Molecules three-dimensional structure

Many problems in force field investigations arise from the calculation of Coulomb interactions with fixed charges, thereby neglecting possible mutual polarization. With that obvious drawback in mind, Ulrich Sternberg developed the COSMOS (Computer Simulation of Molecular Structures) force field [30], which extends a classical molecular mechanics force field by serai-empirical charge calculation based on bond polarization theory [31, 32]. This approach has the advantage that the atomic charges depend on the three-dimensional structure of the molecule. Parts of the functional form of COSMOS were taken from the PIMM force field of Lindner et al., which combines self-consistent field theory for r-orbitals ( nr-SCF) with molecular mechanics [33, 34]. 

The physical, chemical cind biological properties of a molecule often depend critically upo the three-dimensional structures, or conformations, that it can adopt. Conformational analysi is the study of the conformations of a molecule and their influence on its properties. Th development of modem conformational analysis is often attributed to D H R Bcirton, wh showed in 1950 that the reactivity of substituted cyclohexanes wcis influenced by th equatoricil or axial nature of the substituents [Beirton 1950]. An equcilly important reaso for the development of conformatiorml analysis at that time Wcis the introduction c analytic il techniques such as infreired spectroscopy, NMR and X-ray crystaillograph] which actucilly enabled the conformation to be determined. 

A particularly important application of molecular dynamics, often in conjunction with the simulated annealing method, is in the refinement of X-ray and NMR data to determine the three-dimensional structures of large biological molecules such as proteins. The aim of such refinement is to determine the conformation (or conformations) that best explain the experimental data. A modified form of molecular dynamics called restrained moleculai dynarrdcs is usually used in which additional terms, called penalty functions, are added tc the potential energy function. These extra terms have the effect of penalising conformations... 

All protein molecules are polymers built up from 20 different amino acids linked end-to-end by peptide bonds. The function of every protein molecule depends on its three-dimensional structure, which in turn is determined by its amino acid sequence, which in turn is determined by the nucleotide sequence of the structural gene. 

Figure 3.13 The hemoglobin molecule is built up of four polypeptide chains two a chains and two (3 chains. Compare this with Figure 1.1 and note that for purposes of clarity parts of the a chains are not shown here. Each chain has a three-dimensional structure similar to that of myoglobin the globin fold. In sicklecell hemoglobin Glu 6 in the (3 chain is mutated to Val, thereby creating a hydrophobic patch on the surface of the molecule. The structure of hemoglobin was determined in 1968 to 2.8 A resolution in the laboratory of Max Perutz at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

The 434 Cro molecule contains 71 amino acid residues that show 48% sequence identity to the 69 residues that form the N-terminal DNA-binding domain of 434 repressor. It is not surprising, therefore, that their three-dimensional structures are very similar (Figure 8.11). The main difference lies in two extra amino acids at the N-terminus of the Cro molecule. These are not involved in the function of Cro. By choosing the 434 Cro and repressor molecules for his studies, Harrison eliminated the possibility that any gross structural difference of these two molecules can account for their different DNA-binding properties. 

Figure 12.14 The three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction center of a purple bacterium was the first high-resolution structure to be obtained from a membrane-bound protein. The molecule contains four subunits L, M, H, and a cytochrome. Subunits L and M bind the photosynthetic pigments, and the cytochrome binds four heme groups. The L (yellow) and the M (red) subunits each have five transmembrane a helices A-E. The H subunit (green) has one such transmembrane helix, AH, and the cytochrome (blue) has none. Approximate membrane boundaries are shown. The photosynthetic pigments and the heme groups appear in black. (Adapted from L. Stryer, Biochemistry, 3rd ed. New York ...

IgG antibody molecules are composed of two light chains and two heavy chains joined together by disulfide bonds. Each light chain has one variable domain and one constant domain, while each heavy chain has one variable and three constant domains. All of the domains have a similar three-dimensional structure known as the immunoglobulin fold. The Fc stem of the molecule is formed by constant domains from each of the heavy chains, while two Fab arms are formed by constant and variable domains from both heavy and light chains. The hinge region between the stem and the arms is flexible and allows the arms to move relative to each other and to the stem. 

A nucleic acid can never code for a single protein molecule that is big enough to enclose and protect it. Therefore, the protein shell of viruses is built up from many copies of one or a few polypeptide chains. The simplest viruses have just one type of capsid polypeptide chain, which forms either a rod-shaped or a roughly spherical shell around the nucleic acid. The simplest such viruses whose three-dimensional structures are known are plant and insect viruses the rod-shaped tobacco mosaic virus, the spherical satellite tobacco necrosis virus, tomato bushy stunt virus, southern bean mosaic vims. 

The specific role of each amino acid residue for the function of the protein can be tested by making specific mutations of the residue in question and examining the properties of the mutant protein. By combining in this way functional studies in solution, site-directed mutagenesis by recombinant DNA techniques, and three-dimensional structure determination, we are now in a position to gain fresh insights into the way protein molecules work. 

The three-dimensional structure of protein molecules can be experimentally determined by two different methods, x-ray crystallography and NMR. The interaction of x-rays with electrons in molecules arranged in a crystal is used to obtain an electron-density map of the molecule, which can be interpreted in terms of an atomic model. Recent technical advances, such as powerful computers including graphics work stations, electronic area detectors, and... 

In NMR the magnetic-spin properties of atomic nuclei within a molecule are used to obtain a list of distance constraints between those atoms in the molecule, from which a three-dimensional structure of the protein molecule can be obtained. The method does not require protein crystals and can be used on protein molecules in concentrated solutions. It is, however, restricted in its use to small protein molecules. 

In the Fischer convention, the ermfigurations of other molecules are described by the descriptors d and L, which are assigned comparison with the reference molecule glyceraldehyde. In ertqrloying the Fischer convention, it is convenient to use projection formulas. These are planar representations defined in such a w as to convey three-dimensional structural information. The molecule is oriented with the major carbon chain aligned vertically in such a marmer that the most oxidized terminal carbon is at the top. The vertical bonds at each carbon are directed back, away fiom the viewer, and the horizontal bonds are directed toward the viewer. The D and L forms of glyceraldehyde are shown below with the equivalent Fischer projection formulas. 

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