SLDMOL: A tool for the structural characterization of thermally disordered membrane proteins

SLDMOL is a program for modeling the 1-D scattering length density (SLD) profile of proteins at the lipid membrane–solution interface or adsorbed to other surfaces. The program reads experimental SLD data from neutron or XX-ray reflectivity measurements and compares the results to a trajectory of protein structures, finding the conformation and orientation that best fits the experimental data. SLDMOL is a freely distributed open source program written in python that can be run independently using command lines or a GUI. SLDMOL has also been integrated into the larger SASSIE package extending molecular modeling capabilities. Sample environment conditions can be replicated including H_2O/D_2O solvent contrasts, specific amino acid deuteration and complex molecular assemblies. Ensembles of protein conformations can be generated independently (e.g. molecular dynamics simulations) or with SASSIE. For each individual structure a best-fit SLD profile is outputted along with a goodness of fit parameter, protein depth penetration and surface coverage. In addition to individual comparisons SLD profiles can be calculated over ensemble averages of protein structures. As a result, SLDMOL provides a detailed molecular interpretation of reflectivity data or conversely can be used to predict experimental outcomes for different protein conformation and specific deuteration schemes prior to measurements.