skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: An Atomistic Investigation of Adsorption of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 on Gold with Nanoscale Topographies
Nanoscale surface topographies mediated with biochemical cues influence the differentiation of stem cells into different lineages. This research focuses on the adsorption behavior of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) on nanopatterned gold substrates, which can aid in the differentiation of bone and cartilage tissue constructs. The gold substrates were patterned as flat, pillar, linear grating, and linear-grating deep based, and the BMP-2 conformation in end-on configuration was studied over 20 ns. The linear grating deep substrate pattern had the highest adsorption energy of around 125 kJ/mol and maintained its radius of gyration of 18.5 Å, indicating a stable adsorption behavior. Secondary structures including α-helix and β-sheet displayed no denaturation, and thus, the bioavailability of the BMP-2, for the deep linear-grating pattern. Ramachandran plots for the wrist and knuckle epitopes indicated no steric hindrances and provided binding sites to type I and type II receptors. The deep linear-grating substrate had the highest number of contacts (88 atoms) within 5 Å of the gold substrate, indicating its preferred nanoscale pattern choice among the substrates considered. This research provides new insights into the atomistic adsorption of BMP-2 on nanoscale topographies of a gold substrate, with applications in biomedical implants and regenerative medicine.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2100739
PAR ID:
10338162
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Surfaces
Volume:
5
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2571-9637
Page Range / eLocation ID:
176 to 185
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The interaction between bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and the surface of biomaterials is essential for the restoration of bone and cartilage tissue, inducing cellular differentiation and proliferation. The properties of the surface, including topology features, regulate the conformation and bioactivity of the protein. In this research, we investigated the influence of nanopatterned surfaces on the interaction of a homodimer BMP-2 with graphite material by combining molecular dynamics (MD) and steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations. The graphite substrates were patterned as flat, linear grating, square, and circular profiles in combination with BMP-2 conformation in the side-on configuration. Ramachandran plots for the wrist and knuckle epitopes indicated no steric hindrances and provided binding sites to type I and type II receptors. Results showed two optimal patterns that increased protein adsorption of the lower monomer while preserving the secondary structure and leaving the upper monomer free to interact with the cells. Charged residues arginine and lysine and polar residues histidine and tyrosine were the main residues responsible for the strong interaction with the graphite surface. This research provides new molecular-level insights to further understand the mechanisms underlying protein adsorption on nanoscale patterned substrates. 
    more » « less
  2. Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) is a growth factor associated with different developmental functions in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Because of its favorable properties for the development of bone and cartilage tissue, BMP-2 promotes the biocompatibility of medical implants. In this research, molecular dynamics simulations were implemented to simulate the interaction of BMP-2 with a flat hydrophilic silicon dioxide substrate, an important biomaterial for medical applications. We considered the influence of four orthogonal protein orientations on the adsorption behavior. Results showed that arginine and lysine were the main residues to interact with the silicon dioxide substrate, directly adsorbing onto the surface and overcoming water layers. However, between these charged residues, we observed a preference for arginine to adsorb. Orientations with the α-helix loop closer to the surface at the beginning of the simulations had greater loss of secondary structure as compared to the other configurations. Among all the orientations, the end-on B configuration had favorable adsorption characteristics with a binding energy of 14 000 kJ mol −1 and retention of 21.7% β-sheets as confirmed by the Ramachandran plots. This research provides new insights into the nanoscale interaction of BMP-2 and silicon dioxide substrate with applications in orthopedic implants and regenerative medicine. 
    more » « less
  3. Nanoscale evaporation of liquids plays a key role in several applications including cooling, drag reduction and liquid transport. This research investigates the Leidenfrost effect at the nanoscale as a function of substrate material, droplet size and temperature using molecular dynamics models. Water droplets ranging from 4 nm to 20 nm were simulated over gold and silicon substrates at 293 K, 373 K, 473 K, and 573 K. A significant increase in the kinetic energy (>5000 kcal mol −1 ) was observed for molecules in the vicinity of the substrates, indicating the presence of a vapor barrier layer between substrate and liquid. Higher droplet velocities were tracked for hydrophobic gold substrates as compared to hydrophilic silicon substrates indicating the influence of the surface wettability on the Leidenfrost effect. Droplets over silicon substrates had a higher number of fluctuations (peaks and valleys) as compared to gold due to the cyclic behavior of vapor formation. An increase in the interfacial kinetic energies and translatory velocities (>10 m s −1 ) were observed as the droplet sizes reduced confirming the Leidenfrost effect at 373 K. This research provides understanding of the Leidenfrost effect at the nanoscale which can impact several applications in heat transfer and droplet propulsion. 
    more » « less
  4. Galli, Carlo (Ed.)
    In the last decades, cell-based approaches for bone tissue engineering (BTE) have relied on using models that cannot replicate the complexity of the bone microenvironment. There is an ongoing amount of research on scaffold development responding to the need for feasible materials that can mimic the bone extracellular matrix (ECM) and aid bone tissue regeneration (BTR). In this work, a porous cellulose acetate (CA) fiber mat was developed using the electrospinning technique and the mats were chemically modified to bioactivate their surface and promote osteoconduction and osteoinduction. The mats were characterized using FTIR and SEM/EDS to validate the chemical modifications and assess their structural integrity. By coupling adhesive peptides KRSR, RGD, and growth factor BMP-2, the fiber mats were bioactivated, and their induced biological responses were evaluated by employing immunocytochemical (ICC) techniques to study the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of premature osteoblast cells (hFOB 1.19). The biological assessment revealed that at short culturing periods of 48 hours and 7 days, the presence of the peptides was significant for proliferation and adhesion, whereas at longer culture times of 14 days, it had no significant effect on differentiation and maturation of the osteogenic progenitor cells. Based on the obtained results, it is thus concluded that the CA porous fiber mats provide a promising surface morphology that is both biocompatible and can be rendered bioactive upon the addition of osteogenic peptides to favor osteoconduction leading to new tissue formation. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Spatiotemporally controlled presentation of morphogens and elaborate modulation of signaling pathways elicit pattern formation during development. Though this process is critical for proper organogenesis, unraveling the mechanisms of developmental biology have been restricted by challenges associated with studying human embryos. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been used to model development in vitro, however difficulties in precise spatiotemporal control of the cellular microenvironment have limited the utility of this model in exploring mechanisms of pattern formation. Here, a simple and versatile method is presented to spatially pattern hPSC differentiation in 2‐dimensional culture via localized morphogen adsorption on substrates. Morphogens including bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), activin A, and WNT3a are patterned to induce localized mesendoderm, endoderm, cardiomyocyte (CM), and epicardial cell (EpiC) differentiation from hPSCs and hPSC‐derived progenitors. Patterned CM and EpiC co‐differentiation allows investigation of intercellular interactions in a spatially controlled manner and demonstrate improved alignment of CMs in proximity to EpiCs. This approach provides a platform for the controlled and systematic study of early pattern formation. Moreover, this study provides a facile approach to generate 2D patterned hPSC‐derived tissue structures for modeling disease and drug interactions. 
    more » « less