Effects of the Temperature and the pH on the Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

The novel coronavirus, recognized as COVID-19, is the cause of an infection outbreak in December 2019. The effect of temperature and pH changes on the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 were investigated using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. The obtained results from the root mean square deviation (RMSD) and root mean square fluctuations (RMSF) analyses showed that at a constant temperature of 25 degrees C and pH=5, the conformational change of the main protease is more significant than that of pH=6 and 7. Also, by increasing temperature from 25 degrees C to 55 degrees C at constant pH=7, a remarkable change in protein structure was observed. The radial probability of water molecules around the main protease was decreased by increasing temperature and decreasing pH. The weakening of the binding energy between the main protease and water molecules due to the increasing temperature and decreasing pH has reduced the number of hydrogen bonds between the main protease and water molecules. Finding conditions that alter the conformation of the main protease could be fundamental because this change could affect the virus's functionality and its ability to impose illness.