Combining High-Pressure Perturbation with NMR Spectroscopy for a Structural and Dynamical Characterization of Protein Folding Pathways |
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Authors: | Cé cile Dubois,Isaline Herrada,Philippe Barthe,Christian Roumestand |
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Affiliation: | Centre de Biochimie Structurale, INSERM U1054, CNRS UMR 5048, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France; (C.D.); (I.H.); (P.B.) |
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Abstract: | High-hydrostatic pressure is an alternative perturbation method that can be used to destabilize globular proteins. Generally perfectly reversible, pressure exerts local effects on regions or domains of a protein containing internal voids, contrary to heat or chemical denaturant that destabilize protein structures uniformly. When combined with NMR spectroscopy, high pressure (HP) allows one to monitor at a residue-level resolution the structural transitions occurring upon unfolding and to determine the kinetic properties of the process. The use of HP-NMR has long been hampered by technical difficulties. Owing to the recent development of commercially available high-pressure sample cells, HP-NMR experiments can now be routinely performed. This review summarizes recent advances of HP-NMR techniques for the characterization at a quasi-atomic resolution of the protein folding energy landscape. |
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Keywords: | protein folding NMR High Hydrostatic Pressure |
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