Mechanical Strength of 17 134 Model Proteins and Cysteine Slipknots

A new theoretical survey of proteins' resistance to constant speed stretching is performed for a set of 17 134 proteins as described by a structure-based model. The proteins selected have no gaps in their structure determination and consist of no more than 250 amino acids. Our previous studies have dealt with 7510 proteins of no more than 150 amino acids. The proteins are ranked according to the strength of the resistance. Most of the predicted top-strength proteins have not yet been studied experimentally. Architectures and folds which are likely to yield large forces are identified. New types of potent force clamps are discovered. They involve disulphide bridges and, in particular, cysteine slipknots. An effective energy parameter of the model is estimated by comparing the theoretical data on characteristic forces to the corresponding experimental values combined with an extrapolation of the theoretical data to the experimental pulling speeds. These studies provide guidance for future experiments on single molecule manipulation and should lead to selection of proteins for applications. A new class of proteins, involving cystein slipknots, is identified as one that is expected to lead to the strongest force clamps known. This class is characterized through molecular dynamics simulations.Comment: 40 pages, 13 PostScript figure

Die Qualitätskontrolle der Lebensmittelkonzentrate

Az úgynevezett készételek fogalmi meghatározása után tárgyalja e termékek legfontosabb csoportjait és alapvető tulajdonságaikat. Foglalkozik továbbá azokkal a tényezőkkel, amelyek ezeknek a termékeknek a minőségét befolyásolják, áttekintést nyújt vizsgálati eljárásaikról és az ipari minőségvizsgálat szervezetéről, különös tekintettel az üzemen belüli minőségvizsgálat eljárásaira. Végül felsorolja a készletek minőségi értékelésének kritériumait. After presenting the concept of convenience foods, ready-made meals, the main groups of these products are listed and their fundamental properties described. Also the factors affecting the quality of products are surveyed and the organisation of quality control of the industry described, on paying particular attention to the quality control carried out within the plants producing the foods of this type. Lastly, the criteria of the evaluation of the quality of the products are summed up

LinkProt : a database collecting information about biological links

Protein chains are known to fold into topologically complex shapes, such as knots, slipknots or complex lassos. This complex topology of the chain can be considered as an additional feature of a protein, separate from secondary and tertiary structures. Moreover, the complex topology can be defined also as one additional structural level. The LinkProt database (http://linkprot.cent.uw.edu.pl) collects and displays information about protein links - topologically non-trivial structures made by up to four chains and complexes of chains (e.g. in capsids). The database presents deterministic links (with loops closed, e.g. by two disulfide bonds), links formed probabilistically and macromolecular links. The structures are classified according to their topology and presented using the minimal surface area method. The database is also equipped with basic tools which allow users to analyze the topology of arbitrary (bio)polymers

Stretching and twisting of the DNA duplexes in coarse grained dynamical models

Three coarse-grained models of the double-stranded DNA are proposed and compared in the context of mechanical manipulation such as twisting and various schemes of stretching. The models differ in the number of effective beads (between two and five) representing each nucleotide. They all show similar behavior and, in particular, lead to a torque-force phase diagrams qualitatively consistent with experiments and all-atom simulations

Influence of Hydrodynamic Interactions on Mechanical Unfolding of Proteins

We incorporate hydrodynamic interactions in a structure-based model of ubiquitin and demonstrate that the hydrodynamic coupling may reduce the peak force when stretching the protein at constant speed, especially at larger speeds. Hydrodynamic interactions are also shown to facilitate unfolding at constant force and inhibit stretching by fluid flows.Comment: to be published in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

The Energy Landscape, Folding Pathways and the Kinetics of a Knotted Protein

The folding pathway and rate coefficients of the folding of a knotted protein are calculated for a potential energy function with minimal energetic frustration. A kinetic transition network is constructed using the discrete path sampling approach, and the resulting potential energy surface is visualized by constructing disconnectivity graphs. Owing to topological constraints, the low-lying portion of the landscape consists of three distinct regions, corresponding to the native knotted state and to configurations where either the N- or C-terminus is not yet folded into the knot. The fastest folding pathways from denatured states exhibit early formation of the N-terminus portion of the knot and a rate-determining step where the C-terminus is incorporated. The low-lying minima with the N-terminus knotted and the C-terminus free therefore constitute an off-pathway intermediate for this model. The insertion of both the N- and C-termini into the knot occur late in the folding process, creating large energy barriers that are the rate limiting steps in the folding process. When compared to other protein folding proteins of a similar length, this system folds over six orders of magnitude more slowly.Comment: 19 page

Mechanical unfolding of proteins – comparative non-equilibrium molecular dynamics study

Mechanical signals regulate functions of mechanosensitive proteins by inducing structural changes that are determinant for force-dependent interactions. Talin is a focal adhesion protein that is known to extend under mechanical load, and it has been shown to unfold via intermediate states. Here, we compared different nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study unfolding of the talin rod. We combined boxed MD (BXD), steered MD, and umbrella sampling (US) techniques and provide free energy profiles for unfolding of talin rod subdomains. We conducted BXD, steered MD, and US simulations at different detail levels and demonstrate how these different techniques can be used to study protein unfolding under tension. Unfolding free energy profiles determined by BXD suggest that the intermediate states in talin rod subdomains are stabilized by force during unfolding, and US confirmed these results

Tests of the Structure-Based Models of Proteins

The structure-based models of proteins are defined through the condition that their ground state coincides with the native structure of the proteins. There are many variants of such models and they yield different properties. Optimal variants can be selected by making comparisons to experimental data on single-molecule stretching. Here, we discuss the 15 best performing variants and focus on fine tuning the selection process by adjusting the velocity of stretching to match the experimental conditions. The very best variant is found to correspond to the 10-12 potential in the native contacts with the energies modulated by the Miyazawa-Jernigan statistical potential and variable length parameters. The second best model incorporates the Lennard-Jones potential with uniform amplitudes. We then make a detailed comparison of the two models in which theoretical surveys of stretching properties of 7510 proteins were made previously

Tests of the Structure-Based Models of Proteins

The structure-based models of proteins are defined through the condition that their ground state coincides with the native structure of the proteins. There are many variants of such models and they yield different properties. Optimal variants can be selected by making comparisons to experimental data on single-molecule stretching. Here, we discuss the 15 best performing variants and focus on fine tuning the selection process by adjusting the velocity of stretching to match the experimental conditions. The very best variant is found to correspond to the 10-12 potential in the native contacts with the energies modulated by the Miyazawa-Jernigan statistical potential and variable length parameters. The second best model incorporates the Lennard-Jones potential with uniform amplitudes. We then make a detailed comparison of the two models in which theoretical surveys of stretching properties of 7510 proteins were made previously