Mechanical Unfolding of Acylphosphatase Studied by Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy and MD Simulations

Single-molecule manipulation methods provide a powerful means to study protein transitions. Here we combined single-molecule force spectroscopy and steered molecular-dynamics simulations to study the mechanical properties and unfolding behavior of the small enzyme acylphosphatase (AcP). We find that mechanical unfolding of AcP occurs at relatively low forces in an all-or-none fashion and is decelerated in the presence of a ligand, as observed in solution measurements. The prominent energy barrier for the transition is separated from the native state by a distance that is unusually long for α/β proteins. Unfolding is initiated at the C-terminal strand (β_T) that lies at one edge of the β-sheet of AcP, followed by unraveling of the strand located at the other. The central strand of the sheet and the two helices in the protein unfold last. Ligand binding counteracts unfolding by stabilizing contacts between an arginine residue (Arg-23) and the catalytic loop, as well as with β_T of AcP, which renders the force-bearing units of the protein resistant to force. This stabilizing effect may also account for the decelerated unfolding of ligand-bound AcP in the absence of force.