Molecular dynamics simulation of biomembranes in aqueous solution.

摘要

In recent years, the developments in classical molecular dynamics simulation have allowed for an atomistic depiction of mesoscopic biological systems. With the awareness of such developments, the natural strive of the scientific community has been to increase the size of such simulated systems [70]. Nonetheless, the subtleties in the properties of biomembranes require an unusually thoughtful approach [70, 203]. In this work, a hierarchical approach is taken, with respect to system complexity, in the classical molecular dynamics simulation of biomembrane systems in aqueous solution.; A progression of simulation studies is presented that begins with the analysis of the interfacial properties of neat bilayers composed of zwitterionic (phosphatidylcholine) lipids in both pure water and in electrolyte. We move on to study mixed bilayers containing zwitterionic (phosphatidylcholine) and acidic (phosphatidylserine) lipids with counterions immersed in electrolyte. Yet another layer of complexity is added to the problem by studying hydrated bilayers containing phosphatidylcholine lipids and cholesterol. Finally, we address the semipermeable nature of biomembranes by studying two membrane-channel systems. We start with a simple model membrane-channel consisting of a six-helix alamethicin bundle embedded in a hydrated phosphatidylcholine bilayer. The knowledge gained from this study is then carried over to the simulation of a large membrane-embedded prokaryotic ClC Cl-/H + antiporter, utilizing a free-energetic analysis to reveal the role of protons in the Cl- transport mechanism.; Throughout the progression, methods are developed and used in the analysis of interfacial aqueous solution structure, ion-membrane binding, lipid structural properties, inter-lipid hydrogen bonded complexation, and electrostatics at the membrane interface. The developments reveal the layered nature of water near the rugged, molecularscale aqueous solution/membrane interface and its electrostatic consequences, a rationalization for experimental observations pertaining to ion-membrane binding events, the structural changes in lipids that give rise to inter-lipid complexation, and explanations for inter-lipid condensed complex stoichiometries. In the case of ion channels, developments are made in the appropriate selection of periodic boundary conditions for the simulation, and in the analysis of ion channel occupancy [1].