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Visual Dynamics (VD) is a web tool that aims to facilitate the use and application of Molecular Dynamics (MD) executed in Gromacs, allowing users without computational familiarity to run short-time simulations for validation, demonstration, and teaching purposes. It is true that quantum methods are the most accurate. However, there is currently no computational feasibility to carry out the experiments that MD performs. The tool described here has continuously received improvements over the course of the last couple of years. This protocol will describe what is needed to run a simulation in VD with a protein-ligand complex previously prepared in ACPYPE and some general directions on the other simulation models available. For the detailed simulation, the FK506-binding protein from Plasmodium vivax complexed with the inhibitor D5 (PDB ID: 4mgv) will be used, and all files used will be provided. Note that this protocol will tell every option to be used to achieve the same results presented, but these options are not necessarily the only ones available.

Background: The molecular dynamics is an approach to obtain kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of biomolecular structures. The molecular dynamics simulation softwares are very useful, however, most of them are used in command line form and continue with the same common implementation difficulties that plague researchers who are not computer specialists., Results: Here, we have developed the VisualDynamics-a WEB tool developed to automate biological simulations performed in Gromacs using a graphical interface to make molecular dynamics simulation user-friendly task. In this new application the researcher can submit a simulation of the protein in the free form or complexed with a ligand. Can also download the graphics analysis and log files at the end of the simulation., Conclusions: VisualDynamics is a tool that will accelerate implementations and learning in the area of molecular dynamics simulation. Freely available at https://visualdynamics.fiocruz.br/login , is supported by all major web browsers. VisualDynamics was developed with Flask, which is a Python-based free and open-source framework for web development. The code is freely available for download at GitHub https://github.com/LABIOQUIM/visualdynamics ., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) (EC.2.4.2.1) is an enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of N-ribosidic bonds of the purine ribonucleosides and 2-deoxyribonucleosides in the presence of inorganic orthophosphate as a second substrate. This enzyme is involved in purine-salvage pathway and has been proposed as a promising target for design and development of antimalarial and antibacterial drugs. Recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of PNP by X-ray protein crystallography left open the possibility of structure-based virtual screening initiatives in combination with molecular dynamics simulations focused on identification of potential new antimalarial drugs. Most of the previously published molecular dynamics simulations of PNP were carried out on human PNP, a trimeric PNP. The present article describes for the first time molecular dynamics simulations of hexameric PNP from Plasmodium falciparum (PfPNP). Two systems were simulated in the present work, PfPNP in ligand free form, and in complex with immucillin and sulfate. Based on the dynamical behavior of both systems the main results related to structural stability and protein-drug interactions are discussed.