Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the miR-155 Duplex: Impact of Ionic Strength on Structure and Na+ and Cl- Ion Distribution.
Molecules
; 29(17)2024 Sep 07.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39275094
ABSTRACT
MiR-155 is a multifunctional microRNA involved in many biological processes. Since miR-155 is overexpressed in several pathologies, its detection deserves high interest in clinical diagnostics. Biosensing approaches often exploit the hybridization of miR-155 with its complementary strand. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were applied to investigate the complex formed by miR-155 and its complementary strand in aqueous solution with Na+ and Cl- ions at ionic strengths in the 100-400 mM range, conditions commonly used in biosensing experiments. We found that the main structural properties of the duplex are preserved at all the investigated ionic strengths. The radial distribution functions of both Na+ and Cl- ions around the duplex show deviation from those of bulk with peaks whose relative intensity depends on the ionic strength. The number of ions monitored as a function of the distance from the duplex reveals a behavior reminiscent of the counterion condensation near the duplex surface. The occurrence of such a phenomenon could affect the Debye length with possible effects on the sensitivity in biosensing experiments.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Sodio
/
MicroARNs
/
Simulación de Dinámica Molecular
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Molecules
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia
Pais de publicación:
Suiza