Structures and Chemistry of Proteins

Dickerson and Geis collaborated on a protein chemistry book that contains many of the drawings and paintings of Geis R. E. Dickerson and I. Geis, The Structure and Action of Proteins, Benjamin, Menlo Park, Calif., 1969. 

As the focus of this review is on copper-dioxygen chemistry, we shall briefly summarize major aspects of the active site chemistry of those proteins involved in 02 processing. The active site structure and chemistry of hemocyanin (He, 02 carrier) and tyrosinase (Tyr, monooxygenase) will be emphasized, since the chemical studies described herein are most relevant to their function. The major classes of these proteins and their origins, primary functions, and leading references are provided in Table 1. Other classes of copper proteins not included here are blue electron carriers [13], copper-thiolate proteins (metallothioneines) [17], and NO reductases (e.g., nitrite [NIR] [18] or nitrous oxide [19]). 

First the general structure and chemistry of the amino acids is presented. Then several methods that can be used to prepare them in the laboratory are discussed. After an introduction to the structure of peptides and proteins, chemical methods that can be used to determine the amino acid sequence in proteins are presented. Next, the synthesis of peptides in the laboratory is introduced. Finally, the three-dimensional structure of proteins and the mechanism of action of enzymes are briefly addressed. 

A section on protein structural chemistry in archaea includes Chapters 5 through 7, respectively, by D. Oesterhelt on the structure and function of photoreceptor proteins in the Halobacteriaceae J. Lanyi on the structure and function of ion-transport rhodopsins in extreme halophiles and R. Hensel on proteins of extreme thermophiles. In a section on cell envelopes (Chapters 8-10), O. Kandler and H. Konig discuss the structure and chemistry of archaeal cell walls M. Kates reviews the chemistry and function of membrane lipids of archaea and L.I. Hochstein covers membrane-bound proteins (enzymes) in archaea. 

Aspects of the Structure and Reactions of Proteins. Frontiers in Chemistry... 

The purpose of this article is to cover the structure and chemistry of these proteins and related nonproteinaceous polypeptide complexes with divalent and monovalent metal ions, thereby updating our contribution to the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry. The different aspects of MT structures and the recent advances in our knowledge regarding their function have been described. A number of general reviews and conference proceedings covering all aspects of MT research are also available.As the number of references in this contribution is to be kept to a minimum, in many instances only these review articles will be quoted. 

This chapter concentrates on the basic structures and chemistry of amino acids and on natural and synthetic proteins that have been applied as materials or in synkinesis. Biochemistry and molecular biology are touched upon occasionally. Metzler s and Voet s excellent biochemistry textbooks are recommended for these subjects. 

For a discussion of enzymes, see Section 9.0. For further information on the structure of proteins, see Neurath and Hill (1975), and the periodical. Advances in Protein Chemistry. Models of proteins may be visualized in three dimensions by using the Stereo Supplement to the hook Structure and Action of Proteins (Dickerson and Geis, 1969). 

Both amines and amides are abundant in nature, where they play important roles in the chemistry of life. Our study of these two functional classes will help prepare us for later chapters dealing with amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids and provide a basis for understanding the structures and chemistry of a number of medicines. 

Biophysics is the branch of science that uses the principles of physics to study biological concepts. It examines how life systems function, especially at the cellular and molecular level. It plays an important role in understanding the structure and function of proteins and membranes and in developing new pharmaceuticals. Biophysics is the foundation for molecular biology, a field that combines physics, biology, and chemistry. 

Having settled on a definition of chemoinformatics, it is time for us to reflect on the distinction between chemoinformatics and bioinformatics. The objects of interest of bioinformatics are mainly genes and proteins. But genes, DNA and RNA, and proteins are chemical compounds They are objects of high interest in chemistry, Chemists have made substantial contributions to the elucidation of the structure and function of nucleic adds and proteins. The message is dear there is no clearcut distinction between bioinfonnatics and chemoinformatics I... 

Jenning.s, M. L., 1989. Structure and function of die red blood cell anion tran.sport protein. Annual Review of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry 18 397-430. 

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