Numerical construction of the p(fold) (committor) reaction coordinate for a Markov process.

To simplify the description of a complex multidimensional dynamical process, one often projects it onto a single reaction coordinate. In protein folding studies, the folding probability p(fold) is an optimal reaction coordinate which preserves many important properties of the dynamics. The construction of the coordinate is difficult. Here, an efficient numerical approach to construct the p(fold) reaction coordinate for a Markov process (satisfying the detailed balance) is described. The coordinate is obtained by optimizing parameters of a chosen functional form to make a generalized cut-based free energy profile the highest. The approach is illustrated by constructing the p(fold) reaction coordinate for the equilibrium folding simulation of FIP35 protein reported by Shaw et al. (Science 2010, 330, 341-346).