Open AccessSymmetry and the energy landscapes of biomolecules
Author(s) -
Peter G. Wolynes
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.93.25.14249
Subject(s) - energy landscape , symmetry (geometry) , folding (dsp implementation) , analogy , magic (telescope) , biomolecule , protein folding , physics , theoretical physics , chemical physics , energy (signal processing) , statistical physics , quantum mechanics , nanotechnology , mathematics , geometry , materials science , thermodynamics , linguistics , philosophy , nuclear magnetic resonance , electrical engineering , engineering
The role of symmetry in the folding of proteins is discussed using energy landscape theory. An analytical argument shows it is much easier to find sequences with funneled energy landscape capable of fast folding if the structure is symmetric. The analogy with phase transitions of small clusters with magic numbers is discussed.