Decoding the Torsional Dynamics of Main-Chain Atoms Within CαNN Motif Facilitating Specific Anion Recognition

The structural plasticity of proteins at the molecular level is largely dictated by backbone torsion angles, which play a critical role in ligand recognition and binding. To establish the anion-induced cooperative arrangement of the main-chain (mc) torsion, herein, we analyzed a set of naturally occurring CαNN motifs as "static models" for their anion-binding competence through docking and molecular dynamics simulations and decoded its torsion angle influenced mc-driven anion recognition potential. By comparing a pool of 20 distinct sets of CαNN motif with identical sequences in their "anion bound/present, aP" and "anion free/absent, aA" versions, we could discern that there exists a positive correlation between the "difference of anion residence time (ΔR_T)" and "difference among the main-chain torsion angle" of the aP and aA population. Notably, the anion interaction with CαNNs is locally energetically favorable even in a context-free non-proteinaceous environment and if the difference of the mc-torsion angles involving the Cα_-1, N₀, N₁ residues for a population is higher between the aP and aA state, the difference among the ligand R_T is also greater. At the atomistic level, the accommodation of anion is highly synergistic and cooperatively sways the interacting mc-atom torsions. By comparing the clustering of H-bonding patterns, the free energy of binding, and R_T in both states, we provide evidence that to establish favorable thermodynamics and kinetics of ligand accommodation in these short structural motifs, proper reorientation of local-mc governed by torsions is a prerequisite. Our findings position the CαNN motif as a promising scaffold for peptidomimetic design and emphasize the critical role of loop region dynamics in protein structure-function relationships.