Alchembed: A Computational Method for Incorporating Multiple Proteins into Complex Lipid Geometries

作者:Jefferys Elizabeth; Sands Zara A; Shi Jiye; Sansom Mark S P; Fowler Philip W*
来源:Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, 2015, 11(6): 2743-2754.
DOI:10.1021/ct501111d

摘要

A necessary step prior to starting any membrane protein computer simulation is the creation of a well-packed configuration of protein(s) and lipids. Here, we demonstrate a method, alchembed, that can simultaneously and rapidly embed multiple proteins into arrangements of lipids described using either atomistic or coarse-grained force fields. During a short simulation, the interactions between the protein(s) and lipids are gradually switched on using a soft-core van der Waals potential. We validate the method on a range of membrane proteins and determine the optimal soft-core parameters required to insert membrane proteins. Since all of the major biomolecular codes include soft-core van der Waals potentials, no additional code is required to apply this method. A tutorial is included in the Supporting Information.

  • 出版日期2015-6