Spatial localization of ligand binding sites from electron current density surfaces calculated from NMR chemical shift perturbations

Rapid, accurate structure determination of protein-ligand complexes is an essential component in structure-based drug design. We have developed a method that uses NMR protein chemical shift perturbations to spatially localize a ligand when it is complexed with a protein. Chemical shift perturbations on the protein arise primarily from the close proximity of electron current density from the ligand. In our approach the location of the center of the electron current density for a ligand aromatic ring was approximated by a point-dipole, and dot densities were used to represent ligand positions that are allowed by the experimental data. The dot density is increased in the region of space that is consistent for the most data. A surface can be formed in regions of the highest dot density that correlates to the center of the ligand aromatic ring. These surfaces allow for the rapid evaluation of ligand binding, which is demonstrated on a model system and on real data from HCV NS3 protease and HCV NS3 helicase, where the location of ligand binding can be compared to that obtained from difference electron density from X-ray crystallography.