http://folding.typepad.com/
led me here:
http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Papers#ntoc2
A kinetic 'hub'. That's an interesting idea but what does it mean?
Did the folding@home researchers use an existing term of art? Googled around and I don't think so. They may have coined the expression.
The key word here (for 'hub' purposes) may be 'interconvert'.Together, these models show that protein dynamics are dominated by stochastic jumps between numerous metastable states and that proteins have heterogeneous unfolded states (many unfolded basins that interconvert more rapidly with the native state than with one another) yet often still appear two-state. Most importantly, we find that protein native states are hubs that can be reached quickly from any other state. However, metastability and a web of nonnative states slow the average folding rate.
So you have an n-dimensional space where every point is the entire protein in some degree of being folded or unfolded. I’d like to think that one of the n dimensions is potential energy so that, say, the native state is an energetic ‘well’ (low point). Not necessarily the ‘greatest (lowest) minimum but short of traveling to a distant part of the universe “good enough”. Don't confuse n-dimensional space with universe.
The protein for the most part (over time) occupies its native state – but, it bops around (jumps in and out) stochastically. ‘Stochastic’ brings to mind quantum mechanical effects which is not necessarily wrong since, at this level of molecular chemistry, QM can indeed have a measurable impact on chemistry.
So the hub part? The molecule bops around between states (somewhat) but it always transitions between states via the native state.
Now why would that be? I’d guess that quantum mechanics does play some role.