Single-molecule unfolding force distributions reveal a funnel-shaped energy landscape

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Technische Universität München

Abstract

The protein folding process is described as diffusion on a high-dimensional energy landscape. Experimental data showing details of the underlying energy surface are essential to understanding folding. So far in single-molecule mechanical unfolding experiments a simplified model assuming a force-independent transition state has been used to extract such information. Here we show that this so-called Bell model, although fitting well to force velocity data, fails to reproduce full unfolding force distributions. We show that by applying Kramers' diffusion model, we were able to reconstruct a detailed funnel-like curvature of the underlying energy landscape and establish full agreement with the data. We demonstrate that obtaining spatially resolved details of the unfolding energy landscape from mechanical single-molecule protein unfolding experiments requires models that go beyond the Bell model.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)L33-L35
Seitenumfang3
FachzeitschriftBiophysical journal
Jahrgang90
Ausgabenummer4
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Feb. 2006
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

Scopus 33645767959
ORCID /0000-0002-6209-2364/work/142237650

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • ADHESION BONDS, PROTEIN, SPECTROSCOPY, STRENGTH