Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Combining Simulation And The Mspa Nanopore To Study P53 Dynamics And Interactions, Samantha A. Schultz

Masters Theses

p53 is a transcription factor and an important tumor suppressor protein that becomes activated due to DNA damage. Because of its role as a tumor suppressor, mutations in the gene that encodes it are found in over 50% of human cancers. The N-terminal transactivation domain (NTAD) of p53 is intrinsically disordered and modulates the function and interactions of p53 in the cell. Its disordered structure allows it to be controlled closely by post-translation modifications that regulate p53’s ability to bind DNA and interact with regulatory binding partners. p53 is an attractive target for developing cancer therapeutics, but its intrinsically disordered …

From Deep Mutational Mapping Of Allosteric Protein Landscapes To Deep Learning Of Allostery And Hidden Allosteric Sites: Zooming In On “Allosteric Intersection” Of Biochemical And Big Data Approaches, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Mohammed Alshahrani, Grace Gupta, Sian Xiao, Peng Tao

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have driven the design of new expert systems and automated workflows that are able to model complex chemical and biological phenomena. In recent years, machine learning approaches have been developed and actively deployed to facilitate computational and experimental studies of protein dynamics and allosteric mechanisms. In this review, we discuss in detail new developments along two major directions of allosteric research through the lens of data-intensive biochemical approaches and AI-based computational methods. Despite considerable progress in applications of AI methods for protein structure and dynamics studies, the intersection between allosteric …

Repurposing Lansoprazole And Posaconazole To Treat Leishmaniasis: Integration Of In Vitro Testing, Pharmacological Corroboration, And Mechanisms Of Action, Yash Gupta, Steven Goicoechea, Jesus G. Romero, Raman Mathur, Thomas R. Caulfield, Daniel P. Becker, Ravi Durvasula, Prakasha Kempaiah

Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Leishmaniasis remains a serious public health problem in many tropical regions of the world. Among neglected tropical diseases, the mortality rate of leishmaniasis is second only to malaria. All currently approved therapeutics have toxic side effects and face rapidly increasing resistance. To identify existing drugs with antileishmanial activity and predict the mechanism of action, we designed a drug-discovery pipeline utilizing both in-silico and in-vitro methods. First, we screened compounds from the Selleckchem Bio-Active Compound Library containing ~1622 FDA-approved drugs and narrowed these down to 96 candidates based on data mining for possible anti-parasitic properties. Next, we completed preliminary in-vitro testing …

Structural And Computational Studies Of The Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein Binding Mechanisms With Nanobodies: From Structure And Dynamics To Avidity-Driven Nanobody Engineering, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Nanobodies provide important advantages over traditional antibodies, including their smaller size and robust biochemical properties such as high thermal stability, high solubility, and the ability to be bioengineered into novel multivalent, multi-specific, and high-affinity molecules, making them a class of emerging powerful therapies against SARS-CoV-2. Recent research efforts on the design, protein engineering, and structure-functional characterization of nanobodies and their binding with SARS-CoV-2 S proteins reflected a growing realization that nanobody combinations can exploit distinct binding epitopes and leverage the intrinsic plasticity of the conformational landscape for the SARS-CoV-2 S protein to produce efficient neutralizing and mutation resistant characteristics. Structural …

Allosteric Determinants Of The Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein Binding With Nanobodies: Examining Mechanisms Of Mutational Escape And Sensitivity Of The Omicron Variant, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Structural and biochemical studies have recently revealed a range of rationally engineered nanobodies with efficient neutralizing capacity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and resilience against mutational escape. In this study, we performed a comprehensive computational analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer complexes with single nanobodies Nb6, VHH E, and complex with VHH E/VHH V nanobody combination. We combined coarse-grained and all-atom molecular simulations and collective dynamics analysis with binding free energy scanning, perturbation-response scanning, and network centrality analysis to examine mechanisms of nanobody-induced allosteric modulation and cooperativity in the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer complexes with these nanobodies. By quantifying energetic and allosteric …

Nonhematopoietic Erythropoietin: A Study Of Signaling, Structure, And Behavior, Nicholas John Pekas

Dissertations and Theses

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a cytokine hormone known for initiating red blood cell proliferation by binding to its homodimer receptor (EPOR)2 in the bone marrow. Recent progress in neurobiology has shown that EPO also exerts robust neurotrophic and neuroprotective activity in the CNS. It is widely thought that EPO’s neurotrophic activity is centrally involved in its antidepressant and cognitive enhancing effects. However, EPO’s potent erythropoietic effects prevent it from being used in the clinic to treat psychiatric disorders. A chemically engineered non-erythropoietic derivative of EPO, carbamoylated EPO (CEPO), produces psychoactive effects without activating hematopoiesis. However, CEPO is expensive to produce and …

Mechanisms Of Connexin-46 And -50 Intercellular Channel Function And Stability By Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Bassam George Haddad

Dissertations and Theses

Gap junctions make up a class of intercellular channels that characteristically connect the cytoplasm of directly apposed cells through large assemblies, or plaques, constituted by a multitude of intercellular channels. Gap junction mediated intercellular communication is critical for a variety of physiological functions, from coordinating electrical impulses in the heart and brain to maintaining homeostasis in most tissues. There are 21 isoforms of connexins, the constituent subunit of the gap junction, expressed in a tissue dependent manner. Gap junctions formed from different isoforms exhibit distinct biophysical properties, such as gating kinetics and sensitivity, as well as unique permeability and selectivity …

Bridging The 12-6-4 Model And The Fluctuating Charge Model, Pengfei Li

Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Metal ions play important roles in various biological systems. Molecular dynamics (MD) using classical force field has become a popular research tool to study biological systems at the atomic level. However, meaningful MD simulations require reliable models and parameters. Previously we showed that the 12-6 Lennard-Jones nonbonded model for ions could not reproduce the experimental hydration free energy (HFE) and ion-oxygen distance (IOD) values simultaneously when ion has a charge of +2 or higher. We discussed that this deficiency arises from the overlook of the ion-induced dipole interaction in the 12-6 model, and this term is proportional to 1/r …

Computational Analysis Of Type 3 Iodothyronine Deiodinase: Potential Inhibitors, Substrate Binding, And Dimer Structure, Eric Scott Marsan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Thyroid hormones (THs) in mammalian tissues are crucial for development and maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Iodothyronine deiodinases (Dios) remove iodines from THs by a selenocysteine (Sec) residue, which either activates or inactivates them. Halogen bonding (XB) has been proposed to describe the interaction between the Se and I atoms of the T4-Dio complex. Disruption of TH homeostasis by xenobiotics, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can cause deleterious effects on the endocrine system. Experimental studies have indicated that PBDEs and PCBs could disrupt TH homeostasis by inhibiting Dio through XB formation. However, no current quantitative study exists …

Molecular Dynamic Simulation Of The Complex Folding Patterns Of Apolipoprotein A1 In Various Concentrations Of Potassium Chloride, Hannah Holmberg

Honors Theses

Apopliprotein or ApoA-1 is a complex lipoprotein that functions in the removal of cholesterol from the blood, removing cholesterol from the area around white blood cells and promoting the excretion of lipids through the lymphatic system. Previous research has found that ApoA-1 shows both folded and unfolded conformations depending on the concentration of NaCl in solution in the water around it. The protein was studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Once this state of equilibrium was reached, various structural properties of the protein were measured including the radius of gyration and the radial distribution function. The goal of the project was …

The Effect Of The Apolipoprotein A1 (Apoa1): The Stability And Folding In Potassium Chloride Environment, Alexandra Paladian

Honors Theses

Healthy levels of potassium chloride (KCl) can significantly affect the workings of the cholesterol level of the human body and how they pertain to an individual person. The search for a better salt additive for the human diet can provide a better option for people who experience high cholesterol levels and heart disease. The study focuses on the experimental design of the Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulation of the Apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) in the potassium ion solution environment to determine the stability and folding of the protein. The study also compares its data to the previous experimental design of chloride ions …

Computational And Experimental Investigation Into The Determinants Of Protein Structure, Folding, And Stability In The Β-Grasp Superfamily, John T. Bedford Ii

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Elucidating the mechanisms of protein folding and unfolding is one of the greatest scientific challenges in basic science. The overarching goal is to predict three-dimensional structures from their amino acid sequences. Understanding the determinants of protein folding and stability can be facilitated through the study of evolutionarily related but diverse proteins. Insights can also be gained through the study of proteins from extremophiles that may more closely resemble the primordial proteins. In this doctoral research, three aims were accomplished to characterize the structure, folding and unfolding behavior within the β-grasp superfamily. We propose that the determinants of structure, stability, and …

Understanding And Exploiting Protein Allostery And Dynamics Using Molecular Simulations, Sukrit Singh

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein conformational landscapes contain much of the functionally relevant information that is useful for understanding biological processes at the chemical scale. Understanding and mapping out these conformational landscapescan provide valuable insight into protein behaviors and biological phenomena, and has relevance to the process of therapeutic design.

While structural biology methods have been transformative in studying protein dynamics, they are limited by technicallimitations and have inherent resolution limits. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a powerful tool for exploring conformational landscapes, and provide atomic-scale information that is useful in understanding protein behaviors. With recent advances in generating datasets of large timescale simulations …

Understanding The Relationship Between Local Environmental Changes And The Function Of The Ph Low Insertion Peptide, Violetta Burns Casamayor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US with over 1.7 million new cases each year. Current cancer treatments tend to also target healthy tissues due to similarities with cancerous ones, resulting in acute side effects. Early detection is the best approach towards defeating cancer, however, modern imaging techniques require sizeable samples, often implying a late stage in the disease. One common attribute of tumors is their acidic microenvironment, which can be taken advantage of.

The pH Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP) is a membrane-active peptide that can take advantage of the acidic microenvironment surrounding cancer cells. pHLIP …

Structural Characterization Of Two Large Icosahedral Dna Viruses And Their Capsid Assembly Mechanisms, Yuejiao Xian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the last three decades, many large DNA viruses were discovered and grouped into a loosely defined clade of Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDVs). NCLDVs infect a wide range of hosts from single cellular protists to large animals. Recently, these viruses were classified as a new phylum of Nucleocytoviricota under the kingdom of Bamfordvirae. The genomes of these Nucleocytoviricota viruses (NCVs) are remarkedly large and complicated, containing many cellular genes from all three domains of life, which raised intensive debates on their evolutionary origins. Despite being classified in the same phylum, their physical structures vary and can be roughly classified …

Network Approaches To Elucidate The Determinants Of Protein Topology And Stability, Zeinab Haratipour

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Predicting three-dimensional structures of proteins from sequence information alone, remains one of the most profoundly challenging and intensely studied problems in basic science. It has uniquely garnered the interdisciplinary efforts of biologists, biochemists, computer scientists, mathematicians and physicists. The advancement of computational methods to study fundamental features of proteins also enables insights that are either difficult to explore experimentally or complimentary to further interpret experimental data. In the present research and through the combined development and application of molecular dynamics and network science approaches we aimed to elucidate the role of geographically important amino acids and evolutionarily conserved long-range interactions …

Fast-Forward Protein Folding And Design: Development, Analysis, And Applications Of The Fast Sampling Algorithm, Maxwell Isaac Zimmerman

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular dynamics simulations are a powerful tool to explore conformational landscapes, though limitations in computational hardware commonly thwart observation of biologically relevant events. Since highly specialized or massively parallelized distributed supercomputers are not available to most scientists, there is a strong need for methods that can access long timescale phenomena using commodity hardware. In this thesis, I present the goal-oriented sampling method, Fluctuation Amplification of Specific Traits (FAST), that takes advantage of Markov state models (MSMs) to adaptively explore conformational space using equilibrium-based simulations. This method follows gradients in conformational space to quickly explore relevant conformational transitions with orders of …

Impact Of Conformational Change, Solvation Environment, And Post-Translational Modification On Desulfurization Enzyme 2'-Hydroxybiphenyl-2-Sulfinate Desulfinase (Dszb) Stability And Activity, Landon C. Mills

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Naturally occurring enzymatic pathways enable highly specific, rapid thiophenic sulfur cleavage occurring at ambient temperature and pressure, which may be harnessed for the desulfurization of petroleum-based fuel. One pathway found in bacteria is a four-step catabolic pathway (the 4S pathway) converting dibenzothiophene (DBT), a common crude oil contaminant, into 2-hydroxybiphenyl (HBP) without disrupting the carbon-carbon bonds. 2’-Hydroxybiphenyl-2-sulfinate desulfinase (DszB), the rate-limiting enzyme in the enzyme cascade, is capable of selectively cleaving carbon-sulfur bonds. Accordingly, understanding the molecular mechanisms of DszB activity may enable development of the cascade as industrial biotechnology. Based on crystallographic evidence, we hypothesized that DszB …

