Role of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic sites in the dynamic crossover of the protein-hydration water

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the water structure and dynamics in the hydration shell of the globular TS-Kappa protein. The results show that for a wide range of temperatures the diffusion coefficient of water near the protein surface is lower than in bulk. A crossover in the diffusion behavior of hydration water is observed at different temperatures for hydrophilic and hydrophobic vicinities. We have found a correlation between the crossover in the hydrophilic case and the protein dynamical transition. An explanation in terms of the competition between water-water water-protein H-bond formation is provided based on H-bond network analysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.