Binding of Small-Molecule Ligands to Proteins: “What You See” Is Not Always “What You Get”

We review insights from computational studies of affinities of ligands binding to proteins. The power of structural biology is in translating knowledge of protein structures into insights about their forces, binding, and mechanisms. However, the complementary power of computer modeling is in showing “the rest of the story” (i.e., how motions and ensembles and alternative conformers and the entropies and forces that cannot be seen in single molecular structures also contribute to binding affinities). Upon binding to a protein, a ligand can bind in multiple orientations; the protein or ligand can be deformed by the binding event; waters, ions, or cofactors can have unexpected involvement; and conformational or solvation entropies can sometimes play large and otherwise unpredictable roles. Computer modeling is helping to elucidate these factors.