Kinematics and thermodynamics of a folding heteropolymer.

Abstract
In order to elucidate the folding dynamics of protein, we have carried out numerical simulations of a heteropolymer model of self-interacting random chains. We find that folding propensity depends strongly on sequence and that both folding and nonfolding sequences exist. Furthermore we show that folding is a two-step process: the transition from coil state to unique folded state takes place through a globule phase. In addition to the continuous coil-globule transition, there exists an abrupt transition that separates the unique folded state from the globule state and ensures the stability of the native state.

This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit: