Andrzej Kolinski Research Group

Coarse-grained protein modeling

Modeling Software & Servers

Biomolecules — dynamics & interactions

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Stabilizing effect of knots on proteins.

Source:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105:19714-9, 2008

Abstract

Molecular dynamics studies within a coarse-grained, structure-based model were used on two similar proteins belonging to the transcarbamylase family to probe the effects of the knot in the native structure of a protein. The first protein, N-acetylornithine transcarbamylase, contains no knot, whereas human ormithine transcarbamylase contains a trefoil knot located deep within the sequence. In addition, we also analyzed a modified transferase with the knot removed by the appropriate change of a knot-making crossing of the protein chain. The studies of thermally and mechanically induced unfolding processes suggest a larger intrinsic stability of the protein with the knot.