title: Atomically detailed description of the unfolding of alpha-lactalbumin by the combined use of experiments and simulations.
abstract: The recombinant form of goat alpha-lactalbumin has a significantly faster unfolding rate compared to the authentic form, although the two molecules differ only in an extra methionine at the N terminus of the recombinant. The mechanism of the destabilization caused by this residue was investigated through the combined use of kinetic experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. Unfolding simulations for the authentic and recombinant forms at 398 K (ten trajectories of 5 ns for each form, 100 ns total) precisely reproduced the experimentally observed differences in unfolding behavior. In addition, experiments reproduced the destabilization of a mutant protein, T38A, faithfully as predicted by the simulations. This bidirectional verification between experiments and simulations enabled the atomically detailed description of the role of the extra methionine residue in the unfolding process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomotaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oroguchi
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeguchi
authors.forename: Kimiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.forename: Kiyoto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamagata
authors.forename: Yoriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sawano
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanokura
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kidera
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuwajima
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006041:Goats; D007700:Kinetics; D007768:Lactalbumin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008956:Models, Chemical; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D010069:Oxadiazoles; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics; D044366:Transition Temperature
chemical_list: D010069:Oxadiazoles; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C050143:MO 113; D007768:Lactalbumin