Advances in the computational methods to understand protein folding and stability

Abstract

Understanding the molecular basis of life is important for advances in fundamental and applied biological research. Numerous and complex biological activities occur simultaneously in all living cells in a controlled manner to execute an optimal equilibrium and function. Specifically, life depends on the regular functioning of the protein molecules, which depends upon the attainment of the correct three-dimensional structure and its stability. Therefore, deducing a fundamental understanding of how proteins fold and stabilise in the native states is of great intellectual and technological significance. Similar to all natural events, protein folding is a physicochemical process that is much more complex in-vivo, with the association of chaperones and/or other co-factors. Perturbations in protein�s stability results in misfolded proteins and their aggregated forms associated with protein misfolding disorders. Interestingly, researchers are involved in developing computational methods to predict the folded state of the protein and its stabilising mechanisms, which are essential in designing biotechnologically and medicinally important protein molecules. The present review aims to explore developments in the computational procedures which aid in understanding protein folding and stability and its applications. Copyright � 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.