Probing intrinsic dynamics and conformational transition of HIV gp120 by molecular dynamics simulation

The HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 has evolved two distinct conformational states to balance viral infection and immune escape. One is a closed state resistant to most neutralization antibodies, and the other is an open state responsible for the binding of the receptor and coreceptors. Although the structures of gp120 in these two conformational states have been determined, a detailed molecular mechanism involving intrinsic dynamics and conformational transition is still elusive. In this study, μs-scale molecular dynamics simulation is performed to probe molecular dynamics and conformational transition away from the open state and approach the closed state. Our results reveal that open gp120 shows a larger structural deviation, higher conformational flexibility, and more conformational diversity than the form in the closed state, providing a structural explanation for receptor or coreceptor affinity at the open state and the neutralization resistance of closed conformation. Seven regions with greatly decreased coupled motions in the open states have been observed by dynamic cross-correlation analysis, indicating that conformational transition can be mainly attributed to the relaxation of intrinsic dynamics. Three conformations characterized by the structural orientations of the V1/V2 region and the V3 loop, suggesting gp120 is intrinsically dynamic from the open state to the closed state. Taken together, these findings shed light on the understanding of the conformational control mechanism of HIV.

The HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 has evolved two distinct conformational states to balance viral infection and immune escape.     

Mapping molecular binding by means of conformational dynamics measurements

Protein–protein interactions are key in virtually all biological processes. The study of these interactions and the interfaces that mediate them play a key role in the understanding of biological function. In particular, the observation of protein–protein interactions in their dynamic environment is technically difficult. Here two surface analysis techniques, dual polarization interferometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, were paired for real-time mapping of the conformational dynamics of protein–protein interactions. Our approach monitors this dynamics in real time and in situ, which is a great advancement within technological platforms for drug discovery. Results agree with the experimental observations of the interaction between the TRIM21α protein and circulating autoantibodies via a bridging bipolar mechanism. This work provides a new chip-based method to monitor conformational dynamics of protein–protein interactions, which is amenable to miniaturized high-throughput determination.

Protein–protein interactions are key in virtually all biological processes.     

Interaction of the gp120 V1V2 loop with a neighboring gp120 unit shields the HIV envelope trimer against cross-neutralizing antibodies

The HIV-1 envelope trimer adopts a quaternary conformation that effectively shields neutralization-sensitive domains and thus represents a major obstacle for natural and vaccine-elicited antibody responses. By using a structure-function analysis based on a specifically devised mathematical model, we demonstrate in this study that protection from neutralization is enforced by intersubunit contact between the variable loops 1 and 2 (V1V2) and domains of neighboring gp120 subunits in the trimer encompassing the V3 loop. Our data are consistent with an interaction of the V1V2 and V3 loop at the spike apex as proposed by cryoelectron tomography experiments. By defining the orientation of the V1V2 loop within the trimer toward the neighboring gp120 subunit's V3 loop, our data close an important gap in the understanding of the architecture of the trimeric spike. Knowledge on how the V1V2 barrier functions in the context of the trimer to mask conserved epitopes on gp120 may aid future vaccine design.     

The liquid–amorphous phase transition,slow dynamics and dynamical heterogeneity for bulk iron: a molecular dynamics simulation

Based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigate the liquid–amorphous phase transition, slow dynamic and dynamical heterogeneity (DH) for bulk iron in temperatures ranging 300–2300 K. The structure of obtained models is explored through the pair radial distribution function (PRDF) and simplex statistics. It was shown that the splitting of a PRDF second peak appears when the liquid transforms to an amorphous solid. This feature is originated from the transformation of simplexes from strongly-to weakly-distorted tetrahedron type. Further, we reveal that the diffusivity in the liquid is realized through the local density fluctuations (LDF) which are strongly correlated with each other. The diffusion coefficient is found to be a product of the rate of LDF act and mean square displacement of particles per LDF act. The later quantity mainly contributes to the slow dynamics and DH in the liquid. We found that the mobile atom clusters move during relaxation time, but mobile atoms do not tend to leave their cluster. Our work is expected to contribute a pathway to determine the liquid–amorphous phase transition and DH heterogeneity of bulk metal.

Based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigate the liquid–amorphous phase transition, slow dynamic and dynamical heterogeneity (DH) for bulk iron in temperatures ranging 300–2300 K.     

Potent strategy to inhibit HIV-1 by binding both gp120 and gp41

The development of an anti-HIV microbicide is critical in the fight against the spread of HIV. It is shown here that the covalent linking of compounds that bind gp120 with compounds that bind gp41 can inhibit HIV entry even more potently than individual inhibitors or noncovalent combinations. The most striking example involves griffithsin, a potent HIV inhibitor that binds to the surface of HIV gp120. While griffithsin inhibits HIV Env-mediated fusion in a CCR5-tropic cell-cell fusion assay with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of 1.31 ± 0.87 nM and the gp41-binding peptide C37 shows an IC(50) of 18.2 ± 7.6 nM, the covalently linked combination of griffithsin with C37 (Griff37) has an IC(50) of 0.15 ± 0.05 nM, exhibiting a potency 8.7-fold greater than that of griffithsin alone. Similarly, in CXCR4-tropic cell-cell fusion assays, Griff37 is 5.2-fold more potent than griffithsin alone. In viral assays, both griffithsin and Griff37 inhibit HIV replication at midpicomolar levels, but the linked compound Griff37 is severalfold more potent than griffithsin alone against both CCR5- and CXCR4-tropic virus strains. Another example of this strategy is the covalently linked combination of peptide C37 with a variant of the gp120-binding peptide CD4M33 (L. Martin et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 21:71-76, 2003). Also, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra for several of these compounds are shown, including, to our knowledge, the first published NMR spectrum for griffithsin.     

Correction: Shedding light on the structural properties of lipid bilayers using molecular dynamics simulation: a review study

Correction for ‘Shedding light on the structural properties of lipid bilayers using molecular dynamics simulation: a review study’ by Sajad Moradi et al., RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 4644–4658.

The authors regret that incorrect details were given for ref. 22, 26 and 81 in the original article. The correct versions of ref. 22, 26 and 81 are given below.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Insights into the molecular mechanism underlying CD4-dependency and neutralization sensitivity of HIV-1: a comparative molecular dynamics study on gp120s from isolates with different phenotypes

The envelope (Env) of HIV-1 plays critical roles in viral infection and immune evasion. Although structures of prefusion Env have been determined and phenotypes relevant to the CD4 dependency and the neutralization sensitivity for various HIV-1 isolates have been identified, the detailed structural dynamics and energetics underlying these two phenotypes have remained elusive. In this study, two unliganded structural models of gp120, one from the CD4-dependent, neutralization-resistant isolate H061.14 and the other from the CD4-independent, neutralization-sensitive R2 strain, were constructed, and subsequently were subjected to multiple-replica molecular dynamics (MD) simulations followed by free energy landscape (FEL) construction. Comparative analyses of MD trajectories reveal that during simulations R2-gp120 demonstrated larger structural fluctuations/deviations and higher global conformational flexibility than H061.14-gp120. Close comparison of local conformational flexibility shows that some of the structural regions involving direct interactions with gp41 and adjacent gp120 subunits in the context of the closed trimeric Env exhibit significantly higher flexibility in R2-gp120 than in H061.14-gp120, thus likely increasing the probability for R2-Env to open the trimer crown and prime gp41 fusogenic properties without induction by CD4. Collective motions derived from principal component analysis (PCA) reveal that R2-gp120 is prone to spontaneous transition to the neutralization-sensitive CD4-bound state while H061.14-gp120 tends to maintain the neutralization-resistant unliganded state. Finally, comparison between FELs reveals that R2-gp120 has larger conformational entropy, richer conformational diversity, and lower thermostability than H061.14-gp120, thus explaining why R2-gp120 is more structurally unstable and conformationally flexible, and has a higher propensity to transition to the CD4-bound state than H061.14-gp120. The present results reveal that the differences in dynamics and energetics between R2-gp120 and H061.14-gp120 impart Env trimers with distinct capacities to sample different states (i.e., R2-Env samples more readily the open state while H061.14-Env is more inclined to maintain the closed state), thus shedding light on the molecular mechanism underlying the HIV-1 phenotype associated with CD4 dependency/neutralization sensitivity.

