Revealing the bifurcation in the unfolding pathways of GFP by using single-molecule experiments and simulations.

ABSTRACT: Nanomanipulation of biomolecules by using single-molecule methods and computer simulations has made it possible to visualize the energy landscape of biomolecules and the structures that are sampled during the folding process. We use simulations and single-molecule force spectroscopy to map the complex energy landscape of GFP that is used as a marker in cell biology and biotechnology. By engineering internal disulfide bonds at selected positions in the GFP structure, mechanical unfolding routes are precisely controlled, thus allowing us to infer features of the energy landscape of the wild-type GFP. To elucidate the structures of the unfolding pathways and reveal the multiple unfolding routes, the experimental results are complemented with simulations of a self-organized polymer (SOP) model

SUBMITTER: Mickler M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2154420 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature