Chemometric evaluation of key residues affecting the stability of cold shock proteins.

Reduced properties, also known as amino acid descriptors, quantify changes in physicochemical properties of amino acids upon mutation. Combined with PLS (partial least squares) modeling, the impact of various mutations on the conformational stability of cold shock proteins (CSPs) was examined. Consistent with the initial evaluation of these systems, electrostatic properties at a select number of central residues were found to govern the conformational stability of CSP mutants. In addition, the current studies found that packing efficiency within the β-sheet core and flexibility of the peptide backbone also contribute to the overall stability of these small proteins.