Supercomputer technologies for structural-kinetic study of mechanisms of enzyme catalysis: A quantum-chemical description of aspartoacylase catalysis

The results of modeling of the complete catalytic cycle of aspartoacylase-catalyzed N-acetylaspartate hydrolysis by the combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics method and with the use of umbrella sampling replica-exchange molecular dynamics simulations are reported. It has been shown that the decrease in the high-energy barriers of rate-limiting stages is achieved through the preceding equilibrium stages, such as proton transfer and conformational changes. General features of the catalytic behavior of enzymes have been formulated.