The process of the initial insertion of an aggregated system in the mixed bilayer has been analyzed. The structural rearrangements of the protein and lipids were analyzed as well along the course of the simulation. Although with a pure POPC bilayer, aggregation was observed, the aggregated system moved away from the membrane. We believe that our study will provide considerable insights into lysozyme aggregation in the presence of a membrane environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahee Islam
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Calcutta, 92, A. P. C. Road, Kolkata 700009, India
| | - Chaitali Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Calcutta, 92, A. P. C. Road, Kolkata 700009, India
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20
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Aronica PGA, Reid LM, Desai N, Li J, Fox SJ, Yadahalli S, Essex JW, Verma CS. Computational Methods and Tools in Antimicrobial Peptide Research. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:3172-3196. [PMID: 34165973 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an ongoing and troubling development that has increased the number of diseases and infections that risk going untreated. There is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies and treatments to address this issue. One class of molecules that is attracting significant interest is that of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Their design and development has been aided considerably by the applications of molecular models, and we review these here. These methods include the use of tools to explore the relationships between their structures, dynamics, and functions and the increasing application of machine learning and molecular dynamics simulations. This review compiles resources such as AMP databases, AMP-related web servers, and commonly used techniques, together aimed at aiding researchers in the area toward complementing experimental studies with computational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro G A Aronica
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Lauren M Reid
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield Southampton, Hampshire, U.K. SO17 1BJ.,MedChemica Ltd, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, U.K. SK10 4TG
| | - Nirali Desai
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Division of Biological and Life Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Central Campus, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India 380009
| | - Jianguo Li
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Singapore Eye Research Institute, 20 College Road Discovery Tower, Singapore 169856
| | - Stephen J Fox
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Shilpa Yadahalli
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Jonathan W Essex
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield Southampton, Hampshire, U.K. SO17 1BJ
| | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute at A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543 Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, 637551 Singapore
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21
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Wang A, Peng X, Li Y, Zhang D, Zhang Z, Li G. Quality of force fields and sampling methods in simulating pepX peptides: a case study for intrinsically disordered proteins. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:2430-2437. [PMID: 33459730 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05484d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are a group of proteins that lack well-defined structures under native conditions and carry out crucial physiological functions in various biochemical pathways. Due to the heterogeneous nature of IDPs, molecular dynamics simulations have been extensively adopted to investigate the conformational ensembles and dynamic properties of these proteins. However, their accuracy remains limited by the development of force fields and sampling algorithms. Here, we evaluated the quality of both force fields and enhanced sampling algorithms based on five short pepX peptides. Our results show that the more extended conformational ensembles sampled by the AMOEBA polarizable force field present a higher ability to reproduce experimental NMR observables than AMBER and CHARMM classical force fields. Moreover, a better agreement with experiments is achieved in the simulation of IaMD (integrated accelerated molecular dynamics) than in aMD (accelerated molecular dynamics). The results together indicate that the combination of AMOEBA force field and IaMD enhanced sampling might be a better choice for simulating IDPs. This work may provide important clues for developments and applications of force fields and enhanced sampling methods in future simulations of IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
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22
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Chakraborty A, Kobzev E, Chan J, de Zoysa GH, Sarojini V, Piggot TJ, Allison JR. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Interaction of Two Linear Battacin Analogs with Model Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacterial Cell Membranes. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:388-400. [PMID: 33458490 PMCID: PMC7807746 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a potential solution to the increasing threat of antibiotic resistance, but successful design of active but nontoxic AMPs requires understanding their mechanism of action. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide atomic-level information regarding how AMPs interact with the cell membrane. Here, we have used MD simulations to study two linear analogs of battacin, a naturally occurring cyclic, lipidated, nonribosomal AMP. Like battacin, these analogs are active against Gram-negative multidrug resistant and Gram-positive bacteria, but they are less toxic than battacin. Our simulations show that this activity depends upon a combination of positively charged and hydrophobic moieties. Favorable interactions with negatively charged membrane lipid head groups drive association with the membrane and insertion of hydrophobic residues, and the N-terminal lipid anchors the peptides to the membrane surface. Both effects are required for stable membrane binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aparajita Chakraborty
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- Centre
for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, Massey
University Auckland, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
| | - Elisey Kobzev
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- Centre
for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, Massey
University Auckland, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
- School
of Computational and Natural Sciences, Massey
University Auckland, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
| | - Jonathan Chan
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QU, United
Kingdom
| | | | - Vijayalekshmi Sarojini
- School of
Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- MacDiarmid
Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Thomas J. Piggot
- School
of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Chemical
Biological and Radiological Sciences, Defence
Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JQ, United Kingdom
| | - Jane R Allison
- Maurice
Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- Centre
for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, Massey
University Auckland, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
- Biomolecular
Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Digital
Life Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
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23
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Remington JM, Liao C, Sharafi M, Marie ES, Ferrell JB, Hondal R, Wargo MJ, Schneebeli ST, Li J. Aggregation State of Synergistic Antimicrobial Peptides. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:9501-9506. [PMID: 33108730 PMCID: PMC8299379 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
By integrating various simulation and experimental techniques, we discovered that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may achieve synergy at an optimal concentration and ratio, which can be caused by aggregation of the synergistic peptides. On multiple time and length scales, our studies obtain novel evidence of how peptide coaggregation in solution can affect the disruption of membranes by synergistic AMPs. Our findings provide crucial details about the complex molecular origins of AMP synergy, which will help guide the future development of synergistic AMPs as well as applications of anti-infective peptide cocktail therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chenyi Liao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Mona Sharafi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Emma Ste. Marie
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | | | - Robert Hondal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Matthew J. Wargo
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | | | - Jianing Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
- Corresponding Author Jianing Li ()
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24
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Lipid headgroups alter huntingtin aggregation on membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1863:183497. [PMID: 33130095 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's Disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a glutamine repeat region (polyQ) beyond a critical threshold within exon1 of the huntingtin protein (htt). As a consequence of polyQ expansion, htt associates into a variety of aggregate species that are thought to underlie cellular toxicity. Within cells, htt associates with numerous membranous organelles and surfaces that exert influence on the aggregation process. In particular, the first 17 amino acids at the N-terminus of htt (Nt17) serve as a lipid-binding domain that is intrinsically disordered in bulk solution but adopts an amphipathic α-helical structure upon binding membranes. Beyond this, Nt17 is implicated in initiating htt fibrillization. As the interaction between Nt17 and lipid membranes is likely influenced by lipid properties, the impact of lipid headgroups on htt-exon1 aggregation, membrane activity, and the ability to form protein:lipid complexes was determined. Htt-exon1 with a disease-length polyQ domain (46Q) was exposed to lipid vesicles comprised of lipids with either zwitterionic (POPC and POPE) or anionic (POPG and POPS) headgroups. With zwitterionic head groups, large lipid to peptide ratios were required to have a statistically significant impact on htt aggregation. Anionic lipids enhanced htt fibrillization, even at low lipid:protein ratios, and this was accompanied by changes in aggregate morphology. Despite the larger impact of anionic lipids, htt-exon1(46Q) was more membrane active with zwitterionic lipid systems. The ability of Nt17 to form complexes with lipids was also mediated by lipid headgroups as zwitterionic ionic lipids more readily associated with multimeric forms of Nt17 in comparison with anionic lipids. Collectively, these results highlight the complexity of htt/membrane interactions and the resulting impact on the aggregation process.
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25
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Sowlati-Hashjin S, Carbone P, Karttunen M. Insights into the Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB) Mechanism of Action on Bacterial Membrane and DNA: A Molecular Dynamics Study. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:4487-4497. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c02609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Sowlati-Hashjin
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
- The Centre of Advanced Materials and Biomaterials Research, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Paola Carbone
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Mikko Karttunen
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
- The Centre of Advanced Materials and Biomaterials Research, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
- Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
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26
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Bengtsson T, Selegård R, Musa A, Hultenby K, Utterström J, Sivlér P, Skog M, Nayeri F, Hellmark B, Söderquist B, Aili D, Khalaf H. Plantaricin NC8 αβ exerts potent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus spp. and enhances the effects of antibiotics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3580. [PMID: 32107445 PMCID: PMC7046733 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60570-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of conventional antibiotics has substantial clinical efficacy, however these vital antimicrobial agents are becoming less effective due to the dramatic increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Novel approaches to combat bacterial infections are urgently needed and bacteriocins represent a promising alternative. In this study, the activities of the two-peptide bacteriocin PLNC8 αβ were investigated against different Staphylococcus spp. The peptide sequences of PLNC8 α and β were modified, either through truncation or replacement of all L-amino acids with D-amino acids. Both L- and D-PLNC8 αβ caused rapid disruption of lipid membrane integrity and were effective against both susceptible and antibiotic resistant strains. The D-enantiomer was stable against proteolytic degradation by trypsin compared to the L-enantiomer. Of the truncated peptides, β1–22, β7–34 and β1–20 retained an inhibitory activity. The peptides diffused rapidly (2 min) through the bacterial cell wall and permeabilized the cell membrane, causing swelling with a disorganized peptidoglycan layer. Interestingly, sub-MIC concentrations of PLNC8 αβ substantially enhanced the effects of different antibiotics in an additive or synergistic manner. This study shows that PLNC8 αβ is active against Staphylococcus spp. and may be developed as adjuvant in combination therapy to potentiate the effects of antibiotics and reduce their overall use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torbjörn Bengtsson
- Cardiovascular Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, SE-70362, Sweden
| | - Robert Selegård
- Cardiovascular Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, SE-70362, Sweden.,Division of Molecular Physics, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping, SE-58183, Sweden
| | - Amani Musa
- Cardiovascular Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, SE-70362, Sweden
| | - Kjell Hultenby
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Research Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SE-14186, Sweden
| | - Johanna Utterström
- Division of Molecular Physics, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping, SE-58183, Sweden
| | | | | | - Fariba Nayeri
- PEAS Research Institute, Department of Infection Control, Linköping, SE-58273, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hellmark
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, SE-70185, Sweden
| | - Bo Söderquist
- Cardiovascular Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, SE-70362, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, SE-70185, Sweden
| | - Daniel Aili
- Division of Molecular Physics, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping, SE-58183, Sweden
| | - Hazem Khalaf
- Cardiovascular Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, SE-70362, Sweden.
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27
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Wäschenbach L, Gertzen CGW, Keitel V, Gohlke H. Dimerization energetics of the G-protein coupled bile acid receptor TGR5 from all-atom simulations. J Comput Chem 2019; 41:874-884. [PMID: 31880348 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We describe the first extensive energetic evaluation of GPCR dimerization on the atomistic level by means of potential of mean force (PMF) computations and implicit solvent/implicit membrane end-point free energy calculations (MM-PBSA approach). Free energies of association computed from the PMFs show that the formation of both the 1/8 and 4/5 interface is energetically favorable for TGR5, the first GPCR known to be activated by hydrophobic bile acids and neurosteroids. Furthermore, formation of the 1/8 interface is favored over that of the 4/5 interface. Both results are in line with our previous FRET experiments in live cells. Differences in lipid-protein interactions are identified to contribute to the observed differences in free energies of association. A per-residue decomposition of the MM-PBSA effective binding energy reveals hot spot residues specific for both interfaces that form clusters. This knowledge may be used to guide the design of dimerization inhibitors or perform mutational studies to explore physiological consequences of distorted TGR5 association. Finally, we characterized the role of Y111, located in the conserved (D/E)RY motif, as a facilitator of TGR5 interactions. The types of computations performed here should be transferable to other transmembrane proteins that form dimers or higher oligomers as long as good structural models of the dimeric or oligomeric states are available. Such computations may help to overcome current restrictions due to an imperfect energetic representation of protein association at the coarse-grained level. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Wäschenbach
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christoph G W Gertzen
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), and Institute for Complex Systems-Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Verena Keitel
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), and Institute for Complex Systems-Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
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28
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Omolo CA, Megrab NA, Kalhapure RS, Agrawal N, Jadhav M, Mocktar C, Rambharose S, Maduray K, Nkambule B, Govender T. Liposomes with pH responsive 'on and off' switches for targeted and intracellular delivery of antibiotics. J Liposome Res 2019; 31:45-63. [PMID: 31663407 DOI: 10.1080/08982104.2019.1686517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
pH responsive drug delivery systems are one of the new strategies to address the spread of bacterial resistance to currently used antibiotics. The aim of this study was to formulate liposomes with 'On' and 'Off'' pH responsive switches for infection site targeting. The vancomycin (VCM) loaded liposomes had sizes below 100 nm, at pH 7.4. The QL-liposomes had a negative zeta potential at pH 7.4 that switched to a positive charge at acidic pH. VCM release from the liposome was quicker at pH 6 than pH 7.4. The OA-QL-liposome showed 4-fold lower MIC at pH 7.4 and 8- and 16-fold lower at pH 6.0 against both MSSA and MRSA compared to the bare drug. OA-QL liposome had a 1266.67- and 704.33-fold reduction in the intracellular infection for TPH-1 macrophage and HEK293 cells respectively. In vivo studies showed that the amount of MRSA recovered from mice treated with formulations was 189.67 and 6.33-fold lower than the untreated and bare VCM treated mice respectively. MD simulation of the QL lipid with the phosphatidylcholine membrane (POPC) showed spontaneous binding of the lipid to the bilayer membrane both electrostatic and Van der Waals interactions contributed to the binding. These studies demonstrated that the 'On' and 'Off' pH responsive liposomes enhanced the activity targeted and intracellular delivery VCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin A Omolo
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.,School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, United States International University of Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nagia A Megrab
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Rahul S Kalhapure
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Nikhil Agrawal
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Mahantesh Jadhav
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Chunderika Mocktar
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Sanjeev Rambharose
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.,Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kaminee Maduray
- Department of Physiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Bongani Nkambule
- Department of Physiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Thirumala Govender
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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29
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Duan L, Guo X, Cong Y, Feng G, Li Y, Zhang JZH. Accelerated Molecular Dynamics Simulation for Helical Proteins Folding in Explicit Water. Front Chem 2019; 7:540. [PMID: 31448259 PMCID: PMC6691143 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we examined the folding processes of eight helical proteins (2I9M, TC5B, 1WN8, 1V4Z, 1HO2, 1HLL, 2KFE, and 1YYB) at room temperature using the explicit solvent model under the AMBER14SB force field with the accelerated molecular dynamics (AMD) and traditional molecular dynamics (MD), respectively. We analyzed and compared the simulation results obtained by these two methods based on several aspects, such as root mean square deviation (RMSD), native contacts, cluster analysis, folding snapshots, free energy landscape, and the evolution of the radius of gyration, which showed that these eight proteins were successfully and consistently folded into the corresponding native structures by AMD simulations carried out at room temperature. In addition, the folding occurred in the range of 40~180 ns after starting from the linear structures of the eight proteins at 300 K. By contrast, these stable folding structures were not found when the traditional molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used. At the same time, the influence of high temperatures (350, 400, and 450 K) is also further investigated. Study found that the simulation efficiency of AMD is higher than that of MD simulations, regardless of the temperature. Of these temperatures, 300 K is the most suitable temperature for protein folding for all systems. To further investigate the efficiency of AMD, another trajectory was simulated for eight proteins with the same linear structure but different random seeds at 300 K. Both AMD trajectories reached the correct folded structures. Our result clearly shows that AMD simulation are a highly efficient and reliable method for the study of protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Duan
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaona Guo
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Yalong Cong
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoqiang Feng
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuchen Li
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - John Z H Zhang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,NYU-ECNU Center for Computational Chemistry at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China.,Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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30
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Romoli O, Mukherjee S, Mohid SA, Dutta A, Montali A, Franzolin E, Brady D, Zito F, Bergantino E, Rampazzo C, Tettamanti G, Bhunia A, Sandrelli F. Enhanced Silkworm Cecropin B Antimicrobial Activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Single Amino Acid Variation. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:1200-1213. [PMID: 31045339 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen causing severe infections in hospitalized and immunosuppressed patients, particularly individuals affected by cystic fibrosis. Several clinically isolated P. aeruginosa strains were found to be resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes indicating the importance of identifying new antimicrobials active against this pathogen. Here, we characterized the antimicrobial activity and the action mechanisms against P. aeruginosa of two natural isoforms of the antimicrobial peptide cecropin B, both isolated from the silkworm Bombyx mori. These cecropin B isoforms differ in a single amino acid substitution within the active portion of the peptide, so that the glutamic acid of the E53 CecB variant is replaced by a glutamine in the Q53 CecB isoform. Both peptides showed a high antimicrobial and membranolytic activity against P. aeruginosa, with Q53 CecB displaying greater activity compared with the E53 CecB isoform. Biophysical analyses, live-cell NMR, and molecular-dynamic-simulation studies indicated that both peptides might act as membrane-interacting elements, which can disrupt outer-membrane organization, facilitating their translocation toward the inner membrane of the bacterial cell. Our data also suggest that the amino acid variation of the Q53 CecB isoform represents a critical factor in stabilizing the hydrophobic segment that interacts with the bacterial membrane, determining the highest antimicrobial activity of the whole peptide. Its high stability to pH and temperature variations, tolerance to high salt concentrations, and low toxicity against human cells make Q53 CecB a promising candidate in the development of CecB-derived compounds against P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ottavia Romoli
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Shruti Mukherjee
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII (M), 700 054 Kolkata, India
| | - Sk Abdul Mohid
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII (M), 700 054 Kolkata, India
| | - Arkajyoti Dutta
- Department of Chemistry, Bose Institute, 93/1 A P C Road, 700 009 Kolkata, India
| | - Aurora Montali
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Jean Henry Dunant, 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Elisa Franzolin
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Daniel Brady
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Zito
- Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-Chimique des Protéines Membranaires, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, CNRS, UMR7099, University Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Elisabetta Bergantino
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Rampazzo
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Gianluca Tettamanti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Jean Henry Dunant, 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Anirban Bhunia
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII (M), 700 054 Kolkata, India
| | - Federica Sandrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
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31
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Wang AH, Zhang ZC, Li GH. Advances in enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations for biomolecules. CHINESE J CHEM PHYS 2019. [DOI: 10.1063/1674-0068/cjcp1905091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- An-hui Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Zhi-chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Guo-hui Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Design, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
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32
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Enkavi G, Javanainen M, Kulig W, Róg T, Vattulainen I. Multiscale Simulations of Biological Membranes: The Challenge To Understand Biological Phenomena in a Living Substance. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5607-5774. [PMID: 30859819 PMCID: PMC6727218 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Biological membranes are tricky to investigate. They are complex in terms of molecular composition and structure, functional over a wide range of time scales, and characterized by nonequilibrium conditions. Because of all of these features, simulations are a great technique to study biomembrane behavior. A significant part of the functional processes in biological membranes takes place at the molecular level; thus computer simulations are the method of choice to explore how their properties emerge from specific molecular features and how the interplay among the numerous molecules gives rise to function over spatial and time scales larger than the molecular ones. In this review, we focus on this broad theme. We discuss the current state-of-the-art of biomembrane simulations that, until now, have largely focused on a rather narrow picture of the complexity of the membranes. Given this, we also discuss the challenges that we should unravel in the foreseeable future. Numerous features such as the actin-cytoskeleton network, the glycocalyx network, and nonequilibrium transport under ATP-driven conditions have so far received very little attention; however, the potential of simulations to solve them would be exceptionally high. A major milestone for this research would be that one day we could say that computer simulations genuinely research biological membranes, not just lipid bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giray Enkavi
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Javanainen
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy
of Sciences, Flemingovo naḿesti 542/2, 16610 Prague, Czech Republic
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Waldemar Kulig
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomasz Róg
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Ilpo Vattulainen
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
- MEMPHYS-Center
for Biomembrane Physics
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33
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Hazam PK, Akhil R, Jerath G, Saikia J, Ramakrishnan V. Topological effects on the designability and bactericidal potency of antimicrobial peptides. Biophys Chem 2019; 248:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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34
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Bhattacharyya D, Kim M, Mroue KH, Park M, Tiwari A, Saleem M, Lee D, Bhunia A. Role of non-electrostatic forces in antimicrobial potency of a dengue-virus derived fusion peptide VG16KRKP: Mechanistic insight into the interfacial peptide-lipid interactions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1861:798-809. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2018] [Revised: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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35
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Potent and Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity of Analogs from the Scorpion Peptide Stigmurin. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20030623. [PMID: 30709056 PMCID: PMC6387013 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Scorpion venom constitutes a rich source of biologically active compounds with high potential for therapeutic and biotechnological applications that can be used as prototypes for the design of new drugs. The aim of this study was to characterize the structural conformation, evaluate the antimicrobial activity, and gain insight into the possible action mechanism underlying it, for two new analog peptides of the scorpion peptide Stigmurin, named StigA25 and StigA31. The amino acid substitutions in the native sequence for lysine residues resulted in peptides with higher positive net charge and hydrophobicity, with an increase in the theoretical helical content. StigA25 and StigA31 showed the capacity to modify their structural conformation according to the environment, and were stable to pH and temperature variation—results similar to the native peptide. Both analog peptides demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity in vitro, showing an effect superior to that of the native peptide, being non-hemolytic at the biologically active concentrations. Therefore, this study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of the analog peptides from Stigmurin and the promising approach of rational drug design based on scorpion venom peptide to obtain new anti-infective agents.
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36
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Orekhov PS, Kholina EG, Bozdaganyan ME, Nesterenko AM, Kovalenko IB, Strakhovskaya MG. Molecular Mechanism of Uptake of Cationic Photoantimicrobial Phthalocyanine across Bacterial Membranes Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:3711-3722. [PMID: 29553736 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b11707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Phthalocyanines are aromatic macrocyclic compounds, which are structurally related to porphyrins. In clinical practice, phthalocyanines are used in fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy of cancer and noncancer lesions. Certain forms of the substituted polycationic metallophthalocyanines have been previously shown to be active in photodynamic inactivation of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria; one of them is zinc octakis(cholinyl)phthalocyanine (ZnPcChol8+). However, the molecular details of how these compounds translocate across bacterial membranes still remain unclear. In the present work, we have developed a coarse-grained (CG) molecular model of ZnPcChol8+ within the framework of the popular MARTINI CG force field. The obtained model was used to probe the solvation behavior of phthalocyanine molecules, which agreed with experimental results. Subsequently, it was used to investigate the molecular details of interactions between phthalocyanines and membranes of various compositions. The results demonstrate that ZnPcChol8+ has high affinity to both the inner and the outer model membranes of Gram-negative bacteria, although this species does not show noticeable affinity to the 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine membrane. Furthermore, we found out that the process of ZnPcChol8+ penetration toward the center of the outer bacterial membrane is energetically favorable and leads to its overall disturbance and formation of the aqueous pore. Such intramembrane localization of ZnPcChol8+ suggests their twofold cytotoxic effect on bacterial cells: (1) via induction of lipid peroxidation by enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (i.e., photodynamic toxicity); (2) via rendering the bacterial membrane more permeable for additional Pc molecules as well as other compounds. We also found that the kinetics of penetration depends on the presence of phospholipid defects in the lipopolysaccharide leaflet of the outer membrane and the type of counterions, which stabilize it. Thus, the results of our simulations provide a detailed molecular view of ZnPcChol8+ "self-promoted uptake", the pathway previously proposed for some small molecules crossing the outer bacterial membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp S Orekhov
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology , Dolgoprudny 141700 , Russia.,Sechenov University , Trubetskaya 8-2 , Moscow 119991 , Russia
| | | | - Marine E Bozdaganyan
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Specialized Medical Care and Medical Technologies , Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia , Moscow 115682 , Russia
| | | | - Ilya B Kovalenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Specialized Medical Care and Medical Technologies , Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia , Moscow 115682 , Russia.,Astrakhan State University , Astrakhan 414056 , Russia.,Scientific and Technological Center of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow 117342 , Russia
| | - Marina G Strakhovskaya
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Specialized Medical Care and Medical Technologies , Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia , Moscow 115682 , Russia
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37
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Li J, Beuerman RW, Verma CS. Molecular Insights into the Membrane Affinities of Model Hydrophobes. ACS OMEGA 2018; 3:2498-2507. [PMID: 30023836 PMCID: PMC6044992 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b01759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Membrane-active antibiotics are of great interest in fighting bacterial resistance. α-Mangostin is a membrane-active molecule, but there are no details of its mechanism of action at the atomistic level. We have employed free-energy simulations and microsecond-long conventional molecular dynamics simulations to study the mode of interaction of α-mangostin with a model bacterial membrane and compare it with the mechanisms of three hydrophobic molecules (ciprofloxacin, xanthone, and tetracycline). We find that α-mangostin is thermodynamically more favored to insert into the membrane compared to the other three molecules. Apart from tetracycline, which is largely hydrophilic, the other three molecules aggregate in water; however, only α-mangostin can penetrate into the lipid tail region of the membrane. When it reaches a high concentration in the lipid tail region, α-mangostin can form tubular clusters that span the two head group regions of the membrane, resulting in a large number of water translocations along the transmembrane aggregates. Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed two structural properties that characterize α-mangostin, namely, the two isoprenyl groups and the polar groups present in the aromatic rings, which result in "disruptive amphiphilicity" and hence its excellent membrane activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Li
- Singapore
Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, 169856, Singapore
- Bioinformatics
Institute (A*-STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, 138671 Singapore
| | - Roger W. Beuerman
- Singapore
Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, 169856, Singapore
- Department
of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, 119074 Singapore
- Duke-NUS,
SRP Neuroscience & Behavioural Disorders, 8 College Road, 169857, Singapore
| | - Chandra S. Verma
- Singapore
Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, 169856, Singapore
- Bioinformatics
Institute (A*-STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, 138671 Singapore
- School
of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological
University, 60 Nanyang
Drive, 637551 Singapore
- Department
of Biological Sciences, National University
of Singapore, 14 Science
Drive 4, 117543 Singapore
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38
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Lyu Y, Xiang N, Mondal J, Zhu X, Narsimhan G. Characterization of Interactions between Curcumin and Different Types of Lipid Bilayers by Molecular Dynamics Simulation. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:2341-2354. [PMID: 29394060 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b10566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lyu
- Department of Agricultural
and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Ning Xiang
- Department of Agricultural
and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Jagannath Mondal
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 36/P, Gopanapally Village, Serilingampally Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, Hyderabad 500107, India
| | - Xiao Zhu
- Research
Computing, Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Ganesan Narsimhan
- Department of Agricultural
and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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39
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Jafari M, Mehrnejad F, Doustdar F. Insight into the interactions, residue snorkeling, and membrane disordering potency of a single antimicrobial peptide into different lipid bilayers. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187216. [PMID: 29125878 PMCID: PMC5695277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Pardaxin, with a bend-helix-bend-helix structure, is a membrane-active antimicrobial peptide that its membrane activity depends on the lipid bilayer composition. Herein, all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to provide further molecular insight into the interactions, structural dynamics, orientation behavior, and cationic residues snorkeling of pardaxin in the DMPC, DPPC, POPC, POPG, POPG/POPE (3:1), and POPG/POPE (1:3) lipid bilayers. The results showed that the C-terminal helix of the peptide was maintained in all six types of the model-bilayers and pardaxin was tilted into the DMPC, DPPC, and POPG/POPE mixed bilayers more than the POPC and POPG bilayers. As well as, the structure of zwitterionic membranes was more affected by the peptide than the anionic bilayers. Taken together, the study demonstrated that the cationic residues of pardaxin snorkeled toward the interface of lipid bilayers and all phenylalanine residues of the peptide played important roles in the peptide-membrane interactions. We hope that this work will provide a better understanding of the interactions of antimicrobial peptides with the membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Jafari
- Department of Life Sciences Engineering, Faculty of New Sciences & Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Faramarz Mehrnejad
- Department of Life Sciences Engineering, Faculty of New Sciences & Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farahnoosh Doustdar
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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