Protein side-chain motion and hydration in proton-transfer pathways. Results for cytochrome P450cam

Proton-transfer reactions form an integral part of bioenergetics and enzymatic catalysis. The identification of proton-conducting pathways inside a protein is a key to understanding the mechanisms of biomolecular proton transfer. Proton pathways are modeled here as hydrogen bonded networks of proton-conducting groups, including proton-exchanging groups of amino acid side chains and bound water molecules. We focus on the identification of potential proton-conducting pathways inside a protein of known structure. However, consideration of the static structure alone is often not sufficient to detect suitable proton-transfer paths, leading, for example, from the protein surface to the active site buried inside the protein. We include dynamic fluctuations of amino acid side chains and water molecules into our analysis. To illustrate the method, proton transfer into the active site of cytochrome P450cam is studied. The cooperative rotation of amino acids and motion of water molecules are found to connect the protein surface to the molecular oxygen. Our observations emphasize the intrinsic dynamical nature of proton pathways where critical connections in the network may be transiently provided by mobile groups.