Engineering of stable and fast-folding sequences of model proteins.
Publication information:
Shakhnovich, E. I. & Gutin, A. M. Engineering of stable and fast-folding sequences of model proteins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 90, 7195–9 (1993).
Abstract
The statistical mechanics of protein folding implies that the best-folding proteins are those that have the native conformation as a pronounced energy minimum. We show that this can be obtained by proper selection of protein sequences and suggest a simple practical way to find these sequences. The statistical mechanics of these proteins with optimized native structure is discussed. These concepts are tested with a simple lattice model of a protein with full enumeration of compact conformations. Selected sequences are shown to have a native state that is very stable and kinetically accessible.