A simple theory of protein folding kinetics
Abstract
We present a simple model of protein folding dynamics that captures key qualitative elements recently seen in all-atom simulations. The goals of this theory are to serve as a simple formalism for gaining deeper insight into the physical properties seen in detailed simulations as well as to serve as a model to easily compare why these simulations suggest a different kinetic mechanism than previous simple models. Specifically, we find that non-native contacts play a key role in determining the mechanism, which can shift dramatically as the energetic strength of non-native interactions is changed. For protein-like non-native interactions, our model finds that the native state is a kinetic hub, connecting the strength of relevant interactions directly to the nature of folding kinetics.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1007.0315,
title = {A simple theory of protein folding kinetics},
author = {Vijay S. Pande},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1007.0315},
year = {2015}
}