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Crucial for mRNA-based vaccines are the composition, structure, and properties of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as their delivery vehicle. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations as a computational microscope, we provide an atomistic view of the structure of the Comirnaty vaccine LNP, its molecular organization, physicochemical properties, and insight in its pH-driven phase transition enabling mRNA release at atomistic resolution. At physiological pH, our simulations suggest an oil-like LNP core that is composed of the aminolipid ALC-0315 and cholesterol (ratio 72:28). It is surrounded by a lipid monolayer formed by distearoylphosphatidylcholine, ALC-0315, PEGylated lipids, and cholesterol at a ratio of 22:9:6:63. Protonated aminolipids enveloping mRNA formed inverted micellar structures that provide a shielding and likely protection from environmental factors. In contrast, at low pH, the Comirnaty lipid composition instead spontaneously formed lipid bilayers that display a high degree of elasticity. These pH-dependent lipid phases suggest that a change in pH of the environment upon LNP transfer to the endosome likely acts as trigger for cargo release from the LNP core by turning aminolipids inside out, thereby destabilizing both the LNP shell and the endosomal membrane.

The (local) curvature of cellular membranes acts as a driving force for the targeting of membrane-associated proteins to specific membrane domains, as well as a sorting mechanism for transmembrane proteins, e.g., by accumulation in regions of matching spontaneous curvature. The latter measure was previously experimentally employed to study the curvature induced by the potassium channel KvAP and by aquaporin AQP0. However, the direction of the reported spontaneous curvature levels as well as the molecular driving forces governing the membrane curvature induced by these integral transmembrane proteins could not be addressed experimentally. Here, using both coarse-grained and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we report induced spontaneous curvature values for the homologous potassium channel Kv 1.2/2.1 Chimera (KvChim) and AQP0 embedded in unrestrained lipid bicelles that are in very good agreement with experiment. Importantly, the direction of curvature could be directly assessed from our simulations: KvChim induces a strong positive membrane curvature (≈0.036 nm

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are major drivers of inflammation during infectious and autoimmune diseases. In pooled serum IgG (IVIg), however, antibodies have a potent immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity, but how this is mediated is unclear. We studied IgG-dependent initiation of resolution of inflammation in cytokine- and autoantibody-driven models of rheumatoid arthritis and found IVIg sialylation inhibited joint inflammation, whereas inhibition of osteoclastogenesis was sialic acid independent. Instead, IVIg-dependent inhibition of osteoclastogenesis was abrogated in mice lacking receptors Dectin-1 or FcγRIIb. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and super-resolution microscopy revealed that Dectin-1 promoted FcγRIIb membrane conformations that allowed productive IgG binding and enhanced interactions with mouse and human IgG subclasses. IVIg reprogrammed monocytes via FcγRIIb-dependent signaling that required Dectin-1. Our data identify a pathogen-independent function of Dectin-1 as a co-inhibitory checkpoint for IgG-dependent inhibition of mouse and human osteoclastogenesis. These findings may have implications for therapeutic targeting of autoantibody and cytokine-driven inflammation.

Bile colloids containing taurocholate and lecithin are essential for the solubilization of hydrophobic molecules including poorly water-soluble drugs such as Perphenazine. We detail the impact of Perphenazine concentrations on taurocholate/lecithin colloids using analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Perphenazine impacted colloidal molecular arrangement, structure, and binding thermodynamics in a concentration-dependent manner. At low concentration, Perphenazine was integrated into stable and large taurocholate/lecithin colloids and close to lecithin. Integration of Perphenazine into these colloids was exothermic. At higher Perphenazine concentration, the taurocholate/lecithin colloids had an approximately 5-fold reduction in apparent hydrodynamic size, heat release was less exothermic upon drug integration into the colloids, and Perphenazine interacted with both lecithin and taurocholate. In addition, Perphenazine induced a morphological transition from vesicles to wormlike micelles as indicated by neutron scattering. Despite these surprising colloidal dynamics, these natural colloids successfully ensured stable relative amounts of free Perphenazine throughout the entire drug concentration range tested here. Future studies are required to further detail these findings both on a molecular structural basis and in terms of in vivo relevance.

Biological cells are enveloped by a heterogeneous lipid bilayer that prevents the uncontrolled exchange of substances between the cell interior and its environment. In particular, membranes act as a continuous barrier for salt and macromolecules to ensure proper physiological functions within the cell. However, it has been shown that membrane permeability strongly depends on temperature and, for phospholipid bilayers, displays a maximum at the transition between the gel and fluid phase. Here, extensive molecular dynamics simulations of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers were employed to characterize the membrane structure and dynamics close to phase transition, as well as its stability with respect to an external electric field. Atomistic simulations revealed the dynamic appearance and disappearance of spatially related nanometer-sized thick ordered and thin interdigitating domains in a fluid-like bilayer close to the phase transition temperature (Tm). These structures likely represent metastable precursors of the ripple phase that vanished at increased temperatures. Similarly, a two-phase bilayer with coexisting gel and fluid domains featured a thickness minimum at the interface because of splaying and interdigitating lipids. For all systems, application of an external electric field revealed a reduced bilayer stability with respect to pore formation for temperatures close to Tm. Pore formation occurred exclusively in thin interdigitating membrane nanodomains. These findings provide a link between the increased membrane permeability and the structural heterogeneity close to phase transition.

Contamination with bacteria leads to food waste and foodborne diseases with severe consequences for the environment and human health. Aiming to reduce food spoilage and infection, the present study developed novel highly active food-grade antimicrobial peptides affecting a wide range of bacteria. After extraction from chickpea, the storage protein legumin was hydrolyzed by the digestive protease chymotrypsin. Subsequent analysis by ultrahigh-performance micro-liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry determined the resulting peptide profiles. Virtual screening identified 21 potential antimicrobial peptides in the hydrolysates. Among those, the peptides Leg1 (RIKTVTSFDLPALRFLKL) and Leg2 (RIKTVTSFDLPALRWLKL) exhibited antimicrobial activity against 16 different bacteria, including pathogens, spoilage-causing bacteria and two antibiotic-resistant strains. Leg1/Leg2 showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) down to 15.6 µmol/L and were thus 10–1,000-fold more active compared to conventional food preservatives. Moreover, Leg1 and Leg2 showed bactericidal activity in contrast to the bacteriostatic activity of conventional preservatives.

Dimerization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is considered to take part in regulating the highly dynamic nature of receptor function. Intensive research unraveled a large variety of different dimer configurations with potentially distinct activity profiles. Studies are complicated by the critical role of the membrane environment for receptor dimerization, and experimental deficiencies in modulating the same. Here we chose a molecular dynamics strategy to characterize the potential of the large chemical lipid repertoire to steer dimerization fingerprints of the neurotensin 1 receptor. Unfavorable hydrophobic mismatch results in excessive dimerization whereas particular lipid features, e.g., anionic headgroups, induce specific dimer interfaces via direct protein-lipid interactions. Polyunsaturated fatty acids attenuate compact dimer formation by facilitated adhesion to the protein transmembrane surface, and receptor lipidation-induced conformational changes confer modulated protein-lipid and protein-protein interactions. Our results highlight the striking role of the membrane environment on GPCR dimerization with potential functional consequences.

A system based on two designed peptides, namely the cationic peptide K, (KIAALKE)3, and its complementary anionic counterpart called peptide E, (EIAALEK)3, has been used as a minimal model for membrane fusion, inspired by SNARE proteins. Although the fact that docking of separate vesicle populations via the formation of a dimeric E/K coiled-coil complex can be rationalized, the reasons for the peptides promoting fusion of vesicles cannot be fully explained. Therefore it is of significant interest to determine how the peptides aid in overcoming energetic barriers during lipid rearrangements leading to fusion. In this study, investigations of the peptides’ interactions with neutral PC/PE/cholesterol membranes by fluorescence spectroscopy show that tryptophan-labeled K∗ binds to the membrane (KK∗ ∼6.2 103 M−1), whereas E∗ remains fully water-solvated. 15N-NMR spectroscopy, depth-dependent fluorescence quenching, CD-spectroscopy experiments, and MD simulations indicate a helix orientation of K∗ parallel to the membrane surface. Solid-state 31P-NMR of oriented lipid membranes was used to study the impact of peptide incorporation on lipid headgroup alignment. The membrane-immersed K∗ is found to locally alter the bilayer curvature, accompanied by a change of headgroup orientation relative to the membrane normal and of the lipid composition in the vicinity of the bound peptide. The NMR results were supported by molecular dynamics simulations, which showed that K reorganizes the membrane composition in its vicinity, induces positive membrane curvature, and enhances the lipid tail protrusion probability. These effects are known to be fusion relevant. The combined results support the hypothesis for a twofold role of K in the mechanism of membrane fusion: 1) to bring opposing membranes into close proximity via coiled-coil formation and 2) to destabilize both membranes thereby promoting fusion.

The disruption of ionic and H-bond interactions between the cytosolic ends of transmembrane helices TM3 and TM6 of class-A (rhodopsin-like) G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is a hallmark for their activation by chemical or physical stimuli. In the bovine photoreceptor rhodopsin, this is accompanied by proton uptake at Glu(134) in the class-conserved D(E)RY motif. Studies on TM3 model peptides proposed a crucial role of the lipid bilayer in linking protonation to stabilization of an active state-like conformation. However, the molecular details of this linkage could not be resolved and have been addressed in this study by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on TM3 model peptides in a bilayer of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC). We show that protonation of the conserved glutamic acid alters the peptide insertion depth in the membrane, its side-chain rotamer preferences, and stabilizes the C-terminal helical structure. These factors contribute to the rise of the side-chain pKa (6) and to reduced polarity around the TM3 C terminus as confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy. Helix stabilization requires the protonated carboxyl group; unexpectedly, this stabilization could not be evoked with an amide in MD simulations. Additionally, time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of TM3 model peptides revealed a different kinetics for lipid ester carbonyl hydration, suggesting that the carboxyl is linked to more extended H-bond clusters than an amide. Remarkably, this was seen as well in DOPC-reconstituted Glu(134)- and Gln(134)-containing bovine opsin mutants and demonstrates that the D(E)RY motif is a hydrated microdomain. The function of the D(E)RY motif as a proton switch is suggested to be based on the reorganization of the H-bond network at the membrane interface.

SNARE complexes have been shown to act cooperatively to enable the synaptic vesicle fusion in neuronal transmission at millisecond timescale. It has previously been suggested that the oligomerization of SNARE complexes required for cooperative action in fusion is mediated by interactions between transmembrane domains (TMDs). We study the oligomerization of synaptobrevin TMD using ensembles of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at coarse-grained resolution for both the wild-type (WT) and selected mutants. Trimerization and tetramerization of the sybII WT and mutants displayed distinct kinetics depending both on the rate of dimerization and the availability of alternative binding interfaces. Interestingly, the tetramerization kinetics and propensity for the sybII W89A-W90A mutant was significantly increased as compared with the WT; the tryptophans in WT sybII impose sterical restraints on oligomer packing, thereby maintaining an appropriate plasticity and accessibility of sybII to the binding of its cognate SNARE partners during membrane fusion. Higher-order oligomeric models (ranging from pentamer to octamer), built by incremental addition of peptides to smaller oligomers, revealed substantial stability and high compactness. These larger sybII oligomers may induce membrane deformation, thereby possibly facilitating fast fusion exocytosis.

The vesicular protein synaptobrevin II (sybII) constitutes a central component of the SNARE complex, which mediates vesicle fusion in neuronal exocytosis. Previous studies revealed that the transmembrane domain (TMD) of sybII is playing a critical role in the fusion process and is involved in all distinct fusion stages from priming to fusion pore opening. Here, we analyzed sequence-dependent effects of sybII and of mutants of sybII on both structure and flexibility of the protein and the interactions with a phospholipid bilayer by means of microsecond atomistic simulations. The sybII TMD was found to direct the folding of both the juxtamembrane helix and of the connecting linker and thus to influence both the intrinsic helicity and flexibility. Fusion active peptides revealed two helical segments, one for the juxtamembrane region and one for the TMD, connected by a flexible linker. In contrast, a fusion-inactive poly-leucine TMD mutant assumes a structure with a comparably rigid linker that is suggested to hinder the formation of the trans-SNARE complex during fusion. Kinking of the TMD at the central glycine together with anchoring of the TMD via conserved tryptophans and a lysine in position 94 likely yields an enhanced flexibility of sybII for different membrane thickness. All studied peptides were found to deform the outer membrane layer by altering the lipid head group orientation, causing partial membrane dehydration and enhancing lipid protrusions. These effects weaken the integrity of the outer membrane layer and are attributed mainly to the highly charged linker and JM regions of sybII.

Two-pore channels (TPCs) constitute a family of intracellular cation channels with diverse permeation properties and functions in animals and plants. In the model plant Arabidopsis, the vacuolar cation channel TPC1 is involved in propagation of calcium waves and in cation homeostasis. Here, we discovered that the dimerization of a predicted helix within the carboxyl-terminus (CTH) is essential for the activity of TPC1. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation and co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated the interaction of the two C-termini and pointed towards the involvement of the CTH in this process. Synthetic CTH peptides dimerized with a dissociation constant of 3.9 µM. Disruption of this domain in TPC1 either by deletion or point mutations impeded the dimerization and cation transport. The homo-dimerization of the CTH was analyzed in silico using coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for the study of aggregation, followed by atomistic MD simulations. The simulations revealed that the helical region of the wild type, but not a mutated CTH forms a highly stable, antiparallel dimer with characteristics of a coiled-coil. We propose that the voltage- and Ca2+-sensitive conformation of TPC1 depends on C-terminal dimerization, adding an additional layer to the complex regulation of two-pore cation channels. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00018-016-2131-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mammalian two-pore channels (TPCs) are activated by the low-abundance membrane lipid phosphatidyl-(3,5)-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2) present in the endo-lysosomal system. Malfunction of human TPC1 or TPC2 (hTPC) results in severe organellar storage diseases and membrane trafficking defects. Here, we compared the lipid-binding characteristics of hTPC2 and of the PI(3,5)P2-insensitive TPC1 from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Combination of simulations with functional analysis of channel mutants revealed the presence of an hTPC2-specific lipid-binding pocket mutually formed by two channel regions exposed to the cytosolic side of the membrane. We showed that PI(3,5)P2 is simultaneously stabilized by positively charged amino acids (K203, K204, and K207) in the linker between transmembrane helices S4 and S5 and by S322 in the cytosolic extension of S6. We suggest that PI(3,5)P2 cross links two parts of the channel, enabling their coordinated movement during channel gating.

The recently presented LOPLS-AA all-atom force field for long hydrocarbon chains, based on the OPLS-AA force field, was extended to alcohols, esters, and glyceryl monooleate (GMO) lipids as a model lipid. Dihedral angles were fitted against high level ab initio calculations, and ester charges were increased to improve their hydration properties. Additionally, the ester Lennard-Jones parameters were readjusted to reproduce experimental liquid bulk properties, densities, and heats of vaporization. This extension enabled the setup of LOPLS-AA parameters for GMO molecules. The properties of the lipid force field were tested for the liquid-crystalline phase of a GMO bilayer. The obtained area per lipid for GMO is in good agreement with experiment. Additionally, the lipid dynamics on the subpicosecond to the nanosecond time scale is in excellent agreement with results from time-of-flight (TOF) quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) experiments on a multilamellar monoolein system, enabling here for the first time the critical evaluation of the short-time dynamics obtained from a molecular dynamics simulation of a membrane system.

Synaptic vesicle fusion requires assembly of the SNARE complex composed of SNAP-25, syntaxin-1, and synaptobrevin-2 (sybII) proteins. The SNARE proteins found in vesicle membranes have previously been shown to dimerize via transmembrane (TM) domain interactions. While syntaxin homodimerization is supposed to promote the transition from hemifusion to complete fusion, the role of synaptobrevin’s TM domain association in the fusion process remains poorly understood. Here, we combined coarse-grained and atomistic simulations to model the homodimerization of the sybII transmembrane domain and of selected TM mutants. The wild-type helix is shown to form a stable, right-handed dimer with the most populated helix-helix interface, including key residues predicted in a previous mutagenesis study. In addition, two alternative binding interfaces were discovered, which are essential to explain the experimentally observed higher-order oligomerization of sybII. In contrast, only one dimerization interface was found for a fusion-inactive poly-Leu mutant. Moreover, the association kinetics found for this mutant is lower as compared to the wild-type. These differences in dimerization between the wild-type and the poly-Leu mutant are suggested to be responsible for the reported differences in fusogenic activity between these peptides. This study provides molecular insight into the role of TM sequence specificity for peptide aggregation in membranes.

Interactions between membrane proteins are of great biological significance and are consequently an important target for pharmacological intervention. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to obtain detailed views on such interactions, both experimentally, where the environment hampers atomic resolution investigation, and computationally, where the time and length scales are problematic. Coarse grain simulations have alleviated the later issue, but the slow movement through the bilayer, coupled to the long life times of nonoptimal dimers, still stands in the way of characterizing binding distributions. In this work, we present DAFT, a Docking Assay For Transmembrane components, developed to identify preferred binding orientations. The method builds on a program developed recently for generating custom membranes, called insane (INSert membrANE). The key feature of DAFT is the setup of starting structures, for which optimal periodic boundary conditions are devised. The purpose of DAFT is to perform a large number of simulations with different components, starting from unbiased noninteracting initial states, such that the simulations evolve collectively, in a manner reflecting the underlying energy landscape of interaction. The implementation and characteristic features of DAFT are explained, and the efficacy and relaxation properties of the method are explored for oligomerization of glycophorin A dimers, polyleucine dimers and trimers, MS1 trimers, and rhodopsin dimers. The results suggest that, for simple helices, such as GpA and polyleucine, in POPC/DOPC membranes series of 500 simulations of 500 ns each allow characterization of the helix dimer orientations and allow comparing associating and nonassociating components. However, the results also demonstrate that short simulations may suffer significantly from nonconvergence of the ensemble and that using too few simulations may obscure or distort features of the interaction distribution. For trimers, simulation times exceeding several microseconds appear needed, due to the increased complexity. Similarly, characterization of larger proteins, such as rhodopsin, takes longer time scales due to the slower diffusion and the increased complexity of binding interfaces. DAFT and its auxiliary programs have been made available from http://cgmartini.nl/, together with a working example.

For simulations of membranes and membrane proteins, the generation of the lipid bilayer is a critical step in the setup of the system. Membranes comprising multiple components pose a particular challenge, because the relative abundances need to be controlled and the equilibration of the system may take several microseconds. Here we present a comprehensive method for building membrane containing systems, characterized by simplicity and versatility. The program uses preset, coarse-grain lipid templates to build the membrane, and also allows on-the-fly generation of simple lipid types by specifying the headgroup, linker, and lipid tails on the command line. The resulting models can be equilibrated, after which a relaxed atomistic model can be obtained by reverse transformation. For multicomponent membranes, this provides an efficient means for generating equilibrated atomistic models. The method is called insane, an acronym for INSert membrANE. The program has been made available, together with the complementary method for reverse transformation, at http://cgmartini.nl/. This work highlights the key features of insane and presents a survey of properties for a large range of lipids as a start of a computational lipidomics project.

The bile acid-sensitive ion channel (BASIC) is a member of the ENaC/degenerin family of ion channels. It is activated by bile acids and inhibited by extracellular Ca2+. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanisms mediating these effects. The modulation of BASIC function by extracellular Ca2+ and tauro-deoxycholic acid (t-DCA) was studied in Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing human BASIC using the two-electrode voltage-clamp and outside-out patch-clamp techniques. Substitution of aspartate D444 to alanine or cysteine in the degenerin region of BASIC, a region known to be critically involved in channel gating, resulted in a substantial reduction of BASIC Ca2+ sensitivity. Moreover, mutating D444 or the neighboring alanine (A443) to cysteine significantly reduced the t-DCA-mediated BASIC stimulation. A combined molecular docking/simulation approach demonstrated that t-DCA may temporarily form hydrogen bonds with several amino acid residues including D444 in the outer vestibule of the BASIC pore or in the inter-subunit space. By these interactions, t-DCA may stabilize the open state of the channel. Indeed, single-channel recordings provided evidence that t-DCA activates BASIC by stabilizing the open state of the channel, whereas extracellular Ca2+ inhibits BASIC by stabilizing its closed state. In conclusion, our results highlight the potential role of the degenerin region as a critical regulatory site involved in the functional interaction of Ca2+ and t-DCA with BASIC.

Neutron scattering is a powerful tool to study relaxation processes in biological membrane mimics in space and time. Combining different inelastic and quasielastic neutron scattering techniques, a large dynamic range can be covered: from atomic to mesoscopic lengths and from femto- to some hundreds of nanoseconds in time. This allows studies on e.g. the diffusion of lipids, the membrane undulation motions, the dispersion of sound waves in membranes as well as the mutual interactions of membrane constituents such as lipids, proteins, and additives. In particular, neutron scattering provides a quite direct experimental approach to the inter-atomic and inter-molecular potentials on length and time scales which are perfectly accessible by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Neutron scattering experiments may thus substantially support the further refinement of biomolecular force fields for MD simulations by supplying structural and dynamical information with high spatial and temporal resolution. In turn, MD simulations support the interpretation of neutron scattering data. The combination of both, neutron scattering experiments and MD simulations, yields an unprecedented insight into the molecular interactions governing the structure and dynamics of biological membranes. This review provides an overview of the molecular dynamics in biological membrane mimics as revealed by neutron scattering. It focuses on the latest findings such as the fundamental molecular mechanism of lateral lipid diffusion as well as the influence of additives and proteins on the short-time dynamics of lipids. Special emphasis is placed on the comparison of recent neutron scattering and MD simulation data with respect to molecular membrane dynamics on the pico- to nanosecond time scale.

With increasing temperature, lipid bilayers undergo a gel-fluid phase transition, which plays an essential role in many physiological phenomena. In the present work, this first-order phase transition was investigated for variable heating and cooling rates for a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lipid bilayer by means of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Alternative methods to track the melting temperature $$T_m$$ are compared. The resulting $$T_m$$ is shown to be independent of the scan rate for small heating rates (0.05–0.3 K/ns) implying reversible melting, and increases for larger heating (0.3–4 K/ns) or cooling rates (2–0.1 K/ns). The reported dependency of the melting temperature on the heating rate is in perfect agreement with a two-state kinetic rate model as suggested previously. Expansion and shrinkage, as well as the dynamics of melting seeds is described. The simulations further exhibit a relative shift between melting seeds in opposing membrane leaflets as predicted from continuum elastic theory.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations offer the possibility to study biological processes at high spatial and temporal resolution often not reachable by experiments. Corresponding biomolecular force field parameters have been developed for a wide variety of molecules ranging from inorganic ligands and small organic molecules over proteins and lipids to nucleic acids. Force fields have typically been parametrized and validated on thermodynamic observables and structural characteristics of individual compounds, e.g. of soluble proteins or lipid bilayers. Less strictly, due to the added complexity and missing experimental data to compare to, force fields have hardly been tested on the properties of mixed systems, e.g. on protein-lipid systems. Their selection and combination for mixed systems is further complicated by the partially differing parametrization strategies. Additionally, the presence of other compounds in the system may shift the subtle balance of force field parameters. Here, we assessed the protein-lipid interactions as described in the four atomistic force fields GROMOS54a7, CHARMM36 and the two force field combinations Amber14sb/Slipids and Amber14sb/Lipid14. Four observables were compared, focusing on the membrane-water interface: the conservation of the secondary structure of transmembrane proteins, the positioning of transmembrane peptides relative to the lipid bilayer, the insertion depth of side chains of unfolded peptides absorbed at the membrane interface, and the ability to reproduce experimental insertion energies of Wimley-White peptides at the membrane interface. Significant differences between the force fields were observed that affect e.g. membrane insertion depths and tilting of transmembrane peptides.

Vesicle fusion is mediated by an assembly of SNARE proteins between opposing membranes, but it is unknown whether transmembrane domains (TMDs) of SNARE proteins serve mechanistic functions that go beyond passive anchoring of the force-generating SNAREpin to the fusing membranes. Here, we show that conformational flexibility of synaptobrevin-2 TMD is essential for efficient Ca2+-triggered exocytosis and actively promotes membrane fusion as well as fusion pore expansion. Specifically, the introduction of helix-stabilizing leucine residues within the TMD region spanning the vesicle’s outer leaflet strongly impairs exocytosis and decelerates fusion pore dilation. In contrast, increasing the number of helix-destabilizing, ß-branched valine or isoleucine residues within the TMD restores normal secretion but accelerates fusion pore expansion beyond the rate found for the wildtype protein. These observations provide evidence that the synaptobrevin-2 TMD catalyzes the fusion process by its structural flexibility, actively setting the pace of fusion pore expansion. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17571.001, eLife digest Neurons signal to other cells by releasing chemicals known as neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters are stored in the neuron in small membrane-bound compartments called vesicles. When a neuron receives an electrical impulse, this ultimately triggers the vesicles to fuse with the cell membrane and release their contents into the gap between the neurons. This process is known as exocytosis. Other cells called neuroendocrine cells, which can receive signals from neurons, also undergo exocytosis to release chemicals into the bloodstream. A group of membrane-bound proteins called SNAREs help a vesicle to fuse with the cell membrane. SNARE proteins are embedded in both the vesicle and cell membrane, and force them into close proximity. When the two membranes make contact, a small channel called the fusion pore forms and expands to release the vesicle’s contents out of the cell. Synaptobrevin-2 is a SNARE protein found in the vesicle membrane. The part of the protein that sits in the membrane is called the transmembrane domain; however, it is not clear whether this domain plays any role in membrane fusion. The transmembrane domain of synaptobrevin-2 is rich in certain amino acids that are thought to make it flexible, thereby allowing it to bend and tilt in the membrane. Dhara, Yarzagaray et al. altered these amino acids in such a way that made this domain either more or less flexible than in the normal protein. The results show that in both neurons and a type of neuroendocrine cell called chromaffin cells, exocytosis is significantly reduced and the fusion pores open more slowly when the transmembrane domain is less flexible. By contrast, exocytosis occurs normally when the transmembrane domain is more flexible; however, the fusion pore expands more rapidly than normal. These results suggest that the flexibility of the transmembrane domain of synaptobrevin-2 promotes membrane fusion and sets the pace at which the fusion pore expands. It is likely that the transmembrane domain disturbs the surrounding membrane in a way that enables these events to happen. Further work is needed to address whether this is the case. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17571.002

Small molecule effectors regulate gene transcription in bacteria by altering the DNA-binding affinities of specific repressor proteins. Although the GntR proteins represent a large family of bacterial repressors, only little is known about the allosteric mechanism that enables their function. DasR from Streptomyces coelicolor belongs to the GntR/HutC subfamily and specifically recognises operators termed DasR-responsive elements (dre-sites). Its DNA-binding properties are modulated by phosphorylated sugars. Here, we present several crystal structures of DasR, namely of dimeric full-length DasR in the absence of any effector and of only the effector-binding domain (EBD) of DasR without effector or in complex with glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) and N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6-P). Together with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and a comparison with other GntR/HutC family members these data allowed for a structural characterisation of the different functional states of DasR. Allostery in DasR and possibly in many other GntR/HutC family members is best described by a conformational selection model. In ligand-free DasR, an increased flexibility in the EBDs enables the attached DNA-binding domains (DBD) to sample a variety of different orientations and among these also a DNA-binding competent conformation. Effector binding to the EBDs of DasR significantly reorganises the atomic structure of the latter. However, rather than locking the orientation of the DBDs, the effector-induced formation of β-strand β* in the DBD-EBD-linker segment merely appears to take the DBDs ‘on a shorter leash’ thereby impeding the ‘downwards’ positioning of the DBDs that is necessary for a concerted binding of two DBDs of DasR to operator DNA.

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have become an important source of information for the structure and dynamics of biomembranes at molecular detail difficult to access in experiments. A number of force fields for lipid membrane simulations have been derived in the past; the choice of the most suitable force field is, however, frequently hampered by the availability of parameters for specific lipids. Additionally, the comparison of different quantities among force fields is often aggravated by varying simulation parameters. Here, we compare four atomistic lipid force fields, namely, the united-atom GROMOS54a7 and the all-atom force fields CHARMM36, Slipids, and Lipid14, for a broad range of structural and dynamical properties of saturated and monounsaturated phosphatidylcholine bilayers (DMPC and POPC) as well as for monounsaturated phosphatidylethanolamine bilayers (POPE). Additionally, the ability of the different force fields to describe the gel-liquid crystalline phase transition is compared and their computational efficiency estimated. Moreover, membrane properties like the water flux across the lipid bilayer and lipid acyl chain protrusion probabilities are compared.

Sucrose-specific porin (ScrY) is a transmembrane protein that allows for the uptake of sucrose under growth-limiting conditions. The crystal structure of ScrY was resolved before by X-ray crystallography, both in its uncomplexed form and with bound sucrose. However, little is known about the molecular characteristics of the transport mechanism of ScrY. To date, there has not yet been any clear demonstration for sucrose transport through the ScrY.Here, the dynamics of the ScrY trimer embedded in a phospholipid bilayer as well as the characteristics of sucrose translocation were investigated by means of atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The potential of mean force (PMF) for sucrose translocation through the pore showed two main energy barriers within the constriction region of ScrY. Energy decomposition allowed to pinpoint three aspartic acids as key residues opposing the passage of sucrose, all located within the L3 loop. Mutation of two aspartic acids to uncharged residues resulted in an accordingly modified electrostatics and decreased PMF barrier. The chosen methodology and results will aid in the design of porins with modified transport specificities.

The pentadecapeptide gramicidin forms a cation-specific ion channel in membrane environment. The two main conformations are the head-to-head helical dimer (HD) known as the channel conformation and the intertwined double helical form (DH) often refer to as nonchannel conformation. In this comparative study, the energetics of single potassium ion permeation by means of the potential of mean force (PMF) for both gramicidin conformations embedded in a DMPC bilayer has been addressed by molecular dynamics simulations. A significantly decreased free energy barrier by approximately 25 kJ/mol for potassium ion passage through DH as compared to HD is reported. Favorable electrostatic side chain-cation interactions in HD are overcompensated by phospholipid-cation interactions in DH. The latter are coupled to an increased accessibility of the channel entrance in DH due to distributed tryptophans along the channel axis. This result underscores the importance of the lipid environment of this channel not only for the equilibrium between the different conformations but also for their function as cation channels.

Proteins of the thioredoxin (Trx) superfamily catalyze disulfide-bond formation, reduction and isomerization in substrate proteins both in prokaryotic and in eukaryotic cells. All members of the Trx family with thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase activity contain the characteristic Cys-X-X-Cys motif in their active site. Here, using Poisson-Boltzmann-based protonation-state calculations based on 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the catalytic mechanism of DsbL, the most oxidizing Trx-like protein known to date. We observed several correlated transitions in the protonation states of the buried active-site cysteine and a neighboring lysine coupled to the exposure of the active-site thiolate. These results support the view of an internal proton shuffling mechanism during oxidation crucial for the uptake of two electrons from the substrate protein. Intramolecular disulfide-bond formation is probably steered by the conformational switch facilitating interaction with the active-site thiolate. A consistent catalytic mechanism for DsbL, probably conferrable to other proteins of the same class, is presented. Our results suggest a functional role of hydration entropy of active-site groups.

A single amino acid exchange between the major histocompatibility complex molecules HLA-B*2705 and HLA-B*2709 (Asp-116/His) is responsible for the emergence of distinct HLA-B27-restricted T cell repertoires in individuals harboring either of these two subtypes and could correlate with their differential association with the autoimmune disease ankylosing spondylitis. By using fluorescence depolarization and pKa calculations, we investigated to what extent electrostatic interactions contribute to shape antigenic differences between these HLA molecules complexed with viral, self, and non-natural peptide ligands. In addition to the established main anchor of peptides binding to HLA-B27, arginine at position 2 (pArg-2), and the secondary anchors at the peptide termini, at least two further determinants contribute to stable peptide accommodation. 1) The interaction of Asp-116 with arginine at peptide position 5, as found in pLMP2 (RRRWRRLTV; viral) and pVIPR (RRKWRRWHL; self), and with lysine in pΩ, as found in gag (KRWIILGLNK; viral), additionally stabilizes the B*2705 complexes by ∼5 and ∼27 kJ/mol, respectively, in comparison with B*2709. 2) The protonation state of the key residues Glu-45 and Glu-63 in the B-pocket, which accommodates pArg-2, affects peptide binding strength in a peptide- and subtype-dependent manner. In B*2705/pLMP2, protonation of Glu-45/Glu-63 reduces the interaction energy of pArg-2 by ∼24 kJ/mol as compared with B*2705/pVIPR. B*2705/pVIPR is stabilized by a deprotonated Glu-45/Glu-63 pair, evoked by allosteric interactions with pHis-8. The mutual electrostatic interactions of peptide and HLA molecule, including peptide- and subtype-dependent protonation of key residues, modulate complex stability and antigenic features of the respective HLA-B27 subtype.

Membrane fission is an essential process in membrane trafficking and other cellular functions. While many fissioning and trafficking steps are mediated by the large GTPase dynamin, some fission events are dynamin independent and involve C-terminal-binding protein-1/brefeldinA-ADP ribosylated substrate (CtBP1/BARS). To gain an insight into the molecular mechanisms of CtBP1/BARS in fission, we have studied the role of this protein in macropinocytosis, a dynamin-independent endocytic pathway that can be synchronously activated by growth factors. Here, we show that upon activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, CtBP1/BARS is (a) translocated to the macropinocytic cup and its surrounding membrane, (b) required for the fission of the macropinocytic cup and (c) phosphorylated on a specific serine that is a substrate for p21-activated kinase, with this phosphorylation being essential for the fission of the macropinocytic cup. Importantly, we also show that CtBP1/BARS is required for macropinocytic internalization and infection of echovirus 1. These results provide an insight into the molecular mechanisms of CtBP1/BARS activation in membrane fissioning, and extend the relevance of CtBP1/BARS-induced fission to human viral infection.

Although 1-alkanols have long been known to act as penetration enhancers and anesthetics, the mode of operation is not yet understood. In this study, long-time molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the effect of 1-alkanols of various carbon chain lengths onto the structure and dynamics of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. The simulations were complemented by microcalorimetry, continuous bleaching and film balance experiments. In the simulations, all investigated 1-alkanols assembled inside the lipid bilayer within tens of nanoseconds. Their hydroxyl groups bound preferentially to the lipid carbonyl group and the hydrocarbon chains stretched into the hydrophobic core of the bilayer. Both molecular dynamics simulations and experiments showed that all 1-alkanols drastically affected the bilayer properties. Insertion of long-chain 1-alkanols decreased the area per lipid while increasing the thickness of the bilayer and the order of the lipids. The bilayer elasticity was reduced and the diffusive motion of the lipids within the bilayer plane was suppressed. On the other hand, integration of ethanol into the bilayer enlarged the area per lipid. The bilayer became softer and lipid diffusion was enhanced.

The all-atom optimized potentials for liquid simulations (OPLS-AA) force field is a popular force field for simulating biomolecules. However, the current OPLS parameters for hydrocarbons developed using short alkanes cannot reproduce the liquid properties of long alkanes in molecular dynamics simulations. Therefore, the extension of OPLS-AA to (phospho)lipid molecules required for the study of biological membranes was hampered in the past. Here, we optimized the OPLS-AA force field for both short and long hydrocarbons. Following the framework of the OPLS-AA parametrization, we refined the torsional parameters for hydrocarbons by fitting to the gas-phase ab initio energy profiles calculated at the accurate MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ theory level. Additionally, the depth of the Lennard-Jones potential for methylene hydrogen atoms was adjusted to reproduce the densities and the heats of vaporization of alkanes and alkenes of different lengths. Optimization of partial charges finally allowed to reproduce the gel-to-liquid-phase transition temperature for pentadecane and solvation free energies. It is shown that the optimized parameter set (L-OPLS) yields improved hydrocarbon diffusion coefficients, viscosities, and gauche-trans ratios. Moreover, its applicability for lipid bilayer simulations is shown for a GMO bilayer in its liquid-crystalline phase.

The conversion of coarse-grained to atomistic models is an important step in obtaining insight about atomistic scale processes from coarse-grained simulations. For this process, called backmapping or reverse transformation, several tools are available, but these commonly require libraries of molecule fragments or they are linked to a specific software package. In addition, the methods are usually restricted to specific molecules and to a specific force field. Here, we present an alternative method, consisting of geometric projection and subsequent force-field based relaxation. This method is designed to be simple and flexible, and offers a generic solution for resolution transformation. For simple systems, the conversion only requires a list of particle correspondences on the two levels of resolution. For special cases, such as nondefault protonation states of amino acids and virtual sites, a target particle list can be specified. The mapping uses simple building blocks, which list the particles on the different levels of resolution. For conversion to higher resolution, the initial model is relaxed with several short cycles of energy minimization and position-restrained MD. The reconstruction of an atomistic backbone from a coarse-grained model is done using a new dedicated algorithm. The method is generic and can be used to map between any two particle based representations, provided that a mapping can be written. The focus of this work is on the coarse-grained MARTINI force field, for which mapping definitions are written to allow conversion to and from the higher-resolution force fields GROMOS, CHARMM, and AMBER, and to and from a simplified three-bead lipid model. Together, these offer the possibility to simulate mesoscopic membrane structures, to be transformed to MARTINI and subsequently to an atomistic model for investigation of detailed interactions. The method was tested on a set of systems ranging from a simple, single-component bilayer to a large protein−membrane−solvent complex. The results demonstrate the efficiency and the efficacy of the new approach.

Biological cells and their organelles are protected by ultra thin membranes. These membranes accomplish a broad variety of important tasks like separating the cell content from the outer environment, they are the site for cell-cell interactions and many enzymatic reactions, and control the in- and efflux of metabolites. For certain physiological functions e.g. in the fusion of membranes and also in a number of biotechnological applications like gene transfection the membrane integrity needs to be compromised to allow for instance for the exchange of polar molecules across the membrane barrier. Mechanisms enabling the transport of molecules across the membrane involve membrane proteins that form specific pores or act as transporters, but also so-called lipid pores induced by external fields, stress, or peptides. Recent progress in the simulation field enabled to closely mimic pore formation as supposed to occur in vivo or in vitro. Here, we review different simulation-based approaches in the study of membrane pores with a focus on lipid pore properties such as their size and energetics, poration mechanisms based on the application of external fields, charge imbalances, or surface tension, and on pores that are induced by small molecules, peptides, and lipids. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biosimulations edited by Ilpo Vattulainen and Tomasz Rog.

Sucrose-specific porin (ScrY) is a transmembrane protein that allows for the uptake of sucrose under growth-limiting conditions. The crystal structure of ScrY was resolved before by X-ray crystallography, both in its uncomplexed form and with bound sucrose. However, little is known about the molecular characteristics of the transport mechanism of ScrY. To date, there has not yet been any clear demonstration for sucrose transport through the ScrY. Here, the dynamics of the ScrY trimer embedded in a phospholipid bilayer as well as the characteristics of sucrose translocation were investigated by means of atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The potential of mean force (PMF) for sucrose translocation through the pore showed two main energy barriers within the constriction region of ScrY. Energy decomposition allowed to pinpoint three aspartic acids as key residues opposing the passage of sucrose, all located within the L3 loop. Mutation of two aspartic acids to uncharged residues resulted in an accordingly modified electrostatics and decreased PMF barrier. The chosen methodology and results will aid in the design of porins with modified transport specificities.

Glycolipids are important components of biological membranes. High concentrations of glycolipids are particularly found in lipid rafts, which take part in many physiological phenomena. This different partitioning and interaction pattern of glycolipids in the membrane as compared to those of phospholipids are likely due to their different chemical structures: the polar regions of glycosphingolipids can be even larger than for their hydrophobic moieties, giving rise to a rich conformational landscape. Here we study the influence of glycosphingolipids galactosylceramide (GCER) and monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) on the structural and thermodynamic properties of a phospholipid (DPPC) bilayer. Using the method of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation we show that both glycolipids increase the phase-transition temperature of phospholipid membranes and that the extent of this increase depends on the headgroup size and structure. GM1 shows a strong tendency to form mixed clusters with phospholipids, thereby stabilizing the membrane. In contrast, GCER is dispersed in the membrane. By occupying the interstitial space between phospholipids it causes a tighter packing of the lipids in the membrane.

The architecture of biological membranes is tightly coupled to the localization, organization, and function of membrane proteins. The organelle-specific distribution of lipids allows for the formation of functional microdomains (also called rafts) that facilitate the segregation and aggregation of membrane proteins and thus shape their function. Molecular dynamics simulations enable to directly access the formation, structure, and dynamics of membrane microdomains at the molecular scale and the specific interactions among lipids and proteins on timescales from picoseconds to microseconds. This review focuses on the latest developments of biomembrane force fields for both atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and the different levels of coarsening of biomolecular structures. It also briefly introduces scale-bridging methods applicable to biomembrane studies, and highlights selected recent applications.

A molecular description of the lipid-protein interactions underlying the adsorption of proteins to membranes is crucial for understanding, for example, the specificity of adsorption or the binding strength of a protein to a bilayer, or for characterizing protein-induced changes of membrane properties. In this paper, we extend an automated in silico assay (DAFT) for binding studies and apply it to characterize the adsorption of the model fusion peptides E and K to a mixed phospholipid/cholesterol membrane using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. In addition, we couple the coarse-grained protocol to reverse transformation to atomistic resolution, thereby allowing to study molecular interactions with high detail. The experimentally observed differential binding of the peptides E and K to membranes, as well as the increased binding affinity of helical over unstructered peptides, could be well reproduced using the polarizable Martini coarse-grained (CG) force field. Binding to neutral membranes is shown to be dominated by initial binding of the positively charged N-terminus to the phospholipid headgroup region, followed by membrane surface-aligned insertion of the peptide at the interface between the hydrophobic core of the membrane and its polar headgroup region. Both coarse-grained and atomistic simulations confirm a before hypothesized snorkeling of lysine side chains for the membrane-bound state of the peptide K. Cholesterol was found to be enriched in peptide vicinity, which is probably of importance for the mechanism of membrane fusion. The applied sequential multiscale method, using coarse-grained simulations for the slow adsorption process of peptides to membranes followed by backward transformation to atomistic detail and subsequent atomistic simulations of the preformed peptide-lipid complexes, is shown to be a versatile approach to study the interactions of peptides or proteins with biomembranes.

Moderne computergestutzte Simulationsverfahren erlauben tiefe Einblicke in biologische Funktionsprozesse. Sie zeigen in atomarer Auflosung, wie Proteine als biologische Nanomaschinen funktionieren. Entscheidend ist dabei deren dynamisches Verhalten. Die Strukturaufklarung liefert meist nur statische Bilder der “eingefrorenen” raumlichen Gestalt der Proteine. Molekulardynamik-Simulationen machen dagegen Bewegungen sichtbar. Sie konnten zum Beispiel offen legen, wie das Protein F-ATP-Synthase das Adenosintriphosphat (ATP) synthetisiert, den zentralen Energietrager des Korpers. Die F-ATP-Synthase arbeitet dabei wie ein mechano-chemischer Dreizylindermotor. Sie ist die kleinste bekannte Nanomaschine der Welt. Ein anderes Beispiel ist die Simulation des komplexen Mechanismus, mit dem das Protein Aquaporin Wassermolekule durch Zellmembranen schleust.