Beyond the Gene Chip.

We describe a prospective strategy for reading the encyclopedic information encoded in the genome: using a nanopore in a membrane formed from an MOS-capacitor to sense the charge in DNA. In principle, as DNA permeates the capacitor-membrane through the pore, the electrostatic charge distribution characteristic of the molecule should polarize the capacitor and induce a voltage on the electrodes that can be measured. Silicon nanofabrication and molecular dynamic simulations with atomic detail are technological linchpins in the development of this detector.

A structural mechanism for MscS gating in lipid bilayers.

The mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) is a key determinant in the prokaryotic response to osmotic challenges. We determined the structural rearrangements associated with MscS activation in membranes, using functorial measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and computational analyses. MscS was trapped in its open conformation after the transbilayer pressure profile was modified through the asymmetric incorporation of lysophospholipids.

Molecular mechanism of ligand recognition by NR3 subtype glutamate receptors.

NR3 subtype glutamate receptors have a unique developmental expression profile, but are the least well-characterized members of the NMDA receptor gene family, which have key roles in synaptic plasticity and brain development. Using ligand binding assays, crystallographic analysis, and all atom MD simulations, we investigate mechanisms underlying the binding by NR3A and NR3B of glycine and D-serine, which are candidate neurotransmitters for NMDA receptors containing NR3 subunits. The ligand binding domains of both NR3 subunits adopt a similar extent of domain closure as found in the corresponding NR1 complexes, but have a unique loop 1 structure distinct from that in all other glutamate receptor ion channels.

Intrinsic curvature properties of photosynthetic proteins in chromatophores.

In purple bacteria, photosynthesis is carried out on large indentations of the bacterial plasma membrane termed chromatophores. Acting as primitive organelles, chromatophores are densely packed with the membrane proteins necessary for photosynthesis, including light harvesting complexes LH1 and LH2, reaction center (RC), and cytochrome bc(1). The shape of chromatophores is primarily dependent on species, and is typically spherical or flat.

Four-scale description of membrane sculpting by BAR domains.

BAR domains are proteins that sense and sculpt curved membranes in cells, furnishing a relatively well-studied example of mechanisms employed in cellular morphogenesis. We report a computational study of membrane bending by BAR domains at four levels of resolution, described by 1), all-atom molecular dynamics; 2), residue-based coarse-graining (resolving single amino acids and lipid molecules); 3), shape-based coarse-graining (resolving overall protein and membrane shapes); and 4), a continuum elastic membrane model. Membrane sculpting performed by BAR domains collectively is observed in agreement with experiments.

Flexible fitting of atomic structures into electron microscopy maps using molecular dynamics.

A novel method to flexibly fit atomic structures into electron microscopy (EM) maps using molecular dynamics simulations is presented. The simulations incorporate the EM data as an external potential added to the molecular dynamics force field, allowing all internal features present in the EM map to be used in the fitting process, while the model remains fully flexible and stereochemically correct. The molecular dynamics flexible fitting (MDFF) method is validated for available crystal structures of protein and RNA in different conformations; measures to assess and monitor the fitting process are introduced.

Flow-induced structural transition in the beta-switch region of glycoprotein Ib.

The impact of fluid flow on structure and dynamics of biomolecules has recently gained much attention. In this article, we present a molecular-dynamics algorithm that serves to generate stable water flow under constant temperature, for the study of flow-induced protein behavior. Flow simulations were performed on the 16-residue beta-switch region of platelet glycoprotein Ibalpha, for which crystal structures of its N-terminal domain alone and in complex with the A1 domain of von Willebrand factor have been solved.

Finding gas migration pathways in proteins using implicit ligand sampling.

Implicit ligand sampling is a practical, efficient, and accurate method for finding the gas migration pathways for small hydrophobic gas molecules, such as oxygen, inside proteins. The method infers the gas migration pathways by calculating the potential of mean force for the gas molecule everywhere inside the protein by means of a molecular dynamics simulation of the protein in the absence of the gas molecule. Pathways can be constructed by connecting the areas of the protein that are favorable to the presence of gas.

Mechanism of signal propagation upon retinal isomerization: insights from molecular dynamics simulations of rhodopsin restrained by normal modes.

As one of the best studied members of the pharmaceutically relevant family of G-protein-coupled receptors, rhodopsin serves as a prototype for understanding the mechanism of G-protein-coupled receptor activation. Here, we aim at exploring functionally relevant conformational changes and signal transmission mechanisms involved in its photoactivation brought about through a cis-trans photoisomerization of retinal. For this exploration, we propose a molecular dynamics simulation protocol that utilizes normal modes derived from the anisotropic network model for proteins.

Molecular models need to be tested: the case of a solar flares discoidal HDL model.

In the absence of atomic structures of high-density lipoproteins in their lipid-bound states, many molecular models have been produced based on experimental data. Using molecular dynamics, we show that a recently proposed "solar-flares" model of discoidal high-density lipoprotein is implausible. Our simulations show a collapse of the protruding solar-flare loops and a notable protein rearrangement due to an energetically unfavorable orientation of the hydrophobic protein surface toward the aqueous solvent.

Three-dimensional architecture of membrane-embedded MscS in the closed conformation.

The mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) is part of a coordinated response to osmotic challenges in Escherichia coli. MscS opens as a result of membrane tension changes, thereby releasing small solutes and effectively acting as an osmotic safety valve. Both the functional state depicted by its crystal structure and its gating mechanism remain unclear.

Ten-microsecond molecular dynamics simulation of a fast-folding WW domain.

All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of protein folding allow analysis of the folding process at an unprecedented level of detail. Unfortunately, such simulations have not yet reached their full potential both due to difficulties in sufficiently sampling the microsecond timescales needed for folding, and because the force field used may yield neither the correct dynamical sequence of events nor the folded structure. The ongoing study of protein folding through computational methods thus requires both improvements in the performance of molecular dynamics programs to make longer timescales accessible, and testing of force fields in the context of folding simulations.

Length-dependent optical effects in single walled carbon nanotubes.

Recently, Heller et al. reported length-dependent effects on the relative photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) [Heller et al J. Am.

The allosteric role of the Ca2+ switch in adhesion and elasticity of C-cadherin.

Modular proteins such as titin, fibronectin, and cadherin are ubiquitous components of living cells. Often involved in signaling and mechanical processes, their architecture is characterized by domains containing a variable number of heterogeneous "repeats" arranged in series, with either flexible or rigid linker regions that determine their elasticity. Cadherin repeats arranged in series are unique in that linker regions also feature calcium-binding motifs.

Molecular basis of fibrin clot elasticity.

Blood clots must be stiff to stop hemorrhage yet elastic to buffer blood's shear forces. Upsetting this balance results in clot rupture and life-threatening thromboembolism. Fibrin, the main component of a blood clot, is formed from molecules of fibrinogen activated by thrombin.

Double-stranded DNA dissociates into single strands when dragged into a poor solvent.

DNA displays a richness of biologically relevant supramolecular structures, which depend on both sequence and ambient conditions. The effect of dragging double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) from water into poor solvent on the double-stranded structure is still unclear because of condensation. Here, we employed single molecule techniques based on atomic force microscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the change in structure and mechanics of DNA during the ambient change.

Modeling Induction Phenomena in Intermolecular Interactions with an Ab Initio Force Field.

One possible road toward the development of a polarizable potential energy function relies on the use of distributed polarizabilities derived from the induction energy mapped around the molecule. Whereas such polarizable models are expected to reproduce the signature induction energy with an appreciable accuracy, it is far from clear whether they will perform equally well in the context of intermolecular interactions. To address this issue, while pursuing the ultimate goal of a "plug-and-play"-like approach, polarizability models determined quantum mechanically and consisting of atomic isotropic dipole plus charge-flow polarizabilities were combined with the classical, nonpolarizable Charmm force field.

Fluorescence-force spectroscopy maps two-dimensional reaction landscape of the holliday junction.

Despite the recent advances in single-molecule manipulation techniques, purely mechanical approaches cannot detect subtle conformational changes in the biologically important regime of weak forces. We developed a hybrid scheme combining force and fluorescence that allowed us to examine the effect of subpiconewton forces on the nanometer scale motion of the Holliday junction (HJ) at 100-hertz bandwidth. The HJ is an exquisitely sensitive force sensor whose force response is amplified with an increase in its arm lengths, demonstrating a lever-arm effect at the nanometer-length scale.

Diffusion of glycerol through Escherichia coli aquaglyceroporin GlpF.

The glycerol uptake facilitator, GlpF, a major intrinsic protein found in Escherichia coli, selectively conducts water and glycerol across the inner membrane. The free energy landscape characterizing the assisted transport of glycerol by this homotetrameric aquaglyceroporin has been explored by means of equilibrium molecular dynamics over a timescale spanning 0.12 micros.

Atomic-level structural and functional model of a bacterial photosynthetic membrane vesicle.

The photosynthetic unit (PSU) of purple photosynthetic bacteria consists of a network of bacteriochlorophyll-protein complexes that absorb solar energy for eventual conversion to ATP. Because of its remarkable simplicity, the PSU can serve as a prototype for studies of cellular organelles. In the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides the PSU forms spherical invaginations of the inner membrane, approximately 70 nm in diameter, composed mostly of light-harvesting complexes, LH1 and LH2, and reaction centers (RCs).

Accelerating molecular modeling applications with graphics processors.

Molecular mechanics simulations offer a computational approach to study the behavior of biomolecules at atomic detail, but such simulations are limited in size and timescale by the available computing resources. State-of-the-art graphics processing units (GPUs) can perform over 500 billion arithmetic operations per second, a tremendous computational resource that can now be utilized for general purpose computing as a result of recent advances in GPU hardware and software architecture. In this article, an overview of recent advances in programmable GPUs is presented, with an emphasis on their application to molecular mechanics simulations and the programming techniques required to obtain optimal performance in these cases.

Structural determinants of lateral gate opening in the protein translocon.

The heterotrimeric SecY/Sec61 complex is a protein-conducting channel that provides a passage for proteins across the membrane as well as a means to integrate nascent proteins into the membrane. While the first function is common among membrane protein channels and transporters, the latter is unique. Insertion of nascent membrane proteins, one transmembrane segment at a time, by SecY likely occurs through a lateral gate in the channel.

Continuous fluorescence microphotolysis and correlation spectroscopy using 4Pi microscopy.

Continuous fluorescence microphotolysis (CFM) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) permit measurement of molecular mobility and association reactions in single living cells. CFM and FCS complement each other ideally and can be realized using identical equipment. So far, the spatial resolution of CFM and FCS was restricted by the resolution of the light microscope to the micrometer scale.

How directional translocation is regulated in a DNA helicase motor.

PcrA helicase from Bacillus stearothermophilus is one of the smallest motor proteins structurally known in full atomic detail. It translocates progressively from the 3' end to the 5' end of single-stranded DNA utilizing the free energy from ATP hydrolysis. The similarities in structure and reaction pathway between PcrA helicase and F1-ATPase suggest a similar mechanochemical mechanism at work in both systems.

Cse1p-binding dynamics reveal a binding pattern for FG-repeat nucleoporins on transport receptors.

Nuclear pore proteins with phenylalanine-glycine repeats are vital to the functional transport of molecules across the nuclear pore complex. The current study investigates the binding of these FG-nucleoporins to the Cse1p:Kap60p:RanGTP nuclear export complex. Fourteen binding spots for FG-nucleoporin peptides are revealed on the surface of Cse1p, and 5 are revealed on the Kap60p surface.