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Unfolded ribonuclease A consists of a mixture of fast-folding (UF) and slow-folding species (US); US folds slowly because it contains non-native proline isomers. The folding kinetics of US have been determined by measuring the changes in tyrosine fluorescence upon refolding. Under conditions where the energy of stabilization of the native protein is small (in marginally native conditions) the fluorescence-detected kinetics of folding coincide with the ones measured by other probes. However, when refolding is carried out under conditions where the native protein is highly stabilized (in strongly native conditions), the fluorescence changes become progressively slower than folding monitored by tyrosine absorbance or by 2′CMP binding. Under these conditions the fluorescence-detected kinetics of folding show properties of proline isomerization reactions. In addition they match proline isomerization measured during refolding of Us by a two-step assay for non-native proline isomers. The following conclusions are drawn. (1) There is a kinetic intermediate between US and the native enzyme in the folding pathway of RNase A. This has been shown by the divergent progress curves monitored by different probes. Although the intermediate contains non-native proline isomers, it is folded and hence sensitive to agents that affect the stability of native proteins. (2) Fluorescence-detected folding closely follows proline isomerization during folding. Refolding of US is not blocked by incorrect prolinc isomers, but US is able to fold to a structural intermediate before proline isomerization occurs. (3) The quantum yield of the fluorescence of native RNase A depends on the precise spatial location of the tyrosine side chains with respect to their hydrogen bond acceptors and to the disulfide bonds. Therefore the native fluorescence is not regained until all essential proline peptide bonds are in the right configuration.

Unfolded ribonuclease A (RNase A) consists of a mixture of fast refolding (UF) and slow-refolding (US) species. The slow UF⇌US equilibration reaction is rate-limited by proline peptide bond isomerization. Investigations of the dependence on temperature of the UF⇌US equilibrium have led to conflicting results and different molecular interpretations. Here the dependence on temperature of the UF: US ratio was reinvestigated by using a new assay for the fast-folding molecules UF. Between 0°C and 60°C the proportion of UF present in unfolded RNase A at 6M guanidine · HCl was found to be independent of temperature. Consequently, no conclusions can be drawn regarding the role and importance of particular prolines in the UF⇌US transition solely from these results.

Protein folding is often retarded by the cis reversible trans isomerizations of prolyl peptide bonds both in vitro and in vivo. An important role for the folding mechanism is well established for the prolyl peptide bonds that are cis in the native protein, but not for those that are trans. Here we investigated the role of trans-Pro73 for the folding of ribonuclease T1 (which additionally contains two cis-prolines) by comparing the wild-type protein with the Pro73--Val variant. The Pro--Val substitution led to a destabilization of the folded protein by 8.5 kJ/mol, which is explained by the strong, 25-fold increase in the rate of unfolding. In contrast, the rates and amplitudes of the fast and slow refolding reactions were virtually unchanged. trans-Proline residues remain largely trans after unfolding, and therefore their contributions to the observed folding kinetics should indeed be insignificant for proteins which also contain one or more cis prolines. The cis-proline residues dominate the kinetics of refolding, because almost all slow-folding molecules contain the respective incorrect (trans) isomers, and because trans--cis isomerizations are slower than cis--trans isomerizations. The inability to detect contributions from a trans-proline to the kinetics of folding does not imply that this proline is non-essential for folding in the sense that its cis reversible trans isomerization is energetically uncoupled from conformational folding.

Trypsin pulses, applied after varying times of refolding, have been employed to probe the accessibility of the polypeptide chain of ribonuclease A during the process of refolding. The increase in resistance against proteolytic cleavage was measured by activity assays and by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The sites of cleavage which become inaccessible in the course of refolding are located in the 31 - 39 chain segment of the ribonuclease chain. Protection of this region against attack by trypsin is attained on the major slow refolding pathway in parallel with the formation of a native-like folded, active intermediate, when refolding is carried out under conditions which strongly stabilize the folded state. Under conditions of marginal stability intermediates are not observed during refolding and the formation of trypsin-resistant molecules occurs with the same kinetics as the generation of native ribonuclease. In the native protein the 31 - 39 region of the ribonuclease chain largely forms a loop structure, which is located at the surface of the molecule. Our results indicate that this part of the sequence is still accessible at early stages of refolding, when a hydrogen-bonded network is formed. It is structured and hence does not become inaccessible until the formation of the overall folded native or native-like structure. This suggests that the 31 - 39 region of the ribonuclease chain is not important for early steps which direct the pathway of refolding.