On the role of frustration in the energy landscapes of allosteric proteins

• Autores: Ferreiro, Diego; Hegler, Joseph A.; Komives, Elizabeth A.; Wolynes, Peter G.
• Año de publicación: 2011
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Minimal Frustration Principle; Protein Folding; Protein Function
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Natural protein domains must be sufficiently stable to fold but often need to be locally unstable to function. Overall, strong energetic conflicts are minimized in native states satisfying the principle of minimal frustration. Local violations of this principle open up possibilities to form the complex multifunnel energy landscapes needed for large-scale conformational changes. We survey the local frustration patterns of allosteric domains and show that the regions that reconfigure are often enriched in patches of highly frustrated interactions, consistent both with the idea that these locally frustrated regions may act as specific hinges or that proteins may "crack" in these locations. On the other hand, the symmetry of multimeric protein assemblies allows near degeneracy by reconfiguring while maintaining minimally frustrated interactions. We also anecdotally examine some specific examples of complex conformational changes and speculate on the role of frustration in the kinetics of allosteric change.
Fil: Ferreiro, Diego. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Hegler, Joseph A.. University of California at San Diego; Estados Unidos
Fil: Komives, Elizabeth A.. University of California at San Diego; Estados Unidos
Fil: Wolynes, Peter G.. University of California at San Diego; Estados Unidos