The VES hypothesis and protein misfolding

Leonor Cruzeiro

doi:10.3934/dcdss.2011.4.1033

Article Contents

2011, Volume 4, Issue 5: 1033-1046. Doi: 10.3934/dcdss.2011.4.1033

This issue Previous Article Variational approximations of bifurcations of asymmetric solitons in cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger lattices Next Article Sine-Gordon wobbles through Bäcklund transformations

The VES hypothesis and protein misfolding

Leonor Cruzeiro^1,

1.
CCMAR and FCT, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139

Received: August 31, 2009

Revised: September 30, 2009

Published: September 2011

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Abstract

Proteins function by changing conformation. These conformational changes, which involve the concerted motion of a large number of atoms are classical events but, in many cases, the triggers are quantum mechanical events such as chemical reactions. Here the initial quantum states after the chemical reaction are assumed to be vibrational excited states, something that has been designated as the VES hypothesis. While the dynamics under classical force fields fail to explain the relatively lower structural stability of the proteins associated with misfolding diseases, the application of the VES hypothesis to two cases can provide a new explanation for this phenomenon. This explanation relies on the transfer of vibrational energy from water molecules to proteins, a process whose viability is also examined.

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Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary: 92C05, 82C10; Secondary: 92C37.

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