Ligand-protein interactions are usually studied in complex media that also contain lipids. This is particularly relevant for membrane proteins that are always associated with lipid bilayers, but also for water-soluble proteins studied in in vivo conditions. This work addresses the following two questions: (i) How does the neglect of the lipid bilayer influence the apparent ligand-protein affinity? (ii) How can ...
Despite the large amounts of H2O2 generated in mammalian peroxisomes, cysteine residues of intraperoxisomal proteins are maintained in a reduced state. The biochemistry behind this phenomenon remains unexplored, and simple questions such as "is the peroxisomal membrane permeable to glutathione?" or "is there a thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase in the organelle matrix?" still have no answer. We used a cell-free in ...
The correct parametrization of lanthanide complexes is of the utmost importance for their characterization using computational tools such as molecular dynamics simulations. This allows the optimization of their properties for a wide range of applications, including medical imaging. Here we present a systematic study to establish the best strategies for the correct parametrization of lanthanide complexes using [...
Predicting the rate at which substances permeate membrane barriers in vivo is crucial for drug development. Permeability coefficients obtained from in vitro studies are valuable for this goal. These are normally determined by following the dynamics of solute equilibration between two membrane-separated compartments. However, the correct calculation of permeability coefficients from such data is not always strai...
The equilibrium distribution of small molecules (ligands) between binding agents in heterogeneous media is an important property that determines their activity. Heterogeneous systems containing proteins and lipid membranes are particularly relevant due to their prevalence in biological systems, and their importance to ligand distribution, which, in turn, is crucial to ligand’s availability and biological activi...
The system (PTTRS) formed by typical 2-Cys peroxiredoxins (Prx), thioredoxin (Trx), Trx reductase (TrxR), and sulfiredoxin (Srx) is central in antioxidant protection and redox signaling in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. Understanding how the PTTRS integrates these functions requires tracing phenotypes to molecular properties, which is non-trivial. Here we analyze this problem based on a model that captures ...
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a key signaling agent. Its best characterized signaling actions in mammalian cells involve the early oxidation of thiols in cytoplasmic phosphatases, kinases and transcription factors. However, these redox targets are orders of magnitude less H2O2-reactive and abundant than cytoplasmic peroxiredoxins. How can they be oxidized in a signaling time frame? Here we investigate this questi...
Background: The NADPH redox cycle plays a key role in antioxidant protection of human erythrocytes. It consists of two enzymes: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and glutathione reductase. Over 160 G6PD variants have been characterized and associated with several distinct clinical manifestations. However, the mechanistic link between the genotype and the phenotype remains poorly understood. Methodology/P...
Robustness of organisms is widely observed although difficult to precisely characterize. Performance can remain nearly constant within some neighborhood of the normal operating regime, leading to homeostasis, but then abruptly break down with pathological consequences beyond this neighborhood. Currently, there is no generic approach to identifying boundaries where local performance deteriorates abruptly, and th...