Distinction in Binding of Peptides (P2E) and Its Mutations (P2G, P2Q) to a Graphene Sheet via a Hierarchical Coarse-Grained Monte Carlo Simulation

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-28-2013

Department

Physics and Astronomy

School

Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Abstract

A hierarchical coarse-grained approach is used to study the binding of peptides (P2E: (1)E(2)P(3)L(4)Q(5)L(6)K(7)M) and variants (P2G: (1)G(2)P(3)L(4)Q(5)L(6)K(7)M and P2Q: (1)Q(2)L(3)P(4)M(5)E(6)K(7)L) with a graphene sheet. Simulation-based residue-substrate and hydropathy index-based residue-residue interaction is used as input to a phenomenological interaction potential for peptide chains to execute the stochastic motion with a graphene sheet at the center of a box. Large-scale Monte Carlo simulations are performed at a range (low to high) of temperatures to identify peptides binding with the graphene sheet with a constant peptide concentration (C-p = 0.01). A number of local (energy, mobility, and substrate contact profiles) and global (density profiles, mean square displacement of the center of mass of a peptide and its radius of gyration) physical quantities are examined to monitor the patterns. We find that each peptide can bind to a graphene sheet at low temperatures but the residues that can anchor their binding vary among these three peptides. For example, P2E is anchored by E-1, (4)Q, and K-6, P2Q by (1)Q, E-5, and K-6, and P2G by nearly all its residues with about the same strength except (1)G and P-2. The site-specific binding is reflected in the thermal response of the radius of gyration of the peptides. Despite the lack of a large difference in binding patterns, a systematic variation in radius of gyration and surface binding profile with the temperature reveals the distinction in their binding: the probability of P2E binding is the highest and that of P2G is the lowest. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Publication Title

Journal of Chemical Physics

Volume

139

Issue

16

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