1
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Prince A, Tiwari A, Mandal T, Koiri D, Meher G, Sinha DK, Saleem M. Lipid Specificity of the Fusion of Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles with the Host Membrane. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:8116-8130. [PMID: 38981091 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c02321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) facilitate the long-distance delivery of virulence factors crucial for pathogenicity. The entry and trafficking mechanisms of virulence factors inside host cells are recently emerging; however, whether bacterial MVs can fuse and modulate the physicochemical properties of the host lipid membrane and membrane lipid parameter for fusion remains unknown. In this study, we reconstituted the interaction of bacterial MVs with host cell lipid membranes and quantitatively showed that bacterial MV interaction increases the fluidity, dipole potential, and compressibility of a biologically relevant multicomponent host membrane upon fusion. The presence of cylindrical lipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, and a moderate acyl chain length of C16 help the MV interaction. While significant binding of bacterial MVs to the raft-like lipid membranes with phase-separated regions of the membrane was observed, however, MVs prefer binding to the liquid-disordered regions of the membrane. Furthermore, the elevated levels of cholesterol tend to hinder the interaction of bacterial MVs, as evident from the favorable excess Gibbs free energy of mixing bacterial MVs with host lipid membranes. The findings provide new insights that might have implications for the regulation of host machinery by bacterial pathogens through manipulation of the host membrane properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Prince
- Department of Life Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India
| | - Anuj Tiwari
- Department of Life Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India
| | - Titas Mandal
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14476, Germany
| | - Debraj Koiri
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar 752050, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Geetanjali Meher
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar 752050, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Deepak Kumar Sinha
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciences, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Mohammed Saleem
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar 752050, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai 400094, India
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2
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Spencer RKW, Smirnova YG, Soleimani A, Müller M. Transient pores in hemifusion diaphragms. Biophys J 2024; 123:2455-2475. [PMID: 38867448 PMCID: PMC11365115 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Exchange of material across two membranes, as in the case of synaptic neurotransmitter release from a vesicle, involves the formation and poration of a hemifusion diaphragm (HD). The nontrivial geometry of the HD leads to environment-dependent control, regarding the stability and dynamics of the pores required for this kind of exocytosis. This work combines particle simulations, field-based calculations, and phenomenological modeling to explore the factors influencing the stability, dynamics, and possible control mechanisms of pores in HDs. We find that pores preferentially form at the HD rim, and that their stability is sensitive to a number of factors, including the three line tensions, membrane tension, HD size, and the ability of lipids to "flip-flop" across leaflets. Along with a detailed analysis of these factors, we discuss ways that vesicles or cells may use them to open and close pores and thereby quickly and efficiently transport material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell K W Spencer
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Yuliya G Smirnova
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany; Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Alireza Soleimani
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marcus Müller
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
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3
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Kephart SM, Hom N, Lee KK. Visualizing intermediate stages of viral membrane fusion by cryo-electron tomography. Trends Biochem Sci 2024:S0968-0004(24)00160-9. [PMID: 39054240 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.06.012] [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: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Protein-mediated membrane fusion is the dynamic process where specialized protein machinery undergoes dramatic conformational changes that drive two membrane bilayers together, leading to lipid mixing and opening of a fusion pore between previously separate membrane-bound compartments. Membrane fusion is an essential stage of enveloped virus entry that results in viral genome delivery into host cells. Recent studies applying cryo-electron microscopy techniques in a time-resolved fashion provide unprecedented glimpses into the interaction of viral fusion proteins and membranes, revealing fusion intermediate states from the initiation of fusion to release of the viral genome. In combination with complementary structural, biophysical, and computation modeling approaches, these advances are shedding new light on the mechanics and dynamics of protein-mediated membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally M Kephart
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nancy Hom
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kelly K Lee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Biological Structure Physics and Design Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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4
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Kataoka-Hamai C. Triacylglycerol-droplet-induced bilayer spontaneous curvature in giant unilamellar vesicles. Biophys J 2024; 123:1857-1868. [PMID: 38822522 PMCID: PMC11267425 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the incorporation of triacylglycerol droplets in the bilayers of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) using four triacylglycerols and four phosphatidylcholines by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The triacylglycerol droplets were incorporated between the monolayer leaflets of the GUVs. Among the spherical droplets protruding on only one side of the bilayers, the droplets bound to the outer leaflets outnumbered those bound to the inner leaflets. The more frequent droplet binding to the outer leaflet caused transbilayer asymmetry in the droplet surface density. A vesicle consisting of a single-bilayer spherical segment and a double-bilayer spherical segment was also observed. The yield of these vesicles was comparable with or higher than that of the droplet-incorporating GUVs for many of the phosphatidylcholine-triacylglycerol combinations. In a vesicle consisting of single-bilayer and double-bilayer segments, most of the triacylglycerol droplets were localized on the outermost membrane surface along the segment boundary and in the double-bilayer segment. To rationalize the formation of these vesicle structures, we propose that the transbilayer asymmetry in the droplet surface density induces spontaneous curvature of the bilayer, with the bilayer spontaneously bending away from the droplets. Energy calculations performed assuming the existence of spontaneous curvature of the bilayer corroborated the experimentally determined membrane shapes for the vesicles consisting of unilamellar and bilamellar regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiho Kataoka-Hamai
- Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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5
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Di Bartolo AL, Caparotta M, Polo LM, Masone D. Myomerger Induces Membrane Hemifusion and Regulates Fusion Pore Expansion. Biochemistry 2024; 63:815-826. [PMID: 38349279 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Membrane fusion is a crucial mechanism in a wide variety of important events in cell biology from viral infection to exocytosis. However, despite many efforts and much progress, cell-cell fusion has remained elusive to our understanding. Along the life of the fusion pore, large conformational changes take place from the initial lipid bilayer bending, passing through the hemifusion intermediates, and ending with the formation of the first nascent fusion pore. In this sense, computer simulations are an ideal technique for describing such complex lipid remodeling at the molecular level. In this work, we studied the role played by the muscle-specific membrane protein Myomerger during the formation of the fusion pore. We have conducted μs length atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics, together with free-energy calculations using ad hoc collective variables. Our results show that Myomerger favors the hemifusion diaphragm-stalk transition, reduces the nucleation-expansion energy difference, and promotes the formation of nonenlarging fusion pores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ary Lautaro Di Bartolo
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Marcelo Caparotta
- Quantum Theory Project, Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Luis Mariano Polo
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM)─Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Diego Masone
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM)─Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
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6
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Jahn R, Cafiso DC, Tamm LK. Mechanisms of SNARE proteins in membrane fusion. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:101-118. [PMID: 37848589 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00668-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) are a family of small conserved eukaryotic proteins that mediate membrane fusion between organelles and with the plasma membrane. SNAREs are directly or indirectly anchored to membranes. Prior to fusion, complementary SNAREs assemble between membranes with the aid of accessory proteins that provide a scaffold to initiate SNARE zippering, pulling the membranes together and mediating fusion. Recent advances have enabled the construction of detailed models describing bilayer transitions and energy barriers along the fusion pathway and have elucidated the structures of SNAREs complexed in various states with regulatory proteins. In this Review, we discuss how these advances are yielding an increasingly detailed picture of the SNARE-mediated fusion pathway, leading from first contact between the membranes via metastable non-bilayer intermediates towards the opening and expansion of a fusion pore. We describe how SNARE proteins assemble into complexes, how this assembly is regulated by accessory proteins and how SNARE complexes overcome the free energy barriers that prevent spontaneous membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Jahn
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Max-Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - David C Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Lukas K Tamm
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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7
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Liu L, Duan C, Wang R. Kinetic pathway and micromechanics of fusion/fission for polyelectrolyte vesicles. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:024908. [PMID: 38214388 DOI: 10.1063/5.0185934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the wide existence of vesicles in living cells as well as their important applications like drug delivery, the underlying mechanism of vesicle fusion/fission remains under debate. Classical models cannot fully explain recent observations in experiments and simulations. Here, we develop a constrained self-consistent field theory that allows tracking the shape evolution and free energy as a function of center-of-mass separation distance. Fusion and fission are described in a unified framework. Both the kinetic pathway and the mechanical response can be simultaneously captured. By taking vesicles formed by polyelectrolytes as a model system, we predict discontinuous transitions between the three morphologies: parent vesicle with a single cavity, hemifission/hemifusion, and two separated child vesicles, as a result of breaking topological isomorphism. With the increase in inter-vesicle repulsion, we observe a great reduction in the cleavage energy, indicating that vesicle fission can be achieved without hemifission, in good agreement with simulation results. The force-extension relationship elucidates typical plasticity for separating two vesicles. The super extensibility in the mechanical response of vesicle is in stark contrast to soft particles with other morphologies, such as cylinder and sphere. Our work elucidates the fundamental physical chemistry based on intrinsic topological features of vesicle fusion/fission, which provides insights into various phenomena observed in experiments and simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luofu Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Chao Duan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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8
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Michalski M, Setny P. Two modes of fusogenic action for influenza virus fusion peptide. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011174. [PMID: 37235589 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The entry of influenza virus into the host cell requires fusion of its lipid envelope with the host membrane. It is catalysed by viral hemagglutinin protein, whose fragments called fusion peptides become inserted into the target bilayer and initiate its merging with the viral membrane. Isolated fusion peptides are already capable of inducing lipid mixing between liposomes. Years of studies indicate that upon membrane binding they form bend helical structure whose degree of opening fluctuates between tightly closed hairpin and an extended boomerang. The actual way in which they initiate fusion remains elusive. In this work we employ atomistic simulations of wild type and fusion inactive W14A mutant of influenza fusion peptides confined between two closely apposed lipid bilayers. We characterise peptide induced membrane perturbation and determine the potential of mean force for the formation of the first fusion intermediate, an interbilayer lipid bridge called stalk. Our results demonstrate two routes through which the peptides can lower free energy barrier towards fusion. The first one assumes peptides capability to adopt transmembrane configuration which subsequently promotes the creation of a stalk-hole complex. The second involves surface bound peptide configuration and proceeds owing to its ability to stabilise stalk by fitting into the region of extreme negative membrane curvature resulting from its formation. In both cases, the active peptide conformation corresponds to tight helical hairpin, whereas extended boomerang geometry appears to be unable to provide favourable thermodynamic effect. The latter observation offers plausible explanation for long known inactivity of boomerang-stabilising W14A mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Michalski
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Setny
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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9
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van Tilburg M, Hilbers PAJ, Markvoort AJ. On the role of membrane embedding, protein rigidity and transmembrane length in lipid membrane fusion. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:1791-1802. [PMID: 36786821 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01582j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The fusion of biological membranes is ubiquitous in natural processes like exo- and endocytosis, intracellular trafficking and viral entry. Membrane fusion is also utilized in artificial biomimetic fusion systems, e.g. for drug delivery. Both the natural and the biomimetic fusion systems rely on a wide range of (artificial) proteins mediating the fusion process. Although the exact mechanisms of these proteins differ, clear analogies in their general behavior can be observed in bringing the membranes in close proximity and mediating the fusion reaction. In our study, we use molecular dynamics simulations with coarse grained models, mimicking the general behavior of fusion proteins (spikes), to systematically examine the effects of specific characteristics of these proteins on the fusion process. The protein characteristics considered are (i) the type of membrane embedding, i.e., either transmembrane or not, (ii) the rigidity, and (iii) the transmembrane domain (TMD) length. The results show essential differences in fusion pathway between monotopic and transmembrane spikes, in which transmembrane spikes seem to inhibit the formation of hemifusion diaphragms, leading to a faster fusion development. Furthermore, we observed that an increased rigidity and a decreased TMD length both proved to contribute to a faster fusion development. Finally, we show that a single spike may suffice to successfully induce a fusion reaction, provided that the spike is sufficiently rigid and attractive. Not only does this shed light on biological fusion of membranes, it also provides clear design rules for artificial membrane fusion systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco van Tilburg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Computational Biology Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter A J Hilbers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Computational Biology Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.
- Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Albert J Markvoort
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Computational Biology Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.
- Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
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10
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Xu X, Li G, Sun B, Zuo YY. S2 Subunit of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Induces Domain Fusion in Natural Pulmonary Surfactant Monolayers. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:8359-8364. [PMID: 36043851 PMCID: PMC9454269 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pulmonary surfactant has been attempted as a supportive therapy to treat COVID-19. Although it is mechanistically accepted that the fusion peptide in the S2 subunit of the S protein plays a predominant role in mediating viral fusion with the host cell membrane, it is still unknown how the S2 subunit interacts with the natural surfactant film. Using combined bio-physicochemical assays and atomic force microscopy imaging, it was found that the S2 subunit inhibited the biophysical properties of the surfactant and induced microdomain fusion in the surfactant monolayer. The surfactant inhibition has been attributed to membrane fluidization caused by insertion of the S2 subunit mediated by its fusion peptide. These findings may provide novel insight into the understanding of bio-physicochemical mechanisms responsible for surfactant interactions with SARS-CoV-2 and may have translational implications in the further development of surfactant replacement therapy for COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Xu
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu 96822, Hawaii, United States
| | - Guangle Li
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu 96822, Hawaii, United States
| | - Bingbing Sun
- State
Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals and School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Yi Y. Zuo
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu 96822, Hawaii, United States
- Department
of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu 96826, Hawaii, United States
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11
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Marrink SJ, Monticelli L, Melo MN, Alessandri R, Tieleman DP, Souza PCT. Two decades of Martini: Better beads, broader scope. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Siewert J. Marrink
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute & Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Luca Monticelli
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry (MMSB ‐ UMR 5086) CNRS & University of Lyon Lyon France
| | - Manuel N. Melo
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa Oeiras Portugal
| | - Riccardo Alessandri
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering University of Chicago Chicago Illinois USA
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences University of Calgary Alberta Canada
| | - Paulo C. T. Souza
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry (MMSB ‐ UMR 5086) CNRS & University of Lyon Lyon France
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12
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Valério M, Mendonça DA, Morais J, Buga CC, Cruz CH, Castanho MA, Melo MN, Soares CM, Veiga AS, Lousa D. Parainfluenza Fusion Peptide Promotes Membrane Fusion by Assembling into Oligomeric Porelike Structures. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1831-1843. [PMID: 35500279 PMCID: PMC9295702 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Paramyxoviruses are enveloped viruses harboring a negative-sense RNA genome that must enter the host's cells to replicate. In the case of the parainfluenza virus, the cell entry process starts with the recognition and attachment to target receptors, followed by proteolytic cleavage of the fusion glycoprotein (F) protein, exposing the fusion peptide (FP) region. The FP is responsible for binding to the target membrane, and it is believed to play a crucial role in the fusion process, but the mechanism by which the parainfluenza FP (PIFP) promotes membrane fusion is still unclear. To elucidate this matter, we performed biophysical experimentation of the PIFP in membranes, together with coarse grain (CG) and atomistic (AA) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The simulation results led to the pinpointing of the most important PIFP amino acid residues for membrane fusion and show that, at high concentrations, the peptide induces the formation of a water-permeable porelike structure. This structure promotes lipid head intrusion and lipid tail protrusion, which facilitates membrane fusion. Biophysical experimental results validate these findings, showing that, depending on the peptide/lipid ratio, the PIFP can promote fusion and/or membrane leakage. Our work furthers the understanding of the PIFP-induced membrane fusion process, which might help foster development in the field of viral entry inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Valério
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Diogo A. Mendonça
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Morais
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carolina C. Buga
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carlos H. Cruz
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Miguel A.R.B. Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Manuel N. Melo
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Cláudio M. Soares
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana Salomé Veiga
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Diana Lousa
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
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13
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Tuerkova A, Kasson PM. Computational methods to study enveloped viral entry. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:2527-2537. [PMID: 34783344 PMCID: PMC10184508 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The protein-membrane interactions that mediate viral infection occur via loosely ordered, transient assemblies, creating challenges for high-resolution structure determination. Computational methods and in particular molecular dynamics simulation have thus become important adjuncts for integrating experimental data, developing mechanistic models, and suggesting testable hypotheses regarding viral function. However, the large molecular scales of virus-host interaction also create challenges for detailed molecular simulation. For this reason, continuum membrane models have played a large historical role, although they have become less favored for high-resolution models of protein assemblies and lipid organization. Here, we review recent progress in the field, with an emphasis on the insight that has been gained using a mixture of coarse-grained and atomic-resolution molecular dynamics simulations. Based on successes and challenges to date, we suggest a multiresolution strategy that should yield the best mixture of computational efficiency and physical fidelity. This strategy may facilitate further simulations of viral entry by a broader range of viruses, helping illuminate the diversity of viral entry strategies and the essential common elements that can be targeted for antiviral therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alzbeta Tuerkova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
| | - Peter M Kasson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
- Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, U.S.A
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14
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Lousa D, Soares CM. Molecular mechanisms of the influenza fusion peptide: insights from experimental and simulation studies. FEBS Open Bio 2021; 11:3253-3261. [PMID: 34710289 PMCID: PMC8634857 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A key step in infections by enveloped viruses, such as influenza, is the fusion between the viral envelope and the host cell membrane, which allows the virus to insert its genetic material into the host cell and replicate. The influenza virus fusion process is promoted by hemagglutinin (HA), a glycoprotein that contains three identical monomers composed of two polypeptide chains (HA1 and HA2). Early studies on this protein revealed that HA-mediated fusion involves the insertion of the HA2 N-terminal segment into the host membrane and that this segment, known as the fusion peptide, is a key player in the fusion process. This mini-review highlights the main findings that have been obtained by experimental and computational studies on the HA fusion peptide, which give us a glimpse of its mode of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Lousa
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Cláudio M Soares
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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15
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Prakash S, Krishna A, Sengupta D. Caveolin induced membrane curvature and lipid clustering: two sides of the same coin? Faraday Discuss 2021; 232:218-235. [PMID: 34545870 DOI: 10.1039/d0fd00062k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Caveolin-1 (cav-1) is a multi-domain membrane protein that is a key player in cell signaling, endocytosis and mechanoprotection. It is the principle component of cholesterol-rich caveolar domains and has been reported to induce membrane curvature. The molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions of cav-1 with complex membranes, leading to modulation of membrane topology and the formation of cholesterol-rich domains, remain elusive. In this study, we aim to understand the effect of lipid composition by analyzing the interactions of cav-1 with complex membrane bilayers comprised of about sixty lipid types. We have performed a series of coarse-grain molecular dynamics simulations using the Martini force-field with a cav-1 protein construct (residue 82-136) that includes the membrane binding domains and a palmitoyl tail. We observe that cav-1 induces curvature in this complex membrane, though it is restricted to a nanometer length scale. Concurrently, we observe a clustering of cholesterol, sphingolipids and other lipid molecules leading to the formation of nanodomains. Direct microsecond timescale interactions are observed for specific lipids such as cholesterol, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine lipid types. The results indicate that there is an interplay between membrane topology and lipid species. Our work is a step toward understanding how lipid composition and organization regulate the formation of caveolae, in the context of endocytosis and cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Prakash
- National Chemical Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
| | - Anjali Krishna
- National Chemical Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
| | - Durba Sengupta
- National Chemical Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
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16
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Transient Excursions to Membrane Core as Determinants of Influenza Virus Fusion Peptide Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22105301. [PMID: 34069905 PMCID: PMC8157580 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22105301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion of viral and host cell membranes is a critical step in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. In the case of influenza virus, it is mediated by subunit 2 of hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein whose N-terminal fragments insert into the target membrane and initiate lipid exchange. These isolated fragments, known as fusion peptides (HAfp), already possess own fusogenic activity towards liposomes. Although they have long been studied with the hope to uncover the details of HA-mediated fusion, their actual mechanism of action remains elusive. Here, we use extensive molecular dynamics simulations combined with experimental studies of three HAfp variants to fully characterize their free energy landscape and interaction with lipid bilayer. In addition to customary assumed peptides localization at lipid-water interface, we characterize membrane-spanning configurations, which turn out to be metastable for active HAfps and unstable for the fusion inactive W14A mutant. We show that, while the degree of membrane perturbation by surface peptide configurations is relatively low and does not show any mutation-related differences, the effect of deeply inserted configurations is significant and correlates with insertion depth of the N-terminal amino group which is the highest for the wild type HAfp. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of spontaneous peptide transition to intramembrane location and the critical role of strictly conserved tryptofan residue 14 in this process.
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17
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Smirnova YG, Müller M. How does curvature affect the free-energy barrier of stalk formation? Small vesicles vs apposing, planar membranes. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2021; 50:253-264. [PMID: 33547940 PMCID: PMC8071802 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-020-01494-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Using molecular simulations of POPC lipids in conjunction with the calculation of the Minimum Free-Energy Path (MFEP), we study the effect of strong membrane curvature on the formation of the first fusion intermediate-the stalk between a vesicle and its periodic image. We find that the thermodynamic stability of this hourglass-shaped, hydrophobic connection between two vesicles is largely increased by the strong curvature of small vesicles, whereas the intrinsic barrier to form a stalk, i.e., associated with dimple formation and lipid tails protrusions, is similar to the case of two, apposing, planar membranes. A significant reduction of the barrier of stalk formation, however, stems from the lower dehydration free energy that is required to bring highly curved vesicle into a distance, at which stalk formation may occur, compared to the case of apposing, planar membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y G Smirnova
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - M Müller
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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18
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Risselada HJ, Grubmüller H. How proteins open fusion pores: insights from molecular simulations. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2021; 50:279-293. [PMID: 33340336 PMCID: PMC8071795 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-020-01484-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fusion proteins can play a versatile and involved role during all stages of the fusion reaction. Their roles go far beyond forcing the opposing membranes into close proximity to drive stalk formation and fusion. Molecular simulations have played a central role in providing a molecular understanding of how fusion proteins actively overcome the free energy barriers of the fusion reaction up to the expansion of the fusion pore. Unexpectedly, molecular simulations have revealed a preference of the biological fusion reaction to proceed through asymmetric pathways resulting in the formation of, e.g., a stalk-hole complex, rim-pore, or vertex pore. Force-field based molecular simulations are now able to directly resolve the minimum free-energy path in protein-mediated fusion as well as quantifying the free energies of formed reaction intermediates. Ongoing developments in Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), free energy calculations, and coarse-grained force-fields will soon gain additional insights into the diverse roles of fusion proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Jelger Risselada
- Department of Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Leiden University, Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Helmut Grubmüller
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Department, Göttingen, Germany
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19
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Abstract
Using our recently designed microfluidic setup, we investigated the early stage of SNAREpin-induced fusion. We discovered the existence of subsecond transient fusion pores with a well-defined subnanometer size that occur when one or two SNAREpins are mediating vesicle fusion. In contrast, when vesicle fusion is mediated by three SNAREpins, the fusion pore reaches a diameter larger than 1.5 nm and expands spontaneously and indefinitely. These results quantitatively explain the need for a complex machinery to ensure a submillisecond neurotransmitter release after the arrival of the action potential during synaptic transmission. Vesicle fusion with a target membrane is a key event in cellular trafficking and ensures cargo transport within the cell and between cells. The formation of a protein complex, called SNAREpin, provides the energy necessary for the fusion process. In a three-dimensional microfluidic chip, we monitored the fusion of small vesicles with a suspended asymmetric lipid bilayer. Adding ion channels into the vesicles, our setup allows the observation of a single fusion event by electrophysiology with 10-μs precision. Intriguingly, we identified that small transient fusion pores of discrete sizes reversibly opened with a characteristic lifetime of ∼350 ms. The distribution of their apparent diameters displayed two peaks, at 0.4 ± 0.1 nm and 0.8 ± 0.2 nm. Varying the number of SNAREpins, we demonstrated that the first peak corresponds to fusion pores induced by a single SNAREpin and the second peak is associated with pores involving two SNAREpins acting simultaneously. The pore size fluctuations provide a direct estimate of the energy landscape of the pore. By extrapolation, the energy landscape for three SNAREpins does not exhibit any thermally significant energy barrier, showing that pores larger than 1.5 nm are spontaneously produced by three or more SNAREpins acting simultaneously, and expand indefinitely. Our results quantitatively explain why one SNAREpin is sufficient to open a fusion pore and more than three SNAREpins are required for cargo release. Finally, they also explain why a machinery that synchronizes three SNAREpins, or more, is mandatory to ensure fast neurotransmitter release during synaptic transmission.
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20
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Golani G, Leikina E, Melikov K, Whitlock JM, Gamage DG, Luoma-Overstreet G, Millay DP, Kozlov MM, Chernomordik LV. Myomerger promotes fusion pore by elastic coupling between proximal membrane leaflets and hemifusion diaphragm. Nat Commun 2021; 12:495. [PMID: 33479215 PMCID: PMC7820291 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20804-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Myomerger is a muscle-specific membrane protein involved in formation of multinucleated muscle cells by mediating the transition from the early hemifusion stage to complete fusion. Here, we considered the physical mechanism of the Myomerger action based on the hypothesis that Myomerger shifts the spontaneous curvature of the outer membrane leaflets to more positive values. We predicted, theoretically, that Myomerger generates the outer leaflet elastic stresses, which propagate into the hemifusion diaphragm and accelerate the fusion pore formation. We showed that Myomerger ectodomain indeed generates positive spontaneous curvature of lipid monolayers. We substantiated the mechanism by experiments on myoblast fusion and influenza hemagglutinin-mediated cell fusion. In both processes, the effects of Myomerger ectodomain were strikingly similar to those of lysophosphatidylcholine known to generate a positive spontaneous curvature of lipid monolayers. The control of post-hemifusion stages by shifting the spontaneous curvature of proximal membrane monolayers may be utilized in diverse fusion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonen Golani
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Evgenia Leikina
- Section on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Kamran Melikov
- Section on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jarred M Whitlock
- Section on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Dilani G Gamage
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Gracia Luoma-Overstreet
- Section on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Douglas P Millay
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Michael M Kozlov
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
| | - Leonid V Chernomordik
- Section on Membrane Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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21
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Lousa D, Pinto ART, Campos SRR, Baptista AM, Veiga AS, Castanho MARB, Soares CM. Effect of pH on the influenza fusion peptide properties unveiled by constant-pH molecular dynamics simulations combined with experiment. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20082. [PMID: 33208852 PMCID: PMC7674464 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77040-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The influenza virus fusion process, whereby the virus fuses its envelope with the host endosome membrane to release the genetic material, takes place in the acidic late endosome environment. Acidification triggers a large conformational change in the fusion protein, hemagglutinin (HA), which enables the insertion of the N-terminal region of the HA2 subunit, known as the fusion peptide, into the membrane of the host endosome. However, the mechanism by which pH modulates the molecular properties of the fusion peptide remains unclear. To answer this question, we performed the first constant-pH molecular dynamics simulations of the influenza fusion peptide in a membrane, extending for 40 µs of aggregated time. The simulations were combined with spectroscopic data, which showed that the peptide is twofold more active in promoting lipid mixing of model membranes at pH 5 than at pH 7.4. The realistic treatment of protonation introduced by the constant-pH molecular dynamics simulations revealed that low pH stabilizes a vertical membrane-spanning conformation and leads to more frequent contacts between the fusion peptide and the lipid headgroups, which may explain the increase in activity. The study also revealed that the N-terminal region is determinant for the peptide’s effect on the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Lousa
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal.
| | - Antónia R T Pinto
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sara R R Campos
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - António M Baptista
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana S Veiga
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel A R B Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cláudio M Soares
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal.
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22
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Caparotta M, Tomes CN, Mayorga LS, Masone D. The Synaptotagmin-1 C2B Domain Is a Key Regulator in the Stabilization of the Fusion Pore. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:7840-7851. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Caparotta
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Claudia N. Tomes
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Luis S. Mayorga
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Diego Masone
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza 5500, Argentina
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23
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Akimov SA, Molotkovsky RJ, Kuzmin PI, Galimzyanov TR, Batishchev OV. Continuum Models of Membrane Fusion: Evolution of the Theory. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E3875. [PMID: 32485905 PMCID: PMC7312925 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Starting from fertilization, through tissue growth, hormone secretion, synaptic transmission, and sometimes morbid events of carcinogenesis and viral infections, membrane fusion regulates the whole life of high organisms. Despite that, a lot of fusion processes still lack well-established models and even a list of main actors. A merger of membranes requires their topological rearrangements controlled by elastic properties of a lipid bilayer. That is why continuum models based on theories of membrane elasticity are actively applied for the construction of physical models of membrane fusion. Started from the view on the membrane as a structureless film with postulated geometry of fusion intermediates, they developed along with experimental and computational techniques to a powerful tool for prediction of the whole process with molecular accuracy. In the present review, focusing on fusion processes occurring in eukaryotic cells, we scrutinize the history of these models, their evolution and complication, as well as open questions and remaining theoretical problems. We show that modern approaches in this field allow continuum models of membrane fusion to stand shoulder to shoulder with molecular dynamics simulations, and provide the deepest understanding of this process in multiple biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey A. Akimov
- Laboratory of Bioelectrochemistry, A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31/4 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (R.J.M.); (P.I.K.); (T.R.G.); (O.V.B.)
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24
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Marrink SJ, Corradi V, Souza PC, Ingólfsson HI, Tieleman DP, Sansom MS. Computational Modeling of Realistic Cell Membranes. Chem Rev 2019; 119:6184-6226. [PMID: 30623647 PMCID: PMC6509646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 422] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cell membranes contain a large variety of lipid types and are crowded with proteins, endowing them with the plasticity needed to fulfill their key roles in cell functioning. The compositional complexity of cellular membranes gives rise to a heterogeneous lateral organization, which is still poorly understood. Computational models, in particular molecular dynamics simulations and related techniques, have provided important insight into the organizational principles of cell membranes over the past decades. Now, we are witnessing a transition from simulations of simpler membrane models to multicomponent systems, culminating in realistic models of an increasing variety of cell types and organelles. Here, we review the state of the art in the field of realistic membrane simulations and discuss the current limitations and challenges ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siewert J. Marrink
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute & Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Valentina Corradi
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Paulo C.T. Souza
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute & Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Helgi I. Ingólfsson
- Biosciences
and Biotechnology Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Mark S.P. Sansom
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
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25
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Corradi V, Sejdiu BI, Mesa-Galloso H, Abdizadeh H, Noskov SY, Marrink SJ, Tieleman DP. Emerging Diversity in Lipid-Protein Interactions. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5775-5848. [PMID: 30758191 PMCID: PMC6509647 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Membrane lipids interact with proteins in a variety of ways, ranging from providing a stable membrane environment for proteins to being embedded in to detailed roles in complicated and well-regulated protein functions. Experimental and computational advances are converging in a rapidly expanding research area of lipid-protein interactions. Experimentally, the database of high-resolution membrane protein structures is growing, as are capabilities to identify the complex lipid composition of different membranes, to probe the challenging time and length scales of lipid-protein interactions, and to link lipid-protein interactions to protein function in a variety of proteins. Computationally, more accurate membrane models and more powerful computers now enable a detailed look at lipid-protein interactions and increasing overlap with experimental observations for validation and joint interpretation of simulation and experiment. Here we review papers that use computational approaches to study detailed lipid-protein interactions, together with brief experimental and physiological contexts, aiming at comprehensive coverage of simulation papers in the last five years. Overall, a complex picture of lipid-protein interactions emerges, through a range of mechanisms including modulation of the physical properties of the lipid environment, detailed chemical interactions between lipids and proteins, and key functional roles of very specific lipids binding to well-defined binding sites on proteins. Computationally, despite important limitations, molecular dynamics simulations with current computer power and theoretical models are now in an excellent position to answer detailed questions about lipid-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Corradi
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Besian I. Sejdiu
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Haydee Mesa-Galloso
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Haleh Abdizadeh
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sergei Yu. Noskov
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Siewert J. Marrink
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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26
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Muller MP, Jiang T, Sun C, Lihan M, Pant S, Mahinthichaichan P, Trifan A, Tajkhorshid E. Characterization of Lipid-Protein Interactions and Lipid-Mediated Modulation of Membrane Protein Function through Molecular Simulation. Chem Rev 2019; 119:6086-6161. [PMID: 30978005 PMCID: PMC6506392 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The cellular membrane constitutes one of the most fundamental compartments of a living cell, where key processes such as selective transport of material and exchange of information between the cell and its environment are mediated by proteins that are closely associated with the membrane. The heterogeneity of lipid composition of biological membranes and the effect of lipid molecules on the structure, dynamics, and function of membrane proteins are now widely recognized. Characterization of these functionally important lipid-protein interactions with experimental techniques is however still prohibitively challenging. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations offer a powerful complementary approach with sufficient temporal and spatial resolutions to gain atomic-level structural information and energetics on lipid-protein interactions. In this review, we aim to provide a broad survey of MD simulations focusing on exploring lipid-protein interactions and characterizing lipid-modulated protein structure and dynamics that have been successful in providing novel insight into the mechanism of membrane protein function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie P. Muller
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- College of Medicine
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Tao Jiang
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Chang Sun
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Muyun Lihan
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Shashank Pant
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Paween Mahinthichaichan
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Anda Trifan
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Biochemistry
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- College of Medicine
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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27
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Smirnova YG, Risselada HJ, Müller M. Thermodynamically reversible paths of the first fusion intermediate reveal an important role for membrane anchors of fusion proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:2571-2576. [PMID: 30700547 PMCID: PMC6377489 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1818200116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological membrane fusion proceeds via an essential topological transition of the two membranes involved. Known players such as certain lipid species and fusion proteins are generally believed to alter the free energy and thus the rate of the fusion reaction. Quantifying these effects by theory poses a major challenge since the essential reaction intermediates are collective, diffusive and of a molecular length scale. We conducted molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with a state-of-the-art string method to resolve the minimum free-energy path of the first fusion intermediate state, the so-called stalk. We demonstrate that the isolated transmembrane domains (TMDs) of fusion proteins such as SNARE molecules drastically lower the free energy of both the stalk barrier and metastable stalk, which is not trivially explained by molecular shape arguments. We relate this effect to the local thinning of the membrane (negative hydrophobic mismatch) imposed by the TMDs which favors the nearby presence of the highly bent stalk structure or prestalk dimple. The distance between the membranes is the most crucial determinant of the free energy of the stalk, whereas the free-energy barrier changes only slightly. Surprisingly, fusion enhancing lipids, i.e., lipids with a negative spontaneous curvature, such as PE lipids have little effect on the free energy of the stalk barrier, likely because of its single molecular nature. In contrast, the lipid shape plays a crucial role in overcoming the hydration repulsion between two membranes and thus rather lowers the total work required to form a stalk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya G Smirnova
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany;
| | - Herre Jelger Risselada
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marcus Müller
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Jefferys EE, Sansom MSP. Computational Virology: Molecular Simulations of Virus Dynamics and Interactions. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1215:201-233. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-14741-9_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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29
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Krishna A, Sengupta D. Interplay between Membrane Curvature and Cholesterol: Role of Palmitoylated Caveolin-1. Biophys J 2018; 116:69-78. [PMID: 30579563 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.11.3127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Caveolin-1 (cav-1) is an important player in cell signaling and endocytosis that has been shown to colocalize with cholesterol-rich membrane domains. Experimental studies with varying cav-1 constructs have suggested that it can induce both cholesterol clustering and membrane curvature. Here, we probe the molecular origin of membrane curvature and cholesterol clustering by cav-1 by using coarse-grain molecular dynamics simulations. We have performed a series of simulations of a functionally important cav-1 construct, comprising the membrane-interacting domains and a C-terminal palmitoyl tail. Our results suggest that cav-1 is able to induce cholesterol clustering in the membrane leaflet to which it is bound as well as the opposing leaflet. A positive membrane curvature is observed upon cav-1 binding in cholesterol-containing bilayers. Interestingly, we observe an interplay between cholesterol clustering and membrane curvature such that cav-1 is able to induce higher membrane curvature in cholesterol-rich membranes. The role of the cav-1 palmitoyl tail is less clear and appears to increase the membrane contacts. Further, we address the importance of the secondary structure of cav-1 domains and show that it could play an important role in membrane curvature and cholesterol clustering. Our work is an important step toward a molecular picture of caveolae and vesicular endocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Krishna
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Durba Sengupta
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
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30
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Bu B, Crowe M, Diao J, Ji B, Li D. Cholesterol suppresses membrane leakage by decreasing water penetrability. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:5277-5282. [PMID: 29896597 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm00644j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Membrane fusion is a fundamental biological process that lies at the heart of enveloped virus infection, synaptic signaling, intracellular vesicle trafficking, gamete fertilization, and cell-cell fusion. Membrane fusion is initiated as two apposed membranes merge to a single bilayer called a hemifusion diaphragm. It is believed that the contents of the two fusing membranes are released through a fusion pore formed at the hemifusion diaphragm, and yet another possible pathway has been proposed in which an undefined pore may form outside the hemifusion diaphragm at the apposed membranes, leading to the so-called leaky fusion. Here, we performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study the evolution of the hemifusion diaphragm structure with various lipid compositions. We found that the lipid cholesterol decreased water penetrability to inhibit leakage pore formation. Biochemical leakage experiments support these simulation results. This study may shed light on the underlying mechanism of the evolution pathways of the hemifusion structure, especially the understanding of content leakage during membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Bu
- Biomechanics and Biomaterials Laboratory, Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
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31
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Boonstra S, Blijleven JS, Roos WH, Onck PR, van der Giessen E, van Oijen AM. Hemagglutinin-Mediated Membrane Fusion: A Biophysical Perspective. Annu Rev Biophys 2018; 47:153-173. [PMID: 29494252 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-070317-033018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is a viral membrane protein responsible for the initial steps of the entry of influenza virus into the host cell. It mediates binding of the virus particle to the host-cell membrane and catalyzes fusion of the viral membrane with that of the host. HA is therefore a major target in the development of antiviral strategies. The fusion of two membranes involves high activation barriers and proceeds through several intermediate states. Here, we provide a biophysical description of the membrane fusion process, relating its kinetic and thermodynamic properties to the large conformational changes taking place in HA and placing these in the context of multiple HA proteins working together to mediate fusion. Furthermore, we highlight the role of novel single-particle experiments and computational approaches in understanding the fusion process and their complementarity with other biophysical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Boonstra
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; , , , ,
| | - Jelle S Blijleven
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; , , , ,
| | - Wouter H Roos
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; , , , ,
| | - Patrick R Onck
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; , , , ,
| | - Erik van der Giessen
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; , , , ,
| | - Antoine M van Oijen
- School of Chemistry; Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health; University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia;
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32
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Switching between Successful and Dead-End Intermediates in Membrane Fusion. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18122598. [PMID: 29207481 PMCID: PMC5751201 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18122598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion of cellular membranes during normal biological processes, including proliferation, or synaptic transmission, is mediated and controlled by sophisticated protein machinery ensuring the preservation of the vital barrier function of the membrane throughout the process. Fusion of virus particles with host cell membranes is more sparingly arranged and often mediated by a single fusion protein, and the virus can afford to be less discriminative towards the possible different outcomes of fusion attempts. Formation of leaky intermediates was recently observed in some fusion processes, and an alternative trajectory of the process involving formation of π-shaped structures was suggested. In this study, we apply the methods of elasticity theory and Lagrangian formalism augmented by phenomenological and molecular geometry constraints and boundary conditions to investigate the traits of this trajectory and the drivers behind the choice of one of the possible scenarios depending on the properties of the system. The alternative pathway proved to be a dead end, and, depending on the parameters of the participating membranes and fusion proteins, the system can either reversibly enter the corresponding “leaky” configuration or be trapped in it. A parametric study in the biologically relevant range of variables emphasized the fusion protein properties crucial for the choice of the fusion scenario.
