细菌化学趋向性受体聚集体的相互作用

细菌化学趋向性受体的最小结构单元为二聚体,在细胞膜上这些二聚体会聚集成大团簇. X射线晶体结构和低分辨电镜结构测定表明,这些团簇有两类不同的形式,一种是在晶体结构中观察到的倒金字塔式二聚体的三聚体重复形成的聚集,另一种为由二聚体尾部相互盘绕形成的拉链状聚集. 有关拉链状聚集的详细分子模型目前尚不清楚. 本文使用蛋白质-蛋白质对接的方法研究了大肠杆菌丝氨酸化学趋向性受体Tsr 二聚体之间的相互作用. 分子对接计算表明,倒金字塔式聚集和拉链状聚集的基本复合物都是可以出现的,相应复合物的分子动力学模拟表明这些结构都具有一定的稳定性. 对于所获得的拉链状聚集体的基本复合物结构模型进行了详细的二聚体作用界面分析,发现二聚体间主要通过静电和疏水作用形成复合物,其中Arg388、Phe373 和Ile377是形成拉链状聚集的关键作用残基. 所建立的Tsr 拉链状聚集的结构模型有助于揭示细菌化学趋向性受体在细胞膜上聚集的分子机制,为进一步的聚集理论及模拟研究提供了基础.     

A population-level model from the microscopic dynamics in Escherichia coli chemotaxis via Langevin approximation

Recent extensive studies of Escherichia coli (E. coli) chemotaxis have achieved a deep understanding of its mi- croscopic control dynamics. As a result, various quantitatively predictive models have been developed to describe the chemotactic behavior of E. coli motion. However, a population-level partial differential equation (PDE) that rationally incorporates such microscopic dynamics is still insufficient. Apart from the traditional Keller-Segel (K-S) equation, many existing population-level models developed from the microscopic dynamics are integro-PDEs. The difficulty comes mainly from cell tumbles which yield a velocity jumping process. Here, we propose a Langevin approximation method that avoids such a difficulty without appreciable loss of precision. The resulting model not only quantitatively repro- duces the results of pathway-based single-cell simulators, but also provides new inside information on the mechanism of E. coli chemotaxis. Our study demonstrates a possible alternative in establishing a simple population-level model that allows for the complex microscopic mechanisms in bacterial chemotaxis.