Computational studies of ligand diffusion in globins: I. Leghemoglobin

The thermally assisted diffusion of a small ligand (carbon monoxide) through a protein matrix (lupine leghemoglobin) is investigated computationally. The diffusion paths are calculated by a variant of the time-dependent Hartree approximation which we call LES (locally enhanced sampling). The variant which was recently introduced by Elber and Karplus is based on the classical TDSCF approximation of Gerber et al. The simulation enables more significant search for diffusion pathways than was possible before. This is done by increasing the number of ligand trajectories using a single trajectory for the protein. We compare qualitatively diffusion rates in leghemoglobin and in myoglobin. The calculation shows that the diffusion in leghemoglobin is much faster than the diffusion in myoglobin, in agreement with experiment. The gate in leghemoglobin is opened by fluctuations at a close contact between the B/C and the G helices. The most relevant fluctuation is the rigid shift of the C helix with respect to the G helix. This path is not observed in a comparable calculation for myoglobin. This finding is rationalized by the lack of the D helix in leghemoglobin and a significantly more flexible CE loop. Supporting experimental evidence for the importance of the CE loop in leghemoglobin can be found in the kinetics studies of Gibson et al.