Title
Biochemistry: Direct observation of the three-state folding of a single protein molecule
Date Issued
23 September 2005
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Institute for Quantitative Biology
Publisher(s)
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Abstract
We used force-measuring optical tweezers to induce complete mechanical unfolding and refolding of individual Escherichia coli ribonuclease H (RNase H) molecules. The protein unfolds in a two-state manner and refolds through an intermediate that correlates with the transient molten globule-like intermediate observed in bulk studies. This intermediate displays unusual mechanical compliance and unfolds at substantially lower forces than the native state. In a narrow range of forces, the molecule hops between the unfolded and intermediate states in real time. Occasionally, hopping was observed to stop as the molecule crossed the folding barrier directly from the intermediate, demonstrating that the intermediate is on-pathway. These studies allow us to map the energy landscape of RNase H.
Start page
2057
End page
2060
Volume
309
Issue
5743
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Bioquímica, Biología molecular
Fisiología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-25444512161
PubMed ID
Source
Science
ISSN of the container
0036-8075
Sponsor(s)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences R29GM050945 NIGMS
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus