Folding Pathways
- A large number of possible conformations exist, how is the native (minimal energy) conformation obtained?
The search can't be random, because it would take too long (Levinthal's Paradox)
- The pathway of folding isn't random, it's determined by a multi-dimensional energy landscape, moving from
one energy minimum to the next. The landscape is determined by primary sequence and surrounding environment,
sometimes including chaperones