1
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Okyay C, Dessaux D, Ramirez R, Mathé J, Basdevant N. Exploring ssDNA translocation through α-hemolysin using coarse-grained steered molecular dynamics. NANOSCALE 2024. [PMID: 39078242 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr01581a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Protein nanopores have proven to be effective for single-molecule studies, particularly for single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) translocation. Previous experiments demonstrated their ability to distinguish differences in purine and pyrimidine bases and in the orientation of the ssDNA molecule inside nanopores. Unfortunately, the microscopic details of ssDNA translocation over experimental time scales, which are not accessible through all-atom molecular dynamics (MD), have yet to be examined. However, coarse-grained (CG) MD simulations enable systems to be simulated over longer characteristic times closer to experiments than all-atom MD. This paper studies ssDNA translocation through α-hemolysin nanopores exploiting steered MD using the MARTINI CG force field. The impacts of the sequence length, orientation inside the nanopore and DNA charges on translocation dynamics as well as the conformational dynamics of ssDNA during the translocation are explored. Our results highlight the efficacy of CG molecular dynamics in capturing the experimental properties of ssDNA translocation, including a wide distribution in translocation times per base. In particular, the phosphate charges of the DNA molecule are crucial in the translocation dynamics and impact the translocation rate. Additionally, the influence of the ssDNA molecule orientation on the translocation rate is explained by the conformational differences of ssDNA inside the nanopore during its translocation. Our study emphasizes the significance of obtaining sufficient statistics via CG MD, which can elucidate the great variety of translocation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cagla Okyay
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025, Évry-Courcouronnes, France.
| | - Delphine Dessaux
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025, Évry-Courcouronnes, France.
| | - Rosa Ramirez
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025, Évry-Courcouronnes, France.
| | - Jérôme Mathé
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025, Évry-Courcouronnes, France.
| | - Nathalie Basdevant
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025, Évry-Courcouronnes, France.
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2
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Mehrafrooz B, Yu L, Pandey L, Siwy ZS, Wanunu M, Aksimentiev A. Electro-osmotic Flow Generation via a Sticky Ion Action. ACS NANO 2024; 18:17521-17533. [PMID: 38832758 PMCID: PMC11233251 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Selective transport of ions through nanometer-sized pores is fundamental to cell biology and central to many technological processes such as water desalination and electrical energy storage. Conventional methods for generating ion selectivity include placement of fixed electrical charges at the inner surface of a nanopore through either point mutations in a protein pore or chemical treatment of a solid-state nanopore surface, with each nanopore type requiring a custom approach. Here, we describe a general method for transforming a nanoscale pore into a highly selective, anion-conducting channel capable of generating a giant electro-osmotic effect. Our molecular dynamics simulations and reverse potential measurements show that exposure of a biological nanopore to high concentrations of guanidinium chloride renders the nanopore surface positively charged due to transient binding of guanidinium cations to the protein surface. A comparison of four biological nanopores reveals the relationship between ion selectivity, nanopore shape, composition of the nanopore surface, and electro-osmotic flow. Guanidinium ions are also found to produce anion selectivity and a giant electro-osmotic flow in solid-state nanopores via the same mechanism. Our sticky-ion approach to generate electro-osmotic flow can have numerous applications in controlling molecular transport at the nanoscale and for detection, identification, and sequencing of individual proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Mehrafrooz
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Luning Yu
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Laxmi Pandey
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Zuzanna S Siwy
- Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Meni Wanunu
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Aleksei Aksimentiev
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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3
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Mondal R, Vaissier Welborn V. Dynamics accelerate the kinetics of ion diffusion through channels: Continuous-time random walk models beyond the mean field approximation. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:144109. [PMID: 38597306 DOI: 10.1063/5.0188469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are proteins that play a significant role in physiological processes, including neuronal excitability and signal transduction. However, the precise mechanisms by which these proteins facilitate ion diffusion through cell membranes are not well understood. This is because experimental techniques to characterize ion channel activity operate on a time scale too large to understand the role of the various protein conformations on diffusion. Meanwhile, computational approaches operate on a time scale too short to rationalize the observed behavior at the microscopic scale. In this paper, we present a continuous-time random walk model that aims to bridge the scales between the atomistic models of ion channels and the experimental measurement of their conductance. We show how diffusion slows down in complex systems by using 3D lattices that map out the pore geometry of two channels: Nav1.7 and gramicidin. We also introduce spatial and dynamic site disorder to account for system heterogeneity beyond the mean field approximation. Computed diffusion coefficients show that an increase in spatial disorder slows down diffusion kinetics, while dynamic disorder has the opposite effect. Our results imply that microscopic or phenomenological models based on the potential of mean force data overlook the functional importance of protein dynamics on ion diffusion through channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie Mondal
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
- Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| | - Valerie Vaissier Welborn
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
- Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
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4
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Mehrafrooz B, Yu L, Siwy Z, Wanunu M, Aksimentiev A. Electro-Osmotic Flow Generation via a Sticky Ion Action. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.14.571673. [PMID: 38168277 PMCID: PMC10760089 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.14.571673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Selective transport of ions through nanometer-sized pores is fundamental to cell biology and central to many technological processes such as water desalination and electrical energy storage. Conventional methods for generating ion selectivity include placement of fixed electrical charges at the inner surface of a nanopore through either point mutations in a protein pore or chemical treatment of a solid-state nanopore surface, with each nanopore type requiring a custom approach. Here, we describe a general method for transforming a nanoscale pore into a highly selective, anion-conducting channel capable of generating a giant electro-osmotic effect. Our molecular dynamics simulations and reverse potential measurements show that exposure of a biological nanopore to high concentrations of guanidinium chloride renders the nanopore surface positively charged due to transient binding of guanidinium cations to the protein surface. A comparison of four biological nanopores reveals the relationship between ion selectivity, nanopore shape, composition of the nanopore surface, and electro-osmotic flow. Remarkably, guanidinium ions are also found to produce anion selectivity and a giant electro-osmotic flow in solid-state nanopores via the same mechanism. Our sticky-ion approach to generate electro-osmotic flow can have numerous applications in controlling molecular transport at the nanoscale and for detection, identification, and sequencing of individual proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Mehrafrooz
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Luning Yu
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Zuzanna Siwy
- Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Meni Wanunu
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aleksei Aksimentiev
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
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5
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Acharya A, Jana K, Gurvic D, Zachariae U, Kleinekathöfer U. Fast prediction of antibiotic permeability through membrane channels using Brownian dynamics. Biophys J 2023; 122:2996-3007. [PMID: 36992560 PMCID: PMC10398345 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The efficient permeation across the Gram-negative bacterial membrane is an important step in the overall process of antibacterial action of a molecule and the one that has posed a significant hurdle on the way toward approved antibiotics. Predicting the permeability for a large library of molecules and assessing the effect of different molecular transformations on permeation rates of a given molecule is critical to the development of effective antibiotics. We present a computational approach for obtaining estimates of molecular permeability through a porin channel in a matter of hours using a Brownian dynamics approach. The fast sampling using a temperature acceleration scheme enables the approximate estimation of permeability using the inhomogeneous solubility diffusion model. Although the method is a significant approximation to similar all-atom approaches tested previously, we show that the present approach predicts permeabilities that correlate fairly well with the respective experimental permeation rates from liposome swelling experiments and accumulation rates from antibiotic accumulation assays, and is significantly, i.e., about 14 times, faster compared with a previously reported approach. The possible applications of the scheme in high-throughput screening for fast permeators are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dominik Gurvic
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Ulrich Zachariae
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
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6
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Kim S, Lee NK, Chae MK, Johner A, Park JM. Translocation of Hydrophobic Polyelectrolytes under Electrical Field: Molecular Dynamics Study. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15112550. [PMID: 37299349 DOI: 10.3390/polym15112550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We studied the translocation of polyelectrolyte (PE) chains driven by an electric field through a pore by means of molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained HP model mimicking high salt conditions. Charged monomers were considered as polar (P) and neutral monomers as hydrophobic (H). We considered PE sequences that had equally spaced charges along the hydrophobic backbone. Hydrophobic PEs were in the globular form in which H-type and P-type monomers were partially segregated and they unfolded in order to translocate through the narrow channel under the electric field. We provided a quantitative comprehensive study of the interplay between translocation through a realistic pore and globule unraveling. By means of molecular dynamics simulations, incorporating realistic force fields inside the channel, we investigated the translocation dynamics of PEs at various solvent conditions. Starting from the captured conformations, we obtained distributions of waiting times and drift times at various solvent conditions. The shortest translocation time was observed for the slightly poor solvent. The minimum was rather shallow, and the translocation time was almost constant for medium hydrophobicity. The dynamics were controlled not only by the friction of the channel, but also by the internal friction related to the uncoiling of the heterogeneous globule. The latter can be rationalized by slow monomer relaxation in the dense phase. The results were compared with those from a simplified Fokker-Planck equation for the position of the head monomer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seowon Kim
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
| | - Nam-Kyung Lee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Kyung Chae
- National Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Daejeon 34047, Republic of Korea
| | - Albert Johner
- Institut Charles Sadron CNRS-Unistra, 6 Rue Boussingault, CEDEX, 67083 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jeong-Man Park
- Department of Physics, the Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea
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7
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Wilson MA, Pohorille A. Structure and Computational Electrophysiology of Ac-LS3, a Synthetic Ion Channel. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:8985-8999. [PMID: 36306164 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Computer simulations are reported on Ac-LS3, a synthetic ion channel, containing 21 residues with a Leu-Ser-Ser-Leu-Leu-Ser-Leu heptad repeat, which forms ions channels upon application of voltage. A hexameric, coiled-coil bundle initially positioned perpendicular to the membrane settled into a stable, tilted structure after 1.5 μs, most likely to improve contacts between the non-polar exterior of the channel and the hydrophobic core of the membrane. Once tilted, the bundle remained in this state during subsequent simulations of nearly 10 μs at voltages ranging from 200 to -100 mV. In contrast, attempts to identify a stable pentameric structure failed, thus supporting the hypothesis that the channel is a hexamer. Results at 100 mV were used to reconstruct the free energy profiles for K+ and Cl- in the channel. This was done by way of several methods in which results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were combined with the electrodiffusion model. Two of them developed recently do not require knowledge of the diffusivity. Instead, they utilize one-sided density profiles and committor probabilities. The consistency between different methods is very good, supporting the utility of the newly developed methods for reconstructing free energies of ions in channels. The flux of K+, which accounts for most of the current through the channel, calculated directly from MD matches well the total measured current. However, the current of Cl- is somewhat overestimated, possibly due to a slightly unbalanced force field involving chloride. The current-voltage dependence was also reconstructed by way of a recently developed, efficient method that requires simulations only at a single voltage, yielding good agreement with the experiment. Taken together, the results demonstrate that computational electrophysiology has become a reliable tool for studying how channels mediate ion transport through membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Wilson
- Exobiology Branch, MS239-4, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California94035, United States.,SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Avenue, Suite 200, Mountain View, California94043, United States
| | - Andrew Pohorille
- Exobiology Branch, MS239-4, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California94033, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California94132, United States
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8
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Dessaux D, Mathé J, Ramirez R, Basdevant N. Current Rectification and Ionic Selectivity of α-Hemolysin: Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4189-4199. [PMID: 35657610 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In order to understand the physical processes of nanopore experiments at the molecular level, microscopic information from molecular dynamics is greatly needed. Coarse-grained models are a good alternative to classical all-atom models since they allow longer and faster simulations. We performed coarse-grained molecular dynamics of the ionic transport through the α-hemolysin protein nanopore, inserted into a lipid bilayer surrounded by solvent and ions. For this purpose, we used the MARTINI coarse-grained force field and its polarizable water solvent (PW). Moreover, the electric potential difference applied experimentally was mimicked by the application of an electric field to the system. We present, in this study, the results of 1.5 μs long-molecular dynamics simulations of 12 different systems for which different charged amino acids were neutralized, each of them in the presence of nine different electric fields ranging between ±0.04 V/nm (a total of around 100 simulations). We were able to observe several specific features of this pore, current asymmetry and anion selectivity, in agreement with previous studies and experiments, and we identified the charged amino acids responsible for these current behaviors, therefore validating our coarse-grain approach to study ionic transport through nanopores. We also propose a microscopic explanation of these ionic current features using ionic density maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Dessaux
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
| | - Jérôme Mathé
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
| | - Rosa Ramirez
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
| | - Nathalie Basdevant
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, Évry-Courcouronnes 91025, France
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9
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Translocation, Rejection and Trapping of Polyampholytes. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14040797. [PMID: 35215709 PMCID: PMC8877523 DOI: 10.3390/polym14040797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyampholytes (PA) are a special class of polymers comprising both positive and negative monomers along their sequence. Most proteins have positive and negative residues and are PAs. Proteins have a well-defined sequence while synthetic PAs have a random charge sequence. We investigated the translocation behavior of random polyampholyte chains through a pore under the action of an electric field by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations incorporated a realistic translocation potential profile along an extended asymmetric pore and translocation was studied for both directions of engagement. The study was conducted from the perspective of statistics for disordered systems. The translocation behavior (translocation vs. rejection) was recorded for all 220 sequences comprised of N = 20 charged monomers. The results were compared with those for 107 random sequences of N = 40 to better demonstrate asymptotic laws. At early times, rejection was mainly controlled by the charge sequence of the head part, but late translocation/rejection was governed by the escape from a trapped state over an antagonistic barrier built up along the sequence. The probability distribution of translocation times from all successful attempts revealed a power-law tail. At finite times, there was a population of trapped sequences that relaxed very slowly (logarithmically) with time. If a subensemble of sequences with prescribed net charge was considered the power-law decay was steeper for a more favorable net charge. Our findings were rationalized by theoretical arguments developed for long chains. We also provided operational criteria for the translocation behavior of a sequence, explaining the selection by the translocation process. From the perspective of protein translocation, our findings can help rationalize the behavior of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which can be modeled as polyampholytes. Most IDP sequences have a strong net charge favoring translocation. Even for sequences with those large net charges, the translocation times remained very dispersed and the translocation was highly sequence-selective.
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10
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Guardiani C, Cecconi F, Chiodo L, Cottone G, Malgaretti P, Maragliano L, Barabash ML, Camisasca G, Ceccarelli M, Corry B, Roth R, Giacomello A, Roux B. Computational methods and theory for ion channel research. ADVANCES IN PHYSICS: X 2022; 7:2080587. [PMID: 35874965 PMCID: PMC9302924 DOI: 10.1080/23746149.2022.2080587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are fundamental biological devices that act as gates in order to ensure selective ion transport across cellular membranes; their operation constitutes the molecular mechanism through which basic biological functions, such as nerve signal transmission and muscle contraction, are carried out. Here, we review recent results in the field of computational research on ion channels, covering theoretical advances, state-of-the-art simulation approaches, and frontline modeling techniques. We also report on few selected applications of continuum and atomistic methods to characterize the mechanisms of permeation, selectivity, and gating in biological and model channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Guardiani
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - F. Cecconi
- CNR - Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Rome, Italy and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Roma1 section. 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - L. Chiodo
- Department of Engineering, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
| | - G. Cottone
- Department of Physics and Chemistry-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - P. Malgaretti
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Erlangen, Germany
| | - L. Maragliano
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy, and Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - M. L. Barabash
- Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - G. Camisasca
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - M. Ceccarelli
- Department of Physics and CNR-IOM, University of Cagliari, Monserrato 09042-IT, Italy
| | - B. Corry
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - R. Roth
- Institut Für Theoretische Physik, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - A. Giacomello
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - B. Roux
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago IL, USA
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11
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Mitscha-Baude G, Stadlbauer B, Howorka S, Heitzinger C. Protein Transport through Nanopores Illuminated by Long-Time-Scale Simulations. ACS NANO 2021; 15:9900-9912. [PMID: 34096722 PMCID: PMC8291773 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c01078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The transport of molecules through nanoscale confined space is relevant in biology, biosensing, and industrial filtration. Microscopically modeling transport through nanopores is required for a fundamental understanding and guiding engineering, but the short duration and low replica number of existing simulation approaches limit statistically relevant insight. Here we explore protein transport in nanopores with a high-throughput computational method that realistically simulates hundreds of up to seconds-long protein trajectories by combining Brownian dynamics and continuum simulation and integrating both driving forces of electroosmosis and electrophoresis. Ionic current traces are computed to enable experimental comparison. By examining three biological and synthetic nanopores, our study answers questions about the kinetics and mechanism of protein transport and additionally reveals insight that is inaccessible from experiments yet relevant for pore design. The discovery of extremely frequent unhindered passage can guide the improvement of biosensor pores to enhance desired biomolecular recognition by pore-tethered receptors. Similarly, experimentally invisible nontarget adsorption to pore walls highlights how to improve recently developed DNA nanopores. Our work can be expanded to pressure-driven flow to model industrial nanofiltration processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Stadlbauer
- Institute
of Analysis and Scientific Computing, TU
Wien, Vienna, 1040, Austria
| | - Stefan Howorka
- Department
of Chemistry, Institute of Structural Molecular Biology, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Institute
of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University
Linz, Linz, 4020, Austria
| | - Clemens Heitzinger
- Institute
of Analysis and Scientific Computing, TU
Wien, Vienna, 1040, Austria
- School
of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
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12
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Constructing ion channels from water-soluble α-helical barrels. Nat Chem 2021; 13:643-650. [PMID: 33972753 PMCID: PMC7611114 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00688-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The design of peptides that assemble in membranes to form functional ion channels is challenging. Specifically, hydrophobic interactions must be designed between the peptides and at the peptide-lipid interfaces simultaneously. Here, we take a multi-step approach towards this problem. First, we use rational de novo design to generate water-soluble α-helical barrels with polar interiors, and confirm their structures using high-resolution X-ray crystallography. These α-helical barrels have water-filled lumens like those of transmembrane channels. Then, we modify the sequences to facilitate their insertion into lipid bilayers. Single-channel electrical recordings and fluorescent imaging of the peptides in membranes show monodisperse, cation-selective channels of unitary conductance. Surprisingly, however, an X-ray structure solved from lipidic cubic phase for one peptide reveals an alternative state with tightly packed helices and a constricted channel. To reconcile these observations, we perform computational analyses to compare the properties of possible different states of the peptide.
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13
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Wilson MA, Pohorille A. Electrophysiological Properties from Computations at a Single Voltage: Testing Theory with Stochastic Simulations. ENTROPY 2021; 23:e23050571. [PMID: 34066581 PMCID: PMC8148522 DOI: 10.3390/e23050571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We use stochastic simulations to investigate the performance of two recently developed methods for calculating the free energy profiles of ion channels and their electrophysiological properties, such as current–voltage dependence and reversal potential, from molecular dynamics simulations at a single applied voltage. These methods require neither knowledge of the diffusivity nor simulations at multiple voltages, which greatly reduces the computational effort required to probe the electrophysiological properties of ion channels. They can be used to determine the free energy profiles from either forward or backward one-sided properties of ions in the channel, such as ion fluxes, density profiles, committor probabilities, or from their two-sided combination. By generating large sets of stochastic trajectories, which are individually designed to mimic the molecular dynamics crossing statistics of models of channels of trichotoxin, p7 from hepatitis C and a bacterial homolog of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel, GLIC, we find that the free energy profiles obtained from stochastic simulations corresponding to molecular dynamics simulations of even a modest length are burdened with statistical errors of only 0.3 kcal/mol. Even with many crossing events, applying two-sided formulas substantially reduces statistical errors compared to one-sided formulas. With a properly chosen reference voltage, the current–voltage curves can be reproduced with good accuracy from simulations at a single voltage in a range extending for over 200 mV. If possible, the reference voltages should be chosen not simply to drive a large current in one direction, but to observe crossing events in both directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Wilson
- Exobiology Branch, MS 239-4, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA;
- SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Ave, Suite 200, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - Andrew Pohorille
- Exobiology Branch, MS 239-4, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA;
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-650-604-5759
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14
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Angevine CE, Robertson JWF, Dass A, Reiner JE. Laser-based temperature control to study the roles of entropy and enthalpy in polymer-nanopore interactions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/17/eabf5462. [PMID: 33883140 PMCID: PMC8059931 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf5462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule approaches for probing the free energy of confinement for polymers in a nanopore environment are critical for the development of nanopore biosensors. We developed a laser-based nanopore heating approach to monitor the free energy profiles of such a single-molecule sensor. Using this approach, we measure the free energy profiles of two distinct polymers, polyethylene glycol and water-soluble peptides, as they interact with the nanopore sensor. Polyethylene glycol demonstrates a retention mechanism dominated by entropy with little sign of interaction with the pore, while peptides show an enthalpic mechanism, which can be attributed to physisorption to the nanopore (e.g., hydrogen bonding). To manipulate the energetics, we introduced thiolate-capped gold clusters [Au25(SG)18] into the pore, which increases the charge and leads to additional electrostatic interactions that help dissect the contribution that enthalpy and entropy make in this modified environment. These observations provide a benchmark for optimization of single-molecule nanopore sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joseph W F Robertson
- Biophysics Group, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
| | - Amala Dass
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Joseph E Reiner
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
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15
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Prajapati JD, Kleinekathöfer U, Winterhalter M. How to Enter a Bacterium: Bacterial Porins and the Permeation of Antibiotics. Chem Rev 2021; 121:5158-5192. [PMID: 33724823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Despite tremendous successes in the field of antibiotic discovery seen in the previous century, infectious diseases have remained a leading cause of death. More specifically, pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria have become a global threat due to their extraordinary ability to acquire resistance against any clinically available antibiotic, thus urging for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. One major challenge is to design new antibiotics molecules able to rapidly penetrate Gram-negative bacteria in order to achieve a lethal intracellular drug accumulation. Protein channels in the outer membrane are known to form an entry route for many antibiotics into bacterial cells. Up until today, there has been a lack of simple experimental techniques to measure the antibiotic uptake and the local concentration in subcellular compartments. Hence, rules for translocation directly into the various Gram-negative bacteria via the outer membrane or via channels have remained elusive, hindering the design of new or the improvement of existing antibiotics. In this review, we will discuss the recent progress, both experimentally as well as computationally, in understanding the structure-function relationship of outer-membrane channels of Gram-negative pathogens, mainly focusing on the transport of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mathias Winterhalter
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen 28759, Germany
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16
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam-Kyung Lee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea
| | - Youngkyun Jung
- Supercomputing Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Albert Johner
- Institut Charles Sadron CNRS-Unistra, 6 rue Boussingault, Strasbourg Cedex 67083, France
| | - Jean-François Joanny
- Collège de France, 11, place Marcelin-Berthelot, Paris Cedex 05 75231, France
- Physico-chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL University, Paris Cedex 05 75248, France
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17
