Coordinate-dependent diffusion in protein folding.

ABSTRACT: Diffusion on a low-dimensional free-energy surface is a remarkably successful model for the folding dynamics of small single-domain proteins. Complicating the interpretation of both simulations and experiments is the expectation that the effective diffusion coefficient D will in general depend on the position along the folding coordinate, and this dependence may vary for different coordinates. Here we explore the position dependence of D, its connection to protein internal friction, and the consequences for the interpretation of single-molecule experiments. We find a large decrease in D from unfolded to folded, for reaction coordinates that directly measure fluctuations in Cartesian configuration space, including those probed in single-molecule experiments. In contrast, D is almost indepen

SUBMITTER: Best RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2824289 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature