Probability of specific secondary structure elements and tertiary contacts on the folding routes.

<p>Characterizing the folding route based on the average contacts within specific secondary or tertiary contacts, , versus the nativeness of the overall fold, Q. <i>Left panel:</i> The plots show the distribution of internal secondary contacts for each α-helix versus Q. <i>Right panel:</i> The plots show the distribution of tertiary contacts between elements versus Q. Where , and are shown in black, red and blue respectively. Progressive folding is indicated with a gray dotted line. The first element to fold is the covalent , followed by the . Finally, α1 is stabilized and folded to its correct position between α3 and α5 in the back of the . The structure of leptin is represented below the plots colored from red (early folding) to yellow (late folding).