Asymmetric CorA Gating Mechanism as Observed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Mariia Nemchinova, Josef Melcr, Tsjerk Wassenaar, Siewert Marrink*, Albert Guskov*

*Corresponding author voor dit werk

OnderzoeksoutputAcademicpeer review

10 Citaten (Scopus)
164 Downloads (Pure)

Samenvatting

The CorA family of proteins plays a housekeeping role in the homeostasis of divalent metal ions in many bacteria and archaea as well as in mitochondria of eukaryotes, rendering it an important target to study the mechanisms of divalent transport and regulation across different life domains. Despite numerous studies, the mechanistic details of the channel gating and the transport of the metal ions are still not entirely understood. Here, we use all-atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations combined with in vitro experiments to investigate the influence of divalent cations on the function of CorA. Simulations reveal pronounced asymmetric movements of monomers that enable the rotation of the α7 helix and the cytoplasmic subdomain with the subsequent formation of new interactions and the opening of the channel. These computational results are functionally validated using site-directed mutagenesis of the intracellular cytoplasmic domain residues and biochemical assays. The obtained results infer a complex network of interactions altering the structure of CorA to allow gating. Furthermore, we attempt to reconcile the existing gating hypotheses for CorA to conclude the mechanism of transport of divalent cations via these proteins.

Originele taal-2English
Pagina's (van-tot)2407-2417
Aantal pagina's11
TijdschriftJournal of chemical information and modeling
Volume61
Nummer van het tijdschrift5
Vroegere onlinedatum22-apr.-2021
DOI's
StatusPublished - jun.-2021

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