Molecular dynamics sampling protocols

Molecular dynamics simulations are el ficient for searching the conformational space of medium-sized molecules and peptides. Different protocols can increase the elTicieiicy of the search and reduce the computer time needed to sample adequately the available conformations. 

To model the interaction between CSP and analyte one must account for 1) the shapes of the two molecules in the binary complex, 2) the relative position of the two molecules, i.e. the analyte should be at its proper binding site on or around the CSP, and 3) the orientation of the two molecules with respect to each other. This is just a simple way of saying that some sort of ensemble average is needed wherein a molecular dynamics protocol must ensure adequate sampling of phase space, or, if using a Monte Carlo strategy, a sufficient number of important configurations must be sampled. 

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