Denatured state

For these sequences the value of Gj, is less than a certain small value g. For such sequences the folding occurs directly from the ensemble of unfolded states to the NBA. The free energy surface is dominated by the NBA (or a funnel) and the volume associated with NBA is very large. The partition factor <6 is near unify so that these sequences reach the native state by two-state kinetics. The amplitudes in (C2.5.7) are nearly zero. There are no intennediates in the pathways from the denatured state to the native state. Fast folders reach the native state by a nucleation-collapse mechanism which means that once a certain number of contacts (folding nuclei) are fonned then the native state is reached very rapidly [25, 26]. The time scale for reaching the native state for fast folders (which are nonnally associated with those sequences for which topological fmstration is minimal) is found to be... 

Bond C ], K-B Wong, ] Clarke, A R Ferscht and V Daggett 1997. Characterisation of Residual Structure in the Tliermally Denatured State of Barnase by Simulation and Experiment Description of the Folding Pathway. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 94 13409-13413. 

Measuring Protein Sta.bihty, Protein stabihty is usually measured quantitatively as the difference in free energy between the folded and unfolded states of the protein. These states are most commonly measured using spectroscopic techniques, such as circular dichroic spectroscopy, fluorescence (generally tryptophan fluorescence) spectroscopy, nmr spectroscopy, and absorbance spectroscopy (10). For most monomeric proteins, the two-state model of protein folding can be invoked. This model states that under equihbrium conditions, the vast majority of the protein molecules in a solution exist in either the folded (native) or unfolded (denatured) state. Any kinetic intermediates that might exist on the pathway between folded and unfolded states do not accumulate to any significant extent under equihbrium conditions (39). In other words, under any set of solution conditions, at equihbrium the entire population of protein molecules can be accounted for by the mole fraction of denatured protein, and the mole fraction of native protein,, ie. 

Figure 6.1 A polypeptide chain is extended and flexible in the unfolded, denatured state whereas it is globular and compact in the folded, native state.

Texturization is not measured directly but is inferred from the degree of denaturation or decrease of solubility of proteins. The quantities are determined by the difference in rates of moisture uptake between the native protein and the texturized protein (Kilara, 1984), or by a dyebinding assay (Bradford, 1976). Protein denaturation may be measured by determining changes in heat capacity, but it is more practical to measure the amount of insoluble fractions and differences in solubility after physical treatment (Kilara, 1984). The different rates of water absorption are presumed to relate to the degree of texturization as texturized proteins absorb water at different rates. The insolubility test for denaturation is therefore sometimes used as substitute for direct measurement of texturization. Protein solubility is affected by surface hydrophobicity, which is directly related to the extent of protein-protein interactions, an intrinsic property of the denatured state of the proteins (Damodaran, 1989 Vojdani, 1996). 

Knuth, M. W. and Burgess, R. R., purification of proteins in the denatured state, in Protein Purification — Micro to Macro, Burgess, R., Ed., Alan R. Liss, New York, 1988, 279. 

Cho J-H, Raleigh DP (2005) Mutational analysis demonstrates that specific electrostatic interactions can play a key role in the denatured state ensemble of proteins. J Mol Biol 353 174-185. 

Oliveberg M, Arcus VL, Fersht AR (1995) pKa values of carboxyl groups in the native and denatured states of bamase The pKa values of the denatured state are on average 0.4 units lower than those of model compounds. Biochemistry 34 9424—9433. 

Shortle has focused on the unfolded state for more than a decade, leading up to his recent demonstration using residual dipolar couplings that staphylococcal nuclease retains global structure in 8 M urea. His chapter on The Expanded Denatured State sets the stage. Dunker etal. then explore the complementary world of disordered regions within... 

Toward a Taxonomy of the Denatured State Small Angle Scattering Studies of Unfolded Proteins by Millett et al. assesses denatured states induced by heat, cold, and solvent for evidence of residual structure, while Insights into the Structure and Dynamics of Unfolded Proteins from NMR by Dyson and Wright describes their extensive investigations of residual structure in the unfolded state. 

THE EXPANDED DENATURED STATE AN ENSEMBLE OF CONFORMATIONS TRAPPED IN A LOCALLY ENCODED TOPOLOGICAL SPACE... 

When a protein reversibly unfolds in solution, it enters a large and diverse ensemble of conformations known as the denatured state. Studies of this reaction over the past 40 years have suggested it is a single,... 

Because the denatured state has long been thought to be essentially random and because of the inherent difficulties in defining and interpreting structural data averaged in very complex ways, protein chemists have been slow to take up the structural characterization of denatured proteins. Yet a more complete description of the relatively small amounts of persistent structure they display is not simply of academic interest. There are compelling reasons to pursue structural studies of proteins that are not folded. 

First, proteins refold from the denatured state, not from the hypothetical random coil state. It is the starting point of all refolding reactions, whether in a cell or in a test tube. To understand any chemical reaction, structural features of the reactant and the product must be compared to quantify the changes that occur, for these changes define the reaction. 

In this review, NMR analysis of the denatured state of staphylococcal nuclease is briefly reviewed in nontechnical language. Most of the work has come from the author s laboratory over the past eight years. The initial experiments, which only measure local structural parameters, reported small amounts of persisting helical structure, two turns, and indirect evidence for perhaps a three-strand beta meander. When applied to the denatured state in 6 M urea, the same experiments indicated that most of these features are lost. 

However, recent application of two types of NMR methodologies that provide long-range structural information have painted a very different picture. From these experiments, the denatured state in 0 M urea and 8 M urea appear to be highly similar, both retaining the same overall spatial positioning and orientation of the chain seen in the folded conformation. 

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of nuclease A131A in the folded conformation. The alpha helices and beta strands are labeled. NMR analysis suggests the two turns and one helix in black are modestly populated in the denatured state, whereas the shaded helix is slightly populated. Strands / l-/ 2-/ 3 form an extended structure about which littie is known. Reproduced from Barron, L. D., Hecht, L., Blanch, E. W., and Bell, A. F. (2000). Prog. Biophys. Mol Chem. 73, 1-49. 2000, with permission from Elsevier Science.

The most important feature of the information in dipolar couplings is that it is independent of distance. The data can be envisioned as reflecting the relative orientation of pairs of bond vectors, with the intervening distance having no effect (Meiler et al., 2000). Thus dipolar couplings can potentially provide a method for characterizing the structure of denatured proteins, provided that the denatured state ensemble of conformations retains several levels of nonrandomness. 

Fig. 4. Scatterplots of the Nh residual dipolar couplings from three different denatured states of staphylococcal nuclease plotted against each other. (A) Wild-type, full-length nuclease in 4 M urea (y-axis) versus A131A in buffer (x-axis). (B) Wild-type, full-length nuclease denatured by acid (25 mM citrate, pH 3.0) (y-axis) versus A131A in buffer (x-axis).

The changes in structure of denatured nuclease as a function of urea concentration (Fig. 3) suggest that, as hydrophobic interactions are weakened and the backbone becomes more highly solvated, the chain expands gradually. The data presented by Millet et al. in this volume suggest that this expansion does not continue asymptotically as predicted by simple polymer physical chemistry. This is the behavior expected for a polypeptide chain trapped in a small region of conformation space. Most, perhaps all, of the conformations accessible in the expanded denatured state may have a native-like topology. 

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