Scaling and self-organized criticality in proteins I.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 19218446.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.0811262106 and PMC identifier 2651243.
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Abstract
The complexity of proteins is substantially simplified by regarding them as archetypical examples of self-organized criticality (SOC). To test this idea and elaborate on it, this article applies the Moret-Zebende SOC hydrophobicity scale to the large-scale scaffold repeat protein of the HEAT superfamily, PR65/A. Hydrophobic plasticity is defined and used to identify docking platforms and hinges from repeat sequences alone. The difference between the MZ scale and conventional hydrophobicity scales reflects long-range conformational forces that are central to protein functionality.
Medical subject headings
- Proteins