A hierarchical scheme for cooperativity and folding in proteins

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hierarchical protein model that captures folding pathways, exhibits phase transition and cooperativity, and reveals a symmetry between folding and unfolding, aligning with recent experimental observations.

Contribution

The paper presents an exactly solvable hierarchical model for protein folding that demonstrates phase transition, cooperativity, and symmetry between folding and unfolding pathways.

Findings

Model exhibits a first order phase transition

Shows cooperativity in folding

Reveals symmetry between folding and unfolding pathways

Abstract

We propose a protein model based on a hierarchy of constraints that force the protein to follow certain pathways when changing conformation. The model exhibits a first order phase transition, cooperativity and is exactly solvable. It also shows an unexpected symmetry between folding and unfolding pathways as suggested by a recent experiment.