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Molecules in Cell Membranes
Timr, Štěpán ; Jungwirth, Pavel (advisor) ; Böckman, Rainer (referee) ; Ettrich, Rüdiger (referee)
Biological membranes are actively involved in a multitude of processes in living cells; therefore, a detailed characterization of their structure, dynamics, and function is essential for an understanding of living organisms at the molecular level. In this work, we made use of the high spatial and temporal resolution offered by computer simulations to investigate the behavior of several molecular species which associate with cellular membranes. Using a combination of classical molecular dynamics simulations and ab initio electronic structure calculations, we were able to characterize nonlinear optical properties of membrane- embedded fluorescent probes and thus contribute to establishing two-photon polarization microscopy as a tool of structural biology. Moreover, our molecular dynamics simulations provided an atomistic picture of the reversible membrane binding of recoverin, a neuronal calcium-sensing protein involved in vision adaptation, and they also yielded an important insight into the mechanism of its calcium-induced myristoyl switch. In addition, we examined the biological role of cholesterol oxidation and compared two methods of representing transmembrane voltage in molecular dynamics simulations.
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Modeling interactions of proteins with ions and membranes
Kadlec, Jan ; Jungwirth, Pavel (advisor) ; Kolafa, Jiří (referee)
The protein recoverin, localized in the eye in the rod outer segment of the retina, is a neuronal calcium sensor involved in vision adaptation. Recoverin reversibly associates with cellular membranes via its calcium-activated myristoyl switch. This reversible interaction is vastly dependent on the concentration of calcium ions in the cytosol and on conformation of recoverin. By using methods of molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations this work presents a detailed analysis of the energetics of myristoyl insertion into a lipid bilayer and interactions of non-myristoylated recoverin with the membrane. These results are in a perfect agreement with experimental data. The thesis provides a piece of puzzle to the so far unexplored mechanism of myristamide insertion into the membrane and also to recoverin conformational change. It gives an important insight into binding of recoverin to a membrane, which has a significant biological role.
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Modeling interactions of proteins with ions and membranes
Kadlec, Jan ; Jungwirth, Pavel (advisor) ; Kolafa, Jiří (referee)
The protein recoverin, localized in the eye in the rod outer segment of the retina, is a neuronal calcium sensor involved in vision adaptation. Recoverin reversibly associates with cellular membranes via its calcium-activated myristoyl switch. This reversible interaction is vastly dependent on the concentration of calcium ions in the cytosol and on conformation of recoverin. By using methods of molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations this work presents a detailed analysis of the energetics of myristoyl insertion into a lipid bilayer and interactions of non-myristoylated recoverin with the membrane. These results are in a perfect agreement with experimental data. The thesis provides a piece of puzzle to the so far unexplored mechanism of myristamide insertion into the membrane and also to recoverin conformational change. It gives an important insight into binding of recoverin to a membrane, which has a significant biological role.
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Molecules in Cell Membranes
Timr, Štěpán ; Jungwirth, Pavel (advisor) ; Böckman, Rainer (referee) ; Ettrich, Rüdiger (referee)
Biological membranes are actively involved in a multitude of processes in living cells; therefore, a detailed characterization of their structure, dynamics, and function is essential for an understanding of living organisms at the molecular level. In this work, we made use of the high spatial and temporal resolution offered by computer simulations to investigate the behavior of several molecular species which associate with cellular membranes. Using a combination of classical molecular dynamics simulations and ab initio electronic structure calculations, we were able to characterize nonlinear optical properties of membrane- embedded fluorescent probes and thus contribute to establishing two-photon polarization microscopy as a tool of structural biology. Moreover, our molecular dynamics simulations provided an atomistic picture of the reversible membrane binding of recoverin, a neuronal calcium-sensing protein involved in vision adaptation, and they also yielded an important insight into the mechanism of its calcium-induced myristoyl switch. In addition, we examined the biological role of cholesterol oxidation and compared two methods of representing transmembrane voltage in molecular dynamics simulations.
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