Loops are abundant in native RNA structures and proliferate close to the unfolding transition. By including a statistical weight ~ l^{-c} for loops of length l in the recursion relation for the partition function, we show that the calculated heat capacity depends sensitively on the presence and value of the exponent c, even of short t-RNA. For homo-RNA we analytically calculate the critical temperature and critical exponents which exhibit a non-universal dependence on c.
Atomically detailed simulations of RNA folding have proven very challenging in view of the difficulties of developing realistic force fields and the intrinsic computational complexity of sampling rare conformational transitions. To tackle both these issues, we extend to RNA an enhanced path sampling method previously successfully applied to proteins. In this scheme, the information about the RNA's native structure is harnessed by a soft history-dependent biasing force, which is added to the atomistic force field, thus promoting the generation of productive folding trajectories. Here, we report…
Theory for RNA folding, stretching, and melting including loops and salt
核酸二级结构的形成强烈地依赖于盐浓度和温度。我们开发了一个理论,RNA折叠,正确地占序列的影响,熵的贡献与环的形成,和盐的影响。使用迭代表达式的配分函数,忽略伪结,我们计算折叠自由能和最小自由能配置的基础上实验得出的碱基配对自由能。环形成的构型熵由渐近表达式-c ln m建模,其中m是环的长度,c是环指数,其是可调节的常数。盐的影响进入两种方式:第一,我们得到盐诱导的修改的自由能参数描述碱基配对,第二,我们包括静电自由能环的形成。这两种效应都是在Debye-Hueckel水平上模拟的,包括对流冷凝。我们验证了我们的理论为两个不同的RNA序列:对于tRNA-phe,在不同的盐浓度下的热变性的热容量曲线准确地再现实验结果。对于P5 ab RNA发夹,我们推导出的全球相图在三维空间跨越的温度,拉伸力,和盐浓度,并获得良好的协议与实验确定的临界展开力。我们表明,一个适当的描述RNA的熔化和拉伸,盐和环熵效应是必要的。
We review the basic concepts and tools for mechanically unzipping RNA hairpins using force spectroscopy. By pulling apart the ends of an RNA molecule using optical tweezers, it is possible to measure the folding free energy at varying experimental conditions. Energy measurements permit us to characterize the thermodynamics of RNA hybridization (base pairing and stacking), the dynamics of the formation of native and kinetic (intermediates and misfolded) molecular states, and interactions with metallic ions. This paper introduces basic concepts and reviews recent developments related to RNA forc…
We investigate the possibility of extending the notion of temperature in a stochastic model for the RNA/protein folding driven out of equilibrium. We simulate the dynamics of a small RNA hairpin subject to an external pulling force, which is time-dependent. First, we consider a fluctuation-dissipation relation (FDR) whereby we verify that various effective temperatures can be obtained for different observables, only when the slowest intrinsic relaxation timescale of the system regulates the dynamics of the system. Then, we introduce a different nonequilibrium temperature, which is defined from…
Monovalent ions modulate the flux through multiple folding pathways of an RNA pseudoknot
RNA假结(PKs)是核糖核酸(ribozyme)和核糖核蛋白(ribonucleoprotein)复合物的最小三级结构基序,其功能由其结构、稳定性和动力学决定。因此,重要的是要阐明其热力学/折叠机制的一般原则。在这里,我们结合实验和模拟来研究VPK假结的折叠/展开途径,VPK假结是参与核糖体移码的小鼠乳腺肿瘤病毒(MMTV)PK的变体。荧光核苷酸类似物(2-氨基嘌呤和pyrrolocytidine)放置在不同的茎/环的PK位置,激光温度跳跃的方法作为本地探针,使我们能够监测组装的顺序VPK与两个螺旋具有不同的内在稳定性。实验和分子模拟表明,在50 mM KCl的优势折叠途径人口只有更稳定的部分折叠的发夹。随着盐浓度的增加,平行折叠途径出现,涉及不太稳定的发夹结构作为替代中间体。值得注意的是,通道之间的通量由离子强度调制。这些发现支持了PK结构形成的顺序由发夹的相对稳定性决定的原理,发夹的相对稳定性可以通过序列变异或盐浓度来改变。我们的研究不仅明确地表明,PK折叠的平行途径,但也建立了定量描述的RNA自组装需要一个协同的实验和模拟相结合。
The folding of biological macromolecules is a fundamental process of which we lack a full comprehension. Mostly studied in proteins and RNA, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) also folds, at physiological salt conditions, by forming non-specific secondary structures that are difficult to characterize with biophysical techniques. Here we present a helix-coil model for secondary structure formation, where ssDNA bases are organized in two different types of domains (compact and free). The model contains two parameters: the energy gain per base in a compact domain, $ε$, and the cooperativity related to t…
The Folding Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Crambin Using an All-Atom Monte Carlo Simulation
我们提出了一种新的蒙特卡罗模拟的蛋白质折叠,其中所有的重原子表示为相互作用的硬球。该模型包括与折叠相关的所有自由度-所有侧链和主链扭转-并使用Go势。在这项研究中,我们专注于46个残基的α-β蛋白crambin和它的两个结构组成部分,螺旋和螺旋发夹。对于广泛的温度范围内,我们已经记录了这三种结构的多个折叠事件,从随机卷曲到与其晶体结构坐标相差小于1 A dRMS的原生构象。从我们的模拟中得到的螺旋-线团转变的热力学和动力学机制与目前可用的实验和分子动力学数据显示出极好的一致性。基于对其较小结构部件的折叠,提出了一种可能的折叠机制。我们观察到,折叠发生通过一个合作的,一阶的过程,并存在许多折叠途径的原生状态。一个特定的事件序列构成了一个“快速折叠”途径,在该途径中避免了动力学陷阱。在非常低的温度下,观察到由侧链的不正确包装引起的动力学陷阱。这些结果表明,折叠到本机状态,可以观察到在一个合理的时间量在台式计算机上,即使使用全原子表示,提供的能量足够稳定的本机状态。
Towards A Consistent Modeling Of Protein Thermodynamic And Kinetic Cooperativity: How Applicable Is The Transition State Picture To Folding and Unfolding?