Enzyme Physics

This book treats a new, far-from-fully-developed area of molecular biophysics-enzyme physics. An attempt is made to survey this field, but primary consideration is given tothreeprob­ lems under investigation in the Polymer Structure Labaratory of the Institue of High-Molecular Compounds, Academy of Seiences ofthe USSR. The first problern is the genetic coding of the biologically fun.ctional structure of proteins. Its solution is based on physical theories of hydrophobic interactions. The second problern is the conformational properties of pro­ teins as the factor governing enzyme activity. The most direct methods for experimental investigation of questions in this area are optical, principally those involving natural and magnetic rota­ tion of the plane of polarization. A substantial portion of the book concerns optical activity; the Faraday effect is discussed in an appendix. The third problern is the manifestation of the cooperative properties of enzymes in the kinetics of enzymatic reactions and the solution of complex kinetic problems. This problern is espe­ cially pressing in connection with research on allosteric enzymes, which are responsible for feedback in metabolic processes. An appendix describes a new method for solving kinetic problems, based on the theory of graphs. This volume extends and details certain of the ideas ex­ pressed in my previous book, Molecules and Life: An Introduction to Molecular Biophysics, which was published in this series in 1965. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-4 Protein Structure....Pages 5-17 Hydrophobic Interactions and Protein Structure....Pages 18-29 Genetic Coding of Protein Structure....Pages 30-39 Macromolecular Properties of Enzymes....Pages 40-46 Induced Structural Correspondence of Enzyme and Substrate....Pages 47-58 Optical Activity....Pages 59-70 Optical Activity of Polypeptide Chains....Pages 71-83 Optical Activity and Conformational Properties of Enzymes....Pages 84-93 Conformational Properties of Enzymes and Ionization....Pages 94-109 Cooperative Properties of Enzymes and Reaction Kinetics....Pages 110-119 Allosteric Enzymes....Pages 120-132 Hemoglobin....Pages 133-142 Enzymes and Mechanochemistry....Pages 143-148 Back Matter....Pages 149-198