CPM Seminar

Proteins fold into unique three dimensional structures coded by their amino acid sequences. Determining the relation between sequence and structure is a key unsolved problem in molecular biology. Here I analyze the problem using a typical physicist's approach, i.e., by building simple models which capture the essential ingredients of the problem. I will first describe how one can extract the nature of the driving force for folding from real protein data. I will then demonstrate how a simple model can reveal striking principles of structure selection based on design and evolutionary stability. Finally I will discuss how to use the insights gained from the simple model to analyze real protein structures.

Thursday, October 15th 1998, 16:00
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 114