Understanding interactions of calcium with lipid membranes at the molecular level is of great importance in light of their involvement in calcium signaling, association of proteins with cellular membranes, and membrane fusion. We quantify these interactions in detail by employing a combination of spectroscopic methods with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Namely, time-resolved fluorescent spectroscopy of lipid vesicles and vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy of lipid monolayers are used to characterize local binding sites of calcium in zwitterionic and anionic model lipid assemblies, while dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements are employed for macroscopic characterization of lipid vesicles in calcium-containing environments. To gain additional atomic-level information, the experiments are complemented by molecular simulations that utilize an accurate force field for calcium ions with scaled charges effectively accounting for electronic polarization effects. We demonstrate that lipid membranes have substantial calcium-binding capacity, with several types of binding sites present. Significantly, the binding mode depends on calcium concentration with important implications for calcium buffering, synaptic plasticity, and protein-membrane association.

Adsorption of metal cations onto a cellular membrane changes its properties, such as interactions with charged moieties or the propensity for membrane fusion. It is, however, unclear whether cells can regulate ion adsorption and the related functions via locally adjusting their membrane composition. We employed fluorescence techniques and computer simulations to determine how the presence of cholesterol-a key molecule inducing membrane heterogeneity-affects the adsorption of sodium and calcium onto zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine bilayers. We found that the transient adsorption of sodium is dependent on the number of phosphatidylcholine head groups, while the strong surface binding of calcium is determined by the available surface area of the membrane. Cholesterol thus does not affect sodium adsorption and only plays an indirect role in modulating the adsorption of calcium by increasing the total surface area of the membrane. These observations also indicate how lateral lipid heterogeneity can regulate various ion-induced processes including adsorption of peripheral proteins, nanoparticles, and other molecules onto membranes.

Antibiotics that use novel mechanisms are needed to combat antimicrobial resistance1–3. Teixobactin4 represents a new class of antibiotics with a unique chemical scaffold and lack of detectable resistance. Teixobactin targets lipid II, a precursor of peptidoglycan5. Here we unravel the mechanism of teixobactin at the atomic level using a combination of solid-state NMR, microscopy, in vivo assays and molecular dynamics simulations. The unique enduracididine C-terminal headgroup of teixobactin specifically binds to the pyrophosphate-sugar moiety of lipid II, whereas the N terminus coordinates the pyrophosphate of another lipid II molecule. This configuration favours the formation of a β-sheet of teixobactins bound to the target, creating a supramolecular fibrillar structure. Specific binding to the conserved pyrophosphate-sugar moiety accounts for the lack of resistance to teixobactin4. The supramolecular structure compromises membrane integrity. Atomic force microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations show that the supramolecular structure displaces phospholipids, thinning the membrane. The long hydrophobic tails of lipid II concentrated within the supramolecular structure apparently contribute to membrane disruption. Teixobactin hijacks lipid II to help destroy the membrane. Known membrane-acting antibiotics also damage human cells, producing undesirable side effects. Teixobactin damages only membranes that contain lipid II, which is absent in eukaryotes, elegantly resolving the toxicity problem. The two-pronged action against cell wall synthesis and cytoplasmic membrane produces a highly effective compound targeting the bacterial cell envelope. Structural knowledge of the mechanism of teixobactin will enable the rational design of improved drug candidates.

Determination of the saccharide structure in solution is a laborious process that can be significantly enhanced by optical spectroscopies. Raman optical activity (ROA) spectra are particularly sensitive to the chirality and conformation. However, the interpretation of them is largely dependent on computational tools providing a limited precision only. To understand the limitations and the link between spectral shapes and the structure, in the present study we measured and interpreted using a combination of molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) Raman and ROA spectra of glucose and mannose solutions. Factors important for analyses of mixtures of conformers, anomers, and different monosaccharides are discussed as well. The accuracy of the simulations was found to be strongly dependent on the quality of the hydration model; the dielectric continuum solvent model provided lower accuracy than averaging of many solvent-solute clusters. This was due to different conformer weighting rather than direct involvement of water molecules in scattering recorded as ROA. However, the cluster-based simulations also failed to correctly reproduce the ratios of principal monosaccharide forms. The best results were obtained by a combined MD/DFT simulation, with the ratio of α- and β-anomers and the -CH2OH group rotamers determined experimentally by NMR. Then a decomposition of experimental spectra into calculated subspectra provided realistic results even for the glucose and mannose mixtures. Raman spectra decomposition provided a better overall accuracy (∼5%) than ROA (∼10%). The combination of vibrational spectroscopy with theoretical simulations represents a powerful tool for analysing the saccharide structure. Conversely, the ROA and Raman data can be used to verify the quality of MD force fields and other parameters of computational modeling.