New insights into the folding-unfolding mechanism and conformations of cytochrome C.

ABSTRACT: Metalloproteins account for over one-third of all proteins in nature and play important roles in biological processes. The formation of the native structures of metalloproteins requires not only the correct folding of the polypeptide chains but also the proper incorporation of metal cofactors. Understanding the folding mechanism of metalloproteins has been challenging. Horse heart cytochrome C (cytc) is a classical model system for protein folding studies. Although a large number of ensemble studies have been carried out to characterize the folding mechanism of cytc, there is still a significant debate on the folding mechanism and the existence of the proposed "foldons". Here, we used single-molecule optical tweezers to probe the mechanical folding-unfolding behaviors of cytc at the single

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9241957 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature