How does a simplified-sequence protein fold?

ABSTRACT: To investigate a putatively primordial protein we have simplified the sequence of a 56-residue alpha/beta fold (the immunoglobulin-binding domain of protein G) by replacing it with polyalanine, polythreonine, and diglycine segments at regions of the sequence that in the folded structure are alpha-helical, beta-strand, and turns, respectively. Remarkably, multiple folding and unfolding events are observed in a 15-micros molecular dynamics simulation at 330 K. The most stable state (populated at approximately 20%) of the simplified-sequence variant of protein G has the same alpha/beta topology as the wild-type but shows the characteristics of a molten globule, i.e., loose contacts among side chains and lack of a specific hydrophobic core. The unfolded state is heterogeneous and includes a va

SUBMITTER: Guarnera E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2749778 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature