Three-Dimensional Structures of Proteins Responsible for Biological Functions

The smallest structures in the hierarchy of life are biopolymers. Among them, proteins encoded by DNA are fundamental. In this chapter, we will summarize the basic facts about proteins. Proteins are formed by the folding of amino acid sequences into three-dimensional structures. If you look at proteins in the coarse-grained ribbon model, they are surprisingly simple and made up of the folding of a small number of units (secondary structures). There are only approximately 1000 different folding patterns. They fluctuate quite dynamically, and it is thought that the large fluctuating parts form the active sites of molecular recognition.