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Focussing the computational microscope on the E. coli cell envelope: model development and simulation studies

Focussing the computational microscope on the E. coli cell envelope: model development and simulation studies
Focussing the computational microscope on the E. coli cell envelope: model development and simulation studies
The development of bacterial resistance to currently available antibiotics is a major problem for healthcare worldwide. The rational development of new therapeutics relies upon a detailed knowledge of how drugs and potential drug molecules interact with the membranes that surround and protect bacteria. Molecular dynamics is a computational tool that can be utilised to explore the time-dependent behaviour of biological systems, from single molecules to more complex multicomponent systems. To this end, I have employed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations for a range of studies that are presented in this thesis. Firstly, I develop different models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which are molecules found in the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Next, I use these models to explore the interaction of pristine carbon fullerenes (C60) with E. coli membranes at the molecular level. I predict that pristine C60 has a limited tendency to penetrate LPS leaflets in the presence of calcium ions at 310 K, but more readily penetrates LPS leaflets at higher temperatures and in the presence of sodium ions, or when small patches of palmitoyloleoylphosphoethanolamine (POPE) lipids are present within the LPS membranes. Lastly, I use these models for simulations that are designed to understand more general principles of molecular interaction between native membrane proteins and lipids in an E. coli cell envelope. The results revealed that the curvature and fluidity of membrane lipids are strongly influenced by the diffusion of proteins and, more specifically, that charged lipids are sequestered locally by the AcrBZ component of the AcrABZ-TolC complex of proteins.
University of Southampton
Hsu, Pin-Chia
4b4c8c18-752e-4ba8-a456-0fc71df1b286
Hsu, Pin-Chia
4b4c8c18-752e-4ba8-a456-0fc71df1b286
Khalid, Syma
90fbd954-7248-4f47-9525-4d6af9636394

Hsu, Pin-Chia (2017) Focussing the computational microscope on the E. coli cell envelope: model development and simulation studies. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis, 257pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

The development of bacterial resistance to currently available antibiotics is a major problem for healthcare worldwide. The rational development of new therapeutics relies upon a detailed knowledge of how drugs and potential drug molecules interact with the membranes that surround and protect bacteria. Molecular dynamics is a computational tool that can be utilised to explore the time-dependent behaviour of biological systems, from single molecules to more complex multicomponent systems. To this end, I have employed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations for a range of studies that are presented in this thesis. Firstly, I develop different models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which are molecules found in the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Next, I use these models to explore the interaction of pristine carbon fullerenes (C60) with E. coli membranes at the molecular level. I predict that pristine C60 has a limited tendency to penetrate LPS leaflets in the presence of calcium ions at 310 K, but more readily penetrates LPS leaflets at higher temperatures and in the presence of sodium ions, or when small patches of palmitoyloleoylphosphoethanolamine (POPE) lipids are present within the LPS membranes. Lastly, I use these models for simulations that are designed to understand more general principles of molecular interaction between native membrane proteins and lipids in an E. coli cell envelope. The results revealed that the curvature and fluidity of membrane lipids are strongly influenced by the diffusion of proteins and, more specifically, that charged lipids are sequestered locally by the AcrBZ component of the AcrABZ-TolC complex of proteins.

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Published date: May 2017

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 418065
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/418065
PURE UUID: 5ddb05c3-a8b1-4dad-b5a4-2863701e405e
ORCID for Syma Khalid: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3694-5044

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 21 Feb 2018 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:56

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Contributors

Author: Pin-Chia Hsu
Thesis advisor: Syma Khalid ORCID iD

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