Direct evidence of the multidimensionality of the free-energy landscapes of proteins revealed by mechanical probes

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Zu Thur Yew - , University of Leeds (Author)
  • Michael Schlierf - , Chair of Molecular Biophysics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Author)
  • Matthias Rief - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Emanuele Paci - , University of Leeds (Author)

Abstract

The study of mechanical unfolding, through the combined efforts of atomic force microscopy and simulation, is yielding fresh insights into the free-energy landscapes of proteins. Thus far, experiments have been mostly analyzed with one-dimensional models of the free-energy landscape. We show that as the two ends of a protein, filamin, are pulled apart at a speed tending to zero, the measured mechanical strength plateaus at similar to 30 pN instead of going toward zero, deviating from the Bell model. The deviation can only be explained by a switch between parallel pathways. Insightful analysis of mechanical unfolding kinetics needs to account for the multidimensionality of the free-energy landscapes of proteins, which are crucial for understanding the behavior of proteins under the small forces experienced in vivo.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number031923
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical Review E
Volume81
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2010
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 77950415518
ORCID /0000-0002-6209-2364/work/142237638

Keywords

Keywords

  • FORCE, ADHESION, CELLS