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Intrachain potential energy of the α‐helix and of a coiled coil strand
Author(s) -
Tarry D. A. D.,
Suzuki E.
Publication year - 1969
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/bip.1969.360070205
Subject(s) - van der waals force , chemistry , helix (gastropod) , hydrogen bond , crystallography , potential energy , electromagnetic coil , electric potential energy , chemical physics , energy (signal processing) , atomic physics , molecule , physics , quantum mechanics , snail , biology , ecology , organic chemistry
A comparison has been made of the intrachain potential energy of an infinite straight α‐helix of poly‐ L ‐alanine with that of the distorted form adopted in a coiled coil conformation. The energy terms included were the van der Waal's, electrostatic, hydrogen‐bond, and the rotational potential terms. The results indicate that the potential energies of the structures investigated are almost the same, and so a transformation from one state to another may occur without significant changes in potential energy. Particular care has been taken to ensure that the electrostatic and van der Waal's interaction terms are fully convergent. The values obtained for the α‐helix were compared with those already published, and some significant differences were found.