Cholesterol-directed nanoparticle assemblies based on single amino acid peptide mutations activate cellular uptake and decrease tumor volume.

Peptide drugs have been difficult to translate into effective therapies due to their low in vivo stability. Here, we report a strategy to develop peptide-based therapeutic nanoparticles by screening a peptide library differing by single-site amino acid mutations of lysine-modified cholesterol. Certain cholesterol-modified peptides are found to promote and stabilize peptide α-helix formation, resulting in selectively cell-permeable peptides. One cholesterol-modified peptide self-assembles into stable nanoparticles with considerable α-helix propensity stabilized by intermolecular van der Waals interactions between inter-peptide cholesterol molecules, and shows 68.3% stability after incubation with serum for 16 h. The nanoparticles in turn interact with cell membrane cholesterols that are disproportionately present in cancer cell membranes, inducing lipid raft-mediated endocytosis and cancer cell death. Our results introduce a strategy to identify peptide nanoparticles that can effectively reduce tumor volumes when administered to in in vivo mice models. Our results also provide a simple platform for developing peptide-based anticancer drugs

Computational studies of DNA sequencing with solid-state nanopores: key issues and future prospects

Owing to the potential use for real personalized genome sequencing, DNA sequencing with solid-state nanopores has been investigated intensively in recent time. However, the area still confronts problems and challenges. In this work, we present a brief overview of computational studies of key issues in DNA sequencing with solid-state nanopores by addressing the progress made in the last few years. We also highlight future challenges and prospects for DNA sequencing using this technology

Unraveling the Abnormal Molecular Mechanism of Suicide Inhibition of Cytochrome P450 3A4

Suicide inhibition of the CYP3A4 enzyme by a drug inactivates the enzyme in the drug biotransformation process and often shows safety concerns about the drug. Despite extensive experimental studies, the abnormal molecular mechanism of a suicide inhibitor that forms a covalent bond with the residue far away from the catalytically active center of CYP3A4 inactivating the enzyme remains elusive. Here, the authors used molecular simulation approaches to study in detail how diquinone methide (DQR), the metabolite product of raloxifene, unbinds from CYP3A4 and inactivates the enzyme at the atomistic level. The results dearly indicate that in one of the intermediate states formed in its unbinding process, DQR covalently binds to Cys239, a residue far away from the catalytically active center of CYP3A4, and hinders the substrate from entering or leaving the enzyme. This work therefore provides an unprecedented way of clarifying the abnormal mechanism of suicide inhibition of the CYP3A4 enzyme.Funding Agencies|China Scholarship Council (CSC); Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at PDC [SNIC 2021/5- 457]</p

Microsecond Molecular Dynamics Simulations Provide Insight into the Allosteric Mechanism of the Gs Protein Uncoupling from the β₂ Adrenergic Receptor

Experiments have revealed that in the β₂ adrenergic receptor (β₂AR)–Gs protein complex the α subunit (Gαs) of the Gs protein can adopt either an “open” conformation or a “closed” conformation. In the “open” conformation the Gs protein prefers to bind to the β₂AR, while in the “closed” conformation an uncoupling of the Gs protein from the β₂AR occurs. However, the mechanism that leads to such different behaviors of the Gs protein remains unclear. Here, we report results from microsecond molecular dynamics simulations and community network analysis of the β₂AR–Gs complex with Gαs in the “open” and “closed” conformations. We observed that the complex is stabilized differently in the “open” and “closed” conformations. The community network analysis reveals that in the “closed” conformation there exists strong allosteric communication between the β₂AR and Gβγ, mediated by Gαs. We suggest that such high information flows are necessary for the Gs protein uncoupling from the β₂AR

Functional Water Molecules in Rhodopsin Activation

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are integral membrane proteins that mediate cellular response to an extensive variety of extracellular stimuli. Studies of rhodopsin, a prototype GPCR, have suggested that water plays an important role in mediating the activation of family A GPCRs. However, our understanding of the function of water molecules in the GPCR activation is still rather limited because resolving the functional water molecules solely based on the results from existing experiments is challenging. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in combination with inhomogeneous fluid theory, we identify in this work the positioning of functional water molecules in the inactive state, the Meta II state, and the constitutive active state of rhodopsin, basing on the thermodynamic signatures of the water molecules. We find that one hydration site likely functions as a switch to regulate the distance between Glu181 and the Schiff base in the rhodopsin activation. We observe that water molecules adjacent to the “NpxxY” motif are not as stable in the Meta II state as in the inactive state as indicated by the thermodynamics signatures, and we rationalize that the behaviors of these water molecules are closely correlated with the rearrangement of the water-mediated hydrogen-bond network in the “NPxxY” motif, which is essential for mediating the activation of the receptor. We thereby propose a hypothesis of the water-mediated rhodopsin activation pathway

Functional Water Molecules in Rhodopsin Activation

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are integral membrane proteins that mediate cellular response to an extensive variety of extracellular stimuli. Studies of rhodopsin, a prototype GPCR, have suggested that water plays an important role in mediating the activation of family A GPCRs. However, our understanding of the function of water molecules in the GPCR activation is still rather limited because resolving the functional water molecules solely based on the results from existing experiments is challenging. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in combination with inhomogeneous fluid theory, we identify in this work the positioning of functional water molecules in the inactive state, the Meta II state, and the constitutive active state of rhodopsin, basing on the thermodynamic signatures of the water molecules. We find that one hydration site likely functions as a switch to regulate the distance between Glu181 and the Schiff base in the rhodopsin activation. We observe that water molecules adjacent to the “NpxxY” motif are not as stable in the Meta II state as in the inactive state as indicated by the thermodynamics signatures, and we rationalize that the behaviors of these water molecules are closely correlated with the rearrangement of the water-mediated hydrogen-bond network in the “NPxxY” motif, which is essential for mediating the activation of the receptor. We thereby propose a hypothesis of the water-mediated rhodopsin activation pathway

Activity of Antimicrobial Peptide Aggregates Decreases with Increased Cell Membrane Embedding Free Energy Cost.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising alternative to antibiotics for mitigating bacterial infections, in light of increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics. However, predicting, understanding, and controlling the antibacterial activity of AMPs remain a significant challenge. While peptide intramolecular interactions are known to modulate AMP antimicrobial activity, peptide intermolecular interactions remain elusive in their impact on peptide bioactivity. Herein, we test the relationship between AMP intermolecular interactions and antibacterial efficacy by controlling AMP intermolecular hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations and Gibbs free energy calculations in concert with experimental assays show that increasing intermolecular interactions via interpeptide aggregation increases the energy cost for the peptide to embed into the bacterial cell membrane, which in turn decreases the AMP antibacterial activity. Our findings provide a route for predicting and controlling the antibacterial activity of AMPs against Gram-negative bacteria via reductions of intermolecular AMP interactions

Cholesterol-directed nanoparticle assemblies based on single amino acid peptide mutations activate cellular uptake and decrease tumor volume.

Peptide drugs have been difficult to translate into effective therapies due to their low in vivo stability. Here, we report a strategy to develop peptide-based therapeutic nanoparticles by screening a peptide library differing by single-site amino acid mutations of lysine-modified cholesterol. Certain cholesterol-modified peptides are found to promote and stabilize peptide α-helix formation, resulting in selectively cell-permeable peptides. One cholesterol-modified peptide self-assembles into stable nanoparticles with considerable α-helix propensity stabilized by intermolecular van der Waals interactions between inter-peptide cholesterol molecules, and shows 68.3% stability after incubation with serum for 16 h. The nanoparticles in turn interact with cell membrane cholesterols that are disproportionately present in cancer cell membranes, inducing lipid raft-mediated endocytosis and cancer cell death. Our results introduce a strategy to identify peptide nanoparticles that can effectively reduce tumor volumes when administered to in in vivo mice models. Our results also provide a simple platform for developing peptide-based anticancer drugs

Working mechanism for a redox switchable molecular machine based on cyclodextrin : a free energy profile approach

This paper reports the working mechanism for a redox-responsive bistable [2]rotaxane incorporating an R-cyclodextrin (R-CD) ring (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 11294-11296), based on free energy profiles obtained from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Employing an umbrella sampling technique, the free energy profiles (potential of mean force, PMF) were calculated for the shuttling motion of the R-CD ring between a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) recognition site and a triazole (TZ) unit on the dumbbell of the rotaxane for three oxidation states (0, +1, +2) of the TTF unit. These calculated free energy profiles verified the experimentally observed binding preference for each state. Analysis of the free energy components reveals that, for these R-CD-based rotaxanes with charged TTF units, the real driving force for the shuttling in the oxidized states is actually the interactions between water and the rotaxane components, which overwhelms the attractive interactions between the R-CD ring and the charged dumbbell. In this work, we put forward a feasible approach to correctly describe the complexation behavior of CD with charged species, that is, free energy profiles obtained from all-atom molecular dynamics simulation.None of the abov