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33
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Risselada HJ. Membrane Fusion Stalks and Lipid Rafts: A Love-Hate Relationship. Biophys J 2017; 112:2475-2478. [PMID: 28522140 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are applied to explore the experimentally observed ability of the liquid-ordered (lo)/liquid-disordered (ld) phase boundary to facilitate viral membrane fusion. Surprisingly, a formed fusion stalk can be both attracted (i.e., stalkophilic) and repelled (i.e., stalkophobic) by the lo/ld phase boundary. The phase boundary becomes stalkophilic if the lo phase constituents have the larger negative spontaneous curvature. In such a case, location of the highly curved stalk near the less-ordered and thus (relatively) softer boundary region becomes energetically favorable. These insights may explain why modeled viral fusion occurs preferentially near the lo/ld phase boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herre Jelger Risselada
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August-Universität, Goettingen, Germany; Chemical Department, Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification, Leipzig, Germany.
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Worch R, Krupa J, Filipek A, Szymaniec A, Setny P. Three conserved C-terminal residues of influenza fusion peptide alter its behavior at the membrane interface. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2016; 1861:97-105. [PMID: 27825831 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The N-terminal fragment of the viral hemagglutinin HA2 subunit is termed a fusion peptide (HAfp). The 23-amino acid peptide (HAfp1-23) contains three C-terminal W21-Y22-G23 residues which are highly conserved among serotypes of influenza A and has been shown to form a tight helical hairpin very distinct from the boomerang structure of HAfp1-20. We studied the effect of peptide length on fusion properties, structural dynamics, and binding to the membrane interface. We developed a novel fusion visualization assay based on FLIM microscopy on giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV). By means of molecular dynamics simulations and spectroscopic measurements, we show that the presence of the three C-terminal W21-Y22-G23 residues promotes the hairpin formation, which orients perpendicularly to the membrane plane and induces more disorder in the surrounding lipids than the less structured HAfp1-20. Moreover, we report cholesterol-enriched domain formation induced exclusively by the longer fusion peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joanna Krupa
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | - Alicja Filipek
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | - Anna Szymaniec
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | - Piotr Setny
- Centre for New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Poland
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35
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Kawamoto S, Klein ML, Shinoda W. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics study of membrane fusion: Curvature effects on free energy barriers along the stalk mechanism. J Chem Phys 2016; 143:243112. [PMID: 26723597 DOI: 10.1063/1.4933087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of membrane curvature on the free energy barrier for membrane fusion have been investigated using coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations, assuming that fusion takes place through a stalk intermediate. Free energy barriers were estimated for stalk formation as well as for fusion pore formation using the guiding potential method. Specifically, the three different geometries of two apposed membranes were considered: vesicle-vesicle, vesicle-planar, and planar-planar membranes. The free energy barriers for the resulting fusion were found to depend importantly on the fusing membrane geometries; the lowest barrier was obtained for vesicular membranes. Further, lipid sorting was observed in fusion of the mixed membranes of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine and dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). Specifically, DOPE molecules were found to assemble around the stalk to support the highly negative curved membrane surface. A consistent result for lipid sorting was observed when a simple continuum model (CM) was used, where the Helfrich energy and mixing entropy of the lipids were taken into account. However, the CM predicts a much higher free energy barrier than found using CG-MD. This discrepancy originates from the conformational changes of lipids, which were not considered in the CM. The results of the CG-MD simulations reveal that a large conformational change in the lipid takes place around the stalk region, which results in a reduction of free energy barriers along the stalk mechanism of membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhei Kawamoto
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603, Japan
| | - Michael L Klein
- Institute for Computational Molecular Science, Temple University, SERC Building 1925 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA
| | - Wataru Shinoda
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603, Japan
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36
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Lousa D, Pinto ART, Victor BL, Laio A, Veiga AS, Castanho MARB, Soares CM. Fusing simulation and experiment: The effect of mutations on the structure and activity of the influenza fusion peptide. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28099. [PMID: 27302370 PMCID: PMC4908596 DOI: 10.1038/srep28099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
During the infection process, the influenza fusion peptide (FP) inserts into the host membrane, playing a crucial role in the fusion process between the viral and host membranes. In this work we used a combination of simulation and experimental techniques to analyse the molecular details of this process, which are largely unknown. Although the FP structure has been obtained by NMR in detergent micelles, there is no atomic structure information in membranes. To answer this question, we performed bias-exchange metadynamics (BE-META) simulations, which showed that the lowest energy states of the membrane-inserted FP correspond to helical-hairpin conformations similar to that observed in micelles. BE-META simulations of the G1V, W14A, G12A/G13A and G4A/G8A/G16A/G20A mutants revealed that all the mutations affect the peptide’s free energy landscape. A FRET-based analysis showed that all the mutants had a reduced fusogenic activity relative to the WT, in particular the mutants G12A/G13A and G4A/G8A/G16A/G20A. According to our results, one of the major causes of the lower activity of these mutants is their lower membrane affinity, which results in a lower concentration of peptide in the bilayer. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the influenza fusion process and open new routes for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Lousa
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Antónia R T Pinto
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Bruno L Victor
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Alessandro Laio
- SISSA/ISAS, Statistical and biological physics, Via Beirut 2-4 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ana S Veiga
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel A R B Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cláudio M Soares
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
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37
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Li ZL, Ding HM, Ma YQ. Interaction of peptides with cell membranes: insights from molecular modeling. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2016; 28:083001. [PMID: 26828575 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/28/8/083001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The investigation of the interaction of peptides with cell membranes is the focus of active research. It can enhance the understanding of basic membrane functions such as membrane transport, fusion, and signaling processes, and it may shed light on potential applications of peptides in biomedicine. In this review, we will present current advances in computational studies on the interaction of different types of peptides with the cell membrane. Depending on the properties of the peptide, membrane, and external environment, the peptide-membrane interaction shows a variety of different forms. Here, on the basis of recent computational progress, we will discuss how different peptides could initiate membrane pores, translocate across the membrane, induce membrane endocytosis, produce membrane curvature, form fibrils on the membrane surface, as well as interact with functional membrane proteins. Finally, we will present a conclusion summarizing recent progress and providing some specific insights into future developments in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-lu Li
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China
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38
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Tahir MA, Van Lehn RC, Choi SH, Alexander-Katz A. Solvent-exposed lipid tail protrusions depend on lipid membrane composition and curvature. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1207-15. [PMID: 26828121 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The stochastic protrusion of hydrophobic lipid tails into solution, a subclass of hydrophobic membrane defects, has recently been shown to be a critical step in a number of biological processes like membrane fusion. Understanding the factors that govern the appearance of lipid tail protrusions is critical for identifying membrane features that affect the rate of fusion or other processes that depend on contact with solvent-exposed lipid tails. In this work, we utilize atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the likelihood of tail protrusions in phosphotidylcholine lipid bilayers of varying composition, curvature, and hydration. We distinguish two protrusion modes corresponding to atoms near the end of the lipid tail or near the glycerol group. Through potential of mean force calculations, we demonstrate that the thermodynamic cost for inducing a protrusion depends on tail saturation but is insensitive to other bilayer structural properties or hydration above a threshold value. Similarly, highly curved vesicles or micelles increase both the overall frequency of lipid tail protrusions as well as the preference for splay protrusions, both of which play an important role in driving membrane fusion. In multi-component bilayers, however, the incidence of protrusion events does not clearly depend on the mismatch between tail length or tail saturation of the constituent lipids. Together, these results provide significant physical insight into how system components might affect the appearance of protrusions in biological membranes, and help explain the roles of composition or curvature-modifying proteins in membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukarram A Tahir
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Reid C Van Lehn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - S H Choi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alfredo Alexander-Katz
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Smrt ST, Lorieau JL. Membrane Fusion and Infection of the Influenza Hemagglutinin. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 966:37-54. [PMID: 27966108 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2016_174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The influenza virus is a major health concern associated with an estimated 5000 to 30,000 deaths every year (Reed et al. 2015) and a significant economic impact with the development of treatments, vaccinations and research (Molinari et al. 2007). The entirety of the influenza genome is comprised of only eleven coding genes. An enormous degree of variation in non-conserved regions leads to significant challenges in the development of inclusive inhibitors for treatment. The fusion peptide domain of the influenza A hemagglutinin (HA) is a promising candidate for treatment since it is one of the most highly conserved sequences in the influenza genome (Heiny et al. 2007), and it is vital to the viral life cycle. Hemagglutinin is a class I viral fusion protein that catalyzes the membrane fusion process during cellular entry and infection. Impediment of the hemagglutinin's function, either through incomplete post-translational processing (Klenk et al. 1975; Lazarowitz and Choppin 1975) or through mutations (Cross et al. 2001), leads to non-infective virus particles. This review will investigate current research on the role of hemagglutinin in the virus life cycle, its structural biology and mechanism as well as the central role of the hemagglutinin fusion peptide (HAfp) to influenza membrane fusion and infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean T Smrt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Justin L Lorieau
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.
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40
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Risselada HJ. Simulations move toward a cure for viral diseases. Structure 2015; 23:439-440. [PMID: 25738384 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2015.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In this issue of Structure, Reddy and colleagues combined various experimental data to build a realistic near-atomic model of the complete lipidic influenza A virion. Here, we illustrate the advances made by this pioneering simulation study and discuss ongoing challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herre Jelger Risselada
- Department of Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
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41
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Collu F, Spiga E, Lorenz CD, Fraternali F. Assembly of Influenza Hemagglutinin Fusion Peptides in a Phospholipid Bilayer by Coarse-grained Computer Simulations. Front Mol Biosci 2015; 2:66. [PMID: 26636093 PMCID: PMC4649048 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2015.00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane fusion is critical to eukaryotic cellular function and crucial to the entry of enveloped viruses such as influenza and human immunodeficiency virus. Influenza viral entry in the host cell is mediated by a 20–23 amino acid long sequence, called the fusion peptide (FP). Recently, possible structures for the fusion peptide (ranging from an inverted V shaped α-helical structure to an α-helical hairpin, or to a complete α-helix) and their implication in the membrane fusion initiation have been proposed. Despite the large number of studies devoted to the structure of the FP, the mechanism of action of this peptide remains unclear with several mechanisms having been suggested, including the induction of local disorder, promoting membrane curvature, and/or altering local membrane composition. In recent years, several research groups have employed atomistic and/or coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the matter. In all previous works, the behavior of a single FP monomer was studied, while in this manuscript, we use a simplified model of a tripeptide (TP) monomer of FP (TFP) instead of a single FP monomer because each Influenza Hemagglutinin contains three FP molecules in the biological system. In this manuscript we report findings targeted at understanding the fusogenic properties and the collective behavior of these trimers of FP peptides on a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine model membrane. Here we show how the TFP monomers self-assemble into differently sized oligomers in the presence of the membrane. We measure the perturbation to the structure of the phospholipid membrane caused by the presence of these TFP oligomers. Our work (i) shows how self-assembly of TFP in the presence of the membrane induces non negligible deformation to the membrane and (ii) could be a useful starting point to stimulate discussion and further work targeted to fusion pore formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Collu
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Bioinformatics Computational Biology, King's College London London, UK
| | - Enrico Spiga
- Mill Hill Laboratory, Mathematical Biology, The Francis Crick Institute London, UK
| | - Christian D Lorenz
- Theory and Simulation of Condensed Matter Group, Department of Physics, King's College London London, UK
| | - Franca Fraternali
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Bioinformatics Computational Biology, King's College London London, UK
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42
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Pluhackova K, Böckmann RA. Biomembranes in atomistic and coarse-grained simulations. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2015. [PMID: 26194872 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/27/32/323103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The architecture of biological membranes is tightly coupled to the localization, organization, and function of membrane proteins. The organelle-specific distribution of lipids allows for the formation of functional microdomains (also called rafts) that facilitate the segregation and aggregation of membrane proteins and thus shape their function. Molecular dynamics simulations enable to directly access the formation, structure, and dynamics of membrane microdomains at the molecular scale and the specific interactions among lipids and proteins on timescales from picoseconds to microseconds. This review focuses on the latest developments of biomembrane force fields for both atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and the different levels of coarsening of biomolecular structures. It also briefly introduces scale-bridging methods applicable to biomembrane studies, and highlights selected recent applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyna Pluhackova
- Computational Biology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstr. 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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43
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Victor BL, Lousa D, Antunes JM, Soares CM. Self-assembly molecular dynamics simulations shed light into the interaction of the influenza fusion Peptide with a membrane bilayer. J Chem Inf Model 2015; 55:795-805. [PMID: 25826469 DOI: 10.1021/ci500756v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Influenza virus is one of the most devastating human pathogens. In order to infect host cells, this virus fuses its membrane with the host membrane in a process mediated by the glycoprotein hemagglutinin. During fusion, the N-terminal region of hemagglutinin, which is known as the fusion peptide (FP), inserts into the host membrane, promoting lipid mixing between the viral and host membranes. Therefore, this peptide plays a key role in the fusion process, but the exact mechanism by which it promotes lipid mixing is still unclear. To shed light into this matter, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the influenza FP in different environments (water, dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles, and a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) membrane). While in pure water the peptide lost its initial secondary structure, in simulations performed in the presence of DPC micelles it remained stable, in agreement with previous experimental observations. In simulations performed in the presence of a preassembled DMPC bilayer, the peptide became unstructured and was unable to insert into the membrane as a result of technical limitations of the method used. To overcome this problem, we used a self-assembly strategy, assembling the membrane together with the peptide. These simulations revealed that the peptide can adopt a membrane-spanning conformation, which had not been predicted by previous MD simulation studies. The peptide insertion had a strong effect on the membrane, lowering the bilayer thickness, disordering nearby lipids, and promoting lipid tail protrusion. These results contribute to a better understanding of the role of the FP in the fusion process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno L Victor
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Diana Lousa
