| The sheer vastness of the number of computations required to simulate a biological molecule puts incredible pressure on algorithms to be efficient while maintaining sufficient accuracy. This dissertation summarizes various projects whose purposes address the large span of types of problems in molecular dynamics simulations of biological systems including: increasing efficiency, measuring convergence, avoiding pitfalls, and an application and analysis of a biological system.;Chapters 3 and 4 deal with an enhanced sampling algorithm called "replica exchange molecular dynamics" which is designed to speed-up molecular dynamics simulations. The optimization of a key parameter of these simulations is analyzed. In these successive projects, it was found conclusively that maximizing "exchange attempt frequency" is the most efficient way to run a replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation.;Chapter 5 describes an enhanced metric for convergence in parallel simulations called the normalized ergodic measure. The metric is applied to several properties for several replica exchange simulations. Advantages of this metric over other methods are described.;Chapter 6 describes the implementation and optimization of an enhanced sampling algorithm similar to replica exchange molecular dynamics called multicanonical algorithm replica exchange molecular dynamics. The algorithm was implemented into a biomolecular simulation suite called AMBER. Additionally several parameters were analyzed and optimized.;In Chapter 7, a pitfall in molecular dynamics is observed in biological systems that is caused by negligent use of a simulation's "thermostat". It was found that if the same pseudorandom number seed were used for multiple systems, they eventually synchronize. In this project, synchronization was observed in biological molecules. Various negative effects including corruption of data are pointed out.;Chapter 8 describes molecular dynamics simulation of NikR, a homotetrameric nickel regulatory protein whose binding to free Ni++ increases its binding affinity for a nickel transporter gene. Three forms of the Pyrococcus Horikoshii species of NikR were simulated including two apo-forms and one nickel-bound form. A quantum-mechanics-based force field parameterization was required to accurately represent the four nickel-centers in the holo-form. Extensive analysis of the three 100-ns-long trajectories was performed. |
