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Updated: May 22, 2026

Study of Protein Dynamics via Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy
Published on: April 13, 2022
Dissipative electro-elastic network model of protein electrostatics
Daniel R Martin1, S Banu Ozkan, Dmitry V Matyushov
1Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, PO Box 871504, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA.
Abstract:
We propose a dissipative electro-elastic network model to describe the dynamics and statistics of electrostatic fluctuations at active sites of proteins. The model combines the harmonic network of residue beads with overdamped dynamics of the normal modes of the network characterized by two friction coefficients. The electrostatic component is introduced to the model through atomic charges of the protein force field. The overall effect of the electrostatic fluctuations of the network is recorded through the frequency-dependent response functions of the electrostatic potential and electric field at the protein active site. We also consider the dynamics of displacements of individual residues in the network and the dynamics of distances between pairs of residues. The model is tested against loss spectra of residue displacements and the electrostatic potential and electric field at the heme's iron from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of three hydrated globular proteins.
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