Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy maps the folding landscape of a large protein

Nat Commun. 2011 Oct 11:2:493. doi: 10.1038/ncomms1504.

Abstract

Proteins attain their function only after folding into a highly organized three-dimensional structure. Much remains to be learned about the mechanisms of folding of large multidomain proteins, which may populate metastable intermediate states on their energy landscapes. Here we introduce a novel method, based on high-throughput single-molecule fluorescence experiments, which is specifically geared towards tracing the dynamics of folding in the presence of a plethora of intermediates. We employ this method to characterize the folding reaction of a three-domain protein, adenylate kinase. Using thousands of single-molecule trajectories and hidden Markov modelling, we identify six metastable states on adenylate kinase's folding landscape. Remarkably, the connectivity of the intermediates depends on denaturant concentration; at low concentration, multiple intersecting folding pathways co-exist. We anticipate that the methodology introduced here will find broad applicability in the study of folding of large proteins, and will provide a more realistic scenario of their conformational dynamics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Markov Chains
  • Protein Folding
  • Proteins / chemistry*
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence / methods*

Substances

  • Proteins