title: Geometry of proteins: hydrogen bonding, sterics, and marginally compact tubes.
abstract: The functionality of proteins is governed by their structure in the native state. Protein structures are made up of emergent building blocks of helices and almost planar sheets. A simple coarse-grained geometrical model of a flexible tube barely subject to compaction provides a unified framework for understanding the common character of globular proteins. We argue that a recent critique of the tube idea is not well founded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, 104 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Jayanth R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Banavar
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cieplak
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flammini
authors.forename: Trinh X
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Hoang
authors.forename: Randall D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kamien
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lezon
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marenduzzo
authors.forename: Amos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maritan
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seno
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Snir
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trovato
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins