Effects of pH and aggregation in the human prion conversion into scrapie form: a study using molecular dynamics with excited normal modes.

There are two different prion conformations: (1) the cellular natural (PrPC) and (2) the scrapie (PrPSc), an infectious form that tends to aggregate under specific conditions. PrPC and PrPSc are widely different regarding secondary and tertiary structures. PrPSc contains more and longer ß-strands compared to PrPC. The lack of solved PrPSc structures precludes a proper understanding of the mechanisms related to the transition between cellular and scrapie forms, as well as the aggregation process. In order to investigate the conformational transition between PrPC and PrPSc, we applied MDeNM (molecular dynamics with excited normal modes), an enhanced sampling simulation technique that has been recently developed to probe large structural changes. These simulations yielded new structural rearrangements of the cellular prion that would have been difficult to obtain with standard MD simulations. We observed an increase in ß-sheet formation under low pH (≤ 4) and upon oligomerization, whose relevance was discussed on the basis of the energy landscape theory for protein folding. The characterization of intermediate structures corresponding to transition states allowed us to propose a conversion model from the cellular to the scrapie prion, which possibly ignites the fibril formation. This model can assist the design of new drugs to prevent neurological disorders related to the prion aggregation mechanism.

Structural and dynamic insights into the C-terminal extension of cysteine proteinase B from Leishmania amazonensis.

Cysteine proteinase B (CPB) is a significant virulence factor for Leishmania infections. Upon processing from its zymogen form, it happens a release of the immunomodulatory CPB C-terminal extension (cyspep) into the cytoplasm of the macrophage. Epitopes derived from this fragment were shown to influence the proportion of lymphocytes CD8+ upon infection, favoring the parasite escaping from the host́s immune system. At present, there is no available structural data of cyspep, which impairs a proper understanding of its biological functions. Here, we attempted to build molecular models for this fragment and subsequently evaluate their stabilities in aqueous solution from molecular dynamics simulations analysis. Characterization of our models obtained with distinct techniques (comparative modeling, threading, and ab initio) indicates a prevalence of ß-sheets in agreement with consensus secondary structure predictions. Simulation data supported this finding since the formation of new strands, along with a rapid disruption of helical content, were observed. Overall, this study provides a rationalization of epitope mapping data and an improved understanding of cyspep antigenicity.