G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are embedded in phospholipids that strongly influence drug-st... more G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are embedded in phospholipids that strongly influence drug-stimulated signaling. Anionic lipids are particularly important for GPCR signaling complex formation, but a mechanism for this role is not understood. Using NMR spectroscopy, we visualized the impact of anionic lipids on the function-related conformational equilibria of the human A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) in bilayers containing defined mixtures of zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids. Anionic lipids primed the receptor to form complexes with G proteins through a conformational selection process. Without anionic lipids, signaling complex formation proceeded through a less favorable induced fit mechanism. In computational models, anionic lipids mimicked interactions between a G protein and positively charged residues in A2AAR at the receptor intracellular surface, stabilizing a pre-activated receptor conformation. Replacing these residues strikingly altered the receptor response to an...
This thesis reports on molecular simulations of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (plgic s) in... more This thesis reports on molecular simulations of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (plgic s) in both model and quasi-realistic membranes. The goal is to identify specific plgic~boundary lipids, how they are distributed around a plgic's transmembrane domain (TMD), and predict specific lipid binding affinities. To accomplish this we use coarse grained molecular dynamics simulation (CGMD). We present four projects examining plgic s in a series of model and quasi-native membranes.For project one, we determine which lipid domain a achr~resides in through nearest neighbor analysis and boundary lipid enrichment across membrane compositions, and predict boundary lipid distributions for multiple membranes consisting of PUFAs, saturated lipids, and cholesterol. In the second project we expand on project one by simulating achr s in non-domain forming membranes containing the same acyl-chain fractions but different lipid topologies. Comparing the previous domain and current non-domain for...
Paper published as part of the special topic on Special Collection in Honor of Women in Chemical ... more Paper published as part of the special topic on Special Collection in Honor of Women in Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN The role of plasmalogens, Forssman lipids, and sphingolipid hydroxylation in modulating the biophysical properties of the epithelial plasma membrane
Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are essential determinants of synaptic transmission... more Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are essential determinants of synaptic transmission, and are modulated by specific lipids including anionic phospholipids. The exact modulatory effect of anionic phospholipids in pLGICs and the mechanism of this effect are not well understood. Using native mass spectrometry, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and functional assays, we show that the anionic phospholipid, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG), preferentially binds to and stabilizes the pLGIC, Erwinia ligand-gated ion channel (ELIC), and decreases ELIC desensitization. Mutations of five arginines located in the interfacial regions of the transmembrane domain (TMD) reduce POPG binding, and a subset of these mutations increase ELIC desensitization. In contrast, the L240A mutant known to decrease ELIC desensitization, increases POPG binding. The results support a mechanism by which POPG stabilizes the open state of ELIC relative to the desensitized state ...
At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) self-associates... more At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) self-associates to give rise to rapid muscle movement. While lipid domains have maintained nAChR aggregates in-vitro, their specific roles in nAChR clustering are currently unknown. In the present study, we carried out coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations (CG-MD) of 1-4 nAChR molecules in two membrane environments: One mixture containing domainforming, homoacidic lipids, and a second mixture consisting of heteroacidic lipids. Spontaneous dimerization of nAChRs was up to ten times more likely in domain-forming membranes; however, the effect was not significant in fourprotein systems, suggesting that lipid domains are less critical to nAChR oligomerization when protein concentration is higher. With regard to lipid preferences, nAChRs consistently partitioned into liquid-disordered domains occupied by the omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acid, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); enrichment of DHA boundary lipids increased with protein concentration, particularly in homoacidic membranes. This result suggests dimer formation blocks access of saturated chains and cholesterol, but not polyunsaturated chains, to boundary lipid sites.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 2019
Reconstituted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) exhibit significant gain-of-function upo... more Reconstituted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) exhibit significant gain-of-function upon addition of cholesterol to reconstitution mixtures, and cholesterol affects organization of nAChRs within domain-forming membranes, but whether nAChR partitions to cholesterol-rich liquid-ordered ("raft" or l o) domains or cholesterol-poor liquiddisordered (l do) domains is unknown. We use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to observe spontaneous interactions of cholesterol, saturated lipids, and polyunsaturated (PUFA) lipids with nAChRs. In binary Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine:Cholesterol (DPPC:CHOL) mixtures, both CHOL and DPPC acyl chains were observed spontaneously entering deep "non-annular" cavities in the nAChR TMD, particularly at the subunit interface and the β subunit center, facilitated by the low amino acid density in the cryo-EM structure of nAChR in a native membrane. Cholesterol was highly enriched in the annulus around the TMD, but this effect extended over (at most) 5-10Å. In domain-forming ternary mixtures containing PUFAs, the presence of a single receptor did not significantly affect the likelihood of domain formation. nAChR partitioned to any cholesterol-poor l do domain that was present, regardless of whether the l do or l o domain lipids had PC or PE headgroups. Enrichment of PUFAs among boundary lipids was positively correlated with their propensity for demixing from cholesterol-rich phases. Long n − 3 chains (tested here with Docosahexaenoic Acid, DHA) were highly enriched in annular and non-annular embedded sites, partially displacing cholesterol and completely displacing DPPC, and occupying sites even deeper within the bundle. Shorter n − 6 chains were far less effective at displacing cholesterol from non-annular sites.
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are embedded in phospholipids that strongly influence drug-st... more G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are embedded in phospholipids that strongly influence drug-stimulated signaling. Anionic lipids are particularly important for GPCR signaling complex formation, but a mechanism for this role is not understood. Using NMR spectroscopy, we visualized the impact of anionic lipids on the function-related conformational equilibria of the human A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) in bilayers containing defined mixtures of zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids. Anionic lipids primed the receptor to form complexes with G proteins through a conformational selection process. Without anionic lipids, signaling complex formation proceeded through a less favorable induced fit mechanism. In computational models, anionic lipids mimicked interactions between a G protein and positively charged residues in A2AAR at the receptor intracellular surface, stabilizing a pre-activated receptor conformation. Replacing these residues strikingly altered the receptor response to an...
This thesis reports on molecular simulations of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (plgic s) in... more This thesis reports on molecular simulations of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (plgic s) in both model and quasi-realistic membranes. The goal is to identify specific plgic~boundary lipids, how they are distributed around a plgic's transmembrane domain (TMD), and predict specific lipid binding affinities. To accomplish this we use coarse grained molecular dynamics simulation (CGMD). We present four projects examining plgic s in a series of model and quasi-native membranes.For project one, we determine which lipid domain a achr~resides in through nearest neighbor analysis and boundary lipid enrichment across membrane compositions, and predict boundary lipid distributions for multiple membranes consisting of PUFAs, saturated lipids, and cholesterol. In the second project we expand on project one by simulating achr s in non-domain forming membranes containing the same acyl-chain fractions but different lipid topologies. Comparing the previous domain and current non-domain for...
Paper published as part of the special topic on Special Collection in Honor of Women in Chemical ... more Paper published as part of the special topic on Special Collection in Honor of Women in Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN The role of plasmalogens, Forssman lipids, and sphingolipid hydroxylation in modulating the biophysical properties of the epithelial plasma membrane
Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are essential determinants of synaptic transmission... more Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are essential determinants of synaptic transmission, and are modulated by specific lipids including anionic phospholipids. The exact modulatory effect of anionic phospholipids in pLGICs and the mechanism of this effect are not well understood. Using native mass spectrometry, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and functional assays, we show that the anionic phospholipid, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG), preferentially binds to and stabilizes the pLGIC, Erwinia ligand-gated ion channel (ELIC), and decreases ELIC desensitization. Mutations of five arginines located in the interfacial regions of the transmembrane domain (TMD) reduce POPG binding, and a subset of these mutations increase ELIC desensitization. In contrast, the L240A mutant known to decrease ELIC desensitization, increases POPG binding. The results support a mechanism by which POPG stabilizes the open state of ELIC relative to the desensitized state ...
At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) self-associates... more At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) self-associates to give rise to rapid muscle movement. While lipid domains have maintained nAChR aggregates in-vitro, their specific roles in nAChR clustering are currently unknown. In the present study, we carried out coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations (CG-MD) of 1-4 nAChR molecules in two membrane environments: One mixture containing domainforming, homoacidic lipids, and a second mixture consisting of heteroacidic lipids. Spontaneous dimerization of nAChRs was up to ten times more likely in domain-forming membranes; however, the effect was not significant in fourprotein systems, suggesting that lipid domains are less critical to nAChR oligomerization when protein concentration is higher. With regard to lipid preferences, nAChRs consistently partitioned into liquid-disordered domains occupied by the omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acid, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); enrichment of DHA boundary lipids increased with protein concentration, particularly in homoacidic membranes. This result suggests dimer formation blocks access of saturated chains and cholesterol, but not polyunsaturated chains, to boundary lipid sites.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 2019
Reconstituted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) exhibit significant gain-of-function upo... more Reconstituted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) exhibit significant gain-of-function upon addition of cholesterol to reconstitution mixtures, and cholesterol affects organization of nAChRs within domain-forming membranes, but whether nAChR partitions to cholesterol-rich liquid-ordered ("raft" or l o) domains or cholesterol-poor liquiddisordered (l do) domains is unknown. We use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to observe spontaneous interactions of cholesterol, saturated lipids, and polyunsaturated (PUFA) lipids with nAChRs. In binary Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine:Cholesterol (DPPC:CHOL) mixtures, both CHOL and DPPC acyl chains were observed spontaneously entering deep "non-annular" cavities in the nAChR TMD, particularly at the subunit interface and the β subunit center, facilitated by the low amino acid density in the cryo-EM structure of nAChR in a native membrane. Cholesterol was highly enriched in the annulus around the TMD, but this effect extended over (at most) 5-10Å. In domain-forming ternary mixtures containing PUFAs, the presence of a single receptor did not significantly affect the likelihood of domain formation. nAChR partitioned to any cholesterol-poor l do domain that was present, regardless of whether the l do or l o domain lipids had PC or PE headgroups. Enrichment of PUFAs among boundary lipids was positively correlated with their propensity for demixing from cholesterol-rich phases. Long n − 3 chains (tested here with Docosahexaenoic Acid, DHA) were highly enriched in annular and non-annular embedded sites, partially displacing cholesterol and completely displacing DPPC, and occupying sites even deeper within the bundle. Shorter n − 6 chains were far less effective at displacing cholesterol from non-annular sites.
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Papers by Liam Sharp