title: Classification of protein folds.
abstract: Classification is central to many studies of protein structure, function, and evolution. This article presents a strategy for classifying protein three-dimensional structures. Methods for and issues related to secondary structure, domain, and class assignment are discussed, in addition to methods for the comparison of protein three-dimensional structures. Strategies for assigning protein domains to particular folds and homologous superfamilies are then described in the context of the currently available classification schemes. Two examples (adenylate cyclase/DNA polymerase and glycogen phosphorylase/beta-glucosyltransferase) are presented to illustrate problems associated with protein classification.
authors.affiliation: SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Research & Development, Bioinformatics Research Group, New Frontiers Science Park (North), Harlow, Essex, UK. russell@embl-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases; D000818:Animals; D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods*; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D017510:Protein Folding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D005964:Glucosyltransferases; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases