The type, amount and arrangement of secondary structures can affect the ease of folding by influencing the stability, flexibility and designability of the protein.
For example, some studies have suggested that:
* The presence of more beta sheets than alpha helices can increase the stability and designability of the protein, as beta sheets have more inter-strand hydrogen bonds and can form more compact structures.
* The presence of more alpha helices than beta sheets can increase the flexibility and foldability of the protein, as alpha helices have more intra-helix hydrogen bonds and can accommodate more side-chain variations.
* The arrangement of secondary structures can affect the contact order and circuit topology of the protein, which are related to the folding time scale and kinetic pathways.
Proteins. 2006 Feb 1;62(2):411-20. doi: 10.1002/prot.20766. |
|