Computing Protein-Protein Association Affinity with Hybrid Steered Molecular Dynamics. 2015

Roberto A Rodriguez, and Lili Yu, and Liao Y Chen
Department of Physics, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249 USA.

Computing protein-protein association affinities is one of the fundamental challenges in computational biophysics/biochemistry. The overwhelming amount of statistics in the phase space of very high dimensions cannot be sufficiently sampled even with today's high-performance computing power. In this article, we extend a potential of mean force (PMF)-based approach, the hybrid steered molecular dynamics (hSMD) approach we developed for ligand-protein binding, to protein-protein association problems. For a protein complex consisting of two protomers, P1 and P2, we choose m (≥3) segments of P1 whose m centers of mass are to be steered in a chosen direction and n (≥3) segments of P2 whose n centers of mass are to be steered in the opposite direction. The coordinates of these m + n centers constitute a phase space of 3(m + n) dimensions (3(m + n)D). All other degrees of freedom of the proteins, ligands, solvents, and solutes are freely subject to the stochastic dynamics of the all-atom model system. Conducting SMD along a line in this phase space, we obtain the 3(m + n)D PMF difference between two chosen states: one single state in the associated state ensemble and one single state in the dissociated state ensemble. This PMF difference is the first of four contributors to the protein-protein association energy. The second contributor is the 3(m + n - 1)D partial partition in the associated state accounting for the rotations and fluctuations of the (m + n - 1) centers while fixing one of the m + n centers of the P1-P2 complex. The two other contributors are the 3(m - 1)D partial partition of P1 and the 3(n - 1)D partial partition of P2 accounting for the rotations and fluctuations of their m - 1 or n - 1 centers while fixing one of the m/n centers of P1/P2 in the dissociated state. Each of these three partial partitions can be factored exactly into a 6D partial partition in multiplication with a remaining factor accounting for the small fluctuations while fixing three of the centers of P1, P2, or the P1-P2 complex, respectively. These small fluctuations can be well-approximated as Gaussian, and every 6D partition can be reduced in an exact manner to three problems of 1D sampling, counting the rotations and fluctuations around one of the centers as being fixed. We implement this hSMD approach to the Ras-RalGDS complex, choosing three centers on RalGDS and three on Ras (m = n = 3). At a computing cost of about 71.6 wall-clock hours using 400 computing cores in parallel, we obtained the association energy, -9.2 ± 1.9 kcal/mol on the basis of CHARMM 36 parameters, which well agrees with the experimental data, -8.4 ± 0.2 kcal/mol.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008024 Ligands A molecule that binds to another molecule, used especially to refer to a small molecule that binds specifically to a larger molecule, e.g., an antigen binding to an antibody, a hormone or neurotransmitter binding to a receptor, or a substrate or allosteric effector binding to an enzyme. Ligands are also molecules that donate or accept a pair of electrons to form a coordinate covalent bond with the central metal atom of a coordination complex. (From Dorland, 27th ed) Ligand
D011485 Protein Binding The process in which substances, either endogenous or exogenous, bind to proteins, peptides, enzymes, protein precursors, or allied compounds. Specific protein-binding measures are often used as assays in diagnostic assessments. Plasma Protein Binding Capacity,Binding, Protein
D011506 Proteins Linear POLYPEPTIDES that are synthesized on RIBOSOMES and may be further modified, crosslinked, cleaved, or assembled into complex proteins with several subunits. The specific sequence of AMINO ACIDS determines the shape the polypeptide will take, during PROTEIN FOLDING, and the function of the protein. Gene Products, Protein,Gene Proteins,Protein,Protein Gene Products,Proteins, Gene
D012997 Solvents Liquids that dissolve other substances (solutes), generally solids, without any change in chemical composition, as, water containing sugar. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed) Solvent
D056004 Molecular Dynamics Simulation A computer simulation developed to study the motion of molecules over a period of time. Molecular Dynamics Simulations,Molecular Dynamics,Dynamic, Molecular,Dynamics Simulation, Molecular,Dynamics Simulations, Molecular,Dynamics, Molecular,Molecular Dynamic,Simulation, Molecular Dynamics,Simulations, Molecular Dynamics

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