Sodium versus potassium effects on the glutamic acid side-chains interaction on a heptapeptide

Equilibrium peptide conformations in solution, especially in the presence of salts, has been of interest for several decades. The fundamental interactions that determine the dominant peptide conformations in solution have been experimentally and computationally probed; however, a uni¯ed understanding has not yet emerged. In a previous study, we performed metadynamics simulations on the heptapeptide AEAAAEA in Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and Potassium Chloride (KCl) solutions at concentrations ranging from 0.5–2.0 M. Using a three-dimensional collective variable coordinate system, we computed the free energy landscapes in each saline environment as well as in pure water. We found that the presence of Naþ and Kþ ions induces some changes in the stability of the conformers that de¯ne the state space, but does not alter the overall energetics between conformers and does not favor helical conformations. We investigate here, how the presence of salts (NaCl and KCl) a®ects the glutamic–glutamic interaction and its consequences on the stability of each equilibrium conformation. We perform this study through ¯xed backbone simulations for the most populated conformations identi¯ed in our previous work: the -helix, 310-helix, -helix, the extended polyproline II (PPII) and 2.51-helix conformations. It was found that for each conformation, there exists stable substates determined by the glutamic acid side-chains distance and orientation, and that Naþ and Kþ cations (de) stabilize preferentially each conformation. It was also found that intramolecular single water mediated hydrogen bonds play a crucial role in the observed (de) stabilization of each equilibrium conformation.Fil: Asciutto, Eliana Karina. Duquesne University. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gaborek, Timothy. Duquesne University. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Estados UnidosFil: Madura, Jeffry D.. Duquesne University. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Estados Unido

Use of Molecular Modeling to Determine the Interaction and Competition of Gases within Coal for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration

A 3-dimensional coal structural model for the Argonne Premium Coal Pocahontas No. 3 has been generated. The model was constructed based on the wealth of structural information available in the literature with the enhancement that the structural diversity within the structure was represented implicitly (for the first time) based on image analysis of HRTEM in combination with LDMS data. The complex and large structural model (>10,000 carbon atoms) will serve as a basis for examining the interaction of gases within this low volatile bituminous coal. Simulations are of interest to permit reasonable simulations of the host-guest interactions with regard to carbon dioxide sequestration within coal and methane displacement from coal. The molecular structure will also prove useful in examining other coal related behavior such as solvent swelling, liquefaction and other properties. Molecular models of CO{sub 2} have been evaluated with water to analyze which classical molecular force-field parameters are the most reasonable to predict the interactions of CO{sub 2} with water. The comparison of the molecular force field models was for a single CO{sub 2}-H{sub 2}O complex and was compared against first principles quantum mechanical calculations. The interaction energies and the electrostatic interaction distances were used as criteria in the comparison. The ab initio calculations included Hartree-Fock, B3LYP, and Moeller-Plesset 2nd, 3rd, and 4th order perturbation theories with basis sets up to the aug-cc-pvtz basis set. The Steele model was the best literature model, when compared to the ab initio data, however, our new CO{sub 2} model reproduces the QM data significantly better than the Steele force-field model

LeuT Conformational Sampling Utilizing Accelerated Molecular Dynamics and Principal Component Analysis

AbstractMonoamine transporters (MATs) function by coupling ion gradients to the transport of dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin. Despite their importance in regulating neurotransmission, the exact conformational mechanism by which MATs function remains elusive. To this end, we have performed seven 250 ns accelerated molecular dynamics simulations of the leucine transporter, a model for neurotransmitter MATs. By varying the presence of binding-pocket leucine substrate and sodium ions, we have sampled plausible conformational states representative of the substrate transport cycle. The resulting trajectories were analyzed using principal component analysis of transmembrane helices 1b and 6a. This analysis revealed seven unique structures: two of the obtained conformations are similar to the currently published crystallographic structures, one conformation is similar to a proposed open inward structure, and four conformations represent novel structures of potential importance to the transport cycle. Further analysis reveals that the presence of binding-pocket sodium ions is necessary to stabilize the locked-occluded and open-inward conformations

USE OF MOLECULAR MODELING TO DETERMINE THE INTERACTION AND COMPETITION OF GASES WITHIN COAL FOR CARBON DIOXIDE SEQUESTRATION

We have made progress in carrying out large scale molecular dynamics simulations using the CHARMM force field in order to refine our coal/guest interactions. There have been two issues facing us over the last year. First, we have had to create a completely new topology and parameter definition for coal. Since we are using a classical force field, we have adopted the strategy of treating coal composed of individual common fragments based upon a distribution of mass, composition, and bonding. Our procedure is similar to treating a protein as being composed of the discrete set of amino acids. Second, we have had to incorporate the quality CO{sub 2} parameters that we have developed over the last two years. There are the geometric and arithmetic procedures, which we have successfully implemented. We have utilized computational molecular modeling to generate a state-of-the-art large scale structural representation of a bituminous coal of low volatile bituminous rank. This structure(s) has been used to investigate the molecular forces between the bituminous coal structure (or idealized pores) and the molecular species CH{sub 4} and CO{sub 2}. We are close to carrying out molecular dynamics simulations, which will allow us to explore and test the newly created model of coal

Insights from molecular dynamics: The binding site of cocaine in the dopamine transporter and permeation pathways of substrates in the leucine and dopamine transporters

The dopamine transporter (DAT) facilitates the regulation of synaptic neurotransmitter levels. As a target for therapeutic and illicit psycho-stimulant drugs like antidepressants and cocaine, DAT has been studied intensively. Despite a wealth of mutational and physiological data regarding DAT, the structure remains unsolved and details of the transport mechanism, binding sites and conformational changes remain debated. A bacterial homolog of DAT, the leucine transporter (LeuTAa) has been used as a template and framework for modeling and understanding DAT. Free energy profiles obtained from Multi-Configuration Thermodynamic Integration simulations allowed us to correctly identify the primary and secondary binding pockets of LeuT Aa. A comparison of free energy profiles for dopamine and cocaine in DAT suggests that the binding site of cocaine is located in a secondary pocket, not the primary substrate site. Two recurring primary pathways for intracellular substrate release from the primary pocket are identified in both transporters using the Random Acceleration Molecular Dynamics method. One pathway appears to follow transmembranes (TMs) 1a and 6b while the other pathway follows along TMs 6b and 8. Interestingly, we observe that a single sodium ion is co-transported with leucine during both simulation types. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved