More hydrogen bonds for the (structural) biologist.
Why does a given protein structure form and why is this structure stable? These fundamental biochemical questions remain fascinating and challenging problems because the physical bases of the forces that govern protein structure, stability and folding are still not well understood. Now, a general concept of hydrogen bonding in proteins is emerging. This concept involves not only N-H and O-H donor groups, but also C-H, and not only N and O as acceptor groups, but also pi-systems. We postulate that the incorporation of the entirety of these interactions leads to a more complete description of the problem, and that this could provide new perspectives and possibly new answers.
Weiss
M S
MS
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Beutenbergstr. 11, D-07745 Jena, Germany. msweiss@imb-jena.de
Brandl
M
M
Sühnel
J
J
Pal
D
D
Hilgenfeld
R
R
D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D026563:LDL-Receptor Related Protein-Associated Protein; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000737:chemistry
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D026563:LDL-Receptor Related Protein-Associated Protein; D011506:Proteins; D010738:Type C Phospholipases