We performed coarse-grained computer simulations using MARTINI force field to study the difference in the self-assembly and possible pore creation in DPPC phospholipid membranes by two different antimicrobial peptides: magainin-2 and melittin. Simulations showed that magainin-2 peptides create large sized disordered toroidal pores that allow easy water permeation across them. Melittin assemblies contain peptides in U-shaped conformations that, although creating holes in membranes, block effectively the passage of water. These observed structures are consistent with the dye efflux experiments performed on vesicles exposed to solutions containing antimicrobial peptides.

We used MARTINI coarse-grained force field to study poration of a lipid bilayer by a shock wave induced nanobubble collapse. Different systems containing different sized nanobubbles that were exposed to shock waves propagating with different velocities were simulated. We observed creation of pores and damage to bilayers and also subsequent pore closing and the bilayer recovery after shock wave passed the bilayer. In all our systems where bilayers were damaged, they recovered; nevertheless we observed that a large amount of water crossed the pore that was temporarily created. We also observed that not every lipid molecule remained in the bilayer after recovery, some lipids moved out into water and created micelles.

No abstract

To study the interaction between melittin peptides and lipid bilayer, we performed coarse-grained simulations on systems containing melittin interacting with a bilayer containing zwitterionic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and anionic palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol (POPG) phospholipids in a 7:3 ratio. Eight different systems were considered: four at low and four at high peptide to lipid (P/L) ratios. In case of low P/L ratio we did not observe any pore creation in the bilayer. In two out of four of the simulations with the high P/L ratio, appearance of transient pores in the bilayer was observed. These pores were created due to an assembly of 3-5 melittin peptides. Not all of the peptides in the pores were in a transmembrane conformation; many of them had their termini residues anchored to the same leaflet, and these peptides assumed bent, U-shaped, conformations. We propose that when an assembly of melittin peptides creates pores, such an assembly acts as a "wedge" that splits the bilayer. To get a more detailed description of melittin on the bilayer surface and in transient pores, we performed coarse-grained to united-atom scale transformations and after that performed 50 ns molecular dynamics simulations using the united atom description of the systems. While these simulations did not show much of the change in the pore structure during the 50 ns time interval, they clearly showed the presence of water in the transient pores. The appearance of transient pores together with the translocation of peptides across the membranes is consistent with the mechanism proposed to explain graded dye leakage from large vesicles in the presence of melittin.

We used molecular dynamics simulations to study creation of pores in lipid bilayer membranes by inducing shock waves in systems containing arrays of nanobubbles next to these membranes. Shock waves impinged on the bubbles imploding them and produced nanojets that subsequently hit the bilayers making pores in them. Our simulations were performed using the MARTINI coarse-grained force field. The emphasis in our study was on the interaction of shock waves with two-bubble arrays when the bubbles were placed in different alignments. We observed that the largest damage to the bilayer was produced when two bubbles were positioned in a serial alignment and the bubbles touched each other. When two touching each other bubbles were located parallel to the membrane surface and at the same distance from the surface, the membrane damage was reduced, compared to the damage done by explosion of two independent nanobubbles. When two nanobubbles were placed in slanted configurations, the damage was intermediate between damages produced by two bubbles in parallel or serial alignment. Damage to the membrane produced by arrays containing more than two bubbles can be understood as a combination of damage produced by all three alignments of two bubbles.