1998/04/03 by S. Caspi, Shay Caspi, Caspi, S. +3
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed Matter (cond-mat) #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #Hemoglobin structure and function #Protein Structure and Dynamics #Quantitative Biology (q-bio) #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #cond-mat #q-bio
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/9804028
8 pages, 2 figures
arxiv created 1998/04/03 · openalex publication_date 1998/04/03 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A novel approach to protein folding dynamics is presented. We suggest that folding of protein may be mediated via interaction with solitons which propagate along the molecular chain. A simple toy model is presented in which a Sine-Gordon field interact with another field corresponding to the conformation angles of the protein. We demonstrate how a soliton carries this field over energy barriers and consequently enhances the rate of the folding process. The soliton compensate for its energy loss by pumping the energy gained by the folded field. This scenario does not change significantly even in the presence of dissipation and imposed disorder.