Understanding Carbohydrate Recognition Mechanisms In Non-Catalytic Proteins Through Molecular Simulations, Abhishek A. Kognole

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Non-catalytic protein-carbohydrate interactions are an essential element of various biological events. This dissertation presents the work on understanding carbohydrate recognition mechanisms and their physical significance in two groups of non-catalytic proteins, also called lectins, which play key roles in major applications such as cellulosic biofuel production and drug delivery pathways. A computational approach using molecular modeling, molecular dynamic simulations and free energy calculations was used to study molecular-level protein-carbohydrate and protein-protein interactions. Various microorganisms like bacteria and fungi secret multi-modular enzymes to deconstruct cellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. The carbohydrate binding modules (CBM) are non-catalytic domains of such enzymes that …

Studies Into The Structure And Function Of Various Domains Of Obscurin And Titin, Rachel A. Policke

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Muscles give our bodies the ability to move by stretching and contracting. While contraction is accomplished by the well-known actin-myosin interaction, not much is known about stretch. Two integral muscle proteins involved in stretch are titin and obscurin; both are long rope-like protein molecules that seem to act as molecular springs. Mutations in these two proteins can lead to diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy, as well as a variety of cancers. In an effort to understand muscle stretch and signaling on a more fundamental level, here we present the high resolution structure of obscurin Ig59, a domain …

Group I Intron Internal Guide Sequence Binding Strength As A Component Of Ribozyme Network Formation, Elizabeth Satterwhite, Jessica Anne Mellor Yeates, Niles Lehman

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Origins-of-life research requires searching for a plausible transition from simple chemicals to larger macromolecules that can both hold information and catalyze their own production. We have previously shown that some group I intron ribozymes possess the ability to help synthesize other ribozyme genotypes by recombination reactions in small networks in an autocatalytic fashion. By simplifying these recombination reactions, using fluorescent anisotropy, we quantified the thermodynamic binding strength between two nucleotides of two group I intron RNA fragments for all 16 possible genotype combinations. We provide evidence that the binding strength (K_D) between the 3-nucleotide internal guide sequence …

Studies Into The Allosteric Regulation Of Adp-Glucose Pyrophosphorylases, Benjamin Luke Hill

Dissertations

The synthesis of glycogen in bacteria and starch in plants is allosterically controlled by the production of ADP-glucose by ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Using computational studies, site directed mutagenesis, and kinetic characterization, and protein crystallography we found a critical region for transmitting the allosteric signal in the Escherichia coli and A. tumefaciens ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Molecular dynamics simulations and structural comparisons with other ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases provided information to hypothesize communication pathways that link allosteric and active sites, and this was tested by site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic characterization of the mutant enzymes. In addition, the application of x-ray crystallography enabled the pinpointing of the …

A Five Residue Insertion Between Codons 28 And 29 Of The Hiv-1 Protease Gene Reduces The Replicative Capacity Of The Virus, Cathy Mcleod

Wayne State University Theses

HIV-1 protease (PR) is a 99 amino acid protein responsible for cleavage of the viral polyprotein. We have identified a novel clinical isolate, MDR/28, which contains a five residue insertion between codons 28 and 29 of a multi-drug resistant (MDR) PR. This clinical isolate displays reduced viral replicative capacity compared to the wild-type. As opposed to drug-resistance mutations, studies on insertions remain largely underrepresented in the literature, and the consequences of such insertions are largely unknown. To understand the mechanism leading to reduced replicative capacity, three PR models were created and subjected to 40ns molecular dynamics simulations: MDR/28, wild type, …

Picosecond To Terahertz Perturbation Of Interfacial Water And Electropermeabilization Of Biological Membranes, P. Thomas Vernier, Zachary A. Levine, Ming-Chak Ho, Shu Xiao, Iurii Semenov, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

Non-thermal probing and stimulation with subnanosecond electric pulses and terahertz electromagnetic radiation may lead to new, minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and to methods for remote monitoring and analysis of biological systems, including plants, animals, and humans. To effectively engineer these still-emerging tools, we need an understanding of the biophysical mechanisms underlying the responses that have been reported to these novel stimuli. We show here that subnanosecond (≤500 ps) electric pulses induce action potentials in neurons and cause calcium transients in neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells, and we report complementary molecular dynamics simulations of phospholipid bilayers in electric fields in which …

The Structural Heterogeneity And Dynamics Of Base Stacking And Unstacking In Nucleic Acids, Ada Anna Sedova

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Base stacking provides stability to nucleic acid duplexes, and base unstacking is involved in numerous biological functions related to nucleic acids, including replication, repair, transcription, and translation. The patterns of base stacking and unstacking in available nucleic acid crystal structures were classified after separation into their individual single strand dinucleotide components and clustering using a k-means-based ensemble clustering method. The A- and B-form proximity of these dinucleotide structures were assessed to discover that RNA dinucleotides can approach B-form-like structures. Umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations were used to obtain the potential of mean force profiles for base unstacking at 5'-termini for …

Automatic Animation Of Molecular Motion Using Python And Cinema 4d, Diana Zajac, Nathaniel Smith, Dan Gurnon

Annual Student Research Poster Session

No abstract provided.

Tracing Beta Strands Using Strandtwister From Cryo-Em Density Maps At Medium Resolutions, Dong Si, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Major secondary structure elements such as α helices and β sheets can be computationally detected from cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) density maps with medium resolutions of 5–10 A˚ . However, a critical piece of information for modeling atomic structures is missing, because there are no tools to detect β strands from cryo-EM maps at medium resolutions. We propose a method, StrandTwister, to detect the traces of β strands through the analysis of twist, an intrinsic nature of a β sheet. StrandTwister has been tested using 100 β sheets simulated at 10 A˚ resolution and 39 β sheets computationally detected from cryo-EM …

Evaluations Of A Mechanistic Hypothesis For The Influence Of Extracellular Ions On Electroporation Due To High-Intensity, Nanosecond Pulsing, V. Sridhara, R. P. Joshi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The effect of ions present in the extracellular medium on electroporation by high-intensity, short-duration pulsing is studied through molecular dynamic simulations. Our simulation results indicate that mobile ions in the medium might play a role in creating stronger local electric fields across membranes that then reinforce and strengthen electroporation. Much faster pore formation is predicted in higher conductivity media. However, the impact of extracellular conductivity on cellular inflows, which depend on transport processes such as electrophoresis, could be different as discussed here. Our simulation results also show that interactions between cations (Na+ in this case) and the carbonyl oxygen of …

Numerical Study Of Lipid Translocation Driven By Nanoporation Due To Multiple High-Intensity, Ultrashort Electrical Pulses, Viswanadham Sridhara, Ravindra P. Joshi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The dynamical translocation of lipids from one leaflet to another due to membrane permeabilization driven by nanosecond, high-intensity (>100 kV/cm) electrical pulses has been probed. Our simulations show that lipid molecules can translocate by diffusion through water-filled nanopores which form following high voltage application. Our focus is on multiple pulsing, and such simulations are relevant to gauge the time duration over which nanopores might remain open, and facilitate continued lipid translocations and membrane transport. Our results are indicative of a N^1/2 scaling with pulse number for the pore radius. These results bode well for the use of pulse …

Peregrination Of The Selectivity Filter Delineates The Pore Of The Human Voltage-Gated Proton Channel Hhv1, Deri Morgan, Boris Musset, Kethika Kulleperuma, Susan M. E. Smith, Sindhu Rajan, Vladimir V. Cherny, Régis Pomès, Thomas E. Decoursey

Faculty and Research Publications

Extraordinary selectivity is crucial to all proton-conducting molecules, including the human voltage-gated proton channel (hH_v1), because the proton concentration is >10⁶ times lower than that of other cations. Here we use "selectivity filter scanning" to elucidate the molecular requirements for proton-specific conduction in hH_v1. Asp¹¹², in the middle of the S1 transmembrane helix, is an essential part of the selectivity filter in wild-type (WT) channels. After neutralizing Asp¹¹² by mutating it to Ala (D112A), we introduced Asp at each position along S1 from 108 to 118, searching for "second site suppressor" activity. …