title: Predicting the protein folding nucleus from sequences [correction of a sequence].
abstract: Understanding the mechanism of protein folding would allow prediction of the three-dimensional structure from sequence data alone. It has been shown that small proteins fold in a small number of kinetic steps and that significantly populated intermediate states exist for some of them. Studies of these intermediates have demonstrated the existence of specific interactions established during the initial stages of folding. Comparison of the amino acids participating in these specific and essential interactions and constituting the folding nucleus with conserved hydrophobic positions of a given fold shows a striking correspondence. This finding opens the perspective of predicting the folding nucleus knowing only a set of divergent sequences of a protein family.
authors.affiliation: Systèmes Moléculaires et Biologie Structurale, LMCP, CNRS UMR C7590, Université P6, Paris, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poupon
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mornon
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001059:Apoproteins / Q000737:chemistry; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009113:Muramidase / Q000737:chemistry; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000737:chemistry; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016914:Ribonuclease H / Q000737:chemistry; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000737:chemistry; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001059:Apoproteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; C034284:IgG Fc-binding protein, Streptococcus; D009211:Myoglobin; D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014452:Ubiquitins; C010857:apomyoglobin; D012260:Ribonucleases; D016914:Ribonuclease H; C019760:Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ribonuclease; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; D009113:Muramidase