Protein Folding Kinetics

First methods book which includes many detailed descriptions Absolutely needed and thus timely for the scientific community Comprises 15% more content and includes the mentioned special features

This snapshot volume is designed to provide a smooth entry into the field of protein folding. Presented in a concise manner, each section introduces key concepts while providing a brief overview of the relevant literature. Outlook subsections will pinpoint specific aspects related to emerging methodologies, concepts and trends.

Since the first attempts to model proteins on a computer began almost thirty years ago, our understanding of protein structure and dynamics has dramatically increased. Spectroscopic measurement techniques continue to improve in resolution and sensitivity, allowing a wealth of information to be obtained with regard to the kinetics of protein folding and unfolding, and complementing the detailed structural picture of the folded state. Concurrently, algorithms, software, and computational hardware have progressed to the point where both structural and kinetic problems may be studied with a fair degree of realism. Despite these advances, many major challenges remain in understanding protein folding at both the conceptual and practical levels. Computational Methods for Protein Folding seeks to illuminate recent advances in computational modeling of protein folding in a way that will be useful to physicists, chemists, and chemical physicists. Covering a broad spectrum of computational methods and practices culled from a variety of research fields, the editors present a full range of models that, together, provide a thorough and current description of all aspects of protein folding. A valuable resource for both students and professionals in the field, the book will be of value both as a cutting-edge overview of existing information and as a catalyst for inspiring new studies. Computational Methods for Protein Folding is the 120th volume in the acclaimed series Advances in Chemical Physics, a compilation of scholarly works dedicated to the dissemination of contemporary advances in chemical physics, edited by Nobel Prize-winner Ilya Prigogine.

This volume provides comprehensive protocols on experimental and computational methods that are used to study probe protein folding reactions and mechanisms. Chapters divided into five parts detail protein engineering, protein chemistry, experimental approaches to investigate the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding transitions, probe protein folding at the single molecule, analysis and interpretation of computer simulations, procedures and tools for the prediction of protein folding properties. Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials and reagents, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Protein Folding: Methods and Protocols aims to be a useful practical guide to researches to help further their study in this field.

Protein Folding aims to collect the most important information in the field of protein folding and probes the main principles that govern formation of the three-dimensional structure of a protein from a nascent polypeptide chain, as well as how the functional properties appear. This text is organized into three sections and consists of 15 chapters. After an introductory chapter where the main problems of protein folding are considered at the cellular level in the context of protein biosynthesis, the discussion turns to the conformation of native globular proteins. Definitions and rules of nomenclature are given, including the structural organization of globular proteins deduced from X-ray crystallographic data. Folding mechanisms are tentatively deduced from the observation of invariants in the architecture of folded proteins. The next chapters focus on the energetics of protein conformation and structure, indicating the principles of thermodynamic stability of the native structure, along with theoretical computation studies of protein folding, structure prediction, and folding simulation. The reader is also introduced to various experimental approaches; the reversibility of the unfolding-folding process; equilibrium and kinetic studies; and detection and characterization of intermediates in protein folding. This text concludes with a chapter dealing with problems specific to oligomeric proteins. This book is intended for research scientists, specialists, biochemists, and students of biochemistry and biology.

The folding/unfolding kinetics of a three-dimensional lattice protein was studied using a simple statistical mechanical model for protein folding that was previously developed. The model considers the specificity of an amino acid sequence and the native structure of a given protein. The characteristic relaxation rate on the free energy surface was calculated starting from a completely unfolded structure (or native structure) that is assumed to associate with a folding rate (or an unfolding rate). To elucidate the roles of individual amino acid residues in protein folding/unfolding kinetics, the kinetic properties for all possible single amino acid substitutions of these proteins were calculated and their responses were examined. This book presents and discusses research results in the kinetics of protein folding/unfolding.

The process by which newly synthesized polypeptide chains become their final 3-dimensional protein forms is clearly explained, providing students and researchers of various backgrounds with both a conceptual and technical understanding of the subject. The new Second Edition incorporates the significant improvements in the field such as advances in interpreting observed kinetic data, the development of technology to observe fast folding reactions, the molten globule state, and the vital role of chaperone proteins in protein folding. The emphasis on experimental approaches has been maintained but this edition does so within the explicit context of simulations and energy surfaces. New discoveries of the central importance of protein folding and unfolding reactions in biology and medicine (including mutation and 'misfolding') are carefully explored. Three case studies elucidate the difficulties of studying protein folding in vivo.