Folding in lattice models with side chains

Abstract

The folding kinetics of three-dimensional lattice Go models with side chains is studied using two different Monte Carlo move sets. A flexible move set based on single, double and triple backbone moves is found to be far superior compared to the standard Monte Carlo dynamics. It was found that the folding time grows as a power law with the chain length and the corresponding exponent $\lambda \approx 3.6$ for Go models. The study shows that the incorporation of side chains dramatically slows down folding rates.