Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Protein Misfolding
Editor
Rossen Donev
Head of Research MicroPharm Ltd, Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire,
United Kingdom
Table of Contents
Cover image
Title page
Copyright
Contributors
1. Introduction
6. Conclusions
Chapter Two. Combining molecular dynamics simulations and
experimental analyses in protein misfolding
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
2. Terminology
7. Summary
1. Introduction
5. Conclusions
1. Introduction
7. Summary
1. Introduction
6. Perspectives
1. Introduction
6. Mechanism of cytotoxicity
7. Conclusion
1. Alzheimer's disease
3. Amyloid-β
5. Tau protein
1. Introduction
2. Protein instability
4. Outlook
Copyright
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Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing.
As new research and experience broaden our understanding,
changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical
treatment may become necessary.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the
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material herein.
ISBN: 978-0-12-817750-1
ISSN: 1876-1623
Sara Amidian
Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada
Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Andrea Curioni
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and
Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Centre for Research in Viticulture and Enology (CIRVE), Conegliano
(TV), Italy
Claudia Honisch
Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry of CNR, Padua Unit, Padova,
Italy
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
Matteo Marangon
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and
Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Centre for Research in Viticulture and Enology (CIRVE), Conegliano
(TV), Italy
Simone Vincenzi
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and
Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Centre for Research in Viticulture and Enology (CIRVE), Conegliano
(TV), Italy
Donald F. Weaver
Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto,
ON, Canada
Departments of Medicine (Neurology), Chemistry and
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON,
Canada
Holger Wille
Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada
Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Canada
J. Mario Wolosin Eye and Vision Research Institute, Department
of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New
York, NY, United States
CHAPTER ONE
Abstract
Misfolded proteins escape the cellular quality control
mechanism and fail to fold properly or remain correctly folded
leading to a loss in their functional specificity. Thus misfolding
of proteins cause a large number of very different diseases
ranging from errors in metabolism to various types of complex
neurodegenerative diseases. A theoretical and computational
perspective of protein misfolding is presented with a special
emphasis on its salient features, mechanism and consequences.
These insights quantitatively analyze different determinants of
misfolding, that may be applied to design disease specific
molecular targets.
Keywords
Energy landscape; Amyloid fibril; Self-assembly; Aggregation;
Coarse-grained models; Simulation
1. Introduction
Protein misfolding is a natural consequence of protein folding where
the polymeric sequence of amino acids fold into a well-defined three
dimensional functional native state in the cellular environment. For
globular proteins, the native state represents the most stable
structure under physiological conditions. Protein folding is vital for
executing proper cellular functions. Folding of a polypeptide chain
involves a directed search through the vast conformational space to
reach the native state. The process of folding relies on the correct
interactions involving a small subset of the residues of a protein.
Intrinsic conformational fluctuations in a protein enable different
residues, which are far apart in the polypeptide chain, to come in
contact with one another. The native contacts stabilize the protein
relative to the non-native ones, as the favorable enthalpy of such
contacts, arising from the decrease in internal energy, balances the
decreasing entropy and helps the protein to achieve the desired
native conformation. Experimental and theoretical studies have
established that most proteins fold via funnel-like rugged free-
energy landscapes, that are encoded in the amino acid sequence of
the protein, constrained by the rules of natural selection
(Frauenfelder, Sligar, & Wolynes, 1991; Wolynes et al., 1995).
The energy landscape theory provides a statistical description of
the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding. The folding
energy landscape comprises all accessible protein conformations
present in the folding pathway. Due to the restricted covalent
connectivity of the protein backbone, various non-covalent
interactions (Dill, 1990) present in the protein are not simultaneously
optimized making the energy surface frustrated (Wolynes et al.,
1995). Frustration in proteins arises from these competing
interactions that are not satisfied simultaneously. The native state
represents the minimally frustrated (Bryngelson & Wolynes, 1987;
Ferreiro, Hegler, Komives, & Wolynes, 2007) conformation which
lies at the global free energy minimum (Anfinsen, 1973). Under
native conditions, a protein has a complex conformational manifold
with innumerable near-native conformations residing at various
local minima close to the native conformation, molding a dauntingly
rugged landscape (Fig. 1). However, naturally occurring proteins are
minimally frustrated and surmount this rugged energy terrain to
fold reversibly to their unique native states.
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