Movable lobes and flexible loops in proteins. Structural deformations that control biochemical activity
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Published on: October 25, 2017
1Laboratory of Physical Biology National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Abstract:
Two classes of protein whose structure is modified by small ligands are reviewed. Proteins of one group contain two massive domains joined by a flexible link; in response to small molecules, the two lobes approach and enclose the ligand. In the other, a short segment of amino acids moves as a flexible loop over the ligand which often is trapped in a non-aqueous environment. Biochemical reaction rates are altered dramatically by these movements.
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