Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.

The bacterial colicin-immunity proteins Im7 and Im9 fold by different mechanisms. Experimentally, at pH 7.0 and 10°C, Im7 folds in a three-state manner via an intermediate but Im9 folding is two-state-like. Accordingly, Im7 exhibits a chevron rollover, whereas the chevron arm for Im9 folding is line...

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Main Authors: Tao Chen, Hue Sun Chan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-05-01
Series:PLoS Computational Biology
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4446218?pdf=render
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author Tao Chen
Hue Sun Chan
author_facet Tao Chen
Hue Sun Chan
author_sort Tao Chen
collection DOAJ
description The bacterial colicin-immunity proteins Im7 and Im9 fold by different mechanisms. Experimentally, at pH 7.0 and 10°C, Im7 folds in a three-state manner via an intermediate but Im9 folding is two-state-like. Accordingly, Im7 exhibits a chevron rollover, whereas the chevron arm for Im9 folding is linear. Here we address the biophysical basis of their different behaviors by using native-centric models with and without additional transferrable, sequence-dependent energies. The Im7 chevron rollover is not captured by either a pure native-centric model or a model augmented by nonnative hydrophobic interactions with a uniform strength irrespective of residue type. By contrast, a more realistic nonnative interaction scheme that accounts for the difference in hydrophobicity among residues leads simultaneously to a chevron rollover for Im7 and an essentially linear folding chevron arm for Im9. Hydrophobic residues identified by published experiments to be involved in nonnative interactions during Im7 folding are found to participate in the strongest nonnative contacts in this model. Thus our observations support the experimental perspective that the Im7 folding intermediate is largely underpinned by nonnative interactions involving large hydrophobics. Our simulation suggests further that nonnative effects in Im7 are facilitated by a lower local native contact density relative to that of Im9. In a one-dimensional diffusion picture of Im7 folding with a coordinate- and stability-dependent diffusion coefficient, a significant chevron rollover is consistent with a diffusion coefficient that depends strongly on native stability at the conformational position of the folding intermediate.
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spelling doaj.art-745d389f5aab4309b03c36fcfcaf79432022-12-21T19:49:53ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Computational Biology1553-734X1553-73582015-05-01115e100426010.1371/journal.pcbi.1004260Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.Tao ChenHue Sun ChanThe bacterial colicin-immunity proteins Im7 and Im9 fold by different mechanisms. Experimentally, at pH 7.0 and 10°C, Im7 folds in a three-state manner via an intermediate but Im9 folding is two-state-like. Accordingly, Im7 exhibits a chevron rollover, whereas the chevron arm for Im9 folding is linear. Here we address the biophysical basis of their different behaviors by using native-centric models with and without additional transferrable, sequence-dependent energies. The Im7 chevron rollover is not captured by either a pure native-centric model or a model augmented by nonnative hydrophobic interactions with a uniform strength irrespective of residue type. By contrast, a more realistic nonnative interaction scheme that accounts for the difference in hydrophobicity among residues leads simultaneously to a chevron rollover for Im7 and an essentially linear folding chevron arm for Im9. Hydrophobic residues identified by published experiments to be involved in nonnative interactions during Im7 folding are found to participate in the strongest nonnative contacts in this model. Thus our observations support the experimental perspective that the Im7 folding intermediate is largely underpinned by nonnative interactions involving large hydrophobics. Our simulation suggests further that nonnative effects in Im7 are facilitated by a lower local native contact density relative to that of Im9. In a one-dimensional diffusion picture of Im7 folding with a coordinate- and stability-dependent diffusion coefficient, a significant chevron rollover is consistent with a diffusion coefficient that depends strongly on native stability at the conformational position of the folding intermediate.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4446218?pdf=render
spellingShingle Tao Chen
Hue Sun Chan
Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.
PLoS Computational Biology
title Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.
title_full Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.
title_fullStr Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.
title_full_unstemmed Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.
title_short Native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins.
title_sort native contact density and nonnative hydrophobic effects in the folding of bacterial immunity proteins
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4446218?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT taochen nativecontactdensityandnonnativehydrophobiceffectsinthefoldingofbacterialimmunityproteins
AT huesunchan nativecontactdensityandnonnativehydrophobiceffectsinthefoldingofbacterialimmunityproteins