Figure 3. Folding Pathway(5) |
Protein Stability
As odd as it may seem native (folded) proteins are only marginally stable under physiological conditions. (5) Other forces such as hydrophobic effects, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonding act more as stabilizing factors and are the main factors in driving the protein folding process. (4)
Largely the residues that occupy the interior of the protein direct protein folding. Returning to its native conformation occurs within a few seconds, which supports the idea that proteins have direct pathways to arrive at the native state. As the protein folds its free energy decrease which makes it a one-way process. The last stages of protein folding depend on the specific sequence of the amino acids. (4) |