The envelope (Env) of HIV-1 plays critical roles in viral infection and immune evasion.     

从未经培养的HIV-1阳性外周血克隆及系统树分析HIV-1中国株E亚型gp120基因

目的:研究中国HIV-1 E亚型代表株的主要结构基因及其功能。方法:选择3份根据HIV-1 的外膜基因(C2-V3)的序列分析判定为E亚型的阳性血样,采用克隆和系统树分析,通过套式PCR得到全长的gp120 基因片段,并插入到pFastBacl载体中,以双脱氧末端终止法测定全部的DNA 序列。结果:来自广东和广西的样品的gp120 基因归于E亚型,E亚型中国株内的遗传距离为2.56% ～5.87% ,与16 株国际标准株比较,遗传距离为3.60% ～27.98% 。所有克隆到的gp120 基因都具有完整的阅读框架,无大的缺失和插入。结论:HIV-1 E亚型进入中国的时间不长;克隆到的E亚型代表株的gp120 基因具有完整的结构和功能,适合用来构建E亚型的亚单位疫苗表达载体     

Correction: Molecular dynamics simulation of the mechanical properties of multilayer graphene oxide nanosheets

Correction for ‘Molecular dynamics simulation of the mechanical properties of multilayer graphene oxide nanosheets’ by Xu Zhang et al., RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 55005–55011.

The authors regret that Hang Liu’s name was spelled incorrectly in the original article. The correct author names are as presented above.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Understanding CO2 capture kinetics and energetics by ionic liquids with molecular dynamics simulation

Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are recognized to be potential media for CO₂ capture, but the interaction nature is less documented which hinders the future development of ILs with high CO₂ solvation capability. Here, through all atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the solvation process of CO₂ with four representative ILs, [EMIM][BF₄], [BMIM][BF₄], [EMIM]CL and [BMIM]CL was systematically studied. Our data clearly reflect the fact that hydrophobic components from both cations and anions dominate CO₂ solvation because IL–CO₂ attraction is mainly driven by the van der Waals attractions. Consequently, cations with longer alkyl chain (for instance, [BMIM]⁺ than [EMIM]⁺) and anions with higher hydrophobicity (for instance, [BF₄]⁻ than CL⁻) effectively enhance CO₂ solvation. For all the ILs under study, addition of water into ILs abates CO₂ solvation through regulating the anion–CO₂ interactions. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that ILs with a hydrophobic anion ([BF₄]⁻ in this study) are more resistant to the existence of water to capture CO₂ than ILs with a hydrophilic anion (Cl⁻ in this study). Free energy decomposition analyses were conducted which support the above findings consistently. Generally, it is predicted that cations with long alkyl chain, anions with high hydrophobicity, and ILs with smaller surface tension are potentially effective CO₂ capturing media. Our present study helps the deep understanding of the CO₂ capturing mechanism by ILs and is expected to facilitate the future design and fabrication of a novel IL medium for gas capture and storage.

The interactions between ionic liquids (ILs) and CO₂ were studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Several key characters, including the volumes of cations and anions, the length of the alkyl chain have been assessed on CO₂ capture capability.     

ADS-J1 Inhibits HIV-1 Entry by Interacting with gp120 and Does Not Block Fusion-Active gp41 Core Formation

We had shown that virus resistance to ADS-J1 was associated with amino acid changes in the envelope glycoprotein, mostly located in the gp120 coding region. Time-of-addition and endocytic virus transfer assays clearly demonstrated that ADS-J1 behaved as a gp120 inhibitor. ADS-J1-resistant virus was cross-resistant to the polyanion dextran sulfate, and recombination of gp120 recovered only the ADS-J1-resistant phenotype. In summary, ADS-J1 blocks an early step of virus entry that appears to be driven by gp120 alone.The essential steps of HIV-1 entry in the host cell offer several potential targets for the development of novel antiviral agents (19, 24, 33, 42). Agents that disrupt gp41-mediated membrane fusion, collectively called fusion inhibitors, were the first entry inhibitors to be approved for the treatment of HIV infection. Enfuvirtide (T20, Fuzeon) is a 36-amino-acid synthetic peptide with a sequence identical to a part of the C-terminal heptad repeat 2 (HR2) region of gp41 that binds to the N-terminal heptad repeat 1 (HR1) in an antiparallel manner, forming a coiled-coil structure during the prefusion step. Mutations in the highly conserved amino acid motif 36 to 45 in the HR1 domain confer resistance to T20 (35), providing strong evidence that HR1 is the site of interaction of T20. However, mutations in other regions of HIV-1 envelope (Env) have been also associated with T20 resistance (26, 27).Several low-molecular-weight (SMW) compounds have been identified as blockers of the initial steps of virus entry, including CCR5 coreceptor (33, 42). However, the identification of SMW compounds targeting gp41 has been elusive. A polyanionic compound, ADS-J1, was previously identified in silico as a potential candidate and shown to bind to gp41 peptides and interfere with the formation of the gp41 coiled-coil domain in an in vitro enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) model of HR1-HR2 interaction (16, 30, 31). Conversely, we had shown that ADS-J1 blocked the binding of HIV particles to lymphoid MT-4 cells and inhibited HIV replication at a time/site of interaction similar to those of the polyanion dextran sulfate (DS), a well-described, nonspecific inhibitor of virus entry (3). Moreover, at least four HIV-1 strains resistant to ADS-J1 were generated. The resistance to ADS-J1 was associated with gp120 based on the fact that the majority of the mutations were located in the gp120 coding sequence, mainly in the V3 loop region. Although three of the resistant strains contained mutations in gp41, one of them, HIV-1 ARA45C, did not (3). In addition, molecular modeling suggested that the gp120 V3 loop was the preferential binding site for ADS-J1 onto HIV-1, and mutations induced by the inhibitor significantly changed the stereoelectronic properties of the gp120 surface, justifying a marked drop in the affinity of ADS-J1 toward an ADS-J1-resistant HIV-1 strain (36). At that time, we considered conclusive the evidence of the mode of action of ADS-J1.More recently, Wang et al. (43) suggested that ADS-J1 could bind directly to a trimeric peptide containing the gp41 pocket region (IQN17) in a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay and indicated that ADS-J1 can be used as a lead compound for the design of novel HIV-1 fusion inhibitors (44). Therefore, we thought it relevant to provide further evidence of the mode of action of ADS-J1.     

Tensile mechanical performance of Ni–Co alloy nanowires by molecular dynamics simulation

In this present contribution, tensile mechanical properties of Ni–Co alloy nanowires with Co content from 0 to 20% were studied by molecular dynamics. The simulation results show the alloy nanowire with the Co content of 5% has the highest yield value of 9.72 GPa. In addition, more Frank dislocations were generated during the loading process to improve the performance of the alloy nanowire. The Young''s modulus increases little by little from 105.68 to 179.78 GPa with the increase of Co content. Secondly, with the increase of temperature, the yield strength gradually decreases to 2.13 GPa. Young''s modulus tends to decrease linearly from 170.7 GPa to 48.21 GPa. At the temperatures of 500 K and 700 K, it is easier to form Frank dislocation and Hirth dislocation, respectively, in the loading process. The peak value of the radial distribution function decreases and the number of peaks decreases, indicating the disappearance of the ordered structure. Finally, after the introduction of the surface and inner void, the yield strength of the nanowire drops about to 8.97 and 6.6 GPa, respectively, and the yield strains drop to 0.056 and 0.043. In the case of the existence of internal void, perfect dislocation and Hirth dislocation can be observed in the structure.

The addition of a little Co can promote the formation of Frank and other fixed dislocations, making the alloy system have high yield strength. The defects in nanowires accelerated the occurrence of yield behavior.     

Conformational dynamics of superoxide dismutase (SOD1) in osmolytes: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the misfolding of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). Several earlier studies have shown that monomeric apo SOD1 undergoes significant local unfolding dynamics and is the predecessor for aggregation. Here, we have employed atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the structure and dynamics of monomeric apo and holo SOD1 in water, aqueous urea and aqueous urea–TMAO (trimethylamine oxide) solutions. Loop IV (zinc-binding loop) and loop VII (electrostatic loop) of holo SOD1 are considered as functionally important loops as they are responsible for the structural stability of holo SOD1. We found larger local unfolding of loop IV and VII of apo SOD1 as compared to holo SOD1 in water. Urea induced more unfolding in holo SOD1 than apo SOD1, whereas the stabilization of both the form of SOD1 was observed in ternary solution (i.e. water/urea/TMAO solution) but the extent of stabilization was higher in holo SOD1 than apo SOD1. The partially unfolded structures of apo SOD1 in water, urea and holo SOD1 in urea were identified by the exposure of the hydrophobic cores, which are highly dynamic and these may be the initial events of aggregation in SOD1. Our simulation studies support the formation of aggregates by means of the local unfolding of monomeric apo SOD1 as compared to holo SOD1 in water.

Change in conformations of apo and holo SOD1 in water and in osmolytes in terms of configurational entropy (S).     

Investigation on the mechanical properties and fracture phenomenon of silicon doped graphene by molecular dynamics simulation

Silicon doping is an effective way to modulate the bandgap of graphene that might open the door for graphene to the semiconductor industries. However, the mechanical properties of silicon doped graphene (SiG) also plays an important role to realize its full potential application in the electronics industry. Electronic and optical properties of silicon doped graphene are well studied, but, our understanding of mechanical and fracture properties of the doped structure is still in its infancy. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are conducted to investigate the tensile properties of SiG by varying the concentration of silicon. It is found that as the concentration of silicon increases, both fracture stress and strain of graphene reduces substantially. Our MD results also suggest that only 5% of silicon doping can reduce the Young''s modulus of graphene by ∼15.5% along the armchair direction and ∼13.5% along the zigzag direction. Tensile properties of silicon doped graphene have been compared with boron and nitrogen doped graphene. The effect of temperature, defects and crack length on the stress–strain behavior of SiG has also been investigated. Temperature studies reveal that SiG is less sensitive to temperature compared to free stranding graphene, additionally, increasing temperature causes deterioration of both fracture stress and strain of SiG. Both defects and cracks reduce the fracture stress and fracture strain of SiG remarkably, but the sensitivity to defects and cracks for SiG is larger compared to graphene. Fracture toughness of pre-cracked SiG has been investigated and results from MD simulations are compared with Griffith''s theory. It has been found that for nano-cracks, SiG with larger crack length deviates more from Griffith''s criterion and the degree of deviation is larger compared to graphene. Fracture phenomenon of pre-cracked SiG and the effect of strain rate on the tensile properties of SiG have been reported as well. These results will aid the design of SiG based semiconducting nanodevices.

Variations of fracture stress and Young’s modulus of graphene with the concentration of silicon doping.     

Influence on ferric chloride aqueous solution caused by external electrostatic field: a molecular dynamics simulation study

A detailed analysis of structural properties and dynamic properties of ferric chloride aqueous solution under external electrostatic fields with different intensities was performed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effects on the ferric chloride aqueous solution caused by using an electrostatic field were examined in terms of the radial distribution function of the Fe³⁺ ion and water molecule/Cl⁻, coordination number of water/Cl⁻ around the Fe³⁺ ion, characteristics of hydrogen bonds, solution viscosity, and how these effects influence the hydrolysis process of the Fe³⁺ ion. The goal behind the study is to attain additional insights into the mechanism of electrocoagulation when ferric chloride is used as coagulant, and provide a fundamental basis for the practical use of this technology.

A detailed analysis of structural properties and dynamic properties of ferric chloride aqueous solution under external electrostatic fields with different intensities was performed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.     

Correction: Synthesis and model simulation of the hexagonal to circular transition of perovskite cesium lead halide nanosheets by rapidly changing the temperature

Correction for ‘Synthesis and model simulation of the hexagonal to circular transition of perovskite cesium lead halide nanosheets by rapidly changing the temperature’ by Zhong-Hai Lin et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 4211–4217, DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10312K.

The authors regret that the name of one of the authors (Min-Qiang Wang) was shown incorrectly in the original article. The corrected author list is as shown above.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Formation mechanism of bound rubber in elastomer nanocomposites: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Bound rubber plays a key role in the mechanical reinforcement of elastomer nanocomposites. In the present work, we reveal the formation mechanism of bound rubber in elastomer nanocomposites, using the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. For the polymer–nanoparticle system, the “chain bridge” connected with neighboring nanoparticles forms, once the gap between two neighboring nanoparticles is less than the polymer size. The polymer–nanoparticle–solvent systems, mimicking the oil-swollen rubber in the experiment, are simulated with three models. From the analysis of the potential energy, the static structure and dynamic diffusing processes, all the models indicate that the increase of the volume fraction of the nanoparticles and the polymer−nanoparticle interaction strength could promote the formation of the bound rubber. The existence of solvent disrupts the bound rubber, and eventually deteriorates the mechanical properties. These simulations could provide some theoretical guidance for a better understanding of the formation mechanism of the bound rubber, which is helpful for designing the elastomer materials with excellent mechanical properties.

The formation mechanism of the bound rubber in elastomer nanocomposites using the coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulations.     

Increasing the thermal conductivity of styrene butadiene rubber: insights from molecular dynamics simulation

It is very important to improve the thermal conductivity of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) which can widen its application. By employing reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations in a full atomistic resolution, the effect of the composition ratio of styrene, temperature, and tensile strain on the thermal conductivity of SBR has been investigated in this work. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity of SBR gradually decreases with increasing composition ratio of styrene. This closely depends on the number of degrees of freedom and the diffusion coefficient of backbone atoms. Under the tensile field, the orientation of backbone bonds improves the thermal conductivity parallel to the tensile direction, but reduces the thermal conductivity perpendicular to it. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity parallel to the tensile direction is enhanced with the strain rate while it is reduced with the composition ratio of styrene. Interestingly, there exists a linear relationship between the logarithm of anisotropy of the thermal conductivity and the orientation degree of bonds. Finally, the parallel thermal conductivity of the strained SBR first rises and then declines with temperature. This transition reflects a crossover from disorder to anharmonicity dominated phonon transport. Moreover, the transition temperature is gradually reduced with increasing strain which is attributed to the polymer orientation. In summary, this work provides some fundamental insights into the thermal transport processes in SBR with different composition ratios of styrene and temperature, especially under tensile strain.

It is very important to improve the thermal conductivity of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) which can widen its application.     

Single-layer membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration: a molecular dynamics simulation and comparative experimental study

Organic solvents are widely used in pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Their separation and recovery account for a large part of energy consumption and capital cost in many industrial processes. MoS₂ membranes with varying pore sizes (0.6 nm pore with S atoms, 0.7 nm pore with Mo atoms, 1.3 nm pore with S atoms, 1.4 nm pore with Mo atoms) were investigated as organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes using molecular simulation in this study. The fluxes of five polar solvents (methanol, ethanol, propanol, acetonitrile and acetone) and a nonpolar solvent (n-hexane) were predicted. Although the 0.6 nm S pore has a smaller pore size, it has a better flux for some organic solvents than the 0.7 nm Mo pore. This selective behavior of molybdenum disulfide was confirmed by calculating the potential of mean force (PMF) of each solvent molecule. The PMFs show that polar solvents face a higher energy barrier through the pore, and greater resistance needs to be overcome. After testing the permeability of solvent by experiment and simulation, the flux changes of different solvents have the same trend in experiment and simulation. The solvent permeability was slightly affected in the presence of solute (acetaminophen), and MoS₂ membranes with small pores demonstrated 100% rejection rate for acetaminophen. This study confirmed that pore chemistry and pore size play important roles in OSN, and MoS₂ is a promising OSN membrane for the recovery of organic solvents.

Both simulated and experimental results demonstrated a good correlation between solvent permeances and solvent properties for the single-layer MoS₂ membrane.     

Correction: Exploration of the cofactor specificity of wild-type phosphite dehydrogenase and its mutant using molecular dynamics simulations

Correction for ‘Exploration of the cofactor specificity of wild-type phosphite dehydrogenase and its mutant using molecular dynamics simulations’ by Kunlu Liu et al., RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 14527–14533, DOI: 10.1039/D1RA00221J.

The authors regret that an incorrect grant number was shown in the acknowledgements section of the published article. The corrected section should read:This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31870201] and the Overseas Cooperation Project of Jilin Province [20200801069GH]. This work was performed at the High Performance Computing Center of Jilin University.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.