Mapping electron paramagnetic resonance spin label conformations by the simulated scaling method.

In order to efficiently simulate spin label behavior when attached to the protein backbone we developed a novel approach that enhances local conformational sampling. The simulated scaling (SS) approach (Li, H., et al. J. Chem. Phys. 2007, 126, 24106) couples the random walk of a potential scaling parameter and molecular dynamics in the framework of hybrid Monte Carlo. This approach allows efficient barrier crossings between conformations. The method retains the thermodynamic detailed balance allowing for determination of relative free energies between various conformations. The accuracy of our method was validated by comparison with the recently resolved X-ray crystal structure of a spin labeled T4 lysozyme in which the spin label was in the interior of the protein. Consistent potentials of mean force (PMF) are obtained for the spin label torsion angles to illustrate their behavior in various protein environments: surface, semiburied, and buried. These PMFs reflect the experimentally observed trends and provide the rationale for the spin label dynamics. We have used this method to compare an implicit and explicit solvent model in spin label modeling. The implicit model, which is computationally faster, was found to be in excellent agreement with the explicit solvent treatment. Based on this collection of results, we believe that the presented approach has great potential in the general strategy of describing the behavior of the spin label using molecular modeling and using this information in the interpretation of EPR measurements in terms of protein conformation and dynamics.