Chemical Communications,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Jan. 1, 2024
The
energy
landscape
of
monomeric
amyloid-β
peptides
is
characterised
by
a
funnel
leading
to
disorder;
upon
dimerisation,
it
transforms
folding
towards
stabilised
β-hairpin,
which
significant
in
the
context
Alzheimer's
disease.
Abstract
Amyloid
proteins
are
characterized
by
their
tendency
to
aggregate
into
amyloid
fibrils,
which
often
associated
with
devastating
diseases.
Aggregation
pathways
typically
involve
unfolding
or
misfolding
of
monomeric
and
formation
transient
oligomers
protofibrils
before
the
final
aggregation
product
is
formed.
The
conformational
dynamics
polymorphic
volatile
nature
these
intermediates
make
characterization
experimental
techniques
alone
insufficient
also
require
computational
approaches.
Over
past
25
years,
size
simulated
systems
length
simulations
have
increased
significantly.
These
advances
discussed
here.
review
includes
simulation
approaches
that
model
aggregating
peptides
at
both
all‐atom
coarse‐grained
levels,
use
molecular
Monte
Carlo
sampling
simulate
changes,
present
results
for
various
ranging
from
Lys‐Phe‐Phe‐Glu
(KFFE)
as
smallest
system
an
intermediate‐sized
peptide
α‐synuclein.
presentation
history
concludes
a
discussion
where
future
may
lie.
This
article
categorized
under:
Structure
Mechanism
>
Computational
Biochemistry
Biophysics
Molecular
Statistical
Mechanics
Dynamics
Monte‐Carlo
Methods
Science Advances,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
11(18)
Published: May 1, 2025
Protein
aggregation
is
a
pathological
hallmark
of
more
than
50
human
diseases
and
major
problem
for
biotechnology.
Methods
have
been
proposed
to
predict
from
sequence,
but
these
trained
evaluated
on
small
biased
experimental
datasets.
Here
we
directly
address
this
data
shortage
by
experimentally
quantifying
the
>100,000
protein
sequences.
This
unprecedented
dataset
reveals
limited
performance
existing
computational
methods
allows
us
train
CANYA,
convolution-attention
hybrid
neural
network
that
accurately
predicts
sequence.
We
adapt
genomic
interpretability
analyses
reveal
CANYA's
decision-making
process
learned
grammar.
Our
results
illustrate
power
massive
analysis
random
sequence-spaces
provide
an
interpretable
robust
model
aggregation.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
127(28), P. 6241 - 6250
Published: July 6, 2023
Amyloid
aggregation
describes
the
aberrant
self-assembly
of
peptides
into
ordered
fibrils
characterized
by
cross-β
spine
cores
and
is
associated
with
many
neurodegenerative
diseases
Type
2
diabetes.
Oligomers,
populated
during
early
stage
aggregation,
are
found
to
be
more
cytotoxic
than
mature
fibrils.
Recently,
amyloidogenic
have
been
reported
undergo
liquid–liquid
phase
separation
(LLPS)─a
biological
process
important
for
compartmentalization
biomolecules
in
living
cells─prior
fibril
formation.
Understanding
relationship
between
LLPS
amyloid
especially
formation
oligomers,
essential
uncovering
disease
mechanisms
mitigating
toxicity.
In
this
Perspective,
available
theories
models
first
briefly
reviewed.
By
drawing
analogies
gas,
liquid,
solid
phases
thermodynamics,
a
diagram
protein
monomer,
droplet,
states
separated
coexistence
lines
can
inferred.
Due
high
free
energy
barrier
fibrillization
kinetically
delaying
seeds
out
droplets,
"hidden"
monomer-droplet
line
extends
phase.
then
described
as
equilibration
from
initial
"out-of-equilibrium"
state
homogeneous
solution
monomers
final
equilibrium
stable
coexisting
and/or
droplets
via
metastable
or
intermediates.
The
oligomers
also
discussed.
We
suggest
that
droplet
should
considered
future
studies
which
may
help
better
understand
develop
therapeutic
strategies
mitigate
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
127(44), P. 9433 - 9449
Published: Oct. 31, 2023
Phosphorylation
of
intrinsically
disordered
proteins/regions
(IDPs/IDRs)
has
a
profound
effect
in
biological
functions
such
as
cell
signaling,
protein
folding
or
unfolding,
and
long-range
allosteric
effects.
However,
here
we
focus
on
two
IDPs,
namely
83-residue
IDR
transcription
factor
Ash1
92-residue
long
N-terminal
region
CDK
inhibitor
Sic1
protein,
found
Saccharomyces
cerevisiae,
for
which
experimental
measurements
average
conformational
properties,
namely,
radius
gyration
structure
factor,
indicate
negligible
changes
upon
phosphorylation.
Here,
show
that
judicious
dissection
ensemble
via
combination
unsupervised
machine
learning
extensive
molecular
dynamics
(MD)
trajectories
can
highlight
key
differences
similarities
among
the
phosphorylated
wild-type
IDP.
In
particular,
develop
Markov
state
model
(MSM)
using
latent-space
dimensions
an
autoencoder,
trained
multi-microsecond
MD
simulation
trajectories.
Examination
structural
states,
prior
to
phosphorylation,
captured
several
their
backbone
contact
maps,
secondary
structure,
torsion
angles.
Hydrogen
bonding
analysis
revealed
phosphorylation
not
only
increases
number
hydrogen
bonds
but
also
switches
pattern
between
side
chain
atoms
with
residues.
We
observe
although
introduces
salt
bridges,
there
is
loss
cation–π
interaction.
improved
probability
hydrophobic
contacts
enhanced
interaction
water
molecules
local
evident
from
geometric
order
parameters.
The
observations
these
machine-learnt
states
gave
important
insights,
it
would
otherwise
be
difficult
determine
experimentally
important,
if
were
understand
role
IDPs
functions.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: April 27, 2023
Abstract
The
preponderance
of
Intrinsically
Disordered
Proteins
(IDPs)
in
the
eukaryotic
proteome,
and
their
ability
to
interact
with
each
other,
folded
proteins,
RNA,
DNA
for
functional
purposes,
have
made
it
important
quantitatively
characterize
biophysical
properties.
Toward
this
end,
we
developed
transferable
Self-Organized
Polymer
(SOP-IDP)
model
calculate
properties
several
IDPs.
values
radius
gyration
(
R
g
)
obtained
from
SOP-IDP
simulations
are
excellent
agreement
(correlation
coefficient
0.96)
those
estimated
SAXS
experiments.
For
AP180
Epsin,
predicted
hydrodynamic
radii
h
s)
quantitative
Fluorescence
Correlation
Spectroscopy
(FCS)
Strikingly,
calculated
spectra
thirty-six
IDPs
also
nearly
superimposable
on
experimental
profiles.
dependence
mean
end-to-end
distance
ee
chain
length,
N
,
follows
Flory’s
scaling
law,
α
≈
a
0.588
=
e
),
suggesting
that
globally
behave
as
synthetic
polymers
good
solvent.
0.20
nm
0.48
respectively.
Surprisingly,
finite
size
corrections
scaling,
expected
theoretical
grounds,
negligible
.
In
contrast,
only
by
accounting
sizes
IDPs,
experimentally
measurable
can
be
explained
using
ν
0.588.
Although
Flory
law
captures
estimates
accurately,
spread
simulated
data
around
curve
is
suggestive
sequence-specific
features
emerge
through
fine-grained
analysis
conformational
ensembles
hierarchical
clustering.
Typically,
ensemble
conformations
partitiones
into
three
distinct
clusters,
having
different
equilibrium
populations
structural
Without
any
further
readjustments
parameters
model,
paramagnetic
relaxation
enhancement
(PRE)
measurements
-synuclein.
sets
stage
applications,
including
study
phase
separation
interactions
nucleic
acids.
Nature Communications,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
15(1)
Published: March 29, 2024
Abstract
Protein
fibril
self-assembly
is
a
universal
transition
implicated
in
neurodegenerative
diseases.
Although
structure/growth
are
well
characterized,
nucleation
poorly
understood.
Here,
we
use
computational-experimental
approach
to
resolve
nucleation.
We
show
that
monomer
hairpin
content
quantified
from
molecular
dynamics
simulations
predictive
of
experimental
formation
kinetics
across
tau
motif
mutant
library.
Hairpin
trimers
predicted
be
states;
one
spontaneously
converts
into
the
cross-beta
conformation,
templating
subsequent
growth.
designed
disulfide-linked
dimer
mimicking
state
catalyzes
formation,
measured
by
ThT
fluorescence
and
TEM,
wild-type
-
which
does
not
normally
fibrillize.
A
compatible
with
extended
conformations
but
transition-state
fails
nucleate
at
any
concentration.
Tau
repeat
domain
how
long-range
interactions
sequester
this
mutation-dependent
manner.
This
work
implies
different
morphologies
could
arise
disease-dependent
seeding
loci.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
120(24)
Published: June 5, 2023
Low-complexity
nucleotide
repeat
sequences,
which
are
implicated
in
several
neurological
disorders,
undergo
liquid-liquid
phase
separation
(LLPS)
provided
the
number
of
units,
n,
exceeds
a
critical
value.
Here,
we
establish
link
between
folding
landscapes
monomers
trinucleotide
repeats
and
their
propensity
to
self-associate.
Simulations
using
coarse-grained
Self-Organized
Polymer
(SOP)
model
for
(CAG)n
monovalent
salt
solutions
reproduce
experimentally
measured
melting
temperatures,
available
only
small
n.
By
extending
simulations
large
show
that
free-energy
gap,
ΔGS,
ground
state
(GS)
slipped
hairpin
(SH)
states
is
predictor
aggregation
propensity.
The
GS
even
n
perfect
(PH),
whereas
it
SH
when
odd.
value
ΔGS
(zero
odd
n)
larger
than
As
result,
rate
dimer
formation
slower
(CAG)30
relative
(CAG)31,
thus
linking
RNA-RNA
association.
yield
decreases
dramatically,
compared
wild
type,
mutant
sequences
population
substantially.
Association
RNA
chains
preceded
by
transition
if
PH.
finding
excitation
spectrum-which
depends
on
exact
sequence,
ionic
conditions-is
self-association
should
also
hold
other
RNAs
(mRNA
example)
LLPS.
Protein Science,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
34(4)
Published: March 17, 2025
Abstract
The
preponderance
of
intrinsically
disordered
proteins
(IDPs)
in
the
eukaryotic
proteome,
and
their
ability
to
interact
with
each
other,
folded
proteins,
RNA,
DNA
for
functional
purposes,
have
made
it
important
quantitatively
characterize
biophysical
properties.
Toward
this
end,
we
developed
transferable
self‐organized
polymer
(SOP‐IDP)
model
calculate
properties
several
IDPs.
values
radius
gyration
()
obtained
from
SOP‐IDP
simulations
are
excellent
agreement
(correlation
coefficient
0.96)
those
estimated
SAXS
experiments.
For
AP180
Epsin,
predicted
hydrodynamic
radii
nearly
quantitative
fluorescence
correlation
spectroscopy
(FCS)
Strikingly,
calculated
profiles
36
IDPs
also
superimposable
on
experimental
profiles.
dependence
mean
end‐to‐end
distance
chain
length,
,
follows
Flory's
scaling
law,
(
),
suggesting
that
globally
behave
as
synthetic
polymers
a
good
solvent.
This
finding
depends
solvent
quality,
which
can
be
altered
by
changing
variables
such
pH
salt
concentration.
0.20
0.48
nm,
respectively.
Surprisingly,
finite
size
corrections
scaling,
expected
theoretical
grounds,
negligible
.
In
contrast,
only
accounting
sizes
IDPs,
experimentally
measurable
explained
using
Although
Flory
law
captures
estimates
accurately,
spread
simulated
data
around
curve
is
suggestive
sequence‐specific
features
emerge
through
fine‐grained
analysis
conformational
ensembles
hierarchical
clustering.
Typically,
ensemble
conformations
partitions
into
three
distinct
clusters,
having
different
equilibrium
populations
structural
Without
any
further
readjustments
parameters
model,
paramagnetic
relaxation
enhancement
(PRE)
measurements
α
‐synuclein.
sets
stage
applications,
including
study
phase
separation
interactions
nucleic
acids.