Abstract
Our study sheds new light on the highly dynamic structural interplay between a tris-dipicolinate lanthanide probe and a test decapeptide SASYKTLPRG. Whereas a rather monotous, electrostatically-driven association may have been expected, the combination of paramagnetic NMR and molecular dynamics simulations extensively captures interaction sites and their occupancy. This study reveals the importance of a large conformational sampling to reconcilate characteristic time in NMR with molecular dynamics simulations, where sampling at the microsecond range is needed. This study opens the door for a detailed mechanistic elucidation of the early steps of lanthanide complexe-peptide or lanthanide complexe-protein interaction or self-assembly processses.