Protein folding native conformations

Translation (on the ribosome) of RNA sequence into protein sequence and folding of protein into native conformation ... 

Figure 19.18 Energy level diagrams for protein folding. The conformations of the denatured state ensemble U and Dphys are drawn, for convenience, as stacked. Those denatured conformations that have some elements of native structure could be drawn more accurately as being on the reaction pathway and closer to the transition state.

In this section only globular proteins will be considered. Their tightly folded native conformation (designated N) may change into a more or less unfolded conformation (U). This change may be called denaturation, but the conformation change may be reversible, and several authors reserve the word denaturation for irreversible unfolding, or for the loss of a specific activity. 

The understanding of general aspects of the folding of proteins into native conformations is particularly essential, as the shape of the stable three-dimensional geometrical stmcture of a protein often determines the biological function of a protein - or its malfunction, if the protein has misfolded, refolded, or denatured. 

Through combined effects of noncovalent forces, proteins fold into secondary stmctures, and hence a tertiary stmcture that defines the native state or conformation of a protein. The native state is then that three-dimensional arrangement of the polypeptide chain and amino acid side chains that best facihtates the biological activity of a protein, at the same time providing stmctural stabiUty. Through protein engineering subde adjustments in the stmcture of the protein can be made that can dramatically alter its function or stabiUty. 

For any given protein, the number of possible conformations that it could adopt is astronomical. Yet each protein folds into a unique stmcture totally deterrnined by its sequence. The basic assumption is that the protein is at a free energy minimum however, calometric studies have shown that a native protein is more stable than its unfolded state by only 20—80 kj/mol (5—20 kcal/mol) (5). This small difference can be accounted for by the favorable... 

A number of different low molecular weight compounds are known to stablize proteins in their native conformation and, therefore, may be effective in correcting of protein folding abnormalities in vivo. Relevant compounds are iV-acetyl-L-lysine, L-camitine, taurine, betaine, ectoine, and hydroxy-ectoine [4]. Some of these chemical chaperones and pharmacological chaperones are already used in clinical trials to combat protein folding diseases, such as cystic fibrosis. 

A step closer toward realism is taken by off-lattice models in which the backbone is specified in some detail, while side chains, if they are represented at all, are taken to be single, unified spheres [44-50]. One indication that this approach is too simplistic was given in [51], which proved that for a backbone representation in which only Ca carbons were modeled, no contact potential could stabilize the native conformation of a single protein against its nonnative ( decoy ) conformations. However, Irback and co-workers were able to fold real protein sequences, albeit short ones, using a detailed backbone representation, with coarse-grained side chains modeled as spheres [49, 52-54]. 

This simple three-state model of protein folding, shown schematically in Figure 7, ascribes a separate force to shaping the structure of each state. Local steric interactions trap the protein chain in a large ensemble of conformations with the correct topology hydrophobic interactions drive the chain to a smaller, more compact subset of conformations then dispersion forces supply the enthalpy loss required to achieve a relatively fixed and rigid ensemble of native conformations. 

Upon biosynthesis, a polypeptide folds into its native conformation, which is structurally stable and functionally active. The conformation adopted ultimately depends upon the polypeptide s amino acid sequence, explaining why different polypeptide types have different characteristic conformations. We have previously noted that stretches of secondary structure are stabilized by short-range interactions between adjacent amino acid residues. Tertiary structure, on the other hand, is stabilized by interactions between amino acid residues that may be far apart from each other in terms of amino acid sequence, but which are brought into close proximity by protein folding. The major stabilizing forces of a polypeptide s overall conformation are ... 

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