Issue April 2001

category image Volume 18
No. 5 (p 647-782)
April 2001
ISSN 0739-1102

Structure and Stability of the Insulin Dimer Investigated by Molecular Dynamics Simulation (p. 761-772)

Molecular dynamics simulation indicates that the dynamical behaviour of the insulin dimer is asymmetric. Atomic level knowledge of the interaction modes and protein conformation in the solvation state identifies dynamical structures, held by hydrogen bonds that stabilize, mainly in one monomer, the interaction between the chains. Dynamic cross-correlation analysis shows that the two insulin monomers behave asymmetrically and are almost independent. Solvation energy, calculated to evaluate the contribute of each interface residue to the dimer association pattern, well compares with the experimental association state found in protein mutants indicating that this parameter is an important factor to explain the association properties of mutated insulin dimers.

Mattia Falconi1
Maria Teresa Cambria2
Antonio Cambria2
Alessandro Desideri1*

1National Institute for the Physics of the Matter (INFM) and Department of Biology
University of Rome ?Tor Vergata?
Via della Ricerca Scientifica
00133, Rome, Italy
2Department of Chemical Sciences
University of Catania
Viale Andrea Doria 6
95125, Catania, Italy
*desideri@uniroma2.it

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