NSF Award
1412378
Non-technical explanation<br/>An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of protein folding has implications beyond the immediate field. For example, non-native protein states are critical for understanding protein aggregation, which has major practical implications in biotechnology and medicine. The rapid kinetics techniques to be developed will not only benefit protein folding research, but also studies of ligand binding and enzymatic reaction mechanisms. Critical testing and refinement of computational models will benefit other areas of computational biology, such as structure prediction, modeling of protein interactions and functional conformational changes. <br/><br/>Although major progress has been made in recent years in understanding how small proteins fold, deciphering the mechanisms of folding of larger proteins remains a daunting challenge. This project is aimed at moving beyond small proteins to larger ones with more complex folding behavior by joining cutting edge experimental approaches with powerful computational strategies for exploring early stages of folding of apomyoglobin, a medium size protein. A rich set of experimental data on the structural and dynamic properties of intermediate states populated on the microsecond time scale will provide benchmarks for validating and refining simulation techniques. The findings will provide a critical test of our understanding of protein folding and the power of molecular simulation to accurately model the folding reaction, yielding structural and mechanistic insight with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. <br/><br/>This project offers training opportunities for future scientists in a wide range of experimental, computational and theoretical approaches. Students will benefit from the close collaboration between experimental and theoretical groups. Dr. Roder is a member of the NSF-sponsored Protein Folding Consortium whose main mission is to foster scientific exchange and collaboration. Dr. Voelz is a participating researcher in the Folding@home distributed computing project, a unique platform for scientific outreach that promotes public awareness for the importance of basic research in protein folding.<br/><br/><br/>Technical description<br/>The objectives of this project entitled "Collaborative Research: Early Stages of Protein Folding Explored by Experimental and Computational Approaches" are: (i) to elucidate the folding mechanism of a prototypic alpha-helical protein by detailed experimental and computational analysis of the kinetic network of states encountered during folding of apomyoglobin (apoMb); (ii) to understand key features of the amino acid sequence important for initiating folding, defining chain topology and directing the search for the native structure. The group of Heinrich Roder at the Fox Chase Cancer Center will combine ultrafast mixing methods with fluorescence and NMR-detected H/D exchange labeling to elucidate the kinetic folding dynamics of apoMb with single-residue resolution. The results will provide a basis for validating computational models to be developed by the group of Vincent Voelz at Temple University. Modeling of apoMb folding dynamics by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, combined with Markov State Model approaches, will yield atomic-resolution structural insight and testable predictions of experimental observables. Recent kinetic studies have shown that folding of apoMb under acidic conditions (pH 4.2) is a multi-stage process completed within 250 microseconds of initiation. This time scale is computationally accessible and makes large-scale MD simulations a realistic proposition, using the Folding@home distributed computer network. Effects of mutations on experimental observables and the simulated network of states will inform on the sequence determinants for folding initiation and pathway selection.<br/><br/>By combining advanced experimental techniques, including kinetic analysis with microsecond resolution, mutagenesis and NMR-based hydrogen-deuterium exchange methods, with state ofthe-art computational methods, it will be possible to describe early stages of folding of the 153 residues apoMb with a level of detail that has previously been achieved only for much smaller proteins. Experimental observables, including rate constants, mutational perturbations, fluorescence properties and NH protection patterns, will serve as benchmarks for testing and refining computational models, which in turn will provide structural and mechanistic insight with atomic resolution and make predictions to be tested in a next round of experiments. The results will extend our understanding of the principles of protein folding beyond small two-state folders to a larger helical protein with complex multi-state folding behavior and address long-standing questions concerning the sequence determinants for folding initiation and propagation, and the structural features and kinetic roles of protein folding intermediates.
