Alpha Helix - Helix-coil Transition

Helix-coil Transition

See also: Helix-coil transition model

Homopolymers of amino-acids (such as poly-lysine) can adopt α-helical structure at low temperature that is "melted out" at high temperatures. This helix-coil transition was once thought to be analogous to protein denaturation. The statistical mechanics of this transition can be modeled using an elegant transfer matrix method, characterized by two parameters: the propensity to initiate a helix and the propensity to extend a helix.

Read more about this topic:  Alpha Helix

Famous quotes containing the word transition:

    “Power ceases in the instant of repose; it resides in the moment of transition from a past to a new state, in the shooting of the gulf, in the darting to an aim.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)