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Folding of beta-sandwich proteins: Three-state transition of a fibronectin type III module

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2000

ERNESTO COTA
Affiliation:
MRC Centre for Protein Engineering and Cambridge University Chemical Laboratory, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
JANE CLARKE
Affiliation:
MRC Centre for Protein Engineering and Cambridge University Chemical Laboratory, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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Abstract

An analysis of the folding of the 94 residue tenth fibronectin type III (fnIII) domain of human fibronectin (FNfn10) is presented. Use of guanidine isothiocyanate as a denaturant allows us to obtain equilibrium and kinetic data across a broad range of denaturant concentrations that are unavailable in guanidine hydrochloride. Equilibrium unfolding experiments show that FNfn10 is significantly more stable than has been reported previously. Comparison of equilibrium and kinetic parameters reveals the presence of an intermediate that accumulates at low denaturant concentrations. This is the first demonstration of three-state folding kinetics for a fnIII domain. We have previously shown that a homologous domain from human tenascin (TNfn3) folds by a two-state mechanism, but this does not necessarily indicate that the two proteins fold by different folding pathways.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 The Protein Society

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