1
|
Cino EA, Tieleman DP. Curvature Footprints of Transmembrane Proteins in Simulations with the Martini Force Field. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5987-5994. [PMID: 38860934 PMCID: PMC11216194 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Membranes play essential roles in biological systems and are tremendously diverse in the topologies and chemical and elastic properties that define their functions. In many cases, a given membrane may display considerable heterogeneity, with localized clusters of lipids and proteins exhibiting distinct characteristics compared to adjoining regions. These lipid-protein assemblies can span nanometers to micrometers and are associated with cellular processes such as transport and signaling. While lipid-protein assemblages are dynamic, they can be stabilized by coupling between local membrane composition and shape. Due to the inherent difficulty in resolving atomistic details of membrane proteins in their native lipid environments, these complexes are notoriously challenging to study experimentally; however, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations might be a viable alternative. Here, we aim to assess the utility of coarse-grained (CG) MD simulations with the Martini force field for studying membrane curvature induced by transmembrane (TM) proteins that are reported to generate local curvature. The direction and magnitude of curvature induced by five different TM proteins, as well as certain lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions, were found to be in good agreement with available reference data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elio A. Cino
- Centre for Molecular Simulation
and Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation
and Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kondrashov OV, Akimov SA. Alteration of Average Thickness of Lipid Bilayer by Membrane-Deforming Inclusions. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1731. [PMID: 38136602 PMCID: PMC10741968 DOI: 10.3390/biom13121731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Thickness of lipid bilayer membranes is a key physical parameter determining membrane permeability and stability with respect to formation of through pores. Most membrane inclusions or impurities like amphipathic peptides, transmembrane peptides, lipid inclusions of a different molecular shape, lipid domains, and protein-lipid domains, locally deform the membrane. The detailed structure of the locally deformed region of the membrane is a kind of "fingerprint" for the inclusion type. However, most experimental methods allow determining only averaged parameters of membranes with incorporated inclusions, thus preventing the direct obtaining of the characteristics of the inclusion. Here we developed a model that allows the obtaining of characteristic parameters of three types of membrane inclusions (amphipathic peptides, transmembrane peptides, monolayer lipid patches) from experimentally observable dependencies of the average thickness of lipid bilayer on the surface concentration of the inclusions. In the case of amphipathic peptides, the model provided the peptide parameters that were in qualitative agreement with the available experimental data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oleg V. Kondrashov
- Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31/4 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey A. Akimov
- Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31/4 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Whiting R, Stanton S, Kucheriava M, Smith AR, Pitts M, Robertson D, Kammer J, Li Z, Fologea D. Hypo-Osmotic Stress and Pore-Forming Toxins Adjust the Lipid Order in Sheep Red Blood Cell Membranes. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:620. [PMID: 37504986 PMCID: PMC10385129 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13070620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Lipid ordering in cell membranes has been increasingly recognized as an important factor in establishing and regulating a large variety of biological functions. Multiple investigations into lipid organization focused on assessing ordering from temperature-induced phase transitions, which are often well outside the physiological range. However, particular stresses elicited by environmental factors, such as hypo-osmotic stress or protein insertion into membranes, with respect to changes in lipid status and ordering at constant temperature are insufficiently described. To fill these gaps in our knowledge, we exploited the well-established ability of environmentally sensitive membrane probes to detect intramembrane changes at the molecular level. Our steady state fluorescence spectroscopy experiments focused on assessing changes in optical responses of Laurdan and diphenylhexatriene upon exposure of red blood cells to hypo-osmotic stress and pore-forming toxins at room temperature. We verified our utilized experimental systems by a direct comparison of the results with prior reports on artificial membranes and cholesterol-depleted membranes undergoing temperature changes. The significant changes observed in the lipid order after exposure to hypo-osmotic stress or pore-forming toxins resembled phase transitions of lipids in membranes, which we explained by considering the short-range interactions between membrane components and the hydrophobic mismatch between membrane thickness and inserted proteins. Our results suggest that measurements of optical responses from the membrane probes constitute an appropriate method for assessing the status of lipids and phase transitions in target membranes exposed to mechanical stresses or upon the insertion of transmembrane proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rose Whiting
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Program, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Sevio Stanton
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | | | - Aviana R Smith
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Matt Pitts
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Program, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Daniel Robertson
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Jacob Kammer
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
- Department of Family Medicine, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, ID 83642, USA
| | - Zhiyu Li
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Daniel Fologea
- Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Program, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Molotkovsky RJ, Kuzmin PI. Fusion of Peroxisome and Lipid Droplet Membranes: Expansion of a π-Shaped Structure. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW), SUPPLEMENT SERIES A: MEMBRANE AND CELL BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1990747822050105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