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Jorge M Antunes
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Cláudio M Soares
- ITQB, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
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Reddy T, Shorthouse D, Parton DL, Jefferys E, Fowler PW, Chavent M, Baaden M, Sansom MSP. Nothing to sneeze at: a dynamic and integrative computational model of an influenza A virion. Structure 2015; 23:584-597. [PMID: 25703376 PMCID: PMC4353694 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2014.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The influenza virus is surrounded by an envelope composed of a lipid bilayer and integral membrane proteins. Understanding the structural dynamics of the membrane envelope provides biophysical insights into aspects of viral function, such as the wide-ranging survival times of the virion in different environments. We have combined experimental data from X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and lipidomics to build a model of the intact influenza A virion. This is the basis of microsecond-scale coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of the virion, providing simulations at different temperatures and with varying lipid compositions. The presence of the Forssman glycolipid alters a number of biophysical properties of the virion, resulting in reduced mobility of bilayer lipid and protein species. Reduced mobility in the virion membrane may confer physical robustness to changes in environmental conditions. Our simulations indicate that viral spike proteins do not aggregate and thus are competent for multivalent immunoglobulin G interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Reddy
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - David Shorthouse
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Daniel L Parton
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Elizabeth Jefferys
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Philip W Fowler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Matthieu Chavent
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Marc Baaden
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UPR9080, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
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Antunes E, Cruz CF, Azoia NG, Cavaco-Paulo A. The effects of solvent composition on the affinity of a peptide towards hair keratin: experimental and molecular dynamics data. RSC Adv 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c4ra13901a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations with a developed hair protofibril model demonstrated the ability to improve peptide uptake by hair shafts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Egipto Antunes
- CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering
- University of Minho
- 4710-057 Braga
- Portugal
| | - Célia F. Cruz
- CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering
- University of Minho
- 4710-057 Braga
- Portugal
| | - Nuno G. Azoia
- CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering
- University of Minho
- 4710-057 Braga
- Portugal
| | - Artur Cavaco-Paulo
- CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering
- University of Minho
- 4710-057 Braga
- Portugal
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Fuhrmans M, Marelli G, Smirnova YG, Müller M. Mechanics of membrane fusion/pore formation. Chem Phys Lipids 2015; 185:109-28. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2014.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Smrt ST, Draney AW, Lorieau JL. The influenza hemagglutinin fusion domain is an amphipathic helical hairpin that functions by inducing membrane curvature. J Biol Chem 2014; 290:228-38. [PMID: 25398882 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.611657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The highly conserved N-terminal 23 residues of the hemagglutinin glycoprotein, known as the fusion peptide domain (HAfp23), is vital to the membrane fusion and infection mechanism of the influenza virus. HAfp23 has a helical hairpin structure consisting of two tightly packed amphiphilic helices that rest on the membrane surface. We demonstrate that HAfp23 is a new class of amphipathic helix that functions by leveraging the negative curvature induced by two tightly packed helices on membranes. The helical hairpin structure has an inverted wedge shape characteristic of negative curvature lipids, with a bulky hydrophobic region and a relatively small hydrophilic head region. The F3G mutation reduces this inverted wedge shape by reducing the volume of its hydrophobic base. We show that despite maintaining identical backbone structures and dynamics as the wild type HAfp23, the F3G mutant has an attenuated fusion activity that is correlated to its reduced ability to induce negative membrane curvature. The inverted wedge shape of HAfp23 is likely to play a crucial role in the initial stages of membrane fusion by stabilizing negative curvature in the fusion stalk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean T Smrt
- From the Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60607
| | - Adrian W Draney
- From the Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60607
| | - Justin L Lorieau
- From the Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60607
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48
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Expansion of the fusion stalk and its implication for biological membrane fusion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:11043-8. [PMID: 25024174 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1323221111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past 20 years, it has been widely accepted that membrane fusion proceeds via a hemifusion step before opening of the productive fusion pore. An initial hourglass-shaped lipid structure, the fusion stalk, is formed between the adjacent membrane leaflets (cis leaflets). It remains controversial if and how fusion proteins drive the subsequent transition (expansion) of the stalk into a fusion pore. Here, we propose a comprehensive and consistent thermodynamic understanding in terms of the underlying free-energy landscape of stalk expansion. We illustrate how the underlying free energy landscape of stalk expansion and the concomitant pathway is altered by subtle differences in membrane environment, such as leaflet composition, asymmetry, and flexibility. Nonleaky stalk expansion (stalk widening) requires the formation of a critical trans-leaflet contact. The fusion machinery can mechanically enforce trans-leaflet contact formation either by directly enforcing the trans-leaflets in close proximity, or by (electrostatically) condensing the area of the cis leaflets. The rate of these fast fusion reactions may not be primarily limited by the energetics but by the forces that the fusion proteins are able to exert.
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Kawamoto S, Shinoda W. Free energy analysis along the stalk mechanism of membrane fusion. SOFT MATTER 2014; 10:3048-3054. [PMID: 24695575 DOI: 10.1039/c3sm52344f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The free energy profile of the stalk model of membrane fusion has been calculated using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. The proposed method guides the lipid configuration using a guiding wall potential to make the transition from two apposed membranes to a stalk and a fusion pore. The free energy profile is obtained with a thermodynamic integration scheme using the mean force working on the guiding wall as a response of the system. We applied the method to two apposed flat bilayers composed of dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine/dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine expanding over the simulation box under the periodic boundary conditions. The two transition states are identified as pre-stalk and pre-pore states. The free energy barrier for the latter is confirmed to be in good agreement with that estimated by the pulling method. The present method provides a practical way to calculate the free energy profile along the stalk mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhei Kawamoto
- Health Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), 1-8-31, Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka 563-8577, Japan.
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Gapsys V, de Groot BL, Briones R. Computational analysis of local membrane properties. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2013; 27:845-58. [PMID: 24150904 PMCID: PMC3882000 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-013-9684-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the field of biomolecular simulations, dynamics of phospholipid membranes is of special interest. A number of proteins, including channels, transporters, receptors and short peptides are embedded in lipid bilayers and tightly interact with phospholipids. While the experimental measurements report on the spatial and/or temporal average membrane properties, simulation results are not restricted to the average properties. In the current study, we present a collection of methods for an efficient local membrane property calculation, comprising bilayer thickness, area per lipid, deuterium order parameters, Gaussian and mean curvature. The local membrane property calculation allows for a direct mapping of the membrane features, which subsequently can be used for further analysis and visualization of the processes of interest. The main features of the described methods are highlighted in a number of membrane systems, namely: a pure dimyristoyl-phosphatidyl-choline (DMPC) bilayer, a fusion peptide interacting with a membrane, voltage-dependent anion channel protein embedded in a DMPC bilayer, cholesterol enriched bilayer and a coarse grained simulation of a curved palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidyl-choline lipid membrane. The local membrane property analysis proves to provide an intuitive and detailed view on the observables that are otherwise interpreted as averaged bilayer properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vytautas Gapsys
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany,
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