Effect of Solvent on Protein Folding Rates
Milo Lin, California Institute of Technology
The role of the solvent in stabilizing the DNA double helix is explored. The absence of water is shown to not only distort the double helix, but also increase the likelihood of thermal decoupling within the double helix leading to bubbles of unfolded structure. The experimental feasibility, unfolding timescale, and evolutionary significance of these properties are discussed.
Abstract Author(s): Milo Lin, Dmitry Shorokhov, Ahmed Zewail