Mapping Cholesterol Interaction Sites on Serotonin Transporter through Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics.

Autor: Mariarosaria Ferraro, Matteo Masetti, Maurizio Recanatini, Andrea Cavalli, Giovanni Bottegoni
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS ONE, Vol 11, Iss 12, p e0166196 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166196
Popis: Serotonin transporter (SERT) modulates serotonergic signaling via re-uptake of serotonin in pre-synaptic cells. The inclusion in cholesterol-enriched membrane domains is crucial for SERT activity, suggesting a cross-talk between the protein and the sterol. Here, we develop a protocol to identify potential cholesterol interaction sites coupling statistical analysis to multi-microsecond coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of SERT in a previously validated raft-like membrane model. Six putative sites were found, including a putative CRAC motif on TM4 and a CARC motif on TM10. Among them, four hot-spots near regions related to ion binding, transport, and inhibition were detected. Our results encourage prospective studies to unravel mechanistic features of the transporter and related drug discovery implications.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals