Protein folding is an extremely complicated process, which has been extensively tackled during the last decades. In vivo, a certain molecular machinery is responsible for assisting the correct folding of proteins and maintaining protein homeostasis: the members of this machinery are the heat shock proteins (HSPs), which belong among molecular chaperones. Mutations in HSPs are associated with several inherited diseases, and members of this group were also proved to be involved in neurodegenerative pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases), cancer, viral infections, and antibiotic resistance of bacteria. Therefore, it is critical to understand the principles of HSP functioning and their exact role in human physiology and pathology. This review attempts to briefly describe the main chaperone families and the interplay between individual chaperones, as well as their general and specific functions in the context of cell physiology and human diseases.

• Klíčová slova
• HSP, aggregation, cancer, chaperone, neurodegenerative disease, protein folding,
• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neurodegenerativní nemoci metabolismus   genetika   MeSH
• proteiny tepelného šoku * metabolismus   genetika   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• proteiny tepelného šoku * MeSH

Biased simulations have great potential for the study of slow processes, including protein folding. Atomic motions in molecules are nonlinear, which suggests that simulations with enhanced sampling of collective motions traced by nonlinear dimensionality reduction methods may perform better than linear ones. In this study, we compare an unbiased folding simulation of the Trp-cage miniprotein with metadynamics simulations using both linear (principle component analysis) and nonlinear (Isomap) low dimensional embeddings as collective variables. Folding of the mini-protein was successfully simulated in 200 ns simulation with linear biasing and non-linear motion biasing. The folded state was correctly predicted as the free energy minimum in both simulations. We found that the advantage of linear motion biasing is that it can sample a larger conformational space, whereas the advantage of nonlinear motion biasing lies in slightly better resolution of the resulting free energy surface. In terms of sampling efficiency, both methods are comparable.

• MeSH
• chemické modely * MeSH
• lineární modely * MeSH
• nelineární dynamika * MeSH
• počítačová simulace * MeSH
• pohyb těles MeSH
• proteiny chemie   MeSH
• rozpouštědla chemie   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• proteiny MeSH
• rozpouštědla MeSH

The computer-aided folding of biomolecules, particularly RNAs, is one of the most difficult challenges in computational structural biology. RNA tetraloops are fundamental RNA motifs playing key roles in RNA folding and RNA-RNA and RNA-protein interactions. Although state-of-the-art Molecular Dynamics (MD) force fields correctly describe the native state of these tetraloops as a stable free-energy basin on the microsecond time scale, enhanced sampling techniques reveal that the native state is not the global free energy minimum, suggesting yet unidentified significant imbalances in the force fields. Here, we tested our ability to fold the RNA tetraloops in various force fields and simulation settings. We employed three different enhanced sampling techniques, namely, temperature replica exchange MD (T-REMD), replica exchange with solute tempering (REST2), and well-tempered metadynamics (WT-MetaD). We aimed to separate problems caused by limited sampling from those due to force-field inaccuracies. We found that none of the contemporary force fields is able to correctly describe folding of the 5'-GAGA-3' tetraloop over a range of simulation conditions. We thus aimed to identify which terms of the force field are responsible for this poor description of TL folding. We showed that at least two different imbalances contribute to this behavior, namely, overstabilization of base-phosphate and/or sugar-phosphate interactions and underestimated stability of the hydrogen bonding interaction in base pairing. The first artifact stabilizes the unfolded ensemble, while the second one destabilizes the folded state. The former problem might be partially alleviated by reparametrization of the van der Waals parameters of the phosphate oxygens suggested by Case et al., while in order to overcome the latter effect we suggest local potentials to better capture hydrogen bonding interactions.

• MeSH
• konformace nukleové kyseliny MeSH
• RNA chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• sbalování RNA MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky * MeSH
• stabilita RNA MeSH
• statická elektřina MeSH
• teplota MeSH
• vodíková vazba MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• RNA MeSH

We have carried out an extended set of standard and enhanced-sampling MD simulations (for a cumulative simulation time of 620 μs) with the aim to study folding landscapes of the rGGGUUAGGG and rGGGAGGG parallel G-hairpins (PH) with propeller loop. We identify folding and unfolding pathways of the PH, which is bridged with the unfolded state via an ensemble of cross-like structures (CS) possessing mutually tilted or perpendicular G-strands interacting via guanine-guanine H-bonding. The oligonucleotides reach the PH conformation from the unfolded state via a conformational diffusion through the folding landscape, i.e. as a series of rearrangements of the H-bond interactions starting from compacted anti-parallel hairpin-like structures. Although isolated PHs do not appear to be thermodynamically stable we suggest that CS and PH-types of structures are sufficiently populated during RNA guanine quadruplex (GQ) folding within the context of complete GQ-forming sequences. These structures may participate in compact coil-like ensembles that involve all four G-strands and already some bound ions. Such ensembles can then rearrange into the fully folded parallel GQs via conformational diffusion. We propose that the basic atomistic folding mechanism of propeller loops suggested in this work may be common for their formation in RNA and DNA GQs.

• MeSH
• G-kvadruplexy * MeSH
• guanin chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• kinetika MeSH
• RNA chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• sbalování RNA * MeSH
• sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky MeSH
• termodynamika MeSH
• vodíková vazba MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• guanin MeSH
• RNA MeSH

The interaction between a protein and external electric field (EF) can alter its structure and dynamical behavior, which has a potential impact on the biological function of proteins and cause uncertain health consequences. Conversely, the application of EFs of judiciously selected intensity and frequency can help to treat disease, and optimization of this requires a greater understanding of EF-induced effects underpinning basic protein biophysics. In the present study, chignolin─an artificial protein sufficiently small to undergo fast-folding events and transitions─was selected as an ideal prototype to investigate how, and to what extent, externally applied electric fields may manipulate or influence protein-folding phenomena. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations have been performed of solvated chignolin to determine the distribution of folding states and their underlying transition dynamics, in the absence and presence of externally applied electric fields (both static and alternating); a key focus has been to ascertain how folding pathways are altered in an athermal sense by external fields. Compared to zero-field conditions, a dramatically different─indeed, bifurcated─behavior of chignolin-folding processes emerges between static- and alternating-field scenarios, especially vis-à-vis incipient stages of hydrophobic-core formation: in alternating fields, fold-state populations diversified, with an attendant acceleration of state-hopping folding kinetics, featuring the concomitant emergence of a new, quasi-stable structure compared to the native structure, in field-shifted energy landscapes.

• MeSH
• elektřina MeSH
• oligopeptidy chemie   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů * MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• chignolin MeSH Prohlížeč
• oligopeptidy MeSH

Polyprolines offer many opportunities to study factors influencing peptide and protein folding and structure. Longer chains can adopt two well-defined forms (PPI and PPII), but shorter peptides are quite flexible. To understand in detail the dependence of the secondary structure on the length and the interplay between the side chain and main chain conformation, zwitterionic (Pro)(N) models (with N = 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12 and longer inhomogeneous chains) were studied by a combination of the Raman and Raman optical activity (ROA) spectroscopy with the density functional theory (DFT). Potential surfaces were systematically explored for the shorter oligoprolines, and Boltzmann conformational ratios were obtained both for the main chain and the proline ring puckering. The predictions were verified by comparison of the experimental and simulated ROA spectra. The conformer ratios extracted from a decomposition of the experimental ROA into scaled computed spectra well reproduced Boltzmann populations calculated from relative energies. For example, an "A" puckering of the proline ring was found prevalent, relatively independent of the length, whereas the cis-amide backbone form adopted by shorter peptides rapidly disappeared for N > 4. The results are consistent with previous NMR and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) data. Delocalized exciton vibrations along the peptide chain often enhance the ROA signal, and can thus be used to indicate a longer regular peptide structure. The ROA technique appeared to be very sensitive to the ring puckering; less distinct spectral features were produced by changes in the main chain geometry.

• MeSH
• konformace proteinů MeSH
• kvantová teorie * MeSH
• molekulární modely MeSH
• peptidy chemie   MeSH
• Ramanova spektroskopie * MeSH
• sbalování proteinů * MeSH
• termodynamika MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• peptidy MeSH
• polyproline MeSH Prohlížeč

Cellular proteins begin to fold as they emerge from the ribosome. The folding landscape of nascent chains is not only shaped by their amino acid sequence but also by the interactions with the ribosome. Here, we combine biophysical methods with cryo-EM structure determination to show that folding of a β-barrel protein begins with formation of a dynamic α-helix inside the ribosome. As the growing peptide reaches the end of the tunnel, the N-terminal part of the nascent chain refolds to a β-hairpin structure that remains dynamic until its release from the ribosome. Contacts with the ribosome and structure of the peptidyl transferase center depend on nascent chain conformation. These results indicate that proteins may start out as α-helices inside the tunnel and switch into their native folds only as they emerge from the ribosome. Moreover, the correlation of nascent chain conformations with reorientation of key residues of the ribosomal peptidyl-transferase center suggest that protein folding could modulate ribosome activity.

• Klíčová slova
• cotranslational folding, nascent chain, ribosome,
• MeSH
• cirkulární dichroismus MeSH
• elektronová kryomikroskopie MeSH
• Escherichia coli genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• konformace proteinů, alfa-helix MeSH
• konformace proteinů, beta-řetězec MeSH
• molekulární modely MeSH
• posttranslační úpravy proteinů MeSH
• proteiny a peptidy chladového šoku chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteiny z Escherichia coli chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteosyntéza MeSH
• ribozomy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• CspA protein, E coli MeSH Prohlížeč
• proteiny a peptidy chladového šoku MeSH
• proteiny z Escherichia coli MeSH

We study the folding of the designed hairpin chignolin, using simulations with four different force fields. Interestingly, we find a misfolded, out-of-register, structure comprising 20-50% of the ordered structures with three force fields, but not with a fourth. A defining feature of the misfold is that Gly-7 adopts a β(PR) conformation rather than α(L). By reweighting, we show that differences between the force fields can mostly be attributed to differences in glycine properties. Benchmarking against NMR data suggests that the preference for β(PR) is not a force-field artifact. For chignolin, we show that including the misfold in the ensemble results in back-recalculated NMR observables in slightly better agreement with experiment than parameters calculated from a folded ensemble only. For comparison, we show by NMR and circular dichroism spectroscopy that the G7K mutant of chignolin, in which formation of this misfold is impossible, is well folded with stability similar to the wild-type and does not populate the misfolded state in simulation. Our results highlight the complexity of interpreting NMR data for small, weakly structured, peptides in solution, as well as the importance of accurate glycine parameters in force fields, for a correct description of turn structures.

• MeSH
• nukleární magnetická rezonance biomolekulární MeSH
• oligopeptidy chemie   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů * MeSH
• sekundární struktura proteinů MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky * MeSH
• software MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Názvy látek
• chignolin MeSH Prohlížeč
• oligopeptidy MeSH

Protein folding is governed by a balance of non-covalent interactions, of which cation-π and π-π play important roles. Theoretical calculations revealed a strong cooperativity between cation-π involving alkali and alkaline earth metal ions and π-π interactions, but however, no experimental evidence was provided in this regard. Here, we characterized a Ca(2+)-binding self-processing module (SPM), which mediates a highly-specific Ca(2+)-dependent autocatalytic processing of iron-regulated protein FrpC secreted by the pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The SPM undergoes a Ca(2+)-induced transition from an intrinsically unstructured conformation to the compact protein fold that is ultimately stabilized by the π-π interaction between two unique tryptophan residues arranged in the T-shaped orientation. Moreover, the pair of tryptophans is located in a close vicinity of a calcium-binding site, suggesting the involvement of a Ca(2+)-assisted π-π interaction in the stabilization of the tertiary structure of the SPM. This makes the SPM an excellent model for the investigation of the Ca(2+)-assisted π-π interaction during Ca(2+)-induced protein folding.

• MeSH
• bakteriální proteiny chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• konformace proteinů účinky léků   MeSH
• membránové proteiny chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• rozbalení proteinů účinky léků   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů účinky léků   MeSH
• vápník metabolismus   farmakologie   MeSH
• vazebná místa MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• bakteriální proteiny MeSH
• frpC protein, Neisseria meningitidis MeSH Prohlížeč
• membránové proteiny MeSH
• vápník MeSH

Life on Earth depends on photosynthesis, the conversion of light energy into chemical energy. Plants collect photons by light harvesting complexes (LHC)-abundant membrane proteins containing chlorophyll and xanthophyll molecules. LHC-like proteins are similar in their amino acid sequence to true LHC antennae, however, they rather serve a photoprotective function. Whether the LHC-like proteins bind pigments has remained unclear. Here, we characterize plant LHC-like proteins (LIL3 and ELIP2) produced in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (hereafter Synechocystis). Both proteins were associated with chlorophyll a (Chl) and zeaxanthin and LIL3 was shown to be capable of quenching Chl fluorescence via direct energy transfer from the Chl Qy state to zeaxanthin S1 state. Interestingly, the ability of the ELIP2 protein to quench can be acquired by modifying its N-terminal sequence. By employing Synechocystis carotenoid mutants and site-directed mutagenesis we demonstrate that, although LIL3 does not need pigments for folding, pigments stabilize the LIL3 dimer.

• MeSH
• chlorofyl metabolismus   MeSH
• karotenoidy metabolismus   MeSH
• multimerizace proteinu MeSH
• mutace MeSH
• přenos energie MeSH
• proteiny chloroplastové chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteiny huseníčku chemie   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• sbalování proteinů MeSH
• Synechocystis genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• vazba proteinů MeSH
• xanthofyly metabolismus   MeSH
• zeaxanthiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• chlorofyl MeSH
• ELIP2 protein, Arabidopsis MeSH Prohlížeč
• karotenoidy MeSH
• light-harvesting-like protein 3, Arabidopsis MeSH Prohlížeč
• proteiny chloroplastové MeSH
• proteiny huseníčku MeSH
• violaxanthin MeSH Prohlížeč
• xanthofyly MeSH
• zeaxanthiny MeSH