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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Assessment of Immunologically Relevant Dynamic Tertiary Structural Features of the HIV-1 V3 Loop Crown R2 Sequence by ab initio Folding
Published on: September 15, 2010
A mean field model of ligand-protein interactions: implications for the structural assessment of human
1Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
Abstract:
We propose a general mean field model of ligand-protein interactions to determine the thermodynamic equilibrium of a system at finite temperature. The method is employed in structural assessments of two human immuno-deficiency virus type 1 protease complexes where the gross effects of protein flexibility are incorporated by utilizing a data base of crystal structures. Analysis of the energy spectra for these complexes has revealed that structural and thermo-dynamic aspects of molecular recognition can be rationalized on the basis of the extent of frustration in the binding energy landscape. In particular, the relationship between receptor-specific binding of these ligands to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease and a minimal frustration principle is analyzed.
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