Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Discrete Breathers in Nonlinear Network Models of Proteins

2007; American Physical Society; Volume: 99; Issue: 23 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1103/physrevlett.99.238104

1092-0145

Brice Juanico, Yves‐Henri Sanejouand, Francesco Piazza, Paolo De Los Rios,

Protein Structure and Dynamics

We introduce a topology-based nonlinear network model of protein dynamics with the aim of investigating the interplay of spatial disorder and nonlinearity. We show that spontaneous localization of energy occurs generically and is a site-dependent process. Localized modes of nonlinear origin form spontaneously in the stiffest parts of the structure and display site-dependent activation energies. Our results provide a straightforward way for understanding the recently discovered link between protein local stiffness and enzymatic activity. They strongly suggest that nonlinear phenomena may play an important role in enzyme function, allowing for energy storage during the catalytic process.