Multisecond ligand dissociation dynamics from atomistic simulations

Abstract: Coarse-graining of fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations is a long-standing goal in order to allow the description of processes occurring on biologically relevant timescales. For example, the prediction of pathways, rates and rate-limiting steps in protein-ligand unbinding is crucial for modern drug discovery. To achieve the enhanced sampling, we first perform dissipation-corrected targeted molecular dynamics simulations, which yield free energy and friction profiles of the molecular process under consideration. In a second step, we use these fields to perform temperature-boosted Langevin simulations which account for the desired molecular kinetics occurring on multisecond timescales and beyond. Adopting the dissociation of solvated sodium chloride as well as trypsin-benzamidine and Hsp90-inhibitor protein-ligand complexes as test problems, we are able to reproduce rates from molecular dynamics simulation and experiments within a factor of 2-20, and dissociation constants within a factor of 1-4. Analysis of the friction profiles reveals that binding and unbinding dynamics are mediated by changes of the surrounding hydration shells in all investigated systems.