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PrincetonUniversity
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How do proteins fold? Proteins are fundamental
elements of life. They send the messages, transport the
chemicals and build the structures that allow living things
to exist. Scientists have known for a long time the precise
chemical makeup of proteins. But that's only half the story.
What really determines the function of a particular protein
is the precise and intricate way it is folded.
For decades scientists have tried to
understand why a particular chemical sequence leads to a
particular fold.
"It is a fascinating problem, because
nature does it so quickly and efficiently, and we all fail
to predict it," says Christodoulos Floudas, professor of
chemical engineering. Floudas is one of a growing number of
scientists trying to tackle the problem using mathematical
rather than experimental methods.
Caption: 58-residue bovine proteinase trypsin inhibitor
• Department of Chemical Engineering home page
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