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Assays for the Degradation of Misfolded Proteins in Cells
Published on: August 28, 2016
Point mutations in protein globular domains: contributions from function, stability and misfolding
I E Sánchez1, J Tejero, C Gómez-Moreno
1European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany. ignacio.sanchez@embl.de
Journal of Molecular Biology
|September 19, 2006
Summary
Protein evolution prioritizes function over stability at catalytic sites, with stability playing a minor role at binding sites. Misfolding avoidance is primarily achieved by stabilizing native states, not by discarding misfolding-prone sequences.
Area of Science:
- Protein evolution
- Molecular biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Contrasting hypotheses exist regarding the influence of protein stability and misfolding avoidance on the evolution of globular protein domains.
- Selection at functional sites may impact protein stability, either negatively or positively.
- Misfolding can be avoided by removing prone sequences or by stabilizing the native state.
Purpose of the Study:
- To dissect the contributions of function, stability, and misfolding to the evolution of natural protein sequences.
- To analyze the interplay between selection for function and stability at different protein sites.
- To investigate the role of selective pressure against misfolding-prone sequences.
Main Methods:
- Hierarchical analysis of a large database of point mutations.
- Examination of evolutionary pressures on protein sequences.
- Correlation analysis between function, stability, and misfolding propensity.
Main Results:
- Selection for function overrides selection for stability at catalytic sites, with no observed anticorrelation.
- Selection for stability has a secondary role at binding sites and is not fully coupled with function.
- No evidence of selection against individual misfolding-prone positions in globular proteins was found.
Conclusions:
- Natural proteins primarily avoid misfolding by stabilizing their native state.
- Selection against misfolding-prone sequences may be limited by the correlation between native and misfolded state stabilities.
- Protein evolution balances functional requirements with conformational properties like stability and misfolding avoidance.
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