Protein Dynamics and Contact Topology Reveal Protein-DNA Binding Orientation

J Chem Theory Comput. 2016 Nov 8;12(11):5269-5277. doi: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00688. Epub 2016 Oct 21.

Abstract

Structure-encoded conformational dynamics are crucial for biomolecular functions. However, there is insufficient evidence to support the notion that dynamics play a role in guiding protein-nucleic acid interactions. Here, we show that protein-DNA docking orientation is a function of protein intrinsic dynamics, but the binding site itself does not display unique patterns in the examined spectrum of motions. This revelation is made possible by a novel technique that locates "dynamics interfaces" in proteins across which protein parts are anticorrelated in their slowest dynamics. A striking statistic is that such interfaces intersect the DNA in 97% of the 104 examined cases. These findings were then used to screen decoys generated by rigid-body docking of DNA molecules onto DNA-binding proteins. Using our method, the chance to discern near-native poses from non-native decoys increased by 2.5- and 1.6-fold, as compared to a random guess and methods based on surface complementarity, respectively. Hence, dynamically allowed protein-DNA docking orientations can work as new filters to cull and rerank docking poses and therefore enhance the predictability of DNA-binding sites that themselves do not have distinct dynamics features. Computer software implementing the method can be accessed via http://dyn.life.nthu.edu.tw/IDD/DNA.htm .

MeSH terms

  • Binding Sites
  • DNA / chemistry
  • DNA / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Entropy
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Folding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • DNA