Proteins are one of the four major molecules that direct life that includes nucleic acids (deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), RNA), lipids (fats) and polysaccharides (sugars). Part 1: The structural properties of proteins Given the interdisciplinary nature of this topic, along the way, we have provided some stand-alone boxes to give more details about the fundamental science behind these concepts. We then discuss in detail the primary techniques used to study protein structure and dynamics that have provided these insights. In particular, although proteins usually exist in one dominant conformation, we discuss how proteins actually exist in a population (ensemble) of rapidly interconverting conformations that allow them to be flexible and adapt their shapes required for function. We also explore other universal properties of proteins that include their ability to change their shape known as conformational change. As such, we consider protein folding thermodynamics and also what happens when proteins misfold inside a cell. Proteins are biological molecules produced in living cells, and we must also consider how a long chain of amino acids that are produced from the ribosome can transition to a folded structure that is central to the protein’s function. We start by describing the four levels of protein structure and how a variety of protein domains and architectures exist. Protein structural biology is a relatively new and exciting field that promises to provide atomic-level detail to more and more of the molecules that are fundamental to life processes. In the second part of this review, we describe the variety of methods biochemists use to uncover the structure and properties of proteins that were described in the first part. We look at protein dynamics and how proteins can take on a range of conformations and states. ![]() We consider the thermodynamics of protein folding and why proteins misfold. We start with the chemistry of amino acids and how they interact within, and between proteins, we also explore the four levels of protein structure and how proteins fold into discrete domains. This article gives the reader an insight into protein structure and the underlying chemistry and physics that is used to uncover protein structure. The resulting structures are then used to help explain how proteins function. Structural biology is the study of the molecular arrangement and dynamics of biological macromolecules, particularly proteins.
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