Uncovering protein structure

STOLLAR, Elliott J. and SMITH, David P. (2020). Uncovering protein structure. Essays Biochem, 64 (4), 649-680.

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Abstract

Structural biology is the study of the molecular arrangement and dynamics of biological macromolecules, particularly proteins. The resulting structures are then used to help explain how proteins function. This article gives the reader an insight into protein structure and the underlying chemistry and physics that is used to uncover protein structure. We start with the chemistry of amino acids and how they interact within, and between proteins, we also explore the four levels of protein structure and how proteins fold into discrete domains. We consider the thermodynamics of protein folding and why proteins misfold. We look at protein dynamics and how proteins can take on a range of conformations and states. In the second part of this review, we describe the variety of methods biochemists use to uncover the structure and properties of proteins that were described in the first part. Protein structural biology is a relatively new and exciting field that promises to provide atomic-level detail to more and more of the molecules that are fundamental to life processes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	protein binding; protein chemistry; protein conformation; protein structure; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20190042
Page Range:	649-680
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2020 16:19
Last Modified:	17 Mar 2021 21:48
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27401

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