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Blazhynska M, Gumbart JC, Chen H, Tajkhorshid E, Roux B, Chipot C. A Rigorous Framework for Calculating Protein-Protein Binding Affinities in Membranes. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:9077-9092. [PMID: 38091976 PMCID: PMC11145395 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Calculating the binding free energy of integral transmembrane (TM) proteins is crucial for understanding the mechanisms by which they recognize one another and reversibly associate. The glycophorin A (GpA) homodimer, composed of two α-helical segments, has long served as a model system for studying TM protein reversible association. The present work establishes a methodological framework for calculating the binding affinity of the GpA homodimer in the heterogeneous environment of a membrane. Our investigation carefully considered a variety of protocols, including the appropriate choice of the force field, rigorous standardization reflecting the experimental conditions, sampling algorithm, anisotropic environment, and collective variables, to accurately describe GpA dimerization via molecular dynamics-based approaches. Specifically, two strategies were explored: (i) an unrestrained potential mean force (PMF) calculation, which merely enhances sampling along the separation of the two binding partners without any restraint, and (ii) a so-called "geometrical route", whereby the α-helices are progressively separated with imposed restraints on their orientational, positional, and conformational degrees of freedom to accelerate convergence. Our simulations reveal that the simplified, unrestrained PMF approach is inadequate for the description of GpA dimerization. Instead, the geometrical route, tailored specifically to GpA in a membrane environment, yields excellent agreement with experimental data within a reasonable computational time. A dimerization free energy of -10.7 kcal/mol is obtained, in fairly good agreement with available experimental data. The geometrical route further helps elucidate how environmental forces drive association before helical interactions stabilize it. Our simulations also brought to light a distinct, long-lived spatial arrangement that potentially serves as an intermediate state during dimer formation. The methodological advances in the generalized geometrical route provide a powerful tool for accurate and efficient binding-affinity calculations of intricate TM protein complexes in inhomogeneous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marharyta Blazhynska
- Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche n°7019, Université de Lorraine, B.P. 70239, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex 54506, France
| | - James C Gumbart
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 837 State Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Haochuan Chen
- Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche n°7019, Université de Lorraine, B.P. 70239, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex 54506, France
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Visualization, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Benoît Roux
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, 929 E. 57th Street W225, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, 5735 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Christophe Chipot
- Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche n°7019, Université de Lorraine, B.P. 70239, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex 54506, France
- Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Visualization, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, 929 E. 57th Street W225, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Hawai'i at Ma̅noa, 2545 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, United States
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2
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Gupta S, Soni J, Kumar A, Mandal T. Origin of the nonlinear structural and mechanical properties in oppositely curved lipid mixtures. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:165102. [PMID: 37873964 DOI: 10.1063/5.0167144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Structural and mechanical properties of membranes such as thickness, tail order, bending modulus and curvature energetics play crucial role in controlling various cellular functions that depend on the local lipid organization and membrane reshaping. While behavior of these biophysical properties are well understood in single component membranes, very little is known about how do they change in the mixed lipid membranes. Often various properties of the mixed lipid bilayers are assumed to change linearly with the mole fractions of the constituent lipids which, however, is true for "ideal" mixing only. In this study, using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that structural and mechanical properties of binary lipid mixture change nonlinearly with the lipid mole fractions, and the strength of the nonlinearity depends on two factors - spontaneous curvature difference and locally inhomogeneous interactions between the lipid components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivam Gupta
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Jatin Soni
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Awneesh Kumar
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Taraknath Mandal
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
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3
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Kwon S, Pantelopulos GA, Straub JE. Efficient calculation of the free energy for protein partitioning using restraining potentials. Biophys J 2023; 122:1914-1925. [PMID: 35962549 PMCID: PMC10257010 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
An approach for the efficient simulation of phase-separated lipid bilayers, for use in the calculation of equilibrium free energies of partitioning between lipid domains, is proposed. The methodology exploits restraint potentials and rectangular aspect ratios that enforce lipid phase separation, allowing for the simulation of smaller systems that approximately reproduce bulk behavior. The utility of this approach is demonstrated through the calculation of potentials of mean force for the translation of a transmembrane protein between lipid domains. The impact of the imposed restraints on lipid tail ordering and lipid packing are explored, providing insight into how restraints can best be employed to compute accurate free-energy surfaces. This approach should be useful in the accurate calculation of equilibrium partition coefficients for transmembrane protein partitioning in heterogeneous membranes, providing insight into the thermodynamic driving forces that control this fundamental biophysical phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seulki Kwon
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - George A Pantelopulos
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Gupta S, Mandal T. Simulation study of domain formation in a model bacterial membrane. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:18133-18143. [PMID: 35856570 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01873j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent experimental studies revealed that functional membrane microdomains (FMMs) are formed in prokaryotic cells which are structurally and functionally similar to the lipid rafts formed in eukaryotic cells. In this study, we employ coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the mechanism of domain formation and its physiochemical properties in a model methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cell membrane. We find that domains are formed through lateral segregation of staphyloxanthin (STX), a carotenoid which shields the bacteria from the host's immune because of its antioxidant nature. Simulation results suggest that membrane integrity increases with the size of the domain, which is assessed by computing bond order parameter of the lipid tails, membrane expansion modulus and water permeability across the membrane. Various membrane domain proteins such as flotillin-like protein floA and penicillin binding protein (PBP2a) preferentially bind with the STX and accumulate in the membrane domain which is consistent with the recent experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivam Gupta
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016, India.
