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Cooperative Conformational Transitions of Linear Biopolymers
Author(s) -
Engel Jürgen,
Schwarz Gerhard
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition in english
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 0570-0833
DOI - 10.1002/anie.197003891
Subject(s) - cooperativity , intramolecular force , linear polymer , macromolecule , polymer , chemistry , chemical physics , nucleic acid , chain (unit) , statistical physics , physics , stereochemistry , quantum mechanics , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Abstract Conformational transitions in proteins, nucleic acids, and other biopolymers evidently play a decisive role in many biological processes, particularly in control processes. They often proceed cooperatively, i.e. the elementary process of the transition of an individual segment of these macromolecules in influenced by the state of other segments via intramolecular interactions. In general, the segments favor the same state as their neighbours. The resulting equilibrium properties of cooperative systems, e.g. the sharpness of the transitions and their dependence on the chain length, can be quantitatively explained for linear systems by the linear Ising model. The molecular causes of the cooperativity can be explained for simple model polymers.