Question

Question #5. 10 points Shown below is a cartoon representation of the energy landscape of a hypothetical protein with and without the assistance of a chaperone. You'll note differences in various physical aspects of the two funnels. Folding funnel Chaperonin- assisted Spontaneous Enthalpy Entropy Kinetic trap Why does the size of the top of the funnel change in the Chaperone assisted model? Why are the kinetic traps minimized in the Chaperone assisted model? Why does enthalpy not change?

Answer 1

why does the size of the top of the funnel change in the chaperon assured model?

the protein folding funnel model suggest that as the protein folded into its native state, its entropy decrease and it moves toward the bottom and the bottom of the funnel represents most stable confirmation of protein having lowest energy. At the top of the funnel most unstable confermations of the protein found having highest entropy.

The chaperons assists the protein to fold in its native form I.e. the most stable confirmation having lowest energy and lowest entropy that's why size of the funnel decreases in chaperone assisted folding.

why doest the kinetic traps are minimized in chaperone assisted model?

kinetic traps arises due to the unfolded aggregated confermations of the protein which occur athe time of protein folding. They stays in thermodynamically equilibrium state with other confirmation and they require eneregy to disrupt them.

In case of chaperone assisted model chaperones are providing the additional energy to prevent the formation of lunatic traps during protrin folding that's why in chaperone assisted model no kinetic traps exist.

why does enthalpy not change?

Enthalpy change should be negative in case of protein folding but the major factor in the protein folding is entropy. because protein folding is spontaneous enthalpy change is also negative.