The role of electrostatic interactions in the process of diffusional encounter and docking of electron transport proteins

Electrostatic interaction of plastocyanin and cytochrome f in the process of protein–protein complex formation was investigated by computer simulation methods. It was shown that long-range electrostatic interaction promotes energetically favorable mutual orientation of protein molecules at distances between their cofactors shorter than 5 nm. At distances shorter than 3 nm, these electrostatic interactions lead to a significantly detectable increase in the rate of convergence of the cofactors.