title: Hierarchical folding of intestinal fatty acid binding protein.
abstract: Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (IFABP) is a member of the lipid binding protein family, members of which have a clam shell type of motif formed by two five-stranded beta-sheets. Understanding the folding mechanism of these proteins has been hindered by the presence of an unresolved burst phase. By initiating the reaction with a sub-millisecond mixer and following its progression by Trp fluorescence, we discovered three distinct phases in the folding reaction of the W6Y mutant of IFABP from which we postulate the following sequence of events. The first phase (k(1) > 10 000 s(-1)) involves collapse of the polypeptide chain around a hydrophobic core. During the second phase (k(2) approximately 1500 s(-1)), beta-strands B-G, mostly located on the top half of the clam shell structure, propagate from this hydrophobic core. It is followed by the final phase (k(3) approximately 5 s(-1)) involving the formation of the last three beta-strands on the bottom half of the clam shell and the establishment of the native hydrogen bonding network throughout the protein molecule.
authors: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
authors: S R
authors: SR
authors: Yeh
authors: I J
authors: IJ
authors: Ropson
authors: D L
authors: DL
authors: Rousseau
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D007700:Kinetics; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000235:genetics; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000235:genetics; D014508:Urea
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; C490174:Fabp7 protein, rat; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D010649:Phenylalanine; D014364:Tryptophan; D014508:Urea