Atomic-level description of ubiquitin folding

TY - JOUR

T1 - Atomic-level description of ubiquitin folding

AU - Piana, Stefano

AU - Lindorff-Larsen, Kresten

AU - Shaw, David E.

PY - 2013/4/9

Y1 - 2013/4/9

N2 - Equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, in which proteins spontaneously and repeatedly fold and unfold, have recently been used to help elucidate the mechanistic principles that underlie the folding of fast-folding proteins. The extent to which the conclusions drawn from the analysis of such proteins, which fold on the microsecond timescale, apply to the millisecond or slower folding of naturally occurring proteins is, however, unclear. As a first attempt to address this outstanding issue, we examine here the folding of ubiquitin, a 76-residue-long protein found in all eukaryotes that is known experimentally to fold on a millisecond timescale. Ubiquitin folding has been the subject of many experimental studies, but its slow folding rate has made it difficult to observe and characterize the folding process through all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Here we determine the mechanism, thermodynamics, and kinetics of ubiquitin folding through equilibrium atomistic simulations. The picture emerging from the simulations is in agreement with a view of ubiquitin folding suggested from previous experiments. Our findings related to the folding of ubiquitin are also consistent, for the most part, with the folding principles derived from the simulation of fast-folding proteins, suggesting that these principles may be applicable to a wider range of proteins.

AB - Equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, in which proteins spontaneously and repeatedly fold and unfold, have recently been used to help elucidate the mechanistic principles that underlie the folding of fast-folding proteins. The extent to which the conclusions drawn from the analysis of such proteins, which fold on the microsecond timescale, apply to the millisecond or slower folding of naturally occurring proteins is, however, unclear. As a first attempt to address this outstanding issue, we examine here the folding of ubiquitin, a 76-residue-long protein found in all eukaryotes that is known experimentally to fold on a millisecond timescale. Ubiquitin folding has been the subject of many experimental studies, but its slow folding rate has made it difficult to observe and characterize the folding process through all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Here we determine the mechanism, thermodynamics, and kinetics of ubiquitin folding through equilibrium atomistic simulations. The picture emerging from the simulations is in agreement with a view of ubiquitin folding suggested from previous experiments. Our findings related to the folding of ubiquitin are also consistent, for the most part, with the folding principles derived from the simulation of fast-folding proteins, suggesting that these principles may be applicable to a wider range of proteins.

KW - Computer Simulation

KW - Humans

KW - Kinetics

KW - Models, Molecular

KW - Molecular Dynamics Simulation

KW - Protein Folding

KW - Protein Structure, Secondary

KW - Temperature

KW - Thermodynamics

KW - Ubiquitin

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1218321110

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1218321110

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 23503848

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 110

SP - 5915

EP - 5920

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 15

ER -