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Statistical Mechanical Theory of Protein Folding in Water Environment

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Exciting Interdisciplinary Physics

Part of the book series: FIAS Interdisciplinary Science Series ((FIAS))

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Abstract

We present a statistical mechanics formalism for the theoretical description of the process of protein folding\(\leftrightarrow \)unfolding transition in water environment. The formalism is based on the construction of the partition function of a protein obeying two-stage-like folding kinetics. Using the statistical mechanics model of solvation of hydrophobic hydrocarbons we obtain the partition function of infinitely diluted solution of proteins in water environment. The calculated dependencies of the protein heat capacities upon temperature are compared with the corresponding results of experimental measurements for staphylococcal nuclease.

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Acknowledgments

A.Y. thanks Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Goethe University, 60438, Ruth-Moufang Str. 1, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Alexander V. Yakubovich, Andrey V. Solov’yov & Walter Greiner

  2. Author A.Y. on leave from A.F. Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, Polytechnicheskaya 26, 194021, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

    Alexander V. Yakubovich

Authors
  1. Alexander V. Yakubovich
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  2. Andrey V. Solov’yov
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  3. Walter Greiner
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Correspondence to Alexander V. Yakubovich .

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  1. Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Ruth-Moufang-Str. 1, Frankfurt, 60438, Germany

    Walter Greiner

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Yakubovich, A.V., Solov’yov, A.V., Greiner, W. (2013). Statistical Mechanical Theory of Protein Folding in Water Environment . In: Greiner, W. (eds) Exciting Interdisciplinary Physics. FIAS Interdisciplinary Science Series. Springer, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00047-3_39

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