Levinthal's paradox

Levinthal's paradox is a thought experiment in the field of computational protein structure prediction; protein folding seeks a stable energy configuration. An algorithmic search through all possible conformations to identify the minimum energy configuration (the native state) would take an immense duration, however, in reality, protein folding happens very quickly, even in the case of the most complex structures, suggesting that the transitions are guided into a stable state through an uneven energy landscape.^[1]

^ Nelson, David L.; Cox, Michael M.; Lehninger, Albert L. (2017). "Polypeptides Fold Rapidly by a Stepwise Process". Lehninger principles of biochemistry (7th ed.). New York, NY : Houndmills, Basingstoke: W.H. Freeman and Company ; Macmillan Higher Education. ISBN 978-1-4641-2611-6. OCLC 986827885.

[1] Nelson, David L.; Cox, Michael M.; Lehninger, Albert L. (2017). "Polypeptides Fold Rapidly by a Stepwise Process". Lehninger principles of biochemistry (7th ed.). New York, NY : Houndmills, Basingstoke: W.H. Freeman and Company ; Macmillan Higher Education. ISBN 978-1-4641-2611-6. OCLC 986827885.

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