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Ефремов Роман Гербертович

Московский институт электроники и математики им. А.Н. Тихонова

Профиль на hse.ru ↗ тел.: +7 (495) 916-88-76 | 15129 | +7 (903) 743-16-56
Публикаций
127
Языков
2
Наград
5
Конференций
3
Профиль Публикации (127) Курсы (4)

Профессиональные интересы

Вычислительная биологиякомпьютерная биологиямолекулярное моделированиеструктура и динамика биомолекулбиофизика

Должности

  • Профессор — Московский институт электроники и математики им. А.Н. Тихонова, Департамент прикладной математики

Био

  • · Начал работать в НИУ ВШЭ в 2013 году.
  • · Научно-педагогический стаж: 42 года.

Образование

  • 2007 · Ученое звание: Профессор
  • 2000 · Доктор физико-математических наук
  • 1986 · Кандидат физико-математических наук
  • 1983 · Специалитет: Московский инженерно-физический институт, специальность «Дозиметрия и защита», квалификация «Инженер-физик»

Награды и поощрения

  • · Участие в научных советах и обществах: член Ученого Совета ИБХ РАН; член трех специализированных диссертационных советов (ИБХ РАН, МГУ, ГУ НИИ БМХ РАМН); член Американского химического общества; член Биофизического общества (США).
  • · Надбавка за публикацию в журнале из Списка А (и приравненном к нему научном издании) (2025–2026, 2024–2025, 2023–2024)
  • · Надбавка за публикацию в международном рецензируемом научном издании (2022–2023, 2021–2022, 2019–2021)
  • · Надбавка за статью в зарубежном рецензируемом журнале (2014–2016)
  • · Надбавка за статью в зарубежном рецензируемом научном издании (2016–2018)

Гранты и проекты

  • 2016 · Грант Российского научного фонда «Компьютерный анализ структурно-функциональных аспектов олигомеризации трансмембранных доменов рецепторов сигнальных систем клетки», 2014-2016 гг., руководитель.
  • 2016 · Грант Российского научного фонда «Молекулярные технологии управления нейросигнализацией», 2014-2016 гг., отв. соисполнитель.
  • 2017 · Грант Программы Президиума РАН «Молекулярная и клеточная биология», тема: «Молекулярное моделирование пептидов и белков в мембранах как фундаментальная основа для рационального конструирования новых биологически активных соединений», 2013-2017 гг., руководитель.
  • 2014 · Грант Программы Президиума РАН № 27 «Основы фундаментальных исследований нанотехнологий и наноматериалов», тема: «Новые вычислительные технологии мультимасштабного моделирования мезоскопических биомембранных систем: от понимания фундаментальных принципов структурно-динамического поведения – к созданию наноструктур для биомедицинских приложений», 2012-2014 гг., руководитель.
  • 2015 · Грант РФФИ «Коллективные молекулярные движения, кластеры и флуктуации в гидратированных липидных бислоях и их роль в структурно-динамическом поведении клеточных мембран», 2013-2015 гг., руководитель.
  • 2018 · Грант РФФИ «Клеточные мембраны как стохастические динамические системы: от атомистического моделирования – к рациональному конструированию новых мембранных материалов», 2016-2018 гг., руководитель.

Конференции (3)

Показать все
  • · 2016: Актуальные вопросы биологической физики и химии БФФХ-2016 (Севастополь). Доклад: Оценка влияния среды на димеризацию трансмембранных доменов гликофорина А в компьютерном эксперименте
  • · 2016: Khujand Symposium on Computational Materials and Biological Sciences 2016 (Худжанд). Доклад: Helix-helix interactions in membranes: focus on lipids
  • · 2014: Dushanbe Symposium on Computational Materials and Biological Sciences DSCMBS-2014 (Душанбе). Доклад: The adaptable lipid matrix promotes transmembrane helices association in membranes

Идентификаторы исследователя

Публикации (127)

Immune Antibodies Recognizing the Stem Region of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein: Molecular Modelling and In Vitro Study of Synthetic Peptides Presentation to the Antibodies

2026 · ARTICLE · en

Antibodies to peptide 1147 (amino acids 1147-61) of the SARS-CoV-2 protein S are highly diagnostic. Peptide 1147, although located in a region that is partly spatially hidden in the intact protein, is not subject to mutations, suggesting therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to elucidate the architecture of this region and the way in which it is presented to antibodies. As a model system, this peptide carrying a single lipophilic tail and the same peptide carrying a lipophilic tail at both ends (pseudocyclic) were incorporated into lipid membrane. Isolated anti-1147 antibodies interacted with it regardless of how the peptide was presented, be that freely exposed via the N-terminus, organized as a pseudocycle, or adsorbed on the surface. MDS showed that peptide 1147 is capable of closely approaching the membrane. Analysis of the surface properties of peptide 1147 in membrane-bound states and in available conformations in the full-sized S protein reveals interface for interaction with antibodies. Interestingly, the latter bears similarities to one published peptide-antibody complex. However, these antibodies, in spite of their high diagnostic significance, show no virus-neutralizing activity, indicating that peptide 1147 has no therapeutic value as a synthetic vaccine.

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Diverse Interactions of Sterols with Amyloid Precursor Protein Transmembrane Domain Can Shift Distribution Between Alternative Amyloid-β Production Cascades in Manner Dependent on Local Lipid Environment

2025 · ARTICLE · en

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis is correlated with the membrane content of various lipid species, including cholesterol, whose interactions with amyloid precursor protein (APP) have been extensively explored. Amyloid-β peptides triggering AD are products of APP cleavage by secretases, which differ depending on the APP and secretase location relative to ordered or disordered membrane microdomains. We used high-resolution NMR to probe the interactions of the cholesterol analog with APP transmembrane domain in two membrane-mimicking systems resembling ordered or perturbed lipid environments (bicelles/micelles). In bicelles, spin-labeled sterol interacted with the peptide near the amphiphilic juxtamembrane region and N-terminal part of APP transmembrane helix, as described earlier for cholesterol. Upon transition into micellar environment, another interaction site appeared where sterol polar head was buried in the hydrophobic core near the hinge region. In MD simulations, sterol moved between three interaction sites, sliding along the polar groove formed by glycine residues composing the dimerization interfaces and flexible hinge of the APP transmembrane domain. Because the lipid environment modulates interactions, the role of lipids in the AD pathogenesis is defined by the state of the entire lipid subsystem rather than the effects of individual lipid species. Cholesterol can interplay with other lipids (polyunsaturated, gangliosides, etc.), determining the outcome of amyloid-β production cascades.

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The coronavirus spike HR2 domain: an obscure player entering the limelight during membrane fusion?

2025 · ARTICLE · en

The coronavirus spike protein, the key entity effectuating membrane fusion, cannot exist without membraneactive fragments. In addition to fusion peptides, among such domains are HR1 and HR2. Crucial to the spike’s refolding and membrane fusion, they are believed to both interact with each other and bind to the membranes that are merged. To elucidate HR2’s precise role in this process, an understanding of its structure and behaviour is required. Here, we used various computational approaches to study SARS-CoV-2 spike HR2’s (1163-1211) interaction with membranes in the context within which it operates in live spike. During simulations with model bilayers, HR2 remained hugely unresponsive to the presence of a membrane, however, when extended to include the transmembrane domain (TMD) (1212-1234) and/or membrane-active preHR2 fragment (1147-1161), HR2’s binding to model bilayers was markedly enhanced. The trimeric coiled-coil of HR2 does not dissociate either on its own or with added TMD and/or preHR2. Molecular hydrophobicity potential (MHP) mapping showed that HR2’s central part possesses a tilted oblique-oriented motif characteristic of “textbook” membrane-active peptides, albeit flanked by highly hydrophilic fragments. A truncated HR2 only encompassing this motif had a greater affinity for membranes, suggesting HR2 has a modular structure with a membrane-active segment masked by flanking regions and might be potentiated by HR2-adjacent domains and other factors coming into play after the spike gets enzymatically cleaved. Such a modular structure may have evolved for HR2’s membr

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Structure-function analyses of human TRPV6 ancestral and derived haplotypes

2025 · ARTICLE · en

TRPV6 is a Ca2+ selective channel that mediates calcium uptake in the gut and contributes to the development and progression of human cancers. TRPV6 is represented by the ancestral and derived haplotypes that differ by three non-synonymous polymorphisms, located in the N-terminal ankyrin repeat domain (C157R), S1–S2 extracellular loop (M378V), and C-terminus (M681T). The ancestral and derived haplotypes were proposed to serve as genomic factors causing a different outcome for cancer patients of African ancestry. We solved cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of ancestral and derived TRPV6 in the open and calmodulin (CaM)-bound inactivated states. Neither state shows substantial structural differences caused by the non-synonymous polymorphisms. Functional properties assessed by electrophysiological recordings and Ca2+ uptake measurements, and water and ion permeation evaluated by molecular modeling also appear similar between the haplotypes. Therefore, ancestral and derived TRPV6 have similar structure and function, implying that other factors are responsible for the differences in susceptibility to cancer.

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Transmembrane Domains of Bitopic Proteins as a Key to Understand the Cellular Signaling (A Review)

2024 · ARTICLE · en

В работе систематически представлены результаты, полученные авторами с помощью вычислительных методов и подкрепленные экспериментальными биофизическими данными в ходе многолетних исследований битопных мембранных белков (БМБ) – важнейших участников клеточной сигнализации. Представленный материал не претендует на роль обзора, поскольку авторы не ставили своей задачей скрупулезно изложить состояние проблемы и дать исчерпывающую информацию из литературных источников. Скорее это эссе, в котором изложено понимание авторами базовых принципов организации трансмембранных доменов (ТМД) белков и их роли в функционировании клетки на основании полученного опыта исследований БМБ. Среди основных вопросов, которым посвящена работа, – тонко регулируемые процессы олигомеризации ТМД и непосредственный вклад в нее динамичного мембранного окружения, центральная роль ТМД в функционировании рецепторных систем клетки и взаимосвязь всех компонентов белок-мембранных комплексов в передаче сигналов в норме и при патологиях.

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Broad-Spectrum Activity of Membranolytic Cationic Macrocyclic Peptides Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria and Fungi

2024 · ARTICLE · en

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains causes severe problems in the treatment of microbial infections owing to limited treatment options. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are drawing considerable attention as promising antibiotic alternative candidates to combat MDR bacterial and fungal infections. Herein, we present a series of small amphiphilic membrane-active cyclic peptides composed, in part, of various nongenetically encoded hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids. Notably, lead cyclic peptides 3b and 4b showed broadspectrum activity against drug-resistant Gram-positive (MIC = 1.5–6.2 μg/mL) and Gram-negative (MIC = 12.5–25 μg/mL) bacteria, and fungi (MIC = 3.1–12.5 μg/mL). Furthermore, lead peptides displayed substantial antibiofilm action comparable to standard antibiotics. Hemolysis (HC50 = 230 μg/mL) and cytotoxicity (>70 % cell viability against four different mammalian cells at 100 μg/mL) assay results demonstrated the selective lethal action of 3b against microbes over mammalian cells. A calcein dye leakage experiment substantiated the membranolytic effect of 3b and 4b, which was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The behavior of 3b and 4b in aqueous solution and interaction with phospholipid bilayers were assessed by employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in conjunction with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, providing a solid structural basis for understanding their membranolytic action. Moreover, 3b exhibited stability in human blood plasma (t1/2 = 13 h) and demonstrated no signs of resistance development against antibiotic-resistant S. aureus and E. coli. These findings underscore the potential of these newly designed amphiphilic cyclic peptides as promising anti-infective agents, especially against Gram-positive bacteria.

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Nanoscale lipid domains determine the dynamic molecular portraits of mixed DOPC/DOPS bilayers in a fluid phase: a computational insight

2024 · ARTICLE · en

Lateral heterogeneity, or mosaicity, is a fundamental property inherent to cell membranes that is crucial for their functioning. While microscopic inhomogeneities (e.g. rafts) are easily detected experimentally, lipid domains with nanoscale dimensions (nanoclusters of nanodomains, NDs) resist reliable characterization by instrumental methods. In such a case, important insight can be gained via computer modeling. Here, NDs composed of lipid's head groups in the mixed zwitterionic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and negatively charged dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS) bilayers were studied by molecular dynamics. A new algorithm has been developed to identify NDs. Unlike most similar methods, it implicitly considers the heterogeneous distribution of lipid head atomic density and does not require subjectively chosen parameters. In DOPS-rich membranes, lipids form more compact and stable NDs due to strong interlipid interactions. In DOPC-rich systems, NDs arise due to the "packing" effect of weakly bound lipid heads. The clustering picture is related to the physical properties of the bilayer surface: DOPS-rich systems show more pronounced surface heterogeneity of hydrophilic/hydrophobic regions compared to DOPC-rich ones. The results obtained are important for the effective quantitative characterization of the "dynamic molecular portrait" of a membrane surface - its "fingerprint" characterizing dynamical distribution of its physicochemical properties.

