Ligand binding and hydration in protein misfolding: insights from studies of prion and p53 tumor suppressor proteins.

ABSTRACT: Protein misfolding has been implicated in a large number of diseases termed protein- folding disorders (PFDs), which include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, familial amyloid polyneuropathy, Huntington's disease, and type II diabetes. In these diseases, large quantities of incorrectly folded proteins undergo aggregation, destroying brain cells and other tissues. The interplay between ligand binding and hydration is an important component of the formation of misfolded protein species. Hydration drives various biological processes, including protein folding, ligand binding, macromolecular assembly, enzyme kinetics, and signal transduction. The changes in hydration and packing, both when proteins fold correctly or when folding goes wrong, le

SUBMITTER: Silva JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2825094 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature