1
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Sarma S, Sudarshan TR, Nguyen V, Robang AS, Xiao X, Le JV, Helmicki ME, Paravastu AK, Hall CK. Design of parallel 𝛽-sheet nanofibrils using Monte Carlo search, coarse-grained simulations, and experimental testing. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5102. [PMID: 39037281 PMCID: PMC11261811 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Peptide self-assembly into amyloid fibrils provides numerous applications in drug delivery and biomedical engineering applications. We augment our previously-established computational screening technique along with experimental biophysical characterization to discover 7-mer peptides that self-assemble into "parallel β-sheets", that is, β-sheets with N-terminus-to-C-terminus 𝛽-strand vectors oriented in parallel. To accomplish the desired β-strand organization, we applied the PepAD amino acid sequence design software to the Class-1 cross-β spine defined by Sawaya et al. This molecular configuration includes two layers of parallel β-sheets stacked such that N-terminus-to-C-terminus vectors are oriented antiparallel for molecules on adjacent β-sheets. The first cohort of PepAD identified peptides were examined for their fibrillation behavior in DMD/PRIME20 simulations, and the top performing sequence was selected as a prototype for a subsequent round of sequence refinement. The two rounds of design resulted in a library of eight 7-mer peptides. In DMD/PRIME20 simulations, five of these peptides spontaneously formed fibril-like structures with a predominantly parallel 𝛽-sheet arrangement, two formed fibril-like structure with <50% in parallel 𝛽-sheet arrangement and one remained a random coil. Among the eight candidate peptides produced by PepAD and DMD/PRIME20, five were synthesized and purified. All five assembled into amyloid fibrils composed of parallel β-sheets based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism, electron microscopy, and thioflavin-T fluorescence spectroscopy measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudeep Sarma
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Tarunya Rao Sudarshan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Van Nguyen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Alicia S. Robang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Xingqing Xiao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
- Present address:
Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringHainan UniversityHaikou CityHainan ProvincePeople's Republic of China
| | - Justin V. Le
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Michael E. Helmicki
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Anant K. Paravastu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Carol K. Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
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2
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Santos MN, Lourenço TC, Mocelim M, Da Silva JLF. Theoretical study of the structural and energetic properties of Ce 1-xZr xO 2 nanoparticles via molecular dynamics simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:17838-17853. [PMID: 38884463 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp01137f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
The combination of ceria (CeO2) with different metal oxides (MO2), e.g. Ce1-xMxO2, has been strategically used to enhance its intrinsic properties. Moreover, the controlled synthesis of mixed oxide nanoparticles (NPs) opens the opportunity to explore the size dependence and chemical composition of the physical-chemical properties. However, our atomic-level understanding of how the physical-chemical and thermodynamic characteristics change with particle size and composition remains far from satisfactory. Here, we used force-field molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effects of composition (x) and size on the physical-chemical properties of Ce1-xZrxO2 NPs with diameter from 1 (32 cations) up to 3 nm (256 cations), where x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0. We found abrupt changes in potential energy versus temperature for NPs with more than 108 cations, indicating a structural phase transition from disordered to ordered structures, which was confirmed by the radial distribution function. We found a linear relationship between the phase transition temperature (Tpt) and the size and composition of the NPs: the increase in the molar fraction of Zr4+ and the reduction in particle size are related to lower Tpt temperature and less defined decays of potential energy versus temperature. NPs larger than 56 cations show a radial distribution function with several peaks, which is related to the order of cations and anions in these structures. These peaks gradually disappear as the size decreases and the fraction of Zr4+ increases. Similar trends were observed with X-ray diffraction analysis; for example, fluorite-like motifs occur even with 56 cations in the case of ceria, but only for NPs with 108 cations for zirconia. Common neighbor analysis confirmed that NPs with well-defined values of the temperature Tpt have face-centered cubic (fcc)-like domains in the core region. The number of ordered fcc cations increases with increasing NP size and decreasing Zr4+ concentration. Finally, we observed that ceria nucleate first during simulated annealing and occupy highly coordinated sites within the core, while Zr4+ prefers the lowest coordinated sites on the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylena N Santos
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, P.O. Box 780, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Tuanan C Lourenço
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, P.O. Box 780, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Mauricio Mocelim
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, P.O. Box 780, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Juarez L F Da Silva
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, P.O. Box 780, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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3
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Juković M, Ratkaj I, Kalafatovic D, Bradshaw NJ. Amyloids, amorphous aggregates and assemblies of peptides - Assessing aggregation. Biophys Chem 2024; 308:107202. [PMID: 38382283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid and amorphous aggregates represent the two major categories of aggregates associated with diseases, and although exhibiting distinct features, researchers often treat them as equivalent, which demonstrates the need for more thorough characterization. Here, we compare amyloid and amorphous aggregates based on their biochemical properties, kinetics, and morphological features. To further decipher this issue, we propose the use of peptide self-assemblies as minimalistic models for understanding the aggregation process. Peptide building blocks are significantly smaller than proteins that participate in aggregation, however, they make a plausible means to bridge the gap in discerning the aggregation process at the more complex, protein level. Additionally, we explore the potential use of peptide-inspired models to research the liquid-liquid phase separation as a feasible mechanism preceding amyloid formation. Connecting these concepts can help clarify our understanding of aggregation-related disorders and potentially provide novel drug targets to impede and reverse these serious illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Juković
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ivana Ratkaj
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Daniela Kalafatovic
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
| | - Nicholas J Bradshaw
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
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4
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Pusara S. Molecular Dynamics Insights into the Aggregation Behavior of N-Terminal β-Lactoglobulin Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4660. [PMID: 38731878 PMCID: PMC11083573 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
β-lactoglobulin (BLG) forms amyloid-like aggregates at high temperatures, low pH, and low ionic strengths. At a pH below 2, BLG undergoes hydrolysis into peptides, with N-terminal peptides 1-33 and 1-52 being prone to fibrillization, forming amyloid-like fibrils. Due to their good mechanical properties, BLG amyloids demonstrate great potential for diverse applications, including biosensors, nanocomposites, and catalysts. Consequently, further studies are essential to comprehensively understand the factors governing the formation of BLG amyloid-like morphologies. In this study, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the aggregation of N-terminal 1-33 and 1-52 BLG peptides under conditions of pH 2 and at 10 mM NaCl concentration. The simulations revealed that the peptides spontaneously assembled into aggregates of varying sizes. The aggregation process was enabled by the low charge of peptides and the presence of hydrophobic residues within them. As the peptides associated into aggregates, there was a concurrent increase in β-sheet structures and the establishment of hydrogen bonds, enhancing the stability of the aggregates. Notably, on average, 1-33 peptides formed larger aggregates compared to their 1-52 counterparts, while the latter exhibited a slightly higher content of β-sheets and higher cluster orderliness. The applied approach facilitated insights into the early stages of amyloid-like aggregation and molecular-level insight into the formation of β-sheets, which serve as nucleation points for further fibril growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srdjan Pusara
- Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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5
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Grazioli G, Tao A, Bhatia I, Regan P. Genetic Algorithm for Automated Parameterization of Network Hamiltonian Models of Amyloid Fibril Formation. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:1854-1865. [PMID: 38359362 PMCID: PMC10910512 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c07322] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The time scales of long-time atomistic molecular dynamics simulations are typically reported in microseconds, while the time scales for experiments studying the kinetics of amyloid fibril formation are typically reported in minutes or hours. This time scale deficit of roughly 9 orders of magnitude presents a major challenge in the design of computer simulation methods for studying protein aggregation events. Coarse-grained molecular simulations offer a computationally tractable path forward for exploring the molecular mechanism driving the formation of these structures, which are implicated in diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and type-II diabetes. Network Hamiltonian models of aggregation are centered around a Hamiltonian function that returns the total energy of a system of aggregating proteins, given the graph structure of the system as an input. In the graph, or network, representation of the system, each protein molecule is represented as a node, and noncovalent bonds between proteins are represented as edges. The parameter, i.e., a set of coefficients that determine the degree to which each topological degree of freedom is favored or disfavored, must be determined for each network Hamiltonian model, and is a well-known technical challenge. The methodology is first demonstrated by beginning with an initial set of randomly parametrized models of low fibril fraction (<5% fibrillar), and evolving to subsequent generations of models, ultimately leading to high fibril fraction models (>70% fibrillar). The methodology is also demonstrated by applying it to optimizing previously published network Hamiltonian models for the 5 key amyloid fibril topologies that have been reported in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The models generated by the AI produced fibril fractions that surpass previously published fibril fractions in 3 of 5 cases, including the most naturally abundant amyloid fibril topology, the 1,2 2-ribbon, which features a steric zipper. The authors also aim to encourage more widespread use of the network Hamiltonian methodology for fitting a wide variety of self-assembling systems by releasing a free open-source implementation of the genetic algorithm introduced here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarc Grazioli
- Department of Chemistry, San
José State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
| | - Andy Tao
- Department of Chemistry, San
José State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
| | - Inika Bhatia
- Department of Chemistry, San
José State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
| | - Patrick Regan
- Department of Chemistry, San
José State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
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6
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Mishra S. Emerging Trends in Cryo-EM-based Structural Studies of Neuropathological Amyloids. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168361. [PMID: 37949311 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies, synucleinopathies, Aβ amyloidosis, TDP-43 proteinopathies, and prion diseases- these neurodegenerative diseases have in common the formation of amyloid filaments rich in cross-β sheets. Cryo-electron microscopy now permits the visualization of amyloid assemblies at atomic resolution, ushering a wide range of structural studies on several of these poorly understood amyloidogenic proteins. Amyloids are polymorphic with minor modulations in reaction environment affecting the overall architecture of their assembly, making amyloids an extremely challenging venture for structure-based therapeutic intervention. In 2017, the first cryo-EM structure of tau filaments from an Alzheimer's disease-affected brain established that in vitro assemblies might not necessarily reflect the native amyloid fold. Since then, brain-derived amyloid structures for several proteins across many neurodegenerative diseases have uncovered the disease-relevant amyloid folds. It has now been shown for tauopathies, synucleinopathies and TDP-43 proteinopathies, that distinct amyloid folds of the same protein might be related to different diseases. Salient features of each of these brain-derived folds are discussed in detail. It was also recently observed that seeded aggregation does not necessarily replicate the brain-derived structural fold. Owing to high throughput structure determination, some of these native amyloid folds have also been successfully replicated in vitro. In vitro replication of disease-relevant filaments will aid development of imaging ligands and defibrillating drugs. Towards this direction, recent high-resolution structures of tau filaments with positron emission tomography tracers and a defibrillating drug are also discussed. This review summarizes and celebrates the recent advancements in structural understanding of neuropathological amyloid filaments using cryo-EM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Mishra
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Biological Sciences Division, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, Karnataka, India.
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7
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Dong XY, Liu R, Seroski DT, Hudalla GA, Hall CK. Programming co-assembled peptide nanofiber morphology via anionic amino acid type: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011685. [PMID: 38048311 PMCID: PMC10729967 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011685] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Co-assembling peptides can be crafted into supramolecular biomaterials for use in biotechnological applications, such as cell culture scaffolds, drug delivery, biosensors, and tissue engineering. Peptide co-assembly refers to the spontaneous organization of two different peptides into a supramolecular architecture. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations to quantify the effect of anionic amino acid type on co-assembly dynamics and nanofiber structure in binary CATCH(+/-) peptide systems. CATCH peptide sequences follow a general pattern: CQCFCFCFCQC, where all C's are either a positively charged or a negatively charged amino acid. Specifically, we investigate the effect of substituting aspartic acid residues for the glutamic acid residues in the established CATCH(6E-) molecule, while keeping CATCH(6K+) unchanged. Our results show that structures consisting of CATCH(6K+) and CATCH(6D-) form flatter β-sheets, have stronger interactions between charged residues on opposing β-sheet faces, and have slower co-assembly kinetics than structures consisting of CATCH(6K+) and CATCH(6E-). Knowledge of the effect of sidechain type on assembly dynamics and fibrillar structure can help guide the development of advanced biomaterials and grant insight into sequence-to-structure relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Y. Dong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Renjie Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Dillon T. Seroski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Gregory A. Hudalla
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Carol K. Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
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8
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Dey P, Biswas P. Aggregation propensities of proteins with varying degrees of disorder. J Comput Chem 2023; 44:874-886. [PMID: 36468418 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27049] [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: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The hydration thermodynamics of a globular protein (AcP), three intrinsically disordered protein regions (1CD3, 1MVF, 1F0R) and a fully disordered protein (α-synuclein) is studied by an approach that combines an all-atom explicit water molecular dynamics simulations and three-dimensional reference interaction site model (3D-RISM) theory. The variation in hydration free energy with percentage disorder of the selected proteins is investigated through its nonelectrostatic and electrostatic components. A decrease in hydration free energy is observed with an increase in percentage disorder, indicating favorable interactions of the disordered proteins with the solvent. This confirms the role of percentage disorder in determining the aggregation propensity of proteins which is measured in terms of the hydration free energy in addition to their respective mean net charge and mean hydrophobicity. The hydration free energy is decoupled into energetic and entropic terms. A residue-wise decomposition analysis of the hydration free energy for the selected proteins is evaluated. The decomposition shows that the disordered regions contribute more than the ordered ones for the intrinsically disordered protein regions. The dominant role of electrostatic interactions is confirmed from the residue-wise decomposition of the hydration free energy. The results depict that the negatively charged residues contribute more to the total hydration free energy for the proteins with negative mean net charge, while the positively charged residues contribute more for proteins with positive mean net charge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Dey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Parbati Biswas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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9
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Xiao X, Robang AS, Sarma S, Le JV, Helmicki ME, Lambert MJ, Guerrero-Ferreira R, Arboleda-Echavarria J, Paravastu AK, Hall CK. Sequence patterns and signatures: Computational and experimental discovery of amyloid-forming peptides. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac263. [PMID: 36712347 PMCID: PMC9802472 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Screening amino acid sequence space via experiments to discover peptides that self-assemble into amyloid fibrils is challenging. We have developed a computational peptide assembly design (PepAD) algorithm that enables the discovery of amyloid-forming peptides. Discontinuous molecular dynamics (DMD) simulation with the PRIME20 force field combined with the FoldAmyloid tool is used to examine the fibrilization kinetics of PepAD-generated peptides. PepAD screening of ∼10,000 7-mer peptides resulted in twelve top-scoring peptides with two distinct hydration properties. Our studies revealed that eight of the twelve in silico discovered peptides spontaneously form amyloid fibrils in the DMD simulations and that all eight have at least five residues that the FoldAmyloid tool classifies as being aggregation-prone. Based on these observations, we re-examined the PepAD-generated peptides in the sequence pool returned by PepAD and extracted five sequence patterns as well as associated sequence signatures for the 7-mer amyloid-forming peptides. Experimental results from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that all the peptides predicted to assemble in silico assemble into antiparallel β-sheet nanofibers in a concentration-dependent manner. This is the first attempt to use a computational approach to search for amyloid-forming peptides based on customized settings. Our efforts facilitate the identification of β-sheet-based self-assembling peptides, and contribute insights towards answering a fundamental scientific question: "What does it take, sequence-wise, for a peptide to self-assemble?".
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Justin V Le
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Michael E Helmicki
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Matthew J Lambert
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Ricardo Guerrero-Ferreira
- Robert P. Apkarian Integrated Electron Microscopy Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Johana Arboleda-Echavarria
- Robert P. Apkarian Integrated Electron Microscopy Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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10
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Ghosh A, Pawar AB, Chirmade T, Jathar SM, Bhambure R, Sengupta D, Giri AP, Kulkarni MJ. Investigation of the Captopril-Insulin Interaction by Mass Spectrometry and Computational Approaches Reveals that Captopril Induces Structural Changes in Insulin. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:23115-23126. [PMID: 35847342 PMCID: PMC9280767 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications remarkably regulate proteins' biological function. Small molecules such as reactive thiols, metabolites, and drugs may covalently modify the proteins and cause structural changes. This study reports the covalent modification and noncovalent interaction of insulin and captopril, an FDA-approved antihypertensive drug, through mass spectrometric and computation-based approaches. Mass spectrometric analysis shows that captopril modifies intact insulin, reduces it into its "A" and "B" chains, and covalently modifies them by forming adducts. Since captopril has a reactive thiol group, it might reduce the insulin dimer or modify it by reacting with cysteine residues. This was proven with dithiothreitol treatment, which reduced the abundance of captopril adducts of insulin A and B chains and intact Insulin. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric analysis identified the modification of a total of four cysteine residues, two in each of the A and B chains of insulin. These modifications were identified to be Cys6 and Cys7 of the A chain and Cys7 and Cys19 of the B chain. Mass spectrometric analysis indicated that captopril may simultaneously modify the cysteine residues of intact insulin or its subunits A and B chains. Biophysical studies involving light scattering and thioflavin T assay suggested that the binding of captopril to the protein leads to the formation of aggregates. Docking and molecular dynamics studies provided insights into the noncovalent interactions and associated structural changes in insulin. This work is a maiden attempt to understand the detailed molecular interactions between captopril and insulin. These findings suggest that further investigations are required to understand the long-term effect of drugs like captopril.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Ghosh
- Biochemical
Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical
Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Aiswarya B. Pawar
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Tejas Chirmade
- Chemical
Engineering and Process Development, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Swaraj M. Jathar
- Biochemical
Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical
Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Rahul Bhambure
- Chemical
Engineering and Process Development, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Durba Sengupta
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Ashok P. Giri
- Biochemical
Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical
Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Mahesh J. Kulkarni
- Biochemical
Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical
Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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11
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Scalone E, Broggini L, Visentin C, Erba D, Bačić Toplek F, Peqini K, Pellegrino S, Ricagno S, Paissoni C, Camilloni C. Multi-eGO: An in silico lens to look into protein aggregation kinetics at atomic resolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203181119. [PMID: 35737839 PMCID: PMC9245614 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203181119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is the archetype of aberrant biomolecular self-assembly processes, with more than 50 associated diseases that are mostly uncurable. Understanding aggregation mechanisms is thus of fundamental importance and goes in parallel with the structural characterization of the transient oligomers formed during the process. Oligomers have been proven elusive to high-resolution structural techniques, while the large sizes and long time scales, typical of aggregation processes, have limited the use of computational methods to date. To surmount these limitations, we here present multi-eGO, an atomistic, hybrid structure-based model which, leveraging the knowledge of monomers conformational dynamics and of fibril structures, efficiently captures the essential structural and kinetics aspects of protein aggregation. Multi-eGO molecular dynamics simulations can describe the aggregation kinetics of thousands of monomers. The concentration dependence of the simulated kinetics, as well as the structural features of the resulting fibrils, are in qualitative agreement with in vitro experiments carried out on an amyloidogenic peptide from Transthyretin, a protein responsible for one of the most common cardiac amyloidoses. Multi-eGO simulations allow the formation of primary nuclei in a sea of transient lower-order oligomers to be observed over time and at atomic resolution, following their growth and the subsequent secondary nucleation events, until the maturation of multiple fibrils is achieved. Multi-eGO, combined with the many experimental techniques deployed to study protein aggregation, can provide the structural basis needed to advance the design of molecules targeting amyloidogenic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Scalone
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Luca Broggini
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy
| | - Cristina Visentin
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy
| | - Davide Erba
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Fran Bačić Toplek
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Kaliroi Peqini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy
| | - Cristina Paissoni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Carlo Camilloni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
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12
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Banerjee A, Lu CY, Dutt M. A hybrid coarse-grained model for structure, solvation and assembly of lipid-like peptides. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 24:1553-1568. [PMID: 34940778 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp04205j] [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
Reconstituted photosynthetic proteins which are activated upon exposure to solar energy hold enormous potential for powering future solid state devices and solar cells. The functionality and integration of these proteins into such devices has been successfully enabled by lipid-like peptides. Yet, a fundamental understanding of the organization of these peptides with respect to the photosynthetic proteins and themselves remains unknown and is critical for guiding the design of such light-activated devices. This study investigates the relative organization of one such peptide sequence V6K2 (V: valine and K: lysine) within assemblies. Given the expansive spatiotemporal scales associated with this study, a hybrid coarse-grained (CG) model which captures the structure, conformation and aggregation of the peptide is adopted. The CG model uses a combination of iterative Boltzmann inversion and force matching to provide insight into the relative organization of V6K2 in assemblies. The CG model reproduces the structure of a V6K2 peptide sequence along with its all atom (AA) solvation structure. The relative organization of multiple peptides in an assembly, as captured by CG simulations, is in agreement with corresponding results from AA simulations. Also, a backmapping procedure reintroduces the AA details of the peptides within the aggregates captured by the CG model to demonstrate the relative organization of the peptides. Furthermore, a large number of peptides self-assemble into an elongated micelle in the CG simulation, which is consistent with experimental findings. The coarse-graining procedure is tested for transferability to longer peptide sequences, and hence can be extended to other amphiphilic peptide sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Banerjee
- Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
| | - Chien Yu Lu
- Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
| | - Meenakshi Dutt
- Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
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13
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Wong KM, Robang AS, Lint AH, Wang Y, Dong X, Xiao X, Seroski DT, Liu R, Shao Q, Hudalla GA, Hall CK, Paravastu AK. Engineering β-Sheet Peptide Coassemblies for Biomaterial Applications. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:13599-13609. [PMID: 34905370 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Peptide coassembly, wherein at least two different peptides interact to form multicomponent nanostructures, is an attractive approach for generating functional biomaterials. Current efforts seek to design pairs of peptides, A and B, that form nanostructures (e.g., β-sheets with ABABA-type β-strand patterning) while resisting self-assembly (e.g., AAAAA-type or BBBBB-type β-sheets). To confer coassembly behavior, most existing designs have been based on highly charged variants of known self-assembling peptides; like-charge repulsion limits self-assembly while opposite-charge attraction promotes coassembly. Recent analyses using solid-state NMR and coarse-grained simulations reveal that preconceived notions of structure and molecular organization are not always correct. This perspective highlights recent advances and key challenges to understanding and controlling peptide coassembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kong M Wong
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Alicia S Robang
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Annabelle H Lint
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Xin Dong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Xingqing Xiao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Dillon T Seroski
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences J293, P.O. BOX 116131, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Renjie Liu
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences J293, P.O. BOX 116131, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Qing Shao
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
| | - Gregory A Hudalla
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 1275 Center Drive, Biomedical Sciences J293, P.O. BOX 116131, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Carol K Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Anant K Paravastu
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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14
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Hall CK. Autobiography of Carol K. Hall. J Phys Chem B 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carol K. Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
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15
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Van Lommel R, De Borggraeve WM, De Proft F, Alonso M. Computational Tools to Rationalize and Predict the Self-Assembly Behavior of Supramolecular Gels. Gels 2021; 7:87. [PMID: 34287290 PMCID: PMC8293097 DOI: 10.3390/gels7030087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Supramolecular gels form a class of soft materials that has been heavily explored by the chemical community in the past 20 years. While a multitude of experimental techniques has demonstrated its usefulness when characterizing these materials, the potential value of computational techniques has received much less attention. This review aims to provide a complete overview of studies that employ computational tools to obtain a better fundamental understanding of the self-assembly behavior of supramolecular gels or to accelerate their development by means of prediction. As such, we hope to stimulate researchers to consider using computational tools when investigating these intriguing materials. In the concluding remarks, we address future challenges faced by the field and formulate our vision on how computational methods could help overcoming them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Van Lommel
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F Leuven Chem & Tech, P.O. Box 2404, 3001 Leuven, Belgium;
- Eenheid Algemene Chemie (ALGC), Department of Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium;
| | - Wim M. De Borggraeve
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F Leuven Chem & Tech, P.O. Box 2404, 3001 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Frank De Proft
- Eenheid Algemene Chemie (ALGC), Department of Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium;
| | - Mercedes Alonso
- Eenheid Algemene Chemie (ALGC), Department of Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium;
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16
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Okumura H, Itoh SG. Molecular dynamics simulations of amyloid-β(16-22) peptide aggregation at air-water interfaces. J Chem Phys 2021; 152:095101. [PMID: 33480728 DOI: 10.1063/1.5131848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Oligomers of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides are known to be related to Alzheimer's disease, and their formation is accelerated at hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces, such as the cell membrane surface and air-water interface. Here, we report molecular dynamics simulations of aggregation of Aβ(16-22) peptides at air-water interfaces. First, 100 randomly distributed Aβ(16-22) peptides moved to the interface. The high concentration of peptides then accelerated their aggregation and formation of antiparallel β-sheets. Two layers of oligomers were observed near the interface. In the first layer from the interface, the oligomer with less β-bridges exposed the hydrophobic residues to the air. The second layer consisted of oligomers with more β-bridges that protruded into water. They are more soluble in water because the hydrophobic residues are covered by N- and C-terminal hydrophilic residues that are aligned well along the oligomer edge. These results indicate that amyloid protofibril formation mainly occurs in the second layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisashi Okumura
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Satoru G Itoh
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
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17
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Giulini M, Rigoli M, Mattiotti G, Menichetti R, Tarenzi T, Fiorentini R, Potestio R. From System Modeling to System Analysis: The Impact of Resolution Level and Resolution Distribution in the Computer-Aided Investigation of Biomolecules. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:676976. [PMID: 34164432 PMCID: PMC8215203 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.676976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ever increasing computer power, together with the improved accuracy of atomistic force fields, enables researchers to investigate biological systems at the molecular level with remarkable detail. However, the relevant length and time scales of many processes of interest are still hardly within reach even for state-of-the-art hardware, thus leaving important questions often unanswered. The computer-aided investigation of many biological physics problems thus largely benefits from the usage of coarse-grained models, that is, simplified representations of a molecule at a level of resolution that is lower than atomistic. A plethora of coarse-grained models have been developed, which differ most notably in their granularity; this latter aspect determines one of the crucial open issues in the field, i.e. the identification of an optimal degree of coarsening, which enables the greatest simplification at the expenses of the smallest information loss. In this review, we present the problem of coarse-grained modeling in biophysics from the viewpoint of system representation and information content. In particular, we discuss two distinct yet complementary aspects of protein modeling: on the one hand, the relationship between the resolution of a model and its capacity of accurately reproducing the properties of interest; on the other hand, the possibility of employing a lower resolution description of a detailed model to extract simple, useful, and intelligible information from the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Giulini
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
| | - Marta Rigoli
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
| | - Giovanni Mattiotti
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
| | - Roberto Menichetti
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
| | - Thomas Tarenzi
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
| | - Raffaele Fiorentini
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
| | - Raffaello Potestio
- Physics Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
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18
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Damjanovic J, Miao J, Huang H, Lin YS. Elucidating Solution Structures of Cyclic Peptides Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2292-2324. [PMID: 33426882 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions are vital to biological processes, but the shape and size of their interfaces make them hard to target using small molecules. Cyclic peptides have shown promise as protein-protein interaction modulators, as they can bind protein surfaces with high affinity and specificity. Dozens of cyclic peptides are already FDA approved, and many more are in various stages of development as immunosuppressants, antibiotics, antivirals, or anticancer drugs. However, most cyclic peptide drugs so far have been natural products or derivatives thereof, with de novo design having proven challenging. A key obstacle is structural characterization: cyclic peptides frequently adopt multiple conformations in solution, which are difficult to resolve using techniques like NMR spectroscopy. The lack of solution structural information prevents a thorough understanding of cyclic peptides' sequence-structure-function relationship. Here we review recent development and application of molecular dynamics simulations with enhanced sampling to studying the solution structures of cyclic peptides. We describe novel computational methods capable of sampling cyclic peptides' conformational space and provide examples of computational studies that relate peptides' sequence and structure to biological activity. We demonstrate that molecular dynamics simulations have grown from an explanatory technique to a full-fledged tool for systematic studies at the forefront of cyclic peptide therapeutic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovan Damjanovic
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Jiayuan Miao
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - He Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Yu-Shan Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
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19
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Nguyen PH, Ramamoorthy A, Sahoo BR, Zheng J, Faller P, Straub JE, Dominguez L, Shea JE, Dokholyan NV, De Simone A, Ma B, Nussinov R, Najafi S, Ngo ST, Loquet A, Chiricotto M, Ganguly P, McCarty J, Li MS, Hall C, Wang Y, Miller Y, Melchionna S, Habenstein B, Timr S, Chen J, Hnath B, Strodel B, Kayed R, Lesné S, Wei G, Sterpone F, Doig AJ, Derreumaux P. Amyloid Oligomers: A Joint Experimental/Computational Perspective on Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Type II Diabetes, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2545-2647. [PMID: 33543942 PMCID: PMC8836097 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 386] [Impact Index Per Article: 128.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation is observed in many amyloidogenic diseases affecting either the central nervous system or a variety of peripheral tissues. Structural and dynamic characterization of all species along the pathways from monomers to fibrils is challenging by experimental and computational means because they involve intrinsically disordered proteins in most diseases. Yet understanding how amyloid species become toxic is the challenge in developing a treatment for these diseases. Here we review what computer, in vitro, in vivo, and pharmacological experiments tell us about the accumulation and deposition of the oligomers of the (Aβ, tau), α-synuclein, IAPP, and superoxide dismutase 1 proteins, which have been the mainstream concept underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), type II diabetes (T2D), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, respectively, for many years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Bikash R Sahoo
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Peter Faller
- Institut de Chimie, UMR 7177, CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Joan-Emma Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
- Department of Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Molecular Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Buyong Ma
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Sackler Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Saeed Najafi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics & Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Antoine Loquet
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Mara Chiricotto
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Pritam Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - James McCarty
- Chemistry Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225, United States
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute for Computational Science and Technology, SBI Building, Quang Trung Software City, Tan Chanh Hiep Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Carol Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yifat Miller
- Department of Chemistry and The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 84105, Israel
| | | | - Birgit Habenstein
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Stepan Timr
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Jiaxing Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Brianna Hnath
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Birgit Strodel
- Institute of Complex Systems: Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Sylvain Lesné
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Science, Multiscale Research Institute of Complex Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Fabio Sterpone
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Andrew J Doig
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
- Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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20
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Fan M, Wang J, Jiang H, Feng Y, Mahdavi M, Madduri K, Kandemir MT, Dokholyan NV. GPU-Accelerated Flexible Molecular Docking. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:1049-1060. [PMID: 33497567 PMCID: PMC10661840 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c09051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Virtual screening is a key enabler of computational drug discovery and requires accurate and efficient structure-based molecular docking. In this work, we develop algorithms and software building blocks for molecular docking that can take advantage of graphics processing units (GPUs). Specifically, we focus on MedusaDock, a flexible protein-small molecule docking approach and platform. We accelerate the performance of the coarse docking phase of MedusaDock, as this step constitutes nearly 70% of total running time in typical use-cases. We perform a comprehensive evaluation of the quality and performance with single-GPU and multi-GPU acceleration using a data set of 3875 protein-ligand complexes. The algorithmic ideas, data structure design choices, and performance optimization techniques shed light on GPU acceleration of other structure-based molecular docking software tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengran Fan
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-0850, United States
| | - Huaipan Jiang
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Yilin Feng
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Mehrdad Mahdavi
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Kamesh Madduri
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Mahmut T Kandemir
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-0850, United States
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-0850, United States
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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21
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Prabakaran R, Rawat P, Thangakani AM, Kumar S, Gromiha MM. Protein aggregation: in silico algorithms and applications. Biophys Rev 2021; 13:71-89. [PMID: 33747245 PMCID: PMC7930180 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-021-00778-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a topic of immense interest to the scientific community due to its role in several neurodegenerative diseases/disorders and industrial importance. Several in silico techniques, tools, and algorithms have been developed to predict aggregation in proteins and understand the aggregation mechanisms. This review attempts to provide an essence of the vast developments in in silico approaches, resources available, and future perspectives. It reviews aggregation-related databases, mechanistic models (aggregation-prone region and aggregation propensity prediction), kinetic models (aggregation rate prediction), and molecular dynamics studies related to aggregation. With a multitude of prediction models related to aggregation already available to the scientific community, the field of protein aggregation is rapidly maturing to tackle new applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Prabakaran
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Puneet Rawat
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - A. Mary Thangakani
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Biotherapeutics Discovery, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical Inc., Ridgefield, CT USA
| | - M. Michael Gromiha
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
- School of Computing, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa Japan
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22
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Mathew M, T V D, Aravindakumar CT, Aravind UK. Potential involvement of environmental triggers in protein aggregation with mercuric chloride as a model. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 174:153-161. [PMID: 33484803 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.01.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Heavy metal based toxicity has a direct relation with the perturbation of protein structure. We have investigated the progressive unfolding of ovalbumin, in the presence of increasing concentration mercury (0-6.25 μM) using different spectroscopic techniques. Formation of amorphous aggregate has been observed at the physiological pH. Initial addition of HgCl2 resulted in the association of monomers to oligomers that proceeded to non-fibrillar aggregates on further addition. The sigmoidal curve obtained from the Stern-Volmer plot clearly divided into three stage transition. A strong lag phase is observed indicating the time dependence for the association of competent monomers. The second stage was resolved into non-cooperative binding. These results match very well with the data from atomic force microscopy and the free energy change observed in the regions. Raman spectroscopic studies indicated toxic antiparallel β-sheets structure. Time dependent atomic force microscopy study revealed the off-pathway nature of amorphous aggregates. At molten globular state, similar quenching behaviour is observed. The atomic force microscopy images clearly indicate at pH 2.2 the initiation of fibril formation occurs at lower concentration of HgCl2 itself. Our results revealed the conformation switch of ovalbumin upon the contact of an environmental toxin and its possible way of toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjumol Mathew
- Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 686 560, India
| | - Divyalakshmi T V
- School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 686 560, India
| | | | - Usha K Aravind
- School of Environmental Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682022, India.
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23
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Xing Y, Nandakumar A, Kakinen A, Sun Y, Davis TP, Ke PC, Ding F. Amyloid Aggregation under the Lens of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:368-378. [PMID: 33356290 PMCID: PMC7855599 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Increasing experiments suggest that amyloid peptides can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) before the formation of amyloid fibrils. However, the exact role of LLPS in amyloid aggregation at the molecular level remains elusive. Here, we investigated the LLPS and amyloid fibrillization of a coarse-grained peptide, capable of capturing fundamental properties of amyloid aggregation over a wide range of concentrations in molecular dynamics simulations. On the basis of the Flory-Huggins theory of polymer solutions, we determined the binodal and spinodal concentrations of LLPS in the low-concentration regime, ϕBL and ϕSL, respectively. Only at concentrations above ϕBL, peptides formed metastable or stable oligomers corresponding to the high-density liquid phase (HDLP) in LLPS, out of which the nucleated conformational conversion to fibril seeds occurred. Below ϕSL, the HDLP was metastable and transient, and the subsequent fibrillization process followed the traditional nucleation and elongation mechanisms. Only above ϕSL, the HDLP became stable, and the initial fibril nucleation and growth were governed by the high local peptide concentrations. The predicted saturation of amyloid aggregation half-times with increasing peptide concentration to a constant, instead of the traditional power-law scaling to zero, was confirmed by simulations and by a thioflavin-T kinetic assay and the transmission electron microscopy of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) aggregation. Our study provides a unified picture of amyloid aggregation for a wide range of concentrations within the framework of LLPS, which may help us better understand the etiology of amyloid diseases, where the amyloid protein concentration can vary by ∼9 orders of magnitude depending on the organ location and facilitate the engineering of novel amyloid-based functional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Xing
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Aparna Nandakumar
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Aleksandr Kakinen
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Thomas P. Davis
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Pu Chun Ke
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Pu Chu Ke, ; Feng Ding,
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Pu Chu Ke, ; Feng Ding,
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24
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Abstract
Self-assembly of proteins and peptides into the amyloid fold is a widespread phenomenon in the natural world. The structural hallmark of self-assembly into amyloid fibrillar assemblies is the cross-beta motif, which conveys distinct morphological and mechanical properties. The amyloid fibril formation has contrasting results depending on the organism, in the sense that it can bestow an organism with the advantages of mechanical strength and improved functionality or, on the contrary, could give rise to pathological states. In this chapter we review the existing information on amyloid-like peptide aggregates, which could either be derived from protein sequences, but also could be rationally or de novo designed in order to self-assemble into amyloid fibrils under physiological conditions. Moreover, the development of self-assembled fibrillar biomaterials that are tailored for the desired properties towards applications in biomedical or environmental areas is extensively analyzed. We also review computational studies predicting the amyloid propensity of the natural amino acid sequences and the structure of amyloids, as well as designing novel functional amyloid materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Kokotidou
- University of Crete, Department of Materials Science and Technology Voutes Campus GR-70013 Heraklion Crete Greece
- FORTH, Institute for Electronic Structure and Laser N. Plastira 100 GR 70013 Heraklion Greece
| | - P. Tamamis
- Texas A&M University, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering College Station Texas 77843-3122 USA
| | - A. Mitraki
- University of Crete, Department of Materials Science and Technology Voutes Campus GR-70013 Heraklion Crete Greece
- FORTH, Institute for Electronic Structure and Laser N. Plastira 100 GR 70013 Heraklion Greece
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25
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Seroski DT, Dong X, Wong KM, Liu R, Shao Q, Paravastu AK, Hall CK, Hudalla GA. Charge guides pathway selection in β-sheet fibrillizing peptide co-assembly. Commun Chem 2020; 3:172. [PMID: 36703436 PMCID: PMC9814569 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-020-00414-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptide co-assembly is attractive for creating biomaterials with new forms and functions. Emergence of these properties depends on the peptide content of the final assembled structure, which is difficult to predict in multicomponent systems. Here using experiments and simulations we show that charge governs content by affecting propensity for self- and co-association in binary CATCH(+/-) peptide systems. Equimolar mixtures of CATCH(2+/2-), CATCH(4+/4-), and CATCH(6+/6-) formed two-component β-sheets. Solid-state NMR suggested the cationic peptide predominated in the final assemblies. The cationic-to-anionic peptide ratio decreased with increasing charge. CATCH(2+) formed β-sheets when alone, whereas the other peptides remained unassembled. Fibrillization rate increased with peptide charge. The zwitterionic CATCH parent peptide, "Q11", assembled slowly and only at decreased simulation temperature. These results demonstrate that increasing charge draws complementary peptides together faster, favoring co-assembly, while like-charged molecules repel. We foresee these insights enabling development of co-assembled peptide biomaterials with defined content and predictable properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon T Seroski
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Xin Dong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Kong M Wong
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Renjie Liu
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Qing Shao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Anant K Paravastu
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Carol K Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Gregory A Hudalla
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
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26
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Pieczywek PM, Płaziński W, Zdunek A. Dissipative particle dynamics model of homogalacturonan based on molecular dynamics simulations. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14691. [PMID: 32895471 PMCID: PMC7477560 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71820-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we present an alternative dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) parametrization strategy based on data extracted from the united-atom molecular simulations. The model of the homogalacturonan was designed to test the ability of the formation of large-scale structures via hydrogen bonding in water. The extraction of coarse-grained parameters from atomistic molecular dynamics was achieved by means of the proposed molecule aggregation algorithm based on an iterative nearest neighbour search. A novel approach to a time-scale calibration scheme based on matching the average velocities of coarse-grained particles enabled the DPD forcefield to reproduce essential structural features of homogalacturonan molecular chains. The successful application of the proposed parametrization method allowed for the reproduction of the shapes of radial distribution functions, particle velocities and diffusivity of the atomistic molecular dynamics model using DPD force field. The structure of polygalacturonic acid molecules was mapped into the DPD force field by means of the distance and angular bond characteristics, which closely matched the MD results. The resulting DPD trajectories showed that randomly dispersed homogalacturonan chains had a tendency to aggregate into highly organized 3D structures. The final structure resembled a three-dimensional network created by tightly associated homogalacturonan chains organized into thick fibres.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Pieczywek
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-270, Lublin, Poland.
| | - W Płaziński
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239, Cracow, Poland
| | - A Zdunek
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-270, Lublin, Poland
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27
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Ramasubramani V, Vo T, Anderson JA, Glotzer SC. A mean-field approach to simulating anisotropic particles. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:084106. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0019735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vyas Ramasubramani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Thi Vo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Joshua A. Anderson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Sharon C. Glotzer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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28
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Hall CK. A ChemE Grows in Brooklyn. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2020; 11:1-22. [PMID: 32151158 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-101519-120354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
I profile my personal and professional journey from being a girl of the 1950s, with expectations typical for the times, to a chemical engineering professor and still-enthusiastic researcher. I describe my family, my early education, my college and graduate school training in physics, my postdoc years in chemistry, and my subsequent transformation into a chemical engineering faculty member-one of the first women to be appointed to a chemical engineering faculty in the United States. I focus on the events that shaped me, the people who noticed and supported me, and the environment for women scientists and engineers in what some would call the "early days." My initial research activities centered on applications of statistical mechanics to predict phase equilibria in simple systems. Over time, my interests evolved to focus on applying molecule-level computer simulations to systems of interest to chemical engineers, e.g., hydrocarbons and polymers. Eventually, spurred on by my personal interest in amyloid diseases and my wish to make a contribution to human health, I turned to more biologically oriented problems having to do with protein aggregation and protein design. I give a candid assessment of my strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures. Finally, I share the most valuable lessons that I have learned over a lifetime of professional and personal experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol K Hall
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA;
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29
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Amyloid assembly is dominated by misregistered kinetic traps on an unbiased energy landscape. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:10322-10328. [PMID: 32345723 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911153117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Atomistic description of protein fibril formation has been elusive due to the complexity and long time scales of the conformational search. Here, we develop a multiscale approach combining numerous atomistic simulations in explicit solvent to construct Markov State Models (MSMs) of fibril growth. The search for the in-register fully bound fibril state is modeled as a random walk on a rugged two-dimensional energy landscape defined by β-sheet alignment and hydrogen-bonding states, whereas transitions involving states without hydrogen bonds are derived from kinetic clustering. The reversible association/dissociation of an incoming peptide and overall growth kinetics are then computed from MSM simulations. This approach is applied to derive a parameter-free, comprehensive description of fibril elongation of Aβ16-22 and how it is modulated by phenylalanine-to-cyclohexylalanine (CHA) mutations. The trajectories show an aggregation mechanism in which the peptide spends most of its time trapped in misregistered β-sheet states connected by weakly bound states twith short lifetimes. Our results recapitulate the experimental observation that mutants CHA19 and CHA1920 accelerate fibril elongation but have a relatively minor effect on the critical concentration for fibril growth. Importantly, the kinetic consequences of mutations arise from cumulative effects of perturbing the network of productive and nonproductive pathways of fibril growth. This is consistent with the expectation that nonfunctional states will not have evolved efficient folding pathways and, therefore, will require a random search of configuration space. This study highlights the importance of describing the complete energy landscape when studying the elongation mechanism and kinetics of protein fibrils.
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30
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Wong KM, Wang Y, Seroski DT, Larkin GE, Mehta AK, Hudalla GA, Hall CK, Paravastu AK. Molecular complementarity and structural heterogeneity within co-assembled peptide β-sheet nanofibers. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:4506-4518. [PMID: 32039428 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr08725g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembling peptides have garnered an increasing amount of interest as a functional biomaterial for medical and biotechnological applications. Recently, β-sheet peptide designs utilizing complementary pairs of peptides composed of charged amino acids positioned to impart co-assembly behavior have expanded the portfolio of peptide aggregate structures. Structural characterization of these charge-complementary peptide co-assemblies has been limited. Thus, it is not known how the complementary peptides organize on the molecular level. Through a combination of solid-state NMR measurements and discontinuous molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the molecular organization of King-Webb peptide nanofibers. KW+ and KW- peptides co-assemble into near stoichiometric two-component β-sheet structures as observed by computational simulations and 13C-13C dipolar couplings. A majority of β-strands are aligned with antiparallel nearest neighbors within the β-sheet as previously suggested by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements. Surprisingly, however, a significant proportion of β-strand neighbors are parallel. While charge-complementary peptides were previously assumed to organize in an ideal (AB)n pattern, dipolar recoupling measurements on isotopically diluted nanofiber samples reveal a non-negligible amount of self-associated (AA and BB) pairs. Furthermore, computational simulations predict these different structures can coexist within the same nanofiber. Our results highlight structural disorder at the molecular level in a charge-complementary peptide system with implications on co-assembling peptide designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kong M Wong
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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31
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Jakubowski J, Orr AA, Le DA, Tamamis P. Interactions between Curcumin Derivatives and Amyloid-β Fibrils: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:289-305. [PMID: 31809572 PMCID: PMC7732148 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides into senile plaques is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is hypothesized to be the primary cause of AD related neurodegeneration. Previous studies have shown the ability of curcumin to both inhibit the aggregation of Aβ peptides into oligomers or fibrils and reduce amyloids in vivo. Despite the promise of curcumin and its derivatives to serve as diagnostic, preventative, and potentially therapeutic AD molecules, the mechanism by which curcumin and its derivatives bind to and inhibit Aβ fibrils' formation remains elusive. Here, we investigated curcumin and a set of curcumin derivatives in complex with a hexamer peptide model of the Aβ1-42 fibril using nearly exhaustive docking, followed by multi-ns molecular dynamics simulations, to provide atomistic-detail insights into the molecules' binding and inhibitory properties. In the vast majority of the simulations, curcumin and its derivatives remain firmly bound in complex with the fibril through primarily three different principle binding modes, in which the molecules interact with residue domain 17LVFFA21, in line with previous experiments. In a small subset of these simulations, the molecules partly dissociate the outermost peptide of the Aβ1-42 fibril by disrupting β-sheets within the residue domain 12VHHQKLVFF20. A comparison between binding modes leading or not leading to partial dissociation of the outermost peptide suggests that the latter is attributed to a few subtle key structural and energetic interaction-based differences. Interestingly, partial dissociation appears to be either an outcome of high affinity interactions or a cause leading to high affinity interactions between the molecules and the fibril, which could partly serve as a compensation for the energy loss in the fibril due to partial dissociation. In conjunction with this, we suggest a potential inhibition mechanism of Αβ1-42 aggregation by the molecules, where the partially dissociated 16KLVFF20 domain of the outermost peptide could either remain unstructured or wrap around to form intramolecular interactions with the same peptide's 29GAIIG33 domain, while the molecules could additionally act as a patch against the external edge of the second outermost peptide's 16KLVFF20 domain. Thereby, individually or concurrently, these could prohibit fibril elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Doan A. Le
- Artie McFerrin Department
of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3122, United States
| | - Phanourios Tamamis
- Artie McFerrin Department
of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3122, United States
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32
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Theoretical and computational advances in protein misfolding. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2020; 118:1-31. [PMID: 31928722 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2019.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Misfolded proteins escape the cellular quality control mechanism and fail to fold properly or remain correctly folded leading to a loss in their functional specificity. Thus misfolding of proteins cause a large number of very different diseases ranging from errors in metabolism to various types of complex neurodegenerative diseases. A theoretical and computational perspective of protein misfolding is presented with a special emphasis on its salient features, mechanism and consequences. These insights quantitatively analyze different determinants of misfolding, that may be applied to design disease specific molecular targets.
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33
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Calvanese L, Brun P, Messina GML, Russo T, Zamuner A, Falcigno L, D’Auria G, Gloria A, Vitagliano L, Marletta G, Dettin M. EAK Hydrogels Cross-Linked by Disulfide Bonds: Cys Number and Position Are Matched to Performances. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2019; 6:1154-1164. [DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Calvanese
- CIRPeB, University of Naples Federico II, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Brun
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Via Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
| | - Grazia M. L. Messina
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Via A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Teresa Russo
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Viale J.F. Kennedy 54−Mostra d’Oltremare PAD. 20, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Annj Zamuner
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Lucia Falcigno
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriella D’Auria
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Gloria
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Viale J.F. Kennedy 54−Mostra d’Oltremare PAD. 20, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Marletta
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Via A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Monica Dettin
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padua, Italy
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34
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Emani PS, Yimer YY, Davidowski SK, Gebhart RN, Ferreira HE, Kuprov I, Pfaendtner J, Drobny GP. Combining Molecular and Spin Dynamics Simulations with Solid-State NMR: A Case Study of Amphiphilic Lysine-Leucine Repeat Peptide Aggregates. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:10915-10929. [PMID: 31769684 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b09245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Interpreting dynamics in solid-state molecular systems requires characterization of the potentially heterogeneous environmental contexts of molecules. In particular, the analysis of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) data to elucidate molecular dynamics (MD) involves modeling the restriction to overall tumbling by neighbors, as well as the concentrations of water and buffer. In this exploration of the factors that influence motion, we utilize atomistic MD trajectories of peptide aggregates with varying hydration to mimic an amorphous solid-state environment and predict ssNMR relaxation rates. We also account for spin diffusion in multiply spin-labeled (up to 19 nuclei) residues, with several models of dipolar-coupling networks. The framework serves as a general approach to determine essential spin couplings affecting relaxation, benchmark MD force fields, and reveal the hydration dependence of dynamics in a crowded environment. We demonstrate the methodology on a previously characterized amphiphilic 14-residue lysine-leucine repeat peptide, LKα14 (Ac-LKKLLKLLKKLLKL-c), which has an α-helical secondary structure and putatively forms leucine-burying tetramers in the solid state. We measure the R1 relaxation rates of uniformly 13C-labeled and site-specific 2H-labeled leucines in the hydrophobic core of LKα14 at multiple hydration levels. Studies of 9 and 18 tetramer bundles reveal the following: (a) for the incoherent component of 13C relaxation, the nearest-neighbor spin interactions dominate, while the 1H-1H interactions have minimal impact; (b) the AMBER ff14SB dihedral barriers for the leucine Cγ-Cδ bond ("methyl rotation barriers") must be lowered by a factor of 0.7 to better match the 2H data; (c) proton-driven spin diffusion explains some of the discrepancy between experimental and simulated rates for the Cβ and Cα nuclei; and (d) 13C relaxation rates are mostly underestimated in the MD simulations at all hydrations, and the discrepancies identify likely motions missing in the 50 ns MD trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prashant S Emani
- Department of Chemistry , University of Washington , Box 351700 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1700 , United States
| | - Yeneneh Y Yimer
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Washington , 105 Benson Hall, Box 351750 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1750 , United States
| | - Stephen K Davidowski
- Department of Chemistry , University of Washington , Box 351700 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1700 , United States
| | - Rachel N Gebhart
- Department of Chemistry , University of Washington , Box 351700 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1700 , United States
| | - Helen E Ferreira
- Department of Chemistry , University of Washington , Box 351700 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1700 , United States
| | - Ilya Kuprov
- Department of Chemistry , University of Southampton , Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ , U.K
| | - Jim Pfaendtner
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Washington , 105 Benson Hall, Box 351750 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1750 , United States
| | - Gary P Drobny
- Department of Chemistry , University of Washington , Box 351700 , Seattle , Washington 98195-1700 , United States
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35
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Entropic colloidal crystallization pathways via fluid-fluid transitions and multidimensional prenucleation motifs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:14843-14851. [PMID: 31285316 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1905929116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex crystallization pathways are common in protein crystallization, tetrahedrally coordinated systems, and biomineralization, where single or multiple precursors temporarily appear before the formation of the crystal. The emergence of precursors is often explained by a unique property of the system, such as short-range attraction, directional bonding, or ion association. But, structural characteristics of the prenucleation phases found in multistep crystallization remain unclear, and models are needed for testing and expanding the understanding of fluid-to-solid ordering pathways. Here, we report 3 instances of 2-step crystallization of hard-particle fluids. Crystallization in these systems proceeds via a high-density precursor fluid phase with prenucleation motifs in the form of clusters, fibers and layers, and networks, respectively. The density and diffusivity change across the fluid-fluid phase transition increases with motif dimension. We observe crystal nucleation to be catalyzed by the interface between the 2 fluid phases. The crystals that form are complex, including, notably, a crystal with 432 particles in the cubic unit cell. Our results establish the existence of complex crystallization pathways in entropic systems and reveal prenucleation motifs of various dimensions.
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36
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Szała B, Molski A. Aggregation kinetics of short peptides: All-atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics study. Biophys Chem 2019; 253:106219. [PMID: 31301554 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2019.106219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Peptides can aggregate into ordered structures with different morphologies. The aggregation mechanism and evolving structures are the subject of intense research. In this paper we have used molecular dynamics to examine the sequence-dependence of aggregation kinetics for three short peptides: octaalanine (Ala8), octaasparagine (Asn8), and the heptapeptide GNNQQNY (abbreviated as GNN). First, we compared the aggregation of 20 randomly distributed peptides using the coarse-grained MARTINI force field and the atomistic OPLS-AA force field. We found that the MARTINI and OPLS-AA aggregation kinetics are similar for Ala8, Asn8, and GNN. Second, we used the MARTINI force field to study the early stages of aggregation kinetics for a larger system with 72 peptides. In the initial stage of aggregation small clusters grow by monomer addition. In the second stage, when the free monomers are depleted, the dominant cluster growth path is cluster-cluster coalescence. We quantified the aggregation kinetics in terms of rate equations. Our study shows that the initial aggregation kinetics are similar for Ala8, Asn8, and GNN but the molecular details can be different, especially for MARTINI Ala8. We hypothesize that peptide aggregation proceed in two steps. In the first step amorphous aggregates are formed, and then, in the second step, they reorganize into ordered structures. We conclude that sequence-specific differences show up in the second step of aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Szała
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Chemistry, Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Andrzej Molski
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Chemistry, Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
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37
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Molecular dynamics investigation of halogenated amyloidogenic peptides. J Mol Model 2019; 25:124. [PMID: 31020417 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-019-4012-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Besides their biomolecular relevance, amyloids, generated by the self-assembly of peptides and proteins, are highly organized structures useful for nanotechnology applications. The introduction of halogen atoms in these peptides, and thus the possible formation of halogen bonds, allows further possibilities to finely tune the amyloid nanostructure. In this work, we performed molecular dynamics simulations on different halogenated derivatives of the β-amyloid peptide core-sequence KLVFF, by using a modified AMBER force field in which the σ-hole located on the halogen atom is modeled with a positively charged extra particle. The analysis of equilibrated structures shows good agreement with crystallographic data and experimental results, in particular concerning the formation of halogen bonds and the stability of the supramolecular structures. The modified force field described here allows describing the atomistic details contributing to peptides aggregation, with particular focus on the role of halogen bonds. This framework can potentially help the design of novel halogenated peptides with desired aggregation propensity. Graphical abstract Molecular dynamics investigation of halogenated amyloidogenic peptides.
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Hategan A, Masliah E, Nath A. HIV and Alzheimer's disease: complex interactions of HIV-Tat with amyloid β peptide and Tau protein. J Neurovirol 2019; 25:648-660. [PMID: 31016584 DOI: 10.1007/s13365-019-00736-z] [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] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the HIV-Tat protein may be continually produced despite adequate antiretroviral therapy. As the HIV-infected population is aging, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how HIV-Tat may interact with proteins such as amyloid β and Tau which accumulate in the aging brain and eventually result in Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we examine the in vivo data from HIV-infected patients and animal models and the in vitro experiments that show how protein complexes between HIV-Tat and amyloid β occur through novel protein-protein interactions and how HIV-Tat may influence the pathways for amyloid β production, degradation, phagocytosis, and transport. HIV-Tat may also induce Tau phosphorylation through a cascade of cellular processes that lead to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, another hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. We also identify gaps in knowledge and future directions for research. Available evidence suggests that HIV-Tat may accelerate Alzheimer-like pathology in patients with HIV infection which cannot be impacted by current antiretroviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Hategan
- Section of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10; Room 7C-103, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- Division of Neuroscience, National Institute of Aging, National Institutes of Health, 7201 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Avindra Nath
- Section of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10; Room 7C-103, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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Influence of crowding and surfaces on protein amyloidogenesis: A thermo-kinetic perspective. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2019; 1867:941-953. [PMID: 30928692 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The last few decades have irreversibly implicated protein self-assembly and aggregation leading to amyloid fibril formation in proteopathies that include several neurodegenerative diseases. Emerging studies recognize the importance of eliciting the pathways leading to protein aggregation in the context of the crowded intracellular environment rather than in conventional in vitro conditions. It is found that crowded environments can have acceleratory as well as inhibitory effects on protein aggregation, depending on the interplay of underlying factors on the crucial rate limiting steps. The aggregation mechanism and transient species formed along the pathway are further altered when they interface with natural and artificial surfaces in the cellular milieu. An increasing number of studies probe the autocatalytic nature of amyloid surfaces as well as membrane bilayer effects on amyloidogenesis. Moreover, exposure to modern nanosurfaces via nanomedicines and other sources potentially invokes beneficial or deleterious biological response that needs rigorous investigation. Mounting evidences indicate that nanoparticles can either promote or impede amyloid aggregation, spurring efforts to tune their interactions for developing effective anti-amyloid strategies. Mechanistic insights into nanoparticle mediated aggregation pathways are therefore crucial for engineering anti-amyloid nanoparticle strategies that are biocompatible and sustainable. This review is a compilation of studies that contribute to the current understanding of the altering effects of molecular crowding as well as natural and artificial surfaces on protein amyloidogenesis.
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Hirota N, Edskes H, Hall D. Unified theoretical description of the kinetics of protein aggregation. Biophys Rev 2019; 11:191-208. [PMID: 30888575 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-019-00506-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Solution conditions chosen for the production of amyloid can also promote formation of significant extents of amorphous protein aggregate. In one interpretation, the amyloid and amorphous aggregation pathways are considered to be in competition with each other. An alternative conceptualization involves considering amorphous aggregation as an obligatory intermediate process of the amyloid formation pathway. Here, we review recently developed macroscopic-level theories of protein aggregation that unify these two competing models into a single paradigm. Key features of the unified model included (1) a description of the amorphous aggregate as a second liquid phase with the degree of liquid-like character determined by the mobility of the monomer within it, and (2) heterogeneous growth pathways based on nucleation, growth, and fragmentation of amyloid occurring within different phases and at their interfacial boundary. Limiting-case behaviors of the protein aggregation reaction, either singly involving amyloid or amorphous aggregate production, and mixed-case behaviors, involving competitive and/or facilitated growth of amorphous and amyloid species, are presented and reviewed in context. This review principally describes an approach developed by Hirota and Hall 2019 (Hirota, N. and Hall, D. 2019. Protein Aggregation Kinetics: A Unified Theoretical Description. Chapter 7 of 'Protein Solubility and Amorphous Aggregation: From Academic Research to Applications in Drug Discovery and Bioindustry' edited by Y. Kuroda and F. Arisaka. CMC Publishers). Sections of that work are translated from the original Japanese and republished here with the full permission of CMC Publishing Corporation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nami Hirota
- Do International Trading House, Koshienguchi-1-chome, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 6113, Japan
| | - Herman Edskes
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, NIDDK, NIH, Bld 8, Bethesda, MD, 20892-0830, USA
| | - Damien Hall
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
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Tang JD, Mura C, Lampe KJ. Stimuli-Responsive, Pentapeptide, Nanofiber Hydrogel for Tissue Engineering. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:4886-4899. [PMID: 30830776 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b13363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Short peptides are uniquely versatile building blocks for self-assembly. Supramolecular peptide assemblies can be used to construct functional hydrogel biomaterials-an attractive approach for neural tissue engineering. Here, we report a new class of short, five-residue peptides that form hydrogels with nanofiber structures. Using rheology and spectroscopy, we describe how sequence variations, pH, and peptide concentration alter the mechanical properties of our pentapeptide hydrogels. We find that this class of seven unmodified peptides forms robust hydrogels from 0.2-20 kPa at low weight percent (less than 3 wt %) in cell culture media and undergoes shear-thinning and rapid self-healing. The peptides self-assemble into long fibrils with sequence-dependent fibrillar morphologies. These fibrils exhibit a unique twisted ribbon shape, as visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Cryo-EM imaging, with diameters in the low tens of nanometers and periodicities similar to amyloid fibrils. Experimental gelation behavior corroborates our molecular dynamics simulations, which demonstrate peptide assembly behavior, an increase in β-sheet content, and patterns of variation in solvent accessibility. Our rapidly assembling pentapeptides for injectable delivery (RAPID) hydrogels are syringe-injectable and support cytocompatible encapsulation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), as well as their proliferation and three-dimensional process extension. Furthermore, RAPID gels protect OPCs from mechanical membrane disruption and acute loss of viability when ejected from a syringe needle, highlighting the protective capability of the hydrogel as potential cell carriers for transplantation therapies. The tunable mechanical and structural properties of these supramolecular assemblies are shown to be permissive to cell expansion and remodeling, making this hydrogel system suitable as an injectable material for cell delivery and tissue engineering applications.
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Patterson-Orazem AC, Hill SE, Wang Y, Dominic IM, Hall CK, Lieberman RL. Differential Misfolding Properties of Glaucoma-Associated Olfactomedin Domains from Humans and Mice. Biochemistry 2019; 58:1718-1727. [PMID: 30802039 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in myocilin, predominantly within its olfactomedin (OLF) domain, are causative for the heritable form of open angle glaucoma in humans. Surprisingly, mice expressing Tyr423His mutant myocilin, corresponding to a severe glaucoma-causing mutation (Tyr437His) in human subjects, exhibit a weak, if any, glaucoma phenotype. To address possible protein-level discrepancies between mouse and human OLFs, which might lead to this outcome, biophysical properties of mouse OLF were characterized for comparison with those of human OLF. The 1.55 Å resolution crystal structure of mouse OLF reveals an asymmetric 5-bladed β-propeller that is nearly indistinguishable from previous structures of human OLF. Wild-type and selected mutant mouse OLFs mirror thermal stabilities of their human OLF counterparts, including characteristic stabilization in the presence of calcium. Mouse OLF forms thioflavin T-positive aggregates with a similar end-point morphology as human OLF, but amyloid aggregation kinetic rates of mouse OLF are faster than human OLF. Simulations and experiments support the interpretation that kinetics of mouse OLF are faster because of a decreased charge repulsion arising from more neutral surface electrostatics. Taken together, phenotypic differences observed in mouse and human studies of mutant myocilin could be a function of aggregation kinetics rates, which would alter the lifetime of putatively toxic protofibrillar intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athéna C Patterson-Orazem
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , Georgia 30332-0400 , United States
| | - Shannon E Hill
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , Georgia 30332-0400 , United States
| | - Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , North Carolina 27695-7905 , United States
| | - Iramofu M Dominic
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , Georgia 30332-0400 , United States
| | - Carol K Hall
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , North Carolina 27695-7905 , United States
| | - Raquel L Lieberman
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , Georgia 30332-0400 , United States
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Yang Q, Wang L, He J, Wei H, Yang Z, Huang X. Arabinogalactan Proteins Are the Possible Extracellular Molecules for Binding Exogenous Cerium(III) in the Acidic Environment Outside Plant Cells. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:153. [PMID: 30842782 PMCID: PMC6391350 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Rare earth elements [REE(III)] increasingly accumulate in the atmosphere and can be absorbed by plant leaves. Our previous study showed that after treatment of REE(III) on plant, REE(III) is first bound by some extracellular molecules of plant cells, and then the endocytosis of leaf cells will be initiated, which terminates the endocytic inertia of leaf cells. Identifying the extracellular molecules for binding REE(III) is the crucial first step to elucidate the mechanism of REE(III) initiating the endocytosis in leaf cells. Unfortunately, the molecules are unknown. Here, cerium(III) [Ce(III)] and Arabidopsis served as a representative of REE(III) and plants, respectively. By using interdisciplinary methods such as confocal laser scanning microscopy, immune-Au and fluorescent labeling, transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescent spectrometry and molecular dynamics simulation, we obtained two important discoveries: first, the arabinogalactan proteins (AGP) inside leaf cells were sensitively increased in protein expression and recruited onto the plasma membrane; second, to verify whether AGP can bind to Ce(III) in the acidic environment outside leaf cells, by choosing fasciclin-like AGP11 (AtFLA11) as a representative of AGP, we found that Ce(III) can form stable [Ce(H2O)7](III)-AtFLA11 complexes with an apparent binding constant of 1.44 × 10-6 in simulated acidic environment outside leaf cells, in which the secondary and tertiary structure of AtFLA11 was changed. The structural change in AtFLA11 and the interaction between AtFLA11 and Ce(III) were enhanced with increasing the concentration of Ce(III). Therefore, AtFLA11 can serve as Lewis bases to coordinately bind to Ce(III), which broke traditional chemical principle. The results confirmed that AGP can be the possible extracellular molecules for binding to exogenous Ce(III) outside leaf cells, and provided references for elucidating the mechanism of REE(III) initiating the endocytosis in leaf cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lihong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jingfang He
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haiyan Wei
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhenbiao Yang
- Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Xiaohua Huang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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Mondal B, Reddy G. Cosolvent Effects on the Growth of Protein Aggregates Formed by a Single Domain Globular Protein and an Intrinsically Disordered Protein. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:1950-1960. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b11128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Balaka Mondal
- Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, Karnataka, India
| | - Govardhan Reddy
- Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, Karnataka, India
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Abstract
The aggregation of monomeric amyloid β protein (Aβ) peptide into oligomers and amyloid fibrils in the mammalian brain is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Insight into the thermodynamic stability of the Aβ peptide in different polymeric states is fundamental to defining and predicting the aggregation process. Experimental determination of Aβ thermodynamic behavior is challenging due to the transient nature of Aβ oligomers and the low peptide solubility. Furthermore, quantitative calculation of a thermodynamic phase diagram for a specific peptide requires extremely long computational times. Here, using a coarse-grained protein model, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to determine an equilibrium concentration and temperature phase diagram for the amyloidogenic peptide fragment Aβ16-22 Our results reveal that the only thermodynamically stable phases are the solution phase and the macroscopic fibrillar phase, and that there also exists a hierarchy of metastable phases. The boundary line between the solution phase and fibril phase is found by calculating the temperature-dependent solubility of a macroscopic Aβ16-22 fibril consisting of an infinite number of β-sheet layers. This in silico determination of an equilibrium (solubility) phase diagram for a real amyloid-forming peptide, Aβ16-22, over the temperature range of 277-330 K agrees well with fibrillation experiments and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements of the fibril morphologies formed. This in silico approach of predicting peptide solubility is also potentially useful for optimizing biopharmaceutical production and manufacturing nanofiber scaffolds for tissue engineering.
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Faridi A, Sun Y, Okazaki Y, Peng G, Gao J, Kakinen A, Faridi P, Zhao M, Javed I, Purcell AW, Davis TP, Lin S, Oda R, Ding F, Ke PC. Mitigating Human IAPP Amyloidogenesis In Vivo with Chiral Silica Nanoribbons. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1802825. [PMID: 30369028 PMCID: PMC6263833 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201802825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils generally display chirality, a feature which has rarely been exploited in the development of therapeutics against amyloid diseases. This study reports, for the first time, the use of mesoscopic chiral silica nanoribbons against the in vivo amyloidogenesis of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), the peptide whose aggregation is implicated in type 2 diabetes. The thioflavin T assay and transmission electron microscopy show accelerated IAPP fibrillization through elimination of the nucleation phase and shortening of the elongation phase by the nanostructures. Coarse-grained simulations offer complementary molecular insights into the acceleration of amyloid aggregation through their nonspecific binding and directional seeding with the nanostructures. This accelerated IAPP fibrillization translates to reduced toxicity, especially for the right-handed silica nanoribbons, as revealed by cell viability, helium ion microscopy, as well as zebrafish embryo survival, developmental, and behavioral assays. This study has implicated the potential of employing chiral nanotechnologies against the mesoscopic enantioselectivity of amyloid proteins and their associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Faridi
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Yutaka Okazaki
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607, Pessac, France
| | - Guotao Peng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jie Gao
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607, Pessac, France
| | - Aleksandr Kakinen
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Pouya Faridi
- Infection and Immunity Program & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Mei Zhao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Ibrahim Javed
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Anthony W Purcell
- Infection and Immunity Program & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Thomas P Davis
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Sijie Lin
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Reiko Oda
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607, Pessac, France
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Pu Chun Ke
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
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Wang C, Piroozan N, Javidpour L, Sahimi M. Effect of the geometry of confining media on the stability and folding rate of α -helix proteins. J Chem Phys 2018; 148:194305. [PMID: 30307193 DOI: 10.1063/1.5020841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein folding in confined media has attracted wide attention over the past 15 years due to its importance to both in vivo and in vitro applications. It is generally believed that protein stability increases by decreasing the size of the confining medium, if the medium's walls are repulsive, and that the maximum folding temperature in confinement is in a pore whose size D 0 is only slightly larger than the smallest dimension of a protein's folded state. Until recently, the stability of proteins in pores with a size very close to that of the folded state has not received the attention it deserves. In a previous paper [L. Javidpour and M. Sahimi, J. Chem. Phys. 135, 125101 (2011)], we showed that, contrary to the current theoretical predictions, the maximum folding temperature occurs in larger pores for smaller α-helices. Moreover, in very tight pores, the free energy surface becomes rough, giving rise to a new barrier for protein folding close to the unfolded state. In contrast to unbounded domains, in small nanopores proteins with an α-helical native state that contain the β structures are entropically stabilized implying that folding rates decrease notably and that the free energy surface becomes rougher. In view of the potential significance of such results to interpretation of many sets of experimental data that could not be explained by the current theories, particularly the reported anomalously low rates of folding and the importance of entropic effects on proteins' misfolded states in highly confined environments, we address the following question in the present paper: To what extent the geometry of a confined medium affects the stability and folding rates of proteins? Using millisecond-long molecular dynamics simulations, we study the problem in three types of confining media, namely, cylindrical and slit pores and spherical cavities. Most importantly, we find that the prediction of the previous theories that the dependence of the maximum folding temperature T f on the size D of a confined medium occurs in larger media for larger proteins is correct only in spherical geometry, whereas the opposite is true in the two other geometries that we study. Also studied is the effect of the strength of the interaction between the confined media's walls and the proteins. If the walls are only weakly or moderately attractive, a complex behavior emerges that depends on the size of the confining medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congyue Wang
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA
| | - Nariman Piroozan
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA
| | - Leili Javidpour
- Departments of Energy Engineering and Physics, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15875-4413, Iran
| | - Muhammad Sahimi
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA
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Hollingsworth SA, Dror RO. Molecular Dynamics Simulation for All. Neuron 2018; 99:1129-1143. [PMID: 30236283 PMCID: PMC6209097 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1023] [Impact Index Per Article: 170.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The impact of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in molecular biology and drug discovery has expanded dramatically in recent years. These simulations capture the behavior of proteins and other biomolecules in full atomic detail and at very fine temporal resolution. Major improvements in simulation speed, accuracy, and accessibility, together with the proliferation of experimental structural data, have increased the appeal of biomolecular simulation to experimentalists-a trend particularly noticeable in, although certainly not limited to, neuroscience. Simulations have proven valuable in deciphering functional mechanisms of proteins and other biomolecules, in uncovering the structural basis for disease, and in the design and optimization of small molecules, peptides, and proteins. Here we describe, in practical terms, the types of information MD simulations can provide and the ways in which they typically motivate further experimental work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Hollingsworth
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ron O Dror
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Liu H, Morris C, Lantz R, Kent TW, Elbassal EA, Wojcikiewicz EP, Du D. Residue‐Specific Dynamics and Local Environmental Changes in Aβ40 Oligomer and Fibril Formation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201802490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Liu
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
| | - Clifford Morris
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
| | - Richard Lantz
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
| | - Thomas W. Kent
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
| | - Esmail A. Elbassal
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
| | - Ewa P. Wojcikiewicz
- Department of Biomedical ScienceFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
| | - Deguo Du
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida Atlantic University 777 Glades Road Boca Raton FL 33431 USA
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50
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Katyal N, Agarwal M, Sen R, Kumar V, Deep S. Paradoxical Effect of Trehalose on the Aggregation of α-Synuclein: Expedites Onset of Aggregation yet Reduces Fibril Load. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:1477-1491. [PMID: 29601727 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of α-synuclein is closely connected to the pathology of Parkinson's disease. The phenomenon involves multiple steps, commenced by partial misfolding and eventually leading to mature amyloid fibril formation. Trehalose, a widely accepted osmolyte, has been shown previously to inhibit aggregation of various globular proteins owing to its ability to prevent the initial unfolding of protein. In this study, we have examined if it behaves in a similar fashion with intrinsically disordered protein α-synuclein and possesses the potential to act as therapeutic agent against Parkinson's disease. It was observed experimentally that samples coincubated with trehalose fibrillate faster compared to the case in its absence. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that this initial acceleration is manifestation of trehalose's tendency to perturb the conformational transitions between different conformers of monomeric protein. It stabilizes the aggregation prone "extended" conformer of α-synuclein, by binding to its exposed acidic residues of the C terminus. It also favors the β-rich oligomers once formed. Interestingly, the total fibrils formed are still promisingly less since it accelerates the competing pathway toward formation of amorphous aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Katyal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz-Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Manish Agarwal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz-Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Raktim Sen
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz-Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Vinay Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz-Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Shashank Deep
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz-Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
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