Structural origin of slow diffusion in protein folding

Abstract

Interactions that slow protein folding As proteins fold, they diffuse over an energy barrier that separates unfolded and folded states. The transition path defines how a single protein crosses the barrier and so contains key information on the mechanism of folding. Transition paths have not yet been experimentally observed, but Chung et al. have discovered which structural features of the protein affect the duration of the transition. As the protein folds, non-native salt bridges form and break, slowing diffusion along the transition path. Science , this issue p. 1504