Parallel binding pathways.

<p>3D-free energy lanscape as a function of , , . , represent similarity of binding between N-helix and C-helix of Chz.core and histones to the bound state. There are two binding pathways connecting the unbound state and bound state. The two pathways go through intermediate and intermediate . is more populated than as it shows a deeper free energy minima. The representative structures of bound state, intermediate , and unbound state are shown with color representation for Chz.core: Blue, N-terminal region; green, the acidic motif; grey, the neutral motif; orange, the basic motif; red, C-terminal helix. The missing backbone atoms of histones in coarse grained model are added for a better visualization. Free energy is in the unit of .