Structure-Based Experimental Datasets for Benchmarking of Protein Simulation Force Fields

This review article provides an overview of structurally oriented, experimental datasets that can be used to benchmark protein force fields, focusing on data generated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and room temperature (RT) protein crystallography. We discuss why these observables are useful for assessing force field accuracy, how they can be calculated from simulation trajectories, and statistical issues that arise when comparing simulations with experiment. The target audience for this article is computational researchers and trainees who develop, benchmark, or use protein force fields for molecular simulations.