Dynamics of a myoglobin mutant enzyme: 2D IR vibrational echo experiments and simulations

Myoglobin (Mb) double mutant T67R/S92D displays peroxidase enzymatic activity in contrast to the wild type protein. The CO adduct of T67R/S92D shows two CO absorption bands corresponding to the A(1) and A(3) substates. The equilibrium protein dynamics for the two distinct substates of the Mb double mutant are investigated by using two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) vibrational echo spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The time-dependent changes in the 2D IR vibrational echo line shapes for both of the substates are analyzed using the center line slope (CLS) method to obtain the frequency-frequency correlation function (FFCF). The results for the double mutant are compared to those from the wild type Mb. The experimentally determined FFCF is compared to the FFCF obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, thereby testing the capacity of a force field to determine the amplitudes and time scales of protein structural fluctuations on fast time scales. The results provide insights into the nature of the energy landscape around the free energy minimum of the folded protein structure.