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Mills KR, Misra J, Torabifard H. Allosteric Modulation of the YAP/TAZ-TEAD Interaction by Palmitoylation and Small-Molecule Inhibitors. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:3795-3806. [PMID: 38606592 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c07073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The Hippo signaling pathway is a highly conserved signaling network that plays a central role in regulating cellular growth, proliferation, and organ size. This pathway consists of a kinase cascade that integrates various upstream signals to control the activation or inactivation of YAP/TAZ proteins. Phosphorylated YAP/TAZ is sequestered in the cytoplasm; however, when the Hippo pathway is deactivated, it translocates into the nucleus, where it associates with TEAD transcription factors. This partnership is instrumental in regulating the transcription of progrowth and antiapoptotic genes. Thus, in many cancers, aberrantly hyperactivated YAP/TAZ promotes oncogenesis by contributing to cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Because YAP and TAZ exert their oncogenic effects by binding with TEAD, it is critical to understand this key interaction to develop cancer therapeutics. Previous research has indicated that TEAD undergoes autopalmitoylation at a conserved cysteine, and small molecules that inhibit TEAD palmitoylation disrupt effective YAP/TAZ binding. However, how exactly palmitoylation contributes to YAP/TAZ-TEAD interactions and how the TEAD palmitoylation inhibitors disrupt this interaction remains unknown. Utilizing molecular dynamics simulations, our investigation not only provides detailed atomistic insight into the YAP/TAZ-TEAD dynamics but also unveils that the inhibitor studied influences the binding of YAP and TAZ to TEAD in distinct manners. This discovery has significant implications for the design and deployment of future molecular interventions targeting this interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira R Mills
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Jyoti Misra
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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2
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Mills KR, Torabifard H. Computational approaches to investigate fluoride binding, selectivity and transport across the membrane. Methods Enzymol 2024; 696:109-154. [PMID: 38658077 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2024.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The use of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study biomolecular systems has proven reliable in elucidating atomic-level details of structure and function. In this chapter, MD simulations were used to uncover new insights into two phylogenetically unrelated bacterial fluoride (F-) exporters: the CLCF F-/H+ antiporter and the Fluc F- channel. The CLCF antiporter, a member of the broader CLC family, has previously revealed unique stoichiometry, anion-coordinating residues, and the absence of an internal glutamate crucial for proton import in the CLCs. Through MD simulations enhanced with umbrella sampling, we provide insights into the energetics and mechanism of the CLCF transport process, including its selectivity for F- over HF. In contrast, the Fluc F- channel presents a novel architecture as a dual topology dimer, featuring two pores for F- export and a central non-transported sodium ion. Using computational electrophysiology, we simulate the electrochemical gradient necessary for F- export in Fluc and reveal details about the coordination and hydration of both F- and the central sodium ion. The procedures described here delineate the specifics of these advanced techniques and can also be adapted to investigate other membrane protein systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira R Mills
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.
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3
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Mills KR, Torabifard H. Uncovering the Mechanism of the Proton-Coupled Fluoride Transport in the CLC F Antiporter. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:2445-2455. [PMID: 37053383 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Fluoride is a natural antibiotic abundantly present in the environment and, in micromolar concentrations, is able to inhibit enzymes necessary for bacteria to survive. However, as is the case with many antibiotics, bacteria have evolved resistance methods, including through the use of recently discovered membrane proteins. One such protein is the CLCF F-/H+ antiporter protein, a member of the CLC superfamily of anion-transport proteins. Though previous studies have examined this F- transporter, many questions are still left unanswered. To reveal details of the transport mechanism used by CLCF, we have employed molecular dynamics simulations and umbrella sampling calculations. Our results have led to several discoveries, including the mechanism of proton import and how it is able to aid in the fluoride export. Additionally, we have determined the role of the previously identified residues Glu118, Glu318, Met79, and Tyr396. This work is among the first studies of the CLCF F-/H+ antiporter and is the first computational investigation to model the full transport process, proposing a mechanism which couples the F- export with the H+ import.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira R Mills
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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4
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Ranathunga DTS, Torabifard H. Histone tail electrostatics modulate E2-E3 enzyme dynamics: a gateway to regulate ubiquitination machinery. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:3361-3374. [PMID: 36633205 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp04059j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BRCA1 (Breast Cancer-Associated Protein 1) is a human tumor suppressor that functions as an ubiquitin (Ub) ligase enzyme (E3) and plays a key role in genomic stability and DNA repair. Heterodimerization of BRCA1 with BARD1 (BRCA1-associated RING domain protein 1) is known to increase its Ub ligase activity and is important for its stability, and cooperative activation of UbcH5c (Ub conjugating enzyme (E2)). Recent studies demonstrate the importance of ubiquitination of the nucleosomal H2A C-terminal tail by BRCA1/BARD1-UbcH5c in which its mutations inhibit ubiquitination, predispose cells to chromosomal instability and greatly increase the likelihood of breast and ovarian cancer development. Due to the lack of molecular-level insight on the flexible and dis-ordered H2A C-tail, its ubiquitination mechanism by BRCA1/BARD1-UbcH5c and its function and relationship to cancer susceptibility remain elusive. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to provide molecular-level insights into the dynamics of the less-studied H2A C-tail and BRCA1/BARD1-UbcH5c on the nucleosome surface and their effect on ubiquitination. Our results precisely identify the key interactions and residues that trigger conformational transitions of BRCA1/BARD1-UbcH5c, and characterize the important role of histone electrostatics in their dynamics. We provide a mechanistic basis for the H2A C-tail lysine approach to UbcH5c and show the role of H2A C-tail and UbcH5c dynamics in lysine ubiquitination. Furthermore, our data demonstrate the potential for ubiquitination based on the lysine position of the C-tail. Altogether, the findings of this study provide unrevealed insights into the mechanism of H2A C-tail ubiquitination and help us understand the communication between Ub ligase/Ub conjugating enzymes (E3/E2) and nucleosome to regulate ubiquitination machinery, paving the way for the development of effective treatments for cancer and chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dineli T S Ranathunga
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA.
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA.
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Yeaton A, Cayanan G, Loghavi S, Dolgalev I, Leddin EM, Loo CE, Torabifard H, Nicolet D, Wang J, Corrigan K, Paraskevopoulou V, Starczynowski DT, Wang E, Abdel-Wahab O, Viny AD, Stone RM, Byrd JC, Guryanova OA, Kohli RM, Cisneros GA, Tsirigos A, Eisfeld AK, Aifantis I, Guillamot M. The Impact of Inflammation-Induced Tumor Plasticity during Myeloid Transformation. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:2392-2413. [PMID: 35924979 PMCID: PMC9547930 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-1146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is an aging-associated condition characterized by the clonal outgrowth of mutated preleukemic cells. Individuals with CH are at an increased risk of developing hematopoietic malignancies. Here, we describe a novel animal model carrying a recurrent TET2 missense mutation frequently found in patients with CH and leukemia. In a fashion similar to CH, animals show signs of disease late in life when they develop a wide range of myeloid neoplasms, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Using single-cell transcriptomic profiling of the bone marrow, we show that disease progression in aged animals correlates with an enhanced inflammatory response and the emergence of an aberrant inflammatory monocytic cell population. The gene signature characteristic of this inflammatory population is associated with poor prognosis in patients with AML. Our study illustrates an example of collaboration between a genetic lesion found in CH and inflammation, leading to transformation and the establishment of blood neoplasms. SIGNIFICANCE Progression from a preleukemic state to transformation, in the presence of TET2 mutations, is coupled with the emergence of inflammation and a novel population of inflammatory monocytes. Genes characteristic of this inflammatory population are associated with the worst prognosis in patients with AML. These studies connect inflammation to progression to leukemia. See related commentary by Pietras and DeGregori, p. 2234 . This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2221.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Yeaton
