The ability of protein chains to spontaneously form their spatial structures is a long-standing puzzle in molecular biology. Experimentally measured rates of spontaneous folding of single-domain globular proteins range from microseconds to hours: the difference (11 orders of magnitude) is akin to the difference between the life span of a mosquito and the age of the universe. Here, we show that physical theory with biological constraints outlines a "golden triangle" limiting the possible range of folding rates for single-domain globular proteins of various size and stability, and that the experimentally measured folding rates fall within this narrow triangle built without any adjustable parameters, filling it almost completely. In addition, the golden triangle predicts the maximal size of protein domains that fold under solely thermodynamic (rather than kinetic) control. It also predicts the maximal allowed size of the "foldable" protein domains, and the size of domains found in known protein structures is in a good agreement with this limit.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1210180110 | DOI Listing |
J Chem Phys
January 2025
Research and Development Center, Beijing Genetech Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing 102200, People's Republic of China.
Understanding the folding mechanisms of multi-domain proteins is crucial for gaining insights into protein folding dynamics. The BphC enzyme, a key player in the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls consists of eight identical subunits, each containing two domains, with each domain comprising two "βαβββ" motifs. In this study, we employed high-temperature molecular dynamics simulations to systematically analyze the unfolding dynamics of a BphC subunit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Commun (Camb)
January 2025
Chemistry Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA.
Molecular beacon (MB) probes have been extensively used for nucleic acid analysis. However, MB probes fail to hybridize with folded DNA or RNA. Here, we demonstrate that MB probes equipped with extra sequences complementary to the analyte, named 'tail', can increase the signal-to-background ratio by ∼40-fold and hybridization rates by ∼800-fold compared to conventional MB probes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Voice
January 2025
Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka 815-8540, Japan.
Introduction: Vocal distortion, also known as a scream or growl, is used worldwide as an essential technique in singing, especially in rock and metal, and as an ethnic voice in Mongolian singing. However, the production mechanism of vocal distortion is not yet clearly understood owing to limited research on the behavior of the larynx, which is the source of the distorted voice.
Objectives: This study used high-speed digital imaging (HSDI) to observe the larynx of professional singers with exceptional singing skills and determine the laryngeal dynamics in the voice production of various vocal distortions.
Int J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Applied and Industrial Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai 600036, India. Electronic address:
This study involves the thermal characterization of Ca-Est, an esterase from Clostridium acetobutylicum which has been previously found to exhibit maximum specific activity at 60 °C. In the present study, Ca-Est showed maximum stability at 30 °C with almost 75 % of its initial activity being retained after incubation for 5 h and the stability decreased with increasing temperature. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters revealed that the deactivation of Ca-Est is endothermic and enthalpically favored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep
January 2025
Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address:
tRNA modifications are critical for several aspects of their functions, including decoding, folding, and stability. Using a multifaceted approach encompassing eCLIP-seq and nanopore tRNA-seq, we show that the human tRNA methyltransferase TRMT1L interacts with the component of the Rix1 ribosome biogenesis complex and binds to the 28S rRNA as well as to a subset of tRNAs. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that TRMT1L is responsible for catalyzing N2,N2-dimethylguanosine (mG) solely at position 27 of tRNA-Tyr-GUA.
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