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Golla VK, Prajapati JD, Kleinekathöfer U. Millisecond-Long Simulations of Antibiotics Transport through Outer Membrane Channels. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:549-559. [PMID: 33378186 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To reach their target site inside Gram-negative bacteria, almost all antibiotics need to cross the outer membrane. Computational modeling of such processes can be numerically demanding due to the size of the systems and especially due to the timescales involved. Recently, a hybrid Brownian and molecular dynamics approach, i.e., Brownian dynamics including explicit atoms (BRODEA), has been developed and evaluated for studying the transport of monoatomic ions through membrane channels. Later on, this numerically efficient scheme has been applied to determine the free energy surfaces of the ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin translocation through the porin OmpC using temperature-accelerated simulations. To improve the usability and accuracy of the approach, schemes to approximate the position-dependent diffusion constant of the molecule while traversing the pore had to be established. To this end, we have studied the translocation of the charged phosphonic acid antibiotic fosfomycin through the porin OmpF from Escherichia coli devising and benchmarking several diffusion models. To test the efficiency and sensitivity of these models, the effect of OmpF mutations on the permeation of fosfomycin was analyzed. Permeation events have been recorded over millisecond-long biased and unbiased simulations, from which thermodynamics and kinetics quantities of the translocation processes were determined. As a result, the use of the BRODEA approach, together with the appropriate diffusion model, was seen to accurately reproduce the findings observed in electrophysiology experiments and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. These results suggest that the BRODEA approach can become a valuable tool for screening numerous compounds to evaluate their outer membrane permeability, a property important in the development of new antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinaya Kumar Golla
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany
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18
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Willems K, Ruić D, L R Lucas F, Barman U, Verellen N, Hofkens J, Maglia G, Van Dorpe P. Accurate modeling of a biological nanopore with an extended continuum framework. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:16775-16795. [PMID: 32780087 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr03114c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite the broad success of biological nanopores as powerful instruments for the analysis of proteins and nucleic acids at the single-molecule level, a fast simulation methodology to accurately model their nanofluidic properties is currently unavailable. This limits the rational engineering of nanopore traits and makes the unambiguous interpretation of experimental results challenging. Here, we present a continuum approach that can faithfully reproduce the experimentally measured ionic conductance of the biological nanopore Cytolysin A (ClyA) over a wide range of ionic strengths and bias potentials. Our model consists of the extended Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes (ePNP-NS) equations and a computationally efficient 2D-axisymmetric representation for the geometry and charge distribution of the nanopore. Importantly, the ePNP-NS equations achieve this accuracy by self-consistently considering the finite size of the ions and the influence of both the ionic strength and the nanoscopic scale of the pore on the local properties of the electrolyte. These comprise the mobility and diffusivity of the ions, and the density, viscosity and relative permittivity of the solvent. Crucially, by applying our methodology to ClyA, a biological nanopore used for single-molecule enzymology studies, we could directly quantify several nanofluidic characteristics difficult to determine experimentally. These include the ion selectivity, the ion concentration distributions, the electrostatic potential landscape, the magnitude of the electro-osmotic flow field, and the internal pressure distribution. Hence, this work provides a means to obtain fundamental new insights into the nanofluidic properties of biological nanopores and paves the way towards their rational engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kherim Willems
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemistry, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
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19
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Bates PW, Chen JN, Zhang MJ. Dynamics of ionic flows via Poisson-Nernst-Planck systems with local hard-sphere potentials: Competition between cations. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2020; 17:3736-3766. [PMID: 32987553 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2020210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We study a quasi-one-dimensional steady-state Poisson-Nernst-Planck type model for ionic flows through a membrane channel with three ion species, two positively charged with the same valence and one negatively charged. Bikerman's local hard-sphere potential is included in the model to account for ion sizes. The problem is treated as a boundary value problem of a singularly perturbed differential system. Under the framework of a geometric singular perturbation theory, together with specific structures of this concrete model, the existence and uniqueness of solutions to the boundary value problem for small ion sizes is established. Furthermore, treating the ion sizes as small parameters, we derive an approximation of individual fluxes, from which one can further study the qualitative properties of ionic flows and extract concrete information directly related to biological measurements. Of particular interest is the competition between two cations due to the nonlinear interplay between finite ion sizes, diffusion coefficients and boundary conditions, which is closely related to selectivity phenomena of open ion channels with given protein structures. Furthermore, we are able to characterize the distinct effects of the nonlinear interplays between these physical parameters. Numerical simulations are performed to identify some critical potentials which play critical roles in examining properties of ionic flows in our analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter W Bates
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jia Ning Chen
- Department of Mathematics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
| | - Ming Ji Zhang
- Department of Mathematics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
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20
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Stadlbauer B, Mitscha-Baude G, Heitzinger C. Modeling single-molecule stochastic transport for DNA exo-sequencing in nanopore sensors. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 31:075502. [PMID: 31652425 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab513e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We present a simulation framework for computing the probability that a single molecule reaches the recognition element in a nanopore sensor. The model consists of the Langevin equation for the diffusive motion of small particles driven by external forces and the Poisson-Nernst-Planck-Stokes equations to compute these forces. The model is applied to examine DNA exo-sequencing in α-hemolysin, whose practicability depends on whether isolated DNA monomers reliably migrate into the channel in their correct order. We find that, at moderate voltage, migration fails in the majority of trials if the exonuclease which releases monomers is located farther than 1 nm above the pore entry. However, by tuning the pore to have a higher surface charge, applying a high voltage of 1 V and ensuring the exonuclease stays close to the channel, success rates of over 95% can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Stadlbauer
- Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing, TU Vienna, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
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21
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Aguilella-Arzo M, Aguilella VM. Access resistance in protein nanopores. A structure-based computational approach. Bioelectrochemistry 2020; 131:107371. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2019.107371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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22
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Bentin J, Balme S, Picaud F. Polynucleotide differentiation using hybrid solid-state nanopore functionalizing with α-hemolysin. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:1002-1010. [PMID: 31853534 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01833f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report results from full atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on the properties of biomimetic nanopores. This latter result was obtained through the direct insertion of an α-hemolysin protein inside a hydrophobic solid-state nanopore. Upon translocation of different DNA strands, we demonstrate here that the theoretical system presents the same discrimination properties as the experimental one obtained previously. This opens an interesting way to promote the stability of a specific protein inside a solid nanopore to develop further biomimetic applications for DNA or protein sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Bentin
- Laboratoire de Nanomédecine, Imagerie et Thérapeutique, EA 4662, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (UFR Sciences et Techniques), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon, France.
| | - Sébastien Balme
- Institut Européen des Membranes, UMR5635 UM ENSCM CNRS, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
| | - Fabien Picaud
- Laboratoire de Nanomédecine, Imagerie et Thérapeutique, EA 4662, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (UFR Sciences et Techniques), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon, France.
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23
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Lenhart B, Wei X, Zhang Z, Wang X, Wang Q, Liu C. Nanopore Fabrication and Application as Biosensors in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Crit Rev Biomed Eng 2020; 48:29-62. [PMID: 32749118 PMCID: PMC8020784 DOI: 10.1615/critrevbiomedeng.2020033151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Since its conception as an applied biomedical technology nearly 30 years ago, nanopore is emerging as a promising, high-throughput, biomarker-targeted diagnostic tool for clinicians. The attraction of a nanopore-based detection system is its simple, inexpensive, robust, user-friendly, high-throughput blueprint with minimal sample preparation needed prior to analysis. The goal of clinical-based nanopore biosensing is to go from sample acquisition to a meaningful readout quickly. The most extensive work in nanopore applications has been targeted at DNA, RNA, and peptide identification. Although, biosensing of pathological biomarkers, which is covered in this review, is on the rise. This review is broken into two major sections: (i) the current state of existing biological, solid state, and hybrid nanopore systems and (ii) the applications of nanopore biosensors toward detecting neurodegenerative biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Lenhart
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Xiaojun Wei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Zehui Zhang
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
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24
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Ionic transport through a protein nanopore: a Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15740. [PMID: 31673049 PMCID: PMC6823379 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51942-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The MARTINI coarse-grained (CG) force field is used to test the ability of CG models to simulate ionic transport through protein nanopores. The ionic conductivity of CG ions in solution was computed and compared with experimental results. Next, we studied the electrostatic behavior of a solvated CG lipid bilayer in salt solution under an external electric field. We showed this approach correctly describes the experimental conditions under a potential bias. Finally, we performed CG molecular dynamics simulations of the ionic transport through a protein nanopore (α-hemolysin) inserted in a lipid bilayer, under different electric fields, for 2-3 microseconds. The resulting I - V curve is qualitatively consistent with experiments, although the computed current is one order of magnitude smaller. Current saturation was observed for potential biases over ±350 mV. We also discuss the time to reach a stationary regime and the role of the protein flexibility in our CG simulations.
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25
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Song Z, Cao X, Horng TL, Huang H. Selectivity of the KcsA potassium channel: Analysis and computation. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:022406. [PMID: 31574673 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.022406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Ion channels regulate the flux of ions through cell membranes and play significant roles in many physiological functions. Most of the existing literature focuses on computational approaches based on molecular dynamics simulation or numerical solution of the modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) system. In this paper, we present an analytical and computational study of a mathematical model of the KcsA potassium channel, including the effects of ion size (Bikerman model) and solvation energy (Born model). Under equilibrium conditions, we obtain an analytical solution of our modified PNP system, which is used to explain selectivity of KcsA of various ions (K^{+}, Na^{+}, Cl^{-}, Ca^{2+}, and Ba^{2+}) due to negative permanent charges inside the filter region and the effect of ion sizes. Our results show that K^{+} is always selected over Na^{+}, as smaller Na^{+} ions have larger solvation energy. As the amount of negative charges in the filter exceeds a critical value, divalent ions (Ca^{2+} and Ba^{2+}) can enter the filter region and block the KcsA channel. For the nonequilibrium cases, due to difficulties associated with a pure analytical or numerical approach, we use a hybrid analytical-numerical method to solve the modified PNP system. Our predictions of selectivity of KcsA channels and saturation phenomenon of the current-voltage (I-V) curve agree with experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilong Song
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
| | - Xiulei Cao
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
| | - Tzyy-Leng Horng
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Feng Chia University, Taichung 40724, Taiwan and National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Taipei Office, Taipei, Taiwan 10617
| | - Huaxiong Huang
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3 and Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 3J1
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26
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Wilson J, Sarthak K, Si W, Gao L, Aksimentiev A. Rapid and Accurate Determination of Nanopore Ionic Current Using a Steric Exclusion Model. ACS Sens 2019; 4:634-644. [PMID: 30821441 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b01375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Nanopore sensing has emerged as a versatile approach to detection and identification of biomolecules. Presently, researchers rely on experience and intuition for choosing or modifying the nanopores to detect a target analyte. The field would greatly benefit from a computational method that could relate the atomic-scale geometry of the nanopores and analytes to the blockade nanopore currents they produce. Existing computational methods are either computationally too expensive to be used routinely in experimental laboratories or not sensitive enough to account for the atomic structure of the pore and the analytes. Here, we demonstrate a robust and inexpensive computational approach-the steric exclusion model (SEM) of nanopore conductance-that is orders of magnitude more efficient than all-atom MD and yet is sensitive enough to account for the atomic structure of the nanopore and the analyte. The method combines the computational efficiency of a finite element solver with the atomic precision of a nanopore conductance map to yield unprecedented speed and accuracy of ionic current prediction. We validate our SEM approach through comparison with the current blockades computed using the all-atom molecular dynamics method for a range of proteins confined to a solid-state nanopore, biological channels embedded in a lipid bilayer membranes, and blockade currents produced by DNA homopolymers in MspA. We illustrate potential applications of SEM by computing blockade currents produced by nucleosome proteins in a solid-state nanopore, individual amino acids in MspA, and by testing the effect of point mutations on amino acid distinguishability. We expect our SEM approach to become an integral part of future development of the nanopore sensing field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wei Si
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments and School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
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27
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Garate JA, Bernardin A, Escalona Y, Yanez C, English NJ, Perez-Acle T. Orientational and Folding Thermodynamics via Electric Dipole Moment Restraining. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:2599-2608. [PMID: 30831028 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b09374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The projection of molecular processes onto a small set of relevant descriptors, the so-called reaction coordinates or collective variables (CVs), is a technique nowadays routinely employed by the biomolecular simulation community. In this work, we implemented two CVs to manipulate the orientation (i.e., angle) (μ⃗a) and magnitude (|μ⃗|) of the electric dipole moment. In doing so, we studied the thermodynamics of water orientation under the application of external voltages and the folding of two polypeptides at zero-field conditions. The projection of the free-energy [potential of mean force (PMF)] along water orientation defined an upper limit of around 0.3 V for irrelevant thermodynamic effects. On the other hand, sufficiently strong μ⃗a restraints applied on 12-alanine (Ala12) triggered structural effects because of the alignment of local dipoles; for lower restraints, a full-body rotation is achieved. The manipulation of |μ⃗| produced strong perturbations on the secondary structure of Ala12, promoting an enhanced sampling to its configurational space. Rigorous free-energy calculations in the form of 2-D PMFs for deca-alanine showed the utility of |μ⃗| as a reaction coordinate to study folding in small α helices. As a whole, we propose that the manipulation of both components of the dipole moment, μ⃗a and |μ⃗|, provides thermodynamics insights into the structural conformation and stability of biomolecules. These new CVs are implemented in the Colvars module, available for NAMD and LAMMPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Antonio Garate
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaiso , Universidad de Valparaiso , Pasaje Harrington 287 , Playa Ancha, Valparaiso 2381850 , Chile
| | - Alejandro Bernardin
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaiso , Universidad de Valparaiso , Pasaje Harrington 287 , Playa Ancha, Valparaiso 2381850 , Chile.,Computational Biology Lab , Fundacion Ciencia & Vida , Avenida Zanartu 1482, Nunoa , Santiago 7780272 , Chile
| | - Yerko Escalona
- Institute for Molecular Modeling and Simulation , Muthgasse 18 , Vienna 1190 , Austria
| | - Carlos Yanez
- Computational Biology Lab , Fundacion Ciencia & Vida , Avenida Zanartu 1482, Nunoa , Santiago 7780272 , Chile
| | - Niall J English
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering , University College Dublin , Belfield, Dublin 4 , Ireland
| | - Tomas Perez-Acle
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaiso , Universidad de Valparaiso , Pasaje Harrington 287 , Playa Ancha, Valparaiso 2381850 , Chile.,Computational Biology Lab , Fundacion Ciencia & Vida , Avenida Zanartu 1482, Nunoa , Santiago 7780272 , Chile
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28
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Júnior JJS, Soares TA, Pol-Fachin L, Machado DC, Rusu VH, Aguiar JP, Rodrigues CG. Alpha-hemolysin nanopore allows discrimination of the microcystins variants. RSC Adv 2019; 9:14683-14691. [PMID: 35516306 PMCID: PMC9064141 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra10384d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Microcystins (MCs) are a class of cyclic heptapeptides with more than 100 variants produced by cyanobacteria present in surface waters. MCs are potent hepatotoxic agents responsible for fatal poisoning in animals and humans. Several techniques are employed in the detection of MCs, however, there is a shortage of methods capable of discriminating variants of MCs. In this work we demonstrate that the α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopore can detect and discriminate the variants (LR, YR and RR) of MCs in aqueous solution. The discrimination process is based on the analysis of the residence times of each variant of MCs within the unitary nanopore, as well as, on the amplitudes of the blockages in the ionic current flowing through it. Simulations of molecular dynamics and calculation of the electrostatic potential revealed that the variants of MCs present different charge distribution and correlated with the three patterns on the amplitudes of the blockages in the ionic current. Additionally, molecular docking analysis indicates different patterns of interaction of the variants of MCs with two specific regions of the nanopore. We conclude that αHL nanopore can discriminate variants of microcystins by a mechanism based mainly on electrostatic interaction. Finally, we propose the use of nanopore-based technology as a promising method for analyzing microcystins in aqueous solutions. Microcystins (MCs) are a class of cyclic heptapeptides with more than 100 variants produced by cyanobacteria present in surface waters.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Janilson J. S. Júnior
- Departamento de Biofísica e Radiobiologia
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Inovação Terapêutica
| | - Thereza A. Soares
- Departamento de Química Fundamental
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
| | - Laércio Pol-Fachin
- Departamento de Química Fundamental
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães
| | - Dijanah C. Machado
- Departamento de Biofísica e Radiobiologia
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
| | - Victor H. Rusu
- Departamento de Química Fundamental
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
| | - Juliana P. Aguiar
- Departamento de Biofísica e Radiobiologia
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Inovação Terapêutica
| | - Cláudio G. Rodrigues
- Departamento de Biofísica e Radiobiologia
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
- Recife
- Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Inovação Terapêutica
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29
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Solano CJF, Prajapati JD, Pothula KR, Kleinekathöfer U. Brownian Dynamics Approach Including Explicit Atoms for Studying Ion Permeation and Substrate Translocation across Nanopores. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 14:6701-6713. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b00917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J. F. Solano
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany
| | - Jigneshkumar D. Prajapati
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany
| | - Karunakar R. Pothula
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany
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30
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Fennouri A, Ramiandrisoa J, Bacri L, Mathé J, Daniel R. Comparative biosensing of glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid oligo- and polysaccharides using aerolysin and [Formula: see text]-hemolysin nanopores ⋆. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2018; 41:127. [PMID: 30338424 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2018-11733-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Seeking new tools for the analysis of glycosaminoglycans, we have compared the translocation of anionic oligosaccharides from hyaluronic acid using aerolysin and [Formula: see text]-hemolysin nanopores. We show that pores of similar channel length and diameter lead to distinct translocation behavior of the same macromolecules, due to different structural properties of the nanopores. When passing from the vestibule side of the nanopores, short hyaluronic acid oligosaccharides could be detected during their translocation across an aerolysin nanopore but not across an [Formula: see text]-hemolysin nanopore. We were however able to detect longer oligosaccharide fragments, resulting from the in situ enzymatic depolymerization of hyaluronic acid polysaccharides, with both nanopores, meaning that short oligosaccharides were crossing the [Formula: see text]-hemolysin nanopore with a speed too high to be detected. The translocation speed was an order of magnitude higher across [Formula: see text]-hemolysin compared to aerolysin. These results show that the choice of a nanopore to be used for resistive pulse sensing experiments should not rely only on the diameter of the channel but also on other parameters such as the charge repartition within the pore lumen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Fennouri
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Univ Evry, Laboratoire Analyse et Modélisation pour la Biologie et l'Environnement, 91025, Evry, France
| | - Joana Ramiandrisoa
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Univ Evry, Laboratoire Analyse et Modélisation pour la Biologie et l'Environnement, 91025, Evry, France
| | - Laurent Bacri
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Univ Evry, Laboratoire Analyse et Modélisation pour la Biologie et l'Environnement, 91025, Evry, France
| | - Jérôme Mathé
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Univ Evry, Laboratoire Analyse et Modélisation pour la Biologie et l'Environnement, 91025, Evry, France
| | - Régis Daniel
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Univ Evry, Laboratoire Analyse et Modélisation pour la Biologie et l'Environnement, 91025, Evry, France.
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31
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The Role of Lipid Interactions in Simulations of the α-Hemolysin Ion-Channel-Forming Toxin. Biophys J 2018; 115:1720-1730. [PMID: 30287110 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to describe the function of the ion-channel-forming toxin α-hemolysin (αHL) in lipid membranes that were composed of either 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-choline or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-choline. The simulations highlight the importance of lipid type in maintaining αHL structure and function, enabling direct comparison to experiments for biosensing applications. We determined that although the two lipids studied are similar in structure, 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-choline membranes better match the hydrophobic thickness of αHL compared to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-choline membranes. This hydrophobic match is essential to maintaining proper alignment of β-sheet loops at the trans entrance of αHL, which, when disrupted, creates an additional constriction to ion flow that decreases the channel current below experimental values and creates greater variability in channel conductance. Agreement with experiments was further improved with sufficient lipid membrane equilibration and allowed the discrimination of subtle αHL conduction states with lipid type. Finally, we explore the effects of truncating the extramembrane cap of αHL and its role in maintaining proper alignment of αHL in the membrane and channel conductance. Our results demonstrate the essential role of lipid type and lipid-protein interactions in simulations of αHL and will considerably improve the interpretation of experimental data.
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32
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Zhang M. Boundary Layer Effects on Ionic Flows Via Classical Poisson-Nernst-Planck Systems. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL BIOPHYSICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1515/cmb-2018-0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractA quasi-one-dimensional steady-state Poisson-Nernst-Planck model of two oppositely charged ion species through a membrane channel is analyzed. The model problem is treated as a boundary value problem of a singularly perturbed differential system. Our analysis is based on the geometric singular perturbation theory but, most importantly, on specific structures of this concrete model. The existence and (local ) uniqueness of solutions to the boundary value problem is established. In particular, an approximation of both the individual flux and the I-V (current-voltage) relation are derived explicitly from the zeroth order approximation (in ") solutions, from which the boundary layer effects on ionic flows are studied in great details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingji Zhang
- 1Department of Mathematics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology,Socorro, NM 87801, USA
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33
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Tu B, Bai S, Lu B, Fang Q. Conic shapes have higher sensitivity than cylindrical ones in nanopore DNA sequencing. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9097. [PMID: 29904117 PMCID: PMC6002541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27517-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanopores have emerged as helpful research tools for single molecule detection. Through continuum modeling, we investigated the effects of membrane thickness, nanopore size, and pore shape on current signal characteristics of DNA. The simulation results showed that, when reducing the pore diameter, the amplitudes of current signals of DNA increase. Moreover, we found that, compared to cylindrically shaped nanopores, conical-shaped nanopores produce greater signal amplitudes from biomolecules translocation. Finally, we demonstrated that continuum model simulations for the discrimination of DNA and RNA yield current characteristics approximately consistent with experimental measurements and that A-T and G-C base pairs can be distinguished using thin conical solid-state nanopores. Our study not only suggests that computational approaches in this work can be used to guide the designs of nanopore for single molecule detection, but it also provides several possible ways to improve the current amplitudes of nanopores for better resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Tu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, beijing, 100190, China
| | - Shiyang Bai
- Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, beijing, 100190, China
| | - Benzhuo Lu
- Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, beijing, 100190, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Qiaojun Fang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, beijing, 100190, China. .,Beijing Key Laboratory of Ambient Particles Health Effects and Prevention Techniques, beijing, 100190, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. .,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, 101408, China.
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34
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Ren H, Cheyne CG, Fleming AM, Burrows CJ, White HS. Single-Molecule Titration in a Protein Nanoreactor Reveals the Protonation/Deprotonation Mechanism of a C:C Mismatch in DNA. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:5153-5160. [PMID: 29562130 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Measurement of single-molecule reactions can elucidate microscopic mechanisms that are often hidden from ensemble analysis. Herein, we report the acid-base titration of a single DNA duplex confined within the wild-type α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore for up to 3 h, while monitoring the ionic current through the nanopore. Modulation between two states in the current-time trace for duplexes containing the C:C mismatch in proximity to the latch constriction of α-HL is attributed to the base flipping of the C:C mismatch. As the pH is lowered, the rate for the C:C mismatch to flip from the intra-helical state to the extra-helical state ( kintra-extra) decreases, while the rate for base flipping from the extra-helical state to the intra-helical state ( kextra-intra) remains unchanged. Both kintra-extra and kextra-intra are on the order of 1 × 10-2 s-1 to 1 × 10-1 s-1 and remain stable over the time scale of the measurement (several hours). Analysis of the pH-dependent kinetics of base flipping using a hidden Markov kinetic model demonstrates that protonation/deprotonation occurs while the base pair is in the intra-helical state. We also demonstrate that the rate of protonation is limited by transport of H+ into the α-HL nanopore. Single-molecule kinetic isotope experiments exhibit a large kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for kintra-extra ( kH/ kD ≈ 5) but a limited KIE for kextra-intra ( kH/ kD ≈ 1.3), supporting our model. Our experiments correspond to the longest single-molecule measurements performed using a nanopore, and demonstrate its application in interrogating mechanisms of single-molecule reactions in confined geometries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Ren
- Department of Chemistry , University of Utah , 315 South 1400 East , Salt Lake City , Utah 84112 , United States
| | - Cameron G Cheyne
- Department of Chemistry , University of Utah , 315 South 1400 East , Salt Lake City , Utah 84112 , United States
| | - Aaron M Fleming
- Department of Chemistry , University of Utah , 315 South 1400 East , Salt Lake City , Utah 84112 , United States
| | - Cynthia J Burrows
- Department of Chemistry , University of Utah , 315 South 1400 East , Salt Lake City , Utah 84112 , United States
| | - Henry S White
- Department of Chemistry , University of Utah , 315 South 1400 East , Salt Lake City , Utah 84112 , United States
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35
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Simakov NA, Kurnikova MG. Membrane Position Dependency of the pK a and Conductivity of the Protein Ion Channel. J Membr Biol 2018; 251:393-404. [PMID: 29340712 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-018-0013-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The dependency of current-voltage characteristics of the α-hemolysin channel on the channel position within the membrane was studied using Poisson-Nernst-Planck theory of ion conductivity with soft repulsion between mobile ions and protein atoms (SP-PNP). The presence of the membrane environment also influences the protonation state of the residues at the boundary of the water-lipid interface. In this work, we predict that Asp and Lys residues at the protein rim change their protonation state upon penetration to the lipid environment. Free energies of protein insertion in the membrane for different penetration depths were estimated using the Poisson-Boltzmann/solvent-accessible surface area (PB/SASA) model. The results show that rectification and reversal potentials are very sensitive to the relative position of channel in the membrane, which in turn contributes to alternative protonation states of lipid-penetrating ionizable groups. The prediction of channel position based on the matching of calculated rectification with experimentally determined rectification is in good agreement with recent neutron reflection experiments. Based on the results, we conclude that α-hemolysin membrane position is determined by a combination of factors and not only by the pattern of the surface hydrophobicity as is typically assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay A Simakov
- Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Maria G Kurnikova
- Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
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36
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Bhadauria R, Aluru NR. A multiscale transport model for non-classical nanochannel electroosmosis. J Chem Phys 2017; 147:214105. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5005127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Bhadauria
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - N. R. Aluru
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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37
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Membrane proteins structures: A review on computational modeling tools. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1859:2021-2039. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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38
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Muzaffar T, Kadyk T, Eikerling M. Physical Modeling of the Proton Density in Nanopores of PEM Fuel Cell Catalyst Layers. Electrochim Acta 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.05.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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39
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Zhekova HR, Ngo V, da Silva MC, Salahub D, Noskov S. Selective ion binding and transport by membrane proteins – A computational perspective. Coord Chem Rev 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2017.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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40
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Siksik M, Krishnamurthy V. Multi-Dielectric Brownian Dynamics and Design-Space-Exploration Studies of Permeation in Ion Channels. IEEE Trans Nanobioscience 2017; 16:476-490. [PMID: 28692982 DOI: 10.1109/tnb.2017.2723002] [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: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This paper proposes a multi-dielectric Brownian dynamics simulation framework for design-space-exploration (DSE) studies of ion-channel permeation. The goal of such DSE studies is to estimate the channel modeling-parameters that minimize the mean-squared error between the simulated and expected "permeation characteristics." To address this computational challenge, we use a methodology based on statistical inference that utilizes the knowledge of channel structure to prune the design space. We demonstrate the proposed framework and DSE methodology using a case study based on the KcsA ion channel, in which the design space is successfully reduced from a 6-D space to a 2-D space. Our results show that the channel dielectric map computed using the framework matches with that computed directly using molecular dynamics with an error of 7%. Finally, the scalability and resolution of the model used are explored, and it is shown that the memory requirements needed for DSE remain constant as the number of parameters (degree of heterogeneity) increases.
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41
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Bhadauria R, Aluru NR. Multiscale modeling of electroosmotic flow: Effects of discrete ion, enhanced viscosity, and surface friction. J Chem Phys 2017. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4982731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Bhadauria
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - N. R. Aluru
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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42
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Bargiello TA, Oh S, Tang Q, Bargiello NK, Dowd TL, Kwon T. Gating of Connexin Channels by transjunctional-voltage: Conformations and models of open and closed states. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1860:22-39. [PMID: 28476631 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Voltage is an important physiologic regulator of channels formed by the connexin gene family. Connexins are unique among ion channels in that both plasma membrane inserted hemichannels (undocked hemichannels) and intercellular channels (aggregates of which form gap junctions) have important physiological roles. The hemichannel is the fundamental unit of gap junction voltage-gating. Each hemichannel displays two distinct voltage-gating mechanisms that are primarily sensitive to a voltage gradient formed along the length of the channel pore (the transjunctional voltage) rather than sensitivity to the absolute membrane potential (Vm or Vi-o). These transjunctional voltage dependent processes have been termed Vj- or fast-gating and loop- or slow-gating. Understanding the mechanism of voltage-gating, defined as the sequence of voltage-driven transitions that connect open and closed states, first and foremost requires atomic resolution models of the end states. Although ion channels formed by connexins were among the first to be characterized structurally by electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction in the early 1980's, subsequent progress has been slow. Much of the current understanding of the structure-function relations of connexin channels is based on two crystal structures of Cx26 gap junction channels. Refinement of crystal structure by all-atom molecular dynamics and incorporation of charge changing protein modifications has resulted in an atomic model of the open state that arguably corresponds to the physiologic open state. Obtaining validated atomic models of voltage-dependent closed states is more challenging, as there are currently no methods to solve protein structure while a stable voltage gradient is applied across the length of an oriented channel. It is widely believed that the best approach to solve the atomic structure of a voltage-gated closed ion channel is to apply different but complementary experimental and computational methods and to use the resulting information to derive a consensus atomic structure that is then subjected to rigorous validation. In this paper, we summarize our efforts to obtain and validate atomic models of the open and voltage-driven closed states of undocked connexin hemichannels. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Gap Junction Proteins edited by Jean Claude Herve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaddeus A Bargiello
- Dominic P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States.
| | - Seunghoon Oh
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
| | - Qingxiu Tang
- Dominic P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
| | - Nicholas K Bargiello
- Dominic P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
| | - Terry L Dowd
- Department of Chemistry, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States
| | - Taekyung Kwon
- Dominic P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
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43
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Pohorille A, Wilson MA, Wei C. Validity of the Electrodiffusion Model for Calculating Conductance of Simple Ion Channels. J Phys Chem B 2016; 121:3607-3619. [PMID: 27936743 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b09598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
We examine the validity and utility of the electrodiffusion (ED) equation, i.e., the generalized Nernst-Planck equation, to characterize, in combination with molecular dynamics, the electrophysiological behavior of simple ion channels. As models, we consider three systems-two naturally occurring channels formed by α-helical bundles of peptaibols, trichotoxin, and alamethicin, and a synthetic, hexameric channel, formed by a peptide that contains only leucine and serine. All these channels mediate transport of potassium and chloride ions. Starting with equilibrium properties, such as the potential of mean force experienced by an ion traversing the channel and diffusivity, obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, the ED equation can be used to determine the full current-voltage dependence with modest or no additional effort. The potential of mean force can be obtained not only from equilibrium simulations, but also, with comparable accuracy, from nonequilibrium simulations at a single voltage. The main assumptions underlying the ED equation appear to hold well for the channels and voltages studied here. To expand the utility of the ED equation, we examine what are the necessary and sufficient conditions for Ohmic and nonrectifying behavior and relate deviations from this behavior to the shape of the ionic potential of mean force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Pohorille
- Exobiology Branch, MS 239-4, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California 94035, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of California , San Francisco, California 94132, United States
| | - Michael A Wilson
- Exobiology Branch, MS 239-4, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California 94035, United States.,SETI Institute , 189 N Bernardo Ave #200, Mountain View, California 94043, United States
| | - Chenyu Wei
- Exobiology Branch, MS 239-4, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California 94035, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of California , San Francisco, California 94132, United States
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44
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Rems L, Tarek M, Casciola M, Miklavčič D. Properties of lipid electropores II: Comparison of continuum-level modeling of pore conductance to molecular dynamics simulations. Bioelectrochemistry 2016; 112:112-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2016.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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45
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Noskov SY, Rostovtseva TK, Chamberlin AC, Teijido O, Jiang W, Bezrukov SM. Current state of theoretical and experimental studies of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC). BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2016; 1858:1778-90. [PMID: 26940625 PMCID: PMC4877207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), the major channel of the mitochondrial outer membrane provides a controlled pathway for respiratory metabolites in and out of the mitochondria. In spite of the wealth of experimental data from structural, biochemical, and biophysical investigations, the exact mechanisms governing selective ion and metabolite transport, especially the role of titratable charged residues and interactions with soluble cytosolic proteins, remain hotly debated in the field. The computational advances hold a promise to provide a much sought-after solution to many of the scientific disputes around solute and ion transport through VDAC and hence, across the mitochondrial outer membrane. In this review, we examine how Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy, and Brownian Dynamics simulations of the large β-barrel channel, VDAC, advanced our understanding. We will provide a short overview of non-conventional techniques and also discuss examples of how the modeling excursions into VDAC biophysics prospectively aid experimental efforts. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Proteins edited by J.C. Gumbart and Sergei Noskov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Yu Noskov
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Molecular Simulation, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N1N4, Canada.
| | - Tatiana K Rostovtseva
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | | | - Oscar Teijido
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Medical Epigenetics, Institute of Medical Sciences and Genomic Medicine, EuroEspes Sta. Marta de Babío S/N, 15165 Bergondo, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Wei Jiang
- Leadership Computing Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700S Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Sergey M Bezrukov
- Section on Molecular Transport, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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46
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Solano CJF, Pothula KR, Prajapati JD, De Biase PM, Noskov SY, Kleinekathöfer U. BROMOCEA Code: An Improved Grand Canonical Monte Carlo/Brownian Dynamics Algorithm Including Explicit Atoms. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:2401-17. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b01196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J. F. Solano
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Karunakar R. Pothula
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Jigneshkumar D. Prajapati
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Pablo M. De Biase
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sergei Yu. Noskov
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department
of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
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47
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Wong-Ekkabut J, Karttunen M. Molecular dynamics simulation of water permeation through the alpha-hemolysin channel. J Biol Phys 2016; 42:133-46. [PMID: 26264478 PMCID: PMC4713412 DOI: 10.1007/s10867-015-9396-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The alpha-hemolysin (AHL) nanochannel is a non-selective channel that allows for uncontrolled transport of small molecules across membranes leading to cell death. Although it is a bacterial toxin, it has promising applications, ranging from drug delivery systems to nano-sensing devices. This study focuses on the transport of water molecules through an AHL nanochannel using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our results show that AHL can quickly transport water across membranes. The first-passage time approach was used to estimate the diffusion coefficient and the mean exit time. To study the energetics of transport, the potential of mean force (PMF) of a water molecule along the AHL nanochannel was calculated. The results show that the energy barriers of water permeation across a nanopore are always positive along the channel and the values are close to thermal energy (kBT). These findings suggest that the observed quick permeation of water is due to small energy barriers and a hydrophobic inner channel surface resulting in smaller friction. We speculate that these physical mechanisms are important in how AHL causes cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jirasak Wong-Ekkabut
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Phahon Yothin Rd, Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand, 10900.
| | - Mikko Karttunen
- Department of Chemistry and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1.
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science & Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, MetaForum, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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Pothula KR, Solano CJF, Kleinekathöfer U. Simulations of outer membrane channels and their permeability. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2015; 1858:1760-71. [PMID: 26721326 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2015.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Channels in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria provide essential pathways for the controlled and unidirectional transport of ions, nutrients and metabolites into the cell. At the same time the outer membrane serves as a physical barrier for the penetration of noxious substances such as antibiotics into the bacteria. Most antibiotics have to pass through these membrane channels to either reach cytoplasmic bound targets or to further cross the hydrophobic inner membrane. Considering the pharmaceutical significance of antibiotics, understanding the functional role and mechanism of these channels is of fundamental importance in developing strategies to design new drugs with enhanced permeation abilities. Due to the biological complexity of membrane channels and experimental limitations, computer simulations have proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the structure, dynamics and interactions of membrane channels. Considerable progress has been made in computer simulations of membrane channels during the last decade. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the computational techniques and their roles in modeling the transport across outer membrane channels. A special emphasis is put on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations employed to better understand the transport of molecules. Moreover, recent molecular simulations of ion, substrate and antibiotics translocation through membrane pores are briefly summarized. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Proteins edited by J.C. Gumbart and Sergei Noskov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karunakar R Pothula
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Carlos J F Solano
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
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Comer J, Schulten K, Chipot C. Diffusive Models of Membrane Permeation with Explicit Orientational Freedom. J Chem Theory Comput 2015; 10:2710-8. [PMID: 26586505 DOI: 10.1021/ct500209j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Accurate calculation of permeabilities from first-principles has been a long-standing challenge for computer simulations, notably in the context of drug discovery, as a route to predict the propensity of small, organic molecules to spontaneously translocate biological membranes. Of equal importance is the understanding of the permeation process and the pathway followed by the permeant from the aqueous medium to the interior of the lipid bilayer, and back out again. A convenient framework for the computation of permeabilities is provided by the solubility-diffusion model, which requires knowledge of the underlying free-energy and diffusivity landscapes. Here, we develop a formalism that includes an explicit description of the orientational motion of the solute as it diffuses across the membrane. Toward this end, we have generalized a recently proposed method that reconciles thermodynamics and kinetics in importance-sampling simulations by means of a Bayesian-inference scheme to reverse-solve the underlying Smoluchowski equation. Performance of the proposed formalism is examined in the model cases of a water and an ethanol molecule crossing a fully hydrated lipid bilayer. Our analysis reveals a conspicuous dependence of the free-energy and rotational diffusivity on the orientation of ethanol when it lies within the headgroup region of the bilayer. Specifically, orientations for which the hydroxyl group lies among the polar lipid head groups, while the ethyl group recedes toward the hydrophobic interior are associated with free-energy minima ∼2kBT deep, as well as significantly slower orientational kinetics compared to the bulk solution or the core of the bilayer. The conspicuous orientational anisotropy of ethanol at the aqueous interface is suggestive of a complete rotation of the permeant as it crosses the hydrophobic interior of the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Comer
- Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche No. 7565, Université de Lorraine , B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France
| | - Klaus Schulten
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , 405 North Mathews, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Christophe Chipot
- Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche No. 7565, Université de Lorraine , B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France.,Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , 405 North Mathews, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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Dyrka W, Kurczyńska M, Konopka BM, Kotulska M. Fast assessment of structural models of ion channels based on their predicted current-voltage characteristics. Proteins 2015; 84:217-31. [PMID: 26650347 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Computational prediction of protein structures is a difficult task, which involves fast and accurate evaluation of candidate model structures. We propose to enhance single-model quality assessment with a functionality evaluation phase for proteins whose quantitative functional characteristics are known. In particular, this idea can be applied to evaluation of structural models of ion channels, whose main function - conducting ions - can be quantitatively measured with the patch-clamp technique providing the current-voltage characteristics. The study was performed on a set of KcsA channel models obtained from complete and incomplete contact maps. A fast continuous electrodiffusion model was used for calculating the current-voltage characteristics of structural models. We found that the computed charge selectivity and total current were sensitive to structural and electrostatic quality of models. In practical terms, we show that evaluating predicted conductance values is an appropriate method to eliminate models with an occluded pore or with multiple erroneously created pores. Moreover, filtering models on the basis of their predicted charge selectivity results in a substantial enrichment of the candidate set in highly accurate models. Tests on three other ion channels indicate that, in addition to being a proof of the concept, our function-oriented single-model quality assessment method can be directly applied to evaluation of structural models of some classes of protein channels. Finally, our work raises an important question whether a computational validation of functionality should be included in the evaluation process of structural models, whenever possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Witold Dyrka
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
| | - Monika Kurczyńska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
| | - Bogumił M Konopka
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Kotulska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
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