Dear Yingjie, I agree with Ed Berry that I do not believe that nearby binding sites influence the Km (~Kd) which depend on bound and unbound concentrations. However, there could be a strong kinetic effect, e.g. these secondary binding sites could act as stepping stones when the path to the primary binding site would otherwise be difficult to pass. The crystal structure of the potassium channel provides a beautiful example of this. Best regards, Herman
________________________________ From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:ccp...@jiscmail.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Yingjie Peng Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 11:09 AM To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK Subject: [ccp4bb] Off-topic: ligand enrichment Dear guys, Sorry for the off-topic question. After I have solved my strucutre, I have found my target ligand bound at the potential binding site. Also, I have found that there are two more ligand molecules bound along the path from solvent to the binding site. I think this can enrich the ligand to binding site, enhancing the local concentration of the ligand, thus reducing the Km of the ligand. I am wondering if anybody can give some suggestions on how to solve this problem clearly. If there is any similar case, it will be better. Thank you in advance. Best wishes, Yingjie Yingjie PENG, Ph.D. student Structural Biology Group Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (SIBCB) Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences (SIBS) Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai 200031 P. R. China 86-21-54921117 Email: yjp...@sibs.ac.cn