title: Why are both ends of the polypeptide chain on the outside of proteins?
abstract: Protein folding starts before the whole polypeptide has been synthesized by the ribosome. No matter how long the polypeptide is or how intricate the fold, both ends of the chain always end up on the surface. From a topological point of view, this is surprising; one would have expected to find the starting (N-terminal) end inside the core of the folded protein, just as in a ball of yarn. We suggest here that the reason for this apparent paradox is that the first amino acid of the emerging polypeptide chain is gripped during protein synthesis, perhaps by the ribosome, and is not released until the whole polypeptide has been synthesized. This binding would greatly decrease the degrees of freedom for the protein-folding process and could also explain why knots are so rare in proteins. Gripping would also guarantee that the N-terminal is accessible on the protein surface as required for binding of ubiquitin, which regulates the natural degradation of proteins and avoids buildup of protein aggregates, such as those found in Huntington's, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Structural Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. svenh@struc.su.se
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hovmöller
authors.forename: Tuping
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases