title: Implications of molecular heterogeneity for the cooperativity of biological macromolecules.
abstract: Cooperativity, a universal property of biological macromolecules, is typically characterized by a Hill slope, which can provide fundamental information about binding sites and interactions. We demonstrate, through simulations and single-molecule FRET (smFRET) experiments, that molecular heterogeneity lowers bulk cooperativity from the intrinsic value for the individual molecules. As heterogeneity is common in smFRET experiments, appreciation of its influence on fundamental measures of cooperativity is critical for deriving accurate molecular models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Sergey V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Solomatin
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Greenfeld
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herschlag
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D003198:Computer Simulation; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / Q000379:methods; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016808:Tetrahymena thermophila / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D016053:RNA, Protozoan