Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement measurements in the denatured state of ACBP have provided distance restraints that have been used in computer simulations to determine the conformational ensembles representing the denatured states of ACBP under a variety of conditions. A detailed comparison of the residual structure in the denatured state of ACBP under these different conditions has enabled us to infer that regions in the N and C-terminal parts of the protein sequence have a high tendency to interact in the unfolded state under physiological conditions. By comparing the structural features in the denatured states with those in the transition state for folding we also provided new insights into the mechanism of formation of the native state of this protein.

Keywords: protein folding; denatured state; NMR; molecular dynamics; structural studies

Abbreviations: ACBP, acyl coenzyme A binding protein; GuHCl, guanidinium chloride; HSQC, heteronuclear single quantum coherence; MTSL, (1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetrametyl-3-pyrroline-3-methyl)methane sulfonate; PRE, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement