Protein folding proline-limited steps

Isomerization of proline residues can he a rate-limiting step in protein folding... 

In the native protein these less stable ds-proline peptides are stabilized by the tertiary structure but in the unfolded state these constraints are relaxed and there is an equilibrium between ds- and trans-isomers at each peptide bond. When the protein is refolded a substantial fraction of the molecules have one or more proline-peptide bonds in the incorrect form and the greater the number of proline residues the greater the fraction of such molecules. Cis-trans isomerization of proline peptides is intrinsically a slow process and in vitro it is frequently the rate-limiting step in folding for those molecules that have been trapped in a folding intermediate with the wrong isomer. 

Enzymes assist formation of proper disulfide bonds during folding Isomerization of proline residues can be a rate-limiting step in protein folding Proteins can fold or unfold inside chaperonins GroEL is a cylindrical structure with a... 

JTo facilitate reading I use the terms cis and trans proline for proline residues preceded by a cis or a trans peptide bond in the folded protein nativelike and incorrect, nonnative denote whether or not a particular prolyl peptide bond in an unfolded state shows the same conformation as in the native state. Further, I use the expression isomerization of Xaa for the isomerization of the peptide bond preceding Xaa. Peptide bonds preceding proline are referred to as prolyl bonds, and those preceding residues other than proline are termed as nonprolyl bonds. The folding reactions that involve Xaa—Pro isomerizations as rate-limiting steps are called proline-limited reactions. 

It is clear that the kinetics of protein folding is protein dependent. Some fold in a distinctly cooperative fashion, such that one can detect only the unfolded and native end states (U oN), being two-state in a kinetic as well as equilibrium sense. This is equivalent to saying that there is a single rate-limiting step, and intermediate species are not populated. Alternatively, some proteins fold by populating one or more distinct intermediate species (e.g., (7 -o- / -o- A see Eig. 2). Thus, formation of the intermediate species is fast, often formed in the dead-time of the instrument, and formation of the native species from the intermediate is relatively slow and easily monitored experimentally. It has been shown that this slow phase in some cases may be due to proline isomerization. ... 

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