title: Fractal surfaces of proteins.
abstract: Fractal surfaces can be used to characterize the roughness or irregularity of protein surfaces. The degree of irregularity of a surface may be described by the fractal dimension D. For protein surfaces defined with probes in the range of 1.0 to 3.5 angstroms in radius, D is approximately 2.4 or intermediate between the value for a completely smooth surface (D = 2) and that for a completely space-filling surface (D = 3). Individual regions of proteins show considerable variation in D. These variations may be related to structural features such as active sites and subunit interfaces, suggesting that surface texture may be a factor influencing molecular interactions.
mesh_terms: D002268:Carboxypeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D043422:Carboxypeptidases A; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; D009113:Muramidase; D002268:Carboxypeptidases; D043422:Carboxypeptidases A