Development of a lattice-sum method emulating nonperiodic boundary conditions for the treatment of electrostatic interactions in molecular simulations: a continuum-electrostatics study

Artifacts induced by the application of periodic boundary conditions and lattice-sum methods in explicit-solvent simulations of (bio-)molecular systems are nowadays a major concern in the computer-simulation community. The present article reports a first step toward the design of a modified lattice-sum algorithm emulating nonperiodic boundary conditions, and therefore exempt of such periodicity-induced artifacts. This result is achieved here in the (more simple) context of continuum electrostatics. It is shown that an appropriate modification of the periodic Poisson equation and of its boundary conditions leads to a continuum-electrostatics scheme, which, although applied under periodic boundary conditions, exactly mimics the nonperiodic situation. The possible extension of this scheme to explicit-solvent simulations is outlined and its practical implementation will be described in more details in a forthcoming article.     

Application of MDGRAPE-3, a special purpose board for molecular dynamics simulations, to periodic biomolecular systems

We describe the application of a special purpose board for molecular dynamics simulations, named MDGRAPE-3, to the problem of simulating periodic bio-molecular systems. MDGRAPE-3 is the latest board in a series of hardware accelerators designed to calculate the nonbonding long-range interactions much more rapidly than normal processors. So far, MDGRAPEs were mainly applied to isolated systems, where very many nonbonded interactions were calculated without any distance cutoff. However, in order to regulate the density and pressure during simulations of membrane embedded protein systems, one has to evaluate interactions under periodic boundary conditions. For this purpose, we implemented the Particle-Mesh Ewald (PME) method, and its approximation with distance cutoffs and charge neutrality as proposed by Wolf et al., using MDGRAPE-3. When the two methods were applied to simulations of two periodic biomolecular systems, a single MDGRAPE-3 achieved 30-40 times faster computation times than a single conventional processor did in the both cases. Both methods are shown to have the same molecular structures and dynamics of the systems.     

Molecular dynamics in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble: the requirement of a "shell" molecule. II. Simulation results

The results of a series of constant pressure and temperature molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation studies based on the rigorous shell particle formulation of the isothermal-isobaric (NpT) ensemble are presented. These MD simulations validate the newly proposed constant pressure equations of motion in which a "shell" particle is used to define uniquely the volume of the system [M. J. Uline and D. S. Corti, J. Chem. Phys. (to be published), preceding paper]. Ensemble averages obtained with the new MD NpT algorithm match the ensemble averages obtained using the previously derived shell particle Monte Carlo NpT method [D. S. Corti, Mol. Phys. 100, 1887 (2002)]. In addition, we also verify that the Hoover NpT MD algorithm [W. G. Hoover, Phys. Rev. A 31, 1695 (1985); 34, 2499 (1986)] generates the correct ensemble averages, though only when periodic boundary conditions are employed. The extension of the shell particle MD algorithm to multicomponent systems is also discussed, in which we show for equilibrium properties that the identity of the shell particle is completely arbitrary when periodic boundary conditions are applied. Self-diffusion coefficients determined with the shell particle equations of motion are also identical to those obtained in other ensembles. Finally, since the mass of the shell particle is known, the system itself, and not a piston of arbitrary mass, controls the time scales for internal pressure and volume fluctuations. We therefore consider the effects of the shell particle on the dynamics of the system. Overall, the shell particle MD algorithm is an effective simulation method for studying systems exposed to a constant external pressure and may provide an advantage over other existing constant pressure approaches when developing nonequilibrium MD methods.     

An efficient parallelization scheme for molecular dynamics simulations with many-body, flexible, polarizable empirical potentials: application to water

An efficient parallelization scheme for classical molecular dynamics simulations with flexible, polarizable empirical potentials is presented. It is based on the standard Ewald summation technique to handle the long-range electrostatic and induction interactions. The algorithm for this parallelization scheme is designed for systems containing several thousands of polarizable sites in the simulation box. Its performance is evaluated during molecular dynamics simulations under periodic boundary conditions with unit cell sizes ranging from 128 to 512 molecules employing two flexible polarizable water models [DC(F) and TTM2.1-F] containing 1 and 3 polarizable sites, respectively. The time-to-solution for these two polarizable models is compared with the one for a flexible, pairwise-additive water model (TIP4F). The benchmarks were performed on both shared and distributed memory platforms. As a result of the efficient calculation of the induced dipole moments, a superlinear scaling as a function of the number of the processors is observed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported results of parallel scaling and performance for simulations of liquid water with a polarizable potential under periodic boundary conditions.     

A method to obtain a near-minimal-volume molecular simulation of a macromolecule, using periodic boundary conditions and rotational constraints

If the rotational motion of a single macromolecule is constrained during a molecular dynamics simulation with periodic boundary conditions it is possible to perform such simulations in a computational box with a minimal amount of solvent. In this article we describe a method to construct such a box, and test the approach on a number of macromolecules, randomly chosen from the protein databank. The essence of the method is that the molecule is first dilated with a layer of at least half the cut-off radius. For the enlarged molecule a near-densest lattice packing is calculated. From this packing the simulation box is derived. On average, the volume of the resulting box proves to be about 50% of the volume of standard boxes. In test simulations this yields on average a factor of about two in simulation speed.     

Nonperiodic boundary conditions for solvated systems

The simulation of charged and/or strongly polar solutes represents a challenge for standard molecular-dynamics techniques. The use of periodic boundary conditions (PBCs) leads to artifacts due to the interaction between two replicas in the presence of the long-range Coulomb forces. A way to avoid these problems is the use of nonperiodic boundary conditions. A possible realization is to consider a finite system, a sphere, embedded in a reaction field described by the method of the images. In the present work the modified image approximation has been implemented in a molecular-dynamics code and optimized for the use of two standard solvents, water and acetonitrile. The methodology has then been applied to investigate the conformational changes in water-solvated alanine dipeptide. The free-energy surface calculated with this method is comparable to that obtained with PBC.     

Elastic bag model for molecular dynamics simulations of solvated systems: application to liquid water and solvated peptides

The fluctuating elastic boundary (FEB) model for molecular dynamics has recently been developed and validated through simulations of liquid argon. In the FEB model, a flexible boundary which consists of particles connected by springs is used to confine the solvated system, thereby eliminating the need for periodic boundary conditions. In this study, we extend this model to the simulation of bulk water and solvated alanine dipeptide. Both the confining potential and boundary particle interaction functions are modified to preserve the structural integrity of the boundary and prevent the leakage of the solute-solvent system through the boundary. A broad spectrum of structural and dynamic properties of liquid water are computed and compared with those obtained from conventional periodic boundary condition simulations. The applicability of the model to biomolecular simulations is investigated through the analysis of conformational population distribution of solvated alanine dipeptide. In most cases we find remarkable agreement between the two simulation approaches.     

Simulation studies of the protein-water interface. II. Properties at the mesoscopic resolution

We report molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of three protein-water systems (ubiquitin, apo-calbindin D(9K), and the C-terminal SH2 domain of phospholipase C-gamma1), from which we compute the dielectric properties of the solutions. Since two of the proteins studied have a net charge, we develop the necessary theory to account for the presence of charged species in a form suitable for computer simulations. In order to ensure convergence of the time correlation functions needed for the analysis, the minimum length of the MD simulations was 20 ns. The system sizes (box length, number of waters) were chosen so that the resulting protein concentrations are comparable to experimental conditions. A dielectric component analysis was carried out to analyze the contributions from protein and water to the frequency-dependent dielectric susceptibility chi(omega) of the solutions. Additionally, an even finer decomposition into protein, two solvation shells, and the remaining water (bulk water) was carried out. The results of these dielectric decompositions were used to study protein solvation at mesoscopic resolution, i.e., in terms of protein, first and second solvation layers, and bulk water. This study, therefore, complements the structural and dynamical analyses at molecular resolution that are presented in the companion paper. The dielectric component contributions from the second shell and bulk water are very similar in all three systems. We find that the proteins influence the dielectric properties of water even beyond the second solvation shell, in agreement with what was observed for the mean residence times of water molecules in protein solutions. By contrast, the protein contributions, as well as the contributions of the first solvation shell, are system specific. Most importantly, the protein and the first water shell around ubiquitin and apo-calbindin are anticorrelated, whereas the first water shell around the SH2 domain is positively correlated.     

An evaluation of non-periodic boundary condition models in molecular dynamics simulations using prion octapeptides as probes

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed under periodic boundary conditions and using four non-periodic solvation models. The biomolecular probe in these simulations was a single repeat of the copper-binding octapeptide in the human prion protein, PHGGGWGQ. Although the alternative non-periodic solvation models enable a reduction in computational time, the dynamical disadvantages are considerable when using any of these four non-periodic models. For simulations of systems similar to the test system, periodic boundary conditions are a better alternative than any of the four local models.     

A method for modeling icosahedral virions: Rotational symmetry boundary conditions

We present two techniques for implementing a new method of simulating an entire virion. Earlier computer simulations of a capsid protein revealed large edge effects due to the use of free standing boundaries. Because of the size of a given protomer, conventional three-dimensional periodic boundary conditions would be extremely wasteful. This would require an extremely large number of solvent molecules, and therefore would be computationally feasible for only a fragment of the entire virion. The new method employs non-space-filling computational cells in molecular modeling and molecular dynamics with the boundary conditions based on the icosahedral group. The method is general and could be used for any molecular system with a point group symmetry. With this method, the dynamical and spatial intra and interprotomer correlations can be studied at atomic levels. The technique is applicable to any virion with icosahedral symmetry. A sample calculation involving a geometry optimization of the human rhinovirus coat proteins is given to demonstrate the technique.     

An empirical boundary potential for water droplet simulations

An empirical modified boundary potential has been derived to correct the structural perturbations arising from the presence of the vacuum boundary in the simulation of spherical TIP4P water systems. The potential is parameterized for a 12.0-Å sphere of TIP4P water and gives improved number density and orientational sampling behavior. It is also transferable to both larger and smaller simulation systems with only a moderate degradation in performance. Free-energy calculations have been conducted for the perturbation of a TIP4P water molecule to methane under aqueous conditions, and the modified boundary potential gives results consistent with those from simulations using periodic boundary conditions. However, simple half-harmonic boundary potentials give unsatisfactory number density, orientational sampling, and free-energy results. Moreover, use of the modified boundary potential results in a negligible increase in simulation time. It is envisaged that the modified boundary potential will find use in free-energy perturbation calculations on proteins with a solvent sphere centered on the active site. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The effect of box shape on the dynamic properties of proteins simulated under periodic boundary conditions

The effect of the box shape on the dynamic behavior of proteins simulated under periodic boundary conditions is evaluated. In particular, the influence of simulation boxes defined by the near-densest lattice packing (NDLP) in conjunction with rotational constraints is compared to that of standard box types without these constraints. Three different proteins of varying size, shape, and secondary structure content were examined in the study. The statistical significance of differences in RMSD, radius of gyration, solvent-accessible surface, number of hydrogen bonds, and secondary structure content between proteins, box types, and the application or not of rotational constraints has been assessed. Furthermore, the differences in the collective modes for each protein between different boxes and the application or not of rotational constraints have been examined. In total 105 simulations were performed, and the results compared using a three-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for properties derived from the trajectories and a three-way univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) for collective modes. It is shown that application of roto-translational constraints does not have a statistically significant effect on the results obtained from the different simulations. However, the choice of simulation box was found to have a small (5-10%), but statistically significant effect on the behavior of two of the three proteins included in the study.     

Stochastic boundary conditions for molecular dynamics simulations of ST2 water

The deformable stochastic boundary method developed previously for treating simple liquids without periodic boundary conditions, is extended to the ST2 model of water. The method is illustrated by a molecular dynamics simulation of a sphere containing 98 water molecules. Comparison with the results of the periodic boundary simulation by Stillinger and Rahman shows very good agreement for structural and dynamic properties.     

Elastic bag model for molecular dynamics simulations of solvated systems: application to liquid argon

A new approach is developed to study the dynamics of the localized process in solutions and other condensed phase systems. The approach employs a fluctuating elastic boundary (FEB) model which encloses the simulated system in an elastic bag that mimics the effects of the bulk solvent. This alleviates the need for periodic boundary conditions and allows for a reduction in the number of solvent molecules that need to be included in the simulation. The boundary bag is modeled as a mesh of quasi-particles connected by elastic bonds. The FEB model allows for volume and density fluctuations characteristic of the bulk system, and the shape of the boundary fluctuates during the course of the simulation to adapt to the configuration fluctuations of the explicit solute-solvent system inside. The method is applied to the simulation of a Lennard-Jones model of liquid argon. Various structural and dynamical quantities are computed and compared with those obtained from conventional periodic boundary simulations. The agreement between the two is excellent in most cases, thus validating the viability of the FEB method.     

A molecular dynamics computer simulation study of the temperature dependence of hydration of 1,4-dioxane and 1,3-dioxane

This paper describes a study of the hydration of 1,3-dioxane and 1,4-dioxane at two different temperatures using different molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation techniques. Three major conclusions have been drawn. Firstly, the simulations of 1,4-dioxane—water and 1,3-dioxane—water at constant pressure lead essentially to the same conclusions as earlir MD studies at constant volume. Secondly, the numerical values of dynamic properties depend critically on the density of the system. Simulations at constant pressure provide densities which are dependent on the periodicity requirement imposed on the system by the periodic boundary conditions. The smaller the periodic box, the stronger this effect is. Thirdly, in 1,4-dioxane—water an increase in temperature results in an enhanced mobility of water molecules in the solvation shell, whereas in the case of 1,3-dioxane—water these water molecules become more strongly bound by the solute. This effect is entirely due to a reduction of the mobility of water molecules in the 1,3-dioxane oxygen hydration subshells. The contrasting behavior is explained in terms of a situation where solvent—solvent interactions dominate solute—solvent interactions in 1,4-dioxane—water at both temperatures and in 1,3-dioxane—water at the lower temperature, while the opposite situation holds for 1,3-dioxane—water at the higher temperature.     

Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of water in protein environments

The grand canonical simulation algorithm is considered as a general methodology to sample the configuration of water molecules confined within protein environments. First, the probability distribution of the number of water molecules and their configuration in a region of interest for biochemical simulations, such as the active site of a protein, is derived by considering a finite subvolume in open equilibrium with a large system serving as a bulk reservoir. It is shown that the influence of the bulk reservoir can be represented as a many-body potential of mean force acting on the atoms located inside the subvolume. The grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) algorithm, augmented by a number of technical advances to increase the acceptance of insertion attempts, is implemented, and tested for simple systems. In particular, the method is illustrated in the case of a pure water box with periodic boundary conditions. In addition, finite spherical systems of pure water and containing a dialanine peptide, are simulated with GCMC while the influence of the surrounding infinite bulk is incorporated using the generalized solvent boundary potential [W. Im, S. Berneche, and B. Roux, J. Chem. Phys. 114, 2924 (2001)]. As a last illustration of water confined in the interior of a protein, the hydration of the central cavity of the KcsA potassium channel is simulated.     

Many-body calculations of low-energy eigenstates in magnetic and periodic systems with self-healing diffusion Monte Carlo: steps beyond the fixed phase

The self-healing diffusion Monte Carlo algorithm (SHDMC) [F. A. Reboredo, R. Q. Hood, and P. R. C. Kent, Phys. Rev. B 79, 195117 (2009); F. A. Reboredo, ibid. 80, 125110 (2009)] is extended to study the ground and excited states of magnetic and periodic systems. The method converges to exact eigenstates as the statistical data collected increase if the wave function is sufficiently flexible. It is shown that the dimensionality of the nodal surface is dependent on whether phase is a scalar function or not. A recursive optimization algorithm is derived from the time evolution of the mixed probability density, which is given by an ensemble of electronic configurations (walkers) with complex weight. This complex weight allows the phase of the fixed-node wave function to move away from the trial wave function phase. This novel approach is both a generalization of SHDMC and the fixed-phase approximation [G. Ortiz, D. M. Ceperley, and R. M. Martin, Phys Rev. Lett. 71, 2777 (1993)]. When used recursively it simultaneously improves the node and the phase. The algorithm is demonstrated to converge to nearly exact solutions of model systems with periodic boundary conditions or applied magnetic fields. The computational cost is proportional to the number of independent degrees of freedom of the phase. The method is applied to obtain low-energy excitations of Hamiltonians with magnetic field. Periodic boundary conditions are also considered optimizing wave functions with twisted boundary conditions which are included in a many-body Bloch phase. The potential applications of this new method to study periodic, magnetic, and complex Hamiltonians are discussed.     

Molecular dynamics with helical periodic boundary conditions

Helical symmetry is often encountered in nature and thus also in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In many cases, an approximation based on infinite helical periodicity can save a significant amount of computer time. However, standard simulations with the usual periodic boundary conditions (PBC) are not easily compatible with it. In the present study, we propose and investigate an algorithm comprising infinitely propagated helicity, which is compatible with commonly used MD software. The helical twist is introduced as a parametric geometry constraint, and the translational PBC are modified to allow for the helical symmetry via a transitional solvent volume. The algorithm including a parallel code was implemented within the Tinker software. The viability of the helical periodic boundary conditions (HPBC) was verified in test simulations including α‐helical and polyproline II like peptide structures. For an insulin‐based model, the HPBC dynamics made it possible to simulate a fibrillar structure, otherwise not stable within PBC. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation of Fe 3+ (aq)

The optimized geometry and energetic properties of Fe(D2O)n 3+ clusters, with n = 4 and 6, have been studied with density-functional theory calculations and the BLYP functional, and the hydration of a single Fe 3+ ion in a periodic box with 32 water molecules at room temperature has been studied with Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics and the same functional. We have compared the results from the CPMD simulation with classical MD simulations, using a flexible SPC-based water model and the same number of water molecules, to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two MD methods. The classical MD simulations and the CPMD simulations both give Fe-water distances in good agreement with experiment, but for the intramolecular vibrations, the classical MD yields considerably better absolute frequencies and ion-induced frequency shifts. On the other hand, the CPMD method performs considerably better than the classical MD in describing the intramolecular geometry of the water molecule in the first hydration shell and the average first shell...second shell hydrogen-bond distance. Differences between the two methods are also found with respect to the second-shell water orientations. The effect of the small box size (32 vs 512 water molecules) was evaluated by comparing results from classical simulations using different box sizes; non-negligible effects are found for the ion-water distance and the tilt angles of the water molecules in the second hydration shell and for the O-D stretching vibrational frequencies of the water molecules in the first hydration shell.