Protein Folding under Mediation of Ordering Water: an Off-Lattice Go^--Like Model Study

Water plays an important role in the structure and function of biomolecules. Water confined at the nanoscale usually exhibits phenomena not seen in bulk water, including the ice-like ordering structure on the surfaces of many substrates. We investigate the behaviour of protein folding in which the proteins are assumed in an environment with ordering water by using of an
off-lattice Go^--like model. It is found that in the physiological temperature, both the folding rate and the thermodynamic stability of the protein are greatly promoted by the existence of ordering of water.