HARMONIC-ANALYSIS OF LARGE SYSTEMS .2. COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT PROTEIN MODELS

A series of normal mode analyses of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibito r (BPTI) has been performed. The results of modifying the long-range t runcation of electrostatics, reducing the conformational spate of the system (reduced basis normal mode analysis), and using different param eter sets and models for the potential function are reported. Both exp licit (904 atoms) and polar hydrogen (580 atoms) representations of BP TI were examined and produced nearly identical normal mode vectors but slightly modified vibrational frequencies. The truncation methods-no cutoff, shift, and switch-were examined, and the use of a short switch ing function was found to alter harmonic motion greatly. A table relat ing the different cutoff methods to several previously published frequ encies for BPTI indicates that the diversity of published lowest frequ encies is due to the use of different electrostatic models rather than to inherent differences in the models or energy parameters. Examining reduced basis results demonstrates that a dihedral basis yields simil ar normal mode vectors, though the vibrational frequencies are shifted to higher values. The analysis of BPTI harmonic dynamics using a sphe rical harmonic reduced basis set yields significantly altered dynamics , indicating that BPTI is not well represented as a homogeneous object at low temperatures. (C) 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.double dagger