File:The effect of force on the free energy landscape of protein (un)folding.jpg

English: The effect of force on the free energy landscape of protein (un)folding. Using the example of protein L, in the absence of force (grey line), there is one minimum, corresponding to the folded state (blue). When a low force is applied, a broad local minimum corresponding to an unfolded state emerges (yellow). At a certain, coexistence force (red), the protein will equally likely be found in folded and unfolded states. As force increases, the unfolded minimum becomes narrower, eventually becoming the global minimum (green).