The structure of the transition state for folding/unfolding of the immunoph
ilin FKBP12 has been characterised using a combination of protein engineeri
ng techniques, unfolding kinetics, and molecular dynamics simulations. A to
tal of 34 mutations were made at sites throughout the protein to probe the
extent of secondary and tertiary structure in the transition state. The tra
nsition state for folding is compact compared with the unfolded state, with
an approximately 30 % increase in the native solvent-accessible surface ar
ea. All of the interactions are substantially weaker in the transition stat
e, as probed by both experiment and molecular dynamics simulations. In cont
rast to some other proteins of this size, no element of structure is fully
formed in the transition state; instead, the transition state is similar to
that found for smaller, single-domain proteins, such as chymotrypsin inhib
itor 2 and the SH3 domain from alpha-spectrin. For FKBP12 the central three
strands of the beta-sheet, beta-strand 2, beta-strand 4 and beta-strand 5,
comprise the most structured region of the transition state. In particular
Val101, which is one of the most highly buried residues and located in the
middle of the central beta-strand, makes approximately 60 % of its native
interactions. The outer beta-strands and the ends of the central beta-stran
ds are formed to a lesser degree. The short alpha-helix is largely unstruct
ured in the transition state, as are the loops. The data are consistent wit
h a nucleation-condensation model of folding, the nucleus of which is forme
d by side-chains within beta-strands 2, 4 and 5, and the C terminus of the
alpha-helix. The precise residues involved in the nucleus differ in the two
simulated transition state ensembles, but the interacting regions of the p
rotein are conserved. These residues are distant in the primary sequence, d
emonstrating the importance of tertiary interactions in the transition stat
e. The two independently derived transition state ensembles are structurall
y similar, which is consistent with a Bronsted analysis confirming that the
transition state is an ensemble of states close in structure. (C) 1999 Aca
demic Press.