5
|
Kondrashov O, Akimov S. Effect of solid support and membrane tension on adsorption and lateral interaction of amphipathic peptides. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:074902. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0096536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide class of antimicrobial amphipathic peptides is aimed to selectively form through pores in bacterial membranes. The partial incorporation of the peptides into the lipid monolayer leads to elastic deformation of the membrane. The deformation influences both the adsorption of the peptides and their lateral interaction. Detailed study of pore formation mechanisms requires an accurate determination of the surface concentration of the peptides at their given bulk concentration. Widely used methods to register the adsorption are atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface plasmon resonance refractometry (SPRR), and inner field compensation (IFC). AFM and SPRR utilize membranes deposited onto a solid support, while IFC operates with model membranes under substantial lateral tension. Here, we theoretically studied the effect of the solid support and lateral tension on the elastic deformations of the membrane induced by partially incorporated amphipathic peptides, and thus on the peptide adsorption energy and lateral interaction. We demonstrated that under conditions typical for AFM, SPRR, and IFC the adsorption energy can increase by up to 1.5 kBT per peptide leading to about 4 times decreased surface concentration as compared to free-standing tensionless membranes. In addition, the effective lateral size of the peptide molecule increases by about 10 %, which can have an impact on the quantitative description of the adsorption isotherms. Our results allow estimating the effects of the solid support and lateral tension on the adsorption and interaction of amphipathic peptides at the membrane surface and taking them into account in interpretation of experimental observations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergey Akimov
- Laboratory of Bioelectrochemistry, Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry RAS, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gupta S, Mandal T. Simulation study of domain formation in a model bacterial membrane. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:18133-18143. [PMID: 35856570 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01873j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent experimental studies revealed that functional membrane microdomains (FMMs) are formed in prokaryotic cells which are structurally and functionally similar to the lipid rafts formed in eukaryotic cells. In this study, we employ coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the mechanism of domain formation and its physiochemical properties in a model methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cell membrane. We find that domains are formed through lateral segregation of staphyloxanthin (STX), a carotenoid which shields the bacteria from the host's immune because of its antioxidant nature. Simulation results suggest that membrane integrity increases with the size of the domain, which is assessed by computing bond order parameter of the lipid tails, membrane expansion modulus and water permeability across the membrane. Various membrane domain proteins such as flotillin-like protein floA and penicillin binding protein (PBP2a) preferentially bind with the STX and accumulate in the membrane domain which is consistent with the recent experimental results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shivam Gupta
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016, India.
| | - Taraknath Mandal
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016, India.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhang B, Peng Y, Wang Y, Wang X. Exploring the trimerization process of a transmembrane helix with an ionizable residue by molecular dynamics simulations: a case study of transmembrane domain 5 of LMP-1. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:7084-7092. [PMID: 35262149 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00102k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The oligomerization of membrane proteins is an important biological process that plays a critical role in the initialization of membrane protein receptor signaling. Unveiling how transmembrane segments oligomerize is critical for understanding the mechanism of membrane receptor signaling activation. Owing to the complicated membrane environment and the extraordinary dynamic properties of the ionizable residues in the transmembrane segment, it is extremely challenging to thoroughly understand the oligomerization process of the transmembrane domain. In this study, transmembrane domain 5 (TMD5) of latent membrane protein-1 from Epstein-Barr virus was used as a prototype model to investigate the trimerization process of the transmembrane segment with ionizable residues. The trimerization process of TMD5 was rebuilt and investigated via conventional molecular dynamics simulations and constant-pH molecular dynamics simulations. When TMD5s approached each other, the tilting angles of the TMD5 monomer decreased. TMD5s formed stable trimers until two interacting sites (D150s and Q139s) along each transmembrane helix were created to lock the TMD5s. The pKa values of D150 shifted toward neutral states in the membrane environment. When TMD5s were monomers, the pKa shift of D150 was mainly influenced by its microenvironment in the lipid bilayer. When TMD5s were moving close to each other, protein-protein interactions became the main contributing factor for the pKa shift of D150s. Overall, this work elucidates the behavior of the TMD5 helix and the pKa shift of ionizable residue D150 in the process of TMD5 oligomerization. This study may provide insight into the development of agents for targeting the oligomerization of membrane proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, China. .,Department of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Yinghua Peng
- State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal, Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, 130112, China
| | - Yibo Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, China.
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, China. .,Department of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.,Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| |
Collapse
|