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Structure determination and analysis of local bending in an A-tract DNA duplex: comparison of results from crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and molecular dynamics simulation on d(CGCAAAAATGCG).

We have presented a detailed analysis for structure determinations for the DNA duplex d(CGCAAAAATGCG) obtained from X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and molecular dynamics simulation. Each of the structures for the duplex deviates from the structure of the canonical form of B-DNA in a number of observable characteristics. Specifically, the three determinations all contain DNA axis deflections at the junctions of the A-tract with the flanking sequences. The analysis provided shows that the general characteristics of the structures obtained for d(CGCAAAAATGCG) from X-ray, NMR, and MD methods turn out to be quite similar. The extent to which this result can be generalized remains to be established by consideration of similar cross-comparisons on diverse oligonucleotide structures.

Base Sequence↗

Molecular dynamics simulation of crystalline beta-cyclodextrin dodecahydrate at 293 K and 120 K.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for crystalline beta-cyclodextrin dodecahydrate (beta-CD) at two different temperatures, 293 K and 120 K, have been performed using the GROMOS program package. The calculated structural properties are compared to those obtained from neutron diffraction studies of this system at the quoted temperatures. The simulation was carried out over a period of 20 ps on four unit cells containing 8 beta-CD molecules and 96 water molecules, whereby all atoms were allowed to move. At room temperature, the experimental positions of the (non-hydrogen) glucose atoms are reproduced within 0.034 nm, a value which is smaller than the experimental (0.041 nm) or simulated (0.049 nm) overall root mean square (rms) positional fluctuation. The corresponding numbers for the low temperature study are 0.046 nm, 0.019 nm and 0.022 nm. At both temperatures the experimentally observed degree of anisotropy of the atomic motions is also found in the simulations. The comparison of a variety of structural properties leads to the conclusion that the molecular model and force field used are able to simulate the cyclodextrin system very well. Experimentally observed differences in properties as a function of number of glucose units in the CD molecule (alpha-CD, 6 versus beta-CD, 7) and as a function of temperature are qualitatively reproduced by the simulations.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

Structure, dynamics and solvation of HIV-1 protease/saquinavir complex in aqueous solution and their contributions to drug resistance: molecular dynamic simulations.

As it is known that the understanding of the basic properties of the enzyme/inhibitor complex leads directly to enhancing the capability in drug designing and drug discovery. Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to examine detailed information on the structure and dynamical properties of the HIV-1 PR complexed with saquinavir in the three protonated states, monoprotonates at Asp25 (Mono-25) and Asp25'(Mono-25') and diprotonate (Di-Pro) at both Asp25 and Asp25'. The obtained results support clinical data which reveal that Ile84 and Gly48 are two of the most frequent residues where mutation toward a protease inhibitor takes place. In contrast to the Ile84 mutation due to high displacement of Ile84 in the presence of saquinavir, source of the Gly48 mutation was observed to be due to the limited space in the HIV-1 PR pocket. The Gly48 was, on one side, found to form strong hydrogen bonds with saquinavir, while on the other side this residue was repelled by the hydrophobic Phe53 residue. In terms of inhibitor/enzyme binding, interactions between saquinavir and a catalytic triad of the HIV-1 PR were calculated using the ab initio method. The results show an order of the binding energy of Mono25<Di-pro<<Mono-25', suggesting that the active site in the HIV-1 PR complexed with saquinavir is monoprotonated states on Asp25. In contrast to the binding energy, 3, 6 and 12 hydrogen bonds between saquinavir and HIV-1 PR were found for the Mono-25, Mono-25' and Di-pro states, respectively. Discrepancy between the two trends suggests us to conclude that interaction between inhibitor and catalytic residues should be used as a criteria to enhance capability in drug designing and drug screening instead of using the total inhibitor/enzyme interaction which is normally reported in the literature. In addition, the distribution and binding of water molecules, in terms of hydrogen bonding, to the donor atoms of saquinavir were investigated and discussed, referring to that which was reported experimentally.

Catalysis↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of salicylate effects on the micro- and mesoscopic properties of a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer.

Salicylate, an amphiphilic molecule and a popular member of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug family, is known to affect hearing through reduction of the electromechanical coupling in the outer hair cells of the ear. This reduction of electromotility by salicylate has been widely studied, but the molecular mechanism of the phenomenon is still unknown. In this study, we investigated one aspect of salicylate's action, namely the perturbation of electrical and mechanical membrane properties by salicylate in the absence of cytoskeletal or membrane-bound motor proteins such as prestin. In particular, we simulated the interaction of salicylate with a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer via atomically detailed molecular dynamics simulations to observe the effect of salicylate on the microscopic and mesoscopic properties of the bilayer. The results demonstrate that salicylate interacts with the bilayer by associating at the water-DPPC interface in a nearly perpendicular orientation and penetrating more deeply into the bilayer than either sodium or chloride. This association has several affects on the membrane properties. First, binding of salicylate to the membrane displaces chloride from the bilayer-water interface. Second, salicylate influences the electrostatic potential and dielectric properties of the bilayer, with significant changes at the water-lipid bilayer interface. Third, salicylate association results in structural changes, including decreased headgroup area per lipid and increased lipid tail order. However, salicylate does not significantly alter the mechanical properties of the DPPC bilayer; bulk compressibility, area compressibility, and bending modulus were only perturbed by small, statistically insignificant amounts by the presence of salicylate. The observations from these simulations are in qualitative agreement with experimental data and support the conclusion that salicylate influences the electrical but not the mechanical properties of DPPC membranes.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗

Structural properties of a calcium aluminosilicate glass from molecular-dynamics simulations: a finite size effects study.

We study a calcium aluminosilicate glass of composition (SiO(2))(0.67)-(Al(2)O(3))(0.12)-(CaO)(0.21) by means of molecular-dynamics simulations, using a potential made of two-body and three-body interactions. In order to prepare small samples that can subsequently be studied by first principles, the finite size effects on the liquid dynamics and on the glass structural properties are investigated. We find that finite size effects affect the Si-O-Si and Si-O-Al angular distributions, the first peaks of the Si-O, Al-O, and Ca-O pair correlation functions, the Ca coordination, and the oxygen atoms' environment in the smallest system (100 atoms). We give evidence that these finite size effects can be directly attributed to the use of three-body interactions.

Journal Article↗

A manifestation of the Ostwald step rule: molecular-dynamics simulations and free-energy landscape of the primary nucleation and melting of single-molecule polyethylene in dilute solution.

The paper presents numerical results from extensive molecular-dynamics simulations of the crystallization process of a single polyethylene chain with N=500 monomers. The development of the ordered structure is seen to proceed along different routes involving either the global reorganization of the chain or, alternatively, well-separated connected nuclei. No dependence on the thermal history was observed at the late stages of the crystallization. The folding process involves several intermediate ordered metastable states, in strong analogy with the experiments, and ends up in a well-defined long-lived lamella with ten stems of approximately equal length, arranged into a regular, hexagonal pattern. This behavior may be seen as a microscopic manifestation of the Ostwald step rule. Both the metastable states and the long-lived one are evidenced as the local minima and the global one of the free-energy landscape, respectively. The study of the microscopic organization of the lamella evidenced that the two caps are rather flat, i.e., the loops connecting the stems are short. Interestingly, annealing the chain through the different metastable states leaves the average number of monomers per loop nearly unchanged. It is also seen that the chain ends, the so-called cilia, are localized on the surface of the lamella, in agreement with the experiments, and that structural fluctuations take place on the lamella surface, as noted by recent Monte Carlo simulations. The study of the melting process evidences that the degree of hysteresis is small.

Journal Article↗

Protein unfolding transitions in an intrinsically unstable annexin domain: molecular dynamics simulation and comparison with nuclear magnetic resonance data.

Unfolding transitions of an intrinsically unstable annexin domain and the unfolded state structure have been examined using multiple approximately 10-ns molecular dynamics simulations. Three main basins are observed in the configurational space: native-like state, compact partially unfolded or intermediate compact state, and the unfolded state. In the native-like state fluctuations are observed that are nonproductive for unfolding. During these fluctuations, after an initial loss of approximately 20% of the core residue native contacts, the core of the protein transiently completely refolds to the native state. The transition from the native-like basin to the partially unfolded compact state involves approximately 75% loss of native contacts but little change in the radius of gyration or core hydration properties. The intermediate state adopts for part of the time in one of the trajectories a novel highly compact salt-bridge stabilized structure that can be identified as a conformational trap. The intermediate-to-unfolded state transition is characterized by a large increase in the radius of gyration. After an initial relaxation the unfolded state recovers a native-like topology of the domain. The simulated unfolded state ensemble reproduces in detail experimental nuclear magnetic resonance data and leads to a convincing complete picture of the unfolded domain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of the helical antimicrobial peptide ovispirin-1 in a zwitterionic dodecylphosphocholine micelle: insights into host-cell toxicity.

We have carried out a 40-ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulation of the helical antimicrobial peptide ovispirin-1 (OVIS) in a zwitterionic diphosphocholine (DPC) micelle. The DPC micelle serves as an economical and effective model for a cellular membrane owing to the presence of a choline headgroup, which resembles those of membrane phospholipids. OVIS, which was initially placed along a micelle diameter, diffuses out to the water-DPC interface, and the simulation stabilizes to an interface-bound steady state in 40 ns. The helical content of the peptide marginally increases in the process. The final conformation, orientation, and the structure of OVIS are in excellent agreement with the experimentally observed properties of the peptide in the presence of lipid bilayers composed of 75% zwitterionic lipids. The amphipathic peptide binds to the micelle with its hydrophobic face buried in the micellar core and the polar side chains protruding into the aqueous phase. There is overwhelming evidence that points to the significant and indispensable participation of hydrophobic residues in binding to the zwitterionic interface. The simulation starts with a conformation that is unbiased toward the final experimentally known binding state of the peptide. The ability of the model to reproduce experimental binding states despite this starting conformation is encouraging.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Force field design and molecular dynamics simulations of the carbapenem- and cephamycin-resistant dinuclear zinc metallo-beta-lactamase from Bacteroides fragilis and its complex with a biphenyl tetrazole inhibitor.

On the basis of molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the dynamic properties of the carbapenem- and cephamycin-resistant dinuclear zinc metallo-beta-lactamase from Bacteroides fragilis and its complex with a biphenyl tetrazole inhibitor, 2-butyl-6-hydroxy-3-[2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-ylmethyl]-3H-quinazolin-4-one 1 (L-159061). The results obtained with the newly developed force field parameters for the coordination environment of the catalytic zinc ions show that the active site gorge comprising major and minor loops gets deeper and narrower upon binding of the inhibitor, which supports the previous experimental implication that the structural flexibility of the loop structures plays a significant role in enzymatic action. In the presence of the inhibitor, the Trp32 side chain at the apex of the major loop covers the entrance of active site channel, thereby contributing to the stabilization of the enzyme-inhibitor complex. In addition to a direct coordination of the inhibitor tetrazole ring to the second zinc ion in the active site, the hydrogen bonding of Lys167 to the inhibitor carbonyl group and hydrophobic interactions between the inhibitor and side chains of loop residues prove to be significant binding forces of the enzyme-inhibitor complex.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of a protein-protein dimer: particle-mesh Ewald electrostatic model yields far superior results to standard cutoff model.

In this article we present two 1000 ps molecular dynamics simulations on the rat micro-glutathione S-transferase dimeric enzyme in complex with the product 1-(S-glutathionyl)-2,4-dinitrobenzene, in a periodic box with explicit solvent molecules, and investigate the effect of long-range electrostatics models on the structure and dynamics of the dimer and its components. One simulation used the standard cutoff method (10A), whilst the other used the particle-mesh Ewald (PME) method. We monitored the root mean-square atomic deviation (RMSD) from the initial crystal structure to examine the convergence of both simulations, as well as several other structural parameters such as the distance between active sites, rigid body rotation between domains in subunits, radius of gyration, B-factors, number of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges and solvent-accessible surface area. For example, with the PME method, the dimer structure remains much closer to the initial crystallographic structure with an average RMSD of 1.3A +/- 0.1A and 1.0A +/- 0.1A for all heavy and backbone atoms, respectively, in the last 200 ps; the respective values for the cutoff simulation are 4.7A +/- 0.3A and 4.2A +/- 0.3A. The large deviations observed in the cutoff simulation severely affected the stability of the enzyme dimer and its complex with the bound product. This finding is contrary to that found in a similar study of the monomeric protein ubiquitin [Fox, T. & Kollman, P. A. Proteins Struct. Func. Genet. 25, 315-334 (1996)]. Unlike the earlier published work, the present study provides evidence that the standard cutoff method is not generally valid for the study of protein complexes, or their subunits.

Animals↗

Structural elucidation of type III group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide using molecular dynamics simulations: the role of sialic acid.

The conformational properties of the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) from group B Streptococcus serotype III (GBS III) are derived from 50 ns explicitly solvated molecular dynamics simulations of a 25-residue fragment of the CPS. The results from the simulations are shown to be consistent with experimental NMR homo- and heteronuclear J-coupling and NOE data for both the sialylated native CPS and for the chemically desialylated polysaccharide. A helical structure is predicted with a diameter of 29.3 A and a pitch 89.5 A, in which the sialylated side chains are arrayed on the exterior surface of the helix. The results provide an explanation for the observation that CPS antigenicity varies with carbohydrate chain length up to approximately 4 pentasaccharide repeat units. The conformation of the immunodominant region is established and shown to be independent of the presence of sialic acid. The data provide an explanation for the observation that the specificity of the determinant, associated with the major population of antibodies raised upon immunization of rabbits with GBS III, is dependent on the presence of sialic acid. In the sialylated native CPS, the antibody response is largely directed against the immunodominant core of the helix. From simulations of the desialylated CPS, a model emerges which suggests that the minor population of antibodies, whose determinant is not sialic acid dependent, recognizes the same immunodominant region, but that in the disordered CPS this region is not presented in a regular repeating motif.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

Reversible temperature and pressure denaturation of a protein fragment: a replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation study.

We determine the reversible folding-unfolding of the C-terminal (41-56) fragment of protein G as a function of density and temperature using replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations. We employ a total of 253 replicas, covering the temperature range between 320 and 515 K and the density range between 0.96 and 1.16 g cm(-3). Using the root mean square deviation from the folded structure as a quantitative measure, we are able to obtain the fraction of folded states, and can thus establish the free energy difference between the folded and the unfolded states of the protein fragment as a function of temperature and pressure. For the pressure denaturation the weakening of the hydrophobic interaction between the bulky side chains is found to be crucial at lower temperatures, leading to an apparent destabilization of the folded backbone structure at elevated pressures.

Biophysics↗

Application of time series analysis on molecular dynamics simulations of proteins: a study of different conformational spaces by principal component analysis.

Time series analysis is applied on the collective coordinates obtained from principal component analysis of independent molecular dynamics simulations of alpha-amylase inhibitor tendamistat and immunity protein of colicin E7 based on the Calpha coordinates history. Even though the principal component directions obtained for each run are considerably different, the dynamics information obtained from these runs are surprisingly similar in terms of time series models and parameters. There are two main differences in the dynamics of the two proteins: the higher density of low frequencies and the larger step sizes for the interminima motions of colicin E7 than those of alpha-amylase inhibitor, which may be attributed to the higher number of residues of colicin E7 and/or the structural differences of the two proteins. The cumulative density function of the low frequencies in each run conforms to the expectations from the normal mode analysis. When different runs of alpha-amylase inhibitor are projected on the same set of eigenvectors, it is found that principal components obtained from a certain conformational region of a protein has a moderate explanation power in other conformational regions and the local minima are similar to a certain extent, while the height of the energy barriers in between the minima significantly change. As a final remark, time series analysis tools are further exploited in this study with the motive of explaining the equilibrium fluctuations of proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of hybrid and complex type oligosaccharides.

Conformational preferences of hybrid (GlcNAc1Man5GlcNAc2) and complex (GlcNAc1Man3GlcNAc2; GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2) type asparagine-linked oligosaccharides and the corresponding bisected oligosaccharides have been studied by molecular dynamics simulations for 2.5 ns. The fluctuations of the core Man-alpha 1,3-Man fragment are restricted to a region around (-30 degrees, -30 degrees) due to a 'face-to-face' arrangement of bisecting GlcNAc and the beta 1,2-GlcNAc on the 1,3-arm. However, conformations where such a 'face-to-face' arrangement is disrupted are also accessed occasionally. The orientation of the 1,6-arm is affected not only by changes in chi, but also by changes in phi and psi around the core Man-alpha 1,6-Man linkage. The conformation around the core Man-alpha 1,6-Man linkage is different in the hybrid and the two complex types suggesting that the preferred values of phi, psi, and chi are affected by the addition or deletion of saccharides to the alpha 1,6-linked mannose. The conformational data are in agreement with the available experimental studies and also explain the branch specificity of galactosyltransferases.

Asparagine↗

Base flipping in DNA: pathways and energetics studied with molecular dynamic simulations.

Carrying out chemistry on the bases of DNA, necessary for biological processes such as methylation or repair, requires flipping the base into an accessible position. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations are used to generate a free energy profile for flipping a cytosine base out of its helical stack in double-stranded DNA. The results shed light on the mechanics of this process by comparing routes for base flipping via the minor and major grooves.

Computer Simulation↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-s-triazine (RDX) using a combined Sorescu-Rice-Thompson AMBER force field.

We present the results of molecular dynamics simulations of crystalline hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-s-triazine (RDX) using the SRT-AMBER force field (P. M. Agrawal et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 5721), which combines the rigid-molecule force field developed by Sorescu-Rice-Thompson (D. C. Sorescu, B. M. Rice, and D. L. Thompson, J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 798) with the intramolecular interactions obtained from the Generalized AMBER Force Field (Wang et al., J. Comput. Chem. 2004, 25, 1157). The calculated crystal density at room conditions is about 10% lower than the measured value, while the lattice parameters and thermodynamic melting point are within about 5% at ambient pressure. The chair and inverted chair conformation, bond lengths, and bond angles of the RDX molecule are accurately predicted; however, there are some inaccuracies in the calculated orientations of the NO2 groups. The SRT-AMBER force field predicts overall reasonable results, but modifications, probably in the torsional parameters, are needed for a more accurate force field.

Journal Article↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of binary structure H hydrogen and methyl-tert-butylether clathrate hydrates.

Binary structure H (sH) hydrogen and methyl-tert-butylether (MTBE) clathrate hydrates are studied with molecular dynamics simulations. Simulations on a 3 x 3 x 3 sH unit cell with up to 4.7 mass % hydrogen gas are run at pressures of 100 bars and 2 kbars at 100 and 273 K. For the small and medium cages of the sH unit cell, H2 guest molecule occupancies of 0, 1 (single occupancy), and 2 (double occupancy) are considered with the MTBE molecule occupying all of the large cages. An increase of the small and medium cage occupancies from 1 to 2 leads to a jump in the unit cell volume and configurational energy. Calculations are also set up with 13, 23, and 89 of the MTBE molecules in the large cages replaced by sets of three to six H2 molecules, and the effects on the configurational energy and volume of the simulation cell are determined. As MTBE molecules are replaced with sets of H2 guests in the large cages, the configurational energy of the unit cell increases. At the lower temperature, the energy and volume of the clathrate are not sensitive to the number of hydrogen guests in the large cages; however, at higher temperatures the repulsions among the H2 guest molecules in the large cages cause an increase in the system energy and volume.

Journal Article↗

Molecular dynamics simulations and thermodynamics analysis of DNA-drug complexes. Minor groove binding between 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and DNA duplexes in solution.

An extended set of nanosecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations of DNA duplex sequences in explicit solvent interacting with the minor groove binding drug 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) are investigated for four different and sequence specific binding modes. Force fields for DAPI have been parametrized to properly reflect its internal nonplanarity. Sequences investigated include the binding modes observed experimentally, that is, AATT in d(CGCGAATTCGCG)(2) and ATTG in d(GGCCAATTGG)(2) and alternative shifted binding modes ATTC and AATT, respectively. In each case, stable MD simulations are obtained, well reproducing specific hydration patterns seen in the experiments. In contrast to the 2.4 A d(CGCGAATTCGCG)(2) crystal structure, the DAPI is nonplanar, consistent with its gas-phase geometry and the higher resolution crystal structure. The simulations also suggest that the DAPI molecule is able to adopt different conformational substates accompanied by specific hydration patterns that include long-residing waters. The MM_PBSA technology for estimating relative free energies was utilized. The most consistent free energy results were obtained with an approach that uses a single trajectory of the DNA-DAPI complex to estimate all free energy terms. It is demonstrated that explicit inclusion of a subset of bound water molecules shifts the calculated relative binding free energies in favor of both crystallographically observed binding modes, underlining the importance of structured hydration.

Binding Sites↗