Structural Basis of the Tensile Strength of Protein Complexes Mediating Cell Adhesion
Bayas, Marco Vinicio
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/85446
Description
Title
Structural Basis of the Tensile Strength of Protein Complexes Mediating Cell Adhesion
Author(s)
Bayas, Marco Vinicio
Issue Date
2005
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Deborah Leckband
Department of Study
Biophysics and Computational Biology
Discipline
Biophysics and Computational Biology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Physics, Molecular
Language
eng
Abstract
This study explores the behaviour of adhesive complexes of cell adhesion molecules undergoing forced detachment. Molecular-forces measurements combined with Steered Molecular Dynamic (SMD) simulations were used to investigate the mechanical response of the CD2 C58 and hemophilic C-cadherin bonds. The CD2-CD58 adhesive complex, important for the adaptive immune response, contains several salt-bridges in the adhesive interface. SMD simulations showed that these inter-protein salt bridges contribute independently to the tensile strength of the complex. Consistent with this, force measurements with the Surface Force Apparatus (SFA) demonstrated that the elimination of single salt bridges weakens the bond. The corresponding loss in adhesion energy of the CD2-CD58 complex correlates with the importance of the salt bridges observed in the simulations. These findings correlate closely with the effect of the elimination of single salt bridges observed in cell aggregation assays and binding measurements. On the other hand, the hemophilic C-cadherin interaction determines specific cell-cell adhesion during development in Xenopus laevis . Single molecule force spectroscopy was used to characterize the multiple bound states between C-cadherin ectodomains. The experiments showed two short-lived bound states associated with the two outermost ectodomains and two long-lived states associated with the full ectodomain. It is likely that the two short-lived states are involved in the specificity of the interaction since previous studies showed that the corresponding states in E-cadherin have different lifetimes. In addition, SMD simulations of the forced dissociation of the strand dieter of C-cadherin suggested a mechanism for the specificity of cadherin interactions.
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