Soliton mediated protein folding

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel soliton-based mechanism for protein folding, suggesting that solitons facilitate the process by overcoming energy barriers and maintaining energy transfer, supported by a simple theoretical model.

Contribution

It introduces a new soliton-mediated model for protein folding dynamics, combining the Sine-Gordon field with protein conformation angles in a simplified framework.

Findings

Solitons can carry conformation fields over energy barriers.

The model shows solitons enhance folding rates.

The mechanism is robust against dissipation and disorder.

Abstract

A novel approach to protein folding dynamics is presented. We suggest that folding of protein may be mediated via interaction with solitons which propagate along the molecular chain. A simple toy model is presented in which a Sine-Gordon field interact with another field corresponding to the conformation angles of the protein. We demonstrate how a soliton carries this field over energy barriers and consequently enhances the rate of the folding process. The soliton compensate for its energy loss by pumping the energy gained by the folded field. This scenario does not change significantly even in the presence of dissipation and imposed disorder.