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Revisiting the myths of protein interior: studying proteins with mass-fractal hydrophobicity-fractal and polarizability-fractal dimensions.

ABSTRACT: A robust marker to describe mass, hydrophobicity and polarizability distribution holds the key to deciphering structural and folding constraints within proteins. Since each of these distributions is inhomogeneous in nature, the construct should be sensitive in describing the patterns therein. We show, for the first time, that the hydrophobicity and polarizability distributions in protein interior follow fractal scaling. It is found that (barring 'all-alpha') all the major structural classes of proteins have an amount of unused hydrophobicity left in them. This amount of untapped hydrophobicity is observed to be greater in thermophilic proteins, than that in their (structurally aligned) mesophilic counterparts. 'All-beta'(thermophilic, mesophilic alike) proteins are found to have maximum amount of unused hydrophobicity, while 'all-alpha' proteins have been found to have minimum polarizability. A non-trivial dependency is observed between dielectric constant and hydrophobicity distributions within (alpha+beta) and 'all-alpha' proteins, whereas absolutely no dependency is found between them in the 'all-beta' class. This study proves that proteins are not as optimally packed as they are supposed to be. It is also proved that origin of alpha-helices are possibly not hydrophobic but electrostatic; whereas beta-sheets are predominantly hydrophobic in nature. Significance of this study lies in protein engineering studies; because it quantifies the extent of packing that ensures protein functionality. It shows that myths regarding protein interior organization might obfuscate our knowledge of actual reality. However, if the later is studied with a robust marker of strong mathematical basis, unknown correlations can still be unearthed; which help us to understand the nature of hydrophobicity, causality behind protein folding, and the importance of anisotropic electrostatics in stabilizing a highly complex structure named 'proteins'.

SUBMITTER: Banerji A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2760208 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Revisiting the myths of protein interior: studying proteins with mass-fractal hydrophobicity-fractal and polarizability-fractal dimensions.

Banerji Anirban A Ghosh Indira I

PloS one 20091016 10

A robust marker to describe mass, hydrophobicity and polarizability distribution holds the key to deciphering structural and folding constraints within proteins. Since each of these distributions is inhomogeneous in nature, the construct should be sensitive in describing the patterns therein. We show, for the first time, that the hydrophobicity and polarizability distributions in protein interior follow fractal scaling. It is found that (barring 'all-alpha') all the major structural classes of p ...[more]

PMID: 19834622

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Project description:The concept of hydrophobicity is critical to our understanding of the principles of membrane protein (MP) folding, structure, and function. In the last decades, several groups have derived hydrophobicity scales using both experimental and statistical methods that are optimized to mimic certain natural phenomena as closely as possible. The present work adds to this toolset the first knowledge-based scale that unifies the characteristics of both alpha-helical and beta-barrel multispan MPs. This unified hydrophobicity scale (UHS) distinguishes between amino acid preference for solution, transition, and trans-membrane states. The scale represents average hydrophobicity values of amino acids in folded proteins, irrespective of their secondary structure type. We furthermore present the first knowledge-based hydrophobicity scale for mammalian alpha-helical MPs (mammalian hydrophobicity scale--MHS). Both scales are particularly useful for computational protein structure elucidation, for example as input for machine learning techniques, such as secondary structure or trans-membrane span prediction, or as reference energies for protein structure prediction or protein design. The knowledge-based UHS shows a striking similarity to a recent experimental hydrophobicity scale introduced by Hessa and coworkers (Hessa T et al., Nature 2007;450:U1026-U1032). Convergence of two very different approaches onto similar hydrophobicity values consolidates the major differences between experimental and knowledge-based scales observed in earlier studies. Moreover, the UHS scale represents an accurate absolute free energy measure for folded, multispan MPs--a feature that is absent from many existing scales. The utility of the UHS was demonstrated by analyzing a series of diverse MPs. It is further shown that the UHS outperforms nine established hydrophobicity scales in predicting trans-membrane spans along the protein sequence. The accuracy of the present hydrophobicity scale profits from the doubling of the number of integral MPs in the PDB over the past four years. The UHS paves the way for an increased accuracy in the prediction of trans-membrane spans.

Dataset Information

Revisiting the myths of protein interior: studying proteins with mass-fractal hydrophobicity-fractal and polarizability-fractal dimensions.

Publications

Revisiting the myths of protein interior: studying proteins with mass-fractal hydrophobicity-fractal and polarizability-fractal dimensions.

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