Molten Globular Enzymes

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2023

Keywords

Protein Folding, Partially Folded Folding Intermediate, Molten Globule, Designed Protein, Circular Permutation

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-99533-7.00010-8

Abstract

Structural biology of enzymatic catalysis posits that structure defines function. This idea is deeply rooted in the “lock-and-key” perspective of the enzyme action. Although some flexibility is accepted in the form of “induced fit” or “conformational selection,” these models do not expect excessive conformational diversity of a protein molecule. In other words, since facilitation of the formation of the transition state of the chemical reaction to be catalyzed depends on a well-organized environment in the active site of the enzyme, enzymatic catalysis is poorly compatible with structural disorder. However, there is growing evidence of the existence of catalytic disordered proteins. Furthermore, since the chance of the spontaneous emergence of a fully folded protein with fully defined catalytic function is negligible, disordered proteins acted as precursors of the modern-day enzymes. This chapter represents an overview of the molten globular enzymes and represents several illustrative examples of this important phenomenon.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Molten Globular Enzymes, in M. N. Gupta & V. N. Uversky (Eds.), Structure and Intrinsic Disorder in Enzymology, Academic Press, p. 303-325

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