Computational investigation of dynamical transitions in Trp-cage miniprotein powders

We investigate computationally the dynamical transitions in Trp-cage miniprotein powders, at three levels of hydration: 0.04, 0.26 and 0.4 g water/g protein. We identify two distinct temperatures where transitions in protein dynamics occur. Thermal motions are harmonic and independent of hydration level below T(low) ≈ 160 K, above which all powders exhibit harmonic behavior but with a different and enhanced temperature dependence. The second onset, which is often referred to as the protein dynamical transition, occurs at a higher temperature T(D) that decreases as the hydration level increases, and at the lowest hydration level investigated here (0.04 g/g) is absent in the temperature range we studied in this work (T ≤ 300 K). Protein motions become anharmonic at T(D), and their amplitude increases with hydration level. Upon heating above T(D), hydrophilic residues experience a pronounced enhancement in the amplitude of their characteristic motions in hydrated powders, whereas it is the hydrophobic residues that experience the more pronounced enhancement in the least hydrated system. The dynamical transition in Trp-cage is a collective phenomenon, with every residue experiencing a transition to anharmonic behavior at the same temperature.