Application of a Statistical Mechanical Model for Protein Folding to a Three-Dimensional Lattice Protein

Abstract

A statistical mechanical model for protein folding is applied to the three-dimensional lattice protein using a foldable amino acid sequence. The key to the model lies in the concept of its local structure, defined as a continuous region which takes the same local conformation as in the native conformation, and in the assumption of the absence of interactions between local structures. The partition function is precisely calculated for a given native conformation without any adjustable parameters. The model can well reproduce the equilibrium thermodynamic quantities obtained from the simulation.