Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The Three-Dimensional
Structure of Proteins
Running in
same
direction:
Hydrogen
bonds are
angled
Running in
opposite
direction:
Hydrogen
bonds are
straight
Covalent Bond
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Determination of Tertiary Structure
• X-ray crystallography: Uses a perfect crystal in
which all individual protein molecules have the same
3-D structure and orientation
• When a pure crystal is exposed to a beam of X rays, a
diffraction pattern is produced
• Pattern results when electrons in each atom scatter the
X rays
• Scattered X rays can reinforce or cancel each other
giving a characteristic pattern for each molecule
• Information is extracted by a mathematical analysis
called a Fourier series
(Hydrophobic Pocket)
• Example
• Mixing liquid hydrocarbon hexane (C6H14) with water
yields one layer of hexane and one layer of water
• Formation of the mixed solution is nonspontaneous
• Formation of the two layers is spontaneous
• Unfavorable entropy terms arise if solution formation
requires the creation of ordered arrays of solvent