Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations

Gluten protein crosslinking is a predetermined process where specific intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds differ depending on the protein and cysteine motif. In this article, all-atom Monte Carlo simulations were used to understand the formation of disulfide bonds in gliadins and low molecular...

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Main Authors: Joel Markgren, Mikael Hedenqvist, Faiza Rasheed, Marie Skepö, Eva Johansson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Biomolecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/8/1095
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author Joel Markgren
Mikael Hedenqvist
Faiza Rasheed
Marie Skepö
Eva Johansson
author_facet Joel Markgren
Mikael Hedenqvist
Faiza Rasheed
Marie Skepö
Eva Johansson
author_sort Joel Markgren
collection DOAJ
description Gluten protein crosslinking is a predetermined process where specific intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds differ depending on the protein and cysteine motif. In this article, all-atom Monte Carlo simulations were used to understand the formation of disulfide bonds in gliadins and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). The two intrinsically disordered proteins appeared to contain mostly turns and loops and showed “self-avoiding walk” behavior in water. Cysteine residues involved in intramolecular disulfide bonds were located next to hydrophobic peptide sections in the primary sequence. Hydrophobicity of neighboring peptide sections, synthesis chronology, and amino acid chain flexibility were identified as important factors in securing the specificity of intramolecular disulfide bonds formed directly after synthesis. The two LMW-GS cysteine residues that form intermolecular disulfide bonds were positioned next to peptide sections of lower hydrophobicity, and these cysteine residues are more exposed to the cytosolic conditions, which influence the crosslinking behavior. In addition, coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the protein folding is independent of ionic strength. The potential molecular behavior associated with disulfide bonds, as reported here, increases the biological understanding of seed storage protein function and provides opportunities to tailor their functional properties for different applications.
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spelling doaj.art-38712d4cabbe430892648884b51ea5682023-11-20T07:42:11ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2020-07-01108109510.3390/biom10081095Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo SimulationsJoel Markgren0Mikael Hedenqvist1Faiza Rasheed2Marie Skepö3Eva Johansson4Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 101, SE-230 53 Alnarp, SwedenDepartment of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, SwedenTheoretical Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, SwedenDepartment of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 101, SE-230 53 Alnarp, SwedenGluten protein crosslinking is a predetermined process where specific intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds differ depending on the protein and cysteine motif. In this article, all-atom Monte Carlo simulations were used to understand the formation of disulfide bonds in gliadins and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). The two intrinsically disordered proteins appeared to contain mostly turns and loops and showed “self-avoiding walk” behavior in water. Cysteine residues involved in intramolecular disulfide bonds were located next to hydrophobic peptide sections in the primary sequence. Hydrophobicity of neighboring peptide sections, synthesis chronology, and amino acid chain flexibility were identified as important factors in securing the specificity of intramolecular disulfide bonds formed directly after synthesis. The two LMW-GS cysteine residues that form intermolecular disulfide bonds were positioned next to peptide sections of lower hydrophobicity, and these cysteine residues are more exposed to the cytosolic conditions, which influence the crosslinking behavior. In addition, coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the protein folding is independent of ionic strength. The potential molecular behavior associated with disulfide bonds, as reported here, increases the biological understanding of seed storage protein function and provides opportunities to tailor their functional properties for different applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/8/1095modelingintrinsically disordered proteinsglutendisulfide bondscysteineprolamin
spellingShingle Joel Markgren
Mikael Hedenqvist
Faiza Rasheed
Marie Skepö
Eva Johansson
Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations
Biomolecules
modeling
intrinsically disordered proteins
gluten
disulfide bonds
cysteine
prolamin
title Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations
title_full Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations
title_fullStr Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations
title_full_unstemmed Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations
title_short Glutenin and Gliadin, a Piece in the Puzzle of their Structural Properties in the Cell Described through Monte Carlo Simulations
title_sort glutenin and gliadin a piece in the puzzle of their structural properties in the cell described through monte carlo simulations
topic modeling
intrinsically disordered proteins
gluten
disulfide bonds
cysteine
prolamin
url https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/8/1095
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