Kinetics of the β-sheet Formation of Homopolypeptides

Abstract

Current status of the study on the kinetics of β-sheet formation of homopolypeptides is reviewed. A reasonable estimate is presented of the folding time of polypeptide chains into the β -sheet, which is much shorter than the time required for the folding of many globular proteins. The folding rate increases with the stability of the β-sheets as found from the effects of pH, temperature, and denaturants. A simple model is introduced to account for strong dependence of the folding rate on the linear charge density of polypeptide chains. Finkelstein's model is briefly discussed in this context.