The folding properties of wild type and mutants of domain C5 from cardiac myosin binding protein C have been investigated
via molecular dynamics simulations within the framework of a native-centric and coarse-grained model. The relevance of a mutation
has been assessed through the shift in the unfolding temperature, the change in the unfolding rate it determines and Phi-values
analysis. In a previous paper (Guardiani et al. Biophys J 94:1403–1411,
2008), we performed Kinetic simulations on native contact formation revealing an entropy-driven folding pathway originating near
the FG and DE loops. This folding mechanism allowed also a possible interpretation of the molecular impact of the three mutations,
Arg14His, Arg28His and Asn115Lys involved in the Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Here we extend that analysis by enriching
the mutant pool and we identify a correlation between unfolding rates and the number of native contacts retained in the transition
state.
Advanced neutron scattering and complementary techniques to study biological systems. Contributions from the meetings, “Neutrons
in Biology”, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK, 11–13 July and “Proteins At Work 2007”, Perugia, Italy, 28–30
May 2007.