Figure 8.

Energy diagram. Schematic energy diagrams showing the relative free energies of closed (RP_c) and open (RP_o) complexes. In the proposed model, in the absence of CarD (0 nM), RP_c is more stable than RP_o. In the presence of low concentrations (100 nM), CarD binds to and stabilizes RP_o, effectively increasing the energy barrier for closing and inhibiting bubble collapse. In the presence of high concentrations (1 μM), CarD additionally interacts with and destabilizes RP_c, effectively decreasing the energy barrier for opening and accelerating the formation of RP_o.