内皮素-1 在均匀流中构象改变的分子动力学模拟
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Endothelin-1 Conformational Changes within Uniform Flow
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摘要: 内皮素 ET-1(Endothelin-1)与其受体 ETA(Endothelin-A)和 ETB(Endothelin-B)的相互作用控制血管紧张度, 维持血压, 与心血管疾病关系密切。ET-1 与血管内皮的 ETB 结合介导血管舒张, 而与血管平滑肌的 ETA 和 ETB 结合则引起血管收缩。ET-1 只有在存在正常血流的体内实验才表现出明显的舒张活性, 且其结构具有柔性, 故推测血流的剪切应力可能控制了它的构象, 进而调控它与 ETB 的结合。文章利用流动分子动力学计算机模拟方法, 研究了均匀流中质心受约束的内皮素 ET-1 的构象。实验结果观察到该分子的羧基端往氨基端靠近, 整个分子变得紧凑。这个发现对研究 ET-1 与 ETB 的相互作用和设计基于 ET-1 的心血管药物将会有一定的指导意义。Abstract: Interactions of ET-1 (Endothelin-1) with its receptors ETA (Endothelin-A) and ETB (Endothelin-B) regulate the vascular tone, maintain the blood pressure, and are closely related to cardiovascular diseases. Binding of ET-1 with ETB in the vascular endothelium induces vasodilation, while binding with ETA and ETB in vascular smooth muscle results in vasoconstriction. Because ET-1 only induces vasodilation in vivo when the blood flow is present, we speculate that the shear stress of the blood flow may control the conformation of ET-1 through its structural flexibility, thus regulate its binding with ETB. By flow molecular dynamics simulation, the conformational changes of ET-1 in uniform flow were studied with its center of mass constrained. It is found that the C-terminal of ET-1 gets closer to the N-terminal in the simulation, resulting in a compact structure. This finding may provide guidance for the study on the interaction between ET-1 and ETB and the design of ET-1-based cardiovascular drugs.