Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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SYEL: Symposium Energy Landscapes: Statistical Physics of (Spin-)Glasses, Biomolecules, Clusters and Optimization Problems

SYEL 1: Energy Landscapes: Statistical Physics of (Spin-)Glasses, Biomolecules, Clusters and Optimization Problems (SYEL)

SYEL 1.2: Invited Talk

Monday, March 22, 2010, 10:30–11:00, H1

Order parameters and energy landscapes for protein folding and misfolding — •Steven Plotkin — Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z1, Canada

A fundamental problem of relevance to protein folding and structural comparison of biomolecules is the notion of what *distance* means for higher-dimensional objects such as a polymer. Here we generalize the notion of distance between points to distance between non-crossing space curves to uniquely define the true distance between two biopolymer conformations, and apply this order parameter to the problem of protein folding rates and reaction coordinates. Complementary to the problem of protein folding is the problem of loss of structure gain of toxic function involved in misfolding. Physics-based algorithms based on energy landscape theory can quantify the molecular mechanisms underlying aggregation-related diseases, including ALS and the Prion diseases. Predictions based on such an algorithm that we have developed, which employs both atomistic interactions and surface-area based coarse-graining, have been recently verified by immunological assays and point to diagnostic and therapeutic applications. I will describe the results of our misfolding theory and discuss future directions.