Related papers: Helix vs. Sheet Formation in a Small Peptide
A minimal off-lattice model for alpha-helical proteins is presented. It is based on hydrophobicity forces and sequence independent local interactions. The latter are chosen so as to favor the formation of alpha-helical structure. They model…
Charged pattern formation on the surfaces of self--assembled cylindrical micelles formed from oppositely charged heterogeneous molecules such as cationic and anionic peptide amphiphiles is investigated. The net incompatibility $\chi$ among…
The solvent quality determines the collapsed or the expanded state of a polymer. For example, a polymer dissolved in a poor solvent collapses, whereas in a good solvent it opens up. While this standard understanding is generally valid,…
We introduce a lattice model of protein conformations which is able to reproduce second structures of proteins (alpha--helices and beta--sheets). This model is based on the following two main ideas. First, we model backbone parts of amino…
Protein fibril accumulation at interfaces is an important step in many physiological processes and neurodegenerative diseases as well as in designing materials. Here we show, using $\beta$-lactoglobulin fibrils as a model, that semiflexible…
In this study, we present a comprehensive exploration of formation of different phases in lipid molecules using a coarse-grained implicit solvent model, where each lipid molecule is represented as a rigid, three-bead rod-like structure. Our…
The intricate three-dimensional geometries of protein tertiary structures underlie protein function and emerge through a folding process from one-dimensional chains of amino acids. The exact spatial sequence and configuration of amino…
Mechanical stretching of secondary structures is studied through molecular dynamics simulations of a Go-like model. Force vs. displacement curves are studied as a function of the stiffness and velocity of the pulling device. The succession…
Configurations of a single semiflexible polymer is studied when it is pushed into a nanochannel in the case where the polymer persistence length $l_p$ is much longer than the channel diameter $D$, i.e. $l_p/D \gg 1$. Using numerical…
We introduce a new, simplified model of proteins, which we call protein metastructure. The metastructure of a protein carries information about its secondary structure and $\beta$-strand conformations. Furthermore, protein metastructure…
In the present paper we present results of calculations obtained with the use of the theoretical method described in our preceding paper [1] and perform detail analysis of alpha helix-random coil transition in alanine polypeptides of…
The statistical mechanics of heteropolymer structure formation is studied in the context of RNA secondary structures. A designed RNA sequence biased energetically towards a particular native structure (a hairpin) is used to study the…
Considering all available non-redundant protein structures across different structural classes, present study identified the probabilistic characteristics that describe several facets of the occurrence of 3(10) and Pi-helices in proteins.…
The folding of biological macromolecules is a fundamental process of which we lack a full comprehension. Mostly studied in proteins and RNA, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) also folds, at physiological salt conditions, by forming non-specific…
Secondary structure elements of many protein families exhibit differential conservation on their opposing faces. Amphipathic helices and beta-sheets by definition possess this property, and play crucial functional roles. This type of…
We propose that protein loops can be interpreted as topological domain-wall solitons. They interpolate between ground states that are the secondary structures like alpha-helices and beta-strands. Entire proteins can then be folded simply by…
In contrast to the sequence dependent elasticity of the DNA strand, which is revealed as nonlocal and nonlinear, the geometric constraints derived by differential geometry have not been fully elaborated in DNA strand dynamics, even though…
The thermodynamic properties for three different types of off-lattice four-strand beta-sheet protein models interacting via a hybrid Go-type potential have been investigated. Discontinuous molecular dynamic simulations have been performed…
We study the free energy landscape of the small peptide Met-enkephalin. Our data were obtained from a generalized-ensemble Monte Carlo simulation taking the interactions among all atoms into account. We show that the free energy landscape…
We propose and investigate a model for lipid raft formation and dynamics in biological membranes. The model describes the lipid composition of the membrane and an interaction with cholesterol. To account for cholesterol exchange between…