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Discovering protein secondary structures: Classification and description of isolated α‐turns
Author(s) -
Pavone Vincenzo,
Gaeta Girolamo,
Lombardi Angela,
Nastri Flavia,
Maglio Ornella,
Isernia Carla,
Saviano Michele
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0282(199606)38:6<705::aid-bip3>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - chemistry , protein secondary structure , folding (dsp implementation) , peptide , computational biology , protein structure , protein data bank , similarity (geometry) , alpha (finance) , structural similarity , protein folding , protein design , molecular recognition , amino acid , molecule , biochemistry , artificial intelligence , biology , computer science , electrical engineering , image (mathematics) , medicine , nursing , patient satisfaction , engineering , construct validity , organic chemistry
Irregular protein secondary structures are believed to be important structural domains involved in molecular recognition processes between proteins, in interactions between peptide substrates and receptors, and in protein folding. In these respects tight turns are being studied in detail. They also represent template structures for the design of new molecules such as drugs, pesticides, or antigens. Isolated α‐turns, not participating in α‐helical structures, have received little attention due to the overwhelming presence of other types of tight turns in peptide and protein structures. The growing number of protein X‐ray structures allowed us to undertake a systematic search into the Protein Data Bank of this uncharacterized protein secondary structure. A classification of isolated α‐turns into different types, based on conformational similarity, is reported here. A preliminary analysis on the occurrence of some particular amino acids in certain positions of the turned structure is also presented. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.