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Geraldine Cayanan
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Sanam Loghavi
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Igor Dolgalev
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, Office of Science and Research, NYU School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Emmett M Leddin
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas
| | - Christian E Loo
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas
| | - Deedra Nicolet
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Clara D. Bloomfield Center for Leukemia Outcomes Research, Columbus, Ohio
- Alliance Statistics and Data Center, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jingjing Wang
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Kate Corrigan
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Varvara Paraskevopoulou
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Daniel T Starczynowski
- Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Eric Wang
- MSK Center for Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Omar Abdel-Wahab
- MSK Center for Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Aaron D Viny
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenomics Program, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Richard M Stone
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - John C Byrd
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Olga A Guryanova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Rahul M Kohli
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas
| | - Aristotelis Tsirigos
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, Office of Science and Research, NYU School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Ann-Kathrin Eisfeld
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Clara D. Bloomfield Center for Leukemia Outcomes Research, Columbus, Ohio
- Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Iannis Aifantis
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Maria Guillamot
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
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6
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Ji K, Baek K, Peng W, Alberto KA, Torabifard H, Nielsen SO, Dodani SC. Biophysical and in silico characterization of NrtA: a protein-based host for aqueous nitrate and nitrite recognition. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:965-968. [PMID: 34937073 PMCID: PMC9197583 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc05879g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate and nitrite are key components of the global nitrogen cycle. As such, Nature has evolved proteins as biological supramolecular hosts for the recognition, translocation, and transformation of both nitrate and nitrite. To understand the supramolecular principles that govern these anion-protein interactions, here, we employ a hybrid biophysical and in silico approach to characterize the thermodynamic properties and protein dynamics of NrtA from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for the recognition of nitrate and nitrite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Ji
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
| | - Kiheon Baek
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
| | - Weicheng Peng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080.,Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
| | - Kevin A. Alberto
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
| | - Steven O. Nielsen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
| | - Sheel C. Dodani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
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7
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Torabifard H, Cisneros GA. Insight into wild-type and T1372E TET2-mediated 5hmC oxidation using ab initio QM/MM calculations. Chem Sci 2018; 9:8433-8445. [PMID: 30542593 PMCID: PMC6244454 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc02961j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2) is an Fe/α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) dependent enzyme that dealkylates 5-methylcytosine (5mC). The reaction mechanism involves a series of three sequential oxidations that convert 5mC to 5-hydroxy-methylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). Our previous biochemical and computational studies uncovered an active site scaffold that is required for wild-type (WT) stepwise oxidation (Nat. Chem. Bio., 13, 181). We showed that the mutation of a single residue, T1372 to some amino acids, such as Glu, can impact the iterative oxidation steps and stop the oxidation of 5hmC to 5fC/caC. However, the source of the stalling at the first oxidation step by some mutant TET proteins still remains unclear. Here, we studied the catalytic mechanism of oxidation of 5hmC to 5fC by WT and T1372E TET2 using an ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) approach. Our results suggest that the rate limiting step for WT TET2 involves a hydrogen atom abstraction from the hydroxyl group of 5hmC by the ferryl moiety in the WT. By contrast, our calculations for the T1372E mutant indicate that the rate limiting step for this variant corresponds to a second proton abstraction and the calculated barrier is almost twice as large as for WT TET2. Our results suggest that the large barrier for the 5hmC to 5fC oxidation in this mutant is due (at least in part) to the unfavorable orientation of the substrate in the active site. Combined electron localization function (ELF) and non-covalent interaction (NCI) analyses provide a qualitative description of the evolution of the electronic structure of the active site along the reaction path. Energy decomposition analysis (EDA) has been performed on the WT to investigate the impact of each MM residue on catalytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry , Wayne State University , Detroit , MI 48202 , USA
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Texas , Denton , TX 76203 , USA .
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Lagardère L, Jolly LH, Lipparini F, Aviat F, Stamm B, Jing ZF, Harger M, Torabifard H, Cisneros GA, Schnieders MJ, Gresh N, Maday Y, Ren PY, Ponder JW, Piquemal JP. Tinker-HP: a massively parallel molecular dynamics package for multiscale simulations of large complex systems with advanced point dipole polarizable force fields. Chem Sci 2018; 9:956-972. [PMID: 29732110 PMCID: PMC5909332 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc04531j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We present Tinker-HP, a massively MPI parallel package dedicated to classical molecular dynamics (MD) and to multiscale simulations, using advanced polarizable force fields (PFF) encompassing distributed multipoles electrostatics. Tinker-HP is an evolution of the popular Tinker package code that conserves its simplicity of use and its reference double precision implementation for CPUs. Grounded on interdisciplinary efforts with applied mathematics, Tinker-HP allows for long polarizable MD simulations on large systems up to millions of atoms. We detail in the paper the newly developed extension of massively parallel 3D spatial decomposition to point dipole polarizable models as well as their coupling to efficient Krylov iterative and non-iterative polarization solvers. The design of the code allows the use of various computer systems ranging from laboratory workstations to modern petascale supercomputers with thousands of cores. Tinker-HP proposes therefore the first high-performance scalable CPU computing environment for the development of next generation point dipole PFFs and for production simulations. Strategies linking Tinker-HP to Quantum Mechanics (QM) in the framework of multiscale polarizable self-consistent QM/MD simulations are also provided. The possibilities, performances and scalability of the software are demonstrated via benchmarks calculations using the polarizable AMOEBA force field on systems ranging from large water boxes of increasing size and ionic liquids to (very) large biosystems encompassing several proteins as well as the complete satellite tobacco mosaic virus and ribosome structures. For small systems, Tinker-HP appears to be competitive with the Tinker-OpenMM GPU implementation of Tinker. As the system size grows, Tinker-HP remains operational thanks to its access to distributed memory and takes advantage of its new algorithmic enabling for stable long timescale polarizable simulations. Overall, a several thousand-fold acceleration over a single-core computation is observed for the largest systems. The extension of the present CPU implementation of Tinker-HP to other computational platforms is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Lagardère
- Sorbonne Université , Institut des Sciences du Calcul et des Données , Paris , France
- Sorbonne Université , Institut Parisien de Chimie Physique et Théorique , CNRS , FR 2622 , Paris , France
- Sorbonne Université , Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique , UMR 7616 , CNRS , Paris , France .
| | - Luc-Henri Jolly
- Sorbonne Université , Institut Parisien de Chimie Physique et Théorique , CNRS , FR 2622 , Paris , France
| | - Filippo Lipparini
- Universita di Pisa , Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale , Pisa , Italy
| | - Félix Aviat
- Sorbonne Université , Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique , UMR 7616 , CNRS , Paris , France .
| | - Benjamin Stamm
- MATHCCES , Department of Mathematics , RWTH Aachen University , Aachen , Germany
| | - Zhifeng F Jing
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Biomedical Engineering , TX , USA
| | - Matthew Harger
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Biomedical Engineering , TX , USA
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry , Wayne State University , Detroit , MI 48202 , USA
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Texas , Denton , TX 76202 , USA
| | - Michael J Schnieders
- The University of Iowa , Department of Biomedical Engineering , Iowa City , IA , USA
| | - Nohad Gresh
- Sorbonne Université , Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique , UMR 7616 , CNRS , Paris , France .
| | - Yvon Maday
- Sorbonne Université , Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions , UMR 7598 , CNRS , Paris , France
- Institut Universitaire de France , Paris , France
- Brown University , Division of Applied Maths , Providence , RI , USA
| | - Pengyu Y Ren
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Biomedical Engineering , TX , USA
| | - Jay W Ponder
- Washington University in Saint Louis , Department of Chemistry , Saint Louis , MI , USA
| | - Jean-Philip Piquemal
- Sorbonne Université , Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique , UMR 7616 , CNRS , Paris , France .
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Biomedical Engineering , TX , USA
- Institut Universitaire de France , Paris , France
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Torabifard H, Reed L, Berry MT, Hein JE, Menke E, Cisneros GA. Computational and experimental characterization of a pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid for electrolyte applications. J Chem Phys 2017; 147:161731. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5004680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA
| | - Luke Reed
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California-Merced, Merced, California 95343, USA
| | - Matthew T. Berry
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Jason E. Hein
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Erik Menke
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California-Merced, Merced, California 95343, USA
| | - G. Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203, USA
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10
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Torabifard H, Cisneros GA. Computational investigation of O 2 diffusion through an intra-molecular tunnel in AlkB; influence of polarization on O 2 transport. Chem Sci 2017; 8:6230-6238. [PMID: 28989656 PMCID: PMC5628400 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc00997f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
E. Coli AlkB catalyzes the direct dealkylation of various alkylated bases in damaged DNA. The diffusion of molecular oxygen to the active site in AlkB is an essential step for the oxidative dealkylation activity. Despite detailed studies on the stepwise oxidation mechanism of AlkB, there is no conclusive picture of how O2 molecules reach the active site of the protein. Yu et al. (Nature, 439, 879) proposed the existence of an intra-molecular tunnel based on their initial crystal structures of AlkB. We have employed computational simulations to investigate possible migration pathways inside AlkB for O2 molecules. Extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, including explicit ligand sampling and potential of mean force (PMF) calculations, have been performed to provide a microscopic description of the O2 delivery pathway in AlkB. Analysis of intra-molecular tunnels using the CAVER software indicates two possible pathways for O2 to diffuse into the AlkB active site. Explicit ligand sampling simulations suggests that only one of these tunnels provides a viable route. The free energy path for an oxygen molecule to travel along each of these tunnels has been determined with AMBER and AMOEBA. Both PMFs indicate passive transport of O2 from the surface of the protein. However, the inclusion of explicit polarization shows a very large barrier for diffusion of the co-substrate out of the active site, compared with the non-polarizable potential. In addition, our results suggest that the mutation of a conserved residue along the tunnel, Y178, has dramatic effects on the dynamics of AlkB and on the transport of O2 along the tunnel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry , Wayne State University , Detroit , MI 48202 , USA
| | - G Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry , University of North Texas , Denton , TX 76203 , USA .
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11
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Cisneros G, Wikfeldt KT, Ojamäe L, Lu J, Xu Y, Torabifard H, Bartók AP, Csányi G, Molinero V, Paesani F. Modeling Molecular Interactions in Water: From Pairwise to Many-Body Potential Energy Functions. Chem Rev 2016; 116:7501-28. [PMID: 27186804 PMCID: PMC5450669 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Almost 50 years have passed from the first computer simulations of water, and a large number of molecular models have been proposed since then to elucidate the unique behavior of water across different phases. In this article, we review the recent progress in the development of analytical potential energy functions that aim at correctly representing many-body effects. Starting from the many-body expansion of the interaction energy, specific focus is on different classes of potential energy functions built upon a hierarchy of approximations and on their ability to accurately reproduce reference data obtained from state-of-the-art electronic structure calculations and experimental measurements. We show that most recent potential energy functions, which include explicit short-range representations of two-body and three-body effects along with a physically correct description of many-body effects at all distances, predict the properties of water from the gas to the condensed phase with unprecedented accuracy, thus opening the door to the long-sought "universal model" capable of describing the behavior of water under different conditions and in different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kjartan Thor Wikfeldt
- Science
Institute, University of Iceland, VR-III, 107, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Department
of Physics, Albanova, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Ojamäe
- Department
of Chemistry, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Jibao Lu
- Department
of Chemistry, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0850, United States
| | - Yao Xu
- Lehrstuhl
Physikalische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität
Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department
of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
| | - Albert P. Bartók
- Engineering
Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB21PZ, United Kingdom
| | - Gábor Csányi
- Engineering
Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB21PZ, United Kingdom
| | - Valeria Molinero
- Department
of Chemistry, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0850, United States
| | - Francesco Paesani
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
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Starovoytov ON, Torabifard H, Cisneros GA. Development of AMOEBA Force Field for 1,3-Dimethylimidazolium Based Ionic Liquids. J Phys Chem B 2014; 118:7156-66. [DOI: 10.1021/jp503347f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Oleg N. Starovoytov
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
| | - Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
| | - G. Andrés Cisneros
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
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Torabifard H, Fattahi A. Mechanisms and kinetics of thiotepa and tepa hydrolysis: DFT study. J Mol Model 2012; 18:3563-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-012-1354-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2011] [Accepted: 01/03/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hedieh Torabifard
- Department of Chemistry, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. BOX:11365-9516, Tehran, Iran
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