Heterogeneous Folding Intermediates Govern the Conformational Pathway of the RNA Recognition Motif Domain of the Ewing Sarcoma Protein.

ABSTRACT: The RNA Recognition Motif (RRM) domain of the Ewing sarcoma (EWS) protein plays a pivotal role in RNA binding and gene regulation, being crucial for its function. However, its structural dynamics are yet to be revealed. Herein, we performed 5.5 μs cumulative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the unfolding pathways of the EWS-RRM domain in urea and DMSO across 300-500 K. The unfolding process was characterized by using free-energy landscape (FEL) analysis, hydrogen-bond occupancy, and Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering. At lower temperatures (300-350 K), the RRM largely retained its native conformation, while extensive unfolding occurred between 400 and 450 K. Results revealed multiple conformational ensembles: native (N), native-like intermediate (I_N), inte

SUBMITTER: Kataria P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12839330 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature