title: The elastic free energy of a tandem modular protein under force.
abstract: Recent studies have provided a theoretical framework for including entropic elasticity in the free energy landscape of proteins under mechanical force. Accounting for entropic elasticity using polymer physics models has helped explain the hopping behavior seen in single molecule experiments in the low force regime. Here, we expand on the construction of the free energy of a single protein domain under force proposed by Berkovich et al. to provide a free energy landscape for N tandem domains along a continuous polypeptide. Calculation of the free energy of individual domains followed by their concatenation provides a continuous free energy landscape whose curvature is dominated by the worm-like chain at forces below 20 pN. We have validated our free energy model using Brownian dynamics and reproduce key features of protein folding. This free energy model can predict the effects of changes in the elastic properties of a multidomain protein as a consequence of biological modifications such as phosphorylation or the formation of disulfide bonds. This work lays the foundations for the modeling of tissue elasticity, which is largely determined by the properties of tandem polyproteins.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. Electronic address: jv2499@columbia.edu.
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Valle-Orero
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
authors: Edward C
authors: EC
authors: Eckels
authors: Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13, rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.
authors: Guillaume
authors: G
authors: Stirnemann
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
authors: Ionel
authors: I
authors: Popa
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors: Ronen
authors: R
authors: Berkovich
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. Electronic address: jfernandez@columbia.edu.
authors: Julio M
authors: JM
authors: Fernandez
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D011506:Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins
keywords: Force spectroscopy; Free energy landscape; Langevin dynamics; Protein folding; Tandem modular protein; Tissue elasticity