SITE-DIRECTED MUTATION STUDY ON HYPERTHERMOSTABILITY OF RUBREDOXIN FROM PYROCOCCUS FURIOSUS USING MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS IN WATER

The hyperthermostable protein, rubredoxin from Pyrococcus furiosus is 53-residue protein with a three-stranded anti-parallel $\beta$-sheet and several loops. To investigate the effect of changes of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions on the structure and dynamic property of P. furiosus rubredoxin, molecular dynamics simulations in water were performed on three mesophilic rubredoxins, P, furiosus rubresoxin, and 5 mutants of P. furiosus rubredoxin. (omitted)