Conformational issues in the characterization of proteins.
The conformation of a protein refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of its constituent atoms. Since expression of the biological activity of a protein depends on its conformation, it is clear that full characterization of a protein involves an understanding of its three-dimensional structure. This review outlines the principal techniques for determining the conformation of a protein, describes the crucial role played by the flexibility of proteins, and gives an account of current theories of the mechanisms by which proteins fold. A final section deals with strategies that can be adopted to preserve the conformational integrity of proteins; an aspect that is of increasing importance as a greater number of proteins are finding applications in industrial processes and as therapeutic and diagnostic agents.
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Department of Biological Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, U.K.
D002942:Circular Dichroism; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D005453:Fluorescence; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
D011506:Proteins