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{{short description|Three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule}}
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{{Protein structure}}
'''Protein structure''' is the ]s in an ]-chain ]. ]s are ]s{{snd}} specifically ]s{{snd}} formed from sequences of ]s, which are the ]s of the polymer. A single amino acid monomer may also be called a ''residue'', which indicates a repeating unit of a polymer. Proteins form by amino acids undergoing ]s, in which the amino acids lose one ] per ] in order to attach to one another with a ]. By convention, a chain under 30 amino acids is often identified as a ], rather than a protein.<ref name="Stoker2015">{{cite book| vauthors = Stoker HS |title=Organic and Biological Chemistry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HRCdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA371|date=1 January 2015|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-305-68645-8|page=371}}</ref> To be able to perform their biological function, proteins fold into one or more specific spatial conformations driven by a number of ]s, such as ], ]s, ], and ] packing. To understand the functions of proteins at a molecular level, it is often necessary to determine their ]. This is the topic of the scientific field of ], which employs techniques such as ], ], ] and ], to determine the structure of proteins.


Protein structures range in size from tens to several thousand amino acids.<ref name="Brocchieri2005">{{cite journal | vauthors = Brocchieri L, Karlin S | title = Protein length in eukaryotic and prokaryotic proteomes | journal = Nucleic Acids Research | volume = 33 | issue = 10 | pages = 3390–3400 | date = 2005-06-10 | pmid = 15951512 | pmc = 1150220 | doi = 10.1093/nar/gki615 }}</ref> By physical size, proteins are classified as ]s, between 1–100&nbsp;nm. Very large ] can be formed from ]s. For example, many thousands of ] molecules assemble into a ].


A protein usually undergoes ] ] in performing its biological function. The alternative structures of the same protein are referred to as different ], and transitions between them are called ]s.
'''Protein structure''' is the ] of a ] molecule. Each protein is a ] – specifically a ] – that is a sequence formed from various L-α-]s (also referred to as residues). By convention, a chain under 40 residues is often identified as a ], rather than a protein. To be able to perform their biological function, proteins fold into one or more specific spatial conformations, driven by a number of non-] interactions such as ], ]s, ], and ] packing. To understand the functions of proteins at a molecular level, it is often necessary to determine their three-dimensional structure. This is the topic of the scientific field of ], which employs techniques such as ], ], and ] to determine the structure of proteins.

Protein structures range in size from tens to several thousand residues <ref name="Brocchieri2005">{{Cite journal|author=Brocchieri L, Karlin S |title=Protein length in eukaryotic and prokaryotic proteomes |date=2005-06-10 |volume=33 |issue=10 |pages=3390–3400 |doi=10.1093/nar/gki615 |pmid=15951512 |journal=Nucleic Acids Research |pmc=1150220}}</ref> Proteins are classified by their physical size as ]s (definition: 1–100&nbsp;nm). Very large aggregates can be formed from ]s: for example, many thousand ] molecules assemble into a ].

A protein may undergo reversible structural changes in performing its biological function. The alternative structures of the same protein are referred to as different ]s, and transitions between them are called ]s.


==Levels of protein structure== ==Levels of protein structure==
]
There are four distinct levels of protein structure. There are four distinct levels of protein structure.
]

===Amino acid residues===
{{Main|Amino acid}}
{{Main|Proteinogenic amino acid}}

Each α-amino acid consists of a backbone part that is present in all the amino acid types, and a side chain that is unique to each type of residue. An exception from this rule is ]. Because the carbon atom is bound to four different groups it is ], however only one of the ]s occur in biological proteins. Glycine however, is not chiral since its side chain is a hydrogen atom. A simple ] for correct L-form is "CORN": when the C<sub>α</sub> atom is viewed with the H in front, the residues read "CO-R-N" in a clockwise direction.


===Primary structure=== ===Primary structure===
{{Main|Protein primary structure}} {{Main|Protein primary structure}}
The ] refers to amino acid linear sequence of the polypeptide chain. The primary structure is held together by ]s such as ]s, which are made during the process of ] or translation. The two ends of the ] are referred to as the carboxyl terminus (C-terminus) and the amino terminus (N-terminus) based on the nature of the free group on each extremity. Counting of residues always starts at the N-terminal end (NH<sub>2</sub>-group), which is the end where the amino group is not involved in a peptide bond. The primary structure of a protein is determined by the gene corresponding to the protein. A specific sequence of ]s in ] is ] into ], which is read by the ribosome in a process called translation. The sequence of amino acids was discovered by F. Sanger. The sequence of a protein is unique to that protein, and defines the structure and function of the protein. The sequence of a protein can be determined by methods such as ] or ]. Often however, it is read directly from the sequence of the gene using the ]. We know that there are over 10,000 proteins in our body which are composed of different arrangements of 20 types of amino acid residues (it is strictly recommended to use the word "amino acid residues" as when peptide bond is formed a water molecule is lost so, protein is made up of amino acid residues). Post-translational modifications such as disulfide formation, phosphorylations and glycosylations are usually also considered a part of the primary structure, and cannot be read from the gene. The ] of a protein refers to the sequence of ]s in the polypeptide chain. The primary structure is held together by ] that are made during the process of ]. The two ends of the ] are referred to as the ] (C-terminus) and the ] (N-terminus) based on the nature of the free group on each extremity. Counting of residues always starts at the N-terminal end (NH<sub>2</sub>-group), which is the end where the amino group is not involved in a peptide bond. The primary structure of a protein is determined by the ] corresponding to the protein. A specific sequence of ]s in ] is ] into ], which is read by the ] in a process called ]. The sequence of amino acids in insulin was discovered by ], establishing that proteins have defining amino acid sequences.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sanger F, Tuppy H | title = The amino-acid sequence in the phenylalanyl chain of insulin. I. The identification of lower peptides from partial hydrolysates | journal = The Biochemical Journal | volume = 49 | issue = 4 | pages = 463–481 | date = September 1951 | pmid = 14886310 | pmc = 1197535 | doi = 10.1042/bj0490463 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sanger F | title = Chemistry of insulin; determination of the structure of insulin opens the way to greater understanding of life processes | journal = Science | volume = 129 | issue = 3359 | pages = 1340–1344 | date = May 1959 | pmid = 13658959 | doi = 10.1126/science.129.3359.1340 | bibcode = 1959Sci...129.1340G }}</ref> The sequence of a protein is unique to that protein, and defines the structure and function of the protein. The sequence of a protein can be determined by methods such as ] or ]. Often, however, it is read directly from the sequence of the gene using the ]. It is strictly recommended to use the words "amino acid residues" when discussing proteins because when a peptide bond is formed, a ] is lost, and therefore proteins are made up of amino acid residues. ]s such as ]s and ]s are usually also considered a part of the primary structure, and cannot be read from the gene. For example, ] is composed of 51 amino acids in 2 chains. One chain has 31 amino acids, and the other has 20 amino acids.
Example:
Insulin is composed of 51 amino acids in 2 chains. One chain has 31 amino acids and the other has 20 amino acids.


===Secondary structure=== ===Secondary structure===
] ]

{{Main|Protein secondary structure}} {{Main|Protein secondary structure}}
] refers to highly regular local sub-structures on the actual polypeptide backbone chain. Two main types of secondary structure, the ] and the ] or ]s, were suggested in 1951 by ].<ref name="Pauling1951">{{cite journal | vauthors = Pauling L, Corey RB, Branson HR | title = The structure of proteins; two hydrogen-bonded helical configurations of the polypeptide chain | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 37 | issue = 4 | pages = 205–211 | date = April 1951 | pmid = 14816373 | pmc = 1063337 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.37.4.205 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 1951PNAS...37..205P }}</ref> These secondary structures are defined by patterns of ] between the main-chain peptide groups. They have a regular geometry, being constrained to specific values of the dihedral angles ψ and φ on the ]. Both the α-helix and the β-sheet represent a way of saturating all the hydrogen bond donors and acceptors in the peptide backbone. Some parts of the protein are ordered but do not form any regular structures. They should not be confused with ], an unfolded polypeptide chain lacking any fixed three-dimensional structure. Several sequential secondary structures may form a "]".<ref name="ChiangYS2007">{{cite journal | vauthors = Chiang YS, Gelfand TI, Kister AE, Gelfand IM | title = New classification of supersecondary structures of sandwich-like proteins uncovers strict patterns of strand assemblage | journal = Proteins | volume = 68 | issue = 4 | pages = 915–921 | date = September 2007 | pmid = 17557333 | doi = 10.1002/prot.21473 | s2cid = 29904865 }}</ref>

] refers to highly regular local sub-structures. Two main types of secondary structure, the ] and the ] or ], were suggested in 1951 by ] and coworkers.<ref name="Pauling1951">{{Cite journal|author=Pauling L, Corey RB, Branson HR |journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci USA |year=1951 |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=205–211 |title=The structure of proteins; two hydrogen-bonded helical configurations of the polypeptide chain |pmid=14816373 |doi=10.1073/pnas.37.4.205 |pmc=1063337}}</ref> These secondary structures are defined by patterns of ] between the main-chain peptide groups. They have a regular geometry, being constrained to specific values of the dihedral angles ψ and φ on the ]. Both the alpha helix and the beta-sheet represent a way of saturating all the hydrogen bond donors and acceptors in the peptide backbone. Some parts of the protein are ordered but do not form any regular structures. They should not be confused with ], an unfolded polypeptide chain lacking any fixed three-dimensional structure. Several sequential secondary structures may form a "]".<ref name="ChiangYS2007">{{Cite journal|author=Chiang YS, Gelfand TI, Kister AE, Gelfand IM |title=New classification of supersecondary structures of sandwich-like proteins uncovers strict patterns of strand assemblage. |journal=Proteins. |volume=68 |issue=4 |pages=915–921 |year=2007 |pmid=17557333 |doi=10.1002/prot.21473}}</ref>


===Tertiary structure=== ===Tertiary structure===
{{Main|Protein tertiary structure}} {{Main|Protein tertiary structure}}
] refers to three-dimensional structure of a single,double,or triple bonded protein molecule. The alpha-helixes and beta pleated-sheets are folded into a compact globular structure. The folding is driven by the ''non-specific'' ] (the burial of ] from water), but the structure is stable only when the parts of a protein domain are locked into place by ''specific'' tertiary interactions, such as ], hydrogen bonds, and the tight packing of side chains and ]s. The disulfide bonds are extremely rare in cytosolic proteins, since the cytosol is generally a reducing environment. ] refers to the three-dimensional structure created by a single protein molecule (a single ]). It may include ]. The α-helices and β-pleated-sheets are folded into a compact ]. The folding is driven by the ''non-specific'' ], the burial of ] from ], but the structure is stable only when the parts of a ] are locked into place by ''specific'' tertiary interactions, such as ], hydrogen bonds, and the tight packing of side chains and ]s. The disulfide bonds are extremely rare in cytosolic proteins, since the ] (intracellular fluid) is generally a ] environment.


===Quaternary structure=== ===Quaternary structure===
{{Main|Protein quaternary structure}} {{Main|Protein quaternary structure}}
Quaternary structure is the three-dimensional structure of a multi-subunit protein and how the subunits fit together. In this context, the quaternary structure is stabilized by the same non-covalent interactions and ]s as the tertiary structure. Complexes of two or more polypeptides (i.e. multiple subunits) are called multimers. Specifically it would be called a dimer if it contains two subunits, a trimer if it contains three subunits, and a tetramer if it contains four subunits. The subunits are frequently related to one another by ], such as a 2-fold axis in a dimer. Multimers made up of identical subunits are referred to with a prefix of "homo-" (e.g. a homotetramer) and those made up of different subunits are referred to with a prefix of "hetero-" (e.g. a heterotetramer, such as the two alpha and two beta chains of ]). Quaternary structure is the three-dimensional structure consisting of the aggregation of two or more individual polypeptide chains (subunits) that operate as a single functional unit (]). The resulting multimer is stabilized by the same ]s and disulfide bonds as in tertiary structure. There are many possible quaternary structure organisations.<ref name="pmid19059267">{{cite journal | vauthors = Moutevelis E, Woolfson DN | title = A periodic table of coiled-coil protein structures | journal = Journal of Molecular Biology | volume = 385 | issue = 3 | pages = 726–732 | date = January 2009 | pmid = 19059267 | doi = 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.11.028 }}</ref> Complexes of two or more polypeptides (i.e. multiple subunits) are called ]s. Specifically it would be called a ] if it contains two subunits, a ] if it contains three subunits, a ] if it contains four subunits, and a ] if it contains five subunits, and so forth. The subunits are frequently related to one another by ], such as a 2-fold axis in a dimer. Multimers made up of identical subunits are referred to with a prefix of "homo-" and those made up of different subunits are referred to with a prefix of "hetero-", for example, a heterotetramer, such as the two alpha and two beta chains of ].

===Homomers===

An assemblage of multiple copies of a particular ] chain can be described as a ], ] or ]. Bertolini et al. in 2021<ref name = Bertolini2021>{{cite journal |vauthors=Bertolini M, Fenzl K, Kats I, Wruck F, Tippmann F, Schmitt J, Auburger JJ, Tans S, Bukau B, Kramer G |title=Interactions between nascent proteins translated by adjacent ribosomes drive homomer assembly |journal=Science |volume=371 |issue=6524 |pages=57–64 |date=January 2021 |pmid=33384371 |pmc=7613021 |doi=10.1126/science.abc7151 |bibcode=2021Sci...371...57B |url=}}</ref> presented evidence that homomer formation may be driven by interaction between nascent polypeptide chains as they are translated from ] by nearby adjacent ]s. Hundreds of proteins have been identified as being assembled into homomers in human cells.<ref name = Bertolini2021/> The process of assembly is often initiated by the interaction of the N-terminal region of polypeptide chains. Evidence that numerous gene products form homomers (multimers) in a variety of organisms based on ] evidence was reviewed in 1965.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=BERNSTEIN H, EDGAR RS, DENHARDT GH |title=Intragenic Complementation Among Temperature Sensitive Mutants of Bacteriophage T4D |journal=Genetics |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=987–1002 |date=June 1965 |pmid=14337770 |pmc=1210828 |doi=10.1093/genetics/51.6.987 |url=}}</ref>


==Domains, motifs, and folds in protein structure== ==Domains, motifs, and folds in protein structure==
], which is involved in phosphatidyl-inositol triphosphate binding]] ], which is involved in ] binding]]
Proteins are frequently described as consisting of several structural units. These units include domains, ], and folds. Despite the fact that there are about 100,000 different proteins expressed in ] systems, there are many fewer different domains, structural motifs and folds.
Protein are frequently described as consisting from several structural units.


===Structural domain===
*A ''']''' is an element of the protein's overall structure that is self-stabilizing and often ] independently of the rest of the protein chain. Many domains are not unique to the protein products of one ] or one ] but instead appear in a variety of proteins. Domains often are named and singled out because they figure prominently in the biological function of the protein they belong to; for example, the "calcium-binding domain of ]". Because they are independently stable, domains can be "swapped" by ] between one protein and another to make ]s.
A ] is an element of the protein's overall structure that is self-stabilizing and often ] independently of the rest of the protein chain. Many domains are not unique to the protein products of one ] or one ] but instead appear in a variety of proteins. Domains often are named and singled out because they figure prominently in the biological function of the protein they belong to; for example, the "]-binding domain of ]". Because they are independently stable, domains can be "swapped" by ] between one protein and another to make ] proteins. A conservative combination of several domains that occur in different proteins, such as ] domain and ] pair, was called "a superdomain" that may evolve as a single unit.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Haynie DT, Xue B | title = Superdomains in the protein structure hierarchy: The case of PTP-C2 | journal = Protein Science | volume = 24 | issue = 5 | pages = 874–882 | date = May 2015 | pmid = 25694109 | pmc = 4420535 | doi = 10.1002/pro.2664 }}</ref>


*The '''] and ] motifs''' refer to short segments of protein three-dimensional structure or amino acid sequence that were found in a large number of different proteins. ===Structural and sequence motifs===
The ] and ]s refer to short segments of protein three-dimensional structure or amino acid sequence that were found in a large number of different proteins


===Supersecondary structure===
*The ''']''' refers to a specific combination of ] elements, such as beta-alpha-beta units or ] motif. Some of them may be also referred to as structural motifs.
Tertiary protein structures can have multiple secondary elements on the same polypeptide chain. The ] refers to a specific combination of ] elements, such as β-α-β units or a ] motif. Some of them may be also referred to as structural motifs.


===Protein fold===
*'''Protein fold''' refers to the general protein architecture, like ], ], ] or different "folds" provided in the ] database.<ref name="Govindarajan">{{Cite journal |author=Govindarajan S, Recabarren R, Goldstein RA. |title=Estimating the total number of protein folds. |journal= Proteins. |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=408–414 |date=17 September 1999|url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/65000323/abstract |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-0134(19990601)35:4<408::AID-PROT4>3.0.CO;2-A |pmid=10382668 }}</ref>
A protein fold refers to the general protein architecture, like a ], ], ] or different "folds" provided in the ].<ref name="Govinda rajan">{{cite journal | vauthors = Govindarajan S, Recabarren R, Goldstein RA | title = Estimating the total number of protein folds | journal = Proteins | volume = 35 | issue = 4 | pages = 408–414 | date = June 1999 | pmid = 10382668 | doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0134(19990601)35:4<408::AID-PROT4>3.0.CO;2-A | url = http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/65000323/abstract | url-status = dead | hdl-access = free | hdl = 2027.42/34969 | s2cid = 7147867 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130105075413/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/65000323/abstract | archive-date = 5 January 2013 }}</ref> A related concept is ].


==Protein dynamics and conformational ensembles==
Despite the fact that there are about 100,000 different proteins expressed in ] systems, there are many fewer different domains, structural motifs and folds.

{{Main|Protein dynamics}}

Proteins are not static objects, but rather populate ensembles of ]. Transitions between these states typically occur on ]s, and have been linked to functionally relevant phenomena such as ]<ref name="pmid21570668">{{cite book |vauthors=Bu Z, Callaway DJ |chapter=Proteins MOVE! Protein dynamics and long-range allostery in cell signaling |volume=83 |pages=163–221 |year=2011 |pmid=21570668 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-381262-9.00005-7 |chapter-url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B978-0-12-381262-9.00005-7 |series=Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology |isbn=9780123812629|title=Protein Structure and Diseases |publisher=Academic Press }}</ref> and ].<ref>
{{cite journal | vauthors = Fraser JS, Clarkson MW, Degnan SC, Erion R, Kern D, Alber T | title = Hidden alternative structures of proline isomerase essential for catalysis | journal = Nature | volume = 462 | issue = 7273 | pages = 669–673 | date = December 2009 | pmid = 19956261 | pmc = 2805857 | doi = 10.1038/nature08615 | bibcode = 2009Natur.462..669F }}</ref> ] and ]s allow proteins to function as nanoscale ]s within cells, often in the form of ].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Biochemistry| vauthors = Voet D, Voet JG |date=2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780470570951|edition= 4th|location=Hoboken, NJ|oclc=690489261}}</ref> Examples include ], such as ], which is responsible for ] contraction, ], which moves cargo inside cells away from the ] along ], and ], which moves cargo inside cells towards the nucleus and produces the axonemal beating of ] and ]. "n effect, the is a nanomachine composed of perhaps over 600 proteins in molecular complexes, many of which also function independently as nanomachines...]s allow the ] connected by them to recruit their binding partners and induce long-range ] via ]. "<ref name="Satir2008">{{cite journal | vauthors = Satir P, Christensen ST | title = Structure and function of mammalian cilia | journal = Histochemistry and Cell Biology | volume = 129 | issue = 6 | pages = 687–693 | date = June 2008 | pmid = 18365235 | pmc = 2386530 | doi = 10.1007/s00418-008-0416-9 | id = 1432-119X }}</ref>

]

Proteins are often thought of as relatively stable ] that experience conformational changes after being affected by interactions with other proteins or as a part of enzymatic activity. However, proteins may have varying degrees of stability, and some of the less stable variants are ]. These proteins exist and function in a relatively 'disordered' state lacking a stable ]. As a result, they are difficult to describe by a single fixed ]. ] have been devised as a way to provide a more accurate and 'dynamic' representation of the conformational state of ].<ref></ref><ref name=":2">{{cite journal | vauthors = Varadi M, Vranken W, Guharoy M, Tompa P | title = Computational approaches for inferring the functions of intrinsically disordered proteins | journal = Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences | volume = 2 | pages = 45 | date = 2015-01-01 | pmid = 26301226 | pmc = 4525029 | doi = 10.3389/fmolb.2015.00045 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Protein ] files are a representation of a protein that can be considered to have a flexible structure. Creating these files requires determining which of the various theoretically possible protein conformations actually exist. One approach is to apply computational algorithms to the protein data in order to try to determine the most likely set of conformations for an ] file. There are multiple methods for preparing data for the that fall into two general methodologies – pool and molecular dynamics (MD) approaches (diagrammed in the figure). The pool based approach uses the protein's amino acid sequence to create a massive pool of random conformations. This pool is then subjected to more computational processing that creates a set of theoretical parameters for each conformation based on the structure. Conformational subsets from this pool whose average theoretical parameters closely match known experimental data for this protein are selected. The alternative molecular dynamics approach takes multiple random conformations at a time and subjects all of them to experimental data. Here the experimental data is serving as limitations to be placed on the conformations (e.g. known distances between atoms). Only conformations that manage to remain within the limits set by the experimental data are accepted. This approach often applies large amounts of experimental data to the conformations which is a very computationally demanding task.<ref name=":2" />

The conformational ensembles were generated for a number of highly dynamic and partially unfolded proteins, such as ]/],<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mittag T, Marsh J, Grishaev A, Orlicky S, Lin H, Sicheri F, Tyers M, Forman-Kay JD | display-authors = 6 | title = Structure/function implications in a dynamic complex of the intrinsically disordered Sic1 with the Cdc4 subunit of an SCF ubiquitin ligase | journal = Structure | volume = 18 | issue = 4 | pages = 494–506 | date = March 2010 | pmid = 20399186 | pmc = 2924144 | doi = 10.1016/j.str.2010.01.020 }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = De Biasio A, Ibáñez de Opakua A, Cordeiro TN, Villate M, Merino N, Sibille N, Lelli M, Diercks T, Bernadó P, Blanco FJ | display-authors = 6 | title = p15PAF is an intrinsically disordered protein with nonrandom structural preferences at sites of interaction with other proteins | journal = Biophysical Journal | volume = 106 | issue = 4 | pages = 865–874 | date = February 2014 | pmid = 24559989 | pmc = 3944474 | doi = 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.12.046 | bibcode = 2014BpJ...106..865D }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kragelj J, Palencia A, Nanao MH, Maurin D, Bouvignies G, Blackledge M, Jensen MR | title = Structure and dynamics of the MKK7-JNK signaling complex | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 112 | issue = 11 | pages = 3409–3414 | date = March 2015 | pmid = 25737554 | pmc = 4371970 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.1419528112 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2015PNAS..112.3409K }}</ref> ]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Allison JR, Rivers RC, Christodoulou JC, Vendruscolo M, Dobson CM | title = A relationship between the transient structure in the monomeric state and the aggregation propensities of α-synuclein and β-synuclein | journal = Biochemistry | volume = 53 | issue = 46 | pages = 7170–7183 | date = November 2014 | pmid = 25389903 | pmc = 4245978 | doi = 10.1021/bi5009326 }}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sivakolundu SG, Bashford D, Kriwacki RW | title = Disordered p27Kip1 exhibits intrinsic structure resembling the Cdk2/cyclin A-bound conformation | journal = Journal of Molecular Biology | volume = 353 | issue = 5 | pages = 1118–1128 | date = November 2005 | pmid = 16214166 | doi = 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.08.074 }}</ref>


==Protein folding== ==Protein folding==

{{expand section|date=April 2019}}

{{Main|Protein folding}} {{Main|Protein folding}}


As it is translated, polypeptides exit the ] mostly as a ] and folds into its ].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zhang G, Ignatova Z | title = Folding at the birth of the nascent chain: coordinating translation with co-translational folding | journal = Current Opinion in Structural Biology | volume = 21 | issue = 1 | pages = 25–31 | date = February 2011 | pmid = 21111607 | doi = 10.1016/j.sbi.2010.10.008 }}</ref><ref name="Alberts">{{cite book|title=Molecular Biology of the Cell | edition = Fourth | vauthors = Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walters P |publisher=Garland Science|year=2002|isbn=978-0-8153-3218-3|location=New York and London|chapter=The Shape and Structure of Proteins|author-link=Bruce Alberts|chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Search&db=books&doptcmdl=GenBookHL&term=mboc4%5Bbook%5D+AND+372270%5Buid%5D&rid=mboc4.section.388}}</ref> The final structure of the protein chain is generally assumed to be determined by its amino acid sequence (]).<ref name="Anfinsen">{{cite journal | vauthors = Anfinsen CB | title = The formation and stabilization of protein structure | journal = The Biochemical Journal | volume = 128 | issue = 4 | pages = 737–749 | date = July 1972 | pmid = 4565129 | pmc = 1173893 | doi = 10.1042/bj1280737 | author-link = Christian B. Anfinsen }}</ref>
An unfolded polypeptide ] into its characteristic three-dimensional structure from a ].

== Protein stability ==
{{main|Equilibrium unfolding}}
Thermodynamic stability of proteins represents the ] between the folded and ] protein states. This free energy difference is very sensitive to temperature, hence a change in temperature may result in unfolding or denaturation. ] may result in loss of function, and loss of native state. The free energy of stabilization of soluble globular proteins typically does not exceed 50 kJ/mol.{{Cn|date=August 2018}} Taking into consideration the large number of hydrogen bonds that take place for the stabilization of secondary structures, and the stabilization of the inner core through hydrophobic interactions, the free energy of stabilization emerges as small difference between large numbers.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jaenicke R | title = Protein structure and function at low temperatures | journal = Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences | volume = 326 | issue = 1237 | pages = 535–553 | date = January 1990 | pmid = 1969647 | doi = 10.1098/rstb.1990.0030 | doi-access = free | jstor = 2398703 | bibcode = 1990RSPTB.326..535J }}</ref>


==Protein structure determination== ==Protein structure determination==
] ]]
Around 90% of the protein structures available in the ] have been determined by ]. This method allows one to measure the 3D density distribution of electrons in the protein (in the crystallized state) and thereby ] the 3D coordinates of all the atoms to be determined to a certain resolution. Roughly 9% of the known protein structures have been obtained by ] techniques. The secondary structure composition can be determined via ]. Vibrational spectroscopy can also be used to characterize the conformation of peptides, polypeptides, and proteins.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Krimm|first=Samuel|coauthors=Bandekar, J.|title=Vibrational Spectroscopy and Conformation of Peptides, Polypeptides, and Proteins|journal=Advances in Protein Chemistry|year=1986|volume=38|issue=C|pages=181–364|doi=10.1016/S0065-3233(08)60528-8|series=Advances in Protein Chemistry|isbn=9780120342389}}</ref> ] has recently become a means of determining protein structures to high resolution (less than 5 angstroms or 0.5 nanometer) and is anticipated to increase in power as a tool for high resolution work in the next decade. This technique is still a valuable resource for researchers working with very large protein complexes such as virus coat proteins and amyloid fibers. A more qualitative picture of protein structure is often obtained by ], which is also useful to screen for more crystallisable protein samples. Novel implementations of this approach (including ]) can probe the structured fraction and its stability without the need for purification.<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=23056252 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0046147 | volume=7 | issue=10 | title=Determining biophysical protein stability in lysates by a fast proteolysis assay, FASTpp | pmc=3463568 | year=2012 | pages=e46147 | author=Minde DP, Maurice MM, Rüdiger SG|editor1-last=Uversky|editor1-first=Vladimir N|journal=PLoS ONE}}</ref>
]
Around 90% of the protein structures available in the ] have been determined by ].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kendrew JC, Bodo G, Dintzis HM, Parrish RG, Wyckoff H, Phillips DC | title = A three-dimensional model of the myoglobin molecule obtained by x-ray analysis | journal = Nature | volume = 181 | issue = 4610 | pages = 662–666 | date = March 1958 | pmid = 13517261 | doi = 10.1038/181662a0 | s2cid = 4162786 | bibcode = 1958Natur.181..662K }}</ref> This method allows one to measure the three-dimensional (3-D) density distribution of ]s in the protein, in the ] state, and thereby ] the 3-D coordinates of all the ]s to be determined to a certain resolution. Roughly 7% of the known protein structures have been obtained by ] (NMR) techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-01 |title=PDB Statistics |url=https://www.rcsb.org/stats/summary}}</ref> For larger protein complexes, ] can determine protein structures. The resolution is typically lower than that of X-ray crystallography, or NMR, but the maximum resolution is steadily increasing. This technique is still a particularly valuable for very large protein complexes such as ]s and ] fibers.


General secondary structure composition can be determined via ]. ] can also be used to characterize the conformation of peptides, polypeptides, and proteins.<ref name="pmid3541539">{{cite book | vauthors = Krimm S, Bandekar J | title = Advances in Protein Chemistry Volume 38 | chapter = Vibrational spectroscopy and conformation of peptides, polypeptides, and proteins | journal = Adv. Protein Chem. | volume = 38 | pages = 181–364 | date = 1986 | pmid = 3541539 | doi = 10.1016/S0065-3233(08)60528-8|isbn = 9780120342389}}</ref> ] has become a valuable method to investigate the structures of flexible peptides and proteins that cannot be studied with other methods.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lessing J, Roy S, Reppert M, Baer M, Marx D, Jansen TL, Knoester J, Tokmakoff A | display-authors = 6 | title = Identifying residual structure in intrinsically disordered systems: a 2D IR spectroscopic study of the GVGXPGVG peptide | journal = Journal of the American Chemical Society | volume = 134 | issue = 11 | pages = 5032–5035 | date = March 2012 | pmid = 22356513 | doi = 10.1021/ja2114135 | hdl-access = free | hdl = 11370/ff19c09b-088a-48f0-afee-2111a9b19252 | url = https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/6776580/2012JAmChemSocLessing.pdf }}<!--https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/6776580/2012JAmChemSocLessing.pdf--></ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jansen TL, Knoester J | title = Two-dimensional infrared population transfer spectroscopy for enhancing structural markers of proteins | journal = Biophysical Journal | volume = 94 | issue = 5 | pages = 1818–1825 | date = March 2008 | pmid = 17981904 | pmc = 2242754 | doi = 10.1529/biophysj.107.118851 | bibcode = 2008BpJ....94.1818J }}</ref> A more qualitative picture of protein structure is often obtained by ], which is also useful to screen for more crystallizable protein samples. Novel implementations of this approach, including ], can probe the structured fraction and its stability without the need for purification.<ref name="pmid23056252">{{cite journal | vauthors = Minde DP, Maurice MM, Rüdiger SG | title = Determining biophysical protein stability in lysates by a fast proteolysis assay, FASTpp | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 7 | issue = 10 | pages = e46147 | date = 2012 | pmid = 23056252 | pmc = 3463568 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0046147 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2012PLoSO...746147M }}</ref> Once a protein's structure has been experimentally determined, further detailed studies can be done computationally, using ] simulations of that structure.<ref name="pmid28637405">{{cite journal | vauthors = Kumari I, Sandhu P, Ahmed M, Akhter Y | title = Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Challenges and Opportunities: A Biologist's Prospective | journal = Current Protein & Peptide Science | volume = 18 | issue = 11 | pages = 1163–1179 | date = August 2017 | pmid = 28637405 | doi = 10.2174/1389203718666170622074741 }}</ref>
==Structure classification==

Protein structures can be grouped based on their similarity or a common evolutionary origin. ]<ref name="pmid7723011">{{cite pmid|7723011}}</ref> and ]<ref name="pmid9309224">{{cite pmid|9309224}}</ref> databases provide two different structural classifications of proteins.
==Protein structure databases==
A ] is a database that is ] around the various ] protein structures. The aim of most protein structure databases is to organize and annotate the protein structures, providing the biological community access to the experimental data in a useful way. Data included in protein structure databases often includes 3D coordinates as well as experimental information, such as unit cell dimensions and angles for ] determined structures. Though most instances, in this case either proteins or a specific structure determinations of a protein, also contain sequence information and some databases even provide means for performing sequence based queries, the primary attribute of a structure database is structural information, whereas ]s focus on sequence information, and contain no structural information for the majority of entries. Protein structure databases are critical for many efforts in ] such as ], both in developing the computational methods used and in providing a large experimental dataset used by some methods to provide insights about the function of a protein.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Laskowski RA | title = Protein structure databases | journal = Molecular Biotechnology | volume = 48 | issue = 2 | pages = 183–198 | date = June 2011 | pmid = 21225378 | doi = 10.1007/s12033-010-9372-4 | s2cid = 45184564 }}</ref>

==Structural classifications of proteins==
Protein structures can be grouped based on their structural similarity, ] or a common ]ary origin. The ]<ref name="pmid7723011">{{cite journal | vauthors = Murzin AG, Brenner SE, Hubbard T, Chothia C | title = SCOP: a structural classification of proteins database for the investigation of sequences and structures | journal = Journal of Molecular Biology | volume = 247 | issue = 4 | pages = 536–540 | date = April 1995 | pmid = 7723011 | doi = 10.1016/S0022-2836(05)80134-2 | url = http://scop.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/scop/ref/1995-jmb-scop.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 26 April 2012 | df = dmy-all | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426170732/http://scop.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/scop/ref/1995-jmb-scop.pdf | author-link4 = Cyrus Chothia | author-link2 = Steven E. Brenner | author-link3 = Tim Hubbard }}</ref> and ] database<ref name="pmid9309224">{{cite journal | vauthors = Orengo CA, Michie AD, Jones S, Jones DT, Swindells MB, Thornton JM | title = CATH--a hierarchic classification of protein domain structures | journal = Structure | volume = 5 | issue = 8 | pages = 1093–1108 | date = August 1997 | pmid = 9309224 | doi = 10.1016/S0969-2126(97)00260-8 | doi-access = free | author-link6 = Janet Thornton | author-link1 = Christine Orengo }}</ref> provide two different structural classifications of proteins. When the structural similarity is large the two proteins have possibly diverged from a common ancestor,<ref name="Pascual2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Pascual-García A, Abia D, Ortiz AR, Bastolla U | title = Cross-over between discrete and continuous protein structure space: insights into automatic classification and networks of protein structures | journal = PLOS Computational Biology | volume = 5 | issue = 3 | pages = e1000331 | date = March 2009 | pmid = 19325884 | pmc = 2654728 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000331 | bibcode = 2009PLSCB...5E0331P | doi-access = free }}</ref> and shared structure between proteins is considered evidence of ]. Structure similarity can then be used to group proteins together into ].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Holm L, Rosenström P | title = Dali server: conservation mapping in 3D | journal = Nucleic Acids Research | volume = 38 | issue = Web Server issue | pages = W545–W549 | date = July 2010 | pmid = 20457744 | pmc = 2896194 | doi = 10.1093/nar/gkq366 }}</ref> If shared structure is significant but the fraction shared is small, the fragment shared may be the consequence of a more dramatic evolutionary event such as ], and joining proteins sharing these fragments into protein superfamilies is no longer justified.<ref name="Pascual2009"></ref> Topology of a protein can be used to classify proteins as well. ] and ] are two topology frameworks developed for classification of protein folds based on chain crossing and intrachain contacts respectively.


==Computational prediction of protein structure== ==Computational prediction of protein structure==
{{Main|Protein structure prediction}} {{Main|Protein structure prediction}}
The generation of a ] is much easier than the determination of a protein structure. However, the structure of a protein gives much more insight in the function of the protein than its sequence. Therefore, a number of methods for the computational prediction of protein structure from its sequence have been developed.<ref name="zhang2008">{{cite journal | vauthors = Zhang Y | title = Progress and challenges in protein structure prediction | journal = Current Opinion in Structural Biology | volume = 18 | issue = 3 | pages = 342–348 | date = June 2008 | pmid = 18436442 | pmc = 2680823 | doi = 10.1016/j.sbi.2008.02.004 }}</ref> ''Ab initio'' prediction methods use just the sequence of the protein. ] and ] methods can build a 3-D model for a protein of unknown structure from experimental structures of evolutionarily-related proteins, called a ].


== See also ==
The generation of a ] is much easier than the determination of a protein structure. However, the structure of a protein gives much more insight in the function of the protein than its sequence. Therefore, a number of methods for the computational prediction of protein structure from its sequence have been developed.<ref name="zhang2008">{{Cite journal|author=Zhang Y |title=Progress and challenges in protein structure prediction |journal=Curr Opin Struct Biol |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=342–348 |year=2008 |doi=10.1016/j.sbi.2008.02.004 |pmid=18436442 |pmc=2680823}}</ref> ''Ab initio'' prediction methods use just the sequence of the protein. ] and ] methods can build a 3D model for a protein of unknown structure from experimental structures of evolutionary related proteins.
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] 3D schematic representation of proteins


==References== == References ==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==Further reading== == Further reading ==
* at ] * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029152021/https://publications.nigms.nih.gov/psi/timeline_text.html |date=29 October 2018 }} at ]


==External links== == External links ==
* {{Commonscatinline|Protein structures}}


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Latest revision as of 04:07, 27 October 2024

Three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule

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Protein primary structureProtein secondary structureProtein tertiary structureProtein quaternary structure
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This diagram (which is interactive) of protein structure uses PCNA as an example. (PDB: 1AXC​)

Protein structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule. Proteins are polymers – specifically polypeptides – formed from sequences of amino acids, which are the monomers of the polymer. A single amino acid monomer may also be called a residue, which indicates a repeating unit of a polymer. Proteins form by amino acids undergoing condensation reactions, in which the amino acids lose one water molecule per reaction in order to attach to one another with a peptide bond. By convention, a chain under 30 amino acids is often identified as a peptide, rather than a protein. To be able to perform their biological function, proteins fold into one or more specific spatial conformations driven by a number of non-covalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, ionic interactions, Van der Waals forces, and hydrophobic packing. To understand the functions of proteins at a molecular level, it is often necessary to determine their three-dimensional structure. This is the topic of the scientific field of structural biology, which employs techniques such as X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and dual polarisation interferometry, to determine the structure of proteins.

Protein structures range in size from tens to several thousand amino acids. By physical size, proteins are classified as nanoparticles, between 1–100 nm. Very large protein complexes can be formed from protein subunits. For example, many thousands of actin molecules assemble into a microfilament.

A protein usually undergoes reversible structural changes in performing its biological function. The alternative structures of the same protein are referred to as different conformations, and transitions between them are called conformational changes.

Levels of protein structure

There are four distinct levels of protein structure.

Four levels of protein structure

Primary structure

Main article: Protein primary structure

The primary structure of a protein refers to the sequence of amino acids in the polypeptide chain. The primary structure is held together by peptide bonds that are made during the process of protein biosynthesis. The two ends of the polypeptide chain are referred to as the carboxyl terminus (C-terminus) and the amino terminus (N-terminus) based on the nature of the free group on each extremity. Counting of residues always starts at the N-terminal end (NH2-group), which is the end where the amino group is not involved in a peptide bond. The primary structure of a protein is determined by the gene corresponding to the protein. A specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which is read by the ribosome in a process called translation. The sequence of amino acids in insulin was discovered by Frederick Sanger, establishing that proteins have defining amino acid sequences. The sequence of a protein is unique to that protein, and defines the structure and function of the protein. The sequence of a protein can be determined by methods such as Edman degradation or tandem mass spectrometry. Often, however, it is read directly from the sequence of the gene using the genetic code. It is strictly recommended to use the words "amino acid residues" when discussing proteins because when a peptide bond is formed, a water molecule is lost, and therefore proteins are made up of amino acid residues. Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylations and glycosylations are usually also considered a part of the primary structure, and cannot be read from the gene. For example, insulin is composed of 51 amino acids in 2 chains. One chain has 31 amino acids, and the other has 20 amino acids.

Secondary structure

An α-helix with hydrogen bonds (yellow dots)
Main article: Protein secondary structure

Secondary structure refers to highly regular local sub-structures on the actual polypeptide backbone chain. Two main types of secondary structure, the α-helix and the β-strand or β-sheets, were suggested in 1951 by Linus Pauling. These secondary structures are defined by patterns of hydrogen bonds between the main-chain peptide groups. They have a regular geometry, being constrained to specific values of the dihedral angles ψ and φ on the Ramachandran plot. Both the α-helix and the β-sheet represent a way of saturating all the hydrogen bond donors and acceptors in the peptide backbone. Some parts of the protein are ordered but do not form any regular structures. They should not be confused with random coil, an unfolded polypeptide chain lacking any fixed three-dimensional structure. Several sequential secondary structures may form a "supersecondary unit".

Tertiary structure

Main article: Protein tertiary structure

Tertiary structure refers to the three-dimensional structure created by a single protein molecule (a single polypeptide chain). It may include one or several domains. The α-helices and β-pleated-sheets are folded into a compact globular structure. The folding is driven by the non-specific hydrophobic interactions, the burial of hydrophobic residues from water, but the structure is stable only when the parts of a protein domain are locked into place by specific tertiary interactions, such as salt bridges, hydrogen bonds, and the tight packing of side chains and disulfide bonds. The disulfide bonds are extremely rare in cytosolic proteins, since the cytosol (intracellular fluid) is generally a reducing environment.

Quaternary structure

Main article: Protein quaternary structure

Quaternary structure is the three-dimensional structure consisting of the aggregation of two or more individual polypeptide chains (subunits) that operate as a single functional unit (multimer). The resulting multimer is stabilized by the same non-covalent interactions and disulfide bonds as in tertiary structure. There are many possible quaternary structure organisations. Complexes of two or more polypeptides (i.e. multiple subunits) are called multimers. Specifically it would be called a dimer if it contains two subunits, a trimer if it contains three subunits, a tetramer if it contains four subunits, and a pentamer if it contains five subunits, and so forth. The subunits are frequently related to one another by symmetry operations, such as a 2-fold axis in a dimer. Multimers made up of identical subunits are referred to with a prefix of "homo-" and those made up of different subunits are referred to with a prefix of "hetero-", for example, a heterotetramer, such as the two alpha and two beta chains of hemoglobin.

Homomers

An assemblage of multiple copies of a particular polypeptide chain can be described as a homomer, multimer or oligomer. Bertolini et al. in 2021 presented evidence that homomer formation may be driven by interaction between nascent polypeptide chains as they are translated from mRNA by nearby adjacent ribosomes. Hundreds of proteins have been identified as being assembled into homomers in human cells. The process of assembly is often initiated by the interaction of the N-terminal region of polypeptide chains. Evidence that numerous gene products form homomers (multimers) in a variety of organisms based on intragenic complementation evidence was reviewed in 1965.

Domains, motifs, and folds in protein structure

Protein domains. The two shown protein structures share a common domain (maroon), the PH domain, which is involved in phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate binding

Proteins are frequently described as consisting of several structural units. These units include domains, motifs, and folds. Despite the fact that there are about 100,000 different proteins expressed in eukaryotic systems, there are many fewer different domains, structural motifs and folds.

Structural domain

A structural domain is an element of the protein's overall structure that is self-stabilizing and often folds independently of the rest of the protein chain. Many domains are not unique to the protein products of one gene or one gene family but instead appear in a variety of proteins. Domains often are named and singled out because they figure prominently in the biological function of the protein they belong to; for example, the "calcium-binding domain of calmodulin". Because they are independently stable, domains can be "swapped" by genetic engineering between one protein and another to make chimera proteins. A conservative combination of several domains that occur in different proteins, such as protein tyrosine phosphatase domain and C2 domain pair, was called "a superdomain" that may evolve as a single unit.

Structural and sequence motifs

The structural and sequence motifs refer to short segments of protein three-dimensional structure or amino acid sequence that were found in a large number of different proteins

Supersecondary structure

Tertiary protein structures can have multiple secondary elements on the same polypeptide chain. The supersecondary structure refers to a specific combination of secondary structure elements, such as β-α-β units or a helix-turn-helix motif. Some of them may be also referred to as structural motifs.

Protein fold

A protein fold refers to the general protein architecture, like a helix bundle, β-barrel, Rossmann fold or different "folds" provided in the Structural Classification of Proteins database. A related concept is protein topology.

Protein dynamics and conformational ensembles

Main article: Protein dynamics

Proteins are not static objects, but rather populate ensembles of conformational states. Transitions between these states typically occur on nanoscales, and have been linked to functionally relevant phenomena such as allosteric signaling and enzyme catalysis. Protein dynamics and conformational changes allow proteins to function as nanoscale biological machines within cells, often in the form of multi-protein complexes. Examples include motor proteins, such as myosin, which is responsible for muscle contraction, kinesin, which moves cargo inside cells away from the nucleus along microtubules, and dynein, which moves cargo inside cells towards the nucleus and produces the axonemal beating of motile cilia and flagella. "n effect, the is a nanomachine composed of perhaps over 600 proteins in molecular complexes, many of which also function independently as nanomachines...Flexible linkers allow the mobile protein domains connected by them to recruit their binding partners and induce long-range allostery via protein domain dynamics. "

Schematic view of the two main ensemble modeling approaches.

Proteins are often thought of as relatively stable tertiary structures that experience conformational changes after being affected by interactions with other proteins or as a part of enzymatic activity. However, proteins may have varying degrees of stability, and some of the less stable variants are intrinsically disordered proteins. These proteins exist and function in a relatively 'disordered' state lacking a stable tertiary structure. As a result, they are difficult to describe by a single fixed tertiary structure. Conformational ensembles have been devised as a way to provide a more accurate and 'dynamic' representation of the conformational state of intrinsically disordered proteins.

Protein ensemble files are a representation of a protein that can be considered to have a flexible structure. Creating these files requires determining which of the various theoretically possible protein conformations actually exist. One approach is to apply computational algorithms to the protein data in order to try to determine the most likely set of conformations for an ensemble file. There are multiple methods for preparing data for the Protein Ensemble Database that fall into two general methodologies – pool and molecular dynamics (MD) approaches (diagrammed in the figure). The pool based approach uses the protein's amino acid sequence to create a massive pool of random conformations. This pool is then subjected to more computational processing that creates a set of theoretical parameters for each conformation based on the structure. Conformational subsets from this pool whose average theoretical parameters closely match known experimental data for this protein are selected. The alternative molecular dynamics approach takes multiple random conformations at a time and subjects all of them to experimental data. Here the experimental data is serving as limitations to be placed on the conformations (e.g. known distances between atoms). Only conformations that manage to remain within the limits set by the experimental data are accepted. This approach often applies large amounts of experimental data to the conformations which is a very computationally demanding task.

The conformational ensembles were generated for a number of highly dynamic and partially unfolded proteins, such as Sic1/Cdc4, p15 PAF, MKK7, Beta-synuclein and P27

Protein folding

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2019)
Main article: Protein folding

As it is translated, polypeptides exit the ribosome mostly as a random coil and folds into its native state. The final structure of the protein chain is generally assumed to be determined by its amino acid sequence (Anfinsen's dogma).

Protein stability

Main article: Equilibrium unfolding

Thermodynamic stability of proteins represents the free energy difference between the folded and unfolded protein states. This free energy difference is very sensitive to temperature, hence a change in temperature may result in unfolding or denaturation. Protein denaturation may result in loss of function, and loss of native state. The free energy of stabilization of soluble globular proteins typically does not exceed 50 kJ/mol. Taking into consideration the large number of hydrogen bonds that take place for the stabilization of secondary structures, and the stabilization of the inner core through hydrophobic interactions, the free energy of stabilization emerges as small difference between large numbers.

Protein structure determination

Examples of protein structures from the PDB
Rate of Protein Structure Determination by Method and Year

Around 90% of the protein structures available in the Protein Data Bank have been determined by X-ray crystallography. This method allows one to measure the three-dimensional (3-D) density distribution of electrons in the protein, in the crystallized state, and thereby infer the 3-D coordinates of all the atoms to be determined to a certain resolution. Roughly 7% of the known protein structures have been obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. For larger protein complexes, cryo-electron microscopy can determine protein structures. The resolution is typically lower than that of X-ray crystallography, or NMR, but the maximum resolution is steadily increasing. This technique is still a particularly valuable for very large protein complexes such as virus coat proteins and amyloid fibers.

General secondary structure composition can be determined via circular dichroism. Vibrational spectroscopy can also be used to characterize the conformation of peptides, polypeptides, and proteins. Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy has become a valuable method to investigate the structures of flexible peptides and proteins that cannot be studied with other methods. A more qualitative picture of protein structure is often obtained by proteolysis, which is also useful to screen for more crystallizable protein samples. Novel implementations of this approach, including fast parallel proteolysis (FASTpp), can probe the structured fraction and its stability without the need for purification. Once a protein's structure has been experimentally determined, further detailed studies can be done computationally, using molecular dynamic simulations of that structure.

Protein structure databases

A protein structure database is a database that is modeled around the various experimentally determined protein structures. The aim of most protein structure databases is to organize and annotate the protein structures, providing the biological community access to the experimental data in a useful way. Data included in protein structure databases often includes 3D coordinates as well as experimental information, such as unit cell dimensions and angles for x-ray crystallography determined structures. Though most instances, in this case either proteins or a specific structure determinations of a protein, also contain sequence information and some databases even provide means for performing sequence based queries, the primary attribute of a structure database is structural information, whereas sequence databases focus on sequence information, and contain no structural information for the majority of entries. Protein structure databases are critical for many efforts in computational biology such as structure based drug design, both in developing the computational methods used and in providing a large experimental dataset used by some methods to provide insights about the function of a protein.

Structural classifications of proteins

Protein structures can be grouped based on their structural similarity, topological class or a common evolutionary origin. The Structural Classification of Proteins database and CATH database provide two different structural classifications of proteins. When the structural similarity is large the two proteins have possibly diverged from a common ancestor, and shared structure between proteins is considered evidence of homology. Structure similarity can then be used to group proteins together into protein superfamilies. If shared structure is significant but the fraction shared is small, the fragment shared may be the consequence of a more dramatic evolutionary event such as horizontal gene transfer, and joining proteins sharing these fragments into protein superfamilies is no longer justified. Topology of a protein can be used to classify proteins as well. Knot theory and circuit topology are two topology frameworks developed for classification of protein folds based on chain crossing and intrachain contacts respectively.

Computational prediction of protein structure

Main article: Protein structure prediction

The generation of a protein sequence is much easier than the determination of a protein structure. However, the structure of a protein gives much more insight in the function of the protein than its sequence. Therefore, a number of methods for the computational prediction of protein structure from its sequence have been developed. Ab initio prediction methods use just the sequence of the protein. Threading and homology modeling methods can build a 3-D model for a protein of unknown structure from experimental structures of evolutionarily-related proteins, called a protein family.

See also

References

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  8. ^ Bertolini M, Fenzl K, Kats I, Wruck F, Tippmann F, Schmitt J, Auburger JJ, Tans S, Bukau B, Kramer G (January 2021). "Interactions between nascent proteins translated by adjacent ribosomes drive homomer assembly". Science. 371 (6524): 57–64. Bibcode:2021Sci...371...57B. doi:10.1126/science.abc7151. PMC 7613021. PMID 33384371.
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