Protein folding problem


Designed by T.A. Bramley, in Robson, B., Trends Biochem. Sci. 1,50 (1976).
Copyright (c) Elsevier Biomedical Press, 1976.


In one gene the DNA is expressed mainly by its transcription into RNA messenger (mRNA).This message then is translated into aminoacid sequence forms, which are blocks of proteins arranged. These proteins now have the message contained in DNA molecule: for example, one proteins is responsible for eyes color; hemoglobin, which gives the red color for blood cells, and which works as one oxigen carrier is one protein too. The gene is indirectly responsible for the phenotype, but in fact, the related protein is that results the phenotypical observed characteres. Proteins are the basic unit of life, and it is necessary to comphreend he functions and structures in order to understand how the life works.

Many works (about 25 years) have been utilizating the attempt to understand how proteins fold in natural conditions. The objetive is fold proteins from aminoacids sequences (which are easy to obtain) intocorrect tridimensional structures (which are obtained in very small number when compared with the number of aminoacids sequences), theorically (utilizating one computer for the current steps of folding). Nowadays, researches aren't very close to get this goal, and then the Proteic folding problem remains one of the most basic problems in the branch of computation biology.

The resolution of this problem has enormous implications: exact drugs can be designed theoretically over computers without those large amount of pratical experiments. The proteic folding simulation can allow us to work with the cell shaping One detailed description of maths/computing of the nature of life of proteins folding process.

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