Pro-apoptotic Bax induces mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) by forming oligomers through a largely undefined process. Using site-specific disulfide crosslinking, compartment-specific chemical labeling, and mutational analysis, we found that activated integral membrane Bax proteins form a BH3-in-groove dimer interface on the MOM surface similar to that observed in crystals. However, after the a5 helix was released into the MOM, the remaining interface with a2, a3, and a4 helices was rearranged. Another dimer interface was formed inside the MOM by two intersected or parallel a9 helices. Combinations of these interfaces generated oligomers in the MOM. Oligomerization was initiated by BH3-in-groove dimerization, without which neither the other dimerizations nor MOMP occurred. In contrast, a9 dimerization occurred downstream and was required for release of large but not small proteins from mitochondria. Moreover, the release of large proteins was facilitated by a9 insertion into the MOM and localization to the pore rim. Therefore, the BH3-in-groove dimerization on the MOM nucleates the assembly of an oligomeric Bax pore that is enlarged by a9 dimerization at the rim.

The orientation of an antibody plays an important role in the development of immunosensors. Protein G is an antibody binding protein, which specifically targets the Fc fragment of an antibody. In this work, the orientation of prototypical and mutated protein G B1 adsorbed on positively and negatively charged self-assembled monolayers was studied by parallel tempering Monte Carlo and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Both methods present generally similar orientation distributions of protein G B1 for each kind of surface. The root-mean-square deviation, DSSP, gyration radius, eccentricity, dipole moment, and superimposed structures of protein G B1 were analyzed. Moreover, the orientation of binding antibody was also predicted in this work. Simulation results show that with the same orientation trends, the mutant exhibits narrower orientation distributions than does the prototype, which was mainly caused by the stronger dipole of the mutant. Both kinds of proteins adsorbed on charged surfaces were induced by the competition of electrostatic interaction and vdW interaction; the electrostatic interaction energy dominated the adsorption behavior. The protein adsorption was also largely affected by the distribution of charged residues within the proteins. Thus, the prototype could adsorb on a negatively charged surface, although it keeps a net charge of -4 e. The mutant has imperfect opposite orientation when it adsorbed on oppositely charged surfaces. For the mutant on a carboxyl-functionalized self-assembled monolayer (COOH-SAM), the orientation was the same as that inferred by experiments. While for the mutant on amine-functionalized self-assembled monolayer (NH2-SAM), the orientation was induced by the competition between attractive interactions (led by ASP40 and GLU56) and repulsive interactions (led by LYS10); thus, the perfect opposite orientation could not be obtained. On both surfaces, the adsorbed protein could retain its native conformation. The desired orientation of protein G B1, which would increase the efficiency of binding antibodies, could be obtained on a negatively charged surface adsorbed with the prototype. Further, we deduced that with the packing density of 12,076 protein G B1 domain per μm(2), the efficiency of the binding IgG would be maximized. The simulation results could be applied to control the orientation of protein G B1 in experiments and to provide a better understanding to maximize the efficiency of antibody binding.

As an environment-dependent pleiotropic gene regulator in Gram-negative bacteria, the H-NS protein is crucial for adaptation and toxicity control of human pathogens such as Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae or enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Changes in temperature affect the capacity of H-NS to form multimers that condense DNA and restrict gene expression. However, the molecular mechanism through which H-NS senses temperature and other physiochemical parameters remains unclear and controversial. Combining structural, biophysical and computational analyses, we show that human body temperature promotes unfolding of the central dimerization domain, breaking up H-NS multimers. This unfolding event enables an autoinhibitory compact H-NS conformation that blocks DNA binding. Our integrative approach provides the molecular basis for H-NS–mediated environment-sensing and may open new avenues for the control of pathogenic multi-drug resistant bacteria.

The Src kinase controls aspects of cell biology and its activity is regulated by intramolecular structural changes induced by protein interactions and tyrosine phosphorylation. Recent studies indicate that Src is additionally regulated by redox-dependent mechanisms, involving oxidative modification(s) of cysteines within the Src protein, although the nature and molecular-level impact of Src cysteine oxidation are unknown. Using a combination of biochemical and cell-based studies, we establish the critical importance of two Src cysteine residues, Cys-185 and Cys-277, as targets for H2O2-mediated sulfenylation (Cys-SOH) in redox-dependent kinase activation in response to NADPH oxidase-dependent signaling. Molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations reveal the structural impact of sulfenylation of these cysteines, indicating that Cys-277-SOH enables solvent exposure of Tyr-416 to promote its (auto)phosphorylation, and that Cys-185-SOH destabilizes pTyr-527 binding to the SH2 domain. These redox-dependent Src activation mechanisms offer opportunities for development of Src-selective inhibitors in treatment of diseases where Src is aberrantly activated.

As colloidal self-assembly increasingly approaches the complexity of natural systems, an ongoing challenge is to generate non-centrosymmetric structures. For example, patchy, Janus or living crystallization particles have significantly advanced the area of polymer assembly. It has remained difficult, however, to devise polymer particles that associate in a directional manner, with controlled valency and recognition motifs. Here, we present a method to transfer DNA patterns from a DNA cage to a polymeric nanoparticle encapsulated inside the cage in three dimensions. The resulting DNA-imprinted particles (DIPs), which are 'moulded' on the inside of the DNA cage, consist of a monodisperse crosslinked polymer core with a predetermined pattern of different DNA strands covalently 'printed' on their exterior, and further assemble with programmability and directionality. The number, orientation and sequence of DNA strands grafted onto the polymeric core can be controlled during the process, and the strands are addressable independently of each other.