Multidimensional heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides valuable structural information about adducts between naturally unfolded proteins and their ligands. These are often highly pharmacologically relevant. Unfortunately, the determination of the contributions to observed chemical shifts changes upon ligand binding is complicated. Here we present a tool that uses molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories to help interpret two-dimensional (2D) NMR data. We apply this tool to the naturally unfolded protein human α-synuclein interacting with dopamine, an inhibitor of fibril formation, and with its oxidation products in water solutions. By coupling 2D NMR experiments with MD simulations of the adducts in explicit water, the tool confirms with experimental data that the ligands bind preferentially to (125)YEMPS(129) residues in the C-terminal region and to a few residues of the so-called NAC region consistently. It also suggests that the ligands might cause conformational rearrangements of distal residues located at the N-terminus. Hence, the performed analysis provides a rationale for the observed changes in chemical shifts in terms of direct contacts with the ligand and conformational changes in the protein.

We perform here enhanced sampling simulations of N-terminally acetylated human α-synuclein, an intrinsically disordered protein involved in Parkinson's disease. The calculations, consistent with experiments, suggest that the post-translational modification leads to the formation of a transient amphipathic α-helix. The latter, absent in the non-physiological form, alters protein dynamics at the N-terminal and intramolecular interactions.