Accelerating molecular simulations of proteins using Bayesian inference on weak information.

ABSTRACT: Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of protein molecules are too computationally expensive to predict most native structures from amino acid sequences. Here, we integrate "weak" external knowledge into folding simulations to predict protein structures, given their sequence. For example, we instruct the computer "to form a hydrophobic core," "to form good secondary structures," or "to seek a compact state." This kind of information has been too combinatoric, nonspecific, and vague to help guide MD simulations before. Within atomistic replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD), we develop a statistical mechanical framework, modeling using limited data with coarse physical insight(s) (MELD + CPI), for harnessing weak information. As a test, we apply MELD + CPI to predict the native

SUBMITTER: Perez A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4586851 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature