Protein photo-folding and quantum folding theory.

Author: Luo L.
Affiliation: Faculty of Physical Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China. lolfcm@mail.imu.edu.cn
Conference/Journal: Sci China Life Sci.
Date published: 2012 Jun
Other: Volume ID: 55 , Issue ID: 6 , Pages: 533-41 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1007/s11427-012-4316-9. , Word Count: 174



The rates of protein folding with photon absorption or emission and the cross section of photon -protein inelastic scattering are calculated from quantum folding theory by use of a field-theoretical method. All protein photo-folding processes are compared with common protein folding without the interaction of photons (non-radiative folding). It is demonstrated that there exists a common factor (thermo-averaged overlap integral of the vibration wave function, TAOI) for protein folding and protein photo-folding. Based on this finding it is predicted that (i) the stimulated photo-folding rates and the photon-protein resonance Raman scattering sections show the same temperature dependence as protein folding; (ii) the spectral line of the electronic transition is broadened to a band that includes an abundant vibration spectrum without and with conformational transitions, and the width of each vibration spectral line is largely reduced. The particular form of the folding rate-temperature relation and the abundant spectral structure imply the existence of quantum tunneling between protein conformations in folding and photo-folding that demonstrates the quantum nature of the motion of the conformational-electronic system.
PMID: 22744184