Title:Â Understanding proteins: the machines of life
Abstract: Proteins are the exquisite machines of life, crafted by evolution to carry out the chemistry of cells. Proteins fold into precise three-dimensional shapes whose architectures govern function in health and disease. Beneath their chemical diversity lies a striking simplicity. Protein structures are assembled from recurring motifs—helices that coil like springs and strands that lock into pleated sheets—woven together into a finite repertoire of folds. This modularity reveals that the space of possible protein structures is far smaller than the astronomical space of possible sequences, hinting at hidden rules of assembly. We will seek geometrical principles that underlie this modularity and speculate on the possibility of constructing networks of powerful artificial machines in the laboratory, machines that draw upon the same organizing principles that govern proteins.