The thermodynamic signature of ligand binding to histone deacetylase-like amidohydrolases is most sensitive to the flexibility in the L2-loop lining the active site pocket.
Meyners, C., Kramer, A., Yildiz, O., Meyer-Almes, F.J.(2017) Biochim Biophys Acta 1861: 1855-1863
- PubMed: 28389333 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2017.04.001
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
5G17, 5G1A, 5G1B - PubMed Abstract: 
The analysis of the thermodynamic driving forces of ligand-protein binding has been suggested to be a key component for the selection and optimization of active compounds into drug candidates. The binding enthalpy as deduced from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is usually interpreted assuming single-step binding of a ligand to one conformation of the target protein. Although successful in many cases, these assumptions are oversimplified approximations of the reality with flexible proteins and complicated binding mechanism in many if not most cases. The relationship between protein flexibility and thermodynamic signature of ligand binding is largely understudied.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Haardtring 100, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany.