The Role of Structural Intermediates in Protein Folding

由于大肠杆菌中含有组氨酸的蛋白质的三维结构是已知的，因此本研究是利用其作为模型系统来研究蛋白质是如何折叠的。实验旨在确定在折叠和展开过程中是否可以检测到动力学中间体，以及是否可以从这些信息中推导出基本原理。该策略将依赖于停止流动方法的应用，结合光学光谱和定点诱变。这些结果应该是理解蛋白质结构和设计的基础。

9803535 Colon This study is to investigate how proteins fold, using a histidine-containing protein from E. coli as a model system since its three-dimensional structure is known. Experiments are designed to determine if kinetic intermediates can be detected during the processes of folding and unfolding, and whether basic principles can be derived from such information. The strategy will rely on the application of stopped-flow methods combined with optical spectroscopy and site-directed mutagenesis. The results should be fundamental to the understanding of protein structure and design.