Search results for "molecular dynamics"
showing 10 items of 1075 documents
Unraveling the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Mechanism Using Multiscale Methods
2020
We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the reaction mechanism of proteolysis catalyzed by the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. Using multiscale simulation methods, we have characterized the interactions established by a peptidic substrate in the active site, and then we have explored the free energy landscape associated with the acylation and deacylation steps of the proteolysis reaction, characterizing the transition states of the process. Our mechanistic proposals can explain most of the experimental observations made on the highly similar ortholog protease of SARS-CoV. We point to some key interactions that may facilitate the acylation process and thus can be crucial in the design of …
Unravelling the GLY-PRO-GLU tripeptide induced reconstruction of the Au(110) surface at the molecular scale
2018
International audience; The adsorption of GLY-PRO-GLU tripeptide on Au(110) is investigated within the frame of all atom classical mechanics simulations and Density Functional Theory, focusing on the surface reconstruction. It is shown that the tripeptide adsorption reorganizes and restructures the Au(110) surface. A mechanism for the surface restructuration is proposed for both the neutral and zwitterionic form of the peptide at room temperature in Ultra High Vacuum. Diverse residues may be involved in the Au atoms displacement, and in particular glutamic acid, triggering a double proton transfer and the formation of a zwitter ionic state, is found to be responsible for the triggering of t…
Charge-Neutral Constant pH Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using a Parsimonious Proton Buffer
2016
In constant pH molecular dynamics simulations, the protonation states of titratable sites can respond to changes of the pH and of their electrostatic environment. Consequently, the number of protons bound to the biomolecule, and therefore the overall charge of the system, fluctuates during the simulation. To avoid artifacts associated with a non-neutral simulation system, we introduce an approach to maintain neutrality of the simulation box in constant pH molecular dynamics simulations, while maintaining an accurate description of all protonation fluctuations. Specifically, we introduce a proton buffer that, like a buffer in experiment, can exchange protons with the biomolecule enabling its…
Hybrid Schemes Based on Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Simulations
2011
The development of characterization techniques, advanced synthesis methods, as well as molecular modeling has transformed the study of systems in a well-established research field. The current research challenges in biocatalysis and biotransformation evolve around enzyme discovery, design, and optimization. How can we find or create enzymes that catalyze important synthetic reactions, even reactions that may not exist in nature? What is the source of enzyme catalytic power? To answer these and other related questions, the standard strategies have evolved from trial-and-error methodologies based on chemical knowledge, accumulated experience, and common sense into a clearly multidisciplinary …
Binding and Reactivity of a Nitrile Oral Inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Revealed by Computational Simulations
2021
We present a detailed analysis of the binding mode and reactivity of the novel oral inhibitor PF-07321332 developed against SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease. Classical and QM/MM Molecular Dynamics simulations are used to quantify the contributions to the binding free energy and the reaction mechanism for covalent inhibition. The small size of the nitrile warhead conferes additional advantadges to this inhibitor.
The importance of vibronic perturbations in ferrocytochrome c spectra: a reevaluation of spectral properties based on low-temperature optical absorpt…
2005
We have measured and analyzed the low-temperature (T=10 K) absorption spectrum of reduced horse heart and yeast cytochrome c. Both spectra show split and asymmetric Q(0) and Q(upsilon) bands. The spectra were first decomposed into the individual split vibronic sidebands assignable to B(1g) (nu15) and A(2g) (nu19, nu21, and nu22) Herzberg-Teller active modes due to their strong intensity in resonance Raman spectra acquired with Q(0) and Q(upsilon) excitations. The measured band splittings and asymmetries cannot be rationalized solely in terms of electronic perturbations of the heme macrocycle. On the contrary, they clearly point to the importance of considering not only electronic perturbati…
Homology modeling of an RNP domain from a human RNA-binding protein: Homology-constrained energy optimization provides a criterion for distinguishing…
1998
We have recently described an automated approach for homology modeling using restrained molecular dynamics and simulated annealing procedures (Li et al, Protein Sci., 6:956-970,1997). We have employed this approach for constructing a homology model of the putative RNA-binding domain of the human RNA-binding protein with multiple splice sites (RBP-MS). The regions of RBP-MS which are homologous to the template protein snRNP U1A were constrained by "homology distance constraints," while the conformation of the non-homologous regions were defined only by a potential energy function. A full energy function without explicit solvent was employed to ensure that the calculated structures have good …
Mechanical unfolding pathway of a model β-peptide foldamer.
2015
Foldamers constructed from oligomers of β-peptides form stable secondary helix structures already for small chain lengths, which makes them ideal candidates for the investigation of the (un)folding of polypeptides. Here, the results of molecular simulations of the mechanical unfolding of a β-heptapeptide in methanol solvent revealing the detailed unfolding pathway are reported. The unfolding process is shown to proceed via a stable intermediate even for such a small system. This result is arrived at performing non-equilibrium force ramp simulations employing different pulling velocities and also using standard calculations of the potential of mean force, i.e., the free energy as a function …
How Well Can Coarse-Grained Models of Real Polymers Describe Their Structure? The Case of Polybutadiene
2015
Coarse-graining of chemical structure of macromolecules in the melt is investigated using extensive molecular dynamics simulation data which are based on a united atom force-field model of polybutadiene. Systematically increasing the number, n, of the united atoms approximated by an effective coarse-grained monomer, we study the influence of degree of coarse-graining on the structure functions such as the segment-segment intermolecular and intramolecular correlation functions. These results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations of the corresponding coarse-grained bead-spring model and Chen-Kreglewski potential for chain molecules. In contrast to the atomistic chemically realistic model of…
Computer simulations of DNA stretching
2006
Abstract In this chapter we will give short review of computer modelling/simulations of DNA manipulation as a complementary tool to current single molecule manipulation experiments in order to follow the impact on molecular structure during the manipulation experiments. As an example we report molecular dynamics simulations of a 22 base-pair DNA fragment in an explicit water solution with counter-ions to mimic a torsionally unconstrained single-molecule stretching experiment. Positions of the O5′ and O3′ atoms at one end of the 22-mer were fixed while an external linearly increasing tensile force was applied on the corresponding atoms at the other end. Changes in the intramolecular potentia…