Complementary packing of alpha-helices in proteins.
The packing of alpha-helices in proteins is restricted by both the principle of close packing and the chemical nature of side chains. As a result, (1) alpha-helical surfaces forming the interface should be complementary to each other, (2) hydrophobic stripes of the alpha-helices should fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and (3) buried polar side chains (if there are any) should be arranged in a complementary fashion.
Efimov
A V
AV
Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142292, Pushchino, Russia. efimov@protres.ru
D008958:Models, Molecular; D017510:Protein Folding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary