Analyzing Internal Motion of Proteins From Viewpoint of Robot Kinematics: Formulation of Group Forced Response Method
An analogous relationship exists between the kinematic structures of proteins and robotic mechanisms. Hence, using this analogy, we attempt to understand the internal motions of proteins from the perspective of robot kinematics. In this study, we propose a method called group forced response (GFR) method for predicting the internal motion of proteins on the basis of their three-dimensional structural data (PDB data). In this method, we apply forces in static equilibrium to groups of atoms (e.g., secondary structures, domains, and subunits) and not to specific atoms. Furthermore, we predict the internal motion of proteins by analyzing the relative motion caused among groups by the applied forces. First, we show a method for approximately modeling protein structures as a robotic mechanism and the basic kinematic equations of the model. Next, the GFR method is formulated (e.g., Jacobian matrix for group motions, magnitude of forces applied to groups, and decomposition of motions into modes according to structural compliances). Finally, we present example applications of the proposed method in real protein structures. Despite the approximations in the model, low computational cost, and use of simple calculation parameters, the results almost agree with measured internal motions.