| | - Taraknath Mandal
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016, India.
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Majumder A, Kwon S, Straub JE. On Computing Equilibrium Binding Constants for Protein-Protein Association in Membranes. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:3961-3971. [PMID: 35580264 PMCID: PMC11260346 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Protein association in lipid membranes is fundamental to membrane protein function and of great biomedical relevance. All-atom and coarse-grained models have been extensively used to understand the protein-protein interactions in the membrane and to compute equilibrium association constants. However, slow translational and rotational diffusion of protein in membrane presents challenges to the effective sampling of conformations defining the ensembles of free and bound states contributing to the association equilibrium and the free energy of dimerization. We revisit the homodimerization equilibrium of the TM region of glycophorin A. Conformational sampling is performed using umbrella sampling along previously proposed one-dimensional collective variables and compared with sampling over a two-dimensional collective variable space using the MARTINI v2.2 force field. We demonstrate that the one-dimensional collective variables suffer from restricted sampling of the native homodimer conformations leading to a biased free energy landscape. Conversely, simulations along the two-dimensional collective variable effectively characterize the thermodynamically relevant native and non-native interactions contributing to the association equilibrium. These results demonstrate the challenges associated with accurately characterizing binding equilibria when multiple poses contribute to the bound state ensemble.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayan Majumder
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Seulki Kwon
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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Interfacial hydration determines orientational and functional dimorphism of sterol-derived Raman tags in lipid-coated nanoparticles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2105913118. [PMID: 34389679 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105913118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid-coated noble metal nanoparticles (L-NPs) combine the biomimetic surface properties of a self-assembled lipid membrane with the plasmonic properties of a nanoparticle (NP) core. In this work, we investigate derivatives of cholesterol, which can be found in high concentrations in biological membranes, and other terpenoids, as tunable, synthetic platforms to functionalize L-NPs. Side chains of different length and polarity, with a terminal alkyne group as Raman label, are introduced into cholesterol and betulin frameworks. The synthesized tags are shown to coexist in two conformations in the lipid layer of the L-NPs, identified as "head-out" and "head-in" orientations, whose relative ratio is determined by their interactions with the lipid-water hydrogen-bonding network. The orientational dimorphism of the tags introduces orthogonal functionalities into the NP surface for selective targeting and plasmon-enhanced Raman sensing, which is utilized for the identification and Raman imaging of epidermal growth factor receptor-overexpressing cancer cells.
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Majumder A, Straub JE. Addressing the Excessive Aggregation of Membrane Proteins in the MARTINI Model. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:2513-2521. [PMID: 33720709 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The MARTINI model is a widely used coarse-grained force field popular for its capacity to represent a diverse array of complex biomolecules. However, efforts to simulate increasingly realistic models of membranes, involving complex lipid mixtures and multiple proteins, suggest that membrane protein aggregates are overstabilized by the MARTINI v2.2 force field. In this study, we address this shortcoming of the MARTINI model. We determined the free energy of dimerization of four transmembrane protein systems using the nonpolarizable MARTINI model. Comparison with experimental FRET-based estimates of the dimerization free energy was used to quantify the significant overstabilization of each protein homodimer studied. To improve the agreement between simulation and experiment, a single uniform scaling factor, α, was used to enhance the protein-lipid Lennard-Jones interaction. A value of α = 1.04-1.045 was found to provide the best fit to the dimerization free energies for the proteins studied while maintaining the specificity of contacts at the dimer interface. To further validate the modified force field, we performed a multiprotein simulation using both MARTINI v2.2 and the reparameterized MARTINI model. While the original MARTINI model predicts oligomerization of protein into a single aggregate, the reparameterized MARTINI model maintains a dynamic equilibrium between monomers and dimers as predicted by experimental studies. The proposed reparameterization is an alternative to the standard MARTINI model for use in simulations of realistic models of a biological membrane containing diverse lipids and proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayan Majumder
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston 02215, Massachusetts, United States
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston 02215, Massachusetts, United States
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8
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Bochicchio A, Brandner AF, Engberg O, Huster D, Böckmann RA. Spontaneous Membrane Nanodomain Formation in the Absence or Presence of the Neurotransmitter Serotonin. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:601145. [PMID: 33330494 PMCID: PMC7734319 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.601145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed knowledge on the formation of biomembrane domains, their structure, composition, and physical characteristics is scarce. Despite its frequently discussed importance in signaling, e.g., in obtaining localized non-homogeneous receptor compositions in the plasma membrane, the nanometer size as well as the dynamic and transient nature of domains impede their experimental characterization. In turn, atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combine both, high spatial and high temporal resolution. Here, using microsecond atomistic MD simulations, we characterize the spontaneous and unbiased formation of nano-domains in a plasma membrane model containing phosphatidylcholine (POPC), palmitoyl-sphingomyelin (PSM), and cholesterol (Chol) in the presence or absence of the neurotransmitter serotonin at different temperatures. In the ternary mixture, highly ordered and highly disordered domains of similar composition coexist at 303 K. The distinction of domains by lipid acyl chain order gets lost at lower temperatures of 298 and 294 K, suggesting a phase transition at ambient temperature. By comparison of domain ordering and composition, we demonstrate how the domain-specific binding of the neurotransmitter serotonin results in a modified domain lipid composition and a substantial downward shift of the phase transition temperature. Our simulations thus suggest a novel mode of action of neurotransmitters possibly of importance in neuronal signal transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bochicchio
- Computational Biology, Department Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Astrid F Brandner
- Computational Biology, Department Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Oskar Engberg
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Huster
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India
| | - Rainer A Böckmann
- Computational Biology, Department Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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9
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Sarmento MJ, Hof M, Šachl R. Interleaflet Coupling of Lipid Nanodomains - Insights From in vitro Systems. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:284. [PMID: 32411705 PMCID: PMC7198703 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The plasma membrane is a complex system, consisting of two layers of lipids and proteins compartmentalized into small structures called nanodomains. Despite the asymmetric composition of both leaflets, coupling between the layers is surprisingly strong. This can be evidenced, for example, by recent experimental studies performed on phospholipid giant unilamellar vesicles showing that nanodomains formed in the outer layer are perfectly registered with those in the inner leaflet. Similarly, microscopic phase separation in one leaflet can induce phase separation in the opposing leaflet that would otherwise be homogeneous. In this review, we summarize the current theoretical and experimental knowledge that led to the current view that domains are – irrespective of their size – commonly registered across the bilayer. Mechanisms inducing registration of nanodomains suggested by theory and calculations are discussed. Furthermore, domain coupling is evidenced by experimental studies based on the sparse number of methods that can resolve registered from independent nanodomains. Finally, implications that those findings using model membrane studies might have for cellular membranes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria J Sarmento
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova, Prague, Czechia
| | - Martin Hof
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radek Šachl
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova, Prague, Czechia
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10
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Centi A, Dutta A, Parekh SH, Bereau T. Inserting Small Molecules across Membrane Mixtures: Insight from the Potential of Mean Force. Biophys J 2020; 118:1321-1332. [PMID: 32075746 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Small solutes have been shown to alter the lateral organization of cell membranes and reconstituted phospholipid bilayers; however, the mechanisms by which these changes happen are still largely unknown. Traditionally, both experiment and simulation studies have been restricted to testing only a few compounds at a time, failing to identify general molecular descriptors or chemical properties that would allow extrapolating beyond the subset of considered solutes. In this work, we probe the competing energetics of inserting a solute in different membrane environments by means of the potential of mean force. We show that these calculations can be used as a computationally efficient proxy to establish whether a solute will stabilize or destabilize domain phase separation. Combined with umbrella-sampling simulations and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we are able to screen solutes across a wide range of chemistries and polarities. Our results indicate that for the system under consideration, preferential partitioning and therefore effectiveness in altering membrane phase separation are strictly linked to the location of insertion in the bilayer (i.e., midplane or interface). Our approach represents a fast and simple tool for obtaining structural and thermodynamic insight into the partitioning of small molecules between lipid domains and its relation to phase separation, ultimately providing a platform for identifying the key determinants of this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Centi
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Arghya Dutta
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sapun H Parekh
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Tristan Bereau
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany.
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11
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Iyer SS, Negi A, Srivastava A. Interpretation of Phase Boundary Fluctuation Spectra in Biological Membranes with Nanoscale Organization. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:2736-2750. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sahithya S. Iyer
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Archit Negi
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Anand Srivastava
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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