Properties of water in the region between a tubulin dimer and a single motor head of kinesin.

Phys Chem Chem Phys

Department of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.

Published: April 2013

A kinesin is a molecular motor that can perform movement on a microtubule track in a stepping-like manner. This motion is connected with processes of association and dissociation of kinesin and tubulin. Water is an important participant in these kinds of molecular interactions. This is why we have decided to investigate the dynamical and structural properties of water in the region between the kinesin catalytic domain and the tubulin dimer. Using the molecular dynamics method, we found that these properties are different from the ones of bulk water. The changes in structure and dynamics are visible for water beyond the first solvation layers, even for the longest analyzed distance between proteins equal to 2.0 nm. However, these changes are not always enhanced compared to the situation when only one protein surface is present. One factor that distinguishes the investigated situation from the one with a single protein is the presence of an additional electric field originating from the second protein. The tendency of vectors of dipole moments of water molecules between the proteins to follow the vectors of electric field generated by the proteins causes a distortion of the water-water hydrogen bond network. It has been shown that this distortion affects the properties of water in this region: it induces structural changes in solvation water, and leads to increased water density and increased stiffness of the water structure.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c3cp43828gDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

properties water
12
water region
12
water
9
tubulin dimer
8
electric field
8
properties
4
region tubulin
4
dimer single
4
single motor
4
motor head
4

Similar Publications

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dry deposition is an important yet poorly constrained process that removes reactive organic carbon from the atmosphere, making it unavailable for airborne chemical reactions and transferring it to other environmental systems. Using an aircraft-based measurement method, we provide large-scale estimates of total gas-phase organic carbon deposition rates and fluxes. Observed deposition rates downwind of large-scale unconventional oil operations reached up to 100 tC hour, with fluxes exceeding 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor inducing the development and progression of various diseases. Nicotine (NIC) is the major constituent of cigarette smoke. However, knowledge of the mechanism underlying the NIC-regulated stem cell functions is limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The synthesis and characterization of benzo[d]thiazol-2-amine derivatives, which were prepared by reacting benzothiazole with para-aminobenzophenone in ethanol, supplemented with glacial acetic acid. Subsequently, compound (2) was synthesized from compound (1) using NaNO, HPO, and HNO in a water-based solvent, resulting in 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde. Another derivative, compound (3), was synthesized by reacting compound (1) with vanillin under similar conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adsorption properties and mechanisms of Cd by co-pyrolysis composite material derived from peanut biochar and tailing waste.

Environ Geochem Health

January 2025

College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory for Efficient Utilization and Agglomeration of Metallurgic Mineral Resource, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, People's Republic of China.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in aquatic systems is a widespread environmental issue. In this study, a solid waste iron tailings and biochar hybrid (Fe-TWBC) was successfully synthesized derived from co-pyrolysis of peanut shell and tailing waste (Fe-TW). Characterization analyses showed that the metal oxides from solid waste iron tailings successfully loaded onto the biochar surface, with more functional groups in Fe-TWBC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!