Self-organization, entropy and allostery. (19th June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kornev, Alexandr P.
• Is Part Of: Biochemical Society transactions. Volume 46:Number 3(2018)
• Page Start: 587
• Page End: 597
• Publication Date: 2018-06-19
• Subjects: allosteric regulation -- fractals -- protein conformation -- protein dynamics; Biochemistry -- Congresses; 572
• DOI: 10.1042/BST20160144
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-5127

Abstract

Abstract : Allostery is a fundamental regulatory mechanism in biology. Although generally accepted that it is a dynamics-driven process, the exact molecular mechanism of allosteric signal transmission is hotly debated. We argue that allostery is as a part of a bigger picture that also includes fractal-like properties of protein interior, hierarchical protein folding and entropy-driven molecular recognition. Although so far all these phenomena were studied separately, they stem from the same common root: self-organization of polypeptide chains and, thus, has to be studied collectively. This merge will allow the cross-referencing of a broad spectrum of multi-disciplinary data facilitating progress in all these fields.