Related papers: Master equation approach to protein folding
These lectures will address two questions. Is there a simple variational principle underlying the existence of secondary motifs in the native state of proteins? Is there a general approach which can qualitatively capture the salient…
We review some of our recent results obtained within the scope of simple lattice models and Monte Carlo simulations that illustrate the role of native geometry in the folding kinetics of two state folders.
The folding kinetics of a number of sequences for off-lattice continuum model of proteins is studied using Langevin simulations at two values of the friction coefficient. We show that there is a remarkable correlation between folding times,…
Understanding how monomeric proteins fold under in vitro conditions is crucial to describing their functions in the cellular context. Significant advances both in theory and experiments have resulted in a conceptual framework for describing…
The thermodynamics of the small SH3 protein domain is studied by means of a simplified model where each bead-like amino acid interacts with the others through a contact potential controlled by a 20x20 random matrix. Good folding sequences,…
In this paper we show that a dynamical description of the protein folding process provides an effective representation of equilibrium properties and it allows for a direct investigation of the mechanisms ruling the approach towards the…
The dynamical chaos in Lennard-Jones toy models of heteropolymers is studied by molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that two nearby trajectories quickly diverge from each other if the heteropolymer corresponds to a random sequence.…
In order to elucidate the role of the native state topology and the stability of subdomains in protein folding, we investigate free energy landscape of human lysozyme, which is composed of two subdomains, by Monte Carlo simulations. A…
The folding of naturally occurring, single domain proteins is usually well-described as a simple, single exponential process lacking significant trapped states. Here we further explore the hypothesis that the smooth energy landscape this…
We consider a lattice model of a semiflexible homopolymer chain in a bad solvent. Beside the temperature $T$, this model is described by (i) a curvature energy $\varepsilon_h$, representing the stiffness of the chain (ii) a…
Using three-dimensional Go lattice models with side chains for proteins, we investigate the dependence of folding times on protein length. In agreement with previous theoretical predictions, we find that the folding time grows as a power…
In a similar way in which the folding of single--domain proteins provide an important test in the study of self--organization, the folding of homodimers constitute a basic challenge in the quest for the mechanisms which are at the basis of…
We study the geometric properties of the energy landscape of coarse-grained, off-lattice models of polymers by endowing the configuration space with a suitable metric, depending on the potential energy function, such that the dynamical…
A protein model with the pairwise interaction energies varying as local environment changes, i.e., including some kinds of collective effect between the contacts, is proposed. Lattice Monte Carlo simulations on the thermodynamical…
Simple two-state folding kinetics of many small single-domain proteins are characterized by chevron plots with linear folding and unfolding arms consistent with a two-state description of equilibrium thermodynamics. This phenomenon is…
An all-atom model of proteins is used to show that the same sequence of amino acids can have many alternative structures, that are very distant from, and that can be as stable as, the corresponding native structure. Such alternative…
The thermodynamic behavior of a three-dimensional off-lattice model for protein folding is probed. The model has only two types of residues, hydrophobic and hydrophilic. In absence of local interactions, native structure formation does not…
Scaling of folding properties of proteins is studied in a toy system -- the lattice Go model with various two- and three- dimensional geometries of the maximally compact native states. Characteristic folding times grow as power laws with…
To what extent do general features of folding/unfolding kinetics of small globular proteins follow from their thermodynamic properties? To address this question, we investigate a new simplifed protein chain model that embodies a cooperative…
A rigourous Monte Carlo method for protein folding simulation on lattice model is introduced. We show that a parameter which can be seen as the rigidity of the conformations has to be introduced in order to satisfy the detailed balance…