Protein folding, metal ions and conformational states: the case of a di-cluster ferredoxin

Dissertation presented to obtain the PhD degree in Biochemistry at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Metal ions are present in over thirty percent of known proteins. Apart from a well established function in catalysis and electron transfer, metals and metal centres are also important structural elements which may as well play a key role in modulating protein folding and stability. In this respect, cofactors can act not only as local structural stabilizing elements in the native state, contributing to the maintenance of a given specific structural fold, but may also function as potential nucleation points during the protein folding process...

Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia is acknowledged for financial support, by awarding a PhD Grant SFRH/BD/18653/2004. This work has been funded by the projects POCTI/QUI/37521; POCTI/QUI/45758 and PTDC/QUI/70101 all to Cláudio M. Gomes.