Equilibrium and kinetic approaches for studying oligomeric protein folding

This chapter describes the approaches and considerations necessary for extension of current protein folding methods to the equilibrium and kinetic reactions of oligomeric proteins, using dimers as the primary example. Spectroscopic and transport methods to monitor folding and unfolding transitions are summarized. The data collection and analyses to determine protein stability and kinetic folding mechanisms are discussed in the context of the additional dimension of complexity that arises in higher order folding processes, compared to first order monomeric proteins. As a case study to illustrate the data analysis process, equilibrium, and kinetic data are presented for SmtB, a homodimeric DNA-binding protein from Synechococcus PCC7942.