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A model for the accidental catalysis of protein unfolding in vivo

Richard P. Sear
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Abstract

Activated processes such as protein unfolding are highly sensitive to heterogeneity in the environment. We study a highly simplified model of a protein in a random heterogeneous environment, a model of the in vivo environment. It is found that if the heterogeneity is sufficiently large the total rate of the process is essentially a random variable; this may be the cause of the species-to-species variability in the rate of prion protein conversion found by Deleault et al. [Nature, 425 (2003) 717].

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Richard P. Sear. 2004-09-21. A model for the accidental catalysis of protein unfolding in vivo. https://doi.org/10.1209/epl%2Fi2004-10249-7

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