Identifying Cryptic Binding Sites with Mixed Solvent MD Simulation and SiteMap.

Abstract

Identifying cryptic binding sites in proteins remains a challenge in structure-based drug discovery because these sites are often not apparent in apo structures. Here, we developed and validated a novel "induce-and-identify" workflow that integrates mixed solvent molecular dynamics (MxMD) simulations with SiteMap. This approach leverages MxMD to sample protein conformations to expose hidden pockets, which are then effectively identified and ranked by SiteMap. Using a challenging data set of 65 cryptic binding sites, the developed workflow identified the cryptic binding site within the top 5 predictions in 78.5% of cases. These results suggest that the proposed MxMD + SiteMap workflow provides a robust and valuable tool for early phase drug discovery, enabling the exploration of a broader range of druggable targets by effectively inducing and identifying cryptic binding sites.