Role of pulling direction in understanding the anisotropy of the resistance of proteins to force-induced mechanical unfolding

Abstract

Recent advances in single molecule experiments have made it possible to investigate the mechanical anisotropy of protein stability in greater detail. It has been found that proteins can exhibit a diverse range of responses when pulled in different directions. We review some of the experimental and numerical work related to the study of the resistance of proteins to force-induced mechanical unfolding. Based on model studies in the framework of statistical mechanics, we discuss the possible molecular origin of the anisotropy of protein resistance to unfolding. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.