Electric Field Effects on Insulin Chain-B Conformation

• Published in: The journal of physical chemistry. B Vol. 109; no. 47; pp. 22641 - 22648
• Main Authors: Budi, Akin, Legge, F. Sue, Treutlein, Herbert, Yarovsky, Irene
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 01.12.2005
• Subjects: Computer Simulation; Electromagnetic Fields; Insulin - chemistry; Insulin - radiation effects; Protein Conformation - radiation effects; Protein Structure, Secondary - radiation effects; Static Electricity; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1520-6106; 1520-5207
• DOI: 10.1021/jp052742q

The response of proteins to different forms of stress continues to be a topic of major interest, especially with the proliferation of electromagnetic devices conjectured to have detrimental effects on human health. In this paper, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations on insulin chain-B under the influence of both static and oscillating electric fields, ranging from 107 to 109 V/m. We have found that both variants have an effect on the normal behavior of the protein, with oscillating fields being more disruptive to the structure as compared to static fields of similar effective strength. The application of a static field had a stabilizing effect on the secondary structure, restricting the inherent flexibility that is crucial for insulin's biological activity.