Protein Structure

Protein Structure deals with the chemistry and physics of biologically important molecules—the proteins—particularly the determination of the structure of various proteins, their thermodynamics, their kinetics, and the mechanisms of different reactions of individual proteins. The book approaches the study of protein structure in two ways: firstly, by determining the general features of protein structure, the overall size, and shape of the molecule; and secondly, by investigating the molecule internally along with the various aspects of the internal configuration of protein molecules. It describes in detail experimental methods for determining protein structure in solution, such as the hydrodynamic method, the thermodynamic optical method, and the electrochemical method. The book then explains the results of experiments carried out on insulin, lysozyme, and ribonuclease. The text notes that the experiments, carried out on native and denatured proteins as well as on derivatives prepared by chemical modification (e.g., by methylation, iodination, acetylation, etc.), can lead to greater understanding of secondary and tertiary structures of proteins of known sequence. The book is suitable for biochemists, micro-biologists, cellular researchers, or investigators involved in protein structure and other biological sciences related to muscle physiologists, geneticists, enzymologists, or immunologists.