Protein-drug Interactions: Characterization of Inhibitor Binding in Complexes of DHFR with Trimethoprim and Related Derivatives

Structural and thermodynamic interactions for the binding of trimethoprim and related congeners to the binary complex of dihydrofolate reductase (from chicken) and NADPH are explored using free energy simulation methods. Good agreement between structures from experimental X-ray refinement and molecular dynamics simulations is found for the complexes. Agreement with thermodynamic measurements is found as well. Our thermodynamic calculations suggest that entropic contributions and desolvation thermodynamics can play a crucial role in overall binding, and that extreme care must be taken in the use of simple model building to rationalize or predict protein-drug binding.