Spectro-chemical Probes for Protein Conformation and Function
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
The importance in catalysis of changes in overall and local protein conformation has been appreciated increasingly as experimental approaches suitable to their detection have multiplied both in number and sophistication. Yet, the documentation of such conformational changes as well as the judgment of their significance have presented difficulties, since methods for analyzing protein structure often require conditions which are not directly comparable to those exploring function.
Such structural changes as may occur must relate to the thermodynamics underlying catalytic mechanisms. In this regard the intrinsic role of the E·S complex is universally appreciated, but important aspects of its formation remain unresolved. What role, if any, can local conformational changes play to enable and facilitate catalysis? How much of the enzyme's chemical reactivity, essential for the process, exists prior to the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex? Is the enzyme actually poised for activity?
Detailed delineation of electronic, magnetic and gross structural...
