Calculations of proton-binding thermodynamics in proteins

Computational models of proton binding can range from the chemically complex and statistically simple (as in the quantum calculations) to the chemically simple and statistically complex. Much progress has been made in the multiple-site titration problem. Calculations have improved with the inclusion of more flexibility in regard to both the geometry of the proton binding and the larger scale protein motions associated with titration. This article concentrated on the principles of current calculations, but did not attempt to survey their quantitative performance. This is (1) because such comparisons are given in the cited papers and (2) because continued developments in understanding conformational flexibility and interaction energies will be needed to develop robust methods with strong predictive power. Nevertheless, the advances achieved over the past few years should not be underestimated: serious calculations of protonation behavior and its coupling to conformational change can now be confidently pursued against a backdrop of increasing understanding of the strengths and limitations of such models. It is hoped that such theoretical advances will also spur renewed experimental interest in measuring both overall titration curves and individual pK(a) values or pK(a) shifts. Exploration of the shapes of individual titration curves (as measured by Hill coefficients and other parameters) would also be useful in assessing the accuracy of computations and in drawing connections to functional behavior.