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Липид-опосредованная адаптация белков и пептидов в клеточных мембранах

2024 · ARTICLE · ru

Представлены результаты исследований в компьютерном эксперименте молекулярных механиз- мов адаптации модельных клеточных мембран, реализующейся в ходе их взаимодействия с белка- ми и пептидами. Речь идет об изменении структурно-динамических параметров водно-липидной среды, гидрофобной/гидрофильной организации поверхности липидного бислоя (так называемой «мозаичности») и пр. Взятые в совокупности, эти эффекты получили название «мембранного отве- та» (МО) – важнейшей способности клеточных мембран специфично и устойчиво реагировать на встраивание и функционирование в них внешних агентов, в первую очередь – белков и пептидов. Описаны полученные в ходе многолетних исследований результаты авторов в области молекуляр- ного моделирования процессов МО с различными пространственно-временными характеристика- ми – от эффектов связывания с белками отдельных молекул липидов до изменения интегральных макроскопических параметров мембран. Основная часть результатов получена с использованием разработанной авторами технологии «динамического молекулярного портрета». Обсуждаются био- логическая роль наблюдаемых явлений и возможные пути рационального проектирования искус- ственных мембранных систем с заданными характеристиками МО. Это, в свою очередь, важно для направленного изменения профиля активности белков и пептидов, действующих на биомембраны, в том числе в качестве перспективных фармакологических агентов.

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Structure-based prediction of T cell receptor recognition of unseen epitopes using TCRen

2024 · ARTICLE · en

T cell receptor (TCR) recognition of foreign peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex protein is a major event in triggering the adaptive immune response to pathogens or cancer. The prediction of TCR-peptide interactions has great importance for therapy of cancer as well as infectious and autoimmune diseases but remains a major challenge, particularly for novel (unseen) peptide epitopes. Here we present TCRen, a structure-based method for ranking candidate unseen epitopes for a given TCR. The first stage of the TCRen pipeline is modeling of the TCR-peptide-major histocompatibility complex structure. Then a TCR-peptide residue contact map is extracted from this structure and used to rank all candidate epitopes on the basis of an interaction score with the target TCR. Scoring is performed using an energy potential derived from the statistics of TCR-peptide contact preferences in existing crystal structures. We show that TCRen has high performance in discriminating cognate versus unrelated peptides and can facilitate the identification of cancer neoepitopes recognized by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

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Structural Basis of Activity of HER2-Targeting Construct Composed of DARPin G3 and Albumin-Binding Domains

2024 · ARTICLE · en

Non-immunoglobulin-based scaffold proteins (SPs) represent one of the key therapeutic target-specific and high-affinity binders in modern medicine. Among their cellular targets are signaling receptors, in particular, receptor tyrosine kinases, whose dysfunction leads to the development of cancer and other serious diseases. Successful applications of SPs have been reported for HER receptor type 2 (HER2), a member of the human epidermal growth factor receptor family that regulates cell growth and differentiation. To extend the blood residence of SPs and prevent their high accumulation in the kidneys, these proteins are often fused with serum albumin. Promising results for HER2-binding activity were obtained for SP G3 from the DARPins (Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins) family fused with an albumin-binding domain (ABD). Interestingly, the detected HER2–G3 binding strongly depended on the position of the G3 module in the sequence of the constructs. Further improvement of these constructs for biomedical applications requires deciphering the molecular mechanism responsible for this effect. Here, we investigate the structural and dynamic aspects of ABD–G3 and G3–ABD chimeras using NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Based on biophysical data, we come to the conclusion that extensive inter-domain contacts form in both constructs, although their binding interfaces and complex stability are somewhat different. Also, it is shown that the domain linker plays an important role—it limits the accessibility of the detected protein–protein binding sites, depending on the order of the domains in the chimeric molecules. These results create a solid structural basis for the rational design of new effective SP constructs targeting the signaling receptors in cells.

